Category Archives: Family Fun

May 24, 2013 · 3:52 pm

That Time I Was in a Magazine…

Last night, we went to Olive Garden to celebrate my stepbrother’s 18th birthday.

I tried to eat good and ordered the salmon and veggies off of the “light menu”…

…then I ate a whole bunch of those delicious breadsticks and a sundae from Oberweis. Darn.

Lately, my eating has been all over the place, and I know that I am not eating as well as I should. May and June are months when we have a lot of celebrations taking place. In May, we have my son’s birthday, Mother’s Day, my birthday, my stepbrother’s birthday, Memorial Day, and both my in-law’s birthdays.

In June, we have my brother’s birthday, Danny’s birthday, Father’s Day, and my mom’s birthday. That’s a lot of opportunities for eating out, cake, and cookouts. While I realize that I can order healthy or skip the cake or pass on the chip bowl, I don’t always do that and sometimes that’s easier said than done.

I haven’t weighed myself lately (because I’m a scared baby) but I know that I have gained some weight but more importantly, I don’t feel good – physically and mentally. When I eat a lot of unhealthy foods, I can feel it taking a toll on my body – I have less energy, I feel blah, I get tired easily.

So, after much debate, I have decided to do a juice cleanse in the beginning of June. I will talk more about it then, but I am mentioning it now because I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions on juice cleanses.

(Source)

The juice cleanse that I plan on doing is safe and consists of drinking certain juices only for three days. Normally, I wouldn’t do something as extreme as a juice cleanse, but I think it will be a great way to “reset” my body.

While you can lose weight on a juice cleanse, my reason to do it is to rid my body of toxins and kind of start fresh. I also have a terrible sugar addiction. The more sugar I eat, the more sugar I crave. So, I am hoping that a juice cleanse will kind of help me break that sugar addition and get my body back on track.

Field Day

I didn’t go to the gym this morning. Danny had the day off and we volunteered for Field Day at Jaden’s school.

Field Day is a fun day of outside activities for the kids. We were in charge of the hurdles station.

Exciting News!

I am in this month’s issue of All You magazine!

My peach oatmeal yogurt parfait recipe is on page 60! Check me out if you get the magazine. I believe it’s sold exclusively at Wal-Mart, but I have a subscription.

I’m a little over excited about it, so if you’re a member of my family, you’ll probably be receiving an issue of the magazine from me :)

What are your thoughts on juice cleanses?
Do you have a three-day weekend? Any plans?
Do you read any magazine? I subscribe to tons of them – All You, Runner’s World, Health, Fitness, Self

runeatplay

4 Comments

Filed under Dinner, Family Fun, Fun, Recipes

Tagged as all you, dinner, field day, I'm in a magazine!, olive garden

May 23, 2013 · 1:32 pm

Seven Miles

Good afternoon!

Last night, we went to see The Great Gatsby at a restaurant movie theater. It was a lot of fun, and I really liked the movie. I haven’t read the book and wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the movie, but I thought it was great. I’ll probably end up reading the book now

Today’s Workout

7 miles treadmill, slow and steady

I had a 7 mile run on my training plan for this week, and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to fit it in unless I ran on the treadmill.

Getting ready to run:

I have been trying really hard to do all my runs outside lately, especially because my runs used to be done solely on a treadmill. But I figured that a treadmill run was better than no run. Thanks to my handy dandy exercise log I can see that my last treadmill run was April 12th.

I ran seven miles slow and steady. I was very proud of myself for not taking any walking breaks at all, which is funny because I feel like if I had ran outside, I would have taken a walk break.

I knew that 7 miles would take me well over an hour, so I brought the Honey Stinger pink lemonade chews and ate them at mile 4.

I loved them – I thought they tasted great and were easy to chew while running. I had half a package (5 chews).

