Anthem 1/2 Marathon Finisher!

First off I have to say my road trip with my best friend Julie was such an amazing journey! I feel so blessed that she asked me to share that experience with her and I can't wait for more adventures like it in the future.

 

Since I returned home on Tuesday afternoon things have been crazy with getting back into our normal routine and returning to work.  I promise I will get my race recap up soon. I also have a bunch of great pictures from our trip to share just as soon as I have a chance to upload them and get them organized. 

 

For now, I am proud to say I did it! It wasn't always pretty but I got it done! 

 

Let the fun begin...

This picture was suppose to be with my post yesterday but for some strange reason (probably of my own doing) it didn't get posted! I know I am ready for a road trip!!!

All that is left for me to do is to load the car, drop little man off at daycare and I will be on my way to meet up with Julie. I better set the cruise control for my drive to her house! I am so excited for our road trip that I can hardly stand that I have to do the first 1 1/2 hours by myself!

 

 Let the fun begin!!!

Road Trip

I am just about packed and ready for tomorrow! It is hard to believe that it is already here. My best friend and I take off tomorrow on our road trip..... stay tuned for more;)

i am a runner

 

 

I am proud to say I am a runner:) I am gearing up for my vacation to Virginia Beach with my best friend where I will run the Shamrock Half Marathon and she will run the marathon. I am getting super excited and can hardly wait for our road trip adventure to begin! It should be a great time and you can bet I will have a ton of pictures to share.

 

I am getting a little nervous becuase my left knee has been acting up this week. It is fine while I am running but then a few hours after my run it feels like there is a lot of pressure in it and it gets really tight. I am taking it easy this week and I am also doing a lot of icing, stretching, and.... wait for it.... FOAM ROLLING!!! Yep, I said it- I am foam rolling and it isn't so bad. It is actually really helping a ton. I think I have a new item to add to my packing list- my new friend the foam roller:)

 

 

Do you schedule vacations around races?

 

What items necessary when packing for Racecation?

The Weekly Chase #10

 Over the weekend I celebrated my birthday! I got to spend part of my day doing what I love with the one I love- running 12.75 miles with my hubby. It was a beautiful day and we were able to head outside for our final long training run for my half in Virginia Beach! It was nice to get outside again since I have done so much of my training for this half marathon on the treadmill. It took me a few miles to get in the groove but then it felt really good.

 

I wore my new Pro Compression Marathon socks for the first time and I loved them. I also wore them later that day to work and I do think they helped with my recovery. My legs were not as stiff/sore as I expected them to be the next morning. We also took along the handheld water bottle and I guess I am a wimp because I could hardly get a mile and had to hand it off to Tim for him to carry. In the past I was spoiled by always having the jogging stroller to carry everything. I will need to work on using it on short runs to build my endurance with it.

 

On this run I used the Honey Stinger Chews again and had a much better result. I ate a few about 5.5 miles in and then again at about 9 miles. I also made sure to sip on the water more often since we were using the handheld bottle. I did get a small side ache near mile 10.5 but nothing like the ones in the past.  I will have to keep playing around with my "fueling" as we continue on our full marathon training for May. 

 

For our long run on Saturday we combined several different "loops" that we run into one long run. We started off on our "10K loop" turned and headed onto our "4.5 mile loop" and finished up with our "5 mile loop". Now I know those numbers don't add up to our 12.75. That is because our "loops" are from home,  back to home. On this run they were all linked together without going home each time. Doing this long run is a true journey through our running. I remember when running even just a small portion of one of these loops was a huge accomplishment. I remember finally being able to run the whole 4.5 mile loop and texting Tim that I did it! I remember working up to the 5 mile loop and then onto the 6.2 mile loop. There was a time that each of these loops were very difficult on their own and now we ran all of them linked together- what an amazing feeling and so much fun to see how far we have come! 

 

Where does the time go? I can't believe it is time again for The Weekly Chase!

 

 

Here is a review of last weeks goals:

1. Challenge goal- Spend one-on-one time with Riley and Isaac. This didn't happen again but there is time set aside for tonight for time with Riley. We are signed up for the Family Strength Training class at the Y and that is for Tim and me to take with Riley. Once he completes the class then he is able to workout in the Wellness Center as long as we are there with him. We are really looking forward to the class and what it means for time with him in the future.
2. Challenge goal- Finish reading The Five Love Languages for Children I made progress here but haven't finished the book yet.
3. Journal my food for the week and do a blog post to report back. I kept track of all of my food until Friday then my journal stops! I also have to say that I did great with my eating up until that point as well. The weekend at work had lots of temptations and I did fairly good at not overdoing it but I did indulge in the goodies.
4. Foam roll 3 times I didn't do this at all:( It was a crazy week and I was just lucky to get my stretching in. I need to make this more of a priority!
5. Do 3-4 blog posts this week Nope! I did better about posting but not where I would like it to be. I need to find a routine that works for me.

 
It's a new month...so that means a new challenge! Molly has a great one for us this month!
 

 

March is about making it happen! We make goals weekly – and that is fantastic! Let's think of one or two LARGE goals this month that we really want to see happen. I mean really.

