Premier Protein = Happy Me!

Nice sweat!  This is post 10 mile tempo run and I was a hot sweaty mess!  The amazing people at Premier Protein sent me one of these:



It was filled with 2 of each:  Chocolate and Vanilla Shakes, Yogurt Peanut Crunch Bar, Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar, and Double Chocolate Crunch Bar.

I have a hard time getting adequate protein in my diet and I love that each bar/shake offers 30 grams of protein!  The Chocolate shake has 160 calories, 3 g of fat, 340 mg of sodium, 500 mg of potassium, 5 g of dietary fiber, 1 g of sugar, and 30 g of protein. The Vanilla shake has 160 calories, 3 g of fat, 330 mg of sodium, 390 mg of potassium, 2 g dietary fiber, 1 g sugar, 30 g of protein.  The only problem I have with these shakes is that my boys keep sneaking and drinking them!!!!!  They love them just as much as I do.  The shakes are super quick and easy to digest after a tough run/workout.

The bars are amazing also and the perfect size!  The Double Chocolate Crunch Bar has 270 calories, 6 g of fat, 330 mg of sodium, 340 mg of potassium, 26 g total carbs, 2 g dietary fiber, 9 g of sugar, 30 g of protein.

The Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar has 280 calories, 7 g of fat, 420 mg of sodium, 190 mg of potassium, 23 g total carbs, 1 g dietary fiber, 8 g of sugar, 30 mg of protein.  This is my favorite bar!!

The Yogurt Peanut Crunch Bar has 290 calories, 8 g of fat, 410 mg of sodium, 140 mg of potassium, 24 g total carbs, 1 g dietary fiber, 10 g of sugar, 30 g of protein!

I am a huge fan of these products and their delicious taste!  As i am sitting here writing this my 7-year-old is begging me for a bar!!  I better buy these by the case!  Costco has the shakes but I have not seen the bars there yet.  But you can go online to PremierNutrition.com and purchase the shakes, bars and other goodies through the website.  I am hooked and hope others will give them a try!



Happy Running!

Swimming, Running, Eating...

Thursday's workout felt great.  Angel and I met and swam a total of 1850 meters for a total of 45 minutes.  We are working on mixed strokes as well as kick boarding.  I feel like swimming is a great way to improve overall fitness and give my legs a break from all the pounding!  Some thing I have noticed since I started swimming are increased ankle and hamstring flexibility and increased endurance.  Swimming allows me to get a great total body workout while recovering from my running.  After swimming I felt like I wanted to get a good weight lifting session in so I did a total body kettlebell workout and was ready to be done at the end!

Friday I did a progression/tempo run.  I warmed up for 10 minutes running at 8:30 pace then set my pace at 7:23 pace for 6 miles then bumped it to 7:19 for the last 2.5 miles and cooled down the last .50 mile at 8:00...so I did a total of 10.25 miles in 75ish minutes.  This run felt great and I was very pleased with my pace.

Saturday and Sunday were fun-filled family/girl time days!  We do quarterly birthday get togethers with all my girlfriends and this one was extra special.  Our amazing friend Debbie is an uber talented personal chef and only uses the finest, freshest ingredients!  She cooked for us girls as we all mingled and drooled over her delicious food.  Dawn hosted the party and has an AMAZING house/pool/spa like backyard!



  Cheryl and a piece of heaven!

I love my girlfriends and the bonds that we all share!   Thank you for such and amazing time!

Sunday we had my hubby's Family Reunion.  This was also a blast.  We played softball and just caught up with family we haven't seen in years!

Today I had my longest run since Boston and my injuries!  I was very nervous to go long especially on the treadmill but the new plan I am following called for a 13 mile run and 8:19 pace.  I started out with a mile warm up @ 8:30 pace then the next mile was @ 8:19 and I went down from there every 10 minutes.  I finished with 14.25 miles in 1:47 minutes and felt pretty darn great!   My right foot was a little sore from playing softball barefoot on sunday but it was ok on the run!  I also swam 1200 meters after my run just to stretch everything out.  Now it is time for some compression and Premier Protein!

Happy Running!

Premier Protein!!!!!!!!!!

Full review coming but I had to share because these products are DELICIOUS!!!  Thank you Premier Protein!



So excited!

Happy Running!

Fun times and strong headwinds!!

