Saturday, March 31, 2012

Awesome Saturday am 8 Miler

I took most of the week off this week since my 5 mile run on Tuesday.  Just feeling funky and could tell my body needed a bit of a break.  Went on a beautiful, 8 mile trail run this morning with 2 awesome women, one of who happens to be my chiropractor.

Did great, but around mile 6.5 my left hamstring, hip area really started in on me again.  I did something to it during the Shamrock.  Well, we finished up and my Chiro happened to have her portable table in her truck, fixed me up, right there in the parking lot!  So thankful she did so I do not have to spend the rest of the day in pain, but what a sight that must have been, lol.  It's all good and blessed with some wonderful friends!

Have a great day.  What are your running plans for the weekend?  I'm going to get in 2 tomorrow, hopefully with hubby.

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Week#3 Recap, Week #4 Plan and Bill Roney Memorial 5K Review!

It was a great week!  Hope your's was awesome too!
Week#3 Recap:
Monday - Rest and Core - rested I did but no core

Tuesday - 40 minutes - Done 3.72 miles with 10:45 pace
Wednesday - 20 minutes - Done 2.04 miles with 9:49 pace
Thursday - 40 minutes - Done 4.15 miles with 9:37 pace
 Friday - Rest and Core - Rested done but no core, did go to an awesome CAbi party!  Love the clothes and can not wait for mine to arrive!
Saturday - 5k race with kids, and 8 miles on Saturday or Sunday - Done 7 miles in 1:09 with 9:58 pace.  Got invited to run with two awesome women and had a great run. Got our butts out of bed and met at 7am to conquer a hilly path with some beautiful views.  So thankful the rain held off for our run and blessed to have such wonderful company!

5K with kids - Bill Roney Memorial 5K

Finished my run with the ladies and headed home to some scrambled eggs and drank 2 Nespresso pods of coffee while I got everyone's race apparel and Hanson's Yellow Team shirts ready!  Once we all ate and were ready, we headed out to Fitzgerald Elementary in Utica.  Wow, such a nice, organized race.  We were running pretty late, but that did not seem to effect us much at all. Got the bibs, timing chips and 4 size Medium shirts, lol. Since we were late, that is all they had left - a bit too big for me, a bit too small for hubby (although I do need to have him try one as they do look large and are nice quality Brooks shirts).  

We got ourselves ready and Hubby headed to the start of the runners while the kids and I lingered in the back.  No need to have anyone weave around us, although, I must say my kids did some weaving themselves.  We were off!  One thing I must say is it was very hard to hear at this race, hard to hear the starting announcements and hard to hear the raffle drawing - but no biggie!

We ran and then took some walk breaks throughout the race and the kids did awesome!  For me, it was a nice chance to stretch my muscles after the hills this am and at this pace, a walk in the park, lol. We rounded the last corner and Daddy was waiting for us, Pea and I took off (she is very competitive lol and saves up her speed for the end of the races) towards the finish line and Daddy ran Monkey to the line.  It was so sweet that Hansons gave all the 5K kids finisher medals!  You can see one of ours in the picture below with the nice shirts we got!  If anyone wants a medium from this race, just let me know - 3 are up for grabs!

They ROCKED Roney for a 5K and their ages!
Pea 37:28.3 (12:07 pace)
Me with Pea ;) 37:28.8

Monkey 37.32.4 
Hubby PRd Bigtime for just starting running!  26:43.7!  (8:37 pace)


I hardly slept last night and had to wake up at 6 to get my miles in this am, so I tried to nap this afternoon. It really didn't seem to work so I decided to get up and make myself some pasta.

Recipe:
1 Bag Organic, Whole Wheat Pasta - cook according to package
Sautee:
1 Organic Onion
Box of Organic Baby Bella Mushrooms
1 Tbsp Butter 
1 Tbsp Olive Oil

Then, when it is almost finished, deglaze the pan a bit with some good white wine and then add to drained pasta, add some extra EVOO and serve!

Sooo yummy! Pour yourself some of that good, white wine you used and enjoy!


Plan for Week #4 - You will notice I'm switching back to miles to align my training with the TnT weekend schedule I got for the Bayshore and my full schedule for Chicago.
Sunday - 2 miles & personal trainer appt.
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 5 miles
Wednesday - 2 miles
Thursday - 4 miles
Friday - rest
Saturday - 8 miles

Notice I gave up on planning the core workouts, lol :)

How was your weekend?

Friday, March 23, 2012

Wow it has already been a year!

A year ago I was told my entire diet had to change. No more processed foods, no more veggies that I loved and much more.

As I look back, I am amazed at the turn around I have made and how much healthier I am! I can run long distances, I have tons of energy and I eat better than I ever have in my entire life. Sure, it was hard at first, but it has turned into a blessing.

Granted I wish I could eliminate the fact my throat could close up if I eat something I'm allergic to and I wish I could eat all veggies, fruits, nuts and beans, but I don't miss my old way of eating at all. No longing or desire to eat some Doritos or a huge sundae.

All in all, something that was negative has turned out to be a positive in more ways than one.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

A Bad Run???

Just got back from a run.  It was hot, I felt like my legs were bricks, my ankles hurt, my calves were tight, my hips were sore and it was hard to move.  I glanced at my Garmin and at times it was 11 minute miles showing up... WHAT??

