Fitness Friday...January 29th Edition!!!

I'm so glad it's Friday y'all! It's been a busy week...but a fun one! And tonight I get to relax and have fun with my hubby and some friends. We are headed to a Mardi Gras Ball! It's going to be so much fun!!!

Monday was a travel day for us. We were traveling home from Tuscaloosa, Alabama where Sawyer had his gymnastics meet the day before. My sweet boy did awesome at his meet! It's only his team's second year of competition and so they aren't as good as most of the other teams but he still did amazing! His highest score was a 9.9 on floor! He earned a medal for that one and was so proud!

Here's a video of his floor routine!

Before we left Tuscaloosa we decided to drive around the University of Alabama's campus. Even though we are Auburn fans we had to admit that the campus was really pretty. And it was pretty cool to show my boys the football stadium!

Our 4 hour drive home was pretty boring. It's mostly back roads with absolutely nothing on them. I like the drive to Auburn so much better! At least there are things to look at! So when we got a rest stop break we were pretty thrilled!

Tuesday was back to the grind! After school I really needed some Starbucks! It was warm outside so I got my favorite Coffee Frappuccino Light! SO yummy! And yes the barista made me a Trenta treat!!!

Later that afternoon I met Jenny and we picked up our tanks for the Glass Slipper Challenge! I really want to show you how cute they are! But...you're going to have to wait! ;-)

Wednesday was a fun day at my preschool. It was Once Upon a Time Day! The students (and teachers) all dressed as a nursery rhyme or fairy tale character. My students were sooooo cute!!!! I dressed up as the mouse from Hickory, Dickory Dock!

I also had a sweet student who brought me a King Cake all the way from New Orleans! Oh my goodness King Cake is one of my favorites! We shared it with the class and then I got to bring home the leftovers! Yum!!!

That afternoon my awesome mother in law came over to hem my dress for the Mardi Gras Ball! Being short this is the story of my life! I'm so thankful for my mother in law who fulfills all my sewing needs for me! She's awesome!

While she was there I decided to do something I've been wanting to do ever since I lost all my weight. I wanted to try on my wedding dress and see if it fit! Guess what??? IT FIT!!!!! I was ecstatic!!!! I forgot how beautiful it was!!!

Thursday was Once Upon a Time Day 2 for me! This time I dressed up for the two year old class. I was Little Red Riding Hood and my co-workers were Granny and The Big Bad Wolf! I think we looked so cute!!!

Now it's time for Fitness Friday! I had a great week of runs this week! 

• Friday- #plankaday 2:05, 2.26 mile run in 18:40 average pace 8:16

• Saturday- 6.21 mile run in 55:58 average pace 9:01

• Sunday- 2.52 mile run in 21:03 average pace 8:21

• Monday- 2.26 mile run in 18:17 average pace 8:06

• Tuesday- #plankaday 2:05, 1.91 mile run in 15:55 average pace 8:21

• Wednesday- #plankaday 2:05, 2.06 mile run in 17:20 average pace 8:25

• Thursday- #plankaday 2:05, 2.10 mile run in 17:29 average pace 8:19

It was another weird week of running in different weather. A few days were chilly, a few days were freezing, and one day was hot! 

This weekend I'm running a half marathon! I'm not racing it. Jenny and I are just running it as one of our training runs for Glass Slipper Challenge. May as well get a medal for one of our training runs right?! It should be fun!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!!!

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

Let's DietBet! New Year, New You DietBet!

Who's ready to lose that weight you gained over the holidays? Don't wish for it....WORK for it! Let's lose that holiday weight together!

Because it is so much fun I am hosting another DietBet starting Monday, February 1st!

So...what IS a DietBet? It's exactly what the name says! A bet to lose weight! Here's how it works:

1) Join a game. You can join my game HERE!
2) The pot grows as players join
3) Whoever hits the goal splits the pot!

Sounds easy, right? The game I'm hosting (and playing in) is a 4 week game with a goal to lose 4%. You start out with a bet of $35. During official weigh in time you will submit two digital pictures to the DietBetter referees. One picture will be a head to toe shot of you standing on the scale in airport security attire (that's light indoor clothing with no shoes, belt, hat, outerwear, pocketbook, watches or accessories and empty pockets).  The second picture will be a close up of your official weight on the scale with a piece of paper in the shot showing the word of the day (will be distributed by Dietbetter at the time of the weigh in and serve as an official timestamp). No one will see your weight or pictures except the Dietbetter Referees.

At the end of the game you will have a final weigh in (with photo proof). If you made the 4% goal...you split the pot with the other players that also made the goal! It's a win win situation! You win by losing weight AND you win by earning some money! The more players that play...the bigger the pot!

