56 Diner (Branford, CT)

August 18, 2019 By Hollie in Diners Tags: coffee, connecticut, Diner, food, menu, pork chops 1 Comment

After the Sea Legs 10 Miler, I decided to check out a diner right on the way home. The 56 Diner in Banford, CT, is right off 95 so an easy stop.

Atmosphere: B
The 56 Diner in Banford resembles an old Friendlys, and that’s because it was.

The inside has a full-length bar. There are plenty of booths and tables.

One thing we found interesting was the menu placement. Some of the ads were upside down!

Coffee: B
The coffee was good, but there was nothing or unique.

Food: C
The 56 Diner has most diner options. There is all-day breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Omelettes served with home fries and toast, to egg salad to wraps, to pork chops, and dinner options. They also have an ice cream bar too, complete with banana splits. There are a few healthy choices as well. I decided to order the pork chops and upgrade my regular salad to a greek salad.

The Greek Salad was good. It was a nice size, and I appreciated the fresh ingredients. It came with romaine lettuce, tomatoes, olives, feta cheese, and grape leaves.

The pork chops, however, were another story. They were thin and tasted as though they were reheated. I was disappointed because pork chops are usually one of my favorite meals. The mashed potatoes appeared as though they were squeezed out of a tube.

Was my meal terrible? No. It was okay, but I wouldn’t order it again.

Service: B
It took a while for the host to sit us. Once he did, it took a while to take our orders and for the food to come out. He was friendly, but it was a lot longer than you would think.

Cost: $$
For my coffee, pork chops, and salad, it was $20.

Overall Thoughts of the 56 Diner/Would I Come Back?
The 56 Diner is ok. It’s not my favorite in the area, but it’s a good stop, especially if you are staying in one of the hotels nearby and don’t want fast food.

Atmosphere: B
Coffee: B
Food: C
Service: C
Price: $8-15
Overall: C

You Can See All Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:
Do you like pork chops?

Have you ever been to a Friendly’s? This is the second diner I’ve been to that was an old Friendlys.

Park Place Diner (Matawan)

August 17, 2019 By Hollie in Diners Tags: breakfast, brunch, coffee, Diner, new jersey, omelet, Pancakes, review 2 Comments

After the Sheehan Classic Asbury Park 5k, I decided to stop at the Park Place diner (Matawan). It’s located right across from Aberdeen Shopping Center, and the Town Square Diner.

Atmosphere: A
The atmosphere of the Park Place Diner in Matawan is typical of a modern diner. It’s not metallic or shiny, but a nice modern building.

The front door is located next to the dessert case as well as a bar. Inside, there are plenty of booths and tables. Apparently, it’s a great local spot to hold a business meeting.

Coffee: A
The coffee was brewed hot and fresh, and the waitress refilled it often.

Food: A
The menu at the Park Place Diner is massive, and they have everything from breakfast, lunch, and dinner specials. They also serve everything all day long, which is nice.

I decided to order the farmers omelet, which came with pancakes. The Farmers Omelet was stuffed with Ham, Onion, Peppers, Potatoes and Cheddar Cheese. It had the most cheese I’ve seen in an omelet.

Ordering pancakes at a diner can always be risky. I’ve had good pancakes, but I’ve also had bad, flat, pancakes. The pancakes at the Park Place Diner were light and fluffy and tasted good. I was pleased!

Service: A
The waitress was one of the friendliest waitresses I’ve had recently. Even though the Park Place Diner was busy, she made sure to refill my coffee, and the food came out quickly.

Cost: $
For my omelet and coffee at the Park Place Diner, it was $12.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come Back to the Park Place Diner?
I liked the Park Place Diner in Matawan, and if I’m in the area, I’ll be back. Some of the lunch and dinner options interested me.

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: A
Food: A
Service: A
Cost: $8-15
Overall: A

You can see all 256 Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:
What is your favorite type of omelet?
What is the riskiest item at a diner to order?

Hiking Cheesequake State Park

August 16, 2019 By Hollie in hiking Tags: hike, hiking, nature, new jersey 1 Comment

A few weeks ago, I decided to take a trip to Cheesequake State Park. I’ve seen Cheesequake Park from the Garden State Parkway, and it even has it’s own Parkway exit. A dirt road runs underneath the Garden State Parkway to connect the northern and southern sides of Cheesequake Park.

