Hospital Hill 5k...

...After swimming in the pool, watching some "Froze" in the hotel room, and filling our bellies with food that was delivered by a train, AR and I met Candace and Liam again for the Hospital Hill 5k.

This year, they moved the race to Friday night and allowed strollers. I had contemplated running the 10k until I found out about the move to Friday night. Since its just AR and I and she doesn't "know" anyone there, it's really hard to find someone to watch her at 6am on Saturday morning. This actually worked out great for us and we had a really good time! Here we are waiting to head to the race line.

It was nice to walk with Candace and talk as we did. The kids were entertained in their strollers so we could actually focus and chat, not be crawled, walked, drooled over while telling them to share, be nice, stop running, it's just a dog-don't be scared. Candace has a Great Dane and AR didn't believe me he was a dog. When he laid down, he also took up the entire hallway and AR had no clue how to get around him. Anyways, at mile 2, I pulled her out of the stroller and we snapped a pic.

After the race, AR was all about "Iam, Iam, Iam!" and this is how post-race was spent...

...or she was running around and dancing like a madwoman!

I'm not quite sure Liam shared AR's excitement...

Me and my girl with our medal, we conquered the hill!

All four of us! We asked someone else to take our pic and he totally cut out the kids!

AR's gymnastics place is doing a Handstand Contest. You're supposed to take pics throughout the summer doing a handstand. This was AR's first handstand in front of the fountains at Crown Plaza.

We headed back to the hotel and snapped this selfie with our medal. Hey, we were proud of ourselves!

Another Hospital Hill Run in the books!

Tank Top Arm Workout...

...I found a pin on Pinterest for Tank Top Arms. The workout is from Caitlin at Fit Fab Cities. It seemed simple enough and wouldn't take up a ton of time either. I feel like of all my body parts though, my arms are the most in shape since I carry a 25 pound toddler around! However, they aren't, so when I need a quick workout, this is my go-to.

Firm arms equals happy ladies!

 

Workout Wednesday...

...I printed off a training plan for a 10k so I'll at least be running 3x per week.

Wednesday-Ran a mile.

Thursday-If stress counts as a workout then I ran a marathon.

Friday-Walked on the treadmill for 20 minutes.

Saturday-Nada.

Sunday-Working Women's Survival Show-lots of walking but no real exercise.

Monday-Officially started training for Hospital Hill today. Ran 2.5 miles.

Tuesday-Ran 2 miles today on a full belly. Rookie mistake, I knew better!

Workout Wednesday...

...Wow, another week of slacking...

Wednesday-Nothing. :-(

Thursday-Nothing-long day, go, go go!

Friday-Swam 20 minutes.

Saturday-I took AR swimming so it wasn't a real workout of swimming laps but there was a lot of chasing a toddler around a pool, going through the lazy river, and catching 26 pounds of baby being hurled at you!

Sunday-Nada.

Monday-Major workout fail. I was dressed ready to go and my back-up babysitting option failed. :-(

Tuesday-Ran a mile and took a walk outside in the gorgeous weather with AR when I got home.

I'm hoping the warmer weather will kick me into gear. :-/

Workout Wednesday...

...I changed the title of these posts since I'm not really weighing-in and it's more a workout recap and last week, I was lazy so feel free to belittle, ridicule, and throw tomatoes at me!

Wednesday-Sunday-NOTHING!

Monday-Ran 12 minutes and did some arm workout. Hey, it's not much, but it's all I could squeeze in!

Tuesday-Boot camp!

Summary: SLACKER THIS WEEK!!!

Weigh-In Wednesday...

...Happy birthday, H!!! With it being so cold out, it makes it so hard to get up early and get in a good workout but I'm trying!

Wednesday, January 29-Tank Top Arms!

Thursday, January 30-Ran for 20 minutes on the treadmill and did Tank Top Arms. I've been really slacking on working out this week but once I ran, it felt REALLY good!

Friday, January 31-Arm day at boot camp!

Saturday, February 1-Rest day.

Monday, February 2-Arm day with the group workout. I feel like I should arms and abs of steel after this workout.

Tuesday, February 3-Tank Top Arms! Oh and my legs are so sore from deadlifts yesterday.

Weigh-In Wednesday...

