What's Up Wednesday

It's Wednesday~what's up?

First, it has been a great week so far. We started a new Fall Fitness Challenge in my Mommy's fitness group (Work it Out Sexy Mama!) on Monday~ a little friendly competition is always fun for me. The challenge workout I posted this week was a quickie but boy-oh-boy, my inner thighs are is feeling it today! 15 mins to complete as many rounds of 50 jump rope jacks and 30 crunch/oblique crunches as possible. I got in 6 full rounds and almost a seventh. I fell short by 7 crunches :( Being back to basics with eating clean is also helping me feel really good! I want that little 4 pack back!!

Speaking of eating clean, I attempted a new dessert this week. Baked apples with pear & almond stuffing. With all the apples we have this seemed like the perfect recipe to try!

Baked Apple With Pear and Almond Filling
1 large apple, halved and cored
2 teaspoons reduced-fat cream cheese, divided
1 small pear, cored and diced very small
1/2 teaspoon light brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons chopped almonds, divided
3 tablespoons water or apple juice

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°F. Slice apple in half. Use a spoon or small ice cream scoop to scoop out some apple flesh from each half, making room for the filling. (You can eat the apple flesh if you like — no need to reserve.) Dab 1 teaspoon cream cheese in the cavity of each half.
Toss the diced pear with brown sugar and cinnamon. Spoon pear filling into each apple half. Sprinkle pear filling with almonds, pressing down to make them adhere. Place apple halves in a baking dish and add water or apple juice to the dish. Cover and bake for 30 minutes, then baste with juices. Bake uncovered for another 10 minutes, or until almonds are roasted.
Makes 2 servings.

It was ok. Not amazing~just ok. I mean, I ate it. So did hubby and Lola. I think I am going to tweak the recipe out a bit and will get back to you with more! I am thinking of mixing some almond butter INTO the cream cheese and doing a drizzle of honey or maple syrup on top.

This morning's plan for an early easy run was a giant FAIL! Hubby got me up at the crack of 4am to get going but Lola had other plans. The "no nap kid" did not nap yesterday so she was sound asleep at 6pm last night~which means up early too!!

I had a lovely breakfast with Lola this morning~I had an egg white omelet (4 egg whites/1 whole egg) with spinach and cottage cheese and she had scrambled eggs with a Van's ww waffle and PB & honey dippin'

The PB & Honey Dippin' ended up smeared all over her so into the tub she went~good thing I was still sporting my Nike DriFit running shorts and tank because all the splashes dried really quick!

Now for some really exciting news!!

Danielle (ooh breath, just breathe) has awarded me the prestigious Versatile Blogger Award!

rules for winning this award:
*thank and link back to the person who gave you the award*

Danielle~thank you. Thank you for the award and thank you for even reading this blog. I am truly honored and humbled. Congrats on your amazing AG win this weekend. Now go kick some serious booty THIS weekend at the Maine Marathon!

*share 7 things about yourself *

1) I am afraid of the dark. yup. This early morning runner is afraid of the dark and I can turn any sound I hear into something terrifying! I am begging hubby for a headlamp but I will still be scared.

2) I am playing around with the idea of a career in fitness. or nutrition. or both.

3) My Mom is my best friend. really. no one else on the face of the earth has gone to such great lengths to always be there for me and support me NO MATTER WHAT. She drives me nuts at times but I love her dearly. I can't thank her enough for putting up with me during some of my more "troublesome" times.

4) I used to collect designer handbags and they were like gold to me. I could care less about them and would sell them all in a hot minute for an awesome triathlon bike!!

5) I hated running most of my life (except for one year of cross country and track when I was youngster). I used to say the only way I would ever run was if there were giving out free Louis Viutton handbags. I would not run for a killer maniac or bear chasing me~I guess I would just have to die. NOW? I love love love running!

6) I have a serious addition to salt & vinegar potato chips. I cannot have them in my house. I would eat the entire bag. I would eat them until the salt & vinegar coating would eat a whole through my tongue. Chocolate? naaaaa. Gimme chips!

