Keyport 5K Recap

Last week, I was so excited for the Keyport 5K, which took place on Saturday, September 21^st.  This was going to be my first regular 5K since June 1^st, which had not been a great race for many reasons.  This was going to be my first race in a new age category (30-39- the toughest, most competitive category if you ask me). My running lately had been really strong. I knew I was going to beat last years’ time of 28:14 and knew I had a decent shot at PR-ing.  This was also going to be my mom’s first timed 5K.  Yup- I was excited. 

My friend, Nicole, was also running this race with us.  Since it was the first race after I turned 30, she thought it was be a great idea to buy me a birthday sash.  She had mentioned the idea to me before. I said I would wear it. I thought she was joking.  She wasn’t.  So after we picked up our packets, pinned the sash to me, hit the porter potty, we rushed to the starting line.  It was there I discovered that one of the covers on my ear phones (Yurbuds) was missing.  Things weren’t starting quite how I intended, but I really didn’t have time to think about it because we were off!

Whenever I start a race, I always wonder “why did I agree to do this again?” It takes a few minutes for my body to get into and my head to remember I actually like running.  At 8:38, my app had told me I hit 1 mile.  I had a really hard time believing that, because 1. I had yet to reach the mile 1 marker in the race and 2. I have been running really strong, but not that strong on mile 1. I turned the corner and heard the woman at the mile 1 marker say I was at 9:14, which seemed a little for feasible.  I stopped listening to my app after it told me I had reached mile 2 at 15:46.  It was also somewhere during mile 2, I got tired of dealing with my headphones that kept falling out of ear. So I decided to tuck one side into my bra.  At that point, all I could think about was how much noise the birthday sash was making!  Before I knew it, we were rounding the corner and I used everything I had to sprint the last quarter mile.  My official time was 27:35 with an 8:53 pace.  I finished 12/50 in my division,  49/187 of women and 120/322 overall.  I missed a PR by 3 seconds, but I beat my time last year by 39 seconds!

After I was finished, I stood waiting to cheer on my friend and my mom as they crossed the finish line. At 31:33, Nicole came across the finish line.  After 50 minutes, they were opening up the roads and those still on the course had to move the sidewalks. Since my mom was walking the race, this made her nervous.  Her goal was to finish the race in less than 50 minutes and to not be last. The clock had said about 46 minutes and Nicole said there is your mom.  Me being me, a big, ole cry baby, I start to cry.  She was going to accomplish her goal! Her official time was 47:24.45. When she was done, I was in tears, gave her a big hug and let her know that I was so proud of her.  She WALKED an average pace of 15:16. She finished 25/30 in her age category, 171/187 out of women and 305/322 overall. 

I left the race feeling great, but it wasn’t for me.  

I was feeling great for my mom. I remember how I proud I was after finishing my first 5K and I knew she was feeling the same thing.  I was proud that she was willing to step outside of her comfort zone, make goals and then crush those goals! Yup, my mom is pretty amazing. 

One of my favorite discoveries...

Aside from the constant motivation and inspiration I receive from my Facebook newsfeed, Twitter and Instagram, one of my favorite things is to hear about new products. One product that caught my eye immediately was Ripped Cream. As a coffee addict, I new that I needed to try it. I was thrilled to find a product that could provide the taste of flavored creamer, as well as providing health benefits.  I went online and  immediately ordered a bag.  I wasn't disappointed.  

So you what be wondering what exactly is Ripped Cream? In a nutshell, protein coffee creamer, which also happens to be all natural, gluten free and enriched with Vitamin D3 and 11 amino acids.  When I say protein, I mean high protein.  Two tablespoons give you as much protein as an egg! Not too bad for your regular cup of coffee.  

You might be wondering... well how does it taste? Fantastic! Since French Vanilla Creamer is my favorite flavored creamer, I naturally went for the Lean Vanilla Bean. A serving size is two tablespoons, I found that I didn't even need that much for a great tasting cup of coffee.  I was hesitant to try the Chizzled Chocolate Creamer. I have never been a fan of chocolate creamer, but when I won two bags I decided I might as well give it a try.  So I hesitantly tried it and ... OH. MY. YUM! By far, it exceeded any chocolate creamer that I had ever tried.  

So if I haven't peaked your interest yet perhaps... the words GIVEAWAY will! That's right I have two bags of Ripped Cream Lean Vanilla Bean protein creamer that will be up for grabs! You have to be a fan of my Facebook page My Journey 2 The Fit Life to enter. Good luck! 

Here's to a healthy day!

Emily

September's Goals! Back to Basics

Every month I try to give myself new goals. The goals vary from month to month, but there are always goals. Sometimes I accomplish them, sometimes I don't, sometimes the goals carry over to the next month.  No matter what is (or isn't) accomplished at the end of the month, I always have goals.  So as we start September, the idea of goals are on my mind. So here is what I would like to work towards this month...

Goal 1)  Get back to basics! As a weight watcher, back to basics means tracking, portion control, following the healthy guidelines and getting active.  I would like to accomplish all of these things 5 out of 7 days each week, including at least 1 day on the weekend. I even joined a group on Facebook started by the highly motivating Brooke: Not On A Diet with help in achieving this goal! You can check out more information about this challenge group by following the link to her blog.

Goal 2) Not only is my goal to keep up with my half marathon training, but I also want to add some strength training to my routine. Nothing crazy, just a minimum of once a week.  I know how important strength training is and would probably help my running, but still I have knowingly been neglecting it. Time to stop that!

Goal 3) Get back to blogging. When I first started my Facebook page My Journey 2 The Fit Life, I had every intention of blogging and then time got a way from me. Now its time to start back up again. Lately life has been busy, confusing, stressful and I think at a pivotal point, I think this blog will help keep my thoughts and my head on straight.

