Live Laugh Run Breathe

10 Reasons I LOVE Running

2012-02-13T18:53:00.000-05:00

This Valentine's Day (or Valentine's Day Eve), I'm participating in a little exercise to spread the love about running. The good folks over at #RunChat are giving away a gu gift-pack to some random lover of running. Now, winning would be really cool, but mostly I just want to reflect a bit on why *I* run. So, in no particular order, my 10 reasons I love running:

I've made some incredible friends through running, many IRL and many here on the interwebs. Regardless, without running I wouldn't have met many of the people I now consider to be my best friends. (I lied about order, This is, without a doubt, reason number 1.)
The sense of accomplishment after completing a really hard run. Even if I complain about it or wasn't happy with my performance, I still lapped everyone sitting on their asses eating bonbons (do people still eat bonbons?).
The massive amounts of calories I earn back after a weekend long run, which I then "spend" on beer.
The swag. (Yes, I've become a bling-whore.)
The ability to inspire others to get out and run. Or just walk. Or so something.
I've gotten to run in some pretty amazing places. Along the beach where I grew up. The trail system here. Baltimore's Inner Harbor (Fitbloggin '11). Disney World (while training for my marathon). Disneyland (to run the Tinker Bell Half).
Weight loss. (At least initially, as I've gotten more "fit" I've noticed running doesn't work the way it used to.)
The 13.1 and 26.2 stickers I now sport on my car tell others I'm pretty bad-ass!
I had an excuse to finally get a tattoo :)
Running makes me a happier person and a better mom and wife. It is my stress relief and if I didn't have it, I'd probably be pretty hard to be around.

There you have it, my top 10 reasons for running. I'm sure there are more. What about you? What's your #1 reason for running (or yoga, or spinning, whatever's your thing)?

LLRB 365: 2012 Week 6

2012-02-12T16:19:00.001-05:00

Blogging from my phone today, so sorry for nothing fancy.

Sunday
2-5-12
Made some super soup for Super Bowl Sunday.

Monday
2-6-12
Spent my lunch time on the dang foam roller. Legs haven't been happy.

Tuesday
2-7-12
Happiness in a postcard.

Wednesday
2-8-12
Trying to flush out the sick.

Thursday
2-9-12
The only nice thing about today's run.

Friday
2-10-12
Winter came back with a vengeance.

Saturday
2-11-12
At least it's pretty.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Thankful Thursday: Girl Power!

2012-02-09T12:10:00.000-05:00

Today I'm giving thanks for a few of the Girl Power songs on my playlist that really get me pumped up and send the message that girls RULE!

Katy Perry - Firework

P!nk - So What

Christina Aguilera - Fighter

What's your favorite "girl power" song?

Shrink Yo'Self in 2012 week 6

2012-02-08T08:54:00.000-05:00

I've been really struggling with the weight I've gained, this is no secret. Yesterday was a particularly bad day. I'm not sure what made it worse, but my Inner Mean Girl was on a major rampage.

She needs to STFU. Now.

A good friend sent me this through twitter. I have no clue where it came from and this here is just a screen grab from my phone, but you get the message.

Then I get in the car this morning and the first song that plays is God Gave Me You by Blake Shelton. I know it's supposed to be a love song to Miranda, but the chorus really reflects how I feel about all of you who support me, either through comments here, tweets, emails, texts, etc. So forgive me while I get all dopey/sappy, because God really did give me all of you "for the ups and downs" and "the days of doubt". So thank you.

I'm down 2 pounds this week. 10 pounds to go.

True Super Bowl Confessions

2012-02-07T08:14:00.001-05:00

I'm in a pissy mood because I typed a post using BlogPress on my phone, complete with pictures & shit, and it wouldn't let me publish. Kept giving me the message "Failed: Seems your network is not ready for posting." WTF is that supposed to mean?

So, I confess that I really didn't care who won the Super Bowl. I was totally watching for the commercials. (Loved the M&Ms one and the spot for The Voice with Betty White.)

I ate, but I didn't eat a ton. What I ate though could barely be classified as "health food". I made the best beer, cheese & brat soup I've ever tasted, some buffalo chicken roll-ups, and lil smokies in spicy peppers. Yep. Salt.Salt.Salt and some more Salt, with a side of fat thrown in.

I drank, but kept it to 2 glasses of wine.

I had dessert. Red Velvet Cake. It was good.

The scale is going to be evil tomorrow because of all that crap and the fact that I had left over soup for lunch and dinner on Monday, as well as another piece of cake. I'm clearly a moron.

I drank a shit-ton of water yesterday in the hopes to counteract some of the sodium, but my rings still barely fit today. If this trend continues, I'm not only going to need a whole new fat wardrobe, but I'm going to need to have my rings made bigger, which really pisses me off because I've already had them made smaller. I don't have money for new clothes and rings. Our kids start Driver's Ed this spring and it's going to cost us over $700. Plus there are races I want to run, even though running at this weight is probably destroying my knees and ankles. Frak. I'm really in a bad mood today. Sorry.

I hope you were smarter than me in your eating and drinking this week. So, the important question...What was your favorite Super Bowl commercial?

11 Random Things...

2012-02-06T06:00:00.003-05:00

Just when I thought I was going to miss out on the 11 Random Things meme that's been floating around the interwebs, I get tagged by 4 people last week: Marie from Why She Runs, Thea from It's Me Vs. Me, Megan from Running Toward the Prize, and Paulette from So Just Keep Running. Now, there's no way I'm answering 44 questions, so I decided to just alternate down each person's lists until I hit 11 questions.

Here goes:

Rules:
1. Post these rules.
2. You must post 11 random things about yourself.
3. Answer the questions set for you in their post.
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
5. Go to their blog and tell them you’ve tagged them.
6. No stuff in the tagging section about you are tagged if you are reading this. You legitimately have to tag 11 people.

My 11 random things...
1. We had dogs when I was growing up (a Cocker Spaniel named Candy until I was about 10 and then a Lhasa Apso named Tai Chi for a few years after that) but now I don't really like dogs. I'll tolerate them and will pet other peoples dogs, but overall they kinda freak me out.
2. I almost never leave the house without at least some makeup on, even if it's just mascara or tinted moisturizer.
3. I love southwest decor. All of our houses have had at least 1 room decorated with Kokopelli, clay pots, etc.

4. I absolutely love beach vacations, but I'm paler than Casper.
5. Chicago is one of my favorite cities, but I only learned to use the public transportation a couple years ago and still don't like it. I'd rather drive through the city, traffic and all.
6. All of our cats found us and at one time we had 4. We were the "crazy cat people".
7. Disney World (in Florida) is my Happiest Place on Earth, but running through Disneyland in California a last week was pretty freaking awesome.
8. I went ziplining in St. Lucia but freaked out on one of the lines and had to pull myself in backwards. Note to all of you wanting to try ziplining, it's much easier to let gravity take its course and that pulling yourself in is one of the hardest arm workouts you'll ever do.
9. I can't stand talk radio. Makes me want to kill people, especially if I'm driving.
10. I have a scar on my upper lip from my Lhasa biting me. I was eating in the living room and she went for my food. I moved the food and she got me. I was so scared to tell my dad that I basically held my lip together with a washrag for a several hours until he got home. By then it was really too late to go to the hospital for stitches.
11. I played the flute in high school and when it was time for our kids to pick instruments we encouraged our son to play trombone (which my husband still plays) and our daughter to play flute. I can still play, but it sounds like crap.

Answers to Marie, Thea, Megan and Paulette's questions...
1. Do you remember your first race? Which one was it? (Marie) I do! My first race was the 5/3 River Bank Run in May 2006. I finished in 34:40.
2. What is one area of your life do you wish you could hire someone to do for you? (Thea) Keeping my house clean. Or maybe driving my kids to all their crap.
3. Would you rather be a police officer, fire fighter, or EMT? (Megan) That's easy, EMT. I almost went to medical school.
4. If you could live anywhere regardless of cost/job, where would you choose? This one is hard. I'd probably pick somewhere in the Caribbean. All the hurricanes worry me though.
5. Name 3 blogging runners who inspire you.(Marie) Kirsten for a million reasons (Tough Mudder on a broken ankle to start) but mainly because she was the first to really encourage me to run a marathon and helped me come up with a training plan that got me across the finish line. Erin because she has talked me into doing a mud run this year and she's currently kicking a$$ on her 1/2 marathon training, and Tiffany because she has raised tons of money for Team in Training and works with kiddos with cancer every day, so sees the need first hand.
6. What's the deal with time zones? (Thea) I have no freaking idea, but where I live, for the longest time northern Indiana couldn't seem to decide if it wanted to be on Michigan time or Indiana time so I never knew what time it was when I was calling my sister who lived down there. I still couldn't tell you if there's a time difference.
7. Who is your favorite cartoon character? (Megan) I love Perry the Platypus from Phineas and Ferb, but if I was gonna go old-school, I'd pick Bugs Bunny.
8. What is your favorite race distance to run? (Paulette) Half marathon. Still hard enough to require serious training but doesn't knock you out for weeks afterwards. My best race ever (pace-wise) was a 10 miler. That would probably be my 2nd choice.
9. What's your favorite pre and post run meal? (Marie) I don't really have one. Pre long run, I usually have spaghetti. After a race, if my stomach is good, I like a big burger, pizza or an Italian sub (hello, salt replacement?) Also, a beer post-run is always appreciated :)
10. Someone gives you $5000 no strings attached, what do you do with the money? (Thea) Take my family back to Disney World.
11. Cake or ice cream? (Megan) ICE CREAM!!!!! Cake is one dessert I can easily turn down (unless it's in the form of red velvet cupcakes, then I'm screwed).
Bonus question so everyone gets 3: Red wine or white wine? (Paulette) First of all, I'm a beer girl - good, craft beer, Belgian whites, etc. If I was going to drink wine, I'm partial to sweeter white wines (think Rieslings usually) but lately I've been grooving on this red blend called Wild Girl from South Africa. It's a sweet blend of Ruby Cabernet and Shiraz. So good and only about $10 a bottle. Probably a little too good. In fact, I'm drinking some right now :)

My 11 questions for you...
1. What's your go-to, pumps you up every time, workout song?
2. Cat or dog?
3. Team Jacob or Team Edward?
4. Beer, wine or mixed drink, and what's your favorite?
5. Do you have a "good luck" charm of some kind when you race? (a hat you always wear, hair always in the same style, lucky undies, etc)
6. What's your favorite iPhone or Android app and why should I download it (if it's iPhone)?
7. Have you always had the same career and was it what you originally studied?
8. Have you ever run in a costume and what was it?
9. Who would play you in a movie about your life, and who would play your significant other?
10. Do you have a nickname, and if yes, what is it?
11. If you could eat only one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

I tag...
1. Morgan from Caution Redhead Running
2. Sara from Domestically Challenged
3. Ashley from Finding My Way
4. Kim from Girl Evolving
5. Tiffany from Tall Drink of Life
6. Jaime from Life According to Jaime
7. Barb from Quick Like a Bunny
8. Andrea from The Love Bug Adventures
9. Beki from Wild Child Gone Good
10. Mendie from The Little Ladybug that Could
11. Erin from School Teacher by Day, Superhero by Night

This took me longer than I thought it would, but it was really fun. If you've already been tagged and I missed your answers, leave me a link in the comments because I'd love to read them. If you've been tagged by multiple people, do like I did and combine the questions. Or, pretend you never saw this if you don't want to play along :)

LLRB 365: 2012 Week 5

2012-02-05T09:27:00.000-05:00

Sunday

1-29-12

I started the week with a little half marathon in So. California!

You can read my Tinker Bell Half Marathon recaps here and here.

Here's a collage of scenes from the day:

Monday

1-30-12

I flew home to the remains of a blizzard. The snow made for a pretty sunrise.

Tuesday

1-31-12

In true Michigan fashion, the weather changed on a dime.

Wednesday

2-1-12

Happy palindrome day. I celebrated with a cuppa.

Thursday

2-2-12

Tried out a recipe from the new Shrinking Kitchen site - so yummy!

Friday

2-3-12

Go Red for Women Day - are you keeping an eye on your heart health???

Saturday

2-4-12

After an amazing 6 mile run in the morning, hubs and I hit up a couple local brewpubs to celebrate :)

My week obviously rocked. I mean, seriously, starting the week with Tinker Bell and finishing it with that amazing pizza?!? Hello, Happy Bari!

What was a highlight from your week?

fABuary

2012-02-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

We all know that I've been trying to incorporate more strength training into my workout schedule. I've been working on the Hundred Pushups ap and Tough Mudder workouts (except for taking last week off). I've seen another fun challenge on a few blogs in the past couple days (most recently Kim from girl evolving) and today I decided to join in. This one looks simple enough and I think I can just tack it on to what I'm already doing (or on days I do TM, skip it entirely because the exercises are built into that workout already).

Do you want to join in? Grab a copy of the schedule and pin it to your fridge or something. Hopefully we'll all be a bit more bikini ready by the end of the month!

What's your favorite ab move? Mine would probably be side planks.

Tinker Bell Half Weekend: part 2 Race Day!

2012-02-02T06:00:00.001-05:00

I gotta say, it's funny how my body just knows when it needs to get up on race day. Even though the day before the race was a long and full day, I woke up at 3:00 am, 15 minutes before my alarm. (I was also up around 1:30 am.) Beki and I got ourselves ready and I had a bowl of oatmeal made with hot water from the coffee maker (gross, btw - Beki couldn't eat hers). Andrea was meeting us in the lobby at 4:00, so downstairs we headed!

I think we look pretty awesome at 4 am!

The temperature was in the mid 40s, so I opted for my "It's not sweat, it's pixie dust" t-shirt, long bra top and sports bra, arm sleeves and capris, plus my awesome Team Sparkle skirt and wings! (I also wore 2 belts (hydration and bib holder), and I don't think I'll do that again. I really don't like the way my fuel belts look in pictures so I've gotta come up with a different system - vanity, sue me.) Luckily we got outside just as one of the shuttle buses was pulling up, so we didn't need to walk the 1.5 miles to the starting line - yeah!

There was a nice walk through Downtown Disney to the start. We found some cute pirates along the way and couldn't resist taking pictures.

There was a DJ playing music, tons of port-a-johns, and so many people milling about. Even with all the people, we were able to meet up with Barb for a quick hug and picture before we left to find our corral.

Once we got to our corral we found Tiffany!

There were adorable costumes and wings everywhere. Before long, corral A was off to fireworks.

We were just a few minutes behind and waved to Minnie and Daisy as we crossed the starting line.

