How Treadmill Running Helped Me Get My Groove Back

When I first began running (not so long ago), I wouldn’t dare venture into the gym.  The thought of sweating it out with several dozen people who were much more fit than I was really didn’t float my boat.  Treadmills were daunting, and I certainly wasn’t going to embarrass myself by hopping on a moving belt to risk flying right off.

The problem?  I was also nervous about running in public in general.  Even jogging around my neighborhood struck me with worry about what people would think – would my couch potato awkwardness be blatantly obvious? 

Starting out, I only ran very early in the morning before sunrise or late at night when the darkness could cloak me.   After awhile, logging my miles became so fun that I actually forgot about people sitting out on their front porches or cars passing me as I ran by.  Eventually, though, the weather became an issue, and I needed an alternative to running in the heavy Florida heat.  The excuses started to pile up again, and I just stopped running altogether.  My groove was gone.

I decided to suck it up and get to the gym.  I chose the treadmill in the furthest darkest corner.  The panel looked like something that might control a spaceship, but after a few button pushes, my feet were moving.

Amazingly, I didn’t fall off.  Instead, I had fun.  I loved playing around with inclines, and the treadmill automatically gave me a warm-up and cool-down (things that I didn’t normally do otherwise).  I could even measure my heart rate if I held onto the handles.  I set up the screen to play a TV show, and the miles just zoomed by.  After just one workout, I was hooked.  Every time I stepped on a treadmill after that, I ended up gaining my motivation back, because I was able to try a new way of running that ultimately helped me get back up off the couch again.  And as for the other people in the gym with me, I didn’t even notice them once my earbuds were in and my legs started running.

I still prefer running outside, my feet pounding real pavement, but the treadmill definitely gave me the umph to keep going whenever I feel like running, even when the conditions aren’t right for it.

Today, I’m linking up with Patty, April, and Erika for their latest installment of Tuesdays on the Run.  Go check out all of the other awesome posts about treadmill running!

Do you prefer the treadmill or the road?
Have you ever lost your fitness groove?  What did you do to get it back?

Monday Motivation

Who’s in need of a little Monday motivation?  Goodness knows, I am.  It was such a wonderful weekend that it’s hard to get back into the swing of things for the week ahead.

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Alas, I suspect that it will be a busy week at work. A packed schedule means that I usually don’t have a lot of energy to exercise at night, especially since I want to just spend time hanging out with Mike and the girls. So how do I get inspired? I have a few go-to quotes that I bring to mind whenever I feel like skipping my workouts:

Luckily, I can always rely on Pinterest to keep brilliant gems like these coming, so I never run out of ways to remind myself that a little bit of movement every day can add up to a big payout.  I also think of my ultimate reason for getting healthy – my family.  These two girls mean the world to me, and I couldn’t bear to miss out on any of the moments that matter the most because my lack of motivation gets in the way of improving my health.

This week, I’m taking a two-pronged approach – P90X3 Lean Schedule in the morning before work and running a few miles in the evening (with two rest days).  If nothing else, the hard-hitting cardio and strength training with Tony Horton in the morning really helps to wake me up!

My running schedule for the week is:

Monday – Rest (1 easy mile)

Tuesday – 3 miles

Wednesday – 8 X 400

Thursday – 3 miles

Friday – Rest (1 easy mile)

Saturday – 5 miles

Sunday – 7 miles

On rest days, I jog one easy mile, or I take the kids for a walk through our neighborhood. 

Now, who said that Mondays have to get you down?!?

Do you ever have trouble getting motivated on Mondays?  What are your go-to motivators?

Race Recap: Mardi Gras Beach 5K (or How to Get Bead Necklaces the Non-Traditional Way)

Yesterday, my Valentine's Day began bright and early at my first race of the year - the Mardi Gras Beach 5K. Part of a special series of themed races on New Smyrna and Daytona Beaches throughout 2015, the Mardi Gras 5K kicked off my running events this year and will be my baseline for all my races over upcoming months.

It was a morning race, so I woke at 5:00am, got dressed in my usual running gear, and made my favorite pre-run treat. These little PB&B (peanut butter and banana) "sandwiches" always give me just the boost of nutrition I need. Sometimes I freeze the banana slices before adding the peanut butter as a healthy dessert too.

