Monday Motivation

A theme that is continually coming back to me lately has been...."Ok what are you going to do with that?"  I've talked about it with students of mine...with friends of mine...and with myself.  This life that we have is not meant to be just a spectator sport...we need to DO something with it and BE in it!!!  That looks different for all of us...we all have our things to participate in.  For me I don't just want to spectate our girls' lives...I want to participate in it!  I don't want to just watch others being fit...I want to BE fit and BE active!!!

How are you participating in life?

TTT

Oh yeah...It's Thursday...I haven't had my coffee yet...so this could be interesting!  Enjoy!!

Gotcha...Today is our niece Maya's Gotcha Day. 

Maya was adopted 9 years ago from China and our lives have been richer every day since!  She is seriously Emma's best friend and has so much patience and love for her!  She is as bendy as a rubber band and has the determination to face what ever comes her way!  I can't imagine not having her in our lives!!

Sacrifice...Yesterday there was a 9-alarm fire in Boston's Back Bay.  Two Boston fire fighters were killed while fighting the blaze.  It is easy to forget those people who daily put their lives on the line for our safety until times like this arise.  Two lives taken too soon...

Welcome to Spring....Just kidding!  Yesterday we had a snow storm...yes that's right a SPRING snow storm!  This gem was mostly only on Cape Cod...with 70mph winds and snow we had a snow day.  If you know anything about me know that I am NOT a fan of snow days.  Now yes I do love a free day off but I LOVE the summer and each snow day chips away at that summer!

Hopefully this will be our last battle with the white stuff!  What's the weather in your neck of the woods?

Let's Talk Training

This past week left me with a big smile across my face!!!  I was walking shuffling through Stop and Shop on Sunday with my family with a smile plastered across my face knowing my sore legs were the result of a great week of training!  Here's how it broke down...what I did is in pink!
Monday: 1m WU, T 2 m, 1m CD...Nailed it!  4.2 miles total
Tuesday:  KB...Switched things up after spending the day at Children's Hospital so I worked out my frustration on the road...5 miles total
Wednesday: 5 miles...did this the day before so I went to the gym early for KB
Thursday: 5 mile tempo...KB with my friends and then 5 miles after
Friday: 3 miles...Woke up early and banged out 3 miles!
Saturday: 10 miles...Met up with run group and had an awesome 10 mile run!
Sunday:  Rest...Yes thank you Lord!!!  Legs were SORE so rested felt amazing!  Sported my Tommie Copper compression all day long (full review coming!)!!!

Total miles...30

 As sore as I was I knew it was for a good reason!  I made sure I rolled a lot in the morning and stretched after running!  There is no need to be injured again!  With 5 weeks until the Newport 10 miler, I'm feeling strong...much stronger than last year!!!

Monday Motivation

I heard this quote the other day on from the AMR podcast looking back over their last 100 podcasts.  Images of last year's Boston Marathon began to rush into my head.  Banner day has come and the marathon is just 4 weeks away.  It is hard to not think about it.  I joined up with a group this weekend for a long run...a group of people who knew the finish line of last year all too well...a group of powerful and resilient men and women who have vowed to continue to cross that finish line!  It was a light conversation over the 10 miles I joined them for...talk of jacket colors and weather worries...of what corral they were in this year and how things have changed.  What wasn't discussed was April 15th, 2013...they had already lived it...and now they were ready to put it behind them!  Their resolve is so inspiring to me!  We all battle to get to the finish line...we sacrifice...we push...we make it to that finish line and throw our arms in the air...and this year EVERYONE will make it!!!

Friday Favs

I was a little stuck for what to talk about today so I decided to share with you some things that are making me smile lately!

Kara Goucher and Oiselle...unless you are living under a rock you heard the huge news yesterday that the great Kara Goucher has joined the Oiselle family!  A great move made by both parties!!

Why does Kara look so happy here?  Well I'm sure it's because she just realized what I did this morning...Kara is now sponsored by Oiselle...Oiselle sponsored a Twitter chat with ZOOMA Woman's Race Series...I'm an ambassador for ZOOMA PLUS I just bought an Oiselle shirt...which pretty much confirms that Kara and I are BFFs!!  Call me Kara!

