Cape Cod Trip 2020

Last month we met up with all three of the kids for our annual family vacay at the Cape House! 

(FYI - long post with lots of pics!!)

Despite gallbladder surgery (missG) and COVID restrictions, we all made it to North Falmouth for the whole week and then some. If you have kids, you know how hard it is to get all of them together once they are all grown up. Plus,  COVID has been wreaking havoc on everyone's travel plans. We were thrilled to have all three, plus one fiancé and one boyfriend! 

We spend a lot of time hanging out at the house and on the beach together, but each year we make a point to do some new things. This year we weren't sure what that was going to look like, but in the end we had just a great of a time as usual.

We took a day trip up to Provincetown. It seemed like a good idea since tourism is down and the traffic would be lighter than ever. We were right. On the other hand, Provincetown was hopping with many more people than we expected. The Monument was closed and there was a mandatory mask zone, but we still enjoyed walking around. We explored MacMillan Pier and missD decided to join the locals and jumped off when we weren't looking! We had a drink at Ross's Grill at Whaler's Wharf - great views and nice seating indoors or outdoors. Then grabbed some food at The Canteen - basically takeaway food that you eat at picnic tables behind the shop.

Another day we went for a bike ride on the Shining Sea Bikeway to Woods Hole and back. This has become a yearly tradition and I love it. It's about a 20 mile round trip ride. In Wood's Hole, we stopped for food at Wood's Hole Market. There was something for everyone, from smoothies to sandwiches to pizza to chips and salsa! The best part was the super secret deck seating with a view upstairs. We're practically locals, haha!

When we were down to just the five of us, we decided to go play mini-golf. Cataumet Light Mini Golf was open with social distancing - easy enough on a hot and sunny day. The kids are super competitive, but we had a lot of fun. missD got the lowest score but mrC got three hole-in-ones!! We celebrated with acai bowls from Absolutely Juiced in Mashpee. 

Of course the acai bowl gets its own pic

We make a point to walk to the beach for as many sunsets as possible, although at the request of one, we limit group pictures to one night. It was sooooo windy the night we chose, but someone in the parking lot was nice enough to leave their headlights on so we could get the sky behind us without being dark figures. 

Just like last year, when we left the Cape we headed to our second favorite place ---> Newport, Rhode Island. This year, everyone was able to come for at least one day.

Our first adventure in Newport was taking a harbor tour on the Rum Runner II. Full disclosure, we were expecting a sailboat, but booked the wrong thing. However, we were not disappointed in the least with the East Passage Express tour. Great views, great information, great guides. I highly recommend looking them up at Bannister's Wharf. We had lunch at The Lobster Bar (a favorite) and dinner for the first time at Bar and Board Bistro. Our table for dinner was outside on what was formerly a parking lot because we were a large party (COVID rules), but it was nice.

We squeezed in one more group activity before half the group had to head home for that thing called work! But first, we had a big break-FAST at Belle's Cafe at the Newport Shipyard. After years of saying we were going to do it, we finally went to Norman Bird Sanctuary for a hike. There are quite a few trails so you can mix and match to do long or short hikes. My friend Nancy had just posted about doing the Hanging Rock Trail and it looked fun, so that's what we choose.

It was time to visit family in Springfield. We stopped in Hopkinton on the way in and out of town to see mrC's aunt who was in hospice (so glad we did that). In Springfield we spent most of our visits chatting with mrC's dad through the house windows, but when we started taking sibling pics on the last day, he wanted to come out. I am so glad that he did! I'm also really glad that my sister-in-law made her famous gluten-free blueberry muffins and brought some to share.

Our next stop was Portsmouth, New Hampshire to see missD and S's new condo and meet the future in-laws! The condo was beautiful and totally suits their personalities. I loved their neighborhood and that it is walking distance into downtown and the waterfront. 

While the kids were working from home, mrC and I walked. First we had acai bowls with missD at Fresh Press and then walked to Prescott Park, Pierce Island and Four Tree Island. We walked A LOT, haha! That evening, we crossed over the state line into Kittery, Maine to see the wedding venue at Pepperrell Cove (gorgeous) and meet S's parents for dinner at Frisbee's Wharf. Can you tell we like outdoor dining with a view?

What we ate. Over the two weeks, we had a nice mix of meals. At the Cape House, we have a fully stocked kitchen. This year, we rotated cooking duty among all of us for dinners and it was GREAT. The menus included baked salmon with asparagus, coconut cod tacos, GF spaghetti, BBQ chicken and squash, beef burgers, taco salad and GF pizza. 

Even though we were walking quite a bit, I couldn't go two weeks without doing some structured workouts. The FASTer Way program makes it so easy with options in the app like banded workouts, travel workouts, or I could just do the regular at home workout for the day. Working out at the Cape House was super easy because I had so many space options inside and outside and my strength bands work so well in place of weights. 

