Tag: train

Diners

Art City Trolley (Springdale, UT)

Hollie

Art City Trolley (Springdale, Utah)

I accidentally scheduled this post for last week, so sorry if you saw it then…

While away on vacation, my husband and I stopped in a small town near Provo for dinner.  The Art City Trolley in Springville, looked to be about as close to a New Jersey Diner that we could get.

Art City Trolley Atmosphere: B

The Art City Trolley is located on the main road.  There is a train car, which is attached to a restaurant.  Similar to the Clinton Station Diner, you can sit in the train car or building, depending on where the hostess sat you.  We were lucky enough to sit in the old train car.

art city trolley springville utah

The tables at the Art City Trolley were outdated, and ours was wobbling.  It made for an awkward time eating between both of us, but other than that it was a nice restaurant. It had the character of an old diner.

Art City Trolley Coffee: 

Since it was later at night, I wanted to order decaf coffee, so I wasn’t up.  The waitress informed me that the Art City Trolley only serves “caffeinated coffee”.  It’s one of the only restaurants I’ve been too, that doesn’t serve decaf coffee along with their caffeinated.

Art City Trolley Service: B

The waitress was friendly, but our food took a little while to come out for the number of people in the restaurant.

Art City Trolley Food: A

The Art City Trolley menu has several options and a lot of unique and healthy options.  They also have items like burgers and baby back ribs. The Art City Trolley menu is well known for its salads, so I decided to order that.

art city trolley springville utah

My salad at the Art City Trolley was good.  It was filled with plenty of greens and toppings.  I was pleasantly surprised with how big the portion was too.  It was one of the better restaurant salads I’ve had.

I also ordered chili, which was a white and creamy base.  I’ve never had anything like that, but it wasn’t bad.  I always enjoy food with a bit of kick to it.
art city trolley springville utah

Art City Trolley Cost: 

For my salad, the price was $15.  One of the cheaper meals I’ve had, but I didn’t order a drink or appetizer either.

Overall Summary/Would I Come Back to the Art City Trolley:

I liked the Art City Trolley, and if I’m around the area, I will come back.  I do wish they had decaf coffee, but I wonder how many people ask for that. I always appreciate diners that are in an old trolley or train car.

Atmosphere: B
Coffee: —
Food: A
Service: B
Cost: $10-12
Overall: B

You can see all diner reviews here.

Question for you: Have you eaten in an old train or trolley car before?

 

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Reads, Training

Core Work

Hollie

I was asked early last week to do a post on core work and activities.  I wish I could tell you I was more consistent or that I didn’t struggle occasionally to get it done but that would be a lie.  During the marathon I noticed I was an awkward flailing runner (something I’ve never really been before) and I truly believe this is because I “forgot” to do core work.  It could also be that I decided I was lazy to do core work…which is fine except I did that every day.  Since November I have been trying to do something core related daily, whether it takes 5 minutes or 15.

I am not a core expert (by any means) but this is just what I have been doing and enjoy.  If you have any ideas or core work you like to do please feel free to share because I’m always in need for new routines.

Shorter core days:

  1. Sometimes I do 500 crunches.  Straight up.  100 normal crunches, 100 bicycle crunches, 100 normal, 100 Russian twists and 100 legs straight up)  I like crunches a lot.
  2. Weighted Russian Twists.  I like those a lot too.
  3. This machine (at the gym):

    And with a medicine ball.
    And with a medicine ball.
  4. Or this machine :

    Now if only I was this ripped....ha.
    Now if only I was this ripped….ha.
  5. Sometimes I do planks but I don’t really like them much honestly.

Interesting Apps or programs for longer days:

  1. I am sure a lot of people have heard of the Nike training club APP for smart phones.  It’s free and often times I need someone (or a voice) telling me what to do or I don’t do it.  They have a lot of different “programs” ranging from 15 minutes to 45.
  2. P90X I like p90x a lot but go in spurts with it.  There is only so much of Tony’s voice I can handle so I will say I normally do this for 6 months and take 6 months off.  I’m currently in the 6 months on phase.

I have been in the routine of doing 5 out of 7 days of core work.  It doesn’t seem like a lot but it is more then I have been doing.  I would rather have a strong core then be ripped and since I am built with very narrow hip bones I’ll never have a six pack.  Oh well.

Question for you: What are your favorite core workouts?

NYC training cycle, Running

Why I Should Not Run Marathons

Hollie

Yet I signed up and got excited when I was chosen to run the New York City Marathon?

Yet I had scoured my email for 12 hours only and STILL HAVEN’T got that email saying I was accepted.

