My 5th Marathon..Let’s Review

#1 St. Jude Marathon 4:20---- HARDEST ONE because I didn’t train well.

#2. St. George Marathon 3:24 -----SUPER HARD because I was trying to qualify for Boston and it rained the entire race

Boston Marathon 3:50:13----Most mentally challenging but worth every minute!

San Diego Rock and Roll 4:30—Most fun I have ever had running a marathon!!!

Wow, 4 wonderful marathons and on to tackle one more! Here is the map of the course:

Ok I need to go pack!!! So glad I have my packing list!

I am getting excited and remembering some wonderful tips I posted about!!

First 10 Miles:

Start out slow. I took off way to fast at the Boston Marathon, running 7 minute miles! Take it slow. I know if I keep my pace steady at the beginning my body will thank me in the end.

Run my own race. Don't be worried if I see a lot of people passing me. Something I have struggled with in other marathons is thinking I wasn’t going fast enough,because of the folks that were speeding by me! I have to remember, they may be starting out way too fast, so I’ll catch them later at my own pace!

Don't get too emotional. Try to stay as calm as possible for the first 10 miles. At the St.George Marathon I almost broke down because I was getting too emotional. I will need to conserve my mental energy for the ENTIRE race!

Miles 11-20:

Break up the race. Start breaking up the race into smaller segments. It will make the distance and feel more manageable. When I pass the half marathon mark I only have one more half to go, and at the 20 miler mark I could say just a 10k and I am done!

Stay mentally tough. A runners mental toughness will really start to be tested during these miles. I need not to give into periods of self-doubt and discomfort. I need to remember all the training that I have done and have faith in it. I need to constantly think about how hard I have worked and how rewarding it will be to complete the race.

Beat boredom. Do whatever it takes to keep my mind occupied: I can sing songs, play mental games, count people, talk to other runners(I am hoping to run along side Meghann).

Miles 21-26.2:

Think outside my body. These are the miles I feel the most pain! I know will certainly feel tired. I need to let my mind take over from my body and try to focus on the outside -- the spectators, the other runners, the scenery.

Set small milestones. I need to break up the course, mile by mile. Start counting down the miles and the minutes.

Talk to myself. At this point in the race, I need to dig down deep for extra strength. Reminding myself what I have sacrificed( sleep, social time) to get to this point!!

Alright I am off to Santa Barbara!!! I can’t wait hit up the expo :)

Dad’s Birthday Dinner Recap!

Morning friends!!

Last night’s Birthday dinner for DAD was a big hit! The food and company were the best part.

The Decor

The Menu

Salad
Thanksgiving Green Salad
This is a refreshing and delicious side dish
That includes raspberries
Mixed greens, dried cranberries
Oranges and spiced nuts
This salad is highly recommended this
Time of year for its wide variety of assorted flavors.

Main Dish
Slow-Cook Pulled Pork
This is tonight’s special for its rich flavor
It is home made by your famous chef, Bobbi M.

Side Dish
Home made baked macaroni salad
This has been requested by the guest of
Honor tonight and it is sure to be a treat to all.

Drinks
Assorted Secrets

Desserts
The big finish for tonight’s meal is
A delicious, mouth watering, crowd pleasing
Strawberry Ice Cream Cake!

The Family!

My Plate

Dad loved every bite!!

My Silly Brother and his GF.

My other two silly brothers!

My wonderful Grandparents!

Cake time, my Dad requested Strawberry and Vanilla Ice-Cream Cake!

I had some ice-cream, mmmm!

Dad opened presents.

Then the competitive Trujillo boys challenged Dad in an arm wrestling contest.

My brother Chris, beat my DAD for the first time EVER!

The brothers turn

The new brothers turn (he won, GO HUBBY)

I am only allowed to go after my youngest brother, Robert Aaron... ya, I got my butt kicked by a 16 year old!

My brother's GF is STRONG!!!

Picture time!

Family Portraits!

Love this one!

The boys

The siblings (minus one brother who couldn’t make it)

Bosco wanted to be in a picture too!

It was such a wonderful time with the family, I love them all so much!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This morning I woke up late, but I still went for a 3 mile easy, 30 minute run. It’s my last run before my marathon and my legs felt great, but my mind was still in a funk!! Can I run 26.2 miles on Sunday? YES, but for some reason I am getting hecka nervous!

