The Neon Run Recap and Why the Heat is Crushing Me

Hi everybody!

Sorry I've been a wee bit MIA!

I had the Neon Run on Saturday night and it was AMAZING!!!!

We got dressed up in our finest neon apparel, and were ready to run. 

Looking good, yeah?!

The bad parts first:

The start corrals were irrelevant because more than half of the participants were walking. There were also people smoking (tobacco and other natural products), which wasn't cool. The worst thing was probably that the course wasn't a full 5k! The course was a half mile short, but it could have been even shorter. I had my jog tracker on and it said 2.6 miles, but we were bobbing around walkers the entire time!

Good things:

Lots of fun to run in neon. Loved seeing all of the lights at night. Night running is the best!

There was music on the entire course, and I had a ton of fun. Lots of free swag, too, but no free shirts.

Also free water. TONS OF FREE WATER!! And it wasn't gross. It was like, clean tasting. Or something ridiculous like that. Haha. 

Meanwhile, in Davis:

The boyfriend is gone for work, BR2 is in the bay area, and my bestie is sick :(

So I've been having trouble loosening up and hanging out with other people...

The weather has also been ridiculous. It was 110*F one day, and raining the next. Mostly it's just really hot all of the time. And I hate being hot :(

How are your running dreams going?

Sorry I've Been Out of Touch, But...

I HAVE MY FIRST RACE TODAY!!

AHHHHHH!

I'm SO NERVOUS!! 

Please wish me luck! I seriously need it!

I'm battling some crazy heat here today, so I'm feeling very relieved that the race is down in the bay AND at night. I'm SO NERVOUS!! I know I keep saying that, but I don't even know what to do with myself right now. Haha. I have been keeping myself busy, though!

I recently started to intern for a friend of mine in her leathershop and I'm learning so much cool stuff! 

Check out what I made yesterday:

I placed every single stud in that thing, dude!

I felt like such a boss, so proud!!

Hope you all have plans to escape the heat today! 

Starting to Feel Like an Actual Runner (sort of) and Talking While Running

For anybody who still doesn't know, my first 5k is on Saturday night in San Francisco (Candlestick Park area) and I am BEYOND excited. 

Along with being excited though, I'm really nervous! 

REALLY NERVOUS!!

But anyways, I will be walking a lot of this 5k, I think... I hope it's ok with my friends who'll be there with me! I'm really slow, still. I could maybe run 2 of the miles straight if I go EXTRA slowly. Maybe. 

But regardless of the nerves, I am still feeling almost like a runner. 

I know that I say all the time that you're a runner when you run, but I get really self-conscious when running with new people, and I start to feel like for them it's more important to run faster than to stay slow with me. But yesterday I ran with a friend I haven't seen in a while, and I kept egging her on to go ahead if she wanted, and finally she just said, "running with you is better than nothing!"

I know, it's an anti-compliment, and she acknowledged that fact and explained that she meant to say that running with somebody is a different experience. Just like I don't want to run alone, there is more joy in the sport when there is somebody there with you! When you're sharing the pain, the achievements, the company, and, well, the sweat, it all seems easier! I don't know about you, but I'll be huffing and puffing along, and then remember to check my breathing and I just start yapping about anything! I swear, I can talk about nothing so well now. Haha. 

It can be annoying, I'm sure, to run with the same people all the time. I, luckily, get to mix it up and tell the same stories a few times, get different perspective on life issues, hear how others are doing with their fitness goals and life in general, and, well, bitch about what sucks that day.

Talking, by the way, is a really good way to gauge how hard you're running. When you can't talk, you can consider yourself to be running very hard. When you're able to sing and run, then you would be running very easy. As somebody who's not great at distance (yet!), I can tell you that it is super helpful to use these talking/singing tricks to help gauge effort while doing interval training!

I wish you all a summer of colorful food on your plate, and quick recovery from kicking so much butt!

Another Day, Another Run

I started this post yesterday, but I'll finish it up today.

Today I did another run, and I won't lie, it wasn't easy. 

It was in the morning (which I hate), it was hot (which I hate), and I was really sweating (which I also hate).

But it was SO FUN!

My local Fleet Feet was having a special for people in their running groups, where when we came into the store, we could get a free pair of Feetures socks, just by trading in the crappier pair you were wearing. 

Luckily, I was wearing some cheap Puma socks from costco, so I ditched those suckers and got me some shiny new compression socks!

