Happy Halloween and Running Stuff

We carved pumpkins with the kids last night, this was actually the second set of pumpkins carved, the first set was done several weeks ago and had to be thrown out.  They got nasty. The kids were very worried about having them for Halloween so we made another set.  Sadly I didn't get pictures of the first round, but these turned out pretty good.

My daughter designed hers (on the left) and I found the Bobcat stencil for my son who is a huge Montana State football fan.

I did my first set of intervals in forever yesterday.  I was feeling a little sluggish when I ran my warmup miles so I didn't know how well the workout would go.  It ended up feeling great, sometimes the legs just need some speed!

I did a 2 mile warm up at about 9 minute pace and then quarter mile intervals with quarter mile recoveries x8 and then a 1 mile "cooldown". I put cool down in parenthesis because it was at 7:35 pace. It just felt good!

Then I mowed the lawn for hopefully the last time this year.  It was very overdue and the lawn looks so much better!

My next race is a 5k on my birthday which coincidentally is Thanksgiving this year.  I know it won't be a PR attempt, but I haven't run a 5k this year at all! One 5 mile, one 10k, 3 half marathons, and a relay.  I do want to make a decent attempt at it though, hence the intervals.  I will keep trying to get them in once a week until Thanksgiving.

I have been good so far about not running anything over an hour, which is my plan until after the new year sometime. This for me means about 7 miles give or take.  7 miles is kind of my run happy spot anyway.

Little cowgirl was apparently worn out as she fell asleep early last night snuggled up with Runty.

A girl's got to get her beauty sleep to get ready for tonight!

What is your run happy spot?
Did you carve pumpkins?

Just a day in the life, but I did run.

I started out the day really good.. it is a day off work and I had plans to get things done!

I woke up at 3, and tried to fall back asleep, but somewhere in the night the bed had gained some more sleepers (both kids) and I was hot and crowded,  I rolled out at 3:30 to go and make coffee.  I discovered I was all out of grounds and only had whole beans. 

I filled the grinder up with coffee beans and tried to muffle the sounds by covering it with towels and my sweatshirt.  It helped a little, but still sounded way too loud.  I was trying not to wake up anyone else.

I did Christine Felstad's Intermediate Yoga for runners.  and almost made it through the whole hour and a half.  Everyone else got up early too, so I made breakfast and helped the kids get ready for school. 


Runty watched me do yoga for awhile, but eventually fell asleep in her little nest

After they left I cleaned out my closet, my room, the living room, put away some laundry and then picked up my book.  I knew I shouldn't have. I was just planning to read a chapter.  I usually reserve reading for right before bedtime because I can sit and read for hours.  If I read at bedtime I am pretty good about putting it down after half an hour so I can get a good night's sleep.

Two hours later I was still reading my book.  I got up put on my running clothes and then picked my book back up.  Eeek!

I read this book years ago, it's still a page turner

I did manage to limit reading time to another half hour and then I made myself clean the kitchen and dining room before heading out for a very windy run. The plan was 7 miles easy.  My Garmin was beeping low battery at me.  Nice. 

I briefly considered using the elliptical instead, but Instagrammers posting their runs sealed the deal and out the door I went into the gusty wind.

I stopped at one point to tie my shoe and noticed Cola sitting there looking hunched up.  Pretty soon he started vomited bile.  I waited until he was done and then we headed home.  5 windy miles.  5 super windy miles.  I was glad I braided my mane. 

I ate a little lunch and was just sitting down to blog when I got a call from the school saying I had a sick kid. So I left to go get my sick kid in my running get up.

so matchy matchy, note even my bra peeking out matches my shoes.

It is an hour round trip to the school and back, so by the time I picked her up, visited with the secretary about running and got home I felt like most of the day was gone.  Happily for me I don't have to cook supper tonight as we are going out to dinner with family. (unless my "sick" kid is still "sick")(She has already assured me she will feel better by then so I am not planning to cook)

I do miss those days sometimes when I could sit in the chair all day with my book and a cup of tea and read the hours away, but I know in another blink of an eye my kids will be all grown up and I will have that time again.

 Until then I will be busy cleaning up overturned bottles of glittery blue nail polish from my dresser (true story, happened this morning, the cleaning part anyway, not sure when it spilled.  Maybe yesterday?) and picking up little orange rubber bullets and yellow foam nerf bullets in all corners of the house.

