Sunday Meal Planning

Back to planning after a long break.  It seems like for the last two months one thing after another has come up and really messed with my planning of meals.  It seems like I am finally at a place where things are back to normal (as normal as they can be), so I am ready to get back to planning and cooking more regularly.  So here it goes....

Monday:  My family has been invited to a new years eve party and I was asked to bring buffalo chicken dip.  Last winter I had searched for a healthier version of my original recipe and found this one from Skinnytaste.

Wednesday:  We are are trying out: Garlic Lover's Roast Beef by Skinnytaste, Skinny Garlic Mashed Potatoes and broccoli

Thursday:  Gymnastics night, so we're going to have Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

Friday:  Pizza movie night (homemade pizza!)

Saturday:  Bangin Good Shrimp  I've been wanting to try this one for a long time, so I'm looking forward to finally getting to try it.  I'll most likely make some mac and cheese for the kiddos as a back up....since this will hopefully be spicy- yum!

Sunday:  Leftover night

So, there are two new recipes for this week, reviews to come later this week.....

A Moon Jogger in 2013

So last night I was talking to my husband about some goals for 2013.  I casually mentioned that I think I'd like to shoot for a total of 1000 miles run/walked in 2013.  It comes out to a little less than 20 miles a week.  Thinking that through I was thinking maybe not....I just wasn't sure I'd have the time to commit to 20 miles each week.  But, at the same time, I kept coming back to it today.

Tonight I was checking out one of the groups that I belong to on facebook and came across a post about Moon Joggers.  Here is a little snippet from their blog page about the challenge:

"We are two sisters, ANGIE & ASHLEY, that set a goal to run 1,000 mile each in 2013. Then we decided to open it up to our friends and family and invite them to participate in the challenge! Now we are searching for people all over the world to run with us to the MOON!

We are putting together our team for 2013. More information to follow. You can commit to complete 1,000 miles as an individual, or you can do it with your family. It's great family bonding time to walk or jog together! If you have a family of four and you got for a one mile walk, that's four miles to put towards you 1,000 miles."

So I decided to give it a shot and really commit to running and walking the 1000 miles in 2013!  If you decide to join me in this, let me know.... registration ends tomorrow, December 30 and tracking starts on January 1st.

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)***

Congratulations!

Thank you for your response to The Great Nanp Run!  You helped us raise $400 for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  And now for our winners, provided by random.org....

The 16gb iPod Nano goes to: Sue Weems

The yurbuds earbuds go to:  Deborah Martin

The $15 iTunes gift card goes to:  Yvonne Walker

Thank you again to all who participated!

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!

Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon

This was a great race!  I was really unsure of how I would feel about a night time race, and I know that my nerves showed in the earlier part of the day.  I tried to sleep in, but it didn't happen.  My husband and I had planned on taking it easy on Saturday, had some breakfast and then headed over to Downtown Disney to do a little shopping.  We were also meeting up with my brother in law and his girlfriend who were driving in on Saturday.  We met up with them and had lunch, after that we all decided to head back to our hotel rooms to rest a little before taking the bus over to the start line.

The race start time was 10:00 pm.  About 7:00 we got on the bus to go over to ESPN Wide World of Sports where we checked our bag for after the race and then basically just hung out until it was time to go to the start corrals.  The really nice thing about the start line for this race was that it was so much closer to the drop off than for the princess half.  My husband and I were in corral C, so when it was time, we headed that way to wait.

Once again we were planning on a 3:1 run:walk ratio.  And for the first 8 miles that worked out great.  I  will say one thing, we went over a couple over passes and it seemed that every time we were at a walk break we were going downhill and every run was uphill.  I know that's not really possible, but it sure seemed that way.  I am not sure if it was because of those overpasses or not, but about mile 8 my back was starting to hurt.  I have a bad habit of tensing up my shoulders when I run, but this was a lower back thing that definitely felt different.  We kept pushing through, ended up walking a little more at the end than I liked, but we finished, that's all that really matters in the end!  And for me it was a new PR for a half marathon- official time of 3:14:26, my watch time was 3:10:41.

After the race we met back up with my brother in law and his girlfriend and started enjoying the after party.  This was one great thing about this race- included in your race fee was admission to EPCOT and their food and wine festival.  We stopped at several of the food booths and just hung out until it was time to catch the bus back to our hotel.  I remember thinking that there was no way I'd be able to stay up and actually take advantage of the after party, but I remember at one time looking down at my watch and realizing it was 3:30 am.  We caught the bus back to our hotel about 4 and said our good byes.

Overall, I loved this race.  I'm already trying to convince my husband that we should do it again, but given the choice, he wants to try out the Tower of Terror 10 miler.  So we are still in discussion over which one we'd like to do if we are fortunate enough to do another one.....

Wicked 10k ~ 2012

This was my first run with my husband since last year's Wicked 10k.  We talked about it before the run and I told him that I was going to follow a run:walk ratio of 3:1.  I've only done one other 10k and that was the Wicked last year.  Last year my time was 1:45, so my goal was to beat that time.  

