I'm back!

Ahh! It's been such a whirlwind week! I thought I'd have time to check in throughout but clearly that didn't happen, ha.

I'm not even quite sure where to start but I'll say this--I feel refreshed, have more motivation than ever before, and got the confirmation I needed that health/wellness is what I'm meant to do. It's such an incredible feeling!

My boss & I arrived in Orlando around 11am on Tuesday (love early flights!) and immediately started figuring out our bearings--our first stop was Whole Foods, of course. After Whole Foods, we went shopping for a bit and then made our way to the hotel. We stayed at a Double Tree so.. warm cookies anyone?! So. Good.

After getting everything put away and getting settled, it was time for a run. There's no better way to see a town than by running, am I right?! We did an easy 4 miler and picked out our dinner while we were at it. :) And since dinner was relatively close, we decided to go ahead and walk back as well. Needless to say, when we got to bed later that night, I had 35,000 steps+. Not bad for a "travel" day, right?

Wednesday was a classroom day so not much movement at all--but on the bright side, when I take my test in the next few days (after LOTS of studying), I'll be a certified personal trainer.... FINALLY! I learned so much so.. having practically 0 steps made it totally worth it.

Thursday was another classroom day so we got up early and hit the gym for a quick hour workout--30 minutes on the treadmill, 30 minute lifting session. Our group exercise cert class started at 8am and was so much fun. Our instructor was absolutely incredible and made it easy to follow, gave great tips, was so knowledgable, and made us all feel comfortable, no matter our skill level. And better yet-- we did LOTS of moving, which I appreciated.

The conference officially started on Friday and it was a whirlwind from here on out. But such a good one. I took so much away from those 3 days that there's absolutely no way I could go through every little detail. But I'll say this--my perception of fitness has definitely shifted. I came away with the desire to teach women that we are all ATHLETES, even if you've never stepped out on a court, shot a basketball, swung a golf club.. it doesn't matter. My goal as a fitness professional from this point forward is to make women know they are capable of absolutely ANYTHING. Our bodies can do amazing, AMAZING things. I don't want women to think they can't run, can't lift weights, can't do my weekly Insanity classes--I want them to know that if they just push themselves a bit and get out of their comfort zone, they can totally do it.. and not just do it but ROCK it. If I had never taken a chance and put my running shoes on one day 10+ years ago, who knows where I'd be now?

I took some incredible classes over the course of 3 days but my favorites by FAR were by a lady named Chris Freytag out of Minneapolis. She's officially my group ex idol! Chris was the one who really got me in the athlete mindset. Her classes were challenging and I loved it. And better yet, we worked with equipment that every gym has access to! (or well, at least our gym!) She got me sweating, working hard, and I left every single one of her classes with a smile on my face and pumped up for the next--exactly how group exercise classes should make you feel.

Needless to say, after 9 (HARD!) classes over the course of 3 days, we were ready for a beach day on Sunday after the conference was over. We drove an hour over to Cocoa Beach and even though we both got roasted, it was so worth it. It felt so good to relax for a few hours and not move, ha. 

Not to mention, after leaving the beach, we headed for cupcakes. ;) 

We spent the rest of the evening on Sunday getting dinner (another Whole Foods salad bar!) and getting our things ready to leave on Monday. :( We got in one more quick run yesterday morning (a 5 miler) and then made our way to the airport. 

I ended up getting home last night around 10pm with more desire than ever to take my career to the next level. I can't wait to put some of the principles and practices that I've learned into play. I've known for a while that fitness is my calling but now I feel like I have a clear direction of where I want to take it. What an awesome feeling. 

It's been a heck of a week, friends. 