At least I got in my 5 miles.

Running + Fall Weather = Happy Girl, Yep Yep that's where it's at

 Might be a little picture over load here, but due to so many bears in the area over the summer I really limited where I ran so I was happy to have some new scenery. Yesterday I decided I could run on the same routes I had been all summer, or go for it.  I went for it.  I was wearing my bear spray of course.

Such a great decision.  I am feeling really good since the half marathon on Sunday.  I wonder if that means I could have ran it harder? Maybe, but I was pretty pooped the last two miles, so I say nope. I am going to chalk it up to being in such great shape!

Don't these roads just seem to say "come run here"  I always think they do.

I swear this is like a happy spot picture, I could stare at it all day

 These girls were pretty curious about me.  I was busy trying to avoid their droppings on the road.

 Love love love these wide open spaces. 

Originally I was only going to do 5 miles, with the option of quitting at 4 if my legs were tired from the half marathon.  I ended up running 6 and I felt like I could have kept running and running.

These last couple weeks have been the best weather wise and all the colors on the trees are so beautiful right now too along the creek bottoms.

Yep yep, that's where's it's at.

Mizuno Wave Rider 18 Review

I was sent a pair of Mizuno Wave Rider 18s for review purposes through my affliation with FitFluential as an ambassador.  I am not required to give a positive review. 

I had not worn the Wave Riders before so I was excited to get to try out a new to me shoe that I hear a lot of good things about.  My little sister loves them.

First impressions:
This is a beautiful shoe.  I love how the black fades to white and the mint green accents. We didn't get to pick what color we were going to get, but this was easily the color I would have picked so I was very pleased to see them when I opened the box.


aren't they pretty? Pretty isn't what makes a good running shoe though so read on!

To me this shoe looks well made and I like all the attention to detail. They also come in a blue and a pink, both of which are beautiful also.

Comfort: The shoes feel good on. I drift between a size 8.5 and a size 9 (I swear my feet are still growing) when in doubt I size up.  Size nines were a perfect fit. They feel cushiony without overdoing it.   I think the only thing I would change about them is too make the toe box a little wider. I am a big fan of a wide and roomy toe box.

They feel responsive and flexible on my feet.  Have you ever had a pair of shoes that felt like you were running with bricks on? These will not feel like that.  Trust me.  I had a pair of shoes like that once. These feel responsive and hug my feet comfortably.  I am a fan of the Mizuno Wave Technology!

Want to see more views?  Of course you do.

sorry, they are a little dirty, but I was more excited about running in them than taking pictures right away

I did several runs in them and then decided to run a half marathon in them.  I had a little rubbing on the outside of  my big toe, but other than that they felt great for the whole 13.1 miles. I didn't feel like my heel was sliding around and I loved that I didn't have to adjust the laces, it was like they were set up for me.


I think Cola wishes he had some so those pesky goat heads won't get in his paws

I am two days post half marathon and feel great, I like to think part of that is my training and part these great shoes.

Mizuno bills the Wave Rider 18 as a great light weight every day trainer.  At 7.8 oz it is currently one of the lightest shoes in my running line up.  It has the Mizuno U4IC midsole.  What is that you wonder?

 

 U4ic midsole delivers optimal shock attenuation, durability and a superior ride that's 30% lighter than AP+. Innovatively light and well cushioned, discover your next brilliant run with U4ic. (from their site)

I learned a new Japanese word while working on this review.. "Hado" which means "the intrinsic vibrational life force energy that promotes powerful transformations".  It is a concept adopted by Mizuno.  I love it.  They create beautiful, functional shoes that help people transform their lives through the possibility that comes running. 

What is your favorite running shoe colors right now?
Have you tried these shoes before?
Have you ever picked shoes for their color? I have.. not always a good decision.

These shoes retail for $119, I was provided with them for this review. This is a review sponsored through my affliation with Fitfluential.  All opinions are my own. I will be wearing these out.

Shoes and Brews Half Marathon Recap and Review

A large part of why I did this half marathon was I really had it in my head that I wanted to do three half marathons this year and so far I only had two in the books.  This was also on a course that I did my very first half marathon on four years ago.  I went out like it was a 5k and by the turn around point was busy swearing off halfs for the rest of my life.

