Super Hero Half Marathon

This morning I ran the Super Hero half marathon as part of a relay team.  I ran the first leg of the course, which was just two loops through Morris Township and Harding Township by way of Loantaka Park.  A beautiful, scenic and hilly course  The first loop was 6.7 miles and the second was 6.4.  Wow.  By far the hardest course I have ever run and I was so thankful that I was a part of a relay team.

The weather was less than cooperative, but you have to make the best of the cards you are dealt.  It stopped raining for the start of the half and that lasted about 20 minutes. Then it never stopped raining.

It was a really fun race, despite the weather.  This race was definitely good competition for Comic Con; so many super heroes.  And in my opinion, costume or not, all of the runners are heroes to someone!

Check out my new shoes!  This was their inaugural race and first long run.  And worth every penny they cost.

Just before a huge hill & mile marker 6.

A soaking wet Captain America, but d-o-n-e!

RunAPalooza Half Marathon

Yesterday was the AP RunAPalooza Half Marathon in Asbury Park and it was such an awesome experience.  It was the perfect race for my first half, in fact, this was my first race longer than a 5k.  This race was to benefit the Special Olympics of NJ, as well as to benefit the Restore the Shore campaign from Superstorm Sandy's devastation. Although I am a Jersey girl, I honestly don't remember ever going to AP aside from passing through.  When I was younger, AP was not in it's prime and recently (since '02) has been going through a revitalization. With that said, I was amazed at how fantastic the shore and city looked.

In light of the terror occurred less than a week ago in Boston, we were asked to wear blue and yellow to show support our fellow running community who endured tragedy during the marathon.  It was awesome to see everyone with not only blue and yellow clothes, but messages of hope, support and love through shirts, ribbons and signs.  Not only was it inspiring to run for those who were affected by such a horrific event, but to see runners twice my age or in a wheelchair was touching too.  If they could do this, I could too.

All week the weather forecast was showing rain showers early in the morning on Saturday.  However, the sun was trying to peek out most of the morning, but didn't come out until after I crossed the finish line.  Although it was super windy, at least it did not rain.  Not only for us runners, but for the spectators watching and cheering us on!

The first five miles I felt great.  Strong and energetic.  Miles 8-10 were quite possibly the most difficult of the race.  And twelve through thirteen point one I just had to dig deep and run to the finish - there would be no turning back and no quitting.  On the final sprint on the boardwalk, my beautiful daughters & mother-in-law were cheering me on!!!  It was the perfect sight to give me that final burst of energy.  I cross the finish at 2:25:12 (chip time was 2:24:52) and the first person I saw was my husband.

Definitely still on a runner's high from finishing my first half and looking forward to my next one!  Not sure if I am ready to tackle a full marathon.  But never say never.

There are many wonderful articles and videos on this event:
RunAPalooza Runs the Jersey Shore
CBS News Running for Boston
RunAPalooza Start & Finish

My thirteen.one chica band! 

runAPalooza Swagg!

I couldn't have said it better.

BL14 - Challenge America:: Episode 1

Last night was like the Super Bowl in our house.. it was the return of Biggest Loser & more importantly, Jillian.  And Bob Harper said it best, "She's baaack!"

The people on the biggest loser have always inspired, but it wasn't until season 11 that I really became a super fan.  That partly has to do with the fact that I, too, was beginning my weight loss journey.  The comraderie between the cast was like no other.  I would have been happy with any Jay, Jen, Irene Hannah or Olivia taking the title of Biggest Loser.  Even though they were in the competition for themselves towards the end, they were still there to love, motivate, and support each other.  I am hopeful that season 14 will at least not be like last season.  BL 13 was, without a doubt, my absolute least favorite cast and if you watched it, you know why.

This is the first season that they have kids involved.  And with the way childhood obesity is continuing to rise, I think it's awesome that BL tries to combat it head on.  I was so impressed with the maturity and choices of these kids.  At 13 and 16 years old, they have so much courage to be on national tv and being the forefront of the conversation of childhood obesity.  Proud doesn't even begin to describe my feelings for these three! I will be cheering them on the entire way!

