Magic Mile Monday 8/19 and T25

This morning was another MMM, the time has been the same the past two weeks, so nothing new to report there at the moment.  I have the rock and roll half in a little less than two weeks, and I'm not expecting a new PR, but I am hoping for a great race and a good springboard for the fall/winter racing season!

Today I will also be starting the Focus T25 workout program.  This is a 10 week program with two parts- Alpha and Beta.  5 weeks of each part.  The workouts are 25 minutes long and should fit nicely in my busy schedule.  Tonight will be the first workout- and it is a cardio one.  Quick review later tonight or tomorrow!

One more thing!  Remember that if you are registered for the SuperCupcake virtual race, you are eligible to win a great skirt from Lily Bomb Athletic Wear!  If you aren't register, don't delay!  This part of the contest only runs until August 23!  All proceeds from this race benefit Team in Training!  Registration to the right --------------->

Purchase my Playlist! (A Team in Training Fundraiser)

I will be running the 2014 Tinker Bell half marathon with Team in Training for the second year.  I'm very excited to be able to run this half marathon again while also raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  My commitment to raise $2925 is over halfway complete (thanks to the supporters of my Virtual Runs Fundraisers!)  

I am starting a new fundraiser called Purchase my Playlist.  It's a pretty simple fundraiser.  For every $10 donation you make, you can choose a song for me to make up my playlist for the Tinker Bell half marathon.  

It is pretty simple, here's how you can help:

1.  Go to my Team in Training Fundraising Page

2.  Make a $10 (or more!) donation

3.  Leave a comment telling me what song it is you have chosen for me to add to my playlist

4. Don't forget to print a reciept of your donation- it is tax deductible!

Thank you to everyone who has supported me through the virtual races and if you aren't into running but still want to help, here is a great chance!  I hope to have an all new playlist ready in January!

It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's.......

SUPER CUPCAKE!

Registration is now open for our latest cupcake virtual run!  It's hard to believe that a year ago I partnered with Run Find your Happy Pace to bring the first cupcake virtual to reality and here we are a year later!  The cupcake virtual races (and the pumpkin virtual)  have raised over $11,000 for Team in Training!  That is an amazing amount and I thank all of you that have participated or shared our events!

Now, how can you earn the latest adorable cupcake medal????

We will be following the same honor system that we've had in place for all of our virtual races.  This means that you register for our race and then run your race when you have the time.  We will have an 'official' race day of August 31, 2013.  But, you are welcome to do the race any time before or after!  You choose your distance, place, time of day, all of it!

The SuperCupcake medal will be a 2 1/2" diecut medal and the yellow will have glitter.   This is the final design for the medal, it has been approved by our medal production company.  There will be a limited quantity available for this medal, and registration will remain open until capacity is reached.  There will be updates placed on my Running in Sanity Facebook page and also the  Cupcake Virtual Runs for Charity Facebook page.

Because this is a diecut medal, it does take time to get it produced from our production company.  Medals will not be mailed until approximately August 21.  But, do not delay in registering- the only way to guarantee your spot is to register early!

To register you must have a PayPal account, and use the PayPal link to the top right of this page.  Registration will be $20 for United States participants and $25 for international participants.

All funds raised from the SuperCupcake virtual race will be donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society through Team in Training.  Thank you for helping me reach my fundraising goal for the Tinker Bell Half Marathon!

If you have any questions, please email run.in.sanity@gmail.com

***If you are viewing this post on a mobile device, you will need to scroll to the bottom and click "view web version" to be able to see the register button on the top right***

Virtual Race Medal Closeout!

Whenever we order medals for our virtual races, we order extras to make sure we have enough in case medals are lost or damaged in the mail.  Well, we still have some left from previous races, so if you missed out on any of these great medals, here is your chance!  

Top Row- The Great Pumpkin Race, The Great Pumpkin Mini Mile, 5 Mile March for Babies, The Sweet Cupcake 5k, The Sweet Cupcake 10k

Bottom Row- Frosty's Great Cupcake Race 1 Mile, Frosty's Great Cupcake Race 5k, Frosty's Great Cupcake Race 10k

The money raised from the sale of these medals will go to Team in Training, except the 5 Mile March for Babies- money from those medals go to the March of Dimes.

Please use the PayPal box to purchase the medal of your choice!  All medals will be shipped within 3 business days.  Thank you for your support and participation!

