The Little Things
January 23, 2014

HAPPY THURSDAY!!! I hope you all have had a great week. I got fingerprinted for the very first time this past week, and it was an experience. It was so cold outside, and the machine was not reading my fingerprints well, so I had to stand and rub my hands for a bit before it would work. And now I’m on file, which feels a little weird. I’m going to cut to the chase and get right to what I’m feeling thankful for this week:

I’m thankful for all the amazing food I ate in Ecuador. Just typing up the post from earlier this week made me so hungry again for all that amazing food. A friend is coming to visit from Ecuador in March, and she already offered to bring a few of my favorite things (read: Inca Cola)!

I’m thankful for warm blankets. It’s been another chilly week around these parts, and when the feels like is below zero or in the single digits, a blanket feels like a must. I’ve dragged my blanket around with me this week to keep extra warm, and I love it! It was a Christmas present from my parents back in 2002, and I still use it almost every day from fall until spring! It’s one of my best Christmas presents ever!

I’m thankful for groups of friends. After church on Sunday I went to lunch with a group of people who work at the same place I do (but not in my actual department). It was so great to catch up and get to know them better! It was also nice to catch up with a friend I made in Ecuador who happens to live in the same town I do (and was in Ecuador at the same time!! So random!).

I’m thankful for NCIS. I’ve been slowly making my way through the show since August, and I’ve finally made it up to season 10! I’m also on season 2 of NCIS LA. They’re fun shows to watch after a day at work (or if I happen to wake up early and have time to watch one while getting ready for work!).

I’m thankful for the good surprises in life. 2013 was a year of fun surprises in terms of exercise and fitness, and many of these things I wouldn’t have guessed would happen in January of the year. I’m glad that things don’t always go exactly as we planned, because that allows things that are really good to enter our lives!

Now it’s your turn to share! What’re you thankful for right now? Have you started to watch any new shows over the last few months?

January 22, 2014

One thing that I really love about Cuenca, Ecuador is the food (other things include Dos Chorreras and Piedra de Agua)! In the weeks leading up to the trip I made a list of the foods that I wanted to eat most of all, and immediately went on a hunt for them as soon as I arrived. Before I talk about the “must haves” and some of my favorite foods, I thought I’d outline a typical day of eating:

DSCN6449Fresh fruit market

Fruits are plentiful in Ecuador, and there are so many more varieties of fruits compared to what we get in the U.S. If you ever go to Ecuador, make sure you eat as many fruits as you can, along with the delicious fruit juices (I forgot to take any pictures of the juices 🙁 ).

DSCN6464This is what the guaba fruit looks like from the outside

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This is guaba fruit (note: this is different than guava). The fruit is somewhat fuzzy and you suck the outside off, and a large black seed (the size of a cockroach) is left behind. It’s delicious and I wish I could get them at home.

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This is guinea pig (cuy) and I did NOT try it. I’m opposed to eating any animal that I’ve cuddled at some point (and I had guinea pigs when I was little).

DSCN6487French onion soup at Piedra de Agua

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Potato soup at Dos Chorreras

Soups are my favorite, and potato soup is an absolute MUST HAVE in Ecuador. They have different potatoes and a different oil (can also come in a powder form) that makes it a little more orange. It’s usually served with a slice of avocado, and it’s amazing.

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Every day you’re in Ecuador you need to find a fresh little bakery and try all sorts of breads! They have dessert and sweet breads (covered in sugar, filled with jam, rolled with chocolate, etc…) as well as typical breads and rolls that you’d eat at a meal.

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Make sure you try the delicious coffee at a few different cafes. This is outside of Un Buen, which was delicious! I also brought coffee home with me.

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And finally- you need to try Inca Cola. People have very mixed opinions (it sort of tastes like Bubble Gum I think), but it’s part of the cultural experience.

This is by no means the extent of the foods that I ate, but are the things that I tend to look forward to each time I head down to Ecuador. The foods are delicious, and I can’t wait to go back and get my favorites once again!

Now it’s your turn to share! What are some of your favorite foods you’ve had while traveling?

January 21, 2014

2013 brought some surprises and changes in the area of exercise and fitness for me, and, as I’m hoping that they will continue on throughout 2014, I decided to write a bit about them.

We’ll see what changes in 2014, or if I really hit an exercise grove in 2013. I’m open to surprises, that’s for sure!

Now it’s your turn to share! What’s one thing you’ve been surprised about recently in terms of your own exercise? Do you like to mix it up with exercise or do you tend to stick to one or two things?