With the help of my husband pushing me along, I was able to beat that time....by 23 minutes!  We had much better weather for this race, even with impending tropical storm Sandy.  We kept with the plan from start to finish.  This was the first race I've really ran from start to finish with someone.  I'm usually the slow one of the group and I tend to start with a group and then we all run our own pace.  The first miles went by fairly quickly to me, I was enjoying the run:walk.

I guess I'm not a very happy runner, around mile 2.5, my husband looks over at me and says "I think I'll run ahead, I feel like I'm bothering you."  I told him he was actually helping me, and he agreed to stick with me as long as I'd smile a little.  So I did try to smile every now and then.  

We continued on over the next several miles and managed to cross the finish line at 1:22:05, average pace of 13:05, my best pace for a race to date.  I'm looking forward to finding another 10k to do sometime in 2013 to try for a new 10k PR :)

A Twist for Frosty's Great Cupcake Race

If you participated in The Great Cupcake Race last month, you may remember that my friend at Run Find your Happy Pace and I agreed to run as cupcakes as long as we reached 100 participants. Well, thanks to everyone spreading the word, we had over 160 registrants!

So, since I also agreed to run the Wicked 10k this weekend as a cupcake, we wanted to come up with another challenge. My husband has agreed to run as a cupcake with me if we can reach 100 participants by Friday, October 26th at midnight. We currently have 45 people registered, so we still need 55 people to register by Friday! I think we can do it- you guys have been a great support already!

Lots of pictures will follow if we get to 100 by Friday!

Frosty's Great Cupcake Race

Registration is now open for Frosty's Great Cupcake Race 5k or 10k!

When:  December 8, 2012 (or any time that is good for you!!)

What:  You choose, 5k or 10k 

Why:  This is our third virtual race to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society through Team in Training.  

This time we are offering 7/8" Happy Bands from Running Happy!  You can choose from two Happy Band designs,  snowflake or snowman.  These bands will be at a special price only available for purchase here!

We will be closing registration on November 18 in order to allow time for the medals to be ordered and for shipping.  Please feel free to send any questions to run.in.sanity@gmail.com.  

Thank you for your participation!  

Crawlin Crab Half Marathon

This race was much better than I had anticipated!  It was held in Hampton, VA  only about 30 minutes away.  But, because of possible traffic, we decided to stay overnight at the host hotel.  It was great to get up and be able to have breakfast and then walk over to the start line.  The race started at 8 am, so we left the hotel about 7:30 and walked right into the start corrals.

I was doing the half marathon with my friend Jody and my mom and Caleb (oldest kiddo) were doing the 5k.  It was a little cooler than I had planned for, and luckily I had picked up a long sleeve shirt at Target yesterday that I wore over my tank top.

Once we got started, I warmed up pretty quickly.  I was following a run/walk plan for this half with my ratio being 3 min run/1 min walk.  That was working really well for me.  My 10k split was 1:26:58, which would be the fastest 10k I have done to date (that's my time to beat for the Wicked 10k coming up at the end of the month).  I was moving along really well.  The course was nice, they really took us through some nice areas.  

Then came mile 10.  And the rain....cold rain.  And the wind.  Last year the only race I got rained on was also in October....if it rains on me for the Wicked 10k again this year, I may boycott October races :)  Just not my favorite conditions to run in. But, coming up at the end I had 7 really great people waiting on me :)  That in itself was worth the rain and cold!

This makes half marathon #8 of the year.  And it will definitely be my last half marathon of this deployment!

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!

Sunday Meal Planning

This week we have another pretty busy week.  I'm trying out 2 new crock pot meals in hopes that we have some new crockpot meals to add to our growing list of crock pot meals.  I'm finding that it is so much easier to cook using my crock pot throughout the week instead of having to find the time to cook meals between getting home from school, homework, and other afternoon activities.

Monday- Crock Pot Chicken and Rice from Sparkpeople
Tuesday- Firehouse Subs
Wednesday- We have a birthday party to go to this afternoon and evening.
Thursday- Crock Pot Salsa Chicken from Sparkpeople 
Friday- Pizza/movie night
Saturday-Skinny Tuna Noodle Casserole from SkinnyTaste.  We didn't have this one yesterday, so I'm sticking it on for the end of the week again.
Sunday- Leftover night

What's for dinner at your house this week?

Crock Pot Potato Cheese Soup Review

This was another really easy one :) I'm really loving the ability to throw something in the crock pot and just dish it out when it comes to dinner time. I decided to serve this with broccoli, and I just put my broccoli in the soup as well. The only thing I'd change next time- I would make a half recipe. I've got leftovers to share, which is good, but I don't always eat leftovers. So with just me and the kiddos, I'm better off with less leftovers. This one is very kid friendly- two thumbs up all around ;)

Sunday Meal Planning

The past week has gone really well with meal planning.  It was very nice to have everything planned out and for the most part ready to go each night.  We've got a couple changes to our after school activities for the week, so a couple changes to the plan as well.  If these changes stick, I'll be looking for ideas of meals to take on the go for both me and the kiddos.

