#1MillionMinutes

I am so excited to join #1MillionMinutes with #sweatpink! This summer my goal is to do 1000 minutes of activity, while wearing my favorite color pink!

I predict that we’ll kick the goal of #1MillionMinutes - we’ll actually hit 2 million minutes this summer! I predict that running will be the top-logged movement.

I'll get extra minutes in by hiking at Mt. Rainier in a couple of weeks!

My favorite way to get extra minutes in is by walking with my adorable dog Penny.

So are you in to help us get #1MillionMinutes in this summer!

Wine & Dine Training Plan

Now that my knee is feeling better the majority of the time, I thought it was time to get back into running.  I picked up a treadmill on Craigslist since it's hot as hades outsides, plus that will help cushion my knee for a while.  My plan includes 3 days of running (working off of the Jeff Galloway plan) and 4 days of 21 Day Fix workouts.  Remember, I'm starting from scratch so this may seem pretty basic, but I hope it works for me.

Week 1 (June 15-21)
Monday: Upper Fix
Tuesday: 30 minute run/walk
Wednesday: Lower Fix
Thursday: 30 minute run/walk
Friday: Pilates Fix
Saturday: 2 mile run/walk
Sunday: Yoga Fix

Week 2 (June 22-28)
Monday: Upper Fix
Tuesday: 30 minute run/walk
Wednesday: Lower Fix
Thursday: 30 minute run/walk
Friday: Pilates Fix
Saturday: 2.5 mile run/walk
Sunday: Yoga Fix

Week 3 (June 29-July 5)
Monday: Upper Fix
Tuesday: 30 minute run/walk
Wednesday: Lower Fix
Thursday: 30 minute run/walk
Friday: Pilates Fix
Saturday: 3 mile run/walk
Sunday: Yoga Fix

Week 4 (July 6-12)
Monday: Upper Fix
Tuesday: 30 minute run/walk
Wednesday: Lower Fix
Thursday: 3.5 mile run/walk
Friday-Sunday: Vacation

Week 5 (July 13-19)
On vacation.  Might try to get a few runs in, but nothing guaranteed

Week 6 (July 20-26)
Monday-Wednesday: Vacation
Thursday: 30 minute run/walk
Friday: Pilates Fix
Saturday: 3 mile run/walk
Sunday: Yoga Fix

Week 7 (July 27-August 2)
Monday: Upper Fix
Tuesday: 30 minute run/walk
Wednesday: Lower Fix
Thursday: 30 minute run/walk
Friday: Pilates Fix
Saturday: 4 mile run/walk
Sunday: Yoga Fix

Week 8 (August 3-9)
Monday: Upper Fix
Tuesday: 30 minute run/walk
Wednesday: Lower Fix
Thursday: 30 minute run/walk
Friday: Pilates Fix
Saturday: 5 mile run/walk
Sunday: Yoga Fix

Week 9 (August 10-16)
Monday: Upper Fix
Tuesday: 30 minute run/walk
Wednesday: Lower Fix
Thursday: 30 minute run/walk
Friday: Pilates Fix
Saturday: 6.5 mile run/walk
Sunday: Yoga Fix

Week 10 (August 17-23)
Monday: Upper Fix
Tuesday: 30 minute run/walk
Wednesday: Lower Fix
Thursday: 30 minute run/walk
Friday: Pilates Fix
Saturday: 3 mile run/walk
Sunday: Yoga Fix

Week 11 (August 24-30)
Monday: Upper Fix
Tuesday: 30 minute run/walk
Wednesday: Lower Fix
Thursday: 30 minute run/walk
Friday: Pilates Fix
Saturday: 8 mile run/walk
Sunday: Yoga Fix

Week 12 (August 31-September 6)
Monday: Upper Fix
Tuesday: 30 minute run/walk
Wednesday: Lower Fix
Thursday: 30 minute run/walk
Friday: Pilates Fix
Saturday: 3 mile run/walk
Sunday: Yoga Fix

Week 13 (September 7-13)
Monday: Upper Fix
Tuesday: 30 minute run/walk
Wednesday: Lower Fix
Thursday: 30 minute run/walk
Friday: Pilates Fix
Saturday: 9.5 mile run/walk
Sunday: Yoga Fix

