Where have I been?

Me at  the Baltimore Half Marathon in October 2015

Last time you heard from me, I was lacking my motivation to run. Boy was that true. Over the last couple years, I have struggled with lack of motivation, sidelines from injuries and, a busy lifestyle.

Guess what!!! I am back!

I have decided to put myself first these days. I have been running and training. My last race was in October last year at the Baltimore Half. I ran on a sprained ankle and it was pure hell. I spent the rest of the year taking care of my ankle and getting back on track.

Now, as of February of this year...I am back on track. I am back to running with The Steeplechasers and, with my running best friends. I have signed up for The Coastal Delaware Half in April and plan to crush it! I am hoping to PR. But, lets be real...I haven't run "Fast" since 2012. I will try my hardest that's for sure.

So, what's the future for this blog?

I am hoping to come here weekly to let you know about my weekly training runs, talk about some of the products I am currently using, I'd still like to post race reviews too.

What about you guys? What would you like to see me post about?

I am also starting a 6 week weight loss/fitness contest with some friends as a local gym. Maybe I can discuss some of how that goes as well.

I hope to see some of my old blog readers back!! I've missed everyone!

Marine Corps Marathon Weekend! OORAH!

To all who ran the 10k and Marathon this past weekend at the Marine Corps Marathon, Congratulations!!

I participated in the 10k event because, we'll let's face it...I'm no marathoner. Although I had a really great time, I had some boughts of  bad luck and, emotional moments.
My morning started out by hearing my alarm clock go off. I looked over at it and saw 5:00 flashing. I looked over at my phone which is next to my clock and saw it flashing. Immediately I freak out. At some point my alarm clock messed up and instead of going off at 4am it went off an hour late. My friends had been calling me wondering what was wrong. Did I get in an accident, sick or, eaten by Zombies? Nope, freaking overslept. Thankfully, I have super awesome friends and they came knocking at my door. I threw clothes and shoes on and, grabbed my bags in record time.
Along the way I realized I had forgotten my fuel belt water bottles and, my honey stingers. I was bummed but, figured this was just a 6 mile run I would be ok with the race water and Gatorade. We picked up the rest of our friends and were on our way.

Maryland had been under a state of emergency because of a Hurricane due to hit land some time on Sunday or Monday. We saw no real signs of "Sandy" except a bit of wind and cold weather. It was actually great running weather.
We arrived at our parking garage and, made our way to the start of the 10k. The start was at the corner of 12th and Madison on The National Mall. It was still pretty dark out but, everything was so beautiful. We could see the Capital and Washington Monument.

It was pretty crowded but not too bad. We went to bag check and successfully dropped off all our bags. The bathroom lines were ridiculous. We started to wait in line until a nice man told us that we could go to a public restroom no one was at.

The crowd from our bathroom line.

My friends and I in the Bathroom line.

We made it to the start just in time to hear the National Anthem and take off.

In our corral. 

The starting line! Picture taken by a friend.

The race course was very nice. You were able to see a lot of DC area landmarks. It was a bit industrial but, you kind of expect that since you are in DC. There was tons of race spectators along the way. Alot of support groups were there ringing their bells and holding signs, cheering us along. I got quiet emotional while running a couple times along the course. I saw so many runners running in honor of falling Marines, wounded veterans running, and even runners with prosthetics. Of course then there were the Marines. All of which were there cheering us on too. Smiling, extending their arms for high fives. Everyone yelling "oorah" and "Semper Fi" every time I thanked them. It was amazing.

Somewhere along mile 3, I landed wrong on my sore foot causing it to send intense pain up the back of my heel into my calf. It was one of the worse pains Ive ever experienced running. It made me stop a minute and stretch it out. I wanted to call it quits right there and then but, kept seeing all these runners running for bigger reasons and said to myself could I really stop right now. There is no excuse, I must finish. The last 2 miles of the course were so brutal for me. I pushed so hard to finish. I wanted to beat my last 10k time but, sadly knew I wasn't going to make it due to the time I took stopping to stretch out my foot. The last hill of the course was almost my breaking point but, seeing so many people cheering you on and Marines holding their hands out to get you in case you need help just made you suck it up and push through. I finished my race and continued through the finish corral to get my medal. At the end there was a line of Marines holding medals. The Marine who was in my line looked at me, put the medal around my neck and said "Congratulations" he then saluted me and, I saluted back.

