Ambassador Anderson

Today's run was perfect.  Holly and I are training for the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon on June 1st.  I can't wait to do this race again, it is one of my favorites.

Anywho, we were scheduled for 10 miles but we decided to change the schedule to 12 miles, shhh.  We ran up to the Murdock Canal Trail, this has quickly become my favorite places to run.

It was quite brisk out but so beautiful. 

I am pretty excited to announce that I have been chosen to be an ambassador for Pro Compression.  I am basically obsessed with these beautiful stockings, just ask my co-worker she'll tell you.  She now calls me Ambassador Anderson, it has a nice ring to it don't you think?

I have an extensive collection of #allofthesocks.  Holly and I are even referred to as the "tall sock twins" at Gold's Gym.  The best part of that nickname is that it came from a bald guy named Harry, ironic isn't it?

These socks aren't just for looks you know, they help aide in recovery and performance.  

From Procompression.com

I love working out  (getting shredded;) and running in my Pro Compression socks.

  I almost always sleep in marathon socks, unless I get too hot and then they come off pretty quick.  The best thing to do is slather your legs in Deep Blue and then put the socks on.

I wear my fancy Ragnar sleeves to work A LOT, I love them.

I totes adore the low rise socks, they are the most comfortable socks I've ever worn.  Coming from a gal who used to work at a running store who has tried #allofthesocks that is saying a lot.

Word on the street is that Pro Compression is coming out with some new products.  I don't know about you but Ambassador Anderson can't wait to try them out ;)  They are coming out with some technical running socks, they look amazing.

When Kobe was training for his first half marathon, you can read about that HERE, I wished he had some compression socks.  With his smeagoly little legs my wouldn't fit him.  Good news though, they are coming out with youth compression socks.  Hopefully they come in size smeagol.

See how smeagoly his little leggies are!

Pro Compression is also coming out with women's leggings...YAY!!!

I'm sure all this talk of stockings has you pretty excited to order some.  You can hop on over to their website HERE and use promo code SPRING to get 40% off and FREE shipping.  Hurry though because the offer expires on March 31st.

Ambassador Anderson...OUT!

Steph's 8 Steps to Recovery!

It has been almost 3 weeks since I started PT and I have now been allowed to run 4 times.  I am up to 33 minutes of a run/walk.  It’s short but wonderful.  I was able to do a 15 minutes routine at the gym yesterday and I was on cloud 9 all day.  Today was the BIG 33 minuter and it was nothing short of AWESOME! 

I pretty much felt like Kobe after my run!!

It’s amazing what a tiny run can do for ones outlook on life!  My last injury lasted for 4 and half months and it was MISERABLE!!!!  

This is how I felt every time I saw a runner on the street during my first injury, wanted to punch them in the throat!  I've been a lot less hostile this time:)

I thought I would give you some pointers on having a speedy recovery if heaven forbid you ever get injured.  These are not  USAFT, FDA, RDA or FDIC approved just Steph approved, you’re welcome!

Step 1:  Admitting that you have a problem.  I think as a runner it’s hard to admit that you are injured.  Luckily, for me both of my injuries have come on with no warning at all, I just woke up one morning and I was broken.  I think a lot of runners ignore things until they too wake up one morning unable to run.

Step 2:  Cry yourself a river, build a bridge and get over it and REPEAT!!  This weekend was especially

emotional but things are looking up so hopefully the breakdowns will lessen.

Step 3:  Make an appointment with a doctor of the Sports Medicine, this is an important step that I think a lot of people skip.  They will determine if an x-ray, MRI, CT scan or pregnancy test is needed.  You don’t want to assume physical therapy can fix you…they can’t fix broken bones, just for your FYI ;)

Step 4:  Rest
             Ice-like it’s your job. 

             Compress-PRO COMPRESSION BABY. 

             Elevate-I’m not so good at this one, who has time to lay around?!?  Not me! 

  I have this fancy ice pack…you should get one!

I can just strap it on my calf and go about my business.

I have been living in my Pro Compression socks.  I wear them to the gym every single day, wear them to work on occasion (I need to get some sleeves, sometimes neon socks just don’t go with my work outfits…IDK)  I slather my angry little legs in Deep Blue each and every night and slip on some Pro Compression.  Then I sleep with my ice pack on my calf, it’s really mad!!!

Step 5:  Go to physical therapy A LOT!  I have gone every day since June 27th and notice changes almost daily.

Step 6:  Be obedient!  If the PT says not to run maybe you should listen.  If you finish your prescribed workout STOP.  Yesterday I left myself just enough time to do what I was told.  I felt great and of course wanted to keep going but alas it was time to go.

Step 7:  Massage.  I need to get massages more often, I think massage is HUGE in recovery.  I get a massage each day at PT but I should really schedule myself a session at Jorge’s House O’ Pain!

Step 8:  Cross train.  I have been doing the spin bike and the elliptical.  I used to despise the elliptical but decided that if you concentrate REALLY hard you can indeed get a good workout on the old ski machine.

Last but certainly not least avoid chiropractors at the finish line of races.  If you don’t know anything about them for heaven’s sake don’t let them touch you!!!!  I’m 99.9% sure that had I not let that whack a doo smack me around that I would be fine right now…’nuf said!

