Beach Vacationing in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

April 8, 2016 - lynne Leave a comment

Last week, I lived the (insanely) good life in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. There is, quite simply, no other way to put it.

Earlier this year, one of my best friends, Elizabeth, asked if I had any interest in a trip to Cabo, Mexico to celebrate her 30th birthday.

Elizabeth and I are friends from college and, through the years, have kept up a long-distance friendship that includes visits to each other’s cities but also big trips to explore the world around us. We’d been brainstorming ways to ring in our 30s – maybe with a trip to Costa Rica? – but hadn’t landed on anything that felt exactly right.

When she called and explained the situation – a friend in Minneapolis, WL, was also turning 30 and lucked into a sweet deal on 2 condos at the Pueblo Bonito Resort at Sunset Beach and we’d only need to cover our airfare – Sold! I was in. A quick search secured me a $400 plane ticket and we were booked.

There were 9 of us in total throughout the week and it’s impossible to succulently recap the trip – from the first class upgrade on our MSP>SJD flight (thanks, WL!) to the incredibly beautiful resort to lazy days spent in a beach cabana drinking margaritas to playing in ocean waves, it was all so dreamy.

We ventured into town a couple of days – once for Elizabeth’s birthday dinner, once to spend the day at the sister resort, walk around the town looking for local shops and dinning on non-resort food. (Insider’s tip: Cabo’s downtown caters to the tourists on vacation so there was less local shopping than we’d hoped but it’s still worth wandering around.) We tossed out our watches and lived a relaxed life, (mostly) disconnected from the ‘real world’.

We watched sting rays jump out of the water making their way up the shore in the evening light; we walked through a beautiful cactus garden, taking millions of photos. We ate avocados for breakfast, tacos for dinners and spoke a teeny bit of Spanish we knew whenever possible. The 7 days flew by in an instant and I can’t believe I’m already back home in Pittsburgh, nursing the last bit of sunburn on my back.

Lazy beach vacations are not my typical choice for spending free time but, damn, did it feel good last week! It was a perfect celebration a new year, a new decade and a great friendship. Truthfully, I’d never considered a trip to Mexico before but Cabo is definitely on my radar for a future long weekend beach getaway.

Pittsburgh Running Route: North Park Lake

March 29, 2016 - lynne 2 Comments

Soon after moving to Pittsburgh, I asked around for favorite running routes to help get myself acclimated with my surroundings. I kept hearing about North Park and its infamous 5 mile loop and how all Pittsburgh Marathoners would do a majority of their long runs at this park.

This past weekend, I woke up late and missed my opportunity to run with Raela which was likely for the best. I headed out to North Park to run 2 laps around the lake for a 10 mile training run. No pausing to say hi/bye to my friend, just 10 miles of me and the pavement…something I honestly haven’t done much of this training cycle but knowing I’m running the half solo, I wanted to get a solid long run in by myself and make sure I could keep a steady pace.

IF YOU GO….

North Park is ~25 minutes outside of Pittsburgh. I would offer tips on how to get there but Google has told me different ways to go each time. If you’re going during rush hour, give yourself ~35 minutes since there’s no highway route.

There is parking throughout the loop so you can start wherever is most convenient for you. I parked at JC Stone Field since this was at an ‘end’ of the oval and I planned my run so that I ended with a downhill cruise where I could see my car (I hate not knowing how much further is left).

The running/biking path follows the lake through the park. It’s very well marked and obvious where to go to continue on the path. The loop is shaped like an oval and surprisingly, it felt like time passed quickly.

The weather was beautiful for March so there were lots of people out – runners, bikers, roller-bladers, strollers and dogs all out enjoying the same path as me. In the park, people were fishing, kayaking, picnicing and more. As a solo female runner, it was comforting to have so many people out and about – should anything happen, someone would be around to offer a bandaid. (I’ve heard weekends are usually busy-ish in the winter time, too.)

