Weekend Wrap Up!

Hey hey hey! 

Here is my Weekend Wrap Up, just a day late!

Maybe you are reading this before you vote.

Maybe you are reading this while you are waiting in line to vote.

Maybe you already voted!

JUST DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!

That's all. Now for the Wrap Up!

My Friday started with a 6 miler in my hood. Then I went to work. I'm not going to lie. Work was a little boring... I had a lot on my mind and my heart just wasn't in it. But I made it through a day full of challenging classes.

That evening, I took my good friend Bree out to dinner so we could reconnect. We ate at the Garlic Poet in New Cumberland. We had burgers and they were DELICIOUS! Then we went back to Bree's place and the two of us an her husband chatted a bit.

This is their "fall centerpiece." So funny!

I haven't been craving dessert lately, but on the way home, I passed McDonald's and was suddenly craved my favorite combo! 

I was up really late on Friday night, so I slept until 10:10 on Saturday morning. I was feeling really sleepy and basically felt sleepy the whole day.

We got our hearts pumping with a hike up to Hawk Mountain in Duncannon. It's less than a mile to the top 

After our hike, we went to Aldi to get everything we needed for chicken noodle soup and mayo free chicken salad. Then when we got home, we realize our chicken wasn't completely thawed. So I had to run all the way to Wegman's to get chicken. 

Wegman's is my HELL.

I was really annoyed. By the time I got home, I was so tired and angry that I didn't feel like lifting anymore. All I wanted to do was relax and cook. I ended being in a pissy mood for the rest of the day. I did make some yummy food.

For some reason, I got up really early... 5am! (But it felt like 6am so technically not as impressive! I made dough the night before so I poured myself a cup of coffee and started making Christmas sugar cookies!

I cleaned the whole house, did all the wash and the dishes. I was basically a bad ass all morning! Then I ran 8 miles!

That afternoon, my mom, SIL, and baby nephew went to see Joe Biden rally in Harrisburg for Hillary and Katie McGinty! It was so inspiring. Joe is a great speaker and he really reiterated how important this election is, and how literally THE WORLD looks to America. I will write more about this FREAKING AMAZING EXPERIENCE on Thursday.

JOE AND BABY CLARK!!!!

When I got home, I ate my face off!!! And right now I am so hype from the rally! AAAAHHHHH! I will never sleep tonight...

Have you ever gone to a political rally?
Did you cook up anything good this weekend?
What did you do with the "extra" hour?

PSA: Don't forget to VOTE tomorrow!

We interrupt this regularly scheduled Weekend Wrap Up for an important PSA reminder to VOTE tomorrow!

Warning: This is a COMPLETELY partisan post!

Many of you have probably already voted! Pennsylvania does not have early voting, so I will be at my polling place at 7:00am SHARP tomorrow.

I cannot WAIT to vote! I cannot WAIT for this election to be over. I was okay for awhile... but about two weeks ago, I started to get extreme anxiety. I eventually stopped watching the news and limited my Facebook scrolls.

It's sort of sad, I spend all my time worrying about the end result of the election that I haven't let myself fully enjoy the EXCITEMENT of casting my vote for the first woman to ever be on the ballot for president in a general election. It's a really big deal. What makes it even more exciting is that I think Hillary has the potential to be and excellent president who will build on the progress Obama has initiated. 

My vote for Clinton is not a vote AGAINST her opponent. It is a PRO Clinton vote.

You may have seen this already, but it brings tears to my eyes every time I watch it. 

If you're in the mood for something less inspiring but extremely funny, this song is for you!

All I REALLY wanted to do was remind you that TUESDAY is the day, and no matter how sick of all the election crap, it is super important you go out and make your voice heard!

Obviously, our ballots include more than just our choice for president. I found this handy site: Ballot Ready which let's you view your ballot and explains every candidate and referendum you will see. I suggest checking it out!

SO GET OUT THERE! GRAB DEMOCRACY BY THE BALLS AND VOTE ON NOVEMBER 8TH!!!!

Hike to Hawk Rock

Yesterday, Paul and I wanted to take advantage of the beautiful fall weather and scenery here in PA, so we decided to go for a hike. Our friend Heather recommended Hawk Rock because there probably wouldn't be hunting around there. I still wore bright colors... I wasn't taking any chances!

The trail head was very easy to find. After getting off the Duncannon exit, you go past Maguire Ford and follow the signs for the recycling place. There is a big parking lot and it's clearly marked.

Volunteers with the Duncannon Appalachian Trail Community had free cookies and cider and were taking donations. I thought that was a great idea! Many people want to support the protection of the trail, and with a tent set up right at the trail head, it was an easy way to do it!

The hike to Hawk Rock is about .8 miles up the side of the mountain on the Appalachian Trail. We were promised a beautiful vista at the top. I had run this section of the trail several years ago, but coming from the other direction.

I only have one speed when I am on a hiking mission: FULL THROTTLE. I'm not a leisurely hiker. We powered up the trail, taking about two water breaks. It was rocky at some sections and steep at other sections. Total moving time to the vista was about 25 minutes.

