runDisney Haunted Mansion Virtual 5K

Hi there, friends! New blog post - who dis? 

Yes, it's been a LONG time, but I have very good reason. If you follow me on instagram, then you know that Hurricane Laura hit my home town of Lake Charles, LA as a category 4 hurricane and wreaked havoc everywhere. My initial intention to run the final leg of the runDisney summer virtual 5K series on my birthday (August 27th) changed as that was the day that Laura hit and pretty much ranks up there as one of the worst days I've had in a very long time. 

After returning home a week later, we spent a good bit of time cleaning up our yard and my parent's yard. We also lived at their house for three weeks with a generator, waiting on our electricity to turn back on. It's been an interesting road and one where I've tried to stay positive, but running has been hard for many reasons. 

So, my well laid plans of running the Haunted Mansion 5K on August 27th were altered and instead, the distance was completed on October 1st. Better late than never, right? 

This has been the first week in a while where I felt like I could truly breathe and had a little bit of extra "free" time in the evenings. Last night, Brayden and I set out on our 5K journey together and I felt like our route was fitting for the "theme" of this race - it was daunting with a hint of eerie mixed in. :)

Our start line began in front of the garage (complete with hurricane damage) and our remaining stash of MRE's - perfectly fitting for the three miles ahead! 

As we ran, we encountered a few doggies (thankfully the were on the smaller side), downed trees on the side of the road, tarped roofs on houses, and several friendly faces outside who waved as we passed. 

Trees like this are everywhere and it always amazes me to see - the root ball of the tree was literally ripped out of the ground! The powerful force of hurricanes completely blows my mind.

We reached mile 3 as the sun began to set, among the various debris lined streets.

At a month out from the storm, things around here are slowly starting to improve. Tree trucks make the rounds daily to pick up roadside tree debris. They haven't even started on the other debris yet (shingles, fencing, siding, etc). Although they are working hard, this is going to be a very slow and gradual process. I told Jason that I'm truly learning how to "chill" because I want everything done like a sprint and this will definitely be like a "marathon" to complete. 

Our finish line landed us right back in my front yard, complete with the remains of my fence I worked so hard to stain back in the spring (yes, I'm bitter about it)! 

...and with that, the three part runDisney Virtual 5K Summer Series turned Fall Series is complete! :)

I plan to return (soon) with more stories from our hurricane "adventures" and the cleanup process. This has been one of the most interesting experiences of my life and one I hope we don't have to go through again for a very very long time. 

Have a great weekend! 

Running Fuel

I find it highly amusing that the topic of today's "Tuesday Topics Link Up" is all about how you fuel for a run.

Why is this funny, you may ask? Well, let me replay my Friday evening.

9:00 p.m. - Hey Jason, you wanna watch that Bird Box movie on Netflix? Sure.
11 p.m. - Movie is over and I'm SO WIRED because I don't do suspenseful or horror movies. I think I'm about to lose my mind.
Midnight - Still can't sleep. Hey, let's work on trying to transfer all 100,000 pictures from my iphone to my computer. No time like the present, right? (But for real...it's like 24,000 pictures. Anyone else feel me?!)
1 a.m. - If I don't go to bed, I'm seriously not going to wake up for my long run in the morning (and not waking up was seriously not an option)
2 a.m. - Barely asleep, I heard the sound of Brayden crying because he wanted "momma's bed". Alright, kid...come in momma's bed.
4:30 a.m. - The toddler was giggling in his sleep. Giggling. It was cute but 4:30 a.m.? Really? His giggling got him transferred right back into his own bed.
6 a.m. - A crazy freak storm moved through the area. Every time it thundered (happened at least three times), I JUMPED out of bed like the Bird Box ghost was headed my way.

Needless to say, it was not a productive night of sleep. Oh yes, and Brayden's monitor decided to have a sporadic connection which then caused the machine to annoyingly beep and beep and beep. It got itself turned off on two separate occasions during the night.

So, when my alarm went off at 7:15 a.m., the rain had just passed and I was ready to just get my long run over with.

What did my sleep deprived foggy brain have me do? I got dressed, grabbed a bottle of water, then headed out the door.

It was around mile 4 of my 10 mile run that I realized I didn't eat breakfast. Not even a typical pre-run bar or a banana. (Totally NOT in my norm...like at all.)

When I started getting light headed at mile 9, I realized I also didn't have any gels, GU, chomps, sports beans, not a single thing on me.

What. In. The. World.

Y'all, I've been a runner for 10 years now. I've run 6 marathons and 30+ half marathons and definitely know better. What possessed me to forgo any and all nutrition, food, gels, or gatorade at the least?! 