There are bathrooms at several points along the route and all looked to be open (not sure if this is a seasonal thing; I know the bathrooms at the the North Park Boathouse are open in the winter). Be sure to bring your own water, though; all of the water fountains I passed were taped up and not in service. I had stashed my water bottle and a coconut water in my car and made a pit stop at mile 5 before taking off for loop 2.

Lastly, there are a number of races at North Park throughout the year. If you’re a little bit shy about showing up and not knowing exactly how to get around the park (it’s big!), registering for a race would be a great way to get acclimated.

Compared to the 2.5 mile loop I’d spent many, many, many mornings running in Denver (HOLLA Heidi, Paula, Christine and others), I really enjoyed this 5-mile loop distance. I can’t say I’d be excited to run more than 2 laps (and especially not 6, like Chelsea) but 10 miles around the park felt like a good distance.

Side note: there is also an off-leash dog park, zip-line course, hockey + ice skating, horse trails, a swimming pool, restaurant/cafe and much more to do at North Park. So if running isn’t your thing, you can likely still find something fun to do at the park.

March Training Update: Pittsburgh Half Marathon #GameOnPGH

March 24, 2016 - lynne 1 Comment

It’s been a hot minute since I shared a training update! I’m now 5 weeks out from race day and I’m feeling pretty good. If you’d asked me last week how I was feeling, I would have had a much different answer after travel and visitors the past several weeks.

Let’s rewind:

About a month ago, I met girlfriends in Vegas for a long weekend of catching up, sunshine and ambling around the strip (oh, and Britney Spears).
A few days after returning, I hopped on a plane with Alex to visit our friends in Oregon.
This past weekend, my dad and his wife drove up from Cincinnati to visit us for the weekend.

I opted to not stress about hitting all my training runs during my travels; the time I get to spend with friends and family is so short that I was not about to divert attention from the moment at hand.

In Vegas, we walked MILES every day which = long hours on my feet which is better than long hours sitting all day. In Oregon, Lucas and I went trail running twice, 4 miles each. We also walked (or skied) more than 10,000 steps every single day we were there which is more than I typically walk in a work-from-home day.

But did I long run during these trips? Nope. I brought my gear and told myself, ‘if it worked out do a long run before everyone woke up, it’s on.‘ I didn’t make it a priority and thus, no long run happened. And I don’t regret this choice one bit.

It did mean that I *needed* to get out and run 8 miles this past weekend. I’d planned to do it on Sunday afternoon after my dad and his wife left and I spent much of Sunday morning dreading it. We’d eaten super greasy and incredibly delicious pizza on Saturday night and a heavy hotel-restaurant breakfast Sunday morning – not ideal pre-long run fuel. I almost tried to negotiate with myself – just run Monday morning before you start working! – but instead, texted my friend, Raela, with my planned route and we made a plan to meet.

I haven’t been running with the run club as I’d hoped to do but have been lucky enough to talk Raela into running some of my long run miles with me recently. She’s usually game for 3-4 miles so I’ll plan my route to pick her up for the middle or last miles of my run. Breaking up the solo miles is such a boost!

For this week’s long run, I ran a 3 mile loop, picked up Raela to run the same 3 mile loop and then ran the final 2 miles myself. And it felt good!

(Obviously, this is not training exactly as I will race but, again, I’m less concerned with doing things exactly by the books this time around. I’d rather break up my run and spend 30 minutes catching up with my friend.)

I finished these miles and still felt like I had gas in the tank; I’d started out pretty conservatively, afraid I’d crash partway through the run, so this run really boosted my confidence.

I’m looking forward to my 9 miles this weekend – I’m spending this week eating better, hitting my training runs, doing yoga and drinking lots of water (and no beer) so I’m expecting (hoping) this weekend will feel even better than last week.

Gear Review: Outdoor Research Women’s Trailbreaker Pant (#ORInsightLab)

March 22, 2016 - lynne Leave a comment

DISCLAIMER: As a participant in Outdoor Research’s #ORInsightLab, I am offered the opportunity to test seasonal gear in exchange for my honest review. This post is not sponsored but I did receive the gear for free.

