Hello friends
10 Oct 2011 8 Comments
in Mamavation, Motivation
Welcome back friends, it has been awhile. Life sure gets busy when kids start school. Here I thought once the boys started I would have time to get things done. Looks like the opposite happens. Work has been crazy busy and I have been working full-time, very unlike me. A lot of things have taken a backseat and I have to learn how to prioritize all over again. I am signed up as PTA secretary and I never imagined how much work goes into that. Right now is a busy time for PTA and I am looking forward to my upcoming vacation with the family.
To catch you up on my fitness, I was trying to keep up with the #2weekchallenge on Mamavation.com but I got a few days behind and decided to just step back and supplement my workout with the ab crusher advance workout by @Gruntstyle. Can I tell you how much I LOVE this workout! I feel great after doing it and I have felt results after just a week. This week I decided to get back into running. My motivation…hubby and his friend running the Twin Cities 10 mile. You have never seen two guys make a 10mile run look so easy and fun! They made it look like a walk in the park. Made me decide to aspire for a lofty goal next year. Can you say 10 mile?
My good news for the week comes from my work out friend that I have had for the past year and a half or more. When she and I started going to the gym together she swore I would never get her to be a runner. We have tried so many classes together, from Body Pump, Step class, Turbo Kick, Cycle, Rowing, Body Flow, but even as I trained for my 5Ks and mud run she kept telling me she would never run. Well this week, I got her to do some running intervals around the indoor track with me. Not once but 2 different days! I asked her to try walking 2 laps and running a lap (or a lap in a half). If she didn’t like it or felt crummy I promised we would stop. She was a sport and gave it a go on Wednesday. She did great completing 6 laps of running, 12 laps of walking for a total of just shy of 2 miles. On Thursday we met at the gym and she only had a half hour to work out so I suggested we run a little more again, since she did so well the day before and was feeling so good. She agreed and managed to give me at least one double lap getting her 7 running laps, 14 walking laps in less time than the day before. She was so proud of herself and I was so proud of her for trying something new, that she swore she would NEVER do. I think I may have passed on the fever of running to yet another person.
Well this week is another crazy work week for me. I am hoping to plan out a ab challenge in November as part of the #corewarrior series. I am hoping for some time here in the very near future to start working out the details.
I wish you all a great and healthy week!!
I got down and Muddy!
12 Sep 2011 6 Comments
in Mamavation, Running Tags: Bondi Band, MS Mud Run, running, running mom
I have survived the Twin Cities Mud Run and lived to tell the tale. We had so much fun!! I ran with a group of gals from work as well as a group of guys from work. We had a mix of ages and athletic levels in each group. Our goal, go out, get MUDDY and have FUN! We had to take a clean picture first. I have to give a shout out to Bondi Band. I ordered these “girls gone muddy” bands from them and received my order, in a color they were currently out of in less than a week! You have a customer for life not only because of your customer service but my team LOVED them during the run! They stayed in place and kept our muddy hair out of our eyes! (I give that review of my own accord, I did not receive anything from Bondi Band, nor did they have any idea they were going to be mentioned in this post) Moving on….
I'm on the far left in the back...skinny pipes.
So the race started out with us running through a mud pit in front of a large crowd of on lookers, cheering us on. We had the next 1.5 miles to run and rethink our decision to continue. Our first challenge was to run up one of the steepest ski runs at Trollhaugen. Little did we know, this would be one of many, many, many hills we would run up (and back down). At the first water stop, about a mile in, I was rethinking my breakfast. *Note to self: do NOT eat oatmeal before running.*
At this point we were ready for some obstacles. We were tired of running up and down hills and through, beaches? Where did they get all this thick sand? We were hot and ready to get wet and muddy. It wasn’t long and we hit a large mud pond to run through, it was about waist deep in some areas. We had to climb up large rocks, out of mud pits, up and over logs (that were crossing over mud pits), under logs (in mud pits), through muddy tunnels, cross wobbly logs, go over hurdles, over 2 walls, climb a few rope walls, swing across on a rope swing, swim through mud and muck, and so much more. Did I also mention there were rules and mud? You had three attempts to complete each obstacle or you were disqualified. You could not skip and obstacle, unless you had 3 failed attempts. Your entire team had to cross the finish line within 15 seconds of each other.
