Foody Penpal August 31

This month was my first month to participate in the Foody PenPal exchange hosted by The Green Lean Bean (can't link it because my internet is messing up and will not go to her page.) 

I was so excited to send goodies to my pen-pal as well as to receive goodies from my different pen-pal. Below you will see a picture of all of the awesome things we got from Jaime!! Thank you, Jaime. 

We love Almond Butter in this house and I was out the day I got this! I was so excited to get that serving to put in my smoothie! The Lara Bars ended up missing before I even got to try them :( The husband hoarded them and I did not even know! I honestly had never used Agave before, so I was pretty stoked about getting that- even better.. it was organic. She also sent in some homemade trail mix.. yuuuummy! The tea is one of her favorites and I have not tried it yet, but looking forward to it. Little Man loved the organic treats she sent him... and he even shared with his daycare friends. 

I am sad I am not signed up this month.. but we have some major Giveaways going on this month on our blog for our Birthday Celebration... so I needed the time! :) 

Loved getting this box, thanks again Jaime! 

-Big Sis

Mud Run 8/29

I attended my second Mud Run last Saturday and I had a dang blast! This one was so great. It was their first time doing it, and I just read they are doing another one in November, and it was put together so well. There was SO much mud and so many obstacles. I was so glad that I had decided to go do that one. My partner in crime, Sarah, attended with me and I could not have asked for a better person. She and I just work... It is awesome. Below you can see us crawling through the mud... (I am on the left)

Courtesy of the Sacramento Press

We started it out with about a 1/2 mile to 3/4 mile run until we got to our first obstacle. We had to crawl under wire to get through it. It was so neat. The water felt GREAT! :) The run was held on a Ranch that had SO much land. It was so beautiful. As we ran we were running through garden after garden. Corn here, Squash there, etc. Seriously, it was amazing. We even ran through their Christmas Tree Farm. I would love to live out there and now I am so curious as to how many acres it was. Our favorite obstacle is below... we loved it so much we actually did it two times. 

Courtesy of ToughNDirty Facebook

The SLIDE! This was amazing. We first went down on our stomachs.. it was fun. I didn't get a good speed that time, but I still managed to somewhat get to the bottom. Then we had to trudge through mud, use a rope to get up the hill, run around the bend, and then trudge through a LONG, LONG area of mud. That was one of the more tired obstacles... that long stretch of mud. But once we made it across we climbed back over to the slide and went again. Sarah went down feet first this time and I ran and went down on my stomach again. I caught SO much speed this time and was yelling at Sarah because I was about to bust into her. She moved right in time and the speed took me all the way down.. so fast. This was SO fun. We talked about how fun it would be to have one of these in our back yard! Minus the nasty mess, of course. 

Courtesy of ToughNDirty Facebook

Just when you would think you were about done, there lie another obstacle. I LOVED it. We went though tires, tunnels, under wires, on a rope swing, slide, jumped a wall -- or three, over and under pipes... It was so much fun. I was so impressed with how well it was brought about since it was their first year. These guys for sure know what they were doing. I can't wait to do it again!! 

Courtesy of my cell phone and some nice men! :)

I am on the left. 

If you have not done a mud run, I highly suggest it. It is so awesome just getting down and dirty and feeling like a child again. It is fantastic going with a  girlfriend who wants to have as much fun as you. We would tell each other- "get down.. army crawl".. I mean, really.. we are AT the Mud Run.. why not?

This sweet girl had mentioned how she was thinking about doing a 1/2 Marathon the next day. We had planned to do one in October together, but it just did not work out, sadly. After we finished we went up to the front of the farm where they have a HUGE Farmer's Market from crops on their farm. (amazing, yes).. and she mentioned it again. It was right then and there I decided... if I could find replacement in the church nursery the next day (Thanks, Robyn) and I could figure out childcare... I would do it. Then she would have to!!!!! She didn't realize that is what I was doing... but we worked it.. and less than 24 hours after that Mud Run.. we were out together again gearing up for our 1/2 Marathon. Sarah's first... my second. But the last one was four and a half years ago... 

