Mom on the Run--Woman of Steele

Last week, March 17 was my 4 year Runniversary!!  I can’t believe I have been a runner for 4 years!!  I have been so blessed to be able to run, not only for my health and overall fitness, but also for the ability to challenge myself and to reach goals that I never thought I could.  It’s amazing how much stronger and more motivated of a person I am because of running.   Four years ago when I stepped on my treadmill because I had hit a weight loss plateau and needed to add something else to my routine, I would have never thought I would be where I am today.  Today I have run countless 5Ks and 10Ks; a 20 K, 7 half marathons, and a full marathon!! When I started running 4 years ago, 1 mile felt like forever!! It hurt, I was out of breath, and I thought I was going to die.  It took me forever to run that mile and I never thought I would be able to run farther or get faster.  Now running a mile is nothing!  Running 5 miles feels like nothing!! ...

Well it’s been an interesting start to March.  I apologize for no blog last week.  It was a stressful week for me and didn’t have anything positive to say so I knew that would be reflected in my blog.  And that’s not how I want my blog to come across.   So let me recap what happened that first week of March.  The week started out just fine until I decided to check on the status of my license renewal through DPI.  Because I have 2 licenses; one as a teacher and one as a reading specialist, I had to renew both of them.  Well my teaching license is fine and will most likely be approved and renewed based on my teaching experience and my PDP (professional development plan).  My reading specialist license is another story.  It is not being approved right now as I didn’t complete the correct PDP as DPI classifies reading specialist as an administrative license.  I knew this, I just didn’t realize that my PDP would be any different.  I ...

This week (Feb 20-27) I ended up running 50 miles!!  WOW!!!  I haven’t done that in awhile!!  I’m going to thank some awful experiences and stress for that number this week. I am so thankful for running.  It has helped me lose weight, but it has also helped me find myself.  I make so many better choices because I run.  Throughout the week, I could have turned to food to ease my troubles.  I could have turned to  alcohol to make these feelings go away.  Instead, I turned to running.  Yes, I am completely exhausted when I get home from school.  Yes, I fall asleep with Maddie every night by 8:30.  Yes, running takes me away from my family for a period of time.  But, when I come back from a run, I feel exhilarated.  I feel like I can conquer the world. I am a more attentive mom and wife.  I cherish the moments I am with my kids.  I don’t run to get away from my family.  I run so that I can be around for my...

It’s been another stressful week of meetings at school. But running after work has truly been my savior.  I’ve pushed myself, I’ve been tired, I’ve been ornery, I’ve been a better mom and person after work because of it.  I am so thankful for the gift of running.  God has truly blessed me with this awesome gift and passion.  I am the mom, wife, teacher, person I want to be because of running and all that I do to be a better runner.  I am truly blessed.  I can have fun and be active with my family.  And that is what really matters the most.   My workouts have been really great this week too.  I’ve upped weights and really pushed myself to get the most out of my workouts with the time I had for them.  Here’s what my workout schedule looked like this week.   WORKOUT SCHEDULE FEB. 15-21 Monday : AM: Shoulders, Arms, extra bicep work; PM: 4 mile treadmill run; core (flutter kicks, leg lifts) (Extra time to run since I took the d...

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!! I hope you all had a wonderful day with those you love!! It has been a very interesting week this week.  I have gone back and forth so many times about my running and my strength training and just everything.  My emotions have been all over the place.  Partly due to both Mother Nature outside and my own Mother Nature.  I know TMI.  Sorry.  I have been going back and forth on what to write in this blog and if anyone really wants to hear about my workouts or what I should be writing about.  It’s an awkward place to be in.  I am still not sure what I where I want this blog to go.  So as I try to figure that out more, I am going to try to incorporate more of my life into my blogs, so you will get to know me better as a person and not just a crazy workout/runner girl!   One thing that I am very proud of this week is getting my long runs in on the treadmill.  I am not a super huge fan of running l...

I have been so much happier this week!  I have been running every day by getting in some extra miles at night.  I feel so much better!  I feel like a normal happy person!  I am so glad!  I have been drinking more water, going to bed earlier, and, consequently, getting up earlier for some awesome workouts!  It’s been a really great week!  I’ve had some head congestion and a stuffy nose towards the end of the week, but that hasn’t stopped me from running and doing my best to kill my workouts.  It’s all mental, ya’ll!! Sunday : AM: 10 miles outside; PM: core (100 ball situps) Monday : AM: Shoulders, arms, deadlifts; PM: 3 mile outdoor run; core (100 ball situps) Tuesday : AM: 6 mile treadmill run; PM: 2 mile treadmill run; core (100 ball situps) Wednesday : AM: legs; PM: 2 mile treadmill run; core (100 ball situps) Thursday : AM: 5 mile treadmill run; PM: 3 mile treadmill run; core (100 ball situps) Friday : AM: chest, back, biceps, dea...

Here's how the week went down. Read on for more of my ramblings!! Sun: 10 mile run outside Mon: back, biceps and deadlifts; 3 mile treadmill run; core (ball situps) Tues: 6 mile treadmill run; 2 mile treadmill run; core (ball situps) Wed: Legs; Dance Party at Maddie’s school; 4 mile outdoor run Thurs: 5 mile treadmill run Fri: chest, shoulders, triceps, biceps, and deadlifts Sat: 10 mile outdoor run; core (ball situps) Sunday I ran outside once again.  It was cold at only 22 degrees, but boy did it feel good to get out there.  I can’t believe how much of a difference there is between the treadmill and the open road.  My knees have been hurting the past 2 days after running outside.  I guess my legs were getting used to running on the cushy treadmill.  I have also been running pretty slow on the treadmill for the most part, whereas, today I pushed it to run a little faster outside.  I saw some other runners out and that always makes m...