My First NWM

Dec22

Since 2012 is almost over, I figure I should catch up on my race posts :-) Here’s my first Nike Women’s Marathon Experience:

After I did my first two 5K’s last year, I made it a goal to do a half marathon this year. I specifically wanted to do the Nike Women’s Marathon half. I don’t really know why I wanted to do it. I guess the fact that it’s close to me was a big reason. But I also knew that it was a very challenging course, with lots of hills. It was a little intimidating but I looked forward to the challenge.

I started training for it, even though I didn’t even know if I would get into the race. It’s such a popular race that unless you join Team in Training, you have to get in through the Random Drawing process. To make sure that I at least completed my goal of doing a half marathon, I also registered for the Disneyland Half Marathon that would happen before the NWM. I planned on doing both if I was lucky enough. I didn’t get into the NWM with the Random Drawing :-( I was bummed but focused my attention on doing the Disney Half. I still kept a look out for extra opportunities to get into the NWM via their Facebook and Twitter. I tried anything that came up but never had any luck :-( I ran the Disneyland Half and figured I was done for the rest of the year. A week later while I was recovering, they offered one last chance to get into the NWM for Nike+ members. I was so excited! I was actually picking up my son from school when I saw the post and immediately filled out the registration via my phone!

My Confirmation Email!!

I was absolutely thrilled to receive the confirmation email a few minutes later! I was going to be able to go after my original goal. I did pretty well with the Disney half so I you could say I was pretty confident :-) My biggest concern was that I only had a little over 4 weeks to get my mileage back up. I had also hurt my ankle after the Disney Half so I wasn’t sure how I would do. I made my main goal to finish the race without stopping. Training was rough. I wore an ankle brace for most of my runs. Then a few days before the race, I got sick :-( Needless to say, I didn’t do any training those last few days and focused on getting better.

I picked up my race bib and packet on the first day it was available thinking that it wouldn’t be as crazy, but I was wrong. Union Square was crazy! After picking up my bright volt Nike bag that was filled with goodies, I met up with a friend of mine and we walked around the expo. We tried out Luna bars and nuun water. I also picked up my pair of the NWM Nike Lunar Glide and found my name on the wall of the Niketown store :-) It was the last day that I felt good enough to get up and walk.

In front of the NWM Expo

Human Hamster Wheel at the Safeway Booth

My Motivation to race even though I wasn’t feeling well. No Excuses!

NWM Lunar Glides

Pic w/ a tall Fireman after picking up my NWM Lunar Glides :-)

Inside my Nike Volt Bag

Clothes and Gear prepped for Race Day.

I felt better on race day but still not 100%. I was up at 3a and had my chobani w/ almond butter, banana, and whole wheat bagel w/ almond butter for breakfast. I got to Union Square 2 hours before the race started. I checked my bag right away but regreted it because I was so cold the whole time I was waiting. It was a foggy morning in the bay area and my shorts and tank didn’t help keep me warm. The corrals were set up decently based on your mile time. I was in the 7:30-8:30 group. It was pretty cold and I was so glad when the race finally started.

Breakfast :-)

Ready for the race.

Star Spangled Banner at the Start Line

It was an overcast morning with fog. It cleared a little bit at Union Square when the race started but there was plenty of fog for the whole race. I warmed up fairly quick. Had one bathroom pit stop around the 10K mark. I knew there would be hills, but I definitely underestimated how steep and big a few of the hills were. I just focused on keeping my feet moving. The downhill parts were pretty rough on my knees. Being sick also took a toll on me. I was happy that I still managed to complete the race under 2 hours :-) I must have looked pretty sick when I crossed the finish line because the volunteers and fireman that I passed all asked if I was ok and needed help. I picked up my Tiffany Necklace Box and headed straight for the bathrooms since my stomach had been hurting badly for the last 3 miles of the race.

At the top of one of the first big hills.

Passing another Mile Marker

Mile 12

The last downhill stretch – Knees were aching!

