Maine Coast Marathon

In 2013, my friend-endurance veteran extraordinaire-Charles, brought back to life the Maine Coast Marathon, 26.2 miles of beautiful coastline that is my backyard and training grounds, after a 26 year hiatus. This race was founded in 1980 as the Nike Maine Coast Marathon and a course that qualified three individuals for the US Olympic Marathon Trials in 1983. 

The Re-Inaugural (is that a word? it is now...) MECM in 2013 was also the first marathon for one of my athletes, Marc. It was a cool day with rain and drizzle to start and then the day warmed and we finished with nice weather. I paced him for the last 15 miles or so last year and was up to run again this year. A perk of being friends with the RD. 

I had many friends and a few athletes running on Sunday and just like last year, I would help out early in the morning on the course and then I would run with my athlete(s) and cheer on others. The day was cool at the start but it would not stay that way. 

we had the first intersection with Officer Carney, same as last year! 

my friend and local running legend, Brian. He's amazing and a beautiful person

puppy kisses 

my friend and Dailymile buddy, Jim

After getting all the runners safely by Rt1, it was off to the next stop, mile 6 and a road crossing.
Lots of cheering and high fives here...the sun was starting to get warm.

Lots of friends out there and I had to laugh at some of the photo poses...

As soon as all the runners were through Mile 6, it was time for  ME to change and head out. Hubbs dropped me off at Mile 18 down the road from our home and I ran out to mile 15 where I would run with several friends and one of my athletes for a bit, back and forth. I got in several miles this way and then finally met up with Marc. 

 I ran with my friend, Mary for a few miles and she was holding up really well and armed with a very positive attitude!


The heat index was increasing and I could see that the warm temps were taking their toll on some of the runners.

The number 19 is my favorite number and it was my favorite mile of the run.

That's where friends, Tim and Jessica's kids were out with the best cheers of the day!
Loved the sign too!

 Then it was Mile 20...

 Then we hit some pretty amazing views by my favorite beach...with only about 5k to go to the finish line.
This is when the wheels started to come off for Marc. He was only 6 weeks out from shoulder surgery and was way undertrained for this marathon...but he is stubborn and he insisted on running.

 a quick mile 21 selfie....

 Once Marc hit the 24 mile point, his running was done. He was walking and just focusing on moving forward. I got the chance to meet Issac and run into the awesome SARA aka Middle Aged Runner

With about a quarter mile left, I ran to the finish line to watch Marc finish. I captured a pic of my favorite race photog, Rusty!! He always gets a good race shot of me :)

I was able to log about 17 miles on Sunday which was great considering my longest run has only been about 10*12 miles in MONTHS!!

Marc was able to run it in thru the chute and while his time was slower than we even predicted with the lack of training AND the surgery, he still finished.

While out on the course, I met an amazing woman, TERRI. This was marathon 126 for her.

She went on to run another the next day (on Monday) and another on Tuesday.
Amazing.

She is also racing Kona this year! 

I also got to meet an incredibly lovely family, the Rios' clan. The son, Billy was running and Dad, Raphael, just ran Boston last month. Raphael qualified for Boston on the Maine Coast course the year before. They were such a special group of folks and I just loved their energy. Billy is another weight loss success story so make sure to look for his feature story soon on Transformation Tuesday!

The Lovely Rios Family in front of President Bush's estate on the Maine Coast Marathon course

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So now with this season being such a strange one for me trying to balance work, family, training and more work...I was bitten by the marathon bug again...bad, and will definitely be doing lots of running this year. Trying to figure out which FALL marathon I will add to my schedule but today I did go and register for the JOST RUNNING VIRTURAL MARATHON to get me going! 

Are you familiar with JOST RUNNING? If not, check it out. 
I will be sharing lots more about JOST RUNNING and
what they offer in terms of running to help great causes.
I love their mission and message!

I am registered for the BEAT THE HEAT MARATHON to benefit GOTR. 

BEAT THE HEAT MARATHON

JULY 27 - AUGUST 02

Before we were runners, the thought of waking up before the sun to get in a run seemed crazy. Now little motivates us to get out of bed more that those early summer morning hours where the sun is only preheating our day, not fully baking it. This month we want you to stay safe, hydrated, and get out there and "Beat The Heat" by showing that sun who's boss. So hurry up and get in those miles before the soles on your shoes start to melt. July's races benefit : Girls On The Run

Are you planning a marathon or half marathon this year?

What's your favorite kind of run workout?

What's your favorite RUN TUNE this week? 

WIAW: Keepin It Clean!

I kept things mostly clean while in Jersey with the exception of some decadent desserts (can you say ricotta cheesecake from Al Di La? mmmm)

ricotta cheesecake from Friday night

I did have an absolutely delish salmon putanesca with squid ink pasta. 

so so good!!