It was part of their new line of winning colors and I got the pair shown in the top right of this picture:

I can't say that I noticed a HUGE difference when I wore them, but my feet weren't sore at all after this run, which is kind of the point. I also didn't have any shin pain, which hypothetically could be attributed to the increased blood-flow which compression gear is known for. 

I also liked that they're blue and green!! :)

In other news, my sister revamped her travel blog! 

My sister is super cool, and now totally kicks ass at crossfit. I am so amazingly proud of her, and this is my equivalent of screaming from the rooftops! She's the fancy lady who just graduated from Yale with a Master's in Public Health because she is super smart and super dedicated to ending the spread of horrible diseases like AIDs and TB. Basically, she's a super-hero. 

Recently, I was feeling really craptastic about not being able to run while I was super sick, and she commented on my post about it and promised to make plans to run the Tinkerbell Half Marathon with me!

I'm beyond happy!

Right now, I'm eating my second lunch. This week, my second lunch consists of Plain 0% Chobani yogurt. It's Greek, so the texture is awesome! I get to jazz it up by adding low-sugar granola, protein powder, and berries (usually strawberries, but today I was feeling like blueberries)! 

Needless to say, I'm loving the diet for this month so far, because I get to eat 6 meals a day which is my total favorite thing to do. Eating is so fun! NOMNOMNOMNOMNOM.

P.S. This is me eating a cucumber instead of popcorn at the movies yesterday. 

Always be classy. 

I'm BACK and My Cold Is (Mostly) Gone!

Alright everybody! 

I really need to start by saying THANK YOU!

I've been feeling really down on myself this last week, because I was having trouble running while I was traveling for 5 days, and then I got sick, and then I wounded my toe and it all was so overwhelming to me that I felt like I was being forced to quit before I even got to try and meet my short-term goals. 

But you guys have been SO great to me!

I don't know how I earned such awesome friends, but y'all seriously are rocks tars to me. 

Everybody I talked to about how down I was feeling had encouraging things to say. 

Everybody told me that they were so inspired by me, that they'd been trying to change unhealthy habits, that they believed in me, that they KNEW I could do it. 

So THANK YOU!! 

You are all so amazing and you can do anything you set your mind to, and you need to take the advice that you give me and use it yourself! Don't self-sabotage, don't pig out when you don't get a work-out in, it never should be "all or nothing," and you can do this!! 

So today I ran with this chick:

This is my lovely neighbor, and she totally got me out of my rut. She's been in one for the last week, too, so she totally knew my head space on this run. We left the house and were out for about an hour. We did just under 4 miles and ran a little over half of that distance. 

We can dream about doing amazing when we break our ruts, and think that we'll do amazing because we have no sore muscles or reasons to be tired. But the truth is, that's not practical! 

I'm still a teeny bit sick, so my breathing was very labored. I'm sure it could have been easier if I wasn't still sick a little, because, ya know, not having the easiest breathing while being totally still doesn't mean easy breathing while active. But despite beating myself the entire time, I got home and felt really satisfied!

I broke my rut, and that feels great. I'm ready to kick booty, and I can't wait to be back to my full self. Running has really become something that I look forward to, so being able to do it easier is the goal!

My first 5k is a week from Saturday, and I'm really hoping to be my best by then. I want to get back to how I felt 2 weeks ago, and then break through that after my 5k. I don't want to get my expectations too high, so I'm being practical here in saying that I'm not going to amazing for my first 5k. 

BUT!!

I am going to have fun. 

Again, thank you all sooooooo much for your kind words, you have no idea how much it means. 

Good luck and good health to you and yours!!

Seriously Disappointing

Alright guys. I'm feeling a little bit defeated. 

Today, I'm gonna need some cheering up from you all.

I've been sick for 4 days, and I've been feeling better today! Good enough to work out, even! 

Then this happened... 

I stubbed my toe, and it ripped off a chunk of skin.

I'll spare you the rest of the graphic details, but basically it hurts to walk... or skip... or dance... 

and worst of all...

IT HURTS TO RUN!

I am beyond furious with myself. 

I'm feeling so ashamed with the fact that I call myself a runner, and I haven't run in over a week.

In the meantime, I joined a DietBet. 

I gotta say, this website is pretty cool for people like me who depend on financial commitment to hold you to your goals. It's a part of social dieting, which I'm going to post about by the end of the week. 

The specific dietbet I'm doing is a part of the NHerShoes Summer Shred, Round 2!