Packet pickup was Saturday at a local sports store and seemed easy and organized enough, although the two girls doing it seemed a little clueless about a lot of things.  They were able to tell me only about 40 people were signed up for the half.

I knew it was going to be on the smaller side, but I wasn't expecting tiny.

I got to the race about 20 minutes early, which for me is practically late.  Happily there was no line for the 3 whole porta potties they had and I cycled through twice before the race started.  I might have drank too much water on the way to the race because as soon as the gun went off I felt like I had to pee again. 

I told myself there was supposed to be two porta potties along the way and I could just use one of those if it came down to it.

Back to the gun going off... I went out easy snail pace (as least that is what it feels like at the start of the race when I am wanting to RUN!) and soon found myself with 3 guys and 2 girls in front of me.  The two girls didn't last long and I passed them before the first mile was up.  and one of the guys.

The miles went along pretty easy and I seemed to keep the splits in the mid to low 7:40s.  I worried a little around mile 4 because I seemed to be breathing pretty hard, but whatever that was worked itself out and my breathing was good again by the 5th mile.

The course was an out and back along the Yellowstone River and it was really beautiful with all the leaves changing colors.  They didn't close the road to traffic, but it is a pretty quiet road.

I got passed by another guy sometime before the turn around.  I was glad at least for the three guys in front of me, I find having someone to catch very motivational.

I was still feeling really good at the turn around but there was still no porta pottie!!  NONE along the whole route and I still had to pee!!  One of the guys in front of me paused to pee in the bushes and I considered doing the same, but figured I could last and I did.

Miles 9 and 10 had quit a bit of gradual uphill and were two of my slowest miles. Mile 11 was my fastest. I felt really good until the last two miles and then I was feeling tired! I kept pushing knowing the end was in sight. I ran super consistent and have to admit being a bit surprised with how good it all felt.

Splits
Mile 1  7:49              Mile 8  7:42
Mile 2  7:42              Mile 9  7:52
Mile 3  7:40              Mile 10  7:48
Mile 4  7:44              Mile 11  7:38
Mile 5  7:42              Mile 12  7:49
Mile 6  7:43              Mile 13  7:45
Mile 7  7:41              Mile .10  37 seconds at 6:36 pace

Final Garmin stats
13.10 miles
1:41:11
7:44 pace

Overall impressions:
Route: It's a beautiful out and back with rolling hills.  I felt the hills more on the way back than the way out, but they aren't horrible.

Water stations: I carry my own because I cannot drink and run at the same time out of a cup without half of it going up my nose.  They had one at the 5k turnaround (about a mile and a half in) one at the 10k turnaround (about 3.1 miles in) and one at the half turnaround 6.55 miles in.  One more wouldn't have hurt anything in my opinion, but once again I carry my own and was glad I did.

Organization:  Packet pickup, the race start, and finish line all seemed organized.  They didn't advertise well and it showed in the very small turnout.  It was hard to find any info on the race and a lot of it was really vague.

Swag:  Tech tee, but unisex and a beer glass.  No medals for the half and no age group awards. No awards at all.  This was disappointing, especially since one of the girls that ran the half emailed them asking if there was going to be medals and they said there would be. I talked to the race director afterwards and she said several people had asked her about them and she might do something after the fact for the half marathon runners.   She had decided the beer glasses would make up for no medals.  Some people may think so, I kind of really like getting a medal.

Post race:  They had beer, water and sandwich boxes that had a good turkey or ham sandwich, orange, bag of chips and small candy bars.  I ate part of the sandwich, drank about half a beer and save the rest for the kids.  I just can't eat that much after a half marathon, but it was a nice touch.

I would do this race again, medal or no. It is local and the route is beautiful.

A Mystery Solved

By the time you read this I may already have run my half marathon, but I have some time this morning to blog so why not tell you the story of the missing charging cord and put down some goals for today.

flat Christy ready to run! except she will be wearing shoes too!

My running hasn't been super consistent the last three weeks due to working more than usual, kid activities and cow work, but I have been running some and I got in a good 13 mile run two weeks ago so I know I can run a half this morning, it just won't be the fastest of the year.  I do like having goals though so I am going to set some down.