Now, I could say it was a bad run due to all of the above... but:
Did I get my time goal of 40 minutes in??? YES
Was I hurt or just sore?  Sore
Did running help stretch my muscles and help me improve? Yes

I was getting kind of bummed during the run, but I started to enjoy the scenery and realized that I had only one goal in front of me today - to run 40 minutes.  I got a chance to be outside, get my body used to the heat that will be coming in the summer and also to take some time to enjoy looking at all the new plants and buds that are springing up around us.  It did not matter at all that I was not running fast, or I would not cover 4.26 miles, like I did last time.  It mattered, that even though I found the run hard, I kept at it and I accomplished my goal.

So many times in life things are hard and we quit.  I know if it was me a year ago, I would have quit right off the bat.  But now, no.  I have grown to love running and realize that even though it is not always perfect and we are not always feeling great every time out there, there are so many benefits to accomplishing the goal set in front of you.  I am happy for the run that I had and thankful God has given me a healthy body to be able to run.  40 minutes is completed and I can check off my calendar tomorrow at work with 3.72 miles instead of nothing.  I'm happy for that and thankful!

I will leave you with this thought, saw it on FB this week and got a laugh!

Monday, March 19, 2012

Week#2 Recap and Week#3 Plan

Well week 2 went off pretty much as planned. Didn't get as many miles in on Saturday, but 4 was enough seeing how I was still really sore from training on Thursday and I wanted to be fresh for my 10k yesterday so all worked out well!

Recap Week#2
Monday - 40 min = 3.64 miles and massage
Tuesday - Rest
Wednesday - 40 min = 4.26 miles
Thursday - 20 minutes = 1.83 miles and training session
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 4 miles in around 44 minutes with kids on scooters
Sunday - 10k in 55:29.9

Great week overall and feel good! Looking forward to this week!

Week#3 Plan is:
Monday - Rest and Core
Tuesday - 40 minutes
Wednesday - 20 minutes
Thursday - 40 minutes
Friday - Rest and Core
Saturday - 5k race with kids, and 8 miles on Saturday or Sunday

Adding in some core work this week using my bosu ball with crunches, alternating super mans and a few other moves for my core and back.

What are your goals for this week?

Sunday, March 18, 2012

ShamRock n' Roll 10K

Wow, talk about an awesome race!  We left the house at 6 and made it to downtown Plymouth right around 7am.  Parking was easy, finding Kellogg Park was easy to find and packet pickup was quick!
Right after Pea wanted to enter the costume contest.  It is rumored that St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland, well, there was one left!



After that I took a quick walk to the truck to get us all muffins, and took a final bathroom break before getting in place for the 10K.  Coach Ken found us right away too, and it was nice to chat for a minute as he commented on my Hanson's Yellow Team jersey - my first race in it.  Then, I was off!  Hubby, Monkey and Pea (Snake) were all waiting just a bit longer to do the one mile.

Wow, this was an awesome race, not too crowded either.  I positioned myself somewhat in the front, but not too close, so I would not have to do any weaving around and took off.  We ran thru lots of subdivisions and had tons of people cheering us on!
Nice, wide streets to run on too!  I sure felt I was taking off way too fast.  My Garmin kept reporting my instant pace numbers below 9 minutes/mile.  But, I felt fine.  I was worried about burning out towards the end, but as the race progressed, I kept the pace and still felt fine!  

The run went by pretty quick and I stayed in a pack of the same people.  This one poor guy was dressed in shamrock tights and a wig.  Before mile 1 he was pulled over the side getting the tights off and just wearing his shorts.  I imagine the tights must have been women's and did not fit him that well, lol.  It was a great crowd and very up beat!

Look at my splits!  Almost negative! Mileage was off a bit so not sure what was up with that...better that it is more I guess but my time was right on almost with the chip time, any thoughts anyone?
Before I knew it, we were passing mile marker 5!  It seemed to get harder from this point on, lol.  Perhaps because I was pushing myself as I knew I could give it my all for one lousy mile!  Right after mile marker 6, I saw Coach Ken - He asked how I was doing and I told him I think 13 minute miles or so, lol.  When I first started with Team in Training end of 2009/Early 2010 my goal pace was 12 minutes/mile!  Wow, no more!  He ran with me for a bit and then when I left him he shouted to "Push it!" and push it I did!  

I started to come into the area right before the finish line, the sides of the roads were lined with crowds and I heard "Go Mama!"  I knew my family was there watching me even though I was way to focused to finish and not fall flat on my face, I really gave this race my all and am so proud to say I beat my goal of 1 hour!  New PR!



 NEW PR OF 55:29.9, 8:57/M



After I got my well deserved bling, I met up with the family! We walked back to the truck (I hobbled, seems some kind of pinched nerve in my butt or behind my knee - icing behind my knee now as I type) to get some food and then walked in a store or two.

Pea was anxious with the time as the costume contest winners were going to be announced at 9:45 am.  We headed to the stage and sure enough!!!  

FIRST PLACE!  



I am so proud of her!  She was a bit shy at first with all the attention she got, but then started to warm up and be excited!  It was totally her idea to wear her Cobra costume for this event and she even slithered one mile in it!

