Utah National Parks: Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon - This was my second favorite of the four parks (and almost tied with Zion)! The rock formations are so cool. I couldn't stop taking pictures! I was only at Bryce Canyon for about 24 hours, but I saw and did so much in that short amount of time.

The first day I just drove to different viewpoints and walked the short path from sunrise point to sunset point, which has some of the best views! You can look out and see the amphitheater, which is just rows and rows of hoodoo rock formations. Each stop along the way is breathtaking!

The other lookouts aren't quite as spectacular as Sunset/Sunrise, but you can still see many different rock formations - some look like arches, bridges, tall spindles, or sand castles. It's truly one of the most unique places I've ever been!

On the second day I hiked down among the rock formations of Bryce Amphitheater. I took the Queens Garden Trail to Peekaboo Loop, and then hiked the Navajo Trail on my way out. For a shorter hike, I would recommend skipping the Peekaboo Loop and just hiking Queens Garden and Navajo Loop. There are a lot more rock formations and it takes about half the time. Hiking through "Wall Street" at the end of the Navajo trail was really cool, and I also loved seeing some hoodoos up close!

Hoodoos are tall skinny totem-pole shaped rocks that are formed by water or ice eroding the rock layers at different rates. It was fascinating to find out how these spindly rocks are created.

If I went back, I would check out the Fairyland Loop, but I was really happy with all that I was able to see and do in just 24 hours!

One downside to Bryce - there's not as many places to eat as Zion, so your options are pretty limited. They have one restaurant, but it's kind of fancy with long waits, so I went to a little pizza place across the street because that's all there was to choose from. Next time I would probably drive 20 minutes to the nearby town and try to find something there.

Utah National Parks: Zion

I was going to do a post about all the National Parks I visited in Utah on my way back, but didn't get around to it for a long time, so my memories aren't as fresh and this won't be as detailed as it could have been. Still, I want to remember what I liked about each park.

Zion National Park - This was probably my favorite of the four! The landscape is breathtaking and there are tons of good hikes. When you get into the park, you have to take a shuttle everywhere. It's actually really convenient because the shuttles run every 5-10 minutes, you can start and end a hike at different points, and you don't have to worry about parking (other than getting there early initially to find parking at the visitor's center).

I went hiking through a canyon and loved it! It was so cool to look up and see the huge rock formations on either side, and it was a new experience to wade through thigh-deep water in many places. I recommend a walking stick - other people leave theirs behind at the entrance to the Narrows and you can pick one up. It definitely helps you gain more stable footing when you can't see the bottom of the river.

The little town right outside the park is so cute and there are lots of places to eat and stay. I stayed at a campground right outside the park that had a few more amenities than campgrounds inside the park. The next day I did a shorter hike, but I would love to come back and hike Angels Landing. I also really want to do a canyoneering tour. I heard the Subway is a good beginner canyon to try.

Crossfit continued

I went back to Crossfit again a couple times, but I was really busy and only went once each week.

First week: Again, this is the kind of workout I really like. Lots of variety. I can actually get my elbows to my knees now! (but still can't get toes to bar). The hardest part of this was the box jumps- I actually got winded after doing 12, even though I think I'm fairly good at box jumps.

WOD: 20 Min AMRAP
250m row
12 box jump (24/20)
9 slam balls (40/25)
6 Toes to Bar
3 HSPU
Rest 1 min…

Second week:

WOD: 5 Rounds For Time

30 Double-Unders
30 Sit-ups
30 Squats

Oh boy. I didn't think this workout would be that hard. It wrecked me. I did this two days ago and my quads are so sore I'm having trouble walking, especially going up and down stairs (I've been this sore before, but only after a half marathon or marathon!). I was going to go hiking in Yosemite and I couldn't go because I'm literally having trouble moving. My abs are sore too.

This workout was deceptively easy, but the amount was just too much. The squats were unweighted air squats. I can do a lot of squats. The total amount of 150 didn't seem too bad at the time, but now I'm feeling it, and I don't want to be this sore because of squats! (If it was due to a race, okay). Doing 150 sit ups was also a lot.

So now I'm unable to work out for a few days because I'm too sore. It's frustrating. I'm kind of mad about this workout!

I want to try Crossfit some more when I get back to Lynchburg, but I really have to be careful about how much I'm doing, and when to limit myself. I want to build up my strength slowly, not tear my muscles down so badly that I can't work out the next day!

Crossfit take two

I'm on my second try with Crossfit. The last time I tried it I ended up doing too many kettlebell swings and hurt my back. I was laid out on the couch for a few days afterward trying not to strain my back any further. Despite that injury, I've always liked the concept of Crossfit - short, intense workouts and strength training, along with a team aspect. There's a Crossfit gym here and two of my friends are into it, so I started going with them.

