tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34264848379374359792024-03-05T00:08:45.184-08:00The Pursuit of a Quality LifeThe real-life adventures of a 40ish-year old new runner trying to lose weight, outrun age, and keep up with the grand babies!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13477548540626948283noreply@blogger.comBlogger195125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426484837937435979.post-8702235536552094112018-12-31T07:51:00.000-08:002018-12-31T07:52:58.950-08:002019 - The Year of INTENTIONAL!<br />
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<img alt="Forget New Yearâs Resolutions. Scrap that long list of goals you wonât remember three weeks from now anyway! Choose just one word. One word you can focus on every day, all year long⦠One word that sums up who you want to be or how you want to live. It will take intentionality and commitment, but if you let it, your one word will shape not only your year, but also you. It will become the compass that directs your decisions and guides your steps. Discover the big impact one..." height="400" src="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/90/b3/8d/90b38dfad57117094af4188787f2eea6.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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As originally written back in 2016, here's a little background on choosing a single word to be the theme for my year:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">So let me give you a little background. Back in 2010 my bestie, Rebecca, presented this idea to me that she had heard about of picking a word to be your intention for the entire year. We both really liked the concept and totally ran with it. I picked Peace and she picked Joy. And whoa...if we had known how powerful having a single word could be I don't know that we would have done it! Well, at the very least we both agreed later that we would have been more cautious in choosing. LOL Because we both went through a pretty crazy journey that year and our words were very prominent in that journey. I'm kind of glad we didn't know though because that's the way it SHOULD be...kind of the purpose right? At any rate, by the end of the year we were sold! And we've been doing it together ever since. If you want more information about this, just Google One Little Word (Ali Edwards has registered that one) or One Word Resolution and you'll find all kinds of info about it. I don't know who created the concept originally but whoever it was is brilliant! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">My words have been:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">2010: Peace</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">2011: Quality (how my little blog got its name!)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">2012: Strong (I did the Ali Edwards One Little Word(r) workshop that year - it's amazing - she's amazing!)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">2013: Light</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">2014: Courage (the year I ran my marathon!)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">2015: Now</span></div>
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2016: Grow</div>
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2017: Believe</div>
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2018: Live (<a href="https://thepursuitofaqualitylife.blogspot.com/2018/12/closing-out-2018-and-my-year-of-live.html" target="_blank">blog post</a> closing out the year of Live)</div>
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Before I can jump into sharing my word and what it means to me, I need to provide a little of the thought process that brought me TO the word. Most years I'll start thinking about my word for the coming year around Thanksgiving and will usually settle onto one before December even hits; however, this year, it was towards the end of mid-December that I even came close to settling on a word. Many had run their way through my mind, but nothing had stuck. So I realized that I needed to spend a little time thinking about what I actually WANTED for 2019. In thinking about where I had been and where I wanted to go what I realized was that much of the past several years had been determined by outside factors. First my goals were centered around getting a promotion at work. So all my goals stemmed from that bigger one - up my clothes game, go back to school, be present at work, etc. And then I went back to school with many of my goals centered around finishing my degree program. Then after I finished my degree in March of this year (2018) it was returning my focus to getting life back to normal in a post-homework world. What that basically boils down to is that since I set goals in 2016, my life has been clicking along and I've achieved the big goals that I set of getting the promotion and finishing my degree, then finally returning to a new normal. </div>
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<img alt="If you don't know where you are going, you will never get there. The Mindset Journey" src="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/a5/67/8f/a5678f0bec73b5268552058f8cddbbd4.jpg" /></div>
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What I realized as I was thinking about it was that this was the first time in several years that I had to actually think about what I wanted in life! There wasn't anything else driving the car, it was up to me to decide where I wanted to go and then turn the steering wheel in that direction. Holy crap - that was a surprising realization! HA! Isn't it funny how life can sneak up on us sometimes? As I got over the shock of not having anything major in life driving my direction, it was scary and freeing all at the same time. What is this concept of getting to decide??? How does that work exactly?? And the realization that I came to was that if I had the opportunity to determine my direction this year and that I didn't have any major life goals that I needed to be working on, I didn't want to just flounder about and not care. I wanted to carve out the direction - I wanted to be INTENTIONAL in where I went even if it wasn't a major life destination. I wanted to make some small life decisions that could make a big impact, or at the very least, small life decisions that I could ENJOY living in. </div>
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And so, INTENTIONAL became the word!</div>
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<img alt="Inspiration - Live Every Day With Intention #quotes" height="640" src="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/77/25/10/77251003ba2d51cddf4ca7fc784d72e3.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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I want to be intentional about how I spend my time. I don't get a lot of "spare" time, so in the time I'm given I want to be intentional with it. What do I do and is it making me better? Who am I spending it with and does it improve my life? Am I taking the time for self-care that I need to take so I can devote myself to the pursuit of quality in my life? For example, many times in the morning as I'm waking up my first go-to is pulling out the phone and browsing social media, which can then turn into a rabbit hole that is hard to dig out of and before I know it, I no longer have time for what I wanted to do that morning like working out or spending a few minutes with the hubby before he leaves for work. So if I'm being intentional, I will set a time limit and when I hit that limit I will get off of the social media and continue on with what I want out of my day. It's not a huge change, but it's an intentional change and one that will allow me to set my direction. </div>
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The main takeaway as I see it is that to be intentional, I have to actually THINK about what I want in each moment. It's about being thoughtful, even if it is small and inconsequential, about what each decision I make brings into my life. Deciding to spend time on social media isn't necessarily a bad thing as I have relationships there that bring meaning into my life, so intentionally deciding on spending time reading and commenting on my friend's posts can bring richness into my life - but it should be something that I actually <b><i>decide </i></b>to spend time on; not just something that I mindlessly do. INTENTIONAL...</div>
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<img alt="If youâre ready to get off the treadmill and become a conscious creator of your own life, then here are 7 questions to inspire intentional living. #intentionalliving" src="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/67/3e/09/673e093836f18c49f9cd7e3fa986ef36.jpg" /></div>
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I'm excited to see how intentional living and thinking works for me in 2019! I'm excited for a year full of possibilities that are just waiting for me to find them. </div>
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Will you be setting a one-word theme for your year? Tell me about it in the comments! </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13477548540626948283noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426484837937435979.post-27144138664223083392018-12-28T18:17:00.000-08:002018-12-31T09:32:38.123-08:00Closing out 2018 and My Year of LIVE!<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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For anybody new to this party, my bestie and I have selected a word to be our theme/focus/resolution for the entire year since 2010. My words in recap are:<br />
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2010: Peace<br />
2011: Quality (how my little blog got its name!)<br />
2012: Strong (I did the Ali Edwards One Little Word(r) workshop that year - it's amazing - she's amazing!)<br />
2013: Light<br />
2014: Courage (the year I ran my marathon!)<br />
2015: Now<br />
2016: Grow<br />
2017: Believe<br />
2018: Live<br />
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Some years my word has really spoken to me (peace, courage, grow), and other years I am hard pressed to even remember what it was or feel any connection to it (strong, light). So, how does LIVE stack up? It was a good word! Not a great word, but a GOOD word. It served me well and I definitely think it helped that 2018 ended up just being a really great year for me. Was it because of the word? Probably not, but I don't think it hurt that I went into the year fully prepared to LIVE life fully either!<br />
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Some of the best parts? Finishing school for one! That was a huge accomplishment after a long journey. Getting my Bachelor's Degree was something that was a long time coming, and I'm just happy I finally did it. As it turns out, I'm the first one in my immediate family to be conferred with a Bachelor's Degree! I have several family members that have units towards their undergrad degree; however, I was the first one to actually get the piece of paper. For a teen mom, high school dropout that didn't think that education was in my cards, I was super proud of myself. I was also super happy to get my life back!! When you're in the middle of the challenge, you don't really realize how difficult it is. Once I was done with school I felt like I freed up some brain power to focus on simple things like being the sarcastic ray of sunshine that I am. LOL<br />
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After finishing school, I got back to running consistently again! I went to the <a href="https://www.skirtsports.com/" target="_blank">Skirt Sports</a> retreat in Boulder Colorado in June and hung out with my gal pals. I put on about 20ish pounds during school and when I saw pictures from that retreat I knew that it showed, so I came home in June refreshed and renewed, ready to focus on dropping the weight. I got back to my pre-degree weight in several months and feel much better! I also ran two half marathons in November and December and actually talked my middle son into running them with me! I'm already signed up for three more in 2019. Running feels REALLY GOOD again! I'm still slow and I'm still horrible at sticking to a training plan, but I feel like enjoying it is the primary goal.<br />
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I took an EPIC trip to New York City for a work conference and got to take my girls with me! I've been to NYC before and absolutely loved it, so when I got the opportunity to go for work and my girls both wanted to go, we made it happen. I really wanted for them to enjoy the trip and get the most out of being in the city as 24-year olds. Their friend Katryn flew in from Texas and met us there and it was amazing! It's too much to go into in this post, but we had a blast. They had fun during the day while I did conference stuff, and then we would have dinner and explore in the evenings. They <i>may have </i>hit the bars every night as well. LOL<br />
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Some of the other highlights: work was fantastic all year long...graduation took place in a different location and it allowed us to do some things differently than we had in the past like having bagpipes walk the graduates in, a balloon drop at the end. It was awesome! We also bought a new building in Temecula where we will open our third full campus in 2020. That was huge news for our college, our community, and our future students. I got a promotion to Director of Board and Executive Services (similar job, but bigger title and more responsibility).<br />
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Really, what it all comes down to is that I freaking lived the heck out of my life in 2018! I enjoyed so much health, happiness, friendships, love, family, and more this year. I felt like I tried to find ways to live in each moment, even the ones that were challenging or not so much fun.<br />
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So to 2018 I say, thank you! Thank you for giving me lots of life to enjoy. I'm going into 2019 excited to see what comes next. I don't think there's anything big on the horizon to rival all the major life events that went down in 2018; but at the same time, I'm ready to just <i>enjoy</i> a slower pace.<br />
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How about you - do you have a word for your year? How did 2018 go for you? What are you looking forward to in 2019?<br />
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<img src="https://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d66/kgrimes526/Signature.jpg" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13477548540626948283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426484837937435979.post-84062936484361071912018-11-14T05:01:00.000-08:002018-12-31T08:37:17.711-08:00My First Skirt...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm a firm believer in clothes make a person. Not so much that everyone should be strutting around wearing designer clothes that cost an arm and a leg, but in that when you wear the right outfit for the occasion it can totally MAKE that occasion. Imagine if a bride showed up for her wedding in a bath robe, she probably wouldn't exactly feel like she was getting married, right? For example, I'm sure that when a Doctor puts on that white lab coat that they FEEEEEEEL like a doctor. Or when the Police Officer puts on their uniform that they get in "police officer" mode. Sure, they are still doctors or police officers without the clothes, but you see what I'm getting at here, right? When they put on those things that are very much the right clothes for the occasion, it puts them in a certain mindset. I know when I get dressed for my job and I am wearing a skirt, heels, accessories - I am more apt to act like an office professional than if I was sitting here at the desk in my yoga pants and tee shirt.<br />
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I believe the same is true when it comes to working out. Not only is it important to have clothes that will meet the form and function requirements of a workout, you want something that is going to give you that extra bit of OOMPH that will help keep you going when the workout gets tough. I know that when I feel like I look good while I'm working out, I try a little harder. It's like putting on the uniform and knowing that they are the right clothes for the occasion and now it's time to get them sweaty! LOL<br />
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But for someone that also enjoys feeling like a girl and enjoys how much more power I have when I'm fierce AND feminine, finding the right clothes for THAT job can be tough sometimes...that is until I got my FIRST SKIRT!!!<br />
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That is my very first Skirt Sports skirt right there and it changed the way I looked at workout clothes! I had just become a runner and was still buying my workout clothes at Walmart and was never quite feeling like they fit right, felt right, or made me feel pretty! I was getting lots of colors and styles, but it just wasn't doing the trick. I still felt all frumpy and like the parts I really wanted to "hide" were way too much on display! (Raise your hand if you're feeling me on that one. hahaha)<br />
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But then I saw a special Active Advantage deal to get 50% off of a running skirt with Skirt Sports. I hadn't heard of Skirt Sports and really didn't know that running skirts even existed, but as soon as I checked out the deal and saw those hot pink shorts under a black skirt I knew I had to have it!!! I mean, come on, form, function, feminine AND something that offered some decent coverage while also allowing me to not be covered from head to toe in hot, sweaty clothes through a SoCal summer??? Yes, Please!!!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first skirt in action at the Menifee 5k!</td></tr>
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And that's where my love affair with Skirt Sports began...but it certainly isn't where it ended! I purchased that first skirt in probably 2010 and it is a precursor to the Gym Girl Ultra, called the Kickstart. A thigh slit on the right side to show off those hot pink shorties that don't budge, flattering black, perfect length, and pockets on both legs. Absolute PERFECTION!! And imagine my happiness when I realized that they didn't just have awesome skirts - they also have capris and shorts and tops and bras and so much more! <br />
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I consider myself a true convert - I never would have imagined that I could feel feminine while pounding pavement, or that I could go from run to breakfast or errands and be perfectly okay with it! Never mind that I could wear my workout clothes to my office job on casual Friday and feel like I'm not just looking the part, but wearing it well! Finding my first skirt has led me to feeling like a different person when I workout - I'm not wearing the uniform of a gym rat, I'm wearing the uniform of a fashionista that just happens to also be running in clothes that have fit, form, function AND style!<br />
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If you want to fall in love with Skirt Sports too, use code <a href="http://bit.ly/2zbuFTF">344GRIM</a> for 15% off at skirtsports.com.<br />
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<img src="https://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d66/kgrimes526/Signature.jpg" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13477548540626948283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426484837937435979.post-40115091165428592342018-11-10T07:58:00.000-08:002018-12-31T08:36:53.702-08:00Relationships and Regrets...I finally watched the movie The Family Stone and one of my big takeaways from it was how the things we won't regret at the end of the day are things, but would be memories forgotten or relationships that weren't what we wanted them to be.<br />
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The scene that got me the most was when one of the (adult) daughters lays down next to her mom that is napping and cuddles behind her and then the mom cradles her face lovingly. And what got me was that I wish I had that relationship with my own mom and my own daughters. Family relationships and dynamics are such an interesting thing. My mom was not a very outwardly loving mom - I think it was just because her own parents weren't as well. We live what we are taught, right? And it was different back then as far as family relationships go. Dads were the disciplinarians and Moms were the housewives; everyone had a role and were expected to live within that role. I have always known that my mom loves me, but we didn't have that close relationship where I could talk to her about boys or tell her my hopes and fears that would cause us to laugh and cry together. There weren't a lot of hugs and the words I Love You weren't very often said.<br />
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I have two daughters and I feel like I have close relationships with them, but I can't help but wonder if I passed down the same, to a little lesser degree, <i>space</i> between us. I don't know how else to capture that; not sure there's a word for it. We talk; they know they can come to me for anything and we have a lot of great conversations that incorporate hopes and fears and boys. But I wish that I had just a little bit MORE and I wonder if there's something I could have, or should have, done while raising them to change that. Did I tell them that I love them enough? Did I hug them enough? Was I loving enough? Did they always know that I had no expectation other than that they be healthy and happy or did they feel like if they show what is underneath the surface that it would surely be disappointing?<br />
