Fitting Remarks: Why I Love the Cabin....

Like most Minnesotans, a highlight of our summers is heading “up north” to the cabin. My husband’s family has a place on a lake in northern Wisconsin, and I look forward to weekends up there in the summer. On the coasts, they have their beach homes, but in the Midwest, we relish the cabin life!  

There are so many reasons that I love weekends at the cabin, but I thought I’d share my top 12 reasons  WHY I LOVE THE CABIN!

1. It is so relaxing at the cabin.  Seriously. The lake doesn’t have any public access, so its never busy or loud, just  peaceful and quiet.  The minute you arrive at the cabin you can just feel the stress melt away. Vacation time…

2. No makeup! I can definitely be a ‘girlie-girl’ and I love getting all dolled up. I love getting blow-outs and I love makeup. But, I also love not doing those things. I love not wearing any makeup all weekend. I love putting my wet hair in a ponytail every day and never once touching a blow-dryer or a flat iron. My skin feels so fresh and clean with no makeup.

3. “Bathing” in the lake. Again, I am usually a bit "shower obsessed " I take a lot of showers, and love that shower-fresh feeling probably more than a normal person. But there’s something to be said for going for a sweaty country run, and then just changing into your swimsuit and jumping into the lake to cool down. (Don’t worry, I do eventually shower at some point at the end of the day, its just not a priority.)

4. Hill running. On these aforementioned cabin runs, hill training is unavoidable.  Even though its challenging, I enjoy running up at the cabin. There’s no pressure to run fast, because you know those hills are killer. (Be sure to use bug spray!)

5. Wildlife. I always see deer. I haven’t yet encountered a bear (though it is on my summer bucket list). I often see bald eagles, which are still a treat. There’s plenty of wild turkeys too, as well as the occasional porcupine. Of course, there’s the bass on the end of Dustin’s fishing pole!

6. Stand Up Paddleboarding. Sure, we can paddleboard in Minneapolis too, but we do a lot more of it at the cabin. The lake here is so peaceful, and we end up spending a lot of time out on the boards. 

7. It's 5 o'clock somewhere! Drinking a beer at noon is completely acceptable behavior at the cabin. I’m not much of a day drinker, but at the cabin, having a cold beer at lunch is totally normal...and totally awesome.

8. Random TV- At home, we really only watch shows that we recorded on our TiVo or shows we select on Netflix. At the cabin, when we settle in for the night (and can’t go outside because of the mosquitoes), its fun to watch random shows that we never watch at home…like “Little Women of L.A.” or “Honey Boo Boo Child.” Real quality television...

9. Small town charm. The small town where the cabin is located is definitely quirky, but everyone is so friendly. There’s just a different way of life here compared to Minneapolis. Sure it’s a little grungier, a little more Carhartt than Kate Spade, but it’s a welcome change from the stress of work and the “real world” in Minneapolis.

10. The boathouse. The boathouse at the cabin is stuffed full of memorabilia and souvenirs from the life of my father-in-law. I only knew Dustin’s dad briefly before he passed away, so I always love spending some time reading old poems and reflecting on old stories in the boat house. There is so much history and love captured in that boathouse. 

11. Seeing the joy that the cabin brings to Matilda. Our dog Matilda loves, loves, loves the cabin. Therefore, I love the cabin because of how much Matilda loves the cabin! She spends HOURS outside chasing dragonflies and shadows, and it is really entertaining. She is always utterly exhausted by the end of each day, but her joy and love for cabin life is contagious. She especially loves riding in the boat!

 12. Sharing the joy of the cabin with friends or family. Over the years, we have had a few of my sisters (and my nieces) up to visit the cabin and a few friends as well. Its really fun to share the cabin and all those reasons I love the cabin with those people that I love the most!

Now, there are definitely some things that I don’t like-  the drive (I wish it were just

two hours instead of three) the bugs (OMG the mosquitoes this year!) the lack of a decent grocery store nearby (the produce is questionable at best), the lack of wifi…but those are all such minor things compared to the joy of the cabin!

