Thursday, May 31, 2012

Winner of the 30 Day Fitness Challenge! Plus...

Thank you to everyone who participated in our 
30 Day Fitness Challenge!!! 
We loved hearing what everyone was doing plus the extra motivation kept us moving as well! 

The final winner of the 30 Day Fitness Challenge is....

Jane Everson Mueller

Congratulations!!! 

You win a Sexy Mother Runner prize pack which includes an assortment of energy gels and a Sexy Mother Runner bumper magnet!


Are you ready for the next Sexy Mother Runner challenge? 
We challenge you to:

*TEN DAYS OF BURPEES!!

That's right, burpees. Starting tomorrow, June 1st, we want you to do as many burpees as you can each day for ten days. Set your own personal goals. My goal is to do 100 burpees every day of the 10 days. You can do any style/variation of burpee you like. I do the traditional 'squat thrust' style.

Be sure to visit us on Facebook and tell us how many burpees you do each day!

Peace, Love, Happiness!
~Bekah



*As always, please consult your Dr. before starting any exercise activity! Be smart, safe, and then sexy! 
 ~Sexy Mother Runner

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

My Bayshore Half Marathon


I did it. I did what I said I would never have the desire to do. I did something that I once described as, "ridiculously boring" when I pondered the idea of having to run any race that would take me over 2 hours to complete. Well, eating crow never tasted so good.

My parents and Fred's mom all came up with us. I know that aside from Fred, my parents are my biggest fans. Especially my Mom. She really is. This was abundantly clear to me when she hugged me the night before and said, "Don't worry about being first. You'll do great no matter what." At which point I just cracked up because clearly my mother has not been following my short little running career as close as I'd thought. I just laughed and told her my goal was to finish and enjoy every minute of it.

The race was an incredible experience that I will always cherish. Even though it started at 4am...

So, yeah, 4 am. Fred and I woke up after a not-so-restful 4 hours of sleep, to get ready before catching our shuttle bus at 4:50am. We took that bus to the high school in Traverse City where we immediately boarded another bus bound for the start of the Bayshore Half Marathon. The race took place on a peninsula. The Half started out at the end of it and headed in to finish at the high school. The Full started at the high school and then went out to the peninsula and back.

At about 5:45am, we were dropped off in a field by the start line. The race didn't start until 7:30am so we had some time to kill which we pretty much spent by freezing. It was in the low 50's. The event coordinators did however provide us with water and music to freeze to. Fred was so cold that he pulled his arms into his shirt which was amusing enough but when he began dancing the armless 'lawn mower' and 'sprinkler', I almost peed myself.





When the race began at 7:30, the sun was shining bright. The weather was perfect with cool temps and beautiful sunshine. The course ran along the shore line so that there was a great view of the bay and Lake Michigan. Amazingly serene.






Gotta love a race that is 'black tie' optional!!! 


Somewhere around mile 6, I was running along and thinking something along the lines of, "Wow, this is so nice. I love running... what is that noise? Wait. Is that my... cell phone???" I pull my cell out of my pocket and see that my Mom is calling me. She has my two younger children with her so I have to answer in case something is wrong. I mean, why else would she call me when she knows I'm running a half marathon!?!? So I answer while I continue to run.

Me: Hi. Is something wrong?
Mom: No. I was just calling to see where you are.
Me: (In my head) Uh..... seriously? What came out of my mouth though was: "Well I'm kind of running a half marathon here... can I let you go?"
Mom: Sure. I'll talk to you later. Love you!

See, Biggest. Fan. Ever. I love you, Mom.

I wasn't expecting to see Fred until the end. His pace is much faster than mine. However, he experienced some serious knee issues at mile 3 and by mile 7 he was having some pretty horrific pain. He pushed through, stopping to stretch or walking when it got too bad. When I caught up to him I knew it wasn't good. I felt awful for him knowing how disappointed he was about his knee. It had never bothered him this bad during training. Serious bummer that it did it during the race. I felt crushed for him.