Mile 1: The first mile wound outside the parks and up a couple of hills as we crossed the highway. The number of people was just insane and our pace was really slow. Beki and I had decided to try and run the race together as best we could, so we did our dodge and weave as we tried to get around the walkers and slower runners. In no time at all, we were headed back into Disneyland.

Miles 2-3+: We entered the park through some weird back entrance that was usually reserved for cast members. They were there cheering us on and warning us about the twisty course. A bunch of parade floats were out for us to see and before long we happened upon the first characters, Cinderella and Belle with their men. The line was ridiculously long so I didn't stand in line, but Beki and I both stopped to snap some pictures.

After a cast member snapped my picture, I looked around for Beki and couldn't find her. I thought for sure I'd lost my running partner. I decided to just keep running and headed down Main Street and the lights were so pretty. I ended up running into Beki at the next character stop! There were quite a few picture opportunities in the park and we didn't really care about our time, so we stopped for most of them.

So much green, tutus and wings!

I think we stopped for just about every character we could - our time at the 5k point was around 47 minutes and we cheered - pretty funny if you ask me!

Miles 4-11: Somewhere around mile 4, we headed through Downtown Disney and there were about 100 women from the Red Hat Society cheering. I almost stopped to take another picture because these women were awesome, but we decided we wanted to make up some time. This part of the race was just like any other road race, but Disney made sure there were tons of HS cheer squads, dance teams, marching bands, hula dancers, etc to keep us entertained. These 7 miles were run between and 11 and 12 minute/mile pace, which was definitely slower than I'd planned, but the 9 hours on my feet the day before at Disneyland had taken their toll. I don't think I could've run much faster if I'd tried. At around mile 7 1/2, I looked to my right and recognized a twitter friend, Mihael (@smplefy646)! Seeing a friendly face at that point in the race was awesome.

We got hugs and high-fives and headed on our way. While we were out on the streets, I was really feeling my feet and my right hip was starting to complain. Beki and I walked through the water stops and around mile 9 or 10 started walking for a bit at the top of every mile. The sun had come up and I was definitely wishing for some sunglasses (and new feet). Even with our walk breaks, we kept our pace under a 12 m/m. It was amazing how many people we were still dodging at this point too. Along this section of the route was an awesome band comprised of soldiers!

Mile 11-ish to the end: At this point, we started heading back toward the Disney property. We ran into California Adventure and through the really cute Bugs Life area. I was so focused on getting to the finish line at this point that I didn't pay much attention to the park. We did stop for one more photo op because Beki and I both love Monster's Inc.

We were in the home stretch and I about lost it when we passed a DJ booth and Katy Perry's "Firework" came on. (It's sorta my song and Beki even commented about it!) People kept telling us the finish line was "right around the corner" but there were actually about 4 corners to turn before we finally saw the finish! Beki convinced me to pick up the pace and we finished that last .1 with a 10 m/m average pace (and max 8:51 m/m!).

I'd just completed my 2nd official half marathon in the SLOWEST time EVER, but I had the MOST FUN EVER in a race. I got to run with one of my dearest friends, take pictures with tons of Disney characters, get sprinkled with Pixie Dust, and rock this kick-ass medal at the end.

Official Time: 2:56:37 (13:28 pace)

5334/9386 women

830/1428 AG

(I looked at my Garmin splits when I was writing this post and it lists the average pace per mile, but also the "best" pace per mile. My best times in each mile ranged from 8:05 to 10:19 m/m! Many of the miles were in the 8:40 to 9:40 range, which this slow chick thinks is pretty cool.)

After we finished our race and got some bagels and fruit, we walked through Downtown Disney again and stopped at one of the stores so I could get souvenirs for my kids (nothing like waiting to the last minute). While there, Beki realized how close to checkout time it was, so we hobbled the 1.5 miles back to the hotel so we could quickly pack and get out of there. I had one stop I wanted to make before she took me to the airport.

I'd never seen the Pacific ocean and this girl couldn't leave California without putting her toes in the water.

"Magical" doesn't even begin to describe my Tinker Bell Half Marathon weekend. It absolutely sparkled and glittered with pixie dust.

Shrink Yo'Self in 2012: Week 5

2012-02-01T08:02:00.000-05:00

Since it's Wednesday, I need to take a break from the Tinker Bell Half celebrating and see what damage the weekend did to me on the scale. It's week 5 in the Shrink Yo'Self challenge over at the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans. Ready for it? I wasn't, but I knew it was coming. I'm up another 2.2 (and now 2.4# higher than when the challenge started) and in a very ugly place weight-wise. Like, so ugly, I'm giving serious thought to joining Weight Watchers again or something, because I'm obviously failing miserably at losing the weight on my own. I know some of it is still water weight from the race and flying because I can barely get my rings on right now, but that doesn't explain the (now) 12 pounds I have to lose to get back to a healthy weight. It fucking sucks. No doubt about it.

I have all these memory boards right about my computer. Pictures that show a happy, thinner girl. I want to get back to being the girl I see in this picture, confident enough to run in just a long bra and tutu:

Fitbloggin May 2011

But right now, I'm not loving pictures I see of myself. Here is one of the only pictures from this weekend's race that I thought was half-way decent. I want to be that happy all the time, not just when cheesing for pictures at Disneyland.

Tinker Bell Half Marathon 1-29-12

Now, back to happier programming! You can read part 1 (the expo and Disneyland) of my Tinker Bell Half Marathon race report here. Part 2 (race day) should be up tomorrow!

Also, my wonderful friends over at Shrinking Jeans launched a new site this morning: Shrinking Kitchen! You really must go and check it out. Christy and Melissa (as well as many of the other writers) have some amazing recipes over there, plus kitchen terms, weights/measures, you name it! Go give the girls some love, m'kay?

Tinker Bell Half Weekend: part 1

2012-01-31T06:00:00.007-05:00

I decided after my twitter poll yesterday and uploading pictures to my computer that my Tinker Bell Half Marathon recap would occur in 2 parts. I have so many pictures I want to include that one post would be crazy long (heck, this one is long enough!). I can't believe it's actually been 6 months since I booked this race and that I was in Nevada visiting Kirsten when I did - seems like forever ago.

The weekend started with my flight in to Orange County Friday night after working all day. I had one of these on the plane to try and relax a bit and sleep, but I was too hyped up.

Vodka Cranberry? Yes, Please!

The flights were both great, except for the last 30 min heading into Orange County. Let's just say I have a whole new appreciation for the Santa Ana Winds. Yikes.

Beki picked me up at what was about 1:30 am my time and we headed to our hotel and crashed. Well, after chatting and catching up for a bit :) Still, even though I was completely exhausted, I woke up at 5:30 am (which was 8:30 my time) and couldn't get back to sleep. I checked the weather and it looked beautiful out. The winds were still blowing really strong too.

Check out those palm trees!

We finally crawled out of bed and walked to IHOP for breakfast. Bad, starving blogger I am-I didn't take a picture of my carb and protein loaded breakfast. After we finished eating, it was off to the Disneyland Hotel for the Tinker Bell Half Marathon Expo!

On our way to the expo - pic from Beki

Beki and I made it into line and even though the line was long, picked up our race packets in no time. They had a couple cute places to pose for pictures.

I love the limited edition Disney pin and necklace I bought.

After we got our numbers we headed upstairs into the expo area. Beki and I were disappointed that the Dooney & Bourke purses were already sold out, but I got some other fun swag.

We ran into some friends at the expo, too! This is Peter Pan, I mean Carrie from #teamsparkle. (I could have sworn I had pictures of Tiffany and Anna, too, but I guess I don't - bad blogger.)

After hanging out at the expo for a couple hours, we headed over to Disneyland!! (I've been to Walt Disney World in Florida many times, but this was my first trip to California and I couldn't let the opportunity to play at Disneyland and California Adventure pass me by!) The weather was absolutely PERFECT - too hot almost for this Michigan girl (but I wasn't going to complain).

After playing in Disneyland for most of the day, we headed back into Downtown Disney to find some dinner. Sadly, the Italian restaurant had a 1.5 hour wait (note to self-reservations next time) so we settled on burgers and fries as our prerace dinner. We had park hopper tickets, so Beki and I headed into California Adventure for a little while and took in the sights and a couple rides.

California Screamin' was A.Maze.Balls - only I rode this one.

After our quick trip through California Adventure (which I'd love to visit again sometime) we headed back to the hotel and got our stuff ready for our 3:15 wake-up call. Lights out by 9:00 pm.

Stay tuned...part 2: Race Day coming later this week!

LLRB 365: 2012 week 4

2012-01-30T12:17:00.000-05:00

This was a whirlwind week, especially the last couple days of it (which is why this post didn't get finished until lunchtime today).

Sunday

1-22-12

Got the toes pretty for the Tinker Bell Half

Monday

1-23-12

Hubs hung up my memory boards

Tuesday

1-24-12

Went to a conference & they had cookies out - for breakfast

Wednesday

1-25-12

Bought some scarves today

Thursday

1-26-12

Almost finished packing!

Friday

1-27-12

This is how I fly

Saturday

1-28-12

Disneyland!!! (more info later when I do my race report) And yes, the sky was THAT blue.

I can't wait to write my Tinker Bell Half Marathon race report. I have SO MANY fun pictures.

Reader poll: One giant post or split it into 2 (expo/Disneyland and race)?

Friday Funnies

2012-01-27T08:07:00.000-05:00

As I prepare to do one of my least favorite things (fly) to do one of my most favorite things (run an awesome race with girlfriends), I thought I'd leave you with some funny running videos.

My twitter friend @runnerjen521 posted this video yesterday and I thought it was freaking hilarious and so, so true.

If you know me at all, you know I love me some Ryan Reynolds. Pair him with elite marathoner Ryan Hall and you have a yummy (and funny) Ryan sandwich. Enjoy.

And now for the serious question: what are your thoughts on a 41 year old woman wearing flannel pajama bottoms and a t-shirt to fly?

Thankful Thursday: Tinker Bell Half

2012-01-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

Today, I'm giving thanks for this ...

which is helping me deal with this ...

so I can get this ...

on Sunday!

What are YOU thankful for today?

Our @ellasport #giveaway winner! @paulettezf

2012-01-25T07:31:00.001-05:00

First of all, I have to say "Thank You" to @ellasport for giving me the opportunity to try their New Power Capris - they were absolutely AWESOME and I'm thinking they are going to play an important roll in my Tinker Bell Half Marathon on Sunday!

Secondly, "Thank You" to everyone who entered this giveaway! I had over 100 entries and managed to connect with some new bloggers and new tweeter tweeps! Plus, you all got to connect with @ellasport and check out their site.

Tonight, I plugged all the entries into the Magic Fruit Machine from classtools.net and sent the wheels spinning (if you are a teacher, you REALLY need to check out this tool).

Without further ado, I present to you....the @ellasport New Power Capris giveaway winner...

@paulettezf from Just Keep Running!!!

Congratulations, Paulette!!! I know you are going to just LOVE these capris. I'll be shooting you an email today with the info I need from you. I'm so happy for you and can't wait to hear what you think about the capris!

And because it's Wednesday check-in day with the Shrinking Jeans Shrink Yo'self in 2012 challenge, I'm down a whopping .4 and will probably gain that back and even more this weekend when I'm in California for the Tinker Bell Half. I wish I could be going into this weekend in a better place weight-wise, but oh well.

True Confessions: Stress is getting to me

2012-01-24T06:00:00.001-05:00

You heard it here first, folks. I'm stressed out and today you get bullet points.

I leave for the Tinker Bell Half Marathon on Friday night. This involves planes. I don't like planes.
I've been trying to pack for the trip and my favorite shorts don't fit right now so I had a meltdown last night. (I did find 2 pair of fat shorts I can bring, but that didn't make me feel better.)
I hate packing when I'm only bringing a carry-on because I a) always over pack, and b) can never fit all my liquids into one fraking ziplock bag.
I'm out of wine.
I'm afraid I'll forget something this weekend.
I still have to focus on work for the next 4 days, but luckily today I'm at a conference so I don't have to think too hard.
I've been tracking my food and drink and staying in my calorie range but I haven't lost an ounce. ~~This might be due to the whole being out of wine problem.~~
I hurt my shoulder doing all my push ups and the tough mudder workout, just as I was starting to see results. (Don't worry, on advice of several good friends, I'm taking the week off from serious strength training.)

There you have it. Confessions a la bullet points. What do you have to confess this week? I hope you don't have to confess that you haven't entered my awesome @ellasport workout capri giveaway, because the contest ends tonight & tomorrow I'll announce the winner!!

LLRB 365: 2012 Week 3

2012-01-23T08:40:00.000-05:00

It would appear my pictures this week followed a bit of a theme.

Sunday

1-15-12

Pretty snow-covered front lawn and sunrise

Monday

1-16-12

Loved the clouds this morning

Tuesday

1-17-12

The sleet and slush today made walking and driving difficult

Wednesday

1-18-12

2 rounds of Tough Mudder workout left me in a heap on the floor

Thursday

1-19-12

Today I really hated winter - dead battery :(

Friday

1-20-12

I can finally hold myself up to the bar and do a few negative/reverse chin-ups

(or at least I could until this same move jacked my shoulder)

Saturday

1-21-12

Beautiful sunset (and a shot of the planet Venus - if you can see the one bright dot that looks like a star on your screen)

Now, I'm trying to keep my head this week and I'll probably start packing tonight for my trip to California for the Tinker Bell Half Marathon this weekend!

Don't forget, my @ellasport workout capri giveaway ends tomorrow - go enter if you haven't already!

About One Week To Tink!

2012-01-20T09:32:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I'm going to be packing my bags and getting on a plane a week from today to run the Tinker Bell Half Marathon!!!!!

My Goal!

My training is about as complete as it's going to get. This time around, the long runs seemed much easier and we've been blessed with amazing training weather here in Michigan (well, at least until this past week or so when we got completely DUMPED on). I have an 8 mile run planned for tomorrow that I REALLY hope to do outside. I want a nice, easy 8 to cap things off, then I just have a couple of short runs next week. I've also been keeping up with my Tough Mudder workouts. On Wednesday I doubled it up and plan to do that again tonight. ~~Someone tell me when my muscles will stop hurting, m'kay?~~

Tink is my first, real, 'fly away' distance race and I want to make sure I don't forget something. Here's the start of my race-related packing list - please let me know if I'm forgetting anything.

plane tickets - duh! (I used to love flying as a kid, now I hate it)
packet pick-up form
race-day clothes (Team-Sparkle skirt and wings, running shorts/running capris (not sure which I'll use), "It's not sweat, it's pixie dust" shirt, long sleeve shirt, sports bra, socks, running shoes, hat)
body glide
Garmin with charger
roadID
fuel belt
NUUN, gu, sport beans
K's camera
iPhone & headphones (probably won't be using these though)

This list does not seem long enough! What am I missing? GAHHHHHHH

Another Mother Runner

2012-01-19T08:36:00.000-05:00

This Thankful Thursday, I'm giving thanks for the amazing world of social media. I'm making an appearance today over at Another Mother Runner. Such a cool honor to follow in so many amazing other mother runners' fast footsteps. Thank you Sarah and Dimity!

