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Helena Mierzwa

@ohhellohelena

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half ski bum, half beach bum
I “blog” so my mom knows I’m still alive (hi mom)
digital nomad & woman in tech 👩🏼‍💻
🚐: @thirtyflirtyanddriving

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officially part of the 26.2 club 🏅🏃🏼‍♀️✨

ever since I was 15 years old in high school XC, I have known that the Chicago marathon would be my first marathon. many years of more partying than running and four lotteries later- I got to finally make that goal happen 🥹

my dad, mom and sister have all run the Chicago marathon. running is in my genes. my dad has run multiple, and I’ve always known I wanted him to be able to see me run *my* Chicago marathon. keeping the Mierzwa family lineage going- we’re the Mighty Mighty Mierzwa’s for a reason! 💪🏽

I was absolutely not expecting to feel so emotional during the race, but I found myself crying tears of joy multiple times along the route. I grew up in the suburbs. went to college at Loyola. lived and worked in multiple neighbors we ran through- lakeview. lincoln park. the loop. little italy. michigan ave. this city shaped me, was a part of my most formative years. regardless of how much I might travel, I will always be *from* Chicago. this city is my home 💕

they are not lying when they say the crowd carries you! 26.2 miles of pure hype. I swear I didn’t even think about running for the first six miles taking it all in. every neighborhood, the whole city shows out. you won’t even use your headphones. the energy is truly something to experience 📣

my feet got pretty sore by mile 17 (I blame my shoe fiasco) and my hips hurt from carrying my XL phone in a running vest for 26 miles but overall felt really great all the way through both physically and mentally! the hype really makes the 26.2 fly by. minus my bee breaks, yap stops with my cheer sections and water/snack stops, came in around 4:30, which is right as I expected to as a very solid 10 min mile gal. my goal time was to have a good time and that I did! 🏃🏼‍♀️

will I do one again? I’ll probably be convinced- but I’m never doing a full without a buddy again and it’s going to be because someone asks me to run one with them 🙃 catch me shooting for a tri next, and getting back to my halves- the training is a lot more enjoyable 👀

overall, going down as one of the top three best days of my life! right after boot tan fest 🤠 taken in Chicago, Illinois by @ohhellohelena

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3 days ago

breakaway slay 💅

still can’t believe this lineup was in SLC?! John Summit, Kaskade AND Tiesto?! amazing. definitely going in my top three John Summit sets. finally got to hear his CTRL ESCAPE album live. and his sets are always for the girls 💃🏼

I’ll never miss an excuse to get dressed up and dance all night with my friends. how many came out because they knew this was my last weekend in SLC for a while makes me heart so gull. I love you all 🖤

also absolutely loving the festival x fitness trend. will forever be the friend who makes you party all light and then come run a 5k in the morning 😂 breakaway run club did not disappoint! more of this please taken in America First Field by @ohhellohelena

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10 days ago

celebrated our queen of red castle’s birthday in the uintas over Labor Day weekend with the Salt Lake City fam 💞🎂🥳 taken in Red Castle Lake by @ohhellohelena

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a month ago

oh Idaho summer, how I already miss you 🥲

had a great time visiting Coeur d’Alene and re-visiting sandpoint with Ross. lots of biking- a new longest ride every weekend. 65 miles of biking between OR and WA, from CDL to Spokane. Ross’ birthday ride- complete with our free 7/11 slurpees on free slurpee day. 73 miles on the trail of the Coeur d’Alene Alene’s. my first rails to trails hall of fame ride. absolutely stunning views the entire way and a great stop in harrison for some lunch and a beer. lots of lake and river dips after a long work day at the beach. paddle boarding. running. camping. off roading in tacomathy. got to visit scweitzer for the first time- even though it was the wrong season. will be back for some skiing this winter! coffee at evans brothers. farmers markets. lots of good eats

then headed down to city of rocks to spend the weekend climbing and mtb with the salt lake city crew. i’ve driven past this area a million times and never knew this gem was hiding out! such a unique landscape. I love how idaho has so many hidden gems like this. got to camp out. hike. bike. go on a bike rescue mission after a tire blowout and everyone running out of water. ran. roasted dumplings over the fire. got monsoon’d on. had my first reeses s’more (1000/10)

my Idaho summer got cut short due to the wildfires though. right after city of rocks, I started to head up to Stanley again but started to hit smoke. camped out near Twin Falls but the air quality and fire map only continued to get worse. I headed back to UT for better AQI and thats where I’ve been the last month as the fires continued- only stopping last week. heartbreaking to think about. this summer has been a weird one for all the van lifers with the fires. around the country people have felt the impact. and not just wildfires- crazy tornadoes in the midwest. flash flooding. climate change is real and it is scary 💔

thankful though for the places I do get to explore and the people I get to explore then with. and you know i always have a backup plan up my sleeve 😉 taken in Idaho by @ohhellohelena