Our friend, Tyler, who was a Featured Runner a while back, rode his bike along the course during the race. A very nice surprise. It was pretty cool to have someone cheering us along the way.

I felt really good throughout the whole race. Just soaking it all up. My foot bothered me a little around mile 9 but I pushed through. I took a few pictures during the race and stopped for water and GU but never paused for more than a few seconds.  I kept a pretty steady pace staying between 11:00 and 12:00. I stopped once to untangle my iPod which had managed to get all messed up and kept skipping. I remembered to pause my Garmin though. I pushed really hard the last mile and finished with a strong sprint.

Once I crossed the finish line I grabbed some water and walked a little bit along the fenced in path. I stopped to drink my water and then remembered to stop my Garmin. When I looked up from my Garmin, I saw my family standing in the bleachers across from me, all waving like maniacs. It was the best sight ever. My emotions overwhelmed me and my eyes filled with tears.

This amazing life moment was made ever more memorable by another female runner who quickly walked toward me and said, "Block me. I have to pee so bad and I can't wait any longer." right before she stepped behind me and dropped trow. I tried to spread my running skirt out but really there's just not a lot of material there. I think I probably let her down with my incompetent blocking abilities. I think she was too relieved to notice though. I hope. If you're reading this, sorry, I really tried my best.

At the end of the path I was given my medal and then congratulated by Tyler. Which was another great surprise. I was glad that he had stuck around to congratulate us. Very cool, Tyler, thank you!

Then, my calves exploded. Never before, I mean NEVER have I experienced such excruciating pain in my legs. My calves hurt so bad. I never had any pain during training so I know it must have just been the last mile of really pushing myself. I didn't know if I could keep walking let alone standing. I bent over into a forward fold and tried to stretch them out. It helped a little but now my foot was hurting again too. For crying out loud, I went from 35 to 90 in about two minutes. My chip time was 2:35 and my Garmin time was 2:33. I'm guessing I finished around 2:32 or so since I forgot to stop my Garmin at the finish.

Fred was able to finish the race running. I know he is disappointed with his time, his knee, and the overall experience of his first half marathon. I'm still very proud that between January and now he has lost over 50 pounds, taken his health and fitness to a whole new level, and completed his first half marathon. The big picture, babe, it's all good.

We all headed back to our hotel after the race. We stayed at the Grand Traverse Resort. (Very nice, and they have a Starbuck's in the lobby! Awesomeness!) We showered then went to eat at one of the resort restaurants. Then we went back to our room and declared it nap time for everyone. We hit the pool with the little ones after nap which was quite the challenge since we had no energy and were incredibly stiff and sore. Looking back, I'm probably lucky I didn't drown. Our kids didn't seem to notice any of that though.

Between his knee and my legs and feet, we were quite the pair hobbling around the next day. It really was quite comical.

I'm already making plans to do it again next year though. I totally get why this race sold out in 3 hours. Traverse City is beautiful, the race course is beautiful, the beaches are beautiful. There's practically a winery on every corner. So yeah, it's my kind of town.

Huge love and thanks to my family, friends, and everyone who offered support, advice, encouragement, and congratulations!!!

Major 'thank you' to my Fred. For everything.


Peace, Love, Happiness!

~Bekah

Three Days Off…Back at it this morning!


On Friday, I had a great workout day of running, biking, and swimming. I knew that the three day weekend was approaching and I needed to get it in before the weekend started.

On Friday I was feeling a little sad, because I knew that I could not make it to Bekah’s first half-marathon. I wanted to be there so badly, but the stars were not aligning. Her half was 8 hours away and all hotels were sold out in Traverse City. The hotels that I did find were 45 minutes away and $200 per night. None of them were pet friendly and with our work schedules that meant  we wouldn’t get in until 2:30 a.m. with a 6 and 2 year old. Plus, we would need to be back up driving by 6:00 a.m. As you can see, it just wasn’t going to happen. In my heart I know that my friend knew I was there in spirit the whole time, but I had grandeur dreams of running a few miles of it with her. I am just so proud of her and wanted to celebrate her moment. Sometimes no matter what plans need to be adjusted and you must accept the change. J I knew that Bekah understood and that we would keep in contact throughout the weekend. We would text and I could live through her vicariously with technology. Thank goodness for cell phones!