After receiving my medal, I met back up with my friends. I let out some more tears of pain and sucked it up. We got our water and Gatorade and walked to go find our bags. Our bags seemed miles away from the finish. We were freezing and wanted to change. Once we found our bags, changed, went to the bathroom, warmed up and even got FREE massages, (Which were the real deal and amazing) we headed back to the finish line to watch our friends finish the Marathon.

I had never watched a Marathon finish before. Wow!! What an emotional event. So many people crying, being helped to the finish, holding hands. We saw men and women pushing chairs with quadriplegic partners inside. It was amazing. We saw two of our friends accomplish something they worked so hard for. Seeing them from the start to finish was something else and being there to cheer them along . I was and am so truly proud of them. I joke so much here on my blog and in person about never being able to run a marathon but, seeing them accomplish something they set their hearts on really makes me have hope that one day maybe I will be able to run a Marathon too.

After meeting up with our friends who ran the Marathon we headed back home. Unfortunately, everyone else was too. The Metro was backed up, the line was wrapped around two streets. We decided to walk to the next station. However, we had no clue how long that walk would be. Once reaching the metro, I was beyond exhausted. Running the 10k and the 4 hours of extra walking around really irritated my foot more. I was so happy to be on my way home. All I wanted was ice of my foot and to lay down!! :)

All of us before heading home!

The best and the worst:
The best was: All the race support and, of course the Marines!! Also it's one of the few 10ks around you get a medal for!
The worst: All the walking around to get to your bags and family meetup. The traffic to get home was a bear. Lastly, there wasn't a water stop until mile 3 and, when I finally got to one I got the smallest bit of Gatorade I've ever gotten. (There was only 2 water stops on the course and no fuel stations.)

Would I do it again?
I really am not sure. That night I swore to never run it again due to the bad points but, now that I am reviewing it. I really did enjoy the atmosphere!

Motivation Monday

Oh my goodness...It's already almost October, where did September go?

First off, I want to sincerely thank all of my favorite sista's from Mamavation for continuing to send me twitter dm's and tweets asking me how I was doing this past week. I am so amazed at how supportive this group really is.

Last week, I was extremely busy with stuff around the house and, a couple personal issues I needed to take care of and deal with. I was absent from Twitter and, I failed to post anything to my blog. To be honest with everyone I wasn't as active as I wanted to be. I was moving alot around the house cleaning and running errands but, I didn't sweat it out like I truly wanted.

Good news is, this week is a new week. I am officially starting fresh! I have promised myself to get on a schedule. A lifestyle schedule is what I would call this. I need to make time for Exercise, Mommy duties, Housewife duties, My blog, My extra activities. I really don't know how some of you mom's do it. Do you clean on certain days?  Do you write all your post on one day and, schedule it to post another day?Do you work out in the am or pm's? If you have any advice at all let me know, I will take all the advice I can get.

I am so excited this week is the start of the Mamavation mom auditions! I can't wait to see everyone videos and, to follow a new set of mom's through their bootcamp.

BIG congratulations to Joanna of @way2gomom for being the Sista of the Week!

This week’s blogging carnival is sponsored by Pete Cohen and his new nutritional program. Wow!! What a great prize to win. If you don't already know about Pete Cohen you seriously need to check him out. He is so inspirational! I am crossing my fingers for this prize as I need all the help I can get when it comes to what my body needs nutritionally.

I will leave you guys with a couple pics from yesterday. My son and, I participated in another running event. He ran the 1 mile fun run and, I ran the 5k! I was extremely proud of myself after this race. I managed to shave a minute off my last 5k time. Especially since this course was alot more harder with its many hills compared to the last event I ran which was mostly a flat course. I can't wait to continue getting faster and stronger!

Life Lessons From My Son

Today was my son's first official race. He participated in a 1 mile run. I was extremely proud of my big 5 yr old boy!!

