Almost Wordless Wednesday

What does a Mother Runner do when she has no kids....time with her BRF...and a less humid evening?

Ummm but of course she runs a race!!!!

Newburyport 10 miler!!!

Getting Social

Yesterday Muscle Milk and ZOOMA crashed the Monday night community run with Social Boston Sports.  We met outside The Publick House and did a 5 mile loop around the city.  Major blogger fail on my part is that I only got a few pictures while in town...stuck in traffic...trying to make Miss Em smile!

Jill and I met the group in Brookline right on time to smiling faces and lots of Muscle Milk (Thanks Laurie!).  They listened to me gush about all things ZOOMA and why they needed to storm Falmouth this September and run with us.  Then we were off....like quickly!  The groups leader Lauren stayed with Jill and I while the boys took off....mind you Lauren and another guy had run a trail marathon just days earlier!  I forgot while we were cruising along how much I LOVE running in the city!  Boston has so much to see and it took my mind off of the fact that I was sucking wind and pouring sweat!  Plus the lightening bolts and thunder coupled with a GIANT cloud didn't hurt to move my pace along!  All I could think of was that my hubs would kill me if I got struck by lightening!  Lol!!  A quick pass through Kenmore Square and back to our meeting place and 5 miles were done!  We had a blast chatting with Lauren and Brandy...both amazing runners!

If you live in Boston or close to it, check out Social Boston Sports community runs.  They meet Monday and Wednesday nights.  It was a great and very welcoming group...if only I didn't have to work today or I would have met them for some drinks!  And as always....don't forget to join us in Falmouth (or I suppose a location closer to you :-) ) for ZOOMA Half Marathon and 10k on September 28th...discount code and link on sidebar!

Monday Motivation

Sorry for the delay in today's dose of motivation...what can I say...I spent the weekend soaking in my family in preparing for being away from them this week!  So here without further delay...

I literally woke up this morning ready to punch something...I turned my alarm off leaving me heading out the door 30 min later than I needed to...leaving me smack in the middle of Boston traffic....YUCK!  Either way I am ready to punch this week in the face.  I'm away from the fam teaching for the week(UGH) but I am making the most of it and getting in oodles of miles with my BRF Jill!  What better to distract me from missing my fam than by running until my legs fall off!!!  Good plan right?  Kicking off our running week, Jill and I are heading into the city for a ZOOMA run with Social Boston Sports tonight!!!  Can't wait!!

Are you ready to punch this week in the face?

Fitness Friday...MILF?

I got you on that title didn't I!?  Are you a Mother Instilling Lifelong Fitness?  Do you know one?

This summer has me hauling the chickies to the gym with me so that I can get a few days
 a week at the gym and some time learning kettlebell workouts that are seriously kicking my butt!!  While I would love to sneak away while they are still asleep, there has been something brewing each time that I bring them that became very clear the other day.  Each time when I pick up the girls from the Kids Room, Em asks me what I did while she was in there.  She scopes out the equipment as we walk out through the gym and asks what each one does.  It usually ends with her saying that one day she's going to use them too and I usually say I think it would be fun to work out with her!

Fast forward to this week and the day we brought one of her friends with us.  We did our usual routine talking about my workout that day as we walked out of the gym.  We got to the car and her friend said, "When I grow up I'm not going to workout! It's way too much work!" I decided to see where the conversation went before I jumped in to intervene.  Em piped in rather quickly with, "When I grow up I'm going to workout EVERY DAY! It's so much fun and it makes your body healthy and strong!" That's my girl!!!!  We finished the ride home talking about fun things that they can do each day to make themselves healthy and strong...riding bikes, playing outside, jumping in a trampoline...it was great!

Just when I want to quit...throw in the towel...stop working so hard....I remember who is watching!  Em loves to talk about exercising...asking me what I am doing and why I'm doing it.  I will keep pushing and when I want to quit I'll remember who's watching!!

How do you inspire lifelong fitness?

TTT

Baby is napping...almost...Dora is on the TV...sounds like a great time to dish you my three randoms for the week before the day ramps up!!!

