New Year - New Me!

First, I apologize for the blog being so dormant over the holidays.  We had my in-laws over for dinner the Saturday before Christmas, left for my parents on Christmas eve and have been hanging with them ever since.  I will write a more detailed post about our holidays once I get home (we're at their cabin in the north Georgia mountains).

Sitting around here has given me a lot of time to think about what I want to accomplish for myself next year.  I can't believe that it's been 9 months since I made the decision to pick up running again with a goal to complete my first half marathon (which is only 53 days away!!!!)  Now that 2013 is literally just around the corner, I have begun to make new goals for myself -

Be Better About Meal Planning

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I did okay off and on throughout the year with this last year, but next year I want to make this a priority for both J and myself.  It takes the guesswork out of the infamous "What's for dinner?" question and will cut down on the amount of times I have to stop by the grocery store (which J hates!).  It will also lead to more healthy choices for us.  Making and taking my lunch also falls into this category - I need to minimize the amount of times I eat out during the week!

Lacing up a minimum of 3 days a week

Once daylight savings time hit and the temperatures began to drop, so did the amount of time I would spend outside running.  It didn't seem like that big of a deal....until I ran a 10k after running only once in a two week period.  I'm by no means fast, but I could really tell that I was struggling throughout the run.  They day after was even worse - my hips were killing me, my ankles were sore, and I felt like I had been beat up.  This was a huge eye opener that I cannot let my training runs slip and expect to do my best.  I absolutely HATE the "dreadmill" so in order to make this happen I plan to go back to taking my clothes to work and stopping at the Greenway on my way home to get in my two training runs during the week, and then leaving my long runs for the weekend.

Add strength training to my routine

I have been wanting to try Crossfit for some time now, and earlier this month Sharon and I bought a Groupon deal for a Crossfit gym.  We plan to start next week and I will definitely be documenting my journey.  I have hopes that this will help me increase my stamina with running as well as building muscle for my first Warrior Dash in May!

Lose Weight

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Ah...the cliche New Years resolution that about 90% of the world's population set as a goal.  I do not have a goal weight in mind, but I want my body to feel better and I want to feel better about my body.  Doing the things I have already mentioned will help me chisel off this weight.

13 in 2013

I joined a challenge to run 13 races in 2013, and so far I'm already registered for five (SeaBee 10k run, Locomotive 5k, Princess Half Marathon, Georgia Publix Half Marathon, and Warrior Dash), AND I have my eyes set on a girls "runcation" to California to participate in the inaugural Dumbo Double Dare.  As long as I'm able to remain injury free, I should be able to check this resolution off this time next year!

Beat my PRs!

In participating with Crossfit, running more, and eating better, I really hope to surpass my PRs in both the 5k and 10k distances.  Since the Princess half marathon is my first, I won't really use that as a PR goal to break as it's just a fun run.  The Publix half marathon in March will give me a better idea of what I will need to do to break its time, whatever it may be.  :)

Blog More and Up my Social Media Presence

There were times this past year where I went a little too long without posting, so next year I want to set a goal for myself to blog at least 3-4 days a week.  I don't feel that my life is interesting enough to post every single day, but 3-4 days is a more realistic goal for myself.  I also want to be more active on my Facebook Fan Page (if you haven't already, please go and "Like" it!), Twitter, and Instagram.

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I know for a fact that every single one of these goals can be easily met if I just put my mind to it.  I'm looking forward to what 2013 brings!

Do you have any goals for yourself?  

Until next time,

Jen

From Our Family To Yours....

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

From Jason, Jen, and Guinness

RunDisney Announces the Dumbo Double Dare!

While I haven't gotten my first taste of a RunDisney race yet (my first will be the Princess half marathon in 2 months), my friend, Amanda, and I have already started to plan to get our Coast to Coast medals by running the Disneyland half next Labor Day weekend.  Neither one of us has ever been to Disneyland before, and it will be a fun girls weekend "runcation".