If you have been following my blog and, I hope you have been. You will remember, not to long ago I ran my first race since before I had my children. The whole experience made my son giddy. He loved cheering everyone on and, watching the runner's finish. He told me at the end of my race that he too wanted to run. I was extremely excited I got to share my love of running with him so of course I said to him, "Sure, that would be awesome!" Since that day he has been practicing running for his first race. During these practices, I  have taught him a couple basic tips about running. He learned the correct form, proper clothes to wear, proper shoes, how to pace himself. However after today and, the couple weeks of training, my son taught me some pretty priceless lessons of his own.

The saying "I can do it" can push you further in running and life.

During our practices when Big C was running he would stop and catch his breath I would always ask him do you want to stop and get some water or stop and rest. He would continue to tell me "No, I can do it!" and, sure enough he just got right back in there and did it. Today as well, we start the race and hes pacing himself a little to fast and, I'm thinking hes surely going to burn himself out. I call to him pace yourself...slow down. He yells to me, "I can do it mom!" Wow! If we could all have this "I can do it" attitude wouldn't we all proceed to do what we have been wanting to do in life. We are always so worried about reasons why we can't do something. Making up excuses for reasons not to do things. Big C was definitely not going to let my reasons slow him down any.

Be your own person!

Everyone is different. We are different shapes and, sizes. Not everyone is good at running. Some will run fast with ease, others will need to work hard to get there. Today, Big C did not come in first and, that was ok. We were very proud of him for what he did. He got out there and ran the best race HE could run. Through his practice runs and, this race I have seen him work very hard and, show commitment to his racing. When he finished and, saw other had finished before him he told us, "That boy is older..when I'm his age I will win too!" Hearing him say that brought a huge smile to my face. For him to realize that he knew he couldn't run it perfect the first time and, needed to practice to get there is awesome. He was very proud of himself.

Don't be afraid to make friends!

This one isn't just for running. My son is a social butterfly. He talks to everyone and anyone. I love it about him. He goes right up to people and tells them hi and introduces himself to them. Today, at the race after we finished the mile run, we sat in the stands at the finish line to watch the 5k race. Big C cheered every runner that crossed the line. To our amazement somewhere around the middle cluster of runners a young boy around my sons age crossed the finish line. I was talking to my family and was telling them I couldn't believe a child that age could run a 5k and, finish that well. Big C looked at me and said, "I'm going to go tell him good job!" I just laughed and, said ok. Sure enough he got up and walked down to the finish line and told the little boy good job and, sparked up a conversation with him. What I wouldn't do to have his bravery to just walk up to someone and, tell them that what they just accomplished was amazing. Big C definitely has opened my eyes up to being more comfortable with talking to others especially in a circumstance where there are people who have the same passions as I do.

So what's next for Big C? He is running another fun run in two weeks. He asked if he could do a longer race next. I looked at him with a big smile on my face and said, "Sure, that would be awesome!" We go right back to lesson number 1!!

Mamavation Monday

Hope Everyone is having a super Labor Day weekend!

Things are going pretty good here in my world. We are finally getting used to our new schedule due to my oldest going off to Kindergarten.

I finished my week of Couch 2 5k. As I stated in my last blog, I feel I'm not challenging myself during my runs. So I've decided to move a couple weeks up on the couch 2 5k. Hopefully this will help some. I got a video gait analysis done and, got a new pair of running shoes. I can't wait till later today when I get to go try them out for a run. I haven't lost anymore weight this week but, that's ok. As long as I'm maintaining I'm ok with that. I figured I'd be plateauing here soon. I've lost alot in the past 9 weeks. I also think I need to switch up a bit of my training too maybe help with the plateau Ive hit for the past 2 weeks.

I am still doing good on getting in my water. I don't even think about caffeine anymore.

I've been toying the idea of opening an Open Sky shop on my blog so, for all of you that currently do it I'd love to hear how its going for you. I am also in the process of getting a couple reviews/giveaways ready for my readers to participate in. If you aren't a follower already you should definitely sign up to be one so you can get the 1st update on my giveaways. Not to mention you should do it because my site is awesome! ;)

This week I will be participating in another 5k race for our local YMCA. My son will be running his first race. (1 mile fun run) I am so proud of him. He has been running with me the past couple weeks to get ready. I think he's going to do awesome. Also, this week I am going to be trying to eat a little more cleaner to see if this will help my plateau a bit.

My goals for the week:

Get in some more running!!