PS - don't forget I have that little @ellasport giveaway going on until Tuesday!

Shrink Yo'Self in 2012 Week 3: Warning: F-bombs ahead

2012-01-18T09:09:00.000-05:00

I need to preface this post by stating there WILL be profanity. A lot of it. So, if you are sensitive to that sort of thing, I suggest you stop reading now. (Yep, Dad, if you are reading today, you might want to stop. Love you!)

Since I've found myself back on the weight loss bandwagon and have joined the latest challenge over at The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans, Wednesdays have once again become my "weigh-in day". Now, if you know me at all, you know I'm scale obsessed and can't just weigh in once a week, but that's the subject for another post. (BUT - I will say I have not been on the scale since Sunday morning.) So, today like the good little doobie I am, I got up, peed (duh), stripped down (double duh), and hopped on this evil little bitch:

FUCK!!!!! I'm up another .4?!?! What the FUCK?!?!

I am so fucking pissed right now that I can't even see straight. I don't fucking get it. Seriously. I'm sitting at my desk trying to get my composure because I have students coming to see me in 15 minutes, but I needed to get this post written. If you read my post yesterday, you know that I've totally stepped up my running again, added strength training, lowered my daily calories, and I'm tracking my food (granted, I only started tracking on Saturday, but still, I'm doing it). In the 3 weeks of this challenge, I've managed to have a net gain of .6 pounds. You're probably sitting there thinking, "What's the big deal? It's only 1/2 a pound." The problem is, it's 1/2 a pound on top of the 10 I've gained since October. Since Christmas I've gained 5. My clothes don't fucking fit right. Today, I'm wearing an outfit for the first time that I got for Christmas. It's Banana Republic, so I have a HUGE problem with my very expensive pants feeling tight on my thighs.

From this angle, I don't think I look that bad, but looking in the mirror this morning after my shower, all I wanted to do was cry. I hate the way I look right now. That 10 pounds on my barely 5'3" frame is A LOT of fucking weight. I know I'm never going to have 6-pack abs or skinny legs. I know I'm always going to have bingo wings. It's not genetically possible for me to look like a fucking supermodel, and frankly, there's too much skin left over from carrying twins and losing over 50 pounds 8 years ago to even come close. Unless some sugar daddy is going to come along and pay for a shit-load of cosmetic surgery, it ain't gonna happen.

What I'd like is to just fucking feel comfortable in my own skin. To at least tolerate what I see in the mirror. To feel cute and sexy. Is that really too much to fucking ask?

"You Know What To Do. So do it."

2012-01-17T09:25:00.000-05:00

My dear friend, Kirsten, is very wise. She knows I'm not happy with the number I've been seeing on the scale lately. Her reply? "Stupid numbers" and "You know what to do. So do it."

She's absolutely right. First off, the number is just a number. True, it needs to be a smaller number than it is right now or I'm going to need to buy new pants, but it IS just a number. I've also lost this weight before and I know how to do it. The problem? I don't think the running is going to work this time. This is what I did on Saturday.

I spent just over 2 hours running on the treadmill and was blessed with my highest weight in well over a year the next day. Now, I know some of that is water from sore muscles, and I ate a lot of salty foods to try and combat the severe dehydration I ended up with from sweating inside on the treadmill, but still. NOT HAPPY.

Like she said, I need to "keep my body guessing". This is where cross training and strength training comes in. I've also been more lax with my diet and that needs to stop. Period. How am I fixing this? By tracking my food again using the Livestrong Daily Plate app. I've also bumped my daily calories down a bit. ~~No one freak or tell me that isn't enough to eat. On days I run more than 3 miles, I eat back the majority of calories I burn.~~ Figuring the right number of calories while training for half and full marathons is not an easy task.

I've also been going through the Tough Mudder strength workout 2-3 times per week (on days I don't run) and the One Hundred Push Ups app 3 times a week (on running days usually). The Tough Mudder workout kicks my ass and right now and I'm only completing the circuit once. Hopefully in the next couple weeks, I'll be able to go through it twice. I need to modify many of the moves (hello, I can't do a pull up yet or a decent "real" pushup) but I'm seeing progress. Welcome to the gun show :) ~~Total dork.~~

Seeing the hint of some baby biceps and triceps this week definitely made me happy ~~and clearly more than a little goofy~~. Being able to hold myself up to the chin up bar and do some better negative pull ups (where you lower yourself down vs trying to pull yourself up) is definitely showing progress.

So, while the scale isn't exactly cooperating with me, I'm changing behaviors that will HOPEFULLY net some nice results in the end. That is my confession this week. What's yours? What are do doing to change behaviors that are negatively impacting where YOU want to be?

PS - You only have a week left to enter my contest to win an awesome pair of workout capris from ellasport. Better GO ENTER!

LLRB 365: 2012 Week 2

2012-01-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

This week Michigan proved the adage, "if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes and it'll change." We started the week with 50 degree temps and ended with a blizzard and a snow day.

Sunday

1-8-12

Braved the crowds at Costco on a Sunday. Insanity.

Monday

1-9-12

Some days I really love my job.

Tuesday

1-10-12

An awesome 6 mile run - in capris - in January.

Wednesday

1-11-12

Self-medicating for a sore foot.

Thursday

1-12-12

Instead of running, I signed up for the 5/3 River Bank Run 25k!

Friday

1-13-12

Winter finally decided to arrive on Friday the 13th - and we got a snow day!

Saturday

1-14-12

Due to said snowstorm, and my extreme wimpiness, I set a new treadmill PR today.

Overall, I'd say it was a pretty good week.

In case you haven't already entered, go here to enter to win an awesome pair of workout capris from ellasport! Contest ends Jan 24th - but don't wait, enter NOW!

Dear Me

2012-01-13T14:02:00.001-05:00

For the past 2 years, the lovely ladies over at The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans have lead an exercise in which you write a letter to yourself from the perspective of the future. The idea is to see your goals as having already been met, thus making them a little less scary or something. Here goes my letter from 2013 me to 2012 me.

Dear 2012 Me,
Well, Bari, you managed to make it through the kids' first year of high school relatively unscathed! They did fantastic & are kicking butt as 10th graders now. You kept your training going around their schedules, which was a challenge, but so necessary for your mental & physical health.
You started the year a little down because of those pounds you put back on after your 2011 marathon, but training for those 12 races this year got your weight back under control. You recognized that the gain wasn't the end of the world & that you could manage healthy eating again.
As for those 12 races? You kicked serious butt, girl! Starting the year with the Tinker Bell Half was so fun. Running it with your friends was a great kickoff to the year. You had a blast running in Knoxville with Brooke & Jaime, even though the hills were a huge challenge. You finally managed to get that sub-30 5k and set PRs at both your 25k River Bank Run & Grand Rapids Marathon!
Be proud of yourself, Bari. 2012 was an amazing year!
Love, Me

Next year at this time I'll revisit this letter & confirm that my predictions were spot-on.

If you haven't already, head over HERE and enter my awesome ellasport workout wear giveaway!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Workout Gear: @ellasport #Giveaway!

2012-01-12T06:00:00.001-05:00

I don't know about you, but I'm all about the tech gear. I'll gladly spend more money to buy a great moisture wicking shirt than be caught dead working out in a cotton t-shirt. Same goes for what I wear on the bottom. It's gotta be moisture wicking and feel great on my skin. It needs to make me look ~~15 pounds skinnier~~ great. The complete absence of chaffing is also a HUGE perk ~~ohmygoodness something that doesn't chaff is so important~~.

As you can see, I'm extremely picky when it comes to my workout clothes.

When Pamela from ellasport contacted me about reviewing their New Power Capris I absolutely jumped at the chance! I've wanted to try their clothes for quite a while, probably since Pamela started joining the #runchat twitter parties on Sunday nights (she tweets as @ellasport)! Also, I love their mission statement:

"ellasport’s mission is to provide women with technical athletic apparel that is designed for a woman’s body and makes her feel good about herself.
ellasport's goal is to give you the confidence and motivation to push yourself further than you thought possible, to help you release your motivated inner self and unstoppable confidence that knows no limits."

I have to admit, I was a bit concerned about trying out the capris at the end of December in Michigan, because, let's face it folks, IT'S MICHIGAN and IT'S WINTER. But....the weather Gods smiled on me and I was able to go for an 8 mile run in them on Dec. 31st and a 6 mile run on Jan 10th, both on beautiful 45* days!

Now, when it comes to reviewing products, I tell it like it is. It's what I would expect if I was reading a review from one of you. Here's what I absolutely LOVED about these capris (click on the link above to see better pictures of the capris):

They were so comfortable! I'm wearing the size small and they give some nice compression without feeling too tight. The fabric felt great against my skin and wicked sweat like a champ.
They gave my butt a little lift (see gratuitous butt shot above).
No chaffing from the pants on any of the seams (I did have a tiny bit of chaffing at my belly button because the tie rubbed a little - but the tie was Hot Pink, so I forgave it :0).
The mesh back was nice and cool. I wouldn't personally pick white if other colors were available because I wasn't a fan of the white patch on the back drawing attention to my butt (plus, if you wear undies with your workout pants, colored ones might show thru here).
There is a little pocket back there that could hold some gu, your key, ID, etc. It didn't fit my iPhone, but I probably wouldn't carry my phone there anyway because it would get too sweaty. I think it would fit a small music player well though (like a nano).
The length was great. I'm short (barely 5'3") and I prefer my capris to hit just below my knee. These were a little longer, but still hit at a flattering spot.

Overall, I felt these were a great pair of workout capris. Definitely perfect for late fall/early spring workouts up where I live (or during an unusually warm winter). The fabric is a little heavy for summer or to wear to the gym for a treadmill run, but I did do a strength workout at home in them this week and I didn't get too warm.

Wanna know the best part of this review???? ellasport is giving away a pair of their New Power Capris to one of you!!!!!

Here's how to enter (leave a separate comment for each one!)

Mandatory entry: Check out the ellasport website and tell me which piece of clothing you'd most like to own (remember, the giveaway is for the New Power Capris, but I want to know what else you think looks cool).
Bonus entry: Follow @ellasport on twitter.
Bonus entry: Like the ellasport Facebook page.
Bonus entry: share this giveaway on twitter.
Bonus entry: share this giveaway on Facebook.

That's 5 chances to win an awesome pair of workout capris. Whether you run, walk, yoga, zumba, spin, whatever - I think you'll love these pants!

This contest will end on Jan. 24, 2012 at 8:00 pm EST and the winner will be drawn by the awesome fruit machine random name generator. The winner will be announced on Jan 25, 2012 and you will have 48 hours to contact me before I choose another winner (make sure I have a way to contact you)! Good luck, lovely readers!

Legal mumbojumbo: ellasport provided me with the capris free of charge but the opinions here are all my own.

Shrink Yo'Self in 2012 - Week 2

2012-01-11T09:41:00.000-05:00

This week was supposed to go so much better for me scale-wise, but sadly the old habits of a glass ~~or 3~~ of wine and eating out took over. I'm back up 1.8 pounds this week (which actually puts me .2 HIGHER than the start of this thing, which totally pisses me off). However, I'm trying very hard to not let the number I see on the scale right now define who I am. Even at this weight, I'm running faster than I ever have before and I've started some serious strength training 2-3 times a week. I have to believe that those two things, coupled with trying to get my eating and drinking back under control, will result in my damn pants fitting again.

As for this week's assignments:

I have not yet completed my Letter to Me. I participated in this exercise the past two years and it was great. I have huge goals and expectations for this year, but I'm on the fence about writing the letter. Don't know why.
Vigorous exercise for 20 min 3x/wk or moderate for 30 min 5x/wk - holy hell, done and done! I'm still running at least 3 times per week (speed/tempo/long) and I've added in the Tough Mudder strength workout (that takes about 20 min) 2x per week (goal will be to get up to 3x per week and get thru the circuit twice). I've also been doing the Hundred Push-Up app again. (As a mildly worrisome aside, I've developed a weird pain in my foot, near the ball of my foot, center, just before the arch - I'm hoping it's nothing bad. Cross your fingers for me, m'kay?)
52 small changes The first week was about getting enough water and this past week enough sleep. The water is usually pretty easy for me. Sleep? I go to bed at a time that will get me 7-8 hrs, but I rarely sleep all the way thru the night.

Hopefully this week's workouts and wiring my jaw shut after 8 pm will reflect nicely on the scale next week. I'd really like to be a bit closer to goal weight when I run Tinker Bell in 2 1/2 weeks!

A side note: I have a most excellent giveaway starting tomorrow!!!! I can't wait for you all to hear about it, so make sure you come back a visit my blog and get entered :)

True Confessions: Starting the Freakout

2012-01-10T09:24:00.000-05:00

Today's true confession will be a little different. I could keep talking about how I've been drinking way too much wine, how I ate 1/2 a pizza (with EVERYTHING) between Friday dinner and Saturday lunch, how Saturday night we ended up getting Chinese because every sports bar we tried to go to was PACKED (thank you Lions and Red Wings for ruining my chance at a night out and for not even WINNING your games - geesh), how my pants are still so freaking tight and that I feel completely out of control. Yah, I could keep talking about that. But I won't.

I'm here to confess that my next half marathon is in 19 days. My first "fly away" big race.

In 17 days I have to get on not one, but two planes and fly solo to California. I used to love flying as a kid, but as I've gotten older, now all I do is think about everything that could go wrong. I have a whopping 58 minutes to get off of one plane and haul @$$ through O'Hare to get to another plane. I'm so worried that I'll miss that 2nd flight and not get out there as planned.

I'm worrying about what to wear. Of course I have my RunTeamSparkle skirt and fairy wings. I have my "It's Not Sweat It's Pixie Dust" t-shirt. But it's trying to figure out what to wear underneath that's the problem. It looks like it will be in the mid to high 40's at race time, which is that stupid grey-area temperature for me. Too cold for shorts/capris but too warm for pants. I can tolerate my legs a little cold, but staying warm on top without overheating might be a big challenge. Do I just go with the t-shirt and arm warmers? Do I layer? GAH. Our weather here has been an unseasonably warm 40+ degrees, so I'm thinking of doing my 6 mile run today in my anticipated "Tink" costume (minus the fairy wings, cuz I can only imagine what the people on the trail would think) and see how I feel.