A goal (as in shoot for the stars) Finish under 1:40 (likelihood of this happening is not good, hilly course, and not consistent training) this requires running a 7:37 pace or better.  Like I said it's a shoot for the stars, everything aligns kind of goal.

B goal (I feel this is more real, but still going to require a bit of effort) Finish in under 1:45 which will require an 8 minute or better per mile pace.  This is where I am going to start.  I will evaluate how I feel after the first three miles and go from there.

C goal (the wheels fell off the bus goal) finish in under 1:55 which is the time I ran the first time I ran a half and was on this course.

I had hoped to get in a good shake out run Friday after work.  The stars were aligning, I got off a little early, the kids were at an Auntie's house, the weather was gorgeous, and then bam!

My Garmin was dead.

No biggie really just plug it in to charge for the race and then go for an easy 4 or 5 miles without it. 

I couldn't find the charging cord.  I wasn't going to worry about it, but then I started to think I should really know where it was.  I looked everywhere I could think of that I might of stashed it.  In drawers, in bags, in boxes, in cupboards.  I looked places I didn't think I would have put it.  In closets, under the sink, in the kids' rooms, under the bed, behind the dryer.  Eekk!  I spent an hour looking for it and then ran out of time to run and still no cord.

I looked again Saturday morning.  In all the same spots and a few more I could think of.

I resigned myself to running Garmin free on Sunday. I could always use my phone. It isn't as handy, but it isn't like it is a big goal race either.  I mean apparently there are only even 40 people signed up for the half.

So Saturday I cleaned house, went for a little shake out run, picked up my race packet, went to a flag football game, did grocery shopping and then came home to tackle the 6 loads of laundry waiting for me.

There in the bottom of the last laundry basket, hiding in all the mismatch socks was my charging cord.  I held it over my head in victory, then went and plugged in my Garmin.

Whew, persistence paid off.  If I had quit early on the laundry like I wanted to so I could read my book I never would have found it!  Thanks Grey's Anatomy for keeping me entertained long enough to find it!

PS look what I found at Walmart!

Pumpkin pie flavored Chapstick, and Candy Cane back for the holidays.  I also grabbed another Cake Batter since it is one of my favorites.

Cows, Work and Running

Finally Friday!  The week has been so busy I sat down to blog a couple of times, but busy kept happening!  I usually only work 3 days a week so the last couple weeks of 4 days a week has been a little hard on my house and me, but not horrible.

I am still getting in some good runs at least three days a week and some HIIT workouts.  My kids made out easy this week and only had school two days.  Monday they skipped school to help ship calves and Thursday and Friday were no school days for everyone. The weather has been amazing.

I love seeing my kids big enough and interested in helping work cows. My son in particular really wants to help and insists on wanting to know what he can do to help.  Both kids were on their horses all day yesterday first helping gather cows and then helping in the corrals push cows in the corral to get preg tested.  I had to work yesterday but my aunt sent me this great photo and a glowing report of how great they were being.

here with another cousin

This is pretty much all I saw of the cow action.
By the time I got off work they were taking the pregnant cows to another pasture

I love that feeling of doing something right, these are some great kids and I am so proud of them.  Don't' worry they weren't all work and no play, by the time I got off work and all their work was done I found the boys playing war and practicing their camo

and the little cowgirl was testing out Uncle's horse with her cousin

Lil Cowboy insists on doing as much of his own things as he can with his horse.  You know you have a great kid horse when you can leave him unbridled, walk away for a minute while looking for your halter and then come back and your horse hasn't moved and puts his head down to help get it on.

The kids were hoping to spend the night at Grandma and Grandpa's house but after a bath they fell asleep. Nothing like lots of work and sunshine to wear out a kid!

I am running a half marathon on Sunday.  It is on a course that I did my very first half marathon on four years ago.  Kind of hard to believe this will only be half number 8!  The course has rolling hills and is an out and back.  I haven't been training super hard so I am going into this one with the idea of not killing myself in the first half on the rolling hills like I did the first time I ran it and to run about an 8 minute mile. 

It starts at 10 in the morning which feels a little off to me, and the weather is supposed to be warm with high of 72 so I wish they were starting a little earlier, but whatever. This isn't like a big goal race or anything.  Fun is the goal.

