Fitness Friday...December 12th Edition!

Another week has flown by! It seems like Christmas is rushing towards us super fast! I'm looking forward to the holidays but I want time to slow down a little. I feel like it's coming too fast and I'm not going to be able to enjoy it as much as I want to.

This week was crazy busy! On Monday my preschool class put on their Christmas program about the birth of Jesus. They did an amazing job and I was so proud of them! Speaking of my class...I need to show you our class Christmas tree. My best friend Stephanie bought these owl ornaments for me and gave them to me when we went to visit her in California this summer. They are the perfect addition to our classroom tree...which has student ornaments on it now too!

I also got another goodie this week from my friend Andria! She bought me the CUTEST socks ever from Target! And yes...we are hoping it's not too cold to wear the Olaf ones on our long run this weekend! Super excited to be running with her again!!!

Thursday I went on a field trip to the Naval Air Museum in Pensacola with Hayden. We've been here many times as a family but he still had a blast! Plus he got to watch the IMAX movie which he's never done before. It was a great day spent with my little man!

This week I also had my work Christmas party! We got together at my preschool director's house and ate. Then we played Dirty Santa...the game where you can steal gifts from each other! It was a lot of fun!

I am so excited about this weekend! Sawyer has his very first gymnastics competition this weekend!!! He is so excited about it! I can't wait to see my baby show off all his gymnastics moves that he has been working so hard on! Don't worry...I'll have an entire post next week dedicated to his competition! Gotta show off my baby's incredible talent!

Now it's time for Fitness Friday! I had a great week of running! I got to run my first long run in a super long time. And I reached day 200 of my run streak!!!!!

• Friday- #plankaday 1:10, 1.51 mile run in 12:52 average pace 8:30

• Saturday- 4.05 mile run in 35:39 average pace 8:48

• Sunday- 2.05 mile run in 17:03 average pace 8:19

• Monday- #plankaday 1:30, 1.31 mile run in 11:18 average pace 8:38

• Tuesday- #plankaday 1:15, 1.31 mile run in 11:09 average pace 8:30

• Wednesday- #plankaday 1:10, 2.05 mile run in 17:30 average pace 8:32 (and yes this was the 200th day of my run streak!!!)

• Thursday- #plankaday 1:05, 1.51 mile run in 12:54 average pace 8:32

My calf is doing great! It did get a little sore after Saturday's long run. But when I woke up Sunday it was fine. I don't feel it at all now...even when I run. I hope it stays that way!

I've done pretty good with my eating this week too. I did have cake 2 days this week though AND party food at my Christmas party. But I still stayed within my calories. The scale is still the same! :-)

This weekend I plan on running 5 miles with Andria! I am looking forward to running with her again! It's been way too long!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!!!

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

Elmer's CheeWees Review!

Disclaimer: As a Crescent City Classic blogger I received this product free to review. I received no other compensation. All opinions in the post below are mine and mine alone!

I'm always on the look out for snack foods! I love to snack and so do my boys! But I like to eat snacks that are made of good quality ingredients. 

As a Crescent City Blogger I got the opportunity to try a new snack! Elmer's CheeWees is a sponsor of the Crescent City Classic this year! 

If you're like me you are probably wondering what CheeWees are! They are a baked cheesy snack. Basically they are a cheese curl! They come in five flavors: original, bar-b-que, jalapeno, hot-n-spicy, and green onion!

And let me tell you...these snacks are soooo yummy!!! They are so good that everyone in my family was fighting over them lol! We even took a vote as to which flavor was our favorite. Here's the results!

Me: Bar-B-Que
Sawyer: Said all of them but then chose Bar-B-Que!
Hayden: Original
Andy: Jalapeno

My boys loved these so much that they took them for a snack every day to school. 

One thing I love about these snacks is that there are no preservatives. And they are baked. Win!

And my creative husband decided to top his Taco Soup with Jalapeno CheeWees one night! He said it was very tasty!