I'm worrying about how I'm going to feel seeing myself in race pictures 10+ pounds heavier than I was for the marathon (and I thought I looked too heavy in those pictures too). I'm going to be meeting some really awesome people for the first time, and reconnecting with some other friends, and I have ZERO confidence right now because I'm so pissed that I let myself gain 10 pounds. But, I want to be able to put a smile on my face in the Happiest Place on Earth.

I'm worried about what I should carry on me when I run the race. My fuel belt doesn't exactly "go" with my costume :) but I've always carried my own water, sport beans, gu. I also need to have a camera. Do I just use Lola (my sexy iPhone) or do I steal my daughter's small point and shoot, that happens to be waterproof and dropproof?

I'm freaking out about having to get to the airport only a few hours after the race. Hopefully I'll be able to at least shower and eat something before trying to get home. Oh, and I have to do two planes again - this time with only 40 minutes to change planes in Denver (an airport I've never been in). At least I've flown through O'Hare enough to know my way around. If I miss my flight in Denver, I won't make it to work on Monday. Also? How stiff and sore am I going to be after running 13.1 miles earlier in the day.

My left ankle/calf have been pretty angry lately. I don't know if it's because I've been pushing my pace quite a bit or because I'm heavier, but either way, it makes me worried. I have no doubts of my ability to finish 13.1 but I'd like to do it without limping.

I know there's really nothing I can do to control any of this. This is why I'm already heading into freakout mode. Have you run a race that's required a flight? How do you keep from freaking out over everything you can't control?

LLRB 365: 2012 Week 1

2012-01-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

I had a lot of fun with this regular post in 2011, so I decided to keep it going this year. I hope you enjoy the little glimpses into my days.

Sunday

1-1-12

Happy New Year!

Less than a month now until I fly out to California to run the inaugural Tinker Bell Half Marathon!

Monday

1-2-12

I've been trying to clean up our home computer by burning pictures to CD. The computer thought it might take awhile.

Tuesday

1-3-12

On New Years Eve, I ran in capris and a long sleeve shirt. Today we woke up to this.

Wednesday

1-4-12

My multitasking girl

Thursday

1-5-12

While I was home for lunch, Squirt entertained herself with a little Price is Right.

Friday

1-6-12

My new friends worked hard with the preschoolers today.

Saturday

1-7-12

Met a friend for a beautiful pre-dawn run through Grand Rapids.

One week down, 51 weeks to go! What was your favorite memory of the first week of 2012?

Word of the Year

2012-01-06T09:39:00.000-05:00

It appears the blog theme this week is ditching the idea of a New Year's resolution and identifying a "word" that you feel will define 2012 for you. Just do a google search for "word of the year 2012" and you'll see what I mean.

I didn't think that I was going to play along, but after reading this post by Tara at A Life Changing Journey and this post by Karen at kclanderson, I realized how powerful having a word to help guide you can be. The crazy thing? I already have a couple words that I've decided will be with me forever. Literally.

Back in June 2011, at the age of 40, I got my first tattoo. I chose the word "strength", largely because of the verse in Philippians which states, "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength" (Phil 4:13). I was training for my first marathon, struggling with fear and doubt, and really needed God's help to give me the strength to achieve my goals. The funny thing is, I have a necklace that also has the word "strength" that I had received from a friend a couple years ago. Perhaps a theme?

While I was home over Christmas break, helping out my dad after his knee surgery, I decided to finally complete my strength tattoo with the 26.2 I earned on October 16, 2011. I've been wanting a wrist tattoo for the longest time, and decided if I was going to get the ankle finished, I might as well do the wrist, too. Little did I know that the word I would choose would become my word for 2012.

I choose to believe that 2012 (and every year that follows) will be my year. I believe God will continue to give me strength. I believe my family will continue to be healthy and happy. I believe I will continue to grow in my faith. I believe I will set a healthy example for my children. I believe I will run 12 races this year, the majority over 10 miles in length. I believe I will get back to my goal weight this year. I believe.

What word will guide and define you in 2012?

Thirsty Thursday: An @zipfizzcorp review!

2012-01-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

Hello there, good readers! I hope this first Thursday of 2012 has you still working hard on your goals (I don't call them "resolutions") and you're looking forward to a wonderful year to come.

Today, I'm abandoning my usual "Thankful Thursday" post for a write-up of a different sort (although, if you wanna be technical, I'm thankful for the opportunity to do this review). A few weeks ago, the lovely folks at Zipfizz contacted me and asked if I'd be interested in trying their product and writing a review. Cool! Of course I said yes! I have friends who rave about Zipfizz and I was able to try one flavor a few months ago and I loved it then. This would give me a chance to try more flavors and pick a favorite.

My samples came in a cute little package, compete with a Zipfizz water bottle! (I've decided I can never have too many water bottles.)

There was also a handy-dandy little flashdrive included, which provided tons of info about Zipfizz.

click and save the picture to print the coupon!

(You can also head to their website, follow them on Twitter, or check them out on Facebook for more info and other coupons.)

I couldn't wait to give the products a try. I can say that the Pink Lemonade flavor was by far my favorite. Very yummy and I loved the little bit of fizz as I drank it. The Berry and Citrus flavors were also very good. (I will admit I did not like the Creamsicle or Orange Soda flavors at all. The Creamsicle really did taste like a creamsicle, so if you like those - go for it!) I did feel a little added pep and energy from the drinks and liked that they weren't overly sweet like some sports drinks can be. They even gave me enough energy to tackle the mountain of work on my desk.

Legal mumbojumbo: Zipfizz provided me with the samples to try and the cute water bottle. The opinions stated here are all my own.

Have you ever tried Zipfizz? If you have, what's your favorite flavor?

Shrink Yo'Self in 2012 - Goals

2012-01-04T06:00:00.001-05:00

During the majority of 2011, I stepped away from the challenges over at the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans. I love those girls with all my heart, but felt like I needed to focus on my running and I was at goal weight (and maintaining), so participating in "shrinking" challenges didn't really make sense.

Well, the last 2 months of 2011 kicked my butt, and I find myself up about 10 pounds from where I'd like to be. I'm never going to be a size 2 skinny mini, but I'd really like my size 6s & 8s to fit again. I can still zip them, but I sure don't like the way they look. I've become a person I don't like to see in the mirror anymore, and that's bullshit because I'm way hawter than that! LOL

The first assignment in the Shrink Yo'Self in 2012 challenge is to set some goals for the next 8 weeks. I'm going to keep mine pretty simple.

Lose at least 5 pounds in the next 8 weeks. My plan is to cut out the late night snacking, fill my plate with fruits and veggies first, drink mostly water, and cut back on the booze (as I type this, I'm planning on drinking a beer while I watch U of M hopefully get spanked in their bowl game).
Add strength training at least 2 days a week. I've started the Tough Mudder workouts with Kirsten, Erin, Ali and Ashley along for the ride. We're planning 3x a week, but a more realistic goal for me might be 2x. I've also added the 100 Push-Up program back into my workouts. GUNS, baby!
Be able to complete 5 negative chin-ups without my toes on the chair. This is part of the TM workout - to be able to do a real chin-up, but I'm nowhere close to that yet.

There you have it. 3 relatively simple but hopefully achievable goals for this challenge.

As a note: I will be posting changes to me weight but will not be posting my actual weight here. I'm also making a concerted effort to only weigh-in on the assigned day. We'll see how that goes.

*edited* I didn't realize we were also supposed to weigh-in today, but I did (thanks to my obsessive scale use). I'm down 1.6 from Sunday. It's a start. :)

True Confessions: A Look Back

2012-01-03T09:29:00.000-05:00

Back on Jan 7, 2011, I participated in a little monthly project with the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans. (Really, a yearly project if you think about it.) The idea was to write a letter to the "me" of January 2012. Make some predictions as to what was life going to look like for me a year from now (which is NOW - confused yet?). Then, go back and read what I wrote a year ago and reflect on that. Kind of a look back at my 2011 goals, so to speak. So, here goes....

"2011 started out with a bang for you! Only 6 days in, you signed up for your longest race EVER. A 25k that you would go on to SMOKE in May. You set your mind to run the whole race (after using intervals for your 1/2 marathon in 2010), only walking through the aide stations ~~because, lets face it, you are a klutz and running over slippery cups while trying to drink and stay hydrated is a recipe for disaster~~. Before that 15.5 mile race even started though, you were planning your training and you ran a couple other races for fun. You convinced Mike to run a 10k with you in February (his longest race ever!) and then you ran a 5k for St. Paddy's day. Fun races with fun people. After the St. Pat's run, you got down to business and trained your heart out for Riverbank." Let's see, I DID kick the River Bank Run's butt. As for a 10k in February and 5k for St. Paddy's Day? Those didn't happen because I started training for a 10 mile race in April, but I managed to log 123 miles running in Feb and March!

"The Riverbank 25k was awesome, but know what was even better? The next weekend, meeting all those amazing hookers you'd been chatting with on twitter and through blogging at Fitbloggin! It was so incredible that you won that ticket from your friends at Shrinkingjeans. You really could not thank them enough for the opportunity to go to Baltimore. You got to room with Lisa, Melissa and Christy and had an absolute blast! Seeing Kirsten again ROCKED. So did meeting all those other fab ladies and then running a 5k with them. You didn't PR that one (you had just run 15.5 miles 5 days before!) but it was the company that counted. You even learned a little more about how to be a better blogger :)" Check and Check! Probably one of the best weekends EVER. I'm so sad that Fitbloggin12 isn't scheduled until September, but I'm hoping that I'll get to be there!

"You kept running and in the summer, you tackled your first triathlon. Yah, you swam in open water, did a little biking, and then went out for a run. All on the same day. Amazing, huh? If it weren't for those skanks ~~pressuring you~~ encouraging you, I'm sure you would never have had the guts to "tri" (ha-ha, get it? ohnevermind). You got through the heat of the summer, got a couple more 5 and 10k's under your belt, and then you ran the SH*T out of the Grand Rapids Half Marathon. Your time from last year? Blew it out of the water! I was so proud of you. You felt strong and really enjoyed the moment. You finished your racing year by running the Turkey Trot with Mike again. You even convinced him to pay for a shirt this time :) Did you realize when the year started you would log over 500 miles running? That's pretty amazing, if you ask me (which I am you, so I do)!" Whoops - I was WAY off here! That triathlon never happened, and neither did the 1/2 marathon - BECAUSE I RAN THE FULL. Because I ran my first (yes, I said FIRST) full marathon in October, I decided to take most of the month of November off from running, so no official Turkey Trot in 2011, but I did get out and run that morning. I was also a bit off on that mileage total. I ended up running 780 miles this year (and clocking 930 total miles).

"As for the weight you lost in 2010 - it all stayed away thanks to the running and healthy eating you did. You will always need to stay on top of your eating, cuz let's face it, you like food! But you have learned what works for you. Great job!" Here, I'm not happy to say, was a bit of a fail. I'm actually up about 10 pounds from where I was a year ago, and this saddens me greatly. No, I take that back. It PISSES ME OFF. I worked very hard to get down to my goal weight and in the last 2 months of 2011 completely blew it. But, I lost it before and I'll do it again.

"I'm also very proud of you for not completely flipping out when your babies started High School in September. Well, at least you didn't flip out TOO badly. I'm sure they will recover. Eventually." D and K have really rocked high school. I'm so fortunate to have such amazing, gifted kids. I think the flipout could have been much worse.

"So anyway, it was fun to reflect back on all you did this year. No way a couple years ago would you have even CONSIDERED running a block, much less an average of 10 miles a week! Keep it up, my dear! You are a runner!" No doubt here, I have definitely become a runner. Now I can't imagine where I would be without having that outlet. This year, I'm also adding some serious strength training to hopefully get my skinny self back in 2012.

Now, it's time to start thinking about my goals for 2012. That, my friends, will be a post for another day.

Looking back at 2011, what is one thing you never expected to do or accomplish?

LLRB 365: 2011 Week 52!

2012-01-02T10:04:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I managed to keep this up for the entire year. I don't even think I missed a day :) This post brings me to the end of my 365 project - I think I'll keep it up in 2012. It's been fun to look back at the pictures from the entire year. I just need to learn to tag my posts a bit better :)

Monday

12-26-11

I went for a run along one of my favorites bodies of water - Lake Michigan.

Tuesday

12-27-11

Added some new ink - Merry Christmas to me!

Wednesday

12-28-11

Decided to use the gym near my dad's since the weather got yucky - and logged one of my fastest 5 miles ever (granted, I think the treadmill was not accurate).

Thursday

12-29-11

Can you see why I love Lake Michigan so much?

Friday

12-30-11

Last day spent at Dad's - I pimped out his walker with some tennis balls so he could go all NASCAR around the living room.

Saturday

12-31-11

Finished off 2011 with my fastest 8 mile run ever! (Also-who would have thought I'd be running on New Years Eve in capris and a long sleeve shirt - in Michigan!)

There you have it, folks! 365 days of my life. I enjoyed this little project and I hope you did too.

I'm still taking questions for another 20 Questions page - leave me a comment with a question - something you'd like to know about ME, my training, whatever!

Races 2011: A look back

2011-12-30T12:18:00.000-05:00

Today is the last Friday of 2011, and what a year it's been! I can't believe how many miles I logged this year. According to DailyMile, I'm at 922 total miles - I have a 4 mile race, plus another 4 to do on Saturday to hit a nice, even 930 for the year! I thought it would be fun today to take a look back at the races I ran this year. Warning: it's gonna be a long post :)

January - miles ran: 47 (54 total)
I started off 2011 running a virtual race with the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans on Jan 8. This was the same weekend a bunch of my girlfriends were running the Disney Marathon and Half-Marathon. I ran "virtually" with Beki and Thea at 11 am that morning, clocking 6.3 miles (yep, went a bit long) in 1:14.

February & March - miles ran: 49 & 74 (52 & 77 total)

No races, but check out how many miles I logged just running :)

April - miles ran: 62 (63 total)

I ran my first official race of 2011 on April 23rd, The Striders Saturday Classic. For some bizarre reason, I didn't do a race report and I don't have any pictures on my phone or laptop. (Bad blogger!). I remember being very sick for a couple weeks before the race and not running at all. According to Athlinks.com (you DO use this site to keep track of your races, right?) I finished in 1:50:33. Not a horrible pace (11:03) considering I'd been sick.