Now go back up to Step 4 section C.  I know I talk about Pro Compression fort knightly but seriously get cha’ some!  Right now they are having a HUGE sale.  Head on over to ProCompression.com and use promo code JULY for 40% off EVERYTHING!  You also get FREE shipping!  The socks are awesomesauce…FAAAAACT!  They also have running visors and sweet hats.  Jake has a PC hat and loves it!  Get on it peeps, the sale ends August 4th!  I think I’ll pick myself up some of the new retro stockings!!  Happy shopping!

Here are just a few of my Pro Compression stocking all hung in a row to dry.
 I am told that there will be a PT graduation this week, YAAAAY!! 

I love going for the entertainment but would love to be done and back out running about the town with my RBFF.  Baby steps Stephanopolis, baby steps!  Perhaps the retro socks will be my graduation gift!

Ogden Marathon 2013

Considering the kind of day I had on Saturday, May 18th I really had no intentions on doing a post, obviously since it's been 2 weeks...#FAIL.  This race was nothing short of craptastic for me, the race itself was AWESOME, very well organized and everything from the packet pick up to the finish line was perfect. 

This is the only picture I have from this race!  I hope you like my HUGE muscles :)

I had done quite a few things different leading up to this race to insure a PR, too bad for me it didn't work!

Looking back on DailyMile I realized that I was a complete idiot leading up to my last 2 marathons, can't remember what I did before DailyMile but it was probably more of the same.  I came up with a fabu plan for the week that would leave me well rested and ready to run.
Monday-Shoulders and abs with a 3 mile run.
Tuesday-Chest, triceps, back and biceps with a 3 mile run.
Wednesday-Core workout with an hour long spin class. NIGHT-Jorge's House of Pain(massage)
Thursday-Slept in and rode my spin bike for about an hour.  Yoga at night.
Friday-Slept in, rode the spin bike for 40 minutes and did a 2.25 mile run. NIGHT-P90X stretch

I also watched everything I ate and had my feedings every 3 hours I'm a hungry little gal!  I can't think of anything more I could have done to set myself up for a good race.  I had a good solid 5 hours of sleep before my 2:50 a.m. wake up call.  Got all ready and Holly and Jorge picked my sorry butt up at 3:30.  We drove up to Ogden, about an hour long drive.  I felt ready to run and have a grrrreat time.

We met up with Josh, Joanna, Dr. Lloyd, Joanna's friend and Paul.  We said goodbye to Pam (who was supposed to run but is injured) and Ashley (She be prego)!

The wait at the starting line was beautiful.  It wasn't raining...yet and it wasn't very cold.  We had a great time and then it was time to line up.  We had talked to Bill about pacing us to a sub 3:30 finish and we finally found him at the starting line.  By this time it was raining and it rained for the remainder of the race, seriously?!?

For the first 7 miles we were right on track, we had banked a little time and we kept a good pace.  My heart rate was good, I felt like I could maintain the pace for the remainder of the race.  Then I started feeling weird.  My quads were frozen and I felt like I couldn't control my legs, I didn't know how I was still running.  My body didn't really feel cold but my quads did...weird.  I tried to pay attention to my form, I prayed...a lot!  I was slowing down and I knew it.  At mile 8 Holly asked how I was, I sarcastically said that I was good.  She admitted that her legs felt the same as mine and from there it was all downhill.  I don't mean that the course was downhill at this point, but our pace was!

Mile 16 was for McKenna and I'm so glad it was.  It was a beautiful mile, painful but then again Kenna has experienced a lot of physical pain this past year so I sucked it up and kept going.
I was having a VERY hard time eating or drinking much of anything.  I think I wanted my PR so bad that trying to get my fuel was taking too much energy so I just gave up on it.  At one point Holly said to refuel before our big hill near mile 13.  I got my Sport Beans out and ran holding the bag until mile 17 when I finally decided that I HAD to eat some.  By mile 16 my stomach starting getting VERY angry!!!  My stomach NEVER hurts during marathons...ever.  We had finally reached the downhill, fast part of the race and my legs wanted nothing to do with any of it.  It felt better to run uphill but unfortunately the rest of the course was pretty much straight downhill.

Around mile 17 Holly threw her pace band as a souvenir for Jorge, I wonder if he ever saw it?!?  We were hating it but kept plugging along.  I thought to myself "Wow people must be feeling really good, they must have saved themselves for the downhill."  No IDIOT, you are slowing down, waaaaay down.  Our splits are actually quite comical.

I had to take a potty break at mile 21-ish, which I shouldn't have even bothered.  Thought it might help my tummy issues but nope!  At mile 22 we saw Pam and we were a mess.  We were all bawling all over the place, we wanted to stop to give her a hug but she yelled at us to keep going.  We love Pam!!!

At mile 24 a lovely man offered us cookies, did I hear him right?!?  Yes, yes I did and grabbed one and went on my way.  I wasn't sure what it would do to my tummy but at this point I really didn't think it could get much worse so why not.

