Chasing My Joy

My journey to becoming an Ultra Runner and Ironman

Frothing Friday Favorites

I spent last night coughing instead of sleeping so it became clear that I needed to talk to my doctor. I tend not to like to see a doctor about colds and flus because there isn’t anything that can be done about viruses but this one was pretty bad and really my lungs haven’t felt right since this summer. I was diagnosed with bronchitis so now I get to take an inhaler, steroids and a z-pack for good measure. Fingers crossed this cocktail of meds help quickly. Today’s run will be extra easy as I let my body recover.

It’s Friday so it’s time to share some favorites:

Most days I like to walk the kids to school, they ride nice and cozy in the Thule stroller but it quickly became apparent that I needed something to keep me warm in the snow and wind. I picked up this Universal Thread parka from Target and have loved it. It’s very warm, water and wind resistant. It’s the perfect length and even cuter in person. There are great colors and it’s not a bad price.

We got this milk frother for Christmas and coffee is even better now! I think the down side is I drink even more coffee now, I love it so much but I don’t think I needed more coffee.

We try to take the kids swimming around once a week. They love it and we want them to develop good swim skills and be comfortable in the water. We got them both these swim jackets. They never slip down and really help the kids float in the water.

A huge favorite for me is to Netflix and Treadmill, it helps get me moving in the morning if I have something I am binge watching something. We just finished The Mandalorian (on Disney+) and it was pretty good. Have you watched anything great lately?

What are some of your favorites?

Friday Favorites – Travel

Now that I have finally finished my recaps of our European Travels it seemed appropriate to share some of our favorites from our International travel with the kids.

One of the things I was most surprised about loving was Rick Steves travel guide for Germany. My parents offered us their 2016 version since they had bought an updated 2019 version. At first I though what is the point, you can just google anything you wanted to know. But while on the road this thing was GOLD. While we were in towns we could look up anything we wanted and read about what we were seeing. I don’ think I will travel again without one of his guides.

We bought new travel Strollers for the trip and they worked really well. They were cheap and light so I was worried they wouldn’t hold up against all the walking and cobble stone streets. Surprisingly the strollers held up great! We also got rain covers for them which was critical for our soggy trip.

Another favorite that was really helpful was our Fire Tablets. Sometimes the kids just needed some down time or distractions while traveling. The kid safe cases work so well, I can’t say how many times these have been chucked onto the ground and they haven’t broken or scratched.

We also had kid safe headphones that Emmy won’t really wear but work great for Cannon.

Emmy’s Patagonia Puffer Jacket was also key for our trip. It rained and was often chilly. This jacket kept her dry and warm and packs down small when we want to stow it away.

This jacket was actually Cannon’s when he was this age and has held up so well. Cannon wore it for over a year and it still looks new!

This year we are getting both Cannon and Emmy this coat.

I hope you are having a wonderful Friday!

Happy Weekend!!!

Friday Favorites – Keeping Cozy

Happy Friday everyone! I am so excited that it is March. I probably shouldn’t be since spring won’t really show up here in Colorado for a few months but I am so looking forward to longer days, sunshine and afternoons at the park.

In appreciation of the continued cold weather I thought I would share some of my favorites for winter.

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This Blistex chapstick is the best. The dry winter air leaves my lips feeling dry and terrible. This chapstick is the only thing that I have found that really helps. I try to have one with my at all times.

Joy Lab at Target has some really cute active wear and athleisure wear. I am really loving their sweatshirts. They are so soft and wash well.

With 4-8 inches of snow coming and highs in the teens this weekend I will most likely be spending some quality time on the treadmill. We recently cut the cord on our Dish service (yay) and picked up Hulu (we already had Amazon Prime and Netflix) I am excited to get into the Handmaids Tale, I read the book in 2017.

Emmy is loving these Zutano Booties They actually stay on her feet, are very warm AND she can crawl and walk in them. They wash easily and have held up well. Also I think they are cute.

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I hope you all have a wonderful Friday!

What are some of your favorites from this week?