7) I thought having a infant would be the scariest thing in the world. Ummmm...yeah, having a crazy toddler has changed my opinion on that.

*pass the award along to other bloggers who you think are fabulous*

Melissa~Melissa's Journey: A Pro Figure Pregnancy you are a *rockstar*

Emz~If I can't convince you--I'll at least confuse you you make me smile :) often!!

AnnMarie~Goals for the Week you are my hero!

Happy Wednesday!!

Tell me~what's up with you??

She's a Mainiac!!

The Mainiac Sprint Triathlon: The long winded race report about my first triathlon!

First and foremost I need to say that this was an amazing experience and I cannot recall the last time I had SO MUCH FUN!





I spent most of Friday evening obsessing about transition and packing. I made lists, I put everything out and ran through what I would need to do at transition in my head. I checked the Triathlon Mom's posts in Running Moms for tips and ideas. I tried on several pairs of tri-shorts and tops looking for the best combo comfort wise- I also wanted my family to be able to find me in a sea of people.


Sleep did not come easy that night for me, I could not shut my brain off. When I woke in the morning I had a bit of a headache and puffy eyes from the lack of sleep. I had a cup of coffee, jumped in the shower and attempted to choke down my favorite breakfast of oatmeal & raisins but I did not have much of an appetite. I drank water and just tried to remain calm.


I had read a tip about tying a balloon to your transition spot so you can find your stuff easily~the previous nights birthday celebration for Emma provided me with two balloons-one pink and one white. Lola decided that I needed to have the white one so I gave her a big green Sharpie and let her color away on my balloon. I would have a little reminder of my girl with me and that made me happy.

My mother eased my nerves with some words of wisdom from her days showing horses and reminded me to just enjoy the experience. Dad arrived (on time!) and we loaded my bike and gear~We were off!


I arrived to the race venue and people were starting to stream in. My first stop on my way in was to get marked. Funny as it seems this was something that I was looking forward to! I have always thought it was pretty cool looking. Some young guy marked my arms and legs with my race number (183) and my USAT age (37). With a big ole silly grin I was off to rack my bike.


I found my way to my rack and looked around me, I was feeling a bit intimidated. I wasn't sure of "rack etiquette" etc. As Im looking around at all these bikes-really really nice triathlon bikes-I just started to laugh a bit. I'm just taking in the scene before me~ I see these amazing athletes with the coolest triathlon gear, expensive bikes and dressed to the nines (as far as tri clothing goes!). It was at this point I just kind of relaxed and laughed at myself. I let go of any expectations I had and remembered that today was all about having fun and just doing the very best that I could.

Behind me, a couple ladies were setting up their transition areas (remember those really really nice bikes I mentioned-yeah, the whole rack behind me was loaded with uberchic bikes! Specialized, a couple Cervelo's) and since I was somewhat unsure of things, I just asked. This one gal (we will call her DP for now-more on her later) was really nice and gave me several tips and hints. I noticed that she was wearing a Tri for a Cure jacket so we chatted about that for a bit.

Just then I noticed that the chain on my bike came off- oh snap!! I know NOTHING about maintaining or repairing bikes-I knew that there would be bike support there but I did not see anyone yet. With a bold stroke of luck I was able to fix it and check it to be sure it was working just fine. whew! crisis averted. I thanked God that I noticed this NOW and not as I was heading out later! I think this is where I should mention that the bike I have been using all summer is my Dad's hand-me-down road bike-a red Le Tour! A tune up, new tires, seat and handlebar wraps and she is good as new to me!!

More and more people were starting to arrive and I met up with my friend, Michelle. Then Christina, whom I met on the Run for the Fallen. Then my cousin, Krissy and her entourage. I was starting to relax and enjoy the day! I was surrounded by some really cool people and I could feel the stress of the last several days starting to melt away.

I gobbled up some GU and drank some water, I took pics of the scene. It was about 1/2 hour before the swim waves were starting up so Christina and I went for a quick jog to burn off a little energy, hit the Porta-Johns and then we started to suit up for the swim.


