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. If you haven't tried a virtual race, I really encourage you to check it out.  ( You can read more about virtual racing here ) This is my 2nd Virtual race with Running On The Wall   and I did the If It Doesn't Challenge You, It Doesn't Change You 10K  Once again, the race packet was awesome - and I mean awesome!!

Full Disclosure: I received a pair of socks free of charge for the purpose of providing a review. My opinions are completely my own based on my experience . My feet are always cold... always.. and this time of the year into the Winter, it can be really painful - especially when I'm running/hiking/exercising. It's easy for to me to 'layer' to keep my body warm, but keeping my feet warm isn't as easy. I was excited to give Cloudline Premium Merino Wool Socks a try. Because the Cloudline socks were a little thicker than my normal socks I was a little concerned that maybe they would be too thick for my trail shoes. Surprisingly

For the first time in a very long time, I left a race feeling.... happy... satisfied... content. When I saw the clock, I felt a little disappointment, and felt myself saying.. If I just hadn't walked to catch my breath...  but I immediately stopped myself.. because the truth is.. I needed those steps. I couldn't breathe.  It't no secret that the last year or more I have struggled. In fact, the last race that I ran where I left happy was the DMP Dash in April of 2014. And if I'm going to be brutally honest, that race was about beating others (and their finish time). I ran it hard, and all out, and I did PR which I am very proud of ... but it wasn't about finishing as much as finish times. Today, my first 5K in over a year, was about running for the sake of running, and getting a baseline of where I am fitness wise. My finish time was

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. Truthfully, I didn't know that powdered peanut butter existed until I started drinking protein shakes. I enjoyed the taste of peanut butter, but I was trying to cut calories. Powdered Peanut Butter was a great fit. Mighty Nut makes a great powdered peanut butter, but it's not just for 'protein' shakes. I'm finding that powdered peanut butter can be used in a variety of ways. You might be saying, what exactly is powdered peanut butter?

It's been awhile since I've been back on the trail. I'm still not 100% well from this virus thing that's really had me down ( Out Of My Control) . I had planned to get in a recovery road run, but the night before I had a horrible headache (still). Instead, I decided to push it off since it was pretty chilly out. By afternoon, it was a beautiful fall day. I decided to go up to the Appalachian Trail for a relaxing recovery run. A few steps into the run,

Full Disclosure: I received an electronic copy of The Food Dare so that I could review the product. My opinions are completely my own based on my experience. It feels like everywhere that I turn there is some new fad, some new potion, some new drink or some new lotion to try to make you lose weight or instantly become healthy. Everyone has their theories, and just because it works for someone doesn't mean that it will work for you. That being said, I was given the opportunity to read The Food Dare . The Food Dare is more about enhancing your diet and establishing healthy eating habits instead of a quick fix drop X weight kind of thing. Because, let's face it, how many times have you lost the weight to just gain it back? Chances are the reasons were because you didn't build healthy eating habits.

As I was sitting in my car while Lil Man was sleeping. ( We had a busy morning at ZooAmerica and then lunch with friends. He fell asleep about 5 minutes from home. He's never been one to transfer well. So I decided to read my devotionals that I am very behind on .) And I'm not even sure how my mind went to this thought, maybe it was because my devotional was dealing with pride , but I started thinking about how lately I've been enjoying just running. I'm getting back into racing (I have several virtual races on my calendar. I just completed my first 10K with Running On The Wall ). And I have officially registered for an upcoming 5K in October, and a 5 miler in November. This will be my first 5K in over a year. It's not easy to go run a distance at a much slower pace than you've run it in the past. Or it isn't for me anyway.

In church, we've been talking about the Upper Story and the Lower Story (cliff notes version is that what you think is supposed to happen or how it's supposed to happen doesn't necessarily mean that's the way it's going to happen or should happen)  Fast forward to today.. the day before my 28 mile race.. the one that I registered for on a whim, one that I was actually really looking forward to the challenge... pretty sure I would finish but as you know anything can happen.. but ready to give it a try...

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. I would say it's that time of the year where germs abound. But the truth is - with our busy summer days at the pool, playgrounds and amusement parks, all year round is 'germy' for us. And when washing our hands with soap and water isn't an option, Purell is a great option. I wish I'd received this Purell pack a few weeks go!

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. Are you familiar with virtual races? I'm new the virtual racing scene, but I believe that I'm going to enjoy it. I think one of the benefits about a virtual race that I like is that you can truly make it your own (which is exactly what I've needed to do lately)  A virtual race is just like an organized race except that you decide in most cases which day you'll run it.You create your own route. Set your own time, and then run or run/walk or walk the distance. And with Running On The Wall   not only are there several races to choose from, but the race packet is awesome! I registered for the She Believed She Could So She Did 10K and