What do rabbits and gourmet cakebites have in common?

They are both things you'll encounter when my hubby plans our family's "night out". First stop was IFA (farm supply store), where the boys got to check out the chicks and rabbits.

Next stop was our favorite gourmet bake shop, The Sweet Tooth Fairy. We each chose our favorite cake bites (my favorite flavors are the Red Velvet Cake and the Lemon).

Final stop was Sportsman's Warehouse, where it just so happened to be Ladies Night. They had all kinds of treats, samples and giveaways. In addition to having these sweet coon hats, Sportsman's Warehouse also carries my favorite GU flavors (chocolate outrage and salted caramel) and Honey Stinger Waffles. Best news is that they are cheaper than the local running stores.

 Slim has such a funny little personality. He did this on his own and had us all laughing.

I'm grateful for this awesome daddy and husband. He is such a hands on dad and I just don't know how I'd raise these busy boys without him.

Today was my first ever 18 mile run! Holy smokes that is a long way to go. I may have even had a  "celebrity" sighting along my way. I'll post all the details tomorrow. This tired mama is starting her Mother's Day celebration early by going to bed!

I like to cuddle with my laundry

Some days I come home from the gym ready to conquer the world. Today was not one of those days. Today was a cuddle with my laundry on the couch kind of a day. I really did think Tuesday was Thursday all day, so I can't blame myself for running out of steam.

 

Since I was in the cuddling kind of mood, I spent some extra time snuggling my Cory Boy before Slim woke up. My little early bird.

Every morning the boys just have to wave bye to daddy. It's cute unless he forgets to wave back and then it's tear city around here.

 The other daily ritual lately is watching Dick Van Dyke movies. Every. Single. Day.

How did I never see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as a kid? Deprived child. ;)

 Awkward gym selfie. I have this black skirt that I never wear because I feel a bit silly in it. Today I worked the arms, so I was feeling hulk strong.

 Today's Workout
Upper body, focusing on shoulders
3x12

Wall-ups (Hold hand stand position at the end for an extra burn)
Pushups
Kettlebell snatches (This video made me very nervous for his manhood )

Bicep curls
Tricep extensions

Cable face pulls
Lat pull downs

Hang clean and push press
Bent over rear delt raise

Followed by a 4.5 mile speed workout
1 mile warm-up
1 mile at 5k race pace
1 mile at recovery pace
1 mile at 5k race pace
.5 mile cool down

During my "5k race pace miles", if I start to feel like I can't keep pace, I bump UP the speed. It sounds counter-intuitive doesn't it? I've learned that sometimes just changing my speed and thinking, "the faster I go the quicker I can be done with this mile", really helps.

What's your favorite childhood movie?
Wild Hearts Can't be Broken

What do you think of the workout skirts?

How do you push through your speed workouts? 

Rainy days make me hungry

It was a rainy day here in Utah. My hubby tells me we need the rain, and I tell him he can worry about the water situation, I'm just going to continue to complain about less than perfect weather. This time of year I'm ready to spend all my time outside battling with the weeds. Sorry I'm a little Negative Nelly... I've been getting between 5 and 6 hours of sleep each night and that just results in a tired hungry zombie mama. I do have to admit that rainy days are good for fun in the bathtub and eating everything in the fridge. 

This guy makes the gloomiest of days bright!

I was able to crank out 7.25 miles on the treadmill this morning. Hoping for better weather tomorrow so I can run outside. I'm really pleased with how well my legs have recovered from Saturday's race. 

Speaking of races, if you sign up for the Hobbler Half in the next 2 days (with code HOBBLER14), you get 30% off your entry fee. I loved this race last year and will be doing it again this year!

 

When you are overtired, do you eat more?

I've noticed I tend to snack more when I'm tired.

Wold you rather run in the rain or inside on the treadmill?

Do you take time off after a race? How long?

 

10 signs you love running

Today was a cross training day, and honestly all I wanted to do was run.  

This picture proves that I love running. Who could possibly smile while running through all that mud?

10 signs you love running ....in case you weren't sure yet. ;)
1. You have to force yourself to take "rest" days.

2. You force your significant other to listen to every detail of your daily run.

3. Foam rolling and stretching take a higher priority than brushing your teeth.

4. You get more jazzed about a new pair of running shoes than a new pair of pumps.

5. Your car console is full of your favorite running fuel (I'm on a Chocolate Outrage and Salted Carmel GU kick right now.)

6. You're willing to take ice-baths so you can recover faster... and run more.

7. When you go on vacation you automatically start researching local races and running routes.

8. Any hint of an injury causes you to immediately spend hours researching what could have caused it and how to treat it.

9. When you see other people out running you are green with envy and have to fight the urge to just drop...................  everything and go for a run. (Did you think I was going to say drop kick them? I will not admit nor deny such silliness.)

10. When you're actually proud of your missing toenails, blisters and chaffing.

Today's Workout
Warm up
Skaters, front/back/diagonal lunges, jumping jacks

Lower body weights Did these exercises in groups of 2 (in order). 3 sets x 8-12 reps
Regular squats
Plie squats
Leg press machine (feet close together)
Leg press machine- calf raises
Leg curls
Leg extension
Cable hip abduction
Cable hip adduction
Deadlifts
Lunges

Abs
Hanging knee lifts (also did 3 sets of these while twisting to get the obliques)
Wood choppers
Ticktocks
Weighted ball crunch

When did you know you were in love with running?