The ocean was churning and the waves were rockin'~we hit the beach, I jumped into the water to get wet and then headed up towards the crowds. The Race Director and USAT Official talked to the crowd about the events we were ready to go! I saw my family and had to run over to get my good luck high five from Lola (or high pie as she calls it!). I was in the third wave and ready to SWIM!!




I started at the back of the pack for the swim and once we hit the first buoy, I was passing alot of people. I got kicked a couple times but nothing major. I just tried to stay calm and breath and not push too hard. Before I knew it I was at the last buoy and swimming back towards the beach. I know I was smiling big! I was having fun and I felt like I did pretty well for the swim (considering this is what I had the most anxiety about). I finally could feel the bottom and ran out of the water, pulling off my wetsuit while heading into Transition One. As I ran by my family, my Mom was giving me a big thumbs up and telling me Five Five. (I would later learn from her that I was the fifth woman out of the water!!)

I got to transition and my wetsuit slid right off thanks to a liberal application of BodyGlide on my calves! I rinsed my feet with water, dried them a bit and got into my running sneakers (this gal isn't in bike shoes yet!) tossed on a bright green UnderArmour tee and I was off. I decided I did not need to waste time with my Garmin today. Besides, I was doing this for fun-not to track pace. I was letting go of my obession with numbers today!

The bike ride was just awesome! I think that this was my strongest leg of the race ~it was certainly the most fun. During the ride, I tried to keep in mind the rules about passing and keeping 3 bike lengths behind etc. Last thing I wanted was to rack up drafting penalties on my first tri! I had been riding this route over the summer so it was familiar ground for me and I was passing more and more cyclists. There was road construction at about the midway point of the ride and one lane of the road was all dirt. Thanks to Mr. EL Camino who would not give enough road to let us pass and his car was kicking up dirt into my face (the roads were not completely closed for the race). This slowed me down (as well as those behind me) considerably for about a min or so. Another race participant and I comisserated on what a jerk Mr. EL Camino was...

As I rode into the final turn to the last 3 mile stretch I felt the cool air coming off the ocean and it was at this time I realized that this tri was almost done! It was going by SO fast and I was having so much fun! It was also at this time that I knew I was in love with triatlon!! I thought about how far I had come.

Coming into Transition 2 I was able to see my family again and that just re-energized me! I dropped of my helmet and headed right out for the run!


My husband managed to get around to the side of the OUT path for the run and snapped a couple pics~giving me more well wishes! I recall yelling "I love you babe!" and that my face hurt from smiling so much!






I felt like I was slow slow slow running. This is quite a hilly route and I had done several bricks on these routes this summer but today was different. I just felt so slow. Plus iPods are not allowed so I had to listen to my own breathing, uuugggghhh. But I started passing people even though I was holding back a bit (I knew some bigger hills were ahead of me!). I had to stop to tie my shoes (yup! lesson learned here!!) and ran on. As I approached mile 2 my OTHER shoe came untied and I had to stop yet again to tie it. I thought that the run would be my strongest leg but it just seemed like I was not doing as well as I had on training runs. I started to pick up the pace a bit and I ran past the nice gal I met from earlier this morning, DP. Up hills and then the final hill to the home stretch! I was feeling great! As I approached the finish line I saw my family cheering and got another thumbs up from my Mom.



I felt amazing! I was not tired at all- I think I was high on adenaline!! I cheered on friends that crossed the line and hung out with the family. I got to meet Alex~a local running mom I had "met" on Dailymile.com.

I met up with DP again and we chatted. She congratulated me on a great performance-especially for my first tri. DP informed me that she thought I probably placed! After a good 45 mins of socializing, the results were posted. My Mom was reading the results and DP helped to translate for her. My Mom and DP gave me a big and were saying I placed third in my age group-edging out DP by 20-something seconds! When I got up to the board to look for myself, I saw a familiar name: Dawn P. a slot under mine. I said aloud, "I need to meet this Dawn P" (my father had been telling about this teacher he subbed for that was a great triathlete and that I needed to meet her!) so when I saw her name I just kind of said it aloud. That is when my new friend DP turned around and said "IM DAWN P!!" I then told her the story of how I had heard of her and how highly my Dad spoke of her. We had a good laugh about this!



