Grand Teton Half Marathon - Day 3

The next morning Jack and I headed to the race, of course we had to stop for a moose! About 2 hours and 30 minutes after the race started, I crossed the finish line. I didn’t hit my goal time, but finishing is what is important. After a little altitude nausea and a bus ride back to the car we were able to freshen up, eat and relax for a minute. But not too long! We had things to see! We walked over to the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and took the Aerial Tram all the way to the top where took in the views and had some of Corbet’s famous waffles at Corbet’s Cabin Top of the World Waffles.

Once off the mountain we headed to the Snake River Overlook and the famous Mormon Row of farmhouses with the Tetons as the backdrop. We had dinner and explored the town of Jackson Hole. But after a morning of running and an afternoon of sightseeing, it was time to call it a night!

{Snake River Lookout | Jackson Hole famous antler arch | Barn on Mormon Row}

Nashville + 13.1 Miles

WOW! It’s been a long time since I have been on this little blog of mine! I feel like every time I get on here I say that because I don’t post often anymore. I would really like to change that and maybe start posting once a week to keep those of you who read updated on whats going on in Wisconsin. 

I recently got back from a girls trip to Nashville where I participated and completed my first half marathon. I did not get the time I wanted (9 fucking minutes slower) but I completed it and didn’t die (well maybe I almost did). But it wasn’t hard enough to keep me from wanting to do a destination race once a year.

So…Nashville… It’s always been on my list (because everywhere is on my list) but it’s never been high enough up on my list to really make me want to go. Except maybe when I was 18 and tried and failed to get my parents to take me to CMT Fest. So, when some of my MRTT (Mom’s Run This Town) ladies suggested doing a race I immediately thought of Nashville’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series. The planning commenced and before we knew it we had all registered and booked the hotel.

We decided to drive because a 10 hour road trip without kids is very doable. We arrived around 6pm and even though we had been up since 4:30am we rallied, cleaned up and hit the honky tonks of Broadway! We hit up Tin Roof and Nudies Bar. Both were good but I liked Nudies better; they had this awesome peach drink. It seems Nashville is similar to the French Quarter in New Orleans, people are partying ALL THE TIME! Seriously, these bars were busy from 10am to 3am! We finally headed back to the hotel around 11 or midnight (remember, we had been up since 4:30am!).

Nashville Night Life, Drive, MRTT Shoe Pic, Grand Ol' Opry, Night Out on the Town

The next day was the day before the race so we woke up and went for a 3 mile run and I could tell from this run that the half was going to be hard. But after we freshened up we headed out to see the outside of the Grand Ol Opry (sorry, not paying $27 to see some dressing rooms and maybe stand on the stage) and then we headed to a mall to shop for some cute southern clothes for our daughters. After all that was done we ate a dinner of brick baked pizza from The Stillery. The pizza was very good but get there early to get your name on the list!

The next morning was race day! We crossed the start line around 7:30am and it took us just over 2 hours and 30 minutes to complete. I really needed a lot of time to come down from the race that was 40 degrees hotter than what we trained and had much more elevation than what we trained on. Once we got back to our hotel rooms to shower and change we decided to head out to visit Five Daughters Bakery and Reese Witherspoon’s shop Draper James. The doughnuts were delicious and Draper James was having a huge sale that I took advantage of! We then headed back to the hotel to walk to an early dinner at martin’s BBQ. I am glad we went early (like 4:15pm y’all) because the line was already out the door! Luckily the rooftop bar had seating and we were able to get our drinks and food fairly quickly. We didn’t stay out too long after that because we had our 10 hour drive back to Wisconsin the next day.

We woke up and headed out the next morning. Stopping at Mammoth Cave National Park (gotta check that shit off the bucket list). We did not get to go into the cave because there wasn’t a tour at that time but we took a 2 mile hike around the park for a MRTT monthly contest. And when we finally rolled up my house and I got all my bag inside around 6:15pm. I unpacked and then tried to get my daughter ready for bed…over the weekend she became very clingy to daddy, so I was told to, “go away, I don’t love you! I want daddy!” Aww, gee thanks kid, I missed you too… can I just go back out of town?!

Post Race Activities

Have you ever been to Nashville? What did you like about it?

Love the Workout, Hate the Rules

I have the rest of our Boston trip typed up but I just need to edit and add pictures, in the mean time here is my rant about Pure Barre...

