Wife Mother Runner cool things Archives - Page 2 of 3

The Boston Marathon Is A Week Away

April 14, 2014

One day shy of a year ago was the Boston Marathon Bombing. The morning of the marathon I was working from home because my daughter was off from school. I watched the Boston Marathon’s live broadcast from my laptop. It was a beautiful morning. The race was exciting and it planted the seed for me that I really wanted to be a part of this race someday. I remember posting to Facebook about my desire to go. Then several hours later my mom sent me a text to see if I heard about the news. There was an incident at the race. I turned on the news and then saw the sad events that were unfolding. I was so shocked. I couldn’t believe something bad was happening at such a positive event. Where were you when the Boston Marathon Bombings happened?

strongerbook Last week the Book Stronger by Jeff Bauman was released. I love stories where tragedy is turned to something positive and reading of the strength of those who fight through life changing events. Jeff Bauman was a spectator cheering his girlfriend, Erin. He looked at the bomber in the eye just several minutes before the bomb placed just feet away from him exploded, destroying his legs. He saw the bomber, he wanted to make sure authorities talked to him so he could tell him so they could catch the man who did this to him.

His photograph became the human face of the Boston marathon bombing victims. This book is about Boston Strong.

Jeff Bauman is the man in this famous photograph of that horrific event. Photo: Charles Krupa, AP

Don’t waste a minute, grab this book today! I already love the book and I am only a few pages into it. I can’t wait to finish it and be inspired by another book about strength and determination.

Another one of my other favorite running-related, comeback from tragedy books is Matt Long’s The Long Run. Do you have a favorite book?

My #DisneySide Part @Home Celebration was a hit!

February 27, 2014

I had my #DisneySide party on Monday, February 17 and it was SO much fun! Friends arrived late in the afternoon and we served chips and salsa, veggies and dip, popcorn and pretzels with pumpkin dip. My daughter and my friend’s daughter immediately became friends and shared their dress up costumes. My daughter let her friend borrow her Elsa dress and Maddie’s face lit up! My daughter put on Maddie’s Cinderella wedding dress and also fell in love! They played dress up and did each other’s nails and makeup in my daughter’s room while all of the boys did boy things in the playroom downstairs.

The adults enjoyed finger foods and then it was time to serve the main meal of the night which was a waffle bar. The kids decorated their waffles with fruit, whip cream sprinkles, syrup or whipped cream. I think the Mickey waffles were a huge hit! I also made a salad for the adults to have with dinner.

Then it was time to kick the sugared up kids outside for a awhile for some sled riding which they also loved. What do you do after kids come in from the cold? Serve them ice cream of course! We did our ice cream/candy bar where everyone made up their own ice cream concoctions. I also served the Dole Whip recipe which was a delicious addition to bringing a piece of Disney to the party!

After dessert we all got together to make our Saving for Disney banks where the kids decorated glass jars with stickers. Despite having bingo and trivia games to play, everyone was having such a great time talking about their past and upcoming trips and all things Disney. The kids enjoyed their activities and playing.

I would love to host another #DisneySide party in the summer and let the kids enjoy swimming.

They had a blast! And I think the adults had as much fun as the kids did, too!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EluGWXct4rg&w=560&h=315]

I received free products in order to host the Disney Side @Home Celebration. The opinions expressed here are my own.

My #DisneySide Party Planning Is Coming Together

February 14, 2014

I have been busy! Busy with work, busy with the snow, busy preparing for the Glass Slipper Challenge and busy preparing for my #DisneySide @Home Celebration But it’s all good busy. It’s been a creative busy. I have been working on my costumes for the races, decorations for the party, recipes and crafts.

I started to decorate the candy bowls, goodie bags, made some chocolate lollipops and rice krispy treats. I have games prepared and invitations have been sent. So I am looking forward to setting up everything on party day! Stay tuned to see what happens on the night of the party!

I received free products in order to host the Disney Side @Home Celebration. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I have a secret problem

January 29, 2014

I am sure I am not the only one who has this problem. But I need help. I tried to get help on my own but it may be time for a professional.

This is my running gear. See that yellow basket? That’s my most used stuff to grab on the go. The 3 drawers houses my clothing broken down into groups, long sleeves and pants, capri pants, shorts, skirts and short sleeve shirts. Never mind all the Disney race shirts I get from races. Those are integrated into my everyday wardrobe because I have been wearing them more often (I am proud of the accomplishments!)

Do you have the same problems? What do you do to get your stuff organized?

Do you have any advice on how to organize this mess?

I met Chris and Heidi Powell!

January 27, 2014

During the marathon weekend, Saturday was a day without a race for me so we made it a Magic Kingdom day. On my first night in Florida I saw on Facebook that Chris Powell posted a photo of the fireworks in Disney World. I realized he must be down for one of his client’s challenges.

