Coach Jen B

My legs have been feeling heavy lately.  My ITB hates me.  So do my calves.  Oh and the arch of my foot has started to ache.  I'm falling apart.  Not really.  But it feels like it.  Maybe I'm being overdramatic.  Just a little.     In addition, I feel like I've lost all speed in my legs.  I wasn't super speedy before, but I definitely feel like I've lost progress in the speed department. But I've got to ask myself - is speed really important to me?  Is that the only reason why I run?  Hell no!  I am running to ease my anxiety, I am running because it makes me smile.  I am running for my health and to be a positive role model for my kids. I am training for my first 50k which will be happening in 29 days if I'm ready or not.  My plan is to be ready for it.  And I'm going to stick to that plan.  I'm not going for speed at all on this one.  I'm just going for the experience of my first 50k,...

I am a girl stuck in the 80's.  Sometimes I find myself singing random 80's Hairband songs. Trying out this drink brought this song to my head immediately. Of course I know the song isn't really about cherry pies, but the song is catching as hell!   When I was growing up in Pennsylvania, we had a cherry tree and I used to love going down to pick cherries.   Those cherries never made it into the house.  I do remember that!   Now when we visit family in Pennsylvania, my kids enjoy heading over to the cherry tree and picking cherries.  They haven't fallen in love with the cherries, yet.  But I know in time, they will love them!   I know, I just used this one yesterday, but it is incredibly fitting So when  Cheribundi sent me a sampler case of their tart cherry juices, I was quite excited!   In my sampler case I had - Relax, Restore, Rebuild, Light and Original flavors. A few facts about Cheri...

This past week, we took a quick little vacation to Pennsylvania to visit family.  We always stay with my aunt and uncle and have tons of fun. It was a long drive down.  But I'm not complaining, since Ward did a majority of the driving.  And I may have been distracted by facebook and instagram and we may have missed our exit, which resulted in a slightly longer trip.  However, the route we took was a far better drive than going through Hartford, CT.  Which really bites the big one. What exit?   Thankfully we aren't really crazy when it comes to getting to PA in record time or anything.  We do make a few stops on the way.  Especially potty trips or sometimes when the view is absolutely gorgeous.  Or even just to stretch. NY Rest Stop Yoga Since it was in the 90's, with quite a bit of humidity, we did a ton of this. And I drank some of this.  It is a childhood favorite of mine and it only tastes right in the carton...

If you haven't heard yet, Diet-to-Go is hosting an outrageous sweepstakes on Facebook until June 30.  If you haven't entered yet, stop what you are doing and go enter now!  If you are a lucky winner, you will not regret it!    I am one of Diet-to-Go's ambassadors and I  received a great selection of meals to try out.   Remember this box?  I sure do!    It was packed with all of this delicious food.  I had to fend away the husband.  He wanted to eat my goodies.  I was torn if I was going to share but I ended up sharing because I kind of felt bad.    Breakfast Meals: Mango Cranberry Muffin Noodle Kugel Blueberry Pancakes with Turkey Sausage Fruit Ambrosia  Ratatouille Omelet Lunch Meals:  Curry Chicken Salad Chicken Alfredo Melt Tuna Meltovers Turkey Ham Salad Szechuan Turkey Burger Dinner Meals: Lobster and Veggie Ravioli Italian meatball On Fettucin...

I've been at a Math and Science Conference for the past three days.   We're at a gorgeous facility with breathtaking views.  The only issue is that our schedules have been jam-packed with workshops and sessions, lasting until 6 or 8 pm.  For an active person like me, sitting in chairs for 10 to 12 hours has been absolute torture.  While I am getting something out of the conference, I have found myself sitting here obsessing about running, where I'm going to run and how long I am going to run. Lucky for me, I happened to find myself sitting next to a wonderful young woman at one of my conferences.  Like how all of my conversations go when meeting people, running came up.  I was beyond excited to learn that she is a runner too! Immediately we began looking at our schedule trying to figure out when we could fit in our run.  We found a small hole in the schedule, ran back to our cabins, changed, and took off. Our first run on Tuesday, we took on...

Wishing all father's out there the best father's day ever!  Especially to my own dad and husband.  Those two men are the best I know! But I know why you are really reading tonight - to see if you won!  Congratulations to Amanda and Run To The Finish!  You are the winner for the Oral B Deep Sweet Triaction.  Mine came on Friday after I posted, and it is amazing!  I hope you like it too!  I'm sending you an email !  

