BLOG IT FORWARD: WEEK 8 NICOLE HACKBARTH

 I’ve had one of those weeks that whips you around tornado like, touching down a few places, while thoughts race through your mind at insane speeds, leaving me in one big whirlwind. And I loved every minute.

Life took a quick change two weeks ago, when I made the biggest commitment of my life to a handsome Ohioan.

So when I finished working a 36 hour shift on Sunday morning, I booked it to LAX to catch a flight to go celebrate with my new extended family. After 4 hours of flying, 3 hours of time change, and a 2 hour delay for pilot food poisoning, I finally reached Akron, Ohio. 

As a beach-loving Californian, I must admit that I might be a country girl at heart. A few days of rest and relaxation poolside, a quality book, and a 5 mile run through picturesque corn fields, opens your eyes to the simplicity and love of a small town.  I could get used to blue skies, clean air, and corn fields.

We then ventured to my future home Toledo, Ohio, to settle into this new chapter of forever. If you can get beyond the 80 degree humidity, and don’t mind dripping sweat before you even begin a workout, Toledo has numerous opportunities to lace up the shoes for a run outdoors. This week I ran next to the Maumee River, through downtown near the minor league stadium for the MudHens, and along the Wildwood trails throughout the city.  It kinda feels like running in place in a sauna with a bag over your head, but for a marathoner like me, I crave the pain, love my heart pumping, and the scenery keeps you moving.

Marathon training can be brutal. Personally I use Hal Higdon’s schedule, typically run in Asics shoes, suck down Vanilla GU like it’s my job, and have recently found a love for La Roche-Posay sunscreen to avoid these awful brown spots taking over my face. Getting old is so glamorous.

My next race is the Cleveland Rock N Roll half marathon in October, so I am trying to stick to a healthier diet, and specifically increasing my calories since my fiancée has a similar philosophy as Pat – You have to EAT. I’ve been sticking to a lot of fish lately. If you ever get to Seattle, grab seasoning at the Pike Place Fish Market. Not only is the experience motivating and fun, but the flavor is unreal.

My other go-to meal is the Visalus shake.  I had the opportunity to spend the weekend in Orlando, Florida at Vitality, surrounded by some of the most inspirational people committed to conquering obesity. A highlight from the weekend was hanging with my dear friend Alex and watching her get dressed for the Here We Glo Again party. Clearly, I need to step up my costume game next time. Regardless, I love being surrounded by healthy, motivated people. Their energy and passion is contagious and make me want to strive to be better.

After a long week, my flight was super delayed Sunday night, leaving me at the mercy of a lot of disgruntled travelers. One overly vocal woman spent a good two hours bending the ear of anyone who would listen, when finally I looked at her with a big smile and said – Heyyy now, positivity girl! Haven’t you read The Secret? Put good energy into the atmosphere and good things will come your way. She smiled through clenched teeth. But if the only thing you can pay forward is a mindset,  that’s a step in the right direction. And I can only imagine someone was listening when I had to put my running skills into action for a 10 minute plane swap in Atlanta, Georgia, sprinting through the terminal, begging someone somewhere to let me on the flight. Thankfully I was home and in bed by 4am. After a whirlwind week like this, I have no reason to complain. <3