Crossing the Finish Line

My Race Results :-)

Finisher Tees – they are super bright!

RUN.

Family Meeting Area with Video Screen so you can see when your family member crosses the finish line.

Photo Op with a Fireman

Finisher Goodies

Bought these two tops as a reward for finishing :-)

Tiffany Finisher Necklace :-)

I didn’t have anyone come with me for this race so after picking up a couple tops and finisher goodies, I picked up my sweat bag. I was a search to find the bus that had my bag. Every bus had a neat name with “Run” at the start. Mine was “Run Amazing.” Once I found my bus, I had to go to specific window. It was pretty organized and I didn’t have to wait long for my bag. I followed the signs to the shuttles back to Union Square.

Making my way through the buses.

Run Amazing!

On the Shuttle Back to Union Square. Tired!

I was tired and my stomach still hurt. I got lost trying to find my way back to the parking garage. But I was happy. I accomplished my goal for 2012!! Will I do it again next year? Yes!! It’s a great race, for a great cause, and it shows how amazingly strong we women are :-)

No Time Like Now

Nov16

I always find something inspiring, motivating, or interesting on Twitter. I guess that’s one of the main reasons I’m on there :-)

This tweet came from the amazing Kerri Walsh:
@kerrileewalsh: There is no time like NOW! “There is one thing in this world that has the ability to change our whole life in an instant… IT’S ACTION.”

And it’s Sooooo TRUE!!!

Especially when it comes to getting Healthy and Fit. I know that with the holiday season and all it’s temptations, it’s easier to put off our goals until AFTER or LATER… The holidays, then New Year… But then it’s 6 months later and still nothing has started :-/ This usually leads to lots of guilt and feeling depressed.

That’s why I love this tweet. You don’t have to wait to until After or Later. You Can Start Now!! And starting is the First Step to getting to that Goal. Stop saying that you’re going to start working out – Just Do It! It doesn’t have to be a full intense hour long gym session. Do a set of push-ups and crunches. No, you’re not going to lose 10lbs on the spot or sprout guns for biceps, But you will have taken a step in the opposite direction of doing nothing. And the more times you take Action towards your Goal, the closer you’ll get to it :-) It makes a lot of sense when you think about it – if you don’t do anything, you won’t go anywhere.

I keep this in mind when I’m having an off day or week. I do my best not to dwell on my setbacks and I focus on what needs to be done to get back on track. Unless I’m sick or injured, I also try not to wait until After or Later. I’ll start at that moment. If I’ve been eating unhealthy, I make sure the next thing I eat is healthy. If I’ve been lazy with my workouts, I go through my workouts and pick one or I’ll go for a run.

I’ve always been a big believer in “Actions speak Louder than Words.” You can’t just talk about how you’re going to get healthy and fit. You gotta get up and Do It! Not Later but Now!

My 1st Half Marathon

Oct21

It’s been a little over 6 weeks since I ran my first half marathon in “the Happiest Place on Earth.” As some might know, the Disneyland Half Marathon was not my first choice for my first half marathon. The Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco was what I had my eye on a year ago when I set the goal of doing a half marathon this year. But when I learned that it was a hard race to get into – without joining Team in Training, I went to a plan B. Running a half marathon was my main goal so I looked for another race to do in case I couldn’t get into the NWM during the random drawing(which I didn’t). My good friend suggested that we do the Disneyland half together and I went for it. The original plan was for a girls weekend where we’d meet in L.A, go to the parks, go to the beach, and do the race. Unfortunately, my friend had something come up right before the race and had to cancel. It was slightly hectic getting last minute hotels and deciding if I was going to fly or drive myself. Ben came to my rescue and took time off work, got his dad to babysit, and rented a car so he could come with me. So it turned out to be a mini vacation for the two of us.

