March for Meals

This morning was a *landmark* moment because we did our very first event together as a family :) :). We supported Meals for Wheels at their 11th Annual March for Meals walk by beautiful Lake Monroe in Sanford...

 

They had a great network of volunteers, sponsors and participants that all showed up despite the overnight rain to support their mission to feed homebound seniors in the local community...

 



 

Since I got my Fitbit for Christmas, I've discovered just how sedentary my lifestyle is:(. It's been a big wake up call actually - I've learned that when I am not running or working out, I am basically sitting which is something I need to change by incorporating walking into my daily routine.

 

 

And I'm also learning that I really like walking:). You can explore a new place in a different way, see new things and have some great conversations too! We also have a walking group now at work to stretch our legs during the workday:).

 



 

We saw a ton of ospreys :)

 

 

Too cute :)

 

 

After we were done I ate my first Meals on Wheels breakfast (which was really good) and one of their volunteers played guitar. He was amazing and only 11!!

Mike loved his shirt!

 

And I won one of the drawings! A Target gift card - yes please!!

 

 

Great cause, beautiful scenery and my little family all together - feeling so grateful this morning :)

 

 To find a local Meals on Wheels program, here's the link:) http://www.mowaa.org/findameal

Mike's Mud Life Crisis:)

It was Mike's birthday this week so he was determined to celebrate with his very favorite mud run!

 

Before...

 

 

During...

 

 

And After...

 

Congratulations Mike!

Event 1 of 14 in 2014 - Seasons 52

It feels like such a long time since I've done a race and one of my goals for 2014 is to do at least 14 in-person events. So we signed up for Seasons 52 which is a beautiful 5.2K in pretty Winter Park to get the year officially underway! It was really cold - just above freezing point - so I broke my golden rule never to wear cotton during the run. After a nerve racking start we were off and warmed up in no time! My goal was just to run the whole thing which I did for the first time in weeks! 

 

 

Mike has discovered photobombing....:)

 

 

He was done in just under 27 minutes!

It was Lu's birthday!

 

It's a Team Daaaaaammmnn!!! reunion - Happy New Year:)

Armageddon Ambush

Armageddon Ambush (link here!) was a lot tougher than Mike had planned. Seems like the race organizers had a lot of bad press but he had a great time regardless:)

 

Mike's American Mud Race

Here's Mike at AMR all by himself! It takes a lot of determination to get yourself out of bed and drive an hour at the break of dawn to push yourself to the limit...

 

And without the girls needing help over the walls, he managed to finish in 48 minutes!! (Results here!)

 

 

And apparently had a great time...:)

 

 

Congratulations Mike!!

4 on the 4th!

June has been tough:(. I failed miserably at Juneathon (a virtual challenge to work out every day during the month of June) and struggled to run consistently each week. I didn't even do an event for a whole month :(. So now it's time to get back on track! I have started training for a tri in September (having a focus on a challenging training plan really helps) and I've taken to the treadmill to fit in runs at times when it's super hot. I love our new gym so that's working out well and swimming with Maddy which is lovely bonding time too :).

Mike and I decided to kick off July with a 4-miler on the 4th:). We saw this one in Oakland which is so pretty. I was really nervous since I knew it would be really hot and I haven't ran 4 miles in a while. I decided to run as far as I could and switch to intervals if necessary...

 

The crowd looked really fit (it was hosted by the local tri store) and they were fast! It was well organized and I loved the fact that they had a child sing the national anthem at the beginning :)

 

I managed 2 miles before doing 4:1 intervals and finished the 4 miles in under 45 minutes. Not where I want to be but there it is. I'm really happy that I did it though and I'm feeling energized and motivated to put in the hard work to push myself now:). Mike on the other hand ran like a speed demon and despite the heat, finished right around 33 minutes! Here we are, stinky and sweaty after the race...

Gorgeous trails in Oakland...

  

After the kids' race we drove around to see some of the houses that were all decked out for the Holiday and talked about what Independence Day means to us.

 

I feel very grateful today. I love my life, my husband, my daughter, my family and friends. And I love my country :) Happy 4th July!!

Windermere Run Among the Lakes

The 12th Annual Run Among the Lakes 5K through Windermere town center was only about 10 minutes from our new home and where we sometimes run at the weekends anyway. It was really nice to do a smaller, local, pretty race with a lovely community feel.

 

Team Daaaaamnnn!!!!

 

 

The race route was on sand for the most part and quite hilly but very scenic. I really love running by lakes:). There were lots of residents who came out to cheer us along too!

 

There were tech T-shirts too with the registration and they were adorable :)

 

The weather's gotten hot again suddenly and inconsistent training has left me struggling to run a full 5K again. So the goal for today was just to run the whole thing which I was thrilled that I managed to do! It was really tough and super sweaty :) 

 

 

Now I just have to keep up with training through Summer and do at least one event per month. I can do this!!!

 

AMR Pics!