Running The Race, All 13.1 Of It!

Before The Race

On Sunday the hubby and I finally ran the half-marathon we had been training for since July. This particular marathon was benefiting the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth, and had the theme of
superheroes. So, of course Jake was Batman, I went as Wonder Woman and my younger sister went as Batman, too :-)

The day started out a little cold and wet, and because of that we decided not to go down to the event early. By the time we got there, took the shuttle to the site of the event, registered and warmed up it was go time! This is one thing I would change if the weather had of been better, as they had lots of things to see and do that we missed out on.

Right away it was evident that they put a lot of work into organizing and pulling off this event. The registration process was super smooth. They had everything you might need there and everything was clearly marked.

The Start Of The Race

At The Finish Line

The actual course was pretty tough for several reasons. First of all running 13.1 miles for your first race ever probably isn't the best idea. I would recommend that you do a 5k just to see what it's like and to really be able to enjoy the event. This particular course was also quite demanding with many hills, at least 5 long ones that I can remember, and one of those hills being at the very end of the course. Along the way they had water and sports drinks every 2 miles, which was super helpful. They also had several musicians and lots of crowds of people to cheer you on.

Jake and I started out really strong, probably averaging a 9 minute mile for the first 7 miles, which for us is pretty good. Also, between mile 4 and 9 my knee was pretty much killing me, so maintaining a good speed was hard! At mile 8 we split up, as Jake needed to slow down some and I wanted to try to keep up my pace. I was able to until the last couple miles. By mile 12 I was in dire need of something to eat, and was feeling lightheaded. I made the decision to walk up the last hill, as I figured if I fainted I would never cross the finish line. That walk probably added at least 5 minutes to my time :-/ But I did get to run across the finish line, and then eat tons of food! So it's all good :-)

Overall the event was pretty awesome! In hindsight I would do a few things different, and while I initially said, "Never again!" The further I get from the pain the more I think I would like to do more runs in the future :-)

If I do decide to run another race it will definitely be one with a theme! It was so much fun to see all the superheroes, some recognizable and others were created by the runners. Also, as we ran along the course the crowds that were cheering would call out the superheros. So, if you've always wanted to be called Batman, Superman or some other heroes name, just run dressed up as them :-)

10 Reason I Love Being a Health and Fitness Coach

Lately life has been a little crazy... Ok, maybe a little more than a little, but you get my drift!

Between moving, working full-time, working on our house to help it sell, picking up extra work doing respite for a family and then church and ministry stuff my life is busy! Add to all of that the fact that I'm also doing my online coaching, which would be easy to let slide right now because it's many hours of extra work each week... But I LOVE it too much to give up on it.

So, today I decided to share 10 reasons I love about being a coach!

1. By coaching I am able to keep myself  accountable to my health and fitness goals. It would have been easy to stop working out and eating healthy after completing my first program, but I want to make a life change of being healthy!

2. This job is helping me learn more about nutrition and healthy eating! Each challenge group I do I learn a little more about what it really means to eat healthy, which honestly can be so confusing if you don't do your homework (or have awesome challengers that help you with that part :-)

3. The products that I personally use, and promote, work! I am proof of this and only because of that proof did I become a coach. I could never talk people into something I wasn't passionate about and also believe that it could work for them too.

4. I get to help people, I love people! I get to be a cheerleader and encouragement to them mainly online, which is way easier than trying to get together with people in person with our busy schedules.

5. I am my own CEO make my own hours and schedule. I determine how successful or unsuccessful I will be! I am the head honcho for my business, which is daunting and scary and yet awesome and exciting too!

6. I have renewed hope that one day I will get to stay at home with my imaginary (for now) children and not have to sacrifice financial freedom to do so. I am a HUGE advocate for debt free living, and this business will allow me to keep doing that.

7. My team is awesome, supportive, encouraging and desires to see everyone succeed. Many of them are sisters in Christ who also have a desire to stay home with their kiddos, and they are a great community of online friends!

8. I can work from home, on my time frame in my pajamas if I like! No commute and no dress code. If it's nice out I work on the porch. If it's rainy or cold I work under my blankets in bed! Not many jobs allow you to do this.

9. It's fun! Getting to encourage people, connecting with old and new friends, supporting people in reaching their goals and being healthy and fit is fun! A cousin of mine recently saw me at a wedding and said, "You look like you are having the time of your life!" This was in response to what she had been seeing me post on my Facebook. And you know what, she was right!

10. My job allows for me to have a creative outlet. I get to create pictures, quotes and group photos in Photoshop or you could use Canva, Picmonkey or another online editing program. I get to pick out the format for my groups, what the daily posts will be and what the group theme is. It's a lot of fun to decide what it is I want to be represented by!

I could definitely list more reasons, but will stick with my top 10 for now! If any of those 10 reasons resonates with you, and makes you wonder if you could do something like this, I would love to talk to you about joining my team! I am looking for individuals who are willing to put in some hard work to reach their dreams, whatever those dreams are. So, if you would like more info feel free to email me at daniordanielle@yahoo.com, leave a comment on this or friend me on Facebook.

Speaking of that busy life I'm living, I gotta go!

Ready or NOT CHaD Hero Here I Come!

In July when we first started running!

Back in July the hubby and I had this great idea... Why not run in a half-marathon, to knock out one of our bucket list items??

So, we found a running schedule that would take us from running 1 mile all the way up to the big 13.1! At first we were really good with being faithful to following that plan... And then life happened!