Brinklee loves the Sheraton!


It was time to make the most of our weekend. On to Plan B.

Like many busy families there are times when I look around in all of the hustle and bustle and think, did I actually look at anyone today? Sometimes we are so busy in the tasks that we forget to gaze into each other's eyes, laugh and have fun in the moment. It was time for all of that to happen.














Saturday we made an executive decision that even though Plan A did not work we needed to start Plan B and go have fun! We hopped into the car and headed to St. Louis to take the kids to Six Flags. We rode roller coasters, swam, laughed, and swallowed everything that had a minimum of 1000 calories or greater.  Brinklee enjoyed her plush bed at the Sheraton. It was wonderful! As I watched my husband chase our kids all over the playground I fell in love with him all over again. Vacation is nice. I gazed into my brown eyed girl’s eyes wondering where 6 ½ years has gone. I relished in the moment. I watched my dare-devil son in amazement as he is not the scared little boy that would not get on a ride last year. Where does time go? The answer is quickly. Constantly, I am told by older adults randomly in a store “enjoy it, it goes fast”. I know they are right. I also wonder if there is something else that I need to be grasping or absorbing from their words? Time will tell.

The twins...father and son :)
All tuckered out from our adventures!
As the weekend progressed we received many race updates from Bekah (which she rocked her half! J) and visited more drive-thrus than necessary. Even my daughter said, what if someone sees us? We have our Sexy Mother Runner magnet on our car and fast food is not Sexy. I could not help but laugh! I told her every once in awhile you just need to live in the moment my dear!

On our drive home a text came in from my friend Mary: “Run in the morning?” Of course my answer was “Yes!” Three days off and time with Mary…what’s to think about?! Upon arrival home everyone started craving fruit and it was time to break out the bananas. Three days off and now back at it!

This morning started with a beautiful breezy run with my friend Mary. This little butterfly was on our path just chilling out. Just another reminder to stop and enjoy the moment!



I hope you had a blessed, enjoyable Memorial Day weekend!

~Danyelle

Have you had a moment when you were reminded 
to stop and smell the flowers?




Thursday, May 24, 2012

Sexy Mother Runner Featured Runner Friday: Meet Cathy!


Every runner has a story. At Sexy Mother Runner, we believe that 
sharing those stories is a great way to share the gift of 
running while helping to motivate others.

Today's Featured Runner is our friend, Cathy. I still remember the first time I formally met Cathy. I was running with her Dad at Team Steam (a local running training program). He told me his name and I asked if his daughter was the speedy Cathy that I had heard about through friends. Of course it was and at that moment she lived up to her reputation. She was the first woman sprinting back from our out and back course!
 Cathy has a sincere dedication to running. You won't want to miss reading Cathy's (AKA Speedy Gonzalez) story!

Meet Cathy:


I started running my Junior year of high school and wanted to be a sprinter like the rest of my friends.  After the coach broke the news to me that I was not a sprinter he put me in the 800.  At the time I was not competitive and ran it with a friend for fun.  My Senior year I joined cross country where I developed my love of running after finding I had some pretty good endurance and speed.

I went on to attend Purdue University where I kept running on my own, but the running clubs on campus left me feeling like I needed more.  That’s when I contacted the cross country coach and told him I wanted to try out for the team.  He basically told me if I was already on campus I didn’t stand a chance of making the team.  I asked for the Summer workouts and told him I would see him in the Fall for tryouts.  I walked on the team having few expectations and being completely intimidated by some of the really fast girls.  After a few weeks of try outs I made the team and went on to compete against other Division 1 athletes.  Running at that level is something I will hold on to forever.

