Showing posts with label #WhatsBeautiful. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #WhatsBeautiful. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

#WhatsBeautiful & #GoalGetter2013 June Update

It feels like I just wrote my review post for May and already June has come to an end. I continued my participation in the #WhatsBeautiful campaign sponsored by Under Armour and FitFluential, and although it has been inspiring, I once again fell short on my individual goal. Despite not hitting my weekly mileage, I did have some great moments this month and (kind of) crossed one of my goals for the #GoalGetter2013 challenge off my list.

Some of my favorite highlights:


I kicked off the month celebrating National Running Day and hosting a fun run. Hosting a fun run is one of my goals for the year. It wasn't the biggest, but it was a start. I'm looking forward to putting together more group runs in the future.








After happening upon Athleta's #seizethesolstice challenge, I discovered a new passion for yoga. The challenge was super fun, but I also learned a lot about my body. It made me realize that I should probably invest some time for stretching and strengthening my muscles.







Once again I ran the local Kickoff to Summer 5K with my husband and youngest stepdaughter. It's fun to know that this race has become a tradition for us. This year we were blessed once again with beautiful weather, but we started our race day with a different starting line: our driveway!






The biggest highlight of the month was the trip to Boston for the BAA 10K. My stepdaughter trained for six weeks to run her personal distance record that day. It was so fun to see her earn her first piece of race bling!






I'm proud to say that in addition to doing some yoga for strength, I also incorporated Laura's six exercises for runners on my off running days this month.













So instead of running 20 miles a week for a monthly total of at least 80, my actual total for June was 62.3 miles. I didn't run less, I just ran shorter distances. At the halfway point, I have run 463.56 miles in 2013. I'm still within reach of 1000 for the year!

Now that I am healthy and summer break is here, I am planning to get the mileage back up, continue working on my yoga skills, and look for new adventures.

I'm also participating in the Sweaty Challenge as a fun way to stay motivated and engage in some online support. As of now the prize is bragging rights, but you never know who might step up and donate a prize! You can join in the fun here.

What was your favorite June highlight?



Monday, June 17, 2013

TrainingTruths: What's Beautiful: You Can Count on Me

Last week the attention I've been giving my legs started to pay off. The yoga, the stretching, and the strength exercises have eased the pain and strains I've been dealing with for a while.


Tuesday - I started the day with a leg strength workout that I found posted by Laura. After school I ran 4 awesome miles with mr.C and as Katie would say, the #magicmilefairy blessed my legs. They felt so light! Afterwards I did my trusty yoga for runners post-run stretching sequence.


Wednesday - It was a rest day, but I did the leg strength workout after school before heading out to the theater to see Spirit of the Marathon II. What an awesome movie!

Thursday - I decided to repeat what I did on Tuesday since I felt so good, so I did the leg strength workout in the morning again. After school I ran 4 fun, rainy miles with mr. C followed with the post-run yoga stretching sequence. It worked. The legs felt amazing.


Friday - Trying to keep consistent even on rest days, I did the leg strength workout after school.

Saturday - I had put 6 miles on my step daughter's training plan and we signed up for the local annual 5K, so we got creative. We ran 3 miles to the 5K, and then ran the 5K. Even though I ran the first 3 miles faster than the race, I'm still happy because my legs were happy.


Last week I learned that if you take the time to take care of yourself, you will feel the reward. My legs have been very happy since I started consistently stretching and strength training.

I'm also excited that I'm able to start building my weekly mileage back up and continue working toward my goal of 1000 miles for the year - which also will help my FitFluential and Under Armour What's Beautiful team goal. Although we have logged over 1300 miles, we are still pushing toward our team goal of 5000. If you like to rack up the miles, head over to Under Armour and sign up with Team Escapades.

What body part is your biggest ally?


Monday, June 10, 2013

TrainingTruths: Pack Mentality

Last week I was spoiled and enjoyed several workouts with family, friends, and co-workers. It was fun to mix things up and organize a fun event.

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that my stepdaughter will be running the BAA 10K with me. I wrote up a training plan for her that she has been great to follow. On Monday we went on a bike ride to keep her company on her training run since it was a rest day for us. She ran 4 miles and made it look so easy! I tried out my new shoes from Under Armour as part of my participation in the What's Beautiful campaign with FitFluential and it's nice that you can slide them right on.


Tuesday - A normal run day 4 miler with mr. C on the same route that we biked on Monday.

In celebration of National Running Day on Wednesday, I convinced my co-workers to wear a running shirt to school, donate old running shoes and go for a group run on the local trail. The group ran anywhere between 3-5 miles depending upon how speedy you were.


Thursday - A 4 miler with my regular running partner miss daisy through the local neighborhood.

The weekend started off nice and rainy thanks to Tropical Storm Andrea, so we delayed our run to Sunday when the best weather would arrive. Mother Nature did not disappoint! It was gorgeous blue skies for the entire 5 miles with mr. C.