...I've had a few people ask so here's a link to the Tank Top Arms workout I've been doing. I plan on doing a post about it in eleven weeks. :-)

Wednesday, January 22-Bright and early arm day at boot camp! Plus I did Tank Top Arms when I got home. Whew, my arms are Jello!

Thursday, January 23-I did 15 minutes on Jacob's Ladder plus Tank Top Arms. Whew-Jacob's Ladder is tough!

Friday, January 24-Leg day at boot camp and then Tank Top Arms in the afternoon at home. It is so hard to get out of bed early when it's so cold!!!

Saturday, January 25-Arm day at boot camp before I had to go to work.

Sunday, January 26-Tank Top Arms with a 25 pound toddler on my back for half the push-ups. It was a gorgeous day out so I'm bummed we didn't get any walking in but we were busy, busy girls!

Monday, January 27-I woke up VERY early and swam! I hadn't swam in forever and it felt so good and relaxing in the water. I can't wait until I can swim again.

Tuesday, January 28-Tank Top Arms and chasing AR around gymnastics.

Life in the Fast Lane...

...When I had AR, I put my life on hold. I didn't want to miss a single second with her so I basically did nothing besides work and be a mom. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining at all, I wouldn't do it any differently, but now that she's a bit older, I've started doing more...exercising, reading, socializing, etc...And in true Alyssa fashion, do you think that I gradually eased into things? Maybe for a couple months, but now my plate is full. As in, big girl, pour on more potatoes, my plate is overflowing! Here's my life in the fast lane these days...

Exercising/Weight Loss-As you've all seen my posts, I'm trying to lose weight. It's a never-ending battle. As this time, I'm really maintaining but hey, I'm almost forty pounds lighter than I was six months ago so I'll take maintaining and lose what I can. I'm trying to do boot camp 2 mornings/week, swim one morning/week, and run twice/week.

I'm an ambassador for Hospital Hill Run again this year. I love that race! I've been visiting local running stores to pass out info about the race. My goal is to run the half again, first half since having AR. I won't start my official training until March but I've got to build up my endurance between now and then.

They're getting new mileage club shirts at work which is the motivation I needed to get back into the pool! Oh, plus there's talk of the Tri Girls reuniting for the triathlon in August. I don't know what' s more frightening-competing post-baby in a tri or wearing a swimsuit in front of co-workers?

Teaching-Today is my first day of teaching...a college class! I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I basically have everything ready through the end of February, still prepping the first test, but I feel prepared for this first week. I've already been asked to teach again this fall. I haven't committed yet as I wanted to make sure I enjoyed teaching and I'm good at it. I did the math and if I do this for four years then I'll have enough money to buy AR's first car before she even turns five!

Product/Book Reviews-I have quite about five products to review right now and a few books to finish reading. My goal is to try to schedule and review two/week so I don't fall behind.

Valentine's Day-After I go to Costco this upcoming weekend, I'll have all the supplies I need to make AR's Valentine's. I'm pretty excited about them and I hope they turn out! I have to make twenty for a playdate and the kids at the sitter's.

AR's Second Birthday-Although it's four months away, I'm already full swing in party planning mode! I even made a trial cake to see if I could do it. FYI-it turned out pretty awesome!

Writing-I've started writing and I don't mean blogging. Through all the book reviews I've been doing, I've been introduced to the world of indie publishing. I decided to try my hand at writing a love story and I, well, loved it! I've had a few people read it and I'm on a critique website. I've gotten good feedback and best of all, no one's straight up told me it sucks to that's exciting! It's a long, tedious process and I just wish I had more time to devote to it, but alas, I don't. I'm going to keep pushing on and hopefully, you'll see a post about it one day!

Photography-I did a "photoshoot" for a couple this month and it's made me want to do more. Not that I want to actually be a photographer but I want to be able to take photographer quality photos of AR and our family. I've talked to Katie Beach, our wedding photog, and she's going to do a natural lighting class on March 9. If you're interested, email or leave me a comment. I'm looking for three other people to do the class with me. I'm also already working on some pictures for the February Photo Challenge I'll be posting on here.

AR-Dude, she needs a social coordinator! Tuesday nights we have gymnastics. Mondays we've started swim lessons. I want to do a Mini Kickers program (soccer) but it's only offered on Tuesday mornings so I'll have to keep looking. She's got a playdate and birthday party coming up on the 9th plus we're going to be celebrating H's tenth birthday soon! Seriously, how did H get to be ten already!?!