With Father's Day just around the corner, I find it fitting to post about my dad.  He is an amazing man.  He's overcome quite a bit in the past 7 years.   Within a week of each other, his mother and wife passed away.  What could have broken him only made him stronger.  This man rose from the devastation and has found a new outlook on life - running. This past January, when Gary Allen made his 700+ mile run from the top of Cadillac Mountain to Washington, DC, my dad ran with him for a portion on the back roads of Freeport.   I haven't run with him, yet.   But I will be at his first race to cheer him on, support him and take tons of pictures on July 4th at the LL Bean 10k.   I am proud of my dad.  He is a true inspiration to me and proof that it is never too late to start running!   Seeing my dad smile again warms my heart more than words can describe.   I love you, dad.  Happy Father's Day!   ...

Ahhhh....summer break is HERE! 10.5 weeks of absolute bliss:  lots of time with the kids, husband, running, beach.  The only downside for me is that when I'm home, I have a tendency to frequent the refrigerator and pantry, a lot.   Because I have more time to prepare my meals and more time to eat, I usually eat more.  Which is why I am more than excited that I received this today: Talk about perfect timing!   As a Diet-to-Go Ambassador , I am excited to announce that as part of their Summer Shape Up campaign, Diet-to-Go is hosting a bunch of great giveaways and promotions.  This gives you the chance to win free meals, gift cards, a FitBit Flex Wristband or even a gift card or cash! Diet-to-Go Facebook Sweepstakes  First go to Diet to Go's Facebook page and "like" them.  Then enter the sweepstakes here .  There will be one grand prize winner to win an entire month of free meals from Diet-to-Go and 5 runner up winners w...

Last Friday I made the trip to my monthly chiropractor appointment.  Usually when Dr. Jen asks me how I'm doing, my response is "great!"  But this time, I said "not good, I hurt.  I went on to explain where I hurt."  She just looked me and shook her head. She went about doing her business with my adjustment and then got to my legs.  She said "are you rolling?"  I admitted I hadn't.  Ooops.  I knew it.  I know better.  I just got lazy.  She did her magic, told me to roll and take it easy, and to come back in a week. I went home and immediately began rolling.  I rolled for about 45 minutes.  It hurt so much, but I felt fabulous afterwards. I rolled everything I could: - back - glutes - hamstrings - inner thighs - quads - calves - inner calves The entire time I kept singing to myself "rolling with my foamie" - mostly because I'm a dork, but because it made me smile thinking about Terry, my yoga instructor, duri...

As promised, I'm here to announce the winner of my 6dollarbands giveaway. I think it was meant to be, Marcia!  Congratulations!!!! Email me at runningwiththegirls at gmail dot com with your address so I can get your headband out to you as soon as possible! Now onto another fun giveaway!  The folks over at TheSilverMaple.com have graciously offered a $100 gift card giveaway to one lucky winner.  They make personalized, handcrafted jewelry that would make an incredible gift or to keep for yourself! If I had my choice, I'd have to choose this race bracelet: Entry -Form Disclaimer:  I was contacted by SilverMaple to share the giveaway with my readers.  I was not offered compensation of any kind.  

There you have it.   I eat when I’m stressed.   A lot.  Mostly chips.  I am lacking the shut off valve when it comes to them.  If I have an extra large bag of chips, I will mindlessly eat the entire bag.      Add that to the fact that I’m not running a lot lately and you’ll see that it’s not a good combination. I’ve gained weight. My clothes don’t fit the way I want them to, which makes me grouchy .   I need a change.   A major change.     What’s a girl to do?   First and foremost, I am going to journal what I eat beginning TODAY!   That was the best way for me to keep track of what I put in my mouth.   I’m not going to get any fancy apps to track what I eat either.   I’m going to do it with an old fashioned paper and pencil, in a notebook.     This is going to hold me accountable.     I am also going to eat clean .   I have a grea...

Have you claimed your National Running Day badge ?   I do enjoy a national day dedicated to a sport that I love.  I really do, but it does seem a little silly to dedicate only one day to running - because to me, everyday is a running day. Well, except for me, right now.  I on the other hand will not be running today.  I'm injured.  Boo! I'm not sure what's going on, but I do know the area just below my knee, to the inside hurts.  At random times, I'll get a sharp, shooting pain, but most of the time, it's just sore to touch and achy.  I'm resting right now, wearing Ward's Tommie Copper knee sleeve, icing, and stretching. I want to run.  I want to run so badly.  I'm 8 weeks away from the GCI 50K and I want so badly to do this race, especially since it's the last year this race will take place.  Fingers crossed this isn't major.  Depending on how I feel, I'll try to go out for short run tomorrow and I have a chiroprac...