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Market Square Day 10K

June 12, 2012 By 17 Comments

Race Recap as promised…And you know, I believe pictures tell a story.  So, here ya go!

Saturday morning, I woke up, drank a cup of coffee, ate Greek yogurt, and did a few warm up stretches.  Off to Market Square Day the family went!

2,000 people of all ages lined up in downtown Portsmouth to run 6.2 miles.  On your mark, get set, GO..and we bottlenecked outta there.  I did my usual bob and weave through the crowds.  Honestly, I can’t stand to be squished while running.  Not too long after the start, we thinned out and turned a corner.  My sweet family was on the side cheering me on and B snapped this picture!

Yep, that’s a fist pump!  My signature.

We wound our way through town and the lulu girls were there cheering us on.  LOVE THEM!

Came up on mile 1 and I was averaging 7:20.  That is WAY too fast, for me, for a 6 mile run.  Why do I love to shoot out of the gate like Speedy Gonzalez?  I decided to slow a bit and keep a pace of 7:54-8:04.  My breathing regulated and I felt GOOD!  My earphones were driving me crazy, so I took them out and tucked them in my shirt.  This was a FIRST for me.  Music keeps me going, especially on a longer run.  Good news, I found out that I can run without music!

The course was really scenic taking us through streets of people cheering us on.  They blared music from their houses, turned on their sprinklers and held up signs.  Mile 1 turned into 2 and 40ish minutes later I was seeing seeing mile 5.

I was running next to several people, through the last mile, and we encouraged each other to stay strong for the home stretch.  I love community, don ‘t you?

Final time: 49:14.  Pace 7:54   34/413 Females   277/2000 Overall

This is a DEFINITE for next year.  AND look who I finally met??

Angela from Happy Fit Mama!  She and I have crossed paths a million times and never met.

Look at our race bibs: she was 1554 and I was 1555.  Meant to MEET!

Questions of the Day:

What is your favorite race distance?

Do you run with or without music?

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Launched!

January 28, 2012 By 1 Comment

In keeping with all things new, I took part in a NEW adventure today!  SeaCoast Fitness Club has a quarterly “launch” of all the Les Mill’s new programs, ie: BodyPump, BodyCombat and, BodyStep.  (I have been a part of launches in the past, but that was with Body Jam, my first teaching format.)  Because the club loves Zumba too, they also bring on a Zumba launch!  3 of the instructors were able to participate, so we each presented 5 shakin songs and had a blast!    Let me tell you that I felt nauseous before hand.  Why?  New crowd, don’t know a soul, new crowd, don’t know a soul…get the idea?  Thankfully, the instructors I taught with were awesome and the crowd was extremely welcoming.  Some even made mention of lovin the Georgia “accent.”

Here’a recap of the day in photos:

My old, but new favorite workout. Great weight class!

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Not quite what I had imagined…

January 12, 2012 By 3 Comments

Our first SNOW Slush!  ewww…kinda yucky actually.  For all of my southern friends, think about the rain that blows sideways, now imagine icee rain that blows sideways.  Yep, you have the picture of our morning here in Portsmouth.  We are on a 2 hour school delay and it’s not even fun to play in.  Oh well, I am sure the powder is coming.  Now, what to wear in these conditions?  1. Snow boots.  2. Hat and gloves. 3. Waterproof parka of some sort. 4. snow pants?–okay that may be extreme, after all it is only a little slushy.  This southern girl is learning, one weather change at a time!

Breakfast this morning was a winner!  You MUST try this and break out of your routine.  Step away from the cereal box and try this:

  • Whole Wheat Bagel Thin
  • Peanut Butter or SunButter (I prefer sunbutter, but we are out at the moment)
  • Banana sliced up
  • Cinnamon sprinkled across the top

This could be breakfast, lunch or a yummy snack during your busy day.

While we are on the breakfast subject, I grocery shopped yesterday and had a little extra time to think about what I was buying.  You know, read a few labels here and there.  If you know me (or Chef Mosley), I am all about the deal, but lately I could care less about the deals when it comes to what I am feeding my family.  In fact our grocery bill has gone up lately and I kinda want to pat myself on the back because that means we are eating more healthfully.

Truth be told, in the last year or so of my mom’s life, she shopped at 3 different grocery stores, on any day, to get the best organic selection of food.  (She passed away from cancer in 2007).  The grocery stores didn’t have huge health sections and there wasn’t a Trader Joes or Whole Foods near buy, but that did not deter her efforts.  She believed that what she was putting in her body could have changed the end result and anything she could do (even towards the end) could only help.

