New Years Day 5K

As promised, albeit a month late, here's my race recap of the New Years Day 5K. This is the 4th time I've run it and this year it moved to a new location. I made sure I got there early enough to find the place, get a good parking spot, and get checked in. I ended up being there way too early and it was freezing! My dad was there as a volunteer photographer and we huddled in his car until we absolutely had to go out.

The race made some weird loop so you ended up running the same part twice. And of course there were some decent hills coming back. Doing them once was okay but twice was no fun! I jogged what I could and walked when I needed to. Overall I felt really good during this race, I just didn't like those darn hills!

I have a hard time not "racing", but being pregnant I know I need to just have fun and not push myself too much. So I had a goal but it was a very loose goal. I wanted to finish in under 45 minutes, which I knew was completely doable. I was very happy to see the clock as I finished- under 40! My official time was 39:24. It's not even my slowest 5K, which is awesome! I ran a 5K when I was about 2 months pregnant with Jack. It's the only time I ran and I actually downgraded my registration from the 5-miler. I finished that in 42:37. So to be over 5 months pregnant and finishing in under 40 minutes is so amazing! I'm really proud of myself for continuing to run, even if it's only twice a week.


Here I am waving at my dad:

I'm running a virtual 5K next week and per doctor's orders, I'll need to switch to walking in about 2 weeks. I'll update with how January went and how February is going. I'll try not to let a whole month go by in between updates!

Turkey Burnoff

Every year my local running club puts on a Turkey Burnoff race the Saturday after Thanksgiving. You have the option of running either 5 or 10 miles. Last year I did 10 and I really enjoyed it. This year, being 19 weeks pregnant, I knew I would not be able to do 10 but decided to go for the 5!

I've been running 30-35 minutes (2.5-3 miles) a couple of times a week and it's going well. I was thinking a 5K would be my limit but knew I'd be able to do 5 because I could walk if necessary. I did end up walking up the hills but ran the rest of the time, just more slowly.

About half way through, an obviously pregnant woman passed me and ended up finishing before me. I mention that she was obviously pregnant because I don't think that I am there yet. If you know me, then it's obvious! But if you don't know me you might just think it's how my body is shaped. Or maybe I had too much stuffing on Thanksgiving. ;)

After the run I asked her how far along she is and she was 29 weeks! She looked great and it's definitely motivating. I've decided to run the New Years Day 5K the running club puts on every year. I'll be 24 weeks pregnant by then!

My dad has been volunteering with the club, taking pictures at some of the races. He happened to be at the finish line of the Turkey Burnoff and it was great to see him!

Here are some of the shots he got of me:

And one from another photographer who was on the course:

My belly looks huge in these photos! I don't think it's really as big as it looks. And these are one of the only pairs of pants that are fitting me right now but I refuse to buy new ones that I'll only wear for a couple of months. I'll make it work! Thankfully I have some bigger shirts that fit well.

This is a new experience but I'm loving it. Being a woman who is growing a life, I already feel strong and amazing. Add running to the mix and it goes to a whole new level. I'm amazed at what my body is capable of doing!

I'm doing my best to make more time for exercise and to eat (mostly) healthy. I know it'll make a big difference come delivery time and for that alone I'm highly motivated to continue!

My Motivation

I ran 4 miles this morning and came home to do a PiYo workout to stretch my lower body. Jack jumped right in and joined me.

He really wants to work out and be strong. He loves lifting his 1-pound weights (which I need to upgrade!) and doing lunges and squats. It's so cute! I haven't been working out at home as much as I used to, but his eagerness for wanting to work out inspires me. I know he's watching what I'm doing and following my example.

I'm glad I have the opportunity to show him how important it is to exercise and take care of your body. I need to continue to be a good example. He is my biggest motivation to succeed! Also, he really wants me to win a race. He doesn't understand that I win just by finishing. He wants me to come in first. Motivation to do that speed work! ;)

What is something your kids do because they see you doing it?

Getting My Mojo Back

I haven't been running much this summer (summers are always the slowest for me) and needless to say, haven't been doing speed work. I have a half marathon in September with a 2:45 time limit so I need to step up my game!

I could easily run a 10K but I need to get my legs used to running 2+ hours again. And I don't have much time to do it. First up, is to run more regularly and go back to doing at least 1 run a week doing intervals and 1 weekly long run.

Today I tested out a new pre-workout and set a goal to run 5 miles in 45 minutes. Because, well, I only had about 50 minutes and wanted to hit 5 miles. Keep in mind that I typically run 10-minute miles.

Not only did I crush my goal, but I felt great afterwards!

Energize for the win! This will definitely help me get back to a routine of running in the morning and I couldn't be more stoked!

You can get a tub of Energize here or message me for a sample. It will help you crush your workout!

Fueled by Waffles

I haven't been running as much as I'd like. I always seem to slow down during the summer months and pick back up in fall. Well I signed up for a half marathon in September AND there's a time limit. So now I have motivation to make time to run.