So tell me- do you have a favorite vacation spot that you love, and why? Please share!

Fitting Remarks: I Can't Wait for Summer Because...

Linking up with Helene in Between via Real World Minneapolis:

1) ...the cabin! i.e. "Up North." Paddleboarding. Fishing. The "Relaxation Station."

2)...trail runs!

Actually, the schedule was just posted for the Endless Summer Trail series. Here it is!

3)....parking on both sides of the street. Yep. Ready for Minneapolis's snow emergency to be OVER!

4)...bright colors! Okay, I'll be honest, I wear bright colors all year long, but I'm excited for it to be a little more seasonally appropriate! 

5) the end of salt on my suede shoes!

6) fun summer races, like the Torchlight Run!

7) leisurely walks at the dog park with Matilda

Seriously, the list goes on and on...

8) some color on this pasty skin!

9) sun bleached blond hair

10) not having to pack a huge bag of winter clothes every time I go to the gym

11) no more shoveling snow

12) no more wearing a different pair of shoes (i.e. BOOTS) to work and carrying my dress shoes

13) sunsets at 9 pm!

14) dinners on the back deck!
15) a nice glass of white wine...

Tell me how you would finish this sentence! I can't wait for summer because....

Fits on the Road: Another Cabin Weekend!

By Jess in Minneapolis

I'm back from another long weekend at the cabin. These Fits on the Road At The Cabin posts are all pretty similar, I apologize. But this trip was different for a special reason: this time, we were joined by Dustin's mom and stepdad, as well as his brother, wife, and two nephews. His brother has been living in Tokyo, Japan for nearly fifteen years. He met his wife there, and they now have two little boys, age three and five.

They come back to the states a few times a year, and this summer, we were happy to be able to take a four day weekend to join them 'up north.'

Running: My long training run for Berlin was eighteen miles this weekend, and that was just too long to do on the lonely country roads. Instead, I took Friday off of work, and my friend Theresa joined me at seven am Friday morning to get our long runs out of the way. We were able to run on the Minneapolis trails with water fountains and bathrooms as necessary. It was perfect!

After the eighteen miler and a quick shower, Dustin, Matilda, and I hit the road. Matilda is really well-behaved on road trips. She usually settles right in for a nap.

We arrived at the cabin around three pm. It was so great to see Dustin's nephews. They had grown up so much since the last time we saw them!

It wasn't long after our arrival before we headed to dinner at the Enchanted Inn. I was starving from the eighteen mile run, and the thin-crust pizzas as this historic little restaurant definitely hit the spot!

Fitness at the Cabin: I was able to run six miles on Saturday morning before spending the day outside with the family. There was plenty of paddle-boarding, as usual. Even Dustin's brother gave it a try. Once he got the hang of it, he was zipping around the lake!

Dustin probably had the biggest balance challenge, with both nephews riding along on the board at the same time.  He never tipped over though!

On Sunday, Dustin and Matilda joined me again for the same six mile run. I think Matilda was definitely exhausted after running the hills, though she still had plenty of energy to protect us from the dragonflies!

Monday's training schedule called for eight to ten miles with hill repeats. I wanted to get this out of the way at the cabin rather than waiting until the evening to join the Calhoun Beach Running Club. I knew we'd be tired after the drive home, so instead, I sucked it up and got it done on the country roads. I ran the three miles into the town (on hilly country roads) and then did eight repeats of a steep-ish hill that was 1/4 mile long.  Three mile warmup, eight repeats on a 1/4 mile hill, plus three mile cool-down equals ten miles total.

Whew! It kicked my booty, that's for sure :-)

There was lots of running at the cabin but we also had plenty of time for some wine drinking, scrumptious food eating, swimming, fishing, and plenty of relaxing.

In fact, the relaxation station was back out on the lake, and Dustin's nephews loved it!

We also did some fishing during the evenings, and everyone caught a fish! At night, there were a few fireworks. Matilda did not like the fireworks at all, but she did love the fish!