No Fear...Yesterday we went to a local fair with my in laws.  We have had this fair date on the calendar ever since we drove by the fairgrounds and saw the sign up!  In true form, our Em had no fear!  Her first stop was the GIANT Ferris Wheel with Bumpa (because there was no way I was getting on it!).

It went from there.  She wanted faster and higher all night!  My hubby and I were thinking....how freeing it must be not only to have no fear but no concept that something may be unsafe!  The whole night I had to be holding her hand...especially in light of a lingering Amber Alert in RI...she knew we were keeping her safe and there was no concept of fail!  Oh if I could only live my life this way...no fear of what ifs...no fear of falling short of goals...just going and knowing it was all good!

Cape Cod Summer....This summer our friends have introduced us to a beach that has the hubby and I feeling like real Cape Codders!  People who are not born and raised on the Cape are called "wash ashores" and everyone in our family except Aubs is just that, however I feel like I'm a Cape Codder at heart...like I could live on the beach.  Isn't that enough!?(or is it just the fact that I am RI girl who just floated south!)  Either way we have gotten into a weekend habit of going to a beach where you drive onto the beach.  It's awesome...off roading, no beach carts, hours/days of entertainment!  Last Sunday we were there from 9:30-5:30!!  We love it!!

ZOOMA Run...This Monday, July 29th, we are teaming up with Social Boston Sports and Muscle Milk for a run in Brookline!  I haven't run for a long time in the city and I am really excited to team up with SBS and get my run on while we get people excited for ZOOMA Cape Cod!  In the Boston area?  Come on out and run with us!!!  We are meeting in Brookline outside the Washington St. station at 7pm.  If you're coming let me know so I can be sure to look for you! 

Old School Blogging...List of Fives

For a while now Christine has been rocking the Old School Blogging.  Then last week Angela posted her list of fives.  Well in true form about a week late here are my list of fives!!  It looked so fun and a great summer post!  Enjoy!

5 Things I have a passion for
1. my family
2. teaching
3. running
4. the beach
5. fitness
 

Right where these tootsies belong!

5 Things I would like to do before I die
1. Totally stealing on this one...I would like to see my girls grow up happy and become who God intends them to be

2. go on a safari
3. run another marathon
4. live in a house...by the ocean...with a pink door...think Miss. Rumphius! (I already have one picked out!)

One of my all time favorite kid's book!

5. drive across the country...When I lived in Spain we went to lots of small towns and I realized that there was so much of the U.S. that I haven't seen!

5 Things I say a lot
1. Do you mind if I go for a run?
2. Em where's your sister?
3. Good gravy
4. Let's use our kind words.
5. Vamanos....I figure at least if I'm saying it in Spanish then it sounds a little better than "Hey LET'S GO!"

5 books or magazines I’ve read recently
1. Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult...just finished!
2. Runner's World
3. Real Simple
4. Do Life by Ben Davis...haven't finished this yet
5. Parent's Magazine
 
5 Favorite movies
1. Sound of Music...I know ever single song!
2. League of Their Own
3. Sweet Home Alabama
4. Can't Buy Me Love
5. Anything sappy and lovey....seriously if Nicholas Sparks wrote it I'll watch it!

5 Places I would love to travel to
1. Africa...thus the safari
2. Greece
3. back to Spain and revisit where I lived
4. Prince Edward Island...I read all the Anne of Green Gables books!
5. Bali...with a hut on the ocean

5 people I invite to do this meme
If your reading this consider yourself invited!!!

Your turn! Pick a question and answer it below.  

Monday Motivation

So many people shy away from reaching a goal or dream because of the immense journey in front of them.  Working as an ambassador for ZOOMA, naturally the conversation turns to..."Oh I don't think I could ever run that far!".  Well neither did I until I did!  I never thought I could cover 26.2 miles until I did.  I never thought I could run 13.1 in under 2 hours until I did.  I never thought I could run over 5000 miles in 3 years until I did.  You NEVER know what you can do until you put in the work and DO it!  Prove yourself wrong!  You don't have to be a marathoner on day one of training.  You don't need to be the fastest out there on day one....you just have to make a choice to start!

