Snowflakes keep fallin'

This is what we woke up to this morning. Winter has finally come to Wisconsin and the boys are so excited. They could hardly sit through church and changed clothes faster than I have ever seen once we got home.

I am also very excited because we have the local Rotary Lights Fun Run tonight and it is going to be beautiful with the snow. It might be interesting though as I have not run or pushed the stroller  in the snow yet this winter!

A little piece of heaven

When I arrived at the Y this morning I was shocked to find this...

 

 

...calm, still water and nobody in the pool!

 

 I even asked at the desk if it was closed and was told, "No, it's open. There is just nobody using it right now." I was so excited; I have never had the whole pool to myself before! Quickly I headed up to the treadmill to get my run streak mile in as fast as I could and headed back to the locker room to get ready for the pool. Lucky for me there was still nobody in the water and it was still calm and relaxing. I felt bad for the lifeguards though- they were enjoying a nice break and now I was making them go back to work! I enjoyed a good portion of my mile swim with the pool to myself. It really was a little piece of heaven.

 

 

What do you find relaxing/calming? What is your "little piece of heaven"?

Weekend part 2

This week has been very busy in our house! Take out a couple of afternoon/evenings that I had to work. One night that we hosted a Pampered Chef party and one night of Karate and having to run out and buy a new garage door opener and the week is already gone.

 

I am finally back with the rest of our weekend fun. I mentioned in my earlier post that between the Jingle Bell Run and the Rudolph's Dash that Isaac had his first basketball game.

 

He did a great job handling the ball and had a number of assists in the game. It is amazing the growth from last year. He is starting off the season with a much better understanding of the game and it will be fun to see how much more he progresses over this season.

 

After the Rudolph's Dash we headed to Riley's first basketball game. He also did a great job with ball handling. He is getting to the age where they are finally putting plays together and it is fun to watch the team dynamics play out.

 

After the game we headed home and had an amazing salad bar. I wish I would have taken a picture of it and can't believe that I didn't. The whole counter was filled with "toppings" for our salads. We had just about everything you could want. I also should have taken a picture of the bowls used to hold the salads! I thought Tim and I  made big salads but when my bestie used a mixing bowl for her salad it made mine look like a mini-side salad. I will be moving up to the mixing bowl in the future!

 

Next up- Isaac's first test for Karate. We had no idea of what to expect so it was very interesting to see how the whole process worked and to see how good Isaac did. He was very proud of passing his first test and moving up to a yellow stripe belt. Way to go Isaac! We are so proud of your hard work:)

Isaac getting his new belt.

 

After Isaac's test we headed home and Tim made his famous (well to family and friends anyway) pizza for dinner. We even tried something new- broccoli, chicken,  and ranch. It was super yummy!!

 

It has veggies on it so it isn't too bad for us... right?

Finally it was time to head to Rotary Lights! As a family we try to make it to the park at least once every year. Last year we took our friends and I think it has turned into a new tradition for our families to go together. The kids love to explore the park and visit Santa together.

Two of my favorite guys!

All of the kids in Santa's Sleigh

Me and my family

My bestie and her family.

 

My boys with Santa

 

 If you have kids- how do you keep them active? What activites are they involved in?

 

What is your favorite kind of pizza? My boys would say "Daddy's Pizza". I would have to agree. My husband makes the best pizza. As far as my favorite toppings- I vary based on my mood. I love bacon, chicken, ranch. But I also really like taco or bacon cheeseburger pizza too.

 

What are some of your holiday traditions?

 

Pro Compression Marathon Sock Giveaway

One of my favorite bloggers, Mindy at Road Runner Girl, is doing a  Pro Compression Marathon Sock Giveaway. Head over to her site to check it out and get entered for your chance to win. I have used compression calf sleeves in the past and they have been great. I would love to try these as I am training for my next half marathon in the spring.

 

Have you ever tried compression socks for running or for recovery after long runs? What did you think?

YMCA Jingle Bell 5 Mile Run & Rudolph's Dash



What a fun and crazy weekend!

 

Our weekend started off with my best friend and her family coming to town. We ate dinner and had an interesting conversation that included "footie pjs" and "sock monkey". Our husbands' sarcastic comments were "How Sexy!"  Once dinner was done and cleaned up the two of us headed out to drive the Jingle Bell 5 Mile race route. We weren't ready to head home when we were done so we decided to do a little shopping. 

 

 We were pretty excited when we found Sock Monkey footie pjs and she had to try them on so we could send a picture to our husbands. Doesn't she look sexy?

Pre- Jingle Bell 5 Mile

 Having fun at Target seems to be a pre-5 mile race ritual between the two of us. The following couple of pictures were taken before the 2012 S-NO-W Fun Run 5 Mile Race in Lake Geneva, WI.

The two of us in Target pre- S-NO-W Fun Run

Her husband in Target pre- S-NO-W Fun Run

 

Saturday started off with a quick Coulee Region MRTT (Moms RUN This Town)/ Reedsburg MRTT meet up. We have been "chatting" on Facebook for months so it was nice to finally find a race to do "together".

 

Nikki, Robyn, me, Julie

We discussed our "plans" for the race, got a quick picture and then it was time to head outside to the start line. I didn't really have much of a plan. I knew I wanted to finish under 50 minutes and I was hoping for a 5 mile PR (under 47:45.2). Julie, who is much faster than me, told me earlier in the week that she was going to stick with me and just have a fun race. I was excited to be able to run with her because I knew she would encourage and push me (and she did just that!).