Goal 4) On September 15th, I turn 30! I am looking forward to my 30's. I think they will far surpass my 20's.  So my last goals, enjoyed the last two weeks in my 20's and the first two weeks in my 30's.

So I am curious, what are you looking to accomplish in September?

JNL Fusion- lets do this!

I have been meaning to update my blog. Something happens and I think I should blog about it. Yet do I, NOPE! So here I am,starting to write again. This time keeping it up! I promise, which is probably a promise I care more about. But here it goes...

Back in March, I decided to become a  distributor  a new company, Body Fx. It is a multi-level marketing company (MLM), but the opportunity was fantastic and in the long run I knew I had to do it. And the more I learned about the products, philosophy, and fitness DVDs, the more excited I became. I even decided to make the investment to become a Founding Charter Coach. I can't wait to see where I can go with this opportunity.

Part of becoming a Founding Charter Coach was purchasing two packages, Fast Start Package (the products) and the Media Package (two fitness programs-  JNL Fusion and Figure 8). I decided to try JNL Fusion first. I have never followed a fitness program. But I am determined to follow the 60 program. I did the before pictures and took measurements. I can't wait to see where I will be in 60 days! Right now I think I am going to wait to show you the before with the after, maybe with a 30 day progress report. Based on the first program (shoulder shredder), it did NOT disappoint! Right now my shoulders and triceps are on fire! Ultimately I am hoping this change will help me shake those last few pounds off my body and help me get to goal weight and get to some other goals I have been thinking about lately.

If you would like more information about becoming Body Fx distributor or any of the programs, feel free to email me.

Making It A Healthy Lifestyle

So I have a confession.. I LOVE FOOD! I love most foods. It would be quicker and easier for me to tell you the foods that I don't like.  My love of food helped contribute to being overweight by over 100lbs.  But just because I lost weight, doesn't mean that I love food any less. In fact, I might love it even more.

Food is a necessary evil. Everyone needs to eat. We need food to thrive. We need food to lose weight.  Food is a part of life... always will be... whether we like it or not. Food isn't the enemy. It's about making the best choice as to what food to put in your body meal after meal, day after day.

For me, living a healthy lifestyle means eating lots of fruits, veggies, and lean protein. Pretty much foods that are going to do something for my body.  I will continue these behaviors for the rest of my life. Living a healthy lifestyle also means that occasionally I can treat myself with a piece of cheesecake, without having to feel guilty about it.  I know I don't eat perfectly clean or healthy, but I eat that way a lot more than I don't.  It has taken me a lot of time and struggles to be at piece with this.

Will there be times that I wish I didn't eat something... of course.  Will there be times that I overeat and struggle... absolutely... It's something I have dealt with in the past and I anticipate dealing with again (although I hope it isn't any time soon)... Every time I have fallen down, I have picked myself up.

During life, there are going to be good times and there are going to be bad times. It's part of life.  It doesn't matter how many times bad times or how many times you fall off the wagon. All that matters is that every time you fall down, you dust your self off and get right back to it.

Thank you for joining me on this journey,

Emily

Job Satisfaction

Lately I have been feeling very frustrated on the job front.  Yes, I have a job and I am grateful. And it is a job where there are positives.  I get to go to work knowing I am making a difference in people's lives.  I love my co-workers and I work for an organization that I fully believe and standby their mission.

So what's the problem? In order to avoid getting too whiny I will paraphrase.  One- I feel like I have gone as far I can and want to go.  Two- I am not made to feel like a valued employee.  Three- I could do more.  I want to do more, but time after time I face barriers. And here is the thing that is most bothersome to me... I LET THESE BARRIERS STOP ME.  I have found that I don't have enough drive, enough passion or enough fight in me to counteract it.

Like I said the last reason, bothers me the most. I  am not one to let things get in my way. I set my mind on something, I am going to do everything in my power to do it.  I am tenacious and I like it that way.  When it comes to work, I just can't muster that tenacity.  When I hear people happily and passionately talk about their jobs, I not only get jealous, but also envious.

But then when I ask myself "Emily, what do you want to be when you grow up?" I hear crickets.  All I know is I am at my happiest talking about health and fitness and would love to dive into this world. How and in what capacity? I am not quite sure, but I feel like I will know it once its there.

Making A Difference

When  I was a junior in high school I went on a mission trip with my Youth Group to Washington D.C. To this day, it was one of those experiences that stick with me. One experience, in particular... We were at a run-down apartment complex in a bad area of DC and it was our job to clean out the pool so the families that lived there would be able to use it.  This pool was gross, but our group were going to do as much as we could in the time that we had.  And we did.  As we were working a group of neighborhood kids, maybe ages 8-10, saw us and asked "What are you doing?" Someone must have said "Cleaning the pool for you guys to use." The kids then asked "Can we help?" Those kids could have spent their summer day riding their bikes, having fun, doing whatever... they saw people cleaning out their pool and they were inspired to help.  Those kids, probably have no clue how much they inspired me.  It is because of them that I pursued a Bachelor's in Social Work and then have gone onto work with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities for the last 7.5 years.

All I have ever said I wanted to do, is make a difference in someone's life.  I always thought it would be through my profession. NEVER did I think I would accomplish it through the work I have done on myself!  One of the most unbelievable and humbling things that anyone can say to me is "You are an inspiration." I have been blessed to here those words multiple times through multiple people. It makes all the sweat, tears and frustration that I have felt and I still feel, absolutely 100% worth it.

Some times all that is needed is seeing someone making a change for them to be inspired.    So make the change, if not for you, then for the person that might be watching, whether it is your children, your family or a complete stranger.  Be an inspiration. You won't be disappointed.

Thank you for joining me on this journey,

Emily