Fitness Friday...February 28th Edition!

Wow! Can you believe that tomorrow is the first day of March??? 2014 is flying by!

Yesterday I registered for another half marathon! This is one I've been thinking about doing the last few months and I finally bit the bullet and registered for it! It is the Rock 'n' Fly Half Marathon in Pensacola, FL! It sounds fun and I'm pretty excited about it! It will probably be my last half until fall because it will start to get too hot for racing here soon.

It's time for Fitness Friday! I had another great week of running! I got in all my runs for the week! Yay! Here are my runs and planks for the week!

• Saturday- 10 mile run in 1:49:45 average pace 10:58

• Sunday- Rest
• Monday- #plankaday 1:05

• Tuesday- #plankaday 1:05, 3.5 mile run in 36:44 average pace 10:30

• Wednesday- #plankaday 1:10

• Thursday- #plankaday 1:02, 3.5 mile run in 37:24 average pace 10:40

• Friday- #plankaday 1:00

So that was my week! I'm pretty happy with all the runs I got in! Tomorrow I'm running another 10 miler. I'll be doing 5.5 miles solo and the rest with my Sole2Soul Sisters! It should be fun! 

And I have a WINNER for the My Race Ragz Giveaway! Congratulations Megan Babcock!!! Send me an email at mindy@roadrunnergirl.com to claim your prize! :-)

QOTD: What was your best run or workout this week?

Be Heart Healthy!

Disclaimer: I received this product free to review through Fit Approach. I received no other compensation. All opinions in the above post are mine and mine alone!

Did you know that February is American Heart Month? I know it's no news to you when I say that a healthy heart is important! The heart pumps our blood through our body and provides our body with the oxygen and nutrients it needs as well as carrying away the waste that we don't need. I want this muscle to be strong since it is so important! 

It's a sad fact but heart disease is the number one killer. It is the cause of 1 in 4 deaths in the United States today. And it affects us all. My own grandfather died of heart disease. 

So how do we keep our heart strong and healthy?

1. Check your blood pressure regularly. Know what the numbers mean. There are no symptoms for high blood pressure so if you don't check it regularly you won't know if you're in danger.
2. Exercise on a regular basis. Exercising helps keep your heart healthy and your blood pressure down. Plus it's a great stress reliever too!
3. Don't smoke. Smoking is a major contributor to heart disease. Even secondhand smoke is dangerous to your heart. 
4. Eat a healthy diet and maintain a healthy weight. We need to choose those healthy foods that keep our bodies happy and healthy. Plus they taste pretty good too!

Checking your blood pressure regularly is an important part to staying heart healthy. Most people only check it when they go to the doctor. But now there is a way you can check it often...at home!

iHealth has a wireless blood pressure wrist monitor and offered to send it to me to review! 

This blood pressure monitor has a cuff that wraps around your wrist. It has motion sensor technology that ensures that you will get the most accurate reading. It all works through Bluetooth and the iHealth My Vitals free app for your iPhone, iPod, and iPad. 

It was super simple to use and took me less than a minute to get my blood pressure reading. One of the coolest things....it would not start until you had your arm in the right position. It was recommended to place the monitor's travel case under your arm for support and to have your arm in the right position. It also wanted to use your left arm.

The directions say to sit in a chair with your feet flat on the floor and legs uncrossed. You also have to sit still during the measurement. You place your hand palm side up and wrap the cuff around your wrist, above the wrist joint. The iHealth logo should be facing upright if you have it in the correct position. Then you have to make sure your arm is in the correct position. If it isn't, the app will tell you and will not start the measurement. Then you hit start and sit still while the cuff gets tighter around your wrist. Less than a minute later...you have your blood pressure reading!

I am a data person so I LOVE all the data the app gives you! It tells you your systolic and diastolic numbers and your heart rate.

I love the graph it shows you. From there you can tell whether your blood pressure is in the normal range or not.

As you can see my reading shows my blood pressure is in the normal range. Actually...it's a little on the low side but I've always had a lower blood pressure. The doctor has never been worried about it and thinks it's because I am pretty active.

I am excited to have this blood pressure monitor so I can check mine and my family's blood pressure on a regular basis! Both of my boys were good sports and let me check theirs!

