Marathon Mom

I have talked a lot about Pro Bar over the past couple months, but they are my new favorite snack. I was excited when Pro Bar contacted me to be an ambassador for their products and let me try a variety of their bars. Fruition Bar Perfect afternoon snack to get through the slump. A combination of fruit, dates, oats, chia seeds, cashews in great flavors. I think my favorite is peach (at least today), but you can't go wrong with lemon, blueberry, raspberry either. These taste great, almost pie like flavor. Perfect preworkout food and gluten free! Halo Bar- Nutty Marshmallow These are awesome; sweet but without the guilt, best yet they are vegan and low sugar (no refined sugar)! These are my go to when I need to cure a sweet tooth.Just the right combination of sweet and salty. The Halo bars also come in Smores, Rocky Road and Honey Graham And now for the best part, Pro Bar has given me a mixed box of the Original Pro Bar to share with someone. Want to try this...

Looking back I wish I had taken pictures on my run (or in the past) but instead here is a list... The strange things seen on a run A large rawhide dog bone Multiple half lemons: this wouldn't be strange except it is cold and lemons do not grow here A man running in a cowboy hat A girl running in a bikini (this was in the summer) An entire loaf of bread dropped piece by piece down the trail Banana peels (okay not strange) am I the only one who immediately thinks Billy Madison when I see a banana peel on the side of the road? Single adult size shoes, I get the kid shoes since we have been donors of these (and socks) in the past, but adults don't you miss one shoe?  A man walking along a road (no water in sight) wearing a lifejacket, expecting a flood?? A woman rollerblading while pushing a kid hanging out of a stroller, okay maybe not strange but dangerous! What is the strangest thing you have seen on a run?

       Check out what others are planning and link up with Laura and Jill who are hosting a weekly menu planning link up every Sunday. I love having this to look back on as the week goes and I forget. It is always fun to see what others have planned and get new ideas. How are you with menu planning? So far so good here, we usually make 1 or 2 changes during the week.   DINNER SUNDAY 4 Bean Chili with corn bread MONDAY Chipotle Black Bean Mac n Cheese TUESDAY Almond Butter on GF bread (quick dinner before running) Fruit WEDNESDAY Quick dinner before Halloween (?? Chipotle) THURSDAY       Chickpea/Quinoa Stew (making a few changes) FRIDAY Roasted acorn squash risotto SATURDAY Pancakes, tofu scramble   I love fall for stews, soups, winter squas...

Ever have those times when it is about 2 or 3pm and you are in desperate need of a nap? I do, way too often especially on my long days and this is often time for a meeting or driving home, neither times work well for sleep! Lately with my heavy loaded early week, less exercise post-marathon and changing season this has become more of an issue. There I days when it hits so hard I end up with a headache and my only options are sleep or a snack (which tends to result in mindless eating). Unfortunately this is a natural thing build into our body's sleep-wake rhythm ( Source ). But this can also be part of our own doing. A few things to consider: What was breakfast? (was there even a breakfast): Make sure to eat a quality breakfast with protein and carbs. What was lunch? Are you experiencing a crash from the high amount of carbs or sugar. Avoid high fat foods that sit in your stomach and take a long time to digest. Pro Bar has become a go to snack What to do: Move (espe...

A little randomness for Thursday, first my exciting news... A few weeks ago I took the RRCA coaching course and yesterday passed my test! Just waiting on the official word that they received my information and then I will be an official RRCA Certified Run Coach! Next I need to pass my NASM CPT test (next month). I am so excited to finally add this certification and utilize all my new knowledge in coaching. Starting in November I will be starting a new adventure and coaching a 5K group (much different then my usual half and full marathon runners). I am excited for this and being part of the huge iniative of Commitment Day ; a New Year's Day 5K in cities throughout the United States. Want to join all the runners/walkers? Use code CHA0070 for $5 discount and access to free group training at many locations.   What better way to kick off the New Year! What is your Commitment to better health?  Now one last request: There is a week left in voting for the Top Mom...

I have been on the look out for a good headband that stays put while working out now that I am in the process of growing out my hair. Last month at a race I saw a table for Simple Trends and Nicole was nice enough to give me a headband to review! And she even sent me a fun purple one. Sorry for the lack of good pictures but I always seem to be wearing it post-workout and no one wants to see that! So what do I think? Love it! It stays in place and I like that it can be wide or narrow. Works great for the early morning workouts to cover up my crazy, messy hair. Not only are they great to keep hair back and sweat off my face, but they are cute. The headbands are available in many colors and fun prints and only $10 a piece. Check out Simple Trends for the prints and other (much better) pictures. Source Now I eed a little help from the runners out there...I am thinking ahead to 2013 and planning races (half and full marathons mostly). I get in the habit of runnin...

  Today I am posting a story from Angela on her journey to become a runner... Hi, I’m thrilled to be part of the Sweat Pink Blog Swap! Many thanks to Jill for hosting it and to Jen for featuring my guest post! I thought I’d share my journey with you. I was underweight for most of my early childhood because I was hyperactive and anemic. I was a picky kid and didn’t eat much, and my parents were always worried because I was so thin and short. When I was about 10, I started to eat more, which made my mother so happy, she would push food into me, because for a change, I was finally at a normal weight. That only lasted a couple of years. As I hit puberty, my hyperactivity phased itself out and I slowed down. My parents had split up, we had moved to a new town, and being painfully shy, I had a hard time making new friends. Instead of running around outside, all I wanted was to sit in my room and read… hide, actually (although I did- and still do- love to read!). My we...

I want to thank Jill for her post on circuit training for runner: Check out her blog  Fitness, Health and Happiness As a runner I’m always looking for ways to train smart and improve performance. This year I’ve come to realize that training smart and improving performance means consistent cross training. As someone who would be perfectly happy to only run, what are my options? More importantly, what are my options that will benefit running? The answer to that is circuit training. What is circuit training? Circuit training is the effective combination of cardio vascular fitness and resistance training that maximizes the volume of work done in a short period of time. After looking at a variety of circuit workouts the routines typically: 1.       alternate between muscle groups allowing for adequate recovery 2.       include a rest interval of 30-90 seconds 3.       allow for 1-3...