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Spoiler alert - in the movie the Mom has cancer and is going to die. This makes me think about how if we knew that we only had a limited amount of time with someone, would it change how we behave with them? I would have to think that it would. We would want to hold them a little tighter, love them a little harder, share with them a little more of ourselves, appreciate a little more of them. We would want to know their life story so that when they are gone we could hold onto the pieces of them that made the whole. The childhood stories, the first loves, first kiss, the feeling of holding us as a baby in their arms for the first time. We would want to be able to know and store those inside of us. So why don't we do more to capture that in daily life???<br />
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I guess my primary point is why do we wait until time is finite to live it? Why do we take relationships for granted until they are no longer there? There is so much heartbreak in this world and we don't always know when we have our last moments with someone. Sometimes, where illness or old age is involved, we know that time is short. But there are other times that there's nothing to broadcast that THIS IS IT - you better tell those people you love that you love them because you're not going to get another chance.<br />
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So don't wait for when there isn't any more time. Do it now. Tell the people you love that you love them. Breathe in their stories, hug them tighter, love them harder, ask them about their hopes and fears.<br />
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Live like you may not get a tomorrow and make memories that will be there long after the moment has passed!<br />
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Be blessed, my friends, and make today count!<br />
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<img src="https://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d66/kgrimes526/Signature.jpg" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13477548540626948283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426484837937435979.post-65287351214543031752018-03-14T19:59:00.001-07:002018-12-31T08:36:27.229-08:00The Path Worth Traveling...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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When I started my educational journey towards getting my Bachelor's Degree back in June 2016, I really felt like I was just jumping through a hoop to get a piece of paper. You see, I was poised for a promotion at work due to a retirement, and even though a Bachelor's Degree wasn't "required" it was definitely a desired qualification and I knew that I would be part of a very competitive pool applying for this position. Many of the people I would be stacked up against, especially during screening, would most likely have years of experience AND a Bachelor's Degree. The reality was that if it was something that I truly wanted, then I needed to jump through the hoop and at least be working on my degree. Hence, the journey began.</div>
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I had previously found many reasons (some people might call them excuses, but to-may-to, to-mah-to LOL) to not start down the path towards my degree, but the reasons weren't enough to be a barrier anymore. After pushing off my start date for almost an entire year, I finally began my first two classes and it was challenging for sure - but, Step One - DONE. Working full-time, taking care of a family, trying to keep up running, studying, going to class...it was TOUGH! There were definite times that I wasn't sure I was going to be able to keep all the balls I was juggling in the air, much less stay competitive for my dream job. </div>
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Six months into my educational journey, the retirement took place and I was selected to fill the position as an Interim! Step Two - DONE! But you know how they say be careful what you wish for? Well, now I was learning a whole new job AND still doing all the same tasks like working, taking care of a family, attempting to run, study, go to class while training someone to backfill my previous position! HA!!! No problem, right?!? Piece of cake...or two or three, and wait, what happened to running or exercising and since when did candy bars become lunch??? </div>
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One year into my educational journey, the permanent position flew and it was now time to actually apply and then interview for the dream job. No pressure, right?!? Thankfully, my hard work paid off and I was awarded the permanent position. Whew...Step Three - DONE!! At that point I still had about 8 months left of school, and don't think for even a second that I didn't think - hey I have the job, I don't *HAVE* to finish school now. LOL But by then, I was too close to being done and I wanted it.</div>
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And you know what else? Somewhere along the way school actually became more than just the "hoop" I was jumping through. I started to see the value of an undergraduate degree. I already had my Associate's Degree previously, but this was different. All of a sudden I was able to really see how it was making a difference in my ability to think outside the box, to reason critically, to defend my position in a thoughtful and educated way. It was no longer a hoop - it was something that was beneficial to my professional AND personal journeys! Who would have thought...right?? But for someone who was a teen mom high school dropout that never thought I would actually amount to much of anything, I started to really see differently. I had moved beyond the circumstances of my childhood mistakes and realized that I was worth having my degree. Getting it WAS for someone like little ol' me. Yes, I probably should have realized that a long time ago, but you know, sometimes the most obvious answers are the hardest to see. </div>
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So there I was, working in my dream job and absolutely LOVING it, working towards my degree and not always loving it, but appreciating what it meant for me, and realizing that this was a path that was SOOOOO worth traveling!! And now here we are...and I am so pleased to say...Step Four - DONE!!! On March 4th I officially finished my last class, but I actually turned in the last of my assignments on February 28th. I will walk with my class on May 20, 2018 and I'll be graduating Magna Cum Laude. I wrapped up with a 3.9 institution GPA, but with transfer units I had an overall 3.74 GPA. Not bad for a teen mom, high school dropout that never thought getting a Bachelor's Degree was something for even remotely achievable. </div>
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My overall summary of the experience - wooooorth it!<br />
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A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kgrimes526/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" target="_blank"> Kristen Grimes</a> (@kgrimes526) on <time datetime="2018-03-10T00:14:16+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Mar 9, 2018 at 4:14pm PST</time></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13477548540626948283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426484837937435979.post-81580536093105397072018-01-02T09:45:00.000-08:002018-12-31T08:36:14.193-08:00Closing Out 2017...and It's Been Awhile!And here we are...in 2018! The last time I posted a blog was in September 2016. Holy Schnikes!!! That's absolute insanity! So what have I been doing since then? Well, pretty much what haven't I been doing would be easier to answer. And that comes down to two things: 1) blogging LOL; and 2) running consistently. I have been buried in work and school so priorities dictated that a few things fall to the wayside while others took precedence...and here we are! So rather than try to be all blah blah blah let me give you a recap of the past 15 months, I'll just start from where I'm at right now and that's closing out 2017.<br />
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At the beginning of the year I selected my one word after closing out a year of NOW in 2016. The past year was a year of BELIEVE and it was a good word in many ways, but in many ways it was a blah word too. I think I took the easy way out on that one, but it seemed like a good word back in January 2017 as I entered a new realm in my life with a promotion that I had spent, well, pretty much my entire career working for. And the sole reason I was back in school working on completing my Bachelor's Degree. That job started as an Interim position in January 2017 and became permanent end of July 2017. Hallelujah!! I also felt like Believe would be an important word as I spent an entire solid year in school pushing hard to complete in early 2018. And there were many days that I had to dig deep and believe that it was first, the right thing to be doing, and second, that I could complete what felt like a monumental task. I was reminded often that timing was everything as I was super thankful I wasn't trying to raise small children in the middle of this. It was a pretty challenging year - but I had an AMAZING year in my career and school! Tough, and many times I felt like I just might have bitten off more than I could chew, but in the end - so. good.<br />
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I ran some, but really not much. I thought that BELIEVE would get me through keeping up with my running, at least minimally, but alas, it had to take a backseat and I reminded myself often that what I believed wasn't always going to be reality. Many times throughout the year I found out that I was having to remind myself what my word even was because it just never was in the forefront; but that's kind of how everything was this past year. The only thing in the forefront most of the time was just getting through one day and then the next. I never really felt like I was in control this past year - the activities surrounding my life were driving and it felt like everything was "when I'm done with school I will [fill in the blank]...run again, spend more time with the kids, enjoy summer, have Friday afternoons of TV, watch that show, watch that movie, eat healthier, drink more water..." You name it, I've probably said it this past year. Everything has been a giant INHALE while waiting for school to be over. It's kind of felt like an all-consuming fire many times and I'm just trying to fight through the flames to find the Exit door. But when I pause, I can say that I've enjoyed a lot of it!<br />
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I really enjoyed learning and feel like, as much as I hate to admit it because I waited so long to do it, that getting a higher education degree does make a difference! I started out jumping through a hoop, but learned along the way that it has broadened my critical thinking skills and to look at situations from a different frame of perspective. Whaddya know...education does PAY! hahaha I also got to know a lot of awesome people and know that I'm going to be graduating in May with several that have become lifelong friends! I also joined the Student Advisory Council on the advice of my favorite professor and participated in several online activities and meetings to assist the Career Center in meeting the needs of their students and graduates. It has been such a rewarding time but I won't lie - I can't wait to be done on March 4th! Two more classes in 8 more weeks starting back up on January 8. Sooooooo close!!<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BZAPzU5FQlx/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">This is what my Wednesday night looks like...lucky charms for dinner and a side of homework after a long week that is only three days in so far. But you know...life is good and I'm glad for the reminders of how important it is to live in even these moments. #studytime #brandmanuniversity #livelifelovelife</a></div>
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I don't want to write a novel, so I'm going to wrap it up and say that even though 2017 was full of challenges figuring out how to do a new job, be a leader, go to school, take care of the house, give the family some time and attention, work out and care for my physical self, eat healthy(ish) and more, it was a pretty darn good year and one that I'm happy to tie a neat little bow around. It was a year of growth and believing in myself even when it felt like all the balls I was juggling were going to fall to the ground. Goodbye 2017! I'm looking forward to 2018 being even better!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13477548540626948283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426484837937435979.post-77902306874125519602016-09-01T08:39:00.000-07:002018-12-31T08:36:02.350-08:00This Crazy Life...<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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My life is crazy bonkers right now between, well, between pretty much everything!! I'm feeling a little like Dory these days as I keep reminding myself to "just keep swimming".<br />
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I haven't worked out since Monday morning, I'm averaging about 6.5 hours of sleep each night, and I'm taking in copious amounts of caffeine just to keep moving. So what's happening these days? I started working on my bachelor's degree (finally) with Brandman University and have made it through my first 8-week term completing two classes with A's in both of them. I got a whole week off that was absolutely GLORIOUS, but started back up this past Monday...and I don't know why, but the first week of the term is always a brutally rough re-entry that leaves me feeling like I will spontaneously combust at any moment. (Side note: how bizarre is it that "combust" has a red wavy line and is not recognized as a word at all?!? It wants me to change it to com-bust. What kind of dictionary is this using anyways?!? hahaha)<br />
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Work is also crazy busy these days. The semester started a few weeks ago and as everyone settles in, business really ramps back up, so there's lots of projects and meetings and other tasks to contend with.<br />
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I do have a family, but I barely see them right now. So I'm pretty sure they exist...I just can't confirm that through actual time spent with them. HA!<br />
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But other than feeling like life is kinda outta control these days, I'm plugging along. I had an awesome week-long exercise streak that I'm glad I got so I could at least SEE that it was possible...never mind that it was during the break between terms so it probably isn't likely to happen again anytime soon.<br />
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Since it is all kind of like a train hurtling towards a brick wall, I'm getting back to the basics as much as possible: writing to-do lists, getting time in nature as much as possible, eating well as much as possible, getting a somewhat decent amount of sleep, getting workouts in (okay, not this week, but starting tomorrow I am rectifying that situation!), and listening to relaxing music. I've got this...I know I do. I just need to focus on the things that matter!<br />
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I've recently found an artist that I've had on my iPhone for the past several years and never really listened to! A friend of mine had shared him with me and I remember listening to it, but not really getting into the groove of it and quickly bouncing off to something else, never returning to it again. But then about a month back I was doing some homework in Starbucks and this song came on that just completely GRABBED me out of nowhere, so I asked Siri what song it was and lo and behold, it was this artist that I recognized the name of, and knew that I had his album in my library but had never listened to. So I started listening to the album, only about 4 years after getting it, and it just was perfect for the time in my life right now. It's always funny to me how sometimes music is like that - we hear it at a specific time in our life and it just doesn't click, but then later, we hear it again and it's like it was created just for this moment in time. So that artist is Ben Howard and the song that I heard in Starbucks is Gracious...take a listen and enjoy!<br />
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Keep on swimming, friends...just keep on swimming and stay gracious!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13477548540626948283noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426484837937435979.post-62588108168452644532016-07-21T15:15:00.002-07:002018-12-31T08:33:28.607-08:00In the Land of Unicorns...Part 1Last month I had the opportunity to participate in the Skirt Sports Ambassador Retreat and 13er Race Weekend in Boulder, Colorado and lemme tell ya...it was AH-MAZ-INGGGGGG!!!! Seriously, it's been over a month and I'm still blown away every time I think about that weekend, the amazing stories, the fantastic people, all the love, all the inspiration and so much more!! So let me tell you all about it!<br />
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First, a little back story. This is the second year that Skirt Sports has held their Ambassador Retreat and I was super bummed that I wasn't able to go last year. So when I was welcomed back as an Ambassador this year, I told my husband that I didn't care what we had to do to make it happen, I was going to be there for it. Thankfully for him, he listened, and he also decided he wanted to go with. He knew it was going to be a lot of time for him to hang out solo, but he was okay with that.<br />
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We flew out bright and early on a Friday morning and had no problems getting into Denver, picking up our rental car, and driving into Boulder. Right away we were amazed by the views in Colorado - seriously, it was soooooooo beautiful!!! Just green everywhere and Rocky Mountain vistas in the background. We were immediately in love...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/keofnELXEQWOz2Ko4K8WOJUayR_mHLe8AwHceUkkd4-Vyhll5VV-hdJt5r4PxUS38xxz_AA9cZk_NZ2S4ls_gxDMnrhQZ8BvFazcmmuVInznUTMxeNv4ZwlQWI2M4Qbflp0cHteEvmditQ2YaqwOudm2onJ-mH4KoxG1nGcR354NjQTd0ZXiGjoYVTMNjIM43M5xmGDxU-VjHmo-I6xRwrHiZq2UOxES0zMD-NAcxuSyDd6mU4c_e_rKSvj_OikMo3miExmkB0JC60LOmYKPqmoUmqJbDWVtODKJfOK9e2rKp27ZVDd_o6jTWijJcsUFwRLGskVtpcInA6qry6sDqpBF7k8e4Zo4F9B0vxpPZktDLIuDLREIcw3ytN8SKHRiVqV-al1KbwKlVMcYCsNuucXXOaaPY6FszlqgXoHyDr8fhTSgOn5CYN2n89dGrfgDEVvRRTJzSVPX-8q7folPsot-HdWgQtlyO4FnmNRhqUu4zqlEi6v-OgQ6Wi1omYFDvG0nlrrDYJbwj-mVza4x0nQ6-RLWZFFkuKHFzuaYLyAqiUxfyvZH351TeXvzkFfFoh4_mzcjMmbdiftz6CxgARqn7N07cXM=w724-h965-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/keofnELXEQWOz2Ko4K8WOJUayR_mHLe8AwHceUkkd4-Vyhll5VV-hdJt5r4PxUS38xxz_AA9cZk_NZ2S4ls_gxDMnrhQZ8BvFazcmmuVInznUTMxeNv4ZwlQWI2M4Qbflp0cHteEvmditQ2YaqwOudm2onJ-mH4KoxG1nGcR354NjQTd0ZXiGjoYVTMNjIM43M5xmGDxU-VjHmo-I6xRwrHiZq2UOxES0zMD-NAcxuSyDd6mU4c_e_rKSvj_OikMo3miExmkB0JC60LOmYKPqmoUmqJbDWVtODKJfOK9e2rKp27ZVDd_o6jTWijJcsUFwRLGskVtpcInA6qry6sDqpBF7k8e4Zo4F9B0vxpPZktDLIuDLREIcw3ytN8SKHRiVqV-al1KbwKlVMcYCsNuucXXOaaPY6FszlqgXoHyDr8fhTSgOn5CYN2n89dGrfgDEVvRRTJzSVPX-8q7folPsot-HdWgQtlyO4FnmNRhqUu4zqlEi6v-OgQ6Wi1omYFDvG0nlrrDYJbwj-mVza4x0nQ6-RLWZFFkuKHFzuaYLyAqiUxfyvZH351TeXvzkFfFoh4_mzcjMmbdiftz6CxgARqn7N07cXM=w724-h965-no" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beauty of an early morning flight is watching a sunrise like THIS one!! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi89T93DoyWzLFk_7bsZFJwv26agRat3ruliav1xLDxexzX6vSQh0vOnxJ9bmJSZj5pj9RPjQdKSoOSnPuvRddekuJXJxcVldhIhthxvUqQKytcpQ61E0PqZYS_xEPJvBCtTzr8PthWWS8/w724-h965-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi89T93DoyWzLFk_7bsZFJwv26agRat3ruliav1xLDxexzX6vSQh0vOnxJ9bmJSZj5pj9RPjQdKSoOSnPuvRddekuJXJxcVldhIhthxvUqQKytcpQ61E0PqZYS_xEPJvBCtTzr8PthWWS8/w724-h965-no/" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first views of Colorado didn't disappoint!</td></tr>
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Coming from California, especially right at the tail end of a massive heat wave, where everything is already crisp and brown, seeing green was such a welcome sight! I could not get over how LUSH everything was.<br />
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Since the hubby decided to come with me and he knew he was going to be hanging solo for large chunks of time, he insisted on finding a hotel that was central to things to do, was appealing, and had a good view. So we selected <a href="http://www.boulderado.com/">The Hotel Boulderado</a> in downtown Boulder. And it was so spectacular!! The Boulderado is an historical landmark with two sections, one that is part of the original hotel and decorated in a Victorian style, and the newer section that is more modern. We went with the Victorian and got one of the suites that had a balcony and I'm so glad we did. That balcony was one of my favorite parts of the hotel, along with the lobby and the grand staircase. I felt like I was in a movie, and thankfully I only felt like the movie was The Shining a couple of times. Ha!!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hotel Boulderado Lobby in downtown Boulder, Colorado</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCWqpvFSbEcKiBm3QNdnErW7TB3ac1xVFt7AYEUajCasVrF2o7STqDZGIlP10pnOJMXAH9NhyphenhyphenfBwWpU6-x9-cBh6Os9kQ7jmea2i90RZCVpg4HkDxME2CmXupG0RuZr_eBhyx15vNPfCQ/w724-h965-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCWqpvFSbEcKiBm3QNdnErW7TB3ac1xVFt7AYEUajCasVrF2o7STqDZGIlP10pnOJMXAH9NhyphenhyphenfBwWpU6-x9-cBh6Os9kQ7jmea2i90RZCVpg4HkDxME2CmXupG0RuZr_eBhyx15vNPfCQ/w724-h965-no/" width="480" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from the balcony at The Hotel Boulderado</td></tr>
