Random Thoughts on a Frosty Morning Long Run

I skipped the weekend long runs for a while due to travel, illness, weather, and hanging out with family.  Now I'm back into my marathon training and I'm being reminded of all the random crap that goes through one's head when she runs alone for over two hours in the cold.  Here are some snippets:

"Ooh, deer!  I need a picture!  Hmm, I'm only on mile 2, maybe they'll be there when I come back..."

"Note to self--don't sing aloud to Tenacious D.  That old lady didn't look like she enjoyed hearing me say the word chode."

"I hope the kids aren't being insane right now."

"Do I smell a cigarette?  At 8am?  On a trail??  I think I may hurl..."

"That dude totally didn't wave back.  Remember his face, he's getting the stink-eye on my next lap!"

"Lap one done.  No one would ever know if I left now and went to Starbucks....."

"Dammit, I should've gone to Starbucks."

"Man, I really think the kids are being insane right now.  Lucky me!"

"Am I chaffing?  It's hard to tell.  My shower may suck later."

"Ooh, the deer are back!  Now my fingers can't bend.  Deer are stupid anyway."

"I'm getting tired.  Omg, that chick is wearing a cotton tank and Vibrams, and she's avoiding the mud.  Got. To. Pass. Her."

 "I seriously think I may be chaffing."

"Poor husband, those kids must be driving him batty.  Maybe I should run farther."

 "Stop looking at my Garmin, stop looking at my Garmin, stop looking at my Garmin..."

"I'm so glad I'm reforming these calluses before sandal season!"

"That squirrel totally just tried to attack me.  Where are the damn deer now!?"

"I love seeing all these walkers out!  They're so much friendlier than the runners."

"Seriously, my hand is dead now.  Can't. Bend. Fingers."

"I'm so glad that I didn't go to Starbucks, that run was awesome!!  I hope the family wants to keep sitting around when I get home!"



Any you'd like to add??  Enjoy your Monday!  This is what we're up to today:

Floor picnicking and relaxing!

I'm Certified!

No, not certifiable.  Though some would disagree.  I'm actually certified--as of yesterday, I'm an ACE-Certified Personal Trainer!  This has been my dream for a while, and I'm over the moon that it's finally coming to fruition!

Last year as I prepared to send my oldest to kindergarten, I started to wonder what I was going to do with myself once they were in school.  I never finished my degree in music because I realized pretty late in the game that it was just wrong for me.  For a few years I worked in retail, and I was really good at it.  But I didn't really LOVE it.  As a part-time extra job, I worked mornings at a local all-women's gym.  It. Was. Awesome!  I loved everything about it--the healthfulness, the camaraderie, the ability to help women feel wonderful about themselves.  I quit my higher paying retail management job and started working at the gym full-time.  I had daydreams of becoming a trainer one day.....and then we moved to Germany.  Everything was put on hold for a while, and my fitness fell in the gutter as two kids came along.  Which was fine.  I still walked for groceries more than most people walk for fitness.  But upon our move back, I knew I needed more.  After getting in the best shape of my life last year, I started to think about it all again.  And becoming a personal trainer just made sense.  I could work part-time if I wanted to, possibly in the evenings without having to use childcare, I could maybe work at a gym WITH childcare, I could work from home, there were so many options!  So I ordered my training materials and got started.

I didn't tell anyone other than my husband about my test yesterday.  I was scared of failure.  I've been studying, but it hasn't come as easily as it used to.  It's been quite a while since college, and I just wasn't in the groove anymore.  It was hard!  But I registered for my test and knew I needed to be ready by that date.  Having a date for something is always a key for my success, I'm too lazy otherwise.  I've been a mess for the past week, and during the test I almost vomited from nerves.  Turns out, I aced it!! 

