I picked up my packet the day before, so we arrived at the starting line just a few minutes before the start. The race was a 5k and a Half Marathon, and the two races started an hour apart. My first impression was that the race was really small – there was only 170 runners for the 5k.

The race itself was an out and back. The view was great, but on the way out the wind was in my face the whole time and made it a little hard to breathe. The way back was great because the sun was shining in my face and the run was very enjoyable.

The best part of the whole race was when I neared the finish line. Tommy and Alex were waiting for me near the finish, and Alex ran out of the crowd to cross the finish line with me. The girls who were giving out medals at the finish line gave him a finishers medal, even though I told them he didn’t run with me. He was beyond excited.

My finish time was 38:05, one of my slowest 5k times. But the way I see it, for having run only twice since the summer, I did pretty good and I can only go up from there. The post race set up was great. They had bagels with cream cheese, apples, strawberries and blueberries along with coffee, tea and water. It was so cold out that the water set out in cups had ice chunks in it. Yea, it was that cold!

I am  really excited for the weather to warm up, so I can spend more time outdoors and hopefully PR a 5k this year!

What’s the coldest race you’ve ever run?

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Alex took part in the Get To the Point 5k children’s dash. The whole race was only 25 meters, but seeing how serious the kids took it, you would’ve thought they were running the NYC Marathon.  Since the street was closed off before the race, the kids warmed up by running back and forth in the street. All of the parents there joked about how much energy kids have. They could have ran for hours!

It was fun watching the really small children run. One of the little girls ran off the course, yelling to her mom that she had to go to the potty and didn’t finish the race. Alex’s group was the third or fourth to go. I started out running with him, but once we got about halfway down the course, he let go of my hard and ran off.

At the finish line, they took down Alex’s name and told us to stick around for the awards ceremony. We got to watch all the other age groups run, while enjoying juice boxes and soft pretzels that were put out for the kids. Once all the races were complete, it was time for awards!

Alex was very excited to go up on stage and get his gold medal.

He had an absolute blast and told us that he wants to run really fast and win more medals.

What was the first race you ever ran?

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if you can survive one of these, you can most likely survive anything!

The race was a 4 mile Spartan Sprint that took place in Tuxedo, NY.

It is difficult to recap the race because I honestly cannot remember most of it. I don’t know if it was the adrenaline of being in the moment and trying to push through the events or what, but there are simply parts that I don’t recall. I couldn’t tell you what all my obstacles were and I couldn’t tell you how much time it took us (we finished in 2:50:36, but at the time we had no clue if two hours of

ten hours had passed.) I can tell you that a Spartan is a life changing type of race. Their slogan is when you cross the finish line you’ll know, and it is true. When Mikey and I crossed the finished line we were ecstatic.

The day after the race, I sat down to film a video about my experience, so I wouldn’t forget all of the things I wanted to share. If you want to see why you need to run a Spartan Race, watch away!

And last, but not least, some pictures from the race itself. Whenever we came down the mountain to do obstacles, Tommy was there to catch the good, the bad and the burpees!

So long story short, I am hooked on Spartan! My next Spartan is one month, July 14th, Blue Mountain , Pennsylvania. I’m counting down the days!

Have you even done a Spartan Race? Have I convinced you to do one?!

I received free entry to the race and training gear from Reebok. All opinions are my own!

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I woke up on race day to pouring rain. I laid in bed thinking about forgetting the rainy run and sleeping in. As appealing as it sounded, I knew I couldn’t not go. I was naturally running late, but since the run was so close by, I got to the start line just in time to hear the send off. The race was three laps around the park – one smaller and two larger. The course was very well marked with lots of volunteers along the course holding arrows showing us where to go.

Since it had been cold and rainy going in, I was wearing a jacket, but as I started to warm up, I wanted nothing more than to take my jacket off. I was kind of proud of my mid run wardrobe change, but I had to stop to take off my Garmin because I couldn’t get my sleeve off. At one point during the run I was pretty sure I was the only person left. I could see a few people ahead of me, but no one behind me. With only 500 participants, groups got pretty spread out, but luckily I wasn’t last!

I had to take some walking breaks, but eventually I made it to the finish line in 36:39, with an average pace of 11:49 per mile. It’s not my best 5k time, but its a start. I can only go up from here throughout the summer.

I also loved the email I received a few minutes after crossing the finish line!

What’s your fastest 5k?

