Thursday, May 17, 2012

Three Things Thursday: Pure Joy

Really, this is the three blog posts I never got time to write this week.  Ever since day light savings time, the days and weeks have seriously been disappearing on me.  Anyone else having this problem?

ONE
Last Saturday, I completed my official Spinning® certification class.  Our Master Instructor Angie was really knowledgable, thorough and her passion was fun to be around for nine straight hours.  I learned so much, not just about Spinning®, but some new (to me) training methods (more on that another day). I came home with my head literally spinning from all the new ideas and the rides I want to create!  Exhaustion at its finest.  Next steps... I feel like I need to study and process everything a bit more.  I'm hate feeling unprepared for anything, so I need that mental confidence before I perch myself up before a real live class. I have lots of practice yet to do before I take the official Spinning® Instructor test.

TWO
Not only did I find my running mojo on
Mother's Day, my kids got me a new
boxing bag!
As many of you know, I've been in a funk.  I lost my running mojo over a month ago over some stupid drama in my life, and have struggled to get it back. I kept on banging out the miles, knowing my mojo was just around the next corner.  Ironically, I ran my second marathon in the midst of this, which is one of the reasons I feel like I had "more" to give with that race. {race recap here}  Today I'm happy - elated in fact - to tell you I found my RUN-JOY again!!  It came on a simple, no frills run on Mother's Day.  I had planned to meet up with a group early that morning. But instead I was in my mood again, so I headed out alone. I left the house without a watch, no phone, no music... just me and the road... and the most perfect running weather anyone could dream up.  I really had no idea how long or far I was going to run (so no fuel or water either).  I threw all my typical routes out the window and ran like a lost child... up and down dead-end roads, just to see what was there... looping through parks with no concern for hills or pace. I gazed at all the pretty landscaping and just got lost in my run.  10+ miles later, I came home with the biggest smile on my face.  I'm back!

THREE
A local running group in Peoria hosts a Kids Run Series every spring.  This is our second year participating and we absolutely love it!  It's basically a mini track meet every Monday night. All the kids pin on a bib and can run as many heats as they want (1/4mile, 1/2mile, and 1mile) within their age groups.  Afterward they get a ribbon with their race time, along with cookies and juice.  For $2 a kid, you can't beat this family fun!  This week, my husband and I extended it into a Family Fitness Night.  After the kids races were done, we set out for our own 3 mile run - one kid in the stroller and the other on her bike.  We didn't eat supper until 8pm on a school night, but it was such a fun night with my little family. My heart bursts with joy when I get to share my running passion with the ones I love most.

Kids stretching out before the race heats begin.
My girls sporting their new running outfits (from Target)
I was so darn proud of my Little Girl.  The first week she fell and got trampled...
but this week, she ran like a little champion!
So rarely do we run together, but I always enjoy getting a sweat on with my hubby.


Don't forget to enter my CLICK-tastic giveaway here!
Ends Monday, May 21.

24 comments:

  1. everywhere I look these days everyone is talking about spinning- I really need to take that up.

    that is utterly awesome that there is a local running group geared toward kids. When the time comes for me to start a family, I hope I'm able to run into something like that in my area!

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  2. I love the matching running suits your girls have!! Do they have them in adult sizes? ;) Congrats on getting your running groove back :)

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  3. I just can't even deal with how cute your kids are!!!

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  4. That kids run sounds AWESOME. I can't wait to get my kiddos in some tot runs this summer! Glad you found the joy again. :)

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  5. So glad you got your running mojo back! I love to see you happy!

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  6. So glad you found your mojo, Jess! And I am looking forward to taking one of your spinning classes. I have a feeling you won't take it easy on us. Drill Sargent Jess!! Lol!!

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  7. Good for you!
    I love spin! I go once a week just to change it up a bit! Still get the same feel good!!
    Ur girls are adorable! LOVE the outfits and poses! hehe. Glad u had a great family exericise night!

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  8. I
    Love
    This.
    All of it.

    Yay spin.
    Yay mojo
    Yay the cutest girls ever...
    And
    Running with the hubs.
    You look TRULY joyful.

    Love it.

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  9. Congrats on your spin cert! So exciting. You will be a great instructor! Yay for running mojo:)

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  10. Your girls are ADORABLE. Love.

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  11. I love that you found your mojo!! I need mine back, too!!

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  12. So glad you got your mojo back. Mine comes and goes sometimes too.

    Your girls are absolutely adorable.

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  13. Yay for the RUN JOY being back!! I went through the same thing recently and am just now starting to feel more happy with running, I think sometimes the numbers get me down, so a "naked" run makes the joy return! Your little girls are adorable in there little outfits and so awesome you can share your love of running with them. :) sweet boxing bag too, we have a heavy bag in our garage and I haven't been boxing in a bit but I think you just inspired me to het out there and start punching :)

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  14. Congrats on your certification! :)

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  15. Yay to all of it!!!
    Congrats on your certification. You will be teaching classes in no time! I remember how extreme tired I was after my certification. I was pretty sore the next day also!!! Maybe you can co teach with someone to get some time in front of a class before you take on a class of your own.

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  16. Wahoooo! So happy for you to have all these great things going on for you right now.

    Your daughters are so sweet and love the poses in their pink and black outfits... and you and your husband look pretty sweet together, too.

    Glad you got your mojo back, Jess, and congrats on the spinning cert, too.

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  17. Glad you got your mojo back!

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  18. Congrats on completing your spin certification class and on finding your mojo! That kids running group looks so fun and your girls are adorable in their little outfits!

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  19. your girls are precious! Glad the joy of just YOU and the ROAD, helped you find peace yet again! what an awesome feeling that is!!!

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  20. Nice work, Jess! I'm proud of you!!

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  21. Great Mother's Day! Yay for getting your running mojo back. And I love the heavy bag. They are GREAT for cross training. My girls even love to take a few swings at it. lol

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  22. your girls are absolutely adorable!!

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  23. The pictures of your girls could not be cuter! Love that they think running is cool at such a young age. I just tried a new Spinning class while on the road in Florida this past weekend. I thought it was really cool that in the front of the room they had projectors playing music videos, etc. to keep you motivated. Kept my mind off the clock and how much pain I was in! :) Congrats on getting your certification.

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  24. I love that you can get your girls involved. On a side note, running with my husband is a real joy for me. We can't always do it due to a variety of schedule and the fact that I run a lot more, but it's one of my goals for this year to make more time on the trails with him at his pace.

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