3 of the Down and Dirty Nurses
This is me (on the right) and two of my teammates in our last mile. We were a whole lot muddier before this picture but we just swam in a pond before our decent down the hill. Right after this we ran back up a hill and back down, the same hill to jump over a fire pit and climb this rope wall.
We thought we could rest after that but no, it was on the Rope Bridge.
A small jog past the rope bridge was one of my favorites, the Gorilla Ropes.
I was starting to get tired. I’ll admit it. This was the end of our strength tests. It was a small jog and we were back in front of the cheering crowd of on lookers again. We could see the finish line. All that stood between us and it was…another muddy, rocky hill with…sprinklers? But at the top was best slip and slide ever! Who knew sliding into a muddy puddle would make one giggle like a school child again! After our slide we had a run to the Leap of Faith and waited for our 3 final members to catch up to us (remember the 15 second rule).
Mud in the ear, not so fun, nor easy to clean
Even our BondiBands Survived!!!
Waiting for our lost team members
The Line up
The Leap
The 8ft deep mud puddle/pond
After our swim all we had was an army crawl under ropes and we were done!
Finished!!
We couldn’t have been more proud of our accomplishment. We over came 6.2 mile (10K) of hills, obstacles, and mud, together for a great cause.
I wanted to nothing more than take off my muddy shoes. I had struggled for a few weeks prior to the race trying to decide on what to wear on my feet, boots vs. running shoes. I went with running shoes and found a cheap pair of Nike’s (we’re talking $2.50 baby). But they came through, well sort of, by the end they weighed about 5 pounds each.
Our shoes
Yes my socks use to be white and light grey.
To answer Attune Food’s Mamavation Question this week: When was the last time you bought new shoes? Last monday, and look at them now! I used them to stomp in the mud for a good cause, a cure for MS!
And so did a bunch of people. This is 1 of 4 piles of donated shoes.
So what did I learn:
1. Running shoes work just fine for this run. Make sure they are on tight and that you double knot the laces. Wear synthetic socks. (No blisters!)
2. Training would be best. I am in decent shape, but I was not in shape enough to run up and down the ski hills and in what felt like running along a beach, then combine the 2 so you are running up a steep beach. My quads and butt are going to look so good if I keep this up!
3. I have decent upper body strength. I completed all the obstacles without having to repeat.
4. I need to work on my running. Period.
5. I went out to have a muddy good time and it was a muddy blast. So much that I might be crazy enough to do it again!
The last part of this post is sponsored by Attune Foods and I’m writing this to be entered into a giveaway hosted by Mamavation – a community dedicated to obesity prevention & weight loss for women.
Another day bites the dust
31 Aug 2011 1 Comment
in Mamavation Tags: mamavation, running, training
Huh. I seemed to have lost August somewhere. Between vacations and a D.I.Y kitchen remodel I have not had as much time to workout. Scary thought for me since July was a HUGE turning point for me and I was rockin’ my workouts.
So here I sit. It is the second to last day of August and I am really wishing I could have done more. Actually, I should have done more. I have the Twin Cities MS Mud Run in 11 days!! I am in trouble. For those who need a reminder, the mud run is a 10K military-style obstacle course run through mud, deep mud. I think I am going to channel the strength of Daniel Alarik (aka: @Gruntstyle).
Seriously, I am going to work hard in the short time I have left. I am going to be running like a mad woman. I plan on mixing in some of the Gruntstyle workouts over on Bookieboo.com to shake things up a bit in a hurry.
Other than that, my only problem is footwear. I am having an internal debate with myself on what I need to wear on my feet for this mud run. I have read in other posts, out in the big ol’ blogosphere, that boots are better because you can easily lose a running shoe to the deep muck. I have not been running very long in general, but I cannot picture running in Jungle Combat boots, as suggested. Any thoughts? Remember I will be a wet muddy mess for this and the shoes, well they may be ditched in the end.
