Ultimate Coffee Date - June 2017

It's the first Saturday in June (June, seriously?!) and that means it is time to play catch up with all of you guys.  Check out all the happenings behind the scenes over here at Sprinkles Hikes.  Grab your favorite coffee or tea and let's catch up on everything I've been doing over here. 

If we were having coffee… I’d tell you: My season is really starting to pick up! I spent the month of May out on a few glamping (front country camping) trips as a camp host instead of as a hiking guide and I have absolutely been loving it.  Honestly, I spent so much time out in the backcountry last season that I don't mind spending a few hours out in the front country this year.  

If we were having coffee… I’d tell you: With that being said, I am really looking forward to my first backpacking trip of the season (with clients) in two weeks!  I am leading an AT Shakedown hike for a repeat client and her friend, plus a woman who wants to go hiking out in the Rockies.  As much as I love backpacking, I did so much of it last season that I'm really enjoying the fact that I'm not out all the time this season. 

If we were having coffee… I’d tell you:  I've been seeing a chiropractor now for six weeks and I finally have gone more than a full day without any hip/shin/knee pain!  This marathon season I had been complaining of tight hips that never loosened up despite miles of warm ups and cool downs and stretch sessions.  With this most recent session, my doctor used a device called The Activator.  While it was initially uncomfortable, I've actually been hip pain/tightness free in 36 hours!  I've also stepped it back on running once again and I'm opting for low-impact cardio options at the gym and doing strength training at home.  Strengthening my hips will be a priority for my winter running season!

If we were having coffee… I’d tell you:  how fast this season is going!  We have booked everything for our Tahoe Rim Trail hike and now I really need to get on top of the food thing.  Thankfully, this trip is only 10 days in the backcountry and not a few weeks or months, but I've found that planning a menu for only 10 days can be just as stressful!  I want to make sure we'll enjoy our meals without getting bored.  We will also need to mail ourselves our food and fuel for our trip, so I do need to set up a hotel in Reno for that purpose.  July will be here before I know it!

If we were having coffee… I’d tell you:  I'm doing a giveaway this month!  I have one Believe Logbook signed by Lauren Fleshman and I think it would be perfect for those of you with fall marathon or half marathon goal races!  Check out my Rafflecopter giveaway below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Add to the bottom of every post: This post is a link-up with Coco @ Got 2 Run 4 Me, Lynda @ Fitness Mom Wine Country, & Deborah @ Confessions of a Mother Runner!

Ultimate Coffee Date (+Giveaway!) - January 2017

Happy New Year to all my readers!  While many of us are happy to see 2016 in the rearview and looking forward to 2017, I had a pretty kickass December.  I'd love to catch up with you today, but since we're so spread out a virtual coffee date will have to do!  Grab your favorite mug and warm beverage and let's catch up. 

If we were having coffee… I’d tell you: My December flew by!  I spent the early part of the month dealing with the wildfires here in town, followed by the arrival of two new babies.  Then, we traveled to Maine to run a half marathon (NoKey's first!) in our favorite little trail town.  With all of those things going on, who would have thought I'd have time for ANYTHING else?!

If we were having coffee… I’d tell you: Despite all of the above, I still had time to run 111.4 miles in December.  This is thanks, in part, to me finally jumping in and joining a local fitness center.  Since I'm not getting home until it gets dark and people around here not exactly paying attention to pedestrians I needed a safer options.  While at first I loathed the idea of hopping on a treadmill, being able to run after work and doing it safely kind of makes the dread disappear!

If we were having coffee… I’d tell you: I also had a chance to see some friends this month.  Shaggy, a hiker we met on the AT, came into town and we spent the evening talking trail like only thru hikers can do.  Don't get me wrong, I love chatting with others about the AT, but it's so much different when someone else understands exactly what you were feeling out there.  

If we were having coffee… I’d tell you: On December 31, 2016 I ran and completed my first ever ultramarathon!  I chose The Pistol Ultra not only because it was local but also because I'd heard for a first timer this was THE race to chose!  It didn't disappoint.  You can check out my thoughts on running an ultra on a post I did a few days ago.  I cannot wait for this race next year!

