Can't Believe August Weather

I just can't get over how mild the weather has been in central VA this summer. (I am knocking on wood right now as I write this!) It has been such a mild summer that I am getting nervous as to what this winter will have for us. But still it has been amazing. The past 2 mornings have felt almost cold and perfect running conditions. The Saturday runs for the training program have all been amazingly tolerable, except for maybe 1. I just can't believe how amazing this "summer" has been.

I am looking forward to the fall, because it is my favorite season! I love running in the crisp morning air and see the fog hanging heavy on the grass in the mornings. I already told Matt that Saturday mornings are mine to go running so I am totally looking forward to that!

What season is your favorite to run in?

August Week 3 Recap

I just can't get over how fast time is flying. With Mason it seemed like everyday and every week crawled by and now it is zooming by, so much so that I can't even get this out by MONDAY! Sorry!

I am doing so well with my workouts and PiYo. Yes I still miss a couple of days but hey life happens but I haven't fallen off the wagon yet! I am trying to add in exercise activities with Mason too, because his 3 year old body needs it just as much as my body does. And it almost always ensures a nap for him later in the day. Bonus points for mommy there! I took my monthly transformation pictures this past week! YEA! I might not have lost weight on the scale but I am losing inches. This week my goal is to eat better and follow my nutrition plan more closely!

This past week I also started Mason with some schooling activities. Since he isn't potty trained yet he can't go to the pre-school we really want him to go to. No diaper policy. So this year I am taking his pre-pre-schooling in my own hands. I went to Barnes and Noble and found a great book to start with and so far he is doing really well. He has the attention span of a 3 year old (about 30 min) but so far so good. I just need to keep a consistent schedule.

Collin is also growing by leaps and bounds. Gone are the growth spurt days and back to sleeping through the night, thank goodness! I am so glad to have a baby that is sleeping 8+ hours straight through the night, then he feeds at 5am and passes back out for a few more hours. I don't know how I did it or what I did. It just happened. (don't hate)!

Workout Recap:
Sunday: rest
Monday: PiYo sculpt
Tuesday: PiYo Sweat
Wednesday: PiYo Core
Thursday: PiYo Drench
Friday: rest
Saturday: walked around a mall for about 4 hours. We had our last training run this morning but we all slept in and I had to feed Collin while everyone was racing then I cheered them on to the finish. This coming Saturday is our big 4 mile race!

PiYo Test Group...Last Call

Ok everyone! Today is the last day to sign up for the PiYo Private Test Group to be able to get it in the mail next week! I know some of you have been wondering about it and if it actually works and I can say that IT DOES! I have been doing PiYo for 40 days now and I have lost 8.25 inches. AND my diet has not been that stellar so the inches lost are from the workouts! My butt is lifted and my belly and hips have lost the most inches.

My diet hasn't been too bad, I have one bad day a week generally but we have been eating out more or having people over and I like to "cook, cook" when someone comes over . I think a huge part of me being able to still lose weight with a wonky diet is because of Shakeology! It is seriously amazing! I don't have cravings like I used to and I am not tempted to go out during lunch and get fast food. Which means that Mason is eating healthier too because he is not eating all my fries either! So the best way to get results is to pair PiYo and Shakeology! It seriously works and I can't wait to see the changes I will have in another month or 2 from now! I am worth it, so I make it happen. And so are you! If you want to get results pair Beachbody or whatever workout program you are doing with Shakeology. Even if you can't workout everyday or what not. I would still say drink Shakeology because it is a great, way better than slim fast or other meal replacements, out there!

So here are my results. They are subtle but they are there! 8.25 inches people! And to note my black shorts I am wearing appear longer because they aren't being stretched as much as they were in Day 1 so they are hanging on me a little bit!

So if you are interested, yes I am taking to you... Fill out this form and I will get back to you! And if you are thinking about being in a future test group fill this out too so we can keep in touch and you can be the first to know about future groups! Or if you have questions fill this out, SERIOUSLY just fill it out!