Monday:  Crock Pot Potato Cheese Soup from Sparkpeople.  This was on the menu over the weekend, but we didn't get to it since we were invited to dinner with friends.
Tuesday:  Trying out a new gymnastics class that will have us out later than normal, so I'm planning on taking dinner with us (or grabbing dinner from Subway, since it is just across the street)
Wednesday:  It's the littlest's 3rd birthday, so it's her choice.  My guess is she'll choose mac and cheese (and not the yummy homemade kind!) or Chick Fil A
Thursday: Late gymnastics again, same plan as Tuesday
Friday:  Pizza night
Saturday:  Skinny Tuna Noodle Casserole  from SkinnyTaste  We've had this one before, and it was one that everyone liked.
Sunday:  Leftovers or dinner with friends

Chicken Stroganoff Review

This one got 10 thumbs up!

I started the crock pot at 8 this morning and turned it down to "keep warm" when we left for gymnastics.  When we got home from gymnastics I made some whole wheat pasta and some broccoli to go along with the chicken.

This meal was met with much more enthusiasm than last nights.  Even though they ate the zucchini enchiladas, they were much happier with the chicken.  The sauce was really good, and I will definitely make it again!

I've been doing a little bribery about tomorrow's pizza night.  My oldest is working on following the rules of his new class at school.  He's had 3 out of 4 "green" days at school.  We made an agreement that if he got 4 out of 5 "green" days, that I would get them take out pizza instead of making our own.  So, only time will tell... and the next new recipe is Saturday :)

Zucchini Enchiladas Review

This was a really easy recipe to make. It all came together very quickly and the baking time was short as well. It is also one that could be made ahead and cooked later.

I really enjoyed the meal. My kids love refried beans, so I made that as a side for them as well as the quinoa mexican salad.

The kids were not too impressed. Three out of four ate it anyway- with the promise of yogurt for dessert. One is just not a fan of zucchini- even with cheese.

Tomorrow's meal also looks promising...at least to me :)

Sunday Meal Planning

It's back!  I have a plan for this week!  I do so much better on a plan.  When I was really meal planning during the winter and spring, I found some great new recipes.  Now that I've started up again, I plan on trying to find (at least) one new recipe a week to try.  This week, I have three new recipes!  I've gotten some questions about what I have for breakfast and lunch....usually breakfast is a smoothie if it is after an early run.  Lunch most of the time is leftovers.  I also keep tuna on hand and salad stuff.  So, with those things in mind, here is the plan for the week:

Monday:  Picnic dinner with friends....I actually have a 31 party and the hostess decided to have it at a park so that kids would be able to play and have something fun to do while the moms shopped.
Tuesday:  Gymnastics night and also kids eat free at Firehouse Subs.  The kids asked to go last week and we didn't get to, so I promised we could go this week.
Wednesday:  Cheesy Zucchini Enchiladas from Skinny Taste  New recipe that I am very interested to try.  I love mexican food and I am always looking for healthier alternatives to my favorites.  I'll be sure to post a review- especially the kids' reactions.
Thursday:  Chicken Stroganoff from Sparkpeople I'm looking for new healthy crock pot recipes now that we are back to school and gymnastics schedule.  This is another new one, hopefully it is a hit!
Friday:  Homemade pizza and salads.  Friday is usually our pizza and movie night, so for this one, I'm going to go with making our own.
Saturday:  Crock Pot Potato Cheese Soup from Sparkpeople  The last new one of the week.  Hopefully another good one.  I'd like to find a good variety of crockpot meals for this school year.
Sunday:  Leftover night

So, if all goes as planned, I'll have three new recipe reviews to post this week.  I hope they are good.  If you've come across any great healthy recipes, please share!

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**

Hot, Humid, and Slow!

That was the story of the Rock n Roll Half Virginia Beach Half Marathon!  I'm happy I did it (now that it is done!), but it was a really rough half.  Not just for me.  I've been reading comments on RnR VB's Facebook page, and that seems to be the overall story.  I was very thankful for the overcast sky- the sun only peeked out for a few minutes, and you could definitely tell a difference in temperature during those few moments.

It all started with a 4:15 am wake up call, I've learned to lay out all my clothes the night before so that I don't forget anything, got dressed and then headed out to take all of the carseats out of my car so that I could fit all the adults in :)  It was then that I discovered the humidity was a bit suffocating.  I'd been watching the weather for the past week, so I knew it wasn't going to be a very 'nice' day for a half, but I wasn't expecting it to be quite so humid for the start.

We got to the shuttle pick up point and then rode the shuttle over to the start line.  Took a few pictures, had a porta-potty stop, and then made our way to the start corrals.  As they were starting the corrals, the advice given to everyone was not to try to make this a PR race.  It was already that hot and humid.  I took that for what it was- great advice!

I started off with my sister and my friend.  We ran along for a while and eventually all fell into our own pace.  RnR races are usually very well organized, and for the most part, this one went off without many issues.  Only a couple stick out to me....the first water stop seemed behind in getting set up, so I did have to wait a bit for water there.  And the water stop at mile 5 was out of cups when I got there.  I heard they ran out of cups really early.   The course support didn't seem to be as good as last year- more people just standing and watching, not as much cheering.  That is, until I got to the neighborhoods- the locals were a bit more supportive.  Positives....I loved the wet sponge around mile 11, and really didn't mind running through some hoses that many friendly neighbors were providing.