I'm also trying to sell her baby stuff. I think I've come to terms with being okay with her being an only child. That should be a post in itself and it will be when I'm 100% okay with it. In the meantime, I've been posting pics and meeting people to get rid of some of her bigger baby toys to make room for all the new ones we got at Christmas. I also need to do a post on her since I haven't done one devoted fully towards her and her developments since, oh, you know her 12 month post which was eight months ago! FYI-We're still not 100% over her cold/sinuses/whatever you want to call it. The doctor said her lungs sounded clear both times we went so I guess that's good but I wish this cough would go away!

So that's what's going on in my world these days. You know, aside from working, being a mom/wife, and trying to keep my head above water in the household department. These next few months are going to get crazy! But hey, that's life in the fast lane, right?

Weigh-In Wednesday...

...Here goes, my first Weigh-In Wednesday. I know they're boring to read but I'm hoping they'll keep me accountable. Please comment with motivation, healthy ideas/recipes, or if I'm slacking, totally call me out on it!

Thursday, January 16-Snow and travel day means no workout. :-(

Friday, January 17-In Florida, but never fear, I got a workout in! I rode a bike to the workout center. While AR and Nana swam, I rode the stationary bike for 25 minutes while I read and watched them. Then I took the long way home on the bike, taking a wrong turn and making it even LONGER!I also did my tank top arms workout while baking cookies so yeah, today's workout probably didn't do much with the whole cookie baking.

Saturday, January 18-Did my tank top arms workout in the am. After lunch, I took a 15 minute walk with my mom's dog. When we got back to her house, AR and her were waiting for us so we took a short five minute walk. Even though we were in FL, it was still chilly!

Sunday, January 19-Tank top arms workout!

Monday, January 20-Tank top arms workout! Hey, I know it's not much, but I figure it's better than nothing at all, right?

Tuesday, January 21-Slept in and skipped boot camp but I did run two miles! Plus, of course, tank top arm workout!

Hot Chocolate 5k Race Recap...

...Well, the big event has come and gone. Yesterday was the day of the Hot Chocolate 5k here in STL. We had received an email from them on Friday saying prepare for extreme cold temperatures...as in 5 degrees-holy moly!

Early Saturday morning, we got snow...lots and lots of snow. Luckily, Jenni picked up all of our packets at the Expo so I didn't have to brave the roads and take AR out in the snow. Supposedly part of I-70 was closed for awhile yesterday.

Then bright and early on Sunday, earlier than expected because my daughter decided to wake up at 4:30am, I woke up ready to face the Hot Chocolate 5k. I met Jenni at 6:40 then we headed downtown to meet my sis and H were we all added more layers and made our way to the starting line. Our crew, the Turquoise Turtles back at it again! They kept trying to talk to me, but I couldn't hear anything because I had on ear warmers, a hat, that scarf wrapped around my head 2-3 times and my hoodie!

Unfortunately, I didn't really use any of my training. Having already had knee surgery once, I'm always very cautious on ice. Good news though, the only person I saw fall on ice was my husband as he watched me back out of the driveway and told me to watch for black ice...maybe he should take his own advice, huh?

Instead, H and I ran/walked the whole race...hand in hand. Yes, we held hands the entire time until our hands were so sweaty we couldn't stand it. Then I put my arm around her and we'd walk until we'd start running again and then hold hands once more. We ran almost to mile one then probably walked the next mile-mile & half then ran off and on until the finish. I may not have had a stellar performance, but hey, at least I was out there! Haley and I finished in 46:36 so that's not bad considering my goal was under 45 and we didn't run as much as I wanted to. Oh and the winner of the 15k barely finished before us, too. :-)

Oh and I forgot during mile one, we saw Santa and his elf. While AR & I are Santa Stalkers, H is absolutely terrified of Santa and any other character like that so it took a bit of convincing to pass them.

We finished the race and waited on my sis & Jenni. Then we got in the massive line to get our Finish's Mug. I know I'd gotten a few emails that they were looking for volunteers so I'm not sure if they were short or what, but they could've used some more manpower in this area to keep the lines moving. We'd wait in what we thought was a line only to find out it wasn't. Once we got close enough, we saw if we kept moving to the left then there were REALLY short lines. I was pretty stoked to get my finisher's mug!

