Embrace the Pink! #Mammothon

Pink!!!

     This month, I will be teaming up with B-Metro Magazine, Brookwood Hospital and Belk to help raise awareness for Breast Cancer and the importance of Mammograms. I will be attending "Mammothon" on October 25th and will be live posting through all kinds of fun events as they are happening!

     Here are some of the fun events that we have planned....

- Belk will be fitting women for bras at the Mammothon from 6AM - 10PM. For every woman who participates in a complimentary bra fitting, Belk will donate $2.00 to Susan G. Komen. No purchase necessary.

- A cooking class presented by Girl Friday, Complimentary Breast Cancer Awareness Manicure, Exercise Demonstration, Massages, and Jewelry Expo!

- No referral is needed for a mammogram screen. Baseline mammograms are recommended at the age of 35 and annual mammogram screens annually at the age of 40.

- 3-D Mammograms will be offered! This technology helps doctors find breast cancer earlier. All patients may upgrade to a 3-D mammogram for an additionall $50.

- PARKING WILL BE FREE FOR ALL GUESTS!

- Woman can call 205-802-6900 to book a mammogram appointments

-Location:
Brookwood Diagnotics Center
2006 Brookwood Medical Center Drive
Womens Medical Plaza
1st Floor Room 112
Birmingham, Al. 35209

Be sure to follow Brookwood Medical Center on Facebook (Brookwood Medical Center), Twitter (@BrookwoodMed) and Instagram (@brookwoodmedicalcenter) for the latest updates on Mammothon!

Hope to see you all at Mammothon!
Happy Running and Happy Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

BIG NEWS!! Bamagirlruns takes over @nycmarathon Instagram account!

     BIG NEWS on my blog today!! I'm taking over the @NYCMarathon Instagram account all day Wednesday October 19th!!. I'm so excited that I can barely stand it!


     I will be working alllllll day long so this will be the perfect day to show a day in the life of Bamagirlruns. Tomorrow, I will be teaching 6 different types of fitness classes and I took the evening off work to get a run in. Wednesdays are my longest days in the gym and I absolutely love them!

     I'm keeping this post short and sweet because I want to bottle up all of my excitement and let it all out tomorrow. I hope you all follow along as I go to work tomorrow. I love my job and the TCS Marathon training and I can't wait to share it with you all!!

Be sure to follow both Bamagirlruns and Nycmarathon on Instagram for my latest updates.

Happy Running and See you on the Insta REAL SOON!

I'm a 2016 TCS New York City Marathon Social Media Ambassador!!

I'm a 2016 TCS New York City

Social Media Ambassador!!!

I have the BIGGEST Announcement EVER!!! I have been selected by the New York Road Runners (NYRR) to be a 2016 TCS New York City Marathon Social Media Ambassador!!

My mouth nearly hit the floor when I opened up the email and saw this invitation. Really?? Me?? Surely, I was reading this email wrong. Surely.

Nope.

It was for me!! I had no words. I was so humbled. I think I must have read it 10 times. At least.

I was in shock.

Immediately, my mind started racing. What in the world did this even mean?? Omg. I'm so nervous. Me?? Represent the TCS New York City Marathon??? I was dyyyyyyyying to hear all of the details. For now, I had to sit tight and let it all process. They would send details later. I was about ready to jump out of my skin with anticipation!!!

For a couple of weeks, I didn't tell a soul. I wanted to make sure that it was really going to happen!

Then..... I got the details. Oh. My. Gosh.

I am one of 10 or less Ambassadors. This is HUGE.

This is the first year that the TCS New York City Marathon will have a Social Media Ambassador Program. I am beyond grateful for this experience.

The marathon would like to feature me. They would like to follow my training. They want to know my story. They want to know why I run. They want to know why I'm running the 2016 TCS New York City Marathon.

Are you kidding me?? They want to know about a girl from Alabama?!?

Mind BLOWN. I'm one of 55,000+ people running this marathon. I can't even wrap my brain around this!!!

I'm going to document the rest of my training. I will get to meet the pro-athletes in the race. I will get to take over the TCS New York City Marathon Snapchat account for a day in October!! That will be total fun....a day in the life of BamagirlRUNS!! But most importantly, I cannot wait to share all of this with YOU!!!!

I tried for six years to get into this race. I'm not going to lie..there were years that I was MAD when I received the "we're sorry but...." email. However, now I know exactly why I didn't get in all of those years in the past.

THIS. IS. MY. YEAR.

So as I'm typing all of this out and I'm ready to share my news with the world....I've just gotten home from the gym. I've been there off and on today since 10am. It's now 9:51pm. I'm physically spent.  I click on to Timehop and BAM. There they are. There are all of the pictures from exactly one year ago that I broke my ankle. UGH.

This photo was taken minutes before
I fell on the trails and broke my ankle.
I was so happy here.
UGH.

As much as I hate looking at those pictures, I absolutely LOVE them.

No Caption needed.

If you know me at all, you KNOW that I have spent the last year of my life trying to become a strong person both mentally and physically. As much as I hated every minute of having a broken ankle and not being able to run or work, I needed that to happen to me. The recovery process was a learning experience that helped me realize the real reason why I run.

I am passionate about what I do.

I run. I workout. I help others reach their fitness goals. I motivate. I encourage. And I take time to listen.

I did not do all of those things before I broke my ankle. I have always been a social and friendly runner but I really did not know what it meant to be a real "runner". Breaking my ankle taught me so many things about life, friendships, and how to be a team player.

I changed the way I ran. I changed the way that I workout. I changed everything about my job.

Before, I worked because I needed to make money. Now, I teach group fitness classes and I personal train because I care about my clients. I care about my classes. Period the end, I care. I make more money now because I'm not being greedy with it. I'm teaching classes around the clock and I love every single minute of it.

