Weekend Springtime Fun!

We had a great weekend! The weather was absolutely gorgeous! The past few weekends it has rained so we were so excited to see sun and warm weather all weekend! We had a jam packed weekend and spent a good part of it outside! I wanted to share all the fun things we did!

Saturday morning I ran a 6 mile run with friends. It was a great run! I'll tell you more about it tomorrow!

After I got cleaned up from my run, me and the boys met my friend Paige and her boys and headed to the Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center for an Easter Egg Hunt. This was our first time doing the Easter Egg Hunt here and they said they had 10,000 eggs!

We parked and had to walk a few blocks to get there. We took a few pictures along the way....all my son Sawyer's doing. Yes he knows his mama and her love of pictures well! :-)

We started off the day making all kinds of Easter crafts which the boys loved! They even got cupcakes! And guess who else made an appearance? The Easter Bunny of course!

Then it was time to hunt eggs! We were told that there were 10 golden eggs hidden throughout the Exploreum. Anyone who found a golden egg would get a prize. So off we went in search of eggs AND golden eggs! By pure luck...I happened to see a golden egg and pointed it out to Hayden who was right beside me! He was so excited he found a golden egg!!!

After the hunt we headed to find out what Hayden's prize would be. Here he is with some of the other golden egg finders!

Each child who found a golden egg got an Easter Basket! They also got another prize depending on which number they had inside their egg. Some of the prizes were money to the gift shop, a week of summer camp, and one on one time with the scientist guys. When they got to Hayden's egg he won the grand prize...monarch butterfly luggage! He was excited (which I couldn't believe he was excited about luggage lol)! The luggage had a price tag on it that said it cost $329.99! Whoa! We felt like celebrities because the people at the Exploreum wanted a picture of Hayden and his family with the luggage!

Then it was time for the raffle drawing! And Sawyer won a stuffed butterfly and two passes to come back to the Exploreum!!! It was my boys' lucky day!

After the Easter festivities were over we walked around the Exploreum and the boys played.

And I got to hang out with my Paigey!

After the Exploreum we ate some lunch and then took the boys to the park and down by the bay to play! It was a fun day!

On Sunday we hung out with Paige and her boys again at the Strawberry Festival in one of the towns near us. The festival has fair rides for the kids and craft booths for the adults! The boys had a blast riding rides!

And my favorite part...the Strawberry Shortcake! Yummy!

It was a fun time with friends and family!!!

After the Strawberry Festival we took the boys to the park to play. Then I had a 3 mile walk around the neighborhood!

It was a fun weekend out in the spring weather!

QOTD: Do you have spring weather yet? Or is it still cold where you live?

The Weekly Chase #67!

It's my Spring Break!!!! It started out great this weekend! Friday afternoon the boys played at the park while I walked 2 miles. Saturday I ran 6 miles and then me and the boys went with my friend Paige and her boys to the Gulf Coast Exploreum for their Easter Egg Hunt! It was quite an eventful day which some of you may have seen on Instagram! I'll be writing a post about it this week!

Saturday night my boys had their first official sleepover with Paige's boys! My house was so empty without them there! But they had a blast!

Then we spent the afternoon at the Strawberry Festival! The weather was amazing this weekend! It felt like spring and I even wore shorts and a tank top on Sunday!

Now it's time for another Weekly Chase! I'm ready to tell you all about my goals for this week! I hope you will link up your own goals with me too! And feel free to use the badge below in your post too! You can grab the badge HERE! :-)

Here are my goals from last week!

• Goal #1: Run 3 times this week. Yes! I ran Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday of this week! I also got in three walks!
• Goal #2: Roll and stretch daily. Yes!
• Goal #3: Log and stay under all my calories this week. I did great with this every day but Friday. But Fridays I always go over a little because I carb up for my long run the next day.
• Goal #4: Shop for Easter goodies. Yes! I got all my shopping done for school. Now I just need to shop for my boys!
• Goal #5: Cook more meals at home this week. 50%. I didn't do as well with this as I'd hoped. We still ate out a few times. But I'm doing good about choosing healthier options when I go out.

Here are the goals I'm chasing this week!

Goal #1: Run 3 times this week. I want to run two short runs and then Saturday I'm running the Crescent City Classic 10K with Paige!

Goal #2: Roll and stretch daily. Ongoing goal!

Goal #3: Log and stay under all my calories this week. This is going to be a little tougher this week since we are on spring break. When I'm at home I get bored and want to eat! 

Goal #4: Shop for Easter. Got to prepare for this awesome holiday!

Goal #5: Make spring break fun for my boys! So far I think I've done good with this! We have plans this week to go see a movie with friends on the day it's supposed to rain. We are also going to the beach one day with friends too.

So that's the plan for the week! 

QOTD: What are your goals this week?

