Category Archives: vermont

June 16, 2011 · 9:58 am

post-race – Quechee, VT

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“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” ~Martin Buber (my secret destination this journey was self-pride!)

cheers to us!!!

i enjoyed our free celebratory beer amongst the other racers & then it was off to get ready for a nice post-race rub down at the strong house spa in Quechee. i was treated with a deep tissue massage and i’m not sure whether it was post-run delirium or if the massage was really that good but i’m telling you it felt great – one of my best of all time. after that, all the girls showered up and got ready for a night of dinner & drinks to really toast our efforts.

celebration dinner + drinks

we had a lovely dinner at simon pearce in Quechee. the storefront at the historic mill has a beautiful restaurant inside that touts food prepared with local ingredients from community farms. if you haven’t been to the store or restaurant make a point to get there some day. WONDERFUL in every way!

our delicious dinner was followed by drinks at parker house inn – a small B&B with a fantastic bar. we all enjoyed meeting the owner – Adam – see you next year for the post-CBHM cocktails!! *side note – i was beyond thrilled that both simon pearce & parker house had my favorite drink – goslings rum! thank you so much for helping me really celebrate.

after having an incredible weekend with my friends & feeling the rush of accomplishment from completing my first half marathon now the question is where do we plan our next active adventure girlfriend getaway?

who’s up for the rock’n’roll half marathon in las vegas? for some inspiration i found world’s top 10 most incredible girlfriend getaways via got saga. many of the featured locations have events for the active & adventuresome. there are 1/2 marathons in miami, nyc & napa and if running isn’t your thing perhaps you can find a relay team sport such as a sprint triathlon to do with your posse of gal pals – aruba has one! for those with longer & more difficult (ie: full marathon) aspirations – read this article by lonely planet.

as you can see, the race is really just the catalyst & only a small part of the weekend that will become our next getaway. get to dreaming girlfriends and let me know where we are headed next!

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June 15, 2011 · 8:29 am

20th Annual Covered Bridges Half Marathon – Pomfret, Woodstock, Quechee – VT

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“You can’t experience the world by talking about it, get out & have an adventure!” ~JD Andrews

we're ready to rock it!

up at 5:15AM bright-eyed & bushy-tailed! the day started quite early since we had to be bussed to the start of the race. mother nature ordered up a perfect day for my first half marathon (thank you very much). it was 45 degrees at the 8:15 start and the high of the day was 64. last year it was colder & raining and apparently the race for several years started at 10:15 – so people were finishing their run in the heat of mid-day.

glad things worked out better for me…i needed all the help i could get to complete the task at hand! AND thanks to runfit and the great coaching of Marnie & Nan, founders of HillTop Training – i was as ready as i’d ever be. that, and my fast shoes – Nike ID – you can have a pair too.

action shots: the covered bridges & me huffing it half-way through the race

overall, the race wasn’t bad. once i settled into the run, i was a-ok until around mile 8 – that infamous hill. don’t let anyone fool you, there are other hills in the CBHM it’s just that the 8th mile one is the worst. OK, i’ll tell you the truth – i walked that hill! but after that, i was back at it running away. the last mile was really the toughest until i saw the finish line and perked back up. this is what i walked away thinking:

1) YES – i said walk! i CAN still walk and i didn’t get injured.

2) WOW – i cannot believe i just ran 13.1 miles! the farthest i’ve ever run and faster than i had hoped to do it. your body really can do amazing things if your mind tells you it can.

3) GIRL POWER – the “sneaker divas” i ran with met their personal goals & many beat their previous run times! i’m in AWE of them all.

i haven’t seen all of new england but the CBHM tag line – the best 13.1 miles in New England – might actually be true. it was a beautiful day and course! thank you to all the volunteers that made it possible!!

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June 14, 2011 · 8:20 am

pre-race – Woodstock, VT

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the covered bridges

i arrived in vermont the day  before the Covered Bridges Half Marathon and had a scenic drive along the route i’d be running the next morning. the funny thing about CBHM is that you run past a couple of covered bridges but only actually run through one! (the first one above on the left) it was a good idea to familiarize myself with the run & the infamous 8th mile hill!

the drive took us to the beginning of the run – suicide six ski area. next, we decided to tour around Woodstock & “carbo-load” with a local brew at Bentley’s. Bentley’s is a well known watering hole in Woodstock & guess what…we weren’t the only runners there having pre-race beers!

long trail belgian white beer - YUM!

some other finds in Woodstock were:

37 central street – an adorable clothing store where they carried a lot of a judith march designs. very cute dresses!

elliott newman – a jewelry store also located on central street that had some beautiful items made by jewelry designer – anna beck. i really loved that wide gold cuff!!

after making some new race friends at Bentley’s, we headed back to our headquarters – what i dubbed the “running gals shack” when i checked us in on facebook. (mind you, our accommodations hardly resembled a shack but were more like a chalet!) there, we met up with the rest of our posse for a pre-race girls dinner. post-dinner it was early to bed & early to rise for the race.

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June 3, 2011 · 2:58 pm

Early June – and i'm off…to the race – Quechee, VT

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yes, this year is dedicated to travels here, there and everywhere…and, yes, i claim to be a purveyor of fun…BUT this one i’m working for! is it too late to “un” register? lola – may you run like the wind (or in reality like a gentle breeze that’s faster than a 13 minute mile otherwise they won’t assist you alongside the road)!

sweet kicks - at least look the part! RUN GIRL RUN!

i’m off to run/jog the 20th anniversary of the covered bridges half marathon or CBHM. they say it’s the “best 13.1 miles in New England”. i’m ABSOLUTELY NOT trying to toot any horn here but i’ve never run a half marathon. i’ll let you know how it goes! in the meantime, read up if you like. covered bridges actual run – YIKES!

of course you can probably guess this is also wrapped around a girls weekend & why not?! shouldn’t having fun be a part of your fitness goals too? in my opinion, it’s really the only way to do it. where will your fitness goals take you this year? i say it’s the perfect opportunity to plan a “break for your body betterment” in soooo many ways. email me if you need help with ideas on planning your perfect fitness getaway or creating a list of pros on why you should JUST DO IT! that’s not NIKE’s tag line for nothin’.

adventure/fitness travel may be the next big thing read : get ready for your best fitness vacation ever – outside magazine’s 2011 travel hotlist highlights 2 fitness gurus tying together travel & exercise!

i’ll be reporting back on woodstock & quechee, vermont as well. let’s see what i can find, learn & who i meet along the way – if i’m still able to walk that is! let the race begin!

PS – at the request of some – here’s a sampling of the playlist!

Flo Rida: who dat girl?, turn around (5,4,3,2,1), where them girls at?

Chris Brown: Yeah 3X & beautiful people

Ke$ha: blow &  we r who we r

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