Such an awesome event, well worth the early wake up time and so well organized from start to finish!  We will be back!

Friday, March 16, 2012

Please help me find a Cure!

Until there is a cure, there is no finish line.

As many of you are aware, I ran my first Half Marathon with Team in Training. As I now prepare for a full Marathon, I thought it was only fitting that I participate once again, with Team in Training to race for a cure.

I already had a spot for Chicago, I got lucky with that one.  Yesterday, though, I saw a Facebook message from TnT announcing the fall line up.  I have been so excited about my first marathon, and I saw Chicago was on the TnT list as well.  My first Half, the Flying Pig in 2010, was such a special event to me.  Largely, because of Team in Training and the support my family and I received.  I have made so many wonderful friends, and continue to train with the team most Saturday mornings.

Even though I already had a spot, I kinda wondered to myself if I could still be part of TnT for this event and raise $$$ for a cure.  I sent a private FB message to the coordinator asking if I could participate, but not take a spot from someone who didn't have one for Chicago.  Minutes later she called me.  "Of course you can participate with the Team," was her response.  I was so excited!  This will make my first marathon, and the journey to it, all that more special!

SOOO
I will be running in Chicago, on October 7, 2012, in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon – that is right, I’m committing to 26.2 miles for a CURE!

The support my family and I have received from TnT has been priceless as we navigate my mother's diagnosis of Follicular Lymphoma. The least I can do is continue to RUN for a cure. I’m asking you to partner with me in this endeavor by making a donation to my fundraising campaign using the link on the side of my blog.

Thank you for every one's support!  I am really looking forward to taking this journey, once again, with Team in Training in hopes of making a small difference in someones life!

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Breakfast

The most important meal of the day! It gets your body going after a rest and gives it the energy to get through the morning. I typically stick to similar foods and rotate things when I need a change up.

My latest favorite meal is pictured below. Organic instant oats, a few scoops of Choibani plain yogurt and a drizzle of honey on top. I usually sprinkle some cinnamon on too but don't keep that at work. It is so good and healthy to boot!

You can also mix in berries and fruits to oatmeal, drizzle some maple syrup, add in some granola, etc. Don't get sucked into buying the flavored packets though, they usually have way too much sugar and who wants to eat dried fruit when you can have fresh!
Btw, I made that at work.

Like the nice bowl?? I keep a nice plate and bowl at my desk to eat my food off of. I need to bring in some silverware too if I can remember.

Other things I love for breakfast are: homemade muffins, eggs (love sunny side up over oatmeal) plain yogurt with fruit, eggs with filet and hash browns (treat after a long weekend run)

The biggest thing I found to help me eat a healty breakfast is to have a few choices of items I can mix and rotate in the fridge and pantry at all times. I can then just throw them into my lunch bag for the day and have a nice breakfast at work while I get caught up on my emails. Planning ahead is the biggest challenge, but after a while it just becomes second nature.

What healthy breakfast foods do you like?

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Switching things up!

Well, I was supposed to do 40 minutes tomorrow and 20 today, but life gets in the way!  Tomorrow is going to be crazy: work, personal trainer, kids school open house, eat, run and then go to a running meeting at 8 at night on the other side of town.  Just didn't seem like I could get 40 minutes in.  But 20, sure that sounds do-able before the workout.

I did have a slight issue with doing 40 tonight, no one to watch the kiddies.  Now, they can go for a mile or two on their scooters when I run in the sub, but I wanted to run 40 minutes which is probably around 4 miles based on my history.  The thought of them riding their bikes around the sub while I ran just plain scared me - all the driveways, cars, on sidewalks, off sidewalks, crossing streets etc...  I wanted to go somewhere where we did not have to deal with all that.  Hmm ,where?? I needed to get this done and I did not want to wait till Hubby came home because the chance of it being dark then is very good.

So, what about our local Metro Park? Bingo, the kids were excited when I told them the plan after I picked them up from school.  We went to the chiropractor then home to get changed - mind you this weekend I wore my winter running pants and a long sleeve LuluLemon shirt - today it was a running skirt and Princess Tech Tee and shorts and t-shirts for the kids.  Bikes were loaded in the Burban and off we were!

The kids did great and it was a great workout pushing me to keep up with them!  Sometimes you have to change things up to accomplish your goals.  If a certain day does not work, well then get the mileage in on a day that works better, just don't skip.  Thinking of also going down to 4 Miles on Saturday to rest a bit for the 10K on Sunday, I want a new PR that does not have a 1 in front of it!

Have a great day, put yourself first sometimes and meet your goals!

Monday, March 12, 2012

Week #2/31

Last week was a great week, all the goals were met - even though I walked instead of ran for 20 minutes, but it is all good!  Missed the chance to do the Cork Town race yesterday.  We didn't pre-register and we ended up sleeping in till 9:30!  Once we got up, there was no way anyone felt like rushing around, eating and getting there to register and run, so we had a day around the house to get stuff done.

I found a cool run for St. Patties Day next weekend!  I'm doing the 10K to get a cool medal and the rest of the bunch is doing the Hard Rock mile.  Check it out, there are only a few 10K spots left.
ShamRock 'N' Roll


http://www.shamrocknrollrun.com/
The plan for this week is:
Monday - 40 Minutes and another Massage
Tuesday - Rest
Wednesday - 20 Minutes
Thursday - 40 Minutes and Trainer
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 6 Miles (Planned 10 but cutting back due to 10K Sunday)
Sunday - 10K ShamRock n' Roll Run

I will leave you with some cool bling that I hope to add to my medal display next weekend!