This will be my seventh time hosting a DietBet game! I even played along on the first two games I hosted and I won money both times! The first time I won $35 and the second time I won $50! All for losing weight! Pretty sweet! You can read both of those recaps below!

DietBet Recap
September Slim Down DietBet Recap

I'll be sharing some of the weight loss tips I've learned and things that have worked for me during the game. And we can all interact together! It will be fun! 

So who is going to join me in the most fun you'll ever having losing weight??? I hope you're raising your hand! Go ahead and join my game HERE!

QOTD: Have you ever participated in a DietBet game? Are you going to join my game?

Four Magical Miles (+2) Virtual Race Recap!

Disclaimer: As a Gone For a Run ambassador I was given a complimentary race entry. No other compensation was received. All opinions are mine alone.

Currently Training For:
Big Beach Half Marathon
Double Bridge Run 15K
Disney Princess 5K
Disney Enchanted 10K
Disney Princess Half Marathon
Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans Half Marathon (Use the code ROADRUNNERGIRL15 to save $15 off)

This past weekend I had 6 miles on my training schedule. It was also time to run the Four Magical Miles Virtual 4 Mile Race by goneforarun.com! So I did what any runner would do....I ran the race and then just added the extra 2 miles I needed for Glass Slipper Challenge training! Perfect!

Jenny and her hubby came to run with me! I always love running with them because we talk the entire run and it makes it fly by! 

The weather forecast called for really cold temps and 20 mph winds! I was really nervous about that wind. Wind makes it so much tougher to run!

I woke up to a feels like temperature of 22 degrees and only 13 mph winds. That was a little better than 20 mph!

I dressed in layers because I knew the wind would make it even colder. I even wore what my hubby calls my "ninja mask" so that I wouldn't be breathing in the cold air. Last year I got bronchitis from running in the cold so I'm trying to prevent that this winter. 

We started running. It was definitely chilly out there. But I was dressed perfectly. Now Jenny got too hot in her layers and peeled off her jacket at mile one lol! 

This run flew by! Before I knew it we were at mile 4 and headed home! Luckily the wind wasn't too bad! Or I just didn't notice it because we were talking so much lol! 

We made it to 6.2 miles (because I can't stop at 6 when I'm so close to a 10K) and took a few quick selfies with Jenny's husband Eric. He was going to run 2 more miles so he kept going. 

Jenny and I headed back to my house. We were happy with our 10K run! 

I love my "ninja mask!" It makes running in the cold so much easier! And...it's pretty fun!

Jenny and I went inside to warm up while we waited on Eric to finish his run. Warming up means coffee of course! And we love drinking out of Mickey and Minnie mugs!!!

And even better....getting a medal after my run!!! And this princess LOVES this magical medal!!! It's so pretty!!! And I love the pink touch screen gloves too!

I just LOVE the virtual races by goneforarun.com! Be sure to check out all the virtual races they offer! There are some really cute ones!!! 

QOTD: Do you like to run virtual races?

The Weekly Chase #159!

Hey y'all! We had a super super busy weekend full of my boys' extracurricular activities! In fact, today we aren't even home yet. We are traveling home from my son Sawyer's gymnastics meet yesterday in Tuscaloosa. Andy and I had to take the day off from work and the boys are missing school (luckily since it was for an athletic event their absence is excused). So...it's a 4 day work week for us! ;-)

Another thing about this weekend...it's been super cold! The wind has been super strong! But...we didn't have snow like a lot of you were dealing with.

Friday night we had to get Hayden's Pinewood Derby Car for Cub Scouts weighed in and make sure it met all the qualifications. The rest of the night we cuddled on the couch trying to stay warm.

Saturday morning I woke up early and ran 6 miles with Jenny and her hubby. It was so cold! But we made it! I'll tell you more about the run on Wednesday.

Later that morning it was time for the Pinewood Derby Car Races! Hayden was so excited about his car this year! He made it into the Lego Brick and named it "The Brick Machine!" His car didn't win the race but he did win 1st place for "Strange Shape!" He was happy with that!

The rest of the afternoon we packed and got ready to go out of town the next day for Sawyer's gymnastics meet. 

Sunday morning we traveled about 4 hours to Tuscaloosa. Now....as an Auburn fan it was kinda tough for me to go there lol! But I sucked it up. Anything for my kiddos! ;-)

Sawyer had a great meet yesterday afternoon! I love that he loves his sport so much! 

