RunnerBox May 2015

YES!!!  I got my RunnerBox for May 2015 so I thought I would share with you what I got.  I have already eaten/traded some things so I had to steal a few pictures from the website but hey that's life!

There's my box! 

First up some products from a company called Hydrate!  They sent 4 different flavors of drink mixes.  These are basically liked a powdered sports drink you mix with water. They also sent 2 different gels that can be used before, during, or after a run. I did try the orange flavor of the drink mix and it was pretty good!

Next up is a "buttered oats shooter"  from a brand called Rani's. It looks like granola to me so I'll be anxious to try that on some yogurt.  Also pictured is a Fruigees fruit snack.  This reminds me of the kids applesauce or toddler snacks. I haven't eaten that either but it seems like something I will put in my purse for emergencies. And last but NOT least is the bumble bar! They sent two and I already ate one.  It was AMAZING!  It's not like any other bar I've ever had.  It was actually made of sesame seeds.  It was a little crunchy, a little chewy, & a lot delicious!  I can't wait to eat the other one!

These are two of the most interesting items to me. First up the IPS Egg white chips! The card says they are made with healthy egg white protein for 6 grams of protein per serving and half the fat of fried chips! I haven't tried these yet (as I'm a little afraid to) but I'll let you know! Something I did try and didn't care for (maybe the flavor) was the Run gum.  This is a gum developed by an Olympian to help give you a boost.  It says it's zero calorie, sugar free and gives you 50mg of caffeine, 20gm of Taurine & B-Vitamins! I tried the fruit flavor and was not impressed.  I will try the mint especially on a long run as I like to chew gum to keep me focused. I will report on that one also! 

Udderly smooth is a body cream to use on areas prone to chafing prior to running. I'm a huge fan of body glide so maybe I'll give udderly smooth a try next time! Lasting smiles chap stick is a pretty run of mill chap stick but it does give back.  With every 1000 balms sold it funds one cleft lip surgery.  So that's a great reason to check them out! And a bottle opener for your keys!  Who doesn't need one of those?! (People who drink wine!  That's who!  Where's my bottle stopper? or wine glass? hmm?!)

Go Tap is a kinesiology tape used to help with join and muscle pain.  I have use something similar in the past when my knee was acting up. I may just save this! The ICE3 (Ice-Cubed) is a body cooling towelette. Basically after (or during) a long run you can wipe yourself down with this and it will cool you down. I tend to use baby wipes but will give this a try! 

The Body Armor super drink . . . I drank! I needed some hydration so I tried it.  I got the strawberry banana flavor and it was pretty good.  Again not something I would normally drink or buy but it was good to try! 

And this product I traded away!  I know I'm horrible I didn't even try it but K wanted it and I took her gum so hey! But I've tried things like this and they were ok.  Again things like this tend to get stuck in my purse for emergencies! 

So there it is!  The May Runner Box.  I'm always amazed at how much stuff you get for $20!!  I love trying the new products and seeing what is out there that I haven't even thought of (cooling towelettes!).  If you want to get your own runnerbox you can click HERE and sign up! They also have CycleBox and TriBox if you or someone you know are interested in one of those! You can do a subscription (every other month) or just a one time box as a gift!  It's really a great company!  Go check them out!

Love, Lacey 

DISCLAIMER . I am not sponsored by RunnerBox.  I pay for the subscription myself and all views and opinions are my own!

Weekly Training Round Up 05/04/15

Here is my what I did this past week.  I try to plan out my workouts and runs on Sunday before the week but as you all know some times life gets in the way.  This is the 3rd week I have been training and I have to say I'm pretty proud of myself!

I spent my Monday miles with these 2 yetis! We did 4 miles. 2 nice and easy and 2 progressive! 

I came out of the pool on Tuesday to see this?!

I actually thought "Oh no I'm going to get wet!"  How crazy.  I just spent an hour in the pool but I was worried about getting rained on?  Oh well.  When I got home my hair was crazy!

Speed work Wednesday! I did what I call ladders.  I did a .25 warm up then did a 2 minute run and a 1 minute walk.  I went from 6.0 - 7.0 going up .2 each time. The sprinted 1:30 min at 7.5 & 8. Then back down 1 min run and 1 min walk. And then a .25 cool down.  Felt SO good!

