Category Archives: health

When You Want To Succeed As Bad As You Want To Breathe, Then You’ll Be Successful – SPARTAN RACE GIVEAWAY

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The REEBOK Spartan Race™, global leader in Obstacle Racing since 2005, was designed by seven insane ultra athletes and a Royal Marine…. So as you can imagine, it truly takes that ‘next leap’ that other Mud Runs and Adventure Races just don’t quite reach.

“It is in you, I promise. BUT you must LET IT OUT”

I’ve always believed that fitness should be truly FUN but it should also test you and push you to places you never dreamed of. The Spartan Race is bringing all of that to the table, in one

There are three different ‘levels’ of the Spartan Race that you can run. The Spartan Sprint, The Super Spartan, and the Spartan Beast…. Which, to be fair… They are all entirely beasts of their own, believe me! ;)

The Spartan Sprint  - 3+ miles of muddy, hilly terrain accompanied by 15+ obstacles along the course. Beginners to hardcore warriors, and marathon runners alike come out to test themselves on the insane obstacles!

The Super Spartan – 8+ miles with over 20+ obstacles on the battlefield to test not only your physical, but also mental strength. This mud bath will test your limits and push you further than you knew you were capable of!

The Spartan Beast – 12+ miles with 25+ obstacles from HELL. ;)  If you have done any race anywhere in the world: whether a mud run, fun run, olympic run, bike race, death march or any kind of event claiming to be the “toughest race on the planet” you will be happy to know that this is where it ends..THIS IS THE SPARTAN BEAST… Top 3 male and female finishers of the Spartan Beast get a free entry into the… (drum roll please..) DEATH RACE!!!

Look like a hellaciously good time?!?! I sure think so!! I have been itching to run a Spartan race for a couple of years now. & believe you me, now that I live in a large city, It is happening in the next year!

LUCKY FOR YA’LL!!! the bad ass folks who make the magic happen with the REEBOK Spartan Race™, have been kind enough to let one of y’all walk away with a FREE entry into any Spartan Race in the Continental US (I’m sorry my loves to the north!)

On top of all that exciting jazz, even if you don’t win.. They are offering a 15% discount to any qualifying Spartan Event!! :) Just head over to this link.

Giveaway Time:

Here’s the rules folks! :) You have until Next Wednesday, May 29 to enter the giveaway. All you have to do is:

  • Follow @SpartanRace on Twitter
  • Follow Me On Twitter @Char__Latte
  • Tweet About the Giveaway (You can do this once per day)
  • Leave a comment on the blog telling me which Spartan Event you would attend, and why you would like to run one! :)

Leave a separate comment for each one, and remember to come back each day to up your chances of winning!! Winners will be announced next Playlist Thursday! :)

Do You Want to Be The Next Oakley Women Brand Ambassador?

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In 2012 I was fortunate enough to be one of 10 women selected out of thousands of ladies across the country to be an Oakley Women’s Brand Ambassador. The opportunity quickly became one that would change my life forever. Since becoming a member of the Oakley family I have met the most incredible, hilarious, beautiful, bad ass, FIT women in the United States (and some from other countries, too!) I’ve learned more about my sport, the entire fitness industry, and myself than I ever dreamed possible. Oakley has taught me how a company should run. Equal parts give and take, and nothing but passion.

In 2013, Oakley Women is expanding our family and YOU have the opportunity to apply and try to land yourself a spot in our tight-knit family!!

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You see, this year Oakley has partnered with SHAPE Magazine to throw the ultimate events across the country! The SHAPE Diva Dash! Wondering what the heck the Diva Dash is? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered: The Diva Dash is a women-only obstacle 5k where you crawl, jump, climb, swing and DASH your way to the finish line! The Diva Dash is going to be in several cities across the USA throughout the Spring and Summer of 2013. (San Diego, Austin, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Atlanta, Chicago, Boston, Boulder, DC, NY Metro, Miami to name some places) and in three of those cities there will be a progression session and live ambassador search. Southern California, Dallas/Ft. Worth, and Boulder.

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All YOU have to do is scoot over to the SHAPE website here and fill out the quick little survey which will land you an opportunity to be selected as 1 of 200 women chosen for each city to attend a VIP Oakley Progression Session which includes a live ambassador search!

Each Progression session will include:

  • Boot Camp with Oakley Women Ambassador Cari Shoemate
  • Yoga with Oakley Women Ambassador Lacey Calvert
  • Nutrition Seminar with Oakley Women Ambassador Marni Sumbal
  • Live Ambassador Search
  • Product Giveaways
  • Mobile Oakley Store Featuring The Newest Oakley Apparel and Eye Wear
  • Much Much More!!!!

Submit your entry by the following dates:

  • Southern California:  March 3, 2013 (Race Day: March 23)
  • Boulder:  April 14, 2013 (Race Day: May 4)
  • Dallas/Ft. Worth:  May 5, 2013 (Race Day: May 25)

**One Entry Per Person**

**Learn More about the Oakley Women Ambassadors at OakleyPBC.Com**

 

On your mark, Get set, GO!! ;)
Good luck & Have fun!!! See you in Austin and Dallas! ;) :)

Jumbled Thoughts: How Blogging Fueled My Body Image Issues

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Warning: This post is kind of a hot mess. A jumbled mess of thoughts that kept coming to me and may not flow well.