Not to get on a soap box, but please think about the real value of the few dollars you are saving.  Is it going to ultimately help you down the road?  Here’s an example:

So, this isn’t my favorite example because both are fairly healthy.  The one on the left is a box of Eggo Whole Wheat Waffles.  The one on the right is Kashi Whole Wheat waffles.  What I like about Kashi is that the ingredients are in words that I understand.  No long words that I have to look up, unlike Eggo.  No enriched flour, only whole wheat flour.  No thiamine mitrate or whatever it is (which is actually B1, who knew?)  No random chemicals that come at the end of the box (of most things).  However, Eggo is a dollar less…big deal!

Oh, and buy local if you can…then you are assured of where it is coming from!!

Who knew I was going to preach this morning?  I know you don’t have time to read every label on every box, but I do encourage you to spend a few more dollars so that you enjoy the value of life for you and your family.

 

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Confessions of a New Girl-week one

December 29, 2011 By 14 Comments

Good Morning…

Last night I went to a great Zumba class to take my mind off of not having to much to do. That worked until everyone was walking out with their friends, chatting it up.  I, on the other hand, stretched for a minute and hoped someone would miraculously come introduce themselves …and then walked out to my car and ….cried.  HA!  There, I said it…I admit it!  It’s hard!  BUT, who said it would be easy?  Anything that’s worth it comes with a price, right?

SO..here are the lessons I am learning:

  1. If you want to be included in a conversation (i.e.: preschool mothers hanging out waiting to pick up kids), you have to include yourself!  Yes, I have now butted in, in a southern way of course, several conversations.  ”Sunshine math?  Oh wow, I have a 2nd grader who works on that too.”  Blah, blah, blah…..
  2. Be a GOOD listener!  Taught a class yesterday morning to a sweet and small crowd.  Afterwards a lady needed to tell me her woes of the former instructors.  I listened and encouraged..she needed it!  Validate people—they truly need it!
  3. Look for a church, look for a gym, look for a mom’s club…LOOK AROUND.  Church-check.  Gym-check.  Mom’s club?  we’ll see.  Next on the list: Runner’s Club.
  4. Volunteer..teacher needs a parent for a field trip. Sure!  Room mom needs help with a party..here I am!  Fill the need when possible.
  5. Cry when it hurts.  Sure do miss the family and community back home…especially when my DAD tells me that my sister, brother and other family members are having a WONDERFUL time being together.  No harm meant, but man my heart hurt.
  6. Pour into the family…not sure we will ever have this time again.  Soaking up my daughter singing LOUDLY and dancing every chance she gets.  Purposefully trying to pay attention to the NFL stats that my son loves to tell me.

There it is..week one of my confessions.  Thanks for hanging with me…even I need someone to listen.

 

 

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And the vacation continues…

December 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Breakfast!-Greek yogurt with peaches, granola and flax seeds

 

So, some days you go to see the Rockettes and others, well..ya do house projects.  See, we are in a little bit of a bind because we are renting for now.  The question becomes how do you make a house feel like home when it’s not really yours?  We could easily just leave things the way they are, but 4 single guys lived here and …you get the idea.

Yesterday we made the decision to take the kitchen from a dingy white to a cream…who knew something so neutral could make such a difference.  Next, the foyer is gonna get a pop of color and then onto the office.  Oh and while we are at it, I think we will go ahead a paint the living room and the dining room.  Crazy?  Maybe, but it is our home for the next 2 years and it needs a teeny bit of work..insert the laugh.

Thank goodness I have a decorator in my life to help me in the process.  Have you met her?  Check out her blog!  She painted the best picture for me when she said, “Cheryl if you took the roof off your home, what is the common thread of color you would see through the downstairs?  Find something that can tie the rooms together.”  Ahhhh..now it makes sense.  So, that’s how grownups decorate!  See, I am a bit of slow learner when it comes to putting furnishings and color together.

Before--dingy white

A bit creamy..better!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Changes are coming! Sample of color to the right.

Light fixture gotta GO

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Something Green

December 24, 2011 By 1 Comment

And so the grocery preparations begin: Turkey, dressing, potatoes, casseroles, salad?

Gotta have the salad even it is a leaf of lettuce that hosts fruit, right?!  On to my point…I have found a new type of lettuce.  Well, actually it has been around forever, but it is new to me.  LIVING lettuce.  About a year ago, we switched from the bag lettuce to heads of lettuce.  Just felt that the other was “treated” to last longer or they could charge more for the convenience.  Since we have moved to NE, I have had a little more time to scout around the grocery store and the living lettuce has caught my attention.  At $2.99, I felt it was fairly reasonable and worth a shot!  Benefits:

  • NO chemicals
  • Can last up to 18 days
  • Draws nutrients from the rootball..it’s ALIIVVEE
  • Tastes fresh and wonderful
So, as you finish up your grocery shopping for your Christmas feast, look for the Living lettuce.  You will love it!

We have eaten most of ours...

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