I'm not sure I know the answer, but the breakfast Jason had waiting on me when I returned home was everything I'd ever dreamed of!

All I can say is, I blame it on the Bird Box. Thanks, Sandra. 

Join Kookyrunnerand Zenaida every Tuesday for the Tuesday Topics Linkup!

February Half Marathons Training Log

Hello there and happy Friday! It's been a while and I do mean a LONG while since I posted on a Fitness Friday topic, but since I'm approaching a couple of half marathons next month, this is long overdue!

Currently Training For: 

• Spooky Trail 10 Miler 
  
• Cowboy Gallop 10K (Didn't run - was sick)
  
• Rock n Roll San Antonino Half 
• Rock n Roll New Orleans
• Fairy Tale Challenge (Princess 10K + Half Marathon)

Monday of this week was my only chance for an early morning workout at Orangetheory, so I snagged it! 

This was a strength workout and well, those inclines...ouch.

Early morning workouts are my favorite because I love being able to go home and relax after work.

On Tuesday, I went for a 3 mile walk with Brayden and my friend Melissa. The weather was supposed to be hit or miss this weekend and it was a pretty afternoon, so we took advantage of it!

After arriving home from work on Wednesday, I was ready to RUN! I usually don't like to do too many back-to-back days because of my crazy knees, but I decided to go for it anyway!

Brayden and I were racing the sunset and made it home just in time. Sadly, it was too dark to finish out the last half mile, so we called it quits at 2.5 instead!

Thursday afternoon called for another Orangetheory workout and this time, it focused on endurance and power. 

The floor workout ended with planks...and lots of them! It was incredibly tough for me but I am seriously proud of how much of a change I've seen with my overall strength since starting Orangetheory. It may seem like a small thing to some, but before starting OTF, it was ROUGH for me to hold a plank for 30 seconds and now, I can hold them for longer without shaking! I love to see an improvement when you've been working so hard at something!

In other news this week, Brayden decided to surprise me by counting to twenty! He's had 0-10 down for a while, so we added 11-20 just about a week and a half ago. Much to my surprise, I asked him to count for me this week and bam...he knew them all! It's crazy how much toddlers soak up and learn in such a short amount of time! 

He's also been obsessed with the Alexa that Jason received for Christmas. He knows how to tell her to play a multitude of songs as well as how to turn the volume up. Sadly, she doesn't respond to him all of the time because he calls her "Wexa" which of course makes me giggle. It's so funny to hear him talk to her!

Tomorrow is a planned 10 mile training run in preparation for Rock n Roll New Orleans! The race weekend will be here before we know it and I can't wait! It's going to be a fun one!

I hope you all have a great weekend! 

Fitness Friday - 10/26

Happy Friday, friends! It's been a while since I've posted a dedicated "Fitness Friday" post, so here we go!

Currently Training For:

• Dopey Challenge 2018 - Walt Disney World
• Rock n Roll New Orleans Half Marathon 2018 - New Orleans, LA 
• Contraband Days 5 Miler 
• 4 on the 4th
• Castaway Cay 5K (Cancelled)
• Spooky Trail 10 Miler
  
• Cowboy Gallop 10K
  
• Rock n Roll San Antonino Half 
• Fairy Tale Challenge 

This week has not been the best in terms of workouts for me, but I'm ok with that because I signed up to run a 10 mile trail run this weekend! More on that in a few...

Last week, I began coming down with some kind of sinus gunk. I never felt like I had a cold and I never ran fever, so I just assumed it was my sinuses. By the weekend, it had settled into my chest and I was coughing pretty bad. I made the decision to forgo my Saturday morning long run. We were also planning a trip to visit a couple of Louisiana plantation homes, so I figured a long day on my feet wouldn't help the situation.

On Monday morning, I needed to get in a workout, so I got up early and headed to Orangetheory for a Strength Day. It was a good workout and I felt great after I left.

By Wednesday, my cough wasn't getting any better and I already had an ENT appointment scheduled. After seeing my ENT, she confirmed that I had an upper respiratory infection and gave me a shot of steroids as well as an antibiotic. Great. Although I was planning a run that afternoon, I decided it would be in my body's best effort to sit that one out, too.

Since I can't sit still long (like at all), I decided to partake in my very first hell week workout on Thursday morning. It was a pretty intense but doable workout where you literally had zero downtime or rest time at all. It was also supposed to be a partner workout, but since I arrived a few minutes late and was the odd man out, I just kind of followed the group next to me and it all worked out!

Our coaches are all dressed up for the fun week, too! Mine was an inmate yesterday! 