All in all, it was a  good experience.  Definitely not my favorite half so far and not a new PR like I was hoping for.  But, training through this summer has proved to be a lot more difficult than I anticipated, so I had gone into this race not expecting a PR.  I am really looking forward to my next half The Crawlin Crab...in just 4 weeks :)  Maybe that'll be a new PR...

Just a few pictures:

My friend kelly from Ohio 

 Darlena from Run Find your Happy Pace

 Half Marathon #7

Kelly, sister Katie, Darlena, and I

The Great Cupcake Race Winners!

We had some great items to giveaway!  We chose winners by random draw after race registration closed.  Here are our winners:

The Great Cupcake Race T-Shirt from JBRugby
Michelle Corey
Jacqueline Riveria

"i run for cupcakes" tumbler from Havasu Decals Runner Decals 

Michelle Krause

Cupcake Thermal Tote from 31 Gifts
Dawn LaBay

"i run for cupcakes" Window Decal from Havasu Decals Runner Decals

Barbara Affinito

Carrie Dalek

Maria Jensen

Carrie Patterson

Georgette Becker

Sandra Sofalvi

Kim Doll Clothes

Jody Miller

Karen Morris

Mary Meadows

Lyndi Keller

Jenni Henscheid

Sue Weems

Angela Wildermuth

Candice Hope

Sarah McCutheon

Stephanie Cavalier

Susan Williams

Julia Hicks

Christine Rockery

Wildflower Photography

Hala Russo

Holly Frye

Samuel Stepp

Liz Fentress

Jessica Tuveson

Mariana Mendible

Joyce Nash

Molly Ritterback

Small Cupcake Decal From Havasu Decals Runner Decals

Kelly Linman
Roger Bussan
Jessica Molstad
Christy Blankenship
Lisa Mercado
Angelene Willie
Amber Grasso
Jenni Henscheid
Lori Bebeteau
Christina Mordhorst
Courtney Della Penna
Blissfulmiss
Sorina Angeles
Shelley Bowles
Hannah Landry
Allison Clark
Maggie Simpson
Pam Burrus
Kathryn Krause
Alyson Saucier
Vickie Alford
Betsy Szatkowski
Sarah Gabriel
Kristein Galemore
Hannah Nelson
Suzy Forcher
Noretta Fish
Vanessa Palumbo
Kerri Morgan

Mini Peace Girl Runner From Havasu Decals Runner Decals
Mariella Macias
Olivia Zade
Deborah Miller
Bethany Barlow
Danielle Borgo
Martinella Dryburgh
Jodie Nemeth
Cindy Fentress
S Caines
Sara Johnson
Cassidy Sumpter
Olivia Henson
Shawna Dance
Melyssa Silvard

Finisher Magnet From Run Find Your Happy Pace
Lisa DeGroff
Kristin Adams
Taitha Reber
Julie Weidner
Kelly Dunn
Sarah Wells
Pam Gordon
Erika Wemer
Cassey Shaw
Candace Harmon
Lisa Bussell
Christina Litschel
Trina Hall
Regina Lyon
Rebecca Lui
Tonya Miller
Leslie Doades
Mary Katherine Joyner
Kristiana Larimore
Katie Martin
Chelsea Hardy
Kim McKee
Rebecca Austin
LaVonna Mims


Congratulations to all who won something!  Thank you to the people who donated generously so that we could provide a little extra 'cupcake happiness' along with our race!  

The Great Pumpkin Race Registration Now Open!

First off, thank you for your support of The Great Cupcake Race!

Along with some help from Run Find your Happy Pace, we are happy to bring you The Great Pumpkin Race and Mini Pumpkin Mile!

When is the race? Well, it's virtual, so any time around October 13, whatever works for your schedule!

The Great Pumpkin Race is a 5k or 10k, you make the choice! The Mini Pumpkin Mile is an opportunity to get out and get your kiddos running with you as well!

This is the medal for the Great Pumpkin Race:

This is the medal for the Mini Pumpkin Mile. Open to children up to age 12:

And, we are able to bring you another Bondi Band selection for this race, the pattern is "pumpkin dot"!

Here are the options:

The Great Pumpkin Race 5k/10k, medal and Bondi Band- $27

The Great Pumpkin Race 5k/10k with medal- $20

The Mini Pumpkin Mile with medal- $10 per child

***Registration will close September 23***

(so you can receive your medal before the event!)

Thank you for your continued support!

The Great Cupcake Race Update!

So, from what I gather on Facebook, everyone loves the medal! I'm so happy with it, and I can't wait for all who have registered to get it in the mail, it will be sure to make you smile!

For the update, we have 81 people registered as of today at 5:25 pm! 25 out of 50 states are represented- Florida and Texas are tied with 10 in each state. We also have runners in Canada and Japan!

We have 60 medals on hand (our first batch). Registration will close on 8/30/2012 at midnight EST. We will place our order for our second batch first thing 8/31 and will have them within a week (we are working with a great local company) and they will go into the mail the next day.