May - miles ran: 50 (62 total)

This was the month that I deemed "Marathon May". I ran 3 races in May 2011! The first race was my longest race to date, the Fifth Third River Bank Run 25k. I remember finishing this race in 2:52:55 and being so proud of myself for blowing my 3 hour goal out of the water. I maintained an 11:07 average pace and ran the entire race with a girl I'd never met before, talking and laughing the whole time.

The next race of May was the Fitbloggin' 5k. I traveled out to Baltimore for this amazing conference and to finally meet so many of my "sisters" in real life. I had the time of my life and ran my first race in a tutu :)

My final May race was the Soldier Field 10 Mile in Chicago. This race rocked for so many reasons: a personalized race bib, running along the beautiful lakeshore, finishing on the 50 yard line at Soldier Field, and finally beating my husband in a race :) Also, I finished in 1:47:00 with a 10:42 pace, beating my last 10 mile race by 3 1/2 minutes! WOOT!

June, July and August - miles ran: 41, 89, 109 (63, 118, 154 total)

No races, but it was this summer that I decided to tackle my first full marathon and logged my first ever 100+ mile month! It was also in June and July that I got to spend time with one of my favorite people on the planet, Kirsten! Of course we did some running while we were together :)

First in Michigan at my place

Then in Nevada at her place - my first run at altitude!

September - miles ran: 97 (105 total)

In September, I found out what it was like to run a race while training for a marathon. I ran the 10 mile Bridge Run in my fastest race pace EVER! I finished the 10 mile course in 1:40:56, at a 10:05 pace! This was a whopping 9 minutes faster than my first 10 mile race and 6 minutes faster than the race I ran in May. Who was this person????

October - miles ran: 60 (64 total)

On October 16, 2011, I did something I said I would never do. I ran a marathon. 5:27:15 (12:29 pace).

November - miles ran: 35 (51 total)

I spent most of November recovering from the marathon and trying to decide what I do next. I was restless and a little down, and my miles reflected that.

December - miles ran: 58 and counting (all running)

This month I've gotten back into running. I managed to convince my daughter to run her first 5k (or there abouts-it was a tiny bit short). You can read her Whoville 5k race report and get a chuckle. We finished the 3-ish miles in about 34 minutes and I was so proud to have run with her.

I still have one more race to complete in 2011. Tomorrow afternoon is the "Resolution Run". It's only 4 miles and will be my first race at that distance. A guaranteed PR :) I need to actually run 8 miles tomorrow, so I'm still trying to figure out how to work that out. Needless to say, I'm very proud of what I accomplished in 2011. For 2012? Who knows where the pavement will take me.....

My goal for 2012? Run 12 official (ie, timed) races and log at least 1000 miles total (1200 would be VERY cool, but I'd need to get on the bike a lot more!). What are your fitness goals for 2012?

Thankful Thursday: Beauty

2011-12-29T15:28:00.001-05:00

I'm thankful to live near beauty such as this:

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Workout Wednesday: travel

2011-12-28T18:05:00.001-05:00

I've been hanging in my hometown with my dad since this past Saturday while he recovers from knee surgery. My half marathon training has taken a bit of a hit, but I've still managed to get some running in. Monday I ran along the beach and had one of the best 3 mile runs I've ever had.

Today I took advantage of the reciprocal benefits the YMCA offers. I managed to clock one of my fastest treadmill workouts ever. I think the treadmill was wrong, but I'm gonna be happy with my 9:30ish ave pace. :-)

I need to do better with strength training while I'm here though. Maybe I'll do some planks tonight. Wanna join me?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

LLRB 365: 2011 Week 51

2011-12-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

Here we are, into the home stretch! I can't believe there is only another week left in 2011. Holy Wow.

Monday

12-19-11

K got to make a gingerbread house as a reward for finishing her first 5k. (Yes, that's a shot glass holding the roof up - klassy)

Tuesday

12-20-11

Oh my word, what have I done?

Wednesday

12-21-11

Awesome Christmas gifts from some of my students. Love.

Thursday

12-22-11

My gift wrap helper.

Friday

12-23-11

Winter finally decided to show up.

Saturday

12-24-11

Scene from my gorgeous, snowy, cold 10 mile Christmas Eve run.

Sunday
12-25-11
Merry Christmas! I started the day with a walk to the bluff...

... and ended the day with a wrapping paper war :)

I hope you all had a blessed holiday week with your loved ones!

(PS - I'm working on another 20 Questions page like the one up there ^. Leave me a comment - what is something you'd like to know about me?)

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T21:11:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas from my crazy family to yours. My the holiday season fill your heart with joy and your head with beautiful memories.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Thankful Thursday: Random Musings

2011-12-22T20:03:00.000-05:00

Just a quick little post because it IS Thursday :) Here are just a few things I'm thankful for this week:

My Dad had knee replacement surgery on Tuesday and, despite the surgery taking quite a bit longer than expected, he's doing quite well. Still in a lot of pain, but he's been up and walking and doing his exercises. Pray that he meets all the discharge requirements and that he can be d/c'd tomorrow afternoon.
I'm thankful for all of my friends who prayed for Dad while he was in surgery and prayed for me because I couldn't be there. Continued prayer for patience and strength for me as well, since I'll be spending all next week taking care of Dad as he recovers.
I'm thankful for my job - Today was the beginning of Christmas break and I'm off all next week, which is allowing me to be there for Dad as he recovers.
I'm thankful for having the amazing outlet (the blog and twitter) in which I have made some amazing and life-long friends over the past two years. You all are my rocks. MWAH!

About a year ago, I decided to write a "20 questions" page and post it here so you all could get to know me a little better. It's time to do another. Leave a question in the comments (now's your chance to not just read-but TALK to me!) and when I get enough questions, I'll post the answers here. You can also tweet questions to me if you follow me on twitter (and I follow you). Ready...Set...Fire away!

Winner Winner!

2011-12-21T06:00:00.001-05:00

Tuesday was quite a long day for me. Here it is 10:00 and I'm finally getting around to picking the winner for my gift card giveaway. So, without further ado....

Congratulations to Nancy! @bacrdimama

Her running tip was great: "Always take your cell phone with you. You never know when it could come in handy, especially on long runs."

So Nancy, let me know if you'd like the RoadID or iTunes gift card and I'll get it out to you!!!!

For those of you who didn't win, I would still STRONGLY encourage you to get yourself a RoadID. You never know when something bad could happen and it could be the difference between your family being notified or not. For realz. PLEASE consider getting one (they are as little as $15).

LLRB 365: 2011 Week 49/50

2011-12-19T06:00:00.001-05:00

I'm calling this week 49/50 because somewhere I got off on the weeks. Who the heck knows. In any case, a look back at the past week:

Monday

12-12-11

This is what happens when the cable goes out. There wasn't even much fighting. I don't know who these kids are, but I might keep them.

Tuesday

12-13-11

I'd hoped my lucky green running top would make for a kick-ass run, but the gloomy trail and a sore ankle from last weekend made for the worst run in months. I spent the rest of the night curled up on the couch.

Wednesday

12-14-11

Hit the mall for some Christmas shopping - and left with practically nothing.

Thursday

12-15-11

Had to be down in St. Joseph, MI for an appointment, so I made a stop by the beach before coming home.

Friday

12-16-11

My first student gift of the year - he even came with cookies :)

Saturday

12-17-11

Scenes from our couple's night out with Mel and her hubby.

Sunday

12-18-11

My girl ran her first 5k this morning! You can read her race report here.

I hope where ever you happen to be, you are keeping warm and healthy!

Have you entered my giveaway yet? It ends tomorrow!

Kay's Whoville 5k Race Report

2011-12-18T12:35:00.001-05:00

Today's race report is being brought to you by my 14 year-old girl, Kay. Today she ran her first 5k (or there abouts - the course was .1 short). I asked her to write up a race report (actually several people asked) and this is what she gave me:

"I ran. It hurt and it was cold. Thing 1 stole my hat. I beat my mom. I got chocolate. :)"

Nice, huh? So, I decided to interview her instead. As you can see, she isn't much for words.

How did you prepare for today's race? I didn't. (Truth - she ran twice, 2 miles on the treadmill and 2 miles outside. But, before you get all upset that she can just go out and run a 5k, she's young and an athlete [diver, sprinter, long-jumper], so don't compare.)

What did you wear? Antler ears and cool socks.

Dan, Melissa, Kay and Bari waiting to start.

What were you thinking while we were waiting to start? I want to go home.

What else? It's cold and there were a lot of people. And, I got incensed by Buddy the Elf. (Dude in yellow tights dressed up like Buddy. He was creepier than the Grinch and the tights were NOT flattering. I wish I'd gotten a picture of him. Well, actually it's best I didn't.)

How did you feel while you were running? I don't know. I don't think and run.

OK, let me rephrase that. What were you complaining about? I couldn't breathe and my shoulder hurt. (I give her a lot of credit. She didn't start complaining until after she ran the entire first mile without stopping.)

How did you feel about the trail and bridges? It was icy. (The icy trail actually freaked me out quite a bit. It was very slippery and in many places, it was hard to pass slower people ahead of us.)

What did you do when you saw the finish line? I sprinted and beat Mommy. (brat)

What was your favorite part of running the Whoville 5k? The chocolate at the end.

I'm very proud of Kay for deciding to run this race. Whether she ever attempts another 5k is the question, but at least she had fun running this one - and she got to beat the Grinch in the process.

3 miles in 33:32

While you're here, you should make a stop on my Giveaway post - open until Tuesday night at 8pm EST. Win your choice: a $25 RoadID or iTunes gift card!

Fitness Friday: 12 in 2012?

2011-12-16T15:50:00.000-05:00

As I prepare to run my last race of 2011 tomorrow, I'm looking ahead to my goals for 2012. My original plan was to run 1 race a month for a total of 12 races in 2012. However, I now have a couple months where I know I'm going to run more than one race, so my goal will still be 12 in 2012, but I might not run a race every month. Living in Michigan, it's hard to find good races in the winter and I'm reluctant to pay money to run a race (especially if it's only a 5k) just because I need a race for a specific month.

Here's what I'm thinking:

January: Tinker Bell Half Marathon, Disneyland, CA 1/29/12
February: (undecided)
March: Irish Jig 5k, East Grand Rapids, MI 3/17/12
April: Knoxville Half Marathon, Knoxville, TN 4/1/12 and Striders 10 mile 4/22/12
May: 5/3 Riverbank Run 25k, Grand Rapids, MI 5/12/12 and Down & Dirty Mud Run, Chicago, IL 10k 5/20/12
June: undecided
July: Tri Del Sol, Middleville, MI 7/12/12
August: undecided
September: Fitbloggin 5k, Baltimore, MD or Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon (if I can find the $$$ to go)
October: Grand Rapids Marathon 10/21/12
November: Hot Chocolate 15k, Chicago, IL
December: undecided

So that's 10 races. I need to find a couple more - definitely something in June and August. If anyone in the midwest has suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

While you're here, make sure you go enter my giveaway for either an iTunes or RoadID gift card!

My Favorite Things: #Giveaway 3

2011-12-15T06:00:00.001-05:00

This year has been quite an epic running year for me - thanks in large part to all of you who read and comment here and/or follow and encourage me on twitter. Your love and support have meant the world to me this year.

I accomplished some pretty huge goals:

(By the end of the year) I will have run about 750 miles (plus another 150 biking or walking).
I will have run 6 races (5 of which were 10 miles or greater)
I became a marathoner!

I couldn't have done these things without all of you. Seriously.

For this I say "Thank you".

Now, for my final giveaway, I'd like to offer one of you another of my favorite things - but you get to choose.

If you've been around me for awhile, you know I LURVE my RoadID. I never run without it (I even wear it on the treadmill cuz you NEVER KNOW). You also probably know that I rarely run "nekkid" - I almost always have my trusty iPhone or iPod plugged into my ears.

For this week's giveaway, one winner will be chosen via my awesome random name picker & the winner may choose either a $25 RoadID or $25 iTunes giftcard.

How do you enter?

1. (Mandatory) Leave me a comment telling me your best running safety tip OR your go-to workout song.

2. Tweet about this giveaway and leave me another comment.

3. Follow my blog through email or RSS and leave a comment.

4. Like my page on Facebook

There you have it folks! A chance to either be safer while you run or rock it out (just make sure to only wear 1 ear bud so you can hear the sounds around you!) This contest will run until 8 pm EST on Tues, Dec 20 and the winner will be chosen by my random name generator thingy and announced on Dec 21st!

Good luck!

We Have A Winner!

2011-12-14T08:06:00.000-05:00

Thank you to everyone who entered part 2 of the My Favorite Things giveaway! The magic Fruit Picker spun round and round and declared a winner:

Congratulations, Brooke! Hopefully the Gu, Sport Beans and Nuun will give you something extra to kick the Knoxville Marathon's butt in April!

I love you, girl!

Thank you so much for all the love and support you've given me. Hopefully, I'll get to run again with you in April in Knoxville!

Stay tuned tomorrow for the final installment of the My Favorite Things giveaway - I think you'll like it!

LLRB 365: 2011 Week 48

2011-12-12T06:00:00.002-05:00

Clearly, somewhere my weeks got off because I'm gonna end the year with 51 weeks, but oh well.

Monday

12-5-11

Treated myself to an Egg Nog Latte

Tuesday

12-6-11

Settled in to check out 2012 marathons by the light of the tree.

Wednesday

12-7-11

Squirt helped make the tutu for my niece's birthday.

Thursday

12-8-11

My girl ran her first 2 miles today!

Friday

12-9-11

What a difference a day makes (check out the ground in Friday's picture compared to this one)!

Saturday

12-10-11

M and I ran a snowy and icy 6 miles this morning. Those are frozen footprints in the bottom right picture.

Sunday

12-11-11

The kids had their first HS band concert today. They are THRILLED about their concert attire.

There's my week...what exciting events happened this past week for you?

Also - have you entered my awesome running fuel giveaway yet? You have until tomorrow!

A "Fueling" Giveway!

2011-12-09T11:38:00.000-05:00

(This is a re-post of Thursday's giveaway since the comments aren't working on that one. If you already commented on Thursday's post, you don't need to comment again, but if you couldn't - please do so here. Sorry for the technical glitch.)

Welcome to Part 2 of the My Favorite Things Giveaway! (Congrats to Lani for winning the DrinkClick prize pack yesterday!) This week, as a way of saying "Thank You" to all of you for your support as I trained to run my first marathon this year, I'm giving you a chance to win some of my favorite race-day & training fuel!