Stay tuned for the 1/2 Update..... 

Until then.. Don't forget about our GIVEAWAY!!! 

-Big Sis

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sweaty Bands Review and Giveaway!

Little Sis

I am so excited to share with you a little about the sweaty band with you! Look how cute, I almost don't even look like I'm going to work out in these photos huh...? I mean the sweaty band is so stylish I love it! One of the first things I noticed about the sweaty band when I received it was how well put together it is.  It is very nice and sturdy. I wore it to run and do weights a few times, and even kept it on throughout the night of being home.  I remember all of a sudden realizing, "Wow this head band hasn't moved any!" It really did stay on my head well! I wasn't having to readjust it or anything while I worked out, and for several hours it was in place.  It is probably because of the special fabric on the inside! 

How great is it that you can get a cute and stylish sweaty band and workout in it! Then you could change clothes and leave your hair the same and be ready for a normal day! 

I actually wore my sweaty band to church one Sunday with my hair fixed down real cute! 

Oh, and here's one of me with my sweet dog Bella-Jane! She loved the Sweaty Band too! I'm so glad we get to give one of these bands away! 

Big Sis here.. I am so sad that I do not have a picture of me in my Sweaty Band AND I let a friend borrow it to check it out- Talk about slacking!!! The band that I have is a Big Circle Band and it is red and white. Much like this one here. I especially love how stylish the Sweaty Bands are. When we got them in the mail it was so hard to decide which ones we wanted to keep and which one we wanted to give away.. They were all so cute. We decided to leave the cutest one (in our opinion) for one of you guys. We hope you will enjoy it just like we have. 

I especially love that they have such an assortment. You can also get one custom made. I would have to say that this headband, for me, works better if I am doing a simple, slower workout. I still had the same problem that I have had with other head bands, where it would fall off. Perhaps it is my hair? I always have to use bobby pins on headbands while working out and this one was the same way. I wonder if a skinny band would be better? But this one is so cute and precious and can be used just in everyday wear, not just working out!! 

The winner will win the Sweaty Band below!! We can't wait to see which one of you gets to strut this beauty while working out hard in the gym! Giveaway goes from Wednesday to Monday!! Happy Giveaway! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fitness Ambition

Do you have certain Fitness Ambitions that you have always desired to do or achieve?

Some that come to my mind include:
-Living an all around healthy lifestyle
-Creating healthy eating habits for your children and family
-Instilling appropriate fitness habits into your family
-Being consistent in working out
-Becoming a "runner"
-Being able to call yourself an athlete
-Achieve your weightloss goal
-Make a difference in the life of someone else to pursue a healthy lifestyle

.....and the list could go on and on!

All of these are either some goals that I have had throughout my life, or fitness ambitions that I have heard others around me talk about!

One thing I have noticed about a lot of fitness/health ambitions/dreams/goals that people have is that sometimes we talk in the future tense, like "one day I want to set healthy eating habits for my family..." or "one day I want to become a real runner..." I hear phrases like this a lot, and a lot of time they come out of MY OWN mouth!

Lately though, after being motivated by some of my wonderful Sweat Pink Sisters, I have had a new revelation...why do I always talk about what I want to do, instead of just doing it!!

So let me share with you one of my biggest Fitness Ambitions!

I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A YOGA & KICKBOXING INSTRUCTOR!
& with that I have always thought it would be great to be certified in these things and when I am a mom be able to work at a gym and teach classes!

Only a few weeks ago I realized that this doesn't just have to be a dream of mine or something that "would be so cool..." but it can BE A REALITY! Why don't I just do it!! So I talked to my husband and realized that this is something that I am going to do! At the time I was thinking that this would be something I would pursue after graduate school, so that I am not overcommitted, but yesterday I heard of a new opportunity!

I had a friend who is a fitness instructor at one of the nicest gyms in my city come by and tell me that there were openings for new instructors...specifically in Body Flow aka Yoga! Which is on my list of top things to become certified in! I LOVE YOGA! So I talked to my husband about it and have emailed the person in charge, and am so excited to say that I am currently pursuing this dream! I love this!! I know that I will be an instructor one day, and even if this doesn't work out, I know that after graduate school it will be at the top of my list of things to do! But if it works out now that would be awesome too! I will keep you updated!


