Marathon Mom

I usually don't post like this, so open. And I am for sure not one to take selfies! I've struggled with how my body responded after pregnancy and now especially with all the changes over the past year: back to full time work, quicker meals, big running injury, etc. But here it is... I was ask yesterday about Beachbody and why I started the programs and why I became a coach and thought I'd share with my readers as well and show the progress I have made in just two short months (2 very busy months with long work days, travel and O's activities). I joined the Team at Beachbody because I was an injured runner who had gained weight due to lack of workouts. I had spent so many years in my run and lifting routine that I was lost with ½ of that and no longer seeing positive changes. I felt like I’d even hit a plateau on my lifting, I wanted strength and definition and it was coming! I had become frustrated with running the past year and was not enjoying it, heck I was ...

After my ER visit and continued issues with hyponatremia I decided to get back on top of my food tracking and logged in to my Fitness Pal account after almost a year. I will admit I usually go at it expecting to stick with it but quit after a week. This time I needed to focus on making sure my protein, fat and sodium intake were enough for my activity levels. It has been almost a month and I'm finding my carbs are still higher than needed meaning I need to focus on the other two more. Since we are talking food, I decided to get back into the What I Ate Wednesday posting... My lunches/dinners (frequently dinner becomes lunch in some form) Vegan Pepper Mac n "Cheese" Quinoa black Bean/Veggie Bowl Tofu Pepper Curry Artichoke/sundried tomato bean stuffed zucchini Fajita salad (from leftover fajitas) I've also been loving lemon water! Whay did it take me so long to discover this? I needed to either cut back to 40-50 ounces a day to control the hyponatre...

A new week and new goals...I decided to change up my Monday posts a little and instead of listing my exact workouts I'm focusing on the goals for the week. 3 Days strength training & 2 additional core focus days 4 Days running: long run, hills, speed & easy 5 Days Piyo/Yoga 1 Day other cardio Non Fitness Goals: Clean 1 room Finish assignment 2 for fall semester Fun family time this weekend Last week I finally got my mileage up and ran 20 miles on Saturday! Best part I felt great until mile 19 then just tired and Sunday felt completely fine. I'm seeing huge changes both in my physical appearance and how I feel from the changes I have made over the past couple months. Last Friday I celebrated another year older and I have decided that this is the year I maintain my focus, no deviating from the goals I will achieve. What are your goals for the week ahead? What did you accomplish last week? I have picked a new winner for the Spartan Race entry...

There are two sides to running and both a necesary in their own ways: Social: Are you are social runner? Run with groups/friends? Others can hold us accountable to meet and get in those tough workouts. For me this is my MRTT friends, running buddies, those who I have met through coaching who inspire me with their stories, the professionals I have met that are so real and down to earth to still share their stories with someone like me and my online running friends to support from afar. I have met and been able to do so much through the simple thing being a runner: meeting Meb, traveling to multiple states and countries, showing my daughter a great lifelong sport, meet others who are amazingly strong and inspiring. Social runs motivate, are great for anything from easy to the hardest workouts you've ever done! I need these when I either need an extra push or just need to chat with my running friends. Plus why else would I want to run at 5am or in sleet or in 0 degree weath...

Do you love watching the obstacle races, seeing the strength and endurance of these athletes as they complete obstacles? Now is your chance to give it a try too! If you aren’t familiar with the Spartan Races, they’ve been around globally since 2005 and have been voted #1 obstacle race by   Outside Magazine . They also offer individuals and groups the chance to fund raise for various charities. Recently Spartan Race also partnered with  Runner’s World Magazine . Runner’sWorld, the largest and most influential media brand in the running space, has signed a partnership with Spartan Race™, the global leader in obstacle racing since 2005, that includes custom digital content, racer-focused benefits, training plans and event activations. The collaboration between these two premier fitness brands kicked off in the July issue of Runner’s World magazine, which reaches over three million people monthly in print. Highlights of Runner’s World’s involvement in Spart...