Feeling the OOO...I was given a pair of Oofos recovery sandals to try out last week.  On Tuesday I ran a quick 4 miler before dinner and was so excited to put on my comfy sweats and these bad boys!!!

Stay tuned for a full review...but these bad boys are definitely making my feet smile!

#Selfie...Have you heard this song?  It's annoying and genius all at the same time!!  Either way my sister shared this story with me yesterday about a hilarious girl from the NYC Half Marathon last weekend.  This girl certainly made the time pass taking funny selfies with guys along the route!

Tommie Copper...From recovery to now back to training one thing has been as constant as my foam roller...my Tommie Copper gear!  I'm seriously loving this gear and will give you the full scoop soon!

Bag lady...As a working mom I am always draped in bags...diaper bag, work bag, lunch box, gym bag.  The challenge is that most bags slip off my shoulder and it drives me bonkers!  I was excited when I was contacted by Apera to try out their Active Pack.  It's a backpack designed for active lifestyles!

 Again a full review is on its way but I can see this also being VERY useful come Ragnar time!!!

Back to Bells...To wrap up this day of what's making me smile I just have to put in here that I was able to join back up with my group of ladies for our weekly kettlebell workout together!

I took it easy for my first time back and I am happy to report that there is NO back pain!!!  Yay!!!

What's making you smile this Friday?

TTT

First day of Spring I broke out the jean jacket (yes I still own one!) and am ready with three randoms for the week!!

Gone for a Run...Last week I won a gift certificate for Gone for a Run from Dani at Weight off my Shoulders.  I knew exactly what I wanted to buy...a state shirt! 

It is so awesome and honestly one of the softest running shirts I have!  I would even say it's "wicked" awesome!!  They have ones for every state so head on over and run your state with pride!

Miles to Think...This past Tuesday we headed to Boston to see what we could do to remedy the hemangioma that our youngest daughter was born with.  Normally these are left to just run their course but hers is in the corner of her eye causing problems with her vision.  We had it removed at 3 months but wouldn't you know the pesky thing came back!  Tuesday was a dead end and we are looking at another surgery for her this Spring.  A flood of thoughts and emotions came over me thinking back to the first surgery...just the worry of the "what ifs".  I knew when we got home that I needed to run it out...to get on the road and let my legs and mind go...to talk with God step in step...to think and then to let it go.  I came back knowing it is going to be scary but she is "blessed and highly favored" and we are going to rest there! 

Sore...tired...happy...This week I've started back with my workouts and I have to say that getting out of bed in the morning sore has me with a smile on my face!  It is like a gentle reminder that I worked my muscles and am getting my workouts in!  I am making sure I'm stretching and rolling a bunch every morning, but that sore tired feeling is really great!  Now if only our youngest would sleep through the night (teething lately) and I could erase a little bit of the tired!

Let's Talk Training

Remember when I wrote last week about getting started full force and taking last week by storm?  Yeah me too but I'm sorry to say that didn't happen!  Apparently my body was really liking being in rest mode!  I didn't sit around and just eat GU all day long.  I did go to the gym on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and did weights and a little kettlebell.  I must admit that I am very nervous to make friends with the kettlebells again for fear that I would hurt myself again!  Those days I also got in some treadmill miles.  I had to laugh because the following days I woke up...shall we say...VERY sore!  I loved it!  I rounded out the week with a great run on Saturday.  One thing that has amazed me is that taking this time off was great to heal my back but it also has given my legs a little time to rest and remember how to turn over!  I'm encouraged by the paces I'm finally able to hit.  I wouldn't say I'm ready to hang with Kara Goucher, but I'm not at as much of a deficit as I thought I would have been not moving for 3 weeks!  This week is already shaping up to be much more full of movement!  I'm starting again with day 1 of my training plan as I set my sights on my next half mary...perhaps a little one on a famous hill with my very favorite magazine!!!

Have you ever taken time off and found you came back stronger?

Monday Motivation

One thing that I have learned about myself is that I will rise to whatever is around me.  If people are running at a 10 min mile pace around me, then so will I...if they are running 8s, so will I...if they lift heavy, so will I...and so on.  Some of my fastest races have been while I was running with my running group and keeping up with them as we wound around our town!  They are fast...and I was NOT going to let them leave me behind!!  I am the type of person who needs the bar set high...the gauntlet thrown...the challenge put out there!  Set your own bar high.  Don't limit what amazing things you can achieve when you put the challenge out there!!! 