Now it's Friday and I'm feeling a little bit better this morning, but I'm not sure what I'll do in terms of a workout today. Since I signed up for a trail run that is going to be held on Saturday morning, I might just take a short walk to get some fresh air today after work. I've never run trails before (except one time), so I'm nervous about what to expect. We were also informed that there will be no water stations along the trails, so I purchased a couple of flipbelt water bottles to use. Hopefully it will all work out ok. Yes, I'm incredibly unprepared for this, but it was a last minute decision and instead of running circles around my house for my scheduled 10 miles, I thought it would be nice to have a change of scenery!

This weekend is also our local university's homecoming, so I met up with my friend Jane for our traditional visit to the homecoming parade! We had so much fun and I loved that Brayden was old enough this year to understand what was going on! He loved it when I would pick him up so he could wave at the floats for candy! Picking the beads and candy up off of the ground was also another fun new discovery. It was just too cute!

Well, that's my week in a nutshell! I you have any trail run advice for me, I would appreciate it!

Pumpkin King 5K

Fall has finally arrived here in Southwest Louisiana! I've been talking about it long enough and yesterday, it finally decided to make it's appearance. Cool weather stuck around the entire day!

Not being one to miss an opportunity like that, I got Brayden suited up and we set out on a quick 5K run. It had been a while since I ran a 5K at a pretty quick (for me) timed pace and I wanted to see how much of a difference the combination of cooler weather and all my hard work at Orangetheory would make.

Also, the guys over at Level Up Virtual Runs offered a spot for me in their Pumpkin King 5K, so I decided to earn my medal with yesterday's run!

We had a great time running our usual route, rolling over bumps in the road and giggling at silly antics. Although pushing a 32+ pound toddler in a stroller can be tiring at times, we really do have fun together! 

After our run, I handed the medal for him to look at. He quickly put it around his neck, smiled for the camera, and said "teee-eeese" (his version of "cheese").

By the end of our run, I was definitely winded and proud of our time! We ran an 8:45 for the first mile, an 8:23 for the second mile, and an 8:20 for the third mile - all a vast improvement from my running times this summer. Regardless of the reason (weather, Orangetheory, or both), I'll take it!

This medal really is a pretty one and perfect for both fall and any Nightmare Before Christmas fans! I love the detail that's included with the medal's lanyard as well. This medal reminds me so much of the Hallowishes fireworks held during this time of year at Walt Disney World.

Interested in registering? There's still time and these medals ship fast! Head over to Level Up Virtual Runs to get signed up and be sure to use code PUMPKINKING at checkout for 10% off your order! 

Happy Halloween and Happy Running! :)

Disclaimer: I received entry into the Pumpkin King 5K free of charge in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Fitness Friday - 9/28

What a week! After Friday night's Gleaux Run, I was worn smack out. My fitbit calculated about 8 miles for the evening and Saturday was spent catching up on rest. Let's see how the rest of the week went...

Currently Training For:

• Dopey Challenge 2018 - Walt Disney World
• Rock n Roll New Orleans Half Marathon 2018 - New Orleans, LA 
• Contraband Days 5 Miler 
• 4 on the 4th
• Castaway Cay 5K (Cancelled)
• Cowboy Gallop 10K
  
• Rock n Roll San Antonino Half 
• Fairy Tale Challenge 

Sunday - Rest day
Monday - 4 mile run
Tuesday - Rest Day
Wednesday - Orangetheory ESP workout
Thursday - 3 mile walk with a friend
Friday - Orangetheory

Remember that cool front I was talking about that was supposed to hit this weekend? Yeah, well...it disappeared. Another front was coming through and pushed it out of the way. Sad times. It's like the groundhog in February, except it's as if we're going to have 8 more weeks of summer. Whomp whomp.

Anyway, I decided to hit the road on Monday for a 4 mile run after taking the weekend off to recuperate from Friday night's event. That time off was just what I needed and the run felt great!

See what I mean about the weather? UGH.

I felt great during this run and even managed to achieve negative splits! The first mile was a 9:20, the second was a 9:11, the third was 9:02, and the last was 8:49 - all of this was the result of a solo run (minus the Bob...and the 30 pound toddler)!

Wednesday's workout was a super difficult but great one as well! We had an ESP workout at Orangetheory and it seriously encompassed all areas of endurance, strength, and power.  For the last all out, I even managed a 30 second sprint that was a little higher from my norm. We also used power bands which killed my legs, but it was an overall amazing workout! I just love those!

I also got off of work early which means I arrived early and was the first one there. I thought it was hilarious to see my name by itself on the screen...naturally, I had to snap a picture! Nerd...yep.