I have talked in the past about how I have taken Pure Barre classes and how I love them. And I still love the work out but I am over the "rules" the studio has decided to enforce (who knows if it comes from corporate or not).

My relationship with Pure Barre started in 2014 when me and friend signed up for the $99 monthly unlimited classes introductory rate. Then they had a back-to-school special, 3 classes for $33. Then they had a Labor Day special that I decided to jump in on. I think it was like $120/month for 3 months. And then I got pregnant...and then I got HG and couldn't work out because of the constant nausea. After a hospital visit I asked them if they could pause my membership and they said no, that they could only extend it by a few weeks. Well it just didn't work out because I was constantly nauseous and I lost the money.

During my time away from the barre they enforced a new rule: If you need to cancel your class you have to do it 4 hours before the the class starts or you'll get charged $25. That's $25 on top of what you're already paying (whether it be a drop in fee or monthly membership). I don't really understand this because they aren't loosing any money by you not showing up since you pay in advance. And I don't think this 4 hour window works for parents with young kids or working folks. After all, I could register for a 6pm class and something comes up at work around 4 and I need to cancel...oops! too late, I'll get charged $25.

For Valentine's Day they were offering $10 drop-ins (regularly $25) so I thought I would take a class over the weekend. When I went to put my things in the locker I saw a sign that said, "We will no longer allow you to leave class early unless its an emergency." First of all, who are you to tell me what I think is an emergency or not?! And how do you know if I'm lying? And does this mean I can't step out to use the bathroom during class too?! And if you aren't going to ALLOW me to leave class early then you better start this damn thing on time! Which you NEVER do!

I'm done, over it, bye Felicia!

And I hate how the instructor always complements the other instructors/owners that are in the class too, "You're looking great Pure Barre Owner!" Well I would hope she looks great and is doing a good job, she owns this damn place...

Okay, I'm done :) Have a great weekend y'all!

Exercise & Mom Guilt

So there is this thing every new mom gets called Mom Guilt. Its where you feel a little guilty for doing the things you like/love by sacrificing time with you little one.

I deal with mom guilt on weekly bases. Mainly when I come home from work and want/need to get something done before I pick her up. Resulting in her being in daycare for another hour. What I want to do is usually just go for a jog before it gets dark but sometimes its even just replying to emails uninterrupted. I feel bad about leaving her in daycare longer but I also need to run to feel good about myself. I know it sounds a little selfish but I worked really hard to get the body I had before I got pregnant and I really want that body back!

I ran with her in the jogging stroller for the first time over the weekend and it went well, although she did not love it - she mean-mugged me the WHOLE time. I think it was because we were on the sidewalk and its pretty bumpy in the stroller. So next time we'll try the road. And pushing the stroller added almost 2 minutes to my mile! But it just adds to the workout I suppose.

Although feeling guilty may be a side effect of alone time or quality time with your spouse its SUPER important for you to be the best you at all times and to be the best me I need to work out. And I think my daughter seeing me be active from a young age is really important and hopefully she will grow up loving fitness like I do. I cant wait to get her in swim classes!

hope y'all have a great weekend!

Raindrops on Roses...

...and whiskers on kittens. Now is that song stuck in your head?! It's in mine :)

Sometimes I participate in a monthly link-up and this month is it all about our favorite things! Here is my current list of favorite things:

1 - Being a mom and having a daughter. When you become a new parent you are full of new emotions, schedules, and priority changes. My best friend said that she has never seen me look more happy than I do in the picture below (and she should know, next to my family she has known me the longest). Perhaps motherhood looks good on me! I read a quote the other day that went something like this:

The days and nights go by slow but the years go by fast

And it couldn't be more true! It feels like just the other day we were rushing to the hospital because my water broke 5 weeks early...fast forward today and our little sweet pea is over 6 months old! Where does the time go?!

2 - Traveling, well duh! We have a trip to Boston planned for early next year and I know with the holidays fast approaching that trip will be here before we know it! I am also trying to plan a big family get together for late Summer of 2016. I am thinking Florida! Alana needs her first beach trip to be someplace nice, not the shitty beaches we have here in Galveston.

