Getting Back the Mojovation

A few favorites from around the web as I get my blogging legs under me again.

Love that word, mojovation. I didn't make it up, can't take credit, but teachers borrow liberally, so its ok right?  I heard it on a podcast by Another Mother Runner. Do you listen to them? If not, you should. Find them here.

Know another blogger I love is Rants From Mommyland. She lives in my area and I occasionally see her at Target. This is funny because Target factors heavily into some of the themes that are consistently touched on in the blog. She used to write with a good friend, who went on to get a fulltime job or some sort of nuttiness, but has carried on. And I am glad. Today one of her good friends totally altered my memories of Sweet Valley High. Did you read those books? I read MANY of them and apparently I can blame Jessica for any poor self talk I gave myself. Yikes. Even worse, the comments sections pulled out VC Andrews out of the memory bank. Something was just not right about my mom letting me read those books. Makes me wish I had the energy to read the books my kids do. *sigh*

Another thing that makes me happy? Huffington Post pulls together the best parent tweets of the week each week. I don't have to open twitter and they always make me laugh. Always good for a stress break.

This you can't go see, but I can tell you all about it. So, my son has become interested in football, as one would imagine with his dad being a big football fan and huge fantasy football player. I stick to the one pool my old roommates run where I have to pick one real team to win each week. Easy enough. Well, my son wants to join a league. Since all the leagues my husband plays in are 1. well established and 2. require money to exchange hands, he decided to create a family league. So now I have a fantasy football team. I have no idea what to do with them. I had to come up with a name, so I chose Caligirl. Not much of a football team name now that I think about it. I should have just named it "computer", as I fully intend to embrace technology and let the silly site do as much as it can for me.

My daughter has lice again. *sigh* what more can I say? I didn't listen to the warning bells in my head and put off checking her hair. As a result full fledged lice. Total mom fail. I am the only one that will take care of it though, so I kind of have payback on myself? She has a totally good attitude about it. She also has almost exclusive use of the ipad as I comb her hair out twice a day. I could learn a few things from this if only I listened to myself.

What does all this have to do with mojovation? Not much, but they were how I stayed sane (minus the lice and football) during a summer that sucked me down a giant workhole. My own sharknado you might say. So while I may not have made it to bootcamp or headed out on that run that could have/would have relieved my stress, I did take little mini vacations online. So I wanted to share, because one thing I have learned, is that everyone is better off with a good laugh.

Back in Action

So I may have mentioned that I haven't really laid out a training plan for the Nike Half Marathon. They have been posting a weekly training plan and I have a pretty good idea of what I need to get done. Last weekend was a done deal with the 17.75 race. Then I had that horrible run of 2.5 miles, which was cut into 2. Then on Wednesday I didn't run as planned, but took time to get the house cleaned up before my MIL arrived.

I wanted to run on Saturday since I wasn't sure what the Easter festivities would bring us. The day was warm and my son had a baseball practice. So I decided to leave the house an hour before practice started and ran to the field. Then there is a great trail from the field that I ran for about 4 miles and then back. The trail was full of bikers, runners and folks walking with strollers.

The start of my run was more difficult as there are quite a few steep hills. I walked uphill and ran downhill. I was feeling stiff, but my knee wasn't hurting, so I kept plugging along. I was thinking the family would pass me on the road, but I ended up getting to the field and on the trail before them. Yea! 5k done and at least 8 more miles to go. I headed off on the trail which is nice and flat and a combination of gravel and pavement. I ran and ran and ran. No walking!! I just kept plugging along at my slow but steady pace. I was getting a little faster in my splits and feeling good.

I stopped at mile 5 and tried some Honey Stinger chews. They tasted like fruit snacks and were yummy. At this point the trail was pretty empty and I just kept moving.

Empty except for these guys. 

 I changed from my iphone to my shuffle to get some different music and my kissmyblackass podcasts came on. She had a long run of a half hour going and I just kept running. At mile 7 I turned around and headed back to the field. I was faster then the strollers and slower then everyone else. :) At about mile 9 the week 2 of the coach to 5k came on. Run for 90 seconds, walk for 1:00. I did the 5 minute warm up walking and then got right back into it. I ran the first interval and then decided to run the walk section, and so on. I was feeling like I was just floating along.

I came back to the field for a short stretch and this happy face.

The best part was kicking this run - just shy of 10.5 wearing my Finishing = Winning shirt. Indeed!

What an awesome way to spend a (finally!) warm day!

Am I Taller?

So getting dressed this morning was somewhat of a challenge. First, it got cold again - boo. Second, my pants are too big. Yea! I certainly am not seeing great progress on the scale I am seeing progress in my body.

Not actually me. 

The funny thing is that I keep hearing people refer to my height. Tall drink of water or Tall and lean. I am about 5'10" and have always been tall, but no one has commented on it like they have lately. I know this means my body is changing for the better. It is hard sometimes when you go day in and day out to notice the small changes. That is why I recommend you measure yourself or have a pair of pants that gauge your progress.