January 20, 2014

One of my favorite places to visit while in Cuenca, Ecuador is Dos Chorreras, which is up in Cajas National Park (in the Andes Mountains). (sidenote: another of my favorite places in the area is Piedra de Agua, where I got a massage in a cave in the side of a volcano!) Dos Chorreras is a trout farm, and provides absolutely amazing views on the property and from their restaurant. Their restaurant is built right into the rock and forest in the side of the mountain, and it’s absolutely beautiful!

DSCN6433Beautiful, right?

This is the view you’re met with driving up to the restaurant. Once you park, you’ll walk into a restaurant and pass this:

IMG_5880Looks fake, right? IT’S NOT

Two pictures in and I hope you’re getting the idea that this place is absolutely gorgeous! You’ll then be taken in and given a seat. We were in one of the rooms upstairs, and this is what it looked like:

DSCN6432The walls are either glass or made up of plants from the mountain, and it’s absolutely amazing.

IMG_5883If you walk around outside a bit (and I encourage you to look all around the property!), this is the view you’ll see on the path above the restaurant (again- can you say AMAZING?!). It’s absolutely breath taking. The property also has horses, and you can sign up for a horse back ride in the Andes.

DSCN6434One more shot of the Andes because it’s just beautiful. This is also where the horses head up the mountain.

If you’re in the area, a trip up to Dos Chorreras and Cajas is an absolute MUST. It’s absolutely gorgeous, the food is fantastic, and it’s well worth your time and money!

January 19, 2014

Last weekend I mentioned that I had signed up for half marathon #5 in the middle of April! I’m coming into training with a week of walking around Ecuador, but doing no other training. Normally I’ve done training recaps from Sunday morning-Saturday evening, but I think this time I’m going to mix it up and do Saturday morning-Friday night (but I’ll still post on Sunday mornings).

So, here’s how the week looked:

Solid first week of training, but I’ve hit a little problem: My piriformis syndrome is back 🙁 I think it’s a combination of sitting tight in planes for almost 24 hours, then hopping on a bike (while stiff), and probably not stretching enough afterwards. I felt great on Sunday during my run, but that must’ve been the final irritation, because by Sunday evening I was hobbling a bit. Monday I was fine, and I was fine all week until I got off my bike on Thursday, and it’s been bad ever since.

My piriformis had issues for about a week right before my last half marathon, but I did the exercises shown in this video twice a day, and within a week I was fine. I’m back to doing them 1-2 times a day, and I’m hoping that it’ll go away pretty quickly.

I wanted to run yesterday, but I thought it would probably lead to far worse problems to run then to rest. I can’t believe that it’s week 1 of training, and I’m already dealing with a problem. I’m pretty frustrated, but as long as I can deal with this in the next week or two, I’ll be fine. I would just like to know what’s started to cause these problems.

Now it’s your turn to share! Have you ever experienced piriformis syndrome? If so- any advice or stretches that seemed to help you? Tell me one exciting thing from your week! 

January 16, 2014

Happy Thursday! Thursdays seem almost like Fridays to me, so they’re sort of confusing days to me 🙂 I’m still trying to get my life back to an organized state after traveling for Christmas and then leaving almost immediately for my trip to Ecuador. Here’s what I’m thankful for right now:

I’m thankful for my trip to Ecuador. Almost every week since I was last there I’ve thought about wanting to go back again. Being back was a dream come true for me, and I was so excited to see some of my old friends, eat foods I love that I can only get there, and see the city once again!

I’m thankful for the massage I got in the side of a volcano. Beyond it being a seriously neat experience, I had been having back pain since my drive home in a crazy winter storm after Christmas. Traveling for about 24 hours down to Ecuador certainly didn’t help, and having that massage was fantastic! It’ll always be a great memory.

I’m thankful that I got randomly bumped up to first class.  I have absolutely no idea what led to me getting bumped up to first class (I very rarely even fly on this specific airlines), but when I checked in for my flight in Quito, they printed out a first class ticket for me! I enjoyed a nice meal, wide seat, and great amount of leg room for my overseas flight, and I was pretty thankful for that. I even had a chance to doze on and off for a bit of time which was really nice!

I’m thankful that I didn’t get sick on my trip! Traveling, especially to a foreign country, means an increased risk of getting sick (my last overseas trip I ended up with food poisoning). While I try to be smart (drink bottled or boiled water, don’t eat food off carts on the side of the road, etc…) it’s hard when you’re eating in kitchens and restaurants with different food standards. My stomach hurt just a little bit my last day, but that’s it and I’m thankful!

