She Runs By Faith

Friday, 09/23: Marathon Eve The kids and I made an errands trip to drop-off/pick-up library books, stop at the auto parts store and pick up my race number and expo goodies. Besides a brief 3-year-old meltdown in the bathroom of the race expo, all went well. The Grand Forks Marathon (a.k.a. Wild Hog) has some of my favorite "race swag". I have quite the collection of Fitsoks and drink glasses from the last few years! The marathon jacket is awesome and I hope they continue to have those for full marathoners in the future. In an effort to eat something boring that wouldn't bother my stomach for race day, we picked up sandwiches at Subway for lunch and delivered one to daddy in the field. We had a chill afternoon, I actually took a little nap with our youngest, and my parents arrived later that night to stay over. I slept so hard!!! It was wonderful... a million times better than our sleepless hotel experience before the Fargo Marathon. Saturday, 09/24: Race Da...

Getting the right amount of fruits and veggies in each day is tough. Add picky eating tendencies to the mix and mealtime can be a big headache! Thankfully, our family isn't the only one with a picky eater and there are other sneakier ways to fit in key nutrients! Vitamins in tablet form are great for adults but what about children who have difficulty swallowing or resist taking a tableted multivitamin? Meet MegaFood. They are a company committed to making products that use real food from family-owned farms to make a real difference, and have produced some of the most effective and award-winning supplements available today. MegaFood has partnered with Kauai Organic Farms, Lundberg Family Farms, and Uncle Matt’s Organic to whip up kid-friendly powders that can be slipped into just about anything, making good nutrition just that much easier to swallow As Moms Meet Ambassador, I was sent three different types of Kids Nutrient Booster Powders to explore: Kids Daily Multi...

This post in a nutshell: I'm still alive! The 26.2 miles went great (actually, my watch said 26.49...?), it was an enjoyable experience until the last 6.2 miles, and I'm thoroughly enjoying not running today — or for the next week. I crossed the finish in 3:28:13 and was ecstatic to run sub-3:30. It was a confidence booster after my struggle at the Fargo Marathon and a reminder that, yes, the marathon can be a fun distance to run. Stay tuned. My race recap will be coming up next week! And because all runners love a good "race bling" picture. The piece in the middle spins. It's pretty cool! Did you race this weekend? What has been your favorite race medal to receive? (There are some crazy ones out there!) ..... Wild Hog Marathon Training Week 12: Monday, September 19 Rest. Tuesday, September 20 Easy-Effort with double stroller: 4.01 mi, 00:37 @ 09:17 pace. Wednesday, September 21 Speedwork: (Treadmill) 2.01 mi, 00:17 @ 08:15...

People of all ages appreciate beauty, whether it be a painting, classical music, photography or nature. My family has enjoyed paging through the beauty in Art Wolfe's book,  Photographs from the Edge . Wolfe's photographs take you on a journey across the world from mountain peaks and lava beds to indigenous tribes and wildlife. Wolfe and Sheppard share the story behind each photo along with information about the subject and photography tips. Reading  Blueberries for Sal (numerous times a day!) has spurred on our 3-year-old's fascination with bears. Lately we have been admiring all of Wolfe's bear pictures to learn more about the mother and cub that Sal encounters on her blueberry picking excursion. His wildlife pictures are absolutely amazing and the story behind each one makes them even better! Photographs from the Edge is a breathtaking portfolio of Art Wolfe's work that takes you all over the world while sitting in your own living room. Beautiful w...

Race week is HERE! Finally!!! With only two more short runs left to go, training is nearly over and I feel a sense of accomplishment in that. I survived. And it was fun! Racing should be the easy part, right? HA!!! Maybe "easy" isn't the right word. More so the short-term effort on race day feels much easier than the long term effort and dedication of 3 months of training. As for the race, we'll just have to see what that day brings! Currently, the forecast is cool with scattered storms. Do-able for running yet not so great for all of the farmers. (More rain?!) Back to the weekend for a mini-recap. We watched the full moon over our campfire with the neighbors on Saturday night. Then the sun returned with such radiant color on my Sunday morning 12-miler: I could have used my sunglasses. It was SO bright! The sky clouded over and the color scheme cooled off later in the run. It's amazing how much the sky changed over the time I was ru...