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I was very fortunate growing up. I never really had to worry about my weight since I was either in gymnastics class, playing soccer, dancing, or doing various other sports nearly every night of the week. Even after I quit training full-time as a gymnast and dropped track (I’m sorry running, I just didn’t realize I loved you yet. With time we got there though, that’s all that matters) I was still very active and continued with other sports throughout high school.

I very distinctly remember the first time I looked in the mirror and truly, honestly, thought “oh my god. What is THAT??” (Referring to fat that sprung up what felt like over night) It was after I had ovarian surgery in 2010. It was fleeting, after recovery I started my journey to a truly healthy life and found my love for running and saw my body return to it’s regular shape and size…. So the body image issue thing was always a bit perplexing to me.

Until I started reading blogs. I’m a runner. I’m obsessed with yoga. I like to learn about the newest findings in the health world. I like to keep my body looking and feeling good. I like to read about people’s inspirational journeys to health and fitness. So, naturally I was attracted to healthy living and running blogs…. When I started my blog, I talked about MY kind of healthy living and running a lot. However, I hardly consider myself in either of those categories. Although my association with FitFluential, SweatPink, and Oakley Women kind of contradict that statement. I don’t label this blog. It’s just 100% me. I had no idea what would come of Wild Things RUN Free. I had no idea it would take off as much as it has.

With that being said, there appear to be a ton of healthy-living blogs in the blogosphere who are living the complete opposite life of a healthy one. Preaching so many scary, terrible habits that can do some serious damage to women (and men) all over the world. People read our blogs because they either find us relatable, entertaining, or inspirational. If they find you inspirational they are likely to take your advice and follow in your footsteps. Telling them to gulp down workout enhancers, and push a small pile of vegetables around on a plate a couple of times a day is just not healthy living, in my opinion. The amount of times since really getting in to the blog scene that I have said to myself “oh my gosh I just want to shove a burger in her mouth” or have had to remind a friend “food is fuel” kind of scares me, and makes me really sad. I’m deeply sorry if this offends any of my friends in the blogosphere, but a multi grain hotdog bun filled with a few pieces of spinach, a large carrot, and some PB2 is NOT good fuel for your body. Food is meant to be seen as yummy, tasety fuel. It is supposed to help our bodies recover. Fuels our crazy workday, hectic social schedules, amazing workouts and sound nights sleep. The idea of ingesting 80% chemical laden food and preaching about HEALTH seems like such an oxymoron. There are certainly times for a protein shake, an energy bar, or even protein brownies if you so feel inclined.. But certainly not every day. Certainly not for your main source of energy.

Sometimes I feel like I don’t fit in with some of my blogging peers what-so-ever, because I don’t diet. I eat healthy about 70-75% of the time, the other 25-30%??? Ice cream sundaes, the occasional burger, and oh sweet mother of everything holy, onion rings. On the weekends, I enjoy some adult cocktails and sometimes wake up Sunday morning with a headache. I am not “skinny”…. And quite frankly up until very recently I was perfectly okay with that fact that my size is just normal.

What tipped me over the edge? Blogs and self comparison. After a while it is hard not to compare yourselves to others. You see others making strides on their weight loss journey and you realize you’re just kind of there. I am running further, and faster times than when I first started this blog two years ago (significantly so) but I am not weighing any less, and I don’t look any better in the photos I post. You see people post fitspo pictures of themselves day in and day out on their blogs and their instagram.. A lot of them completely unhealthy with ribcages sticking out… But its still hard when you stand in the mirror and see nothing remotely similar.

It really struck me in Utah when I was at the Oakley Women Summit.. Every photo that was posted I thought to myself “I am the fattest girl in this room. Wow I am the fattest girl in this photo” I certainly didn’t feel this way in June when we were all in Napa. The very few pounds I have put on, aren’t what’s causing this psychological break down.

I am not perfect. I am not a size 0. You can only see my abs certain days of the week. Every time a friend posts a picture of me on instagram or facebook I immediately get embarrassed and think to myself “I look so fat”. I go into panic mode and try to figure out how I can eat and exercise out this terrible feeling. THAT IS NOT HEALTHY.

I am a healthy woman, rationally, I know this. I run (well ya know… when I’m not sidelined with a grade II ankle sprain) I do yoga multiple times a week. I eat whole, real, foods a majority of the time. I left smoking behind with my past. I let go of toxic relationships/friendships. I also believe in splurging and balancing the good and the bad. (aka living a little) This to me, is HEALTHY. Not being 100% in the no carbs, no this, no that category but knowing the difference between “all in or all out” and being able to moderate my actions. That is living a healthy life. Doing what is best for our bodies, mind, and soul. Yes, sometimes eating a pile of onion rings is good for the soul. ;)

Yet, I can’t shake this feeling recently. I find myself reading blogs more and more for the inspiration rather than just the enjoyment. Filling myself up with before and after photos and vowing to myself that I’m going to be better. That next month I’ll have a before and after photo to show.

