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.

Shoreline Diner and Vegetarian Enclave (Guilford, CT)

August 11, 2019 By Hollie in Diners Tags: bean, coffee, connecticut, diners, food, menu, resaurant, salad, vegetarian

Shoreline Diner and Vegetarian Enclave (Guilford, CT)

When in Connecticut for the Sea Legs Shuffle 10 Miler, Alexis and I wanted to go to a new diner. I’ve been to a bunch of diners in Connecticut, but new diners are always fun. We noticed the Shoreline Diner was conveniently located near the race start and it looked interesting. How many diners also promote a vegetarian menu?

We arrived around dinner time, and it wasn’t too crowded.

Shoreline Diner and Vegetarian Enclave (Guilford, CT) Atmosphere: A
The Shoreline Diner exterior is bright purple and retro. It’s not metallic or shiny, but any purple building stands out.

The inside is that of a typical dining experience. There are plenty of booths, tables, and a full-length bar. It’s bright and open, so you don’t feel like you’re sitting on top of anyone.

Shoreline Diner and Vegetarian Enclave (Guilford, CT) Coffee: A
The coffee was brewed hot and fresh, and I enjoyed it. The whipped cream tasted good too.

Shoreline Diner and Vegetarian Enclave (Guilford, CT) Food: A
The Shoreline Diner and Vegetarian Enclave menu is unique that they have many different vegetarian options. You don’t see that very often. Everything is fresh and one of the freshest I’ve seen for a diner. They are known for their vegan breakfast, greek salad, sweet potato fries, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options. How many diners do you know, known for their vegan options? If you need to follow a special diet, they have plenty of safe options and the waitress even asked if we were allergic to anything before taking our order.

I wasn’t sure what I was in the mood for so I decided to go for a salad and their chicken souvlaki.

The “Super Salad” was fresh and had organic baby kale, strawberries, walnuts, and goat cheese with a balsamic dressing. It was one of the better salads I’ve had a diner.

The chicken souvlaki was good. There were plenty of sautéed vegetables with chicken and all on a pita. It tasted great and was filling.

Shoreline Diner and Vegetarian Enclave (Guilford, CT) Service: A
Our waitress was friendly, and the food came out fast. I couldn’t ask for a better experience. She refilled our beverages, and I have no complaints.

Shoreline Diner and Vegetarian Enclave (Guilford, CT) Cost: $
For my salad, coffee, and chicken souvlaki, it was $30. I technically did order two meals, though.

Overall Thoughts/Summary of the Shoreline Diner and Vegetarian Enclave (Guilford, CT)?

I liked the Shoreline Diner and Vegetarian Enclave. It is one of my more favorite diners in Connecticut. It’s one of the more unique diners I’ve been to. I would love to come back sometime and explore some of the vegan and vegetarian options.

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: A
Food: A
Service: A
Cost: 13-20
Overall: A

You can see all diner reviews here.

Questions for you:
Have you tried a vegetarian restaurant before?

Sea Legs Shuffle 10 Miler (1:13.03)

July 30, 2019 By Hollie in Running, Training Tags: connecticut, fitness, race, run, running, sports

Last weekend my friend Alexis and I drove up to Connecticut to run the Sea Legs Shuffle 10 miler. Without traffic, it’s only a 3-hour drive, but there are very few times you drive over the George Washington Bridge without traffic.

Truthfully, I don’t know if I have encountered a trafficless time. We arrived at 4:10 and missed the packet pickup by 10 minutes.

Why Connecticut? It’s summer, and it’s hot, so there aren’t a lot of longer races in the northeast. The half marathon we originally planned in northern PA was sold out, so we decided to go to Connecticut and run the 10 miler instead.

The morning was easy. We made it to the start around 7, grabbed our packets, and warmed up. We both had long runs to do and thought it would be fun to do a long run while getting a hard workout in.

I ran about 5 miles and lined up at the start around 8:05. The race started at 8:10, and it was packed. We didn’t realize it was a Connecticut championship race and extremely competitive. I started in the middle of the pack, which is where I belonged.