Monday: Kickboxing, Kettlebell workout (Kettleworx)

Tuesday: Week 6 day 1 of C25k

Wednesday: Kickboxing, upper body strength training

Thursday: Week 6 day 2 of C25k

Friday: lower body strength training

Saturday: Week 6 day 3 of C25k

Sunday: 5k race My son's first 1 mile fun run!

Mamavation deets:

MAMAVATION TV: Join us Monday night at 7pm PST/10pm EST on Mingle Media TV. This week on Mamavation Media TV we will be welcoming Allana Pratt @allanapratt she will be discussing unhealthy relationship with our body and if it helps or hinders weight loss. She will also be giving us some tips on how to build a stronger relationship with our body. As we all strive for health. Come join us!

SISTA OF THE WEEK: And a BIG congratulations to Greta @Gretablau for being the Sista of the Week! Greta is such a funny, inspirational woman. Go over to her blog Middle Aged Jock and see what she's up to. She's always busy being active!

NEW LEADERSHIP POSITIONS: Congrats to all the Mamavation sista's who received new leadership positions this week. The Hydrator is @Rachel_L , The Regulator @Notdiyheather, Movement Motivator @Rachelsteffen, Mama Guns @Fitmomtraining, Comment Warrior @Gretablau Veggie Contessa @Ljenator, Food Truth Diva @waytogomom and Lori @gutimom Coven Coordinator. Look for them on Twitter to help remind you of some important things to do during the week!

BLOGGING CARNIVAL: This week’s blogging carnival is sponsored by Chefs Requsted. Chefs Requested is an official sponsor of the Mamavation campaign and sends their perfectly portioned steaks to the Mamavation Moms. They are sending product coupons for their 100 Calorie Portion Sized Steaks and plenty of discount coupons for any further enjoyment. There will be two winners of this blogging carnival.

My running gait analysis experience

I was told the most important thing to do when you start running is to have your gait analyzed. The reason for this is so that you know what type of pronator you are as well as, what type of shoe is best for your foot. I learned that a local running specialty store in my area performed video gait analysis's and, did so for free. So, yesterday morning I headed up there to receive this very important test. 

Before we get started about my visit lets learn some basics about the test from The New Balance website:

  

What is the running gait?

"The running gait is a unique set of actions and reactions that your foot performs while in motion to support, cushion, and balance your body."

What is pronation?

"Pronation is simply a normal foot in motion, from foot-strike on the outside of the heel through the inward roll of the foot. Pronation occurs as the foot rolls from the outer edge to the inner edge. Everyone pronates, and the initial pronation is considered an important and healthy response to the intense amount of shock imposed upon the foot and is integral to propelling you forward. If the foot pronates too much or too little and does so frequently, several biomechanical problems may result that will cause a decrease in performance and increase the possibility of injury."

At the store they used a treadmill with a camera attached and, a TV to play the video back. I stepped on the treadmill and did a slow walk and, gradually started to jog. The employee watched my feet as I ran. She then slowed the video down and, looked at the results. She pointed out to me that my left overpronates more than my right but, they both showed some overpronating.

From the New Balance Website:

"Overpronators generally land in a pronated position and continue to roll significantly inward as they go from heel strike to toe off."

Unfortunately, I didn't have someone to take video or pics of my visit so, this quick cell phone pic will have to do. You can see the Overpronation on the TV here.

She suggested I look for a shoe that had some type of stability. She then measured both of my feet twice for size. Both measuring about a size 7. She then asked me what type of distances I would be running. I learned that if running more than 6 miles I should go up a size in shoe to make room for my feet to swell. I however, am only running up to about 4 miles at this time so we opted for a half size up. she brought me out several different types of shoes to try on. I first tried all pairs on stopping to take a walk and, short sprint through the room to see how they felt.  I narrowed down the shoes to 3 that felt the best on my feet. I then started to put one of each shoe on each of my feet to cross compare them. After a couple minutes in each shoe, I had finally made a decision. For once in my life, I had picked a pair of shoes that felt great on my feet not because of the color, style or, price.

If you have not already had a gait analysis I highly suggest getting one performed.  Having your running gait analyzed is very important to reduce the possibility of injuries.

And, the winning pair is:  The Mizuno Wave Inspire 6 I can't wait to go running in these!

