Will Run For Ice Cream

It hit me like a ton of bricks. I physically couldn't get a breath as sobs tore through me. It was just a car - a chunk of metal. I didn't really understand my reluctance of parting ways. But when we sold it this weekend, and I signed my name to the title it all hit me on one gigantic guttural heart-wrenching wave. It was the last thing that I personally owned before I got married - the only thing left in solely my name. But the real heartache came from realizing this was the car that I bought with my sisters - a spur of the moment purchase on a day out. My sisters who are no longer in my life. They've never met my son - probably never will. He doesn't even know they exist. But in that one moment of relinquishing ownership, the sorrow flooded in - raw - oozing - septic - ripping - searing - pain.

Full Disclosure: I received products free of charge for the purpose of providing a review. My opinions are completely my own based on my experience. With school just around the corner, I've been working on my family schedule, workout schedule, and work schedule. I'm trying to fit everything in without using all of Lil Man's preschool time as workout time at the gym. I don't have it all figured out yet, and I'm sure that I'll have to tweak it. But I do have a tentative plan. And part of that plan is 'band day' - I'm talking about resistance bands. When I was working with a trainer, there were some sessions where the majority of the time that day was band work. I have to tell you that it was a great workout. I've recently just so happened to come across Aurorae Resistance bands . What's different about these bands?

As best as I can remember, I've never been one to have a lot of self confidence in a lot of areas of my life. Body image is certainly one of them. This weekend was a beach weekend with the girls. (My first weekend away since Lil Man has been born ). It was absolutely beautiful.   And it was just what I needed. But with the beach comes swimsuits which is definitely not something that I feel comfortable in. It's a sad feeling not to feel comfortable in your own skin.

This post has been sponsored by The J.M. Smucker Company. All opinions are completely my own. #Snackation In case you missed it, Lil Man and I went to Walmart to prepare for our #Snackation . You can read about it here . As I was out running on the Appalachian Trail, I came across a great spot to take Lil Man wading. I thought it would make for a super fun outing since our summer is winding down. Can you believe that it's almost over? It feels like this Summer just flew by. So like so many others that I know, I'm trying to pack as much as possible in these next few weeks.

I've been experiencing achiness, redness and swollen joints ( mainly my fingers ). However, the pain started creeping into my ankles and toes along with muscle pain. I knew that I needed to see a DR to get tested for Lyme's. But also with going to the dr's office meant 'stepping on the scale'.  The last time I weighed this much, I was pregnant with my son. That's where I've Come Back to MyFitnessPal  came into reality. I wanted needed to starting focusing on what I am eating - not so much as calories but the food. I went to the DR a week later and weighed in .... 118lbs. I asked the nurse to please make a note for the DR not to mention it. ( FYI I'm 4'10" so that weight is above my 'normal' weight range ). First of all, my son was with me and I didn't want a 'weight' talk in front of my impressionable 4 year old. And second, well second, I just wasn't in the mood to deal with someone bugging me about my weight. I'

So there I was, meeting some friends for an early morning run. I was happy to meet and run with some other runners. Except that I knew within the first mile that I was ' in trouble '. Everything felt hard - too hard. My legs were way too heavy. My breathing was so so and the pace was not fast. It was simply 'me'.  I was having an off day. My road runs lately have been less than stellar. But I really didn't think I'd tank this bad on a run. I called it. "I gotta walk. Ya'll go ahead". Even if you are running with friends that you know well - I personally still don't want to be the one that brings everyone to a screeching halt. I was told they didn't mind, but I couldn't get the nagging voice out of my head that maybe they did mind a little but was just walking with me to be nice. 6 solid miles were done. But as the day went on

This post has been sponsored by The J.M. Smucker Company. All opinions are completely my own. #Snackation Lil Man and I are never far from a snack bag. We are huge snackers, and we take snacks with us everywhere . Hubby found that out the hard way when Lil Man was a young toddler, and he didn't pack snacks for an outing. With that lesson learned, we truly don't leave the house without a snack of some kind. Our summer has been filled with outdoor picnics on the deck, the backyard, the playground, the pool, and the local amusement park. And because we are always on the go go go, I prefer to have snacks that are nutritious as well as easy to pack and carry. Our local Walmart makes a great #Snackation destination. With school just around the corner, Lil Man and I are packing in as many fun summer adventures as we can. We went to our local Walmart to scope out some great snacks for our upcoming adventure.

Really, I can't find my way out of a paper bag. I am that bad with directions. But there was this trail that I wanted to check out. There was an old stone tower, and 'the general' (an old steam engine), and rocks galore. I had a guide that I found from the internet, but even with this it took me 3 or 4 tries to find the trail entrance. Hubby helped me find it last night after dinner. And even this morning I still struggled to find it. I was discouraged, but he encouraged me to keep looking.  Honestly, I was scared about doing the hike. I have a hard enough time sticking to one trail, but this trail went from blue, to pink, to red, to yellow, to blue.. you get the picture. But hubby's last words to me were "You can do this. I know you can do it". So I took off. First I had to cross a creek.