Elmer's CheeWees are made in New Orleans, LA! The company is a small family owned and operated business. They make the snacks in their New Orleans facility daily. In 2005 Hurricane Katrina wiped them out completely. Since then they have been rebuilding their business. They have an online store where you can order your own CheeWees! That way you can get a taste of New Orleans hand delivered to you!

Not only do they sell CheeWees but Elmer's also has other snacks as well. They have cheese popcorn, caramel popcorn, and jumbo peanuts. Caramel popcorn is one of my favorites so I hope to try it soon! 

Be sure to visit Elmer's CheeWees online and order! They also have free shipping on all orders in the continental US! Hint hint: these would make GREAT stocking stuffers! 

Also be sure to visit Elmer's CheeWees on Facebook and Twitter!

QOTD: Have you ever tried Elmer's CheeWees? What is your favorite snack?

#RRGRunStreak Day 200!!!!!

Yes! Today I reached day 200 of my Road Runner Girl Run Streak (#RRGRunStreak)!!! I am in awe that I have made it this long!!!

I keep getting asked the question of how long I'm going to streak. My goal is to reach a year! Hopefully I can achieve that! :-)

To commemorate 200 days....here are a few of my most memorable streaking moments!

Streaking across the country in California!

I went to visit my best friend in California this summer and streaked for two weeks there! The weather was amazing compared to where I live. No humidity and the temps were in the 50's almost every morning!

Running 1 mile through the airport terminal so my streak would not end!

On the way home from California our flight got canceled. We ended up having to wait 6 hours in the airport for a flight. This would result on us not getting home until after midnight. I thought my streak was going to end...until I decided to just run in the airport terminal...with Delta's permission of course! I got some really strange looks but I didn't care!

Having to slow way down for wildlife crossing!

One morning I was running a 5K through a nearby neighborhood and had to let these guys cross the street!

Running between thunderstorms and in rain!

When you are streaking you do whatever it takes to get that run in! I've waited in the car for an hour watching the radar so I can run in that window of no storms. I've run in rain and even in flash flood warnings.

Being "yelled at" by a crawfish!

One of those mornings when I was running between thunderstorms I came upon this little guy on the sidewalk. He was not happy to see me and had his pinchers high in the air in attack mode!

Running at the beach multiple times!

We stayed at the beach several times this past summer. I wasn't going to end my streak because I was at the beach! I enjoyed the different scenery but not the extreme humidity.

Running through Fort Morgan!

While we were staying at the beach I also took my run out to the Fort! It was awesome running through there!

Multiple sunrises!

One of my favorite parts of running every day are the mornings I get to watch the sunrise! Gorgeous!

Running a 19 minute PR at the Talladega Half Marathon!

The first half I ran after losing all my weight and streaking I ended up running a 19 minute PR! I was on top of the world that day! Especially since my hubby was there to see it!

Running 12 miles on the causeway!

I will probably never do this again. It was super dark when we started and the traffic was pretty crazy. It was definitely a scary experience until the sun came up. But the scenery was gorgeous and running with my friend Andria made it worth it!

Running my first sub 2 half marathon!

1:57:24 to be exact!!! I couldn't believe I ran a sub 2 at the Gulf Coast Half Marathon! It was an amazing feeling because I never dreamed I would ever run that fast!

Running back to back 5K's and placing in both of them!

I ran the Trick or Trot 5K on Friday night and got a 5K PR of 25:23 and third place in my age group! Then on Saturday morning I ran the Turkey Trot 5K in 26:56 and got second place in my age group!

Running a 10K PR on my birthday!

On my birthday, November 1st, I ran a 10K race and PRed! It was a great way to start off my birthday celebration! This was also the last long run I ran before having to deal with my calf strain injury.

Runs with my hubby!

Andy has run several 1 milers with me! I think my streak has made him want to try this running thing some too!

Continuing my streak despite a calf strain injury!

After all of those race PR's I think my body needed a break....enters in an injury. I struggled with calf pain for about 2 weeks before giving in and going to see my sports chiropractor. Luckily he let me continue to streak during treatment...but I could only run 1 mile. I was fine with that because at least I didn't have to end my streak! And it has gotten so much better and I've since been released from treatment and told I could continue training...but slow. 