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After getting all settled into our room at the Hotel, we headed downstairs to the Corner Bar at the hotel and got some lunch. The food was amazingly good, the waitress was fabulous (she even remembered us when we went back the next day for dinner including what we had to eat and drink!) and the vibe was totally chill.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/NVbWraHBCz09g9BNMoZ6tz_BeMpil6eucZqseZoFV-dhtp5cPvczd3JabcHBFXYWxjeD6rRYHCfoizP2fxejciteWu6AZpFAe7eYgjoDFIiAojcISSkDmia8WAjwofkKmdsER8yqDRDcumjdHKZy1rxuY6hGqDzKz0VoWJm7birjDa53Z7tjV4c_Eq07m3tCYqx2TzRiVVGB52aUP2Jk69_Og0sdhGRupGCn2va6GqBIY6wE1crlp6kQr0qgY3HG--cJjK3sHj5aa7eCvmBvSxG6DUpeA314DdnrG_-nRsotdaMOdlTc1X5g_aPvdjtkyZXVNqklYgLK5aZH-0qPnCLtyxtl1YNBT4luZ0-eyICD8ccXfLWJcPE8vwwY3ZLtdnuMd7NVrG4xm486owZIvBFPMe2tFXc5-IbIA-iggCOoiN1fDP8opcZmgcYWP-zlNYAKspNvmPJcHjtmnoNwLMPgdt7iZq7g1E-A9WT1BqI7FMMjdaBiuFKWf8tU-Eg7NcDz0sio_K87zoCzC2aw9Dj8p39s9rj8GMIRkfNiAtVge3wyg-lMh9fxRFVvr9QaJ3oNko4proHspwznwH5uw54_PGVoF54=w724-h965-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/NVbWraHBCz09g9BNMoZ6tz_BeMpil6eucZqseZoFV-dhtp5cPvczd3JabcHBFXYWxjeD6rRYHCfoizP2fxejciteWu6AZpFAe7eYgjoDFIiAojcISSkDmia8WAjwofkKmdsER8yqDRDcumjdHKZy1rxuY6hGqDzKz0VoWJm7birjDa53Z7tjV4c_Eq07m3tCYqx2TzRiVVGB52aUP2Jk69_Og0sdhGRupGCn2va6GqBIY6wE1crlp6kQr0qgY3HG--cJjK3sHj5aa7eCvmBvSxG6DUpeA314DdnrG_-nRsotdaMOdlTc1X5g_aPvdjtkyZXVNqklYgLK5aZH-0qPnCLtyxtl1YNBT4luZ0-eyICD8ccXfLWJcPE8vwwY3ZLtdnuMd7NVrG4xm486owZIvBFPMe2tFXc5-IbIA-iggCOoiN1fDP8opcZmgcYWP-zlNYAKspNvmPJcHjtmnoNwLMPgdt7iZq7g1E-A9WT1BqI7FMMjdaBiuFKWf8tU-Eg7NcDz0sio_K87zoCzC2aw9Dj8p39s9rj8GMIRkfNiAtVge3wyg-lMh9fxRFVvr9QaJ3oNko4proHspwznwH5uw54_PGVoF54=w724-h965-no" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I mean, you can't go wrong with an awesome moose and bottle chandeliers, right?!?</td></tr>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/hJzwmCa-aWW5iyOn2LElTUju46DV2Eva3gu4Tpy8Unhs1B6LD3LSblPgMeTDygZ95kD4ZmHHskARml9-34Z0un1wr6COFesYycLItlX7frjP-nSCtvnxj-m2RjQhU5L9uzgtIqHKLFa5j_chKdTdDETxZBusjKdeq72hEu30W1npGRauIcrvsaKO8H0FGvFwDia3GuvWE3iFCk5cH9EHLOJT8dqqHYlqjxF_aNFV9RRmcK7LdAQEm8Xtv-B4rt1vum_nuVZym78ESnLP6TC1mL0xh4b_0_NoYHWzY1EAb8siCnOulejHjbW3d-hI0C3MlRCyGwU1Zcke7czfEP_Yow2tUYkpQS9kmIo6XCWOUG9YoLzJsdNBZ5Bzdj1eaKNMwAU9JEVpZkVe807jBafz4lITkXWlaqtaabq7Q5Ftir3CONdO-UiPDGPKRvmXy0wkXySHwBJJlO0odeIpPJiFzFi9hnQCuXPilvnQWa_YzgDRu-zOD1vYKN3rG57MSee19jpiLPbLqZsiyJDpIoFU4nLwLkTitlO8w1INrYiNa8LLTtttMXmj7ewdnojfMEqi16ptblhv9Qg6VcUfGDrGaxHkEQAR5dk=w724-h965-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/hJzwmCa-aWW5iyOn2LElTUju46DV2Eva3gu4Tpy8Unhs1B6LD3LSblPgMeTDygZ95kD4ZmHHskARml9-34Z0un1wr6COFesYycLItlX7frjP-nSCtvnxj-m2RjQhU5L9uzgtIqHKLFa5j_chKdTdDETxZBusjKdeq72hEu30W1npGRauIcrvsaKO8H0FGvFwDia3GuvWE3iFCk5cH9EHLOJT8dqqHYlqjxF_aNFV9RRmcK7LdAQEm8Xtv-B4rt1vum_nuVZym78ESnLP6TC1mL0xh4b_0_NoYHWzY1EAb8siCnOulejHjbW3d-hI0C3MlRCyGwU1Zcke7czfEP_Yow2tUYkpQS9kmIo6XCWOUG9YoLzJsdNBZ5Bzdj1eaKNMwAU9JEVpZkVe807jBafz4lITkXWlaqtaabq7Q5Ftir3CONdO-UiPDGPKRvmXy0wkXySHwBJJlO0odeIpPJiFzFi9hnQCuXPilvnQWa_YzgDRu-zOD1vYKN3rG57MSee19jpiLPbLqZsiyJDpIoFU4nLwLkTitlO8w1INrYiNa8LLTtttMXmj7ewdnojfMEqi16ptblhv9Qg6VcUfGDrGaxHkEQAR5dk=w724-h965-no" width="480" /></a></div>
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But what I was most excited about was the reception that was scheduled for that night at the actual Mothership - the Skirt Sports store!!!! And not just getting to see the actual store, but finally getting to meet in real life all these wonderful ladies that I had formed friendships with over the past year. I was a little nervous, but when you throw on an awesome Skirt Sports outfit it is like throwing on a coat of armor - you have a little extra pep in your step! Besides, I had cash in my pocket and I was going shopping for new Skirt! LOL But, I will admit that I was like a high school girl in total geeked out fandom splendor. I felt like every time I turned around at the reception and got to meet another fabulous lady I just couldn't help jumping up and down, squealing in delight, and hugging the ever lovin' heck outta whoever was unlucky enough to be on the receiving end of my excitement. I'm sure you can picture it...heehee<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/4-Pm4ieag1ZBhk5KWiwuhi0_ShdCr5wBon34mRiixtjZukkRKhFnO6J9LeliE8VKuD69ixWqS1xnsw5548ll6OcbZbmIfxRxQFgwjXPXnGVlgq1HOHoPbGLq8Laq_7kRpRNGOCJf7WJh18AFRXJ-7grigdCGdBrooqWPRKWpK1Pjs6EA1p1MowlA6HtiVVd1hwtCTsSn_oy_BHhOlt8h3ArtTTQwONqBfZIhAjVe-waSlKqEeK094EYnj_goY3WzPfGPJBzWmCCV5cFSIS0DuHDCjDfqWVY0cILP__K5yP2kDKK1X6eRAsLlmXe4a1XIiEhfPFgXoKeY6whjVWb67GCLTpnsBxRYaNSX-CCeftX8uMNA7mi51cPuGg7PMXdRx667YBzKJg7A49VUQioPIMm518mSvs9V3bnKzhTlLomN7uM_Az6EfubLYZMm63pD3XBSwtAC5swfhZidE6azWN_iIVYZd50aU3LKdk26rXeQvEbnXUxn3A1baqFG10d4kw6CzQJY6eWUXI7F8Ap1g1hraqDP3XVPz9O18XmgxwEWLF5PbdSweDn7IfxmcPkBwlezVqDNQMQM2EhVwKvg_JOpOSZTXHc=w724-h965-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/4-Pm4ieag1ZBhk5KWiwuhi0_ShdCr5wBon34mRiixtjZukkRKhFnO6J9LeliE8VKuD69ixWqS1xnsw5548ll6OcbZbmIfxRxQFgwjXPXnGVlgq1HOHoPbGLq8Laq_7kRpRNGOCJf7WJh18AFRXJ-7grigdCGdBrooqWPRKWpK1Pjs6EA1p1MowlA6HtiVVd1hwtCTsSn_oy_BHhOlt8h3ArtTTQwONqBfZIhAjVe-waSlKqEeK094EYnj_goY3WzPfGPJBzWmCCV5cFSIS0DuHDCjDfqWVY0cILP__K5yP2kDKK1X6eRAsLlmXe4a1XIiEhfPFgXoKeY6whjVWb67GCLTpnsBxRYaNSX-CCeftX8uMNA7mi51cPuGg7PMXdRx667YBzKJg7A49VUQioPIMm518mSvs9V3bnKzhTlLomN7uM_Az6EfubLYZMm63pD3XBSwtAC5swfhZidE6azWN_iIVYZd50aU3LKdk26rXeQvEbnXUxn3A1baqFG10d4kw6CzQJY6eWUXI7F8Ap1g1hraqDP3XVPz9O18XmgxwEWLF5PbdSweDn7IfxmcPkBwlezVqDNQMQM2EhVwKvg_JOpOSZTXHc=w724-h965-no" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kim, Me, and Kriss - Just call us the Special K's! ;-) </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/Ax79j2Oeo1-b51pMsY93PH5Y5goP0jQdcHm4g8KFcWfChYyhhulZiyAzZ1cNUicAuSY8KQuAx-u3f-T9WZjTECY81WtlULIFzLcTUjf-6mAxK0IG_UL3rDB7MtXhDbHFUc4wvES7pVepzwDBp_jxJG_GDJ9CYEhAJSn82sJofXVq_gqmfHnrKX7CIvAMeiq3jN8ktHmTQpTOB0bunOMc-U1Ro3fSyQHwvfWJ3aJbbawnH8O3oTNgek3VH9-f9D9lapCoaKZAEcuQ22Y_i3iodyE7nSTQx5frn3VJWHIP9EyrTsFou52Z04MZ38h58YSoPYSUa_SfW4objGi4ISML2qw9dsv2FF3WKhTbi6wA6F5OW6eMdM9g42Go_yXRzKZJDtQOUW_dqxlNfDOGOFjKP0Zns8QhdP5E-06mqTmUjhSOQupNwSHgOHM205JWp91bNgAlZqEZCGyJrNCAuzLxrd2UuSz5fC047X-_IawqhYkoT7Bu5gLy5alIuEsE55b3erA42qYnWC2gLZJlA2O3vlX5CnyKqZ4fw_QbQ2HZle1AY4wIezPbcXEziTnviwhBo3k5FZ2JvuI_CjWu5dwCkYWamp-IpyI=w1287-h965-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/Ax79j2Oeo1-b51pMsY93PH5Y5goP0jQdcHm4g8KFcWfChYyhhulZiyAzZ1cNUicAuSY8KQuAx-u3f-T9WZjTECY81WtlULIFzLcTUjf-6mAxK0IG_UL3rDB7MtXhDbHFUc4wvES7pVepzwDBp_jxJG_GDJ9CYEhAJSn82sJofXVq_gqmfHnrKX7CIvAMeiq3jN8ktHmTQpTOB0bunOMc-U1Ro3fSyQHwvfWJ3aJbbawnH8O3oTNgek3VH9-f9D9lapCoaKZAEcuQ22Y_i3iodyE7nSTQx5frn3VJWHIP9EyrTsFou52Z04MZ38h58YSoPYSUa_SfW4objGi4ISML2qw9dsv2FF3WKhTbi6wA6F5OW6eMdM9g42Go_yXRzKZJDtQOUW_dqxlNfDOGOFjKP0Zns8QhdP5E-06mqTmUjhSOQupNwSHgOHM205JWp91bNgAlZqEZCGyJrNCAuzLxrd2UuSz5fC047X-_IawqhYkoT7Bu5gLy5alIuEsE55b3erA42qYnWC2gLZJlA2O3vlX5CnyKqZ4fw_QbQ2HZle1AY4wIezPbcXEziTnviwhBo3k5FZ2JvuI_CjWu5dwCkYWamp-IpyI=w1287-h965-no" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jennifer, Sami, Amy and me! You might recognize those gorgeous gals as some of Skirt's models! They are gorgeous inside and out!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/QObnoKrZV94ZDKN3cZeySEctcy77MgU0Ukn4l1Fao-d-yhvw2KmTNnxOK8chKRJatMaXjEd-yRcHHUapE2eUkSQtDJk1DoHSNHP1aiE01NJlKckSUEvAJO8sJtHBwBXika412xaqB1nU3Hz-C3SSU6b01I-1hl43PSLJBqDDVudjHh_EhK8xM6mtojg8w-c98PmtAbCEoLLSJfTownCHM3gcP-oy6ewv9l-BRNfr9HxpXBz2UgPRJp0tWa8aABu33Smuuw2SryaB8_sJCFN-HE0apogYVlDn_2d-KcTqm6PItXP9yBwLfac9GzJlbdYC4BJSBWX43Re-U5yae7zvbnaHGWPYYcA5Yki7Pc30M0UzaJ5OegnrilNY5LVfFggRz-zdVWMTPGCXh_XqD_RGAcHjkUFSHKelliqtrrI2OzZkw-Qfb7KDcni5fyJay71ct4xbJKVZIbXy9ZVxF0K0DzDWKTPjYwM94cOyoD1YdfFRC80u2R8o_00wKHjq-9uam6Ly8uDANlHy9ov1YsqTI6q0e7CRLVe9-LyyUA4X49hcz9LawCgccAVLt2Te2xB-Iq8GMChT8DG-r15MBMDKVlLcuBzq62g=w724-h965-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/QObnoKrZV94ZDKN3cZeySEctcy77MgU0Ukn4l1Fao-d-yhvw2KmTNnxOK8chKRJatMaXjEd-yRcHHUapE2eUkSQtDJk1DoHSNHP1aiE01NJlKckSUEvAJO8sJtHBwBXika412xaqB1nU3Hz-C3SSU6b01I-1hl43PSLJBqDDVudjHh_EhK8xM6mtojg8w-c98PmtAbCEoLLSJfTownCHM3gcP-oy6ewv9l-BRNfr9HxpXBz2UgPRJp0tWa8aABu33Smuuw2SryaB8_sJCFN-HE0apogYVlDn_2d-KcTqm6PItXP9yBwLfac9GzJlbdYC4BJSBWX43Re-U5yae7zvbnaHGWPYYcA5Yki7Pc30M0UzaJ5OegnrilNY5LVfFggRz-zdVWMTPGCXh_XqD_RGAcHjkUFSHKelliqtrrI2OzZkw-Qfb7KDcni5fyJay71ct4xbJKVZIbXy9ZVxF0K0DzDWKTPjYwM94cOyoD1YdfFRC80u2R8o_00wKHjq-9uam6Ly8uDANlHy9ov1YsqTI6q0e7CRLVe9-LyyUA4X49hcz9LawCgccAVLt2Te2xB-Iq8GMChT8DG-r15MBMDKVlLcuBzq62g=w724-h965-no" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Noelle Wilson, the Ambassador Program Coordinator - AKA a ROCK STAR OF A WOMAN!!</td></tr>
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I just can't even begin to describe how amazing it was to meet all these ladies and to give them a hug and talk to them face to face. I know it may seem over the top, but these gals that are part of Skirt Sports - they are absolute UNICORNS!! They just radiate positivity and empowerment and determination and perseverance and LOVE...So. Much. Love. You know that part of the mission of Skirt Sports is to embody that women come in all shapes and sizes and that we all have many roles in life, but I mean it when I say that Skirt Sports isn't just talking the talk - they are walking the walk!! These gals that are part of the Skirt family come from all different backgrounds and life stories, are all shaped different, all have different activities that are "their thing" but one thing is consistent and that is that in being a woman we are strong and that #REALwomenmove. It's true, y'all!! I honestly wish I could have bottled the warm fuzzies and share them with everyone I know.<br />
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Oh, and my wallet went home a little lighter, but I picked up some amazing things at the store! A few of the items in the store weren't yet available online and are some faves in my collection including this shirt:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/MTKm4xiHQspX7Tc64q9fn_GygOx2kdBdy9haX6u__GSEgzG_qfyCz8bi-85x50YpKS1pSav3RN9zwjbquWXifhLWT9RzXWDItKFfLacWtqmGsp4wDc0v08qIn1yfOV4Wddvmp2M3lfpsfvjwDG1s3-Y1FIdneQCSdVvbs8WkeKJNM0W3Ur3DOdbzdpbWSOHafWpN5YWwzFmWllOBG8ey25iwPS21SlExNuv3nFJKZfW6lsnVemdISWzgTT2fXBmleAsAC-p5dLPqoEoOkYQw45zsH5vWoJsMPdylktHuhwHovjRSzm9hRt7JTLajouIXdoO79iTYkzdCGW3jg3t92PVPOd08xVB9XZk6s7zZd5QSTAUFnqTPK_sVJgnkDxvZCDKyG79HzcUweaicHIC_WlRgMygMx3twyPANvjJlJXrS9BXCUfJ_P7snlH-9guqrpDtZZM5sX6i9-eNEjEvtztL4cwukD6fI97ChhdfbWZxXg0TWXFUhbiujFzM7h3gFBTeB2pfzl9ohmBhvrvdOBPDeOgU79JrUjOWe5HbBvMDiFpaOiWAaEPLWdevwM8fcrx1msdtTjc7eFPVrxvSE27Rm5PDQ9t4=w773-h965-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/MTKm4xiHQspX7Tc64q9fn_GygOx2kdBdy9haX6u__GSEgzG_qfyCz8bi-85x50YpKS1pSav3RN9zwjbquWXifhLWT9RzXWDItKFfLacWtqmGsp4wDc0v08qIn1yfOV4Wddvmp2M3lfpsfvjwDG1s3-Y1FIdneQCSdVvbs8WkeKJNM0W3Ur3DOdbzdpbWSOHafWpN5YWwzFmWllOBG8ey25iwPS21SlExNuv3nFJKZfW6lsnVemdISWzgTT2fXBmleAsAC-p5dLPqoEoOkYQw45zsH5vWoJsMPdylktHuhwHovjRSzm9hRt7JTLajouIXdoO79iTYkzdCGW3jg3t92PVPOd08xVB9XZk6s7zZd5QSTAUFnqTPK_sVJgnkDxvZCDKyG79HzcUweaicHIC_WlRgMygMx3twyPANvjJlJXrS9BXCUfJ_P7snlH-9guqrpDtZZM5sX6i9-eNEjEvtztL4cwukD6fI97ChhdfbWZxXg0TWXFUhbiujFzM7h3gFBTeB2pfzl9ohmBhvrvdOBPDeOgU79JrUjOWe5HbBvMDiFpaOiWAaEPLWdevwM8fcrx1msdtTjc7eFPVrxvSE27Rm5PDQ9t4=w773-h965-no" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Friends & Coffee & Running & Skirts - this shirt was MADE for me!!! And that's my Melissa in the background eating up some delicious Noosa yogurt - a Colorado based company that was one of the weekend's sponsors...and SOOOOOO good y'all! Seriously, so good. </td></tr>
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Another highlight of the night was getting to hear Nicole De Boom share with us some little anecdotes, her skirt story and how Skirt Sports was born, some behind-the-scenes previews (have you checked out <a href="http://www.skirtsports.com/sewing-room/">The Sewing Room</a> yet?) and more. You guys, she is AMAZING!!! I just don't have words to even describe her outside of she is like the Mother Unicorn! So warm, engaging, funny, authentic, kind, and inspiring. I implore you to watch this little video of her speaking at a women's event in Colorado, Evoso Live:<br />
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The evening ended with a sneak peek at the Fall/Winter line that will be releasing over the next several weeks, but I do have it on good authority that you may want to start stalking the <a href="http://www.skirtsports.com/">website </a>as early as TOMORROW for the first set of items. I have come to expect a lot from Skirt Sports, and for good reason! What I saw in the preview is definitely exciting and I know I'm pinching my pennies right now in preparation for buying all the things.<br />
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There was still a lot of fun to be had over the next several days and no matter what, just know that there's no way possible for me to truly convey how amazing it all was. But if the first night hanging out in the Land of Unicorns was any indication, then hopefully you know it was EPIC! More to come...stay tuned for the Ambassador Hike & Breakout Sessions, and of course, the 13er race (sneak preview is that I earned my personal worst finish time and am so glad I did!).<br />
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Here's a few pics from the Skirt Sports store (AKA The Mothership)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/c8GYV8R-Pntk3to6bY1cwdIdDfZHbI07Lfovsi2VqtMfN6MGZ3uqQZlaGoxW0vnIVJnlwZz9vO9bce64rTfb3xoUPZ9hv7-KV0IiuuiiHVN5-qF_IuX3ibIsy8V38l6Erorq3FyImV2cFuV_mwl4xWijB0LnZhVJ_INZSIm8F4sP7MI_mjEIT2qwCUPRsGcbZBICZxlb-nBHUqFfhm40QbReZ_VhzCTXpEWQCv6eBT1D0l_J2px1npjlyHgoYhi7L-jyF_WKpLfs0VzvwcjSilObqaiWHPkD0HidxawJZvXFcTu3j6RTySiY4kPLEeFa41GPFGAbUlGSozsOGbxXQOZ7aKVmp6oDb2rvh0mXFJOEtAzGZOnW5xTtdepk5AA8I6rXEZnYbkdGYlQncKWjwYF_GBT6QLeru1D5wFRPi59uB2G4Qa7NoYmrUaEBCe3Iph35Ug2J4ns_tHAu74DAdGTTxtzFXKjQSDGH4YYM27xC8ASCdbkFAV9x6453dkxppdaVmcIAHoW0PqXx9X4iGgMeL9KbJukB53j0Aa7FfLdCf8bra2si4rI2w5yU-BljKYOk28dyz51uuq9O8QEFQaxXTPqmxg8=w724-h965-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/c8GYV8R-Pntk3to6bY1cwdIdDfZHbI07Lfovsi2VqtMfN6MGZ3uqQZlaGoxW0vnIVJnlwZz9vO9bce64rTfb3xoUPZ9hv7-KV0IiuuiiHVN5-qF_IuX3ibIsy8V38l6Erorq3FyImV2cFuV_mwl4xWijB0LnZhVJ_INZSIm8F4sP7MI_mjEIT2qwCUPRsGcbZBICZxlb-nBHUqFfhm40QbReZ_VhzCTXpEWQCv6eBT1D0l_J2px1npjlyHgoYhi7L-jyF_WKpLfs0VzvwcjSilObqaiWHPkD0HidxawJZvXFcTu3j6RTySiY4kPLEeFa41GPFGAbUlGSozsOGbxXQOZ7aKVmp6oDb2rvh0mXFJOEtAzGZOnW5xTtdepk5AA8I6rXEZnYbkdGYlQncKWjwYF_GBT6QLeru1D5wFRPi59uB2G4Qa7NoYmrUaEBCe3Iph35Ug2J4ns_tHAu74DAdGTTxtzFXKjQSDGH4YYM27xC8ASCdbkFAV9x6453dkxppdaVmcIAHoW0PqXx9X4iGgMeL9KbJukB53j0Aa7FfLdCf8bra2si4rI2w5yU-BljKYOk28dyz51uuq9O8QEFQaxXTPqmxg8=w724-h965-no" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Talk about motivation walls!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/cgpcjP9VChc_yGzk4FcpPzogOHCZ76cvmKUk_ppBm81Of_bMIqvmJEU3xnK-S0aBt6JP1I1Ariaz5Sxn0vX4f8pXj5-lPWIw6Ozw24e8-zUzIpftzwMXh2oBkWNruWcvsDPWuQ2IQnWH-LyKfINC8yhhMdTnHfcvxeW_SwV1rKFBAEzz-T2-Io4MikxMXMD1VUJyhSeCXRyXI7m8_5V01Mpx7cFmGEwiqvoR_k7EUi8QOUJsE7Md1ZHzH2649bnf5vCzzEYO0r9Yhm_77VDLka-pRNoew8QM6VAVzjzrM5df5QSnyE6QmQ-3ZBmPwup1NjZaLZ8zx_P0b72YZ_N7XjpOK2bXbTUtS-HBlgMkewBKsRhjAkDnfSM97Ji4ui06ic3L_QdzwtVJv2_Z5SlwujMyeS7o3u8M9PnS-M9UUt3TCLQ2YRWuFvxbUvx259fN5Jt65RgZZB1n9WCpFmfd0Xiaz9e4doEcN5uC2DF08xh9R3CP3bjqUpWbsL6CE4u6arz2ciOpu5HC0joKRVo2jN8jCYxRbLVh5Qo597s4DniI6uFVrUVamD0_PID8PF-Gy8pYdm-yRKnTuCAGejFVLiO0yO3twZE=w1287-h965-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/cgpcjP9VChc_yGzk4FcpPzogOHCZ76cvmKUk_ppBm81Of_bMIqvmJEU3xnK-S0aBt6JP1I1Ariaz5Sxn0vX4f8pXj5-lPWIw6Ozw24e8-zUzIpftzwMXh2oBkWNruWcvsDPWuQ2IQnWH-LyKfINC8yhhMdTnHfcvxeW_SwV1rKFBAEzz-T2-Io4MikxMXMD1VUJyhSeCXRyXI7m8_5V01Mpx7cFmGEwiqvoR_k7EUi8QOUJsE7Md1ZHzH2649bnf5vCzzEYO0r9Yhm_77VDLka-pRNoew8QM6VAVzjzrM5df5QSnyE6QmQ-3ZBmPwup1NjZaLZ8zx_P0b72YZ_N7XjpOK2bXbTUtS-HBlgMkewBKsRhjAkDnfSM97Ji4ui06ic3L_QdzwtVJv2_Z5SlwujMyeS7o3u8M9PnS-M9UUt3TCLQ2YRWuFvxbUvx259fN5Jt65RgZZB1n9WCpFmfd0Xiaz9e4doEcN5uC2DF08xh9R3CP3bjqUpWbsL6CE4u6arz2ciOpu5HC0joKRVo2jN8jCYxRbLVh5Qo597s4DniI6uFVrUVamD0_PID8PF-Gy8pYdm-yRKnTuCAGejFVLiO0yO3twZE=w1287-h965-no" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How the magic all began - that's THE very first running skirt, EVERRRRRR!!</td></tr>
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The entire Ambassador weekend was helped along by some amazing sponsors and we are all so thankful for them stepping up and supporting us. Special thanks to:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://static1.squarespace.com/static/52efec2ee4b0b14387d9b60f/t/5328611ee4b04ecedf6f8b72/1468956023614/?format=1500w" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/52efec2ee4b0b14387d9b60f/t/5328611ee4b04ecedf6f8b72/1468956023614/?format=1500w" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This CAKE you guys...best I've ever had, yo!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://skabrewing.com/">SKA Brewing</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two Moms in the Raw</td></tr>
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Thanks again to all the wonderful sponsors! They kept us fed, hydrated, and happy all weekend long!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13477548540626948283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426484837937435979.post-43520189352255152462016-03-29T11:22:00.000-07:002018-12-31T08:32:41.655-08:00A Good Dose of Happy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What can I say, folks...I've been just living high on life lately!! I'd like to say that's why I haven't updated the little ol' blog lately, but I'm not going to start making excuses for that. Today is a new day and I'm going to start from right here, right now. :-) So here's a good dose of what is making me happy lately!<br />
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<h4>
1. Being Outdoors</h4>
The weather in SoCal has been absolutely KILLING it lately and I've been enjoying being outside soaking it all in. We are a little cool and breezy at the moment, but low 80's will be back by the weekend. I've been outside hiking, running, sitting, eating, playing. I can't get enough of the outdoors these days.<br />
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<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="6" style="background: #fff; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.5) , 0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: 99.375%;">
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BDbOCNzo3Nk/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Passed this little meadow full of wildflowers on a 10-mile run with @salliesocean! Gorgeous day, challenging run, tired legs. This weekend is just absolutely killing it though! #wildflowers #runnerslife #halfmarathontraining #meadow #hometownrunning #hemetca</a></div>
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A photo posted by Kristen Grimes (@kgrimes526) on <time datetime="2016-03-26T17:52:33+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Mar 26, 2016 at 10:52am PDT</time></div>
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<h4>
2. Running</h4>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisfXNVSzyFXn_9qqDGoUshRJlzyaAIQkFffTOCCerbSX05IgOnCVmQ2rhnCKbpmxZGnvTKZEN3oK6BD6Tip8U7FpBlpaPYVad03YgUxJHnQzODJlhLna_28gIeDIDqvAW5dV6jKDt6Yg4N/s1600/Momentum_Ambassador_Badge.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisfXNVSzyFXn_9qqDGoUshRJlzyaAIQkFffTOCCerbSX05IgOnCVmQ2rhnCKbpmxZGnvTKZEN3oK6BD6Tip8U7FpBlpaPYVad03YgUxJHnQzODJlhLna_28gIeDIDqvAW5dV6jKDt6Yg4N/s1600/Momentum_Ambassador_Badge.png" /></a>My running has been going really well lately and I'm having a great time! Okay, maybe not a "great" time in the sense as a great time when you're doing something that isn't a form of exercise...But it's getting me outside on the weekends and is allowing me Netflix time on the weekdays. LOL Kind of joking there - but honestly, the feeling that running gives me, that sense of power and <br />
accomplishment, is priceless! And then hand in hand with running is my ever growing Skirt Sports collection, my ever growing Balega Socks collection and my ambassadorships with <a href="http://www.skirtsports.com/">Skirt Sports</a>, <a href="https://www.balega.com/">Balega</a>, <a href="https://nuun.com/">Nuun Hydration</a>, <a href="http://www.261fearless.org/">261Fearless</a>, and the latest - <a href="http://www.designsthatmoveyou.com/">Momentum Jewelry</a>!! I have gotten to work with some fabulous companies that are doing such AMAZING and INSPIRING things and I'm super thrilled to represent quality brands that have a larger message than just making some money or selling a product.<br />
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<h4>
3. The Walking Dead</h4>
I just started watching - don't tell me ANYTHING!!! I'm digging it so far!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And how cool is it that it is Rick GRIMES...total badass - I'm sure we must be related. LOL</td></tr>
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<h4>
4. Family</h4>
Enough said - I am blessed beyond belief with my family. The grandkids are just amazing, the kids are awesome, the hubsters is fabulous. Life is good and I'm so lucky to have a big crazy family to share it with!<br />
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5. Friends - New and Old</h4>
Not really anything extra I need to say here - I appreciate the friendships I have with some really, really, really awesome people!<br />
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So there's a handful of things that are giving me a good dose of happy these days. Your turn - what's something that is keeping you happy? I wanna hear all about it in the comments!<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13477548540626948283noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426484837937435979.post-32968697938396603992016-03-09T09:33:00.000-08:002018-12-31T08:32:06.894-08:00Positive Domino Effects<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There's a commercial out for, I think, breakfast sandwiches or something like that where it talks about how one good decision can impact other decisions and so on and so forth. Basically it is the Domino Effect in a positive fashion - each one impacts the next and creates a chain reaction. You get me, right? :-)<br />