Despite being that close to the Parkway, you don’t hear the cars rolling by. Cheesequake State Park has always been on my “to-do list,” but the timing or weather neer worked out. Cheesequake State Park is located in Old Bridge, Middlesex County, New Jersey.

After doing research, I learned the name Cheesequake comes from the following Native American Lenape words:

Cheseh-oh-ke, which means “upland.”

Chiskhakink, which means the “at the land that has been cleared.”

Here are a Few Things Cheesequake Park Has:

Camping, Tent and Trailer Sites with flushable toilets and shower facilities (facilities within walking distance of campsites)
Picnic Areas with Fire Rings
Swimming with Lifeguards
Fishing for trout, largemouth bass, catfish, and sunfish
Interpretive Center with History of the Park and Colonization History
Roughly 8 miles of easy to navigate hiking

Part of the trails were almost flooded over. I was wearing my Hoka Speedgoat Midi Boot which prevented any water in my shoes.

Cheesequake State Park offers some beautiful views. There are no mountains to climb, but you do get some glimpses of the North Jersey shore.

This might be the most unique thing I’ve noticed on a hike. I looked down to see a “swarm of caterpillars” all climbing over them. I’ve never seen anything like it. After talking with someone in the nature center, she mentioned the caterpillers do this for safety with numbers. It’s known as “as a rolling swarm of caterpillars.”

The caterpillers were harmless but a group of caterpillers bunched together is not something you see every day.

In all, I had a fun couple of hours at Cheesequake State Park. If you’re looking for an easy to navigate state park with trailer sites, fire rings, and picnic tables, Cheesequake Park is a good stop.

You Can See All Hikes Here.

Questions for you:

Have you ever seen a swarm of caterpillars?

Where is somewhere you’ve wanted to hike around you?

Hoka One One Rincon Shoe Review

August 14, 2019 By Hollie in Gear Review, Running Tags: fitness, hoka, review, run, running, shoe, sports Leave a comment

The Hoka One One Rincon is a brand new shoe from Hoka this year. I’ve been curious about this shoe since it came out in June but needed to prioritize buying trainers (like the Hoka Bondi 6) I knew I could run miles in with no issues.

I knew I would probably like the Hoka Rincon, but also knew I needed to have at least one shoe in my rotation that was tried and true. Anyway, the long story short is it took me a little while to buy a pair.

The Rincon is designed to be a fast shoe from Hoka One One. It’s lighter than most (I believe just the Hoka Cavu 2 is lighter).

Quick Stats:
Weight: 6.3 oz
Drop 5 mm

Fit:

Like most of their shoes now, Hoka uses a single layer of engineered mesh for the upper. It’s thin and lightweight, plus it breathes well. If you’ve run in the Hoka One One Carbon X, it fits very similar. The single layer of mesh allows wider feet or someone with bunions to feel more comfortable. I’m usually a women’s size 10-11 wide, and I find the 10.5 to fit well (they aren’t made in wide…yet).

One thing to keep in mind is that there isn’t much structure in the upper of the shoe. The feet can splay out. Like the newer models of Hoka, there is a pull tab at the heel counter to get it up. There is a lack of plastic in the heel which keeps it from pinching the Achilles. The pull tab allows it to slide up without damaging it.

Ride:

The Hoka One One Rincon has a unique ride to it (even from Hoka). It has as much cushion as the Hoka Clifton, however, weighs about an ounce less. It’s much more responsive than the Clifton and feels like a shoe I want to run fast in (like the Mach and Cavu). The Hoka Rincon uses the early stage Meta-Rocker to allow for quicker turnover. It’s designed for true speed or as a race shoe. (You can read more about Hoka’s technology and “Meta-Rockers” here).

If you’ve never run in Hoka before, this is a great model to start. It’s responsive enough that you won’t feel too disconnected from the ground. For me, it fits best as a fast-paced, long run shoe, or even a race day shoe. I like more amount of cushion for a daily trainer.

One last thing to add is there is a lack of traction on the bottom of the shoe. I do wish added rubber on the bottom. There is rubber on the outsole in strategic spots but it’s not a shoe that would perform well in rainy/icy conditions.