Have you had a gait analysis performed? What type of pronator are you?

#5k Day!

Stephanie over at Fit Mom in Training has put together a day (October 2, 2010) where us fitness crazy bloggers can all get together virtually for a 5k session of your favorite workout. You can bike, walk or run, like I will be doing. This isn't a contest or a race. You won't be judged or scored. It's merly for fun and, to dedicate a day to fitness. Maybe this will be the first time your setting a goal to finish a 5k, maybe this will be a training for a 5k coming up. Either way, please go on over to Fit Mom in Training say hi to the other crowd who will be joining and, blogging along the way. Make sure you tell us your blog name so we can follow you on your journey as well. Also, don't forget when your done to upload some pictures of your 5k!

I'm super pumped about it and, can't wait to read everyone's experiences with their 5k!

My last week and I hit a goal!!

I can't believe it's the last week of Mamavation mom and, the Move it and Lose it Campaign. Jenny and, Lisa have done so well. I can't wait to see their journey to running a 5k!

Well, as everyone who follows my blog knows I entered the Move it and Lose it Campaign 7 weeks ago. It seems to have went by rather quickly. I am very proud of what I have accomplished in the last 7 weeks. I've joined a gym, quit drinking soda, ran a 5k,  loss some weight, but overall I have seemed to accomplish what I thought I'd never be able to accomplish. I have gotten my family on board with wanting to live a healthy lifestyle. My children are eating healthier options and, being a lot more physically active. Next week my oldest son, Big C is going off to Kindergarten. We have already discussed the options he has for food at school. We have opted to pack a healthy lunch and, if he wants he will be allowed to purchase a school lunch every now and again. I now feel that I am ready for the choices ahead on what to pack him because, of what I've learned the past 7 weeks from all the Mamavation Sista's!

So, I know why most of you are here...How much has Shannon lost? This week Ive lost a total of 4.5lbs. I wasn't expecting to lose any this after last week's big loss but, hey I'm not complaining. This past week I completed week 1 of C25k. It went great. I want to also start incorporating a little more weightlifting into my workouts too. I feel I'm losing alot of the weight but I think I might be losing a little to fast. I don't want to lose muscle mass.

My goals for this week:

Finish week 2 of C25k

Work in lifting weights to my schedule

Drink 100oz of water

Help support my fellow Sista's on Twitter

Comment on all the Sista's blogs this week

Take my mind off losing weight (the numbers are starting to get to me) and, put more focus on being more active.

Here are my numbers and, pics this week as Move it and Lose it Challenge comes to an end! Thank you Leah at Mamavation for everything you have done and, continue to do for Mamavation. Since my application for Mamavation Mom I have lost a total of 30.5lbs Wowza!! I'm so happy! Here's to the next 20! :)

164.5

Before 07/9/2010 After 08/20/2010

Before 07/9/2010 After 08/20/2010

I have also learned from the above pictures those shorts were probably the worst thing to wear for these pictures. They dont lay flat and, bunch alot. Oh well.

MAMAVATION TV: Join us Monday night at 7pm PST/10pm EST on Mingle Media TV.

SISTA OF THE WEEK: And a BIG congratulations to Shawnee Halligan @ShawneeH for being the Sista of the Week! Thank you Shawnee for showing my blog some love and helping support me on Twitter. You Rock!

BLOGGING CARNIVAL: This week's blogging carnival is sponsored by Earth Footwear. The Move it and Lose it Campaign would not be possible if it weren't for Earth Footwear. Thank you so much for being such a great sponsor to Mamavation. Their shoes are incredible and, cute too! Come back later this week to check out a review I did on the pair of Earth Footwear I received at the Twitter Party at the beginning of this campaign.

See everyone at Mamavation Tv!!

I Finished.... With Burning Feet!!

Saturday August 14, 2010 I ran my first 5k since taking a long break from running almost 10 yrs ago.

I decided to run a local 5k with only women participants as my first race. The race I choose was the Women's Distance Festival. The WDF celebrates "the history of women's rights to participate in running events at any distance and at any age." [RRCA]

All the proceeds of this race went to a local fund called The Women's Giving Circle.

