After being accepted to the NY Marathon, participants can make a badge which states why they run. There are pre-made ones or you can make your own. This was a great time to reflect for me as well as think ahead and start making goals for myself through this marathon training process.
I chose a pre-made badge for myself that simply stated, "I run because I can." This is such a simple message but pretty deep at the same time.
Sundays are my long run days. While I am not truly training yet, I am aware of what is to come and am trying to get my body and mind ready for it. My Sunday run was a 6 mile loop in the wind. While I was running, I started out enjoying the beauty of the sunrise and the chill in the air. I took in all of my surroundings and really enjoyed the quietness and stillness that set over the rolling hills. My mind was pretty clear through the first half of my run.
As I turned a corner the wind picked up and I really had to push and run my hardest to move at all against the wind. At this point, I realized why I run. I run because it is something I do for myself. There are no other pressures or standards but my own. I am only competitive with myself and I am only running against the elements of the weather and the terrain. I can use the weather and the terrain as symbols for my challenges in my life and can physically confront them and push through them.
This week I enjoyed every step of every run every day. I enjoyed my short runs, fast runs, my hill runs, and my long run. While asking myself why do I run, it's because I can.
I didn't grow up playing sports. I wanted to be a part of a team so in high school I became a runner. Why did I join the cross country team? Because I could. I could put one step in front of the other and move. I remember my cross country coach telling me as long as only one foot is on the ground at a time, you are running. I wasn't a great runner. I never one or race or placed but I ran and enjoyed it.
 My father was a runner. I felt that running would  bring us closer. It could be a shared accomplishment.
After high school, I stopped running. I never really missed it. It was always work. When I met my husband, he pushed me to pick it back up. I signed up for a few races and ran them. I was never a competitive runner though. I ran because it was something I could do.  After every baby, I ran a big race before I could get pregnant with the next. This was just a goal and challenge for myself. I ran to finish and to run the entire race. This was enough for me.
After having Tate, I lost running for awhile. I wanted something different so I started lifting. I lifted because it gave me a sense of accomplishment and I could see the results and work in my body.
Three years later, I find myself back here to running. I wake up and love to start my days with runs. I also love to end long hard days with runs. Sometimes I even do both. Why am I doing it? Because I can.
As I look ahead to the marathon in November, I will run because I can. My goal will be to enjoy every step of the race, to truly take it all in, and do the best that my body and mind are able to do.

Spring Family To Do List

Spring is a favorite time of year for me. There are so many things to do. Spring seems to bring extra energy with it too.
1. Go to a baseball Game
You can go to a major league game or even cheer on the local high school team.
2. Go to the zoo
It is so much more enjoyable to go to the zoo in the spring before it is blazing hot out and there are usually always babies to be seen in the spring.
3. Plant a Fairy Garden
This seems to be trendy right now. Most garden stores have specialty items to create your fairy garden.  We are making ours as an extension of our playhouse. I let the kids pick out their own plants and flowers. We found great fairies and creatures at the craft store for a fraction of the price of the garden store. This can even be made in pots on a deck or in the house
4. Go to the Farmers Market
Try new things and enjoy the fresh local produce. It always seems to taste better. Our kids love the samples! 
5. Plant a garden
If you have the space, you can plant more than you will ever need. If you don't have the space, you can plant in pots. My kids always eat so much more of the veggies we grow because they love the reward that they get from taking care of them.  When we have a surplus of veggies, we always experiment with ways to eat them too.
6. Plant a tree
This is a nice yearly tradition. Each one can represent the year. 
7. Pick up trash in your neighborhood or local park
As everything starts to turn green and it warms up, we are outside a lot.  After the hibernation of winter, there always seems to be litter and trash around. It is nice to take ownership for your neighborhood or local part and help clean it up.
8. Take a family hike
Spring is the perfect time to hike. The kids don't whine because of the heat and there is a lot to look at. We go on scavenger hunts for signs of spring to keep them busy. 
9. Go fishing
We love to dig the worms out of our yard and walk down to the neighborhood pond. Fishing calls for patience and allows us to have some great conversations and family time while waiting for that bite!
10. Spring clean and donate
We all love to spring clean. This is a great time to involve your kids and have them donate toys and clothes that they don't need any more. 
11. Have a garage sale
Instead of donating, you can always try to sell it first. We let our kids keep the money that they make from selling their own things. 
12. Start a family book club
With school ending for summer break soon, this is a great way to keep kids motivated to continue to read through the summer. Parents can read to younger kids and older kids can read independently. Do fun activities that have to do with the book or watch the movies that go with the book.
 13. Play in the rain
April Showers bring May Flowers. Playing in the rain brings out the kid in all of us. It's fun to splash around and let it go for a little while. 
14. Have a picnic
Pack a picnic and enjoy the outdoors. 
15. Play at the park
Instead of just taking your kids to the park, get on the play equipment and join them in their fun. It can actually be a great workout as well!