Week 8: How the heck did it get to be mid August? Finally in the midst of what I am used to for marathon training! Monday:  21 Day Fix Upper/Lower & 5K MRTT Run Tuesday:  Piyo Core. Evening run 6 mile hill run Wednesday:  Piyo Drench, Weight lift at gym and 30 min elliptical Thursday:  8 miles with running friends. Piyo Core Friday:  21 Day Fix Upper & 10 Min Abs, 4 mile run/walk to get O from preschool Saturday:  Work! 3 mile walk & Piyo Core Sunday:  18.5 miles (2:43:14) follow by 21 Day Fix Yoga Week 9: Another crazy, busy week could mean lower training and more off days. Monday:  Strength in afternoon Tuesday:  Piyo Buns. Evening run 6-8 miles Wednesday:  P90X3 Upper/Lower Thursday:  Run 8 miles and Piyo Core Friday:  Bike & weights. P90X3 Yoga Saturday:  20 mile run Sunday:  Work! Piyo Drench Tell me about your best workout last week, goals for ...

Sorry for my absence over the past week but busy as usual and every time I sat down to write something got in the way! The past few days I've been thinking about turning 1 year older and crossing that hump to being closer to 40 than 30 (1 week, yikes!). For me birthdays are more the time to look back on the year than New Year's, so here I am looking back on a year of huge changes and figuring out what I want for the year ahead. I love doing fun, active things to celebrate like running 200+ mile relays, biking wine tours, etc. My first thought as I drove to work yesterday was sharing with everyone else the thing I enjoy most, so why not hold a week long Healthy Lifestyle Challenge? A couple weeks ago I hosted a 7 day clean eating challenge that was a great success. This one is going to be broader, incorporating my favorite exercises, healthy eating tips and fun all while supporting each other. I mean aren't birthdays one of the toughest times to stay healthy? I tend to in...

I will be the first to admit I am a terrible patient, after hours of intense pain on Saturday Matt drug me to the ER. I was pretty sure I'd be leaving my gallbladder behind. The night got long, lots of tests and minimal answers but I was starting to feel better. After 12 hours of this intense pain I could finally stand almost upright and move again. But as we left we had even more unanswered questions. The gallbladder, well only a polyp and maybe some sludge but no stones. During the workout I first freaked out the doctor with my low heartrate on EKG which was not 40s (had been 88 when we got there) along with some small changes that could indication heart damage, so more labs…luckily the cardiac troponins were negative so we were off. The main question now sat why am I walking around with a sodium of 129 (normal 135-145)? I mean I could understand if I had just done a hard run in hot weather but none of that had been happening. I continued some tightness in my chest, mild...

What a week! Week 6 started great but proved to end challenging! More on that still ongoing saga later but let’s just say it involved hours in the ER, strange results and missing answers. Monday:  4.5 mile run (35:24) & 21Day Fix 10 Min Abs in morning & Strength in afternoon Tuesday:  Piyo Buns.  Evening run 6 miles last minute work event Wednesday:  8 mile run in morning and P90X3 Upper/Lower Thursday:  Piyo Core and 6 miles hills in evening Friday:  Walk with puppy, 21DF pilates in morning and P90X3 upper & yoga Saturday:  Run half marathon and 21 Day Fix Yoga Failed run and ER visit Sunday:  Bike and Piyo Drench 7 mile run walk and PiYo Core I am putting last week behind me and refocus on me. This is the week of the 7 Day healthy eating group so that will be on top of my list daily. Healthy eating this week, listening to my body and getting fully healthy. Monday:  Strength and walk Tuesday:...

I have talked before about my love of compression but this past week I tried it out for more than assistance with leg fatigue and recovery. Since traveling my left calf has been strange: tight, achy and after I was tortured by Graston wow! I decided to run with one compression sleeve for a hill workout. This was 24 hours after I hobbled out after my Graston/acupuncture session wondering why I decided to mention that new issue! Immediately I knew I was happy! My calf felt much better, the achiness (okay at this point pain from Graston) was gone, it was looser and I could run without issue! Nice, another great use for my ProCompression! As usual the socks were my staple on the weekend long run! I love how much they help with leg fatigue, tightness, muscle cramps and support. I typically continue to wear my socks post run while I drink my post-run shake (Shakeology of course) and foam roll. A successful 16 Miler on Saturday after months of injury was wonderful. Legs felt great, com...