Happy Easter everyone! Week 13 of my training plan for the Glass City marathon is complete. For the marathoners it was our last big week of training, and we’ll start to taper a bit. It was also Spring Break for my kids, so we went skiing! I mean, doesn’t every one want more snow for Spring Break? LOL. We do! This was our first ski trip to Jackson Hole and it did not disappoint. The week flew by, but it was great family time. We skied for 3 days and I also ran 34 miles this week, and ended with some biking.
Sun – 6 miles running, 14 miles skiing. My husband and I went for a run together. I love running on vacation! So many new things to see. The big excitement for the morning was seeing 2 moose, and many deer wandering around our neighborhood! I was also happy that the elevation was around 6,000 ft and wasn’t exhausting like Colorado is when we visit. Seeing a moose up close was so cool!!
Our ski day was wonderful. It was spring skiing! We got to eat lunch outside and by the time the day ended we were getting a bit overheated in our ski clothes! The terrain at Jackson Hole is a bit steeper overall compared to other resorts we’ve been too. No worries, we are able to ski the whole mountain 🙂
Mon – 3 mile hike. It was super windy in the morning. The forecast said gusts of winds up to 60 mph during the day, so we decided it would be a great day to take a hike instead of skiing. We went to The Grand Teton National Park which is only 30 mins from our condo. Most of the park is closed, but we did have access to a few hiking trails. We went to out to a lake, which was covered in snow.
We also visited an elk refuge in Jackson. Last June we visited this area and it was an empty field. Now it has around 7,000 elk in it! There were also young mountain goats. So cute!!
The Snake River was a popular place for a walk after dinner.
Tues – 5 miles running, 20 miles skiing. The highlight of this run was a fox!!! I ran right past this fox and didn’t even notice him until a bird squawked at me, scaring the crap out of me. I turned and saw the bird right next the fox. What a beautiful animal!!
We spent the whole day skiing and had great weather again. We rode the aerial tram which takes you up to the top of mountain – which seemed like the top of the world! It normally holds 100 skiers, but luckily they were only loading 25 people due to COVID. I didn’t mind that one bit!
Weds – 3.16 miles running, 20 miles skiing. I was going to take a rest day from running, but decided to enjoy the scenery instead and went out for a few miles. No new animal sightings today, but I did get to see a trio of deer that frequented the neighborhood at various times during the day. We spent another full day on the slopes. Loving the sunshine!! By the day end the temps were in the 40s at the base of the mountain and in the 30s near the summit. Really great conditions.
We even ventured over to the expert terrain and went down a double black diamond run. It was challenging and a bit out of our comfort zone, but it’s always a fun adventure (after you finish it. haha!).
Thurs – 6 miles running. I had big plans to complete a 10 mile run, with pace miles, today. Wow, was I crazy? I quickly decided to make this an “easy” run and called it quits after 6 miles. My legs were beat and my glutes and hammies were not so happy! We had a later flight, so spent the day exploring again. We drove over to Idaho for their famous huckleberry shakes. Yum!
As luck would have it, we had a bit of time to wander before our flight out, so we stopped in the little town of Wilson. My husband accidentally locked the keys in our rental car! It was a Ford with the keypad on the outside, and he is used to locking his truck that way. We figured the rental company would just tell us the code and we could get back in. NOPE! We have to have AAA come out and after waiting 90 mins, they got the door open. Doh!! So that’s how we spent the remaining hours of our trip 🙂
We loved how close the airport was to the town and the ski resort. So convenient!
Fri – Rest day!! We arrived home at 2:00am, so sleeping was on the agenda for us. And laundry.
Sat – 20.15 miles, looooong run. This is it! The big Spring Training run for the Glass City Marathon. It was fun because we got to see all of the training groups together. The half marathoners ran 11 miles and the full ran 20. I’d like to say that this run was easy, but I think the week of skiing and running was the cause of a bit of angered hammies and glutes, so I was just glad when we finally finished! I was supposed to be pacing 10:15, but no one wanted to do that and by mile 8 everyone had split apart. For the next 9 miles I ran with one more group member. I ended with a 9:58 pace overall, 3 hrs, 20 mins. This is my group The Incredibles (stops at the arch) at the beginning of the run.
And here’s mile 11… the only member of my group that wanted to hang back at my pace. I’m glad everyone was having a speedy day and feeling strong!
Cheers to getting it done!! [still have 32 free drinks left, this was an iced caffe mocha. yum!]
Sun – walking 2 miles, mountain biking 7.5 miles. It is a beautiful day here in Ohio! I took a walk to get my legs moving, and then we went out on the trails for a ride. My parents will be over for Easter dinner, so a bit of cooking and cleaning are on the agenda for the rest of the day. I hope you are having a great day today too!
Q: Have you ever been to Jackson Hole?
Q: Do you ever see fox in your area?
All I can say is, wow. You did all that skiing, running and hiking and then came home to run 20 miles? What a week! It all looks incredible. I absolutely love the picture of the fox- that’s an animal you just don’t see often. My daughter loves foxes so I have a heightened appreciation for them.