Mile 25-26.2 were for Kobe, Pam and Holly's Aunt Leslie and late Uncle Dave.  I wanted to walk soooooo bad!  We chanted Kobe, Pam, Leslie, Dave!  We kept repeating that and somehow it helped.  We saw the Ogden Temple and I told Angel Moroni to play his horn...louder I can't hear it!!!  At this point I think we were both hallucinating, here came the unicorns and Smurfs ;)

We saw Jake, Kobe, McKenna, Jenne, Kenya and Kaiya cheering for us.  They had made signs and it really meant a lot that they had all come out in the pouring rain to cheer for us.

As soon as we crossed the finish line I saw a table with water bottles and COKE!!!  I yelled, “I NEED A COKE!”  I don’t even like Coke but at that moment that was all I wanted.   We got our medals, took a couple of goofy pictures, spilled Coke on my shoes and then Jake and the rest of the fam found us.  We were freezing!  Jake, being the gentleman that he is, gave me his hoodie.  Then me, being the gentlewoman that I am, shared it with Holly…it was a big hoodie!  We got our drop bags and got outta there as fast as we could.

We ended up finishing in 3:42:17, only 12+ minutes off our goal time…POOP! 

7 Mi:	54:51 Pace: 7:51
Half:	1:45:27 Pace: 8:03
18 Mi:	2:26:47 Pace: 8:10
23.1 M	3:12:33 Pace: 8:21

Average pace was 8:29

Since it has been 2 weeks and I’ve had time to search, ponder and pray about this :) I have decided that although we didn’t reach our goal at least we didn’t quit!  We were smart enough to listen to our bodies and slow down.  I knew I had another marathon in 2 weeks that I REALLY didn’t want to miss because of a stupid injury!  I’ve come to the conclusion that maybe I’ve already had my glory day in the hot sun maybe my current PR will remain my PR forever.

With all that being said, I would HIGHLY recommend this race!  The biggest thing I noticed was that there was no weaving in and out of a huge crowd when the race started.  I have NEVER ran a race like that.  The course was beautiful and for Pete’s sake they had Otis Spunkmeyer cookies and Coke. 

I didn't get even one picture from this race, not even a pre race outfit shot, nothing….lame!

Don't Be Unbalanced!

I don’t know if you know this or not but nearly ALL running injuries are due to muscle imbalances.  It’s true!  What exactly is a muscle imbalance you might ask?  It’s when one muscle is overactive (tight) and an opposing muscle is under active (weak).  Let’s say you are experiencing knee pain, if one muscle is overactive it is tight and pulling on your knee.  In order to fix said imbalance you must not only foam roll,

 massage, use The Stick and stretch

 but you also MUST strengthen the weaker muscles.

I think one mistake a lot of runners make is that they only run!  Running is great, it’s my very favorite thing to do in the whole wide world, BUT if you repeat the same motion over and over again you are risking injury.  I will talk more about cross training another time.  Strength training is imperative to staying healthy and injury free.

In my opinion, which you can take it or leave it, the way to know if a physical therapist is good or not is simply this.  Have they given you a list of stretches and strengthening exercises?  When I had my first running injury the first physical therapist I went to didn’t give me a single stretch or strengthening exercise.   Needless to say I wasn’t getting any better.  I finally gave up on that yahoo and went to a sports medicine doctor.  My first appointment he showed me exactly what muscles needed strengthening and showed me a long list of exercises to do.  He told me to continue doing the exercises I was currently doing during my workouts and told me to add a few of his.  Many of which were things I was already doing but putting more emphasis on my vastus medialis oblique.  Instead of just doing a squat I would squat with a ball between my knees and squeeze my legs together to really work that inner part of my quad.

One easy way to look for imbalances in yourself is to look in the mirror while you work out.  When you squat do your knees go in?  If so, strengthen your glutes and outer thigh.  Do your knees go out?  Strengthen your inner thigh and vastus medialis oblique.  In my case, being a personal trainer, I was constantly watching my form, I was trying to keep good form but didn’t notice that my legs wobbled a bit.  They wanted to go out but I fought it.  Even that small wobble ended up being a big problem for me.

I have always worked with weights and made sure to hit every muscle group equally.  Sometimes certain muscles might need a little more attention.  For the most part when I’m not injured I just try to make sure I hit every muscle at least once.   You don’t want to do a leg work out that only consists of quadriceps   I think a lot of times people think they are working their whole leg but while doing squats they are not activating their hamstrings or glutes.  They aren’t going down far enough and not squeezing their glutes at the top.  We can’t just go through the motions we must concentrate on what we are doing and really activate as many muscles as possible.  Let’s get those glutes firing ;)

I also try to include at least one power exercise in my leg routine.  One example of a great power exercise is the jumping lunge.

To get a well rounded leg workout you don’t have to be a muscle expert.   Make sure in one exercise your quads are burning (aka the front of your upper leg).  In another, your hamstrings are on fire (aka the back of the upper leg).  Your calves want some love too (aka the back of your lower leg).  And PLEASE don’t forget about those glutes.  Please don’t park yourself at the “inner thigh” machine at the gym and think that you are doing yourself a great favor.  Most trainers cringe every time they see someone doing that machine.  There are waaaaay better ways to work your inner/outer thighs than those lame machines.  In fact, you’re much better off sticking to free weights.  A machine locks you into position so you aren't use your stabilizing muscles.   I feel like I’m going off on a bit of a tangent here so I will stop :)

Here is an example of a leg workout for you to try.