Cathy and her adorable girls!
Fast forward 9 years later, I kept running during both pregnancies.  I ran 12-15 miles a week until 34 and 35 weeks (my youngest was born one week after I stopped running which came as a surprise).  It sounds crazy…ok it is crazy, but it was worth it!  My labor and pregnancies were pretty good.  To make sure I kept my heart rate at a reasonable level I had my watch alert me anytime I exceeded what I thought was more than I should be doing.  I shed the baby weight pretty quickly with both kids as a result of staying in shape during pregnancy.  The hardest part about running during pregnancy was that I couldn’t get anyone to tell me a heart rate I should not exceed.  The Internet didn’t have much either, but come to find out few people know what that number is because few people do it. J

Cathy running during the Chicago Marathon
I have run many 5k’s and 10k’s with nearly a dozen half marathons and 2 marathons.   My 5k PR is 20:22 which I set at the Jingle Bell Run December 2010.  I am currently training for the Indianapolis Half Marathon and am hoping to beat my PR (1:37) which I set in August of last year while training for the Chicago Marathon.  Although some people love the marathon, I have resigned myself to the fact that it isn’t for me.  The time commitment and the energy it took to train especially with 2 little ones was too much.  I was training to qualify for Boston and missed it by a long shot (3:54).  I knew all during my training I needed to slow down my long runs, but I didn’t slow enough because everything was pointing in the direction of finishing well under 3:30 and I felt good.  In addition, the night before the marathon I slept maybe 3 hours because of nerves which made things pretty rough.

Cathy's supportive family!
Without the support of my husband I could not be the runner that I am.  He watches our 2 and 4 year old girls while I am out for a run.  I am very flexible with my schedule and am willing to get up early when needed to squeeze in a workout, but the kids get up pretty early and often times it’s barely light out by time they’re up.  He hauls the kids to my races and they cheer me on supporting me along the way.  Being able to get my run in makes me feel like my day is complete.

Along the way I got my dad running which has been a lot of fun because we share running stories and bond over it.  We aren’t nearly the same speed, but it is fun to spontaneously see him out on the trail near my house. 

I hope to be able to call myself a runner for many more years and love what it does for my mind and body.  Being outside getting fresh air either alone or with someone else is something I appreciate and love 
to do in the single digit temperatures to the hot summer days.


 What did you think of Cathy's story? 
Leave her a comment. She would love to hear from you!



Would you like to be one of our 
Sexy Mother Runner Featured Friday Runners?
If so, email us sexymotherrunner@yahoo.com.


Remember you can always follow us on 
Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest!


Wednesday, May 23, 2012

The winner of Week #3 of the Sexy Mother Runner 30 Day Fitness Challenge is...

Impressed doesn't even cover how Bekah and I feel about everyone's participation in the 'SMR 30 Day Fitness Challenge'. You have embraced it to the fullest!

The winner of Week #3 is...




Liza Herchenbach!


In support of breast cancer and Liza's first race being 
Race for the Cure 
we thought it would be appropriate if she 
won this running  pouch!

Congratulations Liza!


We have one week left of the '30 Day Fitness Challenge'. Don't quit now! Even if you are just following us, join in! You can still win the end of the week prize. All you need to do is post on our blog or our Facebook page.  


How's the 'SMR 30 Day Fitness Challenge' 
going for you?



Make a great choice!

~Danyelle


Want to contact the Sexy Mother Runners? 
Email us at sexymotherrunner@yahoo.com. 
You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest!

Monday, May 21, 2012

Long Run This Weekend

The time is nearly upon me and I'm a roller coaster of emotions. My first half marathon is Saturday. Fred and I are running the Bayshore Half Marathon in Traverse City, MI.

I've been training both mentally and physically. Now that it's down to just a handful of days, my nerves are trying to get the best of me. Not going to happen though. I'm kind of stubborn that way. My inner bad-ass is smirking shamelessly at my inner anxiety.


In my mind, my inner bad-ass looks nothing like this little guy though.

In fact, I imagine something more along the lines of... Alice.