When I got back home after my run, I have been watching my DVR’D TBL and now I am getting pumped and all fired up! I know that if these contestants could be running a MARATHON then so can I!

I am also enjoying a big bowl of Chocolate Pecan Apple Butter OATS!

YUMMERS!

I am going in late to work today, because I have a conference to check people in at. I love that I get Friday mornings to catch up!

Friday Morning to do list:

• pack for the weekend
• blog Marathon recap
• catch up on emails
• pack lunch

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

Staying Fit During the Holiday Season

NHerShoes Guide to Staying Fit During the Holiday Season

 

The holidays are a time to celebrate, and boy, do we make the most of it. We EAT we DRINK, we indulge and then we end up feeling like bloated whales by the time it's all over. Staying healthy through the holidays is quite the challenge. I am trying to do my best to stay on track in my eating and exercise through the week, but on the weekends it gets soooo hard! I want to ENJOY all the holiday has to offer including all the party FOOD. I can stay away from most of the sweets because that is not my true weakness, it’s all the appetizers, drinks, and food that is so tempting to just say “hey this holiday comes only once a year enjoy, enjoy”, but I know that the next day I will regret that decision.

So how does one do it? How do you stay away, well I have some tips for you all that might be facing the same challenge this holiday.The first step, is to acknowledging the holidays probably will affect your exercise program to some extent. Then you can make adjustments that will help you stay fit during the season.

EXERCISE

SHORTEN YOUR CARDIO: Cut down your cardio into small circuit maximizing all the time you have even if it’s only 10 minutes. You can do real simple actives that don’t require too much like; walking, running, jump roping or cycling. Get the most out of the time you have by working at a high intensity.

My sample 10-minute BOOTCAMP is a great place to start:
0:00 to 1:00 - Warm up with a brisk walk (outside or around the house)
1:00 to 2:00 - Jumping jacks
2:00 to 3:00 - Jump rope (pretend if you don't have a rope)
3:00 to 4:00 - Run as fast as you can for 1 minute (in place or outside)
4:00 to 5:00 - Ski hops: Stand with feet together, bend knees and jump a few feet to the right and then left, landing with bent knees.
5:00 to 6:00 - Jumping jacks6:00 to
7:00 - Walk as fast as you can
7:00 to 8:00 - Jump rope
8:00 to 9:00 - Jumping jacks
9:00 to 10:00 - Cool down and catch your breath
Remember to work hard. Keep your perceived exertion at 8 or 9 for the entire workout.

WORK IT WHERE YOU CAN: If it’s taking the stairs at work or at the mall DO IT! This holiday season, wear a pedometer as you're running around, and see how many steps you can accumulate. Use EVERY opportunity to get in more movement, whether it's parking on the opposite side of where you need to be (I do this often).

TIME: Increase your time management skills over the holiday season. Organize your day the evening before. Prioritizing your tasks beforehand will help you find time to exercise. Each week, make it a priority to fit in three exercise sessions.

CHALLENGE: Give yourself a CHALLENGE! You can join the Bootie Buster Challenge or POTM Challenge Holiday Edition like me or got to livestrong.com to find one that works for you! Or even better ask a friend to hold you accountable, and each of you can work together to STAY fit during the HOLIDAYS!

EATING

EAT BEFORE: Rules to live by: NEVER go grocery shopping while hungry, and similarly, never hit a holiday party on an EMPTY stomach. You'll be less tempted to overindulge if your belly's full of something healthy. I think this is one we all know but tend to forget.

CHOOSE ONE TREAT: Once at the party, choose one thing to indulge in and make it good. No chips or anything you can have at any old time. Pick something you ONLY get during the holidays.

CONTROL YOUR DRINKING: Alcohol is an easy way to consume more calories than you need, so AVOID mixed or fruity drinks, and have a glass of water for every drink you consume. Also, definitely AVOID the egg nog; it has up to 350 calories a cup. A great thing to do is bring a packet of hot tea or apple cider and ask if you can have some boiled water.

DON'T SKIP MEALS:It's tempting to skip meals to make up for whatever nightmare food you'll eat later, but just like the empty-stomach rule, if you're starving, your rational mind will be unavailable for healthy food choices. Eat SMALL meals all day to avoid going nuts at the buffet table.