I never dreamed one year ago that I would be making this announcement exactly one year later. I have been placed in my life exactly where I'm supposed to be.

I will be posting so many updates as I continue on with my training. This is going to be the experience of a lifetime for me and I CANNOT WAIT to share it with the world!!!

Thank you NYRR and TCS New York City Marathon for providing me with this awesome opportunity. I'm already in love with this race and I haven't made it to the start line yet!!! Big Apple, I'm coming for ya.....#BamagirlrunsNYC!!!!!!

#TCSNYCMarathon

Click here to read my full story on how I broke my ankle. Again, Thank you from the bottom of my heart for following along my journey to TCS New York City Marathon and I hope to see you all soon in the Big Apple!!

For more information on NYRR and TCS New York City Marathon, please visit www.nyrr.com and www.tcsnycmarathon.org.

Why I'm Pushing it to the MAX. #DontJustShowUp #TCSNYCMarathon

Six Mile Run...No makeup. I can't even go there. Who cares?!

     What's been happening in my world?? I have fallen off of the update-my-blog-regularly-train. And for good reason.

     I have been up to my eyeballs in work. I decided a few months ago after I was back to working out 100% that I would make it my goal to become certified in as many different things to teach as I could. I wanted to expand my fitness horizons and see where my possibilities could take me. I kept an open mind and told myself that I would not turn down any opportunities that were offered to me. And WOW. Just WOW.

     I couldn't have set myself up for anything better.

My weeks go like this now....
Every other Monday morning, I teach low impact cardio to Senior Citizens.
Monday afternoons, I personal train clients and have taken on two group training Women on Weights classes.

Tuesdays, I teach YCross in the mornings and teach a Synergy 360 class at my local gym.  I teach Bootcamp in my Backyard to moms and friends in the evenings.

Wednesdays, I am teaching a Silver Sneaker (Chair aerobics) class to Senior Citizens, more personal training and Women on Weights.

Thursdays, I work in the gym (front desk, or doing whatever I am asked to do), teach my Synergy class and Backyard Bootcamp.

Fridays, I'm off work and I go workout and take classes if I'm not subbing somewhere.

That's my week in a nutshell....the parts that I left out were the parts where I fill in the time subbing, I work at four different YMCA branches, running errands for my fam and washing millions and millions of loads of laundry. My kids are all playing sports, I change clothes a half a dozen times a day and my hubs is refereeing too.

The other part that I left out is that I also run my long runs on Saturday, teach a YCross class on Sunday and try to run anytime during the week that I can fit it in.

I have two cool meetings this week to take on "new projects" for me. One has been in the works for a while which I'm pretty excited about. I can't officially say that I'm doing it just yet but pretty sure that it will happen. Think NFL! It's going to be right up my alley!

The other meeting I have was totally random and the opportunity was offered to me last week. This will be something completely different for me but I'm excited about it too. Think Strength and Conditioning for a competitive team! Sounds like a challenging thing for me to dive right into!!

After Labor Day, I'm adding a Strength Class to teach on Wednesdays and also another BOOTCAMP class three days a week in the afternoons at a Pre-School for Moms and Preschool teachers! I'm excited about these two new additions also! 

With all of the craziness of my schedule, I'm adding a few hours each week during the day to work a "Health Coach" shift at the Y. I really really like doing this too. I love the motivational end of my job. I like to encourage and I like to help members/clients see that they have all of the potential in the world to meet their health goals. This is what I like to do.

With all of this being said....my job is just the greatest. My job is exhausting. My job doesn't pay what a full time salary would pay. But I love my job. I love the flexibility and I love working 24/7. I have created my job and I wouldn't have it any other way.

For fun, I have taken on the new/old hobby of roller skating....talk about a good quad workout!! And it's so fun that I didn't even realize that I burned almost 900 calories last Saturday night!!

#BamagirlrunsTheRink

     There are just some days when I just have to look at the calendar to remember where I'm supposed to be, what I'm teaching and all of that kind of stuff. I'm not perfect and I rely HEAVILY on caffeine. I eat all day long and I love that I cross train like a maniac and am somehow managing to train like a beast for New York City Marathon. I have so many personal goals for this race. They don't necessarily all involve race day. I'm learning what it means to truly be a runner, a friend and an encourager. I am hoping that I walk the walk and will push myself TO THE MAX everyday. Not just race day. I don't want to be that person that just shows up. I want to be READY.

And I'm getting there. ;)

Happy Running, Happy Working and Happy Cross Training!

Drink all the coffee.

Bring it!

Happy Friday!!!

This morning, I woke up at 4:42 am for absolutely no reason at all. I am not a morning person. I typically sleep like a rock. A heavy heavy sleepy rock.

I have been off work all week and I cannot believe I my body did not want to take advantage of some major sleep!

There are only three reasons why I would wake up early...work, get my kiddos to school early or I'm headed out to run.

None of those reasons were on my plate today. No joke. I don't even like breakfast much less wake up early just for the heck of it.

However, today, I woke up ready to conquer the world. And ready to conquer it in the BEST MOOD.

I probably should have gone out for a run since I was awake. But nope. I wanted to wake up, drink my coffee and sit on the back porch. I WANTED to watch the sunrise. I wanted to be one of those people who posted the sunrise on Instagram. There was no sunshine out yet.

I waited. I waited. And I waited......

Finally, the sunshine popped up. I watched it. It was so bright.  And I knew for whatever reason, I was about to have a GREAT day!!! It's almost like, I'm just waiting for "it". And I don't even know what "it" is.

