Tame that Mane

Let me start this post by saying that I have not run in about two weeks!!! Between family being here (though we did the Gobble Wobble!) and us having an ice/snow storm (which the roads are still covered in since the town did nothing to clean up this mess) I just haven't :(

It has been WAY below freezing many mornings and I give more credit to those who can run when the real feel is -13, but I just can't. The weather is going to start getting back to normal human temps which means I will get to run in the mornings again! I can't wait to get back moving and maintaining instead of gaining during this holiday season. It is supposed to be 53 on Saturday, sounds like a perfect day for a run in my book! I suppose the gods are preparing us for our PCS move! (more on that later, but it will be a cold move)

Now, you know I love to share products when they really work for me, so I have one for ya! A few months ago an awesome lady named Melissa started SweatMePretty. She started the brand when other non-slip headbands didn't work for her. Either they would leave a mark in hair for days, or they would say they were one size but would really measure another. What better way to solve a problem then do it yourself! She is so sweet and her customer service is great! They also occasionally do promos. Currently they are running free shipping on purchases $40.00 or more with code CHRISTMAS13.

I tried them out and now I am hooked (clearly, I mean look at my collection from just two or three months haha). They come in tons of styles/colors, stay in place, and are much less expensive than other non-slip headband companies. I also love that she uses contrasting velvet on the inside of the band. Gives it a little something extra!

I always wear one when running/working out because my hair would get insane without it. I don't get those ladies that can run a half marathon with their long hair down and not get crazy sweaty. I also rock them when my hair just gets annoying and needs to be pulled back from my face. They do the trick, and make it look a little more polished than just a ponytail. Needless to say, I love SweatMePretty (and their awesome name), so go check it out!

Do you have a favorite non-slip headband or do you go without? Do you enjoy negative temp running or are a scaredy cat like me? haha.... Have a great day friends!

Where Have I Been?!?!

Holy cow, I just realized that it has been about a month since my last post! Goodness, I guess life just starts getting hectic and some things (such as the blog) get put on the back burner. Between work and life and family and the army, it has been busy around here, but I am back! Instead of going though everything that has gone on in the past month, I will just give you the highlights!

The biggest highlight was that our family came to visit for Thanksgiving! My mom, along with Andy's mom, step-dad and sister all came to visit us here in Oklahoma. It was our first time hosting for the holidays and it was great. I give my Aunt Lynn a lot of credit for all of those Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners that she hosted, getting everything in and out of the oven on time is a task!

Me and my momma!

Also, while they were here we did a Gobble Wobble the morning of Thanksgiving. It was so much fun to have the whole family participate in an event like this and if we were staying here in Oklahoma it would become a yearly tradition! (Side note, we are leaving Oklahoma in February, but that gets a whole post of its own soon!)

The whole gang!

The second highlight was that we got our first snow of the season the weekend before Thanksgiving! We went to bed on Saturday night to clean streets and no snow and woke up Sunday morning with 4 inches of snow in our backyard! Clearly the first thing we did when we woke up was put on warm clothes and play in the snow with Jimmy! Then we made our way (through the crappy, un-plowed Lawton streets) to the dog park to play with a friend and his two doggies.

Andy and Jimmy playing in the backyard

The dogs had a blast in the snow and now we are gearing up for round two, snow and ice today through Friday night. I hope the yucky weather holds off until tomorrow night because it is a big day around here tomorrow, Andy is getting promoted to Captain!

Hope you have all had a wonderful holiday season so far! And I promise, I will be better at posting! Now, I leave you with this cuties snow-covered face from last week!

Our fur-baby Jimmy, enjoying the snow! 

Happy Veterans Day

I just wanted to say thank you to all of our veterans today. To my friends and family that currently serve, or have served in the past (and there are a ton), you are all truly heroes! If you see a someone in the service today, thank them, because they are the reason that we are the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Also, a very special thank you to my husband for everything that he does for this country and for our family. Happy Veterans Day!

Fitbit Flex vs. Jawbone Up

Decisions decisions, it is that time again! Last night my husband asked me what I wanted for Christmas. Yes, even though it is not even thanksgiving, we like to get an early start on shopping/list making/thinking of what to get the other. I never know what to say when someone asks me what I want as a gift because I never know what the right budget is or if it is something I would just get for myself, and so on.

Well, while browsing Pinterest, IG and all the other social media outlets that we all love so much I came across the Fitbit Flex and Jawbone Up. Basically, they are both fancy pedometers. They track your steps throughout the day, but also track your caloric intake and sleep. They are both waterproof so they can be worn in the shower and during workouts and all that good stuff, to get you the most accurate measure of your day. Both allow you to connect with friends that also have one which could be fun. Make a game out of it maybe?

I think I would really enjoy one of these since I work from home and am not that active throughout the day. One of these would make me more aware of my activity throughout the day and will probably make me want to up my movement. So, lets get to comparing and see whats what.

The Fitbit Flex:

I did my Internet research, as any curious person would do, and I think this is the front runner of the two. It seems to be a comfortable band (which comes in a ton of colors that you can switch out, and you know how I love color options), a decent (6 day) battery life and updates per the app on your phone in real time. But one review I read said water get trapped in it when you shower which means you have to dry it off every time it gets wet which can be a pain, but not a deal breaker. This has a better price point at just under $100.

The Jawbone Up:

Though the flex sounds good, this does as well. The up has a longer battery life (around 10 days) and looks sleeker. But it only uploads info to the app by plugging it into your phone. This means that you don't get to see real time results, just the results throughout the day when you plug up. Though one review I read said that they liked the app for the up better than the app for the flex. This is a little higher priced at $130.