Moon over the San Luis Reservoir

We left early Saturday morning – before the sun was up. We wanted to get there early enough to make sure we had enough time to get my race packet and beat any traffic. The people who set the date for the race are no fools. Race weekend also happened to be Labor Day weekend. Ben did all the driving. It was a very pretty drive seeing the sunrise.

Sunrise over I-5

Wish we could have stopped at 6 Flags.

Arriving in L.A.

He got us to L.A. in 4.5 hours. We were too early to check-in to the hotel so we went had an early lunch at his favorite restaraunt – Bubba Gumps. I usually have carbs at lunch time the day before the race so I enjoyed some shrimp and rice.

Shrimp Bucket Appetizer. Half Cajun and Half Garlic

My Lunch: Shrimp/Sausage/Veggie Kabobs

Indulged in a Bread Pudding Dessert

After checking in to our hotel, we headed towards to Fitness Expo. So… here is where I had a complete blonde moment. The whole time I was preparing for the trip, I thought that the Expo was at the Anaheim Convention Center which was right next to our hotel. We walked over and saw a Christian convention but no sign of a fitness expo :-/ Ben was a little irritated because we were walking and it was a bit hot that day. When I looked again, I realized that it was the convention center inside the Disneyland Resort. It wasn’t too much further of a walk and it gave us an idea about how far I would have to walk on race morning to the start line.

Walking down Katella

We headed to packet pick up which was at the lower level. It was well organized. You picked up based on you bib number, showed your ID and got your packet. I went to Runners Relations to change my corral since I didn’t put a proof of time down when I registered. I was originally assigned to be in the second to last corral and I wanted to be closer to the front. I used my Big Sur 9miler time to get into corral A – the front :-) It’s not that I was expecting to win but I did have a time goal and I knew being closer to the front would help me. We decided to get one day park passes for after the race. We left the Expo and walked towards Downtown Disney. We made reservations for dinner at the Rainforest Cafe since it’s such a long wait if you don’t. We were a little tired from the drive so we decided to relax and watch a movie. We saw Will Ferrel’s The Campaign. It was one of his better movies of late. Then we walked around Downtown Disney. I bought a neon pink Minnie Mouse shirt from one of the shops. We decided to try our luck at getting a table earlier than our reservation and got in.

Dinner: Roasted Chicken w/ double order of grilled veggies

Our table was right by the gorilla which we both knew our youngest son would have loved. I ordered roasted chicken with a double order of grilled veggies and Ben got some steak. We talked about our kids and how they were going to enjoy our vacation we had planned. Then we walked back to our hotel and it was time for me to get some rest for the race. I set out my clothes and gear, set my alarm for 3:30a and was in bed by 9p. Didn’t quite fall asleep until after the booming of the fireworks show ended though.

Lights on trees made for a romantic walk :-)

All ready for the race!

I got up at 3a and got ready. Breakfast was a banana and Chobani Champions w/ almond butter. I realized I didn’t have a spoon so I used my straw to stir and eat.

Pre-Race Breakfast.

Ben stayed asleep. The plan was he would meet me at the finish line around 7:30a. It was dark when I headed out the door. I walked to the intersection and followed the group of fellow runners to the start line. I arrived just as they opened the corrals. I walked around to check things out and see where the bag check and restrooms were. I hung around until 5a then checked my bag, used the restroom, and headed to my corral. While I waited a nice man said he would take a picture of me at the start line. He was an older man but a very seasoned runner and he talked to me about his experiences with the Disney marathons. Intimidating and Inspiring at the same time. Lol. The race started at exactly 5:45a.

Stage w/ DJ playing music

Wish I had taken advantage of this.

Getting to my corral.

At the Start Line.

What can I say? It was definitely a Disney race. I think I saw pretty much every character along the way while running through the parks. A few of the people in the group I ran with stopped for pictures but it was very quick and they were quickly back in the race. I did not stop for pictures because I focused on running. The music through the park was very loud so it was hard to hear my own music. I didn’t mind though. And it was magical to run through the castle.

Running through Cars Land

The Castle!