Week 14 (September 14-20)
Monday: Upper Fix
Tuesday: 30 minute run/walk
Wednesday: Lower Fix
Thursday: 30 minute run/walk
Friday: Pilates Fix
Saturday: 3 mile run/walk
Sunday: Yoga Fix

Week 15 (September 21-27)
Monday: Upper Fix
Tuesday: 30 minute run/walk
Wednesday: Lower Fix
Thursday: 30 minute run/walk
Friday: Pilates Fix
Saturday: 11 mile run/walk
Sunday: Yoga Fix

Week 16 (September 28-October 5)
Monday: Upper Fix
Tuesday: 30 minute run/walk
Wednesday: Lower Fix
Thursday: 30 minute run/walk
Friday: Pilates Fix
Saturday: 3 mile run/walk
Sunday: Yoga Fix

Week 17 (October 6-12)
Monday: Upper Fix
Tuesday: 30 minute run/walk
Wednesday: Lower Fix
Thursday: 30 minute run/walk
Friday: Pilates Fix
Saturday: 12.5 mile run/walk
Sunday: Yoga Fix

Week 18 (October 13-19)
Monday: Upper Fix
Tuesday: 30 minute run/walk
Wednesday: Lower Fix
Thursday: 30 minute run/walk
Friday: Pilates Fix
Saturday: 3 mile run/walk
Sunday: Yoga Fix

Week 19 (October 20-26)
Monday: Upper Fix
Tuesday: 30 minute run/walk
Wednesday: Lower Fix
Thursday: 30 minute run/walk
Friday: Pilates Fix
Saturday: 14 mile run/walk
Sunday: Yoga Fix

Week 20 (October 27-November 2)
Monday: Upper Fix
Tuesday: 30 minute run/walk
Wednesday: Lower Fix
Thursday: 30 minute run/walk
Friday: Pilates Fix
Saturday: 3 mile run/walk
Sunday: Yoga Fix

Week 21 (November 3-9)
Monday: Upper Fix
Tuesday: 30 minute run/walk
Wednesday: Lower Fix
Thursday: 30 minute run/walk
Friday: Day off
Saturday: Wine & Dine Half Marathon!

Round 1 of the 21 Day Fix Done!

J and I recently finished our first round of the 21 Day Fix and are very happy with the plan so far.  We didn't follow it perfectly (had some cheat meals, didn't always work out, etc), so we didn't see as good as results may have been expected, but we were pretty happy with what we did accomplish.

The biggest change is that we are eating a lot healthier.  We're planning out all our meals, eating smaller portions, and consuming way more fruits and veggies.  We can eyeball a lot of portion sizes now, but still use the containers for some things.

We've also been working out a lot more than we were previously.  The 30 minute work out videos are short, but a great workout.  They will kick your butt.  We can feel ourselves getting stronger and the moves getting a little easier. 

We each lost about 5 pounds during the first 21 days and a couple inches throughout body.  No drastic changes, but I'm happy with the program just for the facts that we're eating healthier and working out  We're definitely going to stick to it and make it a part of our lifestyle now. 

Have you done the 21 Day Fix?  How were your results?

21 Day Fix

Hey everyone!  Sorry I've been so absent lately.  I'm still not running, so I didn't really feel like I had much to say.  :-(

Since I'm not running, I've gained about 10 pounds, so I need to do something.  One of my friends recommended the 21 Day Fix from Beachbody, so I'm going to try it out.

*FYI, I am not a Beachbody coach and do not earn anything from talking about the 21 Day Fix.  I just wanted to share my progress with the program with you.*

If you're not familiar with the 21 Day Fix, it's a fitness and nutrition program.  You get 6 different 30 minute workout videos which you rotate throughout the week.  Then, they send you containers to teach you healthy eating and proper portion control.

I'm ridiculously excited about trying it out and hope it works.  Both J and I are starting tomorrow.  I'll try posting regularly to give you updates on our progress!