Living Healthier with Technology
08 Aug 2011 6 Comments
I had a whirlwind of a weekend! We were off to Madison, Wi for a wedding on my Husband’s side of the family. Hubby and I were all set and ready to run early Friday morning. We have bee using our Nike+ Sportbands since May to help track our runs. As we were getting ready to run, I look over at little man R and realize that his left ankle is twice the size of his right and a nasty red color and warm to the touch. My run get’s placed on the back burner as I get on the phone with the insurance company to find an Urgent Care that is covered in Wisconsin. So two hours later we are back at the in-laws house, with antibiotics in hand, and I am now ready to get in a quick workout in before the wedding. So I grab my iPhone, not running anymore, too hot and not enough time, and instead did a quick Nike Training Workout from one of my apps.
My point, thank goodness for technology! Whether it is helping me track my runs, or sneaking in a quick on the go workout. I use many different forms of technology for healthy living. I have my iPhone to map my running and biking routes, play my favorite tunes while I sweat it out on the treadmill, or tell me that it I am half way through my run and need to turn around and start heading towards home while not missing a beat in my favorite Katy Perry song. I have a heart rate monitor to track my heart rate and calorie burn during Cardio Kick and Cycle or any other cardio activity that I may want to makke sure I am keeping my hear trate on Target. Technology has made fitness a little easier for us to do on the fly and while traveling. We can bring our favorite workouts with us in the palm of our hand. I have used pedometers (like they have at Omron Fitness) at work to track my steps to challenge myself each week to see if I could go a few steps further each time. But my last one went through the wash and well, it hasn’t been replaced.
I use the Internet to find and share healthy recipes such as Foodnetwork.com and allrecipes.com and inspiredrd.com as well as twitter. I have become such a better cook since website like these have emerged! I hated sorting through cookbooks and trying recipes without any feedback. It has been so nice to search for recipes, read reviews and try recipes based on other people’s reviews and feedback.
Twitter and Blogging has also kept me accountable for my fitness goals. By making my goals public my friends and family will check in on me asking me how I am doing and it keeps me pushing forward and working harder towards achieving those goals.
We are off in the morning for a weeks vacation. Planning on some hiking, family yoga, swimming, and so much more. Take care!!
“This post is sponsored by Omron Fitness and I’m writing this to be entered into an Omron Fitness pedometer giveaway hosted by Mamavation .”
Monday Check Point
02 Aug 2011 3 Comments
in Mamavation
Hello blogosphere! I hope today finds you all healthy and well! I have been working hard on my fitness goals and trucking along. I made it to the gym 6 out of 7 days last week. I am trying to hard to train my lungs to breathe when I run. I know sounds funny to say, but I have realized during my past two 5Ks I am not breathing like I should. I take very shallow breaths when I run and this causes me to run into all sorts of problems on the course. As my boys would say, “duh”. So I have been retraining my self on how to breathe. Sounds simple right? Umm, not so much. I have been talking with my friend @RunningRachel over at http://www.runningrachel.com/ and she has been giving me a few pointers about breathing. For starters, when breathing IN-sticking belly out. When breathing OUT-suck belly in. May sound obvious to many of you, but I breathe the opposite way, normally. So yeah, I have to re-train my brain. But it has worked so far. I have also been doing interval training with my running to help me run further distances with this breathing pattern. So this week, I would speed walk for 4 minutes than run for 1 minute and repeat this 5 times. Each run was over 2.2 miles. This week I plan on walking for 3 minutes running for 2 minutes and seeing how I feel. My next big goal to tackle is to run a 5k under 30 miutes.
Food choice this week have been good. Hubby and I have made various salads and wraps made with Flatout Bread. We have been trying to get more veggies in with each meal and eating out of our garden. I need to get back to adding in more fish into our meal plans. When eating out we have been picking lighter meals. The scale has still been my friend. I am still only 3 lbs away from my weight loss goal. I maintained this week, which I am ok with and I figure I would do since I didn’t step it up like I should have.