I knew the sunshine was coming but I didn't know when and once it got here, it was absolutely GORGEOUS.

I have a little bit of sunshine bottled up inside of me that I'm dying to share with the world and I'm praying that today is the day I can share it!!! I've been busting at the seams to tell someone that truly gets it!! If you know me at all, you will understand.

Unlike, the sunrise this morning, my news was totally unexpected but just like the sunrise, it was the best news and opportunity for me that I could have ever thought imaginable. I am thankful. I am overwhelmed. And I am going to have the greatest day today. Just thinking about my bottled up sunshine puts me on cloud nine and I cannot wait to help spread that kind of happiness with the rest of the world!

Hope everyone has a great Friday filled with your own kind of bottled up sunshine and I'll update as soon as I can. :))))

Happy Running and Happy Sunshine! 

It's Official. My mind has been blown. #TCSNYCMarathon #BamagirlrunsNYC

     Today. March 8, 2016. My mind was OFFICIALLY BLOWN.  I got in to the 2016 TCS New York City Marathon.

     Legit. Legal. Lottery. I saw my name.

     I still can't believe it!! It's 8:57pm and I'm typing this STILL IN SHOCK. I have forwarded the official email to myself twice just to make sure I've read it right. Lol. I woke up this morning with NYC on my mind. I went to bed last night with NYC on my mind. My hubs just asked me if I was in NYC tonight....oh he knows. When I go there in my brain, he's lost me. And he's right. Tonight, I'm in the Big Apple. ;)

My Morning Coffee. :)

     So here's my back story and my Love/Hate Relationship with TCS New York City Marathon.

First, I'll tell you why the hate fest:  Because I've wanted it SO bad. And yeah, I know..I could have ran for charity or I could have qualified before now. But, But, But. And here come the excuses...

1.  I'm not that fast. Nor do I care to be.

2.  I wanted to see my name as being accepted. Petty, I know. But still, I wanted to see it.
3.  I love New York City and I wanted to run through it.

     When you want something SO BAD and you know that you can't have it, you want it even more. You're Hungry for it. You're Not gonna settle until you have it. And you get MAD when you don't get it. There's only a few things in life that I'm this way about.  NYC Marathon was one of those things. I'll have those others one day too.

     Moving on to the Love Fest:  I've been a runner since 2008. My sister had been a runner for one year prior to me. She had told me a year or so after we had been running that she had applied for NYC Marathon and that I should too. At that time, a marathon was not even in my vocabulary. Keep in mind, I was sooooo new to all of this. 

     I had just decided that I was going to train for my first Half Marathon at Walt Disney World in 2009 and I was a nervous wreck! Regardless, she still applied and I did not.

     The next year I applied.

And the year after, and the year after, and the year after, and the year after and the year after. The more I applied and got rejected, the more I wanted in.

Sigggggghhhhhh.

     I had missed the window of the 3 + 1. And thanks to the cancellation of the race a couple of years ago, the odds were just ridiculous the past couple of years with all of the deferments.

Good Grief. 

     I wasn't going to give up. And, this lottery drawing was out of my control. That drove me nuts!!! I couldn't just get in.  It was a hard pill to swallow when I saw people getting in that I KNEW wouldn't train or were just applying because it was the cool thing to do. It was HARD to read the posts from people who bragged about people waiting for years to get in and they got in on the first try and were most likely not even going to go because they didn't care enough.  #WhatTheWHAT?!?!  I wanted people to run this race with heart and I wanted to cheer for everyone, every year in NYC. I did not want to harbor any ill feelings just because I didn't get in.  I needed to change my thought process because I felt like I was being SO SELFISH and SO BRATTY. There were people who wanted to run this race waaaaaayyyy more than me out there. And I wanted to realize that. I wanted to be happy for everyone. Again, I'm SO THANKFUL that my broken ankle taught me more lessons than I ever imagined. I learned to be happy for people in ways that I never thought that I could. 

     Needless to say, my sister and her husband got in the race a couple of years ago. I lived vicariously through her! That was so awesome to follow her that day. And I still wanted in.

     Last year, through the power of social media...it seemed as if I knew a million people running that race. That was so fun to watch on television and then live it all over again through their social media. And I still wanted in.

     Year after year, I remember watching this race on television. I watched all of the elites. I watched all of the sappy stories. And I just cried. Nothing is more emotional that watching this race. I still wanted in.

     The running joke between me and my husband has always been that I live here in Alabama but somewhere along the way, I missed my calling. My gypsy genes need to be fed.  I could always see myself living right smack in the middle of NYC. Or Chicago. Or Los Angeles. Or Nashville.  Or anywhere in Florida. It's just a joke and I really love living in Bama but my gypsy genes are not a joke. He knows it. I like to get out there.

     When my hobby of running and traveling collided, my whole world changed.

     Suddenly, a trip to Walt Disney World was never the same again. I looked at every city in a different way.  I wanted to visit places that I've never even thought of before. On foot.  I tell everyone that I'm geographically stupid and can't remember road signs, street names, etc. but I can remember every twist and turn of a race and remember things so specifically on each mile during races. I think most runners can relate to this.

     So today is the big day. Today was the day of the lottery drawing. I get to work for a few hours and then I check my checking account. Nothing.  I had thought that I would not even look at it. I was going to try to keep my mind occupied. I wasn't going to look. Crap. I couldn't do it. I couldn't be calm. I caved to the NYC Marathon pressure.  And then I looked.....

And then I lost it.

     I sobbed like a baby and my boss said..."Baby, I don't even know what you are crying about and I have no idea what to do with you but please don't do that. Can I help? Are you okay?" Poor guy...He was being so sweet to me.

     I was crying the happiest tears. I could not believe what I had just seen. I had imagined it for 6 years.