So now, on to my next step--a job!  I'm still unsure of where to start.  My ultimate goal is to run a small training facility for women.  Even if it's just out of my home.  But I want to work with pre-/post-natal, and even post-post-natal women who would benefit from not only fitness but a healthier lifestyle with much higher self-esteem for themselves and their families.  I would love to be a beacon of healthy change for so many women who are scared of being the best SHE she can be!

So where do I start?  Presently, I have a little thing lined up (as of a few days ago) to organize group running at the local YWCA.  It's not a paying job, just something to get the program off the ground and hopefully turn into something permanent and paying.  Which is fine with me.  I'll be getting childcare for the boy while I'm there, I'll be getting mileage in with other people (always more fun!), I'll be helping others meet new goals, and I'll be getting my foot in the door at an awesome pro-women's establishment.  I know I can't wait around there forever for a PT job to turn up, but I will try to make my mark.  I will also push the PiYo Strength idea since I don't see it on their class schedule, muahaha!

So yeah, that's what I've got right now.  I know what I want, I'm getting started, and I just have to make a path to get there.  But I'm on my way!  And I have even MORE reason to work out in the meantime, woohoo!!

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday!

I've gotten to run three days in a row this week, and I feel gooooooooood!  I have the "runner's high" that I was missing during that terrible stint of illnesses.  I ate fairly well for most of our Christmas trip (aka didn't go to restaurants but still had fudge at my family's house), and now I'm back on my game.  Next stop--two or maybe three Spring marathons!  I also have my Spartan Sprint in March, which wouldn't be as huge of a deal if it weren't paired with the Hurricane Heat.  Which means that I need a good bit of strength training put in with all that running.  Since I need to stay quite strict with my training right now I'll share with you my schedule, minus exact mileage, at present:

Monday--PiYo Strength home workout
Tuesday--Short run, HIIT
Wednesday--Mid-length run
Thursday--Short run, yoga class
Friday--2-miler (when I need the added mileage), weights
Saturday--absolutely jack squat!
Sunday--Long run


I have it all on paper and printed out, and that means it's real and happening and I can't get out of it now.  It feels fantastic!  If you have a fitness goal and you haven't done this already--PUT IT ON PAPER.  Post it to your fridge, hang it up at work, put the workouts into your phone, and tell people about it.  The more accountable you make yourself, the more likely it will happen!  Because if you don't do it, you'll feel like an ass.  And that's a great motivator at least for me.

This Sunday will be my 11-miler, and I'm already stoked.  It's been a while since I've hit the greenway, and my body is already anticipating the pavement-pounding.  What do you all have going on in your fitness training right now?  Weekend plans?  Happy Friday!

Three Things Thursday--Lots of Catching Up!

First off, I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays!!!  We had an absolute blast!  I'm going to attempt to tell you how it all went down, how we got a new family member, and what my plans for 2013 are.  (Wow, that sentence sounded like a high school English essay example.  Nerd alert.)

1.  We started our Christmas break here at our house, as the calm before the storm.  We spent a few days out and about at times, but mostly finishing last-minute gifts and just enjoying each other.  We attempted to eat healthy, but it's hard when you know you're going away for a week.  But we stuck with fixing things we could take with us.  On Christmas, the kids went nutty getting all of their awesome new stuff!  Then on the 26th we set out with a car full of clothes, presents, and leftover homemade pizza (our Christmas Eve tradition--made with homemade honey wheat crust and super good homemade sauce!) and headed to my mother's house.  After a few awesome days with my family, we went to my husband's family (1.5 hours south of there) and spent the last few days.  Then we ended the chaos on the 1st and headed back to our comfy condo.  Now we're just trying to readjust to the kids not being spoiled and the adults not being able to sleep in!  Oh, and there's another major (super adorable) adjustment we've had to make too.....