Then on Saturday K and I had a race!  It was a 4 mile run for Breast Cancer Awareness! If you don't know this is a cause near and dear to my heart.  I ran for 4 different people who have fought this monster. I decided to do progressive miles again just to try to slow myself in the beginning.  I ended up finishing 42:01 and coming in 10th out of 16 in my age.  I'm really happy with this race.  I pushed hard and even kicked hard to the finish! Love this race and can't wait to run it again next year!

I missed my workout on Thursday because it just was a crazy busy day and then I thought I'll do it on Friday but guess what?!  Life didn't slow down.  Both days I got up at 6am and didn't sit down until 4pm. At first I was upset that I missed a workout but then I realized that I wasn't just sitting around I was very busy! So I don't feel bad about it and this week is a new week!  Can't wait to share my training with you each week!

Love, Lacey

Two week round up! End of April 2015

Hello Loves!  Its been a few weeks since I talked to you.  If you missed why you can go read it here. But I haven't been MIA with my workouts.  Like a lot of people my workouts, especially my runs, are my time with God and the time that I pray continually about those I love or issues I'm facing.  So I thought I would give you a little update on the last 2 weeks.  I'll save my weekly round up for the weekend or next week.  But  here is what my last 2 weeks have looked like!

The week of 4/20
Mon - Run 3
Tue - Speed Work
Wed - ZUMBA!
Thur - Rest
Fri - Swim 15 laps
Sat. - LSD - 6.2 miles
Sun - REST

My marathon Monday miles!

This guy loves to try to kill me with speed work!

Long Slow Miles! 6.2 to be exact!

The Week of 4/27

Mon - Run 3

Tues - ZUMBA

Wed - Speed Work

Thur - Swim

Fri - REST

Sat - LSD 6

Sun - REST

Some nice easy Monday Miles with my favorite running partner!

Then these 2 tried to kill me with 6 x .25 speed!  YES!

Then I did some Long Slow Distance alone!  6 miles!

Then to reward myself (or at least this was my motivation) Mr. J and I had a business dinner to go to on Saturday Eve.  I was trying to earn my food and drinks that night.  But I'm so happy with this picture.  I love spending time with this guy and being able to be all dressed up is a bonus!

So there ya go!  That's my last two weeks.  This week is going well too!  So I can't wait to share that with you! 

Love, Lacey

Cross Training?

When I started running, I did it just for fun.  My goal was just to finish a 5k.  I was 3 months postpartum (and c-section) after Miss V and I remember it was a very slow (somewhere around 48?) and painful race.  I didn't have much faith in myself.  I had run a fair amount but didn't really know about training or pacing.  

Jump ahead ALMOST 6 years and I have grown so much as a person and as a runner.  First of all I call myself a runner.  I have run numerous 5ks, a few 4 mile runs, a hand full of 10ks, & 4 half marathons. Second I KNOW what it's like to train.  I know what it looks and feels like to be out running 3-4 times a week.  I know that running 9 or 10 miles to train for a 5k is something that my former running coach told me is important.  Third I also understand nutrition and how important it is to running.  Also hydration!  I have always struggled with getting enough water and correct nutrition.  But as a runner I understand (even if I don't always follow it) how important those things are.  

One thing that I have been told over and over and see on a lot on the running pages I follow is cross training.  Cross training is basically any exercise that you do besides running.  A lot of runners swim or bike or do weight training.  I haven't ever been too serious about cross training.  I have done some weight training but never gotten too serious about it.  Until this year!  The year of the marathon means there are NO EXCUSES! So this week my running partner Kellie and I decided enough is enough and we went to our local high school to sign up for swimming.  Our high school is lucky enough to have an indoor pool with lanes and a dive well.  We decided that we would swim once a week and keep setting goals for ourselves and really get serious about cross training.  

So you know I got serious and bought a swim cap! I wanted to look official! Do I look like a swimmer?! 

Hey we may not to be the BEST swimmers or go very far but you know what? We gave it our all and were still smiling after!  We did 10 laps (down and back) with varying strokes.  We both felt like we had a great time and got a good workout.  We decided to calculate how far we went . . . are you ready?  We swam . . . a total of .284 miles.  YEP!  Just over a quarter of a mile.  It's not much but that's farther than I've done before.  I've set a new goal for this weeks swim so we will see how this week goes!  I feel like I need some swim goggles because of my contacts but maybe I'll just try to go without my contact. 

Watch out world!  We are not messing around!  We are ready to get in shape and tackle this marathon!

Love, Lacey

Post Workout Routine

I thought I would take you through my post workout routine. It can be a bit different depending on the time of way I workout and what I have going on. But for the most part this is how my post workouts go!