Friday Favorites – Portraits and Poppies

This week has been a bit of a doozy, we are all pretty sick (why does that always seem to happen post vacation), Emmy has been having trouble sleeping and she is teething. I am sure glad it’s Friday and I can share some favorites with you!

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I really love my Lululemon Vinyasa Scarf I wore this scarf everyday of our trip because it was cooler than I expected. It kept me nice and warm and dried fast when it got wet. I love that it has snaps so it can be worn it many different ways. It was also helpful on the trip home when Emerald’s blanket had bubble solution spilled on it. We used the scarf as a blanket for Emmy on the plane and she slept the entire way. I have also had it for years and it has washed well and kept it’s shape (I hang dry it).


On our last day in Disneyland we stopped at the Silhouette Studio where a very talented artist made cut silhouettes of Cannon and Emerald. You actually get two mirror images for just $10 each! I will treasure these forever. I just need to get frames and hang them up. I hope we can do this every time we visit and watch the kids grow.

Last week I was excited to open a package from Little Poppy Co. Little Poppy Co is a subscription bow service where you get a set of three bows each month. I started getting these for Emmy in August and have loved every set. They are seasonally themed and always so cute! They are reasonably priced and can be delivered with a band for little girls or clips for little ones with more hair. You can also convert the bands to clips later =)

And for your treadmill and Netflix: We binge watched Russian Doll this week. It’s a bit weird and dark and not safe for kids but it’s oddly addicting! Both Cory and I can’t wait for more episodes to be released so we can see what happens. Amy Poehler produced this and really can’t do any wrong.

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Do you have any favorites this week?

Happy weekend!!

Friday Favorites – Disneyland Edition

We just got back from our trip to California, five days traveling and door busting at Disneyland was so much fun but also pretty exhausting.

We are all pretty glad to be home, especially since Cory seemed to come down with a cold as we were leaving and now the kids and I have it too.

It’s also nice that it’s Friday so hopefully we can take some time to put the house back together. Our two almost back to back trips has left us a little upside down.

I did not run at all during our trip, we didn’t have access to a gym and there wasn’t really time to run anyway. We walked over ten miles everyday so I call it good. I am happy to be back home and back to routine, too bad it was seven degrees and icy this morning!

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Here are some of my favorites from this week, many are from our Disneyland trip =)

These Nike Flex Contact shoes are so comfortable! We walked over 22,000 steps a day while visiting Disneyland and California Adventure. My feet felt great the entire time even though they were soaked most of the time!

I am in LOVE with these Tierra Sunglasses! They are comfortable, don’t fog up, are polarized and are only $20. Great find!

We love these Chobani Gimmies pouches. I love that they are low in sugar and easy to take with us, Cannon loves the flavors.

The Disneyland App is a must have if you are visiting the Disneyland Resort! It shows all the wait times, holds your tickets, you can mobile order food (skip the line!) and make reservations. You can also request Fast Passes for your entire party if you get the MaxPass, and I think it’s worth it for the MaxPass as well.

The iMuto Charger was a life saver! We knew from previous experience that even though the Disneyland App is awesome it also drains your battery. I asked for a portable charger for Christmas and Cory got me this one. I love that you can charge up to three devices at once and it charges quickly. The one downside is that it is pretty heavy but I think it’s worth it for a working phone.

Last but not least, I have talked about our Thule Chariot before but it gets a special shout out here. It rained a lot the first two days we were at Disneyland and it was pretty chilly. The built in rain cover kept the kids completely dry and warm all day. We also packed the diaper bag and extra jackets in the back and everything stayed dry. I was very impressed!

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I hope you all are having a fabulous Friday. Any favorites from your week?

Friday Favorites – Great Listening and Tech

Happy Friday Friends! I am so excited that it is almost the weekend because we leave for Disneyland on Sunday. I really hope that Cannon loves riding on the plane and that the pressure of take off and landing doesn’t bother Emmy too much.

Any tips for taking a baby and toddler on a plane?

This morning started with an easy 4.2 mile run outside. It was dark the entire time but the morning was warmer than it has been at about 25 degrees so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get out in the fresh air.