Beach runs are experiences like no other. It's hard to train sometimes since part of the sand is hard-packed and some of it is soft.  Practicing on flat ground is not always the best preparation, so a few trial runs on the beach beforehand is usually a good idea.  It's also often breezy and cold in the morning, especially during the winter and early spring.  Yesterday was no exception. The wind was biting when I first arrived beachside, and a quick glance at my phone showed that it was a chilly 39 degrees. Brrr! (I'm sure all of you from up North are laughing at my thin blood right now.)  Luckily I had bundled up well, and the sight of a beach sunrise is always breathtaking and very worth it.

The Mardi Gras theme was awesome!  Cajun-style music was playing, and every runner received some great "gear" to wear and help get into the New Orleans spirit.

The race itself was nice and easy. It had warmed up beautifully by the start time, and the beach was relatively flat and smooth.  Along the course, volunteers handed out bead necklaces (at least 2 or 3 strands each time) - I love having something cool and special like that to look forward to as I run.  By the end, I had gathered over 20 necklaces. Now I know how to get Mardi Gras beads without ever showing any skin - just run for them, hahaha!

This wasn't a PR race for me, but it was fun, easy, and a good start to my year of running.

Afterwards, Mike and I took the girls to Disney World for a "Kitchen Sink" ice cream treat. It was a perfect Valentine's Day!

Do you have any themed races on your schedule this year?
What was your first race of 2015?

My Bucket List Races

This morning, I ran in my first race of 2015, the Mardi Gras 5K (watch for the full recap tomorrow). In honor of this kickoff, I thought it would be fun to mention some of my dream races, the events on my running bucket list.  They may not be on my agenda this year, but hopefully I'll cross the finish line at all of the following races someday.

1) Disney Cruise Line Castaway Cay
First of all, a Disney cruise by itself would be pretty awesome, but what runner wouldn't want to  complete  a race on a  private Bahamian island? Sounds perfect to me.

2) Running Dead 100 Miler
Really any 100 miler would be an accomplishment for me, but running through Woodbury and other sights familiar to Rick and Co. on The Walking Dead is too hard to resist.

3) Boston Marathon
OK, let's be honest, this is the true definition of a "dream" race for me. I may never become elite enough for this one, but it's something to aspire to in the far future.

4) Walt Disney World Marathon
26.2 magical miles. Mickey Mouse and friends on course. Sweet race bling. The WDW Marathon is my goal for 2016.  Crossing this one off my list would make me a very happy mother runner.

5) Divas Half Marathon
Feather boas, tiaras, handsome hunks at the finish line...need I say more???


What are your "dream" races?

All Hail the Kale Smoothie!

I probably haven’t mentioned yet that I LOVE kale.  Yes, that kale that looks like weird, wilty leaves from the backyard after a hard rain. 

It gets a bad rap.  Back when I started my whole fitness kick, whenever I mentioned the word “kale”, I was met with scrunched eyebrows and “eww, that stuff is Dis-gus-ting."  With a capital D.

I decided to do my own research on the subject, and lo and behold, kale is actually considered one of the best vegetables a person can eat.  Maybe that’s why it’s so despised – it’s good for you, which we all know is the kiss of death for a food.

Source: trendnutrition.com

I started out easy with it, tossing a few little sprigs into a blender with as much fruit, yogurt, and milk as possible to drown out the plucked-straight-from-a-garden taste that I was expecting.  After testing a few smoothies that way, I eased up on the yogurt and added in more kale (filling up nearly my entire blender)…absolutely delicious!  Since then, I can’t imagine making a smoothie without kale in it.   I consider kale to be the base for every smoothie now – everything else is nutritious filler.  Bitter taste, bah!

This morning, I made a yummy kale smoothie in less than 5 minutes.  Super fast and super easy!

Handful of kale, a couple splashes of almond milk, a tablespoon of 100% natural peanut butter, and 1/2 cup of blueberries –that’s it!

My favorite smoothie add-in is frozen mango.  What do you like in your smoothies?

The (Diet)Bet Is On!

So, this happened:

Yes, I just accepted my very first DietBet challenge.  While my children are my main inspiration for getting in shape, winning money for eating right and exercising regularly is actually a pretty good motivator too.

I’ve been hearing about DietBet for a few months now, and I figured that it couldn’t hurt to try something new to get my butt in gear.

Here’s how it works:

Step 1: Accept a DietBet challenge on www.dietbet.com.  There are so many challenges to choose from with a huge variety of different themes.  I decided to go with one that starts on February 14 – Valentine’s Day box of chocolates be damned!