Before BL aired last night, I tuned into Dateline for some background noise while folding quite a few loads of laundry.  Al Roker was sharing his story about losing weight with gastric bypass, regaining and then completely changing his diet to shed the weight he gained.  He spoke about his struggles over the last ten years and for him to share that information is not only courageous, but inspirational and motivating for the rest of us.

No one is perfect.  No one is going to have the same journey.  No matter how much someone inspires you, your journey is going to be your own.  Be proud of who you are and your story. No one's else can tell yours.  The most important thing is to remember why you are losing weight and what works for you.

2012 in review

Today is the very last day in 2012.  And it's the perfect time to reflect on the ups, downs, lessons learned, and set those goals for 2013.

The biggest accomplishment from this year was becoming a certified Spinning instructor through Madd Dog Athletics.  It was a long day, but it was totally worth it in the end.  Now, teaching twice a week, I love bringing a good workout to the members.

We took our annual family vacation to Rehoboth Beach.  And it was such a fun week.  My family+my brother & his family+ my mom.   A week of no work, the beach, and ice cream - one of my favorite weeks of the year!!

I completed the Tri Fit training class through my Y, which helped me be a better biker and runner, but most importantly, a swimmer.  

I am looking forward to the new year, although '12 was a great one.  I am a big goal setter.  I like having something to work towards in my daily life.  It makes me a better person for achieving those goals and hopefully it teaches my daughters about goals and how important it is to achieve something you set out to accomplish.

So in 2013, I will...

• complete a triathlon
• run a half marathon
• travel to Miami for WSSC

Here is the playlist I used last week for my end of the year class.

A Best of 2012 mix from my favorite, Steady 130.

Cheers to 2013!  I hope it is a stellar year for everyone.

Make Progress, Not Excuses

2013 is just around the corner.  I cannot believe that another year is coming to an end.  Here's a piece of advice that I started following two years ago... so as you start thinking about what you resolve for the New Year, think about this:

Fat Girls Tone Up [the Chive]

My husband sent me this link from the Chive.  He thinks I should be on here too.  I would be if I was okay with taking pictures of myself in a bikini, but even after losing 79lbs, I am not.  But how inspirational are these women.  No matter if they are losing weight & toning up for health or to compete in bikini competitions, they are inspirational for making a change in their lives.  Having the drive and determination to work hard to hit your goals isn't easy. Congratulations to all of these women.

Fat Girls Tone Up to Be Fit

"I work out"

Working out has become part of my daily routine.  I saw this picture floating around on pinterest and it is so appropriate for this post.

Many people have asked me what I do for exercise and fitness.  Aside from running, spinning, swimming, and other fitness classes at the Y, I have done my share of at home workouts.  With two children, I need to be flexible and have other options for getting in my daily dose of fitness.  I compiled a list of dvds that I think are worth the time and money you invest in at home workouts.

Season 10 of the Biggest Loser had just started the same week that I decided it was now or never to make this change in my life.  I personally respond better to Bob Harper than I do having Jillian Michaels scream in my ear so I tend to look for BL videos with Bob.

Biggest Loser Weight Loss Yoga
I personally love this yoga video.  Yoga is really hard for me to do at home.  I like the whole yoga experience: go to a class with your mat, be lead by a yoga instructor, & have a meditation at the end.  However, there isn't always time for that in a given day.

This video is broken down into three segments not including the five minute warm up and cool down.  The first takes you through vinyasa style yoga. The second is more ab work with some pilates thrown in and the third works with yoga poses and weights.  I personally think this is a great mix in an at home dvd workout.  If you are crunched for time, you do not need to do all three segments.  That's the beauty of at home workouts, unless of course you pause it to go grab some chips, but I know that wouldn't ever happen.

Bob Harper's Yoga for the Warrior
The title says it all.  This is a power yoga workout and is great for an intermediate/advanced yogi.  Not a good pick if you are a beginner yogi, but definitely a good workout if you are a fan of Bob Harper.

