Track meet, the beach, and my favorite new workout bag...

 I wanted to tell you guys how proud of my son I was this past weekend. Most of you know that he runs track for his middle school. He is born to be a runner, its crazy! He ran in the track championships this past Saturday. He placed 1st overall in the 800m with a time of 2:40. He placed 2nd in the 400m with a time of 1:10. He runs the relays for the varsity team. They placed 2nd in the 4x100 and 3rd in the 4x400. He also participated in the long jump. His first jump was 11'4 and his second jump was 14'1 making him first place however is foot touched the pink tape line so it was scratched:( oh well. Placing in 4 out of 5 events is amazing. I was super proud of him and all of the kids that participated in the championships. I cant wait to see what his future holds.

 

On Sunday we decided to take our kids to the beach after my oldest played in the varsity soccer game. we didn't get down there till around 4pm, but it was still gorgeous outside. This is why I LOVE living in the South. The Gulf is gorgeous this time of the year.

Last week I joined the YMCA so that I could utilize the pool and the weight room in one place. My background is in swimming and it feels so good to get back in the pool. I am planning on doing the Ironman 70.3 NOLA next year, so in the pool I went. 36 laps later a mile was done and I was feeling great. I need to get a waterproof case for my phone so that I can snap some shots at the pool.

Also I have been toting my Apera duffle pack EVERYWHERE. I love this thing. It holds everything and more that I need for the day.
























Check out the video on how incredible this bag is...

 

Super cool, huh? If you are interested in checking out the Apera duffle bag or the other bags they offer CLICK HERE!
The awesome people over at HUMA sent me a couple samples of their new flavors blueberries and mango. Uh YUMMMMM! I used the blueberry during my swim today and it tasted so yummy. If you are looking for a natural alternative to gels, you should def check out HumaGels.

Looking at our progress reminds us how far we have come. Sometimes we take steps backward, but if we keep pressing forward we can get to where we want to be...

What is your favorite energy gel?
Favorite gym bag?
 

Slimplate System, Runners World Book, and a busy weekend...

 I have been super busy with my oldest sons sports. He plays on his schools soccer team and is a member of the track team. We have track championships this Saturday and he qualified in every event. Narrowing down which ones he's going to do has been hard. He has decided on long jump, 800m, 4x100 relay and the 4x400 relay. I was hoping he would also do the 100m but he doesn't want to, so I'm happy with his choices. Saturday we will be at the track all morning hopefully winning some events. Wish him luck...

 

I was contacted by the Slimplate Company about reviewing their Slimplate System. I was surprised at how functional and fun these plates, bowls, and cups are. It also come with instructions on how to use the system to your advantage. I will have a full review next week after I have a chance to out them into action:)

I have started reading the 2014 Runners World BIG BOOK OF RUNNING FOR BEGINNERS. No, I am not a beginner runner, however this book has so many ways you can train whether you are a beginner or a seasoned veteran. You can purchase your copy by clicking HERE. 



I have been back on my clean eating (85%paleo) and have been feeling great. Its crazy to think I feel so great clean eating but yet I still seem to go back to the junk:( Self Destruction at its best. Knowing that we can literally kill ourselves with food is a scary thought.

 



I hope you guys have a wonderful rest of the week and weekend. I will be celebrating this cuties 7th birthday tomorrow. I cant believe he has gotten so big.

 

Do you portion your food out on the plate?

What are your plans for this weekend?

 

I received  the Slimplate System and the Runners World book for review purposes only. No other compensation was received. All opinions are mine and no one elses.

RW HHhalf, USA Swiftwick sock, and some training news...

Hey guys, I hope you are all having a great week. I got some pretty awesome news this week. I was invited to the Runners World Heartbreak Hill Half & Festival in Boston along with some other amazing bloggers.

I am so excited to meet some of the awesome bloggers coming and reuniting with a few from the first year of the RWHalf. Runners World knows how to put on a race weekend. I want you all to join us, so here is an awesome discount code for you guys...

I will be doing the hat trick with my girl Melanie. That's right a 5k and 10k on Saturday and then the half on Sunday. Come join in on the fun. Let me know if you are planning on coming, I would love to meet you guys.
Runners World introduced me to one of my favorite brands.

I have been an ambassador for Swiftwick socks for a while now, and I am still loving them. My husband and I wear them everyday for everything. Its nice to be able to put on a sock and know that you have the support and the wicking that you need in any situation. Right now you can order these amazing limited edition USA "gold star" socks...

Love them.

I am excited to be joining the Y tomorrow. I told you guys about me wanting to start training for the Ironman 70.3 New Orleans race next April. So I need a pool to really focus on my training. The Y has a pretty good open lap swim schedule during the day, so I am hoping to get in some long training in the pool. Stay tuned, I will let you guys know how its going.

Have you ever ran in Boston?

 

What's you favorite sock to train in?

 

Have you ever considered a triathlon?

 



Fit Plus Wear Functional Active Wear, check it out...



I am so excited to tell you guys about a new workout line called Fit Plus Wear.