You cant help but smile. Even though there wasnt music outside the park, there was still quite a bit of entertainment on the streets on Anaheim for the runners. Bands, cheerleaders, and of course supporters/volunteers were all throughout the race. I did have to make one pit stop for a bathroom break right around 10K. I really enjoyed running through Angels Stadiums.

In Angels Stadium

There were supporters as you came in cheering you as you ran around the stadium. At the last mile, it was just non-stop cheering. Ben didn’t get a front row spot but he saw me cross the finish line via the video screen they had. I felt great crossing because I saw that I had come in under my 2 hour goal! I wasn’t sure after my pit stop of I would still make it.

Crossing the Finish Line.

I always push through the finish :-)

With my Finisher Medal.

I picked up my finisher goodies – the medal was heavier than I expected it to be, water, banana, and my checked bag then met up with Ben. I was really happy that he was there for me. I pulled out my chocolate Zico and Luna bar and enjoyed them on our walk back to our hotel.

Goodies inside the Finisher Box.

I showered and changed into the new Minnie Mouse tee I bought and we walked back to the park. There were people still running the race when we got back. We headed into the park to be kids for the day. My right hip and glute were really sore but I did pretty good. We didnt have wait too long for any ride.

Walking down Main Street

By 11a we were starving so we decided to have an early lunch. We decided to do the Big Thunder BBQ.

Loved that the water was served in these jars.

A bucket for each of us :-) Plus we ordered another bucket of chicken. I was hungry!

Love my Benny for supporting me.

It was an all you can eat kind of place. We both ate a bucket of chicken and ribs. I did not even touch the corn bread. We stayed a couple more hours then decided to head home.

We shared a candied apple on the way out of the park :-)

RunDisney banners on our way out.

Yes, I slept for quite a bit of ride. I also drove for a couple hours but my legs got really tight while driving so after stopping for dinner, Ben got back to driving. We were home by 9:30p and it was not hard for me to climb into bed and fall back asleep :-)

My results :-)

Would I do it again? Yes! I will probably do it again next year :-) I have more friends that want to do it with me. I think it’s a great race to do for a first half marathon. It’s all pretty flat with just a couple overpasses that serve as “hills.” The energy is amazing and everyone is pretty happy to be there. And of course, it’s prefect to plan a vacation around. They even have a 5k and kids races the day before. Definitely something for the whole family. Disneyland and Disney World have several races they do throughout the year, so definitely check them out and do one! My goal is do the Coast to Coast challenge were you do a race in both Disneyland and Disney World in the same year :-)

Anniversary Giveaway!!!

Oct15

So I’ve been mentioning a giveaway for months now and I am so sorry for taking so long to finally get to it. Something always seemed to come up when I wanted to do it. I had hoped to have it up by the time I did the NWM on the 14th, but I was fighting a virus and focused on resting so I would have energy to get through my race. Thanks to a wonderful hubby who took time off work so I could get some rest, I am feeling well enough to get this Giveaway started!

For those of you who don’t follow me on twitter or instagram – Here is what 1 Lucky winner will get:

Who Wants to Win?!!

I wanted to celebrate my amazing first year being part of the Tone It Up Team by doing a Giveaway. And what better prize could I give than goodies from the team that changed my life? I didn’t have much luck finding a brown rice protein that I liked. The chalky texture always got to me, but when Karena and Katrina came out with Perfect Fit, I didn’t have to look anymore. It’s not completely smooth like whey protein, but it is so much better than all of the other brown rice protein powders I have tried. It’s great in smoothies, pancakes, and pretty much anything you can think of adding it to. They have an ice cream and donut recipe too!

