NingXia Red - A Supplement Every BODY Could Benefit From

I have a pretty Crunchy Life. There are degrees of crunchy and holistic, and my latest forays into the Crunchy world involve the supplement side of Young Living Essential Oils.I've been using Essential Oils for about 3 years now, and have stayed away from the supplements because I just don't. do. vitamins. But in 2014, the Crunchy Skeptic (AKA: my husband), was training for his first full marathon - the Air Force Marathon. Now, as you've seen with other posts done by me, I am not the runner of our trio. I leave all that to Slick and Spinster Beth, but the Crunchy Skeptic is on board with it. He needed something that wasn't chock full of all of the chemicals to train for the long endurance runs that a marathon requires. He tried several energy drinks on the market and found they all either tasted awful, were full of sugar and additives, or just didn't work for his needs.  So he asked me to see if there was something that Young Living might have to help. Enter NingXia Red and NingXia Nitro.

The MCVET 10K

Whoo hoooo! We ran a 10k!

On a beautiful, cool, sunny day in late May, Slick and I (Spinster Beth) ran the MCVET 10k. A first 10k for us both, but Slick has two half-marathons under her running belt, so this was just a little Sunday jog for her!

There was a 5k and a 10k. The runners were all fairly experienced, with a few people like me (newbies, slowpokes, meanderers).  I came in twelfth ... from last! Out of 238 people. When we first got there, I looked around at all the runners and had a feeling I would be dead last.  They just looked that good.

Also, these very serious runners ran both the 5k and the 10k. I heard a lot of the same names being read off at the winner's announcements. 

 MCVET is the Maryland Center for Veterans' Education and Training. A color guard (students from a local college) posted the colors, and a live choir sang the National Anthem. This is the 2nd time I was at a race where the Anthem was sung live, and I love to hear it live.The race was the best-organized of my experience -- four water tables, plenty of volunteers, and cops at every intersection.

The weather was absolutely perfect for a 10k; cool and dry, and the sunshine was just dazzling (I'm a little light sensitive, so any sun is dazzling for me). With the help of my new custom inserts, molded to my feet (thanks, Road Runner Sports in Columbia, MD) and a packet of Honey Stinger energy chews, I ran all but a half mile. I walked up the railroad overpass hill in the middle, both coming and going. The rest of it I jogged.  (Amusing note -- the energy chews are endorsed by a certain cyclist who has been immersed in controversy regarding doping/not doping. The following work day after the 10k, my number came up for drug testing at work.)

I particularly liked the part where the Baltimore PD held up traffic at major intersections while I jogged ... slowly ... through ... the ... intersection ... holding them all up until I was through. I waved cheerily at all the frustrated motorists. If not for the headphones I was wearing, I might have learned all the latest swear words!

Here I come! The last bit was downhill, and I was so grateful to the race organizers for that little detail. 

 

I look forward to running more 10ks! It was a good, accomplish-able distance, and this one cost the same as the 5k (which has a lot to do with why I chose the 10k!) 

She's One Tough, Dirty Mudder!

I've often been curious about - and intrigued by - the Dirty Girl Mud Runs. So when we heard that our friend had taken the plunge, it only made sense to get her to tell us all about her fun here!

Enjoy!

Tillie

Feeling a bit crazy in the middle of Summer, I decided not only would I sign up for this Dirty Girl Mud Run, I would sign up my 16 year old too! I sent out a message asking who would be interested in joining me and in the end, we had a team of 5. I was a bit disappointed in the size but in the end, it was the right number. 2 teenagers who were not happy and 3 ladies who were scared about what was to come on race day.

It's no good if you stay clean! (Reverse these pictures and you have a Tide commercial!)

Outside Looking In: 5ks and Half-Marathons

A few months ago, my oldest son ran his first-ever 5k with his dad and Spinster Beth; my 10 year old ran a mile; and the two younger kids each ran as well. It was an early morning trek to get to Gettysburg for the 5k, and (from a non-runner perspective) a Whole Lotta' Crazy.

After their first-5k at Gettysburg. All still look pretty fresh

It was a beautiful day. The weather was fairly mild; excitement and energy were high. Spinster walked the 12-year-old through some stretches and gave him a Gatorade super-sugar thing (no idea what those are really called, but they come in a fairly small packet that you drink to boost your sugar to superhuman levels for sustained endurance

The 22nd Annual Spirit of Gettysburg 5k

Here I am! Chip time 39:40. I'm in the pink. It was hot and hilly, so I didn't push myself too hard.

The scenery was beautiful. I don't have any pictures of the actual course, but here is a shot from Round Top, overlooking Devil's Den.

After the 5k, there were several kids' events. A 1-mile dash for the pre-teens, a quarter-mile dash for the youngers, and for the under-3 crowd, a  40-foot run between balloons. There were so many kids there, and they had a great time!








It was really really nice to go somewhere and *not* see fat kids poking at electronic devices all day. Really. When I was a kid we had Atari, and it was attached to your TV set. When you went out somewhere, you were lucky if you had a Merlin or something to bring along. Otherwise, you actually had to interact with people. Or maybe actually read a book or a comic book. Wow!

Anyway ... I seem to have hit a plateau with my weight loss, although I continued to lose inches for a while longer. I would be most happy if I could just run all the time for exercise ... but doing one thing over and over is the best way to hit a plateau, not to mention get an injury (my knees ache sometimes now). So I'm splitting my time between the elliptical, arc trainer, and the treadmill (running outside is just not an option for me until it gets below 70 degrees again) and doing a lot of weight-machine work. I think I'll add some speed work because I have read several articles that say it's a good way to speed up weight loss (sprint for a short burst while jogging or on the elliptical).

The only downside to all this exercise? I am SO HUNGRY all the time. I don't mean eat-an-apple hungry, I mean eat-my-own-hands hungry. It's not boredom or thirst or cravings, it is actual real hunger that has to be addressed quickly, or I get weak and shaky. Perhaps I should re-think all the weight training, but it really does help burn calories throughout the day, doesn't it? 

Thanks for stopping by!

Ultra-Marathoner Interview: Moca, part 2

Last time, Moca talked about her family life and how it fits in with her runs and fitness overall. In part two, she gets into the nitty-gritty of her runs: the hows, and how-to-keep-goings. Read on for inspiration and tips, no matter where you are in your running journey (even if you're a not-yet-started like me!)

Look at that smile!

Interview with an UltraMarathon Runner: Moca

This awesome lady is Moca in 2009. I'm working on getting photos from a recent super-marathon (8 HOURS of running, folks!) to put in with this two-post blog post, but I am so excited to introduce her that I'm putting it up here now and worrying over pictures later! She is one great lady who is truly inspiring. Read further to get tips on how to get into - and stick with - running, no matter what your level. Part 2 will post on Friday!

Okay, I have to update this for a correction - it turns out that she is NOT a "Super" marathoner, but an "ULTRA-"marathoner. Either way, I'm inspired and plan to keep the interview handy to refer back to later on!

TFF: In what general "age range" are you? 

Moca: I have no problems telling you that I am 41. I am usually in the 40-49 age category in races. I didn't start running distance until I was 37. Age only matters in that I'm proof that age should not be used as a reason for why we aren't in shape or can't even start to work towards it. I am in better shape now than I was in my 20's. Youth only plays a small part in fitness; a 20-year-old isn't automatically healthy just as a 60-year-old isn't automatically arthritic. It's what you do with your body and life that matters. Get out and run.