Then the awards started and when they got to my age group and announced that Dawn P was THIRD she jumped up and down and I gave her a big hug! Then they announced the I had placed SECOND> I was in SHOCK!! Dawn gave me a big hug and we laughed some more!! I was just a fun day and actually getting placed at my first tri was just the icing on the cake!






On Sunday afternoon I was finally able to access the results of the tri and see how I did:

• Swim: 8:51
• T1: 2:42
• Bike: 40:17
• T2: 0:50
• Run: 24:54

Overall I was 55th and the 14th female. While I have lots of room to improve I am very pleased with my performance.

I don't think I could have picked a better event for my first tri. It took place on my favorite "stomping grounds" to swim, bike and run. The people were just amazing and I can't wait to meet up with several of them again!!

I now know what to expect. I now know what I need to work on. I now know that I am in love with multisport and I cannot wait until next season. Here's to the start of a beautiful relationship!!

A Blessing or a Curse?

There it is. In BRIGHT PINK. Written in Sharpie on my calendar-Saturday, September 25th:

The Mainiac Triathlon 10 am

Yup, it's here. It's time. And I am feeling excited, nervous, unsure of myself, anxious but excited. Did I mention excited? My first triathlon.

This week has been strange to say the least. I got out for an easy ride early Monday morning before hubbs left for work and when I stepped off the bike I got this strange vertigo-like feeling. Like my head was spinning. I sat down for a few moments and this feeling subsided.

Then while reaching for a shirt to wear, I felt all the muscles in my mid-back start to spasm. OH NO. Sure enough, I have been dealing with some annoying back pain all week. Nothing a little Aleve can't handle but this certainly put me on "alert" being sure I did not push it too hard.

Then later in the day on Monday I could feel the starting of a head cold coming on. Are you kidding me?? For real? I started pumping the Vitamin C and green tea. Took it easy (well as easy as it gets chasing after Lola) the rest of the day and took Tuesday totally off from any workouts.

By Wednesday I was dealing with the normal mental struggle I have whenever I take any time off from training. I felt lazy. I felt bloated. I felt guilty. SO I swam. I ran. I lifted. And it felt SOOOOO good to sweat.

I am attempting to put this all in perspective. Was the back issue and the start of a head cold actually a blessing?? Was it forcing me to rest a bit before the tri??

or

Is it a curse? Will taking it easy this week effect my performance at the tri? Is my body tired from fighting this cold?

I don't know but being the optimist that I am I am going to go blessing. I tend to go a little crazy sometimes and maybe this is a good thing. Maybe this down time will do wonders for me. Who knows! But I do know that I wanted to go into this first triathlon experience with an open mind and no expectations.

Today whatever little traces of a head cold are gone~luckily it never really turned into anything (see! Vitamin C and green tea folks!! laugh but it works!!) My back is still tweaked out but I can work with it.

I am heading out for an easy run soon and I am sure that all kinds of crazy will be running though my head about this triathlon.

I am freaking out a little about transition. I am questioning my decisions about what I am going to wear. I am not sure if I am even going to bother with my Garmin.

So there it is in a nutshell. Crazy week. Crazy thoughts. I am just hoping I have a Crazy good time on Saturday.

The same road...100lbs later

Now that Fall is knocking on the door, my early morning runs are getting darker and darker. Ahhh, I do have a rather active imagination and having been afraid of the dark most of my life, these early runs are challenging for me in more ways than one! BUT nothing gets you moving faster than the thought of some grizzly beast coming out at you from the woods! Running to the sounds of nature, the tapping of my feet on the pavement and the whirling, random thoughts swirling around my head is music enough for me on these early mornings.