The iHealth Wireless Blood Pressure Wrist Monitor is very affordable! It's only $79 and can be found online or at Best Buy and Apple Stores. It's a very good investment in making sure you stay heart healthy!

Be sure to check out all the other personal mobile health products that iHealth offers! I personally have my eye on the wireless body analysis scale!

You can also check iHealth out on Facebook and Twitter!

QOTD: When was the last time you checked your blood pressure?

10 Miles of FUN!

Saturday was long run day. I needed to get in 9 miles. I'm helping my friend Paige train some of our Sole2Soul Sisters to run a 10K. I was meeting them later in the morning for 4 miles. So my plan was to run 5 miles by myself and then meet them for 4 to get my 9 total.

Long runs by myself are not my favorite. Usually I run long runs with friends. But all my friends were running early that morning and since I wasn't meeting my training group until 9:00 I didn't want to run at 5 AM and then have so much time in between. So I headed out my door at 8:00 to start my 5 solo miles.

Long runs can be boring even though I love to run long! (Did you see my post yesterday on how to overcome long run boredom?) I decided on Friday night to download a new audiobook to listen to on my run. I wanted something easy to listen to. I have read several of Emily Griffin's books in the past so when I saw "Where We Belong" I decided that was the one I wanted!

So I started the audiobook...and started my run. The book captured my attention right away and before I knew it I was at mile 3! What? The first 3-4 miles are always torture for me! But not this time! The audiobook really helped!

I was having a great run! I felt great and got into a good pace. When I got to mile 5 I still had some time before I had to meet the group....so I went ahead and ran another mile! My 5 solo miles turned into 6 solo miles!

Then I met the group and we started the last 4 miles of my long run.

I didn't listen to the audiobook since I now had friends to talk to. Running with friends made those last 4 miles go by faster than I expected!

And the ladies in my training group did GREAT with those 4 miles! For some of them it was the farthest they had ever run! So inspiring!

I finished my 10 miles in 1:49:45 at an average pace of 10:58! I was happy with that!

Gotta love all the salt on my face! Anyone else do this during long runs?

The rest of my day was spent with the family! I even got to go shopping with my mom-in-law while all the boys stayed home and cut down a rotten tree in our backyard. Yeah...my backyard looks like a jungle right now!

The 10 miles was an excellent start to my day! I can't wait till next weekend's long run...and so I can keep listening to my book! ;-)

QOTD: Have you ever listened to an audiobook while running?

Overcome Long Run Boredom!

It's no secret that I enjoy running long distances over shorter ones. There's just something about being out there on the road for a long amount of time and just letting your body feel the run! It always takes me 3-4 miles to get warmed up so I do not enjoy short runs as much.

But...running long distances can get boring at times no matter how much you love it! Here are some ways that I overcome the long run boredom!

• Run With Friends. I rarely run a long run alone. I try to plan my long runs around the times when my running friends are also running. We call it therapy! We run, talk, and laugh! It's my girl time!
• Listen to Music. I only run with music when I'm running solo. I've been known to listen to several movie or television soundtracks....like Frozen, Twilight, and my new favorite, Nashville! I also love listening to praise and worship music while I run. 
• Pray. When I'm running alone I love to take the time and pray to God. I feel closer to Him when I am running in the beautiful world He created. It helps pass the time because it's just like I'm talking to a friend.
• Play Games. My friend Paige introduced me to the Alphabet Game on one of our race road trips. This is a game where you find words or objects that begin with each letter of the alphabet. My boys love playing it in the car. When I'm running long I will find myself playing this game to help keep my mind off the miles. I also like the Counting Game...where I count lightpoles, mailboxes, cracks in the sidewalk, etc.
• Listen to an Audiobook. This is one of my favorite things to do when I am running a long run by myself. It really helps pass the time...and miles...because I am so focused on what is happening in the book instead of how many miles I have left to run. 

These are the things I do to help myself get through those long runs that can be boring! 

QOTD: How do you overcome long run boredom? Any ideas I didn't mention?

The Weekly Chase #60...and a GIVEAWAY!!!

Happy Monday! I had a wonderful weekend! Saturday morning I had an amazing 10 mile run! Then that afternoon I went shopping with my mother-in-law while all the boys stayed home and cut down a rotten tree in our backyard. I also got a new dishwasher since mine broke last Tuesday. Unfortunately the dishwasher I picked won't come in until Wednesday...so more hand washing ALL the dishes for a few more days. :-(

Sunday morning was spent around the house because it was rainy outside. That afternoon the boys had cub scout meetings. It's been a full weekend!