Winter did not come to Western PA this year. And this winter-loving gal was so disappointed! Thanks to Winter Storm Jonas in January, we got one solid dump of snow and past that, there wasn’t much snow to write home about and certainly not enough to play in. It was so stinkin’ mild!

That said, I did find a few opportunities to get some snow time in to test the Outdoor Research Women’s Trailbreaker Pant. I took these pants to Colorado in December and Oregon in March to ski and the day after Winter Storm Jonas, I hit up the local ski hill here in Pittsburgh for a few hours of midwest runs. I’d hoped to get more snow adventures in before the official start of spring but the weather has not been on my side.

ABOUT THE PANTS

As you can see in the very top photo, these pants have a clear upper/lower separation and each portion was thoughtfully designed to accommodate snow adventures. The upper is made of a breathable, double woven soft-shell fabric so it’s super stretchy. The legs of the pants are made of waterproof three-layer Pertex® Shield+ so when you’re skiing, skinning or snowshoeing, your pants and legs stay dry. These pants run true to size and are fitted but still roomy enough to wear running tights underneath for the chilly days.

There are a couple of key features of these pants that I love:

Removable, zippered internal gaiter with power strap slot – Honestly, I used this incorrectly and did not put my power strap through the slot but I *did* use the zipper to access my boot buckles when I wiped out and my buckle unclipped. That said, the gaiter is removable, if you so choose, but they also make your boots easy to reach without having to readjust your gaiters.
Avalanche beacon pocket – For backcountry enthusiasts, avy beacons are a must. The Trailbreaker pant includes a zippered pocket with a mesh section and key clip to hold a beacon for safer backcountry play. The last thing anyone wants to happen is to lose an avy beacon if you’re caught in a slide so wearing one in a zippered pocket, clipped to the pants, is a pretty smart design element.
Zippered outter thigh vents – while I didn’t have much need for these this year resort skiing, I appreciate this element in thinking about previous backcountry trips. Having an easy way to cool down when snowshoeing many miles uphill into a hut would be phenomenal!

PRODUCT DETAILS

Outdoor Research Women’s Trailbreaker Pant, $215 (on sale now!)

Cheers to 30

March 14, 2016 - lynne 4 Comments

Last Monday, I celebrated 30 successful years on this Earth. Which, as I’m sure everyone feels when they turn 30, feels completely nuts. How the heck am I already 30?! And then I stop to think about all that I’ve done in the past 30 years – even just the last 10! – and I feel like 30 is an appropriate age.

On recent birthdays, I’d lamented that I didn’t even FEEL like I should be turning 26, 27, 28, that I still felt like I was years younger. And that was probably true.

But these days, I feel much more ‘adult’ about life thanks to things like: buying a car with my husband, working for a high growth tech company and growing/evolving as a manager of an expanding team, working remotely for said company, moving across the country to support Alex’s dream of earning his MBA, celebrating the marriages of so many friends and family and most recently, excitedly welcoming babies! The past couple of years in particular have had a lot of growing and stretching which has made me realize that I am very much an adult. (Maybe being the single source of income for our family has something to do with feeling like a responsible adult, too. #sugarmama)

Birthdays, like the new year, lend itself to reflection on the past and what the future will bring. I can’t help but think about what the next decade holds: Alex’s MBA graduation, settling down in a hopefully more-permanent location, probably buying a house, likely expanding our family (Alex already agreed to a new fur child when we find our next home!), maybe dancing at weddings for a sibling or two or all, definitely buying my youngest sister a beer on her 21st birthday.

