Wild Land Fire Awareness Trail Half Marathon | Red Rock Canyon

I ran the Wild Land Fire Awareness Trail 5K last year and although it was not a great race for me, I kinda left wanting to do the half marathon. So, when registration opened up for this year’s race, I signed up right away! I have done 5K, 10K, and 12K trail races before but this would be my first trail half marathon. I was both nervous and scared. My training was pretty sporadic and I didn’t really stick to my running schedule like I should have. Also, I really wanted to do more specific hill training, but yea, that didn’t happen either. I did get some good runs in and had quite a few long trail runs beforehand, so I knew I would finish, just wasn’t too sure of my time. I ended up giving myself the goal of 3 hours.

Of course, I hardly slept the night before the race. This happens to me all the time and I wish I had better sleeping techniques I could use. Any suggestions? Fortunately, I didn’t feel terribly tired in the morning and we were able to get everyone ready and gather our stuff (that we’d set up the day before) and head out the door with little drama.

Just like last year, everything seemed to go smoothly at the start line. I chatted with a few running friends, took photos with my family, and then it was time to go! The first half of the course was pretty brutal. The inclines were no joke and there were some pretty technical parts with huge rocks we had to get up. I walked up most of the inclines and was wishing I hadn’t skipped that hill training! About halfway through the race, my family found me right before an aid station. It was so nice to see the kiddos running towards me and having Jason help me refill my hydration pack with ice and water. It definitely gave me a nice boost, plus I knew I was getting close to some downhill trails after seeing them 🙂 The rest of the race went well. I picked up speed on the downhill and walked a bit more of the uphill. I started to feel my calf cramping and I was happy I had put some mustard packets in my pack. I took them and it helped to not get a full-on cramp. I’m not sure why I started cramping, but I’m thinking it was a few factors. Primarily all the uphill climbing, but I also didn’t wear my compression socks and I always wear them for long runs, especially half marathons. Plus, it was really hot out there that morning!

Again, it was so awesome seeing my kiddos cheering me on as I approached the finish line. My son came up and ran alongside me for a bit, which really helped me push the pain aside and finish strong! I didn’t meet my goal of 3 hours, but I was still happy with my time of 3 hours 12 minutes. Just gives me something to aim towards for the next one 😉

This was my last race until the fall. I’m kinda sad not to have something coming up soon, but I’ll use these summer months to continue training and focusing on my goals. How about you? Any races scheduled for the summer? What’s your next event?

Happy National Running Day 2015 | 10 Ways Running Changed My Life

In the past 3 years, I’ve learned to love such foods as cauliflower “rice”, brussels sprouts, beets, and almond milk. I eat greek yogurt like it’s going out of style! I’ve learned how to do burpees, Bulgarian split squats, and deadlifts. I am the proud owner of a pull-up bar, foam roller, and yoga mat.

I’ve also found a love of running that I never thought possible. Running is a great cardiovascular exercise and great calorie burner. But for me running has become more than that. Running pushes me to try harder and reach new goals. Running keeps me motivated and signing up for races is a sure way for me to keep at it! Running has an amazing community of people. Running can help me clear my mind on crazy days and will just about always put me in a good mood. So, today in honor of National Running Day, I thought I’d share a few fun ways running has changed my life:

1. I spend more money on running shoes than heels.

2. I’m always hungry.

3. I wake up earlier on the weekends to go on long runs than I do during the week.

4. I plan vacations around races.

5. I’m kinda obsessed with compression socks.

6. I don’t take selfies, I take feetsies.

7. I have more running shorts than jeans.

8. I don’t just drink, I hydrate 😉

9. Food is now called fuel.

10. The only watch I own is a Garmin.

BONUS: I get some pretty rad tan lines!

How about you? Do you love running? Running isn’t for everyone and as with all things, it’s best to do what you love , but don’t be afraid of running. Don’t give up on running because you’ve told yourself you’ve never been good at it or because you can’t run fast, or because you tried it once and it was hard. Yes, running is hard, we aren’t all fast, and we are definitely not all good at it all the time. But, the key is consistency and just giving it a try. Get out there today and celebrate running. Celebrate the fact that you can run. Run for those who can’t today. You may end up loving it.

Spartan Race | #WhyIRace

Spartan Race started a new campaign recently asking folks to share their story. Everyone has a story as to why they race. Below is my reason. I race for many reasons. I race to keep myself motivated in my fitness journey. I race to be a good role model for my kiddos. I race to push myself beyond my comfort zone. I race for those who can’t. I race to prove that I can. I race because it’s fun. But, mostly to be stronger than I was before.