Sarah 

Birthday Weekend

Well, I'm officially 28. And two days in, it's not so bad after all. I haven't broken a hip (yet), I haven't forgotten anything TOO important, and to be honest, I feel pretty darn good! I was thinking back to my 18th birthday and how exciting that was but I have to admit, 28 feels much better. In fact, my 28 year old self could totally kick my 18 year old's butt. I'm in the best shape of my life, I have more energy than ever before, and life. although crazy and unpredictable, is pretty fantastic. Do I wish I knew what I was doing? ALL the time. But right now, I'm just enjoying going with the flow for once. (Let'st just hope I'm this optimistic when I'm 30. Or God forbid, 38)

And now, a picture dump. Because Monday's are crazy.

Take that 18 year old Sarah. 

Weather was AWESOME for my birthday so of COURSE I had to run! 9 miles in the books!

Scenery from my run. Umm, can I move here?

My "cake". I wanted to indulge but not TOO much so my  mom made this awesome, semi-healthy pie! It was delicious. I may or may not have had 6 slices..... hello, cheat day!

Props to my niece for helping me blow out the candles. 

That's right--I'm officially team Fitbit! 

Bring it on 28.

Sarah

Friday Favorites

It's been a long, LONG week and I'm so glad it's FINALLY Friday! I'm taking the day off from work--my birthday is tomorrow so I'm treating myself for once! :)

Friday Favorites

1. The Black List. Okay, I know I'm so far behind the times it's not even funny but Peter & I started watching on Netflix this week and we are both obsessed! I don't really have time to keep up with TV shows on a regular basis so I'm always like, 3 seasons off on everything. Anyway, this show is GOOD. We've been averaging around 2 episodes a night so, not too shabby! I cannot WAIT to see what happens!

2. Finding some killer new (to me) blogs to read! I'm especially obsessed over Peanut Butter Runner's workout page. I plan on adding several of those into my routine next week! I love finding people out there with a passion for health & wellness like me! I'm just starting my professional journey so it's fun to find those who have been doing it for a while now. And I always love a good running blog. ALWAYS. 

3. I'm going to be a Spartan.. AGAIN! I'm heading to Atlanta a month from tomorrow to participate in the Atlanta Sprint! I absolutely LOVE Spartan Races and out of all the obstacle races I've done (Tough Mudder, Rugged Maniac, Go Dirty Girl..), it is by FAR my favorite. I love that it not only incorporates obstacles but also has fitness challenges mixed in. It's TOUGH and I definitely felt accomplished after completing last year's Charlotte sprint. If you ever get a chance to do a spartan, don't pass it up! It's so worth it.

4. Again, my workouts this week. I've had some great runs, awesome WODS, and feel like I'm making progress toward my goals. This is a lame one but when you feel good about what you're doing, gosh darn it you just have to tell the world. And my main boss (umm, the Chancellor of our College) sent me a birthday card and totally wrote #beastmode. So that was pretty awesome.

5. BIRTHDAY WEEKEND!! I have no plans other than an 8-9 mile run tomorrow morning OUTSIDE (YES!) and watching Louisville play UVA tomorrow night. And that's perfectly okay with me. I requested an awesome salad bar for dinner and this pie. 27, you've been good to me (re: too good) but 28... let's do this.

Have a great weekend! And GO CARDS!

Sarah

Monday, Funday

Happy Monday everyone!
Brain dump today!

Not much news to report on my end. I had a pretty low-key weekend, which I'm totally okay with. About the most I did was go for a couple of nice long-ish runs Saturday and Sunday morning. Otherwise, I relaxed a WHOLE lot--something I normally don't get to do during the week.

On Friday, I made this cookie dough dip and it was so, so SO good! I highly recommend it and will most definitely be making it again. I also made roasted red pepper hummus yesterday and I'm pretty proud of how that turned out too. I've been trying to do more around the kitchen in 2015 and so far, so good. I can now cook a mean chicken breast, let me tell you. (That's how helpless I usually am--luckily I have an amazing husband who loves to be in the kitchen!)