Running 7 miles was hard for me today. By mile 5, my calves and quads were so painful. By mile 6, I wanted to quit. I almost did when I almost fell off the treadmill a couple of times. But I told myself that I would be so disappointed in myself if I gave up. So, I really lowered my pace for about half a mile and then finished strong.

I know that running is a lot of mind over matter. My mind usually quits before my body is ready to quit, but at the same time running can be very painful for my legs. I never run totally pain-free, and it’s hard to determine whether I can push through it or whether I should stop to avoid injury. It’s all trail and error.

I wore my Aspaeris compression shorts and Zensah calf sleeves to run. When I was done running, I had no plans of taking them off. I think they are the only things keeping my legs from exploding right now.

I now also see why people take ice baths. I only ran 7 miles, but by the end, I would have loved to find the biggest, coldest, iciest bathtub I could find and sit in in forever. I am hoping that by working on my endurance, it will help with the calf and quad pain.

Post run, I treated myself to a McDonald’s coffee because I figured that I deserved it.

After the gym, I went to Target to grab a few things.

How cute is my niece?!

Zola Coconut Water

I was recently sent some Zola coconut water and acai juice through the Sweat Pink Ambassador program.

I’m not usually a huge fan of drinking plain coconut water, but I tasted these and was surprised that I actually liked them. I think it’s because the flavor is mild. I much prefer the pulp-free coconut water. I’m not a big fan of pulp in juices.

While I probably won’t be drinking these on their own, they are awesome in smoothies. I like adding the coconut water to a strawberry and pineapple smoothie for that tropical taste.

Coconut water is actually really good to drink after running because keeps you hydrated and has electrolytes, and 8 oz. has only about 55 calories. Coconut water also has about 280mg of potassium per 8 oz. That’s more than a banana! That’s good news for me because I am not a banana fan. I think it’s the only fruit that I don’t like.

The best part of the coconut water package? The sunglasses!!

I admit that I am a huge sucker for anything neon or 80′s looking

Crappy Race Picture

If you guys ever read Skinny Runner’s blog (love her!) then you know people send in their crappy race pictures to her. I figured I’d just show you my crappy race picture here. This picture is from the JustPlay 5k this past weekend. It’s terrible.

What’s wrong with me? I look like I’m taking a nap. For some weird reason, my head always goes sideways when I’m running and get tired.

Of course, Danny looks all good and perfect and fast.

A big Happy Birthday to my stepbrother, Jake!! He is 18 today!!

We’re going to Olive Garden tonight to celebrate! I can’t wait – Yum!

Have a great afternoon!

Treadmill running: yes or no?
Ever take an ice bath?
Do you like coconut water? Favorite/least favorite fruit?

runeatplay

11 Comments

Filed under Dinner, Family Fun, Fitness, Running, Working Out

Tagged as aspaeris, coconut water, fitness, running, treadmill, zensah, zola

May 21, 2013 · 12:28 pm

Birthday Dinner and Half Marathon Training

Last Night

I opened my birthday presents from Danny and the kids last night.

How did he know that I wanted a Ninja blender? (It might have been because I cut a picture of it out of a magazine and put it on his dresser along with a $5 off coupon).

I am very excited to use my new Ninja blender, and I love that it comes with a travel blending cup!

My current blender isn’t very strong, so I kept having to take off the lid, stir it, add more liquid, and stir it again. The whole process takes forever, so I can’t wait to try this baby out!

I couldn’t decide where I wanted to go for my birthday dinner (you don’t have to cook on your birthday ), and we finally ended up at Joe’s crab shack. I think I eat crab once a year (on my birthday) because it’s so darn expensive, but it’s so good. I had the delicious king crab legs.

The kids thought it was hilarious that I had to wear a bib.

Today’s Workout

Butts and Guts – 60 minutes

I set my alarm for 5:20 am this morning to get up and run….and I kept sleeping instead. I just couldn’t get up, but actually it worked out good because I am supposed to meet the other girls from the Chicago Half Marathon challenge to run tonight.

