Year of Running 2014

Last year, I participated in Miss Zippy’s Year of Running linkup! I had so much fun looking back over the course of a year and re-living a lot of fun memories, I decided to participate again!
If you’d like to participate too, write a blog post of your own filled with your year of memories (all of the same questions below apply), then head over to Miss Zippy’s site and linkup on her page! It’s a lot of fun, hope to see you there!



Best race experience

Hands down, the Princess Half Marathon Weekend where I completed the 5K and the Glass Slipper Challenge. My parents and husband were with me and we went on a Disney Cruise following the race weekend where my mom and I participated in the Castaway Cay 5K! Four races, Five medals….we had so much fun!!

I also really enjoyed Rock N Roll NOLA and my solo Full Marathon for the year. Despite the terrible weather, I had a great time because I was able to run with Nicole (a friend of mine who was running her very first Full Marathon). It was fun to experience the distance with her along the way!

Best run
 
The Cowboy Gallop 10K that I ran in November. We don’t have many 10K’s in the area, so I’ve only run a handful in my time of running. I’m not sure what got into me that morning, but I had a great race, pushed myself hard, and received a really nice PR in the end! The weather was great, too…that makes all the difference!

Best new piece of gear 

Oh my goodness I LOVE my Flipbelt! I first saw them at the Rock N Roll NOLA Expo, but they were out of stock. Thankfully, they were also at the Princess Half Marathon Expo and I was able to snag one there. The Flipbelt accompanies me on every run and I absolutely love it – I started using it right away and haven’t looked back!

Best piece of running advice you received
 
Don’t ever take yourself seriously. Running is an enjoyable sport and when you begin to stress too much, it takes all of the fun away! Sit back and enjoy the ride! “Life’s a climb, but the view is great!”

Most inspirational runner
 
There’s so many inspirational runners out there, but if I had to choose one, I would say Kara Goucher! She is a hard worker and doesn’t give up on her dreams. I love following her adventures!

If you could sum up your year in a couple of words, what would they be?
 
Exciting, fun-filled, and adventurous…with a few bumps in the road! :)


Race tally for the year:

• 1 Challenge (Glass Slipper)
• 1 Full Marathon
• 2 Half Marathons
• 2 10K’s
• 1 4-Miler
• 7 5K’s
• Assisted/Lead in the planning of 2 local 5K’s
• A PR in the 5K and 10K distance!
• AG placement in three 5K’s

2014 brought a lot of fun events, races, PR’s, and traveling to visit friends. I enjoyed so many things about 2014 and can’t wait to see what 2015 has in store! Have a safe and wonderful New Year! See ya next year…literally! :D

What’s your favorite race memory of 2014? Any NYE plans?

Christmas Fitness Favorites Take 2

Last year, I shared several of the fitness/running specific gifts I received for Christmas. Well, Santa was good to me yet again….and I received several items that will assist with training for my upcoming half marathons (and might help some of you), so I decided to share with all of you! Here they are….

KT Tape


I’m relatively new to the KT Tape world, but I’m not new to IT Band injury. After wearing a neoprene knee sleeve for (what felt like) ever, I finally bit the bullet and tested out a roll of KT Tape this past fall. I can honestly say it makes a huge difference - I love the support the KT Tape gives to my knee. I also love that their website has a ton of at-home-self application videos to watch which makes it easier on the beginner. The fun colors are really nice, too! I’ve never tried the PRO tape (blue roll on the top), but I’m interested to do so!  Side note: I sure hope they bring back the Red polka dot Minnie KT Tape at the Princess Half Marathon Expo! I missed out on them at the Wine & Dine Expo because they sold out…whomp whomp. 

Mizuno Wave Inspire


Ever since the Mezamashii project, I’ve been hooked. I love Mizuno’s and the Wave Inspire’s are my go-to shoe! You know when you find “the shoe”, the one that just clicks and everything feels right – you just know it was meant to be? That’s these shoes for me. I love the colors, too!

Lock Laces & GU

Somehow, Santa knew ALL my favorite GU flavors (ok, maybe it wasn’t Santa, but my sister in law is just as nice)! I’m a fan of GU with caffeine, so these are perfect! Lock Laces are a new thing for me – I’ve had a friend who used them but I’ve never owned a pair myself. I’m definitely interested to try them out! If you aren’t familiar, Lock Laces are shoe laces that basically always stay tied! Sounds pretty cool to me! 