Saturday I watched the Louisville-Carolina game--it was AWESOME! My boys came back from being 18 down to win in OT! Love exciting games like that! I'm hoping the birthday fairy will produce tickets to this Saturday's game at UVA. If I have to ring in the year 28, might as well do it watching my Cards play, right? Riiiiiiight.

Speaking of my birthday, I'm hoping to get the new Fitbit Surge tracker. I'm kind of obsessed. I've had my Nike Fuelband for about 2 years now and although I love it, I'm ready to join the rest of the world. The surge looks like a good fit for me--it has a GPS tracker in addition to the new HR monitor feature and of course, step tracker. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

And finally, the Super Bowl. Although I'm not really a football fan (unless Louisville is playing), I have to admit, I watched the game in it's entirety. If a football game can keep my attention, then you know it's a good one. I can't say I was really pulling for one team or the other but I've always liked Tom Brady so I guess I'm glad New England won. And my favorite commercials of the night? Of course the #LikeaGirl campaign from Always--I've seen this one before but I loved that they played it during the middle of the Super Bowl. And then I was STOKED to see this one from Reebok--it made me want to go out and run 8 more miles in addition to the 8 I ran yesterday morning. It's my mentality down to a T.



#BeMoreHuman today.

Have a great Monday!

Sarah

Five Things Friday

It's FINALLY Friday! This was definitely one of those weeks that absolutely DRAGGED on! I'm looking forward to a low-key weekend. My only plans as of now are a couple of nice long-ish runs, homework, and cleaning.

Five Things Making Me Happy:

1. Planning a girls weekend with my BFFs. Since we all live apart now (boo!), we like to plan getaways every few months to catch up. We were last together at Christmas (tradition!) and are now planning our St. Patrick's Day shenanigans. :) Last year we went to Richmond and this year I think we're headed to Asheville, NC. I love those girls more than words can say and don't know what I'd do without them. These weekends are some of my favorite and wouldn't' trade them for anything. I look back on college now and think just how lucky I was to meet them. I know that no matter how far a part we get, they're always going to be a special part of my life.

2. The combination of Spark + aminos. I was dragging last night before my Insanity class and it saved my life. ha. I had sooooo much energy! I don't teach Insanity until 6:30pm on Thursdays and so by the time I work all day, have my own workouts, and stick around until it's time to teach, I'm no worse for the wear. This was clutch!

3. Having the motivation to start a blog again. I've tried and failed many times and I'm not saying I won't fail this time too but man.... I'm really enjoying having a place to write down my thoughts. For once in my life, I feel like I finally have a grasp on my future and it's so inspiring!

4. Snow today! Still not a lot... barely any actually... but it's still fun to wake up to.

5. My Advocare 24 Day challenge officially ends today! I won't weigh myself for a few more days (it's just a #!) and won't take measurements until later but I know that I feel better, look better, my workouts have been killer, and my energy levels are way up. and that's enough for me. My husband starts his challenge next Monday (I made him wait until after my birthday :)) and I'm so excited for him! I know he's going to get incredible results! If you're interested in learning more about Advocare, check out my website! If it's good enough for my man Rich Froning, it's definitely good enough for me. :) Love these products! It's a lifestyle people.


Have a great weekend! :)

If I could...

Stole this from one of my favorite blogs, Love, Fun, & Football!

If I could... spend all day working out, I probably would.

If I could.... go anywhere right now, I'd probably go back on another cruise. :)

If I could.... move closer to my two best friends, I would in a heartbeat. 

If I could... meet one famous person right now, it'd be Shaun T.

If I could... eat one food for the rest of my life, it'd totally be pretzel M&M's.

If could.... relive one time in my life, it would definitely be my wedding weekend.

If I could.... drop my current job and do anything...... I wouldn't. I love working in the health & wellness field!

If I could...figure out the rhythm of kipping pullups, I'd be pumped.

If I could move anywhere, I'd move somewhere warm... or Charlottesville, VA.

Happy Tuesday!

Sarah

Monday Morning Thoughts

Happy Monday!