Unfortunately, registration for it is already closed, but I'll be telling you about my day to day throughout the month of June. If you want to look at the info for it, in the hopes of joining in on the next one, you can find it here. The blogger who posted about it seems super cool, so I'm following her posts now. 

You should all follow her, too!

But anyways, I shall continue to mope on my couch and watch I Love New York because I'm the classiest person you'll ever meet.

STILL SICK! AGHH!

Oh my goodness.

I'm STILL sick.

This is so awful.

I haven't left my apartment since Friday evening before all of my symptoms hit. 

I will be leaving my apartment at about... 2 o'clock... which will bring the grand total to about...

64 hours of confining myself in my apartment.

It should be GREAT to get out. I'm hoping to even run a mile or so today, just to make sure I still got it! :)

But I might also feel crappy again if I don't run...

But in more cheerful news:

COFFEE!!

And even better:

SMOOTHIE!!

Being sick makes me way too lazy to leave my apartment, so the boyfriend got me coffee this morning. He was being all sweet and didn't want to wake me up when he got up this morning, so he walked down to the grocery store and got himself some breakfast and sat out on the patio until I called him. 

Then, I got him to get coffee for me before he left! Yay!

The smoothie was my "I'm so tired of eating only bars" food. So I scoured my freezer for my bag of mixed fruit and blended it together with Chia seeds and this coconut water I got recently:

I can't say I'm a fan of coconut water on it's own, but it was a nice way to add more nutrients to my smoothie while thinning it out a little to the consistency that I like. 

Hope everybody has a good day!

Being Sick is Kind of Awful

Hi everyone!

I was really hoping to do a long run yesterday, but totally failed at even leaving my apartment. 

I'm pretty sure I have a sinus infection, but I also have a sore throat... so regular breathing is pretty painful as it is, which meant that I stayed in bed most of the day. So disappointing. 

 But in other news, Arrested Development  is back!

I'm on episode 3 of the new season, and I'm totally loving it!

I'm probably going to be in bed most of the day again, which is annoying. 

All I want is to feel healthy and energetic, but I really can't even find the energy to shower instead of take a bath. Pretty pathetic way to feel, huh? 

I'm trying to eat only the best right now, so fresh salad and chicken breast, some smoothies, and Nutrisystem meal bars. Losing my sense of taste is so unpleasant, I love food!! I keep craving foods that I can't even taste... so unfair.

I also have a new book to read! It's Kara Goucher's Running For Women, and I'll probably lose my knose in it, today. Sweet!

Have a good day, folks!

My Lazy Week in Review

Hi everybody! Long time, no blog. I know, I'm sorry.

I hope everybody's had a good week. I feel like mine flew by!

I have a really long run tomorrow, so I'll be taking it easy tonight, and hydrating a lot.

This week has been bad for my running, which is evident for you all, in the fact that I didn't post a million times a day saying how proud and happy I am.

This is normal.

I keep having to remind myself of that.

Having a bad week is ok, just don't let it be the end.

So, I have my class tomorrow, where I'll be attempting 4.5 miles, so long as my sore throat goes away.

If it doesn't, I'll still be running, the shorter distance perhaps, but I will be running again.

Alright, that's my motivation for today. It's not the best, but it's something.

Resting TOTALLY Matters

I was skeptical. I knew that my muscles might feel fatigued, but I thought that if I had the mental will to workout, I should work out. 

Like an omen from the Gods, Hungry Runner Girl posted this link to signs that it's time to take a rest day...

I've been sore and cranky and I haven't slept well, so reading the article convinced me to take a day off completely. So yesterday I rested. I slept 9 hours all night, woke up early, but naturally. 

Today has gone so much better. 

My mood improved a TON! 

And I'm taking today off, too. 

That means that tomorrow, when I get done traveling home, I can beg my buddies to run with me and keep me motivated. Trying to be motivated on my own has been really difficult. Like, I can only convince myself to do a short circuit. Granted, something is better than nothing, but it's still disappointing. 

Anyways, I'll be back to blogging with more pictures and excitement! 

Life and Today's Vacay Workout

That cute little pink car is me.

I was the big loser of this game.

My car is sitting on the "BANKRUPTCY!" square. Haha.

So you might be wondering, "BustyRunner said she's in Connecticut, why's that?" 

And to that I would say, "BECAUSE MY SISTER IS AMAZING AND GRADUATING FROM YALE WITH A MASTERS OF PUBLIC HEALTH TOMORROW!!"

I'm so happy for her!

But like I said before, traveling is hard... 