If you could never run again, what would you do to "replace" it?

Have you ever tried a mud run?

Setting SMART goals

91 miles run in April! Whoo hoo!
In January I made a goal to get my mileage back up to 100 miles a month. I have a feeling I'll meet that goal in May.
We've all heard a million times that we should set goals, but how often do we?  I remember being taught that goals should be "SMART".

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Realistic
• Trackable

Right now I'm totally focused on my next goal--- run the Utah Valley Marathon in June. I want to get to the starting line injury free and finish the race in under 4hr 30min. I know there is a chance I'll fall short on my time goal, but I believe goals are suppose to stretch us, even if that means failing. If I fail in June, it will only drive me to train harder and try again.

Running has helped me make goal setting a pattern in other parts of my life as well. Every January I create goals in 5 different categories: "Spiritual", "physical", "home and family", "financial", and "other". They are posted in a place where I see them often. Running has taught me that it takes real determination and grit to meet a challenging goal. Anything worth while in this life is HARD and you have to WANT it!

My May Goals:
Spiritual- Read 15 of the LDS General Conference talks from the April session
Physical- Run 100+ miles
Home and family- Have 5 family nights and 2 date nights
Financial- Do 4 "check-ins" with the ol' budget
Other-Turn 31 years old and use all of my birthday money to register for the Utah Valley Marathon!

Anyone want to join me in any of my May goals? I'll be especially impressed if you can match my "other" category goal. :)

How do you keep yourself on track with setting and reaching goals?

Any fun plans for Cinco De Mayo? 

Provo City Half Marathon

Such a great race! But before race details, we'll back up to the expo. I took these 4 funny boys with me, which I guess makes me crazy, but we've already established that here. They thought they were at Disneyland or something and all got a chance in the money machine. 

It was serious business trading in their "money" for State Farm paraphernalia. Overall the expo was really small, but packet pick-up was easy and efficient and that was crucial since I was outnumbered 4 to 1.

Jocelyn, Jenna and I made it on one of the first buses (around 4:50am), and we had a smooth ride up to the top. I blinded everybody with this picture. It was probably a little early to pull the camera out. 

 I'm so thankful for the drop bag option, because I was able to really bundle up until 15 minutes pre-race.

 You can see the sun starting to come up in this picture. The sunrise brought a fun and exciting energy with it.

We spent our last minutes in the potty line (it was so long, but I think that's the case with every race). Good thing about potty lines is that you get to meet fun new people. Kelli and Kim were so great and I hope to stand in future potty lines with them. ;)

The Course: I really liked the course. The canyon section wasn't steep at all, and the second half was a straight shot down University Ave. If you're looking for a fast course that won't tear your legs up, I think this is a great option. I knew by mile 6 that I wasn't going to get a PR, but I was able to run a really strong race and my second half was only 5 seconds slower than my first half (drastic difference from my last half).
Support: This race was well organized and well supported. Almost every cross street had police officers directing traffic and the aid stations were plentiful.
Extras: I love the race t-shirt, but mostly because it actually fits. It's cute and I plan on wearing it every day for the next week (along with my medal). There was a little bit of wind, but other than that the weather was perfect!
Runners: I liked the size of this race. Big enough to feel all of the energy of the other runners, but not so big that logistics were challenging.

I probably say this about every race, but I loved this one! Well... I guess one regret is that I never spotted Hungry Runner Girl. I was really hoping for a celebrity HRG sighting. Maybe in June at the UV Marathon. :)

 Half Marathon #5 is officially in the books with a time of 2:01:35

Anybody run a race or do a long run today?

Do you prefer small races or bigger races? 

Foodspiration Friday ~ Pre-race Menu

Before all of the food pictures, I want to talk pre-race eating strategies. We runners sure can obsess over everything the days leading up to a race. We can be more superstitious than any baseball player. ;)
The day before a race I cut back on veggies and fatty foods. I make sure not to overeat at any meal and ice-cream is always a "no no" for me the night before an important run.
Everyone is different, but anything that is gas producing is usually going to be something to avoid. :)  I don't do any special "carb-loading". I basically avoid things that could send me sprinting for the port-o-potty or woods.

Day before a half-marathon menu:
Breakfast: Oatmeal with chia seeds, banana, strawberries and greek yogurt, with an Emergen-C (I promise there is oatmeal under all that fruit.)

Snack: Apple, Ezekiel bread with Wow Butter (soy peanut butter, since I'm allergic to peanuts)
Lunch: BBQ Turkey avocado and tomato sandwich with roasted sweet potato fries

Snack: Power Crunch protein bar
Dinner: Homemade pizza and a small salad

Race morning menu:
4:30 am Power Crunch protein bar and a banana
6 am Honey Stinger
(Race starts at 7pm)

And here are 2 of my favorite things I ate this week!

My amazing friend Jenna made these salads for lunch the other day. I will be craving this salad for the next month.

 I made my Aunt Jo's brownies and they didn't last very long at our house.