So here goes with the goals for this week:

• Challenge goal- Start spring cleaning the house! This week I will pick one room, one closet, or one cupboard to go through and deep clean each day.
• Challenge goal- Find ways to connect with and appreciate my kids! (stated on a day off of school where they are trying to kill each other and are driving me crazy!)  
• Journal my food and pick one day to do a blog post about.
• Start getting organized and packing for my trip to Virginia next week.
• Foam Roll 3 times- Yep, I am bringing that one back again!
• Finish reading The Five Love Languages for Children

 

 

 



Fabulous February

February was a very busy month but I have to say it was great! It feels so good to look back at all that I accomplished over the month and see how far I have come since my surgery that was almost two months ago already!

 

I did a lot of this!

 

Here are my totals for the month of February:

• 188 miles total
• 72 miles running
• 112 miles biking
• 3 miles swimming
• 3 yoga classes
• 2 water exercise classes

During the month of February I really tried to push myself and step it up a notch. When I was running on the treadmill I made myself start at a faster pace and I bumped up my speed faster during my runs. I always ended with a sprint at the end. By the end of the month my starting speed and ending speeds were much faster.

I stepped out of my comfort zone and tried some new classes. I found that I LOVE yoga and am excited to continue my practice and see how my body will change by adding it in the mix. I also found a new HIIT water class that I really enjoyed. I look forward to trying new classes and expanding my horizons this year.

Tim and I both successfully participated in the Indoor Ironman over the month. The biking portion was a challenge but we did it! I feel great looking back at the effort that I put into it- in the end it was worth it because we proved to ourselves that we could make it happen!

It wasn't always easy but it was SO worth it!

 

I can't forget one of the biggest accomplishments during the month of February- we signed up for our first marathon!! I am already nervous and it isn't until May! I am also excited to have this goal and journey ahead of me. Tim and I will continue to train for it together and I look forward to that time with him. Stay tuned for more!

 



Over the past month I set lots of goals- some that I reached and some that I didn't. That is the way it goes and that is what makes us stronger. I am not perfect but I am making progress on what I want. I learned from the goals that I didn't reach and I will reach them in the future. It is easy to get discouraged but I am learning that all of my efforts are helping me get where I want to be!

 

What did you accomplish during the month of February? What goals are you working towards?

Glade Expressions Collection Review

NOTICE: this post isn't running or fitness related.... well unless you look at it as a product to cover up the stink of dirty workout clothes!  A while back I learned about BzzAgent and I decided to apply to become an "agent".  I love trying new products and one of the things that I like the most about BzzAgent is that I can choose which campaigns I want to participate in. If it is a product that I would truly see myself using or that I am interested in checking out I will try it but I won't try all products that I am offered just to "get stuff". Just over a month ago I was offered the "Glade Expressions Campaign" and I debated if I should try it or not because I love Scentsy! In the end I decided that I wanted to check it out and see what it was all about and see how it compared to Scentsy products.

 

First of all here is a little about it:
The Glade Expressions^® Collection is inspired by art and designed to be left out on display. These authentic, easy-to-use home fragrance products release scents that open up note by note, filling your home with lightly layered fragrances and inviting life in. The breakthrough line includes two unique, refillable products:
Glade Expressions^® Fragrance Mist comes in a chic holder that blends with your décor for a burst of fragrance that’s always out and available. Simply squeeze to release a long-lasting, light mist of fragrance; then refill the holder with your favorite true-to-life scent.
The Glade Expressions^® Oil Diffuser releases authentic and exotic fragrances without having to plug it in or find batteries. The trendy holder matches décor perfectly – and is also refillable – making it an effective, stylish option for layering true-to-life fragrances that last throughout your living spaces.

Here’s a rundown of the fragrances:
Pineapple & Mangosteen – Evoke a tropical paradise with the blend of freshly cut pineapples and hints of tangy mangosteen, creamy coconut and passionflower
Cotton & Italian Mandarin – Open your home with this bright, breezy blend of cotton and sparkling citrus, honeydew and sandalwood*
Lavender & Juniper Berry – Lush lavender blends with fresh juniper berry, eucalyptus and rose to relax the senses and open your home (only available at select retailers)
Fuji Apple & Cardamom Spice – A ripe, spicy blend of sweet pears and crisp apple with a dash of cinnamon and clove that warms and invigorates
Limited Edition Glade Spring Collection scents — Be revitalized by a burst of Garden Sunshine or brighten the mood of any room with the fragrance of Vibrant Bloom™.

*Cotton & Italian Mandarin is a more authentic fragrance than Febreze Air Effects Linen & Sky.

Visit glade.com to learn more about Glade Expressions^® products and to explore all their scent collections.

Now that you have read about the products it is time for what I thought of them:

Glade Expressions^® Fragrance Mist
For this product we got the Cotton & Italian Mandarin and I have to say that it was an amazing scent. We used it in the bathroom and really liked the way it smelled. I did feel like the bottle didn't last us very long though. Maybe my husband and three boys are just really stinky but we seemed to go through the bottle pretty fast. For the bathroom I did like the holder that you can reuse as we do leave the bottle out. Through the rest of the house I don't really leave air freshener spray out so I don't think that would be a huge selling point for me.

Glade Expressions^® Oil Diffuser
For this product we got the Lavender and Juniper Berry and again I have to say that I really enjoyed the scent. We used it in our bedroom and I did like that I could put it anywhere without having to worry about if it was near an outlet. At times I wished I could turn it off though. As with other oil diffusers it was really strong when we first got it and over time I felt like the scent faded. I did like the holder and thought it looked nice on my nightstand.


I received coupons from BzzAgent to get this product free to review. I received no other compensation. All opinions in the above post are mine and mine alone!