Runner Spotlights #83

Happy Sunday everyone! I hope your weekend is going well! It was the start of our Spring Break and we are already enjoying it! I'm looking forward to sleeping in this week! ;-)

Now it's time for another runner spotlight...my favorite time of the week! I love reading other runners' stories about their running journey! If you are interested in being spotlighted on my blog please email me at mindy@roadrunnergirl.com! I'd love to spotlight you! You don't have to have a blog to be spotlighted...you just have to be a runner! ;-) And I'm running low on spotlights so now's your time to shine!!!

Today I'm spotlighting Crystal from Running With Rhyno! She is a runner from Canada! Keep reading to learn more about her and her running journey!

Name: Crystal Rhyno

State: Alberta, Canada

When and why did you start running?

In 2009, I was working at a newspaper in a northern community. Our newspaper sponsored a big race every year. They wanted someone to run the race and write about the training. I wasn’t a runner but I was up for the challenge.

What is your favorite race and race distance?

Right now I would say the half-marathon because I don’t need to do a lot of training to do well and feel good.

What is your race day routine?

I like to get up about 2-3 hours before race time (depending on the distance). I eat breakfast, stretch and visualize the race.

What is your most favorite piece of running gear?

I would say it’s my brightly colored bandannas.

Do you follow any diet or take any specific supplements that complement your running?

I eat a plant based diet and lately I have been drinking protein shakes to add more protein to my diet.

What do you wish you’d known when you first started running?

Mind over matter.

What is your fondest running memory?

My first marathon was the NYC marathon in 2011. Best memory was getting hugs from 4 firefighters along the route. Everyone was so friendly and supportive!

What is one thing that most people do not know about you?
I hate public speaking but I am working on it.

Here are all the different ways you can connect with Crystal!

Blog: http://www.runningwithrhyno.blogspot.ca/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/crystalrhyno

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/crystalrhyno/

Instagram: http://instagram.com/crystalrhyno

Thanks for sharing with us Crystal!

QOTD: What do you do on Spring Break?

Fitness Friday...April 11th Edition!

2:00 today marks the start of Spring Break!!! Yay!!! We don't have any major plans...I'm just looking forward to spending time with my boys!

I also got some other exciting news...my sister Christy that lives in San Francisco and just had my baby niece (well 6 months ago she was born) is moving to my town! I knew this was the plan but didn't know exactly when it would happen. Well...she and Ella should be arriving next Friday!!! I'm so excited! I can't wait for our kids to grow up together!

This week was a fun week at work! It was Teacher Appreciation Week! I got some amazing gifts from my sweet class (and some very tempting food items!) At the beginning of the year I completed a questionairre about some of my favorite things. So my kids brought me bags of my favorite candy (Rolos and Jolly Ranchers) and my favorite drink (apparently I put Coke because I got bottles and bottles of it)! They also brought me fruit one day (which was awesome since that works well on my diet) and flowers another day. The directors of my preschool also had something for us every day too. Monday we had breakfast, Tuesday we coffee, Wednesday we had fruit, Thursday we had popcorn, and Friday we had a pizza lunch kid free (the directors watched our classes so the teachers could enjoy our lunch together)! And the best thing....everything was a Dr. Seuss theme! I wondered why last week I had to take this picture!

I am proud to say that despite all these yummy treats, I resisted most of them since they didn't go well with my diet. It was awesome to be spoiled all week though! And last night the teachers all got together and went to Paint 'n' Pals and painted! It was a fun night! And look at my pretty painting!!!

Now it's time for Fitness Friday! I'm happy to tell you all about my runs this week!

• Saturday- 6 mile run in 1:07:37 average pace 11:15

• Sunday- Rest
• Monday- #plankaday 1:05, 4 mile run in 41:31 average pace 10:23

• Tuesday- #plankaday 1:07

• Wednesday- #plankaday 1:01, 3.11 mile run in 31:30 average pace 10:07

• Thursday- #plankaday 1:10, 2 mile walk with Hayden

• Friday- #plankaday 1:00

Weight loss this week: 0.4 lbs.

Weight loss total: 8.6 lbs.

So that was my week! Not too bad! In case you're wondering....my knee is fine! My shin has been aching a little too but it seems to be getting better with the new shoes. I am planning on running 5 miles tomorrow. Then Crescent City Classic 10K is next weekend! 

I'm a little discouraged with my weight loss this week. I've been averaging losing about a pound a week. I'm not sure what happened this week. I was on goal with all my calories all week so I'm clueless. Hopefully it means next week will be a bigger loss! 

QOTD: What was your best run or workout this week?

6 Miles By the Bay!

I only have one more race this racing season...the Crescent City Classic 10K on Easter weekend. This race was a blast last year and I'm excited to run it again with my friend Paige! It will be a great end to the racing season for me! It's already way too hot to race so this one will be all about fun and watching the drunk people (it's in New Orleans) lol!

So this past weekend I decided to run 6 miles. There was a group of my Sole2Soul Sisters that were running down by the bay so I decided to join them. I always love that route.

I was a little worried about my right knee and left shin during this run. That past week both had been hurting or aching some. It was time for new shoes so I got some and had them on for this run.