Kid Fitness Activity and Recipe- jump rope and bananna almond pancakes

I read an article in Women's Health recently that compared jumping rope to running. While I was reading it, my 8 year old daughter was sitting beside me, reading over my shoulder. She knows how much I run and how I always try to get her to run with me. She pointed this out and said see mom you should just jump rope with me. It's a better work out.
Kids love to jump rope and the health benefits to it are great! Our school has a jump rope club for the students and many of them jump while at recess. It is a great thing to do independently and with a group of friends. I found that jumping rope for 10 minutes is comparable to running a mile at a 12 minute pace. I think when given the choice, a child would rather jump rope for 10 minutes than join you for a mile run.
With that being said, we got creative with our jumping this week. On Sunday night, we had to cram for my 5 year old's spelling test which included words like should, little, and wanted (that's a different story for a different day). She was really struggling with these words. The last thing she wanted to do was study spelling. So we got the jump rope out and we jumped our spelling words. After jumping each word three times, Maya was able to get all 10 of her words right on her spelling test on Monday. There is research related to the movement and learning. It was validated with this activity.
So this week while your kids want to play outside and ignore their homework, head outside with them, pick up some jump ropes and work on spelling, math, or comprehension. Do it together. 10 minutes will fly by and it would be the same as running a mile!

My recipe this week is one of our favorites for breakfast. The kids beg me for our almond banana pancakes. The kids seem to be satisfied with them and it gets them through until lunch.

2 ripe bananas
2 cups of almond flour
1 cup of milk
1 egg
2 tbs honey
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp  vanilla extract
1 tbs coconut oil

Smash the bananas up in a bowl
add the dry ingredients and mix in the wet ingredients.
Cook like normal pancakes. They pancakes will be crumbly but my kids have never complained!  Serve with fruit.

Marathon Monday- Running with my shadow

I have always found running therapeutic. I prefer to run by myself. I find that is a rare time to be alone with my thoughts. A time to be selfish. And a time to work on myself. I also enjoy running with my husband. Some of our deepest conversations happen while running. Since my children were born, they have been running partners as well. They started out as silent partners, usually napping in the stroller. Now, my older girls unload some of their deepest worries and concerns when they join my runs- usually on a bike by my side. My youngest still begs to come for runs and occasionally well still get  a ride in the stroller. Again this is uninterrupted time where we are only distracted by our thoughts.
Most of my runs are solo though. I run at all times of the day- whenever I can fit them in. This is the time that I prepare, come up with ideas, decompress, rationalize, and just let go. I have no one to judge me or to compete with me -besides myself.
While I was running this weekend, I noticed I was not alone. My shadow was with me for my entire 4 mile run on the country roads. At the beginning of my run, I turned around as I heard a car and noticed my shadow running behind me. I didn't think too much about it at this point in my run. Half way through my run, I turned directions and my shadow was now running ahead of me. At this point, I really started to pay attention to my shadow and realized that I could use my shadow as so much motivation for my run. While I was running down hill, my shadow stretched so far in front of me. I pushed myself to catch up to her. Soon enough I was running up hill again and I saw that I was making gains on my shadow. Then before I knew it, I tuned another corner and my shadow was right by my side. I was able to look at her and measure my stride and admire my form.I turned one last corner before hitting the home stretch. At this point my shadow was now behind me again. I could no longer see her but sensed her right on my heels. As I was running out of steam, my shadow pushed me to run a little faster so she would not pass me and I could win this race with myself. I have always noticed my shadow on runs but never really paid much attention to her until this run. After the run, I realized that my shadow was one of my best running partners. She was silent and the perfect amount of competition that is needed to really push yourself. I look forward to my next race with her!
 