Seriously, my mind just started going nuts. This was my number one. I created a Bucket List YEARS AGO and this was my number one race. I wrote it all down and folded up the paper and tucked it in a drawer. On November 6, 2016, I'm going to cross this race off of the list. Unreal.

     I texted my hubs. I posted it on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter. I was over the moon excited. I had to pretend to be calm at work. I had to go watch my boy in a Band Concert later. I had to go teach a class. How in the world was I going to function today?!?!! I was also very sensitive to the fact that there were lots of people who didn't get in and hearts were broken. That's the part that I hate too.

Back to my crazy mind....

WHAT IN THE WORLD AM I GOING TO WEAR???

WHAT SHOES AM I GOING TO WEAR??

OMG. I HAVE TO TRAIN LIKE A BEAST.

I'M ABOUT TO RUN LIKE A REAL MARATHONER. OMG. A NEW YORK CITY MARATHONER.

BUT SERIOUSLY, WHAT AM I GOING TO WEAR?!?!

I NEED NEW LIPGLOSS.

I'm gone. I've lost my mind today.

I cannot wait. I'm a nerd and actually counted the days. 

And then because I'm a spaz, I forgot the days. I don't care about how many days I have. I care about the process of getting there.

I made a promise to myself after I broke my ankle and crossed the Finish Line of the 2015 Runner's World Half Marathon that I would always cherish the process of making it to the Finish Line and not ever beat myself up over times or things that stress me out. I will train and run hard but I refuse to think the way I use to before.  I will always invest in other people and runners. Other stories. The heart of the races. I will run with the injured and those who are slower than me. I will pray for those who can't run to heal quickly so that they can run. I will run for those who can't. I would not act bratty or selfish if I didn't get into races. My time would come and my time would come at the BEST TIME. That time is better than any PR could ever be. To me. :)

Chicago Marathon.

I will train to run this marathon with heart. I am making that promise to myself.

I'm about to cross off another Major Marathon off of my list. I never would have thought way back in 2008 that I would be saying those words.

I'm excited. I'm ready for this race. I'm ready to train.

     If you know me in real life, you know I love pizza. You know I fell in love with Central Park on my last trip to NYC. You know I'm a Seinfeld Junkie. You know I love being a houndstooth wearing tourist nerd. You know that this race and all of my NYC adventures will mean the world to me.

Gimme that NY Pizza.

     I've been working on reserving my room. On my last trip, I stayed at RowNYC and LOVED it. I am going to try to stay there again. I realize that it's a little bit of a walk or a taxi cab ride away from the Central Park area but I really want to stay in Times Square again!  Check out my hotel review here.

I cannot say it enough!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU, NYRR for picking my name.  I already love everything about this race and I haven't even left Alabama. Get ready NEW YORK CITY.....BamagirlRUNS is coming for ya!

NYC, you have my heart tonight. Thank you for that. <3

Happy Running, Happy Training and Happy Bucket List Crossing Off!
Follow #BamagirlrunsNYC and follow my TCS New York City Marathon journey.

My Mizuno Paradox 2 Shoe Review #MilesChangeYou

Mizuno  Paradox 2

     After running Dopey Challenge and LOTS of miles in 2015, my shoes have HAD it. I knew going into Mercedes Half Marathon Weekend that I needed a new pair of shoes. I shopped around at the expo because I knew that my local running store was going to have a fabulous sale and I wanted to take advantage of that!

     I was correct! There was a great sale at the expo and I found the shoes that I've had my eye on. I wanted a pair of the new Mizuno Paradox 2's. I had read that they had a really wide toebox and I love that. I have wide feet so this is right up my alley. I ended up not wearing them during Mercedes Half because I tried out a friends' Hoka One One shoes....I saved my new kicks for the following weekend.

     I will admit that I'm not loyal to one shoe brand...there are just so many great brands out there. However, I will say that I'm a total Mizuno fangirl. These are my 6th pair within two years. I think I've tried them all....Wave Rider, Wave Enigma, Wave Inspire etc. I have a pair of Wave Catalyst on the way to my house too! ;)

     I bought the Silver and Dark Shadow (Green) combo. I was going to be a mermaid the following weekend at Disney's Princess Half Marathon Weekend so as much as I needed a functional shoe, I needed one that would match my sea legs too. Right?!? #Priorities.

     Here's a little more technical information about this shoe.....

WAVE PARADOX 2: NIMBLE MEETS STABLE

The Wave Paradox 2 is a popular lightweight women’s running shoe with a wide toe box. Offering both structure and cushion while providing a light and sleek ride, the Wave Paradox 2 redefines maximum stability.

Durability + Flexibility:

One of the features of the Wave Paradox 2 is an additional millimeter of blown rubber on a refined outsole. This provides you with a better underfoot feel and increased durability without sacrificing flexibility.

Key Features:

• A PU printed design wraps around the heel and midfoot for a lightweight yet structural upper.
• This shoe features a Double Fan Wave in the heel for maximum support and an Articulated Wave in the forefoot for maximum cushioning and minimal forefoot rigidity.
• An additional millimeter of blown rubber on a redefined outsole means a better underfoot feel and increased durability, without sacrificing flexibility.
• Ramp: 12mm

Feeling like a Mermaid Rockstar in my new Kicks!

     My Review?? Oh my gosh. I loved them. They were super comfy and super cush.  Normally if shoes are too tight for me, my pinky toes start screaming at me. I crossed the finish line of Disney's Princess Half Marathon and my pinky toes were completely happy. :)) I can't wait to put some serious Spring miles on them. :)))

Mickey Mouse Aprroves of my new Mizuno's!