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Well, that's where I'm at right now - I feel like I've been able to put some real momentum into my dominoes and they are a tumbling left and right and creating a massively awesome chain reaction! And it feels AH-MAZ-ING!!! Now granted, I know that sometimes the gap between my dominoes is set too far and it momentarily derails it. But with just a little adjustment, it is back up and running again. So what have I been doing to make this happen? Keeping at <a href="http://thepursuitofaqualitylife.blogspot.com/2016/01/2016-goals.html">my goals</a> that I set at the beginning of the year. Plain and simple...let's do a quick goal check.<br />
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<b><u>Goal #1 - Be Financially Responsible</u></b><br />
I've been keeping up on my checkbook each week, setting a budget at the beginning of each month, getting bills paid, and have my tax appointment this weekend. So far, so good and I really, really, really like how it removes an immense amount of stress to have it all settled every week and at the beginning of the month. Removing the stress of wondering where I'm at with my funds allows me to focus on the other important things in life.<br />
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<b><u>Goal #2 - Position Myself for a Work Promotion</u></b><br />
I've been super productive at work, especially the past several weeks, and that has allowed me to get to a place that I'm not just marking urgent items off of the to-do list, but I'm actually getting to the things that are always at the bottom of the pile. Because IF I do get that promotion at the end of the year then someone else will also have to come in and do my job and I really want to leave everything in a good place for whoever that person might be. I'm also dressing the part, rocking my leadership class, and putting the pieces in place to continue my educational pursuits. I'm getting great feedback from the big guy so I feel like I'm on the right track here.<br />
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<b><u>Goal #3 - Get to Goal Weight</u></b><br />
I'm down about 11 pounds since the first of the year and have (mostly) been eating well and hitting my workouts. I had a terrible flu for a good solid week at the end of February that really took a lot out of me, but I'm pretty much fully recovered at this point and am using full effort in my workouts. Additionally, I had zero appetite while I was sick, so the flu diet paid off for me. I was a little worried about regaining the weight that I lost while sick when I started eating again, but I just had to realize that I was going to most likely bounce up a few pounds because no matter what I needed to eat especially if I wanted to get my workouts going full steam again. I did regain about 2 pounds and I'm okay with that. But the good news is that I'm below 170 for the first time in FOREVERRRRR and my clothes are really starting to fit loose. I would say I'm mostly on track with this goal, but do have minor setbacks like too much fast food as I recovered from being sick and those darn Girl Scout cookies. They are pure evil.<br />
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Goal #4 - Develop My Blog<br />
This is the one goal that I really feel I've been failing with. But with that said, I really do feel like I'm getting to a better place to start adding that priority in a little more. I've been so focused on goals 1-3 that something had to give and this was the one. But with getting those things into a habits formed, domino effect mode I feel I can start to work on making this one a habit too. Baby steps...<br />
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As far as some of my lesser goals or intentions, I'm four books in on this year so far which is awesome since last year I think I maybe read 4 books total and the hubby and I made some great progress on things that needed maintenance around the house back in late January/early February but have stalled out recently - BUT we do have a list and are working on prioritizing it. Some of the things I'm not necessarily nailing right now are writing in a journal, getting to work on time, etc. But I'm still committed to working towards them and that's the really great thing about goals or intentions - you don't have to quit because you have a setback! You just dust yourself off and keep going and that's what I'm doing.<br />
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And you know the best thing? Having some goals in place and continuing to strive for them is helping me make even more good decisions and that makes me happy which makes me try harder and it's one of those awesome circles of positive!<br />
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<b>QUESTION: How are your 2016 goals going so far? Have you checked in on them lately?</b><br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13477548540626948283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426484837937435979.post-18363369696280873692016-02-04T10:13:00.002-08:002018-12-31T08:31:35.836-08:00Integrity to Self...I had something else entirely I wanted to write about today - running goals. But sometimes you just gotta go with the flow, right?<br />
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I was super excited to find out that I had been chosen to participate in a year-long leadership program where I work that started in January of this year. There are about 20 of us that were chosen by the Administration to be in the very first cohort of this program, and I was one of those selected! It's a huge opportunity and considering that one of my <a href="http://thepursuitofaqualitylife.blogspot.com/2016/01/2016-goals.html">goals for 2016</a> is to position myself at work for a promotion, this leadership program fits very nicely with that goal. So we meet twice a month for the first 5 months, then get June and July off (I imagine we will have some homework or projects to do during this time), and then spend the final 5 months of the year meeting monthly as we are implementing everything we learned during the first half of the year. It's an exciting time, indeed!! Okay, so now that we have that background out of the way let me dive into what's on my mind: Integrity.<br />
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We all know that quote right there, right? Integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is watching...and that's definitely a huge part of integrity for sure!! It's absolutely important that you are doing the right thing regardless of whether anyone sees it or not. Or how about this one:<br />
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So another big piece of integrity is doing what you say you'll do, right? But one of the things this class has really gotten me to think about is integrity to MYSELF. Yes, I do pretty well in maintaining my integrity with others. I will usually do what I say I'm going to do, for the most part; but will definitely take ownership when I can't follow through on a promise or commitment of my time. I also live a right life as I don't cheat or steal and all that good stuff. But do I keep my word to myself????<br />
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When I say that I'm going to lose weight as one of my goals, am I saying that with integrity behind it because the thing I'm saying is lining up with the things I do? Or when I say I'm going to blog consistently as one of my goals, same principle - is it in alignment between say and do? Hmmmmm...definitely makes me think! And definitely makes me realize that no, I'm absolutely not living with integrity in some aspects of my life. When I set a goal and then do absolutely nothing to realize that goal I am basically removing integrity from the situation. Makes sense, no??<br />
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So basically when I say this year that I'm going to lose weight, I am really trying to put some integrity behind that by making choices that truly REFLECT that commitment to myself. Because really, a goal is a commitment, correct? And when you are committed to something you show it through your actions, right? I can't say I'm committed to my goals if I'm not proving it through my actions.<br />
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So here I am - re-committing myself to my goals on a daily basis and not just saying - but DOING!! Because talk is cheap and if all I do is say I'm going to accomplish a goal and I don't put action into it, then I'm not living with integrity. And the law of integrity says that if you live outside of integrity you will have consequences. Mainly, my word becomes less than a promise. It becomes something that is only followed through on when it is convenient and that's not the life I want to lead. I want to be someone that says what they are going to do and DOES IT. I want people to know that if I've put my mind to something, I will accomplish it. I want people to know that when I give my word - even if it is just to myself - that it MEANS something.<br />
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<b>Question: Are you living with integrity in all areas of your life, including the promises you make to yourself? How are you taking action steps towards the commitments you have made to YOU?</b><br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13477548540626948283noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426484837937435979.post-29343388110473474872016-01-28T15:20:00.000-08:002018-12-31T08:30:45.416-08:002016 GoalsRemember when I mentioned that if I get overwhelmed I tend to just <a href="http://thepursuitofaqualitylife.blogspot.com/2016/01/one-word-2016.html">stick my head in the ground</a> and quit sharing back when I talked about my One Word for 2016 (Grow)? Yeahhhhh, well, consider that as being the case these days. I had grand plans for being on top of 2016 and those are all still there, they just kind of got pushed to the back burner while I got my head knocked around by reality for a little bit. But here's the thing, especially as I start talking about my 2016 goals - just because you didn't meet a goal, doesn't mean you should throw it out the window. It just means you need to re-evaluate, adjust where needed, and get back to it. So with that, let's talk goals for a moment.<br />
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First, I am going to be quick to admit that I'm pretty good about setting goals. Working towards them? That's a whole other issue. hahaha I can set them, I can apply SMART goal setting techniques, I can come up with plans for meeting them but in the end, more often than not, I get off the beaten track and end up tossing them out the window. BUT...I'm determined to not let that happen in 2016. I'm determined to pick myself back up, dust off my britches, and get back to it if I get knocked off of the proverbial horse. Like right now...dusting myself off.<br />
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I did a lot of thinking about my goals and coming up with meaningful ones for me to work on this year...and I'm actually really excited about them and the possibilities of where they can take me!<br />
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Goal #1 - Be Financially Responsible<br />
Ahhhhh - yes, MONEY!! It's necessary, but it sure is the bane of our existence sometimes. And it can cause so much grief if not handled appropriately. Here is it broken down:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Set a budget monthly. My husband and I have a day calendared towards the end/beginning of each month to sit down and do a full review of how we did that month and create the plan for the next month making sure we budget for any extras like vehicle registrations, repairs of any kind, debt payoffs, etc. </li>
<li>Balance the checkbook each week to ensure nothing is getting missed and everything is hitting the account as it should be.</li>
<li>Create a spending report for the month and use it as a balanced scorecard to assess if we are being financially responsible</li>
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Sure this isn't a glamorous goal and doesn't elicit all kinds of excitement like, perhaps, training for a first marathon or other life event. But this one sets the stage for everything else because if I'm spending all my time stressing about money, I won't have the energy to do the rest of what life requires.</div>
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Goal #2 - Position Myself for a Work Promotion</div>
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There's a possible opportunity for me to get a promotion this year at work and it's the one I've been waiting for. I've had several other chances to do other things at work that would have brought me increased pay, but for me anyways, work is about so much more than what I take home in my paycheck. So I made the conscious decision to hang back in the intention that down the road the job I want will open up. I think it is very real that this could happen in 2016. So in order to prepare myself for that I have some objectives outlined:</div>
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<li>Enhance my professional appearance - I always dress nice and professional especially when I consider the campus culture, but my feeling is that I take "casual Friday" and dressing down in summer more seriously than I need to. I would rather up my game in that arena and be dressing nicer rather than dressing with the crowd. I'm not talking super fancy like suits when the work culture is skirts and sweaters; but I'm talking that I can wear a nice pair of jeans with some appropriate boots, sweater or blouse and accessories. I don't need to wear a t-shirt to work pretty much ever. Simply put.</li>
<li>I've been given the opportunity to participate in a year-long leadership program at work, and I'm so excited that I was selected. It's about 22 people that were nominated by their division leadership and it's a great group of people that are most likely the future generation of movers and shakers here at the college. So I'm quite humbled to be in such an esteemed group of colleagues. So needless to say, I'm planning on totally rocking the program and getting everything I can out of it.</li>
<li>Start my Bachelor's Degree program. It's been too long and I've pushed it back enough. It's time to get it done. My plan is to be in my program by summer (July/August depending on when the cohort starts). To get there I need to secure my financial aid package (this goes with the financial responsibility goal too) and clear some stuff off of the personal plate to ensure my brain is available to get back in the swing of the educational game.</li>
<li>And of course, be a stellar employee that is focused on work when I'm there. I need to cut out some of the distractions and be fully present in what I'm working on.</li>
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Goal #3 - Get to Goal Weight</div>
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No really...get to goal weight and keep it off! I know that I'm one of those people that has set this goal every year for so long, but I'm not going to let that keep me from chasing it this year again. I will meet it. I will. My objectives to accomplish this:</div>
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<li>I set this goal with my running coach, so we are going to be working on it together...talk about accountability!</li>
<li>I will track my calories even though I hate it and I will drink at least 8 cups of water a day. I will pack my lunches more often than not and I will train consistently.</li>
<li>I developed a reward plan that goes into effect on February 1 so I will earn some money to help me buy new clothes as I shrink out of what I have...or just to buy fun stuff along the way like kick-ass tunes or new books.</li>
<li>I have plans to add back in some lunch time walks too, but I need to move it out of the "plan to" stage and into the "doing" stage. </li>
<li>(FYI - I'm down 6 pounds since the first of the year! Woohoo!!) </li>
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Goal #4 - Develop My Blog<br />
Yeah this little space of mine over here that I like to so often neglect. The reality is that I enjoy blogging, I just don't want to make it my career. So I've done a lot of thinking about what that means and how I should go about blogging without it consuming my every waking moment. (Obviously, I haven't done a very good job getting this one off the ground yet in 2016...but I'm dusting myself off!!) <br />
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<li>Blog 3x a week minimum on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday</li>
<li>Develop a solid editorial calendar and stick to it as much as possible</li>
<li>Set an appointment for writing content every night when I get home</li>
<li>Study at least one blogging resource a week</li>
<li>Attend the 2016 IDEA BlogFest!! (So excited about this one and that I get to attend as a Sweat Pink Ambassador!)</li>
<li>Represent the brands that I am an ambassador for through consistent posting on social media and with appropriate blog posts</li>
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I have some other lesser goals like read more, journal more, perform maintenance around the house on a somewhat consistent schedule (like baseboard cleaning, light plate covers...things like that), check back in on my goals each month, etc. Those are more intentions of how I want to live though rather than a solid GOAL that I can measure. I also have three running specific goals that I will talk about in the near future. Stay tuned...</div>
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So there you have it - my 2016 goals! I think you can probably see that I did put some thought into these and I think they will all help me GROW this year!</div>
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<b>QUESTION: Do you have goals set for this year? What are some of them and how are you working on achieving them?</b><br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13477548540626948283noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426484837937435979.post-8891999111524773092016-01-11T00:00:00.000-08:002018-12-31T08:30:04.975-08:00Citrus Heritage Half Marathon - Race Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This past Saturday, January 9, 2016, I participated in the Sixth Annual Citrus Heritage Run (third annual with the half marathon distance) in Riverside, CA. This is my third year doing this race and it is truly one of my favorites! Need evidence? You can read my race reports from <a href="http://thepursuitofaqualitylife.blogspot.com/2015/01/citrus-heritage-half-marathon-race-recap.html">2015</a> and 2014 - <a href="http://thepursuitofaqualitylife.blogspot.com/2014/01/citrus-heritage-half-marathon-race.html">Part I</a> and <a href="http://thepursuitofaqualitylife.blogspot.com/2014/01/citrus-heritage-half-marathon-race_15.html">Part II</a>. Okay, so a couple notes about the race - there is a 5k and Half Marathon option as well as a kids fun run. It is an out-and-back course next to the Arlington Sports Park in the citrus area of the city of Riverside (Southern California/Inland Empire area). The race is put on by the Riverside Road Runners and benefits their youth scholarship fund. We had gotten a significant amount of rain the week leading up to the race, and in their last email to participants they noted that they had an alternate, all-road, course plotted out for use if needed as the regular course (USATF certified) is partially on dirt roads. Thankfully, we dried out enough that they didn't need to go to Plan B, but I was thrilled to know that they had an alternate course in place so that the race could go on rain or shine. Alright, let's talk details!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were greeted with an amazing sunrise!</td></tr>
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Registration</h4>
The day of registration cost for the half marathon was $90, and prior to that was $85. I registered fairly early so I think I got early bird pricing. If I remember right I think it was about $80, but don't quote me as I don't know exactly. They have a <a href="http://citrusheritagerun.com/">great event website</a> that includes all the details and is very well organized. Registration and packet pick-up at the event is very easy as well. You just look up your bib number and then stop at the tent to get the bib, then get your t-shirt at a different tent. Super easy and well staffed. I don't think it took us more than 5 minutes to do the entire process and it was very clearly marked and easy to know where to go.<br />
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Expo and Venue</h4>
I absolutely love this venue for races! It is held at the same sports park that the <a href="http://thepursuitofaqualitylife.blogspot.com/2015/11/hometown-heroes-honor-run-race-recap.html">Hometown Heroes Honor Run</a> is held at so it offers lots of great parking, real restrooms (they also have plenty of port-a-pots too), and a playground to keep the kiddies entertained while waiting. It's also very easy to get in and out of and offers plenty of room to get a good warm-up in. The expo is very tiny, but I really don't care about that anyways. They have several booths, some food trucks, and a DJ getting the participants pumped up and ready to run. I love it just as it is because it is so easy to navigate and never feels overwhelming.<br />
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Swag</h4>
Participants get a long-sleeved technical shirt. This year the shirt is gray and has the logo on the front. Last year's shirt was prettier and had more detail, but I still really like it and gray seems to be the "it" color for race shirts right now as my friend Sally just did a race that also had gray/silver shirts. There really isn't anything else outside of the shirt, although there are other race perks that I'll talk about in post-race celebration in just a few moments. :)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sally and I pre-race...freezing our tushies off! LOL Starting temps in the upper 30's/low 40's. Okay, I almost feel guilty saying that 30/40 is cold when I saw plenty of my friends around the country in negative degrees! HA! <br />
But that's SoCal cold...sorry!</td></tr>