Unfortunately, our Rice Krispie treat was frozen and my hand was covered in chocolate when I dipped my mini pretzels. My fondue also hardened before I could finish it, but the hot chocolate was amazing! It was an excellent post race treat.

When I got home, Matt and AR weren't home yet, but they had hung garland around the living room (see beads in the left corner of picture). When they did get home, they had a Christmas tree!

Here I am in my awesome hoodie! I picked a larger size since I'd registered back in August and you can tell by the baggy part under my arms, but it's still awesome. My husband was jealous when he saw it so I better keep a close eye on it or he might be trying to wear it.

Definitely a fun race and I hope next year that I can do the 15k. Hopefully, there won't be snow/ice on the ground and it won't be so cold, but with Missouri weather, you never know what you'll get in December!

Chocolate Check-In Week 15...

...AH! The Hot Chocolate 5k is the weekend. Ready or not, here I come!


Friday, December 6-"Snow day." We barely got any snow but Matt had to go put salt down which meant I had to take AR to the sitter so no AM workout for me. :-(

Saturday, December 7-Rest day from exercise but not for Mommy and AR, we were on the go, go, go!
 

Sunday, December 8-Blah and dreary out, no exercise.
 

Monday, December 9-Holy good-morning-get-your-butt-kicked at boot camp!
 

Tuesday, December 10-Ran two miles in 24 minutes. Gotta get my endurance up, half training starts in January!
 

Wednesday, December 11-Ugh, I worked tonight so I was planning on going into work a little early to run. Wouldn't you know it that my alternator went out on my car so I had to hitch a ride to work so no workout-wah!!!
 

Thursday, December 12-Ran 2 miles and my legs are achey, imagine how they'll feel after Sunday.

Challenge: Here's a whole workout for you from Trainer Ty!

Complete all 5 exercises below for 1 minute each. Take a 20 second rest period in between exercises. Repeat the cycle three times for a great strengthening workout.

1.  Side Plank (Resting on your forearm, lie in a straight line from feet to head on one side, keeping your elbow directly under your shoulder.  Lift your hips off the floor up and down, gently contracting your abdominals all while maintaining the straight-line posture.  Hold for 30 seconds then immediately switch to other side).

2.  Bird Dog (Begin on all fours with knees hip-width apart, hands flat and shoulder-width apart.  Contract your abs by pulling them inwards toward the spine. Without rotating your hips or arching your back, extend your left arm straight ahead and your right leg back simultaneously.  Switch arms and legs until you reach one minute).

3.  Leg Kicks (Lie on your stomach, with your hands at the small of your back.  Lift both legs off the floor and stretch your upper body up off the floor kicking 3 times then taking a quick break while your head is turned to one side.  Focus on maintaining posture and balance and continue this kicking motion with quick breaks until you reach one minute).

4.  Hip Bridge (Lying on your back with feet hip width apart and flat with arms lying at your sides, lift your hips creating a straight line from shoulders to knees.  Hold for 3 seconds, then relax for 3 seconds and repeat 10 times).

5.  Tiger Pushups (Start in a child’s pose on the ground.  Straighten your arms while sliding your torso forward along the ground and raising your head and arching your spine.  Hold for 5 seconds and slide back into the child’s pose.  Repeat 8 times).

Chocolate Check-In Week 14...

...I'm so close to a HUGE milestone in the weight loss department so hopefully in the next week, I'll hit and do a little before/after pics for you. I've officially beat Matt in the weight loss-go me! Still gotta stick with it though, but the holiday time is going to be tough.


Friday, November 29-One of my best friends from college came to watch AR while I went to boot camp. Thank you Q!

Saturday, November 30-Thanksgiving at my family's, totally used all the extra calories from the day before.

Sunday, December 1-Rest day!
 

Monday, December 2-Arm day at boot camp! My last day at STL Fitness Boot Camp, I'm going to miss it...even at 5:30 in the am!
 

Tuesday, December 3-Ran 15 minutes. Would've ran longer but the dogs got into the trash can and I had to clean it up then some lady at the gym insisted that I help her find a jump rope.
 

