>Giveaway alert!

>Check out Let's Move It Momma's for an awesome Bob Harper workout dvd giveaway! Or don't because tomorrow is my birthday and it sure would be sweet to win! haha ;)

>Three Things Thursday

>1. Running this week has been bad. I've ran 10 miles this week. 2 Monday before my weight workout. Those 2 miles were great. 2 miles on Tuesday to make up for the 2 that I missed Monday. Those 2 miles were not so great. I had 6 miles on the schedule for Weds. Hubby decided to do 4 with me outside, then I would come in for 2. Outside run yesterday sucked for me. That's all I can say. I tried hard to maintain a 10:30 pace but it was just too hard for some reason. My legs felt as though they just didn't want to go. I was frustrated. We got back to the gym at 3.75 miles. Poo. Short. That meant I had to run 2.25 on the "dreadmill" to make up the 6 on the training schedule. Ugh. But I did it. I finished with an overall decent pace for me but I still wasn't happy. Today I have decided to take a rest day because I think (well hubby does) that I have overtrained a little... last week was a huge running week for me. It was a great one and I followed my training plan to a T but I think it caught up with me this week. So, rest is happening today and probably tomorrow. We have a long run planned for Saturday and hopefully we can do the 11 mile loop we plan to run but if we need to we will cut it to 10 miles.

2. I got my foam roller today. I can't wait to use it later. I'm  hoping it will help work out a few kinks I have been feeling. Luckily it came with a page of exercises (moves..whatever they're called) so I will know exactly what to do to work what aches.

3. Girl Scout cookies have taken over my house. Seriously! 130 something cases to be exact. And someone in this house decided it was a good idea to order $50 worth! Yikes!!! I have only eaten 2 cookies so far. I plan to freeze some of those boxes I bought. Many of the other cases will hopefully be picked up by the other girls in my troop this evening! I can't be taunted by them much longer or I may snap.. haha

>25 mile week...DONE!

>This week was my first 25 mile week. I logged 25 total miles in a matter of 4 runs last week! I am totally stoked about that.
So, how did my runs go?

2/14 - On the schedule was a 4 miler. The weather was PERFECT. I had the afternoon to myself because hubby was away and the kids were with my inlaws. So, I got dressed at work, turned my Garmin on and headed right out the door down the sidewalk. The run felt tough at first but once I found my mojo it was a really great run. I ended at 4.6 miles and a 10:55 pace. Not too bad for a solo run.

2/16- I had 6 miles on  my training schedule for the day and was not looking forward to doing it alone or on the treadmill. Hubby agreed to 4 miles outside with me though so that made me feel better. My plan was to hit the 4 outside with him and get another 2 done inside on the treadmill while he did his weight workout. Hubby is a quicker runner than I am. 4 miles is a short run and of course on his short runs (and usually  mine too) he runs at a much faster pace than a long run. Now, 6 miles isn't exactly a long run for me but midweek it is much longer than a 3 miler I would normally do. We ended our 4 miles at about a 10:15 min/mile pace. There were a few times I looked down at my Garmin to see a sub 9 min/mile. I had to pull back the reigns as tell hubby there was no way I could hang at that pace. We did great with those 4 miles though and I am happy he was able to push me. When I got back to the gym it was tough hopping on the treadmill to finish up 2 miles. It is not easy going from outdoors to the movement of the treadmill. I ended up having to set the incline on the treadmill to finish up the 2 miles but held steady to a 10:42 pace inside for an entire 2 miles with no break. My endurance is totally improving and I really began to notice it on this run. 6 miles done in an hour and 4 mins = 10:40 min/mile.

2/17- Treadmill run. My plan called for 4 miles. I told myself I was going to take it easy and break if I needed to. Turns out this run was much better than I planned on it being. I felt so strong even though I had ran 6 miles the day before. It's so odd to me how that sometimes happens. I cranked up the Pink on my iPod and set the treadmill at 5.6 mph. I decided my comfort zone was 10:42 min/mile. I really can't recall after so many days passing the exact process of this run, but I do remember feeling immediately after it was over that my endurance is really really improving every time I run. I ended with 4 miles in 42 mins... 10:26 min/mile.