Update on Me

I mentioned in my last post that my knee was killing me during the 10k.  So I scheduled an appointment with an orthopedic physician to make sure there was no severe damage done during the car accident.

They took a few more x-rays and the doctor agreed with the ER that there were no broken bones.  After doing some tests, he thinks that it's just a really bad bone bruise, which can take 2-3 months to heal (blech!).  Apparently I'm an 80 year old woman because I'm not on arthritis medicine and a topical anti-inflammatory cream.  He said if the pain isn't gone in 6 week so to come back and get an MRI done to make sure that there wasn't any cartilage damage.

So, I'm taking it easy on the running front for the time being.  I will be able to do short runs every now and then, but he doesn't want me to do anything strenuous.  I need to get a couple more 10k runs in to try and get a decent time for Wine &  Dine, so I'll take it easy and try to get at least one in.

So, not the best update, but I'm just glad that it seems like nothing is seriously wrong with my knee.  I hope the pain goes away soon!

Springtime Tallahassee 10K Recap

I registered for Springtime Tallahassee before my accident.  Even though I had only run once between the accident and the race, I decided I was going to go ahead and do it.  I would walk the entire thing if I had to.

Woke up to 40 degree weather and headed to the Leon County Courthouse to meet up with some friends.  I realized at this point that I forgot my Garmin.  :-/

Springtime starts the 5k and the 10k at the same time, so with the sound of a horn, we were off.  Somewhere between miles 1 and 2, the 5k runners split off from the 10k runners, so the runners thinned out some.

Now remember, I live in Florida and we don't really have hills, so I rarely run them.  Well, I think this course found every hill in all of Tallahassee.  It was brutal!  During the first hill, my knee started aching.  I was very pleased to see a real bathroom around mile 2 so I could sit down for a minute.  Sadly the bathroom stop so early on killed our 5k time, which came out to be around 50 minutes.  At this point, I hit a wall.  I started getting a stitch in my side and my knee was just aching.  I did very little running at this point.

About mile 5, the cops came up to us and told us to get on the sidewalk because they were opening the roads.  I thought this was a little ridiculous seeing as there were still a good bit of people on the course.  We were about an hour and twenty minutes in at this point.  Thankfully the rest of the course was downhill so I ran a good bit and finished around an hour and forty five minutes.  Not a good time at all, but I was just happy that I finished.

After crossed the finish line, I met back up with one of my friends who finished about 10 minutes before me.  She directed me to the medal stand and they only had last year's medals left.  I was pretty upset by this because last year's was not near as cool as this year.  Thankfully one of my friends who works for the running club who puts on the race found me one of this years.  There was also no beer and barely any bananas left.  The definitely needed to organize the race a little better.

Overall I was happy that I completed the race, but it was brutal.  Not sure if I would do this course again.  Those hills were killer.

I did get a pretty medal though.  :-)

Post Race Disney Fun

After the Enchanted 10k was over, we went back to the room for a while and napped.  Once we woke up, it was time to hit the parks!  We decided to spend the night at Magic Kingdom.

First stop once we walked in the gate, Tinkerbell.  Tinkerbell absolutely loved my medal and told me next time I should fly instead of run.  :-)

Of course I had to get a picture in front of castle.

We rode a few rides and then went to dinner at Columbia Harbor House.  I had a couple friends who raved about the seafood macaroni and cheese, so I decided to try it.  It was yummy, but I would have preferred it to be a smaller portion with a side of fries or broccoli.  The mac n cheese was just so heavy and hard to finish.

After dinner, we rode some more rides and then hung out with Goofy for a little while.  We were the only person in line, so we interacted for about 10 minutes.

Goofy and I went running together.

We visited a couple princesses and got my bib signed before calling it a night.

The next morning we got up early and headed to Hollywood Studios.  First stop, coffee!

Went to the Animation Studio and I got to draw Eeyore!

After we were done at Hollywood Studios, we got a boat over to the Boardwalk to get lunch at Boardwalk Bakery.  It was on my bucket list to try the lobster roll and I'm so glad I did.  It was amazing!  I highly recommend it on your next trip.

Sadly it was time for us to come home.  Even though we were both sick the entire weekend, we still had fun.  Looking forward to the next trip!

