Happy New Year!!!

I know, I know that the New Year was 19 days ago. But if you read my last post, you will know that I could not type on New Year's day, due to my giant splint! You would have also read that I was going to spend the next few days catching you all up on our crazy lives! :)

I can't remember how long ago, Deanna told me of a "project" she and her family do on the last day of school: They sit down and each member writes out 10 things they want to do for the summer. How awesome is that!?!?! We tried it for a couple of summers and never did complete our lists, because we ran out of money or summer! So, I changed it to the first of the year and for the whole year. Some items on the kids lists last year were going to Great America, going camping, going to visit another state, spend a week at each grandparents... Some items were simple like going to swim at the beach.

2014 was a great year of travel for me. It was one year ago today that I was in California for my Tinkerbell Half marathon with Deanna! (Her first half, WOO HOO!!!!) I got to go to Denver, CO for the National Massage Convention, and OH to visit my brother (whose family is now in California) and I took the kids with me to Florida in November to see Deanna and I complete our Coast to Coast challenge at Disney World!

Here is my 2015 list:

Mama’s 2015 List of Goals

*2015 in 2015 with Marie

*Do a full marathon (Lakefront or the Inaugural Milwaukee Marathon)

*Start my running streak over!

*Run 15 or more races in 2015

*RAGNAR?

*Badgerland Strider Challenge again

*Take the Personal Trainer test

*Start training at the WAC

*Look into Girls on the Run certification

*Help Swimchick earn her Silver Award

*Take PeeWee's troop camping/overnight camp in our backyard

*Read 1  book a month for fun/ 1 book a month on self-help

*Blog more

*Cut sugar out of my diet

*Better at menu planning

*Try to add more real food to our menus and less eating out.

*Pay my dental bill
*Pay off my surgery


SO, there it is everyone. My list of goals. I have not signed up yet for the Badgerland Strider Super Strider Challenge. (Money is a bit tight at the moment. I do need to see when the challenge closes, to be sure I don't miss it!!!!) My friend, Marie, asked if I would join her in the 2015 in 2015. As a team, we have to complete 5.5 miles of walking or running every day in 2015. Check it out here. I signed myself up on the website, and to date have only logged 2.75 miles of walking.  It was torture! Physically and mentally. I was sore the next day, not used to walking, and the pace was killing me. If I had not been in that splint, I would have laced up my shoes and hit the pavement. I had to go to the gym and use a treadmill. The next day, the kids and I went to visit my parents, and I didn't bring any exercise clothes. (excuse, excuse, excuse!) Anyway, I signed up and am part of team: Hot Tamales! Go Team GO!!!!

Today is my New Year, and I am planning to go for a run of at least 3 miles. {The weather has been super nice for January in WI. I am planning to do the "park loop" when my husband leaves for work. SHHH!!!} I need to figure out how far behind I am and get caught up. LOL!

Last year, I found a blog boasting a 14 in 2014 race challenge. I did that, and could have done more runs over the summer, but didn't. SO, I am going to challenge myself to do 15 this year. :) And before I fell and got put into a lovely hard cast, I was feeling like I could take on a full marathon again. {I am not sure how you go about doing the 50 states challenge but I have never run a full marathon in WI! HI, IL, MN and FL yes.} Some runners in WI have decided to do a Milwaukee Marathon weekend in Oct/Nov. Oh, my bad, I just looked it up and it will be named MILWAUKEE RUNNING FESTIVAL WEEKEND. I have not decided if I would like to do this full or if I would like to do the LAKEFRONT MARATHON. Again, I need to see what the fees are and when they go up or close the entries. Then decide and talk with my running partners to see who is up for what. I would like to use Another Mother Runners Own It program for my halves and this whole marathon this year. 

I know several folks who have done a RAGNAR race. I think it would be a fun time. I put a question mark on that one, because I have been asked to join a team, and then they filled up. So, I might be able to join if someone else can't make it. We will see!

Oh, for the book reading: I am slowly reading THE FRED FACTOR as my personal growth book. And I started reading FIFTY SHADES OF GREY last night. (I finally got the library e-book reader to work on my phone, and am into chapter 3 already!) I am on Goodreads.com if anyone wants to follow me and see what I have read!

And today is the first day of our 14 week Challenge with 100 Days of Real Food. (The challenge is closed for this year, sorry.) Every Thursday I will get an email with the next weeks challenge on it. We are to start on Monday. This week we are to add more fruits and veggies to every meal. And we are not to buy anything with more than 5 ingredients in it. It is surprising to read the ingredient labels to see how often sugar is listed.

Well, that is the summary. What do your 2015 goals look like? I'd love to read them here in my comments! ;)

Off -n- Running,

AnnMarie

Race Calendar for 2014

I know it is already April, and I should have put this up a couple of months ago, but here it is as of today!