I mentioned it to my husband while we were walking at the park and not more than 10 minutes later he spotted him at the Dumbo ride with his wife Heidi! Heidi and Chris got on the ride so I asked their nanny if they would mind me asking them for a picture. They were soooooo friendly and completely cool, normal people. I talked to Heidi more than Chris because I read her blog and I really loved her posting about being Wonder Woman after having a baby and I wanted her to know that I really enjoyed it. I was also a little too nervous to talk to Chris! He was standing right next to me!

I had such a great weekend for the marathon and the races, but it was even so cool to meet the fitness celebrities during that weekend. Ali Vincent was at the race and I met her on the starting line of the full marathon, too! She is the first female winner of The Biggest Loser. She has a great show called Live Big with Ali Vincent which has great real world topics on how to eat and live healthy and she gets real this past weekend when she steps on the scale for the first time in years and learns what she now weighs.

At these races it is great to meet other runners. It is also great to meet people who motivate others like the trainers for the shows of Biggest Loser and Extreme Weight Loss. They work just as hard as the contestants and form lasting bonds and friendships with them. It is evident in the way you see them on their shows and also how they are with their fans.

Keep up the great work Heidi and Chris! Your passion for your work shines through in your every day lives!

#DisneySide @ Home Celebration – I am having a party!

January 25, 2014

I was selected to host a #DisneySide @ Home Celebration. What is it? It is a party you host at your house to show off your Disney side (like I really need to do that with a party?!).

I plan on having a candy bar and ice cream sundae bar, Dole Whip, and some healthy choices of food as well! I sure do wish I could make the Magic Kingdom popcorn here. That’s one of our favorites! There will be games, crafts and time to share our favorite Disney stories! Everyone will go home with a goodie bag, too! Let me know if you would like to come on the evening of February 17.

Stay tuned more details to come in the upcoming weeks! Subscribe to my blog for details!

I received free products in order to host the Disney Side @Home Celebration. The opinions expressed here are my own.

#WhyIRunDisney filming of Kimberly Markey Torres

December 18, 2013

Kim and Bob post run

On Tuesday, December 17th, I had the opportunity to run with Kimberly Markey Torres and four of Kim’s close friends, Allison, Jolynn, Nicole and Janice. Not only were we getting together for a run, but runDisney was there to film us running together as they capture Kim’s story about why she runs Disney. RunDisney is running a contest on Instagram called #whyiRunDisney. She was selected to be filmed. It was a beautiful snowy cold 16 degree morning, but that never slows us runners down!

Last Friday Kim had her 5th chemo treatment for breast cancer and Monday she had her white blood cell shot which sucks as much as the chemo. She could barely get out of bed. She said she got up to make the bed and just collapsed back into it. But what did she do the next morning? She went out on a run with all of her friends! Despite her nausea from the chemo and all of the drugs she has to endure, she still got out there for a run and smiled! And what I observed when we were all together is the strength of her friendships. I had met Allison and Janice at previous races. In fact, I met them both the same day I met Kim at the Cheshire Half marathon in April, 2013. After we met in person at that race we kept in touch over the summer. That’s when she told me in July that she had breast cancer and was undergoing the double mastectomy and chemo but would still be running the Dumbo Double Dare challenge which I was running also. That race was the carrot at the end of the stick for her to recovery quickly from her surgery so she wouldn’t miss out on all of the run in store for that inaugural race. So we planned to hook up in California and the rest is history!

While running I was talking with Nicole and Jolynn and learned how they met Kim. She has great friends. During the run we had to stop a few times for filming purposes. I could see Kim was tired, and she had said she was tired. We were all concerned for her and were there for her. It was amazing to see us all come around to make sure she was ok. But she still did it all with a smile!

She truly is amazing. I have traveled with her the day after she had to shave her head. I wasn’t sure how she would feel about it, and she bravely carried on with her cute color coordinated scarves. While we went to the parks, she was the one I thought who dragged me around the Magic Kingdom. When we ran the Tower of Terror 10 miler race, she took the lead with the intervals and has a great coaching spirit about her. It is evident in her take charge attitude for starting and stopping our intervals, watching out for obstacles in the road and keeping our pace. I enjoy running with her. Kim is so determined. I hope the essence of her determination and love of running is captured by the filming of why she loves to run Disney. I am glad she asked me to join her and her friends for this event.

She is training for the Dopey which is a 5K, 10K, half marathon and full marathon in January. She has one last chemo session left the week before the Dopey event and I am hoping and praying her body will make it through the event. I know how challenging just running a few of those races are, but ALL of them in another story. It’s a major event and I know that she has the will to do it, there’s no doubt about that.