This week we leave for vacation. We are headed to Madison, Wisconsin for a wedding on Thursday (8/4). The wedding is on Friday, with a family get together all day Saturday. Planning on running while there to get the workouts in. We come home on Sunday. Monday (8/8) we leave for Duluth, MN (2 hours North) on the shores of Lake Superior for a week vacation as a family. There we will be hiking, biking, and relaxing, but also getting some trail running in. It will be our last vacation before the boys start Kindergarten in September, and I go into empty nest withdrawal.
Have a great week and as always, thanks for stopping by!
“This post is sponsored by Flatout Bread and I’m writing this to be entered into a giveaway hosted by Mamavation .”
Tap tap tappin’ my Happy Feet
28 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
in Giveaways, Injury Tags: back pain, foot pain, Giveaway, Happy Feet Insoles, Injury Prevention
How nice are you to your feet? How much time do spend walking around on them in a day? Do you wear high heels? Shoes that are ill fitting? Do you pamper your feet?
I am down right mean to my feet. They are probably the most neglected part of my body. I have treated them to maybe (gasp) 5 pedicures in my lifetime (I’m only 33 mind you). When at work I spend my entire 8-12 hour Emergency room shift on my feet in running shoes. How often do I replace them? Not often enough. I should replace them every 6 months or so (or sooner). But I replace them when my co-workers are getting tired of hearing me whine and complain that my back is getting sore and that my legs are hurting, and this is just the beginning of our shift. That was my cue for new shoes. Until I developed plantar fasciitis over a year ago, so I have to be more careful.
I was thrilled to be hooked up with Happy Feet Insoles. I have tried a few other insoles but nothing has felt this good, or different. Different is GOOD! Their insoles are 100% glycerin filled, designed to relieve foot, knee and back pain and improve circulation. The insoles are designed to distribute weight evenly, absorbing the shock of your foot with each step and massaging the foot at the same time. Remember my lack of pedicures? I think I may make up some points right here! Happy Feet Insoles are manufactured in the USA and come with a 1-year warranty. So rest assured you and your feet will be satisfied.
What makes them so different? The massaging feeling. It takes a little getting use to, so you will want to wear them around the house at first for short periods of time, but after a few days you will not want to take them off. The unique way the liquid in the insole rotates around the foot bed to massage the pressure points of the foot to alleviate stress as you walk, is second to none. I was surprised to open the package to find out how compact the insoles are, they fit into almost any shoe including sandals. Happy Feet insoles are washable and are anti-microbial treated to resist odors.
I gave these insoles a true test at work and wore them during a busy 5 day weekend stretch. Normally my feet would be sore by day 2 and my low back and legs would ache by days 3 and 4. I was pleased that nothing was sore on day 5 and I was feeling stronger than ever in my legs and feet. No fatigue, no soreness, no leg pain, it is wonderful! I have been wearing them to work ever since. Another thing I have noticed, (TMI coming) my shoes are not smelly. May not be related to the insoles, but if they are keeping my feet cooler and the anti-microbial lining in the insole is working that would cut down on foot odor in the shoe itself. Not such a bad thing for me or my family when I get home from work.
Here’s the good news for you! Visit the Happy Feet website to find out more or to place an order (use this promo code: 70746). That’s not all! The wonderful people at Happy Feet are giving me a pair of insoles to giveaway to a lucky reader! Do you want your feet to be as Happy as mine? If so, leave me a comment about why your feet could use some pampering.
Contest closes at 11:59pm Central Time on 8/13/11. Winner will be announced on Monday 8/14/11. Please Make sure to leave you twitter handle in your response. Thank you!
**I was given a pair of Happy Feet Insoles to try for free but the views and opinions of the insoles were my own.**
Hey honey, the kids are watching…
26 Jul 2011 1 Comment
Ok, get your head out of the gutter and back to the blog post 
I have to constantly remind myself and my hubby that the boys (5-year-old twins , for those just visiting) are always watching. This includes our language, what we eat, how we drive, what we wear, what we listen to on the radio. Take for example, my latest car trip to the gym this morning. We were running late (read as, I was running late) and I hear from the back seat, “Come on cars we are going to be late for mommy’s class, move it!” Oops! That sure sounded like something I would say, but it came out of a 5-year-old mouth. Note to self, use inside driver’s voice from now on. Check.
