Post No-Race Blues

Yesterday was a major race day, not only here in DFW with the Cowtown, but the Disney Princess Half was yesterday as well as many other races like the New Orleans Rock 'n' Roll. My Facebook newsfeed has been full of expo pics, meet ups, pre-during, and after race pics since Friday, and my heart breaks. I should be racing again. I know the face that I am currently not racing is my decision, but that pang is still there as I see a majority of the people I know racing and loving it.

I haven't talked much about it, but as you can tell from my almost regular weekly posts, I'm only running an average of 10 miles per week. I decided I would use the winter to focus on strengthening in order to run better. My knee is doing better all the time, but I still have the fear of pushing it too far.

I've been using the new Combat program from Beachbody since January 2 to get overall body strength. My arms, back, and core are getting a major difference, but my hips are getting stronger too, which makes a huge difference in my running and the pressure on my knee. I'm glad it's working. The 60 day program ends next week, so we'll see how amping up my runs go in a a couple of weeks.

Have you ever taken some time off running to build strength or specific conditioning? What did you decided to do, and how did you handle the "racer's jealousy"?

Liebster Award...Good Ole Blog Fun

On Friday, Pam at PAMdemonium chose me to receive the Liebster Award after she received it from To Hab and to Hold 

Liebster  {German} n. sweetheart, beloved person, darling.

Here is how it works ….

1. Someone chooses you.
2. You tell 11 things about yourself.
3. You answer 11 questions.
4. You choose 11 bloggers and ask 11 questions that they’ll answer.

11 Things About Me

1. I have two back tattoos that I'm currently working onto combining into one big back piece.
2. I absolutely love the beach. Just because I haven't gone in a while doesn't mean I don't dream about it every day.
3. I have six siblings. Four brothers, one deceased, and one sister, who is becoming a really great friend too.  
4. I find art in almost everything. Music, running, fitness, cooking, even organization.
5. I hated cooking when I was younger. Now my food posts are my most popular on Facebook.
6. I miss our Golden Retriever, Zoe. I loved having her around.
7. I'm not a shy person, well, at first I might be, but once I open up....beware.
8. I live my dream job.
9. I love inspiring and helping people with their fitness journey.
10. I want to be a girlie girl sometimes, but I really don't know how. Lessons anyone?
11. My favorite color is red. Love, love, love RED

11 Questions To Answer

1. What is your favorite exercise? Oh this is hard to answer, but running truly feeds my soul.
2. How many children do you have? Two boys. T is 12, and the Cy-Guy is 6.
3. What is your favorite memory as a child? Just playing with my older brothers.
4. If you could go anywhere on vacation, where would it be? Greece
5. What do you want to be remembered for? That I made a difference in one person's life.
6. Why do you blog? Usually to get out what I can't say in statuses or tweets.
7. What is your greatest achievement? Leaving my desk job and working for myself.
8. Favorite tv show? I have to choose between Vampire Diaries and Army Wives?
9. Describe yourself in one word. Determined.
10. How long have you been married/dating/single? I've been married for 13 years. My anniversary was on February 11th.
11. Share a favorite memory of you & I. Pam and I have mainly been virtual friends for quite awhile, but the fact that she chose me to guide her to her biggest goal humbles me every single day.

The Bloggers I Have Chosen {In No Particular Order}

1. Hungry, Healthy, Happy
2. Climb Run Lift Mom
3. Pumpkin to Princess
4. Runner's Ramblings
5. Miss Molly Motivates
6. Undone At the Seams
7. Run Timmaay Run
8. Alwine Adventures

11 Questions To Answer

1. What is your favorite way to de-stress?
2. Do you have pets?
3. What is your favorite memory?
4. Your favorite place to vacation?
5. What do you want to be remembered for?
6. Why do you blog?
7. What is your greatest achievement?
8. Favorite movie?
9. Describe yourself in one word.
10. How long have you been blogging?
11. Share how we met.

Mamavation Monday: February 18

I seriously don't know what's wrong with me lately. I think I've lost that thing in my head that keeps me organized and on schedule. Every day is different, but only the weekly routine remains somewhat similar. The thought of hiring someone just to tell me what to do when and be where at what time has even crossed my mind. So, here's my exercise check in (or what I plan on doing this week):

Monday: Taught my YogaStretch class & Les Mills Combat, either a class at the gym or at home.
Tuesday: Short am run, and Combat Lower Body Lean Out at home. I might hit an evening class at the gym before my walk group.
Wednesday: Combat 60 LIVE and yoga, then a short run while the Cy-Guy has soccer practice.
Thursday: Combat HIIT Power and Inner Warrior Stretch and walk (actually run intervals) with my neighbor.
Friday: Combat Power Kata and yoga class at a new place I'm trying out with my friend Jessica
Saturday: Combat HIIT Plyo and Core Attack with a short run beforehand.
Sunday: 5+ mile run and Combat 60 LIVE

Let's hope I stay on schedule this week. What's your schedule looking like?