3 -  Nerium AD! This stuff is the bomb DOT com y'all. I just love the way it makes my face feel! You won't be disappointed! But if you are, that's okay because Nerium offers a 30-Day money back guarantee! And if you are interested in getting free product (...this is the home of the brave and land of free gift with purchase...can you name that movie?) I can totally help you with that too!

4 - Running, I am finally getting back into my groove and trying my hardest to run 3 times a week. Its best if I can get home, changed and get back out the door within 15 mins or so or it ain't really happening. If I have Alana with me and I have to feed her before my husband gets home and then it's pretty hard to get off that couch. I also purchased another round of Pure Barre, they were offering a deal I couldn't pass up for their new location.

5 - Halloween! I was really excited about Halloween this year because we were getting to dress up as a family! We decided to be minions and Gru! I'll be posting how I got our costumes together later this week!

To join the link-up click here! And tell me what are some of your favorite things? 

Relaity Check

Before I became a mom I enjoyed a good workout - and I worked out 3-5 day a week. When I became pregnant I didn't work out at all because of my HG and lack of energy. I thought that I would hit the physical activity hard after baby and get back into shape in no time.

FALSE!

I just can't find the time and I call bull shit on all the "post baby workout blogs" out there. This is my truth/reality about post pregnancy weight and getting back into shape.

A couple things that irritate me about these get fit after baby blogs is that not everyone is a work from home/stay at home mom. And even if you are, when do you find the time?!

1. I really don't have time to work out after I get home from work. If I do work out, its time away from baby. And I am tired from my workday and commute and when I get home all I want to do is relax and play with my daughter before she goes down for the night.
2. I feel like they are targeted and work well for people that are predispositioned to be fit. I have never had a high metabolism or been naturally thin or "skinny" I worked really hard to have my pre-baby body! And I always wanted to lose that last 5lbs to get to my goal weight.

MY reality is that after I had my baby my hormones and body chemistry is different. And my weight is distributed differently. Will those things ever get back to "normal"? AND - while this isn't surprising but something some women might forget (I did) is that your body doesn't get "back to normal" until you stop breastfeeding! And that can include what is going on in your lady parts. I still have that light brown line some women get down their stomach and I'm 5 months postpartum!

My daily schedule is pretty busy. My husband and I tag team on everything; I like this quote from momanddadmoney.com:

Having that first child represents a HUGE change in your relationship with your spouse or partner. You basically go from being best friends with benefits to being business partners in charge of running your family corporation together.

When she finally does take a nap between her 5pm and 8pm feedings we take this time to relax or clean up the house. Even though her clothes are so small she creates so much laundry!

I see my body going soft and I need to do something about it! I am going to start and try to squeeze in 15 mins a day using the Nike Training Club app. If I can manage this for a month I think I'll be back on track! I might use How Does She for inspiration!

{Source, How Does She?}

On a lighter note, we are expecting some great weather here in Houston this weekend and I can't wait to get out there for a nice jog! A great weekend to get this workout party started! Goodbye 90 degree weather!

Back at the Barre

Life and body after baby can be some what of a shock. You have this new little life you are responsible for and unless you're blessed with a high metabolism your body isn't going to just bounce back. I was about 135lbs pre baby, 179lbs when I walked into the hospital after my water broke and about 149lbs 12 weeks postpartum. The first 20 seem to come off pretty quick within the first 3 weeks, the next 10 were a bit slower and I am now working on the last 15!

I was doing Pure Barre hot and heavy for 2 months before I got pregnant. My friend and I were going just about 5 times a week. And then my HG hit and I couldn't do anything without having to vomit.

Well I am back at it! I decided it would be a good idea to get back to the barre as I started back to work, 12 weeks postpartum. After about 9 or 10 months of not working out I was SORE to say the least. I hit up the 5:30am class 3 times a week to get my fitness juices pumping again. Plus my mother-in-law was watching my daughter for a few weeks before we put her in daycare.

{Pure Barre Fitenss}

I was able to start Pure Barre again using their introductory rate of $99 for one month unlimited (you can do this after being incactive for 6 months). After my one month is up I'm not sure what I'll do; I am either going to go at it alone or see what the YMCA has to offer. I am leaning towards the Y because they have child care while I work out :)

The few things that I dont like about Pure Barre is the "rules" about cancelling classes or not letting you pause your membership (that happened to me while I was pregnant). And I dont like the fact that it is expencive!

What was your postpartum workout routine like? Send me some encouraging words!