THE SEVENTH DAY RULE: Try to eat as healthily as possible and munch on holiday treats in small quantities. Did you notice I did not say to avoid holiday meals or treats? If you try to avoid them, you will regret it. This is always a good rule of thumb. Eat healthily for six days, and then eat one or two items, holiday snacks or deserts on the seventh. I try and do this all the time even when it’s not holiday season.

BALANCE: Remember that balance, variety and moderation apply to holiday celebrations as well as to most other things in life, so don't be too hard on yourself if you slip up. Keep your good intentions, spend time with family and friends and enjoy the holidays.

I am making it a personal challenge of mine to make healthier body. mind, and soul choices through this season. I already had two parties this week and did pretty well, but after writing this information I am going to push myself harder so that I feel HEALTHY and POSITIVE this SEASON. What are you going to do for yourself this season to stay HEALTHY?

"It's important to enjoy the spirit of the holidays and not focus on food so much; it is not the main point of the gathering. By doing that, you will make healthier choices."- Amanda Gavlik is a Health.com Contributing Editor

GOALS FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR:

1. Work out 6 days out of seven, even if it is small workouts
2. Increase my weight training at least 2 days a week (after marathon)
3. Drink more water at holiday parties in order to stay fuller and make better food choices.
4. Write down my weeks goals of exercise for my challenge
5. REMEMBER the true meaning of the SEASON!

Back to Reality

Sorry I have been MIA all day, I have been trying to settle back in to the “Real” world. My first day back to work wasn’t as crazy as I thought it would be, especially since I have a conference this weekend.

I wanted to start off my week the right way and got up at the crack of dawn to go for a 4 mile easy run with Mr.Rick. It felt good just to relax and catch up on our Holiday, I love taper week.

When I returned home I only had one choice for breakfast, vacation=no food in the fridge. Well I guess I had three choices

I threw them in a bowl and called it breakfast

I made an egg for some added protein, cereal always leaves me hungry!

 

Work flew by, and lunch is not even worth mentioning (steamed fish+brown rice). After work I swung by the grocery store to pick up a few things and supplies for the Annual Birthday Dinner, Hubby and I are making for my Dad. He has requested homemade Mac and Cheese (he is easy to please) and I am making something else that I know he is going to love. No worries I will have a full menu for you all tomorrow night! For dinner I went cheap and easy, brown rice pasta+home made marinara+tofu. Sorry for the bad pic, I was in a hurry.

This evening was super productive!! I promised myself I wouldn’t touch the computer, iPhone, or TV until I had got all my chores done. I unpacked my suitcase, put away laundry (Hubby did it for me), cleaned the kitchen, prepped dinner for tomorrow, and then watched “It’s a Wonderful Life” while wrapping Christmas presents, life is GOOD!

Tomorrow I get to sleep in because I am not running until Friday morning. I can not believe that I am running a marathon on Sunday! I am starting to get kind of nervous and to be honest I just want it to be OVER. I know this is just pre-race jitters and I will get over it.

The next few days are jammed pack (as always), Thursday: Dad’s Birthday Dinner, Friday: Friends Birthday Party, Saturday: Leading a workshop at conference(can’t wait to tell you all more) and leave for Santa Barbara, Sunday MARATHON!!! 

Time to hit the hay…I am half way awake as it is.

Heads up on Monday I am going to be kicking off a fun series for all of you who want to look your best for New Years Eve!!!

B&C POTM Holiday Edition+WINNERS OF POTM

Morning, or afternoon to some of you. I hope you all enjoyed my November in Review, it was such a fun and crazy month and I know this one is going to be even more crazy! When we get back we already have two parties on Thursday and Friday!! I better enjoy the calm of today before the madness begins!

This morning I slept in until 8:30 it was glorious! I made myself a quick bowl of Oats filled with a bunch of goodness. It felt great to eat a normal breakfast again.

The SIL and I decided to try out a kickboxing class at her gym this morning. I love going to classes at other gyms, I usually learn a couple new things and it is fun to mix it up a bit. This class was very interesting we did a little bit of everything, zumba, sculpt, kickboxing, and running! I loved that we mixed it up, but I did feel a little scandalous funny dancing with the dumbbell bar! Non the less we got in a great workout for the day..I need to start adding all of this to the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge, I am so behind!

I thought I would show you a pic of where Hubby and I have been staying. I absolutely adore my SIL and BIL’s home, it may convince me to move here one day!

Ok the POTM Challenge Winners are in!!! Thanks so much to Caitlin for being on top of things, while I have been out of town.