I'm sure I have many more memorable runs during this streak thus far but this post is already getting too long! 

What did I do to celebrate 200 days of running? Well...I ran 2 miles for 200 this morning! :-)

Thanks for reliving some of my memorable streak moments with me!

QOTD: Have you ever done a run streak? For how long?

#RnRNola Training Week 1!

Currently training for:
Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans Half Marathon (use code ROADRUNNERGIRL for $10 off the full and half or ROADRUNNERGIRL10k for $5 off the 10K!)
Disney Glass Slipper Challenge
Seaside Half Marathon

So last week I got the go ahead from Dr. Justin to go ahead and start ramping up my mileage...but slowly. Most of you know I've been dealing with a calf strain since my sub 2 half marathon in October. The calf is doing so much better! Dr. Justin actually released me from treatment last Wednesday! So it was time for my first long run since November 1st! Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans training has begun!

Per doctor's orders to ramp up slowly I decided to run 4 miles as my long run this past weekend. This would be the longest I had run since my 10K race on my birthday! I was a little nervous. I just hoped the calf would cooperate and feel good.

This run was also special for another reason. I was supposed to be in Memphis running the St. Jude Memphis Half Marathon. But due to my calf injury I decided to DNS that race. I was a little sad seeing everyone's posts about the race. But I decided to go ahead and put on my race outfit and dedicate my first long run in quite some time to the kids at St. Jude. I couldn't run the half for them but I gave that 4 miles my all!

The run started out great! The calf was feeling good! I got into a good pace and was feeling so blessed to be out there running more than 2 miles! I kept thinking about all the kids at St. Jude that would like to run but can't. I was running for them!

I reached the first mile and saw some of my Sole2Soul Sisters that are training for a marathon. They were at mile 17 of their 18 miler! It was so good seeing them!

I just enjoyed the run and the scenery. I was running one of my normal routes but since I hadn't been able to run long in so long I hadn't run this route in forever! It was very humid and very foggy during this run though. It made it a little tough.

Before I knew it I had reached 3 miles! The calf was still doing great although I could feel a little tightness in it. But no pain.

I was at mile 3.5 and I saw my friend Susanne! She was out for her run too! We stopped for a quick picture! It was so good to see her!

I finished up the run strong! I had done it! I had run 4 miles!!! That is nothing compared to what I normally do but I was so happy since it had been so long since I'd run longer than 2 miles! Hopefully the calf continues to heal and I can keep training strong!

And I have to show you the Bible verse we had printed on the back of our shirts. It was very appropriate for the St. Jude race!

And yes...since I got my new Garmin on my birthday and was injured this is the longest run this watch has seen lol!

It was a great run! The rest of the day my calf was a little sore but not too bad. When I woke up the next morning the soreness was gone. :-)

So here's to the beginning of what I hope will be a pain free and injury free training! :-)

QOTD: Are you nervous to start running again after injury?

The Weekly Chase #101!

Another Monday is upon us! Today is my preschoolers' Christmas program. We are putting on a play that tells about the birth of Jesus. It is going to be precious!

This weekend was great although too short lol! Friday night, me and Sawyer had a date night since the hubby and Hayden were camping with the cub scouts. We started out our date by going to the coffee shop with my sister Christy and niece Ella. Sawyer got to see Ella walk for the first time as she decided to walk across the coffee shop! So cute! After that we headed out for dinner...to the pizza place! It was so yummy and Sawyer had such good date manners as he went and got a fork for me and opened the doors for me! :-)

After dinner we headed to Barnes and Noble where they were having "Frozen Friday!" Sawyer loves this movie (and so do I) and they were having Frozen storytimes, sing-a-longs, and even Anna and Elsa were there! Sawyer was super excited because some of his friends from school were there too. That's the only way I could get him to take a picture with Anna and Elsa lol!

After our Frozen festivities were over we went shopping! It was a fun time just me and my sweet boy!