This morning I got out on a very early and rather nice 8 mile run under the stars. While out I came up to a route I used to "run" when I started on my journey to a healthy life. Now mind you, I was about 100lbs heavier and my "run" at that time could probably be considered a fast walk...In the quiet of the morning I spent time reflecting on just how much of a battle running was for me when I started. I hated it. It hurt. It was hard. My lungs would burn. But for some sick, strange, twisted reason-I liked it and I wanted to be a runner. A real runner.

Today I recalled the first time I ran this particular 1.5 mile stretch of road. How difficult it was but how happy it made me that I did it. I felt like stopping a bunch of times but I remember thinking "just one more telephone pole" and how I would break it down into pieces. Then when I got the turn-around point I would ask myself "why quit now? just keep going". Each step was a battle and a triumph.

I still feel that way some days-that the next step takes thought and planning. My runs may be longer in distance and a bit faster these days but my determination has not wavered, it has only grown stronger. I am more comfortable pushing myself-mentally and physically. But I would say my perspective on running certainly has changed...I really do love it and I guess I can call myself a "real" runner now (whatever that means!)

Running gives me center. It gives me time to me and time to think and plan. It brings me joy. I run against the best competition too-Myself. I can always strive for better. I can go longer. I can go faster. I can always find ways to be better. I guess that is another thing I love about running. It's not about beating Jane or John Doe. It's not about winning the race. It's about beating ME. And making ME better.

What started out simply as a way to burn calories to lose weight has become something so much more to me. From running I discovered a lot about myself and others around me. I have met some amazing people.

So running this same road today 100lbs lighter I thought back to those days with a smile. I gave myself a pat on the back for reaching the goals I set for myself in the Fall of 2008 and I gave myself a kick in the butt to reach the goals I have set for Fall 2010.

Happy running :)

Did I step on a grenade??

Goodbye pretty feet.

Hello...ugly feet. I'm not really sure what else to call them other than that. They are pretty gruesome looking these days.

and guess what?!

I would not change 'em for the world.

I used to have really pretty feet and cute little toes. I would get pedicures and wear funky colors like green and blue. I would have rhinestone daisies applied to my big toes. I loved wearing strappy little shoes or flip flops.

Since I started running more and more my feet are taking a beating. Literally.

It all started early this summer after a rather hilly 15-miler. My right foot developed a big old bruised toenail. I was pretty proud of my first "black toe" though. I thought of it kind of like a badge of honor. A visual reminder to me that I was putting in the miles!

Then after a rather hot and humid 18-miler I noticed another black toenail. This one hurt for several days after that run!

The day before the Run for the Fallen, my very first black toenail fell off. I actually considered keeping it and putting it in my running scrapbook. Gross huh?? yeah, this thought actually crossed my mind. (I did throw it away!)

Then the 20+ miles I ran at the Run for the Fallen at the end of August added even more color, as well as two giant blisters on my right foot.

I found that by keeping my toenails painted HOT PINK all summer, it kind of disguised their purple/blackness.

My most recent pedicure has faded and I got a really good look at my toes this weekend. Oh my...it looks like I stepped on a grenade!!

My father and I had a rather touching discussion about my ugly feet over the weekend~must be genetic because he shared stories of HIS ugly feet (blisters and all) from his running days. Nothing like blisters and black toenails to bond a Daddy and his little girl huh?

So yup-My once pretty feet are JACKED. Ugly. Black. Blistered. Purple. Missing toenails.

But you know what? Who cares?? I kind of like my ugly feet now. I earned them. I worked hard for them and oddly enough...I am proud of them!

THE FOLLOWING GRAPHIC IMAGE MAY BE DISTURBING!!

We have a winner!!

A big thank you to Reflect Sports once again for hooking me up with some Hoo Ha Ride Glide! Not only did I get to do my first blog giveaway but I also discovered an amazing product that has made my training that much more enjoyable.

I have been in touch with Laurie at Reflect Sports and she is going to be sending me some of their hair care products to try out!