 Their Website says, "The Circle’s purpose is to provide opportunities for donors to promote and support programs that enable and empower women in challenging situations to improve the quality of their lives and the lives of those for whom they are responsible."

 

 

 

The early entry is $20 and, later in the week went to $25.  We received a cute black and pink technical tee! The course was a 2 loop scenic route and, walker friendly. I arrived early to pick up my race day packet and, bib. I'm not going to lie I was pretty nervous. The weather was nice out. I had thought it was going to rain but, it held out for us. The race was scheduled to start at 8am. We lined up around 7:50 and waited till a couple minutes past 8:00. I decided before the race started that I was going to go into this with no expectations except finishing. I headed near the back of the crowd. I wanted to start out slow and, not get trampled on. It was a great feeling seeing all ages and, sizes of women participating. I saw as young as 8 and, as old as a women in her late 60's. I was very glad I had chosen an all women's race for my first. Something about women coming together to better ourselves in health was an awesome feeling. 

 

The race started and, I started out pretty slow. I was relaxed the 1st mile through. I made a last minute decision when I left the house to skip my Ipod and, to bring my cell phone so I could keep track on my Run Keeper app. Sometime around my 1st mile I lost service and, my music stopped working. I didn't run much up to this point with out music. It was nice to others cheering everyone along. I had a chance to hear how my body was handling my run. Around the 2nd mile my feet were the only thing that was truly in pain. They were on fire.

The last mile did me in. I truly think it was more mental then my body giving up. I keep telling myself I couldn't do anymore my feet were hurting. I took the 2 hills in the course very slowly. I knew I could have taken them better. I wasn't proud of myself at that point. When I got to the last turn I ran fast to the finish. I heard someone shout out you can make it before 41 minutes!! I tried my hardest to get there before then but fell a bit short. I finished the race at 41:15. A 13 min mile. I'm not 100% ok with my race but, I'm by no means disappointed. I did what I had set to accomplish, I finished. This is just the beginning.

After the race we received lots of race goodies, water, bagels, bananas, and, watermelon. They had a raffle to win lots of cool prizes. The racing community there was so kind and, supportive.

Big C and, I after the race! Yes, I stole it of the photographer website ;)

Also, to those who were wondering about my feet being "on fire" I have come to find out my shoes are horrible for my feet and, for running at all really. I learned that I have what's called a Morton's toe. It's when your 2nd toe is longer than your big toe. Usually when running most of your weight goes on to your big toe. In my case since my 2nd toe is longer my weight is carried on my 2nd toe. This causes trouble for me when wearing a shoe that doesn't accommodate the longer 2nd toe resulting in nail pain. So, I will be making a visit to my local shoe specialty store to receive a video gait analysis ASAP!

I want to thank everyone who cheered for me online and off! The support has been awesome. I don't think I would have gone through this with each and everyone of you.

Here's to training for the next one!!

*Update: Wanted to answer another question I keep receiving. Was I sore afterwards? I'd say yes my body was tired and, my muscles were sore. I did ice afterwards and, took a nice warm shower this might have helped. Like I mentioned above the most pain I had was in my feet. Oh...and, the dreaded "chub rub" is what I call it. My legs did chafe a bit. I did not Body Glide them :( This reminds me to get some for my continued training. Maybe I'll hit them up for a giveaway!! Body Glide if your reading this, lol. Email me ;)

 

 

 

Semi Wordless Wednesday: A little Teaser!

So how did I do at my first 5k since close to 10 yrs ago?

Ooops..You will have to come back later this week to find out!!

It's paying off!

This past week has been pretty awesome! I totally felt back in the swing of things.

My successes: I worked out for a total of 30 min everyday! I felt so much better this past week. I drank around 90-100oz everyday. I also managed to eat pretty good as well. I finished a 5k! (More to come about this later on another post!) I actually feel pretty high on life at the moment.

My failures: I can't really call this a failure for the week, it's really a failure from the past couple weeks. I'm not running. I kind of stopped running at some point during this journey to try to lose weight. I am still getting in my workouts but, I really need to get back into running. Another failure for me this week was there are a couple personal things in my life right now that have been bringing me a little down. I haven't been getting alot of sleep and, Ive been pretty stressed about this. I have a really bad ulcer that acts up when I am stressed or eat the wrong types of foods.