2/19- Long run Saturday with the group. Up for 10 miles, my second! Terri and I had talked earlier in the week that we would go 6 with one of our other buddies and at the "drop off" we would head back out for the other 4 miles I needed to get in for the day. Our other running pal is somewhere between 6-7 months pregnant and a total rock star! We started Saturday's run and she mentioned she was comfy at a 10:30 pace. Now, normally this is a pretty swift pace for me. I can maintain this pace for a couple of miles but huffing and puffing. I could see Terri looking back and checking on me several times, she's good like that, and offers me walk breaks to catch my breath if I need them but this run felt so strong. I felt strong. Strong is an excellent feeling. We decided the bathrooms were at about the 3 mile point and we always stop for potty breaks on the long run. And yes, I stop Garmin for potty breaks. :) Anyway, I was determined to run the entire almost 3 miles until potty breaking. And I did just that! Imagine my surprise when I looked and noticed the time on my Garmin. We had another 3 miles back where we would drop Kate off and Terri and I would head back out for another 4. We pottied again at the 6 mile break. I was kind of a high at this point because I noticed my time and knew that if we maintained the pace we were holding I would definitely make this 10 miler in a shorter time than the last 10 miler just a week before. Terri was constantly checking on me to see if I needed a break and she is the perfect running partner, constantly offering support and kudos to me and the awesome job I was doing. I appreciate that so much. I'm not the best at chatting it up during runs and will admit that our pace was a bit fast for me so my conversation wasn't the best. I appologized to Terri for this already and do hope to improve this task! lol We reached our 10 mile marker at 1:46:15....8 minutes faster than the 10 m iler I ran just a week before. I was thrilled. I honestly could not have asked for a better run. Actually, if I am being completely honest THIS RUN is my best to date. The weather was awesome, my body felt amazing and the trail is quite possibly  my favorite, the company is most excellent as well. Overall there is not a whole lot I would change about Saturday's run, if anything for me it would walk breaks... I would totally love to run an entire 10 miles with NO single walk breaks, but I believe in listening to the body and if a walk break is needed so be it. Terri was kind enough to let me in on what our splits were... mile 7 was done in 9:55!! Smokin! Thank you so much for an excellent run! 10 miles in 1:46:15 at an average pace of 10:37.

That is how my week went. 4 runs and 25 miles later.....this girl is still on cloud 9!!

>Dear Biggest Loser,

>I greatly appreciate the email letting me know casting calls will be held in my local area soon. However, it is with great pride that I inform you I am not the person for your show. I have successfully lost 65 lbs on my own, no fad diets, no crazy pills..but diet and exercise, a total lifestyle change if you will, over the course of the last (almost) 2 years. I am now within 15-16 lbs of my weight loss goal which will put me at a total weight loss of  80lbs which is 20 lbs less than your required 100 lbs over weight for contestants of the show. I have no clue WHY I would have recieved the email I did.

I also have no real issues with Biggest Loser. I love the show and try to watch it every week. I'm not digging it as much this season as I have in the past though. It may be the new trainers or it may be some of the contestants. Whatever the reason I still watch and will continue to do so. In the past the show inspired me a great deal and I guess in some sort of way it still does. Kudos to all those people trying out for a spot on the show as well as those who are taking the journey with BL.

To those folks not selected for the show, I really hope that they continue on their journey to wellness. As for me, when I lose my last 15-16 lbs I plan to keep focusing on the day to day healthy journey I have been on, but instead of the goal being weight loss the goal will be keeping the weight off for life.

Thanks for the email though because it is a reminder to me that my journey isn't over. I'm closer than ever to the goal but it will never be a journey ended.

>Five For Friday

>1. First of all, I am so glad it is Friday. Friday is a scheduled rest day for me and normally I don't take it because I feel lazy for taking rest days. However, today is different! I am going to thoroughly enjoy (as much as a working mom of two kiddos can be when her hubby is out of town) the rest day once I get off work. I am not going to the gym at all. I am saving my energy and weary little legs for my long run (10 miles) tomorrow. I'm having a bit of a hamstring issue on my left leg that I hope will be resolved when I wake up.

2. Sometimes chocolate is just needed. Seriously. I have done well with this healthy eating thing for so long and felt the need for a little chocolate fix today. I was at the grocery store on my lunch picking up a few things we would need for dinner tonight when I managed to grab a little bag of these....

Thank you, Pillsbury, for the photo and the tasty treat. For the record, each brownie bite is 60 calories and I had 3. I should have stopped at one but seriously who can eat only one? And I have logged my treats into my food log and moved on. You should try these if you haven't already. And no I am not suggesting you always indulge in unhealthy treats, but occasionally you just have to. :) The great thing about these is the portion size and the fact that with the help of a chip clip you can reseal the bag and save some for later (as in days, weeks later!).

3. I like to dress down on Fridays at work usually because I wear jeans and nice tops (which is dressed up for me!) during the week. Today I really wanted comfy clothes. Most of my loungy type comfortable pants have become too big. I have one pair that is my absolute fave but I swore to the hubby that I would only wear them at home now because it seriously looks like someone moved out of the back end of them. So, I remembered a track suit I had in the closet from about 8 years ago. It's Vols orange made by Adidas just like what the Lady Vols basketball team wears (or did 8 years ago) and I remember putting it in the closet because I hated how my butt and thighs looked in it.. hello dimples! Well, I put it on this morning and the pants look like someone moved out. Oh and the dimples from so many moons ago? Not there!? Could it be some of my trouble spots are becoming less noticeable or was the mirror just being nice to me today? Hmm, now I just need to stay away from the aforementioned brownie bites. haha

4. I haven't mentioned my exact weight here in a while. Let me just say I am now only 15-16 lbs from my goal. Apparently my body is finally deciding to cooperate with the scale or the scale is playing tricks on me. I am going with the first based on #3 and the fact that other clothes fit a bit differently than they were fitting. And again I say, I must stay away from the brownie bites.