Snuggling with his new friend since the cats hate him

2.  We got a puppy!!!!!  We have been wanting a dog for a while, but we've not gotten one because of our impending move.  We knew it would be easier to move with one less wild body, and it would be less stress on this already messy condo.  But sweet little Murray had different plans.  We were driving to a cave in the middle of the country with my mother, when the little guy ran right in front of her car.  She stopped in the road, and from our car behind her, we could see him going under and just playing with her tires, begging for attention.  We picked him up and fell in love instantly.  Of course, we knew there was a chance that someone was missing the little guy, so we asked all the neighborhood people.  It's a very rural (ahem, redneck) community, and they all seemed to know each other.  But no one had any puppies.  So we figured he was dumped there, probably a Christmas puppy that didn't instantly learn potty training and got ditched.  He was cold and scared, his fur was in awful condition, and his swollen belly looked like he had worms, so we snatched him up and rescued him.  There were no promises to the kids that we'd keep him, we wanted to wait to check on microchipping and his health.  But considering we'd already named him (we found him on Murrayville Road on the way to Murrayville Cave, so Murray was perfect!), we figured he was becoming family already.  He took a full day to start acting energetic, and he was thrown into so many different homes over the few days, but he's been incredibly sweet and loving through it all.  He's been checked out, given medicine, and now he's already grown into his harness, has soft lovely fur, and is happy as a lark.  He's presently sleeping on our couch getting snuggled by my daughter.  We're over the moon about having him in our family!  The cats still aren't sure though.

3.  On a completely different note (this is where I'd get docked points on my English essay for lack of flow), I'd like to mention my resolutions for the year.  Last year, I didn't set many specific goals and I didn't pressure myself too much on any of them.  I think I'll stick with the same this year, as it kept me from feeling disappointed at year's end.  Here's what I plan on doing in 2013:

Drink less of everything except water
Eat healthier
Spend more time teaching the boy preschool stuff
Run 100 miles/month (Yes, this is specific.  But I won't beat myself up if life happens)
Finish my Spartan Trifecta
Get my personal training certification
Have more sex
Yell less
Make more friends
Get the entire family exercising together more

If I can accomplish half of those, I'll feel pretty dang good!  Some will be easy, some will be fun, and some will be very difficult.  But they're all going to be totally worth it!

So, tell me what you've had going on in life!  Any awesome holiday happenings?  Great gifts you got?  Resolutions you're looking forward to (or dreading)?  I wanna know!

Winners, and my TaeKwonDo Girly

Yay for giveaway winners!  Here's what I got:

Socks go to Suz @ Cows and Lasers and Everything in Between

Soap goes to Darcy @ Chunky Wonder Woman

Coffee holder goes to Kim @ Just Another Mom on the Run

Headbands go to April @ Mom on the Run

Congrats ladies, and thanks for following my sometimes odd but always fun journey!



So now my fun and exciting news of the week--my daughter passed her TaeKwonDo belt test yesterday with flying colors!  I could tell she was nervous about it, and in class on Monday she completely fell apart.  She wasn't able to do the form to save her life, and she was getting openly frustrated.  We unfortunately had a very full evening, so we couldn't just go home to practice in quiet and private.  So I gave her a little pep talk in the car and we saved the practicing for Tuesday after school.

She got home, and in her usual style got majorly pissy because she was hungry.  There are only ever two reasons that my kids (and most kids I think) are in a bad mood--they're tired or they're hungry.  And when both happen, you might as well give up for the day!  But fortunately she was wide awake and excited, so after a few struggled crying attempts at pushing through her form, I gave her a sandwich and sat her down for a talk.

I went about it all a different way this time.  I told her exactly what I wasn't supposed to tell her but exactly what the actual truth was--no one fails these tests.  When she was given her final "tip" in class, that was showing that she was proficient enough to test and move on to the next belt.  The test is a formality, a way for us to get pictures and them to get more money.  So there was no need at all to be nervous, she simply needed to go out there confident in her abilities and ready to have fun and kick butt.  Then we ran through her forms again, this time with me telling her to smile the whole time.  And it was PERFECT!  She did an amazing job, we yelled some cheers about kicking butt (the neighbors were probably very confused), we laughed, and we didn't practice it again.  I wanted to end it on a good note and just let her relax.

