Coach Jen B

I am seriously in love with happy , fun races .  I am especially LOVING races that I can do with my kids and friends. When I saw the Color Run advertised for Portland, Maine earlier this spring, I really wanted to do it.  But I knew my race schedule was already packed for July, so I didn't.   After reading about some many bloggers experiences doing this race, I now regret it.  And nobody wants to regret not doing a race, ever!   I really wish the Color Run was coming back to Maine soon, but I guess I am going to have to wait until next July!  I'm a patient girl (sometimes).   Why wouldn't I want to do the Happiest 5k on the Planet ?  This unique paint race celebrates healthiness , happiness , individuality , and giving back to the community .   The Color Run is not about your fastest 5k.  It's an untimed run that focuses on the fun.  Then when you get to the finish line, there's a gigantic "Color Festival" usi...

 A few weeks ago, I received the sweetest package in the mail from The Silver Maple . Diana and I had been in contact regarding personalization ideas.  After I gave her some ideas, Diana put her creative skills to work and created a necklace made especially for me.  A necklace that I will cherish for a very long time. First impressions say a lot.  The packaging for my new necklace was simple and adorable.  And the personalized, handwritten card was so sweet!  Let's just say I was already impressed before I set my eyes on the gorgeous new piece of jewelry made especially for me. This necklace symbolizes three major accomplishments in my life - first and foremost, my children.   Then there's the 26.2.  Taking the leap to do a marathon, well, three actually, required a lot of time, strength, and support from my entire family. Simply stated, The Silver Maple has gorgeous jewelry options, all personalized and handcrafted.  They ...

As you know, I love running with my kids.  And I love it even more that they really enjoy running with me.   Katherine is a running mom, like many of us.  And her daughter joined her for their first run together on July 18, 2012.  After recapping the story to her daughter at bedtime, she knew the story had to become a book.  And here it is.  A beautiful story about a daughter joining her mom on a run for the first time: My Favorite Run . I first came across My Favorite Run when Katherine was raising funds through Kickstarter.  She successfully raised the funds to make her inspirational story into a published reality that many parents can share with their little ones.    I was one of Katherine's backers and couldn't wait to receive my copy of My Favorite Run in the mail earlier this month.  Immediately, Izzy grabbed the book, grabbed my hand, and off we went to the couch for story time.  This book immediately jumped to ...

Last weekend I set out for my longest run since all of my injuries started.  My goal was to run for an hour and to see where that got me.  I was hoping it would get me at least 6.2 miles for my Home Run 10k with Jost Virtual Racing , but if it didn't, then I would definitely try again.   Unfortunately, I waited a bit too long to start out on my run, so when I finally started running it was HOT! I love running at the camp because those side roads provide me with some nice, tranquil scenery while running past a few ponds.  I took the run nice and easy.  Near the end of the run, I couldn't wait to get back there, head straight down to the deck, do some yoga then jump in the water.  Then of course, just sit back and relax the rest of the day.  I'd call that perfect! And guess what?  My medal came yesterday!   It's a really cool medal.  Heavy and great quality.  A perfect addition to my medal collection!!!!  I love it. ...

Friday afternoon the kids and I headed down to Brunswick to pick up our Color Me Rad packets.  We quickly got our bib numbers and shirts and were on our way.   The crew at packet pick up was incredibly nice and efficient!   Before heading home, we stopped by the craft store and picked up some white t-shirts and puffy paint so we could make our race shirts.    The kids love their personalized shirts!  Now I need to head out of the store today to get some spray with hopes to preserve the color bombs on the shirts - as they are both in love with their colorful shirts. We left bright and early Saturday morning and ready for a great day at Color Me Rad with our new, cool glasses!   I opted to cover the jogger with a white sheet and fun color splat duct tape.  Not to protect the jogger - I'm not worried about it.  It's red and the color bombs would easily wash off.  But to get more color on it!  But what I di...

Congrats to the six winners of the Designer Whey Sustained Energy!   Please email me by Monday, noon.  If I do not hear from you, I'll choose another winner(s). My email is runningwiththegirls  at gmail.com.   You can also take this survey for Designer Whey and receive $10 off anything purchased from their online store .  

Technology has definitely made my life a lot more efficient.  Some may even say I'm addicted to technology.  I'm going to take that as a good thing! Staying Connected Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Email, and texting are all pretty darn awesome at staying connected with the various people in my life.  Especially since every time I pick up the phone to call anyone, my kids all of a sudden decide they need to scream, cry, or just act completely insane.   It's pretty awesome to be able to post a picture out on a run!   Fitness I track my runs through Runtastic , then track my workouts onto Daily Mile through the Electric Miles app .  I even have the Yoga Studio app on my phone that I use a few times a week.  Plus, if my phone is with me, my music is with me!  I also enjoy doing challenging through Instagram - it's a great way to keep myself motivated. In addition to the accountability factor, I love the safety factor of having my...

Disclaimer:  I was provided two Designer Whey canisters to review as part of my affiliation with FitFluential.  As always, all opinions expressed on my blog are 100% my own.   I love smoothies!  I enjoy putting a bunch of delicious ingredients into my blender, blending away, and tasting the sweet rewards of my experiment.  Having an excellent protein powder to add into the mix only makes my smoothies better in terms of taste and a punch of healthy.   Smoothies are incredibly easy to make in the morning and just bring along with me, where I happen to be going for the day - work, shopping, garden, or just to the deck to enjoy my lovely summer.  I especially had a lot of fun making some fun smoothies with Designer Whey Sustained Energy Protein Powder.   The first smoothie I decided to make was a Cherry Vanilla Protein Smoothie.  I had a little bit of my cherry juice left over, so I added it to my almond milk and Vanilla Bean ...

Since I've been given the okay to run again, it's been like a heavy dark cloud was lifted.  Now, granted, I was making the best of not-so-fun situation by focusing on doing lots of strength workouts.  It just wasn't the same. 4 miles at camp in my Spandits Now that I'm back to running, I've promised myself and coach Ward, that I won't overdo it.   While I'd love nothing more than to run every single day, I know my body (knee and foot to be exact) would be pissed.  So instead, I'm taking it easy and just running for the fun of it and enjoying it.  I don't really have a set plan.  Nor do I really care about a plan.  I have races lined up, but I'm not looking for any PRs or anything with them.  I'm really just looking to enjoy myself once again and not be driven by a plan like it's work or something. I won!   At some point, I know this will change.  I'll get this goal set in my head, like a PR or a new race dis...

I love races!  It's like the big hurrah for something I've been training for.  I put in the miles, now I want to see the results! But sometimes, running a race means big money.  Sometimes there's travel time, hotel stay, dining.   Sometimes even child care expenses.  Now that can get super pricey!  And what if you get injured beforehand?  Then you lose out on all that money.  Frustrating! I have enough going on in my life right now that I don't really need all of that hassle.  I want a race on my time.   Something I can fit into my schedule and something I can even bring the kids with me if I want .  Tucker can ride his bike beside me and cheer me on and Izzy can ride along in the jogger.  They may even run a few miles with me.  Who knows.   I love that flexibility!   I am not saying I'm against organized races.  Heck, I'm even helping to organize a local one in October.  I'm just wanting to rac...