Wednesday, December 4-Monday was my last day of STL Boot Camp. On Tuesday, I was reminded how crabby my husband is in the morning so today I decided to do boot camp at the gym. Whew-a lot of cardio but I loved it! Also, weighed myself and I finally worked off the last of the Thanksgiving meals.
 

Thursday, December 5-Ran 2 miles in 24 minutes with someone talking to me the entire first mile.

 

Challenge: Do five sets of stairs for 30 seconds.

Turkey Trot 5k 2013...

...Thanksgiving morning, the G-Fam headed out the door to the Turkey Trot 5k. Last year, it was just AR and me and we didn't make it to the finish line. This year Matt joined us and I'm happy to say that we all crossed the finish line!

 

It was a chilly 25 degrees at our house so we all layered...and layered...and layered some more. I was worried about AR because she's anti-hats these days. It turned out to not be an issue. I had her in tights, a long-sleeve onesie, socks, hooded sweatshirt, her big, puffy winter coat, and a fleece blanket! Luckily, her hands stayed under the blanket so I didn't have to worry about her hands. She did so well the entire race, never fussing the whole three miles!

 

We arrived and parked quit FAR away from the starting line. We all finished putting on our extra layers, got AR settled in the stroller and headed to the race. Here's AR and me before the race (this would be such a cute photo if Daddy's finger wasn't in the way!).

As we got close to the starting line, we heard the music start and runners take off! Luckily, we weren't the only ones still making our way to the start. Did I mention that almost 3,500 people ran this race? We jumped in and took off running.

 

My goals were to run and to finish sub-45. With 3,500 people, it was a lot of darting and dashing and running way too fast in the beginning. After the first turn, Matt took off his hat and tried to put it in the stroller. I saw it drop out so I picked it up. He got ahead of me at that point and then I was chasing them down.

 

When I finally caught up, I took off my earwarmer and jacket and stashed it in the bottom of the stroller. Matt and AR took off again and from that moment on, we were kind of split up. It wasn't nearly as cold once we started running. I would say that I probably ran and walked about equal parts.

 

Finally, about 200 meters out a runner, who had already finished, yelled to us that there was only three turns left and about 200 meters to go. This was nice since all I could see were massives of runners and there were no mile markers on the course. I didn't know how far 200 meters was, the size of a football field? Two football fields? I had no idea, but I decided I was going to run it all. Then I saw the finish line and that runner's kick I have turned on. I took off sprinting. About 50 feet from the finish line, I heard/saw a shadow of someone sprinting behind me so I ran even faster. Whew-done!

 

I definitely have learned that even though I'm working out every day, I still need to run if I plan on doing races. Matt and AR's final time was 37:48 and my time was 38:38! I'm pretty proud of my little running family!



Chocolate Check-In Week 13...

...Lucky 13, maybe I'll actually run this week! It's going to be a tough week with all the delicious Turkey Day food...

Friday, November 22-Boot camp, legs and it was a good one! We had measurements again. Since the last time, I'd lost almost ten pounds and since the start of boot camp (October 14), I've lost 19.8 which is a total of ??? pounds since the end of August.

Saturday, November 23-Rest day. Toddler Thanksgiving, ate too much, but it was so worth it!

Sunday, November 24-Rest day, ate too many leftovers!

Monday, November 25-Boot camp, so cold this am!!!

Tuesday, November 26-Another day of boot camp. I really should run sometime, huh?

Wednesday, November 27-Cold, cold day which made it hard to roll out of bed, but I made it for a fabulous day of core at boot camp.

Thursday, November 28-Turkey Trot!!! Blog post coming soon.
 

Challenge: On the edge of the couch, do 45 seconds of tricep dips 5 times/day.

Chocolate Check-In Week 12...

...Gearing up and getting excited for the Hot Chocolate 5k and the Ugly Sweater Run. They're both right around the corner! Life is getting hectic with work, holidays and a little one, but my plan is to keep working out 5 days/week.

Friday, November 15-Bright and early core day at boot camp!

Saturday, November 16-Rest day and I had to work.

Sunday, November 17-Rest day.

Monday, November 18-Core day at boot camp. Monday's are always hard to get going.

Tuesday, November 19-Leg day at boot camp.

Wednesday, November 20-Arm day at boot camp, if I have to do another push-up, I may scream!

Thursday, November 21-Core day at boot camp. Why do I feel like core day comes around much faster than the other days?
 

