I am back!!!

I was on a hiatus from blogging, no real reason. I just felt compelled to reconnect with myself, family and just step away from technology in some ways..
Just so you know I am back and hope to get into a regular routine on blogging again about running, races, family and life in general.

What is new with me?

I am running the Pro Football HOF Half Marathon in April 27th, I am hoping to PR in under 2:00





Oh and we have a new addition to our family...Lilah joined us 2/26/2014. She is a 2-3 yr old lab mix. She is a love bug and fitting in nicely here so far. She is a rescue so we need to work on some things but she has made great strides so far.



Some day maybe she will be able to run with me after some training.

Happy Hump Day everyone!!!

Jolly VoxBox arrival

In all the excitement of the holidays, I forgot to let you all know of the Jolly VoxBox I received. It is a package full of different products for me to try out and then review each of the products. I am excited to start delving into each item.

I am looking forward to trying out the Ducklings Mini roll, Puffs and the Skinny Cow Candy.

The two products that I will pass on to Terri to try is the NYC HD Trio Color and the Rimmel London Show Off Lip Lacquer.




I have received these products complimentary for testing purposes from Influenster.

Friday Five

Wow, I guess I took an unexpected hiatus to blogging . With work being super busy and getting ready for the holidays.
I am hoping to be back up and blogging regularly soon.
In the meantime , enjoy my Friday 5

1 Ran the Christmas Story 5k/10k in Cleveland 12/7 and loved it. My friend Stacie and I ran it for fun and not for time. Dressed as elves and I found out I love Ovaltine.

2. Why did it take me so long to fall in love with Starbucks. I love the skinny Peppermint Mocha

3. Participated int Sock Exchange with Third Time's a Charm. I received this lovely package from Judy Armfield from Kimberling City MO. Thank you I loved the package.

4. Participated in Frosty Frolic last weekend . We had quite a bit of snow that fell prior to the race. I ran for Team Compass.

5. We are done shopping and wrapping. Our Christmas Festivities begin tonight!! Let the celebrating begin.

Friday Five- Picture version

1.Walking down memory lane at Great Trail Girl Scout Camp on the last day it is open. Hiked 3 hrs with childhood friends Jen and Karen. Many memories and laughs shared that day.

2.Terri and I dressed up to hand out candy for Trick or Treat. We had a bowl fire since it was cold and had hot apple cider for the parents of trick or treaters.

3. I am the  pumpkin in the front. Running the Monster Dash 2013 10/27,I didn't realize till the other day that I got a PR with 26:05. I placed 4th in my age group.

4. The pumpkins Terri and I carved. She had fun this the drill making holes in her pumpkin.

5. I dressed as Pippi Longstocking for Halloween yesterday at work. Everyone loved my costume, Some people thought I was Wendy from Wendy's...lol

Strava Run App for IPhone review

Let's face it , there are a lot of running/GPS trackers or apps out there for us to use. How do we know which ones to use and how good are they?

I have used several apps over the course of a few years- Runtastic, Mapmyrun, Runkeeper , Live-strong and Endomondo. I finally settled into the Runkeeper and found that it fit my needs and was user friendly for me.I do not use a GPS watch since my phone is always on me when I run outside for safety measures.

I was asked to review a fairly new running app on my IPhone with Strava. At first I was reluctant to try another running app since I found one that was working but I decided to give it a try.I did use Strava at the same time as my other app to keep track of the miles on my current shoes.

The app is free on your Iphone or Android but you can upgrade to premium. I did my review based on the free version.

There is a big social aspect of this app with challenges with others on the Strava community,  tracking runs of your friends on Strava and joining challenges with other runners . It allows you to find other athletes and friends and lets you track their running or cycling activities.You can comment on others runs and achievements and vice versa. Strava also offers a separate cycling app.

The record area of the app is very simple to use. Just press the center red button and go. That simple. To pause just press the center button again. When you are finished there is a checker board button to the right of the center button. Press that and you are done.
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You can participate and compete with others across the nation who use the app. They vary from fastest time, to distance challenges.It ranks you and your effort during the challenge and how awesome would you feel if you were in the top percentile of thousands of other runners?

With this app you can keep track of all your runs with the details of distance, average pace ,elevation and calories burned. I loved how you can see your splits and pull up the map section during the run to see where you are, how far you have went and where you have to go yet.

This app has a lot to offer even without the upgrading to premium.With premium you can pay $5.99/month or $59.99/year. You then will get real time segments a, pace zone analysis , suffer score (how hard you are working to how hard you think you are doing) and leader board to see where you stack up against others.

Pros

Monthly challenges
Fast GPS signal
Connect with other for support and motivation
Map and measure your progress
Ability to see where you rank against others
Easy to navigate site/app
Easy to manually add activity(when you run inside on dreadmill)
Easy to change activity to walk , hike, etc
Runs well with other apps at the same time

Cons

None that I can think of


Overall I am pleased with this app and it just might become my go to app for running and keeping track of my miles/runs. I found this app to be reliable, accurate and easy to use.I like the social aspects and challenges that other apps do not offer.


Go visit Strava or find it on your IPhone or android to download. Give it a try, I do not think you will be disappointed.

Three for Thursday

1. Look what I found at the local GW store and at first did not buy it but I kept thinking about it and wanting it. So Terri was kind enough to go back and get it for me. A vintage Ben Cooper Strawberry Shortcake costume. Not sure if I will modify it to wear it or just wear the mask and adapt some other clothing to make it fit.

2. I signed up for my first trail series race. I know I will be running it slower but I am going to enjoy it and have fun with it. OhioOutside trail series. We get a hoodie and on each race we get a beer glass!!

3. Happy Fall

Medical Scare

I have been distracted lately... a lot...my mind has been else where.

Why because I was dealing with some swollen lymph nodes and the surgeon scheduled me for a lymph node biopsy and rule out lymphoma that throws your world through a loop.

Tuesday morning I went to the OP surgery center. I was soo nervous....beyond belief.
Putting on my best smile.

On the upside, I got to try out my new spectacles from Zenni....LOVE them and the price for them.

The procedure went well and the nurses and surgeon were great. Tuesday night was rough with some pain. The incision was in the crook of my neck. I took Wed off work because of lack of sleep and just didn't feel great.

Back to work Thursday . I went in to the office and knew I had a long day starting at 730am all the way through a meeting into the night that lasted till 730pm. What made my day better? Getting a call from the surgeon saying that the pathology report was negative!!!!!

~~Happy Dance Happy Dance~~~

Such a weight lifted off my shoulders and Terri and my loved ones. We were so worried.

What now?
Well I have to wait till next Tuesday to run, yes I am counting the days.
I am signing up for the Christmas Story 10K in Cleveland that runs to the Christmas Story home and back and you can get a medal with a leg lamp on it.!!
Also looking at some other runs and races for the fall.
I am also trying out a new App on my IPhone ..Strava, Have you tried it yet? If not here is the link Strava

What races are you running?