I was browsing Facebook yesterday when I saw that RunDisney had posted a video with an announcement

I got soooo incredibly excited!!  AND....they're doing a mini-Goofy like challenge and calling it the "Dumbo Double Dare" - you run the 10k on Saturday and half marathon on Sunday!  You get a medal for each race and then a special medal for completing the Double Dare.  Those, along with our Coast to Coast Challenge will make 4 medals!  Talk about some serious bling!

I was debating on going Goofy in 2014, but I think being in an inaugural race would be way cooler, so Goofy is going on the back burner for a few years...maybe I'll wait and run it during the 25th anniversary of the WDW marathon...who knows!

Registration opens on January 22nd, but if you're attending the WDW marathon weekend you can sign up early at the expo.  You can find all the information here. (Make sure you save me a spot!)

So...will you be doing the Dumbo Double Dare?

Until next time,

Jen

Peachtree Corners 10k recap

This past Saturday I completed my final race of 2012 - the Peachtree Corners 10k.  Sharon and I decided to meet up the night before for a pizza dinner to get some carbs before the race.  I did my usual pre-race ritual and laid out what I planned to wear -

I set my alarm for 6:45 (the race wasn't too far from my house).  When it went off I swore I hit snooze, but I turned it off and woke up at 7:45!!  Nothing better than to start the race day off in a panic!  I threw everything on and ran out the door to pick up Sharon.  Thank goodness the race didn't start until 9:15 so we were okay on time.

We got there and parked, hurried to get our things together, and speed walked to get our bibs.  We didn't have a ton of time, so stretching was fast and probably not enough of it was done.  We did see this guy waiting for the race to start -

 Props to him!  I'm not sure I could run in his costume!

Finally they had us move up closer to the starting line, and we were off!  The course was a loop, so the 5k'ers did it once and the 10k'ers did it twice.  Sharon and I stayed together for a few but then I broke away from her.  The first mile is always tough for me as I try and get into my groove, and seeing that I have been a bad runner and not really doing my training runs like I should, the race as a whole was especially tough.  I even debated on doing the 5k and not the 10k on race day, but I pushed through.

The course was pretty nice..a few hills that I wasn't a fan of, but it did go through a neighborhood, and some of the residents were camped out on their lawns and porches and cheering for the runners.

Between miles 4 and 5 my legs really started to feel fatigued.  I did more walking than I would have liked to have done, but once I got out of the neighborhood on the second loop they started to feel a little better.  I'm not the fastest runner, so by the time I finished the race they had already turned the time clock off!  At least there were still a few people there cheering.

Per my Garmin, I was 6 minutes slower than my last 10k, but considering my lack of training I didn't think it was too terribly bad.  I waited a couple of minutes for Sharon, then walked down to get my finisher's shirt, and as I was walking back up I saw her cross the line.  She went and got her shirt and we walked to the car to head home, but had to get a couple of pictures first!

My awesome mom made the skirt for me, and it was pretty easy!  I can't wait to make more in different colors and add a little sparkle to my runs :)

After the race we made a pit stop at Panera as there wasn't really anything left for us at the race.  A bagel and some water really hit the spot.

 I went home, showered, and took a nap on the couch for a couple of hours.  We had a tacky sweater party to go to that night so I had to get ready and bake my dish.  I'll post pictures of the party later, but it was a lot of fun!

Sunday was rough...my hips were KILLING me.  I was walking around like an old woman.  This was the kick in my ass that I needed to get motivated to run more.  I simply cannot not run and expect my body to bounce back after running a 10k!  Today my body finally feels almost back to normal, so I'm going to crank out a 1-2 mile run after work.

I would really love your help!  I am trying to win a month of Crossfit from a local Crossfit box.  If you could go here and "Like" my comment I would appreciate it.  You don't have to "Like" their page...just my comment.  The contest goes until next Friday and the person with the most "Likes" on their comment wins! Right now I'm falling behind!

Until next time,

Jen

National Blogging Day of Silence

13 in 2013...Are You In?