The winner gets:

1 50 serving bag – perfect for baking
1 box of 20 single serving packs – great for on the go
1 Pink Blender Bottle

How To Win:

Subscribe to my blog: msmamma.wordpress.com
Follow me on Twitter: @Mia_Butterfly
Leave a comment on This Post telling me your biggest challenge with your health and fitness goals.
Only 1 comment per person. Multiple comments will be disqualified.
For an extra entry follow me on Instagram: msmammamia
Contest Starts 10-15-12 as soon as this is published :-)
Contest Ends 10-22-12 at 11:59pm PST

Yes, this is open Internationally. I paid for all these goodies so these are gifts from me :-) Please share this! Good Luck!!

Inspired!!!

Sep28

I meant to post this a couple weeks ago, but as with many things lately, there just seemed to be no time to do everything that I wanted 😐 But I am really going to make an effort to show my blog more love.

I’ve been newly inspired!!! For those who follow me on twitter, Instagram and Facebook, you already know that I was able to get into the Nike Women’s Marathon! It was pretty much the last opportunity that came my way through Nike+. They opened some spots for those who were Nike+ members and I jumped at the opportunity as soon as I saw the tweet! I use the Nike+ App for all my runs and I was thrilled that it was giving me a chance to go for my goal that I set out at the beginning of the year. I can’t even describe how excited I was when my registration went thorough. I had a big smile on face for the rest of the day 😁

I started doing races last year as part of one of Tone It Up’s challenges and I got hooked. I loved the atmosphere and energy. I was super nervous at my first 5K. I had no idea how I was going to do. Scared that I’d get trampled and be laughed at for not being fast. It turned out to be so much fun and everyone was super positive and encouraging. Loved the support from the volunteers and spectators. After the my 2nd 5k, I decided that I would go for a half marathon. I figured that it was a big enough challenge that I could fully commit to.

I picked the NWM. Being in SF was a big factor since I live only 30 minutes away. I heard that it was challenging with the hills but with amazing views. And yes, the Tiffany necklace and cute firemen were also a big incentive 😉lol. After talking to a few people who had done the race before, I learned that it might be hard to get into the race because it is so popular. This worried me and since my big goal was to do a half, I decided to find a back up race to do in case I didn’t get into NWM. I went with the Disneyland Half and decided that if I got lucky in the random drawing for NWM, I would do both. When I didn’t get into the race through the drawing, I focused on getting ready for the Disney Half. I kept my eye on the NWM Facebook page for other chances to get into the NWM. I had just finished recovering from my Disney Half and being sick when I saw the last chance to get into the NWM.

Yes, it is a little intimidating to be doing another half after only 6 weeks after my Disney half. But I am in pretty good shape. If I hadn’t gotten sick right after Disney, I would have been back to running after a week of rest. It’s been a little tough to get back to my running but I’ve been getting out as much as I can. My pace is still pretty good. I am not putting a time goal with the NWM. I just want to finish without stopping. I haven’t had time to do hill training so I know that will slow me down a bit. I’m happy just being able to do the race😊

Make sure you follow me on Twitter – @Mia_Butterfly and on Instagram – MsMammaMia. I’ll be posting pics and hopefully some video come race weekend. I’ll also have my Disneyland Half post coming up along with lots of other posts that I’ve been meaning to put up.

And as promised in my last post – I will be having a giveaway to celebrate my first year with my Tone It Up team. Details coming soon!

Here’s a hint of the goodies I have for you:

Rest and Stretch

May11

BeachBody Day83

Friday is now my new Active Rest Day. After yesterday’s rough long run and TurboFire workout, I was ready to have a more laid back day. I still got up for my bootycall at 5:30a. I guess I’m already use to getting up at 5a because I was just awake by then. Plus, I actually went to bed before midnight last night – which is rare. I did Tone It Up’s Under the Sea X3 and Sun kissed Abs. I still had lots of time before waking the boys up for school so I went for a 2 mile walk.

When I came in to wake the boys up, Gio was awake but said he wasn’t feeling well. At first I thought he was just whining because he didn’t feel like going to school – yes, my 1st grader already tries to get out going to school :-/ – But I took his temperature and he did have a fever :-( So I kept him home. Luckily it’s Ben’s day off so he was able to help me with Gio.

