{Motivation Monday-Runkeeper App}

Posted in Motivation Monday by sneaksandstilettos

An app I’ve had for a couple years that I find super useful and motivating is the Runkeeper app. In warmer weather I often use it to track my miles as I run so I only have to bring my iPhone along on my run. In winter months the phone battery won’t last, so I rely on my Garmin. Despite not using the app all winter to track my actual runs, I still use it to log my activities after each run. Tracking my weekly, monthly, and yearly miles is very motivating to me.

This winter my motivation has been all over the place so this has really helped me. Knowing I will get to enter my miles into Runkeeper after a run has motivated me to complete runs I might have other wise skipped. I also find myself wanting to run further than the month before or complete more activities than the month before. After entering each run it automatically calculates my progress towards the yearly goal I made for myself (to run 1500 miles). Seeing that percentage increase and the bar grow keeps me wanting to run my miles.

I also love the graphics and home screen. Looking over data from past years is encouraging, too. If you don’t have the app or don’t use it often consider using it to track your future runs and measure your progress!

Happy Monday!

3Feb2014

{Motivational Monday-Best Post-Workout Foods}

Posted in Motivation Monday by sneaksandstilettos

Since I’ll be wrapping up my Fueling for the Long Run post tonight, I thought I’d share a quick motivation to eat the right foods…perhaps more importantly I should say real foods to power your workouts and recover after.

It’s easy to reach for foods that are fast, easy to prepare, and not so healthy for us when you are starving post-run. These are the moments you learn the hard way not to go grocery shopping in or else you’ll come home with bags full of things seven year olds would have begged for; foods you haven’t bought in years or ever.

To avoid this sabotaging hungry take over, make sure to have healthy snacks at home. Remove the temptation and replace it with healthy foods you would reach for. Here are 14 foods to eat post-workout to that will leave you feeling happy and accomplished not defeated after the fact.

Stay tuned for my fueling for the long run post tonight. Happy Monday!

27Jan2014

{Motivation Monday}

Posted in Motivation Monday by sneaksandstilettos

Each week is a fresh start. Forget about last week. Today is a new day. You get to decide how you want your week to start. Believe you can and you will! Win out over excuses.

Whatever your most common excuse, be stronger than it this week. Sort of along the lines of my Don’t Act You Age post, don’t let age or other common lines get you down this week. Look at this guy makin’ it happen!

Make it happen!

Happy Monday!

20Jan2014

{Motivation Monday-Self-Discipline}

Posted in Motivation Monday by sneaksandstilettos

After lasts weeks loss with the running battle (read about it here), I am determined to get back on track this week. Success as a runner and in life requires overcoming challenges, time management, and determination. A lot of times this comes down to a little self-discpline.

This was the theme at school last week and ever since, it has been on my mind. How do you teach teens (and adults for that matter) to be self-disciplined? That things you wait for can be more rewarding? That the little choices you make all the time can become the big choices? I tend to think that runners have a lot of self-discipline, but where exactly does that come from? While we learn a lot of our self-discipline by watching others who have this skill, there are always those who lack those role models in their life and go on to be resilient human beings. While I ponder these questions and thoughts, there is one thing I’m certain-running builds self-discipline that carries over even outside your running shoes.

Last week was a testament to my temporary lack of self-discipline, however I think we are all allowed those weeks now and again. Having a bad week sometimes reminds me of why we do work hard for the things we want, sacrifice certain things in exchange for other things we want more, and find challenging tasks more rewarding than the easy. This week let’s be self-disciplined. Let’s work through the challenges of fitting miles into our calendar. Let’s push through the excuses so we might be proud of ourselves at weeks end. Stronger. More determined. Better able to face other challenges in our life. Let’s focus on what we want most, not what we want now. Closer to the goals we have that will be so sweet and rewarding to accomplish. Bring on the self-discipline.

Happy Monday!

