Let’s Play Tag! January 31, 2012

MF Dre from the MF Dre tagged me in an 11 things post.

Here are the rules:

1. Post these rules.

2. You must post 11 random things about yourself.

3. Answer the questions set for you in their post.

4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.

5. Go to their blog and tell them you’ve tagged them.

6. No stuff in the tagging section about you are tagged if you are reading this. You legitimately have to tag 11 people.

Since I have already done a few posts with random things about me and because I like to break the rules, I am not going to post 11 random things about me. Instead you can click here or here to view my previous posts.

But I will answer the 11 questions that were asked of me. So here we go!

1. In what moment of your day do you feel the most free?

Whenever I run, regardless of the time of day, I feel free. It is usually the only time of the day that is all mine. I am free to just be me! 🙂

2. Brag for a moment about one of the accomplishments you’re most proud of.

My greatest accomplishment is and will always be my son. He makes me smile and laugh every day!!!

I love him!!!

3. You’re having a dinner party.  How many people are you inviting and what would you make?

Hmmmm. This is a toughie. I’m not very domestic in the sense of cooking and all of that. Let’s make it a drink party since I am really good at using my Margaritaville Blender and I would invite all of my closest girlfriends.

4. Do you prefer to work out in the morning? At night? Not at all?

I’m an afternoon / evening workout kind of gal. I am a morning person but I have trouble getting my body moving in the morning unless it’s a race day, that’s a different story. I also get to work at 7am so that dampers any opportunity to work out in the morning.

5. Which reality TV show has succeeded in sucking you in season after season?

I really don’t watch TV unless my son is watching it. I don’t have time. But I used to watch The Amazing Race religiously and I am still hoping one day to get on the show!

6. What is the most random thing you put Peanut Butter on?

I thought peanut butter goes on everything! I put it on pretzels, crackers, toast, waffles, french toast, pancakes, english muffins. Those are all normal, right?

7. Would you prefer to live a long life or a broad life?

Both! 😉

8. Prius.  Love ‘em or Hate ‘em (regardless of the fact that anyone who drives one is a horrible driver)

It’s not a car I would choose for myself. I drive a Dodge Journey and love it! But to each their own.

9. What song are you embarrassed to say you love?

The Barney I Love You song. It’s great. Don’t judge me, I have a 4 year old!

10. Valentines Day? Love it or Hate it?  And what should I do for the Mr?

HIstorically I haven’t really celebrated Valentine’s Day, I can’t imagine that this year will be any exception. But I do enjoy dark chocolate and flowers. You know, just in case anyone needed some ideas of what to get me. 😉 And for the Mr, what about those funny boxer shorts they put out every year just for the occasion. lol

11. What is your best advice for me in my first full Marathon this year?

Since I have not run a full mary yet, the best advice I can give you comes from training for my first half marathon last year. Do NOT over train. Listen to your body instead of being so determined to adhere to your plan. The last thing you want to do is go into your race with an injury.

Now that I have answered my questions, I get to create 11 questions of my own and tag 11 bloggers to answer them!

Here are my questions!

1. Which of your race medals is your favorite? Why?

2. It’s a leap year! What are you going to do with your extra day on February 29th?

3. What food can you not live without?

4. What race is your dream race? Why?

5. What cartoon character are you most like? Why?

6. Does each pair of sock have a “left” sock and a “right” sock?

7. What is your favorite way to cross train?

8. What is your favorite race shirt?

9. Do you have a bucket list?

10. Do you have a certain song that you always put at the beginning of your playlists?

11. Do you think I am crazy for signing up for the Tough Mudder?

Now it’s time to tag some fellow bloggers!

Coach Kristie

CurlyRunnerBug

Forward is a Pace

Just a Little Run

Life is a Run

Pels Renovation

Running Jennie

The Running Mom

The Running Thriver

Unicorns on Rollerskates

Wild Things RUN Free

Now I want to hear from you! Were you surprised by any of my answers? Also, feel free to let me know your answers to any of the questions. I would love to learn more about you!

Soldier Story Saturday: Valentine’s for Veterans January 28, 2012

I will be the first to admit that I am not a crafty person. It’s not for lack of effort, mind you. My Mom is very crafty and because of which I spent a great deal of time trying to find my niche in the craft world only to find out that I don’t have a niche. The good news is I am okay with that. The other good news is my son isn’t old enough to realize that I am not crafty.