Weighted squats, watch your knees!!

Calf raises, hold heavy dumbbells

Hamstring curls using a stability ball

Split leg squat with one foot on a bench, hold dumbbells.  If you want to be super awesome stand on a Dyna Disc.

Weighted step-ups.  Use a bench or something about as high as your knee, hold weights and step up and down.

Lunge jumps.  I like to do 15 on each side.  To really feel the burn pause at the bottom of your lunge for 5 seconds, JUMP switching legs and pause.  Repeat 30 times and your legs will surely be on FIRE!!

I usually do 10-15 reps of each exercise.  

I was planning on doing a vlog for you but I have had this written for months and have yet to do it so if you have questions Dr. Google is very smart ;)  Your welcome!

One other VERY important thing to remember is that you want to vary your workouts from week to week.  Our bodies are magnificent and adapt to what we are doing extremely fast.  I can’t tell you how many people I see doing the exact same workout over and over, week after week.   CHANGE IT UP!  

Pro Compression Giveaway!

As most of you already know I am part of a new pacing team known as the Run Your Race Pacers.  We have started a blog, www.ryrpacing.blogspot.com and will be doing giveaways quite often.  As a matter of fact we are doing a Pro Compression giveaway RIGHT NOW!  It ends tomorrow so get on it peeps ;)
I'm sure you can imagine how excited I was when Holly walked these down to my house the other day.

I LOVE the back of the shirt so you get a picture of that too.

Since Pro Compression has come on board as sponsors they sent us some goods to keep us in tip top shape for pacing.  Proper recovery is key and these stockings are sure to help your muscles get the blood flow that they require to rebuild themselves.  I did a product review of Pro Compression back in November that you can read HERE.

And for those of you not interested in my non-sense mile long post, I will do a quick recap as to why I am in love with these socks.

First of all, they are really, really, ridiculously good looking. 

They also feel AMAZING!  I love the fact that they fit perfectly.  They are super tight in the leg which is how they should be, but I don't feel like my little toesies are squished together like in other brands.  Nothing feels better after a really hard run/workout than slipping on Pro Compression socks.  They feel like a little hug for your tired legs.

I have also found that I love to run in them.  With other brands I never wear them to the gym because they just aren't very attractive.  I not only wear these to the gym but I get compliments every single time, like I said they are ridiculously good looking.

I love to sleep in them as well.  The night before a long run I always slather my legs in BioFreeze and sleep with my Pro Compression socks on.  In the morning I feel refreshed and ready to go.

Be sure to enter the giveaway asap.  Not only do you get a pair of socks but you get to pick them out and believe me they have some really great socks to choose from.

Last Chance!

I have a couple of people who have yet to claim their prize in my 12 days of Christmas.  I am giving the winner of the 1st day of Christmas until tomorrow (December 29th) at noon to contact me otherwise your prize will be gone.  Whitney@FrenchFryRunner please contact me asap!! 

Monica, the winner of the Stocking full of GU has until Monday (December 31st) to contact me otherwise her prize will be gone.

Consider this your last chance ladies :)

I want to add one little thing into this post that I feel is very important.  Cross training!!  I have heard many people question the importance of cross training.  Of course we all love running...DUH who doesn't ;)  The problem with only running is that you will create muscle imbalances.  Pretty much EVERY injury is the result of a muscle imbalance.  When you do the same movement over and over you create overactive muscles and under active muscles.  I don't want to get to technical here because I know people will stop reading because they are bored out of their minds.  Google muscle imbalances in running and you will get some good information.  Just rememeber that working muscles that you DON'T use when running is good :)

If you are running and not strength training or doing some other form of cardio on a daily basis you are asking for an injury.  When strength training you don't only work your quadriceps right??  No, you work your quads, hamstrings, glutes and calfs.  You have to work ALL of your muscles not just your favorite.

How many times have you seen a meat head at the gym whose shoulders are totally rounded forward?  I've seen it a lot and do you know what it means?  It means that said meat head loves to work his chest but doesn't work his back.  Not only can muscle imbalances lead to injury but serious posture problems.  I see so many guys who go to the gym and work their chest every single day, not good!!  And I know we've all seen the guys who have HUGE upper bodies but bird legs, aren't they attractive?!?

Cross training is also good because your body needs a break from running sometimes but maybe you still want to get your sweat on.  I love a good spin class.  Not only can I get an awesome workout but I am working different muscles which is a good thing!  Road or mountain biking is good fun too!

This picture was taken at my last road race.  It was the Skinny Tire Event in Moab, I believe it was 72 miles.  It was a great time even though I had pneumonia, which I'm pretty sure I have again right this very minute.

This was my first road race which I think was 50ish miles???  It was a super good time.

See Niccole and I even got to pose with the big bad wolf, that equals FUN!!

I haven't rode my road bike in quite sometime because I read a book (The Long Run) and I have been horrified of biking ever since.  I also HATE dogs that chase bikes.  People need to learn how to put their doggies on leashes.

I have promised myself that I would do an Ironman one day, a full Ironman at that.  So it seems that I need to hop back on my bike and jump in the pool.  That was a little tangent but hopefully you are getting my point.

