Coach Jen B

Good morning and happy Friday!   In Maine here, we're on snow day #3.  That's rather crazy and unheard of.  While I love snow days, I LOVE early releases even more because we don't make those up.  So, while I was hoping for the early release today, I will enjoy another relaxing day with the kids...which means more coffee, some sledding, and PiYo. psst...have I mentioned I'm a Pro ambassador?  I am!   I am currently resting the legs a little bit, with hopes that the MidWinter Classic 10 miler race scheduled for Sunday won't be cancelled....but with the 2 feet of snow earlier this week and today's accumulation - combined with now where to put the snow - the chances are not good.  We're supposed to get the news by noon today if the race is on today.  I'm kind of leaning toward - if the race is off - then I'll bundle up and head out for a run or snowshoe run.     However, if the race is called off, I'm not going to be super upset.  

Juno paid us a visit this week.  We were perfectly safe, in our house.  I didn't go outside once all day long.  I had no intentions of venturing outside at all during the blizzard.  Thankfully, yesterday, which was also a snow day due to the extreme amount of clean up that had to take place - was gorgeous and blue skies!   the view from my woods! #1 (2)SNOWDAYS!  With this bonus snow day and TONS of snow, I declared yesterday a snowshoe running day!  Given the amount of snow (and with the forecast of TONS more on the way) - I see a lot of snowshoe running in my future.   ProCompression + Spandits = LOVE After my snowshoe adventures, I took the kids to the local sledding hot spot for a couple of hours.  It was the perfect snow day! #2 ProCompression! I am super excited to announce that I've been selected as one of the very lucky 2015 ProCompression Ambassadors!  I've been a ProCompression fan for years now and cannot wait to represent t

Busy moms know, adding one more thing or going to one more place in the day, might break you.  I have access to 2 gyms.  Yes.  I'm lucky like that.  There are days when I get home from work, while the kids are doing their homework and I do not want to go anywhere else.  What's a mom to do?  I'm not going to give up working out altogether.   While I do enjoy group exercises, my schedule does not allow for me to get to classes in the area.  I need options that I can do whenever I have time to fit in that workout.   In addition to my running routine, I enjoy adding in strength and conditioning - which will only make me a stronger runner.  I had the opportunity to review Gigabody , an online subscription that has well over 90 different workouts you can do anywhere at anytime!   Yoga by the wood stove during the Blizzard of 2015 I've really been enjoying the yoga videos - as I feel it helps me to unwind and complements my marathon training perfectly

It's no secret, I have a huge love of peanut butter and chocolate.  That combination just makes everything in the world seem better and tastier.  Imagine my surprise when a huge container of Adaptogen's TastyWHEY ™ came to my doorstep and the flavor was..... Chocolate Peanut Butter !   I try to stay away from milkshakes, because they are so high in fat and so many calories.  But when I do, I get a peanut butter milkshake.  Now I have a better and healthier option when the kids want to go to the ice cream stand.  I can mix up some of my TastyWHEY ™   and drink that instead!  It tastes THAT good!  It doesn't have that chalky protein taste so many other powders have.  I've actually been drinking my TastyWHEY ™  every day for lunch instead.  Not only is it super convenient, it's delicious.  AND it's packed with 20 grams of protein (and only 160 calories).   I usually pour my coconut/almond milk into the shaker cup in the morning, put a sc

I've recently found the blog - The Skinny Confidential - thanks to my friend, Smitha .  Thank goodness she did, because I love it!  Lauryn is witty and has great, simple ideas for food, fashion, workouts, and being sexy. Now that I've been reading her blog, I'm even more excited by her book release ! source You seriously cannot go write with "A Babe's Sexy, Sassy Fitness and Lifestyle Guide".    I completely need a little more sexy in my life.  I'm sure the husband would appreciate that as well.   Lauryn grabs me from the introduction with her quote "It's a Lifestyle, Not a Diet".  That is exactly how I feel.   As I previewed her book, two recipes jumped out at me immediately!  The Two-Ingredient Pancakes and A Very Veggie Scramble.   I've made them both and they are amazing!  Plus, my kids love them too.  Who says pancakes and eggs are only for breakfast?  They were actually dinner here...and they are going to be regu