A great friend of mine owns a very successful personal training company here in Mobile called Bodies by Cindy. She has been very successful at making my town a healthy place to live. Recently she has been hard at work on her own line of workout clothes, Fit Plus Wear. Here is the Press Release...



Where to put your phone, ipod, keys, and fuel is a big problem with most runners. Cindy and Heather have come out with the perfect solution. The Sound Solutions line of active pants...

Fit Plus Wear’s Sound Solution line of running shorts and capri pants for Men and Women are a revolutionary way to carry your cell phone with you while you workout! No more bulky strap on pouch, belt clips that bounce, no more bulky armbands. Run light and worry free with Fit Plus Wear’s Sound Solution Wear
Leave the bulky carrying cases at home – Fit Plus Wear’s revolutionary water and sweat resistant, fall proof, bounce proof design is a workout enthusiast’s dream come true! It’s our Sound Solution- it’s a pocket with a plus! SOURCE

I know personally I have to put my phone in my sports bra when I'm running because I have no place to put it. It gets aggravating. Fit Plus Wear Sound Solution pants have solved this problem...

They also have super cute tops like this Flow Top

Go check out all the really cool and functional athletic wear at Fit Plus Wear. You can also connect with them on Facebook, and Twitter. I am super excited to get my hands on a pair of the Sound Solution capris. Would love for you guys to check them out and let me know what you think.

QOTD: Where do you keep your personal items when running?

Fitness Friday, Upcoming Races, and a "Oreo"ish Recipe..

I thought I would join in on the Fitness Friday fun today. Its been a long time since I joined in on the fun. So here it goes...

Monday: 30 minutes Spin 40 minutes of cross training
Tuesday: 40 minutes Spin 1 mile speed work
Wednesday: 30 minutes Yoga 3 mile run
Thursday: 20 minutes Spin, 2 mile run, stretching
Friday 3 mile run

Overall I am feeling so much better after being sick for a week. I am happy that I was able to do my cardio everyday. Next week, I am joining the Y, so that I can get into the pool for training. Because this is happening next April...

 



That's right. For the next year I am going to be focusing on this race, Ironman 70.3 New Orleans. I am trying to shift my focus on something different. So I hope you guys will stick around with me for the next 12 months:)

I have a few upcoming races I am excited about:

3/29 Zombie Run, Gulfport MS



I ran this race last year with a some of my favorite bloggers. You can read the recap HERE, its pretty funny. Oh and they are having a half off sale right now, so sign up soon. REGISTER HERE

4/19 The Crescent City Classic 10k, New Orleans LA

This is one of my favorite races. It is a huge 10k on the streets of New Orleans. You can read my recap HERE. Here is a short video about the 2014 race, check it out...


I would love for you to join Mindy, Holly, Jennifer, Heather, Melanie, and I at the start line of the CCC10k. You can register HERE.

I also have been eating so much better this past week. it has made a world of a difference on how I am feeling. I started back on my paleo eating. I had a lot of success with it last year. Here is a recipe I made yesterday for the kids...



I hope you guys had a wonderful week filled with lots of healthy choices. Have a wonderful weekend and I cant wait to tell you guys about an awesome workout clothes line a friend of mine here locally just started. Your going to love it... Stay tuned...

QOTD: Did you make healthy choices this week?

Homemade Coconut Butter Recipe...

COCONUT BUTTER RECIPE

I have been using coconut oil for a while now as part of my paleo cooking and absolutely love it! So of course I was interested in coconut butter. I have priced it at the store before and at like $6+ a jar, I just haven't brought myself to buying it yet. So I went to the Internet to see how hard it would be to make it. I came across THIS POST by theKitchn and had an ah-ha moment. After all I have made almond butter, peanut butter, and sunbutter, so I knew that I could make coconut butter. What I didn't realize is that all I needed was a bag of unsweetened coconut, my beloved food processor, and patience...

 

That's right one ingredient, coconut. Basically all you need is a high power food processor. Pour the bag of coconut flakes into the processor and blend. The coconut will go through many fazes, this where the patience comes in. It will eventually stick to the sides and you will have to scrape it down a bunch of times, and then finally it will become a creamy paste and then it will liquefy itself into a butter. It took me about 25 minutes and constantly scraping the sides and restarting, but well worth it. You can store it at room temperature. It will turn to a solid but you can soften under hot water, in the microwave for 5-10 seconds, or eat it in solid form. I have been dipping dates in it for a sweet snack at night.

 

YUM! Have you ever had coconut butter before? or have made it? What did you think?

 

Snowmobiling in The Rockies...

Snowmobiling in Keystone CO



When one of your best friends says hey we need to go skiing and we need to go now. You pack up your warmest clothes and head north to Colorado... I knew I had a break in those days from any races, so off to the mountains of Keystone we went...

VERY early in the morning!

Once we landed in Denver and spending a wonderful night with Tiffany's aunt and uncle, it was off the next day to one of natures most gorgeous playgrounds...

For some of you this might be a normal site, but for these Gulf Coast people it was absolutely breathtaking.

