Finding My Routine!

Good Morning! 

I ran yesterday and it was awesome!  Well it didn't feel awesome but I was so glad I was out there.  I ended up listening to the Marathon Training Academy podcast because I needed to have something else to focus on.  Normally I don't like to listen to anything while I run but I think while I am working back up my mileage and getting my body use to running again I'll break that rule.  

This summer was intense in terms of half marathons and traveling so I am looking forward to slowing both down.  I don't have another half marathon until December so I am going to take the next couple months to improve my 5k pace.  On Thanksgiving I am running the Sherwood Give 'N' Gobble 5K and I am looking to PR.  I've been challenged by our neighbor and it is the first time I actually want to beat someone at a race.  It is going to hurt but I am ready for the challenge and excited to see what I can do.  

Today is a free day in terms of preschool and all that so we'll see where the day takes us!  

Enjoy The Run! 

Sponsored Blog Posts

Hi!

Yesterday was a run rest day and suppose to be a cross training day but I think you can see where that is going.  I actually stopped doing any cross training for the last couple of months because I was starting to get overwhelmed with fitting everything in.  I was trying to do way too much along with my running routine and it was a little ridiculous.  Now I am realizing that running is my heart and where I want 90% of my fitness to go and I'll cross train once per week to help avoid injury.  Before this realization I was attempting to do 30 miles per week along with 3 days of cross training which is much more of a time commitment than I have available.  I would rather be able to run further in the morning then cut it short because I have to get in my cross training too.  I also know that if I am not up before the girls to run or cross train than I can forget about it for the rest of the day.  Yesterday I made the mistake of hitting snooze and ended up bagging it, whomp whomp.  I currently wake up at 5:30 and will probably start moving that up to 5:00 soon because that extra 30 minutes in the morning would be really beneficial.  Like most of you with kids you know that once they are up and running it becomes almost impossible to accomplish anything else.  The lesson learned from yesterday is that I can't hit snooze!

I feel like we need a cute picture after all that brain purging 

I read quite a few blogs before starting my own and continue to read even more I find along the way.  The blogs that I really enjoy are the ones that are running centered and I feel a connection with the writer.  Some of the blogs I have read for a while are starting to take a different direction and I am finding myself more and more turned off from reading them.  I understand that everyone needs to make a living and I am all about vouching for products and companies that I really love too but sometimes it can be a bit much.  

    I love my Mizunos! 

 There are many bloggers who have a good balance of sponsored posts versus everyday posts.  I enjoy a sponsored post every now and then but feel there is a fine line.  When the product makes sense to the blog and their reader then I can really appreciate the information.  When the product is completely random and doesn't have any value to the blog's reader I find myself annoyed.  It has really got me thinking about where I want to take my blog and what I am comfortable with in regard to sponsored posts, ads, etc.  There was a lot of sessions covering this topic at Fitbloggin' and I learned quite a bit about the business side of blogging and working with brands.  Since I have recently started receiving inquires from companies about giveaways and talking about their products on my blog the conference could not have came at a better time.  Granted there are certain brands out there I have some mad love for and I'll pimp their product with our without any sort of incentive.  If I believe in a product or company I am going to talk about them and give them credit where credit is due.  

Pro Compression Marathon socks are the bomb diggity!

Will you see sponsored posts on my blog from time to time, yes, but they will be from companies that I hold in high regard.  There are certain products and companies I already know will not make an appearance on my blog and I love that I have the freedom to make that choice.  Honestly what I want more than anything from my blog is to create a place of motivation and inspiration for everyone.  I have written this blog for almost 2 years and have never received a dime for it, I really just enjoy writing and sharing my running experiences with anyone who wants to read it.  My ultimate dream and hopefully my eventual reality is to be working as a (paid) freelance writer and one day publish a book.  I have a lot of time to accomplish my goals and right now my current focus are my girls and my family, and running! 

I really value your opinion, which is why I am asking!

              

How do you feel about reading sponsored posts? 

Do side bar ads on a blog bug you or do you even notice? 

Are there any topics in particular you would like to see covered? 

Planning Ahead & Setting Goals: Time Management Series

Good morning!  