THIRTY feels like such a big number but really, I feel content. (6 months ago? Not content. Today? Content.) We’re almost halfway through this MBA journey and are looking ahead to ‘the rest of our lives.’ It’s stressful but also exciting. I’m ready to not be in limbo, to not move nearly every year from apartment to apartment, to have a place to grow a garden, to have money for a big vacation. I’m excited about the next decade and undoubtedly looking back, thinking, Holy cow! Look at everything we did in the last 10 years!

This year, I woke up on my birthday in Oregon with Alex visiting a couple of our favorite people. How unlikely and completely amazing is it to have Couple Besties where both genders are best friends, too? We couldn’t have been luckier that the universe crossed our paths in Wilderness Trekking School in Denver.

We spent our time in Bend, OR hiking to giant waterfalls, trail running in national forests, dropping our jaws at Smith Rock, skiing on a VOLCANO! and – most importantly – laughing/lounging/hugging/savoring every moment with our friends. (We also cheers-ed Alex locking down a killer internship during our trip! More to come but we’re both pretty psyched about our summer plans.)

I couldn’t have imagined a better way to ring in 30 than with a few of my favorite people, playing outside in a beautiful place. Looking forward to the new adventures ahead in the upcoming year and beyond.

Osteochondritis Dissecans, 4 Years Later – Update

March 3, 2016 - lynne Leave a comment

A few weeks ago, I mentioned it had been 4 years since my last Osteochondritis Dissecans knee surgeries but that something felt a little wonky, to be technical, so my doctor recommended an MRI to see what was going on.

Turns out, good news!

At this point, the MRI does not show anything that my doctor thinks needs to be addressed right now. Everything is still intact and situated where it’s supposed to be which is a major relief.

Knowing the call could have gone in the very opposite direction, as has been the case so many times in the past, I did not even try to contain my excitement as my doctor in Denver relayed this to me over the phone last week; I fist pumped and let out a huge sigh of relief.

Outside of the initial moment in December and weeks immediately following, I’ve had very little interruption to my fitness life. I modified when I needed to but far and away, my knee has felt really good recently. I’ve managed to hit my long runs and have not had any knee pain during or after. I’ve continued to work out at OrangeTheory and play volleyball with my friends. I even went skiing twice! (I was just careful to not do anything too crazy.)

So I was cautiously optimistic that I would not need any medical course of action but, of course, I’m not a doctor so while I waited to hear back, I tried my best to have no expectations or opinion either way. Instead, I kept doing what I was doing. If it did turn out I needed to go under the knife again, I sure as heck was going to maximize (and appreciate!) my running and OrangeTheory classes in the meantime.

I’m really excited to be officially greenlighted! I’d spent most of my winter dreaming up spring/summer/fall plans and surgery would have thrown a pretty miserable wrench in the mix. A wrench I am glad to dodge, this round!

It’s Britney, B*tch

March 2, 2016 - lynne 2 Comments

I spent last weekend in Vegas with my friends and let me tell you, it was just the recharge my soul needed.

I know, soul recharging and Vegas? Seemingly contradictory but in this case, 100% true.

As I put together my out of office list at work for my trip, I realized I hadn’t taken a vacation day since mid-September which is kind of crazy. I, of course, had the standard holidays off but I used nearly all of my PTO time in 2015 to move across the country. So taking a couple of days off from work, from Pittsburgh, from real life was much overdue.

I met one of my best friends, Nancy, and her longtime friend (and my new friend), Cheryl, in Vegas for a long weekend of girl time. The main event was to see Britney Spears at Planet Hollywood but before and after that, we spent hours catching up, strolling the strip, eating delicious food and sipping expensive cocktails. I even managed to see my sister, who lives in Vegas, TWICE during my trip! And to top it off, I found a Jersey Mike’s in the Vegas airport. My favorite sandwich shop has no nearby locations in Pittsburgh so at 8:30 a.m. PST, I stepped in line and ordered a Club Supreme for breakfast.

But Britney! What a show!

Nancy snagged us floor tickets so we were RIGHT next to the stage, close enough to practically touch her. As we were waiting for the show to start, we kept an eye on the VIP section just behind us and a few minutes before the show started, we noticed a couple of familiar faces stroll in. AJ and Kevin from the Backstreet Boys!

