Coach Jen B

I am obsessed with running shoes.  Hmmm...shocker.  I know.  It's really the first thing I notice about runners.  Their shoes.  Next....since they are attached to the shoes....legs.  Specifically the muscles.   Like RunEmz's legs.  Awesome.  If you don't follow this rockstar on instagram , you are missing out.   (I want her abs too by the way) I've also been quite inspired and impressed with Jody , who at the age of 56, is a freaking power house and her legs look amazing.  I've been slow to come around to this, but I'm getting there.  I want powerful looking legs.   I want more definition.  So..... I'm going to do something about it.  I AM doing something about it.   not really revealing of my progress.....next time I'll wear shorts! I started focusing more, consistently, about 2 weeks.  Doing lunges and squats, as I have been doing, on top of leg curls and leg presses at the gym.   Then yesterday morning, completely out of the blue,

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial. Among my handful of supplements I have been taking daily, iron is one of them.  I never had a problem with low iron until I was pregnant with Izzy.  And since then, I've had troubles with anemia. Now I am much better at knowing the signs when my body is heading towards anemia.....low energy, headaches, dizziness.  That's usually when I forget to take my iron pill (or run out!) for a couple of days.  When I take that pill, I have zero issues.  But, truth be told, taking another pill isn't always my favorite.  I could eat a more iron rich diet, but that doesn't always happen and doesn't seem to be enough. Then I came across an opportunity to try a liquid form of iron - pur-Absorb . What I like about our-absorb is that it's in a liquid form and I just add it to a little bit of orange juice or any other juice, and I'm done! I did read that there is a bit of a iron taste if

I ended 2012 on a high note.  I ran 1600 miles and had some pretty awesome PRs.  2013 started off rather strong.  I had quite a few great months in the beginning.   I even ran a 200+ mile month!   December is actually now 96!!!   I ran my 3rd marathon and had a pretty fantastic PR.   Izzy completed her first ever fun run!   And Tucker took off like a rocket!   I completed my first Dirty Girl with my bff.   And then I injured myself.  It was series of issues that probably all stemmed back to overtraining.  I hit my foot on a rock while trying stand up paddle boarding.  Because I was training for GCI, I continued to run on it.  Which lead to some major arch pain and then a morton's neuroma.  A trip to a sports trainer who hooked me up with a great analysis of my foot and made me a quick insole, several visits to the physical therapist and chiropractor and I felt like I was on my way to run my first ever ultra.  Then, 3 days prior to

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas!  Thanks to the ice storm we are on day three without electricity.  We are thankful for our time together as a family.   Thankful for our wood stove.   Hoping you are all having a great holiday!

Happy Monday everyone!  2 more days until Christmas.   Are you ready?    All I have left to do is some wrapping and a last minute trip for Ward's stocking stuffers.   Do you do stockings?  What do you put in your husband/significant others?  I'm putting some running sleeves and then I'll head to Rite Aid and get some cheesy things like a toothbrush, floss, deodorant, and such.    But that's all I have left to do.   I have some exciting news.  I've been asked to be an ambassador for Core Power .  Core Power has been named the "Official Protein drink of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games".   You are excited for the Olympics, right? I, myself, cannot wait!!!   Everyone needs protein.  Even Olympians! Core Power is made with natural whey and casein proteins found in milk, never removed from their original state.  What I'm impressed with is that these protein drinks are made with simple ingredients and do not have a chalky taste

I've been quite lucky to have the opportunity to review the past couple of Bestowed boxes and each month the selection gets even better.  This month Bestowed focused on featuring brands that give back to the community.   Now.....what was in my box?   A great selection of YUM!   Please note, I have to open this box in private and take quick pictures before the vultures (aka my family) find the box and start eating MY goodies!   They are very lucky I like  love them.  Very.    I've already sampled the I Heart Keenwah, Baked Fries, and Kind bar.  I couldn't post without at least trying some of the goodies!   Snikiddy Baked Cheddar Cheese Fries I only snagged a couple of these before Ward took off with them.  He runs much faster than I do, so I didn't bother chasing after him.  I'm so glad I did.  These are amazing!!!  I now need to order more.  I am positive the kids are going to love them! And 50% less fat than potato chips, gluten free

Yuck!  Right now we're in the middle of an Ice Storm.  Personally, I'd rather have feet of snow than dealing with this.  Not much I can really do about it and it's not the end of the world.  All I can do is be safe, keep my family safe, and be prepared.   So, let's see.... if and when we lose power, we're ready.   I made a huge pot of ham and potato chowder yesterday and cooked it on the wood stove.   I filled 5, 5 gallon buckets with water and have them sitting by the toilets.  We have a private well, so no electricity means no running water.  It might be overkill, but I'm ready!   I have 3 gallons of water that I always have on hand for emergencies.  Then I bought 4 more gallons & then went on to fill every single water bottle we have in the house.  At least we'll have plenty of water!   And we have the wood stove to keep us warm.   More rain is coming and the temps are going to drop even more...we're at 28F right now.  O