Firework Cupcake Virtual Race

The next great cupcake virtual is now open for registration!  On our around July 4th, we invite you to run the Firework Cupcake virtual run!  Again, all proceeds for this race will go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma society.  Here are the choices:

~ Race and medal only ~ $20 (US Residents)

~ Race and medal only ~ $25 (International Participants)

~ Race, medal and Headband from Running Happy ~ $26 (US Residents)

~ Race, medal and Headband from Running Happy ~ $31 (International Participants)

The medal will be a 2 1/2" cupcake diecast medal that will look like this:

And the ribbon for the Headband from Running Happy will be a fun red, white and blue chevron:

You an choose any distance 5k, 10k, half marathon.  We look forward to seeing any fun pictures or posts!

Registration will close on June 2nd to allow for us to get the medals mailed out so that you can have them before your race (as long as you are a US resident- can't make any promises for international participants!)

Thank you for your continued support of TNT!

Registration via PayPal on top right ------------>

Whole30 Day 13 Menu

Breakfast-  eggs, apples

Lunch- we went to Jason's Deli, so I had salad and fruit.  It was just nice not to worry about cooking :)

Dinner- Grilled chicken and grilled butternut squash.  I actually had a send-off gathering for my Team in Training Nike Half event to go to, so I did not eat at home, but I have been told the grilled butternut squash was wonderful.  The chicken was marinaded in a fajita marinade that we've used often before, so I know that was yummy :)


I had a great time at my TNT send off party, we have a great team and I am excited to complete this event with them.  Next week we'll be traveling to Washington, DC to participate in the Nike Women's half marathon.  I am looking forward to the time away and to completing a new race :)

Sparkle Cupcake Virtual Race!

I am partnering again with Run Find your Happy Pace to bring you the next great cupcake virtual race. May is the month of both of our birthdays, and we decided to celebrate with a choose your own distance virtual race!  This race will earn you a custom cupcake diecast medal!  It will look like this:

There will be some added sparkles and we are looking at adding 5k, 10k, Half Marathon to the design.  When we have an updated design, I will be sure to post!  This is another virtual race to benefit TNT.  We are also once again adding the option to purchase a Happy Band in our cupcake pattern:

We are also working on some fun giveaways to go along with this virtual (it is a birthday race after all!).  I will keep you updated with those as we finalize the details of those!

So, here are the details in a nutshell:

~ $26 for the race, medal and cupcake Happy Band

~ $20 for the race and medal only

~ $8 for a cupcake Happy Band only

~ You choose the distance- 5k, 10k, Half Marathon

~ Run your race any time around May 24

We will close registration on April 22, and we will do everything we can to get your medal to you before the race date (if you live in the United States)

Thank you for your continued support!  Please feel free to email me with any questions:  run.in.sanity@gmail.com

Thank you!

All of the medals for The Sweet Cupcake Race have been shipped out and are on their way to the homes of all of the participants.  We really appreciate all of the support that has been showed to us and to everyone who has participated in our events!  With your help, we raised $2000 with The Sweet Cupcake Race and with your help, and that put both myself and my running partner at Run Find your Happy Pace over our fundraising goal for Nike Women's Half!  This would not be possible without all of your support, so thank you!

2013 Tinker Bell Half Marathon

2:45 am.....it's early, but so worth it.  Our Team was supposed to meet in the hotel lobby at 3:15 am to walk over to the start corrals.  I was walking with Edna and Michelle- we were all in corral C, so we dropped our stuff off and then made a surprisingly quick stop at the porta potties and then made our way to our corral.  It was a little chilly waiting, but I had my sweatshirt and gloves and I was pretty comfortable while waiting for the start time.   Before we knew it the national anthem was being sung and shortly after that corral A was on their way and then corral B and then it was our turn!

My plan was to follow at 2 min run/1 min walk ratio for this race.  I started off down the road and then turned to enter California Adventure and made our way through the park and got to see parts of the new Cars Land (which was so much fun to visit later that day!) and they had the the colorful fountains from the World of Color show on for us as we ran by, and I stopped to take a quick picture.  When it was time to leave California Adventure, I received my first update text from runDisney about my 5k split. I realized that the timing was off for that split, so I sent a quick text to my husband to let him know that during one of my walk breaks.  That split said my pace was 17:54 and I knew that was not possible.  I had been checking my pace every now and then and the pace on my watch was showing an average of 13:11.  I felt good, I was not too worried about falling off my pace, though I did feel like I may be going a little too fast, but I didn't intentionally slow down.            