I just really want to encourage you all stop letting your dreams be only that....dreams! Start going after the things that you desire...become who you desire to be! All it takes it realizing that it can come true, and taking the first steps to make it happen! The ball is in your hands! So go with it!!

I would love to hear your stories about dreams that you have, or about dreams that have become realities for you!

-Little Sis

Weekly Chase #5

If you haven't heard about the Weekly Chase that our friend over at Live, Love, Run does each week- you should really go over and read about it. Even if you don't blog, it is an awesome way to keep weekly goals and try and reach them! If you want to know more about the Weekly Chase go HERE.

In last weeks' Weekly Chase, we gave ourselves lots of goals. We want to share with you how we did last week before we share the goals for this week.  Here are our goals from LAST week:

Big Sis!

1. Work out all 5 days this week, totaling at least 22 RUNNING miles! -ALMOST and I did not even realize it. I didn't run the first part of the week. Wed-Fri I completed 3.75 miles. Saturday I did a 5K Mud Run and Sunday I did a 1/2 Marathon. Putting me at 21 miles.

2. Start going through our stuff and posting things on Craigslist! -I did start making a list, but nothing went on CL. Hopefully we find out more about our situation and I can proceed with things this week.

3. Call around and get rates for apartments, storage, etc. -Done! We have a plan.

4. Complete the Virtual Scavenger Hunt! -I did not do it and am just going to have to mark it off my list. This week FLEW by and well... I just didn't have it in me. Strange. 

5. Continue eating CLEAN! -Done! 

Lil Sis!
SIDENOTE: I'm not trying to slack on goals, I'm just not wanting to set myself up for failure when I will literally be working from 7-8am to about midnight almost every night this week. 

1. Work out 3 times this week no matter what it is---This did not happen. I forgot that I literally worked from 7am-11pm or later every night during last week.  I had maybe 2 breaks during the week, but just had no energy to go to the gym.  I will start back up today

2. Take care of my home--Really my husband mostly did this for me, since you read my schedule above! 

3. Eat well--I did fairly well at this! 

4. Be joyful and meet lot's of new freshmen college students-I did great at this!! yay! 

On to our new goals... 

Big Sis!

1. Start a Plank-A-Day. I really want to build up how long I can stay in a Plank for.. and this is my plan to help me get there!! 

2. Cross Fit 3x and 20 miles this week! 

3. Get Birthday Celebration Giveaway Calendar set up.

Little Sis

1. I agree with Big Sis! I have been hearing about everyone doing the Plank-a-Day, and I would really like to try that also! I know how much it works your body, and right now I can barely do it for like 30 seconds! 

2. Run 20 miles this week

3. Do 2 workouts besides running

4. Celebrate my husband's birthday! 

We Have Winners!!!

Thank you to ALL that put in for our Giveaways!!

Out of 90 Entries for the Travalo #26 won by leaving a blog comment:

"This is really cool! I'd love to have it to carry around in my purse."

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congrats Lacey.. you have until Sunday morning at 10am central time to contact us via email to claim your prize.  naturalnesters@gmail.com

We had 606 Entries for the Brighter Apparel Giveaway. That is awesome- the BIGGEST participation in a Giveaway we have had yet! Winner is #55 for leaving a blog comment:

 "I love Obsessed NO Dedicated YES."

a Rafflecopter giveaway Congrats to you Bobbie-Jo...you have until Sunday morning at 10am central time to contact us via email to claim your prize.  naturalnesters@gmail.com

Again, Thank you to ALL that participated. We will have another awesome chance for you to win some "FIRE" from Brighter Fire Apparel in the coming month. Be sure and "like" their FACEBOOK though, because they are always having giveaways. 

Keep a look out because we have more giveaways planned for the coming week! 

Name Change and Randomness

Happy Thursday, Readers!! 