First thing I do post workout is be thankful that it's over! After that I take my selfie! I gotta prove that worked out.  Did I mention that it usually takes me 10 pictures to get the "perfect" selfie? Yep!  I take some funny ones, serious ones, and all different angles.  Here is the "my booty is on FIRE" selfie. 

Next up is my post workout shake/smoothie. I like to get protein & water in my system ASAP!  So here is what I use!  First I start with about a half a cup of this berry blend from Costco.  I would highly recommend it if you haven't tried it before.  It is great for snacks or shakes or anything else you want to use it for.  The kids ask to have bowls of it, frozen, for snack and I've often done the same.  But I mostly use it in shakes and I love it!

Then I put in a scoop of protein powder.  This is the one I prefer.  It is a plant based protein shake.  I am by no means a vegetarian but I love the way this tastes and how it treats my body.  I would definitely recommend it!  They also have a vanilla chai flavor if you are just going to drink it with water that is AMAZING!  You can find it HERE or at a local health food store.  I actually get mine at Earth Fare. 

I have to blend mine in two batches because I use the little ninja chopper.  I also throw in a banana as you can see.  So I throw all of those things in with some water and blend away. 

I pour my mixture into a quart jar and put on a lid. I also need a straw so I throw one of those in.  It's not hard to make or rocket science.  That's just how I make mine. After I make my shake I take my shower and get on with life! That's pretty much how my post workout routine goes.  How about you?  Do you do the same thing each time? Do you have things that you HAVE to do post workout?

Love, Lacey

3 Words a picture - 3/20/15

I have been super sick this week and busy with work so I thought I would do the ol' 3 words a picture post.  Hope you enjoy!!

Drink this cider!

Seriously!  If you can find Vandermill "Totally Roasted" . . . BUY IT!!  It's not cheap I'll warn you now but it's like buying a cheaper bottle of wine.  It has a light crisp flavor and this one has a hint of sweetness and almost cinnamon. I told Mr. J it reminds me a bit of the German roasted almonds you buy.  Definitely worth the money!

Not my birthday!

I ran into a local store to grab a gluten free beer for a recipe and she didn't ask for my id.  I was really kind of upset at first but then I looked at my receipt! That is not even close to the year of my birth. That made my whole night!

Corned Beef Dinner

Like a good Irish girl I made Corned beef and cabbage! This is what I needed the gluten free beer for. I did taste it, it was ok. I used to be a dark beer drinker (see Guinness or New Castle) so this beer I chose was light like a miller lite. Not exactly my cup of tea but it was ok. The corned beef on the other hand . . . YUM!

St. Paddy's Fun

I also took this crazy picture on St. Paddy's day.  I was subbing that day and wore this adorable headband.  

First of Spring

As you can obviously tell by the snow, today was the first day of spring!  THANKFULLY we only got a dusting and it melted quickly!  I'm SO ready for warmer weather!

Running store danger

I ended up at our local running store and was talking to a friend who works there about trail shoes.  The more we talked and I tried on that more excited I got about running trails again.  Well lucky me, all trail shoes were on sale, I got a frequent buyer discount, & I had a gift card.  I walked out with new trail shoes for not much at all and $0 out of my pocket!  It was an all around good day!

Getting back into training mode!

After a crazy couple of weeks I'm back!!  I have been running and cross training regularly the last two weeks.  So I'll share with you what I've been doing and then I promise to be back to regular posting!

I started out last week with good intentions.  I was going to go outside and run but the windchill was -10!  I was not about to go out in that.  So I did a couple easy miles on the mill.  They were anything but EASY!  I was struggling to finish because I was bored. But I sucked it up and did it!

Then on Thursday I did some speed work.  I did a little bit different speed work than usual but it was fun so I may do that again.  I basically did a warm up then .25 at 7 and then .10 at 3 to recover.  I did that 8 times and then a cool down.  

On Saturday I did some long slow miles.  These aren't so bad outside but on the treadmill these are HORRIBLE!  It took everything in me not to speed up and get it done but I kept going and got it done!

Now onto this week! On Monday I did another easy 2 miles.  I had to speed up at the end to get it done.  

I have been using Piyo as a cross training. Most have not been too bad but the one on Tuesday was called sweat and it was HARD!!  I definitely felt out of shape!