I'm still building my mileage back up after my strained ab muscle, but overall it was a good week with some short easy running and lots of yoga for focused stretching.

Do you prefer to workout alone or with buddies?



Friday, June 7, 2013

Fitness Friday: #GoalGetter 2013 May Update

Happy Friday! It is hard to believe that it is already June. I wish I could say that it was summer vacation already too (like my Ohio peeps!), but that will not come until the end of the month (thanks to all those hurricane/snow days).

For now I will happily say goodbye to the month of May, although I did have some seriously fun adventures.

Here's a look back at some memorable moments and my running goals:

I started the month with a crazy, unexpected two day trip to Atlanta courtesy of Mizuno to participate in the Mezamashii Run Project. The project launched this month, but my role in it has yet to be revealed. Stay tuned!





Immediately following my trip to Atlanta, I headed to Cincinnati to get a quick family visit and run the Flying Pig Half Marathon with mr C. I wasn't into running when I lived in Ohio the way I am now, so this was my first time running this race. It was one of the best race weekends I've ever experienced. 






I began working on a sponsored campaign with Under Armour and FitFluential. What's Beautiful is a competition that focuses on inspiring women to set goals and conquer them together. My goal is to work on adding up the miles to reach my running goal for the year. May was not my best month with 56.76 miles, but I'm not giving up on hitting 1000 for the year. 


Another one of my goals for the year is to improve my overall core strength, so I jumped at the chance to try SurfSet at TI Fitness Training in Manchester with New Hampshire Bloggers & Tweeters. This all-in-one workout was the hardest thing I've done in a long time, but so fun I went back for more! This is going to be my summer core workout plan. 


Even though May was filled with amazing running adventures, I'm disappointed that I didn't meet my monthly mileage goal to keep me on track to reach 1000 for the year. What's Beautiful is that I will keep pushing through the obstacles. I will not give up.


How was your May? Any achievements or setbacks?


Monday, June 3, 2013

TrainingTruths: What's Beautiful: Reach

Stretching has become a priority after spending most of last week nursing a strained lower abdominal muscle. I'm pretty sure that my lack of attention to pre and post run stretching is what led to this injury and I can count my blessings that it stayed minor. So last week I went on a mission to turn stretching into a habit.


I'm still working on the What's Beautiful campaign with Under Armour and FitFluential and came across the REACH challenge. This challenge reminded me that it feels just as good to stretch as it does to run. The challenge was to upload a video of your favorite stretch and cool down routine. Since I was in rest mode I'd been using a favorite app, Yoga For Runners, and stretching everyday using the pre-run sequence.



On Friday I was feeling better, so I decided to lace up my running shoes and jump on the treadmill (I didn't want to be away from home if my muscle acted up). I started with my Yoga for Runners pre-run stretching sequence and then ran 3 easy miles. Even though I felt like I could pick up the pace, I forced myself to leave the speed set to 5 and just ease back into it.


On Saturday morning I attended another TI SurfSet Fitness class in Manchester, but this time I took mr C with me. I'd been looking forward to this since my first session a couple of weeks ago. It was another sweat-fest and my first time tossing a tire, booyah! Later in the evening I completed another stretch session knowing that it would help preclude muscle soreness.


I was back in the running shoes on Sunday and up early to meet some friends for a nice trail run before the heat set in for the day. This was a new running location and we fell in love with the trail, the views, and the wildlife. About a 1.5 miles into the run I thought we were being ambushed by some wild animal when I was startled by Gary & Michelle's shouts... it was just a snake slithering across the path!


What is your training priority?


Tuesday, May 28, 2013

TrainingTruths: What's Beautiful: Keep Fighting

As the last week of May arrives, I am beginning to realize that I may not hit my mileage goal for the month. As a competitive person this bugs me a little. Ok, more than a little, but I try to keep it all in perspective.


Despite a month filled with tapering, traveling, and recovering I have still logged some good miles. I knew that my goal of 1000 miles for the year was going to be a challenge. That's the point, right?

This is what last week looked like:

Tuesday: This after school run was a family affair. My husband and I ran 5 miles and my step daughter joined us for the first one before turning back. Back at the house, the dog tried to pretend like he was part of the workout too.


Friday: There was finally a break in the rain, so after school I went for a run when mr. c got home. Although I had been complaining about the yucky weather for most of the week, I admit that when it comes to running, I don't mind the cooler temps.


On Saturday I hung out at the Run to Remember expo in Boston working at the ZOOMA Women's Race Series booth, handing out free stuff while getting ladies signed up for the Cape Cod event. If you weren't there, you can still get a 10% off discount by using my ambassador code. Look for it on my sidebar. After my shift, we headed to Newport and logged some miles walking through the "summer cottages" along Bellevue Avenue.