It's a pretty dreary one here but luckily we're not getting quite as slammed here as they are in the Northeast. But seriously--why haven't we had ANY snow this winter?!

Monday mornings are always one of my favorites. Weird, right? Most people dread waking up but for me, it's the start of a new week and start of the new possibilities. I'm not going to lie to you and say waking up at 5:30am is my favorite but once I get to work, hop on the treadmill, catch up with the news.. I'm ready to tackle whatever the day/week has in store.

This week should be a pretty low key one for me. Everyday is hectic when working at a gym (especially a brand new one) but now that systems are starting to be put into place, it's getting much easier (in a relative sense). I'm looking forward to some great workouts (already got a 8.5 miler in this morning!), some good eats, a great Insanity class on Thursday, and hopefully some down time if I'm lucky. I just started back for the semester on my online classes for a second degree to become a Dietitian and I can't say that I'm really enjoying biochem (YUCK) all that much but trying to realize that if I'm going to make my dreams come true, there are going to be a few not-so-fun obstacles along the way. This just happens to be one of them.

And now I suppose it's time to get to work. I'll leave you with a little Monday Morning motivation. Get out there and move! You won't regret it!

Sarah

Friday Favorites

To get back into the blogging world, why not start out with a linkup?

My favorites this week!

1. Advocare. I cannot say enough about the 24 day challenge. After a horrendous holiday eating plan, I'm back on track and feeling AWESOME. This is my second time doing the challenge and I can't even begin to tell you how focused I am on my goals. I have more energy, feel great, and getting back to my pre-holiday self. I continue to be impressed by this company and can't say enough about it. If you're interested in learning more, check it out. And uhh, yeah, pretty stoked with the progress I've been making on my arms.

                                       Taken after my 8.5 mile run. Best way to start a Friday!

2. Work! I'm so obsessed with my job right now. It's a madhouse opening up a wellness facility on a college campus.. especially one that's open to the public. And I'll be honest, there have been some trying moments in the last few months but getting comments about how awesome our facility is (it totally rocks for the record), makes it all worth while. And my Insanity class last night had 18 people! It was AWESOME!

3. Quest bars. Duh.

4. My new iPhone 6. I mean, it's not MUCH different from my 5S but.. I'm pretty much in love with it. I'm still trying to figure out the health app but I love having more storage!!!

5. My workouts this week! I've had some absolutely killer workouts. My runs have been amazing, energy level is good, I've been getting back to heavy lifting.. overall, I just feel like myself again. I'm to the point right now where I wish I was running a spring marathon... that's how good I feel! Guess I just need to save these legs of mine for November. :)

Have a great weekend!

Sarah

First Post!

I'm not much of a blogger. In fact, I've created more blogs in this life than I can probably count on both hands. Really the only successful one was the one I had from about 9th grade until my junior year in college. It was on livejournal. If that doesn't take you back, I don't know what does. And for the record, I did have readers.

So, why try again? Mostly because 2014 was an absolutely HUGE year and I wish I had documented it in some form or fashion. I'm KIND of hoping 2015 rocks too but that remains to be seen. I have a few huge things on the horizon so it certainly has potential. But those are for a different blog post (maybe). 

Why Sarah's on the Run? Well... anyone who knows me knows that I run... a LOT. I've ran more 5k's than I could ever possibly count, a few halfs, and will be running my first full marathon come November (Richmond!). I run when I'm happy, sad, stressed, overwhelmed, excited... you get the picture. I use to hate running to be completely honest. In fact, my mom had to PAY one of my former high school teammates to take me running after my senior year in high school when I found out I got a walkon spot with my college softball team. It's now my favorite hobby and something I'm starting to get pretty good at. So, hence the title. And plus, with my job as the assistant director of a college health & wellness facility, I'm pretty busy 99.9% of the time so it serves a dual purpose. 

I'm not quite sure yet the direction this blog will take but... here goes nothing.

Sarah