It was a lovely weekend with lots of memories and good times had by all! 

Weekly Fitness Recap:

Monday: 9 miles, with 5 miles at marathon pace

Tuesday: a morning 10k with Abby

Wednesday: 1 hour bootcamp class at the YMCA with Abby and her husband, with a mix of strength and cardio

Thursday: 5.5 easy miles with Matilda

Friday: 18 miles with Theresa

Saturday: 6 miles at the cabin

Sunday: 6 miles at the cabin

Total:  over 50 miles of running, but no yoga & only one day of cross training, and zero days of complete rest..fail on two counts!

Failed Fit: Fitness Free Weekend?

By Jess

Another year has passed, marked by another birthday. If you recall, last year's birthday was a monumental one (Read about it HERE) but this year just wasn't that big of a deal (though Facebook sure makes you feel like it's a big deal, doesn't it?).

Instead of a "big-to-do", we decided to head to the cabin for a quiet weekend away.

I'm trying really hard to stick to my plan of FULL recovery before running again, but it was tempting to run up at the cabin. The weather was perfect, the fall foliage was gorgeous, and I was itching to put on my Brooks Adrenalines and head out for a few miles!

Instead, brisk walking was the name of the game. Matilda appreciated it.

{Also..there was some log climbing??!?!} 

So, it's true. There wasn't a lot of fitness this weekend. 

So, what was there, then? What's there to do other than fitness?

Board Games!
 Well, there was some cribbage. I won- not to rub it in or anything...

Cuddling:

Matilda insisted on helping me with my cribbage game. She's a 45 pound lap dog!

Comfort Food! 

There was some spicy mac'n'cheese casserole (with about 1,000 calories per serving of cheese...)

{Thanks Dusters for the perfect birthday meal for this Wisconsin girl!}

Birthday presents! 

There was some present opening...Thanks to my wonderful family for the great gifts!

 

More Walking! 

A second brisk walk...

Upper Body work!

Some canoeing gave me a bit of an upper body workout.

The lake was so still and clear- gorgeous!

Hurdles!

The D-man did some fishing, and Matilda worked on her agility/hurdling skills.

It was a lovely weekend, and I think it did me some good mentally to allow myself the opportunity to spend time with Dusters and Matilda with no running. There was no pressure to squeeze in a run. There was no obligation to get up early to beat the heat for a run. We actually SLEPT IN (true story!), and slowed things down a pace or two for the whole weekend.

I think by the end of these two weeks, I'll be mentally and physically ready to run.

But until then, those Brooks Adrenalines will wait patiently by the front door!

Fits on the Road: Gordon, Wisconsin

By Cool J

I posted "here" about last weekend's long run, which was completed earlier than usual on Saturday morning. Just like my running friends that morning, Dusters and I also hit the road right after the run for a relaxing weekend at the cabin. Definitely wore the compression socks on the drive!

This girl LOVES the cabin more than anything... 

Since my long run was DONE (yay!) I only needed to do a few easy runs at the cabin.

It's six miles from the cabin to the 'town' and back to the cabin.  It's a hilly, often buggy route, but I managed to complete the route both Sunday and Monday over the long weekend.

 Ready to go!

And a big part of the reason I was comfortably able to run the route both days is the kindness of my support team: i.e. my husband. He and Matilda drove by both times with a cold bottle of Gatorade and some bug spray for me.

The D-man also ran the course, but he is so fast, he didn't need any support. :) He outran the bugs!

Of course, a cabin weekend wouldn't be complete without some stand up paddleboarding. As I wrote about here and here, it's a fun exercise that works out a whole different muscle group than running.

Sunday was quite windy, which made the paddling even more challenging!

Here I am by the sign for the Gordon city limits!

The D-man always thought it was too dangerous to run at the cabin: bears, crazy drivers, bugs, etc were a strong deterrant for him. But now? He is a convert! He said he really enjoyed the quiet of the country roads, and he agrees that running is a right fit at the cabin!