Ultimate Coffee Date - March 2018

It seems spring has sprung here in the southeast and another month has come and gone.  Welcome to March, everyone!  Since I've been taking more time to unplug this month, it's time for us to play catch up.  Grab your favorite cup and fill it with some coffee or tea.  It's time for our March Ultimate Coffee Date. 

If we were having coffee… I’d tell you: NoKey and I are moving back to Millinocket!  We were contacted recently pretty much out of the blue by Paul and Jaimie up at the AT Lodge.  After some serious discussion we have decided that after we hike the Mountains to Sea Trail later this month, we'll be headed back to Maine with all our pets!  We'll be taking on a management role at the Lodge and look forward to meeting all the AT hikers who are coming through in 2018. 

Home Sweet Home for 2018!

If we were having coffee… I’d tell you: My running has taken a serious hit in February.  After my most recent 30K at Whitestone, I've really scaled back on running.  In fact, I've not done any serious running in over a week.  I've been having some pretty severe pain and I've been seeing a chiropractor and doing some trigger point rolling.  Since my goal is to run 100 miles very soon, I'm taking it easy and making sure I get the rest I need to successfully complete my goal.  Speaking of that...

If we were having coffee… I’d tell you: I'm running my first ever 100-miler in only two weeks! (YIKES!)  The taper crazies haven't gotten to me yet, but I have run 290 miles since the beginning of the year.  I think I ran enough to get me through without losing my mind.  And speaking of running...

If we were having coffee… I’d tell you: I was accepted to run the New York City Marathon!  I didn't even tell NoKey I applied to the lottery this year because I was so sure I wouldn't be accepted.  In fact, on lottery day I didn't even bother refreshing after checking to see if my credit card was charged.  I had forgotten that when I put my name into the lottery my credit card was in the process of being replaced, so I used my debit card.  Imagine my surprise the next morning when I saw the email asking if I was ready to run the streets of New York City!

That pretty much sums up my February.  What would you tell me about your month? I'd love to catch up with you!

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 - January 2018

Hello readers and welcome to 2018!   Blogging really got away from me last year - both due to the business of my year and the fact that I wasn't truly feeling motivated.  This year is a new year though, and I've got some big things in store.  Let's catch up this morning.  Grab a cup of coffee or tea and settle in for our ultimate coffee date. 

If we were having coffee… I’d tell you: that I am currently at Disney World! In fact, since you're reading this on Saturday morning I have probably just completed the half marathon!  I'm running the Goofy Challenge this year, running the half on Saturday and the full on Sunday.  I figured it would be great training for my next little tidbit...

If we were having coffee… I’d tell you: I'm running a 100-miler in March!  I'm super, SUPER nervous because I know I can finish 100 miles, but I just want to do it in a respectable amount of time and before the 30-hour cut off. Ha!  I'll be adding a few more races along the way during the winter, but being in the thick of training right now I'm not sure when I'll decide to do that. 

If we were having coffee… I’d tell you: I recently completed a 40.5-mile, 12-hour ultra marathon!  This was my first ever trail ultra and I ended up being 4th place female, finishing only a few minutes behind finisher number three.  This event was HUGE for me, mentally and physically.  I only have a few blisters and one really bad black toenail as a souvenir, but I'm officially hooked.  I'm thinking I'll be transitioning into more ultra events and fewer short races.  

If we were having coffee… I’d tell you: you may have missed the fact that I'll be tackling the Mountains to Sea Trail in the spring!  Over a period of 7 weeks I'll be hiking and biking 1175 miles across North Carolina.  You can find the details about that hike over here. 

If we were having coffee… I’d tell you: that over the winter months i'll be working on more original content for the blog, and possibly a few sponsored posts as well.  I've already been lucky enough to be accepted back onto the Altra Red Team for 2018 and I couldn't be more excited to represent this amazing company for a third year!  This year I'm hoping that I'll have more recipes for the backcountry to share with you all.  

That's about all I've got from the last month.  How about you? What's new in your world? Do you have any big plans for 2018? I'd love to hear about them! Leave me a comment below. 

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 - May 2017

The month of April is finally over and I'm back at it writing again.  It's time to play catch up with all of you and share what has been going on over here behind the blog.  It's time for our Ultimate Coffee Date - May edition!

If we were having coffee… I’d tell you: I'm starting to feel a little better than I was when I last posted.  It's still taking a lot of energy on my part to sit down behind the computer and write posts, but I've been working on a few different ideas and I'm going to start getting more active by posting archival posts on Facebook and Twitter in the coming months.  Look for the "Best of Sprinkles Hikes" coming to social media near you soon!

If we were having coffee… I’d tell you: It seems like the Tahoe Rim Trail thru hike is sneaking up on me!  I'm going to have to get on the ball and purchase plane tickets (they say 55-65 days from the trip you'll get the best deal), maps, apps, and finalize our food for the trip.  I'm definitely planning on doing a lot of our own home-dehydrated meals again.  Logistics, like getting to the trailhead from the airport and stopping by an outfitter for fuel on the way to the trailhead, are definitely near the top of the list.  I'm going to have to work on this soon!

If we were having coffee… I’d tell you: I've started seeing a chiropractor for the aches and pains I've been dealing with since finishing up my marathon training this year.  Post-marathon blues really hit me hard and I've been having major FOMO following the ultras my friends are doing.  This training season really wrecked my body and I worked so hard (running a 20+ minute PR in my marathon) to improve my times and stamina.  I'm hoping to feel some improvement soon!  I've gotten back into running again and I did nearly 15 miles this week.  I'm hoping to run three days a week (one long run on my day off) and possibly get in a day of strength training.  Since my FedEx days I've definitely lost quite a bit of arm strength!

If we were having coffee… I’d tell you: I recently went on a campsite scouting trip for the company I work for.  We are expanding into other areas to offer more trips for REI Adventures.  This meant I got to go out without clients and take a hike at my own pace and camp where I wanted to!  Granted, I chose a poor campsite (due to bear canister restrictions) and ended up doing my first ever night hike at 1:15 a.m. to sleep in the backseat of my car, but I was able to hike 30  miles and find some great places for a trip!

If we were having coffee… I’d tell you: NoKey and I recently celebrated our 5th anniversary.  It's hard to believe it's been five years since I was out on the AT.  I cannot believe how much I've learned about myself and changed in those five years.  It seems like every single year brings a new adventure and a whole lot of self-discovery!

What would you tell me if we were sitting down for a cup of coffee today?  I'd love to catch up with my readers!

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

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