Hiking w/ Friends

I have never been a big hicker, not because I disliked the idea but because the opportunity has never arrived. Being in Alaska however,hiking is a common thing to do and sooner or later I knew the opportunity would arrive.

Finally, today was the day to go hiking with my peers/co-workers from an EMT volunteer group. Let me say that after running those 15miles on Monday, hiking the Bird Ridge trail seemed way harder. My concious told me if I didn't keep up with my usual running routine I would of probably not made it  far on that trail. However, all the sweat, tripping over rocks, and exhaustion was worth the shot.

The view once we reached the the top (a top) was priceless. I had the opportunity to see a large body of water that tourist kill to see. Instead of joining my other two companions who wanted to hike alllllllll the way to the top, my partner and I decided to sit an enjoy the beautiful view. Something about the refelection of the sun and the tides was just so peacful. Not only did I get a great workout but I had the opportunity to appreciate the wonders of outdoor activities and wildlife with a group of people that had all the knowledge of outdoors; like what to do if you stumble across a bear DON'T RUN. I now see why people enjoy outdoors. The outdoors in Alaska with its summer weather is just perfect.

After our three hour hiking adventure my friends and I decided to hit subway. I was totally craving a six inch flat bread with tuna and avocado, oh yeah and bannana peppers and lots of spintch (i love spinach). WOW! That sandwich never tasted so good!

 So this is the exact view I got to see but since I do not have a camera or i-phone YET (I know sad day lol) I found this picture on-line. What a beauty!


Later in the evening:
Even though I enjoyed the hiking workout  with my friends, it  is always nice to give my self solotiary time by taking a run or going to the gym. I decided to do just that and after a short nap went to the guy. I spend the time biking for 20min. and running on the treadmil for 40 min. I feel that after a long week,  giving myself the time to enjoy outdoors or a long work out totally makes up for all the stressful times I would want to pull out my hair lol.

My Partner In Crime

Want a good work out? Chase a child on their bike. You will get a kick out of it. This whole week I've had to babysit my little niece and finding time to workout in between that and work has been a challenging task. Then I had an epiphany. I would take my "partner in crime" to the track and have her ride her  bike while I run besides her. This would allow me to keep a close eye on her for sure. She loved seeing me chase her and the faster she went the more I wondered if this was a good idea lol. 

It was fun over all but  it only lasted about 25minutes  then the complaining about the heat began. It was worth the shot and I got 2 miles in and a couple of ropes (jump roping). 

To Kill Some Miles

To Kill Some Miles
"Some people take there anger out on family
Others take it out on friends
Then there are those that indulge in negative activities
But I take my anger out by killing some miles."
-Ideco F.

Today was one of those days where infinite thoughts kept popping up in my cerebrum, at the speed of light. Even though work was very calm I felt drained by all the future activities I had and still have left to do. I knew this called for a long run, a hobby that drifts my thoughts towards the ache in my legs and the beauty of trails. I decided to run on the Glenn Hwy from Eagle River to Muldoon which is approximately 15miles (there and back). I was excited for the first 5 miles then something in my tummy did not feel right. I knew the coffee I had drank earlier was beginning to hit me. Gosh!! The closet restroom was about 2 extra miles down. So I had two extra chooses to make, to run Da-two extra miles or 5miles back. Can you guess what I chose? I ran the extra 2 miles; I knew I would whine about the 7 miles back.

Okay, Seven miles back to Eagle River I could do it. Well...I kinda had no chose unless I decided to camp out on the highway. I remember leaving home upset but running back robbed my attention in hopes that I would make it back home, longing to sit in that comfy sofa, and having a drink of an ice cold orange juice.

Finally! Once I reached the car I felt relieved to be done and  great to have had put 15 miles in one day. So next time when your angry go for a run, you may be surprised at how many miles you can "kill" over anger. :)

Doing it All Over Agian

Quote of the Day:

He who fails to plan is planning to fail."

-Winston Chruchill

You know when you are working out for a about two weeks and you feel pumped and in shape. Then your schedule piles up with various tasks which you had already anticipated but failed to prepare? Yup! That was me last week. I started off well, doing my usual runs then I got of track for just a little and I let that one mistake, on that one day dictate the rest of my week. Kinda suXs because I can tell it is going to take this week to discipline myself mentally and physically to jump back on schedule. I dislike having to start of slow and work  my way up again but that is what you got to do sometimes. Hopefully this is a lesson learned so I do not make the same mistake again. Let me give you some advice that we all have heard, "it is better to  plan ahead then to try to do everything at once and better to take a day or two off from running then getting burned out."

What a Quote

I love this quote by John C. Maxwell, " Life is 10% what we make it and 90% how we take it."

An Inspirational Co-worker

Auntie on call, really means you have to be prepared for the unexpected. Workout for the day as scheduled is six miles. The goal was to get my workout done early in the morning before work but sometimes when you stay up late with your older sister- like younger kids do, you take the consequences because it's totally worth it. We stood up late laughing at past memories which, by the way was a good ab workout. However, I paid the price today when I missed my workout in the morning because I was too tired to get up. I figured I would do the run after work(11pm).