I’ve never been athletic. Running was not something I did for fun. Running wasn’t something I did. Period. Finding this new passion in running and obstacle course racing has been an amazing addition to my life! It’s woken up a spark in me to be stronger, healthier, and better than I was before.

What’s your story? Why do you race? Share your story HERE!

Las Vegas Spartan Super | Trifecta Tribe 2015

Woohoo!!! Saturday I completed my Spartan Trifecta for 2015 by finishing the Las Vegas Spartan Super. The Trifecta is simply earned by completing each of the Spartan Race distances, the Sprint (3-5 miles | 20-23 obstacles), Super (8-10 miles | 24-29 obstacles), and Beast (12-14 miles | 30-35 obstacles) in one calendar year. Gotta say it felt great to walk around afterwards with my 3 medals just clinking away!

On Friday afternoon I picked up a teammate from TeamGrinderGlam from the airport who flew in from Austin, TX to run the Super with us! We then drove over to Red Rock Canyon and met up with another teammate who had flown in from NY earlier in the week. It was the first time we all met in person and it was like we were instant friends, no longer just “instagram” friends 😉 We had a blast hiking, climbing the rocks, and taking lots of selfies at Red Rock before it was time to meet up with the rest of TeamGrinderGlam for dinner at Bucca Di Beppo on Friday night to carb up! It was a fun evening with yummy food, drinks, lots of laughs, and conversation.

Saturday morning came way too soon, but I had no problem waking up and getting ready! I was full of nervous energy! The venue was about 45 minutes outside of Las Vegas, almost at the California stateline in Jean, NV. There was no on-site parking, so we had to park across the Gold Strike Casino Hotel and then be bussed to the actual location. The lines were long but they moved quickly and the buses were constantly coming and going. Once we got to the venue, it was crowded. I’d already signed my waivers, so I went straight to my packet pickup line. It was a long line and it moved slowly, but we arrived early and had plenty of time to grab my packet, get the kids race packets too, put our bags away, and chill for a bit before our start time.

In my opinion the course was way better than last year’s Spartan Super here in Vegas. Aside from the first hilly incline and one other steep mountain side at the beginning of the race, the course was pretty flat and rocky. I was so grateful for all the trail running I’ve been doing because that rocky, uneven terrain is what I’m used to running on. The obstacles were the same Spartan obstacles I know and love! I felt really good out there on the course and got through most of the obstacles on my own and with a helpful boost over those high walls! My calf cramped up on one of the first walls, which was not fun but after some mustard and a bit of stretching it, I was good to go. I didn’t try the rope climb or multi rig obstacles and I failed at the elevated spear throw. Out of principle, I didn’t even attempt the tarzan swing. I mean, when your hubby breaks his ankle on that thing, I think it’s ok to skip it 😉 My goal for the next one is to train and practice a lot on the rope climb and face that fear and work on getting over those walls without help!

The kiddos ran their races while I was still on the course, so I didn’t get to see them run their Kid Spartan races. I was kinda bummed about that, but it was awesome to hear the excitement in their voices as they told me all about it. I could tell they were proud of themselves for doing it and of course, I was proud of them too! They rocked that kids’ course and they’re already asking when they’ll do the next one.

Huge shout out and thank you to my hubby! The guy woke up early to drive us to out there, stayed and entertained the kids while I ran the race, took pictures of the kids racing, and of me and the team. He even too pictures of my sister officiating the Spartan Wedding!!! Yes, a couple got married after running Spartan and my sister, who is a part-time officiant for Peachy Keen Unions, got to officiate the ceremony. It was pretty cool and yea, my husband did all of this with his foot in a boot because his ankle is still healing from being broken in January. Yup, the man is a trooper and I love him.

I just can’t explain how awesome it feels to run out there, face your fears, and get over those obstacles. Seriously, if you’ve never done a Spartan Race or any kind of obstacle course race, I suggest you give it a try! You may surprise yourself and love it, just like I did! xo

Happy National Sibling Day!

Today, April 10th, is National Sibling Day! Who knew?!? Well, now that you know go tell your sibling how much you love them. My sibling is so lucky I blog and she gets to read all about herself via this blog post! LOL

I’ve totally boasted about how awesome my sister is before on this blog. She has truly been by my side my whole life (she’s my older sister 😉 ) But seriously, when I got into this whole crazy running and obstacle race thing she’s been my biggest supporter. She cheered for me during my first half marathon, bought me new sneakers when Jason forgot them at home before the Bryce Canyon Half Marathon, she’s traveled with us, woken up early to not miss a race, watched my kids while I ran, and even ran a few races with me too!