Now it's time for another Weekly Chase! I'm ready to tell you all about my goals for this week! I hope you will link up your own goals with me too!

Here are last week's goals!

• Goal #1: Run at least two times. I nailed this one! I ran THREE times this week!!! It felt good to get back on schedule!!!
• Goal #2: Roll and stretch daily. Yep!
• Goal #3: Write my Biggest Loser RunWalk Half Marathon recap. Yes! Thanks for all your words of congrats on my PR! Here is the recap in case you missed it! :-)
• Goal #4: Watch my food portions and decrease my snacking after dinner. I did much better with this this week! I need to keep watching my portions. But I did really well about not snacking after dinner!

So here's the plan for this week!

Goal #1: Run at least 2-3 times this week. I will be running with my Sole2Soul Sisters on Thursday and Saturday of this week. I'm hoping to get in another short run on Monday or Tuesday.

Goal #2: Roll and stretch daily. My left quad is pretty tight right now. I'm trying my hardest to work out the tightness so rolling and stretching is a MUST!

Goal #3: Watch my spending this week. With car tags due this month and having to buy a new dishwasher, the funds are really low until our next paycheck. I need to be sure to budget wisely this week. Also Sawyer's gymnastics tuition is due no later than Thursday. I'm hoping for a money miracle! :-/

Goal #4: Watch my food portions and decrease my snacking after dinner. I feel like I did well with this last week but I still want to work on it some more. 

Hopefully I will be pretty successful with my goals this week!!!

And now for something a little different...another giveaway! Do you remember the runner spotlight a few weeks ago? My first male spotlight...Austin Bonds from Running Write offered to send me the book, To Be A Runner by Martin Dugard! I can't wait to read it!

Guess what? He's also offered to send the book to THREE of my readers!!! :-) How amazing is that???!!! 

To enter the giveaway Austin wants you to take a survey for him on "What's the best running song of all time?" You can choose one of the choices listed or write in your own song. Be sure to submit your name and email address after you've voted to ensure you are entered into the drawing. 

Here's the link to take the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7FKJ85W

You also must enter through the Rafflecopter widget below. There's also a few ways to get extra entries there too! The giveaway will end on Friday, February 28th at 11:59 CST. Good luck!!! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Runner Spotlights #76

Happy Sunday! I hope you are all enjoying your weekend! We had some fabulous weather yesterday! It made my long run amazing!

Now it's time for another runner spotlight...my favorite time of the week! I love reading other runners' stories about their running journey! If you are interested in being spotlighted on my blog please email me at mindy@roadrunnergirl.com! I'd love to spotlight you! You don't have to have a blog to be spotlighted...you just have to be a runner! ;-)

Today I'm spotlighting Heather from Divas Run For Bling! She is a fellow runDisney fanatic like me! Keep reading to learn more about her and her running journey!

Name: Heather

State: Tennessee

When and why did you start running? 

I started running seriously in the spring of 2012. I was trying to find a way to get in shape and lose some weight. One of my good friends from college suggested I try to run a RunDisney race so I started training for my first half marathon.

What is your favorite race and race distance? 

My favorite distance is the half marathon.  So far my favorite race I’ve completed has been the Dumbo Double Dare at Disneyland in Aneheim, CA this year. It was a two day event with the 10K on Saturday and the Half Marathon on Sunday.

What is your race day routine? 

My typical race day routine includes waking up early to have a protein shake and a banana for breakfast.  All my gear has been laid out the night before so I  get everything ready and head to the race where I enjoy people watching as I am stretching and getting ready for the start.

What is your most favorite piece of running gear? 

My favorite piece of running gear is my NiteBeams pink lighted armband.  I don’t always have to wear it, but when I do it makes me smile with the pink LED blinking lights.

Do you follow any diet or take any specific supplements that complement your running? 

I just try to eat as healthy as possible. I usually will have a Dymatize Nutrition Elite Fusion 7 protein shake and an Oh Yeah Nutrition Good Grab size protein bar at some point during the day to ensure I get the fiber, protein and nutrients for the day.

What do you wish you’d known when you first started running? 