Because really...Why Not?

I thought when I had kids I would be doing all the teaching.  Teaching them how to live, eat, be healthy, dress for school,  etc.  I, of course, was wrong.  Sure I teach them plenty of things, but they teach me things too.

I call it the "Because why not" lesson.

My son is playing flag football so I got him some athletic type pants and shorts suitable for playing flag football in. They sit in the dresser at home and he plays in his Wrangler jeans.  I tried to assure him he would be more comfortable in the clothing designed for playing sports in, but he wasn't convinced.  I pointed out the other kids wearing theirs. He didn't care.  At that point I decided, why not?

He plays pretty damn good in his Wranglers and it makes him happy.  How can I argue with that?

Cowboys just like their jeans I guess! At least they got out of their boots! but no smiling

My daughter recently picked out a beautiful "party dress" at Costco that is blue, frilly, glittery and very fancy. She wanted to wear it to school.  On a normal school day.  I said no, it's for the holidays and fancy occasions.  She persisted.  I pointed out she might be a little overdressed for school.

She wore it to school. I wish now I would have taken a picture she did look so beautiful! Now she wants more dresses to wear to school everyday, because why not?  I am not going to buy her more fancy dresses (she is spoiled enough) but what's the point of saving a dress she will grow out of in a year for only 2 or 3 occasions anyway.  Want to wear it to school?  Why not? 

Obviously the why not factor has some limits, especially when I come up with valid why nots.

I was wavering on signing up for an October half marathon, feeling a little guilty about wanting to do a run when I just came back from a big one, but then I decided, why not?  It won't be a fast one, I don't feel like I have run consistently since the Bozeman half in the beginning of September.  I know I can do it though since I ran 13 miles Monday, so really why not?

Not every race effort needs to be a top of my game race, and after reading Miss Zippy's post about finding the joy in your racing I am sold. I do love running races.

It's local, cheap, and I love half marathons.  There won't be another until next spring and I really wanted to do three this year.  I can't come up with any "why nots" that sound convincing to me so..YAY!

What have you said why not to lately and done it?

Tips for Running on Windy Days

I ran a half marathon for fun yesterday although I am not sure all of it was fun as it was so windy.   EEEK!  Not my favorite.  It wasn't too bad for the first 5 miles, but then it really picked up and made 4 of the last 8 miles seem really long.

I do run in the wind quite a bit, I don't have a treadmill and I don't belong to a gym. I used to look outside and think.."NOPE" but now I just get mentally prepared and pick my route accordingly. Here are my best tips for running in the wind.

1.  If at all possible run into the wind to start with, this is great for several reasons.  It makes for a run with a negative split.  If it is cold out, you get the coldest part of the run done first and it helps mentally to know once you get halfway done the hardest part is over and you can practically fly on the way back.

2. If you have long hair do yourself a huge favor and put your hair into a braid or a bun.  I made the mistake of putting my hair into a ponytail for a windy 6 miles on Saturday.  I was nearly crying trying to brush out the tangles afterwards.

3. Layers are your friend if it is cold out.  I often find that while running with the wind I get warm and lulled into taking off my jacket and gloves, but when I start running into the wind I start getting cold, so if I have to shed layers I make sure to keep them with me.

4. Run cross ways into the wind.  It never seems quite as bad to me this way.

5. Remind yourself how much tougher this is making you and all the extra calories being burned.  Running in tough conditions helps make you stronger mentally and physically.  It also makes those perfect running days seem that much more awesome.

What is your best windy weather running tip?
Would you rather run in the wind or in the rain?
I think I would rather do rain, if it isn't windy or too cold out.

Sometimes a nap wins

Weekend recap.

Miles ran 6.  

Workouts done 0.  

Yoga 0.

at least I ran once! Love my Ragnar hat

1st grade cheerleading performance by lil cowgirl 1

End of flag football game after cheerleading  1

Touchdowns scored by little cowboy 1

Naps 1

I could have ran Sunday afternoon, but I was tired, apparently so was lil cowgirl and Runty

Catepillars found 6

Loads of laundry 4 (washed folded and put away!)

Grocery shopping 2 stores!