And that brings me to my first giveaway for 2017! Since so many of us resolve to be better versions of ourselves in a new year, I'm giving away a Fitbook Lite.  This handy little book is designed to keep you accountable for six weeks, with places to put in your daily steps, water intake, exercise, and more.  Check out the giveaway below (ends 1-15-17):

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What would you tell me today if we were going to catch up? Was your December crazy busy? Are you ready to rock 2017?

Ultimate Coffee Date - What I've Been Doing Lately

Well guys, July flew by and it's already August!  Somehow summer has gotten away from me and the blog has kind of taken a backseat to all the other happenings in my life right now.  I promise that once late fall and winter get here I'll have more photos and posts for you guys.  Working as a backpacking guide my days and weeks kind of all lump together and getting time to sit down and write like I did back over the winter is tough.  I've decided to jump into the Ultimate Coffee Date link-up to give my readers a chance to see what's been going on over behind the scenes here at Sprinkles Hikes.  I hope you enjoy it!

If we were having coffee… I’d tell you: I was in a car accident on July 2nd and it's kind of left me mentally screwed up.  Thankfully it was a one-vehicle wreck and no one was hurt!  I was on a back road that wasn't designed for big vehicles and the road gave out from underneath the car I was driving.  The vehicle was totaled and no one was injured,  but the insurance company was much less than helpful and it was a mess for everyone else who was involved.  It took more than 20 days for them to even deal with it!  Now I'm pretty stressed about driving ANYWHERE, especially on gravel roads.  I know it will go away in time, but I'm still kind of nervous.  

If we were having coffee… I’d tell you: I've been working a LOT recently.  When I'm not working I'm actually out hiking to have fun!  I've been doing a ton of hiking and seeing lots of trails here in the Smokies which is a really great thing.  

If we were having coffee… I’d tell you: Since I have been working a lot, all my days are running together!  I feel like I'm just a parrot of myself at this point, reciting the same facts over and over and over and sometimes I forget if I already said the things I said only 10 minutes ago!  I also pretty much never have any idea what day it is, but that's never a bad thing in my book!

If we were having coffee… I’d tell you: Despite all the work, I've actually had time to get in a  little bit of fun!  We took our annual Guide Getaway the third week of July.  Our company shut down for three days and everyone got together to go camping down at Tsali Campground in the Nantahala National Forest.  We spent three days swimming in Fontana Lake, boating, tubing, water skiing, trail running, and attempting to mountain bike on some of the famous trails down there.  It was a great time to get away and I think we all needed the vacation!

If we were having coffee… I’d tell you: That while I was on that getaway NoKey and I went hiking down at the infamous Road to Nowhere.  We also got stung by yellow jackets on this hike - me getting stung in the FACE before screaming "RUNNNNNN!"  Yellow jackets are nasty stingers - they lay a pheromone on you to let other yellow jackets know you're a bad guy and repeatedly sting you.  I also got stung in the biceps and the calf while NoKey got stung five times just under his shoulder blade.  We spend the last mile and a half of our hike kind of jogging, me with lots of snot running down my face from being stung in the septum, back to the car and freaking out any time we saw anything flying around!

If we were having coffee… I’d tell you: NoKey is making me so proud with his half marathon training!  We are training to run the Millinocket Half Marathon and I just recently signed up for the Pistol Ultra 55K race on New Years Eve (my first ever ultra!)  He and I have been out running in some gnarly hot and humid conditions, but I'm so proud of him for sticking with it.  I bet he runs faster than I will on race day!

So guys, that was my July in a nutshell!  While it sounds kind of sad while I'm reading this post back, it was a great month regardless.  What have you been up to lately?  I'd love to hear how your July went.  Leave me a comment!

This post is a link-up with Coco @ Got 2 Run 4 Me, Lynda @ Fitness Mom Wine Country, & Deborah @ Confessions of a Mother Runner!