My morning workout was doing Tone It Up’s Happy Hour Challenge: Favorite move from the Beach Babe DVD. I have several favorites but I decided to go with the Mermaid X20 – each side every hour. I started at 8a and ended at 10p. My obliques are already very sore.

Even though I was taking it easy, I wanted to do yesterday’s Bikini Series challenge – HIIT the Beach. It’s a short HIIT workout that worked up a pretty good sweat :-) I will probably do this one a lot because I can get a quick and decent workout in when I’m running short on time. I can repeat it if I want to make my workout longer.

Turbo Fire Day 81 – I saved Stretch40 the evening because I love doing this one before bed time. It really helps relax and stretch me out. My legs have been needing a good extended stretch and this felt absolutely amazing tonight. I could have easily fallen asleep during the mediation part :-) Even though I’m still sore in a few places, I don’t feel as tight and tense.

Doing a 2 min plank for plankaday then getting ready for bed. Early tball games tomorrow.

Meals:

M1: Egg white scramble with tomatoes, mushrooms, and spinach. Tried a half Meta-D half Bombshell Spell mix. I added the cayenne and cinnamon, left out the honey, didn’t use as much pineapple juice and added more water. It’s definitely not as sweet as the bombshell spell, but easier for me to handle than the Meta-D :-)

Half Meta-D/ Half Bombshell Spell

Went a little heavy on the veggies for breakfast today :-)

M2: Half a grapfruit w/ stevia

M3: Simple Shakeology: water, pineapple, and ice.

M4: PeanutButter and Dark Chocolate Kind Bar.

M5: Left over Salmon and Broccoli

100 oz. water.

A Long Run

May10

BeachBody Day82

Thursday is now my long run day. I’m still trying to get use to it. I didn’t sleep well last night so I was glad to have a break from my bootycall workouts. Got up, ate breakfast and then got the boys ready for school.

Not my best run, but I did it.

I wanted to head out no later than 10a so I had plenty of time to do my run before picking Seppe up form school. It was a rough run for me. I wound up having to go pee after the first mile :-/ Stopped at the boys tball park. I had a cramp for most of the first half of the run. I had to slow way down before it finally went away. I just kept telling myself to breathe and to keep running. It was hard to pick my speed back up once I slowed down. My knees started to really hurt the last couple miles. I felt like I hurt everywhere. My hamstrings were still really sore and so was my booty. My shoulders felt tight and my feet ached. Basically I was very uncomfortable. But I managed to complete my 9.3 mile run. The run took a lot out of me. I was soooo tired when I got home and I still had my TurboFire to do :-/

Turbo Fire Day 80– I didn’t know how I was going to do Fire45EZ but I made myself do it. I gave it every bit of energy I had left. I’m glad that there are no fire drills in this one because I doubt I would have survived a HIIT drill. I followed it with Stretch10 which felt amazing. My legs really needed a good stretch.

As much as I wanted to do the BikiniSeries challenge for today, I really had nothing left after my TurboFire workout. I will be doing the HIIT and Ab workouts tomorrow :-)

I did do a 2min plank for PlankADay before bed.

Broke this up into 30sec: plank, side plank (each side), plank.

Meals:
M1: MapleNut Oatmeal w/ unsweetened almd milk, almd butter, blueberries and chia seeds.
M2: Luna bar
M3: Chocolate Shakeology w/ Chocolate Zico, spinach, mango and pineapple.
M4: Dark Choc cherry cashew Kind bar
M5: Panko Chicken with left over grilled eggplant and zucchini.

Leftover grilled veggies don’t look as good but still tasted great :-)

80 oz water and 2 Zicos

Lots of Me Time

May9

BeachBody Day81
So what do I do when I have half a day all to myself? Clean, workout and video editing. Isn’t my life so glamorous? Lol :-)

Bootycall: Love Your Legs x 3 with knee raises added to squats and star fish lunges. Plus 5 Min to Flat Abs routine from SELFmagazine.