Kids on horseback 2

They loved helping and didn't complain even though it was a long day.

We gathered the cows at 7:30 took them to the corral, sorted the cows off the calves, then sorted the calves, vaccinated the calves, then took the cows back to the pasture.  We got done around 1:30, ate lunch and then it was nap time!

I could have ran, but I was so sleepy.  Sometimes you just need a nap.
Today I plan on a good run and some yoga.

If you haven't already check out my Asics Kayano 21 shoe giveaway, ends tonight!

How was your weekend?

Asics Gel Kayano 21 Review and Giveaway

Let's start at the beginning of the story for the Kayanos and I.  When I was in college I thought I HAD to have Nikes to run in, and I did.  I had the most beautiful yellow pair of Nikes, but they never felt great on my feet for running.  So I decided to branch out.  I tried some Adidas, a pair of Saucony's and then one day I bought a pair of Asics Kayanos.  I think they were the 7s.

They felt like they were meant for me.  I ran in them religiously after that.  I had the 7s, the 8s, the 9s, and the 10s.  I remember this because I had them all at the same time.  I only ran in the newer ones, but I kept the old ones for other things.  They were all dark blue and white.

I wasn't running as much for awhile so I skipped buying a new pair for awhile and I got married and had babies.  One day after I started a new job (same hospital, still in surgery, just switched to the new outpatient dept) I got off work early and decided it was time for some new shoes. 

I bought the Kayano 14s.  Oh those 14s.  They still stand in my mind like the perfect fit like a glove running shoe.   They made me so happy! Maybe it was because I hadn't had new shoes in way too long, or because I had two little kids at home and needed the run, or the stress of starting a new job and I needed the run, whatever it was, those shoes made me happy! and they were so pretty! 

I had the 15s, 16s, 17s and 18s (in fact I have a pair of 18's I still run in), I had started finding other happy shoes also so when the chance to review the 21s came up I jumped at the chance.  Me and the Kayanos we go way back!

So what do I think of the 21s?  Since I wanted to get this giveaway posted I can't do a super in depth review, but I can tell you I wore them to my son's flag football practice and they felt good.

I also got a 6 mile run in them and they felt good. I love the light blue color. The cushioning feels great. I like a shoe with cushioning.  I had no running or friction areas. 

I will keep you updated on how I like the shoe, but in the mean time let's get this party started!

Want to win a pair of one of my all time favorite shoes? This is going to be a quick giveaway since the winner's code to a new pair will expire on the 10th of October!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was sent these shoes at no cost to review and was not required to give a positive review.  All opinions are my own

Favorites Friday

 I am going to share some favorites today, I haven't for awhile and since I like seeing things other runners love here you go!

1. My friend Billie Jo introduced me to ArmPocket in July right before the Missoula half marathon and it looked so much nicer than what I was using for an armband to carry my phone I bought it on the spot in the local running store the night before the race.  I wore it for the half marathon, and pretty much nearly every run since.  It is big enough that I can put my iPhone inside while it is still in the protective case. 

Plus it has lots of room inside for gels, money, keys, whatever! It is also water reisistant and has a reflective stripe around the outside.

I wore it during my Ragnar relay too


2. Humagels have also been a favorite for awhile. They recently added four new flavors all with caffeine to the lineup.  I bought the raspberry and the lemonade flavors and they did not disappoint.  I love love love  Humagel and am very excited about the caffeinated flavors! I like the boost of caffeine on a long run and during a race.

I think the other new flavors with caffeine are chocolate and mocha.  I am going to have to get those too I think.

3. Handful recently made some changes to the kind of material used and added zigzag stitching. I hadn't been in love with my first made in the USA Handful bra, so I hadn't ordered any for a while, but when I heard about the updates, I figured they had the kinks all worked out and they do!  I can say the new bra I got is perfect and I am in love with the Sky Is The Limit Blue color.  I can't wait for the new colors to come out next year!

See the new stitching vs the old

4. I might have mentioned in one of my recent posts that when I was in San Francisco I finally got to go to a Lululemon store.  I bought a pair of the Run Times shorts and am thinking those might be my new favorite running shorts.  Although at $55 dollars a pair I don't know that I will be buying a whole bunch of them.  I love the length and the fit.