With all the time I have been spending swimming in the pool and the ocean getting ready for my first Triathlon (The Mainiac) I am looking forward to finding something that will help keep my long, blonde hair looking healthy and not feeling like straw. Make sure you check back soon for this giveaway!

Alrighty...let's get to the good stuff!

Our WINNER is..............

generated by Random.org

lucky #7

LINDSEY!

The winning comment: I'm a follower!

Lindsey, congrats! I know that you will just LOVE this stuff! I can't wait to hear your feedback :)

Thank you to all that entered! Happy Monday~

Oh! What a week it's been

Hello and Happy Friday~boy what a week it has been! It has certainly been a fun week that is for sure.

First let's get to the nitty-gritty of my Friday check in.
How did I do this week?? Well, I was a good girl food wise (for the most part) I kept it clean and I managed to get in some quality workouts.

With that being said there was NO LOSS on the scale this week.

I have been playing with the idea of joining the local YMCA so I can swim with Lola during the Fall and Winter~we were given a one week trial at our tour on Tuesday so we have been spending lots of time playing there this week.

While I am not really impressed with their gym at all, the benefits of being able to swim and have Lola play with other little ones so I can workout out weight that. Plus they offer classes and I have been wanting to get in a spinning class SO we will see if the Y is in the cards for this family.

I really want to share my fun week with everyone. Last Friday we kicked off the weekend with a run with The BOB Brigade~we ran from Jana's place, thru the mean streets of Saco and over to the local HS track for some speed work. It was hotter than Hades and we were sweating buckets! But it was a fun morning and a great workout.


Avery, Jana, Lola and me being sneaky under the stadium steps of the track

4 members of The BOB Brigade, Tricia, Luke, Jana & Avery

Lola getting some speedwork lessons from Jana~

she's a great coach!

Saturday hubby had a fantasy football draft at the house so I went with my Mom, Dad & Auntie M to Ft Williams for the Cornerstone Baptist Church annual picnic. We had so much fun! I was wearing my thinking cap that day because I brought my running gear with me to sneak in a quick 3mile jaunt around the park.

I am really in love with this place! I see many, many more runs here. I liked the mixed terrain (gravel, pavement, grass, hills, steps) as well as the majestic ocean and lighthouse views.

Dancing with Lola in the Gazebo!







Chillin' with my girl!
















Saturday night we went down to Fortune's to walk and check out the waves that Hurricane Earl brought to town~you can't really tell from the pics but the waves were AWESOME!!

Even though we were fully dressed, Lola and I ended up in the water and playing in the waves. They would knock her down and she would go right back in, ready for more!

I literally had to carry her out of the water to get her home.

She was SO mad when we had to leave!

The lifeguard closed one side of the beach due to massive rip currents!

After cleaning up from our beach adventure we went to OOB to walk around, play some games and take Lola on her first Carousel ride. Then another....then another....then another.

One of the four rides on the Carousel

We played several games and spend several dollars trying to win a big blue teddy bear for Lola~ Then she tried her own luck at the Duck Game and she won!! She picked the dolphin stuffy over the frog :) that's my girl!!

Then it was time to eat so we went to Jimmy The Greeks for some wings (ok so not really clean here but it does not count on a Holiday Weekend!!)

Since Lola loves wings we had quite the laugh watching her devour the delish wings at Jimmy's!!

Even the waitstaff fell in love with her antics

Lola can really make a mess!! but she digs those wings

Monday morning rolled around and it was time to head out to run the Labor Day Classic 5k. This is the second year for this race~yes, I ran it last year. It is a fundraising event started by a local family, the Denger's. Both son's Matthew and Patrick have Duchenne's muscular dystrophy and this event raises money for research.

It is a great family focused event and the volunteers are great! This is also a fun course to run~gently sloping hills all through the neighborhood. The weather was perfect too. While I was hoping to establish a new PR (personal record) for this race, with the lack of quality running the last 4 weeks those plans were quickly tossed out the window. My purpose for running this year was to just have fun.