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Week #1 Recap

Plan :
So, the plan for this week is as follows:
Monday - 35 minutes
Tuesday - Personal Trainer and Massage
Wednesday - 20 minutes
Thursday - 5x800m (around 8:45-9 pace) with 400m recovery at 10 
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 9 miles


Actual:
So, the plan for this week is as follows:
Monday - 35 minutes, Done 3.95 miles, pace avg. 8:51
Tuesday - Personal Trainer and Massage - Did Fitness assessment and Massage
Wednesday - 20 minutes - Walked at Work, REALLY sore from massage, but walking was good ;)
Thursday - 5x800m (around 8:45-9 pace) with 400m recovery at 10 - Did not do speed due to soreness and need to recover so instead ran for 35 min, 3.35 miles on treadmill, pace avg. 10.32
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 9 miles - DONE!  Awesome run outside this morning with my Team in Training friends, did the 9 in 1:34:47 for a pace avg of 10.32 (oddly the same as my last treadmill run) but so much better being outside!



Glad I kept with my goals, it was a really tough week as I was incredibly SORE from the massage.  My upper back is really bad and between the sports massage and all my chiro adjustments I had pain everywhere!  Keep in mind that I also can't take any meds for it as well so I had a lot of Epsom salt baths and used Tiger Balm non stop in addition to my beloved foam roller.


What are your favorite med-free ways to deal with pain?

Friday, March 9, 2012

Please Vote!

Please take a second and vote for us!  We have always wanted to go to Hawaii!!!



Thursday, March 8, 2012

Where to Start to Eliminate SAD and eat Clean

Tosca Reno is awesome!  She has several books out there on Clean Eating - essentially what I do, except for foods I am allergic to.  When I got my diagnosis and had to get away from SAD, and get healthy, I discovered one of her books in Walmart, of all places.  It is loaded with so much good information that I will not bother to repeat, but it guides the reader to what is healthy and why SAD foods are not.  Tips galore on how to live this lifestyle are on every page, and they are real things that anyone can do.  The biggest thing that I think scares people is the time commitment.  I thought that at first, as I pretty much have to pack everything I eat, but after a while it just becomes the new norm. 

Take some time and explore her websites, blog and face book site.  She has a ton of books so I recommend you get one based on what interests you, she also has a clean eating magazine and is associated with Oxygen magazine as well. 

Once you get some reading and research done on what Clean eating is, it is time to CLEAN your pantry out!  Eliminate all of those tempting, yet bad foods, and allow yourself to have a fresh start.  Kinda hard to want to eat an apple for a snack when there is a bag of chips or some other food there... Then shop!

Start on the outer isles of your grocery store, you know, the ones with the brightly colored fruit and veggies.  The stuff that is not in packages, but layed out and you need to put it in a baggie.  Find a good butcher or a local source for organic meat.  Whole Foods, or Whole Paycheck, is also a good option as is Trader Joes.

We get most of our weekly food from a company called Door to Door Organics.  Not only do we save $$$, as I am not scouring the isles of WF each week adding everything that looks good into my cart, I find the fruits and veggies are VERY fresh.

How does it work??? Each week we have a "box" of fresh fruit and veggies.  The website has quite a few box options on it, all fruit, all veggies etc.  The week before I get an email detailing what will be in my box and I am able to log on to the website and modify it if there is something I do not like and want to substitute.  This is also when I get to shop!  They have local grown, organic chicken, turkey, pork and grass fed beef at reasonable prices that comes frozen to your door.  I have also found that it is very fresh!  I got some ground turkey the other week and I noticed it was processed only 2 weeks before!  Also, there is fresh bread from a local bakery and a ton of organic items to choose from like snacks, jams, butters, drinks and more! Once I am done shopping, my delivery day arrives and I come home to all of my groceries in a box on my porch!

For the month of March I am able to share the LOVE and give away a 50% discount to everyone interested on a Bitty Box.  All you need to do is post a comment below and I will be able to get your email from your Google account (if you share it -  need your email for this one).  I will then send that to Door to Door Organics and they will send you an invite!  Easy, peasy ;)

Fueling your body with the right foods and getting your exercise is a lifestyle that go hand in hand.  You can not expect your body to perform at its peak when you eat SAD foods.  I have learned that and everyone deserves to feel energetic, happy and full of life! 

You are what you eat!  That is so true!!! 

Next post will be about the most important meal of the day!

I must add that I am just a satisfied customer and neither Tosca Reno, or Door to Door Organics, have asked me to do these reviews nor did I receive any compensation.

SAD

Standard American Diet = SAD

As many of you already know, due to severe allergies, I have really no choice but to eat healthy.  Well, wait, I take that back, I probably could eat like crap and still feel like crap and risk a really bad reaction, but no, I choose to listen to my body and follow my doctors advice ;)

That being said, I do not want to take to much time to discuss what is wrong with America's food choices, I think most people know, but wanted to spend a bit of time and then I will focus on sharing what I do and how I think it can help others live a healthier life.