Next up was Disneyland!  It was really nice to run through the park since I wasn't planning on visiting the park during this trip.  I love seeing the parks at night, and since it was still dark out, I was able to see the castle all lit up.  Again, I happened to be at a walk break right at the castle, so I stopped to take a quick picture before moving along.

After leaving Disneyland, the course took us through Downtown Disney and then we rounded the corner near the Disneyland Hotel and there were the Red Hat ladies!  These by far, these ladies are the best cheering section of the race.  Possibly even the best cheering section of any race.  Shortly after that,  I got my 10k split text from runDisney saying that my 10k time was 1:25:03, with my pace being 13:41.  Definitely an improvement over the 5k split (they must have fixed whatever the original timing was).  I was still feeling great, and I was surprised to see how quickly this race seemed to be going by.  

I kept up with my 2:1 ratio plan and it was going great.  Most of this race is through the city after finishing with the parks.  runDisney does a great job of lining up schools to have groups out on the course to cheer us on, so going through the city isn't that bad.  Plus, there are some mountains out in the distance that are really pretty to look at along the way.  

Soon I received my 15k split (time 2:07:07, pace 13:38).  Still really feeling good.  I was really surprised to find that I was not hitting that wall that I usually do around mile 8-10.  It was also then that I was surprised to find out that finishing this half marathon under 3 hours was a real possibility.  I decided then that I was going to make it under 3 hours, and I knew if I stuck with my plan, I would be able to do just that.  

Many times along the way, I was met with TNT coaches that checked in on me, most yelling "go Team!" and me giving the thumbs up in response.  A couple coaches caught me on a walk break and I was able to talk with them and tell them that I was doing fine.  I met up with one around mile 12 and she asked how I was doing and my response was "great, this should be my fastest time yet!"  She congratulated me and I went along my way.  I crossed the finish line with an official time of 2:58:29- my newest PR- by 16 minutes!  And that is also a 31 minute improvement over last years time!

Immediately after crossing the finish line, my phone rang.  It was my husband calling to congratulate me.  It was so great to hear from him and all of my monkeys cheering me on from home.   I got my medal, water and my snack box and then went over to check in with my TNT Flex team.  I stayed for a couple minutes, checked in with a couple people and then I decided to head back to my room.  It was a great way to cool down from this race and I don't think anyone could wipe the smile off my face.  

Here are my unofficial mile splits from my watch:

Mile 1:  12:55

Mile 2:  13:30

Mile 3:  12:55

Mile 4:  13:16

Mile 5:  13:56

Mile 6:  13:29

Mile 7:  13:25

Mile 8:  13:40

Mile 9:  13:35

Mile 10:  13:18

Mile 11:  13:38

Mile 12:  13:18

Mile 13:  13:28

I was so pleasantly surprised to see that most of my miles were in the 13s and two of them were 12:55! I can't wait to see what comes next :)

The Day Before Tink- Working, Resting, Celebrating TNT

Saturday morning I tried to sleep in a little, but that did not happen- I was clearly still on east coast time, and despite the long day on Friday, I was still awake way before my alarm.  I actually didn't mind this because I like staying more on east coast time so that waking up for the early morning race time doesn't seem that early.  I took my time getting ready for the day and just kind of hanging out for a while before heading over to Downtown Disney to find something for breakfast.

The weather in California was beautiful the whole weekend I was there and I really enjoyed being able to get outside and enjoy walking around and enjoying the sunshine.  I was scheduled for a morning shift at the Sparkle Skirts booth, so I wandered around the expo for a little bit to see if there was something that I missed the day before.  I really had a great time working at the booth and getting to meet all of the people who were looking forward to running the race the next day.  It was a great experience, and I do hope that I can do it again soon!

After I finished with my shift, I went to get a late lunch.  Part of my pre-race routine is usually to have fajitas the day before (usually for dinner, but I had a TNT dinner Saturday evening).  I went to Tortilla Joe's and was able to have some delicious shrimp fajitas.  I wandered around Downtown Disney a little bit more before heading back to my room to relax for a little longer.