I ordered 50 of the bondi bands, and I have already had those sell. I am waiting on that initial shipment and I will also talk with them about being able to get more than the 50. So for right now, I have taken the bondi band option off of race registration. If you are still wanting a bondi band to go with your medal, please email me, and I will see what I can do! run.in.sanity@gmail.com

Again, I am so appreciative of your support, The Great Cupcake Race has been a bigger hit than I ever imagined! Thank you to everyone who has registered, shared the event and even convinced someone else to register to run with you! I am really looking forward to seeing everyone's pictures when they finish! Especially if you celebrate with a cupcake!

Just another Friday!

It's hard to believe that we are already towards the later part of August! My next half is sneaking up on me quite quickly. It's been a little harder to keep up with training over the summer than I had expected. But it'll all be ok- I'm really looking forward to a fun weekend with family and friends!

Things are really coming together for The Great Cupcake Race! 60 people are now registered and we have our final artwork for the center of the medal! If you haven't registered, you have until August 3o to do that. Only 40 more people and I will run in a cupcake costume!  If you haven't registered yet, details are here and you can register using the dropbox to the right at the top of the page! 

I'm starting to work with my coach from TNT for the Tinker Bell Half Marathon. She has been really great about communicating with me about the half marathons that I have scheduled for the fall and how to get the most out of both my training and my scheduled races. My training schedule officially kicks off tomorrow!

I am anxious for the Rock and Roll half....it should be my last half before my husband comes home. Even though I did decide to change up my original goal of a half marathon every month, I am still very happy with what I did accomplish this year so far. I have a ways to go before I meet my ultimate goals, but I am very happy with how things have gone so far. Running half marathons and blogging about my experience have really taken me out of my comfort zone and I could not be happier that I decided to take this chance! I thank you all for your support!

Cupcake Challenge

The Great Cupcake Race registration has been open for almost 2 weeks. In that time, we have had 38 people register from 17 different states and 3 from Canada! I've been so surprised by the support coming in for this race! I had mentioned to my friend and partner in this over at Run Find Your Happy Pace that I would be thrilled if we could get 50 participants.

Last night we were chatting online (becoming a nightly event) and I guess she was looking up costumes. She came across this:

She says to me "if we get 100 participants, I'll run the 5k in this" So, I had to agree to the challenge as well! 100 participants (only 62 to go!) and you will be seeing pictures of us running The Great Cupcake Race 5k in this costume!

We've had some questions about the bling....we are still working with production on getting the final design for the bling, and as soon as we do, I promise you'll be the first to see it!

Thank you for your support!

Out of Town

This week I am traveling. I left home on Monday, picked up my boys (missed all their craziness!) and then left this morning to attend 31 Gift's 2012 national conference. With all this traveling I definitely have not been eating as good as I normally do. I'm trying to focus just on not over eating. Thankfully the hotel is walking distance to our conference site, and also spread out over a couple different locations, so there will be walking throughout the day. I'll be joined by my kiddos and family this weekend to celebrate a kiddo birthday and go to a baseball game. More walking on the schedule for the weekend!

The registration for The Great Cupcake race is going really well! We opened registration less than a week ago and already have 20 participants from 13 states and even one Canadian! I'm so excited about the participation in this race so far- and so very thankful that you are being supportive and helping me reach my Team in Training goal! If you haven't registered yet, there is still time! Registration will stay open until August 30. Details here: The Great Cupcake Race!

Also, another fundraiser August 31 Gifts Party! This month there is a great special- for every $31 you spend, you can purchase anything in the Spirit Collection for 50% off. That includes the new Spirit purple. This will close on August 14, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to email me: run.in.sanity@gmail.com

The Great Cupcake Race

My first official fundraiser for Team in Training is now open! I am working with a great supporter Run Find Your Happy Pace and putting together a virtual 5k/10k called The Great Cupcake Race!

How does this work??

1. Register through PayPal by clicking the button over to the right.......if you don't have a PayPal, please email me at run.in.sanity@gmail.com for other instructions!

2. Sometime around September 8, you go out and cover the 5k or 10k distance. You can run, walk, crawl, cartwheel, skip, whatever you choose! Just get out and move!

3. Soon after September 8, you will receive your bling in the mail (look for a special medal design soon!)

4. Know that you've supported the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society because all proceeds from this race will go towards my fundraising goal!

It's that simple! But if you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to ask!

A little something extra for this virtual race....

Nope, not the cute kiddo.......see the Bondi Band she is modeling? You too can have a hot pink "will run for cupcakes" sweat wicking headband! You'll see an option for "race and bondi". You can purchase both for $27. A portion of each bondi band sold will go towards my fundraising goal as well! You can also just purchase the race $20, or just the bondi band $8!

Thank you for your support, and please share with your friends!

Coming Soon!

Exciting news!!! Mark your calendars for Running In Sanity supported by Run Find Your Happy Pace two virtual races. "The Great Cupcake Race" 5K/10K coming September 8th and "The Great Pumpkin Race" 5K/10K coming October 13, 2012. Both races will benefit Team In Training! Bling? Of course and maybe a few other sweet offers. Official registration coming soon!

