Will Run For Ice Cream

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. It's happened to the best of us. I've done it, my kid has done it, my husband has done it.. even my dog has done it. What am I talking about? .... knocking over a mug full of something ( usually coffee or tea for me ). I've ruined books, the carpet.. ( don't tell the IT guy ) but my computer once got soaked with a cup full of green tea. When I heard about The Mighty Mug  I honestly thought that it seemed a little too good to be true, but I was willing to give it a try.

I have been compensated in the form of a gift card/money/coupon and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free. All opinions expressed are mine and honest in nature. I might be showing my age here, but do you remember the portable cassette players? Or the CD player and you were so excited to get one with the 'no skip' function? I remember trying to run and walk with those devices. Then came the ipods and wow did my world open up. Then you could listen to the radio or your own music. And now with smart phones you can do all sort of things like watch and listen to videos, games, stream music and the list goes on and on. So why am I talking about these things?

Full Disclosure: I have partnered with Thule to #giveaway a Thule jogging stroller, but I have not been compensated in any form.  I remember when Lil Man was a baby. My only time to get in a workout was before Hubby went to work. Which meant I had to run at 5am or 6am after being up most of the night with Lil Man. You guessed it, those early morning runs just didn't happen most days. I tried. I really did, but I was exhausted. Yes, I have a treadmill which helped. But it didn't give me the freedom ( or the fresh air ) that my jogging stroller did. Pushing the stroller was hard. It became a challenge that I looked forward to overcoming. And on those days that running just wasn't going to happen, walking could. So I did. I could take Lil Man out at any time and get some exercise and fresh air. Sometimes it was all we needed to change both of our moods.

Ok, let me start off by saying, in the past I've stuck to the cardio machines. Oh, you know the one who knows every piece of cardio equipment at the gym. ( Slowly raises hand ). But, this past year I've been working on strength training. Yep, that means moving out of my cardio comfort zone and branching out to other parts of the gym. And I get the looks sometimes that I'm in 'their way'. Ahem, my weights might only be 10-20lbs instead of your 50lb+ but it's my workout! (says my inner bad self although at times I find myself slinking over to give them more room. ) But I have to say that hogging a machine isn't cool. Have you ever run into a situation where someone will use 3 or more machines at once?

One of the hardest things for me to do is 'rest'. Anyone else have this problem? Not sure if it's just my personality, or my inner need to constantly be in motion, but I rarely sit. And if I sit, I rarely just relax. I find myself always doing 'something'. Well several Sundays ago, the Church service was about eliminating hurry from your life. You can view the sermon here  https://vimeo.com/137764689  ( and yeah I think it's pretty cool that we can watch the sermons online. It comes in super handy if we can't make it to church or if we want to hear it again )  But this sermon really hit home with me because I do really struggle with #HurrySickness. So that Sunday, I took a moment to really examine my life and my actions.  EVERYTHING that I did I did in a hurry.

As the kids go back to school, and the air starts turning a little chilly at night, my mind drifts to running in the Winter. Although running in the winter can be challenging, it can also be fun. Here are some Winter Running Tips to help you with your winter running.

I know that some of you know me personally; some of you don't. So I thought I'd take a moment to introduce myself. I'm a Southern Girl who was transplanted to Pennsylvania in 2007. I love the mountains, the rivers, and the trails. I love the 4 distinct Seasons, and I find Pennsylvania to be beautiful. I do not miss the heat of Mississippi. I do however miss the South. I miss my family, Southern Hospitality, the SEC, fried catfish, and amazing BBQ.  I will forever bleed maroon and white. #HailState But for now, Pennsylvania is home, and I'm trying my best to enjoy my present. 

I did one trail race ( Charlie Horse Half Marathon ) back in 2012. It was my first trail race, and I did it with a friend because her brother-in-law had registered and couldn't run it with her. They allowed an easy 'legal' transfer. So that has been my only 'organized' trail race experience. When I signed up for the Susquehanna SuperHike , I still wasn't sure what I was getting into. I've been running on the Appalachian Trail. So I at least felt a little more prepared. I knew that the course description said 'daunting', and upon registration I didn't focus much on that. As time came closer for the race, the word 'daunting' became bigger and bigger ha. I was nervous. I didn't have a clue what I was getting into. I've never been to this area before, and I didn't know how hard it was going to be to find my way.

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 .  It's no secret that I am .. umm... shall we say a little blessed in the chest area. In the past I have worn two sports bras at once to try to help minimize the bounce, the pain, and just hold the girls in place. Then one day I said enough is enough and started the search for a 'good' sports bra. I found a couple that I liked 'ok', and they got me through marathon training the last couple of years. But like most women, many of us are wearing the wrong size bra or just the wrong style. It was like taking a stab in the dark as to what to try to see what worked. I wish I'd stumbled upon Title Nine a couple of years ago. The have a Bra Genie . Yep, you read that right. You should check it out. After answering a few questions, it gives you some suggestions on which bra to choose.

Let me see a show of hands. How many of you regularly use the rowing machine? Of all of the machines at the gym, for me, I've only used the rowing machine when I was injured. It was my go-to torture device. I would always comment on how it felt like a full body workout. However, once my injury would heal, I would go back to my normal equipment. And the rowing machine would just be a machine that I walked by but never used. Until.... this past week.

Correct me if I'm wrong, maybe Dads feel the pressure too? But in my experience, when you hear about a dad working out, you hear 'He's taking care of himself. He's keeping in shape so he can be be there for his family etc etc'. Yet, in my experience, when you hear about a Mom working out you hear "I can't believe she puts her kid in the gym child care so she can workout. She runs after her kids go to bed? That's just crazy!! I hear she runs at 5am before her family gets up. That's insane!" and the comments go on and on. When I am asked about my working out, I immediately feel that I need to justify why. Today, a friend innocently asked how many hours do I feel that I need to spend at the gym.