Not fitness related at all, but super fun...our DVC kit arrived in the mail this week! Talk about magic mail at its finest! :)

Today, I'm headed back to Orangetheory for another session. I absolutely love working out first thing in the morning. Having a shower at the gym also helps, because I can go directly to work after the workout!

We don't have many plans this weekend and I'm 100% ok with that! I hope you all have a great one!

Fitness Friday - 9/1

Another week has come and gone! Although tomorrow is officially the first day of fall, it doesn't feel like anything has changed here. Thankfully, we have heard talks of a possible cool front next weekend which should leave temps in the upper 60's!! I cannot wait!

How did this week go? Let's take a look!

Currently Training For:

• Dopey Challenge 2018 - Walt Disney World
• Rock n Roll New Orleans Half Marathon 2018 - New Orleans, LA 
• Contraband Days 5 Miler 
• 4 on the 4th
• Castaway Cay 5K (Cancelled)
• Rock n Roll San Antonino Half 
• Fairy Tale Challenge 

Saturday - 5 Mile Run 
Sunday - Rest Day
Monday - Orangetheory Power Day (OUCH)
Tuesday - Rest Day (my legs were so tired from OTF the day before)
Wednesday - Orangetheory Run to Row
Thursday - Walk at the Park with Brayden
Friday - Gleaux Run 5K

As I mentioned earlier, this week was HOT with no sign of fall anywhere. On Saturday morning, I made a dumb mistake and thought I could run a little bit later in the morning since it was "cooling off" outside. WRONG. By the time we finished our 5 mile run, the temps were "feels like 100 degrees" and I was so drained of all of my energy.

I definitely won't make that mistake again!

After a much needed rest day on Sunday, I returned to Orangetheory on Monday morning for a class with my favorite coach. It was power day and we seriously had like 12 all outs on the treadmill or something crazy like that. TWELVE. If you aren't familiar with the Orangetheory lingo, that's 12 times that we had to run our hardest for a set time (1 minute x 4, then 45 seconds x 4, then 30 seconds x 4). My hips were so sore by Tuesday morning!

After another rest day on Tuesday, I returned to Orangetheory on Wednesday for an endurance and upper body workout.

This one was a run to row (where we ran on the treadmills, then rowed - back and forth a few times). We also did an upper body workout which involved a bunch of pushups. My weakest area is my upper body, so to see slight improvements in the way I move and weights I can lift is really great!

On Thursday afternoon, Brayden and I went to the park for a quick walk, then I chased him around while he played between the splash pad and the slides. Chasing a toddler around is serious cardio, y'all. I'm not joking, either!

So much fun at the park!

The remainder of my week was spent planning Gleaux Run things! This will be our fourth Gleaux Run and I'm so excited to see how it all turns out!

I love volunteering with the American Cancer Society because I know my time, effort, energy, and dollars are going to a worthy cause.

If you'd like to follow along with the progress of this year's Gleaux Run, check out my stories on instagram - I'll be posting there throughout the day starting around 12 noon central time. :)

Last but not least, we had several good eats this week! For lunch one day, I visited my favorite salad place with my coworkers! I always order the China Town and it's delicious! 

Jason also cooked his mom's vegetable soup recipe and that was delicious as well!

I hope the first day of fall will treat you better than it's treating us! Have a fabulous weekend!

Do you have any exciting weekend plans?

Tips to Keep the Excitement in Running

Let's face it - after running for a while, we all get to a point where we feel tired, worn out, or simply burnt out. I have certainly felt that way many times over the past 10 years or so since becoming a runner, and have found a few tips that help every time I feel that "slump" coming on. Today, I'm sharing a few of my favorite tips with you to help keep the excitement in running!

#1 Change It Up
Do you continually run the same route over and over again? Well, maybe it's time to branch out and explore...find a new route! Do you have a national park near your home? How about a gorgeous lake or a pretty school campus? Seeing new things or running a new route is always a plus for me. Add some variety to your running routes and it will make a world of difference, I promise!

#2 Register For A Race
Are you currently registered for a race? Having a race to train for and look forward to always gives a little extra motivational push for me and it's a great way to add some excitement to your training plan! Finding a local or even an out of town race can be a great way to give a little more excitement to your running regime!

#3 Find A Friend
Having a friend or a buddy to share in the miles with makes all the difference in the world. Branch out and find a local running group! It's not as intimidating as it seems, I promise. Running with a friend helps the miles fly!