Transform Your Body with Brooke Burke
Honestly, I wasn't expecting much from this workout.  But if I could look half as toned as Brooke does, sign me up. I will give it a chance

There are two different ones: Strengthen & Condition (S&C) and Tone & Tighten (T&T).
S&C is led by her trainer Greg Joujon-Roche.  Brooke and Greg do the exercises side by side and Greg stops to give tips along the way.  Brooke is very motivating throughout the workouts.  The video is a combo of strength training as well as small bursts of cardio to raise your heart rate.  I was sweating like a beast after both of these videos.  There are three segments in S&C: abs, lower body & upper body.  In T&T, Brooke leads three ladies throughout the workout which flows as one long workout and not broken up into areas of the body.  One of the ladies modifies the exercises for beginners.  Some of the exercises are repeated, but not many of them.  Each exercise is done for one minute at a time, which may sound long, but totally manageable.

I was pleasantly surprised with this set of dvds.  It was exactly what I was looking for at the time I purchased it from iTunes.  I still use it on occasion when I am crunched and can't get to the gym and need to workout at home.  

Blogilates
I found this website through Pinterest, my other internet obsession.  Cassey Ho is a pilates & group fitness instructor as well as the brains behind blogilates. She is a blogger, a fitness instructor, a fashionista, a pop music lover, a yoga bag creator, a clean eater, and just overall a woman that inspires.

Cassey has many different series of workouts: Pop Pilates, Bikini Blaster, HIIT (high- intensity interval training), Pop Challenges, and Pop Cardio.  These workouts are so incredibly effective.  I have done many of the challenges and my new favorite series is the VS Sexy Super Model which includes a stiletto workout.  Yes, a leg workout in your favorite stilettos.  The VS Sexy series also has arm, abs and butt workouts.

Her website also has a workout calendar as well meal plans & recipes for the total health and fitness package.  So go! Check it out.. NOW!


Couch to 5k
I used the C25k app on my iPod before I had an iPhone and two years ago, it didn't need gps capability which worked well for me.
I was never able to run a full, complete mile before training with the C25k program.  In HS, I would walk the mile; it just never interested me to run because I was never good at it.
This program made me feel challenged, but never felt like I was unable to complete the workouts.  And now, I run miles and miles without stopping.  Something I could have never done before C25k.

So there you have a few at home workouts that I have used along my journey.  In addition to these, I also have pinned a lot of workouts on my fitness pinterest board which many of the links are to Blogilates, Self Magazine, Women's Health & Shape.

The most important thing to working out is finding what you love to do.  Don't start a running program  and training for a marathon if you hate to run.

Thanksgiving

Being grateful and thankful for the people in our lives and things we have shouldn't only happen on Thanksgiving Day, but it's a special day to pay extra special thanks to our family and friends.  I have always wanted to have a "friends" Thanksgiving and this year, we were lucky enough to have three of our dear friends join our dinner table, two of which were last minute, but I wouldn't have it any other way.  It was a wonderful holiday surrounded by wonderful friends and delicious food.

Below is the playlist I used for my class the night before Thanksgiving.  The overall theme of the ride was what Thanksgiving is all about: coming to America, freedom, having courage, following our dreams, and being grateful for the life we live.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Weekend on Repeat

This weekend was one to remember and one that I want to repeat over and over in my head.  My husband and I went to see Zac Brown Band at Madison Square Garden; his first country concert & my first time seeing ZBB!  We had a phenomenal time away.  ZBB was definitely one of the highlights as was the delicious food we indulged on.  We hit Sala One Nine, a tapas restaurant in the Flatiron district, which was absolutely fantastic.  The three best tapas we had were the fried goat cheese with honey, bacon wrapped dates stuffed with almonds, and the sea scallops.  My mouth is still watering now.  Thankfully we had a few hours to digest, boogie, and sleep before our fantastic breakfast at the Breslin Bar.  Dave & I shared a greek yogurt to start, but this wasn't your run of the mill yogurt.  No, it came with macerated fruit, honey, and pistachio pralines, not too mention it was the creamiest, most delicious greek yogurt.  And then for my main dish, I decided to have the goat cheese & leek tart.  And from start to end that was the best breakfast I have ever had.  

Thankfully, Sala One Nine was twelve blocks from our hotel and the Breslin was three so we were able to walk off a few of the calories we ingested.  :)  But seriously, it was worth every calorie!

So this playlist is my weekend on repeat.  And my class thoroughly enjoyed the profile that I created for class tonight.  Enjoy!