I am at a weight high right now, but I already know most of you will want to smack me for even complaining about my weight. The rational girl in me knows this.

Why do we let the rational girl in us disappear? Why do we let the irrational woman beat that girl down?? What if we stopped comparing ourselves to others? What if we stopped trying to be the thinnest girl and instead just try to be the HEALTHIEST we know how to be for OURSELVES. Fuel our bodies. Laugh often. Exercise frequently. Rest when needed, and stop taking ourselves so seriously.

Life is not an all or nothing battle. Neither should our eating habits.

Good-Bye Austin Half Marathon, Hello Air Cast

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I haven’t wanted to talk about this.. However, it has become more clear to me that it’s time to lay it out there. Once I talk about it, I’ll start to get over it a little bit. I’ll lose the chip on my shoulder… With that being said, I’ve been trying to write this since Sunday night and I keep allowing myself to become distracted. Obviously, there is a part of me still not ready to come to terms with things.

You know those moments that flash before your eyes in slow motion but you just can’t stop them? Well, one of those situations happened to me Saturday morning. I awoke bright and early that day to get in 4 easy-paced miles before work. I headed down MLK toward campus just like I do every weekend. Campus is practically empty on the weekend mornings, making a peaceful and beautiful route to run. I turned up my tunes and completely lost myself in my thoughts as I entered the UT Campus. I was ticking along when I suddenly got the urge to go a different direction through campus than I typically do. I find myself taking a right turn toward Robert Dedman, and up past the Football Stadium. Then the moment came. I’m chugging along and suddenly I launch my foot off the ground to notice (too late) that there was a step down on the sidewalk. The moment passes so slowly that I can feel myself realize that I’m about to do some damage on the landing. Yet, it was too late to do anything about it… I had already launched off the ground. My foot slammed into the ground funny and rolled to the outside.

Down I went.

There was an instant pain shooting up the outside of my left ankle and top of my left foot. Every single curse word in the english (and even some from the italian) dictionary came out of my mouth. There was a super nice, helpful gentleman running the opposite way and came to my rescue when he saw me go down. He asked me if I was okay. I just kind of sat there… No words came out of my mouth. He knelt down on the ground next to me, as if to see if there was any life in my eyes or something. I shook myself, literally, and told him quite frankly “I don’t know. I think so” and hopped to my feet. I couldn’t put my weight on my left foot. I started crying.. Not out of pain (which yes.. I was in pain, but not enough to cry) but because I was terrified I had ruined my chances of running SFM in June. The pain felt exactly like I remember it feeling when I was diagnosed with Peroneal Tendonitis in high school when I was a gymnast… I had to take nearly a month off and very very slowly build my training back up once I returned. AINT NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT!

The kind gentlemen swooped me up and helped me hobble to the bus stop. It was time to swallow my pride, thank the guy, and take the metro home to dump my foot into a bucket of ice before heading to work. All day at work I was favoring my left foot as much as possible and cringing with every step. Several hours later, I yanked my shoe off as soon as clocking out….

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….Fantastic…

Sunday morning I crawled out of bed to discover it was even more stiff, and the swelling/bruising hadn’t gone down at all. I was supposed to close the bar that night, I am 20 weeks out from San Francisco Marathon, and I work 5-6 shifts a week on my feet. I wasn’t taking any chances to do serious damage and off to Urgent Care I went for X-Rays and to pray for the best. A chuckle from the doctor, something silly.. Maybe a “just lay off it for a few days and you’ll be good as new.”

Of course, we never get what we’re hoping for in the doctor’s office, now do we? Nope. The doctor came back, films in hand, chart in the other, just shaking his hand. “I have good news and bad news. Which do you want first.” I hate when they say that. Don’t give me options, just lay it on me flat.

The verdict? I will not be running the Austin Half-Marathon in February. I will however, if I take the right amount of time off, do the PT exercises, and ease back into training, be able to catch up on Marathon Training!!

I know what you’re thinking, Give me the DEEETS!
It turns out it’s a Grade II Ankle Sprain.

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I get to sport this super stylish air cast and compression brace until I’m able to put weight on my left foot while it’s straight. At which point I will start adding in dorsiflexion–plantar flexion (aka pumping my foot up and down) Which I’m not allowed to start doing until the end of the week. (insert fit of frustration, here) At which point I’ll start adding in other ankle exercises and some walking. I’m hoping within 3 weeks I’ll be able to run again and ease back into Marathon Training. At this point, I’m just thankful this happened at the beginning of Marathon training, rather than when I’m only a month or two out.

If I’m not able to run on February 7th… Just watch out world, that’s all I have to say.