On Wednesday I did a treadmill workout. It is the workout above.  I didn't think it was going to be as hard as it was.  It's all slower miles so you are walking most of the time but having the incline up so high you are really working to stay on the treadmill and keep up.  It made me think of hiking which was a good way to get my mind off of how much I was sweating! And I can tell you that today (Thursday)  I am SORE! I will definitely be using this one again!

It feels so good to get back into training mode.  I just can't wait for the weather to break so I can actually go outside and log some real miles! I'm so ready for this year and the races that I'll run, the friends that I'll meet, and the growth that I will have from all of this!

Love, Lacey

Choosing a Marathon Training Plan . . .

Choosing a marathon training plan is a bit like trying to find the person you are going to marry.  You look at LOTS of plans and try to decide which one will work best for you.  But really can you know if a plan is going to work or how it feels and fits into your schedule until you really get into it?  I'm currently looking at 4 different plans. Each has some thing that appeals to me. So here are the plans I'm looking at!

The first is one I have used for half marathon training. It's the Marathon Rookie.  They have some great plans and I think they take you up easily.  He has plans for all distances so I think it's a great site.  My problem with his plans is that they want you to run 4 days a week and some serious miles in during the week. My training schedule this year will look a little different from years past because of when I'm going to try to fit in my long runs.  But something about running 8 miles on a Wednesday, during the summer, when I have 3 kids at home doesn't seem like it would work.  Although training is what you make of it.  You will only get out of training what you put in!

The next one I'm looking at and have heard lots of good things about is Hal Higdon marathon 3 training. A friend of mine ran her first marathon last year and used this.  She said it was great.  It is only 3 days a week with lots of cross training. She said she felt strong and ready come race day.  This one has lots of potential my only fear is that I stink when it comes to cross training.  I have good intentions but I just don't have the follow through? I want to, but I don't know?!?

The next one is from a book called Run less, Run faster. Again I have heard lots of really good things about this book & training program. I haven't got a chance to get my hands on the actual book to check it out.  But its premise is to run less and do more speed work. Which I seem to really like speed work.  So I'm excited to get this book and check out it.

Last but not least is another book/program called Train Like a Mother.  I have briefly looked over this program and it seems to have lots of good things to it.  The one thing I like is that there is a symbol next to certain runs that means that if you have to you can skip it.  The thing about this program is that it is written by mothers so they understand how busy and crazy life can get.  They also have the "finish it" or "kill it" options for each distance.

Have you trained for a marathon?  What program did you use?  How did you like it? I'm so ready to just pick a plan and move on!!

Love, Lacey

Look Who I Met!!

I am absolutely blessed to be apart of our local track club.  They put on amazing races and have the best people! One of the best parts is each year they put on a Track Club Banquet.  All the runners you have been chasing all year come together in our dress clothes (which is very confusing to see runners in non running clothes!) and celebrate this amazing sport and our group.  Last year I met the AMAZING Bart Yasso (read about it here) and so I was just as excited to go this year.

Just like last year K was my date! And just like last year we had SO much fun!!

And just like last year they had an amazing speaker come to tell us about her running journey (we all have one) and to inspire us!  This years speaker was the AMAZINGLY inspiring Lauren Fleshman!  She has a new training journal and book all in one that I am SO excited to start using!  I told her that I was going to use it for my marathon training and that she has inspired me to really make it fun and go for it!  She told us how when she first went pro all she did was eat, sleep, & run.  And that she forgot to have fun & burnt out.  So she reminded us to make sure we make running fun! She was a super down to earth person!  Really sweet and funny! We happen to be the same age and both mother runners so I think I connected with her differently than a lot of the teenage runners there.  But she couldn't have been more motivating and encouraging!

If you are going on a running journey of any kind I would recommend her book!  Here it is on Amazon (no I don't get paid to say that!).   I had the honor of having her sign mine which makes it all the more special!  But it really seems like the kind of journal that will inspire you to push through those "bad" runs and keep moving forward!

This was a great way to start off my "Year of Running"!!  I can't wait to start sharing my runs and adventures with you!  I hope you are excited too!

Love, Lacey

Biggest Goal in 2015

So I sat down at the end of last year and wrote out some goals that I wanted to achieve for 2015.  As you can see I really went wild and wrote a lot.  Ok maybe this was the before shot but still this picture makes me laugh. Sitting down to write out goals always makes me nervous.  What if I don't met my goals? What if I set goals that scare me?  What if people think my goals are dumb or easy? Well one of the major goals on my list involved signing up for a big race!  On New Years eve on the stroke of midnight I wasn't kissing Mr. J, I was on my phone signing up for a race (gotta save some cash!). So here it is for the first time ever!  I'm admitting that I have sign up for & will be completing THIS . . . 

