Weekend in Huntsville!

The weekend before last we headed to Huntsville, AL for my son Sawyer's state gymnastics meet. That's the great thing about my running and his competing in gymnastics...we get to travel! :-)

Huntsville is a 5 hour drive from where we live. So after my 10 mile run Saturday morning we hopped in the car and headed north. Sawyer's meet was that night so the plan was to get there in time to check into the hotel before the meet.

The drive wasn't too bad. We really enjoyed seeing the different elevations as we drove. It's pretty flat here on the Gulf Coast so the hills of Birmingham looked like huge mountains to us lol!

My son Hayden's favorite part of the drive was when we spotted this sign below! He was so excited!

Before long we made it to our hotel in Huntsville! The next stop was the gym where the meet was. Sawyer was excited!

I won't bore you with the details of his meet but I will say that he did amazing!!! And if you just want to watch...you can see videos of him competing in all his events on my YouTube page!

His first competitive season is now over! I am so proud of how much he has learned!

After the meet we went to Chili's for some dinner. It was yummy!

Then it was back to the hotel. We were all pretty tired! The next morning I headed out for my run. The plan was to run in the hotel parking lot. But once I started running I saw a road behind the hotel that led into a residential area so I ventured off there. I was having a great run! The road led to a stop sign where I decided to turn around. But first I took a few pictures. You can see one of the mountains way in the background in the second picture!

I turned around and headed back towards the hotel. The road I was running on was a 4 lane road but I hadn't seen but one car the entire time I ran on it. I was just running along and before I knew it...I was flat on the ground. I fell! I have no idea what happened! I quickly jumped up...I WAS in the middle of a street after all...and continued my run. I was only at 1.6 miles and I was aiming for at least 2 miles! I finished the run and then assessed my injuries. I had a bloody elbow and hand. I landed on my hip when I fell so I knew I would have a bruise there. And I had road rash on my knee. But all in all it wasn't too bad. I was very thankful. It could have been whole lot worse! God was definitely looking out for me because there wasn't a car in sight!

And...I had run my fastest mile! A friend joked and said that's probably why I fell...I was running so fast that my feet couldn't keep up lol!

After stretching, I headed back to the room. I wasn't looking forward to facing my hubby and telling him I fell. Because right before I left he told me to be careful because the road may be slick (it was supposed to rain that day but luckily the rain hadn't started and so the road was actually dry...so there was no excuse for my fall). He totally jinxed me! Once he knew I was ok though he made fun of me all weekend long lol!

After getting cleaned up, bandaged, and showered we headed to the lobby of the hotel to check out and eat some complimentary breakfast. Then we headed to the U.S Space and Rocket Center! The boys were super excited! Since you can't really say a whole lot about a museum...I'm just going to share lots of pictures with you below! :-)

Even though it started raining during our visit...we really enjoyed the space and rocket center! We didn't let the rain stop us! We got soaked but it was worth it! Hopefully we can visit again!

It was a great weekend in Huntsville! We really enjoyed the area!

QOTD: Have you ever been to the Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville?

The Weekly Chase #116!

Happy Monday! I can't believe that March is already over! It seems like it just flew by! I know I say this at the beginning of every new month. I must be getting old because time is going by faster and faster these days lol!

I had such a great weekend! Friday night the boys had a birthday party. It was a painting party and they painted their names on canvas. They are so cute and I can't wait to hang them in their bedrooms!

Saturday morning I ran the Azalea Trail Run 10K! And...I PRed!!!! I will have a recap of the race up on Wednesday!

The rest of the day was spent at the campground. It was the Cub Scouts family campout. I drove up after the race and brought the boys lunch. It was the perfect day! It wasn't too hot and there was a nice breeze. It actually got a little chilly. But the boys had a blast! That night we had a pack meeting by the campfire. Then I headed home and Andy and the boys stayed and camped.

The next morning, with the family still at the campground, I had time to get in a 5K. It was a great recovery run! And the morning was just beautiful!

Later that afternoon we met friends for a picnic. It was hard to stay inside on such a beautiful day! Spring time here on the Gulf Coast is the perfect time for picnics! :-)

Now it's time for the Weekly Chase! It's a new week and I have new goals to achieve! I hope you will link up your own goals with me too! And feel free to use the badge below in your post too! You can grab the badge HERE! :-)

Here are my goals from last week!

• Goal #1: Run every day! Yes! I had great runs this week! And a PR at my race was icing on the cake! ;-) 
• Goal #2: Roll, stretch, and ice daily. Yes! I did great with this!
• Goal #3: Maintain my weight by logging my calories. 90%. I didn't log all my food on Saturday while at the campground. But I didn't worry too much about it since I had tons of extra calories from my race. 
• Goal #4: Shop for Easter. 95%. I got most of my shopping done! I have a few more things to get but for the most part I'm done!
• Goal #5: Set up my next DietBet game. Yes! The game is all set up and ready for you to join in and play! Here's the link: dietbetter.com/roadrunnergirl It starts Aoril 13th! 

Here are my goals for this week!

Goal #1: Run every day! Still plan to streak this week! And on Saturday I'll be in New Orleans running the Crescent City Classic 10K! I can't wait!

Goal #2: Roll, stretch, and ice daily. Still dealing with some hip tightness so this is a must this week.

Goal #3: Maintain my weight by logging my calories. Gotta log it so I am accountable for what I am eating.

Goal #4: Pack for my race this weekend. I'm leaving on Friday so I need to be all packed before then. I hate packing and always procrastinate lol!

