A week in review and other things too

Training:
Running:
On Wednesday, the weather was absolutely beautiful here!  We had high temps in the upper 50s, which is pretty crazy for Feb. in CO.  So, the minute I had some time, I jumped on the opportunity to get outside.  It was the first time I've been able to run outside for weeks.  I got 9miles in before having to call it quits, and it was AWESOME!

I'm so glad I got outside because the next morning we woke up to 5inches of SNOW!!!  WHAT??  What is going on with the weather this year...it has been sooo crazy!

* Biking:

So, my husband and I decided to download all of the Sufferfest videos because it was such a great deal, and I have to say I LOVE THEM!  My husband has done more than me, but I've done about 3 of them now and they are all great workouts!  Plus, I like how they throw in humor to make you suffer even more!  Although I like the spinerval videos, I have to say, I like the Sufferfest ones better.  Having the live scenes just makes it so much more interesting then watching people on trainers, and the music just rocks!  Sorry Coach Troy!!

Other Things Too:

*  I saw these in the grocery store the other day and thought I'd give them a try!  OMG...they are sooo good!  Have any of you tried them??

AND, check out the ingredients!  Simple, and healthy!  They are so good that my husband and I practically polished off an entire bag in one sitting.  They're not huge bags, but still....oops! :)

*  I won a FB contest through the Naked Foot 5k and won a pair of Altra shoes!  Woohoo!!  I hadn't really heard a lot about the company or their shoes, but once I started researching them, I couldn't believe how many great reviews they have gotten!  I decided to get their trail shoe, the Lone Peak, and can't wait to get it! Hopefully it will come soon!  I'll have a full review of the shoe once I get it and try it out!  Do any of you have any Altra shoes??

I hope you all have a great weekend! :)

Out of Practice

Guess what I did today?

I went to the pool to swim!!!  Now, this may not seem like a big deal, but I have NOT been back in the pool since IMAZ, which was in November!  YIKES!

I just haven't had any desire to get back into the pool, even though I KNOW I need to keep swimming. I am not the best swimmer, so taking lots of time off is a bad thing for me.  BUT, thanks to Jason's Virtual triathlon challenge [HERE], I found the motivation to get back into the pool!  Thanks Jason! :)

So, I got all of my stuff ready and headed to the gym.  After dropping my boys off at Kids' Club, I got ready to swim.  Going to the pool used to be so automatic, but I felt like I was forgetting something the entire time, and it just felt kind of weird to be back in the pool.

I had no idea how it was going to go.  I had visions of gasping for air every 25m, and not being able to swim for very long.  BUT, I was pleasantly surprised!!  After about 300m, I found my swimming groove and it felt great!!!  Woohoo!! :)  I ended up only swimming about 1000m, but it was more than enough for my first time back in the pool.  I can already tell my arms and back will be sore tomorrow....how pathetic is that!!  But, at least I got back out there again, even if I am way out of practice! :)

On another note, I know I have been MIA from blogland recently.  The main reason is this:

Yes, I've been painting.  The previous owners of our house had all the walls primed with white paint.  White paint that is entirely NOT cleanable.  With 2 boys, you can only imagine what our walls look like!!  Anyways, I couldn't take the gross walls any longer, so I went to Home Depot, grabbed some paint, and have been painting pretty much nonstop for weeks now!  It's sooo much work, but sooo worth it!

Check out what I've been doing:

The previous owners also painted all of the trim and doors a cream color that basically looks yellow whenever you put any color on the walls.  So, I have to repaint all of the trim and doors, which is a total PAIN!  But, having white trim and doors just makes everything look so fresh and clean, and it makes it totally worth it!

I also repainted my boys' rooms!  To the left is my oldest son's room painted brown with a camping theme.  To the right is my youngest son's room painted green with a dinosaur theme.  And I painted a fun growth chart in between their rooms!  I also painted their bathroom a fun blue color!  It's so nice to have fresh paint on the walls!  AND, the best part is that our house is finally starting to feel like our HOME which makes me very, very happy! :)

Running for Sherry

Today is the day of the "Running for Sherry" event.  I have heard that running/walking/hiking/skiing events are taking place all over the world today, and that is just amazing!

It's only 18 degrees outside right now, so I decided to do my run in my basement on my treadmill.

  While my boys played around in front of me, I couldn't help but think about how Sherry's children must be feeling right now.  It is just heartbreaking, and I will never understand what drives people to do such horrible things.


As Beth put it, "This run symbolizes the beginning of healing and honors a woman who was courageous, strong and loved by so many."  


I am glad I was able to run for Sherry.  My thoughts are definitely with her and her family today, and I can only hope that they are able to feel the strength, energy, and support through all of us out there honoring and remembering her today! 

A week in review and other things too

TRAINING:

* RUNNING:
What is up with the weather this year?  We have had some BEAUTIFUL days here in CO and I have tried to get outside and enjoy them as much as I can!  I went for a 5M trail run this week and I actually got HOT during my run!  Here I am, in all my sweaty happiness!

I am so glad I got out when I did, because today, we are in the middle of a BLIZZARD!  We are predicted to get around 18" of snow..YIKES!!  Check out our poor chairs and picnic table:

*  ACCESSORIES:
One thing I've been trying to figure out is how to carry all the stuff I need on my short runs.  I used to carry the Nathan Handheld, but when I only go out for a run 30min-1hr., I don't need anything that big. So, I've been using a small 8oz Fuel Belt handheld that I LOVE!

BUT, the little pouch is REALLY small.  It is barely big enough to hold 1 gel...ugh!!  So, I don't have anywhere to put my phone, which I carry with me on every run. BUT, I found the perfect solution!

This is a Sprigs wrist wallet [HERE] that I actually got it as a gift from my friend years ago, but have never used it.  So, while I was rummaging through my stuff, I found it and decided to give it a try.

It worked perfectly!  It stretches, so I was able to stick my phone and key in it, and pull it up my arm.  I thought it would really bother me, but it didn't at all.  It didn't bounce or slide down, and after awhile, I didn't even notice it on my arm.  The only problem is that it's a little tricky to get my phone out with one hand, but it wasn't a big enough issue to be a deal breaker for me.

  

This is a picture of it on my forearm.  It was comfortable there, and further up on my bicep.

Anyways, I just thought I'd share this product with you in case anyone else was having issues with how to carry stuff! :)





*  BIKING:
While I haven't been able to ride outside recently, I have gotten on my trainer a couple of times.  My husband and I have actually started riding together after we put our boys to bed.  BUT, we're getting really tired of our Spinervals and want to try something else.  SO, I was reading a lot about Sufferfest

www.thesufferfest.com

These videos look really tough, but every review I have read about them says they are great training videos.  WHAT DO YOU THINK?  Have any of you used them before?

OTHER THINGS TOO:
*  RUN FOR SHERRY:

I'm sure most of you already know about this, but if you don't, please go read this post on Beth's blog, Shut up and Run [HERE].  I will be running for Sherry on Feb. 11th and hope that you will too.

*  SUPER BOWL:

My dad is a HUGE Giants fan, so of course, I grew up routing for them too!  I am so excited that they are in the Super Bowl and think it will be a great game!  GO GIANTS!!!

I hope you all have a great weekend! :)