On November 7, 2015 I will be running 26.2 miles and completing my first marathon.  I am scared and excited and every other emotion possible! 

There is my motto!  The year of running.  Not just distance but faster pace.  I WILL hit my PR in my half this year. And then I will go on to conquer the marathon and then from there who knows? I have one other race on my radar for the year but it's going to have to wait until after the marathon to see how I feel. 

This year my blog will probably be mostly about running!  I will still share my family and my life and my love of randomness.  But I think you will see a shift this year to mostly running & fitness.  I want to share the ups and downs of marathon training.  I want to share this process with you all of you.  I want to give you an honest look at the life of a wife, mother, runner. I hope you will come along for this wild and crazy ride.  I hope you will encourage me in the down times and cheer with me in the good times.  I love you all and can't wait to share SO many runfies (running seflie), shoefies (shoe selfie) and other random loves with you!!

Love, Lacey

My First Run of 2015

I FINALLY busted out my running shoes and went on my first run of 2015!  I went out with a great runner friend of mine, The Sweaty Yeti.  We just did a nice and easy 3 miles.  I let him lead the pace since he had done some weights and squats the day before and his legs were feeling it.  But it was SO good to get out and just run off some emotions and shoot the breeze with a friend!

Have you been out yet this year? How are you feeling?  Have you set any running goals yet?

Love, Lacey

January RunnerBox 2015

I'm so excited to be sharing a new subscription box with you!  If you follow me on Instagram (which you should! LoveLacey365) you will have already seen the box and know how excited I am about sharing this with you! While I loved Ipsy it was time to part ways but I wanted to keep bringing you something exciting! I also LOVE LOVE LOVE getting things in the mail so I didn't want that to end.  I was introduced to RunnerBox awhile ago and actually got to meet 2 of the ladies that run this company at the Wine'n'Dine Expo.  SUPER sweet ladies with LOTS of info and have done their research.  I was a big fan from the beginning but meeting them and other conversations I have had with one of the girls have put me over the top to subscribe to this box.  

So what is RunnerBox?  It is a bimonthly (every other month) subscription box.  They have different boxes you can choose from also.  They have a runnerbox, a cyclebox, and a tribox.  They also have the option to gift a box!  The box I chose is $20 but I think you will find it is WELL worth the money! They also include coupon codes for all the products if you want to order more!  If you are interested HERE is the link! Let's dive in and you can judge for yourself!

So first things first!  The packaging is really clean looking.  It's not flashy or anything but I really liked it.  It's really minimal and just nice.  So the box has a nice quote in the lid and then you open the nice lime green tissue paper and it was jammed packed with goodies!!

There were so many things in this box I had to do collage pictures otherwise we would be here all day! Up first is the Honey pattie in the Chocolate mint flavor.  I was excited for this because I love York peppermint patties and this seemed similar.  But you know what?  It was BETTER!!!  It was mint flavored honey on the inside and dark chocolate on the outside.  I died and went to heaven! Next was a really awesome runnerbox buff, some CongniTea that I have been wanting to try for awhile so I was SUPER excited about this and then something that made me stop . . . Pickle Ade.  Yes you read that right PICKLE Ade.  Apparently a lot of sports people drink pickle juice to keep from having muscle cramps and aid in recovery.  I must have missed that memo but I am happy to try it since I have been a pickle-holic for the longest time. I'm going to save it for a good long run and then chug it down! 

Next up is a Honey Stinger in the gingersnap flavor.  Excitingly this was the only thing in the box not gluten free!  So I will be sharing this with someone else but it was SO good to have so many yummy things that I could eat!  The Detour Smart bar in blueberry looks good and so does the Skout bar! I think both of these will make their way to my purse for my "emergency" snacks!  There was also a cold wrap & performance towel to aid in recovery.  And last but not least they included some delicious Nuun all day hydration.  These are like Gatorade but without the sugar and junk.  I LOVE nuun!  It's must easier on my tummy and does a great job of re-hydrating and just generally making you feel better!  They also included some Gu and two  instaboost.  I'm unfamiliar with instaboost but apparently it's nutritional crystals that you eat without water.  I'm excited to try these.  I'm envisioning poprocks. LOL


So what did you think?  I'm BEYOND excited to try all these things out!  And I can't wait for the next box!

I am NOT sponsored or affiliated with RunnerBox in anyway.  I just really do love this subscription.