I hope you are having a productive month and working towards your goals!  I unknowingly had a couple days last week with no TV and didn't end up realizing it till I was going to bed.  I also didn't end up tracking my No TV Day like I thought I would but I know I was pretty busy those days!  I hope you were able to see the advantages of cutting back on your time with the tube also.  You can read last week's Time Management post here.

This week is all about planning ahead and setting goals.  A lot of us probably have at least 10 goals we can think of off the top of our head.  Many of them may be related to your health and fitness, some related to your family and I am sure you have some for your day to day life like staying on top of the laundry.

For the last couple of years I have been using an Erin Condren Life Planner and it is my brain.

I write everything down in my planner from what is going on that day, my workout and anything funny Sarah and Katherine said or did.  It is my daily planner but it is also my daily journal because I jot down so many notes about our day.  It is something that never gets put away and I always have a pencil attached to it.  I use a pencil because plans change and I want to be able to erase and move things around easily.  I chose the Erin Condren Life Planner because I love the weekly layout and I was able to put our family picture as the cover.

On the side of each new week is a column with the title Goals, love that.  As many of you know I am a big fan of Chalene and her philosophies on goals and fitness.

Chalene stresses how important it is to actually write down your goals and not have them just floating around your brain.  By writing them down they become real and become a daily reminder of what you are working towards.  Since my planner has a column just for that at the beginning of every week it is a reminder to not only keep up with my goals but also to be setting new ones.  Certain goals can take years to accomplish but there are many things you can do everyday that will help you get there.  At the beginning of each week and before I go to bed I take a look over my planner and see what is still ahead.  I plan out my runs and cross training for the week along with rest days, if we have yummy bucket at preschool, play dates, Katie lunches, errands, Jesse's travel, blog and column ideas, etc.  You can tell we have an extremely stressful life, it is a hard life but someone has to do it.

Long-term goals are: 
- Write blog posts that contain less fluff and more meaty material
- Have my monthly columns written a week ahead of the due date and spend the final week on editing
- Start sending article ideas to magazines and newspapers
       
Short-term goals: 
- Get caught up on the 1st 6 months of 2013 in our family album
- Finish all of the books I've started
- Sign the girls up for summer swim lessons

Writing down your goals will be your first step towards achieving them.  By planning ahead and having a structure for your days you'll be much more successful in those goals.  I am a pen and paper girl but if are more comfortable using technology I am sure there are a ton of apps and calendars for your phone.  I urge you to find something to help you get organized and help you keep track of everything you have going on day to day.  Sometimes I'll start to feel overwhelmed by everything and I need to take a minute to process it all.  When I do sit and write it all down a lot of times I realize it isn't as much as I had thought and I actually feel better.

Your mission this week is to find a way to start organizing your days and write down your goals.  I think the Dollar Store even sells little planners and calendars you can use.  It doesn't need to be anything exciting or fancy, just something to help get you on track.

*I buy this planner every year with my own cash-ola, Erin Condren has no idea I even exist**

Do you think using a planner/calendar is something you would do?  

Are you already using a planner to keep you on track?  

How do you think it is working for you?

            

Lululemon Running Skirt Review and New Goals!

Good morning! 

Workouts 

Monday - Rest Day 

Tuesday - 5 mile shake out and Push 1 (CT) 

After I get this post up and before we head to Costco I am going to do a ladder run on the treadmill.  I fell off my speed work since we've gotten home so it is time to get back to it.  The treadmill and track are my preferred way to get in speed work and since it is windy and cold here this morning it'll be the treadmill.  I spent enough time in the cold this year thank you very much.  

Michigan Flashback

Since I've done a couple runs and a half marathon in my Lululemon Pace Setter Running Skirt I thought I would give a quick review of what I thought.  

At first I was a little weary of a running skirt because I know how annoying it is for me to run in shorts.  I like that the skirt has shorts underneath with plastic grips all around the bottom.  

There are two small pockets in the front and one larger zipper pocket in the back.  