Randomness from My Heart! 

As some of you have noticed, we have changed our Fitness Blog name. We wanted to make it more tied in with our other blog and etsy store. This is what we came up with- Naturally Fit Sisters. To go along with Natural Nesters. We figured we should do it now before we got too deep into this with a different name. 

There are so many awesome things going on with us right now... We have many things we are waiting to share with you and it is just so hard to keep it in. Little Sis and I have some of the same hopes and dreams for our lives. We want to be stay at home moms who take care of our children, husbands' and homes. But we do still want to help financially with our family. We are not 100% sure how we will do this, but we know that the Lord is sending us in the right direction right now and He is the one that has been hooking us up with so many great opportunities, such as being Sweat Pink Ambassadors. We can't wait to see what else the Lord has to offer. 

It is funny that our ultimate dream is to stay home. I have finished all of my schooling and proudly display my Bachelors and Masters Degree in my home. Little Sis is able to proudly display her Bachelors and is working hard at her Masters. I am so proud of her! But in the end, they mean nothing... not if we can't be home to raise our children and be the wife the Lord has called us to be. Does that mean I think every woman should stay home- NO! I just know what I am called to do and I am working SO hard to be able to get there. I can't WAIT! 

A Funk...

So... the past three days I have been in a funk. A serious funk. I have not wanted to run or go to the gym. As matter of fact, as I got to the gym tonight for CrossFit I realized I had not left my home since going to church Sunday morning. That is a sad realization. I did not want to go to CrossFit tonight... but the fact that I am in the beginning 4 week class, I needed to be there. I am SO glad I went. I think going tonight helped me overcome the funk I have been in and I am ready to keep on keeping on this week. 

There is a lot going on in my brain lately. A lot of uncertainty that came about because of some surprising news. A lot of questions that I have no answers too.. and my brain just goes.. and goes... and goes some more. By the end of the day I am physically and mentally exhausted! The last thing I have wanted to do was workout. Usually I can shake it.. but I have not been able to. I think CF may have helped.. we will see tomorrow. 

Share with me.. WHAT do you do when you just don't want to? 

Don't forget about our two giveaways.. they end tonight... And if you comment on this blog helping me know how to get over my funk... I will give you another entry into the giveaway! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Swift kick in the Butt! {Giveaway}

Friends, Friends, Friends! 

Today was... a day!

I felt the part of me that use to overeat and just hang out on the couch creeping back in and it was a very odd feeling. Today I felt very.. unlike myself. It started like any other day you see, I was up earlier than everyone and began greeting my daycare kids at 6am. My boy woke up at that time too and he was great for the first 45 minutes... and then it went down hill. Today was rough for him and I am just not sure why. I get that he struggles with sharing everything of his with all of his daycare friends-- including his Mommy. I had to keep reminding myself all day that "He is ONLY 2." Come on, Mommies.. please tell me that you have had days like I am attempting to describe?

By the end of the day I had already said more than once that all I wanted to do was sit home, eat ice cream, and sleep. Um... ?? What!? That is not who I am! It was rough as the evening went on and I MADE THE CHOICE to stay home from Cross Fit and my run. I just didn't feel it. My back is hurting and I just felt very unlike me. Though I am sad I missed out on CF, I think staying home was the best for me.. What I really needed was a swift kick in the butt.. but nothing was working... So I enjoyed an evening here at home with my boy, trying to get out of my 'mood', and working on our blogs. 

But it is times like these that the motivating, encouraging, uplifting sayings that we all see on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, etc. begin to encourage me. Do they do that to you? Do you read things and just think.. WOW! I have recently stumbled upon an apparel business that does just that. They print things on their shirts that make me just sit in awe as they give me a swift kick in the butt as I ponder about what is being said. 

Have you heard of Brighter Fire Apparel? You may have seen them on Facebook because they do many giveaways with their Awesome shirts. One of the best parts about this company is that 10% of ALL profits are given back to the Wounded Warrior Project. Being a military wife you guys KNOW that gets me. I love companies that give back. What I love the most about them is the message they are trying to get across to all of us, which is:

"unleashing the inner 'fire' each person has inside."

