The OverSTUFFED Turkey

Ok…I’m not REALLY an overstuffed turkey because I didn’t eat as much as I anticipated. #iLOVEfood.
For the 4th or 5th year, I ran before the feast began! I decided against an “organized” Turkey Trot this year, mainly because I have a 5k on Saturday.

(Source: UltraFit FB page. THANKS!!)

I was able to catch up with my ORIGINAL running buddy, Megan. We both have been super busy, so it was nice to catch up over some miles. I have a 4 mile loop about 10 minutes from my house. Honestly, it was odd running at home because most of my time is spend in another county, about 45 minutes from home. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect…a brisk 45 degrees. For us Floridians, that’s FREAKING COLD!! Once we started, you forget it’s cold.

(Source: Nike+ Running App)

(Source: Nike+ Running App)

The run was GOOD and it was my first long run in a while. I needed that because I’m going to “run” this 10k. #GODhelpme
My shin bothered me a little towards the end, but as it did before, i increased my mileage and I need new shoes! I have my compression stockings on for recovery. Quite possibly, I might run in them tomorrow….

I was hungry when I came home and I did eat, but I believe you start to THINK more and make better choices, when you workout before. I mean, who wants to waste those hard earned calories that you just burned, huh??? So, I ate, but within reason…which mean I didn’t feel like a STUFFED TURKEY!!! I used to have bad habits of eating like someone was going to steal it from me!! Shoveling it all in, with no attention to what I was doing to myself. 😝. I don’t do that any more; I eat until I’m full but NOT overstuffed and uncomfortable. Lessons learned…..

My POST Turkey Day activity included a visit to my CF box, UltraFit. It wasn’t extremely early (8:30 am) but it was still extremely cold again this morning (43 degrees)!!!

(Source: UltraFit FB page. Thanks again!!)

Didn’t take long for the WARMTH to make it to the party! 😉
This was a good WOD, but I felt “pukey” afterwards. All those “movement” movements did a number on my stomach. Fortunately, no incidents on the way home.

Now, I’m relaxed and processing the next step on the agenda. I have my tablet decorated for Christmas, my stockings are hung, and I’m waiting for the tree! This is a HUGE deal, because I NEVER do anything early!! I’m going to try it on….see if it sticks!!

What’s on your POST Turkey Day agenda today?

Did you get a work out in BEFORE and AFTER the food???

PS…PRAY my left shin holds up for tomorrow’s race! I can’t STAND the thought of taking a break AGAIN!! Ugh….

Giving THANKS every day…

I am hoping that all of you are having a blessed Thanksgiving with your families. I am enjoying the day and reminding myself that I/we should be thankful like this EVERYDAY! Just a few things I am thankful for….

1.My Family

Without them…I would be lost. I have a wonderful husband of 15 years, Miguel….

And two very LIVELY boys, Julian and Aidan…

Then there are my WONDERFUL parents….Suzanne

and Ray…

(both with SOME of their grands!!)

My AMAZING sister, Monica (ie the Mom of FOUR; her new hashtag #ihaveFOURkids)

and my BIL, Peter (who’s AMAZING too!!)

Lastly, my 3 nephews, Ray, Marc, and Gavin and our “Rose amongst the Thorns”, Jolie..

GROUP PHOTO!!

I TRULY cherish each one of them and count my blessings they are in my life!

2. My love for Running

I “fell” into this sport! I’m not great but I’m happy to be willing participant in such a welcoming community. I may not feel like a “real runner” but that’s only self imposed. I’ve had nothing but the best support amongst all runners and I’m blessed to call some of them friends!
This sport was a spring board for my other love…Triathlons! Another welcoming community I am happy to be a part of!!

3. My Career
I am a Physician Assistant (PA) in Family Practice for the last 13 years. I take care of people for a living and get the reward of knowing I helped someone get better! Never heard of it?? Not really sure what that is? I am a Mid Level provider that practices medicine under the supervision of a Physician. Want some more info on PAs?? Check it out HERE

Those are just a FEW things that I am thankful for. I am forever changed that some readers and followers have been with me in this journey….journey of LIFE and journey of BLOGGING. I will FOREVER be thankful that you take the time to care, read and follow “Mom, Miles, and Mishaps“. Thanks for making my blog dreams a reality!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!!

Shout out and let me know some of the things that you are THANKFUL for!

Saturday Recap…..

Saturday was a FULL day!! Julian and Aidan are both playing in Upward Basketball. If you are unfamiliar, it is a program that develops players both physically and spiritually.

This is Julian’s 5th year and Aidan’s 2nd. They are EXCITED!!
They both had practice on Saturday which was the beginning of the busy day. One at 9 and the other at 12!!! #really

When we were done being athletes (and a parent of athletes), we went to Novemberfest. Our church, Nativity Catholic Church, has its annual fundraiser for the school and other Diocesan charities. The kiddos always look forward to this…

Aidan’s face really captures how much fun they had!