A New Week

This morning I did JMBR workout 7. I spent most of the day feeling that workout! You spend the first circuit pretty much in plank or doing some kind of pushups. Neither of which are my strong suit! I was very happy that I stuck with it and just did the modifications when I had to.

After I finished that workout, I took a little break, had some water, set the kids up with a new show to watch on TV, and then started my short interval run. I was able to get in a couple miles while doing that, still really working on improving my speed.

Tomorrow- workout 8 :) I have a love/hate relationship with a new set of workouts. I love the change up in workouts, but the step up can be a really rough transition! My plan is to get up early and do both my workout and run before taking the kiddos to a movie in the morning. Hopefully all goes as planned- I want to get everything in before taking kiddos to gymnastics tomorrow evening.

Friday Weigh In

It's been a while since I've actually done a weigh in. Mostly because weight was not going down or was going up....but I've fixed that this week! With my Jillian Michaels Body Revolution (JMBR) workouts and my running, I'm down 1.4 pounds this week. I do need to remember to drink more water though, I don't think that I have been drinking as much water as I should be. But at least that is a problem that I can easily fix!

On the schedule for this next week- I'll be moving on to week 7 of JMBR, which will bring in two new strength workouts for the week, and will still be doing carido 2. Running will be 4 days again, that seems to be just the right amount- one short interval, one long interval, one long run and one shorter run.

This morning I was able to attend a lemonade stand put on by two great kiddos! They were wanting to do a lemonade stand and their mom gave them three charity choices to raise money for. They chose to help me raise money to reach my Team in Training goal for LLS! I was really honored that they chose to use their time and efforts to help me. With the donations from their sale, they raised over $90! That is a great start in my fundraising and I really appreciate those who were able to come out to have some lemonade and to talk and visit for a while this morning.

A Big Week!

This has been a pretty big week for me and my little running journey! First I decided to share my page with anyone and everyone who would listen and now I've decided to join up with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Team in Training to run the Tinker Bell half marathon in January!

I did not make the decision to join up with TNT lightly- it's a pretty big commitment. I have been thinking on it for a few days, trying to figure out the fundraising, the logistics of going out of town (even though that has some time to work out), the commitment to another half and training through the holidays. But there were a couple of things that this came down to 1- I really want to use my running to give back and 2- I really want to run this race again.

So here is what it boils down to- I've set my goal for fundraising at $3800. That's a lot. I am working on some creative ways to raise the funds, but I am also open to any ideas that you may have for me!

Here's what I have planned so far:

~At least one virtual race- with bling of course! Look for those details soon!

~I am a senior consultant with Thirty One Gifts, and I will have an open online show every month with all my profits going towards my goal- new specials each month will allow for fun shopping each month, and everyone who places an order will be put into a drawing for a free Organizing Utility Tote of you choice with free personalization! This will happen every month. July's Party!

~I have plans to speak with some local restaurants about fundraiser nights.

~I am hoping to put together a raffle as well, more details on that coming also

How can you help?

~SHARE my page with friends and family! Both my blog and my Facebook page

~DONATE through my personal TNT page (found on the top right of this page!) If you can't personally donate, please share with anyone you may think is interested!

~CONTACT ME if you have any ideas for fundraising!

I appreciate the support of everyone, it has been a great journey so far and I am very excited for what is to come!

Another Month Down

We are over 6 months into this deployment. About 2/3 done, which is a big accomplishment of it's own. I posted about my struggle with motivation over the past couple of months yesterday. So today I am choosing to post about the success I've had so far. Since this deployment began right at the beginning of January, it is safe to say that is also when all of these changes started taking place (or rather that is when I decided to make forever changes). Since then, I've completed 5 half marathons, lost 43 pounds, discovered many new healthy recipes to cook at home, and have really just felt better overall. It's been a great journey so far, and one that I am ready to continue on.

Choosing my blog name took a little time. I wanted to have something creative, but when it comes to creative word play, I am not the best. I thought about how running (or really any exercise) makes me feel. It makes me feel calmer. When I run, I usually have music, but it still gives me the opportunity to think about what I want to accomplish over the day or about what goals I want to set for myself and my family. So I settled on Running In Sanity- because that is how it makes me feel- like I am just a little less crazy when it comes to the everyday aspect of life. Because let's face it, four little ones can make for just a little bit (okay, a lot!) of crazy :) But I do find my patience for the craziness is increased when I've had that little bit of daily exercise.

I'm explaining my blog name now because after 6 months, I am ready to share this blog with more people. Some of my readers were told about this blog from the beginning because I needed the encouragement, but I wasn't ready to share with everyone. Over time, as I began to change in appearance, local friends would compliment me and sometimes ask what I was doing, ask how I was managing to squeeze in half marathons, and I would share this blog with them. Some have found this blog by chance or because I follow other blogs and occasionally I have a comment to offer :) But I am hoping to expand my readers because I am finding that I am really enjoying the support of the running community. I love that a runner can be anyone- fast or slow. Everyone fits. I never thought I'd finish a half marathon- now I've finished 6! I love that I can run my own race- the only person I have to compete with is me.