Aside from the support on the fitness front, she is always there for me when I need her. Which, I’ll admit, is quite often. She’s the person I vent to about life, the one I call when a problem arises, she can calm me down when I’m ready to explode, but she’s the first person with good news too! We live about 3 miles from each other, but with life and work, sometimes a week can go by without seeing each other. That makes me sad sometimes, but a day doesn’t go by without us talking or texting!

My sister is one of the strongest persons I know. She’s classy and has great fashion sense. If it wasn’t for her, I think I’d still think it was ok to wear black socks with white shoes. Yea…I had an awkward stage in life. Thank goodness for big sisters who can tell it to you like it is, huh?

So, sis, this one’s for you! For sticking by me through my awkward years, through the rebellious stage, and every other crazy moment I’ve had, I thank you. Thanks for being my best friend. I love you to the moon and back.

5 Tips to Enjoy Photographing Your Next Family Vacation

Traveling is my absolute favorite thing! I love to go on any kind of trip, I’m not picky. Long weekend getaways, day trips, road trips, family vacations, staycation, I love them all. And, if you go on vacation and don’t take pictures, did it really happen? I think not!

Seriously though, taking photos of your trips is part of the fun. Photographs are our memory keepers, our heirlooms, our triggers. Looking at a photo can help bring back all the emotions of that day, the whole vacation, or even that time in your life. Photographs can help us remember what we may have forgotten or overlooked. Photographs are not only visual reminders of times past, but they bring back so much more. They help us remember how we felt, how the grass smelled, what we ate, even how we felt when we woke up that day.

Yes, photographs are powerful. It’s important to document life. Not just the fun, beautiful moments, but the ordinary days too. But, that’s for another post. Today, let’s talk about how you can document your family vacations. We work hard for that time off from work. We plan, we save, we sacrifice, all so we can spend a week or so away from our routine. To spend time with the ones we love and maybe show them something new or go back to a place you love. Documenting family vacations through photographs can be tricky. We don’t want to spend our entire time behind the lens and miss out on the fun and/or not be in any of the pictures. But, we don’t want to forget to take any pictures and get back home and regret not having taken photos to remember all the fun you had. So, here are a few tips to help you balance out having awesome family pictures and enjoy your vacation too.

1. Have a Plan! I’m big on planning and making itineraries, but I’ve come to learn that with kids we need to be flexible. So have a loose plan of things to do and then figure out where picture-taking is going to be a must! Obviously, if you’re going sight seeing or to the zoo, you’ll want to plan on taking your camera with you all day. But, if you’re going to be relaxing by the pool, then you won’t need your camera there, at least not the entire time.

2. Use your timer setting! This works great for those fun and cheezy family photo ops and ensures everyone gets in the shot! We don’t travel with a tripod, but there’s usually a spot where we can set the camera up safely to get our photo.

3. It’s about the people! Here’s a pet peeve of mine. When people take tons of pictures of the Disney parade or the zoo animals, but hardly any photos of the family members. I get it. We all get caught up in the details and yes, the penguins are super cute, but at the end of the day, our family is what matters most. Don’t forget who is there with you. Take tons of photos of your kids playing, interacting, and having fun. A few scenery and animal shots are fine, but you want to capture your family in that space too. A photo of the Golden Gate Bride is awesome, but a photo of your kiddos walking on the Golden Gate Bride is even cooler! I’m sure you’ll think so too years after the vacation is over.

4. Share the camera! Don’t be afraid to share the camera with your spouse, even if you are the better photographer 😉 Depending on the age of your kiddos, you can even let them take a photo or two! This will give you a different perspective and views from your trip, you’ll actually get to be in some of the photos, and enjoy the day or activity without worrying about taking pictures.

5. Know your camera! I can’t stress this enough. Even if you prefer to shoot on auto-mode (which is totally fine!) It’s good to learn your camera settings. Play around with the various settings and functions prior to your trip, so you aren’t dealing with camera malfunctions or blurry photos due to “user error”.