13Jan2014

{Motivation Monday}

Posted in Motivation Monday by sneaksandstilettos

Start your week on the right foot. What are your weekly fitness goals? Plan ahead for your best chance at being successful this week. When will you do that workout? When will you run those miles. Don’t give life a chance to get in the way!

Training or not, I usually plan ahead what days I will run and rest. This increases my chance at getting those miles in and leaves less room for life to ruin my intentions. If you haven’t done this before, try it this week. Weeks like the one I have this week require special planning. With meetings and obligations everyday after school this week, I have to plan my workouts wisely. It’s far too easy to get home and say you don’t feel like working out. If you planned on it all day and week, then your less likely to break the commitment to yourself.

Make your health a priority this week and every week.

Happy Monday!

6Jan2014

{Motivation Monday-Winter Miles Challenge}

Posted in Motivation Monday by sneaksandstilettos

We all know winter running is a challenge, so why not make a challenge out of it. With snow, ice, wind, and wind chill warnings in my area, we need all the support and encouragement we can get from each other. Run with Jess knows this so she created this amazing challenge that will keep you sticking to your running goals, and give you the chance to win awesome running prizes each week you reach your goal. Click the button on the bottom of my sidebar anytime to get more information or click the link here (http://www.runwithjess.com/2013/12/winter-miles-challenge-2014.html#.Usb6Cij440M).

The winter miles challenge lets you set your own goal based on your current level of fitness. Maybe you are new to running or just coming back from an injury, then ten miles a week would be a great goal. Maybe you are in ultra marathon running shape and 50 miles a week is your goal. The point is YOU decide how far you want to push yourself during the weeks of January 6th-March 2 (often the most challenging times to stay motivated in the midwest). Sign up to run at least 10, 20, 30, 40 or 50 miles a week. Each week you will post your mileage. If you reach your goal you will be entered to win that weeks running related prize. Prizes include things like Yak Traks, compression socks, jewelry, and more!

I signed up last Friday! Will you join me? You have nothing to lose. Come on and let’s run some winter miles with Run with Jess! How to dress for those miles? Check out my post about what to wear on winter runs .

Happy Monday!

30Dec2013

{Motivation Monday-Marathon Training Begins Today}

Posted in Motivation Monday by sneaksandstilettos

Today marks a day I never thought would occur. My husband (and I) start marathon training. Ryan was the guy who was adamant that he never wanted to run a marathon. He said over and over that he had no desire to run long training runs and race 26.2 miles. He didn’t ever want running ten miles to feel like nothing. He liked his toes unbruised and unblistered. I respected his choice and never pushed him to sign up for the full marathon.

You can imagine my surprise when he announced this fall that he wanted to run a full marathon. We’ve ran four half marathons together, yet I never saw this coming. When I met Ryan he ran, but never more than 2-3 miles and not during the cold of winter. I guess being around me started to rub off on him.

Our training starting today is perfect in so many ways-the holiday weight gain from too many treats, new year and new goals, and cold weather lack of motivation.

What new goal or challenge will you go for this year? Running a marathon may not be for you, but what else might be. Dream big. Work hard. Persevere and you might find yourself a happier, healthier, better version of yourself in a few months. Overcoming challenges will give you the reward of knowing you accomplished something difficult for the rest of your life.

Happy Monday!

23Dec2013

{Motivation Monday-Failed Goals}

Posted in Motivation Monday by sneaksandstilettos

My post is a bit late this morning. I honestly had better things to do yesterday as indicated in the below photo.

Yesterday at the game I wanted us (which of course us=Packers) to win so bad! I had been hoping, wishing, and throwing out superstitions left and right. The reality is that we don’t always get what we want.

Sometimes we work really hard to achieve a goal. Sometimes we train really hard for that race, wanting a PR so badly, but in the end we come up short. This year I ran two of my slowest races even though I really tried to push through the physical pain and mental anguish I was experiencing.