NO THANKS, on THIS ride!!😝

Aidan saw this ride and wanted to go on it but I tried to convince him it wasn’t for him…

…you see figured out early on,this ride was NOT for him!!!

Smaller version of that other ride o wouldn’t be caught DEAD in for Aidan…

And what is a FAIR, without fair FOOD?

YUMMMMMM!!

This stuff right here sent me to the MOON…

No..not the corn dogs. That’s old news…it the lovely thing next to it…CHICKEN ON A STICK!! OMG!! Chicken breast FRIED on a stick…what else does this world have to offer??? I didn’t splurge in the food department…but I sure WANTED TO!! 😉

It was a great, BUSY weekend! I did manage to squeeze in a run on Sunday. Let’s be honest…I HAD to after the chicken on a stick “incident”!! And…I’m still convinced that this 10k is going to happen…in like 3 WEEKS! #crazyGIRL

How was your weekend??

My PROMISE

The long day has ENDED! Another day filled with the extracurricular kiddo stuff to do! Last night, Aidan had class at church for First Communion and Julian had his first basketball game at school.

My “superstar”!

Then…both the kiddos had the Rec basketball team practice too! I didn’t get the run in because THANKFULLY Tuesday is my off day!! #happyDANCE

Tonight was ANOTHER long evening. It was Cub Scout night for Aidan and Youth Group for Julian.

Why am I telling you all this?? My PROMISE, that’s why! Not like the #iPROMISE aka LeBron James promise! But I PROMISE myself to get the exercise in…no matter what! That being said…I haven’t been able to get up in the morning (exhausted? laziness? You pick..), so I promised that I would do it in the evening. Sounds crazy, right?? Not any crazier than running at 4 am….
But it gets done and that’s all that matters! I am particularly interested in continuing this pattern because I’ve decided to run a 10k in 4 weeks (or at least that’s my PLAN!!). I need to run…plain and simple.

Monday :
CrossFit WOD was a “station day”…

Don’t let it fool you…I worked my butt off! When I got home…get on the ‘MILL, girl!!

Tuesday:
Rest Day.😃

Today:
We came from scouts and kids were winding down and I’m on the DREADmill at 9:15 pm. I can’t tell you how HAPPY I was to have run. I felt I needed to run…to wind down from the day. I didn’t regret one BORING minute of it!

My view while on the DREADmill, in the sweet paradise of my garage! 😝

Am I going towards my goal or am I just crazy? I have a few folks that think I am the latter….

Crazy or not….I’ll keep on RUNNING!!

How do you keep your goals?

No..no…I WANT you to be my friend!!

It just hit me…as I was on my way to work…I have figured out the QUICKEST way to get rid of friends! No…no…NO! Don’t get me wrong…I don’t WANT to get rid of my friends!!! But, apparently I can do it without even trying! #theyHATEme

See…I love working out- CrossFit, triathlons, and running! I’m ALWAYS trying to get a friend, MANY friends to do these things with me.

Typical conversation:

Me: “Hey, there’s a race I want to do! Are you interested?”

You: “What is it?”

Me: “It’s a (insert ANY race)”

You: crickets….crickets….crickets…

Me: “Hello?? Hel-LOOOOO??”

Why IS it this? I have a ton of friends that workout (and a ton that don’t) and they all different types of activities. I don’t think that my ideas are THAT bad to join in…..
I just want to have a partner in crime exercise.

I have a few friends that I look up to and want to be running beasts like them! (Terri and Wendy….I’m looking at YOU!!). I have few friends I’ve done races with. (Sam and Megan….looking your way too!). And I’m always trying to recruit some other wannabe/weekend athletes like myself!
Crickets….crickets…:crickets….

So, if you were wondering….you don’t have to UNFRIEND on Facebook, UNFOLLOW on Instagram or Twitter, or UNPIN from your board on Pinterest….just ask them to race! All of a sudden…POOF…your friend just slips away!😢

By the way…you all know this post is in PURE jest, right??😉. I sincerely love ALL of my friends….whether they want to run/race/Tri/CF with me or not! But…it SURE would be nice if they did…HINT HINT….!

How do you get your friends to race with you???

Get it TOGETHER sister…..

It seems like every time I turn around its MONDAY again! Except this time….it’s TUESDAY…and I feel like I have NOTHING to show for it! Well…maybe that load of laundry and still hasn’t been put away! 😉

Since this lady is busy now that basketball season is in…I have found myself again in a dilemma of finding time for me!! I only managed to make it to CF twice last week and not a single, solitary mile was run my me! I’m disappointed because I usually have my s**t together! This week, I’ve been off trying to adjust to my new extracurricular schedule! I WAS doing well getting my running in at 4 am while training for my triathlon, so why haven’t I done the same thing with he same stamina for the past 3 weeks?? I can’t accept this any more!! Whatever I found before, I HAVE to find her/it/them…WHATEVER….to get my ASS back in gear! I’m MAD at myself because this time last year my Saturday runs were 5 to 5 1/2 miles. How do you go from THAT to the bare minimum??? Ugh…..#pathetic