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Course</h4>
I have made no bones before about how nice this course is! I really do love it as it has the perfect mix of gorgeous views, challenging terrain/hills, downhills, and turns to keep it interesting. Beginning at the Sports Park you immediately get a nice downhill to get you started as you run along orange groves before heading into the Historic Citrus Park. This first section has some fairly decent hills and can really kick your rear if you aren't careful. Racers pass by several real restrooms that are open for use during this section, and the citrus park has at least two aid stations. After the citrus park it is back out into the orange groves after off-roading for a little bit. Several miles wind through the orange groves and this terrain makes runners really focus on footing - which I actually like because it keeps me focusing on that instead of how tired I am! After the orange groves it is up a long gradual hill overlooking a beautiful canyon to the halfway turnaround. From there you get the downhill for a bit which is SO NICE before turning towards residential streets to run the final 5k of the race. There are a few more hills on the final stretch and they still throw me for a loop because I just don't have anything left by then. HA! There are a lot of port-a-pots along the course and they have the streets closed to traffic (THANK YOU!!!!). There are a lot of lot of aid stations well stocked with cold water and gatorade, and at the halfway they had oranges (ohemgee so delicious!!) and plenty of GU in lots of flavors to choose from. The volunteers at the aid stations are amazing and have it down to a science as they let you know if they have water or gatorade as you are coming up. Lots of great signs, cheering, and helpful volunteers out on a chilly morning! Two of my favorite things about this course is that there is a section where you pass the front of the pack runners - that is so motivating to just see them flying by; and then there is another section where you pass the 5k runners as they make their way into the citrus park...so much fun to get to "mingle" with the other runners. Plain and simple, I'll say it again, I love this course. It is my favorite half marathon course to date.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just after the starting line! There's nothing like seeing runners for days ahead of you!! I <3 it!</td></tr>
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Medal</h4>
The medal is amazing every single year! High quality, perfect size, pretty to look at, fabulous ribbon. Take a look:<br />
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I love their medals each year and they are some of my favorites hanging on the medal rack. They definitely get this right every single year.<br />
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Here's a picture of me holding it so you can get some size perspective. It's not huge, but it's definitely not tiny either. I would say it is Goldilocks "just right".<br />
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My Gear</h4>
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I wore the following:</div>
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<a href="http://www.skirtsports.com/shop/product.cfm/id/9100-BBF-Beanie#.VpKVazZXulY">Skirt Sports BBF Beanie in Pink Crush</a> (on sale for $9.99 right now and I LOVE IT!!)</div>
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<a href="http://www.skirtsports.com/shop/product.cfm/id/4009-Dont-Sweat-it-Long-Sleeve--REALwomenmove#.VpKV8jZXulY">Skirt Sports Don't Sweat It Long Sleeve in Razz</a> (I wore the Ambassador top that isn't available, but they have other awesome prints available!)</div>
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<a href="http://www.skirtsports.com/shop/product.cfm/id/1060-Jette-Capri-Skirt#.VpKVszZXulY">Skirt Sports Jette Capri Skirt in Poparazzi</a></div>
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Skirt Sports socks (not currently available)</div>
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Flip Belt*</div>
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<a href="http://www.mizunousa.com/Running/Products/WAVE-RIDER-17-WOMEN">Mizuno Wave Rider 17's</a></div>
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Fuel was <a href="http://islandboost.com/">Island Boost</a> and <a href="https://guenergy.com/shop/energy-chews">GU Chomps</a> (I alternated for a total of 4 times fueling during race)</div>
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*I'm struggling with a way to carry my new iPhone 6s Plus so I had to break out my FlipBelt. It did fit, with the case on if I really stuffed it in there, but I think I'm probably one of the only people on the planet that doesn't really care for the FlipBelt. I don't know if it's just my body shape, but they say that it won't ride up and will stay where you put it...nope, not for me. I would prefer to wear it around my hips, but it always makes its way up to my waist (usually taking my shirt with it risking flashing people) and that makes it difficult to get anything out of it. That's the other part of my dislike, you have to flip it over to keep items inside, but then you can't get anything out of it without flipping it back over and then you run the risk of items falling out. I lost my body glide during my marathon and a chapstick another run. One final thing I don't like about it is that it doesn't have a waterproof layer so my phone case was all sweaty at the end of the run. Moisture + Phone = Bad Idea. Right? haha The only reason I'm using it right now is because I didn't have anything else that I could use for my phone. If you have any recommendations, please let me know!!</div>
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The clothes were all spot on and absolutely perfect. I have zero complaints about anything I was wearing outside of the Flip Belt. Skirt Sports is just the best. I'll have a 2016 discount code available for you very soon!</div>
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<h4>
My Race</h4>
You guys - I had a really good race!! <a href="http://thoroughlythriving.com/coaching/">Coach Tiffany</a> and I had decided prior to the race that this wouldn't be a PR push and would be an opportunity for me to just get out and run and see where I'm at so we can put together a great plan for my spring races. I knew I wanted to start off nice and slow so I didn't get tight legs/shins like I have in the past, I knew that I wanted to walk through the aid stations and take in some water/gatorade at each as I was not carrying any water on me this time (wanted to see how it went if I didn't carry my own since it wasn't a PR push), and I knew that I wanted to try to tackle the hills stronger than I have in the past. If I needed to walk them I would, but I would definitely try to not let them get into my head. So with those goals in mind, I started off slow, gradually geared up and didn't let the hills scare me. When we got to the first big hill I looked and it and said out loud "I LOVE HILLS!!! I'm going to totally run this thing right now! I eat hills for breakfast!" I don't know what else I said but I pretty much convinced myself up the entire thing and then I got to the top of this hill that I walked the previous two years and wanted to absolutely burst into tears that I DID IT!! I ran it and I didn't even feel like I was going to die. And the kicker? I didn't start walking at the top...I kept running right up the next hill, and right up the next one, and so on and so forth. For 10 miles I ran every single hill and I only stopped to walk through the aid stations. The mental boost from that...I can't even begin to tell you how good it felt.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sally and I getting our groove on!</td></tr>
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I took a brief moment of pause at the halfway point to take off my beanie and throw my hair into a ponytail as I was getting too warm. My gloves came off about 7 miles in. My sleeves rolled up about 8 miles in. haha Okay, so you know I ran strong for 10 miles but I definitely felt the fatigue really settle in at that point and I ended up taking some walk breaks during the remainder of the race. I was really feeling the fatigue in my hips and feet, so I started picking out a spot to run to, then would walk to a spot, and then start again. But I typically get tired much earlier than 10 miles, so I was thrilled. I finally headed to the finish line and kicked it into high gear to sprint to the finish line! I even got another gal to really pick it up because she could see me coming up behind her and she wasn't about to let me pass her! I told her she better get it if she didn't want me to beat her! We high-fives each other at the end of the race. LOL I just love that...the spirit of perseverance. She was a fighter and I salute that! Before I share my finish time for this race, I want to share my previous two finish times first.<br />
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2014: 2:53:20<br />
2015: 2:59:01<br />
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And this year:<br />
2016: 2:38:55<br />
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Guys - that's 20 minutes faster than last year and 15 minutes faster than 2014 on the exact same course!!! A 15-minute course PR!!!!!!!! Am I excited about that? HECK YEAH!!! And what's my overall half PR? 2:42 at the Tinkerbell in 2012. A flat course that I ran before my knee disaster! So not only did I get a 15-minute course PR, I also got a 4-minute half marathon PR. My work with Coach Tiffany is totally paying off. I said in my post on Instagram/Facebook that I don't do it very often as I tend to be very hard on myself, but I'm so proud of my effort on this race. I wasn't going for a PR, but I got one anyways. But more important to me than any numbers was that I ran those hills that beat me every other time. More important is that I felt great. More important is that I fueled and hydrated to plan. More important is that when my watch clicked off the miles I was shocked at how quickly it was going by. I feel like I won a mental battle on this run and that is the absolute most important. I'm gonna ride this runner's high for a while. LOL<br />
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<h4>
Post-Race</h4>
The post-race amenities at this one are pretty good. They have bananas, fresh oranges, and Clif bars, full water bottles, and Gatorade along with bowls of chili from Farmer Boys (a local burger joint that is just now expanding to the Los Angeles area). They also had mylar blankets this year and had the beer garden back again. One of the best things about the beer garden? They had belly bars (those are the high tables) and bowls of pretzels on the tables. Nice touch!! (I didn't partake in the beer garden, but a nice gentleman was more than happy to put my ticket to use! hahaha)<br />
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<h4>
Final Thoughts</h4>
Did you guys get the idea that I really like this race? *wink* I really do - I love this race. Gorgeous course with just enough challenge, great amenities, wonderful course support, lots of volunteers, great swag in a beautiful location at a perfect time of year. What more can you ask for? Seriously, you won't be sorry if you run this race. Hope that you'll join me in 2017 because I will definitely be back!!<br />
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Finally, I will also highlight that this is part of the Run Riverside Challenge series so I got some extra swag this one! Here's all the Run Riverside medals from 2015-16:<br />
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And here's all of them from the beginning of this series that began three years ago!<br />
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Half Marathon #7 is in the books! Run happy, or dance, or skip, or jump, or whatever, my friends!<br />
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<img src="https://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d66/kgrimes526/Signature.jpg" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13477548540626948283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426484837937435979.post-9954329582903425962016-01-07T07:47:00.000-08:002018-12-31T08:28:33.464-08:00One Word 2016There's so much that goes on to get a year started! I have goals to share, my one little word, my racing plans and calendar...so. much. good. stuff! And when I have all that good stuff, I tend to let my brain get overwhelmed and then just stick my head in the sand and don't share a darn thing. HA! But I realized once I put some brain power into it (what do you know...that actually <i>works</i>) I realized that there was a logical order to the sharing and the first thing is my One Word for this year because that word has informed everything else seeing how its my focus for the year. Makes sense, no?<br />
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So let me give you a little background. Back in 2010 my bestie, Rebecca, presented this idea to me that she had heard about of picking a word to be your intention for the entire year. We both really liked the concept and totally ran with it. I picked Peace and she picked Joy. And whoa...if we had known how powerful having a single word could be I don't know that we would have done it! Well, at the very least we both agreed later that we would have been more cautious in choosing. LOL Because we both went through a pretty crazy journey that year and our words were very prominent in that journey. I'm kind of glad we didn't know though because that's the way it SHOULD be...kind of the purpose right? At any rate, by the end of the year we were sold! And we've been doing it together ever since. If you want more information about this, just Google One Little Word (Ali Edwards has registered that one) or One Word Resolution and you'll find all kinds of info about it. I don't know who created the concept originally but whoever it was is brilliant! My words have been:<br />
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2010: Peace<br />
2011: Quality (how my little blog got its name!)<br />
2012: Strong (I did the Ali Edwards One Little Word(r) workshop that year - it's amazing - she's amazing!)<br />
2013: Light<br />
2014: Courage (the year I ran my marathon!)<br />
2015: Now<br />
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So enough with the history, let's get to 2016's word, shall we? My word for 2016 is: GROW<br />
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I usually start thinking about my word for the next year in November and this year was no different. And I usually have lots of different words that bubble up to the surface. Some I even think are really going to be it, but then I roll it around in my brain a little and sometimes the bubble pops and I realize that its' not THE word yet. This year I was doing a lot of reflecting on 2015 because as I mentioned when I was <a href="http://thepursuitofaqualitylife.blogspot.com/2015/12/the-time-isnow-closing-out-my-one.html">wrapping up my year of NOW</a>, it was a pretty rough year. It ended great and had a strong fourth quarter. But that first 3/4 of the year really took me for a ride. I was thinking about how it really felt like I had been tilling the hard ground with little to no progress, but then I finally got past the hard bedrock, and added enough water to soften it up, that there was finally a breakthrough and some seeds could be planted in fertile ground. <i>I think you probably see where this is going...haha</i> Several words bloomed from there - like nurture, cultivate, blossom but they still weren't quite right and I knew it. And then while driving in the car to work there it was...grow. And it felt so right. So I held onto it nice and tight to see if it would pop, but it didn't. And as I started thinking about what it meant and shared it with my bestie, it definitely became the word for 2016.<br />
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It means that seeds planted in 2015 are going to grow this year. I want to grow as a person in so many different ways and I want to continue to grow in my marriage and relationships. I want to nurture and water my soul and pull the weeds that will try to choke my little seeds that are already beginning to search out the sunshine. I'm sure I will also continue to plant seeds that will grow in 2016...new seeds that I don't even know are there yet!<br />
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I'm looking forward to spending a year focusing on everything "grow" means to me! I want to see my life bloom and blossom and just be a riot of colors and fragrances that I can't even possibly imagine right now! I want to have an abundance of goodness ready to harvest throughout the year that will sustain me, my family, and all those around me! It's going to an awesome year!!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13477548540626948283noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426484837937435979.post-81147331746853206342016-01-05T15:42:00.000-08:002018-12-31T08:28:07.133-08:00Bliss...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I had the good fortune of taking a few extra days off of work following the winter break. My intention is that I will get some home stuff taken care of - things that I can't ever seem to find the time for during the year like organizational things, giving the shower and tub a really good scrubbing, cleaning out some drawers and closets of items that haven't been touched in forever...you know, fun stuff like that. HA! I know it may seem silly to take vacation days to do things like this, but for me it does my mental state a world of good to start the year off feeling like I've accomplished some things around the house. The reality is that during the busy holiday season, there just isn't time for it. So now that the holidays have passed I can turn my focus.<br />
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Today was my first day at home and it didn't actually end up being what I had intended, but it was absolute PERFECTION. I may have only gotten the home office/workout room organized and cleaned, but it meant so much more more than that! Because what I did was totally kill my workout, enjoy a nice cup of coffee as my reward, get my home office organized/cleaned including finding homes for all the christmas gifts that were scattered around, and writing all my thank you cards.<br />
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All this while the rain gently fell outside (at this point anyways, as El Nino finally arrived in SoCal and has been making his presence known most of the day), the candles burned created a calming scent of vanilla and spice, and Spotify gave me wonderful music totally new to me on my Discovery playlist for the week. And the house...the house was at total peace and calm! Joshua was at school, Angelique and Tasha are in Hawaii, Brandon and Pat were at work, and Michelle was upstairs finding her own bliss. It was absolutely AH-MAZ-ING!!! I kind of just kept saying to myself "I can't believe how absolutely perfect today is"...and it was. Absolutely. Perfect. My soul is happy and at peace.<br />
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Tomorrow I can scrub the showers and clean the blinds. Today I will be happy to have such a blessed day in quiet reflection and preparation for an amazing year.<br />
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Make it awesome, friends!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13477548540626948283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426484837937435979.post-11701101584961207082016-01-04T14:20:00.000-08:002018-12-31T08:27:34.936-08:00Training Lately...I mentioned in my Ultimate Coffee Date post that I reviewed my Believe training journal from the last year and was disappointed by how often I saw remarks like "could have done better" or "ugh, bad week in training", or even "skipped this, skipped this, and skipped this".<br />
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I also mentioned that I usually do the same thing every year - I say THIS YEAR I'm going to do a better job! THIS YEAR I'm going to train like a beast. THIS YEAR I'm going to hit all my workouts. But do I? Nope...<br />
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It's so frustrating and, honestly, I don't know how to go about breaking out of that destructive cycle. I start a training cycle fired up and ready to totally go Beast Mode all over it and halfway through I'm shortening workouts, skipping the stretching, and that's only IF I did the workout at all. By the end I'm just like Eh - whatever...I've already screwed the pooch on this one anyways. NEXT TIME I'll kill it. Ugh...<br />
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So how has my training been going lately? Let's see...<br />
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Monday 12/28: Did the 3 miles, but didn't hit the paces Coach Tiffany gave me<br />
Tuesday 12/29: Rested (could have done a Barre workout, but I opted for total lazy instead)<br />
Wednesday 12/30: 3 miles, but walked half of it for no real good reason<br />
Thursday 12/31: Skipped my 3 mile timed workout<br />
Friday 1/1: Light stretching and leg balance exercises<br />
Saturday 1/2: Should have done 6 miles, did 3.3 instead<br />
Sunday 1/3: Light stretching and leg balance exercises<br />
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So there's an entire week of workouts and you can see that I pretty much blew off every single one of them in one way or another AND I have a flipping half marathon in 6 days!!!! Seriously...why do I sabotage myself like this?!? I don't get it...I'm actually pretty good about getting my work job done, why can't I apply the same principles to my workouts? Or my healthy eating? I'm pretty much figuring that Coach Tiffany is totally disgusted with me or at the very least is questioning my commitment to my training...as she should be on both fronts.<br />