When it was her turn to test, she was with four other children but in front of an entire room full of parents and cameras and other belt levels.  And you know what?  She didn't care in the least.  They did their forms, with the boys next to her rushing through like bats out of hell, just as boys do.  It threw her off at first, and she got out of step with them, and then at her own, slightly slower pace she did the entire form correctly.  The Master even talked about her at the end, bragging on her level of concentration and ability to go her own pace and recover so well from the beginning hiccup.  He said that's what the test was really about--how they performed under pressure.  And she aced it!  She was beaming with pride by the end, and we celebrated with a trip to McDonald's.  Don't judge, when my kid kicks ass I oblige her with what she wants!

She's the only kid I've ever seen who skips in TaeKwonDo

iPhones--good for keeping little boys busy in quiet moments!

"I want that belt!"

Happiness

Let's hope this motivation pushes her into some awesome hard work in her new belt, because the next belt is green.  And green belt means sparring and alllllll sorts of fun!  If I can hold myself back from slapping the kid who kicks her first, that is.... :P

Have a happy Wednesday!!

Three Things Thursday--The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

1.  The good is about my daughter!  For the past few months since she's moved up a level in TaeKwonDo, she's been quite unhappy/discouraged with class.  She's by far the smallest, one of the youngest, and one of the few girls in there.  She's a tough kid, but it automatically intimidated her.  Plus, the class moves at a much faster pace, and what was always somewhat simple for her suddenly became challenging.  We went through WEEKS of her flipping out when we'd get there, refusing to do anything but sit on the side of the mat and make rude faces.  So totally unlike her!  But we knew it was because she's never actually been challenged in her life, and we worked with the amazing instructors to show patience and understanding.  BUT we didn't stop taking her.  We were finally about to give up, though.  We had all been sick, our contract runs out in a month, and we were fairly sure she'd be happy to just let it go.  Until last Monday.  She showed up to class for the first time in a week, and she was renewed!  She improved so much over the past week and a half, that she's actually testing for her next belt next week!!  And not only that, she LOVES it again.  She got over the hurdles that were challenging her, and she said that she plans on continuing to do so for every new belt.  She knows that it will get harder with each test, and she seems to understand now.  I'm hoping that she'll keep this sort of perseverance into the new challenges, but there's only one way to find out!

2.  So after that happy lot, here's the bad.  Back story--in September when my father got sick, I went to visit him.  It was really stressful and fairly hot out there in SoCal.  So I needed lots of caffeine, and I couldn't stand drinking those ultra-fattening frappucinos or hot coffee.  My confession is that I went back to drinking diet soda.  And I never stopped.  I know that I detoxed from it in the summer and was doing really well, but this bit of stress hit me hard and I don't have a lot of vices.  So I took the one really bad thing that I do to myself, and I went with it out of frustration.  I've recently started working pretty hard to wean back off of it again.  I've been back on my morning protein shakes with some espresso in them, and in the afternoon I try to have either an almond milk latte or a hot tea, or skip the caffeine all together.  It's actually going fairly well, but don't be surprised if I get a tad bit bitchy at times. (On a happier note, my father is still in the hospital but making forward steps daily!)

3.  The ugly is my yoga practice, fo sho'.  I finally went back to my Power Yoga class today, after a long time off.  When I was going regularly, I felt so balanced and strong.  But since we've all had a major case of the grossness, I've not only missed that class but most of my other workouts too.  It's left me feeling quite off-centered and weak.  The class started off rough, as I rushed in late because the boy threw an insane fit this morning.  I got ready messily but quietly and tried to focus.  I never set my "intention" for the practice, I unfortunately missed that part.  And I could tell.  She focused on balance today with tons of one-legged poses.  It was an eye opener to how imbalanced I've become!  I was all over the place, and it was so hard to focus and not just give up in embarrassment.  But I made it through, and I felt better by the end.  I almost walked out of the class twice, and nearly cried once.  But dammit, I'll be back next week and hopefully a bit stronger physically and emotionally by every class.  If my daughter can persevere, so can I!  Now, off to practice some Warrior III and Dancer poses....