Teenage Me could not even handle what was happening. The show was so fun – Britney changed costumes at least 6 times, sang all her best songs, nailed all her dance moves and dropped confetti paper from the ceiling at least 3 times. We sang and danced our little hearts out and soaked in the experience.

As the weekend came to a close and my plane lifted off the ground to return me back to Pittsburgh, I felt so grateful for amazing women in my life, both near and far. I’ve been fortunate to meet really great lady friends in my adult life and I cherish these friendships; we may not see each other as often we’d like or talk every week but when we do get together, it’s like no time has passed at all and we pick up exactly where we left off.

After 5 months with no PTO, I couldn’t have imagined a better way to spend a couple of days away from real life. Good friends, great times and a happy heart.

Currently, February

February 26, 2016 - lynne Leave a comment

…relaxing in a condo room in Vegas, on the strip, with one of my best friends. Tonight, we’re going to the Britney Spears show at Planet Hollywood but not before brunch, pampering, a fancy dinner and toasting at Chandelier Bar. A girls weekend with friends and my sister who lives in Vegas is just what my soul needed.

…gearing up for a lot of fun travel in the coming weeks. From Vegas to Oregon to Mexico to Denver, I am so, so excited to travel to new places and see some of my favorite people.

…enjoying PTO days! As I put together my Out of Office items for my team this week, I realized I haven’t taken a PTO day since September. Which is just crazy. That’s 5.5 months! Of course, I’ve had company holidays off, like everyone else, but to have a day or two off for just me? It has been too long!

…ignoring the fact that I turn 30 in a couple of weeks. I mean, WUT. How is it even possible?! I’m not having ‘OMG NO!’ feelings, just surprised it’s already here. A lot has happened in this past decade and I’m certain there will be many huge milestones in the next decade..it’s just crazy to finally feel like an adult.

…feeling in limbo. Despite the short term travel, I’m anxious to nail down what my summer and 2017 will hold. Being the wife of a grad school student forces me to be patient and flexible…which is something this planner struggles with.

…making a last ditch effort to accomplish at least one of my February goals. This month, I’d said I would:

buy no GT’s Kombucha (so good but so expensive; fail)
read one book (started a book, hoping to make a big dent this weekend! Not yet a fail)
do one creative thing (decided that registering for a creative class will count, even if the class happens in March; not yet a fail)
sell GMAT books and a dress (haven’t even listed GMAT books, dress is on eBay with no bidders; mostly fail)

Gratitude for the Long Run

February 23, 2016 - lynne 2 Comments

I’ve been doing my long runs on Sunday mornings. In prior training cycles, I preferred long runs on Saturday mornings but my current work/life balance has me craving Saturday as a sleep-in, slow start to the weekend.

This Saturday was different, though; I got up early to attend a Women in Business Leadership conference that completely ruled and totally inspired me – so glad I went! After walking the mile home in the gorgeous 70* weather, Alex and I took Philly for a long walk before heading out to a CMU party at the coolest ever co-working space (check out TechShop; it’s a maker/creator’s dream!). The event was sponsored by the business school’s wine club so, hello, I enjoyed a couple delicious glasses of sangiovese.

All this to say that when Sunday morning rolled around, I wanted to run because it was a wonderfully mild, spring-like morning but I was feeling sluggish and not super motivated to run 7 miles. I didn’t stay out late (in bed at 11p; party hardy’ing in my old age, for sure) and didn’t go too crazy with the sangiovese but I don’t think I sipped enough water before bed. Fortunately for me, at the party, I’d made plans to run the second half with my friend, Raela. I’d run 3.5 miles around our neighborhood and meet at her apartment and we’d run the last 3.5 miles together.