BONUS: Have Fun! Don’t feel stressed our pressured into taking perfectly composed images during your family trip. I used to do this and it took the joy out of it sometimes. I had to learn to leave my “job” behind me and be a mom and enjoy my vacation. So, now we don’t even take our big DSLR cameras on most of our family trips. I will take my DSLR for some trips, but 80% of the time we simply pack our Fuji X100s digital viewfinder camera and that’s it! The camera is small, lightweight, but does a great job for capturing our family vacation snapshots. Of course, we also take tons of photos with our iPhones too! Come follow along on Instagram 😉

I sure hope these simple and easy tips help you when taking photos during next family vacation. Do you have any tips you’d like to share with me too? When’s your next trip?

Rock the Tea | Fashion Show Party

My daughter loves to dress up and get fancy! She’s been asking for a fashion show party for awhile now, so I told her that if she worked hard and continued to do well in school (she’s in kindergarten) she’d get her party. Well, she certainly worked hard and we couldn’t be more proud of her.

I’m so happy to say that a few weeks ago, she had her Fashion Show Party at Rock the Tea. Rock the Tea specializes in theme party for girls here in Las Vegas. Their Rock Star party package was exactly what Elysse wanted and I didn’t have to do a thing! Her and her friends got a mini makeover including nails, makeup, and hair styling. They got to choose a fun “rock star” outfit to strut down the runway for their fashion show. Later, they enjoyed a light lunch. Rock the Tea also has an option where they can also provide the food, but we opted to bring our own. We brought in pizza, popcorn, chex mix, fruit kabobs, and cupcakes & brownie pops for dessert. Afterwards, each girl got to choose a little purse and 2 items from a shelf of goodies. They had lipgloss, rings, ring pops, 80s fishnet gloves, microphones, and such to choose from to tie in with the rocks star theme.

The staff was very attentive to the girls and did a great job with their hair! I think they could have been just a bit more energetic, but they were friendly and polite the entire time. They really made it easy for me to enjoy the party and not be stressed about anything. I didn’t have to worry about purchasing decorations, goodie bags, games, etc. I especially loved that I didn’t have to clean up a thing after it was done! I highly recommend checking them out if you are in Las Vegas and want to plan a stress-free party for your little girl.

Half Marathon Training | Wild Land Fire Awareness Trail Half

Here I go again! Last week I registered for my 3rd half marathon and 1st trail half marathon, the Wild Land Fire Awareness Trail Half Marathon. I love that 100% proceeds go to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation. I really enjoy trail running, but have not ran more than a 12K trail race before, so I’m a little nervous about this one. I’ll be training hard for this half marathon and the Spartan Super simultaneously, since the Spartan race is April 18th. What’s made me even more nervous is my friend who runs ultra trail races said it was a tough one! Yikes!! What did I get myself into?!? Well, there is no turning back now. It’s time to train. The race is on May 30th, so I have just about 12 weeks to prepare to run 13.1 miles of trails through beautiful Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area.

I ran the Wild Land Fire Awareness 5K trail race last year and it wasn’t my best run. But I love running around Red Rock and I ran some of the half marathon trails last year they seemed way more fun than the 5K course, so I’m looking forward to running the entire course this year.

I plan on sharing updates on my training, as well as tips for keeping motivated while training for a half marathon, and some of my must-have training essentials.

Are you training for an upcoming race? Are you nervous? Excited? I’d love to hear about it!

Raising Healthy Happy kids in Las Vegas | Let’s Go! Fun Run

We’ve been living and raising our family in Las Vegas for 6 years already. Last year I wrote how I l enjoy calling Las Vegas home. Feel free to check out that post HERE! Do I get weird looks when I tell people this? Absolutely. And I always feel I have to defend Vegas. One thing I hear a lot is how Vegas doesn’t have a great public educational system. If you look at the data, it’s true, Nevada does not rank high in public education. Does this change how I feel about raising my kiddos here? Not really, not right now. I do wish kindergarten was full day, though! Things might change as my kids grow up, but for now I like the elementary school they attend. It’s a four star school and my son is in the Gifted & Talented Program. He’s involved in a weekly morning art club, and he’s in Instrument Ensemble, having music practice twice a week. He’ll be participating in Battle of the Books (kinda like Jeopardy for Clark County schools based on 8 books they had to read and study). He’ll also be attending Astro Camp in May! Their school principal and teachers communicate regularly with us, they put together fun activities throughout the year, and seem to really care about their students. Staying involved with school activities has helped my son stay on top of his grades and reading and I’m sure it will be the same for my daughter too. At least, I hope so 😉