I was stressing a little about fitting my runs/workouts in since I am down the beach with my boys but Uncle Bob to the rescue!  My parents and Uncle are neighbors at the beach so he watched out for my boys while I squeezed in a quick run.  My uncle is the person responsible for getting me into running!  He was a marathoner and distance runner for years and we had some great runs together.  My boys just adore him and his dog Boo so I was able to run without worries.  I ran 5 miles in 37 mins and felt pretty great.  The boys and I had a fantastic day on the beach and we got skim boarding lessons from some awesome boarders!  I was too nervous to break a leg or hip so I just observed.  I asked my guys what they felt like for dinner and this is what the picked:



 

They are so my kids!!  We had amazing sushi and sat on the rooftop patio that hovers above a Koi pond.  This was a great meal with my two little men.

Tuesday was a rest day with some stellar boogie boarding!  Angel and her little people came down for the day/night and we couldn't have been more excited to have them!  We spent the whole day on the beach and had a blast.  I feel so lucky to have such great positive friends in my world and such awesome kids to hang out with my boys.  I love these little guys and girl:



As trying as parenting can be these smiling faces make it all worth it!  We had a great dinner and some fun on the boardwalk.

Angel and I took turns running on Wednesday morning but my God was it windy!!  The first 3.5 miles felt like I had a parachute attached to my butt because of the strong headwind...the last 3.5 felt great!  I did an extra half a mile cool down at the end for a total of 7.5 miles in 60 mins.  While Angel was getting her headwind on me and her little  two were relaxing by the bay and making shadow art:



Loving life!

Happy Running!

My Amazing Brother!

Happy birthday to the best brother in the world!!!  I am very lucky to have such a great brother.. We fight like typical siblings but we always have each others back.  He is the smartest person I know and always has the answer to any question!  I hope he has an amazing birthday and enjoys his meat feast at Fogo de Chao!

Long runs and Beach!

Friday after working and getting my butt kicked at work I headed to PT and had another butt kicking!  It is amazing to me much harder it is to do certain exercises with proper form.  I say this because for years I have been working out and just lifting/squatting/jumping but never really knowing how off some of my form was.  Through PT and getting my body to move in proper alignment I have felt muscles "turn on" that haven't worked in a while.  I definitely feel stronger and more efficient now!  We are doing a lot of kettle-bell work and I love it.  Have you ever tried doing prowlers? Holy moly these are humbling ... I thought I was totally sprinting in quicksand!  This is a great way to work on speed.

So after PT I drove to the beach to meet my family and hang out!

I used Saturday as my rest day ... So we went shopping at the outlets for a few hours and walked the boardwalk= active recovery.  We had dinner at one of my favorite places at the beach, Fins Fish House and Raw Bar. They were having Christmas in July and had my #1 favorite beer ever on tap Troegs Mad Elf!!

Sunday morning was a blast!  I met up with Dawn and we had a glorious 13.25 mile run.  It got quite hot and humid but we had great conversation the whole run and the miles flew by!!  I am so blessed to have my runner girls!

We headed to the beach after a quick round of putt-putt.  The ocean was a beast today!  I had to pull my oldest out of the waves .. He is an amazing swimmer and has no fear but my goodness it was rough.  Then the hubby and both boys were getting thrashed out there so we decided to play a little lacrosse on the beach instead!

HAPPY RUNNING!

This was typed on my iPad so sorry if there are any mistakes!

 

Early Morning Running and New Swimmer in Our House

This morning I made Angel run with me and I enjoyed every second of it!  There is just something so special about running with my runner girls.  The miles flew by and I was so relaxed the whole time.  It has been a long time since I have felt "relaxed" on my runs.  We did 8+ miles with a part of the run on trails and threw in some sprints!  Thanks Angel!

We have had a big week this week..Cameron finally decided to take the swim test at the Y and did amazing.  He would not take the test because he was afraid in the "big" pool even though he is a fish in the water.  He does forward flips in the pool with no fear and has been in swim lessons since he was 5 months old.  I am all for water safety and I was very important for me to make sure my boys would be comfortable in the pool/ocean/bay.  He made me so proud and had a HUGE cheering squad on the deck cheering him on!!  I am talking 20+ people.



I have had some pretty good run this week too which is exciting.

Tuesday:  I had PT which went great.  I feel like I am making progress but still have a few things to work on.  I was able to run 9.6 miles on the TM in 74mins.  I felt heavy most of the run and felt like I was smacking the mill with my feet.  My gait seems to change greatly on the TM vs. outside running.  I think I need to stick with outside running for the most part but with the heat and humidity it is hard to do.

Wednesday:  I was going to lift and do stairmonster but wasn't really feeling it today.  I did 10 minutes of intervals on stairmonster then ran 3.2 miles in 22 minutes and finished with so squats, deadlifts, biceps and triceps.