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But I'll keep on trying guys...I'm not going to just quit saying THIS YEAR, or THIS TRAINING CYCLE, or even THIS DAY. I'm going to keep pushing to kill it because perhaps someday I actually will!!! I will give myself credit for something - I don't quit. I keep failing and won't give up. hahaha<br />
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Seriously though - I'm all about persistence folks, even if it is persistence at telling myself to be persistent. Someday it's gotta stick, right?? ;-)<br />
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One thing I am going to do though is share my training progress a little more. I know it might be boring as hell for some and you have my permission to skip it completely if you so desire. But I need some accountability if I'm going to head into my new training cycle - heck, if I'm going to head into my planned workout tomorrow! - with the right frame of mind of totally killing it. I can do it...I can do it...I can do it. Say it with me now... :-)<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13477548540626948283noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426484837937435979.post-87591276805137199962016-01-02T03:00:00.000-08:002018-12-31T08:26:56.549-08:00Ultimate Coffee Date - New Year Edition January 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Happy New Year everyone!! Hope that your 2016 is off to a great start...I've been meaning to spend a Saturday with <a href="http://confessionsofamotherrunner.com/">Confessions of a Mother Runner</a> and her co-hosts, <a href="http://www.got2run4me.com/">Coco</a> and <a href="http://fitnessmomwinecountry.com/">Lynda</a>, doing The Ultimate Coffee Date for months and months, so I finally figured - hey, when is a better time to do something you've been meaning to do than a new year?? Right? So join me with a warm beverage - doesn't have to be coffee and doesn't even need to be warm - and let's spend a few minutes enjoying each other's company. :-)<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: #a64d79;">If we were having coffee</span></i></b>...I would tell you that I had an absolutely amazing holiday season. I indulged pretty much as much as I wanted to, I was lazy when I felt like it, and I may have even taken a few naps and spent a few days in my PJ's all day. It was pretty epic but has left me feeling like a slug.<br />
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<b style="color: #a64d79; font-style: italic;">If we were having coffee</b>...I would be super excited to tell you that I bought myself a planner that I'm so happy to have in my arsenal this year! It's not a super fancy schmancy Erin Condren planner like all the cool kids have, but it's going to work very nicely for me. It's a <a href="http://www.meandmybigideas.com/">Me & My Big Ideas</a> Happy Planner and will be a perfect starter planner. I used to use a Franklin Covey and it was great, but I moved away from it to a more electronic to-do system. I want to use my planner to not just be a catalog of appointments and tasks, but to serve as a journal/scrapbook of where I've been during the year. I'm super excited to fill it!<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: #a64d79;">If we were having coffee</span></i></b>...I would tell you that I went back through my Believe training journal that I started using at the beginning of 2015 and it was an eye opener. Not necessarily in a good way. Sure, I ran 569.12 miles in 153 activities and that's awesome! I'm certainly happy with that. But what made it an eye opener is that in the journal portion or the check-ins was all the "could have been better; should have tried harder; not as good as I wanted it to be." Lots of coulda, shoulda, woulda's. And if I'm honest and go back and re-read old journal entries or blog posts, I see a lot of the same thing. I would tell you that I'm tired of feeling like I'm coming up just short of the finish line and if I'm being honest with myself I'm DNF-ing on my goals and effort in reaching them. I want to change that in 2016!!<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: #a64d79;">If we were having coffee</span></i></b>...I would tell you that I'm running my first half marathon of the year in only one more week! I don't know how, but I swear these things always have a way of sneaking up on me. I plan for them and do workouts to prepare for them and then all of a sudden they just jump out of nowhere and are like HEY! It's time!!! and I'm left saying, But, But...I'm not ready for this!! LOL<br />
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And finally, <b><i><span style="color: #a64d79;">if we were having coffee</span></i></b>...I would tell you how excited I am to be back representing Skirt Sports again for 2016 as an Ambassador Captain, and that I'm thrilled to also be a Nuun Ambassador for 2016! I feel like I'm finally nailing down my fueling and hydration on long runs and Nuun is a big part of that so I'm really excited to be a part of the Nuunbassador family. All in all, if we were having coffee, I would tell you that I'm feeling pretty darn good about 2016 and where it might take me!<br />
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I've really enjoyed my coffee date with you and I'll see you back here again soon! I still have my goals to share - I came up with some really great ones this year and feel like I'm finally in a place where they won't just get forgotten (thank you, Happy Planner!!) and I will also be sharing my One Little Word for 2016 soon as well. And that one is also a great one that I think will bring me lots of amazing growth this year.<br />
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I hope you all had a safe and happy holiday season and that you have kicked off 2016 with some excitement and planning for the future! See you again real soon!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13477548540626948283noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426484837937435979.post-54561757093603818322015-12-17T11:00:00.000-08:002018-12-31T08:24:59.654-08:00The Time is...NOW - Closing Out My One Little Word for 2015<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://aliedwards.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/AE_OneLittleWord_PromoImage4_web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://aliedwards.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/AE_OneLittleWord_PromoImage4_web.jpg" height="426" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ali Edwards does a fabulous job of leading participants through their word each year by creating a scrapbook or journal around their word. If you want more information visit: <a href="http://aliedwards.com/">www.aliedwards.com </a></td></tr>
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I have shared before how I choose One Little Word to live out each year - kind of an intention or what I want to speak over my life in the 365 calendar days of a year. For anybody that is just joining this party my previous words have been:<br />
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2010: Peace (what a doozy of a word that one was!!)<br />
2011: Quality<br />
<a href="http://thepursuitofaqualitylife.blogspot.com/2012/04/gaining-strength.html">2012: Strength</a><br />
2013: Light<br />
<a href="http://thepursuitofaqualitylife.blogspot.com/2014/01/courage.html">2014: Courage</a><br />
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And this past year for 2015 my word was <a href="http://thepursuitofaqualitylife.blogspot.com/2014/12/one-little-word-for-2015.html">NOW</a>. My <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/kgrimes26/now-olw-2015/">Pinterest board for Now</a> really came in handy and I found a lot of inspiration that I was more than happy to Pin and review often! So how was my year of NOW? Did I live my word? Did I succeed in my intentions?<br />
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In all honesty, 2015 was actually a pretty difficult year in some aspects, and totally rocked in others. It felt very up and down and in all the ups and downs I tried really, really hard to appreciate each moment I was in right then. Some were way easier than others! haha<br />
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I know I had lots of good reasons behind Now and how I wanted to get several things done during 2015. I wanted to be happy with who I was right now and quit focusing on past versions of me or dreaming about future versions. On this part I really do feel like I lived my word. One of the best live life now moments was applying for an ambassador slot with Skirt Sports - and BEING ACCEPTED!! I had absolutely no problem living in that NOW and have spent this past year developing friendships with a lot of wonderful ladies that I know will continue for many years to come.<br />
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Another living life now moment was brutally fighting for the success of my marriage. I won't go into specifics, and I apologize for doing the vague thing, but let's just say that I wasn't really sure my marriage was going to make it through this year. It did. It's still hard sometimes and there's still work to be done, but I finally quit waiting for things to change and started fighting for that change. I really feel like this was accomplished through living ALL of my words over the past several years. I couldn't have fought for the NOW without first living with Courage last year, or getting Strong back in 2012, or knowing that I wanted to pursue Quality in 2011.<br />
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I also took some NOW initiative and partnered up with my running coach so I could explore where my running could be better right now. I'm still feeling like I was faster a long time ago, but I feel a heck of a lot more like a real runner these days than I ever have before. I had a lot of early mornings pushing hard and pouring sweat on my treadmill reminding myself that I needed to just be in that moment right then and that the hard part would pass soon enough.<br />
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It may seem contrary, but I had a NOW moment when I decided to put school on the back burner for a little bit. Yes, I know that being in school would improve a lot of things, but I also looked at where I was right then and there and knew that if I began my next level of study that I wouldn't be able to put the effort into it OR other areas of my life that really, really needed my full attention. Basically I knew that being in school would be great for my future self, but for my right now self, it would have been death. I don't know that I would have survived this year if I had been in school. Over dramatic? I don't think so...I had to recognize that the current me wasn't able to do school, family, and work. So after the spring semester I took a pause and will get back to it next summer.<br />
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I enjoyed all the NOW moments of my daughter being pregnant and giving birth to little Gavin in October. I enjoyed all the NOW moments spent with my other 2 grandbabies. I enjoyed lots of NOW moments spent sitting in the sun during lunch hours, or talking with my bestie about unicorn powers, or talking with other good friends. I enjoyed lots of NOW moments watching shows with my daughters and sharing those simple experiences with people I love.<br />
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And as we close out 2015, I'm happy to say goodbye to this past year. I feel hopeful for 2016 and where it might lead me, but I'm grateful for all the moments that I experienced this year. Some were oh so hard, and others were oh so amazing...but no matter what they were happening right then and there and I chose to live them!!<br />
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I have my word for 2016 all picked out...stay tuned as I'll be sharing it soon! Thanks for the memories 2015...thank you for helping me focus on the life right in front of me...thank you for bringing new people in that have brought so much enrichment to my life...but most of all, thank you for letting me live it. I'm ending 2015 a stronger person because of the experiences you've given me!!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13477548540626948283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426484837937435979.post-42556448650969493762015-12-08T11:44:00.000-08:002018-12-31T08:24:32.737-08:00Temecula Half Marathon - Race ReportWaaaaay back at the end of October I was able to participate in the Temecula Half Marathon & 5k held in Murrieta, CA - a local race for me as it is about 20 minutes from my home.<br />
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Just a couple of notes about this race before I get into the nitty gritty. I did the Half Marathon, this was my first time participating in this race, and this was the first time the race was held on this particular course. Previous years it was held in an entirely different location. My friend, Sally, ran the race the previous year and had warned me that it was one of the HARDEST races she had ever done as it was extremely hilly. Well, new course this year so I figured it was going to be a little less challenging, right?!? And maybe it was...I will never know as I hadn't done the previous course. I was doing this race to support a co-worker that was doing it as his very FIRST half marathon!! When he decided to do one, he reached out to the rest of us that he knew to be runners, and three of us said we'd be willing to jump in on the half marathon with him. His wife (Rebecca in the picture below) did the 5k along with her sister-in-law and my daughter. So with that out of the way, let's get to it, shall we?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were greeted with an absolutely GORGEOUS sunrise!!</td></tr>
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<b><u>Registration</u></b><br />
The cost of registration was about $80, I believe. I got in before it stepped up in price, however, this race had a registration fee that I couldn't get out off (i.e. It wasn't through Active which I have an Active Advantage membership that waives registration fees on many races). I had a discount code so it brought the total back to what it was originally before the registration fee. If I remember right...I do remember being peeved about the "fee". I really find those quite annoying especially when they are more than just a couple dollars. (Side note: race fees sure are getting EXPENSIVE, no?) The good part is they offered race-day packet pick-up so that's always great. As far as getting all checked-in at the event that was fairly easy to do. It was a little confusing to me as you don't pick up your race bag until AFTER the race, so I kind of felt like I was missing a step before I realized that you didn't get those until later.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From L-R: Me, Co-Worker Jennifer, Co-Worker Rebecca, and my daughter Michelle (the Selfie Queen operating the camera thankfully because I am truly HORRIBLE at it! LOL)</td></tr>
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<b><u>Expo and Venue</u></b><br />
The race was held at a sports park in downtown Murrieta and was easy to get to (freeway access about a mile from venue) and had plenty of free parking nearby. They had quite a few vendors that I don't see at a lot of other local races such as Krave jerky, The Kombucha, Larabar, and others. They also had a wine garden with several different vendors. Each racer received two free tickets and more were available for purchase. They had a pretty good set-up and as far as small, local race expos go it was not too shabby. Not the best, but not the worst either.<br />
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<b><u>Swag</u></b><br />
This race doesn't automatically include a participant shirt but does offer them for a reasonable price for purchase. What you DO get is a wine glass. I am going to note that I expected the wine glass to be included in the race bag that you get after the race...kind of makes sense, right? So when the race was over and my daughter handed me my bag, I just assumed the glass was in there. Wrong. You had to actually pick up the glass when you got your drink tickets. Well, since I could care less about the drink tickets, I never even went over to that table and completely missed out on the glass. I was fairly disappointed about this. Also, during packet pick-up nothing was ever said to me or my daughter about race bags being available after the race or that wine glasses needed to be picked up at the wine garden. I know they are volunteers, but it would be helpful to provide that info to racers so we aren't left wondering where to go next or what we can expect at the end.<br />
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<b><u>Course</u></b><br />
The course, as mentioned above, was new this year. The course, as mentioned above, was known previously as being VERY challenging. The course this year? Super duper challenging in its own right!! Seriously, after doing the <a href="http://thepursuitofaqualitylife.blogspot.com/2015/05/avocado-half-marathon-race-recap.html">Avocado Half Marathon</a> in Fallbrook back in May I didn't really want to ever run another hilly half. Well, too bad, so sad because this was NOT a flat half marathon. Now, mind you, they never billed it as being flat either. I was just wishful thinking. HA! Let's look at just a few pictures of the course:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That doesn't look so bad, right?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5LjE6uWK660/VmcYN3t-6-I/AAAAAAAAChg/IeIS5C1ZULs/s1600/23290880055_7c63a01f5e_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5LjE6uWK660/VmcYN3t-6-I/AAAAAAAAChg/IeIS5C1ZULs/s640/23290880055_7c63a01f5e_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almost to the top of the hill...I think my face says it all...I was not happy.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh yeah - that looks like *fun*. :-|</td></tr>
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So. Many. Hills! The course began on relatively flat land and remained so for about the first mile before going into gently rolling hills that I think were there for the simple act of lulling you into a false sense of security. About three miles in is where the fun begins! The road began to climb and then turned into a dirt road that was very difficult to run on. The dirt was hard packed and highly cambered with some rockiness that you had to be careful for. In addition, the road was NOT closed so vehicles could still travel it and I really felt for the group of runners that had a truck go by on the dirt road as it kicked up a lot of dust (this is one of those times that it really paid that I was in the mid-pack of the race!). Hope nobody was asthmatic or had breathing issues because that would seriously hinder their ability to get air. The dirt eventually returned to road, and hills, and kept going. I will say that there were portions of this course that were extremely beautiful!! One of my favorite sections was through a tree-lined area that was mostly flat to boot! Check it out:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8bbZnUnMuuY/VmcYMwr97KI/AAAAAAAAChk/ocLk6hB5024/s1600/22995065130_1c022dbeb9_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8bbZnUnMuuY/VmcYMwr97KI/AAAAAAAAChk/ocLk6hB5024/s640/22995065130_1c022dbeb9_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So nice through here! Take note of the gal in the red tank and skirt and the other in the orange shirt next to her...we'll talk about this some more in a moment.</td></tr>
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After that really nice, really pretty section, we headed into a golf course for a short bit. It was also very pretty and was on a dirt trail and towards the end had a vineyard on one side, and golf course on the other. There were people out golfing as it was a Sunday morning so that was kind of a nice distraction. And then another hill came and this was one of the worst! Here's a pic from the top looking down:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not a great picture, but you can kind of get an idea of this massive hill. Most people were walking it or doing a slow jog at the most.</td></tr>
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We encountered a lot of traffic in this section as people were leaving and entering the golf course. They did have a police escort so it was very smooth and didn't cause any problems outside of the sheer amount of exhaust and fumes. The course eventually looped back around and met with sections we had come out on, so we got to do them in reverse. Here's the elevation profile from my Garmin activity:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGLCQzYFFdWl7M8pcVYtSKCj9t_fNuyBjRhBx0Fef4m_j7scN_6eOs6Q5oFdRrfqe3saVJHMZEsJwCV89Cf5-BKxOOtdQpzoGP5CHVY8auAeiMNwyq4OviHSM91nA5JLp-_K5TrB9T54M4/s1600/THM+Elevation.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGLCQzYFFdWl7M8pcVYtSKCj9t_fNuyBjRhBx0Fef4m_j7scN_6eOs6Q5oFdRrfqe3saVJHMZEsJwCV89Cf5-BKxOOtdQpzoGP5CHVY8auAeiMNwyq4OviHSM91nA5JLp-_K5TrB9T54M4/s640/THM+Elevation.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You get the idea? Hills, hills and more hills...LOL</td></tr>
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All in all, the course was challenging, but not bad as it had a lot of scenic portions and was an out-and-back so especially at the end you had a good idea of what to expect since you were on the same part as you were at the beginning. I do wish that traffic had been blocked on the dirt portion at the very least to minimize the amount of dust kicked up into the air, but the course did feel safe even though it was an open course and had traffic throughout. There were port-a-johns at several points along the course with fairly short lines, they had pacers for a variety of finish times, they had plenty of on-course water, but no electrolytes until almost the end of the race, they had some fabulous volunteers out working the aid stations, but they had minimal spectating or cheer sections. But that's okay as it wasn't something that was part of the race package.<br />