I’m kind of freaking out, because yes… I know that an ankle sprain, even a grade II, isn’t exactly the end of the world or the end of marathon training. With the proper time to heal I will bounce back from this.. However, I work on my feet. I work long, and hard, exhausting hours that make my feet and ankles hurt even when I’m not injured… How does one go about healing properly while marathon training, when they have bills to pay, and those bills are paid by running around a crazy busy restaurant for 10+ hours at a time? I’ve taken this entire week off… But I can NOT afford to take any more time than that off. I just can’t afford it. I also can’t afford to be injured for more time than I already will be.

FUDGE.

Anyone out there who has been injured while working a job on their feet? How do you deal? How do you prevent yourselves from becoming more injured while still putting food on the table and a roof over your head?

Texas Gone Arctic: AKA 3M Half Marathon Recap

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After the RnR San Antonio debacle I immediately decided I needed to A) hold off on my first full marathon. Which most of you know, I pulled out of the Austin Marathon and decided to wait until June to knock out my first 26.2 (The San Francisco Marathon) and B) I needed to register for another half-marathon to redeem myself. It was a no-brainer what half-marathon I was going to choose. The 3M Half-Marathon! This race has been on my running bucket list since I started running. I wanted it to be my first half last year, but travel logistics were going to be too expensive for a gal who was (at the time) planning a mostly out-of-pocket wedding, so I ended up running Columbia instead. This year, since I now live in Austin it was an easy decision to just go for it. :)

I set some mighty goals for myself with 3M. I really wasn’t okay with running my first full marathon this Summer without having run a sub 2:30 Half-Marathon. I just wasn’t going to accept a time any slower than that. Plain. and. Simple. It was a pretty big goal to make. If I crossed the finish line in 2:29:59 that would shave 30 minutes off of my half-marathon time in under 9 months.

The 2-3 weeks leading up to Sunday I was feeling less and less confident about the race. Work ate my life, and I missed two long runs because of work and other life events. I tried to make up for my long run last Monday and did 8 miles at a pretty easy pace and felt good. I still had no idea what 13.1 was going to bring me, though.

When Saturday rolled around I wasn’t even sure if I was going to be able to race. I had planned on hitting the expo before work, but was woken up by my boss calling me in early. Great…. All day I was so anxious. Terrified I wasn’t going to get out of work early enough to make it to the Crowne Plaza Hotel by 6pm. Around 5:30 I even went outside and had a moment where I cried a little. I was certain my chances of racing Sunday were o-v-e-r. I got out of work at exactly 6pm. When the expo was closing. Fantastic. I didn’t know what to do, so I just decided to speed across town and see if they would let me get my packet. What was the worst thing that could happen? They say no?… At least I tried… I get there, and everything is taken down except for the registration/cashier booth which was being stripped down as I walked up. I’m sure my words were a jumbled mess because I was FREAKING out, but I explained my situation. They could see the panic in my face and gave me my bib and t-shirt. I wasn’t able to get my swag bag, but screw it. I got what I needed. Insert huge-ass sigh of relief here.

Sunday morning started at the crack of Dark-Thirty. I decided to take the metro to the start area since the finish line was literally 6 blocks away from my apartment and there was no sense being shuttled back to the car from where I live just to drive back over this way. I looked at the weather and died a little. I was pleased as punch that the chance of rain seemed to disappear over night, I was not impressed with the fact that it was 35 degrees with headwinds that made it feel like 25. I THOUGHT I MOVED TO TEXAS, Y’ALL!

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6:45AM is not a time I am used to and not a time I want to start a race. I am not and may never be a morning person, but I was surprisingly alert jumping up and down at the start line trying to keep myself warm. I had planned on ditching my jacket at gear check, but when I was still freezing my booty off I decided to just keep it on. If worse came to worse I would just tie it around my waste and bring the 90′s back. ;) I was thankful at the start line to have kept it on. Mostly for the thumb holes that were keeping my hands a little bit warmer than they would have otherwise been. While hanging out I was shivering soo bad! The wind was wipping around all over the place, and the nerves of “oh god the last few weeks of training have been terrible” really kicked in. I decided then and there that my biggest priority for this race was just to push myself as hard as I can and leave it ALL on the course. Even if I didn’t make my goal, at least I’d be able to say I gave it my all.

We were off! The course starts wayyyy north by Mopac and Capitol of TX Highway, in an area of Austin I am absolutely not familiar with what-so-ever.

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The first 9ish miles are ‘downhill’. It’s a nice, easy, downhill course that doesn’t take too much of a toll on your legs, and sometimes isn’t even noticeable at all.

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Every couple of miles you can see your time during 3M. This was awesome.. I ran with my Garmin, but it was nice not to have to worry about it. I’ve never run a race where you can see your splits that often. I was surprising myself during the first 10k with how comfortable I was maintaining a faster pace than my goal. I live in West Campus, though. I knew the last stretch of the race had some pretty decent sized hills. I had to reel it in so I’d still have momentum going into that section of the race.

Mile 9 is where the bigger hills come in. We turned on to 45th street and we were running directly into the part of town I know like the back of my hand. Unfortunately, this didn’t really make the hills any easier since it was toward the end of the race. ;) But, it was really cool that the last stretch of the race was something I know and see every day.