But also heard on a recent conversation between the boys when discussing what we should have for breakfast this weekend. We were running errands as a family and my Husband and I decided Panera would be a safer bet for breakfast than McD’s and little B piped up that he wanted McD’s pancakes. Little R, my pancake lover, chimed in and tells his brother “they are good but they are not the healthy choice.” Someone has been listening to mommy and daddy lately. Huh. I guess the biggest lesson I have learned so far in my 5 1/2 years with my boys is that if you practice what you preach they will pay attention and follow suit, eventually.
So I am continuing to stock our fridge with fresh produce and placing it on their plates at each meal. If it is on their plate it will be on mine as well as my husband’s. We will challenge ourselves to try new foods that are in season as well. We are looking forward to our up coming vacation in August and have many outdoor activities planed for that time. As for my own personal goals, I have lost 2 lbs this week and that puts me 3 lbs away from my goal weight! In the last 2 weeks I have shed about 5-6 lbs and I am not sure why but it is falling off and I feel wonderful! I am struggling with a training plan for my MS mud Run In September. It is coming very fast and I am now at a loss as to where to even start. A refresher, it is a 10 race through a military-style obstacle course made of mud. Thoughts? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
A Fresh Start
13 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
I am so late with this post this week due to lack of sleep & unexpected double shifts at work. But I really hope people get to read this post. I HAVE NEWS! I am practically bursting at the seams I can’t wait to share with you! I feel like I have finally accomplished another break through. But I am going to make you wait. Tee hee. ; )
So some of you may have read last weeks post of my heat related running issue, I am better. I have refueled with water an am back with a full tank. Sunday after my 5K played 18 holes of golf with hubby and my father in-law. Monday was a rest day because I really should have rested on Sunday and my body made sure to tell me so. Tuesday was our travel day home. Wednesday morning I received a call from my mom (who is a widow, long story and another reason for why I am on a mission for a healthy family) to tell me she needed help painting the outside of her house. Come again? It’s 7:30am and you’re doing what? “I’ll be right over” with twin torpedos (my 5 year olds who were wound up after being in a car the day before). So I spent Wednesday going up and down a 20ft ladder (great glut workout by way), and working my arms by painting for 9 hours. Thursday I was at my mom’s again for 5 more hours of painting followed by a quick shower then off to work. Friday I worked for 16 1/2 hours (3pm-7:30am on Saturday), Saturday well I slept until I had to be at work again by 7pm. Then Sunday it was off to work again by 3pm.
So where is this good news you ask? Ah…good question. My good news is not about me. I may have been the busy mama. But a certain husband of mine has been taken notes. And I couldn’t be more proud of him!! Since our 5K on Saturday he has run several times during lunch last week and this week. He is watching what he eats. Wait, let me say that differently, he is eating very healthy. He made me several meals this past weekend (let’s face it, I was in no shape to be using sharp tools, lack of sleep) and he cut vegetables and made fresh wrap sandwiches for both of us. He ate raw vegetables on his own. I had to look twice just to make sure I had the same husband. Even eating out with friends on Tuesday night he made smart choices. He is doing very well. While I slept on Saturday he did our grocery shopping and attempted at meal planning. We may have to go again mid-week but he did great. I guess it proves that if you just keep going and keep leading by example your family will follow suit when they are ready. I don’t nag him, at least not about food (may want to watch the comments for his feedback on that). I just don’t buy the junk food, candy, soda, etc. If it’s not in the house no one will eat it. The kids won’t ask or crave it.
So here’s hoping we can keep our family on the right path. And here’s to our FRESH Food Start!
Run to the Rhythm 2011 recap
03 Jul 2011 4 Comments
in Running Tags: 5K, moms run, running
That was the scariest run I have ever been on! With that said, let me back up and say I am so glad I hydrated as much as I did the week leading up to the race. We knew it was going to be hot and muggy. I knew I hadn’t prepared as much as I should have, but planned on taking it slow it and steady. What I didn’t plan on was a side effect from a medication that I recently was restarted on a few weeks ago.