A couple of fellow bloggers, Jill and Jen, have partnered up to create the 13 in 2013 challenge. 

The goal of this challenge is simple - to run 13 races in 2013.  You can choose from any of the distances - 13 5ks, 10ks, half marathons, marathons, trails, or a mixture of them all!

I chose to do the mixture.  I've already registered for four races for 2013-

SeaBee Run - Honolulu, HI (Feb)

Orlando, FL (Feb)

Atlanta, GA (Mar)

Mountain City, GA (May)

I have more planned in my head, but I'm officially registered for all of these.  This year I have participated in 12 races this year with one to go!  If I can do 13 races in 2012, I should most definitely be able to do it in 2013!

Have you joined the challenge?

Until next time,

Jen

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

I'm still here!  Sorry for the lack of posts...I feel like I'm apologizing a lot lately, but I truly do feel bad.  And welcome to my new readers!

Once we got home from my parent's cabin after spending most of Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving week with them, J helped me set up our new faux Christmas tree that we bought on Black Friday.  We didn't get up super early and go with everybody else shopping, but we still got 20% off the tree.  I wasn't crazy about the idea of not having a real tree, but it makes more sense for us since we're never home on Christmas morning.  Once we have kids, that could change though.

I took the Monday after Thanksgiving off to give me some extra time to get some decorating done.  I got the tree decorated as well as our mantle and the table in our foyer.  As I was decorating I noticed that we don't really have that many surfaces to display things on! (That's probably a good thing though)

Our Christmas tree!

 Here are the elements to the mantle as well as the overall finished product -

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

We don't ever use our fireplace so I wanted to spruce it up a bit.  I found an idea similar to this on Pinterest -

I bought some pinecones from Target and layered them with a strand of white lights.  Then I put fresh fraiser fir clipping in the basket with them.  I think it needs a little color to it so I'm going to wrap a red ribbon around the basket.

The whole fireplace

I also found on Pinterest (you see this is becoming a pattern, right?) a very cute red burlap wreath, and I knew I wanted to try and make one for our front door.  Last year I had a major fail trying to make an ornament wreath, so I had my fingers crossed that this one would work out much better...and it did!

 And here's the completed look for the front door -

I'm still in the process of hanging wreaths on the windows.  I got the two downstairs done last night and will get the two upstairs hung this evening.

And here is the table in the foyer - 

I'm trying to convince J to put a couple of things in the yard, but no such luck yet :P

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I've signed up for a couple more races for next year.  While we're in Hawai'i, I'll be running a 10k on Ford Island, which is part of the Pearl Harbor Naval Base.  I'm really looking forward to this race as it will help me prepare for the Princess half marathon that happens two weeks later!

I've also signed up for my very first Warrior Dash!  It's next May, and since they had a Cyber Monday deal, I jumped on it.  I'll be running with a couple of friends and while I'm a little nervous about it, I think I have plenty of time to prepare.

Next Saturday I have a Christmas 10K that Sharon and I are running in.  I've been working to put together my outfit and found the perfect socks - 

I think I'll pair them with a red sparkle skirt, black shorts/capris (depending on the weather), and a green running tank.  Just need to decide if I want to wear anything on my head and I'll be good to go!

Some of my fellow bloggers have gotten together and come up with a photo challenge for Instagram.  It's called the Holiday a Day challenge.  Each day you take a picture of whatever item/theme matched up for that day, post it on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc, and make sure you use the hashtag #holidayaday.  It's been fun to see what everyone is sharing!  Here's the schedule in case you're interested in joining in a little late -

 

I've got a 5 mile run on the schedule for this weekend.  It will be my last long run before the 10k, and I'm hoping to shave some time off my 10k for a better corral placement in the half marathon.  Fingers crossed!