The first mile went over a gravel road. There was a lot of dirt being kicked up everywhere. The first mile was flat and easy. I ran a 6:53. The highlight of the race occurred when I saw fast friend, Amanda, whiz by me. We chatted for a second but then she took off.

I was happy with the mile but knew the heat would probably slow me down later. We headed out of the town of Guilford. Throughout the rest of the race, there wasn’t much flat ground. It was either up or down. It wore on me and it was hard to get any groove.

During the second mile, many people went by me. I felt like that was the theme of the race, and I was regularly passed throughout the race.

Around mile 3, the road was a bit shadier. It was a beautiful view of the water, and it kept my mind off the hills.

As I hit mile 4, I saw the leaders coming back (they were already around mile 5-6). It made me happier because I realized every hill we went up, we would go down (and vice versa).

Just after, we went around a giant loop near the water. The view was stunning. I hit the halfway around 36 minutes. I knew the end goal was 20 miles for the day and ten quality race miles. It wasn’t a PR race and I’m not in PR shape.

The next 5 miles felt like I was counting down each and every mile. I began to realize there was a lack of Generation Ucann on the course. The race advertised electrolyte drink, but there were only two stops. Due to the heat (the feels like temperature was about 90) my body was hot, and I could feel the lack of electrolytes as the race got longer.

I hit mile 7 in 7:14, which is about the pace I averaged for the rest of the race. I saw two people stop and drop out of the race. They were ok, but I could tell heat and lack of electrolytes were affecting a lot of people.

Around mile 8, we went over an overpass, and my legs weren’t ready for it. It was tough, but I also knew we were going to go back over it. I just kept focusing on the finish.

At mile 9, I caught another woman, and another person dropped out. It’s the most people I’ve seen drop from a shorter race.

We went over the overpass one last time, and I just focused on the finish. The home stretch went back over the grass, and I crossed in 1:13. I finished the last portion of my 20 miles, and by the time it was done, it was above 90. I’m happy with a quality long run and enjoyable time.

View this post on Instagram

Running 20 miles never really gets any easier. . |Sea Legs Shuffle 10 Miler 1:13.03| . Sandwiched the race in the long run. Difficult course but fun way to get a long run in.

A post shared by Hollie (@fueledbylolz) on Jul 28, 2019 at 3:38pm PDT

My PR is over a minute per mile faster, but I’m happy with my effort for the course and the day. It was a fun adventure which feels like the theme of my 2019.

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 running on the treadmill.

Questions for you:

Have you done a 10-mile race before?

What is your favorite distance to run?

Big Cottonwood Week 9: Tetris Running

July 29, 2019 By Hollie in Big Cottonwood Marathon, Running, Training Tags: connecticut, fitness, marathon, race, run, running, sports, training 1 Comment

Last week was exhausting. Truthfully, I’m surprised I got all of my mileage done because there were a couple of days that it felt like a Tetris game fitting in my distance, but I was able to. I had to let swimming go for the week for the sake of time and sleep.

Monday:	Easy 60 minutes
Tuesday:	Easy 60 minutes
Wednesday:	Easy 60 minutes
Thursday:	12X400 meters with 400-meter jog (total mileage 10)
Friday:	Rest
Saturday:	Easy 60 minutes
Sunday:	Sea Legs Shuffle 10 Miler 1:13.03 (Total Mileage 20)

Week 1: Hello Humidity
Week 2: Half Marathons and Workouts 57 mpw
Week 3: Travel and More Travel 53 MPW
Week 4: Training: Beach Runs and Long Runs 52 MPW
Week 5: Training: Workouts and 10ks 46.5 MPW
Week 6: Firecracker 5ks 47 MPW
Week 7: Swim Races and Running for Toilets 56 MPW
Week 8: It’s Very Hot 58 MPW
Week 9: Tetris Runner 56 MPW

Thoughts:

This week I didn’t have time to swim. I don’t have any more swimming events coming up, so it made sense to let it go for the week. I want to continue swimming and cross-training but not if it stresses me out. Fitness isn’t supposed to be stressful. While I was sad I didn’t have the time to swim, sometimes that’s how it goes.