Mile 5..Fantasyland in Magic Kingdom!

     Although I needed a pair of shoes that I could wear with almost any running outfit or color, I've noticed on the Mizuno website that there are a few new colors for this model..a pink and a purple. I think a new Spring color will be calling my name soon. I like bright. :)

     One thing that I've learned about running....investing in good running shoes is never a bad idea.  All of the training in the world will do you no good if your feet are killing you because of worn out shoes! 

Look for a review of my Mizuno Wave Catalyst coming soon.

Happy Running, Happy Destination Running and Happy New Spring Running Shoe Shopping. :))

For more information on these Mizuno shoes and others, please visit MizunoUsa.com.

Total Weirdness and Good Hair Days. #OperationMissionThankful

     Today may go down as one of my weirdest days in the history of weirdest days.  It started out with me laying in the bed this morning and snuggling up with my puppies for the longest time. I heard my hubs in the the kitchen cleaning up and fussing the kids off to school so I had a little bit of extra time to just lay there. I'm a super slow mover when I first wake up and truth time....I don't like to talk to anyone for the first couple of hours that I'm awake. I'm soooooo NOT a morning person. Thanks hubs! I needed to just have a late morning.

     Once I got up, I got up with a mission. I got ready for work, was going to be on time AND was having a great hair day. That NEVER happens....you are now entering my weird zone.

     I get to work. I'm not on the schedule for the day. whaaaaatttt???? I'm off work for the entire day??? Ok. Big time bummer that I drove all the way there, hurried to get there, fought the 8am Birmingham traffic but OKAY. This day is not lost. It was going to be a gorgeous day and I knew exactly what I was about to go do....RUN.

     I had been texting with one of my gal pals for days trying to figure out when we were going to get our run in this week. Our schedules just were NOT MESHING. I called her up, and BAM!! Just like that, we were now about to get our run on. 

     Bye Bye Good Hair Day...This Mop of a Do is going up in a ponytail and I don't feel bad for wasting you away!

Yay us!

     We got a great 5 miler in. We chatted and then went for coffee afterwards. I feel so bad sometimes for not being a good friend. Lots of my girlfriends are in training for runDisney's Princess Half Marathon and I feel like I've dropped the ball on helping with their training.  Today is not that day. I'm in total #FriendZone.  Seriously, this is turning into a great day. 

     After my run, I went home and checked through my zillions of emails, scratched through a few things on my to-do list. Forgot to go to the bank. Oh well. I'll do that tomorrow.

     By now, it's late afternoon and I've got to head back to work for the evening. I'm teaching a Group Women On Weights Class and I gotta get there! This is a small group Personal Training kind of thing and I'm adding a new friend tonight.

     I get to the gym. We have a great class. I worked their butts off. We were a hot sweaty mess.  Life is good and they seemed Happy.

     ........And then it happened.

     I take the new friend into my Personal Training office and we discuss all kinds of goals, exercises and plans.  For the sake of confidentiality I can't go into any details about our discussions. However, I can tell you that I cried with this girl and I laughed with this girl. She didn't even have to say a word. It was written on her face and I knew at that moment that she was placed into my life and mine into hers for a reason.  Good gracious gosh. There are just some days when I love my job waaaaaay more than I could EVER put into words.  I have complained for years that I have a Social Psychology degree and don't use it. That couldn't be further from the truth. Working in the fitness industry with a Social Psych degree couldn't be a more perfect combo. 

     I expected to be silly today. I expected to get a workout in today. I expected to work today. I work everyday and I work all day long. In fact, I never quit working. I expect to work all day long. Heck. I'll expect to work all day long tomorrow. I love working.

     But what I didn't expect was that when I woke up feeling like I was waking up on a mission, I REALLY was waking up on a mission. I don't get very spiritual on social media EVER (I save all that for my private life) but I will tell you that I do believe in prayer and I do believe that missions can be found right in your own backyard.  I know that I'm not here to save the world but I do believe that I am placed right where I need to be for certain people. For that, I am SO Thankful for my less-than-glamorous paying job. I love it and I cannot put a price tag on that nor do I ever care to. 

     Tomorrow, I may not be on a mission and that's OKAY too.  Not everyday is like that. BUT.....not everyday is a good hair day either ya know??

     I just know that when these moments happen, you know. You just know.

Again, this was just the weirdest day. In a totally good weird kind of way.

     This week, I prayed that my week, my attitude and mindset be totally turned around and I couldn't be more thankful that my prayers were definitely answered. :)

I hope you ALL have a great rest of the week!

Happy Running, Happy Good Hair Days and Happy Missions. :)))

Fun 5 Miler

Scenes from a McCafe with a Bestie.

Note to Self: Don't Deny Your Crazy

After last Saturday's post on Instagram, boy oh boy did my phone BLOW UP. I appreciate all of the words of encouragement. 

I certainly wasn't looking for a pity party. I just had a really bad week. If I ONLY posted the good things in life, I feel like I would come across as a social media weirdo. 

I possess a touch of crazy. I don't deny that. But I do deny that I'm a slacker. I deny that I do things strictly to hurt others. I do deny that I'm not worth someone's time. 

I am one of the most driven and motivated people FULL of positive energy and intentions that you will EVER find. Just like I claim my faults, I claim the good things about myself. 

So as I stand here in my bathroom early on Monday morning, I had contemplated deleting that post all weekend(I don't like to be vulnerable)....I have decided to leave it. 

I've already ran a couple of times to clear my head and I have a few AMAZING opportunities going on this week....ain't NOBODY got time to be in a bad mood. :)))

I've got to finish getting ready for my day...this is NOT "No Make-up Monday". Lol. #GirlGoPutYoHappyFaceOn

Hope everyone has a GREAT week! I plan on it. :)))

Happy Running and Happy Monday.

