fitness
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How to Qualify for Boston Marathon without Formal Training
Y’all, I did what I wasn’t sure was possible–I QUALIFIED for the Boston Marathon!!! I have been running marathons for the past 14 years, with a big break while having babies, and dreamed about qualifying for Boston since I was a little girl, but never knew if it was physically possible to do so. Growing up, I watched my dad run numerous races, I have memories of standing on the sidelines and cheering for him and nights of “carbo loading” before a marathon. My family always beamed whenever we said that my dad ran Boston, it was a sense of accomplishment and an achievement that very few runners can achieve.…
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Rock and Roll Nashville Half Marathon Weekend Review
We just got back from finishing the Rock and Roll Nashville Half Marathon. It was Drew’s first half marathon and I made a personal record finishing in 1:42!! It was a great weekend and I am so proud of both Drew and my accomplishments, even if he says he “has zero desire to ever run a marathon!” ha! We left Atlanta around 12:30 and arrived in Nashville about 5 hours later on Friday afternoon. A big weather system was moving in, so we quickly went to the Expo to pick up our packets for the race. Rock and Roll race expos are HUGE and filled with running attire, accessories and…
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How to Run a Sub 4 Hour Marathon
I am thrilled to say that I achieved my goal of running a sub-4 hour marathon!! Y’all this was my first marathon in 10 years, first since being married, first since having children and first running in my thirties–yet, I was able to achieve a goal that I never did in my 20’s before having children!! Was it super easy? No. Was it pretty? No. Am I ready to run another marathon? No. But do I feel accomplished and proud? Hell yes! The feeling of showing my boys that with a lot of hard work and dedication, you can finish and achieve your goal is priceless! Seeing my boys at…
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Marathon Training in Your Twenties and Thirties: Big Differences
Hard to believe that marathon training is at the half way mark. Admittedly, it has been more challenging in someway and simpler in other ways. For reference, I ran 4 marathons over the course of 3 years when I was in my early to mid twenties. Running back then was a way to destress during law school/college and allowed me time to escape for a bit of time. Running was a family affair and I completed my first few marathons with my dad and sister. It was a way to connect with them and develop an inexpensive hobby. Marathon training in my twenties taught me how much I love to…
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How to Train for First Marathon After 9 Years
After almost 9 years–I am running a marathon!! I am so so excited to start the training and run my first marathon post children. Training for a marathon is an event and takes a lot of time and dedication. Having children and babies means there is not as much time as before to train. Running is “me time” and admittedly, I struggle with taking that much time away from my family or doing things for our family to train for a marathon. However, I am thrilled with the opportunity to tag along with one of my good friends and train for a marathon again. It is time that I take…
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Five Tips on How to Enjoy Hiking with Toddlers
2020 is the year of our family’s new hobby–hiking! I am not much of a “nature” girl, but I love this new hobby of ours. My husband, an Eagle Scout, loves nature and exploring the outdoors (candidly, I am still petrified of snakes and get nervous every time we go on a hike). The boys have become quite the mini-explorers and love going for rides on our backs while exploring the outdoors. We live in suburban Atlanta and I never would have imagined how many trails we have within a 10 minute drive of our house–it is truly amazing! When we have zero plans for the weekend, which happens more…
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Training for a Half Marathon in 7 Weeks
I did it, I successfully ran the Atlanta Half Marathon in 1:50!! After a long 6 year hiatus from distance running, I am BACK 🙂The thing that I want to share most is my training, which is something that is COMPLETELY different than my past marathon training. Training for the Atlanta Half Marathon, I was all about showing myself grace and taking it super easy on myself which I believe paid off in the end. It is crazy to me to think that I averaged less than 8:30 minute miles, when I was training at a 10:30 pace!Here is a little breakdown of how I trained for the half marathon…
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Working Out with Newborn and Toddler
Working out is a necessity for my mental health. Since law school, I have overcome stress and anxiety by running and working out. Having a newborn and a 2 year old makes working out even more important as it allows me to be a more patient parent. Surprisingly, I was okay’ed to workout immediately following my hospital discharge. With Reid I was instructed to wait until my 6 week appointment, but the physicians (and I got a second opinion) said that I could workout as soon as I felt up for it and just needed to listen to my body. My first run was about 2 weeks postpartum (Easter in…
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Finding the Right Workout
Hi Friends! I have to admit that I am one to follow trends when it comes to working out. However, time and time again, I get disappointed and I relearn the lesson that I have to listen to MY body and its needs. Fitness is an ongoing and ever changing relationship. When I find myself bored with a workout, I need to change it up. I crave endorphins, so I know that as long as my body allows it, I will be working out in some form. I am someone who would still workout, even if I could be super lean and thin without doing a thing (which unfortunately I…
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Working Out with Baby
Happy Friday the 13th!! Week days with my little man seem to fly by! I have been making a point of keeping both of us busy during the days. I am not one to sit at home and watch TV all day (though I will admit that having some designated snuggle days in front of the TV are quite amazing!). This week I wanted to try out different workouts I could do with Reid. On Monday, we went on a quick 2 mile jog around the neighborhood. He loves his stroller and always ends up falling asleep half way through. On Tuesday, I needed to switch it up and went…