I am supposed to be in Chicago at 6pm tonight to meet at a running store. I am assuming I’ll meet the trainers and the other girls that were picked, and then we’ll go for a three mile run. I’m nervous.

I’m nervous for a few reasons – a) I always get nervous running in a group because I am a slower runner. B) I took a 60 minute cardio class this morning (my fault, I know). C) The last night I ran at night, it was a disaster. D) I have never driven by myself to Chicago and I have no idea how to park in the city.

The last reason might seem ridiculous, but I worry about things like that. I hate driving in general, so driving to Chicago alone is my biggest nightmares. And I don’t know anything about city parking.

I am looking forward to meeting everyone though!

I also received my Zooma half marathon training plan. The 15k training plan I am currently following is simply running three days a week, while the half marathon training plan includes things like strides and tempo runs. That will be something different for me, but something that I hope will improve my running.

Have a great afternoon!

Do you like seafood? Favorite seafood?
Do you ever run in a group?
What kinds of things do you not like to do or what makes you nervous?
Do you incorporate tempo run, strides, etc. into your runs?

runeatplay

10 Comments

Filed under Dinner, Family Fun, Fitness, Race, Running, Working Out

Tagged as butts and guts, crab legs, fitness, half marathon, I hate driving, joes crab shack, running, zooma

May 20, 2013 · 12:14 pm

31 Years Old

First up the winner of the Sambazon giveaway!

#7 – Karen

Congrats! Please email your shipping address to runeatplay(at)hotmail(dot)com.

Saturday

Saturday night, we met my family at a nearby Mexican restaurant for food and margaritas to celebrate my birthday. Then, we came back to our house to have cake, play games, talk, and stay up late

Here’s a few pictures from the weekend:

Sunday

On Sunday, we went out to breakfast and then spent the rest of the day relaxing. My mom stopped by to visit and wish me a happy birthday.

We eventually went for a 30 minute walk at a local trail that I will probably be using when I start my longer runs.

At one point you have to go through a tunnel which goes underneath a busy street. It’s kind of creepy actually.

We spent the rest of the night catching up on tv shows – CSI, The Big Bang Theory, and The Amazing Race.

Today

Today I am 31 years old. It’s amazing how fast life seems to fly by. When I was younger, I could never imagine an adult. Now here I am, all grown-up, married, and a mom of two kids.

I didn’t have a very hard time turning 30 last year. I mean, I wasn’t screaming that I was 30 from the rooftops either, but I wasn’t depressed about it or anything. Of course, Danny made sure to give me a hard time about it because I might have given him a super hard time when he turned 30

I think the thing is that I don’t feel 31 years old. I think you’re only as old as you feel

A big thank you to my family for making my birthday special! My family knows me too well. My brother and sister-in-law got me a food scale. I had been using a postage scale to weigh my food, so I am so excited for an actual food scale.

My dad and stepmom ordered me this cute Under Amour tank I wanted.

It has been sold out in stores, so they ordered it for me.

Today’s Workout

BodyPump – 60 minutes

Enjoy you afternoon!

Was turning a certain age hard for you?
If you could stay one age forever, what would it be?
What tv shows do you watch?

runeatplay

11 Comments

Filed under Family Fun, Fitness, Fun, Working Out

Tagged as 31, birthday, cake, food scale, under amour

May 18, 2013 · 3:20 pm

Just Play 5k 2013

Good afternoon!

This morning, Danny and I ran the JustPlay 5k.

It’s a smaller race and really close to our house. My dad and stepmom came to watch the kids for us. We got there about 7:30 am, and the race started at 8 am.

It was warm out, and I definitely really started to heat up while running. The whole time I kept thinking, how am I going to run a 15k in the middle of June in the heat?!

I started off really good – too good. My first mile was 8:40, which is way to fast for me. By the second half of the race, I was losing energy, and the third mile my right quad was killing me. I seem to be having more quad problems than calf problems lately. I have been foam rolling my hips and quads lately, so hopefully that will help, and I have to start wearing my compression shorts.