I get migraine headaches. I have struggled with migraines for years. But I also get tension headaches that have been triggering more migraine headaches recently. So I was started on a preventative over a year ago. I have never been very good at taking medication, (bad example for being an ER nurse, I know) I would rather change my habits first then resort to medications second. I have tried almost everything and now I am back to medications. We choose the least harmless to me, at least we thought, until yesterday during the the 5k.
I felt good that morning, nice and stretched, my pre-race jitters right on schedule but I was ready to go. There was a nice crowd ~500 registered from 27 states, not bad for a first annual race. Temp was upper 70s but very humid and full sun for 9am. The course started out very shady. But after our first up hill, it was full sun and hot! That’s when I started to feel my head spin, my legs got weak, and I stopped sweating. Not a single bead. Normally I would be thankful but for how hot I felt and knowing we were only a mile and a half in I was worried. My lips were cracked, I had no saliva, I was in trouble of quickly becoming into heat exhaustion. At the water station I tried to drink but threw it up, so took another glass over the top of my head and a third to the front of my shirt. I had several internal arguments in my head about laying down in the grass and stopping but my stubborn self/runner self was yelling “keeping going those feet moving!” I had a big hill coming up that had parts of sun shade mix. I made myself jog in the sunny spots to the shaded areas.
My little guys were at the end of the run and helped run me in. The gave me cold water they were drinking and told mommy not to give up and to keep running! My husband waited and gave up his time wait for me as well coming in just a second before me.
I don’t think I have struggled with anything in my life. I felt like such a wimp. But at the same time I accomplished a challenge. I ended up with a nasty headache for the rest of the day but it was worth it. I’ll keep running. What surprised me the most is my time. I thought for sure it was way worse than my 1st race in May. It wasn’t, I came in at 36:59. Not even a minute more than my May time. Makes me wonder what my time would have been if I had not run into trouble. I guess I will have to keep training to see!
Never prepared
28 Jun 2011 3 Comments
in Mamavation, Running Tags: moms run, run, Run to the Rhythm, running mom
I always seem to jump into things without thinking first. I signed up for my second 5K a month ago think I had plenty of time to prepare. I did, at the time, problem is, I didn’t prepare like I should have. Don’t get me wrong. I haven’t been sitting around eating bon bons and ice cream (mmm, ice cream) I have been busting my hind end at the gym at least 4 days a week but I have.not.been.running. So here I am, the Monday before my next (2nd ever) 5K run. I am scared! My goal was to break my time, feel good and confident and ready. Here I sit shaking and almost ready to puke! I ran last Thursday while it was nice and muggy out (ick) and I thought I was going to die! So my game plan for Saturday HYDRATE. Simply HYDRATE and of course FINISH. Did I mention this is a never been run before course? I am running in Madison, Wisconsin at Run to the Rhythm 2011. Average Temperature in Madison is usually 71 degrees. Beautiful, right? Did I mention it is supposed to be 90 some degrees that day and humid. Thank goodness it is at 9am and that my in-laws live close to the clubhouse pool. So there is my stress. The upside, there will be the BEST firework show I have ever seen later that night! I am so excited to be taking my boys to it. My hubby brought me to this 13 years ago an we have gone almost every year since. But this will be the first year for our 5 year old boys since they are not as afraid of loud noises. The music the fireworks are set to is spectacular. Nothing compares! The all day festivities at the park are so fun the boys may actually sleep in in the morning *fingers crossed*. Sorry digressed, my dear hubby is running with me again (at my pace, sorry dear). I am happy to have the company and the support to push me through. The good news is, sounds like the entire last 1.1 miles is down hill and the finish line is visible! Talk about motivation! I wish I had more time, but I know I will finish. It may not be a personal best but there will always be next year to come back an crush my own record.
Also, we will see how this newly turned 33-year-old (Tuesday) body holds up. Never thought I would be running in 5Ks let alone my up coming 10K MS Mud Run (with 78 military type obstacles).
Have a Happy and Safe 4th of July everyone!!!
