Mom on the Run--Woman of Steele

Hey everyone! I was just thinking that I haven't blogged in awhile and you are all probably wondering what I have been up to!  Well a lot of it has been running! Duh! Haha! But seriously, I actually sat down this past week and mapped out my training plans for my half and full marathons, since I finally signed up for my first full marathon in November.   It was quite eye-opening!! I realized that I actually should have started training for my half marathon in May already, so starting next week I am starting Hal Higdon's intermediate half marathon training plan week 3. It actually calls for less miles than I've been running so I think I should be ok! It's probably going to be really hard for me to stick to these plans initially because of the low mileage. I'm so used to high mileage weeks now! I did 50 miles again this week! I'm going to really try and I'm going to try and follow the rest days and stretch and strength days. I still have 3 more weeks of Insanit...

So it is quite clear that my addiction has reached an all new level this month! Granted I have been stressed out and needed some of those extra runs for my sanity, but last week alone I ran 60 miles!!! I have never ran that many miles in a week before!! I'm actually surprised I can still walk!!!  I am thankful for Insanity Max 30 and PiYo for building my strength and endurance!  I guess more than anything I am thankful that I have found something that I love more than any other workout or sport! I am such a happier person when I run! There is no doubt in my mind that running has helped to save me!  Within the last week I have become more and more at peace with decisions I have made at home and at work. And I believe wholeheartedly that running helped me reach those decisions. Running is my outlet, my time to think, my time to reflect, and my time to be truly with me. I love my runs alone on the road with just my music and my thoughts. I can truly think things through, but...

Remember back in middle school gym class when it was time to run "The Mile?" Believe it or not, but that was the worst day of my life!! I hated running the mile!! I was lucky if I could run/walk it in 15 minutes!! It sucked and I hated every minute of it!  I'm so glad I've gotten past all that!! It's been a trying week for me and running has been my refuge! It's exactly what I needed to release my anger and frustration. It's been cold so I've had to run on the treadmill for the most part and I'm ok with that. I've been watching Friends on Netflix mostly. There was one day that I was feeling really angry and frustrated so I cranked my running playlist and it was like God knew exactly what songs I needed that night! It was pure bliss and I ran 5 of the fastest miles I had in quite a while!  Before running, I probably would have turned to food to ease my troubles! Running makes me feel like nothing else I have ever felt before! I feel empowered an...

This week marks the completion of Insanity Max 30 round 1 for me. This program has challenged me and increased my endurance. It was something totally out of the ordinary for me! I'm usually more into lifting weights and sticking to my running. I saw the results others were getting and I had hit a plateau, so I knew I needed something different. I never really liked Shaun T. I thought he was really annoying, but he is actually very motivating!! He is pushing me to my limits!! I LOVE IT!!  I always love a good challenge!! If you are curious about Max 30, it is a high intensity cardio and strength program that does not use weights. You lift using your own body weight! There is a lot of jumping, and I mean A LOT of jumping!! The great thing about this program though, is that there is a modifier for all the moves! There is even a modifier only track that you can play! It's totally doable for anyone! I even did it with a migraine several times!! There is no shame in modifying!! Above...

In the past 3 weeks I have ran 41, 45, and 46 miles!! Those are some crazy totals considering I would have been lucky to have a total of 20 miles a week back in October/November of last year! I definitely have my mojo back!! I keep wanting to push myself more and more with my running! My legs are feeling strong and powerful and I love it!! I am super proud of how far I have come with my running.  Back when I started running almost 3 years ago, I had a hard time running a full mile on the treadmill and it took me between 13-15 minutes to do it! I would get so down on myself, thinking that I would never be able to run a 10 minute mile! Now I can run that consistently for long distances, but I get down on myself when I can't maintain 9 minute miles for a 5K! I need to just be proud of myself for how far I have come with my running! I will get there! I'm just always in such a competiton with myself! I know I can I can do so much better with my nutrition so I am going to read this b...

So the first month of the year is in the books! It was an up and down month for me! I have so many things that I want to do and be good at! I spent the last 2 weeks of January re-evaluating my priorities and what I really want to do in my life!  I have re-discovered my love for long distance running! I am getting more and more excited about running 26.2 this year! I have had some really great long runs outside! I ran my first ever outdoor 15 miles last weekend! I even tried peanut butter GU for the first time!! Delicious by the way!  My treadmill long runs have been difficult to say the least but my mileage is increasing and I am happy about that! I love this quote! There are so many storms in our lives that we go through and this month has been a challenge!  I found out a few weeks ago that my grandpa who lives in Florida is not doing so well. It's been very hard for me to handle since he is my only living grandparent and he lives so far away! With all my family and care...

I signed up for a PIYO challenge pack back in July 2014. I had so many doubts about starting this program! I HATE YOGA and I've never been a fan of Pilates. I hemmed and hawed for quite a while and then just jumped into it. I FELL IN LOVE!! I absolutely love PiYo! Since starting the program in July, I have looked forward to whatever workout was on the calendar each day! It has been my stress reliever and a way to build my strength and flexibility! It has even improved my running!  I feel like I have been able to recover faster from long runs because my leg muscles have more strength and flexibility.  I love to use it after for the awesome stretch you get! I never thought I would love this program so much or look forward to it each day!  I have never found a program that makes me feel so good about myself and has started to tighten up my awful mom belly! I love this program so much that when my best friend Jill suggested we get PiYo certified, there was no hesita...