Cancer sucks. It really does. All too recently it has affected family members and close friends in my life; but I have also seen what cancer does to those that unfortunately have to fight it. And those who do are warriors. When I am having a bad day or a tough run, I think about those who have had to fight the battle of cancer and talk myself out of my tough place and really dig deep to think of how hard they are fighting to just have a normal day, let alone run. And Kim is doing that while working, taking care of her family (who is also taking care of her), training for her Dopey Challenge and healing her body. She has a lot ahead of her with her reconstrutive surgery and other surgeries to prevent further cancer spreading; but like she has fought before she will pull through with more future races on her horizon to carry her through.

Thank you for asking me to join you for this event Kim! I am so glad to have met you and become your friend and am looking forward to your finish line of this cancer treatment and your Dopey challenge! I also can’t wait to run the Princess Glass Slipper Challenge with you!

Getting ready for the run in Kim’s house

The camera man filmed us from the trunk of the car!

The reservoir covered in fresh cold snow.

Kim doing her interview during the run.

Staying warm on the sidelines and watching out for cars!

New Product reviews

July 24, 2013

The past few weeks I have had a chance to run more and also use some of my new gear. I wanted to share my results with you about three new items I have.

I was given amazon gift cards for my birthday so what did I want to buy? Running gear! I went to my local running store to see what they had there and found some sunglasses I liked. I wrote down the model number and came home and searched for them on amazon. I got them for a good price. I paid $53.96 and they are retailing in the store for around $65.00. I wanted smaller sunglasses that were polarized that had some wrap around effect. These are good glasses. They are polarized to protect my eyes and don’t fog up much. They have rubber grips on the arms so they don’t slide down my nose. I am happy with these glasses.

The second item I wanted to get was the ifitness belt. Several other runDisney members recommended it. In particular, Ashley Hoffman Forster did a video review of it on her blog. After seeing her review I wanted it. The belt was $28.95 and I added 2 8 ounce water bottles for $19.95. I wanted the belt for the ability to hold my phone in a water proof compartment. And like the review from ( name ), she said it could hold her iphone and her ipod nano. I have an LG Spectrum phone so I assumed it would fit. It is a tight fit for my phone to fit into the zippered compartment, but it does fit along with my nano so my electronic devices are safe from rain. The belt is comfortable. It stays on by using a snap. My nathan hydration belt uses a velcro closure. The belt doesn’t slide and it fits comfortably. I would recommend it to others.

On vacation I came across this book through Facebook. “Run Like a Mother: How to Get Moving–and Not Lose Your Family, Job, or Sanity” by Dimity McDowell, Sarah Bowen Shea is a good book. The authors have a facebook page and I was interested in the topics that were being discussed through facebook. So I downloaded a sample to my kindle and liked what I read, so I purchased the book. I read it every night before bed. I didn’t know what to expect from a book about running written by mothers, but I found it to be fun to read, some things I knew, some things I am learning and some things I can apply to my life as a mother who runs. Do as I did an download a sample for yourself and see what you think! After I read this book I will read their second book, “Train Like a Mother: How to Get Across Any Finish Line—and Not Lose Your Family, Job, or Sanity”.

Hopefully the review of these items will be helpful in your purchases for new running gear!

New gear

January 24, 2012

I am so excited. I went to my local running store shore Sound Runner and bought some new gear. Now that I am running longer distances I have to start carrying water and fuel with me. I had the change to talk to Gretchen while I was there and she gave me advice on what fuel sources I should use and when. I chose to go with the GU packets rather than some chewable items to see how I like them. She also fitted me with a water belt and measured my calf for some calf sleeves.

I ended up getting the Nathan fuel belt and Zensah calf sleeves.

Now that my runs are longer, she gave me some good advice such as, bring some wipes in a zip lock bag in your pocket in case you have to duck out into the woods for any reason. Also, take the gu at about mile 4 when running longer than 7 miles and take it every 45 minutes when running long. She also had me get the Glide stick to avoid chaffing and said I should start using it at any point now despite the colder weather because the rubbing is caused by the longer distance, not the temperature.

When I came home from the store, I was also excited that my items I ordered came in. I got a grid roller to help me the day after my long runs for stretching. I used it last night and feel better today. I also ordered a buff to wear around my neck to pull onto my face on those colder days when the wind blows towards me.

So I think now I have everything I am going to need for my long runs and long races in my future! Now I can’t wait to get out and run tomorrow!

Jeff Galloway walk/run timer

January 13, 2012

I am actually looking forward to running this weekend. It’s just a short run but I am going to use my new Jeff Galloway walk/run timer. The point of this method of training is to avoid injury. I am doing ok since the long run this week and I am also looking forward to doing a long run next week as well.

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