How will you prove yourself wrong?  What are you starting or in the middle of working towards?

Five for Friday

So I missed Thursday's does of randomness so luck you I waited a day and now you get five!!!  Woohoo!

Beach Carts...In order for us to go to the beach, have something to sit on, a way to keep Aubs cool, and have anything to eat I have to pull this down the beach...

Sorry just turn your head to the side to realize that this is a lot of crap!!!  Add that to the fact that I have to put Aubs on the front of me in the Bjorn and it is a quick recipe for heat stroke...like "Kids just give Mommy a moment while she tries to keep herself from passing out!"  All that Em is responsible for is dragging her boogie board behind her...but you can imagine that is a hard task after floating in the water for 3 hours!  Thankfully someone has taken pity on me the last two times and at least helped us to our chair!

Running in the heat...Ok so I realize that it is hot just about everywhere so I am only going to talk about his once since in just a few months I'll be faced with not having enough layers to keep warm!  I waited to do my 6 miler until tonight...at 7:30pm...just before the sun went down I was coming up my driveway...and my face was melting.  Mind you I am very thankful we live where we do...being surrounded by water gives us the advantage of only dealing with 90 degree instead of 100.  I'm just trying to do the best I can with paces and distance...I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother me that I wasn't running more but pushing 70+lbs in 90+ degrees sounds about as fun as pulling my full beach cart up the beach!

Rolling Stones...I'm sure by now you've seen the BAD choice Rolling Stones made for their magazine cover.  At first I wondered if I didn't have such close ties to Boston and the marathon and that day if I wouldn't have been as repulsed by their decision but I don't think it would change.  I understand freedom of press but morally I would have thought they could have picked hundreds of others to portray as rock stars from that day.

1:49....That is my goal for a half marathon time.  The closest I have come is 1:52 but I know I could have gotten it if there wasn't a mountain to climb at mile 12!  On my run today I was trying to think of all the pieces that need to come together to see that time or less at the finish line...less weight to drag around, get with a group to push my pace, get those long runs in!  Once the hubs can walk again...which is soon since he is doing great...I can really buckle down.

Joys of Motherhood....I'm going to be very honest here...there are days (ok maybe just hour stretches) where the joys of motherhood are nowhere to be found!  Am I alone in feeling this?  This week has been hard between the heat, just returning from vacation, and Aubs being sick all week but there are times when I think...."Ugh this kind of sucks"...and times when I think..."Please don't end.  Please stop time!"  I guess the trick is to hold on to those "please don't end" moments to get you through the sucky parts....hold on to the times when Aubs falls asleep on my chest when she is screaming in my face.  I love my girls...I love being their mom...and there are days when I REALLY love bedtime!

What's on tap for the weekend?  Go ahead and weigh in on some of my randomness!!! 

#Favorite Run

Amanda...aka Miss Zippy posted last week about her #FavoriteRun.  It was an awesome loop around lakes and through the woods.  Well luck you all that I was visiting the place that holds home to one of my favorite runs!!  Let me take you on my 10 mile loop in Middletown/Newport, RI!

First I head down the huge hill at my parents' house and about a mile and a half I come onto one of my favorite views of the run...

One side of the street is houses and the other are these cliffs!  Growing up I had a friend who lived on this street...I think I would just sit on my porch all day long taking in the view!  After a quick loop around I turn to run past one of the beaches (which is home to the starting line of the Amica Marathon and Half Marathon) and up the steep hill that leads into Newport.

 A turn at the top has me heading down one of my favorite streets....Bellevue Ave.  A street now lined with the Tennis Hall of Fame and stores, was once the same street that housed the Vanderbilts and Rockefellers as they summered here...

