Pin It Party 5!

I'm joining Lindsay at The Lean Green Bean for a Pin it Party! Me and several other bloggers are joining in to share some of our favorite posts that we would like to see pinned on Pinterest! Be sure to check out Lindsay's post to see her pinnable posts as well as the link up for the other bloggers participating! And be sure to follow me on Pinterest!

Here are my 5 posts that I'd love to see pinned on Pinterest!

Overcome Long Run Boredom!

runDisney Costumes Revealed!

When the Run Gets Tough...

5 Tips to Marathon Recovery

5 Summer Running Must Haves!

Have fun pinning away!!! Be sure to check out the link up for more pinnable posts! 

QOTD: What's your favorite post? Add the link in the comments (it can be from your own blog or a blog you read). 

10K By the Bay!

For last weekend's long run the plan was to run in the next town, down by the bay, and with several friends! I think there were about 15 of us running. I love this route because it's super pretty running by the bay. It's also a straight out and back. And there's a sidewalk the entire route (and some of the sidewalk is asphalt so it's really nice). The only downside to this route is the last half a mile is uphill. If you're already having a tough run, adding a hill at the end is torture.

Because of the hill at the end....it makes the start of the run downhill which results in me always going out too fast. I tell myself to slow down every time but sometimes my legs don't listen very well!

So at 5:50 AM Holly picked me up and we headed to meet our Sole2Soul Sisters to run! We were actually early getting there...which never happens to me on a morning run lol! I hadn't seen some of these ladies in awhile and it was so good to see them! Plus I got tons of compliments about how skinny I was (I LOVED that)!!! :-)

The run started out great! We were running slower and that was perfect for my plan to not bonk at the end of the run. For the majority of the run I ran with Holly, Andria, and Kim. We enjoyed chit chatting while running! That's what I love the most about running with a group...you get to talk and catch up the entire time! It's girl time!

At the halfway mark one of our sisters had put a water cooler out for us. It was awesome! The temperature was in the 60's so it wasn't too hot but the humidity was pretty high and I was sweating buckets! It was nice having water! We put our water cooler in a gazebo that is across from The Grand Hotel. Just to be sure (because yes I've had my water stolen and poured out before) there was a note saying who the water was for and that it would be picked up.

To my amazement we were the fastest runners out there! I'm usually somewhere in the middle so it was fun being in the lead!

The entire run I felt great! I started out slow and then got faster as the run went on. Gotta love those negative splits! And my scenery on the run was gorgeous! Have I mentioned that I love where I live??? ;-)

Of course I had to take a quick picture by the bay!

I was pretty happy with my time! This is one of my faster 10K times but not a PR. I was pleased with how strong I felt the entire run...even on that hill at the end! :-)

Running with friends is so much fun!!!

QOTD: Do you have a favorite long run route? Do you have water stops on your long runs?

Lucky 13!

Yesterday was me and Andy's 13th wedding anniversary! I am so blessed to have married my best friend and the love of my life! We've had so many fun moments together and I thought I'd share a few with you! Enjoy!

Dating! We dated for three years. Andy proposed on our three year dating anniversary! And he's holding my sweet cat Bailey in this picture!

Our Wedding Day...May 19, 2001!

Our Honeymoon! We went on a week long Disney Cruise to the Bahamas and the Virgin Islands. It was amazing!

One of our many trips to the beach...all times of the year!

Celebrating our birthdays together! Andy's birthday is on Halloween....and mine is the next day! He's one year and one day older than me!

Trip to New Orleans...where I was in my first trimester of my first pregnancy and was so sick with morning (all day) sickness!

Pregnant with our first child! 

Baby #1...Hayden Andrew! (Wow I look ROUGH in this picture)

Family Vacation to the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee!

Family Vacation to Orlando, Sea World, and Disney World in June 2007! And yes I was pregnant with baby #2!

Baby #2...Sawyer Reese! 

Auburn Fans!

Headed to a Halloween Party as Fred and Wilma Flintstone...October 2007!

My 30th birthday...November 2008! Andy rented a limo for us and took us out to dinner!

Easter 2009!

Mardi Gras fun on Joe Cain Day...February 2010!

Hayden's Preschool Graduation...May 2010!

My first half marathon...November 2010!

10 Year Anniversary! We spent the weekend at Margaritaville Beach Hotel on Pensacola Beach!

Family Vacation to Disney World June 2011!

Christmas 2011!

My first full marathon...March 2012!

Andy's sister Katie's Wedding...March 2012! LOVE how we were all dressed up!

Sawyer's Preschool Graduation...May 2012!

Family Vacation to Disney World June 2013!

January 2014...the Ice Storm on the Gulf Coast...that we called the Snowpocalypse! 

Yesterday...on our 13th Wedding Anniversary!

We've had such a great life together these 13 years! I'm looking forward to growing old together with such an amazing man!

Thank you for walking down memory lane with us! :-)

QOTD: Where is your favorite place for your family to vacation (as you can tell ours is Disney World!)?

The Weekly Chase #72!

It's my first week of summer vacation! And during the day I will be alone! My boys still have school this week and then they are out for summer too! I plan on getting lots done this week! I even have lunch with friends on the schedule (I never get to do lunch since I work)! Part of my days will be spent at the boys' end of the year parties at school. I'm thankful I'll be able to go to those!

Today is also me and Andy's 13th Anniversary! I am so blessed to be married to such an amazing man! He is an awesome husband and amazing father! I love him so much!

How was your weekend? Mine was great! Friday afternoon we went to one of our favorite local places to walk. It takes us to the bay and also to Jackson's Oak where Andrew Jackson stood on one of the huge limbs and made a speech to his army during the War of 1812! I love that there is such great history where I live!