Certifications, Red Shoe Run and WOW! Just WOW.

     Hey BamagirlRUNS....what's been going on with you??

So last week was a VERY interesting week for me. 

A few things happened.

1.  I started teaching a Women on Weights (WOW) class at my YMCA. After 1.5 classes, I have already figured out exactly WHY I'm supposed to be working with these women. I cannot even imagine
how much I will take away from these women after 10 sessions.   I was scared to death to teach this class and now I'm totally at ease. Funny how things work like this.

2.  I have completed The Red Shoe Run. 

Gosh!! I'm super proud to say that I've had a hand in this one. (more to come on this race...SOON, I Promise!)

3.  Last Thursday, I was Silver Sneaker Certified! What??

Never in one million years did I think that I would ever want to teach that class. I love working with Seniors, but wow. just wow. I'm actually nervous now.

When I get nervous, I get motivated and know that I'm nervous for a reason. My mind/body/spirit says one thing but my heart says another......ALWAYS trust your heart. :)))

I know that I'm going to LOVE this class. I just don't know why it's taken me so long to get the nerve up to teach it. 

This is me working out for about 8 hours behind a chair, in a chair,  on the side of a chair.
Silver Sneakers....I'm ready for you!!

  I had an AMAZING meeting this week that I'm chomping at the bit to share my news but can't just yet!! Fun running adventures are in my near future and I'm so so sooooo excited! 

Until then, 

Happy Running, Happy Running Adventures and Happy WOW! :) 

You had me at Funky Pants.

     A few weeks ago, I posted a New Year's Resolution-ish type of post where I claimed that 2016 would be the year of Funky Pants for me! Normally, I don't make promises or New Year's Resolutions of any types. I have a MAJOR fear of commitment. (Seriously, I jump ship when I feel like I'm committing to something that I can't follow through with or something that freaks me out). #OutOfSightOutOfMind

     However, I am LOVING wearing my funky pants.  I wore my new Dona Jo workout pants to the Walt Disney World 5K during Marathon Weekend and I couldn't have been any happier with my wardrobe selection.

     It was a cool morning and these pants were PERFECT. I didn't need anything thermal or insulated but I liked having the coverage on my legs. I think I must have received 500 compliments on my pants.  Seriously, the bright pattern was just fun.  I like fun!

First Leg of the Walt Disney World Dopey Challenge....Walt Disney World 5K.
Afterglow

    After a few corresponding emails with Dona Jo, they were so gracious to create a special discount code for me to share with my friends and readers. How cool is that??

     I quickly ordered my second pair of leggings (because I loved the first pair so much) and will wear these fabulous leggings as I run, in yoga class, while I teach my classes or when I'm out running errands. They are just too fabulous to keep in a drawer. 

How Do They Fit??

This is the number one question that I have received about these leggings. I think that they are SUPER SOFT and are stretchy enough to cover multiple sizes. I ordered the size 1 (0-8). I  think that they fit true to size and even after running a few miles in them, they did not sag. Major bonus points from me on that one. #SaggyPantsAreNoBueno.

**I have only tried out the leggings so I cannot speak for the sports bras, tanks, shorts or skirts.

Leggings in Whirlwind Pattern.

          So as of tonight, I'm 24 days into 2016 and I'm doing OKAY on some of the resolution-ish type promises that I've made. I'm wearing and LOVING my funky pants. I'm still working on my one-year goal.  I'm making great progress with that one. I have 341 more days to make it happen. ;)  I am focusing on what I need to focus on. 

      So far, so good! 

Use code BAMAGIRLRUNS to save yourself 20% off of your total Dona Jo purchase if you would like to order some of these fabulous leggings!! I really love mine and hope that you will too. :))

Happy Running, Happy Shopping and Happy 2016. <3

Red Shoe Run, McCoffee and Red Shoe Shopping. :)



     Happy 2016! Along with the rest of the world, I have decided to set a few goals for myself. One of those goals was to begin running a few more local races and really getting to know my running community in Birmingham, Alabama. Not saying that I won't travel a little in 2016, but I do want to tune in a bit more to my home life. :)

     I was beyond thrilled when McDonalds and Ronald McDonald House Charities of Alabama  reached out to me and asked if I would be interested in helping out with The Red Shoe Run in Homewood, Alabama! Would I??? Of course I would!!  This race offers a one mile fun run, a 5k and 10-mile distance.  There is something for everyone!!

     I've had friends with very sick children who have stayed at the Ronald McDonald House so I knew this was a FABULOUS charity to support. Plus, who doesn't like McDonalds?? I don't know of a soul who could really say that.



     All I knew before I started this adventure was that I was going to have some pretty big red shoes to fill. #SeeWhatIDidThere?

     I went over to my local Hoover McDonalds where there was Red Shoe Run Sign Up Party going on. Runners were encouraged to stop by, register and enjoy a combo meal compliments of McDonalds.  How cool is that?? Free meal and register for a race? I'm in. My kids were pumped! They can gobble up a Big Mac Meal in about two seconds...Hungry teenagers are the BEST. :)))

     Not only did I register for the race but I became a Team Captain! I'm going to encourage all of my local running friends to join my team (Team BamagirlRUNS) and come have some fun with me on January 23rd at the Red Shoe Run!

     As a Team Captain, I will be in charge of picking up my teams' race packets, raising funds for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Alabama and attending a social.  At the social, we will take a tour of the Ronald McDonald House, enjoy a dinner provided by McDonald's, game some race day information, pick up my team packets early and receive a team Captain t-shirt!!  I'm so excied about this!!

