She Runs By Faith

As a Sweat Pink Ambassador with  Fit Approach , Freekeh Foods has sent me two bags of their Organic Roasted Green Wheat to review. They have also provided one bag for me to giveaway to one of you! This has been a great opportunity to jump out of my healthy food "comfort zone" and try something new. Have you heard of "Freekeh"? I hadn't until this review! Note: These opinions are 100% my own. What is Freekeh? According to the Freekeh Foods website: " Freekeh is a process which means "to rub" in Arabic. Freekeh was created by accident nearly 2,000 years ago when a Middle Eastern village was attacked and their crop of young green wheat was set ablaze. Most folks would sulk over their misfortune, but the crafty villagers rubbed off the chaff, cooked it up and "Eureka!" Freekeh was created. We're proud to offer you this tasty, nutritious ancient grain with a funny name." Why should you try it? Freekeh is a healthy alte...

For this week's training log, I'm piggybacking on Rachel @ Running on Happy 's Running Survey. Stop by her blog to check out her answers, too! I jump at the chance for a running survey because I rarely talk running in non-blogging life! My thought is that most people don't care to hear about how many miles I ran today, what race I'm running next or my latest funny story about GI distress. My husband is very supportive yet he doesn't understand how I get myself out of bed to go for a run in the wee hours of the morning. It's fun for me but it's hard to explain the "runner's high" to someone else. Since I rarely share anything about "the running me" in day to day life, here's a little about my running side. 20 Questions with "The Running Me" 1. Would you rather run along a beach path or on a mountain trail? Mountains, mountains, mountains! I love mountains because it's a real treat to be around them. O...

Saturday's run was my first "official" long run for half marathon training and it felt great to get back into the swing of things again! I think long runs are best to do in the morning, before the day heats up and I'm worn out, but some days it just doesn't happen. After mowing the lawn and a little gardening, it was long run time (and the boys' nap time). Hot, sweaty and tired... I made it! On some long runs I listen to podcasts, other times it's music or nothing at all. Getting back into long runs feels like a special occasion. I listened to music for 60 minutes straight!  I love my boys but it felt good to "run away" (literally) for a little bit. Here's is a random shuffle of my playlist: 10 Random Songs on My Long Run Playlist 1. Run Wild - For King & Country. Of course it's #1 because the word "run" is in the title! 2. Mind's Eye - DC Talk 3. Chains Hit the Ground - Leeland 4. Radioactive ...

I love reading "day in the life" posts and so much has changed since I shared my last one almost a year ago. I'm now a mom of TWO ! E is 28 months old and Baby W is 2 months old. While we have a general "routine", each day takes on a shape of it's own. Baby W's schedule is still quite unpredictable! This is just one of our days last week where I took the time to write down the things we did. Most days feel like such a blur I can't remember what I made for lunch. Writing down your day - just one day - is something I recommend for everyone to try! Knowing how you spend your time may help with more effective time management. It was a little disheartening to see how much I didn't get done on the "to-do list" yet rewarding to look back on all the memories being made. Plus, for once I would have an answer to the  "What do you do all day?!"  question.  This post contains affiliate links. Let's get this day started! ...

The night before the race was rather sleepless. It wasn't that I was nervous or feeling restless. It's just this very hungry baby boy loves to spend quality time with mom in the middle of the night. Good thing he's so cute because his little smirk makes the sleep deprivation worth it! After Baby W's last nursing session, 6:00 am came quickly. I jumped out of bed to brew my coffee and make a batch of egg pancakes before E woke up. My mom (a.k.a. "Grandma") stayed over night and was ready to watch the boys for me during the race, as Leo was gone for the weekend. Baby W was fussing but he calmed down quickly after some cuddle time with Grandma. While waiting for the egg pancakes to get done, I sipped on my coffee and rolled out my legs with the GoFit massage bar. This was my attempt to appear well rested and fresh-legged for the morning's 5k. As soon as E woke up, we all ate breakfast and got ready for the morning. After nursing Baby W again, he w...

Happy Fitness Friday ! Tomorrow I'm running my first race since Baby W's birth and I wanted to share a few of my race goals with you. Over the past three weeks, I have been doing walk-run intervals to ease into running and I had my first "running-only" run on Wednesday. I'm not ready to push the pace but I do look forward to running with other people tomorrow! I run alone these days and really miss the running group atmosphere from our old hometown. Pregnancy, birth and the postpartum recovery take your body through so many changes! This week's 4-miler this week was a good reminder of all my body has been through. The 9:25/mile pace smoked me at the end of the run. That workout was a reminder that it takes time and patience to rebuild fitness after having a baby. Consistent stretching and foam rolling helps me to recover between workouts as I gradually increase the mileage and pace. 5 Goals for My First Postpartum Race 1. Run By Feel. I'...

I’m so excited to fuel my #1MillionMinutes goals with Puritan’s Pride ! All summer I plan to run my way to a healthier, fitter me, and I’ll need help staying hydrated and fueled during all my family and fitness adventures! I will make sure I stay on track and will rely on healthy snack options to keep me well fueled before, during and after workouts, and my trusty water bottle to keep me hydrated! I’m most excited to try the Kind Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate + Protein bars and Crunchy Cashew Clusters from Puritan’s Pride because they look absolutely delicious. One supplement I’ve never tried but am curious about is the Muscle Milk® Chocolate protein powder . I think it might make me extra recovered after hard workouts. Bring it, #1MillionMinutes! I’m ready to go! This post is sponsored by Puritan’s Pride. All opinions are my own. We so appreciate you supporting the brands who support Fit Approach and the #sweatpink community!

Let's try something new. Some of the best conversations happen over coffee. There is something about a good cup of coffee that brings people together. Add God's Word to the mix and it's the perfect time to have real, honest conversations. There isn't a coffee shop in town, the kids are napping and I'm a firm believer in the "never wake a sleeping baby" rule so a blog-style coffee date will have to do. To start off this new coffee break concept, I want to share my story with you. Social media and the internet tend to paint a perfect, "got-it-all-together" kind of picture and I want to share the real, very imperfect me. Being vulnerable and sharing my imperfections is scary, but if I can somehow help or encourage someone else through this, it's well worth the awkwardness. This is the story - my testimony - of my many mistakes and God drawing me to Himself through grace, mercy and love. I will give thanks to You, Lord, with all my h...