Here's what you will win if your name is chosen by my awesome random name picker:

A tube of Fruit Punch Nuun electrolyte drink tabs. One tab will fill 2 - 8 oz bottles and tastes so much better than plain water. Each tube makes 12 - 16 oz drinks!
2 packets of Jelly Belly Extreme Sport Beans - Watermelon and Cherry flavors (with caffeine cuz that extra kick ROCKS) I eat a couple of these every 2 miles or so. Like a yummy treat.
2 packets of Gu (Tri-Berry and Espresso Love) My fueling strategy is a Gu every 5 miles, taken over the course of 1/2-3/4 of a mile, also while sipping fluids. These two flavors are my absolute favorites.

All 3 of these products helped get me to the Grand Rapids Marathon finish line on October 16th and I hope you love them as much as I do.

Here's how you enter:

Mandatory Entry: leave me a comment telling me how you fuel for exercise.
Follow my blog (either through RSS or email) and leave me a comment letting me know.
Follow me on twitter and leave a comment.
Tweet about this giveaway and (you guessed it) leave a comment.
"like" Live Laugh Run Breathe on Facebook and leave a comment.

This contest will run until 8pm on Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2011 when I'll pick a winner using ClassTools Fruit Machine (if you are a teacher, this is an AWESOME tool for random name generation in the classroom). I'll announce the winner on Wed, Dec. 14th.

Good luck!

A "Fueling" Giveaway!

2011-12-08T07:00:00.003-05:00

The comments are not working on this post for some reason - I re-posted on Friday, Dec 9. Please go to that post to enter. So sorry for the tech glitch.

Welcome to Part 2 of the My Favorite Things Giveaway! (Congrats to Lani for winning the DrinkClick prize pack yesterday!) This week, as a way of saying "Thank You" to all of you for your support as I trained to run my first marathon this year, I'm giving you a chance to win some of my favorite race-day & training fuel!

Here's what you will win if your name is chosen by my awesome random name picker:

A tube of Fruit Punch Nuun electrolyte drink tabs. One tab will fill 2 - 8 oz bottles and tastes so much better than plain water. Each tube makes 12 - 16 oz drinks!
2 packets of Jelly Belly Extreme Sport Beans - Watermelon and Cherry flavors (with caffeine cuz that extra kick ROCKS) I eat a couple of these every 2 miles or so. Like a yummy treat.
2 packets of Gu (Tri-Berry and Espresso Love) My fueling strategy is a Gu every 5 miles, taken over the course of 1/2-3/4 of a mile, also while sipping fluids. These two flavors are my absolute favorites.

All 3 of these products helped get me to the Grand Rapids Marathon finish line on October 16th and I hope you love them as much as I do.

Here's how you enter:

Mandatory Entry: leave me a comment telling me how you fuel for exercise.
Follow my blog (either through RSS or email) and leave me a comment letting me know.
Follow me on twitter and leave a comment.
Tweet about this giveaway and (you guessed it) leave a comment.
"like" Live Laugh Run Breathe on Facebook and leave a comment.

Good luck!

A Click-Tastic Winner!

2011-12-07T07:00:00.002-05:00

Thank you to everyone who entered my contest this past week for an amazing prize-pack provided by CLICK Espresso Protein Drink! Last night I spun the spinner and a winner was revealed!

Congratulations to Lani - AKA @armytbonegirl on Twitter for winning this great gift from CLICK!

If you "liked" DrinkClick on Facebook, I'll be shooting you an email to get your mailing address.

Thanks again everyone for playing along! Stay tuned tomorrow for another giveaway of "My Favorite Things"!

True Confessions: Have I Blown It?

2011-12-06T09:53:00.000-05:00

This is a hard confession for me to write. I feel like all my hard work getting to a healthy weight has gone completely out the window. I haven't posted a weight here in many many months (the last I could see was mid-July and I was well within my weight range of 135-138). Not anymore. Today I weighed in and saw 145 on the scale. That's the heaviest I've been in 2011, a good 10 pounds above my lowest weight, and probably the heaviest since Aug 2010 when I finally got below 140 (a number I said I'd never see again and here I am 5 pounds above that).

I did a great job maintaining my weight loss for the better part of a year. WTF happened? I'll tell you what happened. I trained for and ran a marathon. Then...I've continued eating for the past 6 weeks like I was STILL training for a marathon. I've eaten crap (hello - yesterday alone I had 2 donuts, went to McD's for lunch, and had an uber-high-calorie Starbucks - my guess? over 4000 calories yesterday). I've been boozing with my friends a lot lately (dude - beer has a ton of calories, just so you know). But you know what? Unless you're running 25-30 miles a week, that really isn't a good idea. Hell, it isn't a good idea PERIOD to eat and drink like that.

This shit has to stop. NOW. I am so pissed and disgusted with myself. I not only feel fat, I look fat. I can see the 10 pounds I've gained. I changed shirts today so I am now wearing one that covers my stomach more. (The weird thing? I went out dancing with a girlfriend 2 weekends ago in a short skirt and boots and the shirt I changed out of this morning. I felt great about how I looked, even though I probably didn't look any smaller than I do today- this I cannot explain.) In any case, overall, my clothes are tight (guess I shouldn't have gotten rid of all those fat pants, huh?). 10 pounds on a sub 5'3" body is A LOT of weight.

This morning, I started tracking again. I re-downloaded the Livestrong Daily Plate app that I used before. I measured the creamer in my Drink Click this morning (speaking of - today is the last day to enter my giveaway - I'm picking a winner at 8:00 tonight).

My plan:

continue to track calories in/calories out at least through the end of the year
no more eating after 8:00 pm
at least one strength training session a week, preferably I should be getting in 2-3 sessions, but I'm trying to be realistic
at least 64 oz of water every day
Cut out the booze

Back to basics I go. I just know how hard it was for me to lose these 10 pounds before, so I'm angry at myself to have to do it all over again. All I know is this trend cannot continue.

Menu Monday: Dad's Goulash

2011-12-05T07:00:00.001-05:00

This here is going to be an interesting recipe post. There will be very few actual measurements. This recipe is a throw-it-together and taste-along-the-way sorta recipe. Every time I make it, it turns out slightly different, but is always good. It makes a ton, so invite friends over or plan on eating leftovers (they heat up very well). So, without further ado, I give you:

Dad's Goulash

Ingredients:

1 pound ground chuck

one onion, cut in large chunks

one green pepper, cut in large chunks

2 large cans stewed tomatoes

8 oz sliced mushrooms

brown sugar

ketchup

Worcestershire sauce

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 cups dried macaroni noodles

Step 1: assemble your ingredients

Step 2: saute hamburger, onions and green peppers until onion is translucent. You probably won't need to drain the meat, but if you used higher fat beef and there is fat in the pan, drain it.

Step 3: Add the rest of the ingredients except the noodles. Squirt in enough ketchup (1/2 cup or so) and Worcestershire sauce (1/4 cup?) to add some more liquid. Add brown sugar to taste (a TBSP to start?), depending on how sweet you want it. Stir and then add the noodles. Add more ketchup and sauce if it needs it.

Step 4: reduce heat a little and simmer until the noodles are cooked and the liquid is absorbed. While it's cooking, taste it. Add more Worcestershire or brown sugar if it needs it.

Serve with some crusty bread and a salad, or just by itself.

This is definitely one of our favorite skillet meals. Do you have a favorite one-dish meal?

PS: Tomorrow is the last day to enter my Clicktastic giveaway!

LLRB 365: 2011 week 47

2011-12-04T16:23:00.003-05:00

Heading into the home stretch - week 47 brought us to December!

Monday

11-28-11

A gift from one of my students.

Tuesday

11-29-11

Bundled up for a run. Winter is officially here in West Michigan.

Wednesday

11-30-11

Picked up my new shoes!

Thursday

12-1-11

Yeah for earning free Starbucks!

Friday

12-2-11

Went out with friends to see Mega 80s. So fun - we even danced on stage.

Saturday

12-3-11

Started decorating for Christmas.

Sunday

12-4-11

The tree is up!

I hope you are staying sane as we head into the holiday season.

Have you entered my Click Espresso Protein giveaway yet? Only a couple more days to enter! Click here To Enter!

Fitness Friday: Race Memories

2011-12-02T16:06:00.001-05:00

I've run a few races over the past 5 years or so.

This is how I remember them (well, this & that tab that says "race results" up there ^). Pictures, race bibs, swag, and lately medals. You'll notice only one is actually hung - I might need to fix that this weekend.

What do you do to remember your races?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Thankful Thursday: New Shoes

2011-12-01T06:00:00.002-05:00

There's nothing quite like the first run in a new pair of shoes. What's even better is finding your favorite running shoes for 20% off at your local running store. Bonus!

Let's hope tonight's run feels as good as the shoes look.

ps - how in the heck did it get to be December????

pss - go enter my awesome CLICK Espresso Protein Drink giveaway

Workout Wednesday: Making a Plan

2011-11-30T06:00:00.005-05:00

So, I had this crazy idea to try and complete a sanctioned race every month in 2012. Crazy. Here's a list of possible races for me. If you know of any awesome races I should run, please let me know! I would prefer to run 10k or farther, but had a hard time finding any. Paying for a 5k seems silly at this point.

January 29, 2012 - Tinker Bell Half Marathon, Disneyland (this is a sure thing-already registered!)
February 11, 2012 - Frosty 5k, Middlebury, IN (a trail run, on snow, I'm nuts)
March 17, 2012 - Irish Jig 5k (a local race I've never participated in!) or RockNRoll DC Half Marathon (a lottery win required)
April 22, 2012 - Strider's 10 miler, Lansing Half Marathon (or April 1 Knoxville Half or April 28 RockNRoll Half Marathon Nashville - lottery win)
May 12, 2012 - 5/3 River Bank Run 25k
June 23, 2012 - Cheetah Chase 5k
July 12, 2012 - Tri Del Sol (yep, I put a triathlon on the schedule)
August 18, 2012 - Montrose Blueberry Festival 8k
September ?? - Fitbloggin 5k or Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon (both assuming I win the lottery)
October 21, 2012 - Grand Rapids Marathon (or possibly the Chicago Marathon the week before this)
November ?? - Hot Chocolate 15k Chicago or a random Turkey Trot
December ?? - Wooville 5k or Hot Chocolate 15k DC (can you tell I really want to run a Hot Chocolate race?)

There you go, a very roughed-out, preliminary plan. I'm certainly open to suggestions for other races. I already have Tinker Bell which is costing me a fortune, so travel races will be tough, but I'd love to come run with some of you!

A Click-Tastic Giveaway

2011-11-29T06:00:00.002-05:00

Given the upcoming holiday season, I'd like to give some gifts over the next few weeks to some of my favorite people - YOU! Today marks the first of several giveaways for the month of December.

If you've been around me here or on twitter for any length of time, you know I LURVE my CLICK Espresso Protein for breakfast. When the good folks at CLICK asked if I'd like to partner for a giveaway, I didn't hesitate. This stuff is so yummy, fills me up, and gives me a nice boost of energy to get through my mornings.

CLICK is offering a couple ways to win. One winner (drawn by some random number generator type thingy) will win the following gift pack from CLICK, valued at $25:

Also, because CLICK is trying to build up their Facebook following, the first 25 readers to "like" their page on Facebook and leave me a comment will win a sample of CLICK! Easy-Peasy!

The contest will run from today, November 29 through Tuesday, December 6th. Here's how you enter:

Leave a comment telling me your favorite breakfast - OR - if you've tried CLICK, your favorite way to enjoy it.
Tweet about this giveaway and then come back and leave a comment with the permalink (click on the timestamp).
"Like" LiveLaughRunBreathe on Facebook (the link is up at the top) and then leave a comment.
"Like" CLICK on Facebook (you get a free sample JUST for doing this!) and then, you guessed it, leave a comment.
Follow @DrinkClick on Twitter and then leave a comment.

That's 5 ways to enter and win yourself a great breakfast! Make sure there is a way for me (or more specifically, CLICK) to contact you so they can send you your swag!!

If you simply can't wait to see if you've won, CLICK is offering the following BOGO deal for my readers (just click on the link - I can't get it to show up as button):

a href="http://www.drinkclick.com/bogo/index.php?ref=affiliate">http://www.drinkclick.com/assets/images/bogo_sm.gif" border="0" alt="CLICK Espresso Protein Drink" style="border:none" />

Legal mumbojumbo: Click has provided these gifts to my readers at no cost to me, but the opinions stated are 100% my own.

Menu Monday: Caramel Apple Pie

2011-11-28T08:00:00.007-05:00

One of my stand-by desserts, served nearly every holiday, is this Caramel Apple Pie. It never fails and is absolutely amazing reheated with some vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Crust for a single crust pie (either homemade or use the Pillsbury like I do)

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup quick-cooking oats

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

3 Tbsp all purpose flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

6 cups thinly sliced, peeled Granny Smith apples

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup caramel topping

1. Place crust into pie plate.

2. Crumb topping: stir together brown sugar, 1/2 cup flour, and oats. Use pastry blender to cut in butter until course crumbs. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, stir together sugar, 3 Tbsp flour, cinnamon and salt. Add apple slices and gently toss until coated. Put on crust. Sprinkle crumb topping over mixture.

4. To prevent over browning, cover edge of pie with foil or pie shield. Bake at 375* for 25 minutes. Remove foil. Bake another 25-30 minutes more until golden. Remove from oven and sprinkle with pecans and drizzle with caramel. Cool on a wire rack.

This is by far my favorite type of pie. What's yours?

LLRB 365: 2011 Week 46

2011-11-27T14:17:00.001-05:00

Why is it that with a short work-week and a holiday do I feel so much more tired than if I'd worked all week. Hopefully you were able to enjoy some time off and a visit with those you love this Thanksgiving.

Monday

11-21-11

Words to live by

Tuesday

11-22-11

I love my skinny jeans and shiny shoes

Wednesday

11-23-11

Taught the girl how to make Caramel Apple Pie (recipe tomorrow!)

Thursday

11-24-11

Happy Thanksgiving!

Friday

11-25-11

Unlocked the "Mall Rat" badge on FourSquare. What made this so funny was I wrote "I love the smell of commerce in the morning" when I checked in. If you know the movie, you know why I about died when I unlocked this badge.

Saturday

11-26-11

What I wore for Girl's Night Out

Sunday

11-27-11

Today will consist of this:

How did you spend your Thanksgiving? (or to my international friends, your weekend?)

ps-stay tuned for a giveaway coming on Tuesday!

pss-my "follow me" widgit appears to be broken - can any of you fix it?