    

     My little Seahawks fan COULD NOT WAIT to get the Red Shoes on his feet and has asked me at least one million times to buy him a pair!  He's a nutty little fella who likes to dress up and wear silly things....wonder where he gets that from?? hmmmmm.... ;)







Proud moment.

     Anyone who knows me in real life knows that after I run, I freeze. I mean, I FREEZE. Shaking like a leaf and can't hold a cup kind of freezing. It could be 85 degrees outside and my body temperature dips waaaaay down. I stop after every race or workout for coffee somewhere. I'm not gonna lie when I say that normally, it's either a local coffee shop, O'henry's, with my running group or it's Starbucks if I'm on the go.

     Well. 2016 is a brand new year and I'm trying brand new things! I'm swapping over my coffee habits to McDonalds coffee before and after my workouts. This is working for me. I like McDonalds coffee. It's inexpensive compared to other coffees that I have been drinking. I like the fact that I can work with a Company that supports a FANTASTIC Cause and I love their products. It's the perfect combo for me!

     Another thing that I'm learning through this process is that McDonalds has changed up their menu a little bit. They are really focusing on healthy menu options. I'm a HUGE fan of that!!  I typically don't eat a whole lot of fast food just because I struggle with eating junk food.  The more I learn about the new menu, the more impressed I am.  Bring on the salads, yogurts and Artisan Chicken Sandwiches!

     I'm heading out now to be interviewed on my local news station to talk about The Red Shoe Run! EEEEEeeeeKk!!  I'm really looking forward to this race and cannot wait to have fun in my striped socks and RED SHOES!!  That reminds me... I gotta go Red Shoe Shopping! :)))

Happy Running, Happy Coffee and Happy Red Shoe Shopping!

For more information on The Red Shoe Run, please visit www.redshoerun-bham.org.  Use Code BAMAGIRLRUNS and save $5 when you join my team!





The Year of the Funky Pants..but first, lemme go RUN. #BamagirlrunsFunkyPants

     After I wrote my New Year's Day post yesterday, I was in a bit of a blah blah kind of mood. Some days I just get like that.  One of my besties called me up and quickly we took off for a 6 mile run. I think I talked and vented for the entire six miles. I really needed that. It's amazing what a good run and long chat with a girlfiend can do for the soul. :)

 Side note:  I had a few people ask me after I posted this pic on Instagram where to get my Pink Paceband....go to www.Bamagirlruns.pacebands.com if you wanna snag one up for your self! I wear mine all of the time! It's nice to be able to look down at your arm and see where you need to be in order to finish within a certain time without having to do the mental math while running.  They are available in all distances, lots of colors and are fairly inexpensive. Check it out!

     I have failed miserably at the whole Facebook thing. Well sort of. I didn't delete my account and I have posted pics from an Alabama Basketball game and my run this morning...BUT I have not camped out all day on the newsfeed looking at other folks' shenanigans. That's really the goal. QUIT looking at the newsfeed all day. I'll keep working on this. 

     Another thing that I have failed miserably at is the whole concept of saving the "run" portion of my Virtual Ironman Challenge for last. I ran 6 miles yesterday and ran a few trail miles this morning at Resolution Run. Oh well, tomorrow is another day afterall. I'm heading to the gym after church to swim and bike for a few hours. I still can't even believe that those words are coming out of my mouth. 

     I'm going to try to get only one more run in this week between now and Wednesday. I need to rest my legs but dang...it's just so hard not to run!!! :/

Resolution Run at Red Mountain Park

     For Christmas, my hubs and fam bought me these awesome new Nike red running pants! I couldn't wait to wear them today for my run AND it was totally cold enough for long leggings.  I have been a little self conscious about wearing them but after buying a pair of long leggings to wear to Magic City Half....I like them and I'm over the whole self-conscious thing.  I think I have decided that this will be the year of funky pants for me. I'm in a funky mood, so funky pants it is! Gimme all the colors! #BamagirlrunsFunkyPants

Running with friends and new Funky Pants is always FUN!!

     To my surprise, when I got home this afternoon...I had received a "Welcome to the Tribe" package from Dona Jo Fitwear, The "Afterglow" leggings in the mail!! I absolutely LOVE these and am packing them up in my suitcase tomorrow to take to Walt Disney World Resort with me!! I'm thinking that it's going to be warm in Orlando but I can probably wear them for the 5K. They are super cute, super bright, super fun and super comfy!! Stay tuned for a review.....

     I'll be spending the rest of this night and tomorrow night packing up for my trip! The countdown is ON...just a little over 4 days until I begin the first leg of Dopey Challenge!! aaaaaaahhhhhh!! I think I'll just bring #AllTheClothes. I'm awful at making decisions on what to wear!!!! I'll get it together though. I always do. ;)

Happy Running, Happy Swimming, Happy Biking, Happy Packing and Happy Funky Pants!!

Resolutions?!? Ummm....Just NO. #ThingsJustGotSnazzy

See ya, 2015. Happy 2016....
This is me. Just doing my thing.

     I absolutely HATE the word "resolution" and I feel pretty confident that I'm not alone in this. That word freaks me out. Really. Don't I do things good enough already?? Sure, there are things that I could work on. Sure there are things that definitely need my attention. Sure there are things that I need do to reach new goals.

     But WOW. Resolution?? That's like saying I really just need to be fixed. Like I need to resolve a problem.

I don't like that.

Improved, sure. But fixed?? I refuse to accept that. I don't like when other people try to "fix" me either. I shut down on that.