So, last weekend I promised myself that IF I didn’t get to the gym the days I have planned..then I have to pull a Saturday! AND…my friend Leslie’s birthday was last Saturday and she was wanting to have a good workout for her birthday! BONUS!!!! It was good, but hard WOD…

I like giving WODs their own names (if they don’t have one). I dubbed this one “It’s Leslie’s FAULT”. Because SHE wanted the workout, so it’s only right to blame her, right?? 😉
Man…to look at it…it doesn’t look that bad. Hmpf….don’t believe the hype or the white board! Thus my new CF hashtag..#whiteboardLIES. It seems so appropriate in all of my CF scenarios! Feel free to use it…!
Birthday girl and myself did a good job and we survived!

Excuse how HORRIBLE I look…I just HATE pictures of myself! 😝
Leslie got to 5 rounds and I got to 5 and 2/3.
I look forward to when she can make it back to the gym because I miss her like CRAZY!!! I’m so happy that I got to spend her birthday with her!! LOVE that girl….❤️

The beginning of the WORK week started of pretty good in terms of fitness. I made it to CF and I always LOVE Monday WODs!! I think because it sets the tone for the week….

This was NOT one of the OCCASIONS where I felt comes led to say #whiteboardLIES. LORD…was that a hard one!! I was done after that WOD but truly HAPPY that I made it!

Pray that I will continue to ride this wave of “keeping my ASS in gear”!! Pray for me people….!
Today is rest day…so tomorrow I’m back at it!!!

How was your weekend ?
What do YOU do to keep motivated when you are busy??

I FOUND them…..!

I did it…I found a delicious snack to substitute for my sweet tooth! I love to have something sweet after lunch AND after dinner! That’s part of my problem…..

Remember a while back I entered a contest on one of my favorite blogs, Blonde Ponytail. She was giving away some new nutritious bars made by Skinny Girl. The collaboration allowed for a lucky blog reader try them, for free! I was ALL to excited that I won and I get to try something new. The package came yesterday…

with two flavors –
Dark Chocolate Pretzel

And
Chocolate Peanut Butter with Sea Salt

(I ate it after my WOD today).

I really enjoy protein bars. They are good for a quick in between meal or after a workout. These bars fall into my favorite category, the kind ” I can’t WAIT to get my hands on it again” category.

I’m not a dietitian but they look pretty good on the nutrition front…

Dark Chocolate–
Calories : 160
Fat :7g
Protein: 6g
Carbohydrates: 21g
Dietary Fiber 5g
Sugars 8g

Chocolate Peanut Butter–
Calories : 170
Fat : 7g
Protein : 6g
Carbohydrates: 23g
Dietary Fiber :6g
Sugars : 11g

These bars were so good! I’m putting my “3M Stamp of Approval”
Run out and get some….

….Or check the website to order, if you can’t find them in the stores.

Thank you, Blonde Ponytail and Skinny Girl for the contest win! After eating these, I am interested in trying some of the other products.

Are you up to try something new? Let me know what you think!

Glad THAT’S done….

Well another Halloween is said and DONE! In a blink of an eye, we will be celebrating Turkey Day!!
Julian didn’t dress up or go Trick or Treating this year. It’s hunting season (deer, that is) and every chance he gets to go with hubby…he’s GONE!! He wasn’t upset in the least about missing the candy fiesta. Aidan, on the other hand….BRING IT!

At school, Aidan was only allowed to be a story book character, so we picked Robin Hood. (HE picked a “Ninja” but I pulled rank and said “NO”! 😉)

But I guess everyone in this day and age, when they see this costume, they think of a DC Comic character “Green Arrow”…

I can see the resemblance, but I never HEARD of the dude before Halloween! And in my defense…the costume IS Robin Hood no matter where you purchase it!

We opted out of the traditional trick or treat and went with some friends to the “Halloween SPOOKtacular” at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland,FL. The proceeds went to charity, specifically Kids Pack.

This program helps feed hungry children. Many children today go to school HUNGRY!! The organization fills a traditional back pack and is provided to the children. This way, no child has to feel embarrassed by food given to them.

We paid $2 per person and off we went. There was candy stations, bouncy houses, face painting and characters to pose with. And most importantly…there was BEER!

Our Trick AND Treat!!

There was some EXCELLENT people watching…

LOOK…I found WALDO!!!

Whoa…not really sure what to say…
#noWORDS

After Halloween fun, we were hungry! We took the boys to Hooters. All of the ladies where dressed up and Aidan was one HAPPY 7 year old!

Funny fact…I was posting some pictures and when I had an option for the locations, I selected “Hooters”..or so I thought…

One of my posts, I ACCIDENTALLY selected “Hookers” instead of “Hooters”!! Talk about embarrassing…..😁

But, he still loves ME the best!!

How was your Halloween?