One such activity was the Let’s Go! Fun Run! For the past 3 years, the school has put together not only the traditional cookie dough selling fundraisers, but also a fun run. I was so excited about it the first year and I’m so happy they have continued to have fun runs for the kids. We’re a pretty active family and anything that gets my kids out there and moving is a big plus! With the Let’s Go! Fun Run this year, they added the “color run” aspect to it, which made it especially fun for the kiddos. I’d participated in the Color Run 5K a few years ago, so my kids knew what to expect, but the paperwork they sent home was very specific in explaining the color corn starch they used and even had an optional colorless fun run for those who didn’t want to participate. The fundraiser works by having the students ask donors to sponsor their run. I really liked that this year there was no minimum donation required. I think it made it easier for folks to donate what they were comfortable giving. In the weeks leading to the race, they have The Go! Team visit the classrooms getting the students excited about fitness, healthy eating, and good manners.

As a family, we “trained” for the fun run about 2 weeks before. So, it really got them involved and having fun while running and exercising. On the day of the run, I volunteered to serve the runners water and got to see my kiddos running and having fun. It was a blast.

My little Elysse insisted on fun knee high socks for the run. She wanted to be like her mommy! Proud moment for me 😉

Raising healthy, happy kids is a big priority for me as a parent and doing it in Las Vegas is no different than doing it most other places. I also feel that it is my responsibility as a parent to take care of their educational needs too. I’m not going to just have them in school and expect the teachers to do my job. I expect my children to learn in school, yes, but it is my responsibility to teach them beyond the school system. Children learn and thrive in a hands-on environment and I believe life-experiences and travels will do so much more for my kids in the long run than going to a top-notch school. Don’t get me wrong, would I want them to go to a top-notch school? Absolutely! But, I am also realistic and I intend on making the best of what we have and where we are. I hope you do too! Do you love or hate your child’s school? In your opinion, what makes the difference in public schools? I’d love to hear your thoughts, especially if you’re local to Las Vegas!

Wanderlust | Let’s Travel the World

Wanderlust: a strong desire for or impulse to wander or travel and explore the world!

Yup, this is so me! I love to travel. I love to get away and explore new places. I love to break free from the daily routine and say yes to adventure. When I was little, my family always traveled. We’d travel for weeks on end. I blame my parents for my traveling spirit. Going on family outings, weekend getaways, road trips, vacations…these are all my favorite! I’ve been pretty lucky and we get to travel often. We make it a priority. We budget, save our pennies, and look for good deals! Being in Las Vegas, we’ve got lots of awesome destinations within driving distance, which is great because airfare for a family of 4 adds up pretty quickly!

Our last family trip was to Texas in early November. It was a really fun trip where we got to see family, reconnect with old friends, and make new ones! In December Jason and I got to travel to Orange County, CA with my sister and brother-in-law for a friend’s wedding and we made a nice weekend getaway out of it! Oh and let’s not forget our trip to Temecula, CA in January for our Spartan Beast & Sprint Races! Sadly, that trip didn’t end to well, which kinda leads me to the point of this blog post. Wanderlust.

I’m really itching to get away and I know that is not happening any time soon. First of all, Jason has a broken ankle. He’ll be using crutches for another 4 weeks and another 8 weeks wearing his boot and going to physical therapy to recover. I think just knowing this is making me want to travel even more. Why does that happen? It’s like when you’re on a diet and all you want to eat is doritos and brownies! Ugh, the struggle is real, folks! Plus, we’re planning a big trip to Florida in November and did I mention airfare for 4 is expensive? So, we’ve got some saving up to do to make that trip happen.

So, what to do in the meantime? I’m not sure, exactly. But, I think I will day dream. I will dream of the places I long to visit and the adventures I know we’ll have someday. I will remember. I will look back at all the adventures we’ve already had and the wonderful places we’ve been to. I’ll look at all the photos and relive those memories. I’ll reminisce and feel all warm and fuzzy thinking of all the fun we’ve had. I’ll be grateful for the life I have, my healthy, beautiful kids, and an amazing hubby. But most importantly, I will live in the moment. I must be present in the here and now. I don’t want these days and months to pass me by. I don’t want to only live for the next big thing or next big trip. I want to live every day of my life like it matters. Because every day I spend with my loved ones, is worth something. I need to remember to live with intention, to make every day matter. Not every day will be amazing. But every day we have the opportunity to be present and I don’t want to miss out on the present because I’m daydreaming of what’s to come.

Do you have a wanderlust spirit? Do you have a pinterest board of all the places you want to visit (I do!)? What do you do when you’re wandering spirit wants to run away but you can’t?