I got to thinking about all the losses and failures a lifetime gives and remembered how much we can learn from these failures. Each unmet goal gives us the opportunity to use that failed success to learn from it, to make a change in the way we prepare for the goal, and to be honest with ourselves.

When I looked at my unsuccessful races, that job I didn’t get days out of college (thank gosh in the end-I got a way better job a month later), and earning a D on my first test in college, I realized on all accounts-I hadn’t prepared the way I should have. I didn’t deserve to be successful on those occasions.

But, what if you really did prepare. You put in the miles, the speed work, and the mental preparation. Sometimes we just don’t get there. Missing my ultimate goal to qualify for Boston this year by 1:36 was rough. Getting injured preparing to try again was brutal. Failure hurts, is frustrating, and can even be maddening at times. But it also makes you stronger, tougher, better able to take on challenges in all aspects of life.

This year when looking at successful goals you accomplished don’t forget to pay attention to the ones you didn’t reach. You’ll be stronger and better prepared to meet that goal next time. And, if you’re the Packers, you sometimes get lucky off of others not meeting their goals- Although it won’t feel as good or rewarding.

Games will be lost. Goals failed. It is what you do with those experiences that ultimately makes you successful.

Happy Monday!

16Dec2013

{Motivation Monday}

Posted in Motivation Monday by sneaksandstilettos

With the stress of the holidays all around us, don’t forget the power of a workout. Even a short workout or knocking out a few miles can deliver a needed endorphin punch to your holiday stress. With so much to do it can be easy to say you don’t have time, but taking roughly ten minutes to run at least a mile or do that mini-circuit workout could not only give you more holiday cheer, but also help you accomplish more. Going to my happy pace has been my saving grace these days.

Oh, and thinking about planning running routes with him, too. Sorry guys, but I had to.

Happy Monday!

I’m working on the Ugly Sweater 5k race report now!

9Dec2013

{Motivation Monday-Winter Cold And Yuck!}

Posted in Motivation Monday by sneaksandstilettos

So this post is much later than normal, but that is with good reason. Yesterday was sort of crazy! We were supposed to host Friendsgiving, and we did but it was not as expected. One friend and her husband got in an car accident on the way to our house, so they didn’t make it. Another friend’s husband ended up taking his brother to the airport and with slippery, snowy roads wouldn’t make it back in time. Instead of eight of us there were five. On top of that I wasn’t feeling well, but thought I knew why.

Fast forward an hour or two after our guests left. I was feeling terrible, but had fallen asleep on the couch (it was 8:00 p.m.-I never do that). All of a sudden I hear Ryan yelling and racing off the couch because…our Christmas tree had fallen over! How that happened we haven’t a clue…Elf??!! Elf claims no involvement in the incident.

He caught it before it hit the table with a candle burning on it. I shot up off the couch to help. Ornaments were everywhere, although only a few shattered on the floor. Now picture this, Ryan is trying to screw the tree back in the stand while I’m standing and holding the tree. I realized the sudden movement had made me feel extra queasy. That’s right the taco chicken chili our guests enjoyed would be coming back up! I ran to the bathroom leaving Ryan to hold the tree from the bottom until I came back. This process happened about four more times before we got the tree up. Poor Ryan was stuck under that tree for awhile, poor me and my repeated up chucking! I’d like to say the grossness was over, but it was a long night.

Needless to say I’ve broken my #rwrunstreak (bah humbug) and missed my #elf4health circuit workout today. Hopefully I’m feeling healthy enough to workout tomorrow. Today was a day spent in the couch feeling like crap. I’m hoping to eat something tonight. Days like yesterday and today are good reminders of how great it feels when we are healthy. I’m far too often guilty of taking my health for granted. Being sick and an accident are all reminders that someday we might not be healthy or able to do what we want to do.

This week and in the future don’t put off what you could do today. Take that challenge and go for it. You never know when that opportunity might be taken from you. Run in that cold weather. Do the thing you’ve always wanted to do, but seem to always put off.

Oh, and make sure your trees are secure people!