Over the summer I have been using my crockpot like crazy! I throw in the ingredients first thing in the morning, then the kids and I head outside and lunch is ready by the time we come back in. I happened upon a fun new chicken and rice slow-cooker meal this week, Slow-cooker Mongolian Chicken , using San-J's Organic Tamari Gluten Free Soy Sauce . All three of the Asian Sauces we tried had a rich, bold flavor, were easy to incorporate into any meal and are certified organic, gluten free, vegan, and Kosher.. San-J's sauces have a richer, milder and more complex taste due to the higher concentration of soy protein caused by fermenting for up to six months with Japanese brewing methods. Now onto the meal... Making our Slow-cooker Mongolian Chicken  was a piece of cake! I combined 4 chicken breasts, one can of cream o' chicken soup and a 1/2 cup of San-J's Mongolian Sauce . After allowing the chicken to cook on "High" for 2 hours, I added sliced ora...

One thing you likely don't know about me is that I'm a tooth-brushing fanatic. I haven't always been. It all started during my second pregnancy when flossing and brushing my teeth were the only way to ease my morning sickness. (Well, that... and Chinese food.) Now, knowing that random fact, imagine my excitement when I was approached with the opportunity to review an herbal formulation toothpaste! Let me introduce you to Himalaya Botanique Complete Care Toothpaste : What makes Himalaya Botanique 's toothpaste different is that they use a blend of Neem, Pomegranate, Triphala and Xylitol to leave your mouth feeling fresh: » Neem leaf , harvested from the ‘worlds most researched tree’ is history’s original housekeeper and works to keep the mouth clean. » Pomegranate is an astringent fruit extract that helps support healthy looking gums by tightening the tissues. » Triphala is a traditional detox formula in ancient Ayurveda composed of the three myrobalan...

Here marks the end of the peak training phase... and the beginning of taper! {Cue the  Chariots of Fire theme song.} I am so ready to take the next two weeks easy-ish! Tapering is a strange balance between resting but not taking it too easy so that my legs get sloppy. Personally, I struggle to find that balance. Last time, I under-rested and paid for it. This time I hope to taper "better". The weekend's long run was like a DTR  (determine the relationship) workout for my marathon goal pace: 2-mile warm up, 10 miles at marathon pace, and 2-mile cool down. I was nervous about maintaining a 7:30-8:00/mile pace for 10 miles but it went really well. The relationship is determined indeed and my marathon pace goal feels realistic. Now to make myself run smart and on-pace come race day! We made a few excellent finds at the thrift store this week, two of them being Spiderman and Captain America suits! Costumes have been a hit for the kids lately. I think it woul...

Believe it or not, I don't wear my running clothes every day! I love a cute outfit but my attire needs to be capable of keeping up with two toddlers all day long. That means tree climbing, crawling around the floor playing "horsey", rolling down grassy hills, looking presentable while running errands, and who knows what else. I was ecstatic to receive the opportunity to review prAna's Ravena Top and Kara Jean .  Since the arrival of my prAna outfit I haven't wanted to take it off! (Yes, I will wash it. Some day.) Here are my thoughts on these two prAna pieces and stick around to WIN this outfit for yourself! First off, have you heard of prAna before? Here's a little background: The prAna mission is to inspire healthy, active, and free-spirited living. We create versatile, stylish, and sustainable clothing and accessories that you can wear during every activity, every adventure, every day. How do we know? Because we base our designs on our ow...

Chase the Lion by Mark Batterson presents a bold message to step out in faith, off the path of least resistance, and to chase after God's calling on your life and the dreams He has placed on your heart. This book has challenged me in my faith and encouraged me to press deeper into my relationship with the Lord and to dream big, God-sized dreams. I know the Lord is able to do far abundantly more than I could ever even dream up - now it's time to live like it! Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. EPHESIANS 3:20-21 I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review. All opinions are my own. 

Well hello there! I hope you are doing something fun this Labor Day weekend! My husband ended up getting Saturday, Sunday AND Labor Day off and we have been enjoying quality family time. It's been a wonderful break from harvest time! Our Saturday family date included grocery gettin', finding a bigger carseat for W, a stop at Cherry Berry... And a trip to the "Valley Corn Maize"! We made our way through the maze, went on a tractor train ride and the kids played in a huge pit of corn kernels. It was a blast! Early Sunday morning I ran my last 20-miler in training for the Wild Hog Marathon, making this a 51-mile week. It's been a great week and it is such a blessing to be healthy (no more colds here!) and together as a family! We just watched the men's and women's Olympic Marathon races on my parents' DV-R (a bit after the fact) and I'm really looking forward to race day! Check out the inaugural jackets for the full marathon ...