Goal #5: Get my April calendar completed for work. I send out a calendar to my parents at the beginning of each month so they know what their child will be doing at school each day. I've got to get this done since April 1st is on Wednesday.

Goal #6: Shop for Easter snacks on Wednesday at school. We are having an Easter Egg Hunt at school this week and I'm providing a special snack for my class. Got to shop for it first! ;-)

So that's the plan for this week. I hope you have a successful week too!

QOTD: What are your goals this week?

Runner Spotlights #118

I hope everyone is having a great weekend! I had a super fun time at my race yesterday! I'll recap it for you later this week! :-)

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 Amy! Keep reading to learn more about her and her running journey!

Name: Amy Thomas
State: Ohio

When and why did you start running?
I started running about 8 years ago. A friend wanted to sign up for a training program at a local running store and she talked me into going with her. The only time I've not been running the past 8 years was during pregnancies and injuries.

What is your favorite race and race distance?
My favorite race is The Reindeer Romp. It is held in the area where I went to elementary school and the money raised helps to provide toys to kids from my elementary school. I'm a 5k'er. I did a 10k this past May and it was okay.

What is your race day routine?
The day before my race I have to pick up my packet. I can't stand in line doing that the day of the race. I set all of my clothes out the night before and if the run is chip timed the chip is secured to my shoe as well. I eat a banana and yogurt with granola -- right now I'm eating Fage 0% with Honey and Bear Naked Original Granola. I always hit the bathroom multiple times before I leave because I really don't like using the port o lets!

What is your most favorite piece of running gear?
This is tough -- I'm going to have to say it's a tie between my armpocket (holds my keys, road id, and iPhone) as well as the RunKeeper app. I love to see my mileage after I finish the run (or event).

Do you follow any diet or take any specific supplements that complement your running?
Lately, I'm trying to eat healthier and be more aware of my calorie intake. I was focused on this months ago but wasn't seeing any results on the scale. I am participating in several challenges this month (September) in an effort to get back on track.

What do you wish you’d known when you first started running?
I wish I had known how addictive running actually is!

What is your fondest running memory?
My fondest memory is actually a recent one. On August 23rd, my daughter, who is 2 1/2, "ran" her first race - the Little Princess Run as part of the Lady Tutu 5k series. I made matching tutus for us. She got a wand and tiara and practiced running in the house for days before the actual event. I was that mom videoing the entire 70 yard "run." She even has an official race photo. I then walked with both of my kids (the boy is 10mths old) in the double jogger with a friend I hadn't seen in ages -- we had a great time! I want my kids to see that being active is fun and I want to instill this in them early.

What is one thing that most people do not know about you?
That I used to be a parole officer -- everyone is shocked when I tell them!

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?
I'm excited that I'm signed up as a Solemate for Girls on the Run in Cincinnati. I'm running the Queen Bee 4 Miler on October 11th and I'm raising money to provide scholarships for girls in the program. I have coached with Girls on the Run multiple times and I love the program!

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

Blog: fattymcbutterpant.blogspot.com
Twitter: @AmyThomas186
Facebook: amyg186
Pinterest: amyg186
Instagram: amyg186 

Thank you so much for sharing with us Amy!!!

QOTD: What did you do this weekend?

Fitness Friday...March 27th Edition!

Happy Friday! It's been another busy but great week!

Tuesday night I went to see the movie "Insurgent" with my sister. It was really good! I read the first and second book of this series but I haven't read the third book because I've heard such bad things about it. Things like...it would make me so mad and make me hate the series. But now that I've seen the movies so far...and I KNOW I will want to see the movies based on the third book...I'm reconsidering reading it. What do you think?

One afternoon this week, Sawyer went to play outside. About one minute later he came back in super excited. He had found a four leaf clover!!! We are in the process of preserving it for him.

We also had honor roll assemblies at the boys school this week. Sawyer made the AB Honor Roll!

Hayden made the AB Honor Roll and met his Accelerated Reader Goal!

I'm so proud of my two sweet boys!!!

Last night was my monthly pedicure night with my running friends! We always seem to do a theme on our toes and this time we continued that tradition. Our toes are all ready for the Crescent City Classic! :-)

Speaking of the Crescent City Classic...don't forget to enter my giveaway for a free race entry! ;-)

Now it's Fitness Friday time! I had a great week of running and streaking this week! I hit day 300 of my run streak last Friday!!! I have been dealing with some hip pain but the rolling and stretching seem to be helping. And if you didn't see this on Instagram...while we were out of town last weekend for Sawyer's gymnastics meet....I fell during my run from the hotel Sunday morning. I'm ok....I just got some road rash in several places and a bruise on my hip. Luckily there was not a car in sight when I fell!

• Friday- #plankaday 1:05, 1.57 mile run in 13:21 average pace 8:30

• Saturday- 10.06 mile run in 1:36:07 average pace 9:33

• Sunday- 2.26 mile run in 18:13 average pace 8:04

• Monday- #plankaday 1:15, 1.56 mile run in 13:21 average pace 8:33

• Tuesday- #plankaday 1:05, 1.58 mile run in 13:13 average pace 8:22

• Wednesday- #plankaday 1:10, 1.58 mile run in 12:57 average pace 8:12

• Thursday- #plankaday 1:30, 1.58 mile run in 13:12 average pace 8:21

Other than the achiness in my hip on my long run the running this week has been great! 

Tomorrow I'm running another race! I'm running a local race...the Azalea Trail Run 10K! This race was my first 5K 6 years ago! I've run this race ever since...but other than that first year I've always run the 10K! It should be fun like always...especially since a ton of my Sole2Soul Sisters will be there! 

I hope you have a great weekend!

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