I’m thankful I have a job I’m excited to go back to. A little “fun fact”- I haven’t been in to my office in almost a month! We were closed for a little over two weeks for Christmas, and then opened up right as I went to Ecuador. While it was nice to have so much time off, I’m so excited to head back to work again! Even more exciting- seeing my co-workers! I’ve missed them quite a bit.

Now it’s your turn to share! What are you feeling thankful for today? 

January 15, 2014

One of my favorite things I did while in Ecuador was spend an afternoon at Piedra de Agua, right outside of Cuenca. My host family was spending the afternoon, and I was invited to go along.

We first had lunch at the restaurant that is right there at the spa, and it was delicious! I started out with some french onion soup, and while it certainly looks different than when I’ve had it in the U.S., it was wonderful! I followed this up with some garlic chicken and tea.

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Following the lunch, the others in my group went through all the steps in their relaxation package (it looks amazing, doesn’t it?), which took maybe 3-4 hours. While they were doing that, I ended up getting a half hour massage (that’s all the time they had free since I hadn’t made an appointment ahead of time).

DSCN6497Such a cool setting!

The massage was a bit different than any I had received before. First of all, the massages took place in a cave in the side of a volcano. Amazing, right? The setting alone made the money and trip there worth it. When I walked in, the massage therapist stayed in the room as I undressed, which is something I have never experienced before in the U.S. It was a little strange, but it was fine. The massage itself was good, and the entire experience was a lot of fun!

After the massage I spent about 30 minutes laying out by the pool in the sunshine. The view looks up at the Andes Mountains, and it’s gorgeous. I then walked around the facilities for about an hour or hour and a half and just enjoyed the view. Once my host family was done with their package, they invited me to join them for their fruit and chocolate platter, which was amazing!

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The Red and Blue Mud Pools

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The entire experience from the time we left Cuenca until the time we returned was about 5 hours, but of course it wouldn’t need to be that long if you were to just go for a meal or a massage. The trip is well worth it, and the setting is gorgeous.

January 14, 2014

I’ll be back tomorrow with another post about my trip to Ecuador… 

Last year I set 13 challenges for myself for the year, and I loved having these to push myself throughout the year. Why challenges? I want to give myself the freedom and room to take new paths for myself that may arise throughout the year. I like the freedom as well as determination that a challenge gives. So, because I loved it so much last year, I am setting 14 challenges for myself this upcoming year:

  1. I challenge myself to run 200 miles. Again, I shoot very low, knowing that I get injured easily. I would love nothing more than to have 500+ mile years, but I know this isn’t practical for myself.
  2. I challenge myself to walk 275 miles.  I enjoy walking, and used to walk much more than I do now. 275 might still be high, depending on how my fitness plays out throughout the year. I refuse to give up what I WANT to do just to meet a certain number.
  3. I challenge myself to bike 900 miles. This would solidly mean the highest biking mileage I’ve ever done in a year before, so we’ll see if I can make this happen. I would be solidly happy with 700+ miles for the year.
  4. I challenge myself to 75 hours of pilates. This is pretty much hardly over an hour a week, which I think is reasonable. I’ve never kept track of how many hours I’ve done pilates in a year before, so we’ll see how this one goes! I love pilates though and think that it’s incredibly beneficial for life. (I’m counting reformer, mat, and barre pilates here)
  5. I challenge myself to 250 minutes of planks. I chose 250 minutes of planks last year, and I felt like that number was pretty reasonable. Instead of trying to go up (because…why?) I decided to keep it at a number I was happy with for the year.
  6. I challenge myself to run 10 races for the year. Like 2013, these races can be in person or virtual, but I’d like at least 5 of them to be in person!
  7. I challenge myself to read at least 14 books. Just like the books I read in 2013, I want them to be a mix of fun, health, and educational.
  8. I challenge myself to go through all the clothes that I own. I almost feel like I’m cheating with this one since it was on my list from last year, but making it a challenge somehow made it more fun (and a little easier to part with clothes). I want to continue to make space in my closet for the clothes that I really wear.
  9. I challenge myself to continue to be present. I talked about the benefits of being present last January, and I felt like it was really healthy for me throughout the year. This one is a huge priority throughout the year for me.
  10. I challenge myself to continue to hunt for provisions and blessings (continuing to develop gratitude in my life). I will write down at least once a week what I am thankful for (I’ve officially started a specific gratitude journal for the year), and will continue to hunt throughout the week for the things I’ve been provided. I really feel like this makes a huge difference in mental health.
  11. I challenge myself to read the entire Bible this year. I’m pretty sure that I’ve read it all in bits and pieces, but I’ve never read the entire thing in a condensed amount of time. This one will be an average of maybe 15ish minutes every day, although obviously there will be somedays that I’ll have to play catch up for other days that I’ve missed. This one has already been interesting so far.
  12. I challenge myself to publish an article this year. 
  13. I challenge myself to put more time and energy into friendships and relationships. This is something that I have really done in the past 3 months, and I want to continue to make this a priority in my life. This involves both keeping up with a few close friends from my past, current friendships, and maybe making a few new friends as well!
  14. I challenge myself to be brave. Brave (or courage) is my word for the year, and while this probably deserves an entire post of it’s own, I thought I’d throw it out there anyways. I want to continue to push myself to be brave in any area of my life…