Simple, easy foods are a part of my every day life.
Like this easy dinner...

grilled chicken

brown rice "cous cous" with broccoli and shredded carrot

steamed asparagus (a favorite!) 

Spring time is here and that means my garden will soon be in the ground. 

Spring showers are perfect for running...after this long winter, I won't complain!

 My new favorite snack is strawberries with walnuts. A wonderful combo!!

Today I am detoxing my body and feel amazing...lots of fluids and good nutrition.
Good things...

What are YOU loving right now?
What is YOUR favorite snack? 

Transformation Tuesday: Powerful Prudie

I’m currently New Jersey bound with a car load of friends on our way to a nutritional education weekend and I am so excited to learn and be with amazing, like-minded people!

I came across this saying a while ago that you are the sum of the 5 people you spend the most time with and if that is the case, I am pretty happy with the choices I make and the people I spend my time with day to day.  

I love what I do and being able to help people reach their goals-and I am blessed to be part of a team that is so awesome. I truly feel blessed.

One person on this team of amazing people is my friend, Prudie Duross.

Meet Prudie, age 47. Here’s a bit about this sassy gal…A bit over a year ago, Prudie started using our nutrition program to feel better and drop a few pounds. She reports that she had no energy, “could not get out of her own way” and would be in bed by 7:30 every night. She lacked mental clarity and focus.

Prudie is an accountant and during tax season, she works 60-70 hours per week and is also on the local Fire Department call force. She is also a fire investigator and photographer for the department. So as you can see, a lack of energy and focus could be detrimental to her career!

Once Prudie started her program (which was a nutrition shift with minimal exercise added), within two weeks her energy levels were up and she was feeling great! She was no longer falling asleep in her chair after work, she would now come home and workout, do stuff with her children, get the house cleaned and prepare dinner for the family. After her first 30 days, she was down 17lbs and feeling like a new woman!

In the last year she has lost a total of 55lbs and 78.75 inches!! She has completely transformed her body and improved her quality of life.

I asked Prudie to share a bit with us about her transformation!

What would be your biggest piece of advice to give someone who wants to get started on their own journey?

If someone wants to get started, I would recommend they really need to be fully invested in their journey. Without the right mindset, it is so easy to get derailed by others and your own negative self talk! Talk with family to get them on board with support, especially during the initial few weeks.

What is your favorite moment in your journey?

My favorite moment in my journey was when my daughter took my picture after a year on the program & I put the picture side by side with my before picture. It was not until then that it truly sunk in that I had completely transformed my body composition & metabolism. I could not see what my results truly were when I looked in the mirror. It is so important to take photographs at the beginning of your journey to be able to have the motivation to keep going & to truly document your journey.

If you could go back in time to the "old Prudie" and say just ONE sentence to her, what would it be?

I would tell the "old Prudie" ... You need to make yourself the priority & follow what is in your heart, not what everyone else wants or expects you to do!

What is your favorite meal?

I do genuinely look forward to my breakfast each morning which is almost always egg white omelette with spinach, parmesan cheese, chive & sometimes asparagus or tomatoes, with half a whole grain English muffin w/ all natural peanut butter.

Monday Motivation: The Other Side of Fear

MONDAY MOTIVATION: The Other Side of Fear

This weekend I was in Dirty Jersey with a team of remarkable women that I have had the pleasure to align myself with over the last several months. I have know Lisa since high school and the rest I have been blessed to get to know through my fitness career or through my nutrition contacts.

My mentor, Lisa 

The Man, Aaron Hairston, transformation success story!
He's just as nice as he looks!

Me with Erik Coover

Me, Ronda Rockstar Collier and Michelle

having a blast in Jersey

My good friend and partner in all good things, Michelle

Me, Lisa and Jen V

Jens on sugar...this gal is a blast! 

We all drove down from Maine together to learn more about nutrition and being a healthier, happier version of ourselves. To be in a room with 700 genuinely happy people CELEBRATING each other successes and sharing stories was an experience that will be with me for a very long time. I am so excited to aligned with a company that has such integrity and a positive impact on the world. The culture of the company is EXACTLY what I want in my life--uplifting, motivational and real.

700 happy people with "selfie king" Erik Coover and Chris Nish, 

The BLONDE TOWER OF POWER

Anyway...enough fun pics from the weekend, the reason for today is SIMPLE and can be summed up in one paragraph with one short video.

We talked a lot about mindset and how we view the world...and this short video was played.

Please, take the time to watch it. It is only 1:48 of your time. IT IS WORTH IT. 




What FEAR holding YOU back from accomplishing?
What is waiting for you on the OTHER SIDE OF FEAR is the most amazing adventure of your life! 
Take the leap, the jump and enjoy the ride.

What do YOU want to do?