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Since getting pregnant and having my son, my body has gone through some amazing changes. The same belly that stretched to hold a whopping 10 lbs 1 ounce little guy was left soft and squishy with stretch marks to boot. With becoming a mom, something in me changed. I no longer cared for the parties I once lived for, I now wanted to be healthy and happy for my little guy. I started to run, I started to work out, I started to be healthy. With every mile I ran and every heavy weight I lifted, I realized that my body might not be “perfect” by society’s standards, but it is mine and it is beautiful. Every woman is beautiful.

I followed Under Armour’s What’s Beautiful Contest last year, but I didn’t participate. When I heard that it was happening again this year, I knew I had to be a part of it. I knew that this community of amazing women would help me achieve one of my biggest goals – to run a half marathon.

After running my 10k last year, I knew I wanted to go farther. Don’t get me wrong, the 10k wasn’t easy. I wouldn’t say that I’m a particularly good or strong runner, but it is something I am passionate about and something I want to be able to look back on one day. Something to tell my grandkids someday.

I WILL…complete my first half marathon.

Join me! Follow my profile on the What’s Beautiful website and if your goal is to run a half marathon join my team – The Half Crazy Ladies. Get on the What’s Beautiful page, get inspired and inspire others. We are all beautiful.

What’s your goal for #whatsbeautiful? How do you define beauty?

This post is sponsored by Fitfluential and Under Armour. All opinions are my own.

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What do these two events have in common? I am pushing my boundaries. I am doing things that I thought were impossible for me to do, and guess what? They are possible. A few weeks ago I received an email telling me that I had been chosen by Reebok and Fitfluential to be a part of Team Fitfluetial in the upcoming Spartan Race in Tuxedo, New York.

My reaction? Breathe in, breathe out..holy crap, this is so exciting! Breathe in, breathe out..holy crap, I haven’t run in months!

So what’s a girl to do? Lace up her sneakers – her new and very blue Reebok Sublite Duos and push her boundaries.

I ran a three mile loop, and by ran I mean ran quickly and almost effortlessly down the hill and struggles and walked for parts back. In the end, I felt tired but refreshed and I knew that I could do this. I feel that Crossfit is preparing me for the obstacle portion of the race and I am planning on staying after this Friday to try to master the rope climb. Now the only thing I need to do is practice my burpees because I have a feeling I will be doing a whole lot of those in the near future! While the Spartan Race isn’t your typical “mud run” I am feeling confident. I feel like I will be able to get through it, but I know that it will be a challenge. Life is about pushing your boundaries and mastering challenges and the Spartan Race is no different.

Have you ever done an obstacle course race?

Reebok has provided me with training gear and entry into the Spartan Race. All opinions are my own.

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I heard about the Commitment Day 5k a few months ago, but didn’t end up registering until late December, just because I wasn’t sure where we would be for New Year’s Eve and of be able to make it into the city for the run. Luckily we stayed local and the run was on. I wanted to run this 5k because of the great message behind it. “Commitment Day is a way to get people moving and excited about starting 2013 with a renewed commitment to living a healthy and active life, instead of simply making resolutions.”There were races in 30 cities around the country being run simultaneously, and it felt good to think that I was the part of something bigger than just a 5k in NYC.

Since I’m on the east coast, the NYC Commitment Day Run started at 11am. Since we went to bed around three, the late start time was a god send. I don’t know how all the west coasters did it at 8am! It was also nice to see that despite the freezing cold temps, people still came, bundled up and ready to run. The run itself took place along the West Side Highway and was an out and back loop. The start and finish lines were right along the Intrepid, so we had a sweet view of the ship and of the shuttle on our way to the finish line.

The run itself went well. I was tired from only sleeping 5 hours, I was cold, but I quickly warmed up. I struggled a bit, I walked a bit, but once I crossed the finish line I felt great. I could have stayed in my nice warm bed, but I got up and got it done. Since the race wasn’t officially timed with chips, I’m not sure of what my exact time was, but it was somewhere around 36 minutes. Not my fastest 5k, but I have a whole year to work on getting faster.

Overall the inaugural Commitment Day 5k was a great experience. I hope this race sticks around so that I can make this a New Year’s Day tradition.

I also have to thank Tommy for being super supportive and going to the race with me and freezing his butt off to cheer me on and get some pictures. With support like that, how can I not succeed?

 Did you workout on New Year’s Day?