Challenge: Each morning when you get out of bed and each night before you got to bed, do two straight minutes of butt kicks.

Chocolate Check-In Week 11...

...I can't believe it's November already! I started my training in August for the Hot Chocolate 5k and now it's just over a month away. I was worried about being able to run it when I started and now I'm not only doing that race but the next weekend, I'm running the Ugly Sweater Run, too!

Friday, November 8-Arm day at boot camp which included Mummy Run-that's tough stuff!

Saturday, November 9-Rest day, weekends are tending to be my rest time-have you noticed?

Sunday, November 10-Rest day.

Monday, November 11-Bright and early for arm day at boot camp. I was off work and it's so much harder to get up when you don't have somewhere to be. AR stayed home with me and we ran errands. After lunch, we headed over to the park. It was an overcast day but temperature-wise, it was great. We were the only two at the park and we had so much fun!

We swang and swang...and swang some more. Then I hopped off and ran up the stairs waiting for AR to follow me. When she got to me, I ran up the walkway, she followed then I went down the slide and she did the same. We played Follow the Leader for awhile and I thought to myself how awesome it was. I loved running & interacting with her and not feeling out of breath or like I could barely run around. It's definitely one of those added bonuses of losing weight and getting back in shape. She's one of my main motivation for getting back in shape so I'm happy to see it paying off.

Tuesday, November 12-Core day at boot camp, leg climbs are so much harder than they look. Also, I did a table too like AR does them at gymnastics.

Wednesday, November 13-Boot camp but I still squeezed in room for Costco cake!

Thursday, November 14-Boot camp and I finally broke down and did burpees!
 

Challenge: Every morning, hold a weight (kettlebell if you have one) in front of you with your arms extended and drive, turning your hands left to right. Get ready to feel the burn!

As I stated above, Monday AR and I went to the park. She's currently obsessed with the bars at gymnastics, her crib or anything she can hang from. The girl has no fear and can hang forever! Check it out, the black fence behind her is probably at least five feet. I had to lift her slightly over my head for her to grab on to the bar.

Go girl go! Hopefully, you'll be able to do some chin-ups to get that Presidential Award in PE that your momma never could. Bonus points if you know what I'm talking about and can list another challenge you had to do for that award.

The Ugly Sweater Run...

...as I'm working out and losing pounds, I've slowly started to get back into the running circuit. I came across another new, fun and different 5k coming to STL December 21. It's the Ugly Sweater Run! Keep reading because I have a discount code for those of you registering in STL.

Not only does it look awesome but one of the post race drinks is Angry Orchard Hard Cider! As I've aged and refined my choice of alcohol, my go to drink is hard cider, especially Angry Orchard. No worries, they also will be serving hot chocolate, Sam Adam's Winter Lager as well as Boston Lager.

I'm excited to see the course because they say there's snow blowers, Clark Griswold's front yard and the largest inflatable Santa you've ever seen! The course is open to runners, walkers, kids and even your furbabies; everyone from first time runners to marathon extraordinaire. Mommy friends, strollers are allowed on the course!!! The G-Fam is making it a family affair, Big Daddy Matt, AR and me will be out on the course that day. I think she'll love all the stations, especially the snow!

The race started in 2011 just as a test run in Louisville, CO. This year, they are hosting 32 races across the US including two in Canada! Your entry fee will include the run, a knit hat, a mustache if you can't grow your own and two beers in addition to unlimited hot chocolate. Living Social is currently running a deal for the race where you can buy your entry for only $22!!!

“Ugly sweaters are uniting once again,” said Jeff Suffolk, HMM president. “We couldn’t be more excited to bring our 2013 national series to St. Louis, bringing together thousands of people to raise awareness on a very serious manner, ugly sweaters.”

Straight from their press release: "The Ugly Sweater Run course is approximately 3.1-miles long at Forest Park. Once participants are on the course they will find holiday-themed stations at every mile and replenish their electrolytes at a good old-fashioned hot chocolate aid station. After crossing the finish line, participants will enter the post-run festival area where 21+ participants receive two free Samuel Adams Boston or Winter Lagers or Angry Orchard Apple Cider. In addition, all participants receive a custom vintage knit hat, a mustache and unlimited hot chocolate. Participants are encouraged to enter post-race contests for some great holiday prizes."