What is wrong:
  • Convenience, it is much easier and cheaper due to all the government subsidies on corn to eat crap in your car and call it good for dinner.
  • Cost, it is much cheaper to buy processed foods, that are once again subsidized by the government, and very cheap with the help of your local Walmart.
  • Taste, I believe the majority of Americans are addicted to the chemicals in the "foods" that are cheap and quick.
  • Corn syrup, pink slime in meat, meat that is treated with so many antibiotics and hormones and fed grain when the animal is not designed to eat grain, preservatives, etc.
  • Genetically Modified veggies, fish, etc.  We do not know the consequences of playing with God's design.
The bottom line is that almost all of the food found in the grocery store is not even really "food" but what we come to believe is food.  It has been so processed and changed from it's natural or intended state (if anything is even natural in it at all) and our bodies can not handle that.  We do not absorb the vitamins and nutrients in the man made foods like we do in foods from nature, our bodies crave the real fats and reject the processed hydrogenated oils.

Our society has gotten away from real food!  Enough said.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Recovery

Wow, I thought I was doing good after taking it easy last week and only logging 8 miles.  I had an awesome run on Monday, my fastest yet and felt strong!  That all changed when I got on the massage table last night.  Everything hurt!  My back was more knotted than it has ever been, my legs were a mess and so were my feet.  I asked her jokingly, kind of, when I should come back... she said Thursday, Tuesday the latest.  Needless to say, I have an appointment again with her on Monday evening.

I saw my awesome trainer last night and had a fitness assessment, good thing we didn't do a hard workout but I got some time in on the bike and and walked 10 min on the treadmill.  My fitness assessment showed awesome progress!  Sit and reach was at 15in and my body fat % decreased 4.2% since October and is at 18.9% Yea!  I want to try and get it a bit lower for summer in hopes of handling the heat better.  My trainer said a good goal for me is 16%.

I am really sore today after yesterday, planning on going to my fab Chiro after I get the kids and ttonight I have 20 min on the schedule. In honor of the nice weather, thinking about doing 2 miles with Pea and Monkey to take it easier.

I'm planning on doing  some posts on diet to get the results you want and perhaps a bit of rambling about the sad state of America's food.  Have a great day!

Monday, March 5, 2012

Plan of Attack Week #1/31

Last week I gave myself a bit of a break, granted I ran over 8 miles since the Half, but I did not push myself and I pushed Thursday's run till Friday and cut Saturday's short by 2 miles.  I needed to rest, relax and rebuild.

This week is different, training for Chicago starts today!  That is right, I am 31 weeks away.  A few weeks ago when I signed up for Chicago, I put together a hybrid plan based on a Jeff Galloway base builder marathon program for 30 weeks.  He has so many plans and I changed it according to where I needed to be for my long runs in April/May so I can't really point anyone to what I used.  The main purpose, and main goal, is for me to build up a solid base - I never really did this in the past, just kind of increased my miles since September in a random fashion based on how I felt.  I want to plan for this differently, to avoid injury and set a regular schedule for myself.

At first I thought about doing runs during the week based on mileage, but I really like how Jeff Galloway has weekly runs for time and weekend runs for miles!  Makes it a bit easier mentally and granted the time increases, but I'm also sure that I will start to see increases in distance as well within the same time allotments each week.  As I said, I played with the weekend runs to start off with where I am now and then match up with the "program" miles as I really don't want to take a backwards step in distance running over the weekend - mentally I need that.

So, the plan for this week is as follows:
Monday - 35 minutes
Tuesday - Personal Trainer and Massage
Wednesday - 20 minutes
Thursday - 5x800m (around 8:45-9 pace) with 400m recovery at 10
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 9 miles

In addition to the regular schedules, I'm also going to take it easy this week on refined flour and sugar.  No sugary treats or wine for me this week, not that I eat that much anyways, but my body needs a break after vacation and I feel like I need to detox a bit. 

I'm looking forward to training, I like the predictability of it all and working towards a goal!  I have a few 5Ks, 10Ks and Half sprinkled in and really excited to see how my time will benefit from being on a set schedule.

How far in advance do you usually start training for events?  What schedule do you follow?

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Data Hungry

I love data, I am an engineer so by nature it is in my blood.  At work I just got certified as a Green Belt in Six Sigma and had a blast just playing with the numbers for my project.  At home, it is no different.  When we were up north for New Years, I did a lot of relaxing and magazine reading and came across the Bodymedia Fit in a magazine.  It was used by biggest looser contestants to help monitor their calorie intake and output.   Cool!

Granted, I did not think about this to lose weight, but to make sure that I am eating enough to build muscle with all of my training.  Due to all of my allergies, I tend not to take in a lot of calories.  I had no idea at the time what I really ate but my personal trainer at the gym wanted me to do some testing to see how much my body burned.  I saw the Bodymedia Fit as a better idea!  It was not a one time test but a way of living to see and make sure I was getting enough good, balanced food to fuel my exercise.

Now, just as a disclaimer, Bodymedia did not ask me to review this product.  I purchased my own Bodymedia Fit at Best Buy with my own money and am doing this review without any direction or compensation from them.