I had plans to do along run with mr c. in Newport on Sunday morning, but we postponed it after waking to freezing, rainy, and windy weather. Even though we were really looking forward to logging miles running along the Narraganset Bay, we knew that we would be suffering. The forecast for Monday was much better.

The good news is that the weather on Monday was beautiful, but the bad news is that I've got an injury. I went to bed feeling fine, but woke up feeling a strain in my groin area. I have NO IDEA what I did. Too many mansion tours in Newport, I guess?

Anyway, I am hoping to feel better after a couple of days rest. In the mean time, have you entered my 1BandID giveaway? Details here.


Have you ever had an unexpected injury? 



Monday, May 20, 2013

TrainingTruths: What's Beautiful: Try a Tri

First let me announce the winners of the Firmoo sunglasses giveaway:
Congratulations to Jenelle, Lydia R, Meredith, Cristi Rae, Shelley Oz, and Heather Hunter!
Please email me at so that I can give you your gift card code.

I mentioned last week that I am participating in the What's Beautiful campaign with Under Armour and FitFluential to help redefine the female athlete. My goal to run 20 miles a week fell a little short, but I did add a challenge to help make me a stronger runner.


The first part of my week was pretty normal. Tuesday I went for a 4 mile run after school with my Crazy Running Partner. It was a little cooler and my legs felt fresh and bouncy again.


My CRP was doing RTB MA and had to leave on Thursday afternoon, so I went home to run. I choose a route that took me off the main road, but was much hillier. It was a rough 5 miles in the bright afternoon sun. I tried to focus on how I was feeling and adjust my pace, but I ended up having to take a few walk breaks. It's going to be a tough transition to summer weather.


After a late start on Saturday, my sleep deprived husband and I drove to one of out favorite routes to do our long run. Ironically, we couldn't get to it because there was a race going on! Instead we headed downtown and ran on the Manchester portion of the rail trail. It was a tough one for him, but I LOVE paved paths. I rewarded mr. c with a stop for delicious fruit smoothies.


Saturday I also did the Try a Tri challenge. I'm not a triathlete, so I put together three workout moves of my own and ran through them ladder style starting at 20. Here's a snippet of what it looked like.




As always, how was your week? Try any new challenges?


Thursday, May 9, 2013

A Running Partner, a Challenge, and a Giveaway

Here are three fun things I'm excited to share!

A Running Partner

In June I will be running the BAA 10K, the second event in the Medley Series. I'm so happy because now I will be running it with my stepdaughter! A couple of weeks ago she said she wanted to challenge herself and train for a 10K. She has run a local 5K with us a couple of times, but now she is ready to increase her endurance.


A Challenge

I'm excited to be a part of a sponsored FitFluential campaign for the Under Armour What's Beautiful program. This is a competition to show the world what it means to be a female athlete. All you have to do is set a goal and then work your butt off to achieve it.

My goal: #IWILL run 1000 miles this year. 

When you join the What's Beautiful community, you can share your journey, get inspired, and find motivation. It's all about working together. You can even join a team and work together toward a common goal.

My Team Goal: Log 5,000 (or more) miles together - run, walk, swim, bike, elliptical

The best part is that Under Armour will be giving out rewards to the women who demonstrate a fierce dedication toward achieving their goals. You can win cool Swag Bags and even a trip to Costa Rica for four days!


A Giveaway

Back in January, I wrote a review for Firmoo, an online eyeglasses store. Firmoo offers affordable and fashionable eyewear that is discounted "85-90%".


There are a lot of cute choices and they also offer tinted and prescription glasses.


With summer right around the corner, Firmoo wants to sponsor a sunglasses giveaway.

PRIZES:
1. If there are less than 50 entries:
6 winners will win a $20 sunglasses E-voucher each. The vouchers can only be used on Firmoo sunglasses at http://www.firmoo.com/wrap-around-rx-sunglasses.html.
2. If there are more than 50 entries:
For the grand prize winner (1 person): a pair of fashionable sunglasses, shipping included.
For the second prize winners (6 persons): a $20 sunglasses E-voucher each. The vouchers can only be used on Firmoo sunglasses at http://www.firmoo.com/wrap-around-rx-sunglasses.html.
To enter (mandatory) visit Firmoo.com and then comment below which eyewear you would love to win. Winners will be announced on May 18th.




If you want to have Prescription Sunglasses, choose a pair of eyeglasses frame here http://www.firmoo.com/all-products.html, and tint the lenses into sunglasses lenses. You may visit http://www.firmoo.com/prescription-sunglasses.html to learn how to order Prescription Sunglasses. All the contestants have to be located in the area our delivery can reach to. Please visit http://www.firmoo.com/help-c-10.shtml to get the countries we ship to and details of the postage. You can find help with ordering at http://www.firmoo.com/help-c-5.shtml


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