Coach Jen B

Hey there.  Just stopping by to make a really quick announcement.  A huge congratulations goes out to Jamie at Couch to Ironwoman .  Have you been to her blog?  She's so sweet and is doing the Clean Food Challenge right now, just like Jill and Stacy.  She is lucky enough to run with her husband all of the time too.  I am very jealous of that.  What's even cooler is that she went to high school with one of my real-life friends!  Jamie - could you please email me with your shoe size and mailing address?

Today is my birthday.  I know I've been celebrating this day like mad since last Friday, but I have continued the celebrating through today. I started off my day with a visit to Starbucks.   One of the awesome benefits of being a gold card member is that I get a free drink on my birthday.  The card actually came last week sometime, but I held strong and waited until today to use it.  I also received a free Starbucks Perfect Oatmeal as well.  Of course I saved that one as well and used both this morning.   A fabulous way to start off the day.   Mocha Frappucino Light.  Yum!  I sucked this down so fast but not as fast as the oatmeal I scarfed down!   Then one of the fine ladies I share my classroom with came in with a Chocolate Raspberry Torte from Wild Oats bakery.  Oh my.  Such a decadent dessert.  Of course I had to take pictures of this little piece of heaven and send it to my sister-in-law, Jill, and friend, Sta...

I was recently given the opportunity to review three cereals from the Uncle Sam Line from Attune Foods .  I was immediately drawn to the slogan "Simple Ingredients.  Simply Made."    When I look for cereals, I try my best to find something that the family will eat and is good for them.  To be honest, sometimes that task is quite difficult.  With these cereals, I am confident that my family is eating a very healthy breakfast or snack.   Another big bonus was the Non GMO Project Verified Stamp on the side as well.  Definitely have to love a company with this kind of stamp of approval.   In all honesty, I'm not a cereal kind of girl.  Most of the cereals out there just don't cut it for me.  But the Uncle Sam Strawberry cereal was simply delicious.  I enjoyed it with my almond milk. And with my Chobani.   Even Izzy loved it as a snack.   Ward and Tucker were drawn to to the Honey Almond cereal.  Sorry...

Yesterday morning, I woke up to a couple of inches of snow.  Rather than wait a little for the plows to go through, I put on my yaktrax put the Halti on Pepper and took off for an easy 5 miler. A fresh snowfall always looks pretty. But this was not pretty.  While running with Pepper is great for both of us, it's also incredibly messy.  I truly had dirt splattered all the way up to my chest.   And as promised, a picture of me with the incredible yaktrax.   Last night, the Rail Trail Chicks had a night out on the town in Hallowell.  We went to Slates.  One of my favorite places to eat for sure.  It's extra nice going there with the girls and we get to wear real clothes and we're actually showered.   Jill, Kim, Jess, Stacy, Carrie and myself I mentioned on yesterday's post that I had some money to spend on new running shoes.  I've been slightly obsessed lately with what shoes should I get.  I really wanted girlier shoe...

Why do vacations always fly by so fast?  It's very sad that the vacation week is coming to an end.  So let's just move onto bigger and better things (breaks) like - 7 more weeks until April Break and 16 more weeks until Summer Break!  I am worse than the students.   How did I spend my week off from school?   It was really a laid back kind of week.  Tucker had quite a few sleep overs, we did some shopping, Ward and I worked on sanding and painting our bedroom and the ceilings in our bedroom and kitchen.   Stacy and I tried out Crossfit . I also did a lot of running this week.  Yes, I do run every week.  But this vacation weeks are extra nice because the running happens mid-day in sunlight!   I was featured on Another Mother Runner .  That was my rockstar day.   I bought myself an early birthday present.  I absolutely love these socks.  I have decided that these socks will be my official racing socks for ...

I was given the opportunity to review the Vega Sport .  I had been reading so much about Vega in the blog world and couldn’t wait to try out what Vega had to offer.  Vega was developed by Brandon Brasier, professional Ironman triathlete.  He is also a best-selling author of plant-based nutrition. The Vega Sport performance system is 100% plant-based, free from dairy, gluten and soy.  It does not contain any artificial flavors, colors, or sweeteners.  Perfect for my Clean Food Challenge peeps out there. Vega offers a comprehensive 3 stage system when it comes before, during, and after training. Actually, Vega breaks it down like this.   Prepare:  Pre-Workout Energizer flavors available: lemon lime and acai berry S ustain:    Electrolyte Hydrator,   Endurance Gel,   Endurance Bar     Electrolyte Hydrator Flavors: Lemon Lime and Pom-Berry. Endurance Gel Flavors: Raspberry, Orange Zest. Enduranc...

If you have been a reader of mine, then you know I live in Maine and you know I run outside all winter long.  To get me through the Maine winters, I do need a little help from some gear to get me through.  One of my favorite pieces of gear is the Yaktrax.  Last year, I bought myself a pair and immediately loved the way they added traction to my run.  The only downside to the Yaktrax I had was that they did pop off at times and I had to go back and get them.  Thank goodness I bought the black ones and they are very easy to spot in the snow.   When I given the opportunity to review the Yaktrax Pros, I was so excited because they have one extra feature that I knew I needed: a Velcro strap across top of the foot.  This addition is genius.   fresh out of the box I received my Yaktrax in late January and have been waiting to try them out since then.  I was feeling quite confident that I would get the chance to wear them for a r...

Stacy and I ventured out (of our comfort range) on Monday to try out crossfit.  Our friend, Karen, is a crossfit queen and has been trying to get Stacy to come to a class for some time now.  Since it’s February vacation week and yoga was cancelled for Monday night, we had a free night.  So crossfit it was.  At first I was very excited.  I couldn’t wait to see what crossfit was all about.  I’ve been reading plenty of blogs about crossfit exercises and have been pinning work outs left and right.   I’ve even tried to follow some crossfit videos on youtube.  The problem is that doing things at home, with a 3 year old who wants to “help” isn’t always great when I’m trying something new.   I even shaved my legs for class.  It's winter, and I have not been wearing shorts at all, so I have been quite sporadic about shaving.  Knowing that the class was inside and knowing I was going to sweat, I was very excited to wear some shor...

Four empty Larabar wrappers. I think that says it all.  I could not get enough of these. The LARABAR is truly energy in it’s purest form.  LARABARS are: -        gluten free -        dairy free -        soy free -        non-gmo -        vegan -        kosher -        no added sweeteners or sugars* -        Fair Trade Certified cocoa and coffee -        No added sulfites -        No preservatives *Does not include the Chocolate Chip varieties. Chocolate chip flavors are made with a simple, 4-ingredient chocolate chip that consists of Fair Trade Certified™ chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter and vanilla. While no dairy is used to make our chocolate chips, they are made on a line t...