Thursday Workout:

I planned to do the workout on Wednesday, but I woke up exhausted and didn’t have the time to fit it in. So I opted for Thursday when I was better rested as well as had more time. I’m glad I did because the workout went well.

12x400s with 400 jog (on streets). It’s my favorite workout, and today I averaged 6:01 pace with many 400s under 6 min pace. It felt good.

View this post on Instagram

I haven’t had workouts I’ve felt like “I crushed it”. Not in a while at least. . Today I ran 12x400s with 400 jog (on streets). It’s my favorite workout and today I averaged 6:01 pace with many 400s under 6 min pace. . Crushed it? No. Faster than a while. Yes.

A post shared by Hollie (@fueledbylolz) on Jul 25, 2019 at 11:57am PDT

Sunday’s Race: Sea Legs Shuffle 10 Miler (1:13.03)

The goal for the race was to get a total of 20 miles in with ten being productive and quality miles. That’s precisely what I did. It wasn’t easy to double my miles (from a mental and physical standpoint), but I’m glad I was able to have a quality long run. Am I ecstatic about a 1:13 10 mile race? No, but while the race was important, it wasn’t the main goal here. I’m not tapered and increasing mileage. Plus it was a hot, hilly, course.

View this post on Instagram

Running 20 miles never really gets any easier. . |Sea Legs Shuffle 10 Miler 1:13.03| . Sandwiched the race in the long run. Difficult course but fun way to get a long run in.

A post shared by Hollie (@fueledbylolz) on Jul 28, 2019 at 3:38pm PDT

Post(s) from the Week:

Hoka Carbon Rocket Shoe Review
Stargate Diner (Seaford, De)
Dockside Diner (Long Beach Island)

Questions for you:

What is the furthest you’ve run for marathon training?

How was your week of workouts?

Colony Diner and Restaurant (Wallingford, CT)

September 23, 2018 By Hollie in Diners Tags: cinnamon bun, cinnamon roll, connecticut, Diner, food, Pancakes, restaurant, review 2 Comments

Colony Diner and Restaurant (Wallingford, CT)

Coming home from the trip to New England, we decided to stop at one last diner in the Northeast: The Colony Diner and Restaurant. The Colony Diner and Restaurant is located close off the highway, so it seemed like the perfect stop.

Colony Diner and Restaurant Atmosphere: B
When we arrived at the Colony Diner and Restaurant, it was packed. We had to wait for a table for about 15 minutes which wasn’t a big deal. The front has minimal wait space which made it awkward for both the people waiting and the people eating in surrounding booths.

The Colony Diner and Resturant has plenty of tables, booths, and even a full-length bar. It would blend right in with any diner in NJ.

Colony Diner and Restaurant Coffee: A
The coffee was good, but there was nothing to write home about. What impressed me the most was the waitresses bringing out bottomless refills. It was nearly every 5 minutes a different waitress came around asking if we needed more coffee.

Colony Diner and Restaurant Food: A
The Colony Diner and Restaurant has everything you want in a diner. There are plenty of breakfast, lunch, and dinner options. There were a few specials, but nothing spoke to me. There were so many unique pancake items that you don’t often see that I wanted to try the “cinnamon bun pancakes.”

The cinnamon bun pancakes were essentially pancakes with cinnamon and frosting on top. What made the cinnamon bun, was the toppings but they were great. The pancakes themselves were huge, and I have no complaints.

Colony Diner and Restaurant Service: B
Our primary waitress didn’t come over much. She was friendly, but there was a point we could have used more water and napkins. We did, however, get plenty of coffee. The staff we interacted with were all friendly.

Colony Diner and Restaurant Cost: $$
For the pancakes and coffee, it was $14. It’s a little more for pancakes than I was expecting, but they were good, and I was full all the way home.

Overall Summary/Thoughts of the Colony Diner and Restaurant:
I liked the Colony Diner and Restaurant, and I would go back. They had plenty of options that I would love to try more of!

Atmosphere: B
Coffee: A
Food: A
Service: B
Cost: $10-25
Overall: A

You Can See All Diner Reviews Here:

Questions for you:
Where are your favorite pancakes from?
Do you like cinnamon buns?

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Running and Laughing through the Garden State

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