Running Tips and Tricks: Aches & Pains

Running is hard work! It really is. And often we find that our legs are sore or our back hurts, or man look at that BLISTER! These are common aches and pains from actually putting forth an effort at something that is physically challenging. Here are a few tips and tricks to help with those pesky aches and pains we get.

Leg soreness: There are different parts of your legs that will be sore or the whole leg will be sore but for me my shins/calf and my IT band area. After a run if your shins or calfs have been sore it is best to use the R.I.C.E. formula to help out.

Rest: take a break. It is ok to take a nap if you have to but make sure you rest after a run. Your body worked for you so it is time to work for your body and allow it some downtime!

Ice: Make sure you ice your legs or anywhere that it hurting. A bag of peas or a lunch ice pack is great but it can help with the swelling and can make your legs feel better.

Compression: Compression socks are the new fad around town. If you look at runners around town you will see most of them sporting socks that go up to their knees. No these are not the new fad in tube socks, well they might be, but more than likely they are compression socks. There are some super fun socks out there too. They help increase circulation in your legs and reduce lactic acid build-up. RunningSkirts.com has some super cute compression running socks!

Elevate: Elevate your legs. Sometimes after running you might have some swelling. So while you are RESTING, ICING, prop your feet up on a pillow up on the couch. This is great! You are doing 3 things at once. My hubs know that when I get home that I will rest for about an hour before I really do anything, otherwise I crash and crash hard later in the day!

Massage: Some other ways to help your body out are massages! I love me a massage, I do! I go through my chiropractor's office and it is part of my physical therapy with chiropractic care and is covered by my insurance. Check with your insurance company for their own rules! But I was getting a massage a month while running and while pregnant. I try to get 1 massage a month. I also schedule a massage a few days after a race because I build up so much more lactic acid because I push myself harder during the race. So I have sore muscles and a lot needs to be worked on and it just feels so good!

Foam Roller: Invest in a foam roller trust me! They are amazing. They might hurt for the first little bit but they are awesome! I roll out my IT band to keep it loose and not too tight. I use a high density hard roller but there are soft rollers out, I just feel it so much more with the high density roller and man there are times I hate doing it but afterwards they are great. For foam roller exercises go here!

Prevention: The biggest thing that can help prevent aches and pains are a good pair of running shoes. A lot of people have aches and pains because they don't have the right running shoes. So find a local running store and get professional fitted for a pair of shoes. The store should look at your running style and how your foot falls and such to determine your shoe. And it might not always be the cutest shoes in the world. And that is ok. I would rather have the right foot ware over cute any day!

Hope this helps!

Happy 3 Months To Collin

Collin turned 3 months old yesterday! He is getting so big, doesn't help that my arms are always sore from PiYo! He really is developing into a social little bug. He loves to coo and talk and just be super cute. He really likes to lay on the charm with his cubby little smile too!

He is such a great little baby! He did regress a little in the sleep dept. this past month. With the 3 month growth spurt he was waking up at 2am to feed. That only lasted for about a week and we are now back up to sleeping straight from about 9:30/10pm until 4am. Then he eats for about 30 min and is back out until 8am. He loves his afternoon nap and will pitch a fit at about 12:30 to go to sleep and is out until about 3:15. Then I have to feed him to get his belly full before my 2 hour block of teaching so he is a happy quiet baby while I am busy.

Mason really started to show jealousy towards Collin this month. He doesn't like being told to wait to do something or for me to do something for him until I am done feeding Collin. He will come up and growl at me and get angry. But then will just sit down and do something else but he is letting me know he isn't happy. He accidentally kneed Collin in the face this month too as he was climbing around, playing around on the bed when I had Collin laying down. It was an accident and he started crying when he understood her really hurt Collin, since Collin was screaming like a banshee! His hurt cry is so sad and scary sounding. So we are really working hard to give Mason his undivided individual time but also trying to teach him patience. It is something that he needs to learn. He often asks for water while I am nursing and I know he can do it himself he just wants me to do it. But I stick to my guns and ask him to either wait or do it himself. (he ends up doing it himself he just wants attention.) Dividing my attention between the two is being more and more difficult. So we are all learning right now!