I finished in 31:11, which is my second best time. I’m happy with it, but I couldn’t help feeling slightly disappointed after last week’s 29:22 5k. I think it helped that the temperature was a lot cooler last week.

Danny did awesome and PR’d this race! He finished in 23:17! He is super speedy. Good job, Danny. I’m proud of you!

After the race, we stopped at Dunkin Donuts for some iced coffee and donuts.

Then, we headed straight to Jaden’s t-ball game.

The t-ball game lasted about an hour and a half, then we went back to where the race was held because they were having a Just Play festival for the kids. Unfortunately, the lines for paddleboarding and the zip line were too long, but the kids had fun doing other stuff.

They did a fitness obstacle course which was funny to watch.

There was also some reptiles for the kids to touch. And one of the guys put a roach on Jaden’s head.

I tried to stay as far away as possible. I am actually really surprised that Jaden didn’t freak out. He’s not really a bug kind of kid.

The kids got ice cream, and I was excited to see screwballs. That was my favorite treat from the ice cream truck when I was younger.

After checking out some of the booths and letting the kids play, we went to a nearby bakery to pick up my birthday cake! My wonderful husband ordered the chocolate/strawberry/whipped cream cake that I wanted.

He even made sure that they put my age on the cake. Thanks dear.

Tonight, we’re meeting my family at a local Mexican restaurant for my birthday dinner. Can’t wait!

Have a great rest of your weekend!

What’s your fastest mile?
Where would you have your birthday dinner?
Favorite ice cream truck treat?
Hot coffee or iced coffee or no coffee?

runeatplay

8 Comments

Filed under Family Fun, Fitness, Fun, Race, Running, Working Out

Tagged as 5k, birthday, cake, family, fun, just play, race

May 17, 2013 · 1:05 pm

Running Fuel

Happy Friday!

I’m so glad it’s the weekend. My birthday is Monday so that means we’re celebrating this weekend!! I told Danny I was very particular about the kind of cake I wanted – chocolate cake with fresh strawberries and whipped cream

Yesterday was Jaden’s first t-ball game!

Unfortunately, Jaden doesn’t have a very long attention span so the game was interesting. I think I took him to the bathroom four times, yelled at him to leave his shirt on, and had to find something for him to sit on when he spilled Gatorade everywhere. Fun times.

But he liked playing and even got two hits without using the tee.

Today’s Workout

BodyPump – 60 minutes

BodyPump is usually the most crowded class at the gym in the mornings, but today there was only four of us. Maybe everyone’s starting their weekend early or exercising outside?

I picked up our race packets for the 5k tomorrow from a local running store. The mini Builder Bar was my favorite part.

The race is a smaller race and is about five minutes away from our house. Danny and I are running it, and my dad is coming to watch the kids. Thanks, Dad.

While I was at the running store, I picked up a few different kinds of fuel to try out for my long runs, especially when training for the half marathon. It seems be a general rule that if you’re running over an hour, you should have some kind of fuel – chews, gels, bars, sports drinks, etc.

Personally, I like the chews, but Danny doesn’t. He tried out one of the Gu’s on his run this morning and said that he didn’t like it. I think I’ll prefer the chews to the gels but I’m still going to try out the gels. I’ve had the PowerBar chews at a race before, so I know I like those.

I got my Pro Compression socks in the mail yesterday. I am looking forward to seeing how they compare to my calf sleeves.

I haven’t had a chance to try them out on a run yet, so I’ll let you know how that goes. The only thing that I don’t like so far is the sizing. Since they are socks the sizing chart goes by shoe size.

(Source)

According to my shoe size, I should have ordered a size small/medium, but I know that with my calf size there was no way that a S/M would fit over my calves.

I have very large calves, and I’m not even exaggerating. Based on the circumference of my calves, I had to order my Zensah calf sleeves in the biggest size they made – L/XL.