Don't forget, go to enter my Pay It Forward Giveaways!  You can enter through next Tuesday, and I'll draw FOUR lucky winners on Wednesday morning.  Go win something!!!

The Pay It Forward Giveaways!

So, I know I've mentioned in the past that I have an odd luck for winning things, right?  Well, it's not seemed to go away.  Recently I entered in a few giveaways from the Sew, Mama, Sew! Giveaway Day, just for the heck of it.  I only entered a couple giveaways, the ones I really REALLY liked.  The reason being that I tend to win the stuff I try for, and I didn't want to make it unfair.  I know, it's a snotty assumption, but it proves itself every time.  And it did again!  I managed to win an absolutely gorgeous necklace from Fab handmade:

I chose the one on the left, but aren't they all gorgeous!?!

And it just so happens that she has another super adorable giveaway going on right now through tomorrow!  Go to her winter giveaway here and enter to win some super adorable earrings, all you have to do is follow her blog. 

And just today, I woke up to find out that I won my absolute favorite of the giveaways, this beautifully happy purse from Hey Fish Studio:

Eeek, isn't it gorgeous?!?!

She doesn't presently have another giveaway going right now, but she does have an Etsy shop here with some pretty adorable little bags that you know you (or someone you love) totally should have.  Go there now!

So that brings me to the next part--If I'm winning all this awesome shit, I should be giving something away too, right?  Right????  So, here you go, I have a few things for you!!!


Giveaway One
First up for you, I'll give one lucky person an awesome pair of black Pro Compression knee socks in S/M:

I have a pair of these in hot pink, and they've been a Godsend for tough recovery runs.  I wore them directly after my Spartan Beast, and I think the only thing that DIDN'T hurt the next day was my calves, because of these socks.




Giveaway Two
The next thing up for grabs is very cool for the traveling type.  It's a bar of JR Liggett's Shampoo with a travel case and face cloth:

Isn't the model adorable? :P

This shampoo is all natural with no harsh additives and you shouldn't need a conditioner with it, plus the carrying case is made of recycled plastic.  Everything in the package is 100% biodegradable!


Giveaway Three
This giveaway is something that I made this morning just for the occasion!  It is an insulated cloth coffee sleeve:

The outer layers are one of my favorite designer fabrics, and the inner layer is a heat-resistant insulation.  Keep this in your purse, and every time you buy a coffee while you're on-the-go, you won't have to waste the extra trash by using one of their sleeves.  Plus, this is way cuter.  And it'll fit every size, since it's got a button/elastic closure.  Win!



Giveaway Four
It wouldn't be a HipFitFam giveaway if I didn't give someone some headbands, right?  Well, here you go.  One lucky person will get two headbands of their choice of fabric, from the options below:

So there you go!  Four fun prizes for four lucky winners!  I'll do a random drawing via random.org on next Wednesday December 19th when I wake up.  All you have to do to enter is live in the continental US and then do one (or both) of these things:

1. Follow this blog.  My following is a bit low right now on Blogger, and I'd love to show up on your blogroll.  It would make me happy!  Leave me a comment here that you're a follower, and you get one entry.

2. Go read this post and tell me HERE about one way in which you've bettered yourself over the past one/five/whatever years.  I love to hear success stories!

REMEMBER:  If your blogger profile is set to private, make sure you leave me a way to get in touch with you, such as your email address written like this:  name at email dot com.  Thanks!!!

And if I DOUBLE my followership on the blog (I'm presently at 43), I'll give away a second set of headbands.  Woohoo!

That's it, easy peasy.  Go win something from me, and be sure to tell your friends!!!