This weekend Brennen and I are going to be creating some cards in honor of Valentine’s for Veterans. I believe that every day is a great opportunity to thank a veteran for his or her service, but Valentine’s Day is an even better opportunity as it is usually reserved for the one’s you love. And I love our Veterans!

Click here to read some helpful tips about creating your Valentine for Veterans card.  You can also buy a Valentine’s Day card instead if you would prefer not to make one.

You can mail your card to your local Veterans Affairs medical center, click here to find the one closest to you. Just make sure you address the envelope “Valentine’s for Veterans.”

I hope everyone decides to participate in Valentine’s for Veterans. It an easy and heartfelt way to say thank you to the men and women who have served our country. And if you do participate, let me know!

Click for source.

 

 

If you are interested in contributing a story to the Soldier Story Saturday series, please contact me by email at bamoats@gmail.com If this story or any of the other stories featured in the series have moved you enough to donate to my Wounded Warrior Project fundraiser, please click here to do so. Thank you.

Wordless Wednesday #1 January 25, 2012

Click for source.

#TwitterRoadRace Recap January 23, 2012

On Saturday I competed in the Inaugural Twitter Road Race. A big thanks to @seedouglasrun for putting on the race. And yes, I am going to be using people’s Twitter handles instead of their real names in this post, it’s only fitting! Another unique thing about this recap is I will be including some of my Twitter friends experiences in the Twitter Road Race as the whole point of this race was to connect with other runners on Twitter. 

So without further ado, here are just a few stories from some of my tweeps who participated in the race. A word of caution: We are all part of the Idiots Running Club. You have been warned!

@WarriorBetsy : The Twitter Road Race was my first virtual run ever! I intended on actually taking the race to the road (or sidewalk) but it was 14 degrees out with a real feel of 6 so I ended up on the treadmill at the gym. I wish I had some fun people watching stories to share with you but it turns out that few people go to my gym on a Saturday morning. I finished my 5k in 29:04. Not too shabby but I should be able to pull out a better time since the conditions were all controlled. But the reality is, I don’t make a good hamster, I run better outside. Technically it is a 5k PR for me, but I am not sure I want to count it as one.

For me, the best part of the race was seeing everyone’s posts on Twitter! If you are not already aware, there is a huge running community on Twitter. And although most runners are pretty competitive, most are also extremely supportive and encouraging of each other.

@elle_dubya : The Twitter Road Race happened to fall on the same Saturday as the inaugural run for a group I’ve been wanting to form for a while. Like so many runners, I need the accountability of someone standing outside tapping their foot waiting for me to appear so we can pound some pavement. After speaking with the Recreation Minister (yeah, one exists!) at my church, we decided to form the group and put the info out there for the first run that just so happened this morning at 7:00a.m.  Of the four runners who showed up, the groups skill level ranged from a 20 year old 7 minute-miler training for his first 70.3 all the way to a 45 year old experienced triathlete less than 2 months post-op from major surgery who needed the motivation and incentive to restart her training as much as anyone.  We split into pairs and the faster (younger) fellas ran out & double backed to catch up with us older & slower ladies. The weather was cool, the wind was gentle & the morning was perfect for the first ever Twitter Road Race and the first ever group run of the WBCrunners!

@vetrunnah : This morning was the great #Twitter Road Race – alias 5K run.  I signed up and thought it would be a pretty cool thing to do. Unfortunately, over the past week we have had freezing rain and snow, which made for interesting footing or more realistically slower going so I don’t end up on my butt 🙂

The temperature at 9:30 A.M. was 10F degrees, no wind to speak of and overcast skies (gonna snow a little bit again).  I planned on going 5.0 and just have the 5K as part of the run. I started at mile marker .25 and turned around at mile marker 2.75, which tells me that is 2.5 miles or a total of 5.0 on an out and back course.  The Endomondo App only gave me credit for doing 4.77 (boo, hiss).

So when I hit 3.1 miles on my iPhone Endomondo it was 31:29, so my official time for the Twitter Road Race 5K was that. Click here to read the full recap on @vetrunnah’s blog.