My goals for this week: Run!!! I am back to the drawing board. My weapon of choice, Couch 2 5k program. I have another 5k I have signed up to run in September so, I for sure want to beat my time. Another goal for me this week is to get to bed at a decent time. I have been dragging in the morning. Lastly, I still need to get my butt in gear on Twitter. I can't seem to make time to visit. My oldest is starting school next week so I think I'll have alot more time after that happens. Please know I support all my sistah's!!

A quick question I'd also like some input on. My oldest son (5 yrs.) went to the 5k with me this past weekend and now wants to run one with me. There were a bunch of children running and, I think this is why he got kinda bummed about not running and now wants to run one. Do you personally think 5 is too young to run 3.1 miles?

Now for the really great news!! My scale pic...I lost a whopping total of 8lbs this week. Holy Moly! I'm shocked!! I knew I did a pretty good job but had no clue this well! That is a total of 26lbs since my application for Mamavation mom a little less than 2 months ago!! I am super stoked!!

MAMAVATION TV: Join us Monday night at 7pm PST/10pm EST on Mingle Media TV

SISTA OF THE WEEK: A big congratulations to Kimberly @christlikemommy! Congrats girl you definitely deserve this, you are always there supporting everyone!

SISTAHOOD: If you are interested in pledging to the Mamavation Sistahood, Monday is the time to do it. Please go here for instructions. Invitations are done on Wednesday's over Twitter.

See everyone on Mamavation Tv!!

Get my butt in Gear Monday!!

Happy Monday everyone!! This past week was a pretty good week for me. I reached a couple goals I wanted to reach. There were a couple I didn't quiet reach just yet but, will continue this week to make that happen.

So, this weekend is "The Weekend" I will be participating in my first 5k since last running one 10 yrs ago. I'm extremely nervous. I don't think I'm ready for what I want to accomplish. I think I set to high of standards for myself. I did not train as hard as I wanted to. After I get this race under my belt it will be full speed ahead to train for the next ones coming up in Sept and, Oct. I would love any and all advice to help me reach my goals on these next to races. I'm going to kind of use this race to give me a reminder of what I need to do to finish a 5k. I've ran some 5k's on the treadmill and a couple on the road but, they weren't outstanding. My goal is to finish this 5k with out stopping. Wish me luck!!

Last week I did pretty well with getting in my workouts at the gym and at home. As of this week I will be adding more running to my workouts!

My goals for this week:

Commit time to be more active on Twitter.

Commit time to comment on the sista's post's.

Drink more water. (I have skimped on this and have been feeling super dehydrated)

Add more running to my workout.

My Scale Pics:

I lost .5lb this week resulting in a total of 18lbs since my application to Mamavation Mom!! I'm so happy with my results so far!!

My Measurements:

MAMAVATION TV: Join us Monday night at 7pm PST/10pm EST on Mingle Media TV.

SISTA OF THE WEEK: And a BIG congratulations to Julie Mansfield @jamnsfld76 for being the Sista of the Week!

 

BLOGGING CARNIVAL: This week's blogging carnival is sponsored by Lori @gutimom as an Avon Representative. Here is all the swag she is giving away:

Cherry Blossom Naturals Set - $32 full retail value

Shower Gel, Body Lotion, Body Spray, Cosmetic Bag

Haiku Fragrance and Body Set - $49 full retail value

Shower Gel, Body Lotion, Shimmering Body Powder, Roll On Antiperspirant, Perfume

Foot Works Hodge Podge - $33 full retail value

Watermelon Foot Scrub, Spray Gel, Cooling Lotion; Original Conditioning Foot Soak, Exfoliating Bar Soap; Green Tea & Mint Exfoliating Scrub

Advance Techniques Professional Hair Care 2-IN-1 Healthy Shine Shampoo and Conditioner (Daily Results) - $4.00 full retail value

Skin So Soft Bug Guard Plus - Expedition Insect Repellent with SPF 30 Sunscreen Spray Pump with Vitamin E (Gentle Breeze) - $14 full retail value

Magix Face Perfecter with SPF 20 (Clear) - $10 full retail value

Spafinder Callous Remover - $10 full retail value

Spafinder Gel Eye Mask - $10 full retail value

These items will be divided up for the Blogging carnival winner AND a winner at Mamavation TV.