First Half Marathon?

Well, I've officially registered for my first half marathon!  I'm going to be running the Wine & Dine Half with 10,000 of my closest friends.  :-)

I'm extremely excited, but really nervous at the same time.  I'm already having nightmares of not finishing.  Blech.

What was your first half marathon?  How was it?

Enchanted 10k Recap

The Enchanted 10k was my first Disney race and now I'm hooked.  Sadly I was sick throughout the race and didn't perform to my best standards, but I finished and can't wait to do it again!

For a costume, I decided I was going to dress up as Snow White.

On the morning of the race, I got up at 3am (ugh!) and struggled to get ready in the dark hotel room while Jason slept.

We were staying at Pop Century and they had their own dedicated buses for the race.  I got to the bus stop around 3:45am and the line was huge!  Thankfully the buses moved extremely quick though and I was only in line for about 10-15 minutes.

The bus dropped us off in an Epcot parking lot and I met up with my friend Heather who was getting off the monorail.  Then we started the long walk to the corrals.

Heather had to check a bag, so we headed over to the bag check area and then to potty before heading to the corrals.  We were lucky to find portolets that hadn't even been used yet.

We got into the corral area and stood around until about 30 minutes before the race start.  One more stop in the portolets and then we parted ways and headed to our individual corrals.

Quick picture before heading off.

I was thrilled to be in Corral C for the race.  Since I was hurt, it gave me the extra time to stay in front of the balloon ladies.

One thing that shocked me about Disney was how many people were in each corral.  That was a huge group of people all starting at one time.  Once they released our corral, I'd say it took at least 5 more minutes for me to cross the start line.

They released each corral with fireworks and we were off!

I started off running until we came across Anna and Elsa on the overpass outside Epcot.  They were also dumping fake snow on us, which was pretty cool.

Mile Marker 1

Around the time when we were making the sharp curve onto the overpass, we heard the fireworks go off releasing the next corral.

Soon we came up to Tinkerbell and Periwinkle.  I would have loved a picture, but the line was too long to stop.

I finally hit the 5k mark right outside of Epcot and I was right around a 16 minute pace, so I was happy.  They did have the buses ready to sweep right around this spot.

As we were running into Epcot, there were some tall guys on stilts.

Running into Epcot was such a magical experience.

While were in Epcot, I decided to make a stop for a bathroom break.

There were a few more characters throughout the World Showcase that I didn't bother to stop for.

Grabbed a gorgeous picture of the sunrise over Epcot.

I saw Donald over by the ESPN Club and knew I was way ahead of the balloon ladies so I stopped and got a quick picture.

As we were running back into Epcot, there was Minnie dressed up as a princess.  The line was ridiculously long though, so I just snapped a quick picture as I ran by.

I saw Mile 6 and then it was a sprint to the finish!

After you crossed the finish line, there were a ton of volunteers handing out medals, Powerade, and snack boxes.  Finally I got to the end of the chute and found my husband.  We waited for Heather to finish the race and then hopped on a bus back to Pop Century.

After we got on the bus is when it went downhill.  We were sharing the bus with Art of Animation at this point and we stopped there first.  I started feeling kind of queasy.  As soon as we pulled into Pop, I rushed off the bus and proceeded to throw up in the bushes.  Throughout the day I still felt a little off.  Finally I realized my salt was low and downed a Powerade and some chips, which made me feel a ton better.  Not the way I wanted to end my first race, but thankfully was able to correct the issue easy enough.

Overall the race was a ton of fun and I would absolutely do it again.

I was really happy with my splits for the first half of the race.  Then mile 4 sucked because of the bathroom break and picture stop.  After that I did a ton of walking, so my time wasn't as fast as it should be.  Not the best time, but I was happy I finished.

Finish Time: 1 hour, 51 minutes

What was your first 10k ever?  How was your finish time?

Quick Update on Me

Well, I won't be running for a while.  :-(

Tuesday night Jason and I were on our way to dinner and were rear ended coming off the interstate.  The force of her hitting us propelled us into the car in front of us.  My knee hit the dash during the crash.  Thankfully after a few x-rays they determined it's not broken, but to not do any running until the swelling and pain are completely gone.  