@openmikey: I was going to go for a long run Saturday morning, but then I noticed that it was the day for the #twitterroadrace and I felt the need to compete. I’m crazy like that. I ran hard the whole way, even when I started feeling lousy. In the past, I would’ve had to back off more than I did or puke. Not this time. I ran through it with only a slight dip in pace. I kept pressing on and finished with a decent time for me, 00:24. I guess we’ll see how it does on twitter later.

@mmeals: Did the Warrior Dash in Central Florida on Saturday. After a couple of years of pavement running, I finally got my butt kicked on a trail type run. I did manage to cut my leg open and twist my ankle . . . but I just followed the Idiot Running Club’s motto and rubbed some dirt on it. All better now and I finished in about 50:14.

@k_maul: So Saturday’s 20 miles had failures all across the board . . . from pulling a hamstring at mile 11, to the temp rising quickly and thus running out of fluid, to stopping by the girl I’m seeing’s condo to ask for help – only to find out she’s not home. Depressing to be a distance runner and walk home. As I shuffled into my house, I got a text from that girl. She had passed her online test that she was taking in her house, but some ” . . .idiot kept ringing the doorbell.” It’s confirmed. I’m an idiot.

@armytbonegirl : Since it was less than a week after my half marathon, I decided to just do the #TwitterRoadRace as a jogging stroller training run for my upcoming 10K. I got baby T fed and bundled up, got the stroller tires pumped up, and buckled the little man in. I had our race number affixed to the stroller canopy.  We headed out on a loop course around the “block” in the neighborhood I live in. Since it was my first time taking little man out in the jogger, I didn’t want to have to worry about crossing too many streets. We had really nice weather for the run – about 67, slightly overcast, and a slight breeze.  We did three loops around the block and then came home a different way to hit the 3.1 distance. Little man had a great time in the stroller and I think he napped part of the time. It was a good practice run for my 10K in 2 weeks that I’ll be pushing him in the stroller for. We finished the 5K in 35:42, which is not bad considering it was my first run with T in the stroller!

@armytbonegirl & her youngest son.

Soldier Story Saturday: An Army Bandsman on Deployment January 21, 2012

Today’s guest blogger is no stranger to the Soldier Story Saturday series. You may remember Lani from her first guest post, A Tale of Two Soldiers. Since Lani last guest posted she has completed the Rock ‘n’ Roll Phoenix half marathon in just a little over 2.5 hours! Let’s not forget that she just recently had a baby! She is a rock star! Not only running wise but also in her dedication to the army. Read her story to see for yourself!

I am an Army Bandsman, a trombone player to be exact. I have deployed twice, once to Afghanistan for 6 months and once to Iraq for a year. What does an Army Bandsman do during a deployment, you may ask? I will tell you.

Primarily we have a musical mission. It should be a completely musical mission, but many Army bands have not managed to achieve that yet. However, I was with the 10th Mountain Division Band when that occurred in Iraq. But let’s back up to Afghanistan first.

The band played some music while I was in Afghanistan. We played for various ceremonies and we played some concerts for Veterans Day and Christmas. Some of the small groups (primarily the Brass Quintet and Rock Band) went to the small outlying FOBs (Forward Operating Base) to play for the troops out there. We didn’t just play for Soldiers and we didn’t just play for Americans. We played for all branches of service and also service members from many other countries as well. And we played a lot (too many) Ramp Ceremonies. Those were the hardest gigs to play as we were playing for our fallen comrades as they began their final journey home. We would play as the humvees were driving up with the casket(s) on them and then played as the casket was carried onto the plane. It was a very emotional ceremony, but also an honor to play them.

But we had another mission as well. We had a tower on the camp perimeter that we had to man 24/7 and we had to supply Soldiers to help man the Entry Control Point (ECP). Both of those duties were 12 hour shifts. We were lucky in that our command team gave us 36 hours off between shifts; many units were doing 12 on/12 off. I was mostly with the group in the band that was doing the office work – I was in charge of arranging flights for groups going to the FOBs and getting busses and trucks for gigs on our camp. But I did get to spend a few 12 hour shifts in the tower and one 12 hour shift on the ECP. Those definitely were experiences. One thing I learned while in the tower is that kids are kids no matter where in the world you are. One morning near the end of my shift, there was a group of kids playing near the wire (outside the camp) and they were playing tag and splashing in the mud puddles and having a good old time just like American kids do!