When I got back to my room, my roommate had arrived and we met and talked a little while we both relaxed and then got ready for the TNT Inspiration dinner.  The dinner was great.  It was a buffet style with salads, pasta and sauce choices, and chicken.  We were directed to our table and then were able to talk for a little bit before the program began.   This dinner was for all of the TNT participants in the Tinker Bell half, lots of Team members and lots of energy!  The total amount of money raised for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society from this event was over $800,000!  I was a part of the TNT Flex team, and the members of my team alone were responsible for $200,000.

After dinner we had a short Team meeting.  I then went down to the hotel's deli to grab a bagel and some peanut butter (I didn't want to try to do it in the morning) Then it was time to turn in early- 2:45 am comes early no matter what coast you are on!  I got back to my room, made sure I had everything laid out for the race, got my check bag ready, and double and triple checked my alarm.

I didn't have much trouble falling asleep and despite a bad dream about oversleeping and missing the race, I woke up at 2:45 feeling well rested and ready to tackle this race.

Next up:  2013 Tinker Bell Half Marathon!

Tinker Bell 2013

I can't believe it is almost time for this race again. The 2012 Tinker Bell half marathon was a very important race for me last year. It was the first race of my deployment challenge to myself, and completing it was the start of a whole new phase in my life.

This year is quite a different story from last year.  Last year I was so nervous, it was only my second half marathon and I was still very nervous about not being able to finish in time.  This year I feel so much better prepared and I do not have doubts about being able to finish this race within the time allowed.

This time, I am doing this race with Team in Training and I am heading out early Friday morning to California.  I will get to meet up with some of my TNT flex team on Friday.  I also plan on hitting up the expo on Friday- runDisney expos are great- so much fun stuff to check out!  Saturday I volunteered to work a shift for Sparkle Skirts, I will be there from 10 am- 2 pm, if you are there, please stop by and say hello :).    Saturday evening is the TNT inspiration dinner and then Sunday is the big day!

The race starts at 5 am- thank goodness it is on the west coast- it's so much easier to get up for those early races out there!  I plan on sticking with my 2:1 run:walk ratio for this race, I've been training at that ratio for the past couple of months so I am hoping that will help me with a new PR for this race (current PR is from the Wine and Dine in November).

In other news- I am still on track with meals cooked at home for this month and also keeping up with my Moon Jogger miles- I'm looking forward to adding those 13.1 miles to the total next week :).  In order to keep up with my goals, I am planning to meal plan for next week early so that I don't miss out on any days.  I found out last year that planning ahead is key!

So, anyone else running Tink this year?

The Sweet Cupcake Race Update!

So far we have 64 participants for The Sweet Cupcake Race to benefit TNT!  Registration will close on January 31, don't miss your chance to earn this medal:

Also available, a special edition Happy Band!  The ribbon will match the medal neck ribbon!  Registration over to the right ----------->

The Sweet Cupcake Race

Just in time for Valentine's day....once again in partnership with Run Find your Happy Pace, we bring you yet another chance to run for cupcakes!

This will be our fourth virtual race to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society through Team in Training!  

Once again we are offering 3 options, a 10k, 5k and Mini Mile....each with their own custom medal!

YOU choose the day that works best for you to run (around February 16), complete your distance and that's it!  Simple as that!

We are also once again offering a Happy Band option as well:  

Registration is now open over to the right------------>

Thank you once again for your participation and your support!

***Registration will close January 31, we will make every effort to get your medal to you before February 16 (for those living in the United States)***

A 1 in 100 (or better!) Chance at a New iPod Nano! (no running required!)

I am currently fundraising for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to run the Nike Women's Half marathon in Washington, DC in April.  I am co-hosting a drawing for a new blue iPod nano.  Only 100 entries will be sold, so you have a 1 in 100 (or better if you choose to purchase more chances!) chance at getting your hands on a brand new iPod nano!  You also have a chance at one of our runner-up prizes: a pair of yurbuds earbuds or a $15 iTunes gift card.  To purchase your chance, simply use the PayPal box over to the right ------------------->

You will have until midnight on December 18 to purchase your chance (unless 100 entires are sold before 12/18).  The drawing will be held on December 19 and all items will be mailed out on December 19 to the address you provided when purchasing your chance.  All items will ship priority mail, so the winner should receive their item by Christmas!

Good luck!

The Great 5k Nano Run!

It's time for my latest Team in Training fundraiser!  I'm once again partnering up with my good friend at Run Find your Happy Pace to bring you The Great 5k Nano Run!