Until next time,

Jen

Turkey Trot 5k recap

Sorry it's been a minute since I posted!!  I was waiting for my parents to send me pictures of my brother and I running the Turkey Trot 5k last week, but alas...they left their camera at their cabin, so I can't get the pictures until next week.  So...I figured since it's been awhile I would go ahead and write my recap, post the few pictures I took with my phone, and then add theirs in once I get them :)

My brother and I woke up nice and early Thanksgiving morning and headed into Blue Ridge.  Parking was a breeze and there were a ton of people lined up to pick up their race shirts and bib numbers.  We heard the announcer say that over 300 people has signed up early, and there were even more that were signing up that morning!  For a small town like Blue Ridge, that's an amazing turnout!

We did a warm up run to the car to put our shirts away, pin our numbers on, and shed our layers (well...I did...Chris decided to run in his pants since it was cold!)  As we were walking back toward the start we saw our parents and my other brother, Phillip.  We gave them our jackets so we would have easy access to them after the race, did some stretching, and then headed to the start line.

Since this was a run/walk, I'm sure a lot of people didn't know the proper race etiquette that if you're walking, please start toward the back.  I usually get right around the middle.

Ready to go!

The race started about 15 minutes late, but oh well...what can ya do?  I know they were being nice and letting the latecomers get to the starting line, but how can you be late for an 8 a.m. start?  It's not that early! :)  

Chris ready to start running

Finally, the air horn sounded and we were off!  I felt pretty decent at the beginning of the race, and then the cold air got to my lungs.  I felt like I was choking!  I had to do more stops to walk than I would have liked.  My hands and thighs also got pretty cold (I was wearing long shorts and compression sleeves as I had no running pants at the time).  My parents and brother were camped out just after the 1 mile mark, so it was nice to see them there cheering us on.  I kept going with my run/walk method, and when I looped back by my parents and brother, Phillip actually joined me and ran the last mile of the race with me :)  I tried to get him to actually run but he said he didn't think he could do it (I totally think he would have been fine).  We chatted a bit as we ran and walked, and he even pulled ahead of me at the finish line!

I think it should be against the law to put the finish line at the top of a hill!  I pulled through and finished in 37:18...not my best, but certainly not my worse.  Having not run a whole lot and not being properly clothed probably had a little to do with that.  

Love my arm sleeves!

We walked over and grabbed a couple of waters and a granola bar, then found my parents.  They snapped some pictures of Chris and I, then we all headed back to the cabin to get ready for Thanksgiving.

I thought the race was well run and the volunteers were plentiful.  I think my biggest complaint was when we came to the turnaround, people were running on both sides of the road, so those that hadn't made it to the turnaround were dodging those running in the opposite direction.  They should make it two lanes of runners.  I found myself running in the middle of the road until after I got to the turnaround.  Otherwise, a good race that I would do again.

Did you run a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving?  How did you do?

Until next time,

Jen

New Winners Announced

So I didn't hear from the original winners...even waited until tonight just in case they were busy over the holiday weekend and I checked my spam email everyday..so I have selected two new winners!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congrats ladies! You have 48 hours to email me at hellofitnessjen@gmail.com with your mailing address so I can get them out to you.

I will write a longer post about my weekend tomorrow.

Until next time,

Jen

Bondi Band Winners!

Thanks for all the entries!  The winners of the Bondi Bands are -


a Rafflecopter giveaway Congrats ladies! You have 48 hours to contact me at hellofitnessjen@gmail.com with your mailing address. If I do not hear back from you I will pick new winners. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful Turkey Day with your friends and family. If you're traveling, please be safe, and if you're running, good luck! I look forward to hearing about how everyone earned their turkey and fixings. :)

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Until next time,

Jen

We're Going Streaking!!!

No...not Will Ferrell style in "Old School" -

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Runner's World is hosting a Holiday Running Streak, From Thanksgiving to New Year's, you pledge to run each and every day.  If you're training for a race, you would run an easy mile on your off days.  Myself, along with some of my Girls Gone Sporty Ambassadors, are jumping in and joining the streak.