Today was a big day for the kids so no work out, but I did get to boot camp Monday and Tuesday. Day light savings time kicked my butt on Tuesday. I was super close to chugging a soda just to make it through the day! I didn't, but that was more accessibility then willpower! I have family coming into town this weekend, so I need to be a little creative to get my long run in. I am ramping back up because I am running the Marine Corps 17.75 next weekend. How did it come up so fast?! I need to start paying more attention.

Wishing luck to everyone running Rock N Roll DC and the Shamrock Marathon events this weekend. Hopefully the weather will hold. :)

Just a Few More

Laura finally downloaded her pictures from her phone so I found the picture I took with Dimity and SBS!

If you haven't hooked up with them and their great tribe of Mother Runners, I can't recommend it enough. I remember reading their first book, Run Like a Mother, as I was preparing for my 12 in 2012 goal. I think I got it as a free download or close to free on the Kindle. It has enough humor and contributions from other mothers to give a balanced approach. The best part is the community of runners that frequent their facebook page and now the forums they have on the website. Each week they release a new podcast full of news about their kids and running topics. Just like your running buddy would give you on a run.

One last princess picture before we start turning our focus on the Marine Corps.

I hit up bootcamp this morning and ran 3.1 miles this evening. I bumped up the speed the last mile and felt good. I still have to take breathers on the treadmill, but I am still working towards consistency.

My goal for the week is to get my workouts in and watch my eating. I know the weight will come off if I can just keep the early evening snacking to a low roar. Tonight was just too full of snacks while I waited to get dinner ready. I have a guest coming this weekend, so not sure about my weekend run yet.

Monday - Bootcamp (done)
Tuesday - Bootcamp
Wednesday - Run
Thursday - Rest
Friday - Bootcamp
Saturday or Sunday - Run

What Doesn't Kill You.....

Makes you stronger. Or so the song says. I was happy to have Kelly (Clarkson that is) along for the ride on my run this afternoon. I had taken a rest day on Monday and only did boot camp yesterday, so it had to get done. Work was hopping, but I headed down to the treadmill. (A nice cold rain had started in DC) 2 miles done. Not too bad. I had to stop for a pitstop and to answer a work email. Big mistake, sitting down. But I posted on FB that I was moving and then I HAD to do it. 2 more miles on my docket. So I cranked Kelly, kicked the mill up one tick faster then before and got it done. 1.5 miles faster then my usual 4.7. May be time to click the mill up a little faster at the end of my runs. That was how I increased my speed the last 2 times. My goal this time is consistency  I don't think I was doing myself any favors by cranking up the pace then walking. Back and Forth. I still need to work on running the whole distance, whatever that distance may be. I can see doing more interval work once I am a little stronger.

The last mile or so I got to thinking. I really am stronger. Take a minute and think about when you started your athletic adventure - whatever that may be.



Can you remember how it felt? Can you close your eyes and feel the heavy breathing and the beating of your heart. The desire to be able to complete the move, reach the milestone, be strong? Do you give yourself credit for how far you have come?

For me it was July when I ran my first 5k without walking at all. I have no problem with walking, it has been the activity that has gotten me this far. However, my goal is to be stronger and one of the things that I measure that against is the distance I can run without stopping to walk. The fact that I can now run 2 miles or more without stopping is a big leap for me. Even a bigger leap from when I started the couch to 5k program.  Sometimes when I don't want to run or workout, I think about how much easier it is now. What am I complaining about? I can run 4 miles under an hour now and go about my day. That used to be a major effort.

So think about your journey and be thankful for all the time you have given yourself and your body. It is worth it and you have become stronger. Happy Valentine's Day to you!



What best describes your journey? What is your strong?

Using the Internet for Motivation

So I talked about how I entered a Dietbet for a little push during the end of holiday food frenzy. While I wouldn't do that particular thing again - there are lots of ways to use the Internet to keep your motivation high.

One example is the Virtual 5 by 5th run series hosted by MommyRunFast



Essentially you are challenged to run a 5k or 5 miles in the first 5 days of the month. I thought, no problem. I run all the time! So for January I ran on new years eve - and it was 4 miles - doesn't count. (You all know how I like to be exact.) Facebook was full of folks posting their first day of the new year workouts and runs. So I got it together and hopped on the treadmill about 3 in the afternoon. Of course, I was on vacation, so I had all sorts of time.

This morning I get the reminder email from Laura - don't forget to add your time to the google spreadsheet! Hrm, I only had 1 run so far this month! My 3 mile run from yesterday was rescheduled to today due to my impromptu rest day on Monday. So I decided to ramp up my speed and see how it went. I did the whole 5k on 4.7, which is about a 12:45 minute mile. (I run so much faster - for a turtle- on "dry land" - but that is a topic for another time.) I clocked in at 39:28 and felt great. I played the mental game of just pushing myself just a little longer, just one more lap, just 3 more minutes. Other then 1 bathroom break, I didn't walk once. That was a cool 3 minutes faster then my treadmill time on the first of January - so I will take it!

I see this challenge as a way to keep exercise present in my thoughts and have a community that is out doing similar things. While it isn't as fun as meeting a group out for a run, I did compete against myself, push a little harder and came out victorious.

How is my resolution going?

I am feeling pretty good about that too!

How do you use technology or the Internet to motivate yourself?