And now on to Iraq. We had a 100% musical mission in Iraq and played for tens of thousands of troops (again from all branches of service and from many countries) in the 400 gigs we did during our year there. We got to travel all over the country to many, many FOBs and played at ceremonies not just for Americans (the biggest one I played at was the Change of Command between General Petraeus and General Odierno, the outgoing and incoming commander of US Forces Iraq), but for other countries as well. Various small ensembles played in the chow halls weekly and for special occasions such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, and the rock band or Dixieland band would play at the many 5K/10K/other races on our camp and the adjoining one.  We also played for Iraqis, in ceremonies and for the general public. The ceremonies were Detainee Release Ceremonies (for those that had been detained but had been deemed ok to be released) and graduation ceremonies for Iraqi forces. The graduation ceremonies were quite moving – the Iraqis really put their heart into singing their National Anthem, which we played at all ceremonies. We also played for the general Iraqi public several times. Once was for a school near our camp. The kids really liked the music and some of the kids got to try out the instruments. We also played for a Water Treatment Facility grand opening, and for an awards ceremony in a town that had been deemed hopeless. But an American unit had gone in and won over the people of that town and turned things around. This awards ceremony was a historic event for the Iraqi people, especially the women. Women generally had to be home before dark, but they were allowed to stay for this ceremony. Such amazing progress!

Both deployments were certainly eye opening experiences, and despite me missing my husband and son, I wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything. And knowing that my family is proud of me makes it worth it!

Lani & her son.

If you are interested in contributing a story to the Soldier Story Saturday series, please contact me by email at bamoats@gmail.com If this story or any of the other stories featured in the series have moved you enough to donate to my Wounded Warrior Project fundraiser, please click here to do so. Thank you.

Tough Mudder Training: Attempt #1 January 19, 2012

When it comes to training for a race, I love a good training plan. For my first half marathon I used Hal Higdon’s plan. I kind of wish Hal would make a Tough Mudder training plan, but I don’t think that is going to happen. As luck would have it, there is a Tough Mudder workout. Click here to take a look at it for yourself.

It is recommended that the Tough Mudder workout should be done 3 times a week. I honestly don’t think I have time to do it that often on top of the running and cross training that I already do (I am too stubborn to give any of it up), so at this point I am just going to commit to doing it once a week. This past Monday was my first attempt at the workout.

I did not do the running portion of the workout (Exercise #1) as I had a 3 mile run planned later with my running buddy. However, I did all of the 15 other exercises! Yes, you read that right, 15 exercises. I actually didn’t think it was going to be too difficult as I only needed to do each exercise for one minute and then move onto the next one. In fact, I was so at ease with the workout I did 80 push ups earlier in the day before I tackled the Tough Mudder workout. Bad idea! It turns out that the Tough Mudder workout already has push ups in it! Lots of push ups!

With that in mind, let me tell you what the easiest part of the Tough Mudder workout was for me: printing the workout. And. I. Am. Serious. This workout kicked my booty. In fact my booty and my legs are still hurting from it today and it is 3 days later.

Here are the exercises that I found to be the most difficult.

Exercise #4 Scissor Kick: This is a lunge exercise from hell. My inner thighs are angry with me. But hopefully it will prevent my runner’s knee from coming back again.

Exercise #10 – Decline Push Up: By the time I got to these push ups I was really regretting the 80 push ups I had already done. My arms were like wet noodles at this point.

Exercise #12 Tough Chin Up: Any type of chin up or pull up is near impossible for me. Any time I think to myself that I have good upper body strength all I have to do is attempt one of these bad boys and I am reminded of how much work I need to do.

All the rest of the exercises were a challenge as well. If I was doing them separately of each other, they wouldn’t have been so bad but since they were back to back to back to back . . . it was exhausting. And I liked it . . . . Yep, it’s true I love a good workout!

One Tough Mudder workout done and many more to go!

The good news for you is that you get to sit back and enjoy my posts about my pain fun. Since I am doing all the hard work, perhaps you could make a donation to my Wounded Warrior Project fundraiser. Maybe $12 for the number of miles I will be running or $27 for the number of obstacles I will be attempting completeting or $39 for 12 miles and 27 obstacles. And don’t forget I have this super cool raffle going on right now!