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial. The other day I wrote about Omega-3's and how important they are for you. Omega Infusion "Shots" offer a great alternative for those who do not like to take pills or fish oil.   The kids actually loved these shots of Omega-3s so much more than they like taking their gummy versions.   They are just a small shot of Omega-3's in liquid form.  The flavors I was sent were:  peach mango and pink grapefruit. The little bottles make it quite easy to just open and drink your omega-3s whether you are at home or on the go.   This makes it so easy to never forget your Omega-3s!   I personally tucked a couple in my school bag so I wouldn't be without my Omega-3s for the day if I happened to forget my morning pill before heading off to school. You can purchase you own Omega Infusion "Shots" here .  Or you can enter to win your own sample of these great shots! Would you like your chance

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial. In the past couple of months, I've been really consistent in taking fish oil supplements daily.  It really all started when I did the Grain Brain Challenge in November.  Prior to the challenge, my head was feeling rather cloudy or cluttered and I was having a hard time focusing on paperwork at school and managing family life.  To describe this feeling as overwhelmed is an understatement. I was sinking and I was sinking fast.  However, I started taking the fish oil supplements in within a couple of weeks, I started noticing that my ability to focus on these tasks were improving, drastically. I've been taking 1000 mg of Omega-3's every single day for the past 7 weeks and more specifically, Wiley's Fish Oil for the past 4 weeks.  Honestly, I've never felt more focused.  However, feeling focused isn't the only benefit of taking Omega-3s.   Taking Omega-3's can: - reduce inflammation th

I know it's technically not winter yet, but the weather is sure here!  Actually it feels more like brutal January running.  I've been doing a lot more running on the treadmill because I'm really not digging the bitter cold.   Saturday I toughed out 10 miles on the treadmill.   Some people think treadmill running is cheating, but man oh man, I think it's tougher, mentally, at least.  And thankfully my sister-in-law was only two treadmills down from me for 6.84 miles of my run.  So I talked her ear off the entire time.  She was probably sick of me.  But it helped the time go by.  When she left, I put in my Koss Fitbuds and cranked out the last few miles.   And what makes that 10 miles even better is that I ran it in 1:26, at an easy pace and was pain free.  My goal for the Mid Winter Classic 10 miler is to run it at a sub 1:19.  Which means, I have a little less than 2 months to get in some speed work.  Speedwork is on!   On Sunday, New England was pumm

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial. Lately it seems like it's always go time. Prepping meals for the family during the weekend are turning into a must-do. Plus, I need to have quick meals for Ward to grab and take to work as well, or his dining out bills gets to be rather outrageous. Even if he does a budget lunch of of $6, multiply that by 5 and we're definitely going over our food budget. I don't have a set budget, but that extra $30 has to come from somewhere! I've been trying my best to find common ingredient meals that can be used in a variety of dishes throughout the week. This past weekend I made a rather large batch of spaghetti sauce with ground beef and ground pork. I poured half of it into a large container that I was going to use as sauce for spaghetti, cheesy/beefy skillet, and pizza. The other half became chili by just adding in black beans, kidney beans and chili powder. Then put that in a container. Then I made

Last night Jill and I tried our first ever Spin class at Kennebec Valley Coaching.  We were both a little nervous.  We had never done this before.  We had no idea what to expect.    Heck, I have never been on a spinning bike before either!  I need a lot of assistance to get it set up perfect for me.  Thankfully Trisha, our instructor, is a fabulous gal, and walked us through the set up and was incredibly sweet about it.   However, her sweetness didn't last long.  Sorry Trisha.  You kicked my butt!  We started off the class with a warm up, then started with sprints and recoveries.  She then had us hovering and standing.  I looked over at the clock and saw that only 15 minutes had passed.  Holy, crap.  I didn't think I was going to survive. Then more speed.  Oh my word!  Oh and more hovering and standing.   OUCH!  Then finally we moved into the cool down.  Finally!   And when it was all done, I felt like I had just been put through a kicktastic workout and I

First I'm going to start out with a little random picture….. Yesterday I felt like wearing my wool peacoat to school.  Apparently I haven't worn it for 3 years, because I found these items in the pocket.  Darn no money!  BUT, I know it's been at least 3 years because we made Izzy give up the pacifier at age 2 and she'll be 5 next month!!!  And that bracelet?  I'm so happy I found it!  My aunt gave it to me after mom passed away from cancer.  I thought it was gone forever.   I have been spending a bit on treadmills lately mostly because of my schedule and Ward's schedules.  The kids have been spending a lot of time in gyms/my classroom as well.  Thankfully they are easily entertained.  Sunday I gave them my phone and let them hang out in my classroom while I ran on the treadmill in the fitness center down the hall.  When I came back, I saw this video they made and that they had already sent to Ward!   Last night, I ventured to the fitn