I just have big calves. It happens. And one is noticeably bigger than the other, which is weird.

So, I ordered the Pro Compression socks in a L/XL. The fit over my calves perfect but the shoe size is a bit too big and they’re very long. I had to push them down my knees a bit. I’m sure they’ll work okay, and I am excited to try them out, I just wish that the sizing was different.

I’ll probably won’t run in them for the race tomorrow. I’ll try them out next week.

Lunch

Lunch this afternoon was a peach smoothie.

In my smoothie:

1 cup frozen peaches
4 frozen strawberries (because it was all that I had left)
1 container peach Greek yogurt
1 cup Trop50 orange juice
crushed ice

Don’t forget, there’s still time to enter the Sambazon juice and smoothie giveaway! Ends tonight and I’ll announce the winner on Monday!

Have a great afternoon!

If you could pick any birthday cake or dessert what would it be?
How do you fuel for long runs? Gels, bars, chews, sports drinks, etc?
Any plans for this weekend?

runeatplay

9 Comments

Filed under Family Fun, Fitness, Lunch, Recipes, Running, Working Out

Tagged as BodyPump, fitness, gu, gym, honey stinger, lunch, powerbar, pro compression, running fuel, smoothies, tball

May 16, 2013 · 12:45 pm

I’m Doing It – Zooma Half Marathon

Well, it’s official – I will be running a half marathon in August. The Chicago Zooma women’s half marathon. Honestly, at this point, I am a little bit terrified. While I think I am ready for a new goal, I am also nervous about the distance. What if can’t do it? What if it’s too hard? What if my body doesn’t cooperate? Although, I am nervous, I know it’s something that I can do if I put my mind to it and work hard. And it would be an awesome accomplishment for me. A little while ago, I entered the Muscle Milk Chicago Half Marathon Challenge. Unsure how to train for a half marathon? We’ve got you covered. Need someone to talk to when nerves set in as you’re facing your first double digit run? Yep, we’re here for that too. Thanks to the generosity of Muscle Milk Light and NorthShore University HealthSystem, this program is your coach, running buddy and support group all rolled into one. Four Chicago-area athletes will take part in our 12-week program as “NorthShore Runners”, and one lucky lady will be selected to receive additional perks as a “Muscle Milk Light Athlete”. (Source) I entered my application and figured that if I was picked, it would be a sign that I should run a half marathon. I’ve had the idea of a half marathon in the back of my head, but was always apprehensive about doing it. Well, I got an email yesterday saying that I was selected as one of the NorthShore Athletes for Zooma’s Chicago’s Half Marathon Challenge Program! I am very excited but nervous too. The program includes:

A support network of the Chicago Ambassadors of the race
Training Plan
Zooma Training T-shirt
Education/ Cross Training
Race Entry
Muscle Milk Light

As part of the program, I will be interviewed by Zooma and the ambassadors, have weekly check-ins, and attend four Zooma events in Chicago. Exciting stuff! I am very excited to be given this opportunity and can’t wait to get started! This half marathon also came at a great time because my goal for the Under Armour What’s Beautiful Campaign is to run a half marathon! Yesterday Yesterday, I went with Jaden’s class on a field trip to the zoo. When I came downstairs all ready and dressed, Danny asked me if I was wearing workout pants to the zoo. Yes, I am wearing working pants to the zoo. The only time I’m not wearing workout or sweatpants is when I’m sleeping…or when someone takes me out to dinner. And even then I contemplate wearing workout pants. I’m going to be walking around the zoo with 6-year olds in hot weather. What do you want me to wear – a party dress? The kids loved the zoo. They’re favorite animal was the peacock. On the way home, there was an accident on the highway and we were stuck on the hot bus forever. It wasn’t fun. Finally, we made it back to school. It was such a nice day out, so we got frozen yogurt, dropped my niece off, and then went to the park. Obviously you’re never to old to play at the park. We ordered pizza and watched the Chicago Blackhawks game. Well, actually Danny watched the game. I sat on the couch and read. My dad got us some Blackhawk shirts. My brother: I wore mine to bed…and tied it on the side because I’m 80s like that :) Today’s Workout