What are you going to challenge yourself to do this week?

TTT

Happy Thursday!!  I'm sitting here in my living room typing away while sleet is tapping at our big picture window!  It never ceases to amaze me how much weather can change so quickly!  Just Tuesday the girls and I were at the park without our jackets soaking up the warm weather!!  Weather is random...and so are today's three things! (You like how I did that?)

Glasses....Something that has changed in the Fancy Nancy house is that our youngest has gotten glasses.  The doctors are trying a number of things at once in a way to save her sight now and begin to correct it.  These glasses, which make her look absolutely adorable by the way, is what keeps me up at night.  The first day we had them she wouldn't even keep them on for 10 seconds! 

I went to bed discouraged but determined to get her to keep them on....even more determined than she was to take them off!!  Yesterday she went to daycare and around lunchtime her babysitter texted me a picture of her sitting eating her lunch with her glasses on...and they had been on all day!!!  That illustrates our second child perfectly (and from what my mother has said, it was me too)!  She's going to do it on her terms...when she wants to...how she wants to.  Qualities I struggle with now but ones I pray she keeps as she gets older!

Wears Woody...I posted about this Tuesday, but be sure to head on over to Lipstick and Plimsolls and enter to win a Wears Woody hat while also supporting cancer research.  Jill needs your help getting to her goal...and London! 

 Ragnar...There are only two months until I join up with our AWESOME team and run my very first relay!!!

I am so excited but at the same time I am a details girl...what to wear, what to eat, what to expect, what to write on the van...Well I'm throwing it back to you all and looking for advice.  What is you #1 piece of wisdom you can give me about running a relay like Ragnar?  What did you learn after doing one that you wish you knew before?  I'm psyched to run...psyched about my leg...and psyched about meeting some of my very favorite bloggers and getting to hang with them for 200 miles!!!

Let's Talk Training Week 9

I think this will be the last training update that is pretty lame including just one run!  After 3 weeks of resting and stretching, I am confident that I am back and ready to resume training again.  It has been nice relaxing with the hubs each night watching TV and such but I'm ready to be running and kicking a little hiney now!  I have made the tough decision to back out of the half this weekend and turn my focus to the Newport 10 miler coming up the end of April.  This one was awesome last year but I bonked towards the end.  I'm not letting that happen this time around and I'm hoping to get in a few runs along the course while I'm visiting my family. 

This week wasn't all resting and being a couch potato.  I did have one awesome morning run on Saturday with my girl Jill while I was in the North Shore. 

She has been rocking the training as she gets ready to run London in April.  She has a giveaway going on on her blog.  A donation of $15 gets you entered to win a Wears Woody hat....they are super cute!! 

She has been really battling this winter and it was such a soul filling run complete with amazing sunset views!

Monday Motivation

The other day's run was one of those where you think to yourself....life is really good!  Each day we are given the opportunity to think the same thing!  I know there are times where life doesn't take the path we expect it to...maybe it's even weighing you down today...but we have the chance each day to make it our masterpiece!  As Elizabeth Elliot said once we can either look down at the mud or look up and see the stars!  What are you going to choose today?  For me I'm choosing the stars!  I'm choosing to make it a masterpiece worth looking at!!!

Racing Your Legs Off...Without Breaking the Bank

In the past two years I have run over 35 races and this year I am aiming to run at least 14 more.  Many of these were half marathons which meant they carried a higher price tag. While I love to run and racing, we have not yet figured out to grow a money tree in our backyard so I need to be mindful of a budget.  There are a few tricks I have learned over the years and from talking with other crazy dedicated racers that I thought I would share with you!

Go local...I have managed to run all of my races in the past few years all within two states, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.  I have done this partly because we have such an amazing wealth of races in this area, but also because by staying local I am able to avoid high travel costs like air fare and hotels.  Each race that I do I am able to either stay at home, my parents' or with friends.  If you plan your races within a certain distance, you can maybe pay more for the race since you're saving on other costs.  I can understand that New England is rare since you can really cross 4 states in about an hour while you could drive for 4 hours in other states and never leave it!