You are tough! I can’t wait to hear all about your marathon. I’m sure it will go well!
My Garmin has been giving me the “Unproductive” status lately, so that’s not great! But otherwise, training has been solid this cycle. That fox was a beauty. My husband was bummed he missed out on seeing it!
I was in Jackson Hole in the summertime and it was gorgeous there. I bet it’s even better with the snow. Yes skiing does use really different muscles. Congrats to your group on their practice race
I did see a lot of happy runners that morning. We ran on portions of the race course for this long run, and the next two weeks my group is meeting at the same location for long runs. We will be very familiar with that part of the course by race day!
oh my gosh, what a week! I’m so envious of your moose sitings! And that fox picture looks like something from National Geographic 🙂
And to top it all off with a 20 miler! Incredible work.
I have never skied Jackson, but my husband has; he told me it might be a bit too challenging for me with lots of unmarked obstacles and drop offs. Yikes!
In comparison to other resorts we’ve been to Jackson Hole really had a small portion of green runs, and was a bit steeper. I would gladly go back though. It was great having everything so close. When we go to Colorado skiing it’s a 2 hour drive from the airport!
It sure was a top week for wildlife sightings!
It looks so pretty there! We have so many foxes in my neighborhood but they don’t look like the one in your picture. They’re smaller and creepier haha. Glad you had a good trip!
March is a great time to ski. Spring skiing is the best! I don’t think I would ever get tired of looking at those beautiful mountains if I lived there.
Wow! You guys packed in a lot to your vacation. Where do you get all your energy? The Starbucks drinks, LOL?
I’ve never been to Jackson Hole, and only ever seen a fox on one run here — although they are fairly plentiful in this area.
Happy Easter! I hope you have a great family dinner.
The foxes are seen very rarely around here too – but I have seen one sneak through our neighborhood. That’s the first time I’ve seen one just chillin’ by the trail!
High 5 to your 20 miler! The training hay is in the barn!!!
We have a neighborhood fox that we see from time to time. We don’t see him very often but it’s always a treat when we do.
This training cycle has flown by! I typically like to get a 22 mile run in, so hopefully this will be enough. My 19 miler last week gave me very positive vibes, so fingers crossed it goes well!
Wow, that’s a lot of skiing! No wonder your legs were a bit tired. I love the pic of the fox…I’ve never seen one of those out and about.
This is true – my legs did a lot of work this week! But somehow Strava said I only burned 260 calories for 6 hours of skiing. Hmmmmmm
I’ve been to Jackson Hole in the summer it was beautiful. Looked like a great vacation.
Have only seen a fox once.
Things look they are going well for your training. Training with a group is the best.
The miles did go by fast with our group! It was fun to see all of the other groups too since we don’t normally all meet in the same place. This was actually a free run for the community so we had other people join us too!
wow looks like you guys had an amazing vacation. I’m over here all FOMO because we really can’t go anywhere right now. At all. I will continue to live vicariously through everyone else!
so your husband doesn’t normally run with you does he? Fun you guys got to do that together!
sounds like the long run was good too!
I’ve been through Jackson Hole but I don’t really remember stopping there. When I moved from Chicago to Portland I went via Amtrak and I could have sworn we went through Jackson Hole with the train at some point.
I haven’t seen foxes here! But apparently we have a few running around our huge nature reserve near us!!
It was a fun vacation! We did have to hear about how all of my kids friends were at the beach in Florida though!
Wow, all that skiing then 20 miles plus, you are tough! Happy taper now – that’s come quickly!
We see foxes fairly frequently around here but that is a very very fine one!
This training plan has gone by really fast! The fox sure was a beauty. Such a fluffy tail!
What an awesome vacation! I’ve never been to Jackson Hole but had thought about doing a half marathon there. One day, one day. 🙂
A friend of mine said she ran a marathon out there. The good news is that the elevation would probably not bother you very much. Colorado would be tough, but in Jackson Hole it’s not an issue.
I would LOVE to go skiing! It’s always been something I’m interested in trying but never really had the opportunity to go. Living in Florida we aren’t really close to any good ski areas! I do have a friend who moved to Colorado and she goes skiing a lot so maybe I’ll plan a trip out there this fall and try it out!
I’m still so jealous that you got all those free drinks from Starbucks! I’d have used them all in like a month though haha! I go all the time.
The resorts don’t open in Colorado until Thanksgiving usually, so make it late fall :). And, expect to get a few lessons from your friend before you are comfortable doing it. I think most people aren’t steady on their skis for at least a few days doing it! It takes a lot of practice!
Outstanding – Perfect Family Vacations, Minus The Keys Incident – But Hey, Nobody Got Hurt – The First Group Photo Has Gotta Be The 2021 Christmas Card – What A Beautiful Location – Yes To Jackson – Yes To Fluffy Fox Families – Stay Strong
Cheers