I feel that this "challenge" has come at a good time for me.  Lately, I have been feeling less motivated to get out and run.  I still get excited to do races, but the training runs are less than thrilling for me.  I have my first half marathon in a little less than 3 months!!  I've gotta get back into my groove, and I really feel that the Holiday Running Streak will help me do this.  So help hold me accountable!!

Last night I headed back into Big Peach Running Co - a representative from Mizuno was at the store with samples of the new Wave Rider 16s.  I had hopes of trying the shoe out, but he didn't have a sample big enough for my foot :P  They also had a haiku contest, and the best 3 won a new pair of shoes.  Guess who was one of those three??  This girl!  Here was my haiku -

I can't take all the credit though - my amazingly creative friend, Ali, came up with it.  No worries - she was rewarded for helping me win the shoes :)  I picked out these beauties - 

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Hubby and I are heading up to my parents cabin tomorrow after I get off work to spend the weekend.  We'll have lunch with his family on Thanksgiving day and then back up to have dinner with my family and spend the rest of the weekend with them.  All those mountain hills are going to be fun for my Running Streak!

I'll try and get a couple of posts up over the weekend, and don't forget to enter my Bondi Band giveaway!  It ends tonight and I will announce the two winners tomorrow.

Until next time,

Jen

Gobble Wobble 5k recap + Another Giveaway! (giveaway over)

So this past Sunday Sharon and I participated in the Gobble Wobble 5k.  It was a local race AND it started at 2 p.m., so it was nice not to have to wake up super early for a change.

It was held at the school that was sponsoring the event, and parking was less than desirable.  If you wanted to leave immediately after the 5k, you had to park in the grass.  Normally, this wouldn't be such a bad thing, but when people block you in AND they close off the road that you came in to park with, it doesn't make for a very easy exit.

It wasn't a chip timed race, so we had to depend on the time that we started.  The course was not my favorite...they just had us doing a lot of loops in and around the school and its parking lots.  There were a TON of kids there (which I understand since it was benefiting the school), but it made the first mile or so a little cumbersome in weaving around the kids that were walking 4 across.

I did enjoy the crowd support, even though I didn't have anyone particular cheering me on.  I'm kicking myself for not taking a picture, but they had some posterboards on stakes spread out around the course of pictures that some of the students drew.  One of my favorites was "Need motivation?  Imagine 10 million turkeys chasing after you".  They also had some thanking our veterans for their service, which I thought was awesome.

The course was hilly, but nothing too bad.  I didn't use an interval timer for this race...I just ran until I needed a break, gave myself a landmark to start running again, and did that through the whole race.  It seemed to work okay. 

As I rounded toward the finish line I knew I wasn't going to PR, but I wanted to make it under 36 minutes, and I did.

It wasn't a full 5k, but hey, that's not my fault!  :)  And my time matched what was on the timer as I crossed the finish line.  I ran my Nike+ app at the same time, and it was 0.2 miles off, so now I question all the other races I did with it.  Since getting my Garmin, I think it's time for Nike and I to part ways.

I've read other blogs about eating orange slices during and after a race, and I had never done so until the Gobble Wobble.  O.M.G...orange slices are amazing after a run!!  I had 2, plus two Oreo's and two small bottles of water.  I made my way over to the fininsh line to wait for Sharon.  All in all it was a decent race, but not sure it's one that I would run again.  The shirts were cute, though!

The awesome ladies at Bondi Band were nice enough to provide me with one to test out.  I love the one they sent me!!

It holds true to what I always tell myself - run your own race...your race, your pace.  I loved wearing the Bondi Band.  It kept all of my small flyaway hairs out of my face, and also kept any sweat from running down into my eyes.  It stayed put the entire race, which was probably my biggest thumbs up.  I hate when my headbands slide off the back of my head, but these really stay put.

Not only did they send me one to review, but they also sent me two to give away!