I love this message so much because it is exactly what my desire is around my family and friends. The people that say that they can't run or can't do this or that... I am always saying.. YES!!! YES! you can! Everyone has that inner fire and I just wish everyone would realize that! It is so hard to realize that we do have the potential inside of us that we don't think we have.. that is why when I see companies like Brighter Fire Apparel, I can't wait to work with them! 

"Brighter Fire is here to motivate, inspire, and drive people to new heights! We hope you will take our designs to heart and go above and beyond the norm!"

So on days like I had today, it is nice to log on Facebook and see companies that put out positive, encouraging apparel that make me want to get up and moving... that encourage me to keep going.. that tell me it is okay!! That I can do it! That I will do it!!

The awesome thing here is that Brighter Fire Apparel is bringing a great giveaway to one of you lucky ones. Within a few short days Little Sis and I will also be spreading the 'FIRE' ourselves with our new Brighter Fire shirt..   And I am so excited that you, my friends, have your chance right now to enter and win A SHIRT OF YOUR CHOICE (22.99 OR LESS). The winner will be given a voucher to claim the shirt they want to wear to inspire and drive the people that surround them!

So, who is in? Who is ready? This Giveaway will end on Thursday, August 23rd and will be announced on that Friday morning. *I will be jealous of whoever wins :)*

-Big Sis

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And don't forget about our Travalo Giveaway that ends this week too!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Weekly Chase #4

If you haven't heard about the Weekly Chase that our friend over at Live, Love, Run does each week- you should really go over and read about it. Even if you don't blog, it is an awesome way to keep weekly goals and try and reach them! If you want to know more about the Weekly Chase go HERE.

In last weeks Weekly Chase, we gave ourselves lots of goals. We want to share with you how we did last week before we share the goals for this week. 

Here are our goals from LAST week:

Big Sis!

1. Get my boy's bedtime routine started by 830pm each night so I have more time with my husband in the evenings. --I have done really, really well with this. Other than the nights that we have been with friends... It has been going great. AND he has been napping better at night! Go Little Man! 

2. CrossFit 3x this week.--YEEEEP! And I might be just a liiiiittle addicted! :) 

3. Mileage Goal of 21 miles; keeping it the same since I did not hit it this week.--I did! Although only 18 of those miles were running.. but I worked hard EVERY day this week. I did something. I am super proud of me! 

4. To Run 3 early mornings this week! --Yea, didn't happen, sadly. 

Lil Sis!

SIDENOTE: I don't have a lot of goals for the next couple of weeks because my job will be in high demand with the school year upon us.  So really my goals are focussed on being successful even through my crazy work schedule. 

1. Run 20 miles this week --Didn't make it, but that is okay, I am very proud of my active week in the midst of such a busy week at work. I ran a total of 13 miles, and one of those was 7 miles at once, so I still got in a long run. 

2. Keep my house moderately clean since I will be working late throughout the week--I feel like I succeeded at this! 

3. Do 3 workouts throughout the week besides just running--I did this and loved every bit of it! I did an arm weight workout, I did a yoga class (which I LOVE<3), I did a Zumba class for the first time, which is awesome!, and I played sand volleyball twice! It was a great week and my workouts were not totally consumed with running! 

4. Eat healthy despite the fact that every meal will be provided for me in Fast Food form  (This is part of my next 2 weeks at work, I work at a university and we are getting ready for New Student Orientation, so as we work the school buys us food...it is usually very hard to not just eat whatever...my office is full of yummy snacks too!) --Some days were good with this, but some were not! 

On to our new goals... 

Big Sis!

1. Work out all 5 days this week, totaling at least 22 RUNNING miles! 

2. Start going through our stuff and posting things on Craigslist!

3. Call around and get rates for apartments, storage, etc. 

4. Complete the Virtual Scavenger Hunt! 

5. Continue eating CLEAN! 

Lil Sis!
SIDENOTE: I'm not trying to slack on goals, I'm just not wanting to set myself up for failure when I will literally be working from 7-8am to about midnight almost every night this week. 