The details are very simple:

Run a 5K and be entered to win one of three great prizes:
A brand new 16GB Blue iPod Nano
A pair of aqua yurbuds
A $15 iTunes gift card

Only 100 entries will be allowed, so enter today!

$10 per entry $20 for two entries $30 for three entries LIMIT OF 100 entries!!

The drawing will be held as soon as we get 100 entries and the winner will be notified via email and will also be announced on Facebook.

Thank you for your continued support of me and of Team in Training!

Thank you! Thank you!

So today I took all of the medals for The Great Pumpkin Race and the Mini Pumpkin Mile to the post office and mailed them out.  That means that I was able to make the donation to my TNT goal as well.  Thanks to all of the participants for this virtual race, the donation total is $1500 so far (there may be a little more later on)!  This has put my fundraising total so far at $4615, already passing my initial goal!  This would never be possible without your participation, so thank you so much!

More blogs coming soon- especially photos of my Great Pumpkin 5k and my kiddos' Mini Pumpkin Miles :)

The Last Couple Weeks

Wow!  It has been so busy around here!  I kind of thought that when school started and we were in a routine that things would be a little more calmer.  A little more sane....well, nope!

I started my Jillian Michaels over again....ready for another 90 days of this challenge.  I'm loving that while doing the first couple weeks I feel so much stronger than the first time I did this challenge.  I love how much stronger I am feeling.  I really do like this program. So much that this is the third time I have done this program.  But the really nice thing about it (besides the fact that it is just 30 minutes a day) is the variety.  I have not been doing the cardio workouts because I have been running, so I just have the strength workouts, which I really like.  I will be doing a full 90 day before and after of inches and pounds lost.

I've been running 4 times a week, following the plan laid out for me by my TNT coach.  She's been great at working with me to meet my goals for the Tinker Bell half marathon in January, while also taking into account the half marathons that I have planned for this fall.

Speaking of half marathons this fall, I have two more coming up.  The first one is in less than two weeks!  I'm very excited to be running in the Inaugural Crawlin Crab Half Marathon on October 7.  I'm loving the cool, fall weather that we are starting to have in Virginia.  I am hoping that we are in for a great race in a couple weeks.  Next up will be Disney's Wine and Dine Half Marathon.  I'm really looking forward to being back at Disney to run, and this will be my first nighttime race.

I've been back to meal planning, which has been so helpful with helping me keep a little more balance in our busy schedule.  So far we've been pretty good at following a plan.  I have to say- I love how much easier our evenings seem to be when we have a plan.  And I am finding that my crock pot has become a permanent addition to my countertop- I've been using that most- I love being able to fix it and forget it!  Last nights Crock Pot Chicken and Rice was another big success.  I'm really lucky, my kiddos love broccoli, so I can pretty much make that our side vegetable every night and they'll eat it up. But, when I try out new ways to cook chicken, it can go either way.  This one they liked- the littlest one especially loved the rice part!

Other news- my great pal at Run Find your Happy Pace and I decided to start our own business Running Happy.  We make non-slip headbands and also extremely adorable runner decals!  Stay tuned for more....and if there is something you'd like to see us carry, suggestions are welcome :)

So, the kiddos and I are finding our balance again amidst school schedules, after school activities, homework, running, JMBR, and meal planning.  I am still working on what seems to be my best weekly schedule so that I can use my time wisely and not end up just wasting it....those 12 hours to myself a week really go by fast!

The Great Pumpkin Race!

Registration is going strong!  We have almost 50 adults registered and about 25 children running the mini pumpkin mile!

Registration will close on September 23.... Details here:  The Great Pumpkin Race

Will Run For Sanity Bondi Band

When I was purchasing the "will run for cupcakes" and the pumpkin dot bondi bands, I decided to order a few extras to sell.  They have a "will run for sanity" bondi that I thought was perfect!  I bought a few extras and want to give you the opportunity to purchase one for a donation to LLS.  I've got three different colors, four of each.  These are first come, first serve.  If there is enough interest, I can order more, but I wanted to see how these would go first!  They will be $8 each, and I will pay for shipping.  If you are interested, please send an email to run.in.sanity@gmail.com with your color selection.  I will invoice you through paypal (or we can work out other payment options if you prefer!).  Thank you!

**At this time, I do not have any additional 'will run for cupcakes' bondi bands**