My sister being a military mom also faces her own challenges. Sometimes she has what's called PTs (physical training's) one weekend per month and with my brother-in-law being deployed it can be difficult to locate a babysitter. So that is where Tia to the rescue comes in the picture.

I was thinking I would save my workout for tomorrow but after a co-worker mentioned how she was inspired by me and that she went on a 5mile early run, I was then inspired by her and willing to complete my run for the day even if it means running at midnight. The good thing about Alaska is that the sun hardly ever goes down in the summers, but then again the sun hardly ever works because it is usually always chilly. Okay, this is coming for a Vegas girl who is used to the 100 degree heat.
The thing is that we will always have challenges and even the little ones can look big and scary when confronted with it. But we have to be reminded that, " [challenges] in life [are] inevitable, being defeated is optional," as stated by Eric Bates. I guess what  my co-worker told me today really gave me the spark to complete my run later on in the day.

If running means I can inspire others to do the same, any challenge is totally worth it!

Tasty Advice

Happy Fourth of July!!!!
Hope you are having a great day with your close loved ones. 

So earlier today when I was eating lunch with my family before work, my nephew gave me a great advice. He is crazy about ketchup on everything he eats and since we didn't have any dressing that really suited my appetite, he adviced to try ketchup on my salad. What the heck, I tried it and to my surprise it was pretty savory.
So guess what's for dinner lol? A nice mix garden salad with ketchup and blue cheese. Mmmm... yummy in my tummy. :)

Work-out for the day: It only makes since to do a four mile run for the fourth of July (after work). :)

Run or Stay in Bed?

Both yesterday and today were melancholy days. Those type of days where you don't want to do anything but stay in bed, read a book, and drink some ice coffee (i have to emphases the ice  because I dislike warm drinks). Running wasn't really the goal for the day but good thing I am not governed by my feelings alone. Thank God that human beings have brains that when my emotions tell me one thing I can fall back on the frontal lobe of my brain that tells me to stick to my running regime.
Before I could give myself enough time to think about whether I wanted to run or stay in bed, I quickly maneuvered towards my running gear. Already dressed for a run I had no choice but to walk out the door and take a short run. It feels good to be part of the 5% population who could run a mile non-stop, according to Runner's World Magazine.
As I ran non-stop down a hill I caught a glimpse of three other runners and a biker. The first runner was a  young teen dressed in her bright neon green socks and New Balance gear. The other two were a couple who ran side by side in a synchronized paste. Then there was the biker, an older gentle men that looked like he was in his late 30s or early 40s. Taking a look at all these individuals I was reminded how runners/bikers come in all different shapes, sizes, genders, and ages. Conclusion,  there are no excuses for not hitting the road for a good workout so get out there and do it, you'll be glad you did!

Runners Don't Get Lost, We Just Find New Trails

Today's run was adventurous. I decided to take a different path than the usual when at my sister's place. There are these mysterious trails in peoples' back yards that split into various directions. Bored with the usual routine, I decided to take a different path.
Mile one through two:
I was surrounded by a little stream and bright green trees. The area looked like a tropical scenery: very bright and beautiful with flowers of various colors. The only annoying part was the ugly mosquitoes.
Mile three through four:
I guess this is where you can say I got lost, in a way. The trail looked like it ended in a residential area that I did not recognize. I thought about turning back, but since I still had extra miles to kill, I kept running. Exploring these new running sites was entertaining, though I had to stop to ask for directions. Eventually, the paved path turned into a trail again that went under a tunnel, and once again I was in the tropics. This time I recognized the direction the trail was heading. It lead me down a small hill with a stairway of 100 steps that ended at my nephew's elementary school. This was so exciting! I have been looking for a good set of stairs to train on. Putting my i-pod aside, I ran the stairway nine times.
Boy was this exhausting,but I figured its never to early to train as if today was the day. To better explain, my goal is to become a firefighter, and if you didn't already know firefighters need the stamina to run up a flight of stairs with gear that weigh 75lbs. I didn't have the 75lbs on, and the stairs alone was a challenge. This was going to become a new part of my routine. I will run up these flight of stairs no matter how much my thigh's cry, they will become accustomed to this type of training.
There were times I wanted to stop running up and down those stairs but there is a quote by Anatole France that saysso the only way to get better is to keep practicing.  Then again there is my other favorite quote I like to repeat over and over again, " these steps are bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S," sometimes it reads, "this run is bananas...or this class is bananas..." you get the idea, right? Once I was done running up and down the flight of stairs I headed home.
Mile 5-6:
I thought I was done when I got home but I had something left on my agenda. My seven year old nephew and three year old niece wanted to run as well. Who can say no to that? How many times do you get to hear a young child ask to go on a run with their Tia? I took their request and ran up the road for my baby niece and continued the last two miles with my nephew.
Waiting at home for us was a yummy Spanish dish made by my sister. We all ate together as a close family does and after dinner I quickly bathed and hit the hay for a good three hour nap before my swing shift.
WOW. Today was a good day. :)