Saturday morning I ran my longest run since November 1st...4 miles! And I had zero calf pain...yay! I'll tell you more about my run later this week.

Saturday night was spent with Christy and Ella! We had a little girls night! We went to the coffee shop, ate dinner, and then Christy and I watched a movie after Ella went to sleep. I LOVE having my sister live here in my town!

Sunday Andy's parents came over for the afternoon. Andy's mom hemmed Sawyer's gymnastics warm up pants for him. His first competition is THIS weekend! He is so excited and I am too!!!

Now it's time for the Weekly Chase! It's a new week and I have new goals to achieve! 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 every day! Yes! I reached day 195 in my run streak this week! Still loving the streak especially since I'm starting to run pain free again!
• Goal #2: Roll, stretch, and ice daily. Yes! I'm making sure to do all of this to help my calf and prevent any more injuries. The calf is feeling so much better! Dr. Justin even released me from treatment on Wednesday!
• Goal #3: Maintain my weight by logging my calories. Yep! Doing great with this! 
• Goal #4: Get my class ready for their Christmas program. Yes! I wasn't sure when we practiced last Monday but by Friday they did great! And they look so cute in their costumes!

Here are my goals for this week!

Goal #1: Run every day! I will reach day 200 of my streak on Wednesday! I can't believe it!!!

Goal #2: Roll, stretch, and ice daily. This has just become part of my morning routine!

Goal #3: Maintain my weight by logging my calories. During this holiday season I'm not depriving myself of the goodies but making sure I can afford it in my calorie allowance for the day. You gotta have a plan!!!

Goal #4: Shop for a Christmas party present. Our work Christmas party is this week and we always play Dirty Santa. I need to find a great gift!

Goal #5: Pack for Sawyer's gymnastics meet. Sawyer's first competition is this weekend! I need to get everyone packed and make sure I have all the things he needs. He has several different uniforms he has to wear!

Goal #6: Put together goodies for the gymnasts. At each meet we give the boys a goodie. I am in charge of the goodies for this first meet. I have to get it all together this week!

That's my plan for this week! Hope you are successful with your goals this week too!

QOTD: What goals are you chasing this week?

Runner Spotlights #114

I hope everyone is having a great weekend! Mine has been good so far...although a little bittersweet since yesterday I would have been running the St. Jude Memphis Half Marathon. I did get to run 4 miles for the kids at St. Jude here at home. And that's the longest run I've done since my calf strain injury! I ran it with zero calf pain...yay!

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 Zoe! She is my youngest runner spotlight ever! She's 10 years old!!! And what an inspiration she is! She not only runs but she runs for charity! Keep reading to learn more about her and her amazing running journey!

Name: Zoe Snethen

State: OK

When and why did you start running? 

1 year ago and I started running with my dad .

What is your favorite race and race distance? 

3 miles and BooBoo Dash because I won 3rd place.

What is your race day routine? 

My dad and I put all my stuff out the night before and we go over how the races will work and what parts will be the hardest.

What is your most favorite piece of running gear? 

My shoes because without them it would be hard to run.

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

How to not whine. Once I stopped whining I learned I could go a lot further if I was positive. Also I get to have alone time with my mom and dad this way. I have a younger brother and sister so I like that I get to do this alone.

What is your fondest running memory? 

Running a 5k with my mom. We did the BooBoo Dash together as my first 5k. I was one of the youngest kids running the race.

What is one thing that most people do not know about you? 

I have completed in two triathlons, one I did with my younger sister. I decreased my overall time by 5 minutes on my second one!

Is there anything else you would like to share with us? 

I am training to do a 10k and raising funds for Kellsie's Hope Foundation to helping children battling cancer. I'm excited that my running can make a difference in another kids life.

If you'd like to donate here is Zoe's fundraising website: http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/kristen-snethen/star-wars-half-marathon-weekend

Thank you so much for sharing with us Zoe!!! Good luck at the Star Wars 10K!!!!

QOTD: Did anyone race this weekend?