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It’s time for Friday Favorites and I am pretty excited about some favorites from this week.

These Adidas tights that I found at Costco (most of my favorites could be sponsored by Costco, but hey, they have great stuff at amazing prices). I wish I knew what these tights were called because they are so soft, and stretchy and lined. Great for cold weather running. I wore them this morning and they kept me nice and warm. They also have glossy flower outlines that are cute. They were also really affordable at less that $30!

Is there anything cuter than baby overalls? I think I would put both kids in overalls every day if I could. Emmy’s overalls are from Target Cat n’ Jack and are boys. I don’t think they are selling them anymore but THESE are similar.

Deana Kastor’s book, Let Your Mind Run – it’s just SO good. I started it while running my race on last weekend and I loved it so much. I am saving listening to it for my runs. Looking forward to listening to it on my long run tomorrow.

Another Costco find! They have their iPads on sale for a great price! Costco’s price was already pretty low and now they have $40 off. I have really needed to upgrade my iPad for the longest time. I still have an iPad 2 that is about 12 years old and nothing updates on it anymore. I am so slow to update my tech….I am really looking forward to getting my new one. They didn’t have the color I wanted in store so we ordered it online and will get it next week. I think the sale ends on February 4th if you need an upgrade too!

Lindsey Hein’s conversation with Scott Jurek is a MUST LISTEN! I really loved his book too Eat and Run and his new book North is on my list of things to read soon.

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I hope you all have a fabulous Friday!

What are some of your favorites from the week?

Friday Favorites – Winter Running Gear

Happy Friday everyone! Why do short holiday weeks always end up feeling so long?!?

We are all settling back into our normal routine but the weekend feels very welcome. I am so looking forward to getting in some more miles outside, hopefully in the daylight.

I really love how much the kids have been playing together lately. It’s just so sweet!

I know that fairly soon they will start to fight over toys especially since Emmy is getting around now.

So I am soaking up this time while I can.

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This week it finally turned cold here in Colorado so I thought I would share some of my favorite cold running gear.

  1. Hoka One One Speed Goat Trail Shoes – I love these shoes and when it’s snowy out I rarely slip. It’s a nice break from running on the treadmill and I don’t like micro spikes.
  2. Brushed Speed Up Tights – These tights are lined without being too thick and keep my legs warm. I have had them for years and they have stretched through two pregnancies.
  3. Ginger Runner Wrap – I wear this instead of a hat. I often like to wear a hat with a bill so I can just throw this over my hat to cover my ears. It’s great when the day warms up I can just put it on my wrist and keep going. Any Buff style wrap will do but I really like the designs of these ones.
  4. Smart Wool Socks – They have lots of different thicknesses, my feet stay nice and toasty with no blisters.
  5. Salomon Jacket – I have had this jacket for years and it has held up so well to many miles and washes. This jacket is actually marketed for nordic skiing but it was worked well for me for running. If it’s really cold I throw a down vest over it and I am good to go down to about 5 degrees F (I have a cheap one from Costco that works great).

What are some of your favorite winter running items?

First Trimester Favorites

The first trimester is usually not a pregnant ladies favorite. For me the first trimester is not fun because I feel stressed about the higher chance of miscarriage, keeping the pregnancy private and feeling like I am hungover most of the time. Now that I am in my third trimester I though I would list a few things that helped me get through the first trimester.