So, that’s it-my 14 challenges for the year. Obviously, like I mentioned on my final update for my 13 challenges, I am giving myself the freedom and space to take the year however it comes. I have no idea what the upcoming year holds, so I don’t want to make my goals to rigid. So- here’s to a great 2014 for my own personal growth, and it’ll be interesting to see how it all turns out!

Now it’s your turn to share! What’s a challenge for yourself for the upcoming year (or month or week- you can choose!)?

January 13, 2014

So, I kept a tiny little secret from you all for the last few weeks. Since January 3rd I’ve been in Cuenca, Ecuador for a mix of work and fun, and just got home on Saturday. I had a really fantastic time, and I can’t wait to share some of my experiences with you all!

I flew into Quito, arriving just before midnight. Since I had to fly on one of Ecuador’s airlines, I had to wait until the morning to leave. I stayed at the Garden Hotel San Jose, and found it to be a great place to stay!

IMG_5872The hotel was on a cute little compound with a spa, and beautiful lawns and gardens.

The next morning I flew to Cuenca, Ecuador where I stayed for the week. I gave four hours of lectures while there , and enjoyed meeting with students and faculty members. The rest of the time was spent getting to know people in the city, spending time with people I already knew who live in the city, and touring around. And eating. Lots and lots and lots of eating. Enough eating that I’ll do an entire post just on the amazing food that was put in front of me almost every hour of the day.

One of my favorite things to do while in Cuenca is to walk around the old city. The tiny shops, women and men in traditional dress, and the cobblestone streets create a quaint and authentic experience.

DSCN6540The New Cathedral (made to be a duplicate of the Vatican)- if you ever go to Cuenca, make sure to walk up to the top of one of the towers. You’ll get a great view of the city, and an up close view of the domes!

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Nativity display set up in the New Cathedral. They had Christmas songs playing via recording, and when I took this picture “Santa Clause is Coming to Town” was playing. Yes. Seriously.

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Cute little signs on the bathroom doors

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Women at the market. From what I could understand, they would hit the various plants on little children as they would say something specific. Some parents bring their children regularly for this experience.

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The San Francisco market. There is a long row with maybe 12-15 of these little shops. It’s the perfect little place to buy souvenirs, especially scarves. I get a few scarves every time I go to Ecuador!

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Outside a cute little cafe (called Un Buen) on “the porch of Cuenca”

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Sunset in Cuenca over the Andes Mountains.

So there’s a quick little snapshot of my time in Cuenca. I’ll be doing a few specific posts about different events and things that happened while there!

Now it’s your turn to share! Have you ever been to Ecuador? Where’s your favorite place to travel?

January 12, 2014

While training for my half marathon this past fall, I seriously considered whether I wanted to train for a race in the spring or if I wanted to try something different. Then race day came, and I knew that I OF COURSE wanted to run another half marathon. The past two springs I’ve run the Indianapolis Mini Marathon (2012 Recap & 2013 Recap), and while I love the race course (for the most part), I really don’t like running the speedway. This year I decided to try something different (and hopefully I won’t regret it!), and on the last day of 2013 I signed up for the Carmel Half Marathon.

The race is April 12th, which is a few weeks earlier than the Mini. This means that training starts this week for me (instead of at the beginning of February like the mini). This past fall I biked 1-2 times a week while training for my half marathon, but I’m starting to do longer rides now, so it’ll be interesting to see how this might play a part in my training!

So- here I am, ready for training for half marathon number 5 (oh my gosh- how can I be up to 5 already?!)

Now it’s your turn to share! Are you training for anything this spring?