We had decided that we would snowmobile the first day there mainly because we didn't get down to the mountains till lunch time. I had never snowmobiled before, so I was definitely excited to try it. I loved going up into the mountains to ride...

As you can tell my husband was having a blast relaxing on the top of the mountain. He was soooooo in his element on this trip, lol...

One of the really cool things we saw on the our tour was the bear claw prints all over the trees...
























We got a chance to go on one of the race ways on the mountain and have a little friendly competition. Id have to say it was a lot of fun racing even though I came in dead last...

We also were able to drive right up to this frozen lake up in the mountains. It was crazy how thick this ice was...

That night we hung out with the Brandon our snowmobile tour guide. We met him at a local place called Murphys for happy hour. We had a blast...





































The boys thought they would catch themselves a little pet to hang out with, little did they know...

We had an amazing view from our hotel room at the Comfort Suites in Dillon, CO.  

 

Stay tuned tomorrow for day 2 in Keystone Mountain, when we actually made it to the slopes...

 

QOTD Have you ever been snowmobiling? What did you think?

Mizuno, Runners World Sweepstakes, and an intro into ski school...

I hope you guys got a chance to check out Mizuno's "If Everybody Ran" study today. It was the hot trend being talked about today. I am a firm believer that if everyone just ran we would all be in a much happier and healthier place. Have you ever met an unhappy runner? If you didn't get a chance to check it out, you can read my post about HERE or check out the study at www.IfEverybodyRan.com.

Speaking of running, my favorite magazine, Runners World is running a sweepstakes right now with Iceland Natural that I think everyone should enter. Check it out...

 

        Enter for a chance to run the Reykjavik Marathon, and experience Iceland’s unparalleled beauty. Trip includes:• Economy round-trip air on Icelandair for two (2) persons from select Icelandair gateways.*
• Three (3) nights accommodation in Reykjavik at Hotel Nordica based on double occupancy, with Scandinavian buffet breakfast daily, except on arrival date.
• Two (2) 72 Hours Reykjavík Welcome Cards, providing free access to City of Reykjavik world-famous thermal pools, museums and public transportation, plus various retail discounts.
• Two (2) entries to the Reykjavik Marathon
• Two (2) roundtrip bus transfer from the airport to hotel in Reykjavik
• One (1) case of Icelandic Glacial water for your hotel room
• Two (2) Experience Comfort entries to the Blue Lagoon Spa
• Two (2) award winning Snaefell jackets from 66°North

This trip sounds amazing. I would love to win it. You can enter HERE until April 1st, 2014. Good Luck!

I wasn't exactly in Iceland last week but I was in the Rockies on top of a mountain doing some pretty cool things. Lets just say this southern girl was not made for snow sports, but I surely had a great time trying. That's what's fun about new adventures. I was a much better skier than snowboarder, but I made sure to look the part, lol...

Having never done either I enrolled myself into snowboarding school one day and ski school the next day. Ill let you know my thoughts on both tomorrow when I recap my adventures at Keystone Mountain.

 

QOTD: Have you ever snow sported before?

 
 
 

What If Everybody In The World Ran? The world would be awesome...check it out...

I'm not really a "numbers" person, however Mizuno's study "What if EVERYBODY RAN?" really caught my eye. I have always felt physically and mentally better when I am in shape and that includes running. So Mizuno teamed up with University of North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler Business School to explore the question...



Research Highlights:

Mental/Emotional Impact:

 

• 37 percent more smiles
• 163,607 (or 18.7 percent) fewer divorces annually

• 29.3 million happier marriages

 

Economic/Commercial

 

• National productivity lost from sick days could be reduced by 50 percent from 2.3 percent to just 1.15 percent

• A 1.15 percent improvement in productivity could generate $25.3 billion in new exports or a $25.3 billion increase in GDP

Health/Medical

• $143 billion savings in health care costs • 200 million inches lost from American waistlines
• 48.1 million fewer cigarettes smoked daily
• 116,000 fewer hip replacements annually
• Increased average life expectancy of 6.2 years in men and 5.6 years in women

Miscellaneous
• 63 million happier dogs (based on increased walks/runs)
• 135 million fewer hours spent watching TV
• 14 billion fewer hours spent online

Basically the world would be a much healthier, richer, and cleaner place to be if everyone just ran. If you actually think about all the people that you know who run, they are generally happier people. I know everyone that I know that run love it. If you aren't sure what I'm talking about, check out the next race near you. Show up and watch or even volunteer. Runners are some of the nicest people you will ever meet. Whether you are a walker, runner or an elite athlete, we all have one thing in common and that's movement, so keep moving and we will all be happier.

 
 
  
For more information on this study visit www.ifeverybodyran.com.


What are your thoughts on this study?

This is a sponsored post by Mizuno. I was provided with a Mizuno product in exchange for this post. All opinions are of my own.

 

Keystone Colorado adventures...

I have been on vacation for the past week or so in Keystone Colorado. Its been an amazing trip.  Snowmobiling, snowboarding, and skiing nonstop. Hanging with the locals. I will be updating all the really cool things we got to do all week so stay tuned...