I've gone for about 3 weeks now, several times a week. The verdict: There are things I really like about Crossfit, but I'm not completely sold on it yet. Some of the workouts have been great and I really like learning new lifts. We've gone over deadlifts, cleans, squats, shoulder press, and rows. I also really like working on pull ups, handstands, and double unders. I've been practicing handstands and pull ups at home because I want to be able to do them without assistance!

First day: This was a great starting workout. Nothing too hard. I can't do toes to bar, so I did knee-ups instead while hanging from the bar.

SWOD: (Strength workout of day)
Back Squat
Bench Press 

5@75%,  3@85%,  1+@95%

WOD: 12 Minute AMRAP (As many rounds as possible)

200m Shuttle Run (50m x4)
50 Single-unders
15 Toes to Bar

Second day: Also a really fun workout. I did knee-ups instead of knees to elbows and handstand holds instead of the push-ups. We did some sit-ups and cleans at the end.

WOD: 4 Rounds For Time

21 Wall Balls (20/14)
15 Knees to Elbows
9 Handstand Push-ups

Third time: I liked practicing deadlifts and learning the proper form. For the WOD, I did handstand holds facing the wall (which is tougher than outward facing).

SWOD:
Dead Lift and Shoulder Press 

5 @ 75%,  3 @ 85%,  1 @ 95%

WOD: 3 Rounds for time:
50m Walking Lunge
50 ft Handstand Walk
50 Abmat Sit-ups

_________________________________________________________________

Week 2 Day 1: The deadlifts and burpees were actually really tiring, and this was the first workout that I thought was maybe a little too repetitive with the deadlifts. Deadlifts is a big full body movement and we did a LOT of them. I was glad I kept the weight relatively low.

SWOD:

Back Squat and Bench Press
5 reps @ 40%,  5 reps @ 50%,  5 reps @ 60%

WOD: really long to type out, but it was basically a bunch of deadlifts and burpees for 3 min x3 AMRAP, and then we did a full 3 min of ab mat sit-ups at the end.

Week 2 Day 2: I actually enjoyed this workout even though I had to modify everything! I used a band for pull-ups, I did push-ups on my knees, and I used a band for dips. BUT it's a lot of arm muscle movements, especially triceps.

WOD: 4 Rounds For Time (2 minutes rest in between each round)

Run 400 Meters/Row 500 Meters
20 Pull-ups
20 Push-ups
20 Dips

Week 2 day 3: I liked the GHD sit-ups at first. It's on a device that lets you extend your trunk and reach for the ground, then tuck up into a crunch. But after doing a few rounds, it made me a little dizzy. The trainer wanted me to try handstand push-ups with abmats under my head, but I really struggled with it and ended up kind of falling on my head a little bit. This is one of the problems with Crossfit: too much too fast!

WOD:
30 GHD Sit-ups

20 Cleans (155/105)

10 Hand Stand Push Ups
20 GHD Sit-ups
10 Cleans
5 Hand Stand Push Ups

So there were some good workouts, and some that I felt were too much (either too much of one thing, or too many exercises using the same muscles). Some of the trainers were better than others; the really good ones focused on form and making sure the workout was scaled for each person. And overall I had fun and enjoyed most of the workouts and met some cool people!

I still have my reservations about Crossfit. It's easy to overdo it, especially if you're competitive and like to push yourself (like me!). If the workouts are too repetitive or if they aren't varied enough from one day to the next, it's easy to overwork one group of muscles. However, I like working out with a group and having the workouts written for me. I like the high intensity intervals. I like the strength training, especially deadlifts and squats!

See Jane Run SF Half Marathon

I finally got a new PR!!!

I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to write about this race. I was busy with life for awhile, making new friends in California, and somehow never sat down to write about my best race ever!

To be honest, I'm not sure how I got a PR! I didn't train for this race any better than some other races. I did my long weekend runs, but not a whole lot during the week. I had been doing a lot more hiking, so maybe that helped?

Either way, I had a great race and got my PR without feeling sick or getting sore afterwards. Win-win!

Cat and I drove to SF on Saturday and picked up our race packets in Alameda. It was a small expo, but they had some good stuff. We got free Ocho chocolate bars, free granola bars, and we bought some Asics socks that I love! The reusable tote bag was a nice bonus as well.

After that we decided to head across to the SF area. We had a wonderful dinner in Mission. We wandered around afterward and saw Delores Park and hung out in the Mission area for a bit. Then we drove back across the bridge to our hotel in Alameda.

Race morning was uneventful. We had a short drive to the start since we were staying in the area. Originally I thought we could walk, but it ended up being a bit farther than expected, and anyway we had no trouble finding parking as they have a big lot to park in (it does cost $5 though). It was a smaller race (about 1000), so it wasn't too crowded at the start. They had a fun set-up in the park with blow-up markers and tents everywhere.

I started near the 2:00:00 pacer, but I wasn't expecting to stay there. My plan was to run this race for fun and not push myself too hard (to the point of feeling sick like I did in Key West). Early on in the race, I got ahead of the 2 hour pacer, but I figured I started out a little too fast and they'd catch up to me later (spoiler alert: they never did!)