1. Work out 3 times this week no matter what it is

2. Take care of my home

3. Eat well

4. Be joyful and meet lot's of new freshmen college students

We are so thankful for all of you that read us. We enjoy taking our time to share such awesome things with you and appreciate those that take the time to read us and to follow us on Facebook!! Thank you SO much!! 

SPIBelt Winner AND Another Giveaway!

Happy Friday Guys!

First we want to start this day out right and share with you who our winner is for that awesome SPIBelt! We put it through Rafflecopter and out of 305 entries, 115 got it! The winner is Jill S. Jill you have until Sunday morning to contact us with your address! :) Or we pick another winner. We hope you enjoy your SPIbelt as much as we enjoy ours!! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

NOW, we have another awesome giveaway to share with you today! 

We are so excited about this one! 

Honestly it is such a random item, but such a genius invention and so handy! 

For real I am just very impressed with the design of this product.  

Even my husband, the entrepreneur, was very impressed with this little gadget, and I for one am so excited to own this, AND...to be able to give one away to one of our fantastic readers! 

Today's GIVEAWAY is the ultra-trendy Travalo Refillable Perfume Spray!

HOW IT WORKS: 

Do you have a favorite perfume....do you hate that to take it with you on trips or in your purse that you have to either risk taking your nice class bottle with you and it breaking, or you have to buy a travel size bottle along with the nice large bottle you keep at home? Well the Travalo fixes that. This refillable bottle has an awesome suction at the bottom of the bottle that allows you to fill it up with almost any perfume.  All you do is take the normal cap of your perfume and stick it in the bottom of the Travalo and pump.  It will them fill up the travel bottle and you remove the large one and you now have your very own travel size and full size bottle of perfume.  And the best part is, is that it can be refilled later after you use it all! 

I'm telling you this product is awesome! 

WHY THE TRAVALO IS SO GREAT: 

-It is a travel size bottle

-It is small enough to take in your carry-on suitcase in a plane

-It is refillable

-You can fill it up on your own with your favorite perfume

-It is light weight

-It is stylish, cute, and trendy

-It is not class, so it won't break inside your bag

-It fits into your palm

-You can throw it in your bag and take it to the gym so that you don't smell after working out

-You can pull it out of your purse and it is a cute accessory to use anywhere

-It doesn't leak

-It is easy to use

 See how cute this is! 

 See how sleek and small it is! 

Don't you want to win one of these for yourself? 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Virtual Run For Alex

I am so excited to participate in this amazing event. Please go here and read all about Alex and her mom.

I don't know Alex, but she is the gal on the right! 

I am new to the world of Virtual Races.. but I already love it. Another way for me to feed my addiction- this could be good and bad. Alex's story hit home a little more for me, and my mom, which caused us not to even hesitate to do this race. As my mom put it- we are so thankful that Shane, my brother, had insurance... because without that, we would have been in the same place that Alex's mom is right now.

I can't imagine losing a child.. and I hope I never have to experience it. Losing my brother was hard enough and to this day I am unsure how my own mom does it. You join a club when something like this happens to you. I know I have met a couple of people in the past couple of years who have lost their sibling and it is like we automatically relate.. I know my mom feels the same way. No words.. none can make you feel better or bring them back.

To Alex's mom:

This is the least we could do. I can't imagine the pain that you are going through, still, a year later. For me, I know, sometimes it seems it is getting easier and other times it seems that the more time that passes it only gets harder. Praying for peace for you and that the money collected in this Virtual Race helps you get that headstone for your baby girl. I lived in Japan when my brother passed away and I had to return back to Japan before his headstone was ready. I remember getting the email with pictures of it placed on his grave. It was like the final piece. It sucked, sucked, sucked.. but also brought relief. I pray that the Lord wraps His arms around you get that perfect headstone for your perfect child. I am so grateful I was able to help in this way... if only more.

Cassey

The medal we got for participating 

So for the Virtual 10K I am suppose to submit my finishing time by August 11th. Well, last night I did the 10K and my time is: 77 minutes! This was possibly the hardest run I have done in a very long time! 