After my morning workout with my new favorite shorts.

Morning workout: Drop10 Jiggle Sizzler on the elliptical. Resistance between 8-12. Followed by TurboFire.

Jiggle Sizzler done!

Turbo Fire Day 79– Fire55EZ. Felt completely exhausted afterwards.

Afternoon workout: Planned on doing stair circuit but went out on a family walk with the boys. Walked by the “beach” during high tide. Went further than planned – 3miles. Boys got a little whiny but it was mostly because we forgot to brig water :-/ They did really well and it helped wear them out. They went to bed right after dinner :-)

Climbing rocks and looking at the ocean :-)

Holding hands with my Seppe

Boys collected shells for me.

Ended with a 2min plank. That was all I had the energy to do. Better than nothing right?

Almost didn’t do my PlankADay, but I did :-)

Meals – Carbs at dinner for my long run tomorrow. Getting started on my half marathon training.

M1: Chobani Champions Very Berry with almond bitter and chia seeds. My quick go to breakfast :-)

M2: Luna bar to help prep for my morning workouts.

M3: Chocolate Shakeology with kale, banana, pineapple, mango, an almond butter to help recover from my workout.

Lunch while I work on editing tball videos.

M4: almond coconut KIND bar.

M5: spaghetti made with quinoa noodles and a turkey, spinach, squash and zucchini red sauce.

Quinoa pasta with Turkey/Spinach red sauce.

80 oz of water 1 Zico.

Sweat X3!

May8

BeachBody Day 80

I’m really surprised that I’m still up and able to type this up :-) I had a really great and sweaty day! I had to be up at 5a so I could go to the gym before Ben left to go to work. I wasn’t looking forward to it. I’m not even sure I slept all that great but I made myself get up, get dressed, and get out the door. You know that quote – “Get up and exercise before your mind realizes what you’re doing”? That’s what I kept thinking of on my way to the gym. I did yesterday’s Bikini Series challenge – the Drop10 Fat Zapper on the bike for 30min. I love that HIIT workouts get me sweating :-) I was wide awake and full of energy once I finished. I am really thinking of getting up at 5a more often because I can get so much done. I got my workout in, showered – and not just a quick 5min one but a nice relaxing one – made lunch for Ben and Gio, and had breakfast ready before the boys even got up :-)

After dropping the boys off at school, I wanted to get some cleaning done. The apartment needed it badly! So I broke my morning up – spent the first half cleaning the kitchen and the boys’ bathroom. Took a break for a snack then did my Turbo Fire workout.

Turbo Fire Day 78 – I was glad to see Fire45EZ again. There aren’t any fire drills in this one but it’s combo after combo. I put in a lot of intensity. Punched hard and kicked as high as I could :) I had a lot of fun and I was drenched with sweat afterwards. So much for staying clean after that nice shower ;-) Followed with Stretch10. My legs – especially my hamstrings are super sore from yesterday’s Lean Legs Pyramid. It felt good to stretch them out. I added the Drop10 Sculpting X3 to wrap up my morning workout.

After TurboFire and Drop10 Sculpting

Did more cleaning after picking Seppe up and had lunch. Finished cleaning after picking Gio up from school. My apartment is clean! Well it was for a few hours. The kitchen is already dirty again. lol.

Tone It Up’s Bikini Sereis challenges for today was to crank things up a bit by adding 30 min of cardio to my day and eating a Lean, Clean and Green dinner. I could have considered my TurboFire as my extra cardio but I decided to hit the gym after the boys went to bed. I did a 30min treadmill program that had inclines for my third sweat session of the day :-)

Back at the gym for BikiniSeries extra 30min cardio

Aerobic Program with hills on Treadmill.

Workout Summary!

A sweaty mess for the 3rd time and still smiling :-)

Ended with my usual plankaday.