New Balance

Soooo, I kinda received these shoes at the Wine & Dine Expo, then they got wrapped and placed under the tree as soon as we arrived home…. :D I love these runDisney inspired New Balance shoes! They are only available at the runDisney race expos and I hear that New Balance is bringing this Cinderella style/pattern back for 2015! Also, stay tuned to New Balance’s website/social media for updates on the new additions to their current models!

Fitbit Aria


After receiving the Fitbit back in November as a gift, I knew right away that I also wanted the Aria (scale) to go along with it! This scale not only tells your weight and body fat percentage, it also recognizes up to 8 people in your household. My husband received a Fitbit One for Christmas, so he’s also synced to the Aria and it knows the difference between the two of us! Pretty neat, huh? I had a little bit of trouble setting it up, but once I got going, it was fine and all works well now! My poor dad – he thought I wrote down the Fitbit “Ana” and he couldn’t figure out what in the world I was talking about… lol Whoops!

Raw Threads



Santa hooked me up with Raw Threads this year! I absolutely LOVE these shirts and actually, I gave them as gifts to several (at least three different) friends for Christmas! (The shirts given as gifts are not pictured here.) Princess in Training, Snow, Minnie Bow, and Castle to Castle…I definitely can’t choose a favorite, I love them all! These shirts are made of a soft bamboo and organic cotton which fit incredibly well and are oh so comfortable! I’ve also worn these to run in and they are great! I love the Raw Threads “Disney”/race themed shirts and am so happy to add these to my collection! If you’re interested, check them out – their huge sale ends on 12/31/14!

As you can see, I now have several items to add to my running collection and I can’t wait to test them all out!

Did you receive any fitness related items for Christmas this year? Please share, I want to hear all about them!! :)

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Congratulations to Mindy, winner of the FitMas Week 4 giveaway (the Flip Belt)! Please send your info to kren2700@gmail.com and I’ll get it to them asap! :)

A Weekend of Christmas

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Mine happened to last all weekend and I loved it! The day after Christmas is one of my least favorite days of the year, so I was more than happy to continue with Christmas until Sunday.

Our Christmas festivities went a bit like this:

• Christmas lunch with Jason’s extended family
• Christmas dinner with my extended family
• Day after Christmas dinner with Jason’s immediate family
• Sunday after Christmas lunch/dinner with my immediate family

Due to crazy work schedules over the holidays (mostly on my side of the family), we had to arrange things a bit…but everything worked out just fine! 

Jason worked nights throughout the week, so as soon as he arrived home on Christmas morning, we opened gifts.

Santa visited!

Madalynn and Pixie were finally able to rip into their gifts and they were SO excited! :D

It’s Sven and Olaf!

The aftermath! :)

I made my traditional homemade pumpkin pie cinnamon rolls  and my dad came over to join me for breakfast. Unfortunately, my mom wasn’t feeling well on Christmas morning, but she felt much better as the day went on.

They were delicious! :)

As we were eating, we heard a commotion from the living room. Apparently Madalynn pushed one of her Christmas toys under the coffee table and was having trouble reaching it! Her actions were hilarious!

After a three hour nap, Jason was ready to go to his parent’s house. He was sooo tired…

Jason’s Extended family

Playing with our niece!

After Christmas dinner (of gumbo…yum) with my extended family, my mom, dad, and puppies hopped in the car and drove around to see Christmas lights!

The day after Christmas brought a 4 mile run, complete with festive socks and jingle bells!

For dinner the day after Christmas, we visited and spent time with Jason’s immediate family.

Fajitas are their family tradition for this specific get-together! So delicious!

Somehow, Uncle Jason’s lap became stuffed animal central!

On the Sunday after Christmas, we piled all of our gifts and food items into the back of my dad’s vehicle and drove to my brother’s house (about an hour and a half or so) to celebrate Christmas with them. My brother also had to work (and out of town at that) over Christmas, so we waited to celebrate when we could all be together. In my opinion, Christmas isn’t Christmas until those you love are with you. It doesn’t matter when you celebrate, it’s all about family and spending time together!

Off we go!

Santa visited, again!

He also left stockings for us! Yes, we all still receive stockings from “Santa”! :D

Food, yummy food!

The perfect runner’s gift (from my sister-in-law)!

FitBit’s for the family!

After eating to our heart’s content, we played a crazy game of Quelf, then said our goodbyes….

…but not before a group picture, first!