As I started my run, I felt completely un-motivated. I was so happy to be outside but my legs were not feeling it. I (stupidly? over-zealously?) mapped out a route that included a giant hill in my neighborhood so after a 1 mile warm up, I took on the hill…and walked more than half of it. Totally not against walking but did not help my mental game.

I was feeling grumpy about being tired, about not wanting to run 7 miles, about how I would be even more tired and hungry when I got home. And in the midst of this, shook my head at my thoughts. I remembered that I’m LUKCY to be running 7 miles. That I’m OUTSIDE for 7 miles on a beautiful day. That I GET to spend 35 minutes with music and then 35 minutes catching up with my friend.

After knee surgeries 4 years ago, I was grateful for EVERY run and all physical activity I did. Over time, that appreciation waned as it became the norm again to not worry about my knees and to feel confident the surgery had worked.

Now, with question marks on my horizon, I need to enjoy every single moment I can spend running or exercising. Yeah, maybe I was feeling tired but dammit, at least I was running!

I made it to Raela’s apartment with 3.6 miles run at a 9:56 min/mile average pace. After picking her up, we averaged a 9:00 min/mile pace. Changing my frame of mind to feeling appreciative of how I was spending my time – as well as catching up and laughing with my friend – helped propel me forward and end my long run on a strong, grateful note.

Everyone says it but it is true: shifting ‘ugh, I HAVE to do X‘ thoughts to ‘wow, I GET to do X‘ thoughts really does change your attitude and experience. Sometimes, we just need a little reminder.

#AttitudeofGratitude, FTW.

Gear Review: Outdoor Research Women’s Deviator Hoody (#ORInsightLab)

February 18, 2016February 17, 2016 - lynne Leave a comment

This hoody, you guys. This hoody!

I have worn this Outdoor Research Women’s Deviator Hoody for nearly every run since I received it earlier this fall. I’ve worn it under my coat skiing. I’ve worn it running to/from OrangeTheory classes. I’ve worn it around my apartment when it’s chilly, thanks to old and poorly insulated windows. If I didn’t have to take it off to clean it or myself, I wouldn’t. In love.

Knowing I’d be training throughout the winter for my half marathon, when Outdoor Research reached out about testing fall/winter gear, I opted for the Deviator Hoody as the internet, Backpacker and Runner’s World have given it rave reviews.

It’s this weird and amazing hybrid jacket that’s part insulation in the torso, part base layer in the arms. But it’s completely genius and incredibly comfortable.

So, the details: this jacket features Polartec Alpha insulation in the front keeps the core warm – especially when running into Pittsburgh headwind. The Polartec Power Grid material in the arms and back wick moisture to keep me dry and warm. It’s super lightweight but seriously warm; I wear just a synthetic t-shirt or tank underneath and head out the door to run. Sometimes, if it’s extra windy (hi, Pittsburgh), I’ll throw a really thin windbreaker on top but in general, the tshirt/jacket combo has worked really well.

A few highlights outside of technical performance for me are the wrist cuffs and deep pockets.

Of course, thumb holes are always awesome on a cuff but what I really love about these cuffs are how they are reinforced. You can see the dark purple lining in the photo above; the reinforcing gives the cuff a sturdy structure so the sleeve stays put. I hadn’t noticed that other jacket sleeves jostle around until this one decidedly did *not*. Using the thumb holes or not, the cuff stays put and I’m down with that.

Okay, onto the pockets. The pockets on this jacket are very deep and wide; it was a pleasant surprise that not only does my phone (Samsung Galaxy 4) fit in the pocket but it can lay down horizontally and NOT BOUNCE AROUND DURING A RUN. Seriously. This jacket stays flush against my body with a cell phone in my pocket. WUT!? I don’t know how the magicians at OR made this work but I really appreciate that they did.

So through the rest of half marathon training, you can find me running around Pittsburgh in this jacket. Once the weather warms back up, this jacket will be perfect for snuggling up to sleep in a sleeping bag on cool spring evening or trekking into a crag for early morning summer climbing.