PlankADay – 1min low, 1min high, 1min side plank each side, 1min tummy tucks

Meals:

M1: Variation of the SlimDown Scramble. Basically I just put the veggies on top of the egg white instead of mixing it all together. I like this better for some reason.

How I Like my SlimDown Scramble :-)

M2: half a grapefruit and 4 dark chocolate almonds.

M3: Chocolate Shakeology with Zico, kale, and banana. I am going to be having Shakeology for lunch every day this week. Trying to use it up.

Ready to get mixed up!

M4: Tried a new Larabar that I found at Target.

Found another yummy Larabar

M5: Salmon with a Balsamic/Honey sauce (from FitFoodJunkie) with grilled eggplant and zucchini.

Salmon and Veggies for dinner.

100 oz. of water. 1 Zico. 1c of Chamomile Tea

I have my alarm set for another 5a bootycall tomorrow :-) Really looking forward to doing the new “Love Your Legs” workout.

The Final Week

May7

BeachBody Day79

Monday started Week 12 of Turbo Fire. The last and final week. It’s actually been 14 weeks since I had to take a couple weeks off while Ben was in the hospital and recovering. I still can’t believe that it’s been so long since I put in that first disc into my DVD player. Time flies when you’re having fun ;-)

Turbo Fire Day 77 – On the schedule it was suppose to be a Rest day. But I decided to do my favorite HIIT workout instead :-) HIIT20 just goes by so quick and gets my heart racing. I went as hard as I could.

I started my day with a 5k run. I woke up before my alarm feeling great after getting a good nights sleep. I haven’t slept well in over a week because I’ve been so congested – especially at night. I took a sudafed last night and I was finally able to breathe!! That made all the difference. My run was better than it normally is for a bootycall. I’m usually half asleep and just trying to get through it. I was able to run at a good pace today :-)

With Ben back to his work schedule, I have the kids by myself more. I followed HIIT20 with part of the BIkini Series challenge for today: Lean Legs Pyramid and 100 tummy tucks. The Tone It Up pyramids are great. Short but intense workouts that always leave me sore the next day :-) I’ve gotten stronger since the last time I did Lean Legs because my calves didn’t cramp up like they use to after the jumping jacks. I would have to walk it out and stretch before I could continue. I was really glad I could move on faster today. Those 100 tummy tucks were no joke!! After 60 it burned so bad. I paused for a few seconds in downward dog after every 10 tucks past 60.

The second part of the challenge was the Drop10 Fat Zapper HIIT. I was hoping to do it tonight but Ben took some over time and came home later than I expected. Plus my congestion came back and I had zero energy to go to the gym. So I will be doing it first thing tomorrow for my bootycall :-)

Ended with a 5min plank- plank, side plank, plank, low plank. I could feel the 100 tummytucks the whole time. Sore abs tomorrow :-)

Meals:
M1: – FlaxPlus Oatmeal w/ blueberries, banana, unsweetened almond milk and chia seeds. Tried he Bombshell spell today and loved it. Will be trying to have it every day this week :-)

Love the Bombshell Spell from the Tone It Up Beach Babe Edition :-)

M2: half a grapefruit and 4 dark chocolate almonds

M3: Chocolate Shakeology w/ kale, avocado, frozen mango, pineapple juice and unsweetened almnd milk.

M4: tomatoes, cucumber and pop chips w/ chunky olive hummus.

Veggies, hummus, and Pop Chips

M5: Chicken-less orange chicken from TraderJoes with green beans. I didn’t have high hopes for this. The chicken-less chicken strips were not that good. But this was really tasty and I could barely tell that it wasn’t actual chicken :-)

Thought I’d Give this a try for Meatless Monday.

Added some sautéed green beans.

70 oz. water

Ms Mamma Mia

Be the Best Version of You!

Archives

My First NWM

No Time Like Now

My 1st Half Marathon

Anniversary Giveaway!!!

Inspired!!!

Rest and Stretch

A Long Run

Lots of Me Time

Sweat X3!

The Final Week

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