Friday Favorites

Hello & Happy New Year! I feel like it's been a long time since I wrote something on here other than a marathon training update. Because of the holidays, I had off for the past 2 weeks so I took advantage of that time to enjoy time with friends and family. In the midst of all that, I took some time off from the blog but now I'm back and ready to roll in the new year! In typical Friday fashion, I'm sharing some things I've been loving lately.

B&BW Cracked Heel Cream

Somehow I've become addicted to Bath & Body Works items over the past couple months so this shouldn't come as a surprise, haha. I picked this up at their Body Care Day sale and I am so glad I did! My heels are constantly cracked and hurting but after using this, they feel great. I put a little on my heels each night and wake up each morning to soft heels! I recommend wearing socks when using this so it doesn't rub off on your sheets.

Aftershokz Titanium

My in-laws surprised me with these as a birthday present last month. Even though I had been wanting a pair, I was still skeptical of them. I'm happy to report that after almost a month of using them on my runs and even a few times at the gym, I'm obsessed! Aftershokz sit on the outside of your ear and conduct the sound through your bone instead of inside your ears. This allows you to hear anything around you along with the music. I was surprised at how clear the music was and also how well I could hear my surroundings without them being too distracting. I feel a lot safer running while listening to music now!

B&BW Bright Lemon Snowdrop Spray

Surprise, another Bath & Body Works item! This was another Body Care Day purchase that was purely because I just loved the lemon scent. I'm not one to switch up the perfume I wear {I've been wearing Taylor Swift's perfume, Taylor, for years now} but after smelling the sweet lemon scent, I knew I'd love wearing it. It's more of a light lemon smell which is great because it's not too intense. The bottle is also huge so it'll last me forever!

Tostito's Black Bean and Garlic Chips

I grabbed these at the store while getting some regular Tostito's and man are they good! The garlic flavor is strong enough without being too overpowering. I keep eating them plain because they're flavorful enough but they would probably taste good dipped in salsa or queso!

Question of the Day: What is something you're loving this week?

Coastal Delaware Marathon Training Week 2

I should’ve known marathon training during the holidays would be a bit crazy but it wasn’t as bad as I expected! Due to all my free time, I got in a good amount of runs except for my botched long run on Sunday. Luckily it’s early in the training cycle so I’m not too worried about missing it! I hope you all had a great Christmas week and got in some relaxing!

Monday: 3 miles + Strength Training

Tuesday: {Christmas Eve} REST

Wednesday: {Christmas Day} 3 miles with Dale

Thursday: REST

Friday: 3 miles with Dale + Ashley

Saturday: REST

Sunday: 6 miles 2 miles with Dale

Weekly Total: 11 miles


Question of the Day: What does your family do to celebrate Christmas? Do you have any fun traditions?

Coastal Delaware Marathon Training Week 1

This week kicked off week one of CoDel Marathon training! It was a super light week considering 4 out of the 7 days were spent mostly on the road as we travelled down to South Carolina to watch my little brother graduate as a United States Marine! I still managed to get in 2 runs even though I was sick during one of them so I’m calling that a win! Although this coming week will be busy, I am looking forward to getting back into a strong routine!

Monday: REST

Tuesday: 2 miles

Wednesday: Left for SC

Thursday: Family Day aka the day we finally got to see my brother!

Friday: Graduation + begin drive home

Saturday: Continue drive home + finally get home

I wore a Christmas sweater sweatshirt to be cute but ended up taking that off + rolling up my pants by mile one...

Sunday: 5 miles


Question of the Day: Do you have any races on your 2020 calendar yet?

Coastal Delaware Marathon, Here I Come!

For those who haven't heard yet, I am running my 5th marathon in 2020! It's no secret that I love the marathon distance and the training that comes along with it. Something about pushing myself to do what seems to be impossible makes me feel immense joy. 

My best running friend, Rachel, and I have been discussing running another marathon together since I joined her for her first marathon last November! As