Survival Straps Raffle to Benefit WWP January 16, 2012

This past Saturday marked 3 months till my Tough Mudder race! I’m excited and scared all at the same time!

In honor of hitting the 3 month out milestone, I thought it was time for another raffle to benefit my fundraiser for the Wounded Warrior Project which I am doing in conjunction with the Tough Mudder race!

I contacted numerous companies about donating products for me to use for my fundraiser and one of the companies that came on board was Survival Straps! I am super excited and appreciative about them helping me out because not only do they make awesome life saving gear but they are also an American company whose products are made in the good ol U. S. of A.! They have also been proud sponsors of the Wounded Warrior Project long before I got involved!

Click here to go to the website for Survival Straps to learn more about their company and see all of their great products! You can also click here to read a review of Survival Straps from Gumption Gear (my fav gear review site)!

After reading all of that good stuff about Survival Straps I know you are itching to get a strap of your own! The good news is I have 3 straps to give away and you could be one of the lucky winners!

One of these could be yours!

Here is what you need to do!

1) Make a donation to my fundraiser for the Wounded Warrior project by clicking here.

2) Leave me a comment below that you donated so I know that you want to be included in the raffle.

Simple, right?

Here are some more details that you need to know. The raffle started today (1/16) and will end on Monday January 30th at 8pm est. Once the raffle ends, I will randomly draw 3 winners and contact you so I can send out the goods!

Please share this raffle with anyone and everyone you know! It is for a great cause. And please make sure you thank Survival Straps for their support of my fundraiser and the Wounded Warrior Project!

Soldier Story Saturday: An Unlikely Story January 14, 2012

I am happy to introduce Wren Meyers as today’s guest blogger for the Soldier Story Saturday. Wren is a Twitter friend of mine who has always impressed me with his positive attitude. He continuously goes out of his way to make anyone and everyone’s day. You can follow Wren on Twitter by clicking here  and here. I promise he will make you smile! Wren is also a Marine Veteran and I know you are as appreciative of his service as much as I am! Now that you know about Wren, here is his story.

Of all the places to get a perspective on the life of a Wounded Warrior, the most unlikely might be backstage on the opening night of the staging of the Nutcracker by a professional ballet company.  If you haven’t waited for the first strains of the overture to finish before starting to walk across stage, in character, as if you’re going to a party, then you won’t know of the excitement.  

Throw in a cast of children and parents of dancers, some of whom are dancing in the a major production  for the first time and you will have an idea of the electric atmosphere on the night of December 8th, 2011.  

The stage at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas, Virginia is a gorgeous building modeled on the famed La Scala .  Tonight the hum of excited voices builds as we near the opening curtain.  

And backstage we see nervous kids, talking excitedly, moving with that boundless energy, excited to be dancing, some a little terrified of performing for a large crowd.  We wait for the standard announcement before these performances;  thanking the sponsors, administrative details and welcoming the audience to the ballet.   Normally we hear the orchestra start on the overture  that last couple minutes before we’re in the show.  No matter if you’re ready or not, the show opens.  

But on this night the atmosphere backstage has a different dimension.  For standing beside us in the wings is a color guard and instead of the overture we hear a medley of the anthems of each of the Armed Forces.  Our guest of honor waits with us until those finish and strides smartly on stage.  Sgt Faris Amra, USMC,  represents all the Wounded Warriors, of all services, for this ceremony.

The first notes of the National Anthem begin as we are still huddled in the wings and in costume, yet a few of us snap to attention.   And this is when I feel the full brunt of the sacrifice of these brave Wounded Warriors.  I’m nervous and excited to perform, full of butterflies and excitement and I”m immediately transported to the nervousness and fear they felt when they were serving  to protect the right for me to enjoy performing.

Now I’m not concentrating on how my performance will go and whether I’ll hit my cues or get a laugh, I’m finding my eyes filling with tears.  All the men and women who have sacrificed so much for us are now before me, no longer relegated to a headline or a listing in a blog post or on a tweet.   They are now faces and names and neighbors and sons and daughters.  All represented on stage by this lone Marine.