But my NY Road Runners account says otherwise as does my bank account has 255 dollars deducted and as we all know…the internet never lies.

newyorkcity

So that’s that, November 3rd I will be hopefully running my first marathon.

It will be my first marathon.  I have one major goal:

Make it there first.  It’s a HUGE risk for me personally.  I’m not exactly the most injury free person and I’ll have to pay special account to anything and everything.  The last thing I need or want is to be injured here…or a week before.

And then I have one second goal:

To be under 3:10.  The website told me with the same training as my (1:24.49) half I could be around 3:00.  Maybe for a seasonal marathoner that is feasible but it’s 26.2 miles and anything can happen.  I’ve heard and seen plenty of people take out their first marathon and either injure themselves or add 30 minutes to an hour on the second half of the race.  I want to finish strong and I don’t want to pressure myself.  I think 3:10 is a smart and wise goal. 

There is one thing I know I’ll need to work on though:

Fueling during running.  I’ve run 99% of my runs and races in the last year without using gels, energy bits, powerbars…ect.  Yes that includes half marathons and yes that includes 20 milers.  I have not bonked yet but I think that is something I’ll really need to work on for the marathon.

It seems in the blogging and running community everyone is running marathons.  I’m sure I’ll get lots of unsolicited advice.  I wanted to wait until mentally I had a day where I said hmmm, I think I want to run this marathon.  No “oh so and so thinks it’s a good idea, or oh they are so I am”…ect.  I could have gutted out a marathon 2 years ago after running my first 18 miler with dad.  Would said marathon be glamorous?  No.  But I want to finish and finish  strong.  I want to put in the time, effort and energy it takes to achieve a time that I’ll be proud of.

Not a time that I can say and sidestep around “well yes I finished but I completely died the second half…I wish I had done x,y,z”.

Finally for those inquiring minds of where my “training” is going.  I still plan to focus on 5ks and speedier runs this summer.  It’s too hot to want to run 20 milers and I’m too injury prone to start serious training right now.  Honestly throughout the summer my training probably won’t change entirely too much.  I’ll still run 10 miles before work.  I’ll still run a 5k on the weekends and see all my Hampton roads friends.   This summer is all about maintaining a strong base and staying injury free.

After Labor Day and once it gets cooler I’ll climb back into running 18-20+ mile runs and take it from there.

Questions for you: 

Have you ever run the NYC marathon?  Or any marathon?

Running

Training for Life Part 2

Hollie

Ah yes, training for life week 2 was about the same as training for life part 1.  You see my friends, my foot is feeling better than it has in the last two months but it is still not 100% perfect and I DO NOT DENY THAT. (Please don’t give me advice to train…my injury was not running relating).  I’m hoping a good portion of the injury is now in my mind, but if I go through the same procedure…run 5 days a week and let the injury build up…that isn’t fun and why bother running at all.

Just saying.

With that, I can’t say this was my most productive workout week because I have been busy with work but life happens.

Run 30 miles:  A bit more then last week.  I’m slowly building up.  I had run a few days on the treadmill and that is very unlike me.  The reasoning?  I had 1 good painless run and I related all running outdoors to pain and for two days I refused to run outside.  (It was also pouring 35 degree rain so who likes to run in that).

Elliptical: I’ve begun cutting that down.  The more I run, the less I elliptical.  I plan to keep at least a few hours of elliptical in weekly for a while (read: early spring).

Strength workouts: I’ve still been doing a lot of strength workouts.  I try and get core 4 times a week for about 15 minutes and I feel awesome doing it.  Then once a week I did my longer core routine.  Even though it’s only 15 minutes the other days, that is all I really need to keep my core muscle engaged.   (Also no need to do core everyday…I let my muscles rebuild!).  Also I did my arms routine once.

How have I been aggressively been treating my cyst you ask?  (Did you even ask…)

Foam rolling everyday.  Stretching everyday.  Rolling my foot over a golf ball.  Chances are if it’s done to treat a tight plantar fascia, I’ve doing it.  My muscle no longer feels “crunchy” when I roll it on a golf ball so I guess that is progress.

——————–

My plans next week? 

I’m just going to keep on keeping on.  The problem with my cyst is that I don’t know day to day how it’s going to feel.  Today if felt okay…tomorrow maybe it’s sore.  So I just have to take it one day at a time.  I don’t know my workouts until the day of.  Does that make me nervous?  Sure, but I’ve always been a no plan stan anyways.

Questions for you:

1.       How are your workouts this week?

2.       What are your workout plans next week?