I'm finding it harder to eat right, my sleep is all wonky, and finding a comfortable time to work out is almost impossible. So I think I might be super dehydrated or something.

The weather is much colder here than I'm used to, so my typical evening run isn't very practical. It's also raining a bit, which I definitely didn't prepare for, so I'm confined to the treadmill at the hotel for this trip. 

Today, I decided to ditch the running again and do some cross training. 

The workout was:

Froggy Jumps (I'm sure the people in the room below me LOVED this) x 15

Controlled Kicks x 20 per leg

Curtsy Lunges x10

Knee Push-ups (I'm still a wimp) x 10

Whip-Ups x 10

Bicycles x 40

Repeat 4 times.

It got my heart rate up a bit, and helped remind my brain that working out is a necessity. 

And I thiiiiiink I might be adjusting my sleep schedule. We'll see!

In Connecticut!

Vacationing is hard!

I mean, as far as being healthy is concerned. 

When I'm home, I eat GREAT!

When I'm not home, I eat a whole lobster.

Yeah, I had a whole lobster for dinner tonight. 

It was super yummy, and I had it without butter and with a side salad.

But I still ate a whole freakin' lobster!

I got back to my room, and since there's a 3 hour time difference, I'm not tired at all... even though it's after midnight here. I did all my bedtime rituals, and after being in the dark for about an hour, I was still restless. So I went down to my hotel's fitness center, and there was somebody on the treadmill! Oh no!

Don't they know that I'm a runner?! Hahaha. 

It turned out to be a blessing in disguise because I did a 20 minutes on the spin bike instead!

So great to finish a light workout without my knee feeling sore!

I ended up on the treadmill after that, but my calves were still so sore I decided it was perfectly fine to rest today. I got in a nice light sweat to help kill some nerves.

Clearly, I'm still awake. 

But I am feeling closer to sleep. 

A more detailed account of my day will come tomorrow. 

It was a bit of a doozy, filled with frustrating airline travel and very rude people. 

Some Runs Are Better Than Others

Today I ran a couple miles, but mostly I walked them. And I didn't really keep track of how far I exactly went and I definitely didn't keep track of my speed. 

I only even went out because I was stressed out. 

Today reminded me that I should always be planning for my next run. 

I should always be hydrating for my next run.

I should always be eating like I'm going for a run later.

I should always be staying warmed up by stretching throughout the day.

I didn't do any of those things today. 

I ate a big dinner. I didn't hydrate well today. I didn't stretch at all today. I didn't start out slowly. 

I made all of the mistakes I know better than to do. 

I paced way too quick at the beginning and burnt out. 

I kept trying to start again but maybe only ran half a mile in any given stretch. 

My calves and shins were super tight, too. 

I had a diet soda at dinner, which totally didn't help hydrate me. 

I know running when I'm stressed is helpful. It's really been nice in the past, and has totally helped me get my best pace and distance. I just have to remember that I'm living my life as a runner now. I need to make decisions based on being a runner! I celebrated my birthday, and with it, I celebrated my health! I am making so many healthy decisions all the time that I can't let unhealthy decisions hold me away from my goals. 

Today was a stepping stones, a learning requirement. 

Mistakes are only mistakes if you never learn from them.

More cliches.

Good luck to you all, don't let a bad day stop you!

How do you get past feeling discouraged?

What I eat!

Yesterday's work-out:

Cross Training Circuit

3 sets of 25 countertop push ups

3 sets of 15 jump squats

3 sets of 15 controlled kicks per leg

3 sets of 20 scissor kicks

2 sets of 30 bicycle crunches

Yesterday was sort-of my rest day, so I took it easy and didn't work out until the very end of the day when I was feeling guilty... so I did my little bit of cross training, and then had a day after my birthday celebration with my bestie. 

I think that I'm a bit different from what most running bloggers will tell you to do...

Most runners get heir workouts done early in the day, it seems, but I always want to put it of until as late as possible. I feel like that way I know what I've put in my body and how I chosen to fuel myself throughout the day, so I have some idea of how hard I can and should push it. 