5. I got these great capris from Fabletics and am so in love with the print.  That the capris are great from running and working out in is just another bonus. 

Now I want all my capris is wild and crazy patterns!

What are some things you are loving lately?

Three Things Thursday

1. With the Ragnar Relay out of the way I have started to think about what's next on the running front. I really had my heart set on running three half marathons this year and there just happen to be 2 in October that I could do.  One is two hours away and the other only 40 minutes.  I am leaning towards the closer one. The closer one is on the route I did my first half marathon on and I would love a redo at that route.

 If I do end up doing a half marathon in October, my plan after that is to cut back on the running for a couple of months after that and not do any runs longer than an hour until after the New Year.

The only other race I have my heart set on this year is a 5k that falls conveniently on my birthday

2. Yesterday's long run started out a little rough and I wondered if I was going to make it to the 10 miles that I was planning on running. By mile three I was feeling pretty good and my last three miles were the fastest three miles of the run.. I was feeling awesome!  I ended up running more than
planned.

3.  I feel like I am finally starting to get back on track with working out in general. I was a bit of a slacker for awhile. So far this week I have done three HIIT workouts all bodyweight, so I am hoping to get in one more maybe Friday or Saturday and use my kettlebell or weights a little.  I have ran 16 miles.  Not a lot, but not bad either for two runs.  I will run Saturday for sure and maybe a short run tomorrow after work if I get off on time. Yoga is a little slacking, I have only done it once this week.  I am planning a session either tonight or tomorrow morning and that may be it for the week!

Want to take me on? The Fitness Games App Review

I love finding new workouts to do at home.  I don't belong to a gym and the chances of me signing up for a gym are not good.  I live out of town and like to keep things simple, so when I heard about the Fitness Games opportunity through Fit Approach I signed up.

So what is the Fitness Games?

It is an app you download to your phone and then you can connect with other users or not and do workouts.

Since I was given this opportunity through Fit Approach I was able to connect with a lot of other Sweatpink Ambassadors. We were given an upgrade which allowed access to more workouts than the free version.  You are also able to make up your own workouts.

Or record runs (indoor or outdoor), cycling (indoor and outdoor), rowing, swimming, and elliptical.

I got really excited when I saw I had a couple of challenges.

 I accepted it of course.  I didn't read the instructions right and I only did one round instead of three.  So I won of course.

Luckily she had challenged me two other times for the same challenge so after resting 10 or so minutes I started it over.  Except that time she had aborted early so she won.. even steven!

So what does a workout look like?  Here is the one I did for this challenge

The plank had me wanting to cry.  I don't plank.  I know some people plank like it's water.  I hate planking as much as I know it's good for me I would rather do burpees.

If you aren't sure what they mean by some of the moves, click on the move and it will show you pictures and give a description of how to do it.

There is a Feed on one of the main pages where everyone you are connected to can post things (similar to Facebook or Instagram) and you can see what people have been up to. You can comment on and like their posts.

What I like about The Fitness Games App

• being able to do challenges on workouts with other people
• it also tracks running, rowing, elliptical, etc
• connecting with other people
• the workouts are tough (the ones I have done have left me in a puddle)
• If I want to purchase more workouts they cost $0.99, which is still cheaper than a gym membership. The Platinum version come with 16 workouts for $1.99 (which is what we were given for the review).
• you can make up your own workouts and challenge others to do them
• several really tough bodyweight workouts

What I don't like

• some of the workouts use a lot of gym equipment (no gym here) I am pretty good at modifying though, but I still like to keep things simple.
• There aren't that many free workouts, if you want more you have to upgrade
• you can't tell if the workout you are purchasing will have a lot of gym equipment in it
• It's a little hard to find people you know, unless you know their user name.

So what sets this apart from all the other apps out there geared towards working out?  For me I love being able to accept a challenge. I feel like it pushes me just a little bit harder.  I hate losing.  It is available on both Android and IOS.

Go ahead download it and then connect with me and send me a challenge!  My username is Christyruns     If you are on it already, find me or leave me a comment with your username and I will look you up!

Any questions?

 Disclosure statement: This post was sponsored by The Fitness Games through their partnership with Fit Approach. I was not compensated monetarily, but was provided the Platinum Version of the application for review. As always, all opinions are my own.