New Beginnings

Whether you are religious or not, Easter and Spring mark a great time for a fresh start. It is a rebirth time  in many ways. The flowers grow, baby animals are born, trees blossom, and everything starts to turn green. The weather warms up and the air seems more fresh than ever and people start to really come out and enjoy the outdoors.
Many people use New Years to make resolutions and embrace the fresh start as a new year begins. I like to do the same again on Easter. Part of our Easter celebration includes checking in and making  a new start where ever there needs to be. As adults it is great to set or realign professional, personal, physical, and mental goals. Kids can do this too.

Questions to ask your kids:

What are your favorite things to do outside?
What plants and or veggies do you want to grow?
Are you ready for the responsibility to take care of an animal or garden yourself?
What is one thing in the sport you are playing that you would like to really get better at?
What is a subject at school that you could put a little more effort in to?
What is one thing that you love about yourself?
What is something you are really good at?

We will also be celebrating Earth Day this week. I love to truly enjoy nature and the outdoors on this day. We take so much for the Earth on a daily basis. This is one day to really make sure we give back. Although it is still too early to plant many vegetables in the garden, it is a great time to plant fruit trees. This year we will be starting a mini orchard. We will start small with a few fruit trees and continue to build on it in the the future.

How will give back this Earth Day?

FittKidz: family movement and recipe

FittKidz: family movement and recipe: We started planting our garden yesterday. It is quite the project and we call in all hands on deck! The garden becomes a 6 month project tha...

family movement and recipe

We started planting our garden yesterday. It is quite the project and we call in all hands on deck! The garden becomes a 6 month project that needs attention on a daily basis. Gardening involves so much physical activity and is an activity that people of all ages can participate in and get a workout from! Yesterday involved weeding, digging, planting, watering, and chasing the chicken and ducks away before they ate the newly planted seeds.
This is a great after dinner activity.
While doing these activities in the garden, we are able to workout arms, legs, back, and do some cardio. The digging works the arms and back. The watering works the arms, and the squatting to plant the seeds works the legs. The majority of our cardio was gained by chasing chicks and ducks. We also had to fetch the water to carry back and forth. The biggest reward gained by this activity is the fresh air and the contribution to a healthy life style. Last year the kids enjoyed their veggies so much more because they were involved in this process. I also find that they try more things when involved in the planting and harvesting of their foods.
Early planting- spinach, lettuce, peas, onions, potatoes, carrots, beets, radishes

Rewarding Snack
Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

• ½ cup butter, softened
• ¼ cup coconut oil, softened
• 1/4 cup brown sugar 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs or 1 duck egg
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 cups blanched almond flour
• 1¼ cups chocolate chips 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray or line cookie sheet
2. In the bowl  mix  together the butter, coconut oil, and brown sugar. Add the vanilla and eggs, mixing until incorporated.
3. Mix in the baking soda and salt. Add the almond flour, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts with a wooden spoon.
4. Form the dough into tablespoon rounds and place on the lined baking sheet about 3 inches apart. Bake for 11-13 minutes, or until golden brown around edges. Cool and enjoy! These cookies are best enjoyed the day they are baked.