All that being said, I hope that you will share this blog with your friends and also join me over on my Facebook page Running In Sanity so we can all support each other while we work towards whatever goal we have!

Confession Time

I've been in a slump since the Diva Half. I'll get a good start and good program going for a week and then get off track. Not sure why that is, but I am ready to get refocused again. I am very proud of what I have accomplished from January to May, but I still have so much more to accomplish. I have definitely fallen off of my plans over the past few weeks. I'm frustrated that I can't seem to get motivated to get back on track. But, this is it...tomorrow is Monday (my favorite day to start a new routine!). Meal plans are back in action, back to double workouts (running in the morning, JMBR in the evening). I really need to get back into the good habits that I had created for myself back in the spring.

With summer being here, I have been kind of flying by the seat of my pants with plans. And I'm finding that is not working well- it never really does. Some days the kiddos and I are fine with a day without plans, but most of the time we need some kind of plan to help keep us all on track and happy. So now I am going back to what has worked best for us and that is a plan- meal planning, activity planning, chore planning, etc.

So, with that being said, there should be more blog posts coming up, more meal planning and recipe sharing, more workout reviews. I've got three races already scheduled for the fall. I've got goals for each of them and I am really hoping to reach all of them. I do know it'll take work and I am willing to put in the work, I just have to remember to make it a priority.

So, here we go, over the past 2 months, I've gained 5 pounds. I know that I have not made the best food choices overall and that will be changing. I will be continuing with my training for my fall half marathons. I will return to my workouts tomorrow- I will be starting JMBR week 6, which will include workouts 5, 6, and cardio 2. I also was able to purchase a used spin bike from someone in the neighborhood, and I am looking at adding in some spinning for some more cross training. I love variety- it really makes it easier for me to meet my goals.

Looking forward to continuing on this journey and ready to get closer to my goal!

Training with Kiddos

This morning I took my oldest out this morning on my run. The plan was for me to do intervals, I decided to take him with me since it was something I could do at the track. He was so excited to get to go running with me this morning, he had his clothes all laid out the night before. We headed over to the track to get started. He did great, didn't complain and just kept going. He is looking forward to his next run- he'll be doing the ASYMCA Mini Mud Run along with one of my other boys in August.

Today we also celebrated a deployment milestone, and my oldest had requested red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing so after dinner we sat down with cupcakes.... As my fellow cupcake runner Run Find Your Happy Pace says "will run for cupcakes!" They were a hit!

Still going strong

So it's been a little while since I've posted, but I am having trouble finding time for blogging with school being out for summer and entertaining all of my monkeys and still keeping up with my exercise. I did set out a schedule and I completed about 75% of the workouts that I had laid out for myself, and I am happy with that. This week I had a loss of 1 pound. Better than nothing, but I was thinking it would be more. I don't think that I have been drinking enough water though. When I was losing more weight per week, I was drinking much more water and I think it was really helping. I also only had 5 solid days of eating well as opposed to the 7 days a week that I was eating well. So both of those are things I will be working on fixing this week.

I started week 2 of JMBR, which meant workouts 1 and 2 and cardio 1. Usually I will do a running workout every morning- interval, speed work, short run or long run and then the JMBR workout in the evening followed by JM ab workout as well. I'll admit, I've only made it halfway through the ab workout this week, so I'm hoping to add in the full time starting on Monday. But I will also say that I am thankful for a couple days off the ab workout- it's pretty tough :)

I'm lucky to have one of my sister's visiting me for a couple weeks so I've been able to get out and run my short and long runs outside instead of on the treadmill in the mornings. I am finding I need to get up early and get out the door to get them done before it gets too hot though. So I alternate and get a few outside runs in as well- it's really helping to be able to run outside and not always be on the treadmill.

Hopefully there will be some meal planning to post about on Sunday....

And on track...

At least so far (it is only Monday!). I stayed up way too late last night and had a little trouble waking up, but I am glad I ran first thing. It definitely helped me wake up. This evening I started week 1 of Jillian Michaels Body Revolution again. I felt really good during the workout. I used heavier weights to have more of a challenge. I am looking forward to seeing what kind of results I see over the next 90 days.  For the first JMBR that I did (up to week 10), the total loss is 22.6 pounds and 28.5 inches.  I'm pretty happy with this considering that I did fall off track part of the way through and did have trouble getting focused. So now I am starting new with numbers and we'll see where this second attempt at the full 90 day program goes.  I'm hoping that a more relaxed summer schedule (well, at least the kiddos don't have school!)  will help me be able to keep up with the workouts and be ready for fall half marathons!

Starting Again....

So, I've made it to JMBR Phase 3. But, I've had a really hard time keeping up these past two weeks. I think that Jillian may have over-estimated my abilities when she designed phase 3 :) So tomorrow I will be going back to phase 1 and work through the 90 days again. This will put me finishing around mid-September. I am hoping that by starting again when I get to phase 3 this time I will be able to complete the whole 90 days. I do have a final weight loss and inches loss for the time I did JMBR this round. I will post that soon- not sure of the totals right now. I am planning to start a new set of measurements for this round. The plan is still to do running in the morning and JMBR in the evening. I got in several miles last week and I am still focusing on speed and I am planning on a long run at some time this week or weekend.