These hills hurt. It’s a cruel joke that all race organizers are in on to always make the last stretch of a distance event, up hill… ;) I kid I kid. I just tried to tune out the pain and focus on the beautiful surroundings. Running down through campus and up MLK is a beautiful view. On Deen Keaton you get a beautiful straight on view of the Austin skyline and you cross the finish line to a beautiful view of the Texas Capitol building.

I finished in an official time of 2:28:34!! PR baby!!! I DID IT. Sub-2:30. :D :D :D

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I’m really proud of myself for just letting it all loose on the course. I may not be very fast. I may very well never be, and that’s okay because I IMPROVE all the time. I’m constantly growing as a runner, and that’s all that matters to me. :)

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and just so you have an idea of how windy it was. My hair was super hhawwwt after the race. The back was pretty much sticking straight up. haha

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Absolutely a fun fun race!!! I’ve never run a distance race in my home town. Columbia and DC were both only an hour away, but still. It was a really neat and stress-free experience! Not to mention 3M SURPASSES it’s reputation! It was a great race, so incredibly well organized. I may be a little biased because of my situation, but the volunteers were amazing. I’m so thankful they let me get my bib, even though I was absurdly late, and I’m sure they were exhausted. I saw the swag bags and they were packed with goodies, since 3M makes like, everything! :P

There were even some food trucks in the finisher’s area, but I didn’t stick around to eat anything. Once I stopped moving I was absolutely FREEZING. The space blanket didn’t protect my face from the winds :P All I wanted to do was change into something warm and head to brunch! lol

If you want to run a half-marathon with a fast course, beautiful finish, huge medal, and organized to a T… 3M is definitely a great choice!! I plan on running it again next year, for sure!

Giving Self-Doubt The Boot

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There is a reason that certain people go on to accomplish magnificent things in their lifetime, while so many other people cringe at the very idea of the tiniest challenge. It certainly isn’t lack of desire. We all want these things (whatever these things may be. Run a marathon. Travel the world. Write a book. Become a movie star. Climb Mt. Everest. Graduate college. Lose those extra pounds. Start a new career. Anything) We want them so badly. Some, of course, more than others.. But we all have at least one thing that we want more than anything else in our life. Yet, if you had everything everything you needed to tackle your goals, would you go after it? Too many times, the answer is a big fat NO. Far too often we let self-doubt get in our way of doing anything extraordinary. We let it get in our way of BEING extraordinary.

What is it that we are so afraid of? How do we stop it? How do we kick down the walls that are ‘protecting’ us, and accomplish the seemingly impossible? From my experience, it’s typically the ‘what if’ that gets us the most.

What if I cross the start line and end up taking a DNF? What if I get lost in the middle of some unknown country? What if I lose the weight only to put it back on? What if I quit my job and end up even more miserable or unsuccessful? What if I die trying to climb the mountain? What if. What if. What if!?!!?!?!?!?!

What’s stopping us, isn’t really the fear of rejection, failure, embarrassment. What is truly stopping us, is the meaning we have given rejection, failure, embarrassment and other emotions that tie in to not accomplishing what we have set out to do. Throughout our entire lives we have been conditioned to think that these things hold more value than they really do… We’ve let fear tame the masses throughout history.

It’s time that we free ourselves from our pasts and get over our fear and self-doubt. It’s time that we all, as human-beings, as athletes, as goal oriented individuals, finally go after the things that we want to achieve.

How do we break a bad habit when it exists entirely in the mind? Start paying attention to your thoughts. Every time you are struck with self-doubt, throw the thought away. Actually visualize this. Try shrinking the image in your mind until it just disappears as you are throwing it behind you. It feels ridiculous at first, but practice makes perfect. Once you immediately get rid of the negative thought, replace it with a positive one and again, visualize it. Only this time making the image grow larger and larger in your mind until it takes over. For example: if struck with the thought “I can’t run a marathon” toss it away and instead think “I CAN run a marathon.” while picturing yourself crossing the finish line. Medal around your neck. Smile plastered across your face.

There is not a single better way to eliminate self doubt than to take action that disproves your initial negative thoughts. Always be searching for things that you think are challenging. Taking action in EVERYTHING you do is the most direct route to success, happiness, and self-confidence.

“Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.”
- Michael Jordan

Oakley Women Summit 2013

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Hello from 30,000 feet!
Let me just start by saying if I had known before that the exit row has like, triple the leg room… I would have been volunteering to sit here all my life. It’s pretty much the poor man’s first class. ;) moving on…

I sit here, rather humbled and inspired by this past weekend. Once again, similar to the feelings I experienced after our trip to Napa over the summer — A very rare feeling… I’m absolutely speechless.

It’s difficult to put into words the inspiration and total bad-assity of the entire Oakley Women’s family. From employees, to athletes, to ambassadors; it is a family who is passionate about a healthy, active, kick-ass lifestyle. A family that pushes each other every day to live in the moment, tackle our goals, laugh until our 6 pack abs turn into an 8 pack, ;) and be as fearless and incredible as we can be.