I have been slowly getting my act together here and will be adding some races yet.  I did officailly sign up for the Badgerland Strider Challenge AND 14 in 2014 challenge over at Jill's site.  I will mark my races and let you know how I am doing here as well.  SO here it is…

January 19, Tinkerbell Half in California^

April 5, South Shore Half* in Milwaukee, WI

May 10, Cupcake Run 5K in Bayside, WI

June 11, Super Run 5K* in Milwaukee, WI
June 14, Hartfest Half* in Wauwautosa, WI

July 4, Firecracker 4* in Hales Corners
July 5, Run 4 the Paws in Crandon, WI  Sign up here!

July 27, Cudahy Classic 10 Mile* 

August 16 ?Madison Mini?  Thinking about joining two friends here.  Not sure yet if I will run this or not.

August 23, Strider Half Marathon* in Milwaukee, WI

September 6, Tosa-fest 5K* in Wauwautosa, WI

October 25, Lakefront Discovery Run 15K* on Milwaukee, WI

November 9, Jingle Jungle 5k with RunDisney in Florida
November 9, Wine & Dine Half wiht RunDisney in Florida^


*  These are the races in the Badgerland Strider Challenge
^  These are the races in the runDisney Coast to Coast Challenge

New motivation found...

Seems my posts from my iphone have not made it to the actual site.  Hhhhmmmm… I will have to look into that!

I have been a busy beaver here in my little corner of the world.  The weekend of March 5, I was at the AMTA-WI Chapter Spring Conference.  I was elected as the chapter secretary for another 2 years.  Kind of exciting really.  I will blog about that another time.  Today I want to tell you of some awesome blogs I have found in the past few weeks!

First, I am not sure if I have linked up with Another Mother Runner here.  So I am going to plug them again.  I know I mentioned that I got to meet Sarah and Dimity in January at the Tinkerbell Half.  These two are awesome.  They are moms just like me trying to stay healthy and fit for their families.  Every Wednesday they offer a giveaway.  They have been following a mother runner on her marathon training every Friday.  Once a week they offer a Follow that Mother post and highlight a mother runner blogger.  I think this is how I found Jill.  Maybe I found her on Instagram or Pinterest…  At any rate, I am now getting her emails in my inbox.

Yesterday, I was reading over a challenge Jill at Fitness, Health and Happiness put forth.  March 20 is the first official day of Spring on the calendar.  Jill is hosting a virtual race to welcome Spring.  As I was reading about this challenge, I saw she is also hosting a 14 races in 2014 challenge.  If you know me at all I am up for a good challenge!  I have not taken the time to read through all of her race plans, but started to think about mine.  I think this is TOTALLY do-able for me.  I already have one race in this year and signed up for 8 more with Badgerland Striders.  Plus my friend, D and I signed up for the Disney Wine & Dine Half in November.  I am also going to do the Jungle Jingle 5K that weekend.  (It's all about the awesome medals!!!!!)  SO if I am counting right, that is 11 races right there.  Lets not forget the Run 4 the Paws in July, the my sister is the race director for and that I hope to make this year!  If I sign up for Jill's virtual race that would make 13!

That's it, I am signing up for both the 14 in 2014 and Jill's virtual race this weekend.  I will keep you posted.

Off N Running to yoga this morning,
AnnMarie

45 day challenge RESTART...

I was doing so well too!  Over the weekend, I get sick.  :(  I threw up and everything.  Light-headed, achey, and just plain yucky feeling all over.  Needless to say that won over my challenge.  I was really mad about it all too, as I was doing so well.  For those just joining me, read about my challenge to myself here.

Yesterday, I sat down with my calendar and my training plans and looked at the year ahead.  Or at least to my first race this Spring.  I am not sure if I told you all that I signed up for a running challenge with the Badgerland Striders Running Club in Milwaukee, but I took the plunge.  The challenge…  Run 8 of 9 races that the Striders host, starting with a half marathon on April 5!  (South Shore Half Marathon)  I looked at my calendar and the only race that I cannot commit too is the last one in November.  (If I am re-elected to the massage Board that I am currently on, we have something planned that day already.  AND if the Spartan Race is the same weekend as last year, that is the same weekend...)  When I cross all 8 finish lines, I will earn a Strider jacket!  AWESOME!!!!!  Plus I get all the race swag before that.  I see I am going to get some gloves in April.  I have been told they are pretty loud colored, that makes them even cooler!!!!  If you want to join me in the Super Strider Challenge, go here and sign up.  We can attend the banquet/party together.

Today, is day one of the challenge re-start.  I biked for 45 minutes and hope to start adding some strength stuff this week.  I really need to get into a yoga routine too.  Baby steps, and I will have the perfect work out plan.  As it is I have about 6 weeks, I think to get ready for this first half marathon.  I still have yet to see a doctor or chiropractor about my butt issue.  So that is on the adgenda for this week too.  One day at a time I guess.

Off n Running,
AnnMarie