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<b><u>Medal</u></b><br />
Honestly, the medal was a bit disappointing to me. For being such a challenging race with all those hills, no race shirt, and costing $80, along with the trend for ever bigger and more impressive medals, I was expecting something a little more substantial. Take a look and let me know what you think:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The glitter was a nice touch...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FFnaB6gr6iw/VmcYNUGc0wI/AAAAAAAACho/JWJ_ZZI-NL0/s1600/23182599472_32fe7de726_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FFnaB6gr6iw/VmcYNUGc0wI/AAAAAAAACho/JWJ_ZZI-NL0/s640/23182599472_32fe7de726_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Since I'm holding it you can get a little perspective.</td></tr>
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The 5k and Half Marathon had the same size medals, the only thing that was different was the 5k had a white ribbon and the Half Marathon had a black one. Seriously, it's kinda tiny and doesn't have a year engraved on the medal design anywhere and you can see that the necklace portion is a clip on design so I'm guessing they re-use medals that are left over. I can't say for sure, but that's the only reason I can figure they do a clip on necklace (is there an actual name for that part of the medal because if there is it is escaping my brain at the moment! haha). Also, I have to say that even though the race previously was in the Temecula Wine Country, hence the wine bottle medal and grapes in the logo, this year's race had almost nothing to do with wine outside of the fact that you ran very briefly past a few grape vines, and you got a wine glass and free wine at the finish. It wasn't even evident that the race course was in Temecula AT ALL since you start and end in Murrieta. It's possible we may have been in the actual unincorporated area of Temecula for a brief moment, but I couldn't say for sure exactly. I count this race as being in Murrieta. A little misleading, but who cares really. Overall, the medal gets a D grade. They can do better.<br />
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<b><u>My Race</u></b><br />
I went into this race totally and completely unprepared (yes, that is a recurring theme in my life...*sigh*) so my plan was to just do the best I could and treat it like a training run. I stuck with the 2:45 pacer for a good portion of the early part. Remember in the picture above where I said take note of the girl in the red tank and black skirt and the girl in the orange shirt beside her? That was the pacer and the other gal that was sticking with her as well. I lost them a few times on hills when I was just dying, but would catch up to them on the downhills usually. I finally lost the pacer for good as I was coming into the golf course and hit that really killer hill. But not long after I crested the killer hill, the gal in the orange shirt (cannot remember her name...sorry!!) had stopped at a porta-pot and then caught back up to me. So we stuck together until the end. All in all, I didn't feel terrible. The weather was absolutely perfect and I ran a lot more of the hills than I did previously. If the gal in the orange shirt hadn't kept me going towards the end though I would have walked a lot more. But we would just pick out a landmark and say "we'll run to there", then we would walk to a new landmark and do the same. It got us to the end, although I will say I wanted to absolutely DIE at the end because as we were getting close to the finish line, and to what my Garmin was saying was close to 13.1 miles, we realized that we were going to run <b>right by the finish line</b> to do one more loop around the park! WAAAAHHHH!!! I seriously was like "this is a cruel, cruel joke you evildoers!!!" The pacer (can't remember her name either...LOL) found us on that final loop and ran us in to the finish. I do know that the course was definitely off and a mistake was made somewhere because my final based off of GPS was 13.32 miles. So just a tad extra, but enough to make a grown woman want to curl up in a ball and just throw a massive temper tantrum. I didn't, but the urge was strong. Here's the stats:<br />
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13.32 Miles<br />
2:49:15<br />
Average Pace: 12:42 min/mile<br />
Best Mile: Mile 7 with 10:50 average pace<br />
Worst Mile: Mile 12 with a 14:30 average pace<br />
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<b><u>Post-Race Party</u></b><br />
I didn't stick around per the usual so I can't tell you too much. My daughter did visit the wine garden and had a drink, but by the time I rolled back in she was pretty bored and ready to go. I touched base with my co-workers Brian (his first) and Jennifer (her second) and they both had 2:30 or less finishes! Jennifer said she won't do another half for a long time, and Brian said he is done with his running career for forever! I don't really believe that, but this very may well be his only half as he says he prefers the 10k and 5k distances much more and did deal with a lot of knee issues during training. The race did have an awards presentation that I'm sure was awesome.<br />
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<b><u>What I Wore</u></b><br />
<a href="http://www.skirtsports.com/shop/product.cfm/id/7713-Skirt-Sports-Visor#.Vmcr-3arS9I">Skirt Sports Visor in Streak</a><br />
<a href="http://www.skirtsports.com/shop/product.cfm/id/1145-261-Kathrine-Tank#.VmcsLXarS9I">Skirt Sports 261 Kathrine Tank in Mantra</a><br />
<a href="http://www.skirtsports.com/shop/product.cfm/id/1017-Gym-Girl-Ultra#.Vmcr1narS9I">Skirt Sports Gym Girl Ultra Skirt in Tantrum</a><br />
<a href="http://www.saucony.com/en/bounce-trouncer-bra/11743W.html?dwvar_11743W_color=81198-VPC#cgid=womens-apparel-bras&start=1">Saucony Bounce Trouncer Bra</a><br />
Can't remember which socks I wore<br />
<a href="http://www.mizunousa.com/Running/Products/WAVE-RIDER-17-WOMEN">Mizuno Wave Rider 17's</a><br />
<a href="http://www.rei.com/product/850206/nathan-intensity-hydration-vest-womens?s_kwcid=sy9Bm7XCy_dc|pcrid|71492669285|pkw|nathan%20intensity%20hydration%20vest%20women%27s|pmt|b|google|main|NB&gclid=Cj0KEQiAnJqzBRCW0rGWnKnckOIBEiQA6qDBaufldoq8ISlAJaibeCRBVAPxEAWMe_jzrldTnajgI6YaArca8P8HAQ">Nathan Intensity Hydration Vest</a><br />
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All the things I wore were great...I did have some chafing on my arm from the vest, but it was fairly minimal.<br />
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<b><u>Parting Thoughts </u></b><br />
I guess the main thing to ask myself is if I would do this race again. Mayyyyybeeeee...it would have to be pretty compelling circumstances for me to do it again. It was easy for me to get to, the location was pretty good, but the course was challenging. If someone was LOOKING for a challenging half, this would be a great one for them as it definitely delivered there. But the scenic route did help offset some of the things I would have been more peeved about like the crummy medal, the wine glass snafu, and the extra added-in distance. Plus, it's just mean to make people run PAST the finish line after running 13+ miles. Just so mean. LOL It's at a great time of year though although it can still be quite warm...we just got lucky that it was perfect running weather this time around. If it had been hot, I would not be as positive about my experience. As far as race organization goes, it was pretty smooth and I don't have any major complaints. I think there is room for improvement, but really there always is. So even though I may not LOOK for this race again next year, if one of my run friends asked me to run it with them I probably would.<br />
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And there you have it! Half Marathon #6 is in the books...<br />
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<img src="https://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d66/kgrimes526/Signature.jpg">Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13477548540626948283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426484837937435979.post-9800397237255984682015-11-24T10:32:00.000-08:002018-12-31T08:16:04.182-08:00TOTR: Runner's Wish ListToday I am linking up with the lovely ladies behind Tuesdays on the Run: <a href="http://mcmmamaruns.com/">MCM Mama Runs</a>, <a href="http://www.marciashealthyslice.com/">Marcia's Healthy Slice</a>, and <a href="http://noguiltlife.com/">My No-Guilt Life</a>! And the topic is definitely timely!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HRvsDfIoyss/VlSiMrw86kI/AAAAAAAACgI/1YZFp4N-GyE/s1600/RunnersWishListGraphic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HRvsDfIoyss/VlSiMrw86kI/AAAAAAAACgI/1YZFp4N-GyE/s400/RunnersWishListGraphic.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And, yes, my snowman is wearing a tiara...</td></tr>
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I'm going to stick to a runner's wish list even though we could talk just basic wish lists all day long...even my kids were recently commenting that Mom's wish list is the longest one out of everyone in the family! Hey...Mom's just smart enough to know that if I don't tell them <b>exactly</b> what I want they will go all rogue and just start buying random stuff. I've learned my lesson. LOL So without further ado...<br />
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<b><u><a href="http://www.redfoxwireless.com/EDGE-bluetooth-sport-headphones-p/rf-eg-bf.htm">Redfox Wireless EDGE Bluetooth Headphones</a></u></b><br />
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I was lucky enough to win a pair of these from <a href="http://anothermotherrunner.com/">Another Mother Runner</a> and I absolutely LOVE them! They are super comfortable and I forget I'm even wearing them. I've even gone so far as to walk out of the room with them still on because I totally forgot they were there! The sound quality is excellent and they are certified IPX4 Water and Sweat Resistant. I have an iPhone 5c and a Dell Windows Tablet that I link to and have never had any problem with connecting. Works flawlessly every time and the battery life is superb. They were also a Runner's World Best Headphones selection, so they agree with me. Bonus - they are on sale now for only $65.99 (regularly $99.99). You can't get a better wireless headphone for that price (even at FULL price you can't get a better wireless headphone).<br />
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<a href="http://islandboost.com/what-is-island-boost/">Island Boost Energy Shots</a><br />
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My running coach recommended I give Island Boost a try and I'm so glad she did because this stuff is amazing!! I still love GU in some situations - especially because I can find it just about anywhere, but what makes Island Boost different is that it is SPEEDY in that it hits your system and provides energy within 5 minutes of taking it. Unlike other energy gels that you need to consume about 15-20 minutes before needing, Island Boost is 5 minutes from consumption to delivery. And it is specifically formulated to not cause stomach distress. Another thing I really like about it is that it isn't a <b>gel</b>, it's a liquid. Many times with gels I have to slowly take them or it makes me gag on the consistency of it. I don't have that problem with Island Boost. I can drink it on the run and get fast energy without any stomach distress! Island Boost is on sale right now and the 30 pack at $42.00 is on my wish list.<br />
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<a href="https://www.velopress.com/books/believe/">Believe Journal</a><br />
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I got my first Believe Training Journal last year and I've enjoyed it so much all year long!! It's been great to see my progress (or lack of...) all in one place and the insight from pro runners Lauren Fleshman and Ro McGettigan-Dumas has been fabulous. It's $18.95 at Velo Press, but you can find it at many other retailers as well such as Barnes & Noble and Amazon. They also have additional colors this year - bonus!<br />
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<a href="http://www.smartwool.com/">Smartwool PhD Running Socks</a><br />
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I have two pairs of Smartwool socks along with a variety of other brands. I also love Feetures, Balega, and my Skirt Sports socks, but I'm going to put the Smartwool socks on this list because wool is fabulous whether you live in cold or warm climates - it will control the temperature beautifully no matter what! They also have knee-high socks and I'm definitely putting a pair on my wish list since I can't wear compression, but knee-high are just fine and will allow me some extra warmth on chilly days!<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Marathon-Woman-Running-Revolutionize-Womens/dp/0738213292">Marathon Woman by Kathrine Switzer</a><br />
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I've talked before about my admiration and respect for Kathrine Switzer so I won't go into it again here, but if you want some inspiration, just put this book on your wish list! She's amazing and has just launched a global 261 Fearless Movement with run clubs for women sprouting up around the world with more to come as the training for leaders continues to roll out. She's currently writing a follow-up book, so read this one now so you can be ready when the next one comes out.<br />
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<a href="https://nuun.com/products/">Nuun Hydration Tabs</a><br />
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With a variety of types and flavors there's something for everyone! And as they say themselves on the website, hydration is extremely important - <span style="background-color: white; color: #007db6; font-family: , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; text-transform: lowercase;">during exercise a mere 2% loss in body weight can lead to a decrease in performance. nuun active hydration contains a superior blend of electrolytes without added sugars; it has a light-refreshing taste that promotes the consumption of water. </span>So it is delicious, doesn't contain added sugar, and provides optimal electrolyte replacement. I absolutely love that Nuun doesn't have an overly sweet flavor a la Gatorade or Powerade drinks. One tab flavors 16 oz. and each tube has 12 tabs for approximately $7.00. You can also find these at local retailers such as Sprouts or other sporting goods stores in addition to online through nuun.com or amazon.com.<br />
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<a href="http://www.skirtsports.com/shop/product.cfm/id/4310-Redemption-Capri#.VlSq63arS9J">Skirt Sports Redemption Capris</a><br />
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I honestly want pretty much anything and everything from Skirt Sports, but I'm limiting my wish list to the Redemption Capris because they are AH-MAZZZZ-ING!!! I have them in the Safari print and was wearing them the other day and my husband couldn't stop saying how nice my butt looked. Sorry if that's TMI, but these capris have a magic butt capability built into them. LOL Okay, you know that isn't real, but they are obviously made BY women FOR women because they fit perfectly. They are also the perfect weight and material for running, cross-training, cycling, canoeing, paddling, whatever. Don't forget you can use my Ambassador Code for a 20% discount: SSPQL20.<br />
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You'll note that I kept my wish list pretty affordable this year because even though running can get quite expensive, it doesn't always have to be top dollar items in order to make the runner in your life a happy camper...er, runner. LOL<br />
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<b>Question: What is on YOUR wish list this year?</b><br />
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Keep pursuing quality, friends!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13477548540626948283noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426484837937435979.post-26781972519351018022015-11-23T10:15:00.000-08:002018-12-31T08:15:25.499-08:00Hometown Heroes Honor Run Race Recap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://hometownheroesrun.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/logo-hhhr-2015-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://hometownheroesrun.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/logo-hhhr-2015-1.png" height="228" width="640"></a></div>
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This was my third year participating in the Hometown Heroes Honor Run (HHHR) in Riverside, California on October 3rd. And it also happens to be the third year of its existence! :-) So I'm a legacy runner so far...<br />
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I actually really enjoy this race and it has quickly become one of my favorites that I look forward to each year. It's the perfect time of year, the venue is fabulous, and it benefits a fantastic cause in the Riverside Police Officers' Association. My previous two race recaps are <a href="http://thepursuitofaqualitylife.blogspot.com/2014/10/hometown-heroes-honor-run-5k-race-recap.html">here</a> and <a href="http://thepursuitofaqualitylife.blogspot.com/2013/10/race-recap-hometown-heroes-run-5k.html">here</a>.<br />
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<b><u>Registration</u></b><br />
Registration is super easy and I would say the cost is very reasonable for everything you get in this race. I think it was about $40. They also offered same-day registration although you aren't guaranteed your preferred size of or a goody bag; but if they have extras, you get them. My friend Sally signed up day of and was able to get the shirt she wanted and a goody bag so that was awesome.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e3BpZaQOou8/VlNPn1H4z_I/AAAAAAAACfY/roo2W3LiHCc/s1600/HHHR-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e3BpZaQOou8/VlNPn1H4z_I/AAAAAAAACfY/roo2W3LiHCc/s400/HHHR-1.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was hard to get us all in the picture with my t-rex arms, but we have L-R: Brian, Heather (my sis), Me, Sally.</td></tr>
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<b><u>Expo and Venue</u></b><br />
They have quite a few booths set up ranging from local sellers to other races promoting their own events so there's always something to look at while you wait. This year they set up on the concrete instead of out in the grass, so that made for a nicer experience. They also have a few food trucks and the Boy Scouts were back again this year providing a free pancake breakfast post-race. This race takes place at a Sports Park so there's lots of free parking (including a school across the street) and a playground for kids to hang out at with their guardian while they are waiting for Mom & Dad or whoever to finish their race. In the past my nieces and nephew have had a great time hanging out at the park with their Dad while my sister raced. Bored kids are a nightmare, so having the park and plenty of space to run around is a real benefit to the venue. If this event continues to grow it might outgrow this location, but so far it fits perfectly. Oh- and they have at least a few real bathrooms in addition to the port-a-johns! BONUS!!!<br />
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<b><u>Swag</u></b><br />
This race has some pretty decent swag. You get a goody bag that consists of one of those basic totes with the drawstrings that you can wear as a backpack (I'm sure there's an actual name for those things, but it escapes me), a technical shirt, and lots of little freebies like Biofreeze, Corn Thins, and more. As far as race swag goes, this one is usually pretty decent.<br />
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<b><u>Course</u></b><br />
The 5k course (I haven't done the 10k so I can't really speak to it at all, but my friend Jennifer did this year and her main comment was HILLS...hahaha) is mostly flat - now, it isn't ALL flat - there are some hills but they are manageable hills) and is a perfect rectangle. The rectangle shape is awesome because after you've done the first long stretch, you have a short one and then you have a basic idea of what to expect on the final long stretch. And with all left turns it just feels...right. I don't know how else to describe it. Now, I'm going to admit that I have a bad case of Racenesia* and I find myself thinking a course was awesome and flat and then the next year I run it and there's all these hills and I'm like "wait - I thought this course was FLAT - what happened?!?" This is a real thing, people, trust me!<i> </i><br />
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<i>*Racenesia: noun. The act of forgetting how difficult or challenging a race is after the race is over. May result in telling people that a course is flat or easy when it is, in fact, very far from flat or easy. </i><br />
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But just to show you that in this case I'm not suffering from Racenesia, here's the course elevation profile from my Garmin Connect activity:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FZ12aYtr8tU/VlNRqALgEgI/AAAAAAAACfo/6JZY4lLuSPs/s1600/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="82" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FZ12aYtr8tU/VlNRqALgEgI/AAAAAAAACfo/6JZY4lLuSPs/s640/Capture.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See, that's pretty flat, right??</td></tr>
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I don't have any on-course pictures as the only photos were from the finish line and after I already crossed the line. They are straight-up horrible pictures and I would definitely recommend that they find a better location next year a little bit before the finish or at the very least use multiple photographers so they can have one along the course too. But I always hate on-course photos anyways as I am definitely NOT photogenic while running. I have hated almost every single race picture I have ever seen of me. LOL<br />