Wow!!! Thank you so much Lori! I love Avon item's. I actually used to be an Avon rep myself back in the day. I had to stop because I was buying more products than I was selling. Lol.

SISTAHOOD: If you are interested in pledging to the Mamavation Sistahood, Monday is the time to do it. Please go here for instructions. Invitations are done on Wednesdays over twitter.

What's so special about that date??

Bookieboo and Mizfit have decided to team up to run  The Rock n' Roll Half Marathon in Vegas on December 5th. Not only is this a big goal for them, they have welcomed their communities to join in with them. As much I would LOVE to join them in running the half I just don't see this happening for me at this time. They have extended the challenge to everyone in their community who can't attend to set December 5th as a special goal for yourself as well.

What will be my goal for December 5th? I have set so many goals for myself lately it was hard to choose one that would be as awesome as participating in the half. My goal is to participate in at least three 5k races by Dec. 5th. However, I am secretly hoping I will crush that goal much earlier and re-set my Dec. 5th goal to run a 10k!! How awesome would that be!

I encourage all my readers to set a goal for themselves! What will your goal for December 5th be?

Failure and Goals

After writing out my last post I realized it was the first time I had ever told someone a goal I wanted to accomplish. I have always felt uncomfortable speaking of goals I had set for myself for fear of not meeting my goals and failing. Since I have joined Mamavation a lot has changed. I’m not afraid to tell my fellow sista’s my goals. I know I wont fail. I know that they will not let me fail. I know there are a lot of other moms out there who do not have a support system at home like myself. If you are reading this and you are not a part of the sistahood, please consider joining. The support you receive is phenomenal.

I want everyone to see my goals I have set for myself so that you can help me reach them!!

Overall Goals

10%: 19.5lbs loss

Halfway: 25lbs loss

Pre-pregnancy weight: 150lbs

Ultimate Goal: 145lbs

2010 Fitness Goals

Run 5k under 35min

Run 5k under 30 min

Run 3 Races

So there you go, I can’t run away from it now. I can’t wait to come back here and cross these bad boys off the list!!

If you would like to check out Mamavation, Monday's are a great time for you to do so!

MAMAVATION TV: Join us Monday night at 7pm PST/10pm EST on Mingle Media TV

SISTA OF THE WEEK: Yay! Congratulations go out to Rachel Lacy @Rachel_L for being the Sista of the Week!! Rachel was one of the biggest reason's I joined Mamavation. Seeing Rachel and Kim's  videos and hearing them speak about the support they had was so inspirational!

This week Mamavation Tv is being sponsored yet again by @subwayfreshbuzz You can never go wrong with Subway! My fav at the momment is their new Orchard Chicken salad sub!! Yummy! Also, this week Shay Sorrells a contestant from Biggest Loser will be on Mamavation TV!! Shay will let all us moms in on how she handles working out, eating right and, living a healthy life all while being a mom!!(Oh did I mention she's also participating in the NYC Marathon, Wow! )I can't wait!! Come join me!

What, you didn't know THAT?

I thought I'd take a little break from all the fitness & health post and bring you a little something fun!! Here you have it...Ten things you didn't know about ME!!

1. I eat things in 3's and by colors like 3 red gummi bears.

2. I don't like coconut, raw carrots or, coleslaw.

3. I used to be a Kindergarten Readiness Teacher before deciding to stay home after my second child. It was a lot of fun but, also very stressful.

4. I have never really taken up a hobby. Unless you count eating gummi bears or reading trashy gossip mags as one.

However, I do feel as though running is becoming one.

5. I am not a morning person but, am a night owl. I will stay up till 2am but, hate waking up before 9. My youngest son however, wakes me up daily at 7.

6. If you want to bore me to death you should talk about basketball. I do love me some hockey though!! Go Caps!!

7. I'd love to take cooking classes one day. I'm constantly visiting food blogs.

8. I want to participate in at least 3 races by the end of the year. Then next year attempt to do a 10k, 1/2 marathon and a marathon!

9. I don't like to wear socks if I don't have to, or shoes for that matter!

10. This post took me all day to write because the oldest has been complaining of his chicken pox itching and, the youngest is in a cranky mood!