January Favorites
The first month of the year has flown by! It started off celebrating the New Year in Alaska and soaking up a few days of all my favorite things about being home before returning to Reno for the rest of the spring. Getting back into the swing of school and research as I hope to start wrapping up my masters degree was an abrupt return to reality after three weeks of flexibility at home. But, there’s always something nice about returning back to a routine. I thought it would be a fun creative practice to go through some of my favorite things that I either did, listened to, cooked, etc!
Nordic Skiing
This view from the Lekisch loop at Kincaid Park — could it get any better!!
I did not grow up nordic skiing competitively — I did it here and there but am mostly self taught in the last 4 years or so. I’ve progressed a lot to the point where I’m super comfortable going for long skis. My technique isn’t perfect but is good enough for me. One of the biggest things I miss when I’m not in AK is the amazing access to Nordic trails. Thanks to the Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage, the city has so many miles of incredibly groomed trails, many of them lighted. I tried to soak up as much nordic time as I could at home since it is less accessible down in Nevada/California.
Thankfully, near Reno we have access to Nevada Nordic, which is the only donation-based nordic area in the region. Super grateful to the folks there for the awesome work they do to make nordic skiing more accessible here! Perhaps the best thing about Nevada Nordic are the very friendly chickadees!! Sadly we didn’t have any snacks for these fellas so they didn’t stay long but I won’t make that mistake again!
There are countless other fancy nordic centers around Lake Tahoe, but most of them are quite spendy. We did splurge a few days ago for a long ski at Tahoe Donner, which was worth it! Skiing is definitely my favorite form of cross training, so I love to take advantage any chance I get!
2. Cappuccinos
When it comes to coffee, I’m a pretty simple gal and a bit of a purist at heart. Admittedly, a bit of a coffee snob resides inside me from my highschool days working at a specialty coffee roaster in Anchorage and she’s been showing herself as of late. I’ve gone back to my roots and rediscovered my love for a perfect, traditional cappuccino. In Anchorage my favorite is from Steamdot and so far my favorite I’ve found in Reno is from the Hub. I also love a cortado but something about a cappuccino — it’s little more volume to sip on and savor but still the perfect balance of amazing espresso and perfectly steamed milk. More cappuccino content coming in 2024.
3. Running with Music
Alternate title: running hill workouts listening to Reputation.
Ok really though — historically I’ve rarely ran with music outside. I still do plenty of runs without music or a podcast but have been leaning into it more and WOW it is so fun. There’s definitely something to be said for going without music and just being with your own thoughts, but perhaps more to be said for the vibe-enhancing, mood-boosting effects of training with music. I like listening to podcasts occasionally (always gotta be caught up on SWAP!) I’ve been having so much fun discovering new artists and rediscovering my love for albums I haven’t listened to for awhile.
Recent favorites albums, rediscovered and new:
Ben Howard - I Forget Where We Were album
Coldplay - A Head Full of Dreams album
Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday 2
Personal playlists:
Songs:
Barbie Dangerous - Nicki Minaj
My House - Beyonce
Untitled #4 - Avett Brothers
4. Pizza Friday!!
For at least the past year, Tracen and I have been doing PIZZA FRIDAY! Usually this means homemade pizza at home (in all honesty we haven’t even tried a pizza place in Reno here…). It’s the perfect and most delicous way to carb up before a Saturday long run. I always make homemade dough which is KEY! The best kind takes a little bit of prep, so I usually mix up the dough in the morning and let is rise all day!
5. The Crown
I’m late to this — very, very late. I avoided this show for years because I felt like it was too slow and sleepy for me. BOY was I wrong! I’m almost done with season 5 at this point so getting to the end. I have so many thoughts and feelings (mostly negative toward a certain Prince) and have never watched a show that makes me whip out my phone every 5 mins to google things like, “Did tampongate really happen??”. Anyways, 10/10 recommend!