Hoka Rincon Conclusion:

Sometimes brand new running shoe models miss their mark, but the Hoka Rincon has quickly become one of my favorite Hoka One One models (my favorite for heavy training is the Hoka Bondi and for speed, work is the Hoka Cavu).

If you’re looking to try out the brand Hoka, the Hoka Rincon is a great place to start. If you are familiar with Hoka and looking for a lightweight racer or trainer, the Hoka Rincon would be a great shoe for your rotation.

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A beautiful day and easy run to start the week. I appreciate each runs, knowing they are every bit as important as workouts, races, and hard runs.

A post shared by Hollie (@fueledbylolz) on Aug 12, 2019 at 8:13am PDT

Current Rotation:

Easy/Daily Runs: Hoka Bondi 6, Brooks Ghost 12

Speed Work: New Balance FuelCell Rebel, Reebok Float Ride Run fast Pro, Hoka Rincon

Long Runs: New Balance FuelCell Rebel, Mizuno R2, Hoka Cavu 2

Races: Reebok Run fast Pro

You Can See All Current Shoe Reviews Here.

Finally, have you subscribed to the LOLZletter? It’s a free newsletter that comes out each Monday. In the newsletter, I share running industry trends and things relevant to the sport. This week is all about carbon plate shoes,

Questions for you:

Have you tried a new shoe lately?

What is your favorite running shoe?

Asbury Park Sheehan Classic 5k (20:04)

August 13, 2019 By Hollie in Running, Running Reads, Training Tags: asbury park, fitness, new jersey, race, run, running, sports 3 Comments

The morning of the Sheehan Classic Asbury 5k was chaotic. At 6, I was debating going to the race but decided I would go. I was tired and hadn’t got much sleep, and I’m not someone who functions on little sleep.

Asbury Park is around an hour from me, and I arrived around 7:30. The pickup line was long, so I only had time for about 10 minutes of warmup. Usually, I like to do about 2-3 miles before a 5k, but that wasn’t an option.

When we lined up, I was delighted to find out Governor Murphy was standing right near me. He gave a quick speech, and we were off. Our Governor is a runner, but I never seem to line up at the same races (For those curious, Governor Murphy ran around 28 minutes). I’m still working on trying to get him to come to a south jersey race.

Anyway, the first mile went out fast. The Asbury Park Sheehan Classic (and Belmar 5) races are notoriously competitive and fast. The last time I ran, it was a different course, but I knew the competition wouldn’t be much different.

We went up a small hill, and I hit the first mile in 6:17. I thought I could maybe break 20 minutes. My legs didn’t feel great, but I was moving fast enough; I thought it could be a possibility.

During the second mile; I realized how much my legs don’t have the turnover. My breathing didn’t feel difficult, but my legs just couldn’t move faster. We went up a small hill, and I hit the second mile in 6:26.

During the third mile, I knew it would be close to 20 minutes. I tried to move my legs faster, but they weren’t doing it. When we entered the boardwalk, I saw my watch at 19:20, but I hadn’t quite reached the third mile.

The finish line felt like it wasn’t getting any closer. They told women to stay left and men to stay right. I thought it was unusual for finishing. I crossed in 20:04. I was disappointed that I wasn’t able to break 20 but happy for my effort the day, considering I almost didn’t go.

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|Asbury Park 5k 20:04| . Chaotic and rushed morning and I came close to missing the race. Only had time for 10 minutes of warmup but still ran my fastest 5k in a while. Plus top 50 men/women won a coffee mug. ☕️

A post shared by Hollie (@fueledbylolz) on Aug 10, 2019 at 11:18am PDT

After crossing, they gave me a number, number 18, which I realized meant 18th female. I didn’t understand why but then they gave the top 50 finishers a cool mug. In all, I’m happy with my race and performance at the Sheehan Classic Asbury Park 5k. From almost not going to running my fastest 5k in a while, I don’t have any complaints.

Questions for you:

Have you ever gotten a coffee mug at a race?

Have you seen your Governor before? (Let’s say the last Governor wasn’t doing road races LOL)

FueledByLOLZ

Running and Laughing through the Garden State