     So here's a better word that I like to use when it comes to a brand new year. I'll use the word, "Challenge". I don't need to be challenged to love my fam. I already love them. I don't need to be challenged to always try to be a better Mom. I fight that battle every day. There's NO ONE in the world that can beat me up on the Mom challenge more than I already do. Trust me, some days I'm the worst Mom on the planet

      I like using "Challenge" because I feel like this is more of a positive word. I don't deal well with negativity. I'm a PRO at blocking all of my negative feelings completely out. I am that person....out of sight/out of mind. If it bothers me, I usually have a good cry about it and then throw it in the back of my mind and then I move on.  By myself.  I have already cried twice this morning. I'm bothered, I'm full of hurt feelings, I'm refreshed, I'm challenged.  I'm ALIVE. Check it out, I'm still breathing. (Hehe, see what I did there? Music Junkies will get that last one. ;) Again, I don't deal well with feeling like I need to be "fixed". I'm stubborn and I'm convinced that I can "fix" myself. I think this is the reason why I'm ALWAYS up for a challenge. I'm ALWAYS up for a new adventure. And I'm ALWAYS up for something that will make me happy. I NEED Happy.

      So my boss unexpectedly threw it out there the other day that he wanted all of the employees at my gym to compete against each other in a Virtual Iron Man Challenge over the month of January. At first, I thought this was the most absurd thing that I had ever heard of. I had sworn that I wouldn't be one of those runners that accomplishes just about everything that they could do in the running community and then jump ship over to the triathlon world. Yeah, just no. I don't want to be THAT girl.

      The more and more that I thought about the challenge, the more and more that I begin to fall in love with the idea of the challenge. I don't love the idea of swimming. I have battled ear infections forrrrrrevvvvver so swimming will be the death of me. I don't like the way that I look with wet hair. Sorry, but that's true. My eyeballs always look bloodshot after being in the pool. I really just don't even know how to swim like an athlete. I need help so I googled it and I'm going to teach myself how to swim. There I go again, "fixing" my own situation.   I definitely don't love the idea of biking.. Hello, super tight quads.  Fall in love. That's what I want to do in 2016. Fall in love with new challenges. I want to love swimming, biking, fixing...

      However, midway through the year in 2015, I didn't love the idea of personal training and now I LOVE being a personal trainer. I didn't love the idea of being in front of a group and having zillions of eyes on me as I workout. Now, I LOVE being a group exercise fitness instructor. I get up on that stage and I'm a completely different person. There really are 50 shades of Kristin, I tell ya!  I have learned to LOVE last year in ways that I NEVER knew that I could. But......Love also rattles my cage. 

So this challenge will do just that. Challenge ME. And I love that. And I'm rattled. This is when I rise up.

      In more ridiculous ways to look at things...I bought a snazzy one-piece bathing suit with a cute ruffle on the boo-tay. Jussssssttt kidding, It's not very snazzy at all. It was all i could find at Target on clearance because I'm too cheap to spend any money on that kind of stuff.  I have matching goggles so that's kind of fun.  Priorities, right?!? Please let me love my wet curly hair. I'm dying it a new color today. Maybe that will help.

     I will swim all 92 laps (2.4 miles). I will bike all 118 miles and then I'll knockout out the 26.2 mile run...saving the best for last. 

     Even more ridiculous, I weighed in on New Year's Eve at 136.5 pounds so I'm going to try NOT to lose anymore weight. Anything less than 135 and I start looking shriveled up. I'm also running the Dopey Challenge (48.6) miles in just a few short days so this is REALLY going to be an all-out balls to the wall kind of month.  Not bragging about weight loss at ALL but skinny folks have their issues too. Some days, I REALLY struggle to eat. I REALLY struggle to keep weight on. I REALLY struggle to find anything positive about Kristin.  When I'm stressed, I'm the opposite of most of the world, I don't eat. Probably the reason why I've lost a ton of weight in 2015.   I should write a blog post about it all one day. I joke about writing a book one day. Really, it's not a joke.  I should do it.

     So with all of the craziness aside, I'm excited about my new virtual Iron Man Challenge. I'm excited to re-focus my energies in 2016 on people who care about ME and who I care about.  I've decided to concentrate on my blog and back off from unnecessary social media. I've said it before and I'll say it again today....Facebook is on my nerves so I'm taking a bit of a break from it. I'll still keep up with some of my facebook groups and my BamagirlRUNS page but other than that, my feelings have been hurt by Facebook posts and I need to take a break. I read waaaaaaayyyyy too much into some things and I've realized that a huge source of frustrations have come from that. Why do that to myself??? 

Last night (New Year's Eve), I thought long and hard about the things that happened to me all day yesterday. It's amazing how I could recap one day and realize that there is just so much about my life that I need to fix and learn from. I am important. I am valuable. I am ME. Above all else, I can't love anything I do, unless I love ME first. <3

I'm diving in to BamagirlRUNS this year.  Let the crazy workouts begin and time to kiss un-productivity good bye!

     I wanted the last workout of 2015 to be representative of how I wanted my 2016 to begin. #WellBalanced. I wanted to do it all. I wanted to run, bike, swim, lift, stretch and relax.  I did all of that and I loved it. I didn't necessarily love all of the exercises but I love that I pushed myself.  I gave it 110% and I received 110% from ME. That's what I want. I expect the best from me in 2016 and I'm gonna get it!

  

Runner's Hi.

     2016 is going to be fun. 2016 is going to be different. 2016 is going to be challenging. I've set some personal goals that I've given myself a one-year time frame to reach. I won't disclose those to anyone. I'm keeping those goals under lock and key and will be unlocking them one by one. 

     My new challenge starts TODAY, January 1st 2016. I'm excited. I'm nervous. I'm rattled. I'm READY. 

Happy New Year, Happy Running, Happy Swimming, Happy Biking, Happy Lifting and Happy BamagirlRUNS. :)