Step 2: Place your bet.  The challenge I chose has a required bet on the low end – just $10.  I figured that was a safe amount to test the waters on my first challenge. 

Step 3: Submit your initial weigh-in.  The weigh-in is completely confidential and never posted to the public anywhere on the website.  You take a picture of yourself and your current weight (as shown on a scale), and send it the DietBet referees for confirmation.

Step 4: Complete the challenge.  Generally, the challenges run for 28 days, and you need to lose 4% of your starting weight to win.  Sounds like a lot, but it’s easy to put it into perspective, especially since it’s meant to be accomplished over 4 weeks.

Step 5: Enjoy your winnings!  At the end of the challenge, you submit your final weigh-in.  If you’ve lost the required amount of weight by the deadline, you and everyone else that was playing the game too split the pot!

I will be submitting my initial weigh-in today in preparation for my Saturday start date.  So far, my game has $70 total in the pot with 7 players it's up to $100 now with 10 players!! If you want to join in on the fun, click here for the game I'm playing.  I’ve seen some challenges with thousands of dollars up for grabs, but I wonder if the odds of winning in such large games are realistic.

I’m looking forward to a bit of extra motivation. I’ll post updates over the next 28 days – hopefully at the end of it, I’ll walk away a few pounds lighter and with a couple extra dollars in my pocket. 

Have you ever participated in a weight-loss challenge that had a financial incentive?  Did the prospect of winning money help you reach your goal? 

From Couch Potato to Mother Runner...

Once upon a time (and by that, I mean “just two years ago"), this was me:

Let me put it this way – a year ago, I could only imagine running anywhere if I were being chased by something truly nasty…brain-craving zombies, insult-taunting bullies, axe-wielding madmen.  Those were really the only reasons that my feet might possibly hit pavement for more than a casual stroll or to get from one place to another.  Even just watching people moving rapidly on TV made me tired.  I ate junk food seven days a week, and I often brought home dinner from a drive-through instead of making a home-cooked meal.  My bathroom scale read 215 pounds at one point (oh, dear sweet honesty).  I knew my body was growing sick and unhealthy, but I was perfectly happy to continue my life as a couch potato.

Then, something frightening (and miraculous) happened.  On a bright and beautiful trip to the playground, as I stood on the sidelines watching my two young daughters run joyfully and giggling from swings to slides to monkey bars, I marveled at the kids’ energy and vigor.  When the girls called over to me, begging me to play Tag with them (“you’re It, Mom!!”), I managed a mere 5 seconds of It-ness before I had to sputter to a stop.  I could barely catch my breath.  Running around the enclosed area (small enough to be safe for little ones) was too much work for my body to handle without forcing me to gasp for air.  At that instant, I knew I needed to make a change - not just for the health and fitness that my body so desperately needed, but also for the thousands of future moments that I did not want to miss with my children.

The next day, I went from zero-to-sixty and searched the web for upcoming 5Ks in my area.  I was amazed by how many races and events were scheduled – at least one almost every weekend.  I selected a 5K sponsored by a local restaurant, the Swamp House Grille, mostly because the website boasted the best post-race party in town.   To prepare for the big day, I started doing exercise videos in my living room after my kids and hubby were asleep at night, and I managed to jog at a decent pace around my neighborhood a couple times a week.  I struggled through the aches and pains of shin splints, side stitches, and blistered toes. 

But I ran that race (albeit at a snail’s pace), I crossed the finish line, and surprisingly, I wasn’t last.

Since then, I’ve successfully completed countless 5K races, a handful of 10Ks, and two 10-milers. I lost weight, and I began to realize that overall physical fitness was more important to me than becoming super thin.

Recently, however, I admit that I've slipped a bit, going directly from my desk at work back to my couch at home.  The old “exhaustion” excuse has crept up on me again; the stress-filled days and the homework-heavy nights have taken their toll.  Mommyhood, marriage, and mint chocolate ice cream have seriously derailed my original plans for achieving “fit mama” status. 

But enough of all that!  Time to re-dedicate and re-motivate.    My running gear has been lying dormant in a drawer for far too long, waiting to be dusted off and taken for a jog around the neighborhood. 

Thus begins my journey of Running the Mommy Miles.  There’s nothing quite like a good ol’ fashioned blog to keep a person accountable, and I intend to make every one of those miles matter.


What set you on your journey towards health and fitness?