I'm still waiting to hear if my car is totaled.  It's got a good amount of damage though, so I'm pretty sure it is.

Thankfully I've got myself a snazzy rental car in the mean time.

I'm itching to get back to running, but I know it's better if I wait.  Hopefully the pain doesn't last too long.

I'll be back early next week to give a recap on the Enchanted 10K.

Princess Half Weekend Expo Recap

I can't believe the weekend of my first Disney race is already over.  :-(  I'm going to do the expo recap today and then I'll do the Enchanted 10K recap separately. 

The whole weekend was fabulous, even though both Jason and I were miserably sick.  The Disney magic makes everything good even when you're icky. 

Jason and I left Tallahassee around 7am on Friday to head down to Disney World.  We checked into Pop Century when we arrived and I caught a bus over to the expo.  The trip over on the bus was quick and there were only a couple other people. 

Fair warning, the walk to the expo from the bus drop-off is long!  Every time you make a turn, you think you're about to be there, but you still have more to walk.

I may have squealed when I saw the Enchanted 10K sign.

Signage in the expo area could have been a little more clear, but I finally found my way to the HP Field House to pick up my bib.  They had a merchandise area in the middle with the packet pick-up around the edges.  Pack pick-up was very quick and organized.  The merchandise area was pretty picked over by this point.

After I picked up my packet, I headed over to the main expo to pick up my t-shirt.  On my way in, they had this killer photo op!

You walk in on the second floor of the expo.  They had some concessions up there in case you were hungry.

For it being the second day of the expo, it was packed!  Shirt pick-up was all the way in the back of the expo, so I went there first and grabbed my shirt.  The sizing ran a tad small, but it fit so I didn't bother exchanging.

After grabbing all the necessary items, I walked around the expo hoping to find some running goodies.  I was disappointed that most of the official merchandise and even a lot of the vendor booths were already picked over from the first day.  I ended up walking out with nothing. 

The expo was well organized and had a ton of vendors.  I do wish that Disney would limit the expo to runners only the first couple of days.  I missed out on a lot of the items I wanted, but of course they're now selling on eBay for 5 times the amount they originally sold for. 

Lesson learned for next time, get to the expo on day one if you want the best selection1

Do you like race expos or do you get in and get out?  What's been your favorite race expo?

Leading Up to Enchanted 10K

I'm sorry I've been such a horrible blogger.  I came down with a horrible cold about a week before the Enchanted 10K and it turned into a sinus infection.  Ended up running the race with the sinus infection and on antibiotics, but I finished!  And I wasn't last!

I had a great time even though I was miserable all weekend.  I'll be back with a recap sometime this week.  Can't wait to tell you all about it.

Wantable Intimates Box Review January 2015

I got an email offer to try the Wantable Intimates box for only $5, so I decided to check it out.

When you first sign up, you fill out a survey with your likes and dislikes.  Here is my Love, Like, and Dislike list for this box.

I was a little shocked by how small the box was when it arrived.

When you open it up, they give you a list of what's in your box.  I had 3 in mine.

The first item was this chemise.  It came with a tiny little set of panties, which fell on the floor and got chewed up by my dog.  No way would I have worn them anyways because there was barely any fabric.  The chemise is a nice quality and the fabric is really soft.  I'll wear it occasionally.

The next item was a pair of fuzzy socks.  The are kind of thin and remind me of something that you could buy at Walmart for $5.  I love fuzzy socks though, so I'll definitely wear them.

The last item was a pair of leggings.  They were nice quality and thick, which is good because see through leggings don't look good on anyone.  Not a huge fan of the pattern, but I'll wear them every now and then with a plain black tee.  Good to run errands in.

Overall, the value of everything in the box was Pretty good.   It was definitely worth it for $5.  I probably wouldn't have paid $36 for this box in particular, but I'm going to adjust my survey and see how I like it in the following months.

If you're interested in signing up for Wantable, I'd greatly appreciate if you'd go through my referral link:  https://www.wantable.com/invites/W8yQqOFRBAU  In addition to the intimates box, they also have make-up and accessories.