I was so proud of my mom too. She completed the 5K in 38.11

We really hope this Virtual Race was beneficial for Alex's mom!! 

Did you do this Virtual Race? Have you ever done one?

Don't forget about our SPIbelt Giveaway.. It ends in a few hours!!  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

WHAT is a Virtual Race?!

I have recently been introduced to the world of Virtual Races... I LOVE IT! As if the local races weren't enough for me and my pocketbook. So what is a virtual race?

Simply put.. it is a race put together to allow anyone from anywhere to participate. I would dare to say... it is based on the honor system. Though I would imagine if you were to take the time to sign up for the virtual race you would do it! Most virtual races I have seen so far do still have a fee and also offer a 'prize.' Right now I have joined 3 virtual races and am about to join another one soon.

What I love about the virtual races is that most I have seen are being put on for a VERY good cause.. and it seems that most are for something close and personal to the leader's heart. This makes it more personal to me and makes me want to join in to help the cause. As I complete the virtual runs that I am signed up for currently, I will write about them and you will understand what I mean!

Honor System, Baby! 

Have you ever put on a Virtual Race? This intrigues me and I would love to hear feedback on what you do to host one... you know, for the future. I think they are great when they are for a great cause... or even a Fun One.. those are good too!!

Some people offer really nice 'bling' and some even have bibs.. Much like a normal race, but doing it on your own. I really think it would be a lot of fun if a group of people participated in a Virtual Race together.

This is the medal I will be receiving for a 10K Breast Cancer that I signed up for! 

I just completed my FIRST Virtual 10K tonight, but first I wanted to share with my readers what a Virtual Run is... :) 

-Big Sis

Don't forget about the SPIbelt Giveaway!! Only 1 more day!! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Protection Against the Sun

I have been thinking for sometime that I need to really invest in some sports glasses. The sunglasses that I wear when running are quite irritating to my head because they bounce all around and don't feel comfortable for a long period of time. I have seen several posts on other blogs about glasses that runners wear, but I am just a little too nervous to spend the money if I am not sure if I will like them.

Do you wear sports glasses when running? If so, will you let me know what kind?

In the past few years I have ordered my eye glasses online without going into a shop to have them adjusted or to try them on. Living overseas made this decision simple... I just had to do it. I have actually purchased from a couple of different websites and I have been pleased. So here I am again, not only in search of sports glasses, but new glasses frames as well. So, I figured I may as well buy them both at the same time.

Currently, I am looking at GlassesUSA.com at a couple of different pairs of eyeglasses and a pair of sports glasses. Have you ever ordered from this company? It seems to be a great company with their guarantees and refer a friend programs. These are the glasses I am looking at.. what do you think?

GlassesUSA.com also has this really cool virtual mirror where you can put different glasses on the person you create as yourself and see how they look. This is so fun to do ... go ahead and play around. You know you want to!

The really cool thing is that I have been looking for new glasses and sports glasses when GlassesUSA.com contacted us. We are so excited to share their newest glasses with you along with the awesome Virtual Mirror- but the best part is.. There are discounts in it for you. If you are interested in getting some new glasses, I highly recommend you take a look around their website and use the awesome codes they gave us to share with you for discounts.

Take 15% off your entire order amount + FREE shipping (orders over $50). Code: FS15

                              Take 10% off any order of prescription glasses. Code: Blog10

So which pair of glasses do you like best?

If you wear sunglasses to run in, what kind are they?

Of course... don't forget about our awesome Giveaway that ends soon! 

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Weekly Chase #3

If you haven't heard about the Weekly Chase that our friend over at Live, Love, Run does each week- you should really go over and read about it. Even if you don't blog, it is an awesome way to keep weekly goals and try and reach them! If you want to know more about the Weekly Chase go HERE.

In last weeks Weekly Chase, we gave ourselves lots of goals. We want to share with you how we did last week before we share the goals for this week. 

Big Sis! 