The run started out fine. The knee didn't hurt at all....the shin hurt a little. But after I got warmed up the shin didn't hurt anymore. I made one mistake though....I started out running way too fast. At the 3 mile mark we had a quick stop for water and then turned around to head back.

I decided to run a little slower the last half. Actually I was forced to run a little slower because I knew I wasn't going to make it if I ran that fast. But about mile 5 I had to take a walk break. I was struggling. It was hot. It was humid. And my legs were just tired. I think they were still trying to recover from the half marathon I had run the weekend before. Luckily my friend Mindy was sweet enough to stay with me. I took one more walk break before finishing the run. I was definitely glad to be done with this one!

As I said earlier, I LOVE this route! It is beautiful! I stopped for a few pictures after the run. I am so blessed to live in such a gorgeous place!

So yes. This run definitely wasn't a great one. But I was happy to get in the miles. I fought my way through it and made it to the end!

The rest of the day consisted of spending time with the family at the Cub Scouts campout! :-)

QOTD: Do you ever start out your runs too fast and then have no gas left at the end?

Things I'm Loving Right Now

There are several things in my life right now that I am absolutely loving! So I thought I would share those with you today!

Sweet Potatoes

I bought sweet potatoes last week and I can't get enough of them! We ate them for dinner twice last week! My mouth is watering just talking about them!

My Fitness Pal App

This app is really helping me see the different types of foods I am eating. I love this chart above that tells me my calorie breakdown for the day. Writing down all the foods I am eating has really helped me become aware of what all I was putting in my body. And the weight loss is a big plus!!! 

Celebrity Pink Jeans

I will admit that I have a habit of wearing my clothes too big. My jeans are always too loose and big on me. So I decided to venture out of my comfort zone and try some skinny jeans. A co-worker told me about this brand  (Celebrity Pink Jeans) and I have fallen in love with the fit! I liked my first pair so much that I went and bought two more pairs! I will definitely be shopping soon for some capris and shorts by this brand.

The movie and music of Frozen

Seriously...is anyone NOT loving this movie right now? It is one of my most favorite Disney movies of all time! I love the great message about family that it portrays. And the music is just phenomenal! And Olaf is just icing on the cake!

New Asics Running Shoes

New running shoes always make me happy! My knee and shin were starting to ache so I looked up the mileage on my shoes and it was time for new ones. I got the same model I always get (Asics GT 2000 2) but picked this bright neon yellow color! I love them! 

QOTD: What are you loving right now?

The Weekly Chase #66!

Here's to another week! I'm excited about this week! It's Teacher Appreciation Week at work and my directors have some amazing things planned for all the teachers! It should be fun! Also we are having our Easter Egg Hunt on Friday and then....SPRING BREAK BEGINS!!!!

This weekend was fun! Hayden is FINALLY better! Friday night we went down to the bay and my husband tried out his new Stand Up Paddle Board! He said the water was so cold! But he had fun! And I got some great pictures of the amazing sunset!

Saturday morning I ran 6 miles with my Sole2Soul Sisters! Then we headed to the camp site with our Cub Scouts! The rain held off all day until that night...right after our campfire pack meeting! Yay! Sawyer received his Tiger advancement, roller skating beltloop, and pet care beltloop. Hayden received his Bear advancement, 1 arrow, and his Whittling Chip! I'm so proud of my boys!

Sunday was another rainy day. We spent it at home getting ready for the next week.

Now it's time for another Weekly Chase! I'm ready to tell you all about my goals for this week! I hope you will link up your own goals with me too! And feel free to use the badge below in your post too! You can grab the badge HERE! :-)

Here are last week's goals!

• Goal #1: Run 3 times this week. Yes! I wasn't sure I would get these runs in since Hayden was sick and since my knee was a little achy. But I did! I ran 2 short runs and a long run!
• Goal #2: Roll and stretch daily. Done! 
• Goal #3: Get prepared to go camping this weekend with the Cub Scouts. Yep! I didn't have to do as much preparation since we didn't actually camp. But I got us all ready to spend the day there.
• Goal #4: Log and stay under all my calories this week. Yes except for my pre long run meal on Friday night! But I was only over my calories by 37 so not too bad. Saturday they had fried chicken at the campout...but with my run that morning I had plenty of calories to eat. I ended up having 500 calories that I didn't eat at the end of the day on Saturday.

Here's my plan for this week!

Goal #1: Run 3 times this week. I would like to keep the same plan....2 short runs and a longer run on the weekend. I'm hoping Hayden will feel like getting back out there this week too. We may just walk instead of doing run intervals since he's been sick. I want to ease him back into it. 

Goal #2: Roll and stretch daily. Ongoing goal for this runner!

Goal #3: Log and stay under all my calories this week. I'm feeling so much better now that I am tracking everything that I eat!

Goal #4: Shop for Easter goodies. I need to shop for the boys' Easter parties and egg hunts at school. I also need to shop for my preschool class!

Goal #5: Cook more meals at home this week. I want to cook healthier meals for the entire family this week.

So that's the goals for this week! 

QOTD: What are your goals this week?