Yes, my inner bad-ass has a name and it's Alice. Alice wouldn't let a little something like 13.1 miles get in the way of, well, anything really. I mean, look at her for crying out loud. She would just reload and move along. 

So, that's what I'm going to do come Saturday morning. I've got my training, my Chocolate Outrage GU, and my inner Alice. Slowly but surely, I'm convincing myself that I've got this.

How do you prepare yourself mentally for a race? 
Are nerves an issue?

Peace, love, happiness!
~Bekah

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Sexy Mother Runner Featured Runner Friday: Meet Debbie


Every runner has a story. At Sexy Mother Runner, we believe that sharing those stories is a great way to share the gift of running 
while helping to motivate others.

Today's Featured Runner is my friend, Debbie. I met Debbie in college at WIU. We had a great time like all college students do! Debbie's story brought tears to my eyes. Debbie has always been a wonderful person, but running 
literally changed her life around in every aspect!
 You won't want to miss reading her story!

Meet Debbie:

Since today is opening day for the Cubs, I thought this would be a great time to celebrate and of course, tell my story. My story is not like any others on here. Actually, it was emotionally hard to type it up. I am honored I was even asked to be a featured runner because I have never really run a marathon except little 3K’s or 5K’s but, I have run many hurdles. My story goes something like this:

Seven years ago, life was not looking so good. My spirits were broken, physically, mentally, and literally. So many curve balls were thrown at me and each one of them hit me. I felt that I had no place to turn and no one really understood what I was seeking. Even my faith was being tested. I asked Him one day in church why my life sucked so badly and why couldn’t He just do something minor in my life to show me that there is some good in the world? I seemed to get no response from Him.

One day at work this woman came in with her daughter. After doing my ‘paid’ small talk she asked me if I wanted to do a run with her and her family for a good cause. I thought the running would surely ruin my alcohol intake and smoking habit so of course I declined. Seriously, do people just confront strangers and ask them to run? I guess so.  I never gave it a thought again…until she returned. Every week she and her daughter came into my job and she would insistently ask. I would insistently decline. Every Sunday I would ask God to show me the good in the world and asked that this woman stop asking me to run. Weeks had gone by and I finally broke down and agreed with the thought she would leave me alone.  That did not happen.  Once I realized she was expecting me to keep my word, I ran my first block. After that first block, I had to toss my cigarette. I had realized running and smoking don’t mix. I also realized I had only about 6 weeks to prepare for this charity run while I had no idea what to expect, I did it with resentment. I slowly quit sipping the wine, also (if you haven’t figured it out, my habits were more than habits). 

During my running, I ran into someone I had known for a long time just never got to really know. Luckily today, he is my fiance. We became immediate friends. I told him of this run I was expected to do and he encouraged me to keep running. Finally, someone was encouraging me to do something productive instead of putting me down. This woman also asked me to join her prayer group, too. I figured it couldn’t hurt and after the run she would leave me alone. I grew to love this group and the running. When the day of the run came, I was excited, nervous and completely broken inside still. I truly felt obligated to get this run over. I even asked a few friends to join me in my misery.  I ran a total of 21 miles, intermittently. The run I speak of is the St. Jude Macomb to Peoria Run. I raised quite a bit of money for St. Jude and felt good about what I was doing. I thought this was a nice way to distract myself from the bad things that were going on. People were telling me how awesome this was, but I had no idea. When we got into Bartonville, IL I began realizing this was no small charity run. This was serious. There were so many good people running to help save kid's lives. People were honking at us, throwing money at us and cheering us on. It started to hit me that there is some good in the world still. There were so many nice people. I had never in my life, felt so amazing. When we got into Peoria, we were shuffled around to shower and get dressed and line up, etc. I remember standing outside thinking I was going to die from the heat and exhaustion. I looked up to watch other runners come in and at that point I realized that there were so many more heartaches and heart broken families standing next to me, in front of me, all over….it was such an eye opener for me.  My problems became minor, almost obsolete. They made us run in silence and then we got to chant about how awesome we did and what good we did. While coming into the Civic Center and seeing all the families and signs of thanks, I realized God had put this crazy lady, Vickie Cox, into my life to show me the good that is out there.  As soon as I could find her, I told her she was sent from God to me. Thank God she made me run this. 