THE POTM WINNERS ARE!!!!

#1. RAN THE MOST MILES-Jessica K who ran 298.9 miles!!! Way to rock it girl..man I so admire you.

#2. Randomly selected Amina for the winner of the General Entry prize.  She ran 20.57 miles! Yay! 

#3. And the winner of the Operation Beautiful post is Jesse Lynn Hamlin, who took a piece of chalk with her on a run through Central Park and wrote Operation Beautiful messages on the side of the road.  I loved Jesse Lynn's entry because I actually received several emails from "strangers" who had found her note!

B&C POTM Holiday Edition

You guys rock!!! I know this challenge was so inspirational and motivating for all of you that we decided for those who are already signed up for POTM we are going to extend the challenge and offer three more prizes!!! We are calling it B&C POTM Holiday Edition and it will run until the January 1st! Caitlin or I will send you an email soon that will have the spreadsheet link on it, so stay tuned!!!

So are you your ready to keep Piling on those MILES?!

Well I have to catch a plane, see you all soon!

November In Review

I saw Angela’s post about her month in review and I thought it would be fun to look back on our crazy month of November!

November In Review

1. Halloween Hat Party Recap

2. My First Year of Coaching

3. Chipotle Barbecued Tofu

4. Fall Couples Retreat

5. Mission Inn Half Race Report

6. Life life with a purpose and passion

7. Detox Reflections

8. Pumpkin Breakfast Cookie

9. 18 Miles Done and Done!

10. Father and Daughter Weekend

11. Spontaneous Date Night!

12. Marathon Saturday

13. BYOT Pizza Party

14. 10k Lighting the Way Race Recap

15. Staff Retreat

16. 7 Miles On Thanksgiving

17. McCormick Thanksgiving

A Runners Christmas Wish List

That’s right friends, we are back in Nashville and are in the last hours of our vacation. I am sad to have to leave tomorrow, but dreading excited to get back to routine.

We had a three hour trip to the SIL’s house and ate Subway in the car. I had the usual, veggie delight with everything! I saved the other half for the plane tomorrow.

When we got to the SIL’s house I couldn’t wait to go for a run! No rain today but it was extra chilly! I ended up running 5 miles a lot faster then I had anticipated. Check out these stats!

Garmin statistics:

• Duration: 38:31
• Distance: 5.0
• Mile 1: 9:19
• Mile 2: 8:29
• Mile 3: 8:01
• Mile 4: 8:11
• Mile 5: 7:45!!!!!
• The Burn: 580 calories

Not bad for a leisurely run!

When I got home we all decided to have Sushi delivered! My SIL knows of this great place in town that she really loves.

 

The boys being boys..and super excited to eat!

The spread! 

We ordered four different rolls; Spider Roll, Spicy Tuna Roll, Crunchy Crab Roll and a SWEET POTATO ROLL (only in the south!).

 

I had a little of everything and MORE! 

With some edamame beans and a salad on the side. 

The most amazing combination! I loved everyone of my rolls!

Hubby had some Tangerine Chicken, it was tasty too! 

Some of my Sushi was so hard to eat…

I had to put down my chop sticks and get in to it! 

Oh I am soooo stuffed! I knew that I went over the limit but whatever I am on my last night of vacation I couldn’t let any of the goodness go to waist :).

So friends have you started shopping yet?! I love to bless people with a little something they love on Christmas. I know that gifts are not the reason I celebrate the Holiday’s, but I am not going to lie I love buying gifts for people!!!

A Santa list for Runners

Runner's World Performance Nutrition for Runners (Amazon)

Ultimate Guide to Weight Training for Running (Amazon)

Runner's World Runner's Diet: The Ultimate Eating Plan That Will Make Every Runner (and Walker) Leaner, Faster, and Fitter. (Amazon)

Runner's World Complete Book of Women's Running (Amazon)

Black and Red Competition Suit (Amazon)

Valeo Dual Ab Wheel (Amazon)

Barney Butter Almond Butter 90 Calorie Packets, .6-Ounce Packages (Amazon)

Atlanta Commitment Skirt!

Flip Video to take on races!!!

Zoot Race-Day Belt

Camelbak Water bottle

Asics 2140’s

Asics Socks (My favorite!)

GARMIN FORERUNNER

Massage Gift Certificate!!!

Question: What's on your wish list this Christmas??