I wish I’d known how much fun and life-changing taking up running was going to be – I’d have done it sooner.

What is your fondest running memory? 

Crossing the finish line at the Disneyland Half Marathon 2013 to complete the Dumbo Double Dare. I had plantar faciatis related pain and had to walk the entire 13 miles but I was able to do it and receive the bling (I also got to high five Chip and Dale while doing so)! :-)

What is one thing that most people do not know about you? 

Most people don’t know that I am very crafty. Aside from running and reading my Kindle, I love scrapbooking and have begun to learn to sew as well.

Here are all the different ways you can connect with Heather!

Blog: http://divasrunforbling.com/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/divasrunbling

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/divasrunforbling

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/hsheinlein/divas-run-for-bling

Instagram: http://instagram.com/hsheinlein

QOTD: What was the temperature this weekend where you live? Cold or hot?

Fitness Friday...February 21st Edition!

Hey everyone! I don't know about where you live...but here on the Gulf Coast we have been given a taste of spring this week! The highs have been in the 70's!!! It feels great...except for when I want to run. I'm not ready for those humid and hot summer runs yet!

Also...check out this new medal I got in the mail this week! Yes! It's a charity medal from Rock 'n' Roll Race Series! Since I was able to use my registration fee from the cancelled St. Jude Memphis Half Marathon to run the Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans Half Marathon...I got another medal because I was running for charity! That's so awesome!!!

It's time for Fitness Friday! I'm finally getting back into a running routine! I'm excited that I actually ran 3 times this week! Yay!

• Saturday- 8.25 mile run in 1:31:58 average pace 11:09

• Sunday- #plankaday 1:10

• Monday- Rest
• Tuesday- #plankaday 1:18, 3.55 mile run in 39:17 average pace 11:03

• Wednesday- #plankaday 1:01

• Thursday- #plankaday 1:05, 3 mile run in 30:38 average pace 10:13

• Friday- #plankaday 1:00

I have a 9 mile long run planned for Saturday morning. I'll be running 5 miles by myself (unless a friend decides to join me) and the last 4 with my Sole2Soul Sisters! It should be a fun run!

QOTD: What was your best run or workout this week?

My Race Ragz Review and Giveaway!

Disclaimer: I received this product free to review. I received no other compensation. All opinions in the above post are mine and mine alone!

Who likes running clothes??? I definitely do! I think I have more running clothes than regular clothes in my closet! So when I got the opportunity to create my own running shirt from My Race Ragz I jumped at the chance!

The process was really easy to create your own shirt. First you must decide if you are going to choose from the 700+ designs that they offer or upload your own design, or both! Then you choose the style of shirt you want. You use their online designer to add any text or images to your shirt. And then...you're done! Easy! 

I chose to upload my blog logo on the front of my shirt. Then I added text to the back...the URL of my blog!

I LOVE how cute it turned out!

I also love the material of the shirt. It is made of 100% microfiber mesh...meaning it will wick the sweat away! I need that here on the Gulf Coast! And the fit of the shirt is pretty awesome too! It is a women's cut so it flatters in all the right places! 

So...do you want to design and create your own My Race Ragz shirt? Here's your chance to win that opportunity! Enter below for your chance to win (please follow all the guidelines...I will be checking)!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Biggest Loser RunWalk Half Marathon Mobile Recap!

Disclaimer: I was provided a free race registration in exchange for this post. No other compensation was received. All opinions in the post below are mine and mine alone!

It was so nice not having to wake up early for this race! The race start time was 8:00 and the start line was only about 10-15 minutes from my house! I met up with friends to carpool to the race....and Holly got free parking downtown with her work parking pass! Holly's husband also came along with us girls because he was running his first 5K!

We parked and walk right to the start line with plenty of time! Hey Dan Evans! He was on the mic talking to all the runners as we passed by! I stopped to take a picture of the start line and he stopped and posed for me! Such a cutie!

We even got a glimpse of the medals! Even the 5K runners get a medal at The Biggest Loser RunWalk Race Series!

Then it was time for some pictures in front of the start line! Anyone who knows me knows that I have a 2 (or more) picture rule. You never know when a picture will turn out blurry so I make sure to take several just in case!

Holly's husband was taking pictures with my phone and her daughter was taking pictures with her phone. We got a few shots and then all of sudden Joby (Holly's husband) turned the phone around and took a picture of himself!