First, it is easy to wear and I do not even notice it is on me.  I was kind of worried about having some sort of allergic reaction to the medal in it as I normally do not wear anything but gold, but had no problems at all with any skin reactions to the device.

Now, the good stuff!  The data!!!


I love seeing the data!  I can see:

  •  How many calories I burn when I run (around 9 or more a minute) 
  • I need to manually input either on my Mac or iPhone app what I eat - this is so easy! to see how many calories I consume
  • My activity is tracked, both moderate and vigorous and I target 60 moderate and 30 vigorous each day although I always exceed it
  • The steps taken on a daily basis are also tracked.  Amazed that I took 45,620 steps on Sunday during and after the Half Marathon!
  • One of my favorite things I get to monitor is how well I sleep!  For those who know me, Mama loves to sleep and is often in bed at or before 9pm.  Granted I am an early rise, but I just love how it shows how I slept and for how long, when I woke in the night and went back to sleep.  That is amazing to me!
  • Finally, the weight.  This is manually entered although..... I have a new gadget thanks to Hubby that I can purchase one of those body fat scales to tell me more... more to come!11
I would really recommend the Bodymedia Fit for anyone, at any fitness level.  Whether you need to loose weight, maintain it or make sure you are building the muscle you want to!  There is a monthly subscription fee of $6.95 a month or so after a trial period, but I love the data and if you honestly input your food, it gives you a REAL assessment of your level of activity vs the calories that you burn!
Garmin Forerunner 610 GPS Fitness Monitor

My next data tool that I will be reporting on is my new Garmin 610.  Yes, you know it!  The touch screen Garmin that every runner covets!  I came home on Thursday and found out that Hubby bought this for me!! I complained that my Garmin 305 crapped out on me during my bathroom break on the half in a structure and also that I bought it second hand on Craigslist so I did not have access to the Internet data.  He understands my love for data!

I have not been able to do a run outside since I got it due to the rain and high winds, but as soon as I do I will do a report on it.  I have been practicing on the treadmill with it and learned today to hit the lap at each mile, not the stop at mile 3, lol!

What data do you love???? Please, do tell!




Friday, March 2, 2012

2012 Disney Princess Half Marathon Race Recap!!!

Here it is!  The recap of the 2012 Disney Princess Half Marathon!  

I decided to run this race in October, 2011 after finishing Leg 3 of the Detroit Marathon Relay.  I wanted something to train for and to look forward too.  I can't believe that it is already over and I'm on to new races and new goals!

I woke up around 2:30 after getting a swift kick to the back by a little sweet pea sleeping besides me so I decided to take some time and stretch and relax in bed before getting ready at 3am. (the time the REAL alarm was going to go off, lol)  I woke up and went in the bathroom area of our room and closed the curtain so I would not disturb everyone too much since I had to turn on the light to get ready.  After a quick, but thorough, foam roll I got myself dressed and ready to go!  I made sure to stay nice and warm in some yoga pants and my North Face fuzzy over my race outfit.

I made it to the bus stop around 3:30am and was shocked to see that there were around 40 people ahead of me.  4 buses came and went until an empty one finally arrived that I was able to get on.  I snacked on a zucchini muffin, some applesauce and some water on the bus as there was quite a bit of traffic getting to Epcot.  When I got off the bus, I immediately found my good friend who just got off her bus a minute before me.  We always have the best timing in life ;)

We made our way into the "race tent" area of the parking lot and she checked her bag while I went to check into my "race retreat" tent!  Oh so worth it!! Private bag check and porto-potties that were less used and somewhat staffed!  We met up again to make the long, long, crowded check to the starting corrals.  Me in B and her in A.  I'm really hoping that for Disneyland I will also qualify to get in A, thinking it is 99.9% possible once I do Bayshore as I expect to have at least 5-10 minutes less off my time as there are no pictures with characters on that course ;)

Once we finally got through the crowds and made our way to our corrals, there was little time to wait!  Her wave took off at 5:45 and mine at 5:51 am.  By the time I got in my corral it was around 5:30 or so.  Before I knew it, I raised my camera in front of me in anticipation for the first fireworks for corral A!!!
(This photo I bought was much prettier than the one from my phone, so enjoy!)

Before I knew it, I was off!  I quickly made it thru the starting line and another runner started chatting with me.  The roads were dark and before we knew it, mile 1 appeared.  I planned on walking 60 seconds every mile to help keep my legs fresh after all the park walking so I said good bye to my new friend.  I felt good, and was so excited and alive with energy!  Disney had a hot air balloon set up somewhere in the first three miles as well as a pirate ship with the characters for us to enjoy!

By mile 3, things changed and I felt myself dragging along a bit as my legs just did not want to cooperate.  

5K Split 31:13

Of course I kept going and told myself the Kingdom is coming up soon and of course my legs are not happy with me!  I then saw a sign with Dory on it that said "Just Keep Swimming." So appropriate for the timing!  There was a water stop between miles 3 and 4 and then we ran past the Speedway and came upon mile 4.  I'm going to call this mile a total "tease!"  At the time, I thought we were starting to enter the Magic Kingdom, granted I thought it was kind of soon but it sure looked like it!  There were some cool Japanese drummers to welcome us too!
Yea, I now realize it was the Transportation and Ticket Center... Ugh, my legs!  I kept swimming and came upon this awesome sight!
Based on the map I had in my head, I knew we were getting close and it would not be long before we would be in the Magic Kingdom!   Before I knew it we were behind the scenes and then made a sharp right hand turn onto Main Street USA!  We made another right to head across the bridge to Tomorrow Land, past the speedway and the tea cups and weaved our way between the carousel and Snow White who was waiting for Princesses to join her for photo ops.  
Next stop....
10K Split 1:10:28

We headed into Frontier Land, and then I saw him!  The character I waited for and raced for, lol!!!
Louis, the Alligator that I saw in all the runDisney advertisements for this race!!! 