  1. Starbucks Tumbler – While pregnant you need to drink more water than normal. For some reason I find it so much easier to drink more water from a bottle that has a straw. While I had mild morning sickness during the first trimester I found that ice water would often make me feel better. I tried to always have my tumbler with me.
  2. Hi-Rise Wunder Unders – While you don’t really start showing during the first trimester, the bloat due to hormones makes me feel like I am. I love my Lululemon high wasted wunder unders because the gave me support and kept everything in place while working out or just running errands. I happily wore them until about 29 weeks when they started to roll down because of my big bump.
  3. Nature Made Vitamins – Getting in a pre-natal vitamin with DHA is really important, especially during the first trimester while the baby is developing all of their important systems and organs. Vitamins can sometimes make me nauseous, something that I don’t need extra of at this time in pregnancy. Nature Made vitamins have never made me ill so they are a great choice.
  4. GAP Lace Bralette – One of the first things to start to change when I get pregnant is my boobs. Underwires are almost instantly out. I really love these GAP Bralettes are soft and comfortable while still offering coverage.
  5. Peppermint Altoids – Many women like ginger candies to help settle their stomachs but they just seemed to make me feel worse. Peppermint Altoids actually helped settle down nausea for me, with the bonus of fresh breath.
  6. Garmin Fenix 5 – I actually have the Fenix 3 watch but the Fenix 5 is the current model. I have tried my best to stay active this pregnancy while also keeping an eye on my heart rate. I raced a pretty difficult trail 10k during my first trimester. I was concerned about my heart rate being too high for too long, so I used my Fenix with the Garmin Run heart rate monitor to watch my effort. There is some debate about what really is safe and maybe it is ok to workout at higher efforts but my doctor said to keep my heart rate below about 140-150 BPM. For me a race or workout is not worth risking any damage to my tiny little baby.

Friday Favorites #5

Happy Friday everyone! I have a serious case of TGIF this week. Both Cannon and I have come down with colds and I am looking forward to resting and mellow family fun. Cannon also turns 20 months old this weekend too, I can’t believe how fast he is growing up.

Here are some of my favorites from this week

 

Birkenstock Arizona Sandals 

Cory got this pair of Birkenstock Arizona sandals for me for Valentine’s Day and I love them! It may be a couple moths before I can wear them outside since the weather is still so cold here in Colorado but I can’t wait to use them. They are so comfortable and cute, plus they are easy to throw on which will really be helpful when I have a giant belly and putting on shoes is difficult.

Crystal Light Pure

I have been SO thirsty lately and have been getting sick of just having plain water all the time. Carbonated drinks have not been sitting well so I grabbed this Crystal Light Pure Iced Tea and it’s such a nice change up from just water.

The Brave Athlete Calm the F*ck Down and Rise to the Occasion 

I just started reading The Brave Athlete  and already I LOVE it. Even though I can’t work on being an athlete physically very much right now, it seems like a good chance to work on my mental toughness. It may even be helpful for labor and giving birth.

Our local Rec Centers pool

Sunday Funday

It’s really important to me to get Cannon into the water as much as possible. I want him to love swimming, feel comfortable in the water and learn water safety skills. The pool at our local rec center has a great beach entry area with lots of fun areas for kids to play. Cannon also loves the lazy river and water slides. It’s been so worth the price of our membership for the use of the pool, indoor playground, gym equipment, fitness classes, child care and classes.

 

Happy weekend everyone! Anyone know any cold remedies that are safe for preggers laddies to take?

Friday Favorites #3

Everyone in our house is loving Coconut oil. The kind people at Skinny & Co sent me a sample pack of their products when they heard how much I am loving coconut oil. I have been using it on my hair, which is so nice since Colorado has been so dry and I have long crazy hair. But the best uses have been for me and my baby. Coconut oil is really helped with some breast feeding issues we were having, and we use it as moisturizer for Cannon. We checked with our pediatrician and she said Coconut oil was a great all natural nipple cream and lotion for a baby.  There are so many other uses as well, and it smells amazing!!!

Coconut oil, Skinny & CO, Chasing My Joy

Lindsey Hine’s podcast I’ll Have Another is super fun and a must listen for anyone, but especially women runners. I love listening to it while running, commuting or just cleaning my house. I have been catching up on old episodes, I will be sad when I catch up and have to wait a week for new ones!

I am loving these tiny Saucony shoes. They are super tiny and cute, I think Cannon’s feet have never been small enough to fit in them (the boy has giant boat feet). We gave these shoes to my parents back in October 2015 with a tag that read “Grandma and Grandpa est. June 2016” it was such a fun way to tell them that we were expecting and they would be grandparents. Such happy memories!

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I am super loving this homemade Cherry Balsamic Dressing it’s super easy to make and a fun change up.

What are you loving this week?