The event is sponsored by Samuel Adams, Toys For Tots, Skedouche, Stache Tats and Sports Authority. Runners/walkers are asked to bring an unwrapped present to place under a large inflatable Christmas tree to be donated to the local Toys for Tots. I think it's awesome that it's staying in our community.  

A final note from the run organizers: "Ugly sweaters are not only encouraged, but are a necessity. Why wait? Register for The Ugly Sweater Run at www.theuglysweaterrun.com. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter."

Register for the race in St. Louis and use the code SA20 to get 20% off your registration!

Here are some pics from other races. Runners making snow angels from the snow blowers.

 

Now those are some ugly sweaters!
 

 

Okay, I've got to run to Goodwill now so I can find my race day apparel!

St. Louis Boot Camp...

...On November 1, I finished up my 21 Day Transformation Boot Camp through St. Louis Boot Camp. I only missed one day, well also 2 Saturday classes but I wasn't planning on attending them because I didn't have childcare for Saturday mornings. It was held at the place that AR does gymnastics so it was super close to home meaning I could literally get out of bed at the very last minute and still get there ontime.

It was Monday-Friday from 5:30-6:30am. We would do a quick warm-up then a tabata workout followed by 4 stations that focused on either core, legs or arms. Seriously, after the first couple of days, my abs were so sore! Some days, I would head to work and run some more and other days, I would just go to work and dream of going to sleep. They were tough workouts but they gave you lots of levels so even if you weren't in tip-top shape, you could still participate and get something out of the workout.

I could definitely see the results, mainly in my face, but it showed in numbers too. Here's my stats after the three week St. Louis Boot Camp.

Weight: -8.4 pounds
Neck: -.25 inch
Arm: -.25 inch
Bust: -1 inch
Belly Button: -1.25 inches
Hips: -1.75 inches
Thigh: Same
Calves: Same
Body Fat: -1%

The Monday after the 21-Day Challenge ended, I found out that out of the three locations, I won the challenge!!! Overall, I'd lost 8.4 lbs and 4.5 inches-go me! I also won prizes which I didn't even know we were competing for; I thought it was just for braggin' rights! I got a free month of boot camp, an in-home spa party and I get three $100 gift certificates to give to friends to try out boot camp. If you're interested, let me know!

Derek and Michelle are great trainers who make the class fun. I had purchased a deal on Living Social. If you sign up, tell them I referred you. :-) This was a great way to kickstart me into gear to get that drive to lose weight.

Chocolate Check-In Week 10...

...Unfortunately, I was pressed for spare time this week but I still managed to at least workout most days. I'm just a couple pounds away from beating Matt in our weight loss challenge! Hopefully, next week I can proclaim victory!

Friday, November 1-Last day of boot camp and it was the sweatiest workout yet!

Saturday, November 2-Rest day.

Sunday, November 3-Rest day.

Monday, November 4-Employee work-out and I found out I won the Boot Camp Challenge which means...5am wake-up calls once again for the next month! For winning, I got a free month of boot camp plus lots of other goodies (see my post tomorrow!).

Tuesday, November 5-Back to boot camp today for a killer arm workout!

Wednesday, November 6- Boot camp!

Thursday, November 7-Boot camp!

Challenge: Do the bunny hop back and forth across your living room for 1 minute 5x per day. Trust me...you'll feel it!

Chocolate Check-In Week 9...

...training hard and losing pounds-woot woot!

Friday, October 25-Boot camp and rest day for running!

Saturday, October 26-Rest day but I did carry a 25 lb baby around the World Series. :-)
 

Sunday, October 27-Rest day.

 

 

Monday, October 28-Back to boot camp for core followed by a 2 mile run in 23:48.
 

Tuesday, October 29-Boot camp and took a break from running today because I just couldn't wake up!
 

Wednesday, October 30- Boot camp. Was planning on running but there was a school bus in the ditch right in front of my husband's work so I was in a panicked state to get in touch with him to make sure he was okay. Only after I called his boss' wife did he return my call to tell me he was fine...he'd overslept and was still at home! A burning bush story???
 

Thursday, October 31-Core day at boot camp!
 

Challenge: Do a 30 second wall-sit every morning...the lower the better!

P.S.
Rabbit, rabbit!