The tears come for me because they didn’t while in uniform or serving in an organization dedicated to stopping Improvised Explosive Devices.. They didn’t come while reading situation reports or hearing new casualty lists but they come now while I’m standing in the wings of the Hylton Performing Arts Center.   My stage children are perplexed at my tears and I let them come until the last strains of the Anthem fade and the color guard marches back offstage.  

Then it’s show time.  And the show must go on.  And it does, and after the curtain calls and the amazement at the professionals is over and we enjoy the thrill of a performance well done, we walk out to the foyer and see the audience steaming around the dancers in costume and tutus.  And tonight, the three Wounded Warriors.

We hear a piper playing, and we see the Marines, resplendent in their dress blues, standing proudly.  One stands on a leg with a prosthetic device below his knee, one is missing his left arm and one sits in a wheelchair with both legs and his left arm missing.  They respectfully take questions, offer handshakes and smiles and pose for pictures.

They seem more comfortable than those who meet them, perhaps because they’ve had more time to adjust and know deep down they are still whole in their souls, if not in their bodies.  I know that they see my eyes searching, asking the questions I can’t seem to actually say out loud.  We make slightly awkward small talk and they graciously greet all those who wish to talk to them and then they head out.  

I’m struck by their courage, then and now.  They don’t shy away from the questions that everyone wants to ask, they are still complete spirits now housed in bodies altered by war and they brought great dignity and grace to our night.  These Warriors were fearless then and remain so, still proud, still such shining representatives of the United States Marine Corps and the nation.  

The night was marked by graceful dancers and gracious Marines. It was a truly memorable opening night.  

If you are interested in contributing a story to the Soldier Story Saturday series, please contact me by email at bamoats@gmail.com If this story or any of the other stories featured in the series have moved you enough to donate to my Wounded Warrior Project fundraiser, please click here to do so. Thank you.

My New Running Buddy! January 12, 2012

If you follow me on Twitter or DailyMile you probably already know that I have a new running buddy, but if you don’t follow me there . . . Guess what? I have a new running buddy!!!

Aren't we cute? A little fuzzy but definitely cute! 😉

Stacey and I met about 3.5 years ago when we started using the same daycare provider. (As a side note, my son and her daughter met each other when they were 6 months old and have been good buddies ever since. We hope they stay that way for life!)

Aren't our kids too cute? Friends for life!

In that 3.5 years Stacey and I have developed a close friendship and recently she asked if I would help her become a runner! If you are a runner, you realize how big of a compliment that is!

We went out for our first run together a little over 2 weeks ago with the intention of trying to run / walk 1 mile and we ended up going 2.5 miles!!! That is very impressive for her first run! Most recently we completed a 3 mile run / walk! We have even decided that we are going to enter a 5k race together, we just need to figure out which one! (It might be this one, but nothing is official yet.)

I am not sure if I have been helping or teaching Stacey much about running, but I know that we are both having a great time! And let’s be honest, that is the most important part of running or any other fitness endeavor, it should be fun! We spend our runs talking, laughing and just enjoying each other’s company. Each run that we do together goes by so quickly, not because we are running at a fast pace, but because we are having a blast together!

Do you have a running / fitness buddy? I want to hear how awesome your work-out buddy is!

The Real Reason Why I Run January 9, 2012

(Click here for source)

Sure, I run because it’s fun and because I want to stay fit and healthy but the real reason I run is to stay sane.

Running is my therapy.

That’s not to say that I wouldn’t benefit from the traditional kind of therapy. It works for a lot of people but has never really appealed to me. I should also mention that I am guilty of partaking in “bad” types of therapies from time to time such as retail therapy and Ben & Jerry’s therapy. However,  neither “bad” therapy ever truly helps me longer than in that moment.

Running on the other hand has helped me work through a wide range of issues. Some happy, some sad. Some easy, some hard.

Not every problem I have faced has been completely solved during a run, but I certainly return from each run with a greater sense of clarity about the problem at hand and my emotional state has been restored.

So true! (Click here for source)

For me, every emotion I feel provides a great reason to run. If I am happy, running just makes me happier. If I am sad, running lifts my mood. If I am angry, I can run out my frustration. In some ways you can say that I have become dependent upon running to keep me emotionally balanced. I often crave running in the same way that other people crave food or alcohol. I don’t just want to run, I need to run!

So now that you know the real reason I run, what is the real reason you run? Or if you are not a runner, what do you do to stay sane?