#4 Cross Train 
Mix it up! Add a little variety to your training plan with a cross training day or two per week. Do you have a local gym, a spin studio, Orangetheory, a pool, or even access to YouTube? The list could go on and on. There's so many ways to incorporate cross training into your routine and your body will thank you for it, too!

#5 New Shoes
Ok, who doesn't love a run in a brand new pair of cushy running shoes for the first time? Or what about a cute new outfit to add to your running wardrobe? Yes, this one is totally superficial and I'm not encouraging you to go out and buy a new running outfit every single time you feel like you are in a slump, but it doesn't hurt every once in a while! Sometimes, you just gotta look for the little things....

Last but not least, REST.  When your body is telling you it's tired and you need to rest, go ahead and do it. I'm sure you've heard it a million times, but it's SO important to listen to your body and take those rest days when needed. When your next running day comes around, you'll feel refreshed and excited to run once again!

Running is such a fun sport and when that sparkle of excitement dims, it's sometimes hard to find it once again. So, I hope these tips have helped if you're needing to find that excitement once again!

How do you keep the excitement in running? 

It's the Tuesdays On The Run Linkup with Erika, Marcia and Patty. 

Fitness Friday - 9/14

Long time no Fitness Friday!

This was our first full week back at work from vacation and we really got back into the swing of things! Brayden is doing awesome at Mother's Day Out and loves his little class! I was also able to get back into the groove with running and Orangetheory as well. Let's take a look!

Currently Training For:

• Dopey Challenge 2018 - Walt Disney World
• Rock n Roll New Orleans Half Marathon 2018 - New Orleans, LA 
• Contraband Days 5 Miler 
• 4 on the 4th
• Castaway Cay 5K (Cancelled)
• Rock n Roll San Antonino Half 
• Fairy Tale Challenge 

Sunday - Rest Day
Monday - 3 Mile Run with Brayden
Tuesday - Orangetheory Endurance Workout
Wednesday - Orangetheory Strength Workout
Thursday - Rest Day
Friday - To be determined! :)
Saturday - 5 Mile Run

What a fun week we had!

Towards the end of last week, I had a small punch biopsy on my lower back which resulted in two stitches. All is well and nothing is wrong, but I was instructed not to work out for "a while". In my mind, "a while" translated to take it easy on the weekend and it's ok to resume on Monday...so yeah, that's what I decided to go with. Nurses are stubborn folks, I tell ya.

So, on Monday after work, I loaded Brayden up and we went out on a 3 mile run around the neighborhood! It had been a while since he'd gone with me and he enjoyed seeing familiar sights. About halfway through, I noticed the air in one of the tires was almost completely flat. Whomp whomp.

Oh well, we still kept a good cadence and pace! I was happy with it!

After work on Tuesday, I stopped by Orangetheory for an endurance workout.

This. Workout. Was. So. Tough.

We did mini bands along with other crazy things on the weight floor. The treadmill workout wasn't easy either. I've also noticed a huge change in my splat points since this new formulation they've come up with. My calories and average heart rate stay about the same, but I'm in red a LOT more. I used to feel like I had to workout to the max in order to just get in the orange zone and now, I'm hitting the red zone when I work out in the same manner.
 

So, I took that idea into account on Wednesday when I returned for my next Orangetheory workout and I dialed it back just a smidge. To be honest, I felt kind of tired from the previous day's workout, but by dialing it back a little, I actually felt great! I also love that no two days are the same movements, so where we did a TON of squats on Tuesday, we did mostly upper body on Wednesday. You'll notice my red zone time is much less, but my average heart rate and calories burned are close. I think I'll continue to take this approach from now on.

Thursday was a rest day because I was seriously sore from three days in a row of pretty hard workouts/running. I am pretty sure I haven't done anything like that since Dopey's Challenge in January!

Other fun things this week included a Disney Cruse Line inspired dinner of Jerk Chicken and Dole Whips for dessert. These "dole whips" are super easy to make and relatively low in calorie! I was shocked to see that this ranged about 70 calories per serving!

I'll definitely share this recipe in an upcoming post soon!

I also enjoyed a lot of fun Brayden time this weekend since Jason was working nights! We spent Saturday morning at the mall, playing with a friend!

He LOVES being around other kids and he especially loves the little playground in the mall. It's so much fun and a great way to spend a gloomy Saturday morning. Auntie Anne's pretzels might also be right across the way and they get me almost every time. Dangit.

Seriously, though...how grown up is he?! I just love it!

Well, that's my week in a nutshell! I hope to do some yard work this afternoon/evening and plan on a distance run tomorrow. I'll have to bring Brayden along, so air in the Bob tires will be necessary this time around!

Have a great weekend! Do you have any fun plans?