Here are two of my new favorite things right now:



Cool Lime refresher from Starbucks and Peanut Honey Pretzel luna bar!  Yum!

What are you loving right now?

Happy Running!

Bike Shoe Shopping

Friday I did an 11  mile ride in 40 mins followed up with a quick 2 mile run on the TM.  I went to clip my shoe into the pedals when I noticed this:



I do not think there is any hope for fixing this!  Time to go shoe shopping.

After the gym we ventured to Costco for a "few" things!  I try my best to stick to my list but always end up with more. Only at Costco could you buy one of these:

 The boys wanted to buy this but we passed.

Saturday was a rest day since I had to work Friday, Saturday and Sunday midnights.  I tried to sleep but my little guys were being rowdy and woke me up so we decided to check out Nordstrom's Sale!  I found a great pair of Under Armour compression capris for super cheap.  My boys are following in my sneaker addiction and wanted 7 different pair for themselves.

Sunday after a 3 hours of sleep I grab some coffee and headed out for my longest run since my injury.  I did 11.5 miles in 1:29...my left leg got a little lazy around mile 9 but all in all it was great run.  I followed up my run with lots of foam rolling and massage.  Thanks Hubby!



Today I decided to go for another ride and did 18.5 miles in 71 minutes.  I was a mess after this ride.  Sweat was dripping off my elbows and ears!  I was so inspired by the CrossFit Games so I did a little WOD at home.  I want to have abs like all  the cross fitters!!  I have a new respect for those Athletes and their abilities.   Thanks Blonde Ponytail for keeping us up to date during the games.

Who out there loves CrossFit?

Any good suggestions on new cycle shoes?

Progression Run and Pool Time

My workout today was 8.6 miles in 62:34 ... I finally am starting to feel like myself again!  I started off on the slower end of my pace then picked it up big time after I hit the 4 mile mark.  My last mile was a 6:23.  I have to say that coming back from this injury has made me nervous every time I "push" hard.  I am definitely more aware of any imbalance in my body and any ache or soreness I have.  I am hoping this will ease up and get better as I get more confidence in my return to running. 

After my workout we met one of my bff's of all time at the pool!  Amy and I have been friends for about 10-11 years!  She is my rock and voice of reason and I love everything about her!  Her little ones and my little guys love hanging out and having a blast!  What a great day we had at the pool but man treading water is HARD!  We were playing with the big kids in the deep end and somehow I always ended up in the middle of the pool racing a little one or treading water! 

My computer is acting up so this is all typed on my iPad (sorry for any errors)!  

Hope everyone is having a great day!

If you get a chance checkout the crossfit games!!

Happy Running!

Pictures from the Beach

I panicked on the way to the beach because I forgot my foam roller!  So we stopped at the Rehoboth Beach Running Company so I could buy on the keep down the beach!

Ready to ride!

Our seat for the fireworks!  This is where my parents beach place is!

 Me and my boys!

Breakfast of champs!  Banana and PB&J.

Post 10 miles!

 

 

Running, Beach and More

We were experiencing a heat wave the past few days with temps reaching 105* so all my runs had to happen very early in the morning which is fine with me!  My workouts the past few days were:

Thursday:  Meet Dawn to run..I started with a 800M warm up then we ran from Fenwick to Bethany and back for a total of 7 miles.  Dawn cycled down to meet me so she hopped on her bike and headed back home while I added 2.25 more miles in 15:06.  I rounded up the boys and we walked down to the beach for some fun int the sun and sand!



Friday:  I ended up watching all the kids while the other adults were out and about crabbing and shopping so it became a strength/WOD day.  I made the kids join in on the workout and we did  180* squats, push-ups with a T, reverse lunges with a kick, planks with glute raise, cross-over lunges with knee tuck, walking planks, and squat jumps x 4 sets!  Wow talk about a sweatfest!  The kids loved it and made it look so dang easy...my cousin said "oh we do this in gym class"!!  We had a low-key night and just hung out with the family, ate yummy pizza and crabs that the guys caught!  Along with some adult beverages.



Saturday:  high of 105* yikes!!  I was able to get up early and log 10 miles before the heat got too bad.   The first 7 miles were pretty awesome but the last 3 the heat was rising and I could feel it!  I finished 10 miles in 1:21 and had to walk a total of 6 minutes during run so I was pretty happy with my overall time.  After my run my mom and I went shopping and I got some cute new summery clothes.  I love all the little surf shops down the beach.  We then spent a few hours on the beach with my hubby, dad and boys but I was just so hot!  My parents little community had a party on the bay so we hung out and the boys had the greatest time.  They had all kinds of fun for the kids including bobbing for donuts, tug of war, balloon toss, and this cute game that involved a shower cap, shaving cream and cheese balls!