Marathon Monday

I am going to use Monday as my day to document my marathon training. I was feeling a little lull in my workout routine. I had the need to sign up for something to train for. I was debating whether or not to compete in another Tough Mudder or try to find something completely new to challenge me and push me to the next level. I felt that I could do a Tough Mudder tomorrow and not have to change anything in my workout routine so that wouldn't really be a challenge.  Something I have always wanted to do was a triathlon but I have the mentality that in order for me to do a triathlon, I have to do an Iron Man. I thought shooting for that would be like sprinting before walking. I knew I had to realistically scale it down a bit and take this goal of doing an Iron Man one step at a time. So one Sunday night, I decided to sign up for the lottery for the New York Marathon.  I have heard that through the lottery system, it could take years to actually get selected. This was even more motivation for me to sign up. I felt like by signing up, I was doing my part but I didn't actually have to commit to running it because I would never get selected.
Yes, I am sure you can imagine my surprise when I saw the $255 deduction from my bank account and realized that I was indeed running this marathon.
I have run long distance before and proved that I could complete the distance. I never really enjoyed running past 3 miles, 6 miles was pushing it. I have ran several half marathons but always thought 13.1 miles was my absolute limit and running more was insane. So here I am, coming to the realization that I am running the New York Marathon.
The race is just over 6 months away. I won't start my official marathon training until the end of this summer. Right now I am working on the mental part as well as the interval (both speed and incline) portion of training. I have been running consistently for the last 10 years. My daily runs are anywhere from 1 to 4 miles. Periodically, I incorporate a longer run or hills and most recently sprints. My running mentality is to commit to a distance or workout and then just finish it. This is what I am working on now. As I measure distances around town and dread what 26 miles really is, I am working on the mental. I will journal my training, progress, and mental  breaks throughout this process as well as how to fit the training in while still weightlifting, working full time, and being the best mom that I can be to my 3 kids.

It's hard to believe that it has been almost a year since I have written. My passion has actually intensified but I have been torn in so many directions with my other roles and responsibilities. As I was driving home from the gym today by myself, I was able to gather some thoughts and reflect. It was at that time, that I was reminded of this blog and how important health and fitness are to me and for my family. I decided to write tonight and recommit myself to sharing this passion with you.
During that car ride, I felt really good about the workout I just completed as well as the progress I made this week after returning form a cruise where diet and fitness were a tad compromised and had the potential to be destroyed. But most of all, I smiled while thinking about the workouts that my kids joined me in this week. Those were the workouts that stood out in my head the most and were the most enjoyable. At the beginning of the week, I went for a run after dinner. I asked my oldest daughter to join me and she whined and showed zero interest. I convinced her to come (maybe bribed her) and she joined me as my pacer on her bike. We got a couple of miles in while the two younger kids rode their bikes to the pond with their dad. The conversations that occur during these times can not be had at any other times. I refer to it as out family therapy. We are able to get to root causes of behaviors as well as building strong bonds while problem solving. Ella and I talked about why best friends can be so mean at times and Morgan and Maya and Tate talked about signs of Spring and projects to be done. My conversation with Ella ended by comparing the effort needed to ride a bike with the effort it takes to run. Every one returns home with a smile on their face and a new fresh energy. As our days get busier, it is easy for these activities to take a backseat and for us all to get caught up in our own business but setting this time aside is a priority because it is rewarding in so many ways. I find time during the week to give each child one on one attention while being active. Tate and I played airplane and ran to the top of the hill and rolled down while the girls practiced soccer. During this time, Tate and I laughed so hard as we were working on spelling his name. Maya and I shared our time walking the dogs in our neighborhood. Our conversation was centered around our dogs and what a big part of the family they are.
It's easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life and do things apart or not be 100% present in the moment. Our family workouts or individual kid/parent workouts have given us the opportunity to not be distracted by anything and to spend quality time together.

I will leave you with my fun Easter workout activity. Put physical activities in plastic Easter eggs. Have an egg hunt and the do the activity found in an egg before moving on to the next. Activities could include things like 5 push ups, 10 squats, 20 bunny hops, burpees, crunches, lunges, and mountain climbers.

A delicious snack to enjoy after are frozen banana bites:
--cut banana into slices
--spread almond butter on top
--top with a chocolate chip
--freeze
--eat straight from the freezer