To date we have only gotten up to 9.7 miles, and that was like a month ago... Since then we have only run 2-4 miles at a time. I may be new to this whole running a 13.1 BUT it doesn't take a genius to know this probably wasn't the best idea.

Well, ready or not the big race is tomorrow! Am I excited? YES! Am I completely terrified? YES! haha Yes, I can be both of those at one time :-)

Looking back over the last 14 weeks of training I realized I've learned so much about myself through this! I've NEVER stuck with something this physically demanding for this long of a time! I had never run more than maybe 3 miles at a time before. I also hadn't ever run more than 30-40 minutes without stopping!

What I learned through this is that if I put my mind to something I CAN do it! For many things it really is mind over matter. I learned that I can push through pain and not give up! I learned that while I don't enjoy running I love seeing the distance I can cover doing it! I learned that I'm really not a quitter!

More importantly I learned that I can be flexible. I can change my goals as needed to accommodate what really works for me. When I first started training I had all these lofty goals of accomplishing some great time, but now I just want to complete it before they tear down the finish line :-)

I've adopted this quote, as I think it fits where I am right now:

So, while I may not be breaking any records tomorrow, it may not look pretty and I may not be able to walk for a week, you better believe I'm gonna finish this race!

The Reality Of The 21 Day Fix

I really had good intentions of completing the 21 Day Fix straight through.... Then I moved... Into Candy Land :-) Plus I'm training for a half-marathon coming up this Sunday Oct. 26th, and after a 10 mile run for some reason my body just can't move the next day... Weird, I know! I've also been

experiencing pain in my knee which requires me to modify things and rest it often...

As much as I wanted to complete it straight through, by following the eating plan and not skipping any days, it just isn't going to happen right now, and that's ok!

The more this healthy living lifestyle is taking hold of me and how I do things, the more I realize that I don't have to be quite so rigid. It's a lifestyle after all, not a sprint to the finish line and then go back to what I was doing before.

So, instead of focusing on the fact that I haven't been able to stick with this program perfectly, I am choosing to focus on eating healthy, on exercising daily but also listening to my body to know when it needs rest, especially after long runs!

Have you ever had good intentions with a workout program or gym membership, but then it didn't work out exactly like you planned it? Don't give up! Choose to make healthy choices, and do the best you can with what you have! Get an accountability partner or workout buddy. Don't try to go it alone! It's so much easier to give up or quit when no one knows you are doing it!

In my next Challenge Group, Be Grateful and Grow Strong, I am planning to go all in and give this 21 Day Fix my ALL! I'm already working on a meal plan, planning out my workout area and am super stoked about this upcoming group! I still have a few slots available, so if you are serious about getting your nutrition and fitness in order consider joining me! Just click on the 'Contact Me' link at the top of the page and send me a note letting me know you are interested!

Black Bean Brownie Recipe

Black Bean Brownies, some of you are probably thinking, Wow that sounds so awesome! While other's of you may be thinking, Why would you desecrate brownies with black beans??? haha

So, a couple years ago I had my first try to Black Bean Brownies. Initially the person serving them didn't tell me what they were made of, and I honestly would never have guessed. If you make these right there should be no evidence of black beans in the brownie when you are done.

This past weekend I decided to take a shot at it myself, and was once again pleasantly surprised by the results! These brownies are not cake like but are much more dense and fudgy. They are a rich chocolate flavor and perfect to serve warm with a bit of whipped cream.

Black Bean Brownies

Ingredients:

1 15 oz. can ( 1 3/4 cups) black beans, well rinsed and drained
2.5 T flaxseed meal + 6 T water
3 T your choice oil
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Optional toppings: crushed nuts or semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly grease a standard size muffin pan (12 muffins). Begin by thoroughly rinsing and draining your black beans. If you are using a regular blender consider mashing them with a potato masher to help the process along.

Prepare flax egg by combining flax and water in the bowl of the food processor or blender. Pulse a couple times and then let rest for a few minutes.

Add in the rest of the ingredients (besides walnuts or other toppings) and blend until smooth - about 3 minutes - scraping down sides as needed. You want it pretty smooth and should resemble regular brownies.

If the batter appears too thick, add a Tbsp or two of water and pulse again. I found that I needed 2 additional Tbsps. It should be a think batter so don't add too much water and make it runny.
Evenly distribute the batter into the muffin tin.

Optional: Sprinkle with crushed nuts or chocolate chips.

Bake for 20-26 minutes or until the tops are dry and the edges start to pull away from the sides. I found mine took about 25.

Remove from oven and let cool for 30 minutes before removing from pan. They will be tender, so remove gently with a fork. The insides are meant to be very fudgy, so don't be concerned if they seem too moist - that's the point.

For a real sweet treat serve with a dab of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream!

Store in an airtight container for up to a few days. Refrigerate to keep longer.

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 140 calories Fat: 6 g Carbohydrates: 22 g Sugar: 9 g Sodium: 163 mg Fiber: 7 g Protein: 5 g

A Little Super Saturday Workout!

Each Saturday in my current Challenge Group I have been challenging everyone to complete a little extra workout. It's a fun little competition against yourself to see what you can do.

Today I challenged them to do High/Low Plank. It's a great move that really is an allover body exercise that targets your core. I couldn't find a video to show them what I was looking for exactly, so I made my own! Enjoy!

How many can you do???