We spent all day Saturday at the beach with friends, but I got up early Sunday and headed out for 6 miles. I needed something to get me going and I had 1 Honey Stinger honey waffle left. Time to buy some more!

These are awesome. For long runs and races, I like to have half before the run and half during. They taste great and give me the kick I need. Plus they curb any hunger pains you may be having. Have you ever felt your stomach grumble while you're trying to finish a run? Yeah. Not fun!

After my run I enjoyed a delicious chocolate Shakeology. Honey waffle before, chocolate shake after. Yum!

My goal is to run no less than 3 times  per week with one of those runs being a long run, one for speed work, and one easy run. I'd like to get in a 4th run, but being that I've only been averaging 1 run a week, I think 3 is a great place to start.

Anyone else have any fall races in their lineup? How do you fuel for long runs?

National Stroller Running Day

I haven't been posting much, but I just found out about an awesome event that I just have to share!

You can visit Moms Little Running Buddy for all the info, including how to win some cool prizes! I love my BOB and even at 5 years old, I love taking Jack out for a run. He often asks to get out and run now and I'm happy to oblige!

We will definitely be participating in this event! Who's going to join me?

Jack in 2010

2015

I seriously love this stroller and it has been one of the best purchases I've made since becoming a mom. 

Do you or have you ever run with a stroller? 

Mission 10 Miler

This past Sunday I ran my first race of the year! The last race I ran was a 10-Miler in November. 4 months later and I'm running another local 10-Miler. It's a great distance and it's becoming one of my favorites to run.

My running has been more consistent leading up to this race, but I didn't run for 3 weeks in March. Not good! The weather has been getting better so I went out for a short run last Thursday and an even shorter run Saturday morning. Getting outside (after only running indoors for the last 4 months) built up my confidence for the race.

I ran this race last year and the weather was just awful. Rain, hail, sleet, snow...every type of precipitation you can think of, we had it during those 2 hours! This year was 1000x better. A bit windy and chilly, but the sun was out, the sky was clear, and the ground was dry. I'll take it!

The course starts and ends just outside of a baseball stadium and it's an out and back course. The only problem is you're out in the middle of nowhere (or at least it feels like it!) and the road seems to go on for forever. Finally you turn the corner and see the tent marking the turnaround. It's a beautiful thing!

I started out with the 10:00 min/mile pacer and my first 2 miles were my fastest. It was too fast for me so I had to slow down a bit. I wanted to wait until I made it to the turnaround before kicking it up. The course consists of rolling hills, with 2 bigger hills as you near the finish, and I needed to save some energy for this last mile.

My splits were 10:37/mile for the first half and 10:38/mile for the second half. Finish time was 1:46:06, my second fastest 10 miler! And I beat last year's time by 4 1/2 minutes! But really, how could I not with the drastic differences in the weather? Still, I'll take it!

See that squint? Gotta love that sun!

Thanks to the hills and me pushing it (and after a 3 week running hiatus), my quads are still sore 3 days later. Am I crazy for loving it? I guess that's why I continue to run! :)

Here are a few things I love about this race and why I plan on doing it every year that I'm able to:

• It's local and takes less than 30 minutes for me to get there
• The race fee doesn't break the bank and even if it did, it goes to a good cause (see below)
• It's a 2pm start time on a Sunday. They want everyone to have the chance to go to church in the morning before the race. How great is that? And I love that I don't have to get up super early!
• It's called "A Race for Recovery" because they support a local Rescue Mission which provides long-term residential recovery programs to the chemically addicted, food to the hungry, and clothing and furniture to the needy. This year they raised $25,000! 
• You get a nice running shirt and medal
• They have same-day packet pickup so no having to go out of my way the day before. And did I mention the race is at 2pm? Packet pickup goes until 1:30. Again, no getting out of bed super early or going out of your way!
• A great selection of post-race food and drink
• Amazing volunteers who had smiles on their faces. One even thanked me for being out there running. 

To sum it up, this is the perfect race (at least to me) and I can't wait to do it again next year! If you live in the area, definitely check it out. Maybe I'll see you out there. :)

What do you look for when signing up for a race? What's important to you? 

Honey Stinger Hive 2015

Last month I was on the Honey Stinger website looking at their yummy products and came across their ambassador application. A lot of the people I follow on Instagram are ambassadors for various companies and I've been wanting to get involved. It seems like a very cool thing to do and a great way to get discounts on products you love. So I filled out the application.

This prompted me to search for and submit applications to other companies as well. I didn't think I'd get picked for any because let's face it...I'm not the best at blogging regularly! I'm really trying to change that this year and now I have extra motivation to stay on top of it.

I got picked to be a part of the Honey Stinger Hive for 2015!!

I'm a sponsored athlete! How crazy is that?? It's very cool and I'm honored to be working with such a great company. I love the products I've tried and I'm looking forward to trying more. I'll be sharing more about their products and I'm even planning to do a giveaway sometime soon. Stay tuned!

In the meantime, check out their website and tell me what you like or what you most want to try.

I'm excited for what 2015 is bringing!