Know early...Yes there are races that I register for late in the game but most of them I register for early in the year.  I pay attention to when registration opens for races, often times by getting on their email list, and am able to get a bib at often times half the price.  For example, I am running the Newport 10 Miler this April but registered for the race in October saving me $20!  It may not seem like much but over the year of races it adds up!  Pay attention to when prices increase and get in before the hike!

Stay alert...Some races will offer deals if you register for them at certain times in the year.  Trimom Productions hosts many races in Rhode Island including one of my favs, Jamestown Bridge 10k!  Each year around New Years they offer half off all their races for about a week.  Again you save $15 here or there but BOOM I just saved you $40!  Last year I registered for 2 races for the price of one...and loved them both!  Also Groupon will occasionally have deals for race registrations.  I scored one for a race in Jamestown and ended up paying $20 for a $60 race! 

Pick a winner...I usually pick one race that I am going to break the bank for a year.  This year it is the Ragnar Cape Cod.  It is pricey for me but I am so wicked excited to do it!!!  If you are on a race budget, pick a biggie and then divvy up the money amongst other races.

Represent...Some races need ambassadors, like ZOOMA, or are interested in having people talk about their race on social media in exchange for a race entry.  Fellow ZOOMA ambassador Dani gave me great advice to just email race directors of races you really want to do but may be out of your budget and ask if they would trade an entry for social media coverage.  The worst that can happen is that they can say no.

Crack the code...Keep alert for race codes that can give you money off of your race entry.  A great example is if you use the code CCAMB8 when you head on over to register for ZOOMA Cape Cod in September you can save yourself 10%....you like how I did that?! 

Any advice you would add?  Do you have a race budget? 

I'm a ZOOMA Girl!

I know I talk about it often...ok more than average but I just love ZOOMA Women's Race Series and am so excited to be joining them again for the third year as an ambassador for their race here on Cape Cod!

In 2012 I was delegated to cheering since Miss Aubs was due just weeks later.  No I'm not a hero for the cause and I actually had an amazing time cheering on runners from our ZOOMA Ambassador aid station!  Tears thinking just how proud I was of all the ladies that ran by including fellow ambassadors and my big sis Amy!  Bonus of the event....got to meet my very favorite BAMR ladies Sarah and Dimity!!!  Seriously love these ladies!!!

2013 was another awesome event and I got to run this time!!!  The weather was perfect and the views were even better!  I joined fellow ambassador Dani (who flew through this race) and my BRF Jill. We snaked around Falmouth laughing and doing our thing!  The 13.1 miles were all worth it to be able to lounge on Old Silver Beach with some wine in my hand!! 

I'm so excited for this year!!!  It just gets better each time and this year is no exception!!!  Sooooo who's coming with me?!  Don't you want to join your favorite Fancy Nancy on the beach and run ZOOMA Cape Cod?  Hang tight and I will share a discount soon for you to score yourself a deal!!

Let's Talk Training Week 8

What a fickle month this February has been!!  Needless to say this week doesn't have too much to talk about other than one run and a day with the plague!  I started the month rocking the Under Armour/FitFluential burpee challenge finishing 1000 burpees in just 15 days!

Then the whole back issue started and sidelined me for 2 full weeks.  I managed to squeak out 73.4 miles for the month so I am happy with that.  In the 2 weeks I've been stretching and resting....and well....dreaming of running and racing!  I think it is finally paying off though.  After all this rest....and one great run...

and a full day of some stomach bug straight from Hades...I woke up this morning for the first time being able to stand up straight without wincing!  I'm still going to ease through this week and see where I am come Saturday...I am visiting my favorite runner ever so we may  need to do a few miles around her island!!!

Monday Motivation

I'm a runner.  I love to lace up my sneakers, put in my Yurbuds, and head out the door knowing I'll return a better person.  So often when you tell people you're a runner or about a race you're training for they feel the need to tell you why in fact they either can't run or don't run.  My response always to them is find what lights you up and do that!  Before I got the running bug many years ago, my thing was spinning.  Whether you run, swim, bike, lift, do yoga...find what gets you moving and gets you fired up...and get out there and do it!!  Life is too short to be miserable running laps if running isn't your thing!  Get active....period!

What is your passion?  What gets you moving?