Talk to any physical therapist and they will tell you the importance of cross training...it's science people!

Do you cross train and if so what do you do?

I love doing spin and one day I will get back on my bike and learn to swim :)

11th Day of Christmas!

Wow, today (today is Friday to me but Saturday to you ;) has been quite emotional!  First, I pulled up to McKenna's school to drop her off and there were 2 cop cars parked in front.  I was not about to send her in there without seeing what was going on.  I told her to stay in the car and that I would be right back.  She freaked out and said, "No, then you will die and I will never to go school again and I will never be happy at Christmas time!"  She was getting teary which just broke my heart.  We decided to circle the building, I knew if there were something too serious going on that there would be more than 2 cops there.  After circling the building I locked my kids in the car and ran inside to see what was going on.  I saw 3 policeman standing there shootin' the breeze.  I asked if the school was safe and a cop told me it was so I sent Kenna in and went home. 

As I was driving home the events of last week hit me hard.  I have been trying to avoid the news because I hate how horrible the world is that we live in and I didn't want to be scared to send my kids to school.  I got very emotional and that started my downward spiral.  I thought of all those parents who sent their sweet babies off to school and will never see them again, at least in this life.  After school, Kenna told me that there had been a threat at a school in Mapleton which is 2 minutes away and that 6 kids were arrested.  That made me so angry.  Why didn't the cop tell me what was really going on?  I would have never left my baby girl there had I known that the stupidity is spreading to our little community!

Later in the day my dear friend Holly brought me a huge bag of goods.  She did way too much and included a note that made me cry.  She said she wished she could give me a new gas range but couldn't quite swing that.  She gave me some very thoughtful gifts and I am so thankful to have such a caring friend.

THEN, I got a text from my friend Dawn offering to let us use her toaster oven until we can get a new stove.  I don't know why but I just started bawling all over the place.  Jake thought I had lost my darn mind.  It was getting time to pick our kids up from gymnastics so I tried desperately to compose myself.  Just when I had calmed myself down "Away in a Manger" came on the radio.  I was fighting with all my might not to cry, do you think it worked?? NO!!  Jake has been gone on a business trip all week and apparently didn't know what he had gotten himself into spending time with me. 

We got home to find a gift from one of my very best friends, Niccole, who I rarely see anymore.  I miss her so very much and reading her note made me emotional again.  Mostly because we used to see each other everyday and now we only see each other in passing at the gym.

I feel a bit like Scrooge at the end of the movie!  I have seen so much kindness shown to me today that I really didn't deserve.  I am grateful for all that I have been blessed with, especially a great family and good friends!  I don't know if any of this makes any sense and I know no body really cares but I wanted to get some feelings out there.  Enough is enough already!  There is a giveaway today and it is AWESOME, valued at over $100!

On the 11th day of Christmas Lil' Mama gave to me...an entry into the Top of Utah Marathon!!!!!  So awesome right?!?  The race will be held in Logan, Utah on September 21, 2013.  I am here to tell you that this is an amazing race, one of my very favorites!!!  You can read all about my Top of Utah full marathon experience HERE and my TOU half marathon experience HERE!  Both the full and the half are beyond amazing!

There I am feeling AMAZING during the last 10 miles of the Top of Utah Marathon.  It was a really good day, rain, hail and all!  I truly LOVE this race!  I am doing the Ogden Marathon in May but I am also doing the Top of Utah Marathon.  I can't wait!   

This is Holly and I after we paced the Top of Utah 1/2 Marathon this year!

Not only will you get an entry into the marathon but you will also get...

That's right!  Scott at Scott James Jewelry was beyond generous and sent many necklaces so the lucky winner of the marathon will also get a cute necklace!!!

To enter like Top of Utah Marathon on Facebook HERE!

Like Scott James Jewelry on Facebook (if you haven't already) HERE!

Please share this giveaway on Facebook, Twitter or your blog!

Also, tell me how many marathons you have done!

BE SURE TO LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW FOR EACH THING THAT YOU DO!

 Don't forget there is still time to enter some of the giveaways.

 On the 11th day of Christmas Lil' Mama gave to me...an entry into the Top Of Utah Marathon. Ends 25th.

On the 10th day of Christmas Lil' Mama gave to me...a Scott James necklace. Ends 24th.

On the 9th day of Christmas Lil' Mama gave to me...a stocking full of GU. Ends 23rd.

On the 8th day of Christmas Lil' Mama gave to me...a Twete Bird headband.

On the 7th day of Christmas Lil' Mama gave to me...$20 to Yogurtland.

On the 6th day of Christmas Lil' Mama gave to me...a Handful brazier.

On the 5th day of Christmas Lil' Mama gave to me...4 FREE meals to Costa Vida.

On the 4th day of Christmas Lil' Mama gave to me...a bottle of Sportlegs.

On the 3rd day of Christmas Lil' Mama gave to me...Good2Go protein bars. 

On the 2nd day of Christmas Lil' Mama gave to me...a pair Pro Compression. 

On the 1st day of Christmas Lil' Mama gave to me...Terra Miaaaaa.

And the winner of the Twete Bird Headband is...