Then we were presented with this view!

That landscape behind us is SO "PA".

We continued on the trail for a little bit at the top of the mountain. It was flat and sunny.

I was dreading the way back down as sometimes my knees hurt, but they surprisingly didn't bother me! We took a lot more pictures on the way back down because I wasn't on a mission.

 

When we were almost at the bottom, we ran into Heather and her family! Heather and I connect on Snapchat and Facebook and rarely have face to face encounters. She is so funny and charming. I wish we got to hang out more often!

This was the first time I met her family! Although her daughter Sage sings to me on Snapchat...

All in all, it was a great hike on a gorgeous day! I hope you get to try this hike sometime!

Have you ever hiked to Hawk Rock?

Where are the best places to hike near you?

Are you a leisurely hiker or are you on a mission?

Weekly Workouts!

Hey! It's the weekend! I'm so happy.
Not sure what I have planned workout wise. I'm not training for anything so I just do whatever I want these days. Here's what I did last week...

Saturday- 13.1 miles. This was actually a pretty cruddy run. I parked at Messiah College and ran some back roads. The route was hilly. I felt heavy. But I did it!

Sunday- Lifting back @ Planet Fitness. It was dead!!! A guy came up to me to ask if I played sports. I said no, I'm a runner. He said, "Oh, I thought you played sports because you go hard." This guy then got out a golf club to practice his golf swing... at the mirror by the dumbbells. Not that I'm looking to be talked to by guys at the gym, but I swear to you the only guys that talk to me are WEIRDOS!!!!

Monday- Lifting chest @ home. I still did not feel recovered from my cruddy run on Saturday, so I figured I may as well lift. I was sore later.

Tuesday- 6 miles in my hood. Nothing notable to report here! I felt a little sluggish, that is all.

I didn't start my Garmin until about .67 miles in... it was searching for satellites.

Wednesday- 5.9 miles in my hood. The .9 was... you guessed it, to even out my 13.1 from Saturday! I felt great for this run! Light and lithe. 

I took Paul to Planet Fitness after work so I figured I may as well do a light upper body workout while I was there. It was either that or sit in the car and read...

Chest Press- 5x10x25lb
Band Asst. Pull Ups- 5x6
Shoulder Press- 5x8x22.5lb
Bicep Curls- 5x10x15lb
Tricep Push Down- 5x10x30lb
Bicycle Crunches- 5x40
Stability Ball Knee Tuck- 5x15
Capt. Chair- 5x20

Thursday- 6 morning miles. I caught up on all of my election podcasts. I don't know why... all it does is STRESS ME OUT!

Friday- 6 morning miles. I RAN THE EXACT SAME PACE AS THE DAY BEFORE! WTF?? So yes, I'm recycling the picture, because it is 11:23pm, and I'm too tired to upload the pic from my phone.

How were your workouts this week?

Friday 5!

Hey all! I am linking up with Running on Happy and Fairytales and Fitness for Friday 5 2.0!

This week's theme is "About Me". I suppose if you are a regular reader of this blog, you already know a lot about me. You know I kiss my cats straight on the lips, you know what my toenails look like, and you know I dye my hair with $3 color from Dollar General.

So now that I've covered the "About Me" part (see how I did that?), here are 5 random things I want to say this Friday...

1. I love this meme... because I freaking HATE when men tell me to smile!!!

2. My weekend is wiiiiiiide open and free, which I am excited about. Actually, I do have dinner plans tonight. I get to reconnect with a friend I haven't seen in awhile! When school starts, I become a bad friend, and I am mad at myself for that.

3. Guess what I did this week? I wrapped a crap ton of Christmas presents! I love wrapping presents, so I wrap them for some of my coworkers who don't have a lot of time.

4. I don't think I can watch CNN or The View anymore. I am getting extreme November 8th anxiety. Like, it is affecting my life.

5. And last... a picture of Christmas you CAN'T unsee!

Do you kiss your pets on the lips?
What do you do when men tell you to smile?
Do you like wrapping Christmas presents?

Central Park Run!

On Thursday morning, I got to run in Central Park! I ran in Central Park a couple years ago and was happy to have the opportunity to do it again!

It did require getting up in the darkness of the morning... but it was worth it. I'll sleep when I'm dead!

Our hotel was only a couple blocks from the park, so I walked to the park for a warm up and then started running.

Of course, even though it was only 6:15 and still dark out, the park was full of runners and cyclists. It was very safe. I tried to do a huge loop around the park, sticking to West Drive, Center Drive and East Drive.

I looped the park before I hit my goal of 8 miles, so I ran partway around the reservoir. By then, it was getting light out.

I was tired and didn't feel wonderful from the three glasses of wine I had the night before, but I was thankful to be running in such an iconic place!

Ya gotta LIVE LIFE people!

Tell me about some of the iconic places you have run! Okay just off the top of my head I can tell you I have run in Central Park, along the rim of the Grand Canyon, down Lombard Street in San Francisco... hmmm that's all I can think of right now!