What Is Your Focus

I think a lot sometimes, other times I try not to think at all.

Lately I wonder about my focus and what that may be. I never thought about it much until the other day when my toddler said "Mommy focus" Now she has no idea what it means, but she repeated it because I say it to her often when she is trying to do too much at once. Although I must admit it sounded cute coming from her. But it did make me think that day, and more now a days on just what my focus is.

I have run marathons, I have lost a bunch of weight and become a lifetime member of Weight Watchers. I have even qualified for Boston. So I find myself feeling a little lost now that I have made some pretty hefty goals. That is the problem with goals, you set them and once you reach them you find yourself in this back slide.

I always find myself a little down after I hit a big milestone, not right away obviously because you are brimming with pride... But after a few days, maybe it takes up to a week or so, then I get this feeling of emptiness. I am a focuser on goals, I use them to catapult everything I do. When I have a goal I think I cannot reach it only makes me work harder. But when I am in between goals I find myself yearning for more.

I have tried to combat it, I have signed up for a few marathons and races in the coming weeks and months. I have decided I will go after those and keep training obviously. But I cannot help feeling it just is not enough. I do not feel that drive even during my training right now that I had before Hyannis. I know it has only been 2 weeks but I just do not remember it taking me this long to get back into the swing of things after the Philadelphia Marathon.

I think it is a combination of the fact that I am maintaining a weight loss now, as opposed to trying to lose weight and running just to run. I need to work on those things. I need to learn how to be ok with just eating healthy and not focusing on a scale every single week, I need to work on that big time. I also need to work on running just because I enjoy it.

For me that is the harder of the 2. I am competitive within myself and it is just my nature. I am not sure yet if I can be one of those runners who does races just to finish. I find myself craving more speed, further distances and a bigger rush each time I get out there. Maybe ultra running will become my thing, maybe I will become a faster marathoner. I have not decided what my true focus will be as of yet.

What is your focus? And how do you deal with post goal time periods?

Simple Exercises You Can Do At Home: the Runner's Edition

I have not been doing this long, about 2 years total for weight loss and exercise. But I have progresses rather rapidly and I feel it has more to do with my mentality than anything else. I do not let much get in the way of a workout. I am rigid when I am in training for a race. It is just the way I like to do things I get into a routine and I settle in and get comfortable and go after it.

When it comes to running for me that is the easy part. But when it comes to cross training and srength training that is where I find the balance has to be made. I learned the hard way after a knee injury last year that strength training not only keeps you stronger but it can help you improve your speed. When your leg and over all body muscles are stronger you have more control over your movement and this wil help you no matter what distance you run.

I am living proof of this. I ran my first half marathon in 1:59 last year, February 2011. I then joined the gym shortly after that. You see the first year of my journey I did from home workouts and running outside and at the small fitness center in my condo complex. I figured it was time to join the gym when I wanted to get faster and fitter. And it worked.

I started taking different classes at the ymca and lifting heavier weights. I got into a crossfit class over the summer while I trained for a spartan race and started really falling in love with strength training. But what I also loved? My running improved. I took my 5K time from a 29:45 to a flat 21 minutes in that year. I also got my half marathon PR down to a 1:46. I also completed my first full marathon in 3:46. I know it took a lot of running to get me there but it also took a lot of strength training.

We were having a discussion on twitter a few days ago about a home routine for runners and we decided to share some tips. So here is an example of a strength routine I will do at home when I cannot get to the gym. Because like I said earlier, I do not let anything get in my way ;)

Squats, these are basic but so helpful to strengthen your quads. I will hold a 20 pound weight or plate to my chest and do 20 reps usually within a set of other things.

Lunges, again I started without a weight and then worked my way up. If it is close to a race (within 3 weeks) I will not do weighted ones

Planks -  these have become instrumental to my workout. A strong core gives you a stronger posture and better form when running. And I truly believe every runner should incorporate core work weekly into their routine. I make it a point to do it 5 days a week even if only for 10 minutes. I will hold plank for 5 minutes strait now starting with 1 minute regular, then going to one side, then the other side, then on forearms and ending with 1 min regular plank.

Pushups- Military or assisted these are great. You can work your way up to doing sets of 20-25. I love doing pushups

Sit ups- I do these too, not crunches those are going half way up, I am not a fan of those. I like the full up sit ups and usually work them into my sets.

Leg Raises- I do these weekly too. I like them for the lower abs. You lay on your back and just raise your legs strait and repeat reps without hitting the ground. When you have heavy muscular legs its fun ;)

Bicep curls -  I like doing these weekly at home too. I have a simple set of 15# hand weights and when I cannot get to the gym they do the trick.

Tricep Kickbacks- Again just like the biceps its good to do them at home when looking for something.

Wall sits- these are easy and can be done from everywhere! I like to sit for a minute or 2. When I feel really crazy I will wall sit and squat while sitting there, now there is a quad burn!

Burpees, these are classics I like throwing them into a home workout for some cardio that can be done anywhere, I like jumping jacks for that purpose too. 

So when I am home I basically write on a post it my routine and work through 3 or 4 sets of it. I mix it up and use these exercises however I want. Some examples:

Do 3 times through:
25 push ups
25 squats
25 bicep curls
25 lunges
25 tricep kick backs
25 leg raises
25 sit ups
25 burpees
2 minute plank hold

You get the idea :) Sometimes I will do 10 each and repeat 4 or 5 times. 

Really the point is, you can train from home when pressed for time and if you are spending so much time running and working on a race goal, why not make sure you are strength training a bit too to make sure you give yourself the best advantage come race day?