From the very beginning, I felt good. The weather was the perfect breezy cool weather that San Francisco is known for. There were a few times during the race when I got a little hot, but then that breeze would blow through again and cool me off again.

The race was along the shoreline of the Bay and it was beautiful. I honestly don't remember a lot of it now (I'm writing this almost 3 months later!) but I remember loving it! It was flat, either along the water or through pretty parts of town, and the weather remained cool for the most part. It's the perfect race to try for a PR!

Even though I wasn't planning on it, I quickly realized I could get a PR on this course! I've had that thought before though, so I didn't get too excited. I just continued to run at a fairly comfortable pace and hoped I'd continue to feel this good during the second half of the race.

I amazed myself by running a sub-9 min pace mile after mile! I'm not saying it was easy, but it was a breeze compared to other races where I've really tried to push myself, and still couldn't run a 9 minute mile. I kept running at a steady pace and didn't really push myself until the last mile or two. I lost all my data from my Garmin, which is really frustrating, but I know I never ran a mile over 9 minutes which is a big deal for me!

Official Time: 1:53:34     Pace: 8:40     Place: 81/1030     Age Group: 18/125

We celebrated with champagne and snacks at the finish area! What a great day and fun race!

Santa Cruz

For the last weekend of my 13 weeks in Sonora, I went to Santa Cruz with a bunch of co-workers. We rented a big beach house with 4 bedrooms that was within 10 minutes of the beach. It was such a fun weekend! We'd go to the beach during the day, come back to the house and relax for awhile, and go to downtown Sonora at night.

The popular boardwalk/beach in Santa Cruz was not my favorite. It was overcrowded, difficult to find parking, expensive, and the traffic getting to and from the beach was terrible. Also, the actual beach was very windy and the sand kept blowing up in our faces. The next day we went to Capitola Beach, which I preferred a lot more. There were still a lot of people, but not as crowded as Santa Cruz, and it was more of a laid back beach town with cute little shops and restaurants. It had that quaint peaceful vibe which I loved.

Downtown Santa Cruz is a lot of fun, with good restaurants and cafes. It was fun just to walk around and explore. One place we really liked was called Pizza My Heart, where you can get specialty pizza by the slice. They have a Watsonville Apple pizza, which has green apple slices along with pepperoni and bacon. It was different and delicious!

Overall it was a great last weekend with all the new friends I've made in Sonora.

Andddd, I'm extending my contract! After my 3 weeks off, I'm coming back to Sonora for another 13 weeks. There is still so much I want to do and see in the area, and I've met so many fun, cool people here. I just wasn't ready to leave!

I'll be back to NorCal soon!

Wine Tasting in Murphys

Cat and I have been wine tasting in Murphys twice now and had a great day each time. Some of the wineries are better than others, so I thought I'd make a list of the ones we liked best. I'm not a wine connoisseur by any means, so I won't even bother trying to describe the wines. The wineries I liked are based on the overall service and variety of wines offered.

First Trip:
1. Vina Moda - loved this one. Great variety of wine to taste- a white, and a rose, and a few reds I think. A couple of their wines have won awards. The descriptions of the wines are hilarious!

2. Frog's Tooth - It was okay. All the wines were pretty good, but none stood out as amazing.

3. Villa Vallecito - Didn't care for this one as much. A couple of the wines just weren't very good, and we didn't get great service there.

4. Newsome Harlow - This place was average, but they charge $10 instead of the typical $5, and then the lady ripped us off when we went to pay by double charging us. So I'm not a fan.

Second trip:
1. Milliaire - This is one of my favorites: good wine, good variety, liked them all! I really love the Pinot Grigio, the sparkling white, and the Clockspring Zinfadel. They have a deal where you can get two whites for $24.

2. Lavender Ridge - they charge $7.50, but you get cheese samples with 3 of the wines. I loved the cheese and wine pairings! They also have lavender soaps and candles to buy, as well as cheeses.

3. Hatcher - This winery is in a cool old cellar. It was $8, but they had about 9 different wines on their tasting menu, plus a dessert wine, plus a little bread basket. The wines were good, but the bartender there is really grouchy.

4. Tanner - This winery was open until 5:30 (most close at 5pm). they gave us great service!

5. Bunting - This winery was open until 6pm, but they stayed open later for us. Very friendly people. It's a newer winery apparently, but pretty good.

Subsequent trips:
La Folia - I liked a lot of their wines, but I love their Barbera! I tried it at a restaurant in Sonora, and the next time I went back to Murphys, I had to go to La Folia to buy a bottle. It's a little pricier, but so worth it! They have a lot of wine on their tasting menu, but they're kind of stingy with the pours. They charge $8 a tasting, and they're open till 6pm.

Still want to try:
Zucca
Hovey
Renner

Best Four:
1. Milliaire
2. Lavender Ridge
3. La Folia
4. Vina Moda