Half Marathon - Let the training BEGIN!

My sister in-law and I signed up for a hlaf marathon in Minneapolis for the end of October. This will be her second and my first. I've got a 9 week training plan I've been following and so far so good. I've been wnting to do a half for some time, but just didn't haven't had the push to sign up until last week when she text me suggesting we do it. I'm "slightly" competitive so when she said she was going to sign up- I knew I had to :) Now, I need to say that I WILL NOT be running for a certain time. I really just want to run the entire 13.1 miles....... and finish under 2 hours :) I ran a 10k this spring in about 54? 56 minutes? I forget, but regardless, I feel like under 2 hours for the half should be doable.

I'll be updating you along the way!

Just Do It

Ahhhhhh- I'll admit that recently I've had to literally DRAG my butt out of bed to get on the treadmill so early in the morning. 4:45 comes early. I remind myself that I'm always happier that I've gotten up and done a few miles or did some resistance training- always! It's just sometimes a challenge to leave my nice cozy, warm bed, especially after a killer workout with the incredible Lori Harder and the Minneapolis Savage girls.
When I don't get a workout in I often feel like I'm the only one who has the times of having to push past the "dont' want to's" and imagine everyone else joyfully jumping out of bed with a grin on their tired face eager to get out and move.
Today I was pleasantly reminded that isn't the case. A few girlfriends posted on Facebook saying how much they appreciated reading others successes and struggles during their daily lives- of having days of not wanting to do a thing - to days marking a huge progress mark for them. I don't usually post about my fitness at all in fear that others will judge what I am (or am not) doing. It is a nice reminder that we are all human and we all struggle sometimes to get to where we want to be.
Seeing and reading what other women are achieving with their fitness goals is so inspiring! I'd like to be that inspiration for others since so many women do that for me everyday.
I'm afraid of people seeing my faults and weaknesses, but we can't get better, faster, stronger if we don't continue to grow and part of that process is realizing we are not perfect, we all have off meals, days, weeks!
So here's to embracing our "weaknesses" and turning them into new goals to conquer!

Abs of Steel

Although I am a STRONG believer that you need to move your body and push yourself to see results...I am a STRONGER believer that what we put in our mouths can out do any work we put in. If you are truly committed to a healthy lifestyle, you need to eat clean 80-90% of the time.
As I've mentioned before I star 99% of my days with oatmeal and when I'm at home and have more time to do it, I eat steel cuts outs. If I've had a workout before breakfast I'll add Whey protein powder to my oatmeal, if I haven't squeezed a work out in yet I'll add home honey and flax seed or meal.

Today the boys and I are headed to the zoo (GREAT workout, pushing the double stroller for a few hours). So I am packing our picnic lunch to bring along. While the zoo does have a few healthy options, it's nice to plan ahead and know exactly what we will be eating.

For me- I've assembled a quick salad of spinach and romaine lettuce, tomatoes, black beans and avocado. I'm also bringing along a packet of salmon for added protein, there aren't many beans in there.  Top it off with a little Raspberry vinaigrette and I'm all set. Delish!

Off to load the cooler. I'm not moving too quickly after the Sunday Session yesterday- yikes! The walking today should help loosen these sore muscles. Looking forward to another great sesssion soon!

Where Do You Find the Time?

With so much going on in our over scheduled days, where do moms (and dads) find time to exercise? For me it's either EARLY in the morning, 4:45am, or during naptime. This morning however, it was thanks to my husband- I got to sleep in and get in a 4 mile run while Little Guy #2 napped and #1 played legos with daddy.

 BLURRY actions shots... you trying taking pictures of a moving 2 year old while running :)

Mama Mia

Mr. Wonderful was home late last night, after what he calls Business Development.. aka golf. So Little Man #1 and I took advantage of it once agian and decided to turn Friday Pizza Night into Friday Make Your Own Pizza Night!

We made two different types of pizza- red sauce with pepperoni for the little guy.

Pesto sauce with chicken and spinach for me.

I picked up pre-made crusts, which I wasn't thrilled with, but since I didn't have time to thaw whole wheat dough, this would do.

To avoid heating up the kitchen we threw them on the grilll. Super quick!

As you can see... it turned out pretty good.

Breakfast on the "go"

Good morning!

Starting today by sharing some recent deliciousness with you!

For starters, the boys and I were sans daddy again last night which meant we could once again indulge my healthy tooth and load up a plateful of healthiness for dinner.

Little Man #1 and I enjoyed broccoli, quinoa with some freshly
picked tomatoes and lemon juice and grilled chicken.

(Later that night we snuck out and got him a small vanilla cone too...
which works well for me as I am the official drip catcher.)

I grilled several breasts to keep on hand in the fridge to eat throughout the weekend with salads too. Keeps me from having the excuse of not eating a great meal when we're crunched for time, as if having two little boys and a full schedule would ever put someone in a time crunch!

Today!
Everyday, seriously- everyday, I eat oatmeal with flaxmeal for breakfast and a banana with peanut butter for my mid-morning snack. It's filling, tasty and gives me some protein.

I used to be a Jif mom but I've moved on to the all-natural peanut butter and am so happy that I did. I'd never go back to the "other" stuff. I prefer the Archer Farms variety of nut butters for the taste, texture and price. It's still more than the highly processed butters, but it's worth it when you read the ingredients. Plus, after you've switched to the natural variety you won't go back- I promise. Eat this for a week or so and then try the old stuff- there's just no comparing- Real vs Not So Real.

Tonight is movie, pizza, popcorn night at our house. I'm planning on picking up ingredients for us all to make our own pizzas tonight. That way I can have my thin crust chicken pizza and the boys can have pepperoni and sausage.

Happy Friday!

Group Fitness

This weekend I am planning on attending my first group fitness class. Well, that's not entirely true, it's not really my first group class- I took a few here and there in college.
The difference this time is that I'm going to be part of a group of women who do fitness competitions and are slightly more "hard core" about the clean eating/working out than I am. Or at least that is what I am envisioning.
The Facebook page for the class I am going to take is filled with beautiful women with tiny tight bodies with abs.
Yikes.
But... my friend Carissa has got me talked into it and I really would like to go. So why is it that every time I start to think about going my stomach starts tying in knots?!
I think a big part of this feeling is actually guilt. I feel guilty that I will be spending a few hours of our precious weekend time for something that is all for me. I know that when I'm driving home, I will be very happy that I did it, it's just the time leading up to doing it that makes me go crazy!

Faux Panera :)

I love Panera. Especially their Strawberry Walnut Poppy seed chicken salad... that is only offered as part of their summer menu... I love it so much that I'm scared the employees at "my" Panera are going to start calling me by name BEFORE I order.
However- I can't justify spending $8+ on a salad several days a week so I've resorted to once a week and have come pretty close to duplicating my own version at home.

My ingredients include:
Spinach
Romaine lettuce
Strawberries
Blueberries
Pecans
Pineapple
Mandarin Oranges
Raspberry Vinaigrette dressing
One boneless, skinless chicken breast

It does the trick and saves me some cash. This winter when I have no choice I will enjoy it more I suppose.