They've left their "summer homes" behind!  I head then to the end of this street which pours into another beach.  I loop around the beach and head back down Bellevue (a part of this loop is part of the Newport 10 miler course that you should check out!).  My return trip would be just the same views if I didn't make sure to turn down Ruggles Ave...through part of the Salve Regina campus and onto the famed Cliff Walk!

You used to be able to go past this gate and even farther along the Walk but Hurricane Sandy has taken out a lot of the rock making it unsafe.  Around this corner boasted some of the best surfing spots on the island and a lot of local surfers have started the "Save Ruggies" campaign to help raise attention to this part being fixed.

The Walk takes me behind more of Salve and back to the beach...along the way there are mile markers every time you cross a street....like 3/4 mile to Narragansett Ave and so on.  It is a hilly and sometimes narrow path but to have mansions on one side and cliffs and ocean on the other I'll take it!  My "local" advice would be to hit this early if you are here in the summer or better yet go in the Fall or Spring when the daffodils have bloomed!  A right turn has me headed back to my parents as I sprint back up the hill to their house!!!

Looking back as I write this post it is pretty clear what I love....the ocean!!  Born and bread beach girl I can't get enough of it!  It calms me...centers me...quiets me...I love it!  Ever in RI let me know...I'll head down and we can run!!

Monday Motivation

This past week I had the pleasure of being able to leave the girls with family who love them and get in some great seaside miles!  My body had some great workouts...up and down ocean cliffs...past mansions...along the beach...around a old familiar track, but my mind got a workout too!  This week my goal is to stop beating myself up for the weight I have not yet lost...for the pace I have not yet reached...and just work!  This week is all about reminding myself that those paces are going to come....only if I put in the work to get there!  Heat wave or not...you better watch out week because you are MINE!!!

What do you need to convince your mind of this week?  Hot where you are?

Where Everyone Knows Your Name...

The ladies and I are headed to my hometown to visit family...pick raspberries...run around barefoot...and spend lots and lots of time here....

and running along here...

I will not be posting regularly until I get back.  Time to recharge the batteries and spend lots of time catching up with friends and family!  You can still follow me on Instagram and Twitter...you know if you just can't live without a little Fancy Nancy in your life! :-)

Training Tuesday

Yesterday we had a training kick-off party/run at Bayside Runner in Plymouth for ZOOMA Cape Cod. 

It was a great group of ladies...and one very supportive fiance...and everyone was excited to get started training!  We started off with meeting the two coaches, one for Plymouth and one for Yarmouth, and a talk from Bayside owner Adam about getting all you need for a successful training cycle.  Then we were off for a steamy and quick 3 miler.  It was so great to talk with the ladies on the run.  Some are challenging themselves with the half for the first time, some are returning half marathoners who are looking for more guidance in their training.  I am really looking forward to seeing what great things these ladies are going to be doing come September!!

I left with a great feeling...and also so excited to be running with other people again!  I guess I didn't realize how much I missed it until today.  As a competitive and social person, I find that I am pushed so much more when I run with a group.  Tonight even though I was sweating like a hog, I was loving every second of it!  I miss it!

If you are in the Boston area stay tuned for more ZOOMA Cape Cod training run events!!  Oh and don't forget to join the party on September 28th in Falmouth!  Use the code CCAMB4 to get your Fancy Nancy discount!!!

Monday Motivation

I'm going to be honest...the past few weeks I have started strong, motivated, eating clean, nailing my workouts...and then as the week trickles by, life get hectic and things slip.  I'm tired of this...tired of the example I am setting...tired of knowing that time will still pass whether or not I choose to get with the program and fight!  My goals are not going to just happen...I need to FIGHT!!!  My daughter's comment to me yesterday afternoon was exactly what I needed to hear...I sat down with some crackers and she told me they were not healthy.  She's right and I need to show her that healthy is what we eat...especially since she is such a picky eater.  She's my shadow lately and I need to be that example for her.  So I'm putting on the boxing gloves this week and #IWILL go 12 rounds and win this fight!  #IWILL be at that starting line READY to hit my goal!  #IWILL be a good example!

What are you ready to fight for this week?

Put on those gloves and go the distance!!