It is always hard to say good-bye after such an incredible visit, but we always look forward to the next time we will get together. 

Extra big thanks to missD for picking us up and dropping us off at the airport and chauffeuring us around for almost two weeks. The view from the backseat of the Jeep is pretty fun!

 

Already looking forward to next year!

Does your family vacation together or make an annual trip together?

Cape Cod Summer 2018 - Week 2

This post is loooong overdue! Between travel, becoming a FASTer Way to Fat Loss® coach and spraining my ankle, it got lost in the chaos. Anyway, because I love to look back at our time with the kids at the beach, I'm finally finishing the post!

The glorious weather continued to bless us all through our second week in North Falmouth. Vacations are always so relaxing, but also seem to fly by. I love the way we blend new adventures, down time and exercise, but my favorite thing is just seeing all of us together again!

Interval Training: 
I took full advantage of the cool mornings to do my workouts outside on the driveway. Even on vacation, it feels good to move my muscles and sweat a little. mrC joined me every day and by the time we finished, at least one kid would join us for a cool down walk.

Strength Training: 
I'm so glad that we had the Fit Simplify bands so we could keep up with our strength days. They seriously were so convenient! Side note: I did accidentally break the yellow band pictured below, but FS replaced it!

Wednesday evening we checked out Cape Cod Winery. This place was pretty amazing ---> beautiful outdoor space, live music and a great vibe from the owners. It's a work in progress and we plan to return again next year to see the updates.

On Thursday we continued our summer tradition of hanging out with Fancy Nancy's family. Her family is so cute and always feed us the best food! This year Dev got to join us.

Active Recovery:
We spent our final rest day on a bike ride to West Falmouth. We stopped in a local market for a beverage and sat on the front patio chatting and enjoying every single second we had left together.

Every year we have a great Cape Cod vacation and writing this very late post has me already looking forward to our next one!!

Cape Cod Summer 2018 - Week 1

I don't know why, but working out at the Cape just feels more fun. It could be the cool temperatures, the outdoor workouts, or maybe because I had extra training partners jumping in.

At the start of our first week at the Cape we had to endure a couple of rainy days, but after that the weather was amazing. I kept up with my FASTer Way To Fat Loss VIP workouts and didn't go too off track with my nutrition (affiliate).

Here's what last week's workouts looked like:

Interval Training:
On Monday we had to wait out some rain before we could dive into a 4 circuit HIIT workout, but it was worth it. Since we were doing at home workouts, we changed up the planned sprints on Tuesday and did a Tabata workout. Cooler morning temperatures definitely make these workouts feel a little easier. If I could bottle up this weather to take back to Hong Kong, I would in a heart beat!

Tuesday afternoon we rode bikes along the Shining Sea Bikeway.

Strength Training:
The VIP of strength training on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday was my collection of resistance bands (Fit Simplify bands on Amazon). It took some ingenuity (mostly from mrC), but I was able to do the workouts without feeling like I was missing effectiveness. All of the workouts included a build-up format ---> take 3 exercises and do 1 rep each, then 2 reps each, then 3 reps each...until reaching the max number which was 7. Whoa! This method really tired out my muscles.

Saturday evening we had all three kids (plus one BF) with us and went for a sunset paddle on the West Falmouth Harbor. It was sooooo beautiful. Amy from Peace Love SUP showed us all the best spots in the harbor and took amazing photos for us. We love booking group paddles with her.

Active Rest:
I did some Feel Good Flow porch yoga from Yoga with Adriene on Friday while everyone slept in. Our neighborhood is so quiet and peaceful. I took a full rest day on Sunday but enjoyed an evening walk to the beach.

Sunday morning we took our first seal watching boat cruise out of Harwich Port to Monomoy Island. It was the perfect day to be on the water and the seals were so cute. We found a large harem sitting on a sand bar and when the captain turned off the engine we could hear them singing.

In the mornings, I spent time studying for my FASTer Way To Fat Loss coach certification. I am super excited to finish and coach my own groups ---> if you would like to join the waitlist for my first group go here)!

I'm so happy that we have another full week of Cape Cod fun coming up.

Until then, I'm linking up with Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap!

Weekly Wrap | Heading into Vacay & Big News

Somehow, I managed to stay on track this week even though we traveled from Hong Kong to the east coast on Thursday. Our flight didn't arrive until almost 1am Friday and by the time we got to the hotel, I was wide awake. After getting about 2.5 hours of sleep, we hit the ground running to start our annual Cape Cod family vacay.

Interval Training:
Monday's 20 minute sprint drills workout in the park was a doozy! Even though I replaced the sprints with mountain climbers, the combo of cardio and strength moves literally worked the whole body. Tuesday I did the usual 20 seconds sprint: 40 seconds rest x20 on the elliptical.