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<b><u>Medal</u></b><br />
Okay, guys, this medal is AMAZING!!! They really have improved upon it every single year and this year it was colored pink for Breast Cancer Awareness and was a spinner. And for being a 5k race, the medal is HUGE. Check it out...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jGDCf2spDio/VlNPn_GxZJI/AAAAAAAACfg/1ugTFG4Ninw/s1600/12079205_10153593506665396_1266429290273396238_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jGDCf2spDio/VlNPn_GxZJI/AAAAAAAACfg/1ugTFG4Ninw/s400/12079205_10153593506665396_1266429290273396238_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had the silly thing backwards for this post-race selfie...oops. LOL</td></tr>
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Seriously, one of the best medals and by far one of the best for a 5k race that is very reasonably priced.<br />
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<b><u>My Race</u></b><br />
I went into this race with the plan to run it easy and attempt to run the entire thing from beginning to end without stopping. And I totally met my goal!!! I ran the entire time, even on the last hill that has gotten me every single year so far. I didn't get a PR on this one. My standing 5k PR is actually from this race last year and was an even 32:00. This year I finished in 32:25 so 25 seconds slower than my PR; however, I felt like I ran a much better race this year because I met my goals: find a pace I could maintain the entire time and then hold it for the 3.1 miles. Done and done! I did really feel it at the end and I had nothing left to give as I crossed that finish line. It's funny because last year I walked on the final hill and was able to use a strong finish kick across the line; this year, I ran the little hill but didn't have anything extra in the way of a finish kick. But the main thing for me was sticking to my plan and I did that.<br />
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<b><u>Post-Race Party</u></b><br />
I never really stick around a whole lot after the race is over as I'm anxious to get home and start the rest of my day and this time really wasn't any different. I grabbed some water, found Sally who finished a little ahead of me, and then waited for my sister to come in. Once we collected her, we grabbed some pancakes from the boy scouts and scooted on out of there. They do have a post-race awards ceremony and probably some music too, but I couldn't say how it was since I didn't hang around. :-)<br />
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<b><u>Final Thoughts</u></b><br />
This is still one of my favorite races and I'll definitely keep coming back for more. It's at the perfect time of year and usually serves as my kick-off to the fall racing season. It's a great race and the organizers work hard to create an excellent event. I highly recommend it if you're in the area!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13477548540626948283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426484837937435979.post-55113328133344405522015-11-19T09:45:00.000-08:002018-12-31T08:14:52.736-08:00It's a Battle...a Fight to the Death!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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You can't be involved in working out or fitness or health...wait, let me revise where I'm headed with this. You can't be ALIVE and not see all the time about the importance of mental toughness. You know, it starts early with trite sayings like "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." or "Life is tough, but you're tougher." They are endless!! And there's a reason for that.<br />
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The reason is because having the ability to be mentally tough is so important!! Seriously, there's much in life you simply can't do without it. And the thing is that you might be super mentally tough in one arena of life, but be super mentally weak in another one. For example, when it comes to being a Mom, I've always prided myself on being able to hold it together even through the super stressful things like injuries or illnesses. Where one parent might pass out at the sight of blood, I can stand stoic and calm. But where I struggle constantly? <u>Mental toughness in my diet and exercise.</u><br />
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I know what I want and I'm willing to fight for it...right up until it gets hard. And then the hamster wheel of doubt starts to kick in, or the wheel of excuses starts spinning, and my brain all of a sudden starts believing what it is being told. That I'm "too tired and need a break" or that "one piece of candy won't kill me" or "I've been sick, I need to take it easy" or "what's the difference, you're never going to hit your PR goal anyways...it's already lost". Honestly, the list of doubts and excuses could go on for days because they are always changing, and yet always staying the same.<br />
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When most athletes are asked what their key to success is, it almost always comes down to mental toughness. The ability to push through the wall and keep going. Kara Goucher has bravely shared that s<a href="http://www.runnersworld.com/sports-psychology/kara-gouchers-mind-gains">he struggles with this same issue</a> - the mental game. Some athletes are able to run for hours through a desert, while others crumble under much lesser circumstances. It would almost seem like mental toughness, especially when it comes to exercise performance, is something that you're either born with or you aren't. <i>Maybe you're born with it, maybe it's Maybelline? If only there was a mascara you could apply that gives you the ability to increase mental toughness by 25%!</i> The star athletes have it - that combination of natural talent and mental toughness to push through. You can't be a star athlete without some combination of both of those things.<br />
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But I'm not a star athlete and am not trying to be one. I am just an average person that has dreams and desires - things that are going to take FIGHTING FOR to achieve them and yet I stumble when it comes to the mental aspect. I succumb to the fatigue in my head that tells me that my legs are giving out. I succumb to the fatigue in my brain that says that I deserve to eat something I want. I succumb to the things that take me further away from goal instead of closer to it. Now, not all the time mind you...but enough of the time that it affects my journey towards my goals. Do I not want it enough? Is that my stumbling block???<br />
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There's a gazillion and one articles about how to strengthen your mental toughness...just Google it and you'll see for yourself. Be confident! Use a mantra! Visualize success! Practice it in Training!<br />
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But I'm honestly asking...what do you do when you use those tools and they still fail you? What's the trick here because I'm at a loss for how to keep pushing when my entire body says just fuhgeddaboutit. I'm at a loss for how to stop myself from thinking constantly about the candy in the jar or glancing at it every single time I walk by it.<br />
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I will say that for me it's a battle that sometimes is easy to fight, and sometimes is close to impossible. Sometimes I can spend hours of standing firm, and others it's a second by second battle. Am I a little overly dramatic when I say it's a fight to the death? Perhaps...but it's definitely a battle I will be fighting UNTIL death because I'm not willing to give up. I'll keep fighting this fight. There's things I want and I may not always know how to be strong enough to get them, but I'll keep trying to figure it out. Any help towards that end that you can offer is always appreciated!!<br />
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Seek a quality life, friends! Talk to you again soon...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13477548540626948283noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426484837937435979.post-43425254386330106732015-11-17T10:24:00.000-08:002018-12-31T08:13:29.487-08:00The Walking Dead...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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That's pretty much what they should have put on the front of my house a few weeks back because we've been like the Walking Dead around there dealing with a massive upper respiratory sickness that settled over the entire family like a plague! Over dramatic? Yeah, maybe just a little...but I don't know - we're still not all the way out of the clear yet! Ha ha...<br />
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It all started a few weeks back with my granddaughter and son getting sick. Then it spread to grandson, then to me, then to my husband and daughter, and now to my other daughter and the just barely even 1-month old little guy!! :-( It's so heartbreaking to see him sniffling and coughing and you know he just doesn't even understand why he feels so miserable. On top of it all, poor Melissa gets to find out way too quickly how hard it is to handle a baby when all you want to do is lay in a heap of Kleenex and sleep but still have a little guy that wants to eat and poop and stuff.<br />
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I, on the other hand, am finally starting to feel like I'm just about back to normal. I started feeling sick on November 6th!! And it is now the 17th...do the math and that is 11 days of feeling like crud. It has not been fun let me tell ya...and the bad news? The son and granddaughter that started this whole thing - they are sick again!! And not just kind of sick - full blown sick. And that's what everyone that has been sick with this thing has said - it comes back. Dunh, Dunh, Dunnnnnnhhhhhhhh<br />
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So we've been dealing with the plague, but there is hope that we will come out of it eventually. I know all two of you that read these things are dying to know about my back-to-back 10k's right? Well, the first one didn't happen and it was heartbreaking to have to skip out on it, but it was the right call (one made by my husband because I was stubborn enough to go run it half dead anyways). And this past weekend's 10k did happen, and I had a great time, but the PR dream was crushed thanks to many days of workouts missed and the lingering fatigue and cough from this whole thing. I'll do a full race report on the one I did back in October and this one very soon. I promise...Just know that it was an awesome course and well-run event and I would love to go back to it again next year and hopefully be at 100% health because it is a PR-Dream Course for sure!!<br />
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So to wrap things up I have a little gift for you in a discount code for <a href="http://www.skirtsports.com/">Skirt Sports</a>!<br />
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That's right - 40% off of EVERYTHING on the site including sale items!! This is HUGE so don't miss out on this! Let me just say that my favorite items lately are the Redemption Capris in any of the prints and the Happy Girl Skirt. This is a great opportunity to get a jump on holiday shopping or to just pick up a few things you're going to need once all those New Year's Resolutions come rolling around. :-)<br />
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Stay in the pursuit of quality, friends! Talk to ya again soon...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13477548540626948283noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426484837937435979.post-38935305163854569712015-11-05T08:39:00.000-08:002018-12-31T08:12:58.431-08:00Life Lately...Good morning! First, let me just say Happy November!!! I seriously can't believe that we are already getting close to wrapping up 2015. It's been a whirlwind of a year that's for sure...but we're still not done yet!!<br />
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November is actually probably my favorite month of the year...the holiday season is officially in the swing of things and my favorite holidays are right around the corner! It doesn't hurt that there's lots of holidays from work on the schedule either! hahaha Many times I'm more excited for the time off than I am for the actual holiday. Kind of sad, but I'm just being honest here. LOL<br />
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I have a few races coming up too - this weekend is the Mission Inn 10k. I've done it the past three years as part of the Run Riverside Challenge and as challenging as it is, I do find myself looking forward to it each year. You can read the previous race recap <a href="http://thepursuitofaqualitylife.blogspot.com/2013/11/race-recap-riverside-mission-inn-10k.html">here</a>, and if you want to learn how I did the opposite of preparing for this race last year you can read that <a href="http://thepursuitofaqualitylife.blogspot.com/2014/11/how-to-not-prepare-for-race.html">here</a>. News Flash: I didn't beat my previous PR at last year's race and felt like I barely survived it really. I don't remember having fun that's for sure. LOL<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the race website - click picture to go to site.</td></tr>
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But I will say that I'm going into this year's race feeling much more prepared for it! So there's that...the coaching has been very beneficial and that <a href="http://thepursuitofaqualitylife.blogspot.com/2015/10/focus-grasshopper.html">kick in the gut</a> that I got at the completion of October's training cycle has proven to be very motivating. That and the fact that I really want a PR at the next race on the schedule...more on that in just a moment.<br />
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My plan for this weekend is to treat the race like a training run. It's a very hilly course so I'm going to do my best to control my running on the hills and focus on my form and hydration/fueling throughout. Because the following weekend is the Surfer's Point 10k in Ventura and that one is going to be my PR push!!<br />
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This is the first time I will be doing races on back-to-back weekends, but I do feel prepared for it especially since I'm using the first race as a training run for the second one that will be the push. My biggest goal for this weekend is to focus on how I feel at each mile and visualizing running faster and stronger the next weekend. Oh, and it doesn't hurt that the Surfer's Point 10k will be mostly flat...something I can't say ANY of my other 10k races have been! I'm looking forward to a flat race, finally. LOL<br />
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The rest of life lately consists of spending time with the family and just soaking in all that life has to offer. Oh, and work...can't forget the thing that pays the bills. LOL<br />
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It really is, friends...it really is!! Now get out there and have an awesome weekend and go crunch some leaves under your feet while you're at it!!<br />
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Stay in pursuit of a quality life!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13477548540626948283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426484837937435979.post-8804563535235965102015-11-03T08:32:00.001-08:002018-12-31T08:12:22.235-08:00Hemp Hearts Product Review and GIVEAWAY!!I was provided an opportunity to try Manitoba Harvest's Hemp Hearts as a Sweat Pink Ambassador through FitApproach. All opinions are my own and are my honest thoughts on this product.<br />
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I will be honest, I had absolutely NO idea what Hemp Hearts were before I tried them. I know that I've heard a lot of talk about how healthy Hemp is and I know a lot of people that have been snacking on various Hemp snacks. So as soon as my Hemp Hearts package arrived, I wanted to know more about what the benefits were and how I could use these mighty little seeds, so my first stop was <a href="http://manitobaharvest.com/">manitobaharvest.com</a> where all my questions were answered!<br />
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So, why Hemp Hearts? Here are the top 10 reasons from Manitoba Harvest to give them a try:<br />
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That's just 10 of the reasons to try them but I'm sure there are a lot more. So why did I want to give them a try after reading all about them?<br />
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My # 1 reason is the Omegas and the Protein! I also love all the other things about them like the magnesium, that they are easy to use, vegetarian, etc., but for me, I'm always looking for ways to get a little boost in my food without adding a ton of extra stuff. So with Hemp Hearts I can sprinkle some on my oatmeal in the morning, throw some in a salad, mix it into a protein smoothie, sprinkle a little on a PB&J...you name it, I can do it because they really do TASTE GREAT and are very complementary to everything I added them to! So what do they taste like? They have a slightly nutty flavor and are a soft, chewy texture. They don't taste all that different from other nuts or seeds, but pack that mighty punch of Omegas, Protein, Magnesium and more! So they are good for you and taste great. A winning combo for sure!<br />
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<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="5" style="background: #FFF; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: -webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width: 99.375%; width: calc(100% - 2px);">
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<a href="https://instagram.com/p/8gUQWxo3Gl/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">So this is staged photography at its best because that's just how I roll over here. 😂 Nobody will ever accuse me of not keeping it real. LOL But the important thing here is that some #hemphearts from @manitobaharvest are GOING DOWWWWNNNNN!!! And guess what? They are delicious!!! Packed with protein and Omega 3 & 6 they are complimenting my steel cut oats very nicely! Get some for yourself at www.manitobaharvest.com and get 20% off with discount code HHSP1015. #fueledbyhemp #sweatpink @fitapproach #SPA Giveaway coming on the blog soon...</a></div>
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A photo posted by Kristen Grimes (@kgrimes526) on <time datetime="2015-10-06T17:43:22+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Oct 6, 2015 at 10:43am PDT</time></div>
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And guess what? You can <b><u>eat them straight out of the bag too</u></b> - you don't <i>have to </i>add them to anything!! But just in case you want to get creative, Manitoba Harvest has a bajillion recipes on their website using Hemp Hearts and other Hemp products - you can check those all out <a href="http://manitobaharvest.com/recipes.html">here</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://manitobaharvest.com/recipes/10414/Pumpkin-Hemp-Pancakes.html">Pumpkin Hemp Pancakes</a>? Yes, PLEASE!!!<br />
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Alright, I know you can't wait to try them for yourself now, right? But I also know you might have some questions about Hemp and its relation to marijuana. No worries, here's what Manitoba Harvest says about it: <span style="background-color: white; color: #464646; font-family: "helveticaneue" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">Hemp contains 0.001% Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and will NOT cause a psychoactive effect nor will our products cause a false positive drug test. Largely thanks to Manitoba Harvest co-founders’ advocacy efforts, hemp was demystified and Industrial Hemp was legalized in Canada in 1998. From there an industry was (re)born! For more on hemp history </span><a href="http://manitobaharvest.com/about_hemp/9804/Hemp-History.html" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #8cc63f; font-family: helveticaneue, "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.8px; text-decoration-line: none; text-transform: lowercase; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out 0s;" target="_blank">click here</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #464646; font-family: "helveticaneue" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">.</span><br />
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But if you want even more information about it, you can visit their very informative <a href="http://manitobaharvest.com/faq.html">FAQ page</a> as well! If you can't wait to try them, you can also get 20% off of anything in the store at <a href="http://www.manitobaharvest.com/">www.manitobaharvest.com</a> with the discount code <b>HHSP1015</b><br />
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So now I know you REALLY can't wait to give these a try. And guess what, you have a chance to win a 2 ounce bag of your very own Hemp Hearts!! There's a lot of giveaways going on right now for this product, so if you have already won on another blog, please leave this opportunity for someone else that hasn't had a chance to win yet. Pretty please, and thank you!!!<br />
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It's super easy to enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. The contest will run from today, November 3 through November 12 at midnight. Good luck! Winner will be contacted by email and will have 72 hours to claim their prize before another winner is selected.<br />
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="606f3d6f4" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/606f3d6f4/" id="rcwidget_jv05hzta" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>Good Luck!!!!</i></b></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13477548540626948283noreply@blogger.com8