Overall I would buy this skirt again, I am happy with the way it fits and the coverage.  I also like the option to buy it in tall so it is a little longer.  Katie has it in black and because I basically do everything she does I bought it in black too.  Now I want the bright pink one that this skinny chick wore last weekend.  The Lulu Pace Setter skirt is a good skirt and I like that it isn't as heavy as some other running skirts I've checked out.   I do have thighs that touch (oh my!) and was nervous the shorts would ride up really bad but they didn't.  They came up a little bit but not so much that it was uncomfortable.  2 thumbs up!

Okay, goals, we all have them and want to achieve them but if we don't actually work towards that is just lame.  Every successful person will tell writing down your goals and sharing them with people will keep you accountable and working towards them.  Of course a lot of my goals are related to my running and what better place to share them than on my running blog :)

Goals 

- Incorporate at least 1 speed training workout into my weekly plan 

- Nervous putting this out there but that is the whole point:

 I would like to get a 2:10 Half before the end of the year, hence the speed work! 

-   Improve my pace in a 5K to a 9 minute mile, yikes! 

OK there they are for the world to see!  I mean all 23 of you who read my blog :)  Thank you for that BTW!  I really love writing my blog and love reading your comments.  It is nice to know someone out there who is not married to me actually reads it!   

Share one of your running goals with me! 

If you do speed work what is your favorite?  Tempo, Treadmill, Track? 

Choose Happy!

Good morning!  

I hope you are having a good week so far, my weeks seem to fly by anymore lately.  It is probably because I have so many things in a day I would like to accomplish and before I know it, it's Friday.  I had a few goals set when we got to Michigan and I do believe I was able to accomplish most of them.  

1. Be able to run 10 miles on the treadmill   

2. Get through a Barre class without stumbling

3. Swim in my own lane and not let others negativity affect me  

The last goal is something I will always be working towards, it isn't something you do once.  It is really important to focus on your own accomplishments and your positive attitude, not others negativity.  Granted we all have bad days where we are just grumpy and that is that.  

*My favorite Grumpy Cat ever *

My goal of running 10 miles on the treadmill might seem odd but when we got to Michigan I really thought any long run was out of the question.  I was excited to show myself that I could make treadmill running work!  I actually ran 13, but who is counting?!  I feel it has given me another option to make running work for me and Jesse's busy work schedule.  My $60 treadmill in the garage is some of the best money ever spent!  If we wouldn't have spent 90 days in the arctic I never would have even tried to do a long run on the treadmill.  Now I have 1 less excuse, which is always good!  

If we never step out of our comfort zone we will never see what we are capable of doing.  Sometimes I step out of my comfort zone on my own and sometimes I am pushed.  We all have aspects of our lives that we can't control and it is up to us to determine what we'll do with that experience.  

I am also really excited to see that I can keep up with my Barre classes once we are home!  Sherwood's local yoga studio, Escape to Yoga, is now offering it.  Woo Hoo!  I do not think I'll go ever week, but I am happy that'll I can still attend at least a couple times a month.  

In the book 168 Hours, Laura Vanderkam has a lot of different questions and exercises that she asks you to do.  One of the bigger tasks is to have you make a goal lists.  Chalean also talks about how important having a list of goals is for people to reach success.  I actually notice this is a habit of quite a few successful people out there and it is something I need to sit down and do.  I have a ton of goals in my head and I am working towards many of them daily but I don't have them written down all together.  Is is weird to have a goal of making a goal list?  Nah.  I've found myself reminded a few too many times in the last couple of years just how short our time is and I don't want to waste any of it.  By writing down the things you want to accomplish or improve on you are essentially making them real.  I don't think every moment of our life needs to be working towards something and I think that some goals don't need to be work related or even fitness related, gasp!  A lot of my goals are making sure I am spending 100% focused time with the girls and focusing on my friendship with Jess.  Without those goals being accomplished nothing else I do will mean anything, family always comes first.  Just make the most of your days, choose happy even when life throws you lemons.  It is one of the greatest freedoms we've been given, we get to choose how we feel.  

      How can I not ch0ose happy?!  Look at those 3 adorable faces!  

What in your life helps you to choose happy?  

Share a goal with me!  

Do you think grumpy cat is funny or annoying?  

-I think its hilarious in a dumb way, just something silly to make you laugh :)