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 even ran in the super cold!
• Goal #2: Roll, stretch, and ice daily. Yep!
• Goal #3: Maintain my weight by logging my calories. Yes! 
• Goal #4: Move 11,000 steps or more each day this week. Yes! I had a few days where I needed to walk around the house to reach my steps but I did it!
• Goal #5: Run at least 1 run under 2 miles. Yes! These "rest day" really help. 
• Goal #6: Help Hayden with his Pinewood Derby Car for Cub Scouts. Yes! And he had a fun race!
• Goal #7: Get everything ready for Sawyer for his gymnastics meet. Yes! I got all his competition wear washed and his gym bag packed.

And here are my goals for this week!

Every week goals:

Goal #1: Run every day! 

Goal #2: Roll, stretch, and ice daily. 

Goal #3: Maintain my weight by logging my calories.

Goal #4: Move 11,000 steps or more each day this week.

Goal #5: Run at least 1 run under 2 miles.

Goal #6: Finalize my costume for Once Upon a Time Day at school. It's Once Upon a Time Day at my preschool this week. All the kids dress up as a fairy tale or nursery rhyme character. The teachers dress up too. Last year I was one of the Three Blind Mice. I may do that again this year. Or I may do something different. I'm still trying to decide!

Goal #7: Hem my dress for the Mardi Gras Ball. I can't believe the Mardi Gras Ball is this weekend!!! I'm so excited! My mother in law is going to hem my dress for me. We just have to get it done.

Goal #8: Fuel and hydrate for my half marathon on Sunday. Yes I'm running a local inaugural half marathon in a nearby town this weekend. Jenny and I are running it together. We are running it as a training run so I have no goals other than to finish. We aren't going to race it.

So that's the plan for this week! I hope you have a great week!

QOTD: What goals are you chasing this week?

Fitness Friday...January 22nd Edition!

Happy Friday y'all!!! We have a busy weekend ahead of us! It's full of my boys' activities ranging from Cub Scouts to a gymnastics meet. It should be fun!

This week was not too bad! It was a 4 day work week so that's always appreciated!

We enjoyed being off on Monday! The weather was gorgeous! I enjoyed a wonderful run that morning. Then that afternoon we went hiking with our friends Kirstin, Jim, and their daughter Maddy. The only thing that would have made it better would have been having Andy with us. He had to work. :-(

After our hike the kids went back to Kirstin's house for ice cream sundaes. Kirstin and I stopped by Starbucks for coffee for the adults! :-)

This week I also got new running shoes! My new beloved Asics finally arrived! I was in desperate need of these new shoes. I was 100 miles over my normal mileage on my old shoes. It was time! I wear Asics GT 2000 2's. The newest model is the 2000 4 but I will buy the 2000 2's until I can't find them anymore. I LOVE them! And yes...I could only find the neon yellow color...it's the same color I've had the past 3 times I've gotten new shoes lol! But that's ok...I like the bright color!

Check out the cute coffee warmer I got this week! My coffee is always getting cold in the mornings! I end up putting it in the microwave to warm it up. So when I found this coffee warmer online at Target I knew I had to have it! It does an amazing job of keeping my coffee warm! I love it! 

This week I also had a Starbucks coffee date with my friend Brittany and her kiddos! (Blogger fail...we forgot to take a picture. So I took one in the car!) It was warm outside so I happily got my favorite coffee frappuccino light! So yummy!

Now it's time for Fitness Friday! I had a great week of runs! I was really proud of my 10 mile run this past week! It had been a while since I had run a double digit run! 

• Friday- #plankaday 2:05, 1.92 mile run in 15:55 average pace 8:17

• Saturday- 10.05 mile run in 1:29:21 average pace 8:53

• Sunday- 2.26 mile run in 18:36 average pace 8:14

• Monday- 2.52 mile run in 20:23 average pace 8:06

• Tuesday- #plankaday 2:05, 1.92 mile run in 16:07 average pace 8:24

• Wednesday- #plankaday 2:05, 1.95 mile run in 16:16 average pace 8:21

• Thursday- #plankaday 2:05, 2.11 mile run in 17:45 average pace 8:25

I had a great week of runs! My new shoes have helped my hamstring feel so much better! But the weather has been crazy! It went from chilly to super cold to hot all in one week! That's pretty normal here on the Gulf Coast though!

This weekend is a rest week so I only need to run 6 miles. Because of our busy weekend I really don't have time for much more than that. Hopefully I will have a great run! I'm running tomorrow morning and the wind is going to be 20 mph! Yikes! 

Also...I'm hosting another Dietbet! You bet $35 that you will lose 4% of your weight in 28 days. If you lose the 4% then you win part of the pot! It's an awesome way to motivate yourself to lose those extra pounds! I did several Dietbets when I was losing my weight and it really motivated me. I won a little over $50 my first Dietbet! I'd love for you to join us and play!!! Go HERE to sign up! I promise it will be the most fun you've ever had losing weight!

Happy weekend everyone! I hope it's a great one for you!!!

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