3 miles outside, nice
Trifecta Class – 60 minutes

What a difference night and day make – literally. While my run was pretty terrible on Tuesday night, this morning it was good. It wasn’t necessarily fast, but I sure felt a whole lot better today than I did running at night. I noticed that my miles always start out fast and then get progressively slower – which is the opposite of how it should be. Without meaning to, I usually start out too fast and then lose steam by the end. I need to work on starting out a little slower so that I can speed up as I go. I finished three miles by 6:45 am, then I headed to the gym at 9:00 am for the Trifecta class. After the gym, my niece and I just ran a few errands. Tonight it Jaden’s first t-ball game! Have a great afternoon!

Have you ever run a half marathon? Any advice?
When was the last time you went to the zoo? Favorite animal?
Favorite sports team?

runeatplay

11 Comments

Filed under Family Fun, Fitness, Fun, Running, Working Out

Tagged as animals are fun, half marathon, muscle milk, running, training, zoo, zooma

May 13, 2013 · 6:59 am

Run Like A Mother 2013 5k

Good morning! I hope all you mothers out there had a great mother’s day yesterday!

My mother’s day started out bright and early at 6 am with gifts from the kids and Danny.

We left the house at about 6:45 am to go to the Run Like a Mother 5k, where we met Marlene, Crystal, Sue, my dad, and brother.

The girls ran the race.

And the boys watched the kids.

Sometimes I eat before a 5k and sometimes I don’t. This time, I had a peanut butter kid’s Z bar.

We got to the race about an hour early, and I made sure to go to the bathroom right away - last year the porta-potty lines were crazy. Even though there was about the same amount of porta-potties this year, the lines we nowhere near as long. I also used the bathroom 20 minutes before the race and didn’t have to wait.

There was tons of stuff to do before and after the race. There was a table set up so the kids could color signs for their moms.

The Naked truck was giving out samples of their smoothies and coconut water juices.

They had a table set up where you could pick out symbols and have your own t-shirt made.

I picked the symbols: run, family, and love.

Jaden made a shirt too. I love his face in the picture – the sun was in his eyes.

The birkam yoga tent was giving out free mimosas that my Dad and Danny sampled. Us girls decided to wait until after our run to try one out.

We lined up about five minutes before the race, and it started right at 8:30 am. It was really congested in the beginning, as most 5ks are, but then it thinned out quickly. The weather was pretty chilly and windy, but sunny. I wore pants (with shorts underneath) and a jacket and was freezing when I took them off before the race. I debated leaving my jacket on, but I am glad that I decided against it because I warmed up really quickly.

The course was pretty hilly. Honestly, I never pay much attention to the courses when I am running. I am usually so focused on my running and not dying that I pay little attention to the course. I believe most of the course was through a nice neighborhood, but I really don’t know.

Like I mentioned yesterday, I forgot to start my Garmin before the race, and when I did start it, it was unable to pick up my location. I almost think that it was a good thing that it wasn’t working because if I had seen my time, I might have slowed down my pace worrying that I wouldn’t have enough steam to finish the race.

I just listened to my music and ran. There were times when my quads ached and I felt tired, but I just kept going. When the I could finally see the finish line, I figured that I was at about 31 minutes. Then, I saw that it was only at 29 minutes, and I was shocked. I knew that I had to push myself to finish in under 30 minutes.

I was actually really surprised by my time. I didn’t think that I was going as fast as I was, and when I saw that I could get a sub-30 5k, I kind of went into a zone. I don’t remember anything around me and I didn’t see or hear my family cheering for me. I just ran. Fast.