I try to be very careful about what I consume, because part of how I became unhealthy was by not being a conscious consumer. So, although I don't count calories exactly, I do try to keep my meals at about these averages:

• Breakfast: 200-300 calories 2:3 ratio of carbs to protein. An example would be oatmeal and yogurt.
• Mid-morning snack: near 100 calories of mostly protein with a little bit on fat. Usually a yogurt, cheese stick, or egg. Sometimes I'll eat my mid-morning snack with breakfast. 
• Lunch: between 200-300 calories with 2:1 ratio of carbs to protein. Usually a salad with bread and a yogurt, or something. (Are you sensing a trend in how much I like yogurt? Haha)
• Snack: Under 100 calories, light carbs, low fiber. This is when I would have something more simple. I don't eat refined sugar all that much, but this is when I'll eat a more simple sugar, like juice.
• Dinner: 300-400 calories with a lot of fiber. I don't like feeling hungry when I go to bed, and I'm prone to night-time snacking, so the fiber really helps prevent that.
• Dessert (YES! DESSERT!!): 100 calories or less. Just something to satisfy any craving I'm having. because it's at the very end of the day before bed, I don't have to worry too much about its carb/protein/fat/fiber makeup, because I won't be using it as fuel for a run. 

So that's kind of a sample of what I eat. I know that for some people, it would seem low in calories, but for me, it's just enough to keep me going on days that I'm active or inactive. 

I also drink a ton of water. I've talked about that before, but it really is one of my diet "secrets." Drinking water helps me feel fuller longer, so I don't have horrible cravings. It also keeps me hydrated during my runs at night. 

All righty-o! I'm off to see my dear mother tonight! Woo!

Some Days I Should be Resting...

But then those days are my birthday and I eat too much and get embarrassed with myself and have to run. 

Luckily, just when I thought I was going to go to bed early for the night, I saw my neighbor walking home and asked if she maybe thought running sounded like a good idea and she was totally down!

It was the hardest workout so far! 

Surprise runs are the best, though. I don't get to spend all day nervous about the weather or my asthma or if I'll find somebody to run with or any of that. The run just happens and I go. 

And it felt SO GOOD!! 

But because I didn't plan on it, I didn't hydrate before... so I got a little light-headed. 

I hate getting dizzy, and I always try to just blame it on my asthma, even when I totally know it's my fault. 

When I get dizzy, I always just focus on my breathing and remind myself that it won't last forever. 

Now don't get it twisted!

I would never keeping running while light-headed if I was out by myself! 

I only keep going if I have a partner that I know will help me if anything serious happens.

I ALSO don't run without my ID band.

It has my full name and birth year, my dad's phone number, my boyfriend's number, my insurance plan and number, and a reminder to "just keep trying."

So it's pretty cool and I like it and it keeps me feeling safe.

I like to think it brings peace of mind to my running partners knowing that all of my vital info is right there and available.

Pictures to come tomorrow!

Night!

PS- I got this picture from my bestie!

Birthdays are for Celebrating!!

...or maybe for naps. Haha.

I haven't been the best so far today... I had a small breakfast, pretty late today, and then a pretty sugary lunch with BR2. She treated me by taking me to an English tea room for lunch and it was sooooo good. 

Just take a look at all of the food they brought out!

That's a ham sandwich, a carrot and cream sandwich on cinnamon raisin bread, a vegetable salad with balsamic on the side, a scone with sweet cream cheese and berry jam, and a carrot cake cupcake!

I ate everything but the cupcake but oh my goodness gracious!!

SO MUCH FOOD!

I'm feeling a little lethargic after all of that, but I think it'd still be great to run 3.1 miles today. I also would love an excuse to eat more. MUAHAHAAAAA!!

I hope all is well for you all today! 

If you like my blog and follow it, please post a comment on any posts that you like, and I'll try to have more content similar to the posts that people like the most! Also, sharing with your friends makes my feel really cool. I might obsess over how many views I get a day... because I'm a little crazy like that. Lol.

The Best Way to Celebrate a Birthday!

I just got back from the best run!

But before I get to that I want to tell you about my first Tuesday running class! 

We got there and went around the circle and introduced ourselves and then we had a light warm-up run around the track. 

After that, we did a TIMED MILE!!! WOOOOOOOO!!!

I was super nervous, but like I said earlier, my goal was to be able to finish in under 12 minutes. 

Not only did I finish in 11:28 (WHAT?!), but I RAN THE ENTIRE TIME!!!

I think it's important to celebrate the things that you're proud of, even if it doesn't sound like much. 

This is especially true when it's a step towards your goal, because you need to be proud that your getting closer instead of unhappy that you haven't gotten there yet.

After my class I got froyo, where I did some much needed venting, and it was delicious, but something about the sugar and the emotions and the cold breeze had my nerves kind of shaken... eep.