Today, I still run for St. Jude every year and every year it reminds me of just how lucky I am. It reminds me of just what God intended for me to do. Yes, I run a lot still. I run for charity, I run for me, and I run to keep my spirit up while I keep faith. I swore I would only run for charity events, because that is what God needed me to see. He needed me to see that what he handed me was just a curve ball and not an out. This year, I have agreed to my first marathon.  And yes, that friend of mine, my fiance, he showed up to support me when so many didn’t. In just six weeks, I gained my faith, I gained a friend, I found my Lobster (that’s what I call him), I found my St. Jude family and found my passion for running.  I
also quite smoking, quit drinking heavily, and started hitting those curve balls right back to center field.

Luckily, my kids have seen the amazing things this run can do and now my son runs…This is me, my son, and my best friend right after a segment we had run.

Below Left to Right:Cari, Danielle, Kristen, me and Amber. What an amazing day we had!

Of course, my Lobster, brought me a sweet tea after my run. 


What did you think of Debbie's inspiring story?


We wish all the St. Jude runners good luck 
this year and always!



Want to be a Featured Friday Runner for Sexy Mother Runner?
If so, email Bekah & Danyelle @ sexymotherunner@yahoo.com.
Inspire someone today!

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Talking about BS!!


Building Steam that is! What did you think I meant?! Hahaha!!!

This is a photo while "Steppin' Eleven" 
was on a training run together!
This year I have had the opportunity to be a volunteer group leader for the Building Steam program in Peoria, IL. Building Steam is an eleven-week program to help runners, potential runners, and walkers prepare for the Steamboat Classic 4 Mile Race that will be held on June 16, 2012. It is a program that puts participants of similar abilities together with motivated and understanding volunteer coaches. We have weekly open forum discussions regarding strength, stretching, safety, and helpful running products. If someone wants to talk about it, we do! The goal is that all participants finish the four miles of the Steamboat Classic successfully, make friends, and most importantly have fun!

We are indeed having fun while running. In my group we have approx 15-20 members. The numbers fluctuate at times as people move by their choice to different groups based on how they are feeling during their runs. One individual may have signed up for the 10 minute pace group based on their time trial run, but the next week may realize that they really are more comfortable at a 10:30 pace. I am one of the 6 leaders of the 11:00 min mile pace group. Our leaders are Elaine, Al, Bobby, Rita, and Larry. All of whom do a great job! This is the first time that we have all met, but I feel that I have already made lifelong friendships. That little Elaine who is in her 50’s (don’t kill me for disclosing your age Elaine) is a wonder! She is the tiniest little thing that does these crazy 50+ mile runs for three days! She inspires me! She has embraced fitness to it’s fullest and she always does it with a smile. Plus, Miss Rita's smile could light up a room when you see her. Ya know, that person that is genuinely excited to see you when you walk in the door?! Well, that's Rita and she is happy to see everyone. She's beautiful!




This the one and only Bob Michael Bridge
that our group crossed not once, but twice now!
Our group, “Steppin’ Eleven” has a variety of males and females in it. They vary in age from still in their teens to 60’s! I just love this! It proves that you are never too old or too young to start running! Two weeks ago I was the leader of a small portion of our group and I was absolutely inspired with their dedication and courage. As we were running I pointed up at the Bob Michael Bridge and I said, “Who wants to tackle that beast?” All of them said, “I do!”. That is exactly what they did, too! I was so proud. We kept our run 5 minutes walk 1 minute rule, but each of them went over that bridge and back! I was so impressed. I could see in their eyes how accomplished they felt. I am not sure if each of them knew how absolutely proud I was and over-joyed to do it with them! Last week the entire group tackled the bridge! It was awesome. I ran back with a woman who absolutely made my night! Her longest run was achieved that night. The run ended with hugs, tears, thankfulness and of course sweat! All great things! 