I don't have a meal plan laid out yet for this week. I've got a couple things that didn't get cooked last week, so I may be cooking a couple of those recipes. I am planning on some zucchini pizzas that I found on skinnytaste. I am actually having some success with my garden (for the first time ever!), so we are starting to have some yummy veggies to eat. Though my younger boys are starting to make faces when I tell them we are having zucchini....they do seem excited to start getting tomatoes though- the first of those should be ready this week. As the weather really starts to heat up, I don't usually like to cook as much. This summer I am planning on more salads. I have one kiddo who really loves salads, so just 3 more to win over!

Sunday Meal Planning

So baseball is done- we had a great season, and Caleb really enjoyed it, so I am so glad that we did it even though it did make our lives a little hectic over the past couple of months. One of the things that suffered the most was our meal planning. I tried in the beginning but when we started with rainouts and make up games it just got to be a little too much. I'd have a plan and then it'd get changed at the last minute, so eventually I decided that it was better just to do the best we could.

But this week we are back to normal-ish, so back to meal planning.....

Monday: Broccoli and cheese stuffed chicken

Tuesday: Quick dinner (open house for the two oldest at school)

Wednesday: Crusted honey mustard chicken

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Chicken Cordon Bleu

Saturday: Hot dogs (hopefully following a fun outside day!)

Sunday: Leftovers or Kids' choice

This week also starts a new summer schedule for me. My kiddos still have 2 weeks left of school, but I am going to start a new training schedule for the fall halfs that I have coming up. I also have a couple things planned for the summer months, I am still planning on a half a month. Those halfs will be very low key- I am really working towards more of a time goal for my fall halfs, so that is what I'm concentrating on. When it comes to my summer halfs, I am thinking that I may split the distance over a couple different runs- maybe in the same day, maybe two different days. I just don't want to push so hard that I can't meet my ultimate goal that I have in place for the fall.

I am also going to go back to evening workouts for JMBR. I have found that time works so much better for me when it comes to that. So starting tomorrow I am planning on running in the morning and JMBR in the evening. I am really hoping that will work well for me.

Diva Recap

This was a short weekend away, and a very quick trip, but such a fun weekend! We left home around 2 on Friday afternoon. Dropped off the monkeys and continued on our way. After a couple stops along the way (and one missed turn) we made it safely to our destination. Saturday we got up and had breakfast at our condo and then headed off to the Diva expo (called the Health and Fitness Boutique). It was a fairly small expo, we got our race numbers, shirts and bags and then looked around a little. I even ran into Amy from Pumpkin to Princess while we were there and we chatted for a few minutes. We made a few purchases and then left right as it was getting a little crowded.

After some outlet shopping, we went to pick up our celebratory after race cupcakes from a shop that we had seen when we were driving to the expo. Yummy!

We relaxed for a little while and then headed out for our other tradition- pre-race fajitas. That is a tradition that started at Disney when we did the Princess Half marathon. We considered changing our pre-race meal to this:

Just kidding- but it did make us laugh to find these chips at a Wal-Mart in North Carolina. We headed back to the condo to make sure we had everything ready for the race the next morning and get to bed early. 4:30 am comes early....

Everyone was up and we left the condo at 5 am as planned. We got to the race site easily and had a great parking spot right by the porta potties and the start corrals. We were able to stay warm in the car while we waited for time to go to the corral. This was a smaller race- about 3600 runners, and no assigned corrals, so we were able to go right into a spot near the pace sign that we chose. Here is the before the race photo

This was a pretty nice course, lots of shade and the weather was beautiful. There was the possibility of rain, but we were very lucky to get to enjoy a great morning for our run. The first half was really good for me. I was happy to discover that I was on target to complete this half at about 3 hours at halfway. But then it went downhill (at least a little!) It was about mile 8 where I started to struggle mentally (seems to be when that happens). I was taking a walk break when I came across a friend that had come close to passing out and her sister was there with her so I stopped to see if there was anything I could do. After staying for a few minutes I went on, but still had trouble getting back into a good running pace. I switched to a run/walk and that seemed to help. I finished with 3:12:38 unofficially (3:15:38 was the official clock time). Either way, it is a new PR for me, so I'll take it!

Finished!

Finishing again with Katie :)

Heather (my brother in law's girlfriend) also ran this race and she found me at the finish.

My two traveling partners and now official Divas :)

Mileage breakdown- you can really see the slowdown after mile 8....

1	12:50	12'50"/mi
2	26:41	13'51"/mi
3	41:01	14'20"/mi
4	55:07	14'06"/mi
5	1:09:15	14'08"/mi
6	1:23:32	14'17"/mi
7	1:37:50	14'18"/mi
8	1:52:21	14'31"/mi
9	2:07:57	15'36"/mi
10	2:23:54	15'57"/mi
11	2:40:08	16'14"/mi
12	2:55:46	15'38"/mi
13	3:11:21	15'35"/mi

Next up....lots of speed work and more JMBR!