 

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

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The weekend was designed so that we could field test one of Oakley’s largest markets. — Winter and action sports, and to learn more about their 2013 focus, including how this amazing ambassador team is going to help drive their initiatives.

Oakley is incredibly wellknown for their eyewear, this includes ski/snowboarding goggles. What a lot of people don’t realize is that they also design beautiful, functional, awesome gear and apparel for practically all sports. Snow sports included. What better way to field test their winter-wear than to stick us on one of the most technical mountains in North America and set us loose to shred the slopes?!

But, lets not get ahead of ourselves. On Friday all of us gals (and Shawn) flew in to Salt Lake City where we were shuttled through the valley and up the mountain to Snowbird Resort. From there we all met up at the Oakley House, overlooking the incredible mountains. For a moment I thought “this must be what heaven looks like“

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After letting the beautiful surroundings sink in and catching up with some of my favorite ladies in the entire universe, we were served a homemade sushi dinner that our balllller Oakley chef prepared for us, and launched into 2013 discussion. The ins, the outs, the what’s to come. It was such an informative, inspiring meeting that left all of us on the edges of our seats stoked for this year. Stoked to be a part of this rockin’ brand.

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It was early to bed for most of us, because Saturday morning started bright and early to get our gear and hit the mountain. Our Oakley mamas did a phenomenal job of accommodating everybody’s varying skill levels. They even set up some of the gals who have never skied or snowboarded with lessons! I woke up that morning nauseous with the worst headache. I’m pretty sure the altitude. Slowly through out the day I started feeling better, the more I chugged water and got moving!

Snowbird is not exactly the same as many of the ski resorts I’m used to. Back East I would have no worries hitting a black diamond slope at Holiday Valley.. Even Vail. At snowbird, yeah-friggin-right. ;) However everyone was prepared for the elements with layers of Oakley gear. For the first time, almost ever, I own ski pants that ACTUALLY FIT!!!!!!! Every other pair I’ve ever owned tend to be at least 167 times too big. Not exactly the most flattering thing in the world. My purple MFR pants and Crowbar Ski Goggles make me feel and look pretty fabulous. Feeling confident goes a long way in helping you execute to your fullest potential.

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After an incredible day on the mountain, everyone cleaned up and back to the Oakley house we went for a Mexican dinner and Product Review. It is so amazing to me that Oakley cares so much what we think. They take all of our field testing results and send them to the design team to ensure premium, quality product. Sometimes implementing changes immediately. How cool is that? They have an entire team just designated to field testing, because they truly value their consumers opinion.

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The alarms were going off in the morning for our last full day in Snowbird!! The morning started with a fun yoga class lead by fellow Oakley Women Ambassador, Lacey! It was an upbeat and fun Hour! During yoga and after, we had a fitness photo shoot where we got to take a quick fitness class with celebrity trainer Michelle Lovitt! She is such a hilarious and fun spirit!! Next time we all meet up I’m making sure she kicks my booty! ;)

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It can’t ALL be playtime and living it up in Winter Wonderland. We were all there for one reason, and that’s all about the big Oakley picture. So after the photo shoot we were back up in the Oakley house for various round table discussions and a much earned lunch. We were back in play mode in no time though. The rest of the evening was spent learning about the lives of each woman in the room. 30+ inspiring, strong women (and one kick ass dude) all sharing their stories and passions. It was amazing to see how far so many if us have come in the short time since Napa.

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We each had to wear the spirit hood as we told our story…

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Just like that, in the blink of an eye the Oakley Women Summit was coming to a close. The weekend just zipped right by, and before I knew it we were parting ways last night in elevators hugging and soaking in every last minute.

These women have and continue to change me. They put that pep in my step that I know will help me destroy training for my first marathon.

In order to uncover your true potential, you must find your limits and blow past them.

Elf For Health Round 1 Recap

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Just before Thanksgiving rolled in, some of my favorite bloggers Lindsay of the Lean Green Bean and Elle of Nutritionella started talking about their holiday season health challenge they were hosting, called Elf For Helath. Essentially, each week they would send out challenges, and every 2 weeks (or round) you would be matched up with another “elf” to help motivate one another and give ideas on how to exceed the challenges expectations.

I wasn’t entirely sure what it was going to be like, but I knew that it sounded fun, and that both of these ladies are passionate about health/fitness and super creative! SIGN ME UP. So, that’s exactly what I did.

The Sunday after Thanksgiving the first Elf matches went out along with our challenges for that week! I had the pleasure of being matched up with this lovely gal named Stephanie. Stephanie was truly a wonder to be partnered with! We both are human, and embrace the fact that we aren’t perfect. Some of the challenges were harder than others to meet, and we pushed each other to stay on top of it and do the best we could without beating ourselves up if we couldn’t. She gave me some great tips and insight on how to meet and exceed some of the challenges during the two weeks we had the pleasure of being each other’s elves!! She was such a sweet heart and I can honestly say is a woman I will actively stay in contact with even now that we are no longer partnered together!!