I was not asked or compensated to write this post.  The email special I got was something that I received at random and not related to the blog.

Longest Run to Date

Today I decided to shake it up a little and instead of running through my neighborhood, I went out to a local park and ran the trails.  It was gorgeous and it was fun to get out of my comfort zone, but those unpaved trails killed me!

I also realized that I need some fuel for longer runs.  Around mile 4, I hit a wall and didn't want to go any further.  It took me 40 minutes to travel 2 miles.  It was absolutely ridiculous.

Overall, I was happy to get 6.2 miles in.  The pace sucked, but I did it!  Now that I know I can accomplish 6 miles, I can work on making my pace faster.

QOTD: What's your favorite fuel for longer runs?

Weekly Recap

Normally I would be sad to sit down on Sunday night to write a weekly recap, but I'm not since Monday is a holiday and I have the day off!

This week was pretty pitiful actually and I don't really have much to share.  I've been sick with a cold all week long and haven't really accomplished much at all.

Monday

Short walk through the neighborhood. My shins were hurting so I didn't want to overdo it.

Tuesday

Rest day

Wednesday

Sick, so didn't get my scheduled run in

Thursday

Rest day

Friday

Still sick.  :-(

Saturday

Was feeling a little bit better, so went on a mile walk through the neighborhood.

Sunday

Went for a 3 mile walk.  Decided to save the long run for tomorrow since I have the day off.

QOTD: How was your week?  Did you get your scheduled workouts in?  I hope you're staying away from this ickiness going around!

Race Wishlist 2015

I have never done a single race in my life, but I'm so excited to start in 2015!  The first thing I did on January 1st after I made my resolutions was to sit down and make my race wishlist for the year.

I can't wait to kick 2015 off with a bang!  I'm going to have one or two 5Ks in January and then run my first 10K in February at Disney World!

There haven't been too many races scheduled for the second half of the year in my area, but I hope to fill up the last 6 months some more when they do come out.


January 2015

Trailblazer 5K for Literacy - Since I've never done a race before, I thought it would be a good idea to at least get one on the books before the Enchanted 10K in February.


February 2015

Disney Princess Enchanted 10K - Registering for this race was what made me fall in love with running.  I love Disney and I'm so excited to race through Epcot!


March 2015

TRBC 10K/5K - Not 100% sure whether I'm going to register for the 5K or the 10K yet.  We'll see how the Enchanted 10K goes before I make my decision.

Shamrock Scurry 5K - Fun annual run that happens in Tallahassee.  I've heard great things about it.

Springtime Tallahassee 10K/5K - Again, not sure whether I'm going to register for the 5K or the 10K.


April 2015

Palace Saloon 5K - A run with beer at the end?  How can you say no to that?

March for Babies - Not a run, but it's for a good cause.


May 2015

Tails and Trails 10K/5K - Trail race supporting the Animal Shelter.  We don't have too many trail races in Tallahassee, so I thought this would be fun.



June 2015

Way too hot to run!


July 2015

Way too hot to run!


August 2015

Way too hot to run!


September 2015

Currently nothing scheduled


October 2015

Currently nothing scheduled


November 2015

Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon - If I decide to do this race, this will be my first ever half marathon.  It's a night race that runs through 3 Disney parks.

Turkey Trot 5K/10K - Annual event held on Thanksgiving morning.  Great way to get some exercise in before eating my weight in food.


December 2015

Jingle Bell Run - Fun run held during the holiday winter festival


QOTD: What races are on your 2015 wish list?

Welcome!

Hi everyone and welcome to Medals and Memories!  My name is Ashley and I'm from Tallahassee, FL!  I'm married to a wonderful man and we have 3 furry children (no human children just yet).

I used to blog back when I was planning my wedding and I missed it.  So, I decided to start a new blog!  Medals and Memories will follow my every day as well as my journey to earning as many race medals as possible!

Please bear with me as the blog is still under construction.  I hope to have it fully up and running within the next month.  I will be posting in the mean time though!

Thanks for joining me and I look forward to getting to know you!