Our family might be small, but we sure know how to have a good time!! :D

How was your holiday? Please share, I want to hear all about it! Did you spend time with family? Was Santa good to you?

Merry Christmas 2014

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you! :) I hope you’ve had a great day so far and continue to enjoy the Christmas spirit throughout the weekend.

Here’s a cute little survey I saw over on Mindy’s (Road Runner Girl) blog and decided to fill it out, too! Enjoy! :)



Egg Nog or hot chocolate?
Both! :)

Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
Santa wrapped presents when I was a child, so we’ve kept that tradition going!

Colored lights on tree/house or white?
I’ve always been a fan of white lights. My brother and I would get in arguments over which set belonged on the tree…so we took turns each year.

Do you hang mistletoe?
Of course! :)

When do you hang your decorations up?
Well, I usually get antsy and decorations go up a week or two before Thanksgiving. I love Christmas and want to enjoy it for as long as possible!

What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)
My mom’s sweet potato casserole! It’s delicious!!

Favorite holiday memory as a child?
My brother and I used to have “operation Santa” every year, complete with walkie-talkies and a game plan. Our plan was to try and see Santa, but it never failed…we always fell asleep!

What is on your Christmas wish-list?
KT Tape, a Mickey Waffle iron, Alex & Ani, and something shiny” (seriously, that’s what I wrote…haha!)

Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
No, never have…I want Christmas to last as looooong as possible!

How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
Mostly Hallmark ornaments that I’ve collected over the years.

Snow? Love it or dread it?
I’ve only experienced true snow one time – it was in Oklahoma for a friend’s wedding and it was literally a blizzard. I’ve never had a White Christmas although I do think it would be fun! :)

Real tree or fake tree?
Fake…

Do you remember your favorite gift?
I sure don’t…but each year I’ve received great presents from family and friends so they are all favorite to me!

What’s the most important thing about Christmas for you?
Celebrating the true reason of the season, the main reason we celebrate this holiday to begin with – the birth of Christ.

What is your favorite holiday dessert?
Reindeer Food…it’s soooo yummy!

What is your favorite tradition?
Watching Christmas Vacation with the family after eating Christmas Dinner.

Which do you prefer, giving or receiving?
I love to give! I always try to think of something special or a meaningful gift – and I love the look on their face when they open their gifts. Makes my heart happy!  :) I also like receiving gifts too, of course…but mostly giving!

What is your favorite Christmas song?
Silver Bells – I used to take piano lessons (from my now mother-in-law)…weird, right? Well, we had a Christmas concert one year and that’s the song I requested!  I also like the NSYNC and Plus One Christmas albums and pretty much any song on either one of those!

Candy canes, yuck or yum?
LOVE LOVE LOVE! Peppermint is my favorite! The cherry flavored ones are pretty good, too!

Favorite Christmas Movie?
The Holiday and Mickey’s Christmas Carol

Do you have a Christmas morning tradition?
Eating Pumpkin Pie Cinnamon Rolls, opening gifts, and watching the Disney Parks Christmas Day parade!

(Snow globe collection from JCPenney on Black Friday since 2000!)

Do you prefer to shop online or at the mall?
The Mall! Black Friday is one of my favorite days of the year!

Christmas letter or Christmas card?
Cards…I love sending them out! :) This year, I displayed a Christmas card from each year we’ve been married!

I pray blessings on you and your family during this Christmas season and throughout the next year!

Have a wonderful Christmas!

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Don’t forget about the FitMas Week #4 giveaway happening right now! Giveaway ends on Sunday night at midnight – be sure to check it out and enter now for your chance to win! This is the final giveaway of the year so don’t miss out! :)

Joy

Merry Christmas Eve! It’s hard for me to believe that Christmas is already here! I absolutely love this time of year and never want it to end.

In the spirit of Christmas, today’s Wordless Wednesday theme is Joy and is hosted by Focused on the Magic!

I’m taking it back….back to our first Disney Christmas trip! We visited with my parents in 2007 and instantly fell in love with Christmas time at Disney World! Here’s a few shots from our magical vacation.

We loved the Candlelight Processional hosted by Stephen Curtis Chapman, too!

What’s your favorite Christmas event at WDW or DL?

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Don’t forget about the FitMas Week #4 giveaway happening right now! Giveaway ends on Sunday night at midnight – be sure to check it out and enter now for your chance to win! This is the final giveaway of the year so don’t miss out! :)

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