After running the Best Buddies 5K Saturday with great friends, Nini and I were back in our quiet yard this morning running in the 30 degree cold weather. And we reminisced on our wonderful weekend. Mika was on the treadmill indoor, more snug than us. But it felt good to be in our own space, running untethered, though more cramped, but able to let our thoughts run with us.
#BackyardRunners
#DownhillGirls
#PlantBasedGodsGrace
We are so happy and grateful that there aren’t enough words to express it right now. Therefore we’ll post a few pictures to show our love and gratitude. So happy for our friends Heather and Tim from Fatmanrants.com for their wonderful visit and running with our family as guides in the Best Buddies International 5K and my sister Yonette for walking with our son for the Friendship Walk! What a wonderful time!
#Grateful
#Family
#BackyardRunners
#DownhillGirls
#DudeFactor
#PlantBasedGodsGrace
Everyone had a blast!
#ThrowbackThursday
The picture on the left showed up on my timeline from about five years ago. I had gone to a work conference and they had a band play for us at the end of one night. At the end of the concert, the band members let me try out this rubbing board instrument. It was fun. I can assure you that whatever I ate that day was totally unhealthy because conferences were one place where I’d overindulgence on desserts for sure. I definitely didn’t eat ANY amount of salad like what I’m holding in the second picture.
#PlantBasedGodsGrace
#BackyardRunner
Iron Butterflies Feature
I’m so honored to be featured this week in the Iron Butterflies Project! Please check out my story and also check out the page. I know many of you yourselves are iron butterflies!
https://www.ironbutterfliesproject.com/
Mika did the indoor treadmill run while Nini and I took to the yard as usual. We did 5-minute run intervals. We had on hats and mittens in this 30 degree weather. Nini said it was quiet except for the cars. The quiet felt good, and calming.
In other Plant Based God’s Grace news, two days ago at dinner my son said he needs to join us training to Run because he doesn’t like that the other kids at school are faster than him. He’s a smart and ambitious kid. He said, “I need speed! Who knows?! Maybe I could be like Usain Bolt one day!” I told him it was entirely possible but let’s work on stamina first. He’s a small kid and could very well become a great runner. I’m not sure that I (Treadmill Mom/Backyard Runner) am the most qualified coach but I’m who he has now and he seems satisfied.
#BackyardRunners
#PlantBasedGodsGrace
Today was strength training day for me (total body). Rest day for Nini for running. Back at it tomorrow, God willing. We are so looking forward to seeing our friends and doing the Best Buddies 5K this Saturday!
Have a blessed day everyone!
#WeightliftingWife
#BackyardRunner
#PlantBasedGodsGrace
We are getting closer to our next 5K–Best Buddies International. Nini kept laughing because she said she was happy our friends were coming and we’ll all be running together.
It was cold but not as biting. In fact, I felt too warm in my warmest hoody sweater but it was still too cold to remove it. We had a great run.
My sweater was too thick and warm in hindsight which made the run tougher but made it through.
#BackyardRunners
#PlantBasedGodsGrace
I used both the pressure cooker and this huge 20 quart pot today. First I cooked two pounds of beans in the pressure cooker so that they’d be done faster. Then I finished up a double portion of stew that filled about 2/3 of the pot. Great thing about making such a huge batch is that I have bowls of strew saved up for my lunches this week! It’s getting cold and that warm stew tastes great.
#PlantBasedGodsGrace
This is me—slow and steady! 😂 That’s why I signed up—155.1 cumulatively miles must be logged to earn my reward. I Need a turtle metal AND shirt! Lol. I love it. Will keep y’all posted. The scenes for this virtual race will be from Thailand. Who’s slow and steady (or a fast hare 🙂 ) and wants to run with me? You can compete at your own pace. Sign up for a Yes.Fit account and join this race.
How I Earned An Ultra Marathon Finishers Metal Without Leaving My Backyard
How does a formerly obese mom who was always the chubby and fat kid, who never played sports and was embarrassed in gym class as a kid, who could barely walk a mile over 4 years ago without gasping for air and feeling achy—how does she earn runner’s metals? Well, there are those live 5Ks I’m starting to do with my kids. But, now with virtual races, anyone can compete and participate in a race without leaving your treadmill—or in my case the backyard.
I’m a regular person. I have a family and work full time as a special education teacher. I have a lot of responsibilities, including raising three wonderful children who have various special needs. I make time to do some food prepping and work out. But I cannot devote an exorbitant amount of time training as an athlete. I’m still a slow runner. With various virtual running programs that now exist, I could not only run a 5K at home sometimes but I can do a cumulative marathon or Ultra Marathon where I can run the race in a week or a few weeks in between my many responsibilities.
Sure, it’s not the same great feat as those who do it in a day or two and I have great respect for them. But just because I’m not in a place in life or have the great athletic ability where I can do it the same way, doesn’t mean I can’t do it my way and achieve the satisfaction of logging in enough miles to have reached many marathons.
Basically meet yourself where you are, work with what you have, and don’t have an all or nothing attitude (if I can’t run a Marathon in one session then why bother try to log in cumulative miles to equal one?).
And this, my friends is how I ended up with the latest medal and t-shirt—59.5 Miles, The Road To Hanna that came in the mail today. My kids think it’s so cool and congratulated me on my hard work. I couldn’t make it to Brazil but when I logged my running miles Yes.Fit sent me Google earth images showing me where I would be if I could have traveled.
#BackyardRunner
#Grateful
#PlantBasedGodsGrace
(Me before)
Plant Based God's Grace 