Thankful Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T12:56:00.001-05:00

As I sit around watching football and smelling the turkey cooking in the oven, I want to spend a couple minutes giving thanks.

I'm thankful for my family. They support me & put up with me. Without their encouragement, I wouldn't have become a marathoner this year.

I'm thankful for my amazing friends, those who have stuck by me for many years as well as the friends I've "met" here. You all mean the world to me.

I'm thankful to have my faith. No matter what is happening, I know that God loves me and at the end of the day will always have my back.

Blessings to you and yours on this Thanksgiving Day.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

My Christmas Wish List

2011-11-23T14:10:00.001-05:00

So, I'm completely ripping off this post from Thea and also Lissa.

Every year at this time, we get massive Christmas wish lists from some family members while others choose to go the 'no list' route. Both methods are completely crazy and really do nothing to put me in the Christmas spirit.

In all reality, there is nothing that I need and the stuff I want no one is going to get me anyway. Same goes for the rest of my family. So, I thought after reading Thea and Lissa's posts that it would be fun to create the ultimate wish list. If anyone in my family asks me what I want for Christmas, I'm giving them one of my blog business cards and directing them to this post.

Here goes....

Fully funded college funds for both kids (I can't be completely selfless).
A giant motorhome (with an unlimited gas card) so I could drive around the country scooping up all my friends.
A private jet for the same purpose as #2, but faster.
My own private island in the Caribbean somewhere, with an unlimited supply of rum and sunscreen.
Race entry to the Kaua'i Marathon and plane tickets/hotel rooms for my whole family to come watch me run.
Season passes to Disney World and a condo in which to stay in every year when we visit.
Unlimited time off and cash, so I can go visit/travel/run anywhere I want, whenever I want.
A chauffeur to drive the kids to all their ~~crap~~ activities.
A personal chef and maid.
Lipo and a tummy tuck so I look awesome in my bikini while lounging on my private island.

That's probably a good start. I'm sure there's more, but I don't want to seem greedy. :)

What's on your ultimate Christmas list?

In all seriousness, I want to wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving. I know I'm incredibly thankful for all of you. Much love. XOXO

Running to Give Back: A Guest Post

2011-11-22T11:02:00.000-05:00

In this week of giving thanks, I'd like to introduce you to my first guest blogger - Jackie! Jackie blogs over at Jackie's Arc and is also a staff writer for the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance Blog.

Jackie joined the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance in 2009 as research assistant after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in fitness and nutrition. Jackie’s experience in technical and medical research has allowed her to assist in the development of medical content and outreach efforts, with specializations in alternative care, cancer support programs, and social media campaigns. In addition, she runs and is an advocate for running for charity. Jackie asked if she could share an article about running for a good cause with my readers, and I'm pleased to introduce you to Jackie (that's her in the white hat and blue/black jacket)...

The Importance of Running for a Good Cause

By: Jackie Clark

If you've never run a marathon before, you don't know what you're missing.

As a runner I have found that gaining sponsorship in order to donate money to a favorite charity can be relatively easy. People like helping people especially when there is a cancer connection. Sadly, everyone is connected to cancer in some way and people struggle with the best way to help those fighting for their lives. When I mention that I am running for charity people are more than willing to donate because they can provide something tangible to those in need.

The New York City Marathon is one of the most popular marathons and provides funding for over a 190 charities. If you have a specific cause that you want to run for, whether it is mesothelioma, sudden infant death syndrome, or even ovarian cancer, there are many options available for finding a race that promotes awareness and supports a charity that donates to your specific cause.

Running for charity is more than physical endurance test for me. It is also an emotional experience. You don't have to be a strong runner to feel the powerful connection to the people around you as you race. I have met people from all walks of life while running. Maybe you'll talk to some of your fellow runners, maybe not, but you're all in this race together. You're all dedicated to raising money for a specific cause and to saving lives of your fellow humans who can't always stand up and speak for themselves.

In addition to raising money for others, running for charity has also helped strengthen my body and improved my overall health. You'll need to spend several months preparing for your marathon in order to be able to physically complete the race. Realize that marathon preparation, no matter how noble, is something you should take seriously. Eat healthy foods and avoid processed and high-calorie meals as much as possible in order to help yourself feel and look as good as possible when the day of the race comes. A healthy diet will not only improve your appearance, but also will also increase your energy levels and help you feel good and be able to keep up as you run.

Once you decide to run, immediately begin to tell the people around you so that they can support you financially and emotionally. While you shouldn't beg people for money, there isn't anything wrong with letting your friends and family members know that you're going to be running so that they can donate if they want to or so that they can tell others about the cause. Talking about your decision to run also opens up the opportunity to discuss the actual charity you're supporting.

Thank you for sharing, Jackie. As runners, this is definitely an area where we can give back, whether it be fundraising and running for a cause near to your heart, or simply getting out your checkbook and supporting those running around you.

Happy Thanksgiving my friends!

LLRB 365: 2011 Week 45

2011-11-21T08:29:00.000-05:00

Monday

11-14-11

Finally got my hairs did.

Tuesday

11-15-11

Plotted out my Tinker Bell Half Marathon training plan. (Normally there's so much more color on here, but the kids are now between activities.)

Wednesday

11-16-11

Hunkered in with a book tonight.

Thursday

11-17-11

Watched D's opening night performance of Taming of the Shrew (he's in the white shirt/black pants).

Friday

11-18-11

My dad came up to see D's show.

Saturday

11-19-11

Broke out the cold weather gear for the first "long" run of Tink training. (I use long loosely as it was only 4 miles-but it still kicked my butt. I feel like I've lost so much endurance since the marathon - it's sad, really.)

Sunday

11-20-11

Went to Founder's Brewing to listen to some jazz and enjoy a beverage.

(also - Happy Birthday to my Dad!)

A busy week with the start of half training and all of D's practices and performances (poor kid didn't get home until 10:30 or later every night this week!)

This week I'm definitely looking forward to some time off. Only 2 days of work and then we're off for Thanksgiving. (Granted, I'm cooking this year, so it won't be much of a break, but I love to cook so it isn't a big deal.)

What are your Thanksgiving plans this year?

Thankful Thursday (a day late): Talented Kids

2011-11-18T09:03:00.000-05:00

Today I'm writing my Thankful Thursday post a day late because I didn't get the material until late last night :) This week I'm giving thanks that my boy has found his niche in high school. He's always been involved in music (and was the ONLY freshman to make the top jazz band at his high school a couple weeks ago!) but he's now found a love of theater.

Yesterday marked D's acting debut in The Taming of the Shrew. He played 3 roles: a servant, messenger, and sheriff. I knew he had some lines, but I was surprised by how many he actually had. He did a great job and I'm so proud of him.

His first bio!

Servant (white shirt/black pants)

Making an arrest as Sheriff (brown hat)

I was in choir so I was "forced" to be in a bunch of musicals in high school, but I never had any speaking parts (way outside my comfort zone-to this day I panic at the thought of public speaking). How about you? Were you ever involved in theater in high school or college?

True Confessions: A Rut

2011-11-15T13:45:00.000-05:00

I wasn't going to post today, but I'm feeling very blah and needed to get a few things out (at least what I can get out in a public forum like this).

I'm in a rut.
I'm fueling my body (and I use the term "fueling" very loosely) with crap and my scale is reflecting this. (Case in point: McD's fries for lunch today.)
I'm the heaviest I've been in probably 6 months. Not by a lot, but enough that I'm over what I consider my "danger" weight and I feel gross right now.
I've run a whopping 18 miles total since my marathon on October 16th. (To put it in perspective, I hadn't run less than 18 miles in a WEEK for the three months leading up to the race, except one week when I was horribly sick and only ran 4 miles.)
I also haven't been doing really any other workouts. I've biked once or twice, done a couple NTC workouts, but that's it. It's no wonder I've gained a couple pounds and probably lost massive amounts of muscle. Eating crap + no exercise = a fat, depressed, Bari.
My Tinker Bell Half Marathon training is supposed to start this week. Tonight should be my "first" run of 40 minutes and this Saturday my "first" long run of 4 miles (if I follow the half plan from a year ago). Should be easy, right? But my runs lately haven't been very easy. I really wish I had a training partner for this, because the thought of training by myself this winter makes me sad.

If anyone would like to run with me this afternoon/tonight, please let me know. I'd love the company.

LLRB 365: 2011 Week 44

2011-11-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

I know I say it just about every week, but I can't believe we are 44 weeks into 2011 already. Crazy. This week I spent a ton of time with the kids (or rather, attending events for the kids while they spent time with various chaperons - #winning!)

Monday

11-7-11

Came home for lunch. Stop staring at me!

Tuesday

11-8-11

We attended fall sports awards night. Our high school has (I'm thinking) around 3500 students. 230ish received varsity letters tonight. 22 of them were freshman - including my girl (she lettered in diving). Proud mama for sure!

Wednesday

11-9-11

I was less than thrilled by the 30 mph winds and freezing rain that forced ~~ok wussed~~ me into running on the treadmill. I should've run outside. It was HOT in there but I loved my YMX by Yellowman jersey I won from Shrinkingjeans (it was too hot for the awesome armwarmers they also sent)!

Thursday

11-10-11

We headed down to Indianapolis where on the way I rediscovered my love of wind farms.

Friday

11-11-11

The kids competed with the Grandville High School Marching Band at BOA Nationals. In 2 weeks they've gotten to march in 2 NFL stadiums. Last weekend it was Ford Field. This week: Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts and the 2012 Superbowl! They put on a spectacular show (probably their best of the season), but sadly, they did not advance to the semi-final round and the 2010 season ended for them tonight.

As a weekend bonus, I got to hang out with a few of my favorite people - Kirsten, Jamie and Ali :) We enjoyed dinner, drinks and hilarious conversation.

Saturday

11-12-11

On the way home, Mike suggested we stop at the new Greenbush Brewery in Sawyer. I can't say I was disappointed - yum!

Sunday

11-13-11

Today, God reminded me of His love on many occasions. The sunset He provided was spectacular. (These are unfiltered iPhone 4s shots - and I'm not even that great a photographer.)

I hope and pray the sunset on your week was just as breathtaking. Much love. B

Fitness Friday

2011-11-11T12:45:00.001-05:00

Just because you're out of town doesn't mean you can't get your workout on. Book a hotel with a fitness center.

Then use it.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Thankful Thursday: Friends!

2011-11-10T17:19:00.000-05:00

It just occurred to me that I forgot to write my Thankful Thursday post this morning. I had a good excuse, though. I was busy wrapping up work so I could hit the road. (I'm actually posting this from my laptop as I use M's mobile wifi hotspot - so I'm also thankful for freaking cool tech gadgets!)

This weekend I'm thankful that because of a totally random happenstance that was a band competition and a conference, I get to see Kirsten and meet Ali on Friday!

I'm incredibly thankful for my friends. They make me laugh. They keep me sane. I couldn't "BE" without them.

So, ladies, I'm bringing the margaritas! Kirsten, make sure to fill up the ice bucket :)

True Confessions: Somebody Slap Me

2011-11-08T08:00:00.002-05:00

Ok, people. The eating and drinking post marathon are getting WAY out of hand. The past couple weeks have been crazy busy with kid schedules and stress and so we've been eating out more and I'll admit to more than a few adult beverages in the evenings when we finally do all get home.

It has to stop.

I have one more weekend of travel (with some much needed girl-time thrown in) so I know this week is still going to be hard for eating right and laying off the booze.

But, I need to make some changes.

more water (I don't think I drank hardly any all last weekend)
more running (I have a half marathon at the end of January, which is so far away, but I don't want to lose all the fitness I've gained.)
more cross-training (I went to spin class on Sunday and it about killed me.)
less booze (*sniff-sniff*)

Any other ideas? I'm open to suggestions.

LLRB 365: 2011 Week 43

2011-11-07T08:49:00.000-05:00

How in blazes have we made it through October and into November already? Did all of you enjoy your extra hour of sleep Saturday night? ~~I used it as an excuse to stay out later - oops.~~

Here's my week in review:

Monday

10-31-11

Happy Halloween! Considering I thought we had agreed we were going to hide and not hand out candy this year, I thought the giant bowl of all my favorites M bought was rather cruel.

And, for those of you who wanted to know what I did with last week's fabric purchase, I give you: A Bag of Cotton Candy. (All of the teaching staff dressed up as "candy" this year. Please be kind)

Tuesday

11-1-11

Today, I give you a picture of my reward for running the marathon - a bunch of new clothes (excuse the messy closet). (Also, the nerd in me absolutely loves this date, but I never took a picture of it.)

Wednesday

11-02-2011

Happy palindrome day. The picture has nothing to do with that, but whatever. It's my blog.

Thursday

11-3-11

My daughter competed in the conference prelims and finished 23/33 after 5 dives. She qualified for semifinals but bowed out since she wouldn't be able to compete in the finals on Saturday anyway because of a schedule conflict with marching band. I'm so proud of my girl for how hard she's worked this season.

Friday

11-4-11

We headed to the east side of the state to celebrate my friend Jen's birthday! An all vegan menu, tons of wine, and the company of good friends was exactly what I needed.

Saturday

11-5-11

D and K's marching band competed in the state finals and got to march at Ford Field. They finished 10/12 at finals and 10/15th in the state for Flight 1 (the largest schools).

Sunday

11-6-11

I almost didn't each lunch on Saturday until I remembered the leftovers in the fridge from Anita's in Ferndale. (Seriously, if you are ever in the Detroit area - go to Anita's in Ferndale. Even if you aren't in the area, it's totally worth the drive.)

There you have it. The end to another busy week. Hopefully things will settle down a bit now that diving is finished and marching band is almost done. How was your week? Anything fun to report?

Fitness Friday: An App for That?

2011-11-04T09:40:00.000-04:00

Accountability

Motivation

Companionship

Three concepts/words that would help so many of us in our fitness journeys.

This week I got to run with a good friend as part of a group run. It made me realize how much I miss running with someone. How it makes the time go faster and how that person can help push you and encourage you to kick it up a notch.

The problem is finding people in my area with similar fitness goals (and in the case of running, similar abilities). Sure, we have running groups around here, group exercise classes at the Y, I'm on Daily Mile ... But how do you really connect and find people to help keep you accountable? How do you do it?

I wish there was an app for that.

Thankful Thursday: Tomorrows

2011-11-03T08:00:00.001-04:00

You ever have one of those days where you just wanna call "time out" and ask for a do-over? I think we all have. In fact, several of my friends on twitter were shouting out for do-overs yesterday (and I was wishing right along side them).

Sadly though, do-overs rarely, if ever, happen.