Anyways, I was on my way home from getting froyo with a friend of mine, and I realized I still had some weird anxious nerves in me that I hadn't felt in a while... So I knocked on my neighbors door (she reads this blog and is gonna be tickled that I didn't think of a blog name for her, lol) and she happened to be going on a run. So being opportunistic, I totally went for a run with her! 

We did my best distance in a half hour thus far!

I was hoping to do 5k tomorrow just to feel confident in my ability to be ready for a real one in a few weeks, but after doing the math, it turns out that I did about 4 miles cumulatively today. 

If you don't know, that's about an entire MILE over a 5k!

What up!!

Happy Birthday to me!

Peanut Butter for Dayzzzz

I got another package in the mail today!

It contained a bag of PB2 chocolate, which is DELICIOUS.

It's a dehydrated peanut butter powder, and the one I got was chocolaty as well. 

I think it's especially cool because it doesn't have all of the oil in it, so it's much lower in calories. So I can eat tons of peanut butter now! 

To make it into a spread, you just combine it with water. So simple!

Because it's a powder, I can use it in my oatmeal, in smoothies and shakes, and in pancakes!

I can't wait to try it in everything!

Right now I'm drinking it in one of my protein shakes and it tastes like a Reese's milkshake! Yum!

Tonight, BR2 and I have our first weekday running class, and it sounds like a bunch of fun!

They'll be timing how long it takes for us to do a mile and I'm aiming for a sub-12 minutes time... I'm setting the bar pretty low for myself so that I might be able to surprise myself. Haha!

I'll definitely let you all know my time, because if you know how pathetic it is, I HAVE to make it better. Lol. You guys help hold me accountable, so tell your friends about me! 

I signed up for another run today. I think I have a problem.

I was already signed up for 6 and I just had to sign up for a 7th one... 

I'm doing it! A friend of mine invited me to join her, so I simply must! 

It's an evening run, which should be a special treat for me because I always enjoy my after dark runs so much more (: 

It's June 8th in San Francisco! Who wants to join us?!

Birthday! Part 1

It's my boyfriend's birthday today! Yay!

We're only part-way through, but it's been great so far, so I wanted to tell you about it while he's taking a nap right now. 

So far today, we slept in, watched Game of Thrones, ate AMAZING sandwiches in the park, and he bought me a present for my birthday (in 2 days). I haven't seen him in about a week, because in the summer he works away from home for weeks at a time. I feel SO lucky to get to spend today with him. YAY!

Here's a look at our yummy sandwiches: 

Can you guess which one was his? Haha.

I haven't eaten a sandwich with bread in months, so it was a nice treat (on dutch crunch bread!) but I don't think I should be eating that big of a meal very often. We're going to go running today (even though it's a cross training day) because I need to burn all of the delicious fuel we ate. Haha.

Today's goal: finish week 4 of couch to 5k. Think I can do it? ;)

What are your treats you have on your birthday?

Happy Mother's Day! Time to be mushy!

Yeah, I know. It seems like I'm a day late in saying that. 

But like any good daughter, I spent the day celebrating with my mother and grandmother in real life, so I was too busy to blog about it! Haha.

 Yesterday's workout: 

2-hour walk with BR2 at 11am 

2-hour walk with my AMAZING mother at 6pm

Not really high-intensity, but lots of fun! I LOVE spending time with those 2 ladies, they're awesome.

Anyways, Mother's day was great! 

My dad grilled some veggies and some chicken breasts and my mom made a salad with the greens and onions from her garden, as well as some flowers! She send me home with a bunch to eat this week, too!

Oh my goodness. SO YUMMY

My health tip of the day?

EAT COLORS! 

Not so that you puke rainbows (HAHA) but because it's a great way to insure that you're eating a wide range of naturally occurring vitamins and minerals! SO COOL! 

Also, when you want to spend time getting to know somebody better, or just enjoy having private conversations, go on a walk with them. I got to catch up with my mom about a lot of things going on in her life that had fallen off of my radar, and we probably wouldn't have caught up if we stayed home.

I also got to listen to my grandma tell me stories about being an Airforce Wife and about living in a bunch of different places.

My mom also promised me that if she wasn't able to do the the Tink 1/2 marathon come January, she still really wanted to be able to run one with me next year sometime. I was so happy I started to tear up! I never really believed before yesterday that she really believed in her ability to make it! 

I'm SO proud. I love my mom SO much. 

Hope you all had a wonderful day!

How do you celebrate the ones you love?