Lucid Moon StudioDecember 21, 2012 12:31 PM

I am a fan of Twete Bird on facebook.

YAY!  Congrats, just let me know which headband you would like and your address.  My email is kyt1976@gmail.com!



6th Day of Christmas!

On the 6th day of Christmas Lil' Mama gave to me...a Handful over the shoulder boulder holder :)  Because you're a real Handful...that's what he said.  Ha Ha Ha!   And for your viewing pleasure I took pictures in said brazier.  Not of me of course, my mama taught me better.

The things I make my little elf do.  After this picture I had him stuff it with balls but the camera battery died, too bad!  It looked pretty dang awesome!

Kobe said he's glad he doesn't have boosoms...me too Koko, me too!

As you may or may not know I used to work at a running store.  I was always baffled that all of the big names in running couldn’t get the sports bra right.  They don’t offer any padding which is just crazy.  Not that I want to look busty but I don’t really like it when I’m pointing in two different directions ;)  There’s no way I would pay $50 for a bra with no padding. 

Not only do Handful bras have padding but they lift you up, they “flatter, not flatten!”  I was concerned that because the bra wasn’t super tight that it wouldn’t offer the support I needed for running.  I was wrong!  Not only is it the most comfortable bra I’ve ever worn, it was perfect for weight lifting, cycling and running!  And the best part, I didn’t look like a 12 year old boy in it.  I didn’t chafe which is HUGE!  The other sports bras I have been wearing chafed me for months.  Every shower was painful but it was worth it because I wasn’t afraid of putting an eye out. 

I love the back of the bra, I love that it’s strappy instead of having big thick straps.  It even came with a mesh bag to wash it in so that when the little pads fall out in the wash you don’t lose them.  Since I’m of small stature I opted for the adjustable version.  It can be quite difficult to find things that fit when you are “elfy.”   In fact, when I pulled the bra out of the package I thought it was going to be too big.  I was so grateful that it fit because I LOVE it!!

Because these bras have padding that lift, you can wear them anytime, not just working out.  They are the perfect mix between sports bra and push-up bra.  You could live in this bra, it’s that comfortable!

Handful also sells tank tops which are super cute, you can check them out HERE!

For today’s giveaway you will get a Handful bra, you are so lucky!

To enter like Handful on Facebook HERE!

Follow Handful on Twitter HERE!

Share this giveaway on Facebook, Twitter or you blog.

Leave a comment for each thing you do.

These bras are the bomb.diggity.com!

Don't forget there is still time to enter some of the giveaways.

On the 6th day of Christmas Lil' Mama gave to me...a Handful brazier. Ends 20th

On the 5th day of Christmas Lil' Mama gave to me...4 FREE meals to Costa Vida. Ends 19th

On the 4th day of Christmas Lil' Mama gave to me...a bottle of Sportlegs. Ends 18th.

On the 3rd day of Christmas Lil' Mama gave to me...Good2Go protein bars. 

On the 2nd day of Christmas Lil' Mama gave to me...a pair Pro Compression. 

On the 1st day of Christmas Lil' Mama gave to me...Terra Miaaaaa.

And the lucky winner of 1 box of Good2Go bars is….

Jordan

jordanDecember 14, 2012 4:52 AM

I would like to try the peanut butter chocolate chip bars!

  Congrats!  Please email me

kyt1976@gmail.com

 your address and I'll pass your info onto the good fellas at Good2Go!!

 

5th day of Christmas!

Wow, what a day!  I woke up at 4:15 a.m. (no Saturday sleep in for me) and headed to the gym.  I ran 13 miles on the dumb treadmill, I REALLY wanted to be out running about the city in the snow.  I gave myself a sponge bath, changed clothes and headed to American Fork for my cycling certification workshop at 8.  I was there until just after 1 p.m.  It was a fine time and guess what?  I got up in front of real live humans and did a little snippet of a class, who am I becoming?  Of course, there were only 5 other people and it was for 2 minutes but I did it and I wasn't even scared.

I rushed home, took another sponge bath, changed clothes AGAIN and headed up to Primary Children's Hospital to see my friend's daughter.  I was a disgusting mess but I had people waiting on me so there was no time for such luxuries as a shower.  I felt really sorry for the people stuck with me all day...swass and all!  Oh well, I finally got to shower for the day at 7 p.m., lovely!  Anyways, on with today's giveaway!

On the 5th day of Christmas Lil' Mama gave to me...4 FREE meals (with a drink) to Costa Vida!  There is also a BUY one, SCORE one card!  This is one sweet prize!  I love, love, love Costa Vida!  I love knowing that there is a healthy option for eating out.  They have many gluten free options, which I don't really need but I know that is important for many people.  I LOVE that I can eat there and not leave looking like a puffed up fatty ;)  Whenever I used to eat at another, very similar, restaurant I always puffed up like a Thanksgiving Day float.

Guacamole...YUM!  I love their Chicken Mango Salad.

Crappy picture but Elfy Kobe wanted to show you your prize.  That boy child lives in that blasted Elf hat :)

"You feelin' strong my friend? Call me Elf one more time!"  Can you guess what I'm watching?

So there you have it!

To enter like Costa Vida on Facebook HERE!

Follow Costa Vida on Twitter HERE!