 

We started off pretty good. The first couple of miles we were headed into the wind but it wasn't bad. The temperature was great for December 1st in Wisconsin. Julie and I talked throughout the race and things felt good.  I remember her telling me that we had an awesome pace. That felt really good since I was feeling pretty comfortable at that point. As we turned the final corner into the Y parking lot she told me to sprint, that we only had 10 seconds left and that I could do it! We both sprinted to the finish line and finished with exactly the same time and I was shocked! My MotoActv said 43:14!! I did it! A 5 mile PR! Thank you Julie for pushing me and helping me get there! It felt amazing! 

 

We found the other MRTT ladies and headed inside to find water and bananas. We hung out for a little while getting to know each other and discussing the race. Robyn and I even tossed out the possibility of doing a triathlon next summer. Julie promised to help us train for the running and biking and said that she would be there to cheer us on!

 

Later in the morning we headed back to the Y with my little man, Aidan, for him to do his first race. He has watched his brothers do races and he was just waiting for one that he was old enough to do. Finally it was his turn! He was so excited having me put his number on him but once we got him to the gym for stretching with Santa and Rudolph he wouldn't let go of me. We walked out to the start line together and it was very clear that he wasn't going to do the run on his own. On your marks.... get set....go... and a group of kids brave enough to run without parents took off. A few seconds later the second wave, including me and Aidan along with several other kids (some screaming) and their parents took off and ran to give Santa and Rudolph a high five. Aidan held my hand the whole time but at least he wasn't screaming and crying! Once we crossed the finish line he was so proud of himself. He gave Santa and Rudolph a high five and collected his finisher's ribbon. You would have thought he won the race!

 

Way to go on your first race little man!

That is only the beginning of our crazy weekend. In between the two races there was a basketball game for Isaac. After Aidan's race there was a basketball game for Riley and karate testing for Isaac. More on all of that to come.



 

Ideal run

Last nights quick two mile run with my hubby was almost perfect! Add some snow falling and a dusting on the ground and it would have been my "ideal run". The temperature was perfect. The full moon was amazing. The lights were beautiful and I got to spend time with my husband doing something that we love. He pushed me out of my comfort zone but it felt great to do it.

 

I love running this time of year. What a great way to check out the holiday lights!

 

I saw this posted on Facebook today and thought it was such a great reminder during this time of year when we can easily get caught up in wanting more.

 

 

I do have a good life and am very blessed!

 

What is your "ideal run"?

What are your doing during this holiday season to "do more"?

Hustle and bustle

You always hear people talk about the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.. this year is going to be no different for us! There is so much going on in the next month or so that I can hardly keep it all straight. But that is also a good thing because much of it revolves around being active!

 

You have all of the normal, everyday life, kinds of things like: work, church, cooking, and cleaning. Then add in shopping for all of the right holiday gifts for family and friends along with trying to get some holiday baking done. Oh and trying to find the perfect tree and getting it all decorated. Don't forget the multiple holiday celebrations with family and friends! I love this time of year for all of the family traditions!

 

Next,  we add in the boys activites. Riley and Isaac have started basketball so that means practice for each of them once a week and games for each on Saturdays. Isaac also continues to have karate twice a week for another couple of weeks. He will also be testing for the first time this Saturday. It is so much fun to see him get so excited and be so proud about something.

 

Finally, our workouts and races! These are a must just to keep us sane! To help encourage us to maintain our workouts we are participating in a few challenges and have signed up for some races.

 

As I have already mentioned we are "streaking" with the 2012 Runner's World Holiday Running Streak. So far this is going great. We are right on track and are getting our miles in!

 

 I have also been participating in the Holiday Squat-a-thon. A friend posted this on Facebook so I decided to follow along too. So far, so good. We will see what I am saying when we get to Christmas!

My best friend and I are working on a "Christmas Gift to Ourselves Challenge". This is nothing formal just something that the two of us came up with to work on between now and Christmas. Feel free to participate as well and comment back with your progress. Here are the guidelines:

1) Hit the gym or road at least 3x/week

2) Pick 2-3 of the following 6x/week:

plank

wallsit

leg raises

squats

push-ups

crunches

???- other exercises of your choice

3) Diet-

cut out the junk

no sweets, no chips

good choices when eating out

no seconds, eat veggies

watch portion sizes

What do you get in the end for completing this challenge? It is a gift to ourselves to prove that we can do it! It will help make us more aware of what we are doing over the holiday season. So far for me the diet portion has been a struggle but I am working on it! It is making me pay more attention to what I am doing! We know we aren't going to be perfect- we just want progress in the right direction!

 

I need to keep reminding myself of this!

 

Another way I am staying on track is that I have signed up for some races! I always do best when I have a goal out there. Races keep me motivated and give me something to shoot for. 

 

First up is the Jingle Bell Run. This Saturday I will be joining some other MRTT members/friends to do the 5 mile race. For me it is always a race against myself. I will never win any of these races. I am just out to better myself (also a nice way of telling myself that I am the slowest of the group).

Next up is the Rotary Lights 5K Fun Run next weekend that we do as a family. This will be the third year that we have participated. It is such a fun race to do with the kids.

In January we will be headed back to Lake Geneva, WI  for a couples weekend and for the S-NO-W Fun Run .

Also for January, I have signed up for the MRTT Winter Runnerland Virtual Half Marathon. 

My big goal race is coming in March when my best friend and I will roadtrip across the country for the Shamrock Marathon/Anthem Half Marathon in Virginia Beach, VA.

 

 

 

 

Do you have a busy holiday season coming up? What are some of your family traditions?

What do you do to stay sane this time of year?

For runners/walkers, do you have any races coming up?