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2 months ago

the Mierzwa’s celebrate the 4th of July in Canada 🇨🇦

this year the family reunion went international! usually Jake & Tyler come to IL, but this time we brought Sissy, Paul & Thurston to Canada for their first time!

Vancouver Island is always so beautiful and a family trip was the perfect excuse to explore Victoria. lots of seafood- fish & chips, seafood poutine, crab cakes. the always epic ferry ride ft. an orca sighting. lots of outdoor time at the sooke regional park, swimming in the salish sea & runs along the galloping goose trail. lots of time for family bonding at the airbnb. the giant suburban that served as the mierzwa mobile hauling us all around ft. Jake as chauffeur.

plus a visit with Nicole in her new home!

my nephews are very lucky to calm this place home & while my dad would love for them to come back to America, my secret plan is to get the family to move to BC 😂 taken in Victoria, BC, Canada by @ohhellohelena

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2 months ago

it’s an Idaho summer, pt. 1 🥔

each summer, I like to chose a new state to explore, and this summer it’s Idaho. so far, this state has been blowing my mind. so many water activities! amazing road biking! so much wilderness! perfect temps! the people might be…. off. but the nature is on point

got here for the Boise marathon and officially checked Idaho off of my half marathon list. my first rainy race- it was inevitable the day would come. checked out shoshone falls on my way- the Niagara Falls of the west. spent a good amount of time exploring Boise fully. biked the green belt in full- 60 miles. spent a lot of time in ann harrison park. beach days at lucky peak state park. paddle boarding at quinn’s pond. floating the Boise River. solidified my favorite coffee shops- slick rock and khaos

then made my way to Stanley, ID for the first time. that drive blew my mind. who knew that just 30 min from Boise you’re OOS and in the forest. van life heaven, wild camping everywhere- who needs ioverlander here? got to see the sawtooths for the first time. paddle redfish lake. music at redfish lodge. reading in the sunshine. hit up the best dive bars ever- rod & gun and kasino club. some of the best smelling forests I’ve ever stayed in. SO many hot springs. huckleberry everything

now onto coeur d’alene & sandpoint for pt. 2- stay tuned taken in Idaho by @ohhellohelena

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3 months ago

MDW in LAX 🌴

shoutout to @hollandroden for being the best LA host! really got to see a whole new side of LA I hadn’t seen before. staying at her adorable house in hollywood hills really set the tone- such a great home base and I’m glad I finally got to see it after hearing so much about it!

watched ET in a cemetery. ran behind the hollywood sign. hiked fryman canyon. went sailing for the first time. drove a Tesla for the first time. perfect California weather. lots of good eats- sugarfish, bavel, uchi, crossroads, borekas. did a surprisingly good amount of shopping. drinking. and of course- quality time with fhivel

perfect start to the summer ☀️ taken in Los Angeles, California by @ohhellohelena

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5 months ago

may in moab 🏜️

as ski season comes to a close, my favorite way to kick off summer is with a trip to moab. warm weather & sunshine breathe new life into my cold ski season soul. winter van life and summer van life are so different. feels so good to be able to throw open the doors, work with a view, cook with a cool breeze. I’ve missed that for the last several months.

annual desert party. floating the Colorado. lots of after work and weekend hikes. jeep arch, corona arch, pinto arch, bowtie arch. professor creek and Mary Jane canyon. having Ross out there with me for almost two weeks. getting a taste of van life b2b truck life. lots of mountain biking. took the road bike on its first proper ride- 40 miles through moab. lots of good eats- moonflower, 98 center, milts, quesadilla mobilla, mad cafe, smoked bowls. visiting dead horse state park for the first time and hiking the rim trails. posting up at yellow circle. working from the winery. jumping off a cliff with rope swing moab. camping in green river for the first time. being reunited with beth & kayuh.