Plus who does not love well defined muscles ;) It is funny you never notice it until you look at race picutres, well I don't anyways haha you see your action shots and you are like wow I guess those squats and lunges do work!

And I do not even want to hear the I will get bulky argument. unless you are a body builder and doing a lot of different things, you will not gain huge muscles. In fact I think when I want to look girly I can ;)

So that is my take on the whole thing! *again only my opinion and what I do* I realize not all things work for everyone.

Now I would love to hear your thoughts :)

Thanks Brenna, for the topic!

P.S. Do not forget to run with us!!! The Fight Forever 10K and 5K is coming up in 3 weeks!! :)

What Is Popping in Boston? PopChips Review!

What does every hungry runner need when they get the rungries?

Well I would love to dive into a sit down meal after a race or hard training run but there is not always time to do that. Having celiac disease limits my snacking capabilities especially when I am traveling or on the go. So when I found Pop Chips last year, I was more than excited to try them!

What are inside these bags of goodness?

Well pop chips are chips that are not fried or baked, rather they are popped!

"popping is a way of making our all-natural chips. we start with wholesome potatoes, add a little heat and pressure, along with a little snack magic. and pop! it's a chip. all that’s added is a flavorful blend of all-natural seasonings to create taste-bud popping flavors that appeal to the whole family"

And my favorite thing about them?
" our all-natural pledge: no fake colors, no fake flavors, no preservatives, no fluorescent orange fingertips, and no wiping your greasy chip hand on your jeans. no, really. we only use ingredients you can feel good about eating. and we leave out the bad stuff, like hydrogenated oils and msg, that give snacking a bad name"

 What else do we love about them?


 No guess work or reading labels for my poor tired eyes ;)

 Gluten free!!! Yes they were certified by the GF certification organization and all of their bags have that wonderful symbol we love.  And our favorite flavor, sweet potato,  is vegan so no dairy either!!!! :)   The Peanut is a huge fan of pop chips and as a mom who is struggling to find a healthy snack for her sometimes it can be a pia, so I was more than happy when she also fell in love with them!
 They have a brand new flavor which is what we got to try this time:

I think you can see here that the sweet potato may or may not be clearly the winner in our book ;)

 So for only 3 Weight Watchers Points Plus, I have a snack that is convenient on the go anywhere, that both me and the toddler can enjoy!

Have you tried the new flavors of PopChips yet? Which one is your favorite?

Stay tuned for our give away after the Virtual Fight Forever 5K and 10K because Popchips is one of our generous sponsors! They are great! They kept the Determination team snacking after our last marathon in Hyannis!!! A hungry runner cannot resist a bag of Popchip goodness ;)

Fight Forever Virtual Race

Calling all runners, walkers, and want to be active people!!!

You know how I started running? Yep, a 5K. That is exactly what it took for me to develop this love affair that I have with running. 

There is another thing in my life I am passionate about, and that is finding a cure for cancer. This passion is driven by the loss of both of my grandmothers to it before they were 65. 

I have found a way to combine these 2 passions to create an amazing experience when I met the members of the Determination team!!! 

 I have a vision this year, to make my goals even bigger and raise even more money!!! I am running THE marathon of all marathons, of course, BOSTON!!!!!! 


My goal is $3,500 if we are being honest I want to raise a lot more, I want to exceed that goal, you all know how I set goals and beat them ;)


But I cannot do that without your help!!!! 


So I am asking you to help me out! Spread the word, sign up for the race, or donate anything you can. Every little bit helps me get to my goal!!!! No donation is too small. 

My Official Fundraising Page


I am having a virtual run on the weekend I have appropriately named it the Fight Forever 5k and 10K :) all the information is here.


Here are the basics:

• Race is open to any and everyone :) Yes even Canada!! I will personally ship you your things!
• Race weekend is March  31- April 1 or something in that week, no worries if it is a day or 2 early or late ;)
• Entry is just a donation to my fundraising website or you can register here at active.com
• All donations go toward my fundraising goal
• Local BOSTON and NEW ENGLAND peeps!!!!! I want to have a meeting on that weekend at a trail or bike path and run together! If you can make it send me an email ASAP :) tryn2bfit@gmail.com I will work on finding a central location for us! And even maybe get us some t-shirts made up. I think it could be fun!

I have some great sponsors for the race too, everyone will be getting a medal Yes who does not like race bling? AND we will have some prizes too! Several companies have donated items I will raffle after the race is over!!!


I can't wait!!! It is going to be so much fun running with everyone :)

Where I Am

I have not been here as much as I would like to be. My life has changed a lot these last 2 months and I am trying to get into a new system and rhythm of things. Balancing work, single mommy hood, school, running and living have proven to be a bit of a challenge and honestly blogging and social media in general has had to take a back seat.

I miss it sometimes, but I know that in order for me to reach my goals I must let things go and it is the least important in the grand scheme of my life.

The one thing I do miss about it is writing. Talking about my thoughts and feelings in a place that is all my own is something I miss a lot. And man do I have lots of those lately. I never imagined that losing weight would change so much about me and about my life in general. It has forced me to deal with other things that I left dormant for quite some time. It has forced me to reevaluate things in my life that were not making sense.

I have good days and bad days. Some days it is easy to see why I am on this path and how it is the best choice for me. Other days I feel lost. I feel like I am living someone else's life or sometimes worse, that this is all a dream and I will wake up back in the miserable cave I lived in a few years ago.

But at the end of the day the one thing that matters is that, I am happy and I am moving in a forward direction. I believe that everything happens for a reason and even if we do not see what the reason is at the moment eventually we will know why. I do believe that if God closes a door he always opens a window.