Thankfully, we always have the opportunity for tomorrow. Tomorrow is God's way to give us a do-over. How we choose to play it is entirely up to us.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

LLRB 365: 2012 Week 42

2011-10-31T08:00:00.002-04:00

Monday

10-24-11

Bought some fabric for my Halloween costume.

Tuesday

10-25-11

My first post-marathon run. Not too shabby.

Wednesday

10-26-12

Dinner & a movie

Thursday

10-27-11

Added a charm to my necklace!

Friday

10-28-11

Winter arrived, at least for the morning

Saturday

10-29-11

A nice 5 mile run with a stop to visit Nessie

Sunday

10-30-11

A beautiful day in downtown GR. I love the peacefulness of the Fish Ladder.

It felt amazing to get back to running this week. I still need to "make a plan" and figure out what kind of training I'm going to do for the next few months, but the 8 miles I ran this week are at least a start.

Thankful Thursday: Buds, Brews, & Booze

2011-10-27T08:00:00.004-04:00

This week I've been enjoying the occasional adult beverage after work. (It's been a long, stressful week my friends.) I even got to enjoy a brew with a good friend after a nice walk to the brewpub on Saturday.

I am most thankful for my buds, but the brews & booze have been appreciated this week too!

True Confession Tuesday-Post Marathon Blues

2011-10-25T09:24:00.000-04:00

So, the past week and 2 days have been really *weird* for me. You see, I ran this little marathon on 10/16/10 and since then I've felt totally lost. I've only worked out twice (both times using Nike Training Club and doing strength work) and each workout literally kicked my ass. I felt so incredibly out of shape that it was sad. ~~Granted, I really slacked on the strength work near the end of training anyway, so I totally got what I deserved in that respect.~~ I also did a 4 mile walk on Saturday that left my shins more sore than the marathon - go figure. ~~Clearly I need to stick to running?~~ I feel like I have no direction because I don't have any workouts mapped out on my calendar. My next big race, the Tinker Bell Half Marathon, is in 96 days. I have plenty of time to train and since I don't plan on running this race for *time* per se, the pressure is off a bit ~~maybe too much~~. Also, as Kirsten pointed out, my longest training run for this will be a piece of cake after marathon training. I'm hoping to do an 8k in November (depending on where we are for Thanksgiving) and a 5k in December (likely in TONS of snow - also NOT a PR type of race). I haven't run since the marathon, and frankly, I'm a little scared that it won't go well or something. It sounds completely stupid when I type it out, but there you go.

My eating has been shit and I said I wouldn't step on the scale for at least a couple weeks after the marathon. Well, I stepped on the scale on Saturday and was pleasantly surprised to see a number a couple pounds less than my "danger zone" weight. Now, with all the shit I ate and drank over the weekend, I'm probably back up over the danger zone, but whatever. The main thing is needing to get my eating and this marathon gluttony in check.

My emotions are also all over the place. I'm better this week, but still feel like I could burst into tears at any moment. Work was VERY hard last week, with some extremely challenging students and stressful parent meetings, and I even cried in front of another teacher. Now he keeps asking me if everything is okay. F*CK. I so did not want to go there. KWIM?

I'm sure a lot of what I'm feeling is post-marathon blues. You train and train and have a goal for 4 months and then *poof* in less than 5 1/2 hours, it's over. I know I just need to snap out of it, but it's hard. At least it is for me.

Have you ever experienced post-race blues? What did you do to get over it?

LLRB 365: 2011 Week 42

2011-10-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

This week has been a bit of a let-down after finishing the Grand Rapids Marathon last Sunday. (You can read my race report and see video here. If you want to see my official race photos, you can check them out here.) I've been trying to lay low and make sure I'm fully recovered before I jump back into training. Anyhoo....here's a peek at my week.

Monday

10-17-11

Loving my Grand Rapids Marathon bling!

Tuesday

10-18-11

The van got some new bling, too!

Wednesday

10-19-11

A much needed trip to the chiropractor.

Thursday

10-20-11

First post-marathon workout with my Chocolate Milk Refuel swag. This just in - marathons hurt your abs too, even if you don't realize it at first.

Friday

10-21-11

SQUEEEE

Saturday

10-22-11

Today was the "Run the Hood" virtual 5k and 10k hosted by The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans. I didn't sign up (not knowing what condition I'd be in this week) but decided to walk it as a "bandit" with Mel. We had a great time and finished our walk at Bell's Brewery. Win-Win!

Sunday

10-23-11

Today was the first concert of the 2011-2012 season for the concert band M performs with. They put on a great show today.

I had some rough emotions last week, coming off the marathon and coupled with a very stressful work week. Do you ever have the blues after finishing a major race? How do you cope?

Thankful Thursday: Support

2011-10-20T09:09:00.000-04:00

For the past 4 months or so, I've been preparing to tackle my toughest run to date: the Grand Rapids Marathon. I completed that goal this past Sunday and could not be more proud of myself. You can read my race report here (lots of pictures & even some video!). I even feel pretty much back to "normal" physically (mentally is a subject for another post).

I've talked a lot about how my online community of friends (along with my friends and family here) have been so incredibly supportive of me in this journey. During the race, I had my phone with me but had turned off the notifications for Twitter and Facebook. I figured a few people would be encouraging me as I ran and I didn't want it to distract me from the task at hand, which was "left foot, right foot, lather, rinse, repeat". I tweeted a couple times late in the race and saw lots of mentions but I didn't read them at the time. When I finished the race and sent a tweet that I was finished and officially a marathoner, I was shocked to see how many mentions I had.

146 mentions during the course of the race. That, my friends, is support. I don't have a clue what the total number was by the end of the day or how many comments I had through Facebook, but it was huge. This is what having an online community of friends is all about. Support. Love. Encouragement. For this, I thank you. MWAH

Grand Rapids Marathon - A Race Report

2011-10-17T12:47:00.000-04:00

Oh my goodness, where do I even begin to describe/recap my first full marathon?!?! This is something I've been training for since June, but really, all the running I've done in the past 5 years or so (when I said I'd NEVER run a marathon) have led up to this moment.

The day started out like most race mornings. The alarm going off WAY too freaking early and me trying to down some food and fluids. I got all dolled up in my My Race Ragz custom t-shirt and purple Team Sparkle skirt. I may not feel great running this marathon, but you better believe I'll be adorable doing it!

We left the house a little after 6 with the goal to be downtown around 6:30 so I could find Pete and Megan (never did find Keith or Steve), use the bathrooms 465 times, and relax a bit. The weather driving downtown was abysmal.

My hubby, Mike, and dad came down to see me off. Dad gave me a kiss and then ended up waiting in the car because the weather was still a bit rainy, but Mike was there and video'd my start. Thankfully, the real rain had stopped and we just had some sprinkles for the start of the race.

Miles 1-4 take us through a loop around the downtown Grand Rapids area. At the beginning of the race, I started chatting with a girl named Jessica who was also doing her first marathon. She wanted to try and maintain a 12 m/m pace and that's what I was hoping to start out with. We chatted and kept trying to reign each other in. Around mile 2, I saw my friends Angie (who BQ'd at the Chicago Marathon last weekend - ROCKSTAR!!!) and Joe with a sign that said, "If it was easy, everyone would do it". So totally awesome!. We made it through town and headed south toward the outer reaches of the course. Thankfully, the rain had stopped and we had cloudy skies with just a little bit of wind. (Splits: 11:36, 11:37, 11:47, 11:41)

Miles 5-10 head us out into the reaches of the Grand Rapids park system. We ran through Butterworth Park (known to some as the Serengeti) and I took a potty break at about mile 6.5. I rounded the corner at mile 7 and was shocked to see Mike, Joe and Angie here! It was a great boost (Angie's sign said "You know you want me" with a picture of the marathon medal - um YEP, I did!) and I gave everyone quick hugs and kept on my way. There's a pretty steady climb from miles 5 to 7 and again from 8 to 9 and my legs were starting to feel the pain. At mile 10, we headed into Millennium Park. (Splits: 11:36, 11:41, 12:19 (potty break!), 11:05 (extra energy from seeing friends & fam?), 11:39, 11:25)

Miles 11-13 are run around the lake in Millennium Park and then along the north side of the Grand River. At this point I was starting to walk some and my legs were feeling really tired. I was pretty much abandoning my original time goal (which in all honesty, was too ambitious to begin with). I've never run the trails here and it was absolutely beautiful. I go to that beach in the summer, but had never seen it from the other side before!

Just before mile 12, at the top of the steepest hill on the course, was my friend Mel, with a sign that read "Run Hooker Run" (inside joke). She made me run up that hill to give her a hug!

I came out of Millennium Park and headed toward Veteran's Memorial Parkway (which is part road/part trail system). As I came upon the aide station just past mile 12 I heard "Mrs. F!!!!!" It was two of my students who happened to be working the station! OMG these two girls absolutely made my day when they screamed my name and ran up to give me a hug. One of their moms was there too and I got a giant hug and a "get moving" from her. This was one of the biggest highlights of my race. When I hit the 1/2 way point and saw my time was around 2:35, I knew, feeling as tired as I was, that I was not going to finish in under 5 hours. Seeing the girls just before this and remembering Kirsten's advice to "enjoy the miles" helped me relax and not stress about the time anymore. I knew it was going to be hard, but I'd finish the race. (Splits: 13:14, 11:32, 11:32)

Miles 14-20 are essentially an out and back portion run on the Kent Trails system. Just before mile 14 you cross the river and begin running along the south bank. I'm familiar with the roads from doing so many training runs (plus the River Bank Run uses this too) so I was looking forward to this part of the course. Also, because it's an out and back, I was able to see many of the speedy runners and saw my friend Pete for a few seconds. Right around mile 15, I also saw Angie, Joe, and Mike again (oh, and Murphy the dog was with them too!). I grabbed some pickle juice, got hugs and kisses, and kept on my way. To date, my longest race was the RBR 25k (15.5 miles). This section was very tough mentally. I was still running quite a bit, but my legs were really starting to hurt. All the runners coming the other direction motivated me to keep moving, and that's what I did. At about 17.5 you loop around and head back the way you came. I was tired and walking a lot. I came back to the pickle juice station and there was Angie. I started to cry and she told me to STOP and keep moving and ran with me. She said you don't get to mile 18 in a marathon and give up. At this point, run-walk-crawl-finish. She was headed to her son's basketball game but would talk to me later. I kept plugging along, definitely walking a lot more than I wanted to (my legs were starting to cramp up, but the pickle juice seemed to be helping). I hit the mile 20 sign and realized I was headed into uncharted territory but I really didn't feel that bad. I tweeted: "20 mile warm up complete. Time to run (using that term loosely) a 10k. I've done tons of those. Right? Also, can't wait to read your tweets." When I tweeted at miles 15, 18 and 20, I saw how many mentions I had from my friends all around the country (world even) supporting me and it lifted me in ways you guys will never know. (Splits: 12:03, 12:28, 13:11, 12:39, 12:37, 14:39, 12:58).

Miles 21-23 were very tough for me mentally and physically. I hit the mat at 21 and then looped back around and back across the river onto Veteran's. There weren't many people out here and it was pretty lonely. I worked to run at least a 1/4 mile at a time, but even this was getting tough. I kept looking at the wristbands I was wearing, with so many of my supporters/friends names written on them. I could do this. At mile 23 I tweeted "23 done. Just over a 5k to go. And the sun is out!" I called my daughter to let her know where I was. Just past mile 23 I saw Angie. Here I thought she had gone to her son's game, but no. She was going to get me to that finish line no matter what. (Splits: 13:28, 12:42, 13:09)

Miles 24-26.2 Angie and I headed back into the Serengeti and this time it was up hill. Angie encouraged me to run by pointing out targets: an aide station - where I saw my friend Mark from church & got a hug, an American flag, a runner to pass. You get the idea. We snapped some photos.

24.5 photo courtesy of Mark

The sun had come out and it was getting warm. But I only had a mile to go! The wind was also picking up, but thank goodness it wasn't like Saturday's 30 mph winds! Angie ran with me until we could see the finish line about 1/2 a mile in the distance. She told me she'd see me on the other side and was gone. In the last 1/2 mile, I saw Mel again. She ran out and gave me a big hug. Then, with less than a 1/4 mile to go, my kids joined me. They gave me high-fives and said they wanted to run with me to the end.

I crossed the finish line with my children on each side of me (actually beating my track star daughter!). My dad, Mike, Joe and Angie were yelling for me at the fence. The announcer read my name. At the finish line, I saw my friend Judi (who is on staff with the Grand Rapids Marathon).

I held onto Judi and we cried. Then I got a hug from race director Don Kern (he hugs EVERYBODY who crosses!). It was so awesome to have her there at the end because she was one of the first people who really encouraged me to go outside my comfort zone and sign up for this marathon. She even got a medal from a volunteer and hung my medal around my neck. I Am A Marathoner. Cue more tears.

I wish I could remember what songs were playing through my earbuds at different points because so many times, the song that shuffled in was exactly what I needed at that moment. I know I had "Firework" at the 5k mark and "Lose Yourself" as I entered Millennium Park. "Don't Stop Believing" played 3 times during the race (3 different versions - 2 Glee plus the original). I tried to remember what some of the random signs were along the course, but other than the ones my friends made, I really can't remember any. What I remember most is the feeling on accomplishment when I crossed that finish line. That, and knowing I had so many friends and family cheering me on, both IRL and through twitter and facebook. I couldn't have done this without all of your love, support and encouragement.

(Final splits: 14:10, 12:46, 13:52, and a 9:57 *holy crap* for the last 1/4 mile or so - my Garmen ran a little long)

LLRB 365: 2011 Week 41

2011-10-17T08:00:00.001-04:00

It's been a big week.

Monday

10-10-11

I love cooking in our antique Griswold cast iron skillets. Chili & corn bread - YUM

Tuesday

10-11-11

Watched D & K's marching band take a Division I (like an A) rating at Marching Band Festival.

Wednesday

10-12-11

Trying to eat healthy this week!

Thursday

10-13-11

OK, so maybe not THAT healthy. I only had ~~one~~ three.

Friday

10-14-11

Carb loading - Friday Night Lights style

Saturday

10-15-11

All gear'd up for tomorrow!

Sunday

10-16-11

I'm a Marathoner!!!!!

Obviously, finishing my first marathon on Sunday was the highlight of my week (although those pretzel things were pretty darn good!). Full race report will be coming this week - hopefully sooner rather than later. If you want to check out the abridged version on DailyMile, you can go here.

I know there were a ton of people racing this weekend. Did you race (or have a training run)? Let me know and send me the link if you posted about it. Pretty please?

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