always love my time to recharge in the desert. such a healing place. lots of space and time to slow down a bit. just what I need. there will always be a special place in my heart for moab 🧡 taken in Moab, Utah by @ohhellohelena

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5 months ago

sorry mom 🙈

shoutout to @ropeswingmoab for making all my intrusive thoughts of “what if I jumped off this cliff?” a reality

one more item off the Moab bucket list ✔️ taken in Rope Swing Moab by @ohhellohelena

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5 months ago

feeling beachy for 32 🎂 🥳🏖️👙☀️

my birthday party at Brighton closing is becoming an annual tradition. year three in the books and always such an great day! perfect beach weather, lots of tacos & margs, party skiing surrounded by all my friends & yapping in the sun. what more can a girl ask for? ilu, SLC 💛 taken in Brighton Ski Resort by @ohhellohelena

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6 months ago

どうもありがとうございます 🇯🇵

on our way to ski Furano and Niseko, we had some time to explore the cities in between- Tokyo and Saporro. so much amazing food, shopping, culture. had our first pod hostel experience. navigated the trains armed with our suica cards and google maps (reminder that you need to scan *out* of the stations too, ope). got our steps in wandering through the beautiful parks and temples. loaded up on skincare and got overstimulated at the Don Quijote. explored the pole town underground city walkways in Saporro. made one million comments about how quiet Japanese cities are. bought my first Japanese knife in Kappabashi-dori. and bought new ski pants in Kanda-Ogawamachi. had a small child make us some paper cranes at dinner for good luck. listened to our Japan playlist constantly which featured almost all of the love. angel. music. baby. album

and the the FOOD. my god, I need to go back just to eat more. ramen and Saporro beers in ramen alley. so many delicious bites like melt in your mouth waygu, braised beef bowls and octapus at tsukiji outer market. matcha. unagi bowls. udon. oysters the size of my hand. spending way too much money at our first convey belt sushi experience. endless konbini runs

oh, and we got the Pokémon plane from Saporro to Tokyo ✈️

Japan i love you and I miss you already, can’t wait to be back

photo cred to @kyraluttenegger for her amazing film photos 📸 taken in Susukino すすきの, Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan by @ohhellohelena

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8 months ago

sorry I can’t answer your call- I’m summiting a volcano in Japan 🇯🇵

the second half of the japanuary japow trip took us to Niseko. while Furano was quaint and quiet, Niseko was bustling and lively. everyone loves to harp on Niseko, but its one of the best ski areas in Japan for a reason. insanely deep, light and fluffy snow. our first day being a powder day at grand hirafu set the tone. lapping the trees off of king gondola- getting a killer line every time. boot packing to the top of mt. Niseko-Annapuri peak. amazing views of mt. Yotei. hitting the gates. the boot pack from hell out of gate 5. taking our first pizza box lift. eating katsu chicken curry on the slopes. matcha and cinnamon rolls at bears cafe. ending the day with ramen and cheese tarts at the base. sushi boxes from ezo fresh seafood. grilled meats at the izakaya. onsen-ing at our hotel after to rest our sore muscles

plus two amazing days in the backcountry with @adventure_hobo and @risingsunguides- cannot recommend them enough! from the freshest lines off of mt. Shiribetsu to summiting mt. Yotei- some of my favorite backcountry days to date. when looking at the weather forecast, I was stoked to see so much pow, but wasn’t hopeful that we’d get a good window to summit Yotei. Yotei was one of our main objectives, and it was going to be pretty upsetting if we had to pivot. we decided to take our chances on a Wednesday summit since that looked like the most promising weather window. and low and behold- we got a blue sky morning! absolutely killer views of lake toya and the Sea of Japan on our way up. jaw dropping vistas of the crater from our summit point. unfortunately a cloud rolled in right before our descent, so we didn’t get the downhill we wanted. but so stoked we got to summit and got the crater views we did

our guide also said we had the fastest summit time of any group he’s had- and that it’s very rare to have a group of all girls. so damn proud of our gal group crushing the ascent with a 4.5 hour summit time! I love skiing like a girl, with the girls 💅🏽

I already know I’ll be back. Japan, you live up to the hype taken in Niseko, Hokkaido, Japan（ニセコ） by @ohhellohelena

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8 months ago