I finished with an official "gun time" (no chips at this race) of 24:13-certainly not even close to a PR for me but to my surprise!! I did win FIRST in my age group. This is the first time I have won first in anything running related so yippee!! Another medal to add to my very small (but growing) collection.

Every race hubby and I coordinate it so I can get a good luck high five from my daughter~or high pie as she calls it. This pic shows me closing in for the high five and my Auntie M decided to join in and add her own high five too!!

Post race with my Mom and Lola.

Cheering on runners at the chute with Lola!

Getting my FIRST place AG medal

Bling baby BLING!! Can't wait to add more

All in all it was a fabulous weekend and I could not think of a better way to celebrate the end of summer- Spending time with my family and running. What more could a girl wish for??

Giveaway Time!! Hooray for Happy Hoo Ha's Part II

Happy Labor Day Weekend~I hope each and every one of you has a fun, active, safe and relaxing weekend!


Hurricane Earl made a visit to kick off the holiday weekend and luckily, the storm lost a lot of it's ferocity and it's visit to Maine ended up in just some rain showers. I might still be able to get in a run this morning (Sat).

But let's get to the fun stuff!! It's time for my very first GIVEAWAY!


Laurie at Reflect Sports was nice enough to send me some HOO HA RIDE GLIDE to test out (remember THIS post??) and this week of 90's+ heat and humidity was the perfect week to really give HOO HA RIDE GLIDE a good test. While this product is targeted to cycling, I decided that I would try it for running too!!



The original skin and chamois cream formulated for women by women. Protects your most girlie parts from infection, chafing, friction burns, irritation, inflammation, and saddle sores. Provides healing and a lasting cool feeling so you enjoy the ride. Do apply to your nooks and crannies. Do apply to your chamois. Do apply to other skin areas where exercise chafing occurs. Enriched with barley extract, lavender, eucalyptus leaf, tea tree and peppermint oils.




Here's a list of the "tests" run (yea, yea pun totally intended) on the HOO HA RIDE GLIDE:

• ~Brick #1: 18.5 mile bike ride followed by a 2 mile run


• ~6 mile run hill work


• ~6.5 mile run with the jogger


• ~ Brick #2: 13.8 mile ride followed by a 3.2 mile run


• ~6 mile run with the jogger with a mile of speed work

Each day it was HOT and HUMID-and when I say HOT, I mean HOT!! Each workout I wore a variety of bottoms to see if the HOO HA RIDE GLIDE would really eliminate the chafing issues I have been having in this hot mess of weather. I tested track shorts, capri tights, running shirts, cycle shorts...


The results?? Not a bit of chafing. Zero irritation. My Hoo Ha was very happy!

My rides were more enjoyable because I was not distracted by discomfort.

My hot and sweaty runs were not cut short because of irritation or chafing.

The Hoo Ha Ride Glide was not sticky or gooey. It went on smooth and did not come off all over my running or biking clothes. It has a pleasant, light scent.


I am SO impressed with this product that I will no longer get out without it!!



So here's how YOU can get some HOO HA RIDE GLIDE yourself! (fellas-feel free to enter and share with the active lady in your life!! this stuff really rocks. She will thank you!!)


There are several ways to get a chance to win! Please leave a separate comment for each entry. The giveaway will end on Sat Sept 11th at 11:59 pm. I will pick a winner on Sunday Sept 12th.


1) Become a follower of my blog or let me know that you are already a follower.
2) Visit Reflect Sports and tell me which product you would like to try out most!
3) Like Reflect Sports on Facebook.
4) Spread the word about this contest by posting a link on your blog, Twitter or Facebook.

I am happy to have Hoo Ha Ride Glide as my first giveaway! I was seriously impressed with how well it worked :) Good Luck!!


*while Reflect Sports provided me with free product to try, the opinions stated here are purely my own.