Stephanie, if you see this! Thank you for the last two weeks! It was great getting to know you!!!

The first two weeks of Elf For Health (aka Round 1) was a total blast!!! I wanted to recap it here for y’all!! It still isn’t too late to join the fun. You can sign up to be a part of the challenge for Round 3 by scooting over here!

WEEK ONE!

Monday: Meatless Monday
A huge trend in the health world, and well… Everywhere is to go meatless on Mondays!! This was something I expected to have a little bit of trouble with. I like meat. Especially since I recently started the paleo lifestyle, meat has become even more important (As sad as this makes me) so I was interested and a little nervous to see how I could make this work while still getting all the nutrients I needed. I learned that with a little planning someone could very well be vegetarian AND paleo.

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Tuesday: Send a Card or Hand-Written note to a friend!!!
With technology growing so incredibly fast, it has become so much easier to stay in touch with our loved ones around the world.. However, I’ve always said it’s a sign of someone who truly loves you when you receive snail mail from them!! There’s just nothing like coming home from work to a letter in your mailbox from someone you care about!

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My best friend in the entire universe, Kyle’s birthday was November 27th. I decided to go on a scavenger hunt for the perfect birthday card. When I saw this, it was instantly the winner. We both have the immature sense of humor of a boy going through puberty, and we actually play the “in bed” game with fortune cookies!!

I also decided to write a few other hand written letters to stick in the mail to my mom and some other friends back home. I even wrote an open letter to my brother who passed away in February. It was so incredibly liberating to write down exactly how I feel about his death 10 months later. Words that I have never been quite comfortable putting on my blog. It felt great, and though he won’t read it, I believe that he knows I did that for him.

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Wednesday: Try a new workout!!
This couldn’t have come at a better time. I love running, I love yoga…. But it’s always great to spice up your fitness routine. I decided to go to a boxing class downtown! I ended up LOVING it to pieces and plan on going to more classes…. & yes next time I will wrap my hands better…Thanks for making fun of me BOBBY! :P

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Thursday: Get up 15 Minutes Early to Meditate & Reflect!!
Ahhh, yes. This was beautiful. I actually got up 2 hours early so I could hit the 6am yoga class before work, then headed into work 30 minutes early so that I could hang out in the dark with my coffee and just soak in the peace before a crazy hectic day of running around began. I wish I could say I will do this more often. I want to try… I just love my sleep so much… heh

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Friday: How many Colors can you eat today? Challenge yourself!
I made a chicken tortilla soup, minus the tortillas and most non-paleo things. I did include some beans, which aren’t paleo friendly but — It was still super healthy and DELICIOUS!!!!! I also made enough soup to probably feed all 900+ people in the challenge. Thank goodness soup is freezer friendly!! haha whoops.. But, I would say I got a whole heck of a lot of color in my tummy!! ;)

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The Weekend: Clean out Your Closet & Donate to Charity
When I moved to Austin at the beginning of November I donated 2 garbage bags full of clothes to Hurricane Sandy victims. So, unfortunately I wasn’t able to participate in that particular challenge. However, I recently did just that so I feel perfectly okay with the fact that I wasn’t able to!!

WEEK TWO

Monday: Track your fiber intake
ehhhhhhh. Monday bummed me out a tad. I thought I was eating so healthy now that I’ve “gone paleo”.. However I discovered on Monday that I don’t get nearly as much fiber now that I’ve cut out certain foods from my diet. However, I’ll chalk it up as a win because it was a learning experience. I spent a good chunk of Monday night researching paleo friendly fiber packed foods and recipes!!

Tuesday: Have a salad today and make your own dressing
This was fun and not at all difficult. Salad dressing CAN be complicated, but the healthiest ones are a cake walk!! I made a yummy Balsamic Vinagrete of sorts with a kick of lemon.. Perhaps I should call it Lemon Vinagrete? haha. I dunno. I will be posting the recipe for this dressing later this week! A child could make it, and its actually pretty healthy!!

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Wednesday: Pack a healthy snack & pack an extra one for a friend
Total fail. I admit it.. My bad! I woke up Wednesday morning absolutely nauseous as all hell and the last thing in the universe I wanted to think about was food of any kind when I left for work. However, a few hours into my shift I started feeling good as new and was starving. My coworker graciously shared a bundle of grapes with me that she brought. I was so thankful!! I even deemed her an honorary Elf for Health and made her an elf hat out of construction paper (this is what we do when it’s slow at work.. don’t judge haha) She was so intrigued by the idea she signed up for round 2 of Elf for Health!! :)

Thursday: Lets lift weights!
I worked from 6am until 8pm on Thursday and when I got out of work ALL I wanted to do was face plant in my bed and sleep until who knows when the next day. However, I knew that a workout would make me feel better and I knew that I needed to squeeze this challenge in. I didn’t go to the gym to do any heavy lifting like I had planned when I woke up that morning. Instead, I decided to just go home to my little dumbbells and get in some reps!! Hey, better than nothing, right?!