Do you have either of these? What do you think?

Pity Party, Table for One Please

This past weekend we did another 5k. It was a list minute thing since I did not know if Andy was going to be out hunting, but he decided that they weren't going to go, so I signed us up on Thursday night and the race was Saturday morning. We got up and got moving and out the door. We arrived and it was a very small race, I think a total of 83 people completed it.

We knew some of the people there since they were from our training group and it was nice to say hi to people we haven't seen in a few weeks since training is over. We lined up and the race began. It was a loop around a local park. You do the loop three times and on the last loop around you come across the finish. This was both good and bad.

It was good because you know what you were in for. You were going over the same area so you knew when hills were coming and so forth. You also knew how much longer you had to the finish.

It was bad because people cheated!!! That's right, people cheated on this race and that makes me upset. I know they cheated because they were already at the finish when I arrived, but never passed me, there were actually a few people that I passed, but somehow they arrived at the finish before me. I know it does me no good to be upset about it, but it really did bother me that people would cheat in a race. What is the point of signing up and attending if you are just going to cheat. You aren't cheating anyone but yourself and it makes other people (me) mad about it.

On the way home I had a minor pity party in the car. I was complaining to Andy about how frustrated I am that I keep trying and don't seem to get any better. I know I will never be the fastest in a race, but I would at least like to get better. I just have to keep trying and working at it, eventually it will pay off, right?!?!

On a high note, Andy came in 8th overall and 3rd in his age group so I was very proud of him! He is awesome and super supportive of me. I am pretty sure I may have given up a long time ago if he didn't keep pushing me to achieve my goals.

Spirit of Survival Recap

This past Sunday was the Spirit of Survival! I was so excited for this race because it raised money for a great cause, and because it was what our training group had been working toward. Saturday morning our training group had our final session which was just a simple 1 mile (I think, I didn't have my trusty Garmin) walk followed by a celebration breakfast. After training we went and picked up our race packets and hit up the expo which was put on by a running store called Fleet Feet that drove down from Tulsa. Andy picked up some 110% compression for his knee, which he is loving, and I stocked up on Nuun (I finally found watermelon!!!) and some new Balega socks, the best!

Sunday morning rolled around and we were out of bed at 5:40 to get to the start around 6:30. We arrived on time and checked our bag. Gear check was a good walk from the start so that was a little bit of a pain, but not the end of the world. We were waiting in the very long line at the port-a-potties when we finally gave up. We walked down to the start to find more lineless port-a-potties! Then it was time to line up at the start!

They had it set up by pace which was nice. Right at 7:30am the gun went off and the race began. I started off feeling great. I had good pace and was moving along. Then the wind picked up, that darn wind. Tell me how the wind can be at your face for the whole race, when it is an out and back course?!?! Anyway, the wind was killer and slowed me down a bit, but I kept on keepin' on. 

There were water stations at every mile (which I knew there would be ahead of time), so I left my hydration belt at home. That was a good idea and I stopped at all of the stations. There was also music at each station and people cheering along the whole route, which was awesome! I had a blast and wish we could do the race again next year (we will be leaving Lawton in February, finally got our Request for Orders for our next duty station, but more on that for another day).

My goal was to finish in under two hours, knowing that I would be run/walking, which is how I trained. I completed the quarter marathon, which per my Garmin was actually 6.62 miles instead of 6.55. I ran about a third and walked two thirds and I ended up finishing at 1:45:33, which is no records but it made me happy. I know I am not and will not ever be the fastest out there, but hey, I am still out there! Andy's goal was the finish the half marathon in two hours, and he did just that, coming in at 2:00:43! So proud of my awesome husband and pretty proud of myself for finishing as well! 

After the race we got our medals, hit up the finishers tent for water and snacks and got massages! It was such a great race and we had a blast. 

You know how they say races are addictive, well they totally are and now I am on the hunt for a half marathon to train for! It is much better when you are signed up for a race because you have something to train for and work toward. I cannot wait to start training for a half marathon and get my pace more where I want it to be! 

Only Two Days Left!

Holy cow, I only have two more days until the Spirit of Survival, my first quarter marathon! I know 6.55 miles may not be much for some people, but for me, this is a BIG deal. I have done 5ks and a 4-miler, but I have never done a race over that. I am also so excited because it could not be for a better cause.

The Spirit of Survival is an annual race here in Lawton, Oklahoma. I have been looking forward to this race since before we moved here a few months ago. The Spirit of Survival helps raise money for the Southwest Oklahoma Cancer Centers, which is made up of three hospitals: Comanche County Memorial Hospital in Lawton, Duncan Regional in Duncan and Jackson County Memorial in Altus. This race has a special place in my heart as many people in my family, including both of my parents, have had cancer. Luckily, with the work of wonderful doctors, both of my parents are now cancer free! 

The training group that we have been a part of for the last 12 weeks is put on by the Spirit of Survival and tomorrow will be out last group. It has been an awesome 12 weeks and I hope I see some of my training buddies on the road in the future or even at some other upcoming local races. 

If you are in the area, you can still sign up! There are tons of different events for everyone! There is the Hulkin' Half Marathon (what Andy is completing), the Quick Silver Quarter Marathon (what I am doing), the Superhero 5k, the Superhero Kids Marathon, and the Leah M Fitch Spirit Walk. You cannot sign up online anymore, but in-person registration goes until tomorrow! Get out there, have a blast and raise some money for a wonderful cause! I will be sure to give you a race recap early next week, wish me luck to make it across that finish line and hope you have a great weekend!