I had so much energy and was so happy running through the Magic Kingdom but before I knew it, we were through Frontier Town somewhere around Splash Mountain and backstage again.  I finished up my applesauce that I brought along with me and headed on the roads and was happy to hear Kelly Clarkston's song "Stronger" at Mile 7 and see the WDW Firemen and a huge ladder truck!  I was delighted to find Lilo and Stitch too across from the Polynesian!
Mile 8 and my legs were BURNING!
Walk breaks were getting harder to do, it just felt better to run!  Right after Mile 9 there was a medical tent staffed by some awesome volunteers giving people large squirts of BioFreeze!!! I happily accepted and with one hand (tried to keep it localized so I was not going to get it in my eye) lathered it all over the front and back of my thighs.  Ahh, relief but really having issues walking.  

15K Split 1:42:58

Before Mile 10 there was another water stop that I just ran through, easier to run at this point than walk.  Then, there it was, the gigantic highway off ramp that we needed to run up!  Great, my legs really wanted to run on an incline sideways and going up at the same time.  I plugged along and was at the top before I knew it then down an over.  Heading towards Mile 11 now and for some reason, thought I only had 1.5 miles left before mile 11 but um, no I then realized I had 2 miles.  Disney had a huge video screen showing all the runners and an announcer saying where everyone was from.  That was cool but then I saw another curvy ramp to run up and then down.  Keep running!!!  I headed towards the Epcot Parking lot and passed Mile 12 before entering the park through backstage around Innovation.  We took a run towards World Showcase and then looped back at the World Lake towards Spaceship Earth!
I was doing good, but waiting for it to be over!

 Before I knew it we were in an Epcot back lot heading towards the finish as I remembered this area from the day before and knew I did not have much farther to go!  This time though, a beautiful gospel choir was singing to keep us moving... THEN...
Finished in 2:23:33!!!
A new Half Marathon PR by 33:16!  That is a 5K time!
SWEET!!!

I proudly accepted my medal and headed into the tent area again!

I was so excited to see that my friend was waiting for me!  I did not expect to see her!  It was great to congratulate each other before we headed to meet our families.  I then headed to the tent where I was greeted with a cool down towel, flip flops and a ticket for some alcohol!  Yea! Seriously!

I waddled over to the alcohol booth, got a big check on my bib and a glass of champagne to celebrate!  I then plopped down at a table and probably ate 2-3 muffins, cookies and crackers with more applesauce as I was so hungry.  A quick change of clothes and I got a call that Hubby, Pea and Monkey were right outside the Race Retreat!

I got lots of hugs, kisses and congrats as we walked (I waddled) to the Epcot entrance to head for breakfast.  We needed to find Akerhaus for our meal so we wandered toward the World Showcase.  My left foot felt like a blister was brewing on the inside of it so I stopped to put a blister strip on it that I had in my iFitness belt and we asked for directions.  We arrived in Norway and had an awesome breakfast and an incredible day in Epcot and lived Happily Ever After!

I LOVE DISNEY RACES!!!


2012 Disney Tangled Royal Family 5K and Kids Races Recap!

We boarded the runDisney bus around 5:40 am from the Riverside with no wait time and relaxed and snacked during the short drive to Epcot. 
When we got there, it was amazing to see the setup Disney had with the tents for the next day.  This area was closed off to us but I was glad to get the chance to at least see what was coming my way early the next morning.  After our bags were checked, we made our way to the staging area and got approached by a photographer!
We continued to make our way through the crowd of people and got to the line to see the Tangled characters was incredibly long.  Pea was excited to see a glimpse of Maximus though.  After yelling at the kids for fighting with each other, a Disney reporter came up to us with the race director and asked for an interview.  Lol, great timing as Pea was getting herself composed.  The director asked Hubby if we thought the Incredibles were going to win and he just kind of stood there with his mouth open.  Awkward, so I then kinda leaned over him and said of course!  The kids are fast or something like that.  Not sure if Pea was still teary eyed at this point (It was beyond early and someone is really sensitive when Mama yells at her) but I'm sure it did not make for the best footage.  Oh well ;)

It was getting close to 7am so time to head to the corral.  We made our way to the back so no one would get trampled..  This was not a chip timed event either, but being a runner, I understand that some people will just want to go full tilt and I did not want my kids in their path so we headed towards the back.  Probably took a good 5 minutes before we got to the starting line then we were off!  Traffic was jammed up pretty good as we made our way through the parking lot, past some porta-potties for Sunday and a train, then to the back lot of Epcot.  We entered the park between Mexico and Norway.  It was cool to get to see some of the behind the scenes areas that the cast use.