5. I'm struggling to stay awake this afternoon. I'm guessing it is the sugar. I don't usually eat sugar midday but I did today. I think it is the reason I feel as though every sleepy bug in the colony has bitten me. Tonight I have tons to do at home, which likely won't get done (just throwing that out there for hubby in case he is reading) but I know that I will be in bed early!

>Valentine's Day

>We agreed to not celebrate much in our house because we have birthday's coming up this month (the hubby and me!) and next month is our anniversary. We just never made Valentine's Day a huge deal. We love each other everyday! We do get the kids a little something. We try not to go overboard with candy and sweet treats and I have totally banned the purchase of flowers on Valentine's Day. Hubby also got the memo (finally) that anything over $.99 on a card is a waste! ;)
Let it be known that I am not a Valentine's Day scrooge though. I promise.

I do feel that there are 364 other days in a year that you can tell those you love just how much you love them. Why do we need one more day to tell them?

Anyway, I have not gotten hubby a card and told him to not expect one because I refuse to go out the day of and hunt the perfect one. So, he will likely be told Happy Valentine's Day before we leave the house in the morning and I might even text him. haha

And even though we agreed to not get a single thing for each other this year, hubby couldn't stop himself. When he went out to pick up the kid's goodies he made a pitstop at Dick's for this....

>Double Digits!

>This week was pretty good as far as running goes however I am going to go ahead and let it be known that I did not meet my overall mileage goal for the week. BUT I am 100% fine with that because it was mainly due to the fact that I was spending extra time with my hubby and kids doing a few Valentine's Day prep activities. :)

Because I was going to be volunteering for a local half marathon and 10k (which my friend Terri just set a new half PR at!) on Saturday plans for my weekly long run were changed. I was suppose to get a 10 miler in this weekend and of course it would be my first double digit run. I went back and forth trying to decide how to work it in. I thought maybe about running the 10k race but then I was going to have to figure out when to run the other 4 miles. I could have gone for it and attempted the half marathon but in all honestly there would have been NO way at all that I'd have been ready for that even  mentally.

So, what did I do?
Turned Friday night date night/family fun into a 10 mile run with my hubby and pizza out with the kids afterwards.
Super fun! Seriously. I left work early and we dropped the kids at the gym daycare. We knew we had 2 hours to get our 10 miles in. We planned our route on the way to the gym, decided one potty break midway and then were on our way.

The first little bit was slightly tough for me because we were at a faster pace than what I am comfortable with and we were running on the street with traffic (at our backs!). But hubby was right there with me. He pushed me right along and finally at mile 4 I let him know the pace was a bit fast for me and I would need to slow down. I love that he (and my other running pals) are so willing to go with the flow of what I need. I think this is probably common among running friends and that's just one more thing to love about the sport. Yes, running IS a sport (even if I am the only person to say so).

We took a potty break at store just past 4 miles, ate some sports beans, drank some water and were on our way. The course we ran was beautiful. We ran on a local greenway. I love our counties greenways. I've ran them many times and each time is such a peaceful experience. At just before 6 miles we passed a lady who looked familiar and we waved, said hi. Then as we got a bit further hubby asked if that was so and so and apparently she heard him because it was someone we know! It's always nice seeing folks ya know especially out and about while running. Neat.

We reached our 6 mile point and knew we only had 4 miles to go. Between miles 6 and 8 we just ran and ran. We didn't even talk about taking a walk break until just beyond the 8 mile mark. Those 2 miles were probably the best running miles for me. We ran along side the water and it was slightly downhill for a bit. The worst part was all the restaraunts in town gearing up for the dinner hour! Not the best running situation and I can remember saying, "good grief I am HUNGRY!!!" Hubby asked if I wanted to stop and grab Mexican at the best little local joint in town. I passed. ;)

To say things were just as great from mile 8 to 10 would be a lie. About every .10 mile hubby would say, "where are we now?" Ugh. Let me tell you, I look at my Garmin A TON... really I glance down at it a lot to check my pace more than anything. After him asking me for about a mile where we were I finally told him to shut up and run. Or something along those lines. Usually when I get to about .50 left before my total mileage goal for that run I will pick up my pace and take off. This time I don't recall doing that. I think we agreed to just keep things steady the last couple of miles and once we hit 10 we would walk.

At 1:54 and some seconds we hit 10.
STOP. Walk. That was a good run. I am glad it is done.
Then my loving hubby says, "I think I will slow jog the little bit back to the gym." haha nice.
We did. Just a slow, steady cool down.

With my loving, wonderful hubby by my side I ran my very first double digit run. TEN MILES!!!!!
3.1 more and I got the half marathon in the bag!!