1. To attend Cross Fit 3x this week! Should be easy since I have someone going with me! -I am sad to say I only attended two times. A friend from Japan came in and called and wanted to do dinner. I still planned to attend CF, but I realized I needed to STOP! And enjoy an evening with my family. I was sad, but I do think it was the right choice. 

2. To do Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred Monday-Friday during nap time! -I did not do it even one time. What a flake I am. I honestly forgot. I was so excited about CF that I didn't think about it on Monday and then I just.. forgot. 

3. To drink at least 1 gallon of water each day. -I started the week out right doing this... and then failed. 

4. To run 21 miles this week. -Negative. I wanted it SO bad. At the end, I had 9 miles left go to on Sunday, and it just was not happening. Husband was working and it was just too hot outside and my boy wasn't cooperative at the gym as he wanted to work out too! :)

5. To get Sam's baby shower stuff finished before Friday! -I did something!!! 

6. To continue with my NO DIET DR. PEPPER or Energy Drinks! -2 Energy Drinks
7. To be in bed BY 11pm (this is huge) each night and set my alarm and get up at 5am! -Got up at 5am all but one day... Bed by 11pm all but 2 nights. 

Seriously, I feel like a complete failure. I have been so sad about these goals all day today. They were easy goals and quite frankly, I let myself down. I am most sad about the mileage. But you know what... I realize and thanks to the motivation from a follower on our Facebook page.. that the miles I got in are more than what the person got in that stayed on their couch. So I will take my 12 miles and go forth. I am so proud of my Little Sister though. She TOTALLY reach her goals and did so awesome. Go, Britt! 

Lil Sis! 

1. Finish painting our blue walled living room! - Done! And I love it! 

Here is a picture:

Sorry not the best quality photo but I wanted to show you my wall! 

2. Go on a date with my husband! -Yep! And we got to use a gift card that some of our church college leaders blessed us with. We went to Olive Garden (my fav) and it was good to spend that time with him before the next day one of our boys flew back home. 

3. Full clean my home before the boys come back! -Yes, I did it! Really late at night the night before Evan got home, but I did it! 

This is Evan, one of the 3 Asian boys that lives with us throughout the school year.  This is his 2nd year with us.  

4. Sew some more products for my etsy store! -Aw this didn't quite happen because my sewing machine is messing up. Technical difficulties!

5. Run 6 miles again in one setting! -Did this Thursday night at the gym... it was hard that night, but I did it! 

6. Run a total of 20 miles this week! -OMG!! I did it! I made it to this Sunday and had 7 miles left to hit 20! I had no intention of trying to achieve it...I was just going to do a short run and a weight lifting workout, then I talked to Big Sis who was going to try and finish out her 11 miles to her goal! That motivated me to at least try, and I did it.  I ran with one of my dogs for 2 miles, then got the other dog for 2 miles, then did 3 at the gym, plus a little arm weights workout. 

7. Stop drinking sweet tea and stick to just water and coffee! -Well I did have a Cherry Limeade (my new found favorite drink).. but other than that, just water and coffee. 

Now to this weeks Goals:

Big Sis!

1. Get my boy's bedtime routine started by 830pm each night so I have more time with my husband in the evenings. 

2. CrossFit 3x this week.

3. Mileage Goal of 21 miles; keeping it the same since I did not hit it this week.

4. To Run 3 early mornings this week! 

Lil Sis!

SIDENOTE: I don't have a lot of goals for the next couple of weeks because my job will be in high demand with the school year upon us.  So really my goals are focussed on being successful even through my crazy work schedule. 

1. Run 20 miles this week

2. Keep my house moderately clean since I will be working late throughout the week

3. Do 3 workouts throughout the week besides just running

4. Eat healthy despite the fact that every meal will be provided for me in Fast Food form  (This is part of my next 2 weeks at work, I work at a university and we are getting ready for New Student Orientation, so as we work the school buys us food...it is usually very hard to not just eat whatever...my office is full of yummy snacks too!) 

Of Course.. Don't forget about our AWESOME GIVEAWAY that ends on Friday! Enter to win your VERY own SPIBelt!! 

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