Saturday morning I ran a 10K with my Sole2Soul Sisters! There were a ton of us running and it was so great to see some of them that I haven't seen in a while! That afternoon I went to my work friend's daughter's senior recital. She plays the French Horn and has received a full scholarship to Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY! I am so proud of her! And she plays beautifully!!!

Sunday afternoon was the Cub Scouts crossover ceremony. Hayden is now in Webelos I and Sawyer is now a Wolf! They are getting so big!

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. Yep! I got in 4 runs again this week...3 short ones and a long one on Saturday!
• Goal #2: Roll and stretch daily. I missed one day of this. :-/
• Goal #3: Log and stay under all my calories this week. Yes! I did great this week...but I only lost 0.2 pounds this week. Frustrating because I turned down what I heard was an awesome end of the year cake at work on Friday. :-( 
• Goal #4: Cook most of our meals at home this week. My hubby worked late almost every night this week so cooking didn't happen as often as I would have liked. I did however make sure to choose good foods on the nights we ate out. 
• Goal #5: Get in at least one family walk this week. Yes! The whole family walked together on Friday afternoon and had a blast!
• Goal #6: Get everything ready for the last day of school. Yes! I got everything ready including cleaning my classroom. We also had a blast at our end of the year party..although my balloon game (which I've done numerous times) failed. 

Here are the goals I'm chasing this week!

Goal #1: Run 3 times this week. Since I'm not working this week I should have plenty of time to run!!!

Goal #2: Roll and stretch daily. A must!

Goal #3: Log and stay under all my calories this week. I really hope I lose more weight this week. I know the closer you get to your goal weight the harder it gets. But it's frustrating when you know you've done well and you don't lose much.

Goal #4: Cook most of our meals at home this week. Since I'm not working this should not be hard to accomplish this week! :-)

Goal #5: Spend time with friends this week. I don't get to spend a lot of time with friends other than running time. I plan on visiting with them this week!

That's the plan for this week! I know it's going to fly by! Sawyer has his first Gymnastics End of the Year Show on Thursday night! I can't wait to see all that he has learned! He LOVES gymnastics so much!

Good luck to you with your goals this week!!!

QOTD: What are your goals for this week?

Runner Spotlights #86

How's everyone's weekend been? I hope great! Mine has been wonderful and relaxing so far! I'm enjoying this last little bout of cooler weather. It's about to get hot!

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 Tanya from BQ Strong! She is working hard to qualify for the Boston Marathon in 2015! Keep reading to learn more about her and her running journey!

Name: Tanya Strauss
State: California

When and why did you start running?

I’ve been running for the better part of my life. My dad took me on my first “run” when I was about 16. I complained a lot. After about 2 blocks, I told him I was ready to go home. He said, “Are you sure? We’ve only been out here 3 minutes…” I wasn’t really finished. We ran together a bit and I loved those times with him so much. He died in an accident 3 years later and now I treasure those memories.

But, my real running inspiration wasn’t my dad. It is my mom. Widowed at 45 after 28 years of marriage, running saved her and she saved me.

Now, thanks to all of her pavement-pounding role modeling, running has saved me again and again and again. Running saved me after my father died. Running kept me sane during my insane first marriage. Running helped me focus during my heart-breaking, nail-biting divorce. Running renewed me when I found myself single and 31. Running (and triathlons) brought me my real husband. Running helped me find my body after having my babies.

Now running will bring me the medal I’ve wanted for my entire life...BOSTON! Very appropriate for this Marathon Monday, isn't it?

What is your favorite race and race distance?

The longest race I've done so far is the half marathon distance. I love the half distance because I finish feeling like I've really accomplished something awesome, but I'm not ruined for the rest of the day/week. Ask me again after my first marathon (the Santa Rosa, CA Marathon) on August 24 and hopefully I'll have a new answer!

What is your race day routine?

Get up, eat a banana and a gu and drive like a maniac to the start line hoping not to miss the gun. (I am thinking about working on making this a little more zen-like and a lot less frenetic!)

What is your most favorite piece of running gear?

My iPhone and Map My Fitness running app.

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

I love to cook and I love to experiment with make old favorites healthier. That said, I don't follow any specific diet. I keep thinking about eliminating alcohol and sugar. I also consider myself Paleo-curious. That said, I love food and wine so much and I hate being limited. With my Boston-2015 qualifying goal in Santa Rosa, I'll probably start getting much more serious in the next few weeks.

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

The first 2 miles are MUCH harder than the rest. Once I learned that important lesson, running became so much more fulfilling and less arduous.

What is your fondest running memory?

I have so many. My weekly trail runs inspire me so much. I guess my fondest memory is running with my sister. She started doing half marathons a few years ago. We've run 3 together. Not having a running partner, running with her makes me so happy. It always blows my mind how the miles seem to float by when we're out there talking, laughing and sweating together.

What is one thing that most people do not know about you?
I can't stand the sound of human flesh touching styrofoam. It gives me the same feeling as fingernails on a chalkboard. (I'm getting hives just THINKING about it! Ugh.)

Here are all the different ways you can connect with Tanya! (In addition to writing her own blog about her Boston aspirations, Tanya and her BFF run a women's wellness community called Fun Fabulous Fierce. Check them out - you won't be sorry!)

Blog: http://bqstrong.wordpress.com/ or http://www.funfabulousfierce.com/

Twitter: @bqstrong or @funfabfierce

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

Thanks so much for sharing with us Tanya! And good luck getting that BQ!

QOTD: What did you do this weekend? Is the weather cooler where you live?