Race: Salina Crossroads Marathon 2025 in Salina, Kansas
Time of Year and Weather: First Saturday in November. Really fantastic day for running — mostly sunny, 45-60 degrees, BUT WINDY. I didn’t mind it too much – better than rain!
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Race: Monument Marathon in Gering, Nebraska, located in western Nebraska
Season and Weather: Saturday of the last weekend in September. Lovely 48 degrees at the start but nearing 80 at the end. Dry and sunny.
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Before I had kids, I was pretty negative on all things Disney. The movies were traumatizing. The mouse voice was hard to understand. The female characters were… problematic. But then I had the kids, and while I’m not ready to forgive all the negatives, I have felt better about some of the newer movies and I was open minded to the fact that my kids may enjoy Disney World. And if I was going to Florida, I figured I might as well run a marathon.
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I’m baaaaaack. I’ve had quite a few changes in my life since I ran my last marathon — the NYC Marathon in 2019 — five months postpartum with my first child. But I decided it was finally time to get back into the marathon game. We have some friends who live in Seattle and thought it would be fun to visit them this summer, so I figured there was no better time to check off Washington in my 50 states journey. I chose Jack and Jill’s Downhill Marathon for a few reasons: (1) it was recommended on the 50 States Marathon Club Facebook page, (2) the timing worked out, and (3) it seemed like a friendly enough and pretty enough course for my return. I didn’t train perfectly and won’t go into detail, but in short, my longest run while training was 15 miles, I did a trail half last fall to help get the base going, I’ve been playing a lot of tennis, and I do a weekly cross-training class that is getting my legs super strong, even if my pace isn’t what it used to be. So let’s dive into the specifics–
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Five whole months, I thought. No problem, I thought. It can’t be harder than running a marathon 13 weeks pregnant, I thought. That was me, a year ago, entering the NYC Marathon lottery for the fifth time. I probably won’t even get picked, I thought, reflecting on my previous unsuccessful attempts. But then I did get picked. And then, in June, I had a baby.
We just wrapped up our second significant renovation on our home in Colorado. This one was a biggie… or at least an expensivie… but we are so happy with how it came out. It was some pretty serious nesting! To read my first home improvement update from when we first moved in (mostly painting and little cosmetic things), click here. To read my second home improvement update from last summer (including our first significant renovation: wall removal project, exterior painting, and popcorn ceiling removal!), click here. So what did we do this time?
I was very happy to find out in October that we were expecting our first child, due in June. Of course, despite my excitement, I had my fears and reservations, and among those was HOW THE HECK AM I GOING TO MAKE IT THROUGH SKI SEASON IF I CAN’T SKI. My worst fears were confirmed at my eight-week appointment, when my doctor said in no uncertain terms “no downhill skiing.” So here are my tips for pregnant ladies out there, especially those who are worried about how pregnancy and the potential loss of running, skiing, and other activities will impact many aspects of their lives…
Race: Williams Route 66 Marathon
Location: Starts and ends in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma
Time of Year: Sunday the weekend before Thanksgiving
My husband and I just returned last week from our amazing trip to hike the Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB). I definitely recommend this trek to anyone who loves hiking, mountains, or cornflakes. For a recap of our eight-day self-guided itinerary, check out my recap post. For a list of the gear we took with us, see my gear post. This post will fill in some blanks and provide some helpful information if you are interested in learning more about the TMB or if you are planning to do it!
My husband and I just returned from hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc, a loop trail that goes around the Mont Blanc massif in France, Italy, and Switzerland. I will have separate posts for what we packed for this adventure, as well as some FAQs if you are interested in more tips about the TMB. But this post is my recap: where we went, where we stayed, what we ate, and how long this thing took us! We decided to do the trip in eight days and book it all ourselves — not using a hired guide company or trip planner. So here it is — our eight-day self-guided TMB itinerary!
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