We all cracked up laughing....which led to Holly finding this awesome picture of us on her phone later that day! I love these candid shots!

After pictures we headed to check out the rest of the race area. We ran into Jackie Evans (season 5) who was headed towards the start line!

Then we went in search of our Sole2Soul Sisters! We had enough people running to form a team and so we got our very own tent! It even had a banner with our team name on it...that we got to take home at the end of the race! Awesome!

We also got a great group picture before the race!

And we met up with Larisa too!

Finally it was time to head back to the start line! I was so happy to be running this race with Holly again! Remember....we had just run the Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans Half Marathon together the weekend before in horrible weather conditions. I told her my goals for this race were to run more than we walked, to run around an 11:30 pace, and to finish around 2:30-2:35. She was all for my goals!

At the start line there weren't any corrals but there were pacers holding sticks with their pace on it. We lined up near the 11:30 pace. The race started in waves with about 1-2 minutes in between each wave. While we waited to start the former Biggest Loser Contestants kept us entertained! They even threw Mardi Gras beads to us!

In no time at all we were on our way! The weather was absolutely perfect running weather! It was sunny and the temps were in the 40's!

We hadn't even conquered the first mile and there were photographers! I was excited because this race gives you FREE downloads of your race pictures!

The first 3-4 miles of the race I struggled like always. I just have to keep reminding myself that I WILL get into my groove! We were running strong though...every time I glanced down at my Garmin we were in the 10 minute pace range. I would tell Holly we needed to slow down and we would for a bit. But then we would end up speeding up again!

Around mile 5 I really started getting into my groove. I was running faster than my intended 11:30 pace but it felt good. So I quit talking about slowing down and just went with it.

I fueled right around mile 5 too. I had Huma Gel in my hydration belt and Honey Stinger Chews. I had never tried Honey Stinger Chews but Abby and Sarah said they loved them! Sarah was kind enough to give me a pack and that's what I used during this race. I LOVED them! I will definitely be buying some of these to alternate with my Huma Gel!

I felt great this entire race! I did get a little tired towards the end but Holly kept telling me that we were making great time and if we kept going we would come in under 2:30! That gave me the motivation I needed. I REALLY wanted a good race!

Around mile 11 I knew that I had a chance to PR if I could keep up the pace. I broke ahead of Holly around this time because she needed to slow down. She had been dealing with sinuses and a cold and was having a hard time breathing. My body wouldn't let me slow down with her....and neither would Holly. She made me run on!

I LOVED the last part of the course! It was awesome running towards downtown Mobile and in some familiar territory. I really loved running on Dauphin Street past some of my favorite restaurants. And I loved seeing the RSA Tower ahead of me!

Mile 12 came and I knew I was going to be really close to a PR! I was so tired. I wanted to walk. I wanted to be done. But I also wanted that PR! I wanted it bad! So I kept pushing. I didn't give up. I made my legs run!

Finally I saw the finish line! I knew I was close! I ran as fast as my body would let me!

I DID IT!!! I PRed by 2 minutes!!!! And I PRed on back to back race weekends!!! My official time was 2:21:14! I was soooo excited!!!

Holly came in shortly after I did! I am so grateful to her for giving me the push I needed to PR! She ran with me the last time I PRed at the Seaside Half Marathon last year too! She is my pace partner and my PR buddy!!! ;-)

After grabbing our bananas, water, and clemetines to refuel with we headed towards the stage to hear the band play. That's when I spotted my runDisney friends Kristin and Joe!!! I was so happy to finally meet them in real person!

Joe was dressed up for the Mardi Gras costume contest! He played his trumpet during the entire race! And yes...he won the costume contest too!!!

I also got to hang out a little with Gina from Season 14!

Overall this race was amazing! I did compare it to Panama City Beach several times...but it did not disappoint! The route was amazing! It was much better than the out and back route in PCB. The only thing it lacked compared to PCB was having the former contestants out on the course. But they were all at the finish area. I really hope to run this race again next year!!!

The Biggest Loser RunWalk Race Series is amazing! I highly recommend these races to beginning runners to seasoned runners! There is something for everyone!

And my PR will definitely help me remember this race forever! :-)

QOTD: Do you like to wear costumes in races?