Reflect Sports was also kind enough to give the readers of Miles, Muscles & Mommyhood a discount on their orders! Save 15% off your order by using discount code: MMMH1015

Bonding with Old Bessie (once again)

Well, here it is already. It's Friday! and since I have decided that I have to hold myself accountable to the scale once again, that means it is time to have my weekly check-in with Old Bessie. Old Bessie is my scale for those of you that do not know this. We have been through a lot together and while she is usually good to me, sometimes she is a down right B!TCH.

Now I have a pretty "healthy" relationship with her. My view of the scale is comparable to that of a compass=I use it as a tool to measure what direction I am heading. I do not allow Old Bessie to dictate my mood for the day-or the week for that matter. That is why when I am getting down to the nitty-gritty of it all, I will also incorporate measuring as a tool as well.

This week I have been a good girl with my eats and I have had some good workouts (although I could have used a bit more time with some iron but that's another subject all together). I have even found a recipe to help with my ice cream addition (if that works out, trust me-I will be sharing the recipe)

So how did this week workout??

I am down 4lbs and zero change on my body fat % which leads me to believe that a lot of this loss is water weight. I will continue keeping the eats in check and working out hard and see what NEXT Friday brings. All I know is that I feel better this week eating the way I should be eating.

I am also happy to report that the nagging pains that have been plaguing me of late are starting to fade. I dare say that my run yesterday was nearly pain free *knock on wood*.

So I am heading to the track today with my Cuz Jana to run with the joggers. Yes, we are taking the BOB's to the track. This should be funny. I am bringing my camera just to capture THIS Mommy Running Adventure on film.

Remember to check back this weekend for MY FIRST awesome giveaway!!

Feeling HOT HOT HOT!!

The hottest BABE on the BEACH!

It has certainly been a HOT one here in Maine~it's an official heat wave! All week it has been 90+ degree weather and we are making the best of it. I was actually quite sad last week to think that my fun-filled days of summer with Lola were coming to an end...BUT we have been blessed with another taste of summer! We have had some amazing beach and we are having a BLAST!

While this is not ideal running weather, I have been planning accordingly. Getting up at 4am to run, going to the gym and getting in some swimming.

I have been wearing my wet suit for my open ocean swims lately and last week my face and feet were FREEEEZING! But this week, the Atlantic has been beautiful! Hurricane Earl has brought some rough seas and rip currents to the mix-the lifeguards have been pretty strict on how far you can go out (not past your waist) so some of the swims have been interesting to say the least. I even got in lots of fun playtime in the ocean body surfing and boogey-boarding.

Taking a break to rehydrate and refuel before heading back into the wild waves! Notice the goggles are full of crackers!

Even Lola is having a ball playing in the warmer water and the big waves! I can't get her OUT of the water-even with the huge, crashing waves that the hurricane brought. They would knock her down, roll her around and she would get right back up~ready for more!

A triumphant moment for Lola!

Be one with the water!

So today is supposed to be the last day of HOT before the rains and high winds reach us. Today will be a long day at the beach and I will soak up every ray of sun and every wonderful memory of my summer with my girl. I really feel like the luckiest lady in the world!!

-more HOT notes-

As you may recall from my tantrum on Tuesday, I got my eating back in line this week and I am getting in some quality workouts-Finally!! I have certainly noticed an improvement in my attitude and the way I feel since getting back to basics.

I decided it was time for a HOT breakfast after my awesome BRICK workout this morning (biked 13.8 miles then ran 3.1) I had an egg-white omelet with leftover homemade turkey & bean chili from earlier this week and topped it off with some HABENERO hot sauce. Yummmm....

We had some fun family time! Lola and I got into our matching SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS PJ's and danced up a storm in the home gym~my husband was kind enough to snap a couple pics of us looking HOT in our cool jammies!!

We do have LOTS of fun!! Not sure how I ended up with one flip flop ON & the other on the floor but...

Finally, make sure you check the margin for some HOT new contests and giveaways. Sugoi recovery tights, the Marilyn top from Backpack sports and ALO yoga pants. I will also have my first giveaway coming up this weekend!!

Happy Thursday!!