Share this post on your Facebook, Twitter or blog!  I think you know the drill by now :)

You can also tell me your favorite thing to order at Costa!

One entry for each thing.

Don't forget there is still time to enter some of the giveaways.

On the 5th day of Christmas Lil' Mama gave to me...4 FREE meals to Costa Vida.
On the 4th day of Christmas Lil' Mama gave to me...a bottle of Sportlegs. Ends 18th.

On the 3rd day of Christmas Lil' Mama gave to me...Good2Go protein bars. Ends 17th

On the 2nd day of Christmas Lil' Mama gave to me...a pair Pro Compression. Ends 16th

On the 1st day of Christmas Lil' Mama gave to me...Terra Miaaaaa.

  And now what you've all been waiting for, the winner of the Pro Compression.  Drum roll please!

Kevin and Jess, please email me so I can get your information to Pro Compression

kyt1976@gmail.com,  Congrats!

1st Day of Christmas!

Today's date is 12-12-12 which can only mean one thing, we should start my 12 days of Christmas...YAY!!  Here we go!

On the 1st day of Christmas Lil' Mama gave to me...$20 to Terra Miaaaaa!  I would have to say that one of my favoritest (that's a word, look it up) foods is PIZZA!  It's a good thing that pizza and running go hand in hand.  There is no better way to carbo-load and thanks to the bathroom door in Gold's Gym I crave this place fort nightly.

(Picture from Terra Mia FB)

This is in Orem, UT so unless you live here or plan on visiting please do not enter this particular giveaway...sorry!

Here are a few of the menu items that I have tried.

(Picture from Terra Mia FB)

Margherita Pizza...YUM!!

(Picture from Terra Mia FB)

Pesto pizza is delicious as well!

Maybe you're feeling a little CrAzY, try Pesto!

(Picture from Terra Mia FB)

Penne Pesto with Chicken.

This is delicious.  I usually get a pizza, Jake gets pasta and we share...we're nice like that and YES we like Pesto!

(Picture from Terra Mia FB)

They have a fancy wood burning oven which cooks the pizza to perfection.  It's Delizioso!!!

The restaurant is clean and there is even a real live tree in the middle of the joint.  They have a little stage so you can do a song and dance if you feel so inclined :)  I think they have live entertainment from time to time but I haven't been lucky enough to witness such an event.  The staff there is also great.  Every time I have been there the workers have been super friendly and helpful.

I love that the pizza is simple and not greasy.  Plus I once read on their Facebook page that an entire Margherita pizza is only 750 calories and yes I can eat an entire pizza BY.MY.SELF!!

To enter the giveaway you must like Terra Mia on Facebook HERE!

Follow Terra Mia on Twitter HERE!

For a few extra entries share this post on Facebook, Twitter, your blog or better yet all 3.

You can also follow me on Twitter HERE!

Leave me a separate comment for everything you do and if for some reason you live under a rock and don't Facebook or Tweet just leave me a comment saying how badly you want to try this delicious place :)

I will pick a winner on the 15th and announce it, good luck!

The Dough Boys and Girl!

I'm a day late on my post, I'm sure you (all 3 of you that may be reading) have been dying to know how Crossfit went.  Well, I am here to say that I LOVED it!  Ashley is a die hard Crossfitter, she is amazing and has been doing some amazing things this past year, YAY Ashley!  Anywho, the gym she goes to is Elevated Crossfit and they had 3 days this week where people could come and try it out for FREE dollars!

I don't know the gal on the end, me, Jake, Holly, Jorge and Trent!

Jake, Holly, Jorge, Trent, Janae, Megan, Breann and I went on Thursday night!  Here is the workout:

With Teams of 4, and only 2 people working at a time, complete the following:
300 Pullups
400 Pushups
500 Situps
600 Squats

Jake and I teamed up with Chris and Chris, our team name was The Dough Boys and Girl.  Are they calling me fat?  Chris #1 was a Crossfitter and the rest of us were newbies.  It was obvious from the get go that Chris was a hard core competitor...my kind of fella'!  We started and I was SHOCKED at how well Jake did.  After all, the dude doesn't workout at all.  We busted out our pull-ups and were the first to start the push-ups...YES, we so totally rock ;)

Jake was a little dismayed when they announced that there would be NO knee push-ups.  He did amazing, he rocked the push-ups.  The sit-ups on the other hand were a bit of a struggle for him.  Luckily for him I could do sit-ups all day, especially with him holding my feet, which I kept telling him not to do but he wouldn't listen...oh well!  The squats were a breeze and I could have gone all day.  I'm used to weighted squats so body weight squats were super easy.

We finished in 25 minutes and were the winners.  It was a GREAT time!  We had to leave right after the workout to get Kobe from gymnastics and apparently we missed out on dodge ball :(  Dang it!

As soon as we got in the car Jake thought he was going to toss his cookies!  Crossfit got him good.  I was hoping to try "Fran" or "Betsy Sue" (I'm pretty sure I just made that one up) but I really loved every second of it!  It was so fun being in a big group seeing everyone work their little butts off! 