I love summertime!

Sunday:  We all slept in today and needed the lazy morning!  Since I have to work tonight we packed up and headed back home.  Boo to adult responsibilities!!  I was able to get in 9.75 miles of hills in 1:20 minutes and then swam 800 meters in the pool before work.

Monday:  Rest day and keeping the kids occupied with little sleep!  These days are always interesting when I have had little to no sleep.  My kids could ask me for anything and I would probably given in because I am so tired!

Tuesday: I ran 7.6 miles in 56 minutes and felt ok except for my right foot.  It was sore but not painful.  Since working in PT my body is starting to get back into proper alignment and now muscles that have been lacking for months are starting to work again causing me to be extra cautious of any ache or pain!

Wednesday:  Swimming for 45 minutes.  Lots of mixed strokes and focus on form and efficiency.  Had a blast with Dawn and Angel!  I totally forgot to grab a picture of us with our swim caps and goggles!  One of the lifeguards asked me if i was on a swim team!  Ha!

Hope everyone is having an amazing summer!

Happy Running!

 

Happy 4th of July!!

After working midnight shift we loaded up the car and headed straight down to the  beach to spend the holiday with our family!  I absolutely love holidays and family get togethers.  We spend the day with some awesome boogie boarding and sandcastle building!  Today was my rest day and tomorrow I am meeting Dawn to run some miles down the beach. Happy 4th of July to everyone!!!

 

Happy Running!

Swimming, Running and Welcome July!

Wednesday last week was very exciting!  Dawn and I met up at the Y pool to meet over Navy Seal Swim instructor!  I have not swam laps since I took my college lifeguarding course years ago so I was just a little nervous about how I was going to keep up.  Due to a schedule conflict it ended up being just Dawn and I until about the last 15 minutes.  Dawn is a pretty amazing swimmer and so graceful in the water.  According to her I am not to shabby myself!  The one requirement of our instructor was we had to wear a one piece bathing suit so I had to go shopping to get one.  I quickly realized that one pieces are so not flattering at all and they smushed what little I do have up top!



My silly self forgot to bring goggles and had to swim blind in the over chlorinated pool.  After we swam I ran a quick 6 miles and it felt great.

Thursday Workout:  I ran 2 miles as a warm up then did a rowing complex.  Row 500M then bench press 75 lbs x 30 reps, row 1000M then bench press 75 lbs x 20 reps, row 2000M then bench press 75 lbs x 10 reps.  I also had PT this morning and he made my left hip and glute work!!  Oh my I think my glute has been slacking off for almost a year and now it has joined in the party!!

Friday: 5 miles of hills with max incline of 4% in 40 mins.  Bicep and triceps work.

Saturday: Since I work midnight on Friday and Saturday nights I used today as my rest and recovery day.  Our local running store here was having a massive sale!  All shoes were between $20 - $40 and all clothing was between $5 - $20 and jackets $40.  I was like Black Friday shopping but for all my favorite things!  I grabbed a pair of Saucony Kinvaras for myself plus a pair of Patagonia loafer for my hubby..both pairs were $30.  I also grabbed 2 long sleeve prana shirts and a brown and white tunic all for $10, a pair of Nike shorts for $10 and my hubby a pair of North Face running shorts for $10, and a North Face running jacket for $40!!! I had to stalk some lady for that jacket .... as soon as she put it down I snatched it right up!  Goodness I love a great sale!  After shopping and working all night I was starving so Angel and I went to Cosi.....I am now addicted to this place!!!!!!!



Sunday:  I ran 7.5 miles in 54 minutes and followed it up with 20 laps in the outdoor pool.  Once again I forgot my goggles and looked like Cheech and Chong when I got done!  Everything looked very foggy and the lights all had halos around them.  I am definitely going to buy a few pair of goggles so I always have a pair on hand!



Extreme close up!!!!!!!!!

Today I did 20 minutes of intense intervals on the stairmonster followed by a WOD ( 15 burpees, 15 push ups, 25 sit ups, 25 plank/glute raises, 25 squats x 3 ) followed by 2 miles in 15 minutes on the TM.  We were meeting friends at the pool so I had to squeeze this workout in.  Angel and I swam a few laps at the pool while the kids cheered us on!  Thank God for goggles today!

Any suggestions on goggle brands?

Any suggestions on good pool workouts?

Happy Running!