Strength Training:
Last week we were doing tempo sets. In case you don't already know, tempo sets are when you alternate between very slow reps and fast reps during the same set. For example 2 reps with a 5 count followed by 2 reps with a 1 count. This was my first time doing strength this way but it came pretty easily since it's the format used in Bodypump classes, although someone else is doing the counting for you.

Active Rest Days:
I skipped the juice day fast because we were traveling and did my normal two low calorie rest days. Friday was a full on recovery day of running errands and letting my body adjust to the 12 hour time change. Sunday I got in a couple of walks around the neighborhood and to the beach.

Obviously I'm really looking forward to our two weeks with the kids, on the Cape, at the beach. I know some people take a break from workouts and training while on vacation, but I look forward to my workouts. They make me feel good and strong. So, while I will show myself grace, I plan to continue with my workout schedule and follow the FASTer Way nutritional guide.

PS - I recently shared the big news on IG that I was accepted into the FASTer Way To Fat Loss® Coaching Certification program. Getting involved in the fitness community is something that I've dreamed about doing since leaving my teaching position and moving to China for my husband's job in 2015. I just didn't know where or how to start. The opportunity to become a FASTer Way coach has answered those questions.

As I make my way through the certification process, I wanted to share where my own journey began. You can read about my first round of the program here. If you have any questions or are interested in being added to the wait list for my first round, please message me at runningescapades@hotmail.com

Do you stick to your workouts during vacation?

I’m linking up with Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap!

Cape Cod Summer 2017: Carb Cycling and Vacation Highlights

As much as I wanted to finish my FASTer Way to Fat Loss® program on a high note, it was just too much to keep up with while on vacation. I didn't stop the program all together ---> I did as many of the workouts as I could and I continued to extend my fast until nearly noon each day. What I didn't do was track my macros or post to the online group each day.

You may have noticed that I also had trouble blogging ;)

I'm not bummed out though. I feel like I did what I could and still enjoyed every moment with the girls for two weeks. Those two weeks were the absolute best. Our days were filled with fun and I savored every moment just being there with my family.

Here are the highlights:

We had a Sparkler Party on the beach to celebrate the 4th of July. We started with a traditional summer cookout at the house, complete with cheeseburgers, corn on the cob and baked beans. Then we walked to the beach sporting our festive tees from The Daily Tay. We didn't see a big fireworks display, but our party was over-the-top fun!

We took the fast ferry over to Nantucket for a day. After grabbing breakfast sandwiches at Fog Island Cafe, we went on a bike tour around town with Nantucket Bike Tours ---> highlights of the tour include Brant Point Lighthouse, Steps Beach, Lily Pond, Old Mill and riding through quaint neighborhoods (highly recommend doing this!). We grabbed a taco lunch at Easy Street Cantina (loved it!) and took our rented a jeep for a ride out to Sankaty Lighthouse and stopped by the Oldest House. Before leaving, we walked around town enjoying some ice cream from The Juice Bar, souvenir shopping and even spotting a celebrity from Long Island!

We hopped on the Shining Sea Bikeway in North Falmouth for an afternoon ride. Our 16 miles took us through salt marshes all the way to ocean views at Quissett Beach. My knee was a little cranky, so we turned around about 2 miles from the end of the trail in Woods Hole.

One afternoon in Woods Hole we walked the trail out to The Knob, strolled around town with ice cream from Jimmy's Sandwich and Ice Cream Place and stopped to see the Nobska Lighthouse up close.

We love Old Silver Beach and spend most of our mornings there soaking up the sun and our evenings taking in the sunsets. This year we celebrated our favorite place with a fun photo party in our favorite Cape Cod gear and brand new OSB tees. The girls made sure to include their brother, who was stuck in Colorado working, in the fun.

We had one major rainy day which I spent at the Cape Cod Mall picking up a new pair of fitness shoes. I think these will work perfectly for hiking and Bodystep. One cloudy afternoon we took the Cape Cod Railroad Coastal Excursion. It was an out and back narrated trip from Hyannis to Buzzard's Bay. Along the way we saw cranberry bogs and kettle hole ponds, great salt marsh, Cape Cod Canal, Sagamore Bridge, Bourne Bridge and an osprey nesting platform.

On our last night on the Cape, we took a sunset sail aboard the La Liberté out of Falmouth. Before the two-hour cruise aboard the schooner, we had one final dinner at Simply Devine Pizza Co. where you can get gluten-free pizza.

The Workouts - During the two weeks, I was able to fit in some FASTer Way to Fat Loss® workouts such as sprints, HIIT circuits, bike rides for low intensity, and a few runs to the beach.

The Meals - Some days I followed the meal plan and some I didn't. I offer myself plenty of grace since it was our official vacation. It's hard to be back in the US and NOT indulge in some of our favorite things.

The great thing about carb cycling is that you can make it work for you, even if it's not always perfect. We didn't have access to a gym or even free weights, but we exercised every day. Instead of taking results measurements at the Cape, my plan is to repeat the final two weeks and then do a proper results post.