• Fitness,  Goals,  Marathon Training,  Race Re-Cap,  Running

    New Years Fun and the Hangover Half Marathon

    Happy new year! I can’t believe it’s 2016 already. Where does the time go? My good friend Jackie and her husband Brian came up to visit from NJ on Thursday for New Years. Jordan and I brought them to Thacher so Brian could try fat biking with Jordan. It finally snowed and the trails were covered in snow/ice! Jackie and I just walked to the hang glider cliff while the guys rode the mountain bikes. It was really quiet there with not many people on the trail. We only saw one other guy trail running. We chatted with him for a little bit when we stopped at the lookout, but…

  • Fitness,  Mountain Biking

    Mountain Biking at Thacher Park

    Thacher Park is one of my favorite local spots for outdoor activities. I hike, snowshoe, ride my road bike to the lookout and run many a trail race there. But last weekend was the first time I went mountain biking there. We start at the Carrick Road parking lot at the Northern end of the park. We rode all the way to main entrance to the park and back, which totaled about 10 miles. 10 miles seems like nothing on a bike, but I’ll assure you that mountain biking 10 miles is a lot harder than road biking 10 miles. I had to get off a few times to walk…

  • Running

    Fall (Winter?) Trail Running at Thacher

    Sunday I decided to go trail running at Thacher with two of my good running friends, Jenna and Meredith. I’m running a trail half in a few weeks and wanted to get some more trail running in before then. The foliage was out in full force this past weekend! We parked at the Carrick Road parking lot at the North end of the park and ran to the cliff lookout and hang glider lookout, about 6.6 miles total for the day! It even started to snow mid-run, which isn’t too strange considering this IS upstate New York. It was pretty. FIND IT

  • Biking,  Fitness

    Riding to Thacher Park

    Saturday I took my road bike out and rode up to Thacher from Schoolhouse Road in Guilderland. I haven’t done that ride in two years! The climb is always a bit intimidating but it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting! Love the feeling of seeing that sign when I get to the top. Made a quick stop at the Overlook and grabbed a Gatorade from the snack stand. I was going to take the same route back down, but after riding out past Thompson’s Lake I was pressed for time. I rode down to Altamont and took Route 20 (Western Ave) back to my car and rode a giant…

  • Albany,  Fitness,  Marathon Training,  Race Re-Cap,  Running,  Trail Running,  Training

    Thacher Park Running Festival 10K

    Saturday marked the 100 year celebration of John Boyd Thacher State Park. Ever since I was a little kid I have been coming here to walk the Indian Ladder Trail, and it’s still one of my favorite places to get outside in the Capital Region. I love going to Thacher for nature walks, trail running, fun trail racing, and even snowshoeing. With one of the best views in the area, this place can’t be beat. This is why I ran the 10K on Saturday. As part of the Centennial Celebration, the Albany Running Exchange put on some trail races: a 5K, a 10K, and even a marathon and a 50K!…