A wonderful gift of wheat grass from the
other  Building Steam 11 minute pace group!
For me running is extra special to share with someone. It is all about the relationships, the trials, the successes, the friendships, the bonds, and cheering someone else on. Nothing feels greater to me than helping someone else achieve their goal. Ya know the old saying “Want to be happy? Do something for someone else!”? Well, there is a reason that saying has been around so long! Look to the right we received a gift of wheat grass from the other Building Steam 11 minute pace group. How wonderful was that?!


Oftentimes after our runs we head out for dinner, drinks, and socializing! This is a picture of our group with a couple of other Building Steam groups at Kelleher’s after we tackled the Bob Michael bridge for the first time.  We chatted it up and even my husband and kids came. It was so nice to hang out with everyone.


So, thank you to “Steppin’ Eleven”, my fellow group leaders, IVS, and all of the Building Steam Groups for making every Wednesday night in April, May, and June something I look forward to! 

Cheers, 
Danyelle

The miracle isn't that I finished. 
The miracle is that
 I had the courage to start.
 ~John Bingham

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Giveaway Winner #2 And Today's Juice Recipe

We are at the halfway point, Day 15, for the 30 Day Fitness Challenge! I hope everyone is staying motivated and getting it done!  



The winner of the second Giveaway is:

KRISTEN GRUBE

Congratulations!!! 

Please email your mailing address to sexymotherrunner@yahoo.com

Keep up the hard work everyone! You are worth it!! 



This morning's juice tasted especially good. I mixed it up a bit and added a few new twists, mango and lemon.

4 Cups Baby Spinach
4 Stalks of Celery
5 Full Size Carrots
2 Small Zucchini
3 Small Green Apples
1 Pink Lady Apple
1/2 Lemon with Rind
1 Mango - Mangos have a hard center, I sliced the mango first and used only the softer slices.

This made 32oz of juice. My husband and I had 16 oz. each. The lemon gave it a really nice fresh quality and thanks to the apples and mango it wasn't tart. The mango was ripe and needed to be eaten so that is why I decided to add it into my juice this morning. It was fine but because it was so ripe, it produced a mush along with the juice. I've had this happen with over-ripe pears as well. If you juice them before they get really ripe they juice much better.

Peace, love, happiness!

~Bekah

Friday, May 11, 2012

Featured Runner Friday: Meet Heather!

 Every runner has a story. At Sexy Mother Runner, we believe that sharing those stories is a great way to share the gift of running while helping to motivate others.

Today's Featured Runner is Heather. If you are looking for motivation to lose some extra pounds, she's your gal! Heather started running to lose weight and get in shape. She didn't let any of the obstacles that life threw at her keep her from her goal. 

Meet Heather:

4 years ago (2009) I was selling cars and a single mom of two girls. I was a size 4, and weighed about 135 pounds. I was a smoker, and worked all the time. 


Fast-forward about 6 months, I had switched jobs, took a desk job at 40 hours a week, quit smoking, and was in a steady relationship and we bought a house. Sounds ideal right? Not really. The day we moved into the house I realized I couldn't fit into one of my favorite dresses, I couldn't even zip it up. I had nothing to wear, and was far from unpacked, but had my Grandparents 50th wedding anniversary party to go to within an hour. I was very upset to say the least. Believe it or not though, it still didn't quite hit me. 


Fast forward another 6 months, I was in the shower and was scrubbing my back, I realized I had developed back rolls. I figured that was a good time to weigh myself. I weighed in at 186 pounds. I had gained over 50 pounds within a year. I knew I had to do something to change. I was so out of shape I couldn't walk up my stairs without being out of breath. For someone who was always pretty active, and had never been over weight, this was hard. I was very depressed.