Hello Sunday!  Sunday and I have a weird relationship.  I like Sunday because it is one of the lovely weekend days....but I always have this overwhelming feeling that I have to get things done - clean the house, meal prep, prep for school, get the kids ready for the week.  You know the drill.   One of the things I do LOVE about Sunday is running long.  Sometimes I get crazy and run long on Saturday... I know.  I live a super crazy life.  Anyway, I digress.  Back to the long run.   Carrie and I had arranged that we could meet up for a long run today and I was super excited!   Twins!!!!  Spandits thermal #FOWL PLAY tights!   We met up at Granite City Running , our newest local running store, and ran for an hour before heading back to the store to meet up with the Sunday running group.  We were super excited to join the group and were excited we were the first women to join the group.   Normally we say goodbye to the rail trail, but since the store is on the Kennebec

My year round goal is to improve myself through increasing fitness and improving my overall health. I focus on eating right and balancing my nutritional needs pretty well, but I love to boost my efforts with Centrum ®.    I'm not getting any younger and health is becoming more and more important to me.  As a mom to two children and a HS teacher - my entire family is exposed to so many germs and illnesses this time of year.  Any boost I can add to help lessen my chances of getting super sick is a welcome component to my daily routine.  In addition to the wellness boost, Centrum ® offers an extra boost of energy with the key mineral of Magnesium.  We all know we need energy to get through our days!   after teaching all day - energy is needed for a run after school! We took a mini family vacation this past weekend.  Before we left, I had to run into the bathroom and grab my bottle of  Centrum ®!    When I've logged my daily food intake, I'm alwa

Remember when the girls and I did Spartan Fenway?  That race was a true test of strength and endurance.   That was one of the most difficult races I have ever done, but it was one of the most fun and enjoyable races. The new 2015 Spartan Season is revving up with quite a few perks!   The 2015 World Championship Spartan Race will be at Lake Tahoe, California!   Joe Desena's "Spartan UP!" podcast will be launching shortly.  I have recently started listening to podcasts and are really enjoying them.  I cannot wait to hear this one!   You can sign up for the podcast here .   The 1st EVER Spartan Cruise will be taking place this March 6-9, 2015. Check out more information here ! Spartan is also offering a 2015 Spartan Pass !  Think about it - unlimited racing, great discounts.  If you are a Spartan addict, this pass is for you!   Spartan has offered one of my readers a free entry to any open heat of a Spartan Race of their choo

2015 is the time to get your rear in gear!  Let's get started with some necessities to get you heading in the right direction! Unique Fitness Concepts  is a one stop shopping experience that has tons of great workout products to choose from! These 3 items are sure to get you heading in the right direction with your fitness goals for 2015. Garmin 15 I've been eyeing this Garmin up for a few months now.  I do LOVE my Garmin 10, simple and easy to use.  But the Garmin 15 is just one step above that adding in the HR monitor!  Great feedback for the athlete/runner - to know and monitor how hard your heart is working! 2Toms Stink Free After you sweat, your shoes are going to stink.  They might now stink right away, but trust me.  They will stink.  And you don't want to smell that.   2Toms has tons of great products like this one and others that are available on Unique Fit. Swiftwick Socks  Next to shoes, socks are important.  The right workout socks make all

Let's talk about grading.  I hardly ever blog about teaching.  If I do, it's mostly about how much I love my job.  I seriously do.  Teaching HS Math is so much fun and the kids are fantastic.  I love the connections I make with them daily.  This week is midterms week - which means we have two periods each morning for the students to take the exams and then the afternoon is open for students to make up work/retake exams and for teachers to grade said exams.   Grading this time around has been far too time consuming.  I need to break my exam into standards.  I do see the value in the standards based grading and my students really are taking them seriously.  My only gripe is that it is taken double the amount of time to grade exams....and after 3 hours of grading today, I wanted chocolate.  Actually, I craved chocolate 1 hour into the grading.   Thankfully I had my Special K Brownies in my school bag.  Their rich flavors were absolutely perfect for today!  They are perfectly

Let's focus on health today.  As I'm still recovering from the cold from you know where, I've been even more obsessed with pumping my body with vitamins and antioxidants.  When you find a product that works, you stick with it.   NeoCell is a company that stands out with superior products focusing on total body health, joint health, antioxidant health, recovery, beauty, and ligament/tendon/muscle health.   I was immediately drawn to the  Collagen +C Pomegranate Liquid as I'm a huge fan of Pomegranate, but not a fan of the stained fingers/countertops/clothing.  When I find the cups of seeded pomegranates, I definitely splurge on them because I get to enjoy the benefits of pomegranate and don't get stained!  The liquid form is even better because I can add this lovely product to anything - yogurt/cottage cheese/tea/juice.  You name it!   Collagen +C Pomegranate Liquid benefits:  *radiant and resilient skin *thicker hair and stronger nails  *healthier and stronger