Marathon Training

With less than 7 weeks left until my marathon, you can imagine the excitement I am feeling! Nerves are beginning to set in and I am questioning all of the training I have done.

Literally every time I go to eat something I think "how will this effect my run today?" The hours I put into training make this emotionally and physically exhausting. So I begin to ask myself. "Why am I doing this?"

Here are my top 3 reasons for running a marathon.

1. Because I can. 

2. Because only 0.5% of Americans have ran one! 

3. Because I want to inspire others to pursue their goals.

I may have already mentioned this, but I feel it is very important to not lose sight of why I am running this marathon!

I am so incredibly blessed that God has given me the capability to physically run this race. Every day that I want to quit I remember this bible verse.

 

2 Timothy 4:7 

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

Ever wondered how someone looks after a 13 mile run? Well you don't have to anymore! Here I am after my 13 mile run last week. 

I actually was feeling pretty great after my ice bath! 

What about you? Do you have any races/goals coming up? 

Until next time,

Janelle 

Energy Bars

My favorite energy bars are homemade peanut butter chocolate. I have been making these for years. This recipe i got from my mom awhile back and lost it. I ended up making it from memory and in the process changed a few things! The good thing about them is you can make them in bulk and freeze them. They are the perfect on the go snack! 

Here is the recipe. You can add or substitute ingredients as you see fit!

1/2 cup butter 

1/4 cup brown sugar 

1/2 cup peanut butter 

1/2 tsp vanilla

3 cups rice crispy cereal

2 cups oats

1/2 cup ground flax seed

1 cup chocolate for drizzling

1 tsp olive oil to mix with chocolate for drizzling. 

Place butter peanut butter and sugar in microwavable safe bowl. Heat just until melted. Stir mixture and add vanilla. Grind rice crispies oats and flax seed. Slowly add to butter mixture and mix thoroughly. Pat on greased cookie sheet until spread evenly. Drizzle with melted chocolate. Refrigerate for one hour or until chocolate is set. Cut into bars and wrap individually. Can be frozen for longer storage. 

Everything ready to go! 

All the ground ingredients 

The butter mixture 

Mix it all together so it looks like this 

Pat into pan. I doubled it! 

All done! 

I hope you enjoy these delicious bars!

Until next time, 

Janelle 

Transformation Tuesday

Two years 

Two weddings 

So much has changed. 

You can just see how uncomfortable I was with myself in that first photo. I have come so far and I am so proud of myself. I never would have guessed that just two years later that girl would be two months away from running a marathon! I don't post this to rub my success in people's faces. I post this to show that there is hope. If you are struggling with self confidence or body image know you are not alone and you can overcome it! The first step is accepting yourself the way God made you. Focus on changing from the inside out and you will get there! Also,  find someone to talk to about your struggles. Everyone has something they are struggle with! 

I hope this is encouraging to those of you who are just beginning their journey to a healthier lifestyle. I'm always here to lend a listening ear! 

Until next time, 

Janelle 

Color Run!

This weekend I did my first color run! I have always wanted to do a color run but never had the guts to do it. It looked like so much fun and fun was an understatement! We got there super early and were able to take the front row at the starting line. I had never done that before and it was exhilarating! They ended up starting the race late. I am pretty sure they did that on purpose so we would all be pumped up by the time the race began! 

Tips When Running A Color Run!

1. Bring towels or trash bags to sit on in your car. 

You will get VERY messy. You do not want to worry about ruining your car. 

2. Arrive early. 

There are a lot of people involved in these races and they allow you to go in waves. You want to be in the first wave so you aren't waiting around forever! We arrived about an hour early. 

3. Be aware of hidden fees. 

When we arrived at the event they charged an additional $5 for parking. Then $5 for picking up packets the day of the race. Call ahead and ask if they charge for parking among other things so you are not surprised when you arrive! 

Here are a few pictures from the race!

Before the race

Having fun with the color! 

After the race covered in color! 

One of my favorite things about the race was when were running the race they were spraying color on us. It made it so much more fun to have people cheering you on through out the race. I would definitely recommend running a color run at least once in your life! 

Until next time, 

Janelle

Marathon Monday!

Only ten more weeks until I run my marathon! I have had such a great time learning more about healthy eating and pushing my body to it's limits. So what have I learned? 

1. Your body can do way more than your mind thinks it can. 

Sometimes when I am completely exhausted and about to run a long run I give myself a pep talk. Basically I just tell myself I know I can do this. Then I end up running my best run ever! 

2. Eating good carbs with protein before and during your runs.

Being able to eat the calories as you are burning them helps sustain your energy level for long runs. 

3. SLEEP & REST!!!!

I cannot emphasize enough how important rest days are! Allowing your muscles to relax is just as important as your active days. 

What have you learned since you began exercising? 

Until next time! 

Janelle 

BiRtHdAY wEeK!

My birthday is this Friday so of course I am having a birthday week. To jump start the week I got my hair done on Sunday! On Friday I am getting my nails done before I go out of town for the weekend! To say I am excited would be an understatement!  

My new hair color. 

So how to I train for a marathon and still have a great birthday week? 

1. Train hard

My goal is to train hard the first three days then allow myself a three day weekend for rest. 

2. Take advantage 

Take advantage of your rest days and make sure to relax! 

3. Try and stick to your normal schedule

Sticking to a schedule on vacation may be difficult but it will be worth it! 

4. Eat a balanced diet 

If you love to eat junk food on vacation try and balance it out with healthy foods. 

5. Stretch

Even though you are taking a few days off from working out make sure to stretch. You will not regret it! 

I hope these tips were helpful to those of you who get a vacation this summer! 

Until next time, 

Janelle 

Maintaining Your Weight

So you lost a significant amount of weight and you have met all of your fitness goals. Now what? I was in that same boat about six months ago. So in January I made the commitment to maintain my weight for the next six months. 

My Game Plan

1. Take my weight and measurements

2. Buy healthy food once a week

3. Exercise for at least 30 min 5 times a week. 

4. Eat every 2 - 3 hours. 

5. Cheat whenever I want. 

 Six months later to my surprise I weighed exactly the same and actually lost an inch around my hips! So what did I do? After years of dieting and being freaked out to eat anything unhealthy I was very skeptical. But I changed the way I viewed eating and focused on being fit and healthy. I Allowed myself to eat a brownie or piece of candy whenever I wanted one. What I found out was the longer I ate healthy food the less I wanted junk food. 

This experiment has given me so much more confidence in myself. I know that if I can maintain my weight for six months I can maintain my weight for the rest of my life. It is a lifestyle change. By changing the way I viewed food I have changed my entire life and you can do the same!

P.s. For July fourth we made a watermelon cake! It was super simple and fun! 

If you have an questions let me know!

Until next time, 

Janelle