The 2 Chris' were awesome and so much fun to workout with.  The coaches were super nice.  Alan, made me give him a high 5 before the workout and I knew I was in for trouble.  Many of you don't know this but I DO NOT give high 5's, well until Thursday night that is :)  I'm a bit of a germaphobe and quite frankly I don't like to be touched.  By the end of the workout I was having such a great time that when Chris and Chris came in for a high 5 I happily obliged!  I am a changed woman...just kidding, don't touch me :)

Friday night I was DYING to go again!  I begged Jake to go back but he was too sore...booo hooo!!  I made him jump on my back to see if I could carry him, see the workout for last night was 50m partner carry and 20 med ball tosses repeated 4 times.  I was a little shocked to see that I could carry Jake and wanted to go sooooo sooooo badly!  DENIED!!!

This morning as Holly and I were finishing up our 14 mile run about the city I said, "Hey, we should run to Crossfit, do the workout and run home!"  Denied again!  We didn't want to show up in our "ninja" suits.  I got home and pulled up the WOD and dang it we should have gone!

Teams of three will complete the following:
As athlete one runs 200m, the other two will be doing as many reps as possible of:
athlete 2: kettlebell swings
athlete 3: push-ups
when athlete one returns they'll take #3s spot.
Capiche?

I capiche and I LIKE it!  Janae mentioned a Crossfit scholarship on her blog...BRILLIANT!  I would like to apply.  If I didn't already spend an exorbitant amount of money every month to send my kidlets to gymnastics I would be there in a second, you could even time me!

Maybe one day I will be able to come up with a way to make it work.  I ab.so.lutely loved working out with Jake, that's my favorite kind of date!

Are you a Crossfitter?

I sure wish I was!

Is it snowing at your house?

Yes and I LOVE it!!

Running On Empty=CRAP!!

I read an article a few months ago in Runner's World magazine called "Running On Empty."  I didn't like the sound of it nor did I like the idea of it.  I am a true believer that one must fuel their body if they expect it to perform.  Well, today I was pretty much running on empty and not on purpose.

Holly and I decided to sleep in and go to the gym once we got our kidlets off to the old school house.  I woke up and was quite a hungry so I had my breakfast.  An hour and a half later as I was heading out the door I thought to myself "maybe I should grab a banana or something small to get me through my workout."  Nah, after all it had only been an hour and half. 

We got to the gym and did a killer chest, triceps, back and biceps workout which took us about an hour and a half.  Then we headed outside for a lovely Fall run.  I was sooooo looking forward to today's run because we weren't going to freeze to death, like in the early morning hours, and because it is supposed to SNOW here tomorrow.  I have come a long way as far as running in the cold but running in the snow still scares me a little.  After all, I'm quite klutzy as of late!!!

We decided we would hit less traffic if we started UP HILL.  It is a very long hill and quite steep.  I thought perhaps I might die.  Finally after 1.5 miles of running straight uphill we hit a downhill...YAY!!  I was feeling okay and just enjoying the weather.  It was super windy which didn't bother me at first because 1. it was pushing us and 2. it was blowing the leaves off the trees which looked awesome.  It was raining leaves and I loved it.

I was starting to feel a bit sluggish at about mile 4 where we hit Mama Jex's work. We stopped to chat, get a drink and use the facilities ;)  They have closed up all of the bathrooms around town for the winter months which means we have to plan ahead a bit for our pit stops.

Did I mention that it was quite hot outside?  It was 70 degrees which really is perfect but we have become accustomed to running in sub 40 degree weather so it felt pretty hot.  We hit "Butthole Hill" as it has come to be known and I thought I might die...again!

We had a flat stretch, thank the heavens, before another big hill.  We both decided to walk the stupid hill and it still felt hard, WTHeck ;)  Once we hit the top of the hill we had a nice downhill, the only problem was that by this point the wind had really picked up and was pushing against us.  I never knew that running downhill could be so blasted hard.  I was starving and so thirsty by this point, about mile 6.  I ran with my "sippy cup" but had sucked it all down.  I kept thinking about the article I had read, I knew I didn't like it for a reason!

I kept reminding myself that I was grateful to be running outside and that it was the perfect day for a lovely 9 mile run!  After another hill we finally hit the best part of our route which is down the first hill that we ran up.  Again, the wind made it hard to go very fast.  I was trying to talk positively to myself, we were almost there.  Holly said, "We can do anything for 10 minutes right?"  Of course we could.  We kept chugging along and I was starting to feel really weird. 

We FINALLY got to the gym, 9 miles done and done!  I truly loved every miserable second of this run.  That sounds a bit strange but I really did love it.

When we got in the car I realized that it had been 5 hours since my last "feeding!"  Hello, I usually eat every 3-4 hours and that's when I'm not killing myself at the gym and running all over the town.

I got home and sucked down my delicious smoothie...perhaps a little to fast!  I was fighting not throwing it up and felt HORRIBLE!  I was very weak and shaky, it took everything I had just to stand in the shower for a few minutes.

After a few hours I finally feel better but holy crap I will NEVER do that again.  I'm sure I sound like a crazy person but 5 hours without food is a long time for me.  I also know that a lot of people wake up and workout on an empty stomach but that is NOT for me.  I know that if I want my body to do all that I ask of it that I had better fuel it.

I want to know what you think about running on empty  Do you do it or have you ever tried it?