The kids were doing awesome, weaving around and running!  I think Mulan was the first character we came to but the line was long and Pea and Monkey did not want to wait.  We stopped for water at stop 1 just after mile 1.  I of course had my own, but the family partook in the corney water.   After that we headed towards the Americas when a lady yelled to her friend, "I can't believe a 5 year old just passed me!" I think I then yelled something along the lines of "She is 8!"  Too funny!  We took our second water stop behind Canada (I think) and then made our way back into the park after going behind down thru the boat entrance area of Epcot.  Then we saw the ball!  The kids were still going strong and having fun!  No complaining for the Incredibles!  Awesome!  It was so fun keeping up with them and easy to track them in the race since we were all "Matchy, Matchy!"
I posted the above picture on Facebook after the race and my Mom was shocked the kids were running with adults.  Granted not that many kids did the race on their own, but there were quite a few that were doing great!  I'm so proud of Pea and Monkey.  Monkey said his legs hurt and his chest did too but he had fun and they both were so proud of earning their medal!
I see a lot more 5Ks in the Incredible family future!

After all the excitement we headed back to Riverside and grabbed a quick bite to eat and dropped off our coats and extras that we had in bag check.  We got the bus to the ESPN center again to walk around the expo and head to the kids races that started at 11am.  Pea and Monkey were signed up for the 400m. 
It was a long wait for the event to start.  There were several waves of the 100m, then a few waves of the 200m then 400m was off around 11:40 or so.  Hubby was waiting by the finish line while I decided to sprint after Pea and Monkey as we already lost Pea for a second in the Expo center earlier due to the crowds.  The kids finished and got yet another medal to proudly display through out the rest of the weekend.

While the kids races were fun, since they do the 5K I would not sign up for them in the future as I would rather spend that time relaxing by the pool before lunch and a nap instead of the travel, waiting and running.

We headed back to the Riverside, ate lunch and took well deserved naps!  Pea, who is not a napper, was the first to fall fast asleep.  After our naps and showers, we headed to the Magic Kingdom where we enjoyed the rest of the afternoon and had a wonderful dinner at Narcosees. 

Great day!!!

Thursday, March 1, 2012

2012 Disney Princess Expo!

On Friday morning we woke up bright and early to meet with the DVC folks at 8am and after our meeting we were chauffeured in a big red van to the expo and arrived at 9!  I got to meet up with a good friend of mine and we rushed to get our race packets.  Hubby and I split up as we needed to get the kids packets, our family 5 K packets, my half packet and my race retreat packet.  Once we had gathered all 7 plastic bags filled with our bibs and goodies (note I later discovered the goodies were minimal, but hey, that is not why I wanted to run Disney) we headed over to the Expo to get our shirts and shop!

My first purchase was at iFitness where I got the neoprene Hydration belt 12oz in black complete with 2 front water bottles and I was also able to purchase a removable longer pack in the back to hold my epi-pens!  I had to wait till Saturday to get the holder as they were still in Miami!

Now, I have always heard and read that you should never try our any new products or clothes during a race, but seeing how Dasani was the only water being served on the course... and seeing how I don't think it was a good idea to drink corn while I run, lol, I needed more water for the morning than my Lululemon bottle would provide.  So, I planned to use the Lululemon to hold enough water from my room for the bus and after the race and use this sweet belt for the race.  Ok, I won't leave you in suspense, it was AWESOME!  The water did not slosh around, the belt stayed on my hips over my giant, puffy Minnie skirt and it ROCKED!

While I was purchasing this, they announced they had spots open for Disneyland!  I already secured my registration, but my friend really wanted to do it with me so she rushed over there.  When Pea and I got there we got to meet Jon Hughes, the race director and get our photo taken!  Pea and I also had to oogle the medal like I will be earning at the end of the summer!!!
Next stop was to find some beads for my Pandora bracelet.  I want to represent all Half-Marathon runs I do on it so I needed a piggy, a princess themed one and I wanted one of those cool 13.1 beads I saw online.
A quick stop at Milestone Sports Jewelry did the trick!  Love my new beads!!!
Even though we got there right when it first opened on Friday, the crowds in the Official runDisney merchandise area were out of hand!  People were lined up with 2-3 Dooney purses/bags each, it was crazy!  While I am an LV girl, I would not have minded a cute Dooney Princess tote, but I was not going to wait in that line and fight the crowds so we headed to enjoy the rest of the day in the parks.

On Saturday we headed back to the expo before the Kids races so I could pick up the epi-pen add on and the RunDisney merchandise booth was free, but of course all the Dooney was long gone and probably headed to eBay.  None the less, I found a shirt I saw on Friday and wanted!
As we were making a last "sweep" through the Expo we discovered Jeff Galloway was at the runDisney booth!  I picked up a few of his books and after reading, decided my plan for the Princess half would be to walk for 60 seconds at every mile marker until the end when I felt I was good to run the rest of the way without breaks.  Jeff was so kind and really took some time to talk to me and the kids and said he was proud of what a good influence I was on Pea and Monkey and how proud he was that they completed the 5K (sorry for the spoiler, getting ahead of myself).  It was great to meet him and I look forward to following a plan he has layed out to train for the Chicago Marathon.  Time passed quick and we had to head to the field for the kids races to start.  All in all, great expo!