I was invited by a few girls I knew but didn't really know to try running. I hadn't ran since high school, and even then I wasn't a great runner, probably not even a good runner by most standards. I couldn't run half a mile at a pace most people walk faster than. I still tried that day. I even had to pull over driving home because I had dry heaves.... They invited me to come out again the next day. I begrudgingly got out of bed again at 5:00 in the morning ( I was and still am not a morning person) to go try to run again. I was so sore I couldn't believe it. So I met them, results were the same, but I was excited, the girls were talking about running a 5K. I had run/ walked 3 miles that day so I thought, hmm sounds interesting. So I signed up for one. 


Three days after my first attempt at running I was standing at the starting line of my first 5K. The gun went off, we started. It was late June, it was so hot, and there were HILLS!! What?!?! Hills? Where we run there aren't any hills? I didn't realize there were hills in 5Ks?!?!? I was determined to make it, I ran at my own pace, was passed by some walkers even, but I finished that first 5K in over 45 minutes. 


I continued to run that summer and ran 7 races. One 5 mile race, and 6 5Ks. I was passed by runners, I was passed by strollers, I was passed by young I was passed by older. BUT I finished every race I started, and got faster every time. Around winter I had basically stopped running, I ran Thanksgiving morning that year, but then didn't pick up my shoes again until March of last year (2011). I was engaged to be married, the weather was getting warm again, so I figured it was time.

I ran once or twice, but then my life changed drastically. My relationship had been sliding downward for quite some time. The date set for the wedding was quickly approaching and I was taking stock of my life and the choices I had made in it. I realized getting married to that man was not the right thing to do. We had not been happy for a long, long time. I called off the wedding, and through a very messy breakup, my two girls and I moved out of our first house, and into a little apartment. Through all of the stress of the changes in our lives, I had lost about 15 pounds. It took about 2 months for us to move out after I called off the wedding.

During this time, I started dating who I affectionately call my running coach, or my trainer. We now live together, with 4 girls, (three being pre teens and one is a 4 year old), I work part time for a local newspaper, and go to school for my associates in accounting full time. In the mean time, we coach basketball, and softball, and find time to run, and play softball. 


Since November, 2011, I have been running regularly, and am training for a half marathon. I currently average about 23-24 miles per week. I have officially as of 04/01/2012 lost over 50 pounds. I had to teach myself portion control and to eat breakfast. I used the My Fitness Pal app on my iPhone to track calories for about 90 days. Doing this I taught myself the correct amounts of food to eat, and every once in a while I still pull it out to check certain foods, and to make better choices, especially when eating out. Being busy can not be an excuse, even the busiest of people have to take time to take care of themselves. I have learned that. When I can I do yoga, and I love to go to Zumba when I can. But there is always a way to find time to run. I am far from perfect, I still love ice cream, especially soft ice cream, they know my name at ice cream shops in the area. And I certainly have my over eating days or terrible food days once in a while. We need those, well, I need those.
As of now, I have improved my 5K time from my very first 5K to my most recent, by over 17 minutes. I have improved my 5 mile time by over 21 minutes. 



I have a long way to go with my running still, but it's my me time, it's my motivation time, and it's my sanity time. I have an amazing support group in my family, my children and the love of my life. He is an amazing runner, and helps to keep me going when I hurt and don't want to. 
So I plan to continue to grow as a person and as a runner. 


The most important thing I've learned with my weight loss, is that one day of bad eating won't ruin you, that's not the time to give up, not even two days.


Keep trying, every day there is room for improvement. When you see no change on the scale or weight gains on the scale and you KNOW you have been doing everything the "right" way, don't get discouraged. There were plenty of times I would see increases on the scale, or I would go months without a weight loss. My body took it's time to shed the pounds, but now that I've gone from a 12/14 to a size 4/6 I see the difference. I could feel my clothes fitting differently before I saw the results on the scale. Don't let the scale get you down, but do keep a watchful eye on our body and your weight so as not to wake up 50 pounds heavier a year later. 


Heather Before Her Weight Loss





Heather Now



Heather ran her first half marathon on April 22nd!!! Congratulations, Heather! Look how far you've come... awesome!



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