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I laid out my gear the night before to make sure that I didn’t wake up the whole house on a morning where everyone else got to sleep in a bit. I ran in my Swiftwick socks, Altra shoes and Free Motion gear for the first time in a race, and I was super comfy the whole way through! At least, as comfy as you can be running a hilly 5 miles.

We arrived at the race bright and early because we still had to pick up our packets. Packet pickup went very smoothly and we even got some cool neck warmers/hats which came in handy because it was a chilly morning at the start line. I also used the bag drop for the first time at a race, and that went off without a hitch, as well.

At 9AM, we were off. We all ran together for a bit and then we all fell into our own running grooves and parted ways. I felt great for the first two miles and cruised the whole way, but around mile three my left foot started bothering me a bit on the decent from the hills. It kind of made me angry because I was struggling up the hills and couldn’t get a rest going down because my foot was hurting. I need to work on the mental aspect of running races because I get caught up and focus on one little thing and it throws my groove off horribly.

The rest of the race flew by. There was only one portion where we crossed the same part of course twice, so it was nice to have a constantly changing scenery. I also loved that there was a ton of people out playing with their dogs. Happy puppies make me happy.

The finish line was packed with lots of spectators, which made finishing all the better. There is nothing like crossing a finish line with a bunch of people yelling and cheering you on, even when you’re finish with a time of 1:03:36, which isn’t exactly gold medal time. Best feeling ever. On the way out I grabbed my finisher’s medal (which is so so sweet looking) and headed up the hill to grab some post race fuel. There were tables set up with lots of volunteers handing out apples, bagels, hot chocolate and water.

Overall, the race was very well organized and a lot of fun to run. I can’t wait until next year where I will beat my time, fo sho!

Did you run a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving?

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So first off..it’s cold, what the heck do I wear? The general rule of thumb of running in cold weather is to wear one layer less than you think is necessary or for a temperature that 15-20 degrees warmer. Runner’s World has a great guide of what to wear depending on the temperature. Gloves and a hat or beanie are recommended when the temperature dips below zero, and you want clothes that will wick the moisture away from your body to keep you dry.

When you start your run, run into the wind. You don’t want to be returning sweaty against the wind because you will freeze your bootie off, especially if you’re cooling down.

If you’ve ever gone running in the cold you know the burn…the burn in your lungs, that is. The first couple of times that you run in the cold, your lungs will burn trying to adjust to the cold temperature of the air. This will go away after a few runs, when your body gets acclimated to the lower temps. You can try breathing through your nose to add moisture to the air your breathing in, or if it’s really bothering you, you can cover your mouth with a thin scarf.

Even though its cold outside, you still need to HYDRATE! Just because you might not be as thirsty as you would be running in the heat, it is important to stay hydrated.

Since the probability that you will be running in the dark is much higher in the winter, be sure to wear something reflective that will make you visible in the dark.

The most important tip of all is to use your best judgment. If there is a lot of snow or ice on the ground, you’re probably better off staying indoors. You don’t want a slip or fall to put you out of commission!

Hope these tips keep your running through the cold of the winter!

Do you move your runs to the treadmill during the winter, or do you run outdoors?

The post Running Warm in the Cold appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

 First up is iFit Running. Run tracking apps are a dime a dozen these days and I have about four on my phone right now, (I may be an app hoarder) but iFit running is my go to running app lately. I really like its interface and that is it easy to use with the quick start option. I also really like that it’s not your typical tracking app where you press start and go. You can get it for distance, time and calories burned, so when you reach your goal, it tells you that you can stop now!

Workout Buddy is something that Tommy told me about. This is a great app for when you want to workout, but just don’t know what to do. With Fitness Buddy, you can create your own workouts by selecting the part of your body you want to work out and then selecting which moves you can do with the equipment – free weights, kettlebells, resistance bands, cable machine (or lack of) that you have on hand. You can also use to to track your weights and reps and it has step by step photos of how to do each workout correctly. It’s a great app for those who are beginning with weight training.

Last but not least, is the Foam Roller App. If you’re like me, than you never really knew there was a correct technique for foam rolling, you kind of just roll where it hurts to soothe your muscles. Enter Foam Roller App.

Not only does this app have videos to show you how to foam roll effectively, it also has written explanations and little tips on how to move which body part to be most effective.

I hope you find these apps helpful!

What are your favorite apps? 

[FTC: I was provided free downloads of the iFit Running and Foam Roller App. All opinions are my own!]

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