I said I wouldn't do it, but before you start spewing harsh words at me, hear me out as to why I'm back on MyFitnessPal. Yes, yes, I remember my "I Stopped Counting Calories" speech. And I stand by my opinion that just counting calories is one of the reasons why I am where I am in this journey. I think health wise ( nutrition wise) I am probably the least healthy I have been in awhile. And for me, my personal journey, this began when I focused on calories and calories only. So I tracked. I didn't track. I tracked. I didn't track. I became obsessed with staying within my range. I went over. I would binge. It really started a not so nice downward spiral for me. So I know you are thinking why in tar-nation am I using MyFitnessPal or any calorie tracking app again?!? Here is why..

I noticed something about myself - when I use my FitSnap App  or post about my runs, I have a tendency to only post the pace when I feel that they are a ' decent ' pace for me. But you know, not every run is a 10 minute mile or less. So to only show my 'faster' pace runs... well.. it isn't a true representation or me or my running. And it got me to thinking about how I should be proud of all of my workouts - regardless of pace or distance. When I am trail running, I don't really think about pace. I would like to do the same thing when it comes to road running. Of course I want to improve. But I don't want to get hung up on pace. For me that is one big different between trail and road running - and I think it's one reason why I am enjoying trail running so much right now. Because it's just about the run...

We've all heard "there's an app for that". So when I hear about a new app, or an app that's new to me, I usually don't get too excited. I mean, do I really need another app for something else in my life? But when I was introduced to FitSnap in 2013, it didn't disappoint, and I have to say for me that this app is one of my most used apps. Since my initial experience with FitSnap, more themes are available ( for a small fee. I do have some of the paid themes and love them ), and there are more login options. Now, I don't have to look in my log to know my distance and time. I can easily ( and I do mean easily ) import from MapMyRun (MapMyFitness). Other login options are RunKeeper, Strava, and log in with Under Armour.

Sigh, double sigh, triple sigh.... today was supposed to be a trail run with someone at a place that I'd never run before. I blew off a race at that location ( to save my $40 and to bypass race jitters ), and decided to run with a local there instead. Unfortunately, two weeks later when this weekend rolled around, she was unable to run due to a nagging injury. I decided to take my longer run this weekend on the road since I'm so much slower on the trail. I didn't want to be gone most of the morning. We slept in which threw off my normal routine. I didn't get started until after 9. ( I'm usually running no later than 7:30 on the weekends ). By mile 2, I was already struggling. By mile 3 I felt like I was going to throw up, and had chills. Everything just hurt from my Achilles to my knee to my hamstring. I bagged the run at 6 miles, and walked a mile home.

It's no secret that I've struggled lately emotionally ( Is It Me? ) and physically with this entire hamstring thing. ( You can throw self confidence and body image in there also. ) So when I had the opportunity to review Sky Spills Over by Michael W. Smith  back in May, it couldn't have come at a more appropriate time.At first, my son and I loved the catchy tune, but the more I listened to they lyrics, the more I fell in love with this song. There's a rose in the desert Blooming red in the drought There's a quenching rain In the wings of the gathering clouds Lift your eyes Look to the horizon now There's still a hope for us Reach up from the dust And call it down (Source Sky Spills Over By Michael. W. Smith  http://vevo.ly/bPyzv2 That's when I had my aha moment -

Getting up early lately - the struggle is real. Twice this week I've turned off the alarm. The first time, well I'm Embarrassed By My Lack Of Control . The second time, I just didn't want to get up and run 6 miles. I woke up on time. But my body was tired. My mind was tired, and I stayed in bed. I knew I could get in a short workout once the family woke up.

*hanging my head in shame here* . Really, I'm truly embarrassed. So this is what happened. I'm struggling with doing my strength training. I was doing great as long as I was working with a trainer. But the funds for that ran out, and I'm left to my own devices to stay motivated and push myself to get the job done. Well.... I haven't. I had my last session with my trainer last Monday and didn't really pick up a weight since.... not one bicep curl was performed, or chest press, or lunge.. you get the picture. So last night I was determined that was going to change. I looked up the gym schedule and decided on the insane 5:15am class. I went to bed early. Fell asleep fairly quick ( which isn't normal for me ), and then Hubby came to bed late. He woke me up and I couldn't fall back to sleep. As in it was 2am and I'm fuming - absolutely fuming because I have laid awake all night with the goal of getting up at 4:30am to go workout. Around 2:30ish or so, I t

My entire life I was scared to do anything by myself. I let fear stop me. Fear held me back. But life is too short to be controlled by fear. I've always wanted to explore the trails, but yep, you guessed it, fear kept me from going. Then one day I decided just to do it. In fact, I was planning on giving up on running for a while - maybe forever - and I just felt the need to get out there and run/hike on the Appalachian Trail ( I Ran, I Walked, I Fell, I Bled, It was Awesome ) I did my very first point-to-point adventure. I left my car, and 6ish miles later, Hubby and Lil Man picked me up on the other side. And from that run a new passion was born. Actually I think the passion was there, I was just ready to finally push past the fear of doing something by myself. With each run, the woman who enters the woods, is not the same woman who emerges from the trail.