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Friday: Go make up Free today!
I don’t typically wear very much make up anyhow, so this wasn’t a huge deal. I always wear eyeliner and sometimes this shimmery skin toned eyeshadow that doesn’t even change the color of my eyelids, just makes them shimmer a bit… So I wasn’t totally stressing out about this the way a lot of people were. (Which, btw NO ONE should have been. You were all absolutely gorgeous!! Loved the pictures of fresh faces!!) However, Thursday night I made date plans for Friday and instantly got the “omg there’s no way I can go make-upless for the date!” I did it though, and felt super confident all day. I really think us women need to embrace our natural beauty more often.

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The Weekend: Plan your meals for the week and write your workouts down in your planner
I’ve gone back and forth on the whole meal planning thing. There were a few months I did it religiously, a few months I did it sparingly, and honestly ever since moving to Austin I haven’t been doing it at all… It was nice to do it again and although I’m not sure if it’s something I want or need to do on a weekly basis, it was still a great thing to do for this coming week. ESPECIALLY since it’s the holidays and for me, that means working 23534645 more hours than usual. Having things planned out and some what prepped will make coming home exhausted and starving that much easier. As for my workouts, I made my San Francisco Marathon training plan last week which includes cross training and what not so, that was already taken care of I’m happy to say! :)

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There you have it! Round one of Elf For Health IN THE BOOKS. 2 more to go. It sort of freaks me out that two weeks have already gone by since Thanksgiving. UM WHAT? Where is my life going? Though, It means 2012 is almost over, and I FOR ONE will be so happy to see this stupid year go. ;)

Stepping Out Of My Comfort Zone: The San Francisco Marathon

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No one ever went to the moon without stepping outside of their comfort zone. While, I certainly don’t plan on going to the moon any time soon ;) I do have big, scary, life changing goals for myself. These goals are not something that I can just wake up tomorrow and accomplish. They are goals that take hard work, discipline, and sacrifice.

I’ll be the first to admit that sometimes I let fear get in my way. Even allowed fear (equal parts fear and knowing my body) come between me and running the Austin Marathon in February. I am absolutely done with that. I am ready to look fear straight in the eye, and laugh in its face.

I WILL be running the San Francisco Marathon on June 16th (my BIRTHDAY) with so many other baller runners like Pavement Runner, Josephine, Krissy, Lauren,  (hopefully) Jane and so many many many others that I hope do not feel offended by me leaving them out!!!!!

I even started training THIS week. The day I signed up I went out for my first training run… Which granted, was 28 weeks away from the race. However, if I have learned anything from this last half-marathon training cycle it is this:

I know my body. I know what it is capable of. Some people can go out and train for 12-13 weeks for a marathon and ROCK it… I, am not yet one of those people. Someday, I hope to be able to say that I am in that group of bad ass runners. But, I am not there yet, and that’s perfectly okay. It will take me the next 6 months to get 26.2 ready. I have NO shame in that.

WHY do I have no shame in that??? Because I am strong enough of a runner and human being to know my limits. I know that I need to step out of my comfort zone, but I also know where and when my body says OK ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. I need 28 weeks because quite frankly, I need more cut back weeks than a lot of runners do.

My right hip will taunt me for the rest of my life. I have learned that in the past 2 years. I trained too hard, too intensely, too long as a gymnast… As an adult I am paying the price. Am I sorry for the intensity of my training as a teenager? ABSOLUTELY NOT. Do I wish that it was easier for me as a runner, now? Absolutely. But, I have come to terms with the fact that I have done damage to my body. I have come to terms with the fact that I am not as natural of a runner as some people out there.

I work hard to run a FIVE FRIGGIN K. I work ridiiiiiiiiiculously hard to run a half-marathon. I know several people who have the the ability to wake up on a Friday and decide they are running a half marathon that Sunday. I am not, and very well may NEVER be that person.

There was a time (in fact that time was NOT that long ago at all) in which I felt SAD that I wasn’t that person.. However, I have realized in the last few months that everybody is drastically different. Everyone’s body was built drastically different. More importantly, everybody’s life has determined whether or not they can be that runner as an adult.

I have come to terms with the fact that my body may not have been built to run. But, that does not mean that I can’t run. That doesn’t mean that I can’t train it (in a healthy way) to be a runner. We have the ability to be whoever and whatever want to be.

I WANT TO BE A MARATHONER. I will be a marathoner, in 27 weeks. On June 16th, my 25th birthday, I will be a marathoner. I will have earned the title.

While some of the runners I know won’t start training for SF for another 10ish weeks, I am proud to have started last week. I am proud of the fact that I pushed my fears aside and said I CAN DO WHATEVER I PUT MY HEART AND SOUL INTO.

There is no going back for this runner. I have registered for the race. I have booked the flights. I have even made hotel arrangements. All that is left is awaiting the ability to book a rental car… (which may take until race day since THAT is when I’ll be legal for most rental cars.. darn you guys and your 25+ year laws…pffft)