Enter using Rafflecoper below.  The contest will run until midnight next Tuesday, November 20th, and I will announce two winners on Wednesday.  The two winners will have 48 hours to contact me.  Hopefully I can get them shipped out before Turkey Day!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Has anyone registered for a race on Thanksgiving?  My mom found a Turkey Trot 5k up near their cabin, so my brother and I will be running in it Thanksgiving morning...we'll definitely be running for our lunch and dinner!

Until next time,

Jen

My 31st Birthday Weekend!

Yesterday I turned 31, and I had an absolutely fantastic birthday weekend!!

Friday night, J kept asking me if I wanted to open my gifts, and I finally gave in.  He got me a very cool medal rack for my growing running medal collection - 

I guess he's getting tired of them hanging in the foyer -

THEN he got me what I REALLY wanted...the Garmin Forerunner 10!

And no...that's not my time...that's the sticker that comes on the watch...but maybe one day I will get that fast!

Saturday, I went to a couple of wineries with some friends.  The food, wine, and company were all wonderful.

They were filming a new reality TV show for Bravo at the winery while we were there.  It's called "Married to Medicine" and the women were having lunch there.  They walked right by our table while being filmed, and I snuck a picture of some of them through the window looking out to the patio where they were sitting.

It comes out in March, so I'll have to watch just to see if maybe my shoulder makes it onscreen.  :)
 
We made it back in time for the UGA/Auburn game.  A couple of friends came over with their pup, Henry, and he and Guinness had a ball playing together.  And...UGA is the SEC East Champions!  Fingers crossed that we don't embarrass ourselves when we play Alabama in a few weeks.

Sunday morning I drove out to the paintball field to support J and his paintball team - they were hosting a tournament to raise money for their team to participate in events, buy new jerseys, etc.  Afterward, I headed to the Gobble Wobble 5k - I will recap this tomorrow as I have another giveaway to post!

Monday morning, J and I drove up to my college town of Dahlonega, then hit up the outlets.  I met Sharon for lunch and then treated myself to a pedicure.  For dinner, J took me to Casa Nuova, an Italian restaurant I've been wanting to try for awhile.  It. Was. Amazing.  We had an app, each had an entree, and ordered creme brulee for dessert.  One of the waiters asked if we were celebrating anything, and when we told him it was my birthday, they brought over two shots of something very yummy and ANOTHER dessert - flan.

We were absolutely stuffed (and I was a little tipsy after wine and the shot).  I'll be having my leftover tortellini for lunch today - 

I'm looking forward at what the next year has in store for me...and (totally cheeseball moment here) next year my birthday will be on 11.12.13...how cool is that??

Until next time,

Jen

Larabar winner!

Thanks for all the entries! The winner of the 16 pack of Larabars is...

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Congrats, Steph C!  Please email me at hellofitnessjen@gmail.com with your mailing address in the next 48 hours.  If I do not hear from you I will choose another winner.

No worries everyone - another giveaway is coming later this week!

Off to enjoy the rest of my birthday weekend :)

Until next time,

Jen

New ENERGYbits Ambassador here!

If you remember a couple of weeks ago I blogged about receiving a sample of ENERGYbits to try out before exercise.  I took them out for a test run before the Armstrong PT 5k and I liked how they worked for me.  So....I applied to be an ambassador and was selected!

So what exactly is in ENERGYbits?

ENERGYbits have many great effects on people who use them before exercise.  They increase energy, stamina, endurance, and mental focus.  The bits help provide your body with glucose and protein, and they have the highest concentration of protein (60%) in the world.  They are in amino acid form so they are able to convert to glucose very quickly, so taking them 5-10 minutes before exercise is plenty of time for them to start working their magic.

I got my first bag earlier this week and I'm looking forward to using them Sunday during my 5k

 If you'd like to learn more about ENERGYbits, check out their website!

I have a super busy weekend planned, and even more fun, it's my birthday weekend!!  It will be filled with wine, friends, paintball, running, and football :)  Will fill you in when all is said and done.

Have a wonderful weekend, and make sure to go out and get sweaty!

Until next time,

Jen