It might sound silly, but it made me really emotional. This was something that I never thought I could do, and here I was actually doing it. Yes, I shed a few tears as I crossed the finish line at 29:22. Then, I was upset because I couldn’t find my family anywhere. I didn’t even see them cheering me on at the finish line and I thought they missed it.

I finally found my family, and I might have shed another tear or two.

Sue, Marlene, and Crystal all did so great. It’s a fun women-only 5k that I love running with the women in my life. Afterwards, we treated ourselves to a mimosa.

Marlene placed third for her age group and instead of a medal, she won a free race entry for next year. I thought that was kind of a cool prize.

Overall, I really enjoy the Run Like A Mother 5k. This was my third year running it, and while the course was a little hilly, it didn’t bother me too much. Everything seemed well organized and there is tons of pre and post race fun.

After the race there is fruit, bagels, and water. There was also lots of vendor tents set up with snacks: pretzel chips, coconut water, Kind bars, Naked Smoothies, Muscle Milk. When you cross the finish line, a volunteer hands you a flower to plant at home. It’s a fun and friendly race that I will run again.

After the race, we went to my mom’s house.

I ate way too much food.

After my mom’s house, we came home, showered, and then went over to my in-laws…where I ate even more food.

Danny with his mom and brothers:

Anyone else run a race this weekend? We have another 5k this Saturday!
What did you do for Mother’s Day?
Best snack you’ve ever had at a race?

runeatplay

11 Comments

Filed under Family Fun, Fitness, Race, Working Out

Tagged as 5k, accomplishment, mothers day, pr, race, run like a mother, sub 30

May 10, 2013 · 12:23 pm

Aspaeris Pivot Compression Shorts

Happy Friday!

I’m so glad that it’s Friday. It’s been a long week!

Today’s Workout

6.2 miles outside, drizzling, slightly windy

Yesterday, I mentioned that I ordered some compression gear to try out. Well, I ended up getting my Aspaeris Pivot Compression shorts in the mail yesterday.

About the shorts:

Dual Sensory Compression Bands™

Aspaeris Pivot Shorts™ are actually two pairs of shorts bonded together. The Outer Short is a high performance compression short designed to support your muscles. The Inner Short features our breakthrough, Dual Sensory Compression Bands™. These cross-knit bands guide your muscles into the proper position, thereby improving your pivot performance which helps prevent ACL and hip injuries.

Hi-Performance Compression Aspaeris Pivot Shorts™ are made of very fine, completely seamless, two-way stretch nylon and Spandex. Wicking properties keep moisture away regardless of how hot it gets while Microban® technology virtually eliminates odor-causing bacteria.

Signaling Your Body

Aspaeris Pivot Shorts™ are designed to keep signaling for your body to maintain proper position during repetitive motion. It helps adjust your legs and hips to avoid injury. Patent-pending targeted compression zones guide your knees into the proper position. Acting as a guide, two layers of cross-knit compression create muscle memory that gives you confidence in your motion. The Aspaeris Pivot Shorts™ lead to proper joint “loading,” to help you improve performance and avoid injury.

The note that came with the shorts said that they would look small when you took them out of the package, but not to worry because they would fit.

Even though the note warned me, I about died laughing when I took the shorts out of the package. They were tiny. Tiny! I could have put them on my niece!

They look even smaller in person. Trust me. I figured that there was no way that they would fit.

They did.

Even though they look small, they are super stretchy and you put them on like tights. When I looked at the sizing chart on the website, my hips fell into the large category but my waist fell into the medium category. Aspaeris recommends ordering a size up if you fall in between so I ordered a size large.

I ran in the shorts this morning, and while I really like them, I think that I actually need a size medium. I had to hike them up and adjust them quite a few times. One of the times, I’m pretty sure that I looked slightly inappropriate fixing them. Sorry to the cars that were driving by

I liked that my quads didn’t hurt as much as usual while wearing them, and I kept them on a few hours after I ran to help with recovery. I am running a Mother’s Day 5k on Sunday so I don’t want to be too sore.

The shorts are a little pricy, but I had a 40% off coupon code that I found online, so that made the price a lot better.

I woke up at 5:30 am this morning to run outside. Usually, I run on the paved trail by my gym, but today I had to be back home before Danny left for work, so I just ran three miles from my front door and then ran three miles back. I don’t really like the route because it’s on a busier street, it’s really close to cars, and there’s a few stoplights.

At the last minute, I decided to bring my hand-held water bottle with me. I was glad because I haven’t ran six miles outside in quite a while, so I was grateful for the few sips of water.

It was also a little chilly and drizzling this morning. I was going to wear a long-sleeve dri-fit shirt, but I decided against it. By the time I turned back and was running against the wind, I would have loved those long sleeves.

I debated going to BodyPump this morning, but by 8 am I was exhausted. I’m not sure if it was from getting up earlier than I’m used to or running six miles, or a combination of both, but I decided not to go. My quads were very sore just walking up the stairs, so I thought that it would be best not to go.

Instead, the kids and I worked on some secret crafts

Butterflies

Jaden got a butterfly kit for Christmas and a few weeks ago, we ordered the caterpillars in the mail. I was a little skeptical, but I shouldn’t have been because Jaden had five caterpillars turn into butterflies!

We let them go last night.

Jaden wanted to make sure that all of us were there before he let them go.

Have a great Friday!

Any plans for this weekend?
What do you wear while running outside in mild weather?
What’s the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you while running or exercising?

runeatplay

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Filed under Family Fun, Fitness, Fun, Running, Working Out

Tagged as aspaeris, butterflies, compression shorts, fitness, running

May 7, 2013 · 11:18 am

Running, Eating, and Playing

First of all, thank you for all the positive comments about the Mizuno Mezamashii Project video. I really appreciate all the support!

Run

For the next four weeks, my brother has a new schedule at work. This means instead of picking up my niece at 12:30 pm, he will be dropping her off at 7:30 am.

Since she will be here in the mornings and all day, my workouts and 15k training will have to change a bit.

The part I am most nervous about is the 15k training. I have been really good about sticking to the plan and running three days a week, including a long run on the weekend. I also have a 5k the next three weekends in a row, so that throws things off too.

I think I figured out a plan – I will run one night a week after Danny gets home from work, wake up at 5:30 am one morning a week to run before Danny goes to work, and then continuing doing my long run on the weekend.

This Sunday, I’m running a Mother’s Day 5k with my family, so I am going to try and fit in my long run on Friday morning – that way my legs will hopefully be rested for Sunday. Even though my long run is only 6 miles (I’m building up endurance) my calves still get very tight and sore.

Last year’s Mother’s Day 5k:

The only day I’m really worried about is the night runs. I have never really ran in the evening, so it’ll probably take some getting used to, but you gotta do what you gotta do!

Eat

Although, I haven’t weighed myself lately, I know that I have gained a few pounds. I am slowly falling back into my old eating habits of eating what I want, when I want. This is what caused me to gain weight in the first place, and I refuse to gain back all the weight that I lost.

For example, yesterday I got into a run-in with a box of teddy grahams. The teddy grahams won.

This is why I liked competing in the Diet Bets because they made me feel like I was being held accountable to someone other than myself. So, starting today, I will be writing down everything I eat, stick to healthy foods, and stay within 1500 calories a day. I am more focused on eating healthy and feeling good than I am a number on the scale.

Play

Jaden has officially started t-ball!

That means lots of t-ball practices, games, and fun!

Today’s Workout

Butts and Guts Class – 60 minutes

I have a pretty bad cold so my workouts haven’t been very intense these last few days. Hopefully, I’ll start to feel better soon!

After my workout, I had a Chobani caramel pineapple yogurt. These need to come in a bigger size – they’re so good!

Have a great afternoon!

When do you run? Morning, night, afternoon? Any advice for running in the evening?
Any races coming up?
Favorite yogurt flavor?
Any plans for today?