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Breathe Easy. It's really that Easy.

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Disclaimer: I have partnered with Breathe Easy Maine.  All opinions expressed in my post are my own.    Several years ago, well, 12 years, 6 months and 8 days ago, my life changed forever and left a gaping whole in my heart. My mom died from small cell lung cancer. The type of cancer one gets from years of smoking and damaging their body. As a child, I feared that day would come.  I hated thinking about it... losing my mom to smoking. I would push those thoughts down way deep with hopes that my greatest fears would never come true. Only 3 months before my mom died. Then it came, September 15th. My dad called me at work to let me know that they had been to a doctor and that the pneumonia the doctors thought she had was actually lung cancer.  The doctor had given her three to six months to live.  In actuality, she died less than a month after diagnosis. My mom and dad welcoming the only grandchild she would meet. Smoking tore apart my family. It stole my mom, my so
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It's a Wonderful Time of the Year

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I received the following products through my affiliation with prAna. I was not required to post a positive review.  As always all opinions expressed on my blog are 100% my own.   Another summer gone and the start of year 18 in teaching.  As I grow older, I find I am having a hard time finding what is professional attire for school without making me feel frumpy.   I'm no longer a "spring chicken" but I'm definitely not near  retirement  either.  I'm somewhere in between.   What I wear is important to me because I need to feel confident and comfortable in what I  choose to wear. Knowing that the clothing I choose to wear is made from sustainable materials is most definitely a confidence booster.   If I feel good in what I wear, I am definitely feel like I look good.   I think one of the things people think about hemp clothing is that it's rough.  That is far from the truth.  My prAna clothing that is made from hemp are s
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(re) Learning How to Manage My Anxiety

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I received the following products through my affiliation with Quick Silver Scientific. I was not required to post a positive review.  As always all opinions expressed on my blog are 100% my own.   It's no secret.   Anxiety consumes me.   At times I'm pretty good at putting on the mask to fool everyone into thinking that I'm doing well, but at the same time, I'm having internal meltdowns. Running saved me.  And running was enough for a long time.  Then some other issues came along in my life and running wasn't enough.  I wanted to find some kind of supplement that could hopefully help ease my anxiety.   I came across an opportunity to try out Quick Silver Scientific and I jumped on it.   There were a variety of packages to choose from, and all felt appropriate for my life, but the one that I felt I needed the most was the stress management/relaxation package.   This package contained:  * Liposomal Ultra-Vitamin * H2 Elite * Colorado Hemp Oil
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July Recap

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Every year we get to July 31st and I sit here and wonder where the hell did summer go?  In less than 2 weeks preseason begins for fall sports.  For my family that means double sessions of soccer for Tucker and 1 session for me with coaching cross country.     This month I only raced 1 time.  I had signed up for the Bradbury Series in April.  It's been on my bucket list for a long time because after you complete all three races (And I will complete them.  Even if I have to crawl to complete them) you get a Badass Hoodie.  It's seriously all about the hoodie.   Well, the people behind the race are freaking awesome too.  And I did love racing on the trails for the snowshoe series, so of course I would love racing on the trails without snow. I didn't have anything to base my performance on which means automatic PR. Right?    The first race was a 6 mile trail race at Bradbury State Park.   It's called the Bradbury Scuffle .  I love the names!    I fi
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I've Got Goals!

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I've been super quiet lately.   For many reasons.  Anxiety was getting the best of me.   I needed to take care of me and adding anything else to my plate would definitely push me over the edge.  After a lot of soul searching and a ton of support from my family, I feel like the anxiety piece is becoming better managed.  (a future post on that)  I'm definitely going to take the plunge and run my first ultra.  There's a 50k this fall that works perfectly with my schedule - meaning, I can do a bulk of the training this summer.  It's the Firebird 50k.  Check it out here !  I was waiting to make sure I had a few solid weeks of ultra training under my belt and a good feeling about them to make the announcement.  So here it is.   It's not going to be fast.  It's going to take a long time.  But it's only about getting it done and completing my first 50k!   This past weekend I had 10 and 12 mile runs back-to-back.   I was a little nervous
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Mount Washington Road Race Recap 2018

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The third time is a charm.  Right?   Well.  Sometimes.   On the way to Mount Washington.  I was the crazy, chatty self that I am.  And Ward was focused a quiet.   I drive him absolutely crazy.  And Tucker is sleeping in the back trying to block me out.   PR dinner right here!!!!   Nothing says run fast like a huge burger with an onion ring and fries!  I remember eating something similar just before I ran the MDI Marathon.   Parking lot yoga on a beautiful day.  I wasn't the only one.  But maybe I was the only one propping my phone against my water bottle to document it.   Leading up to the 2018 Mount Washington Road Race, I had severe doubts.  I wasn't sure what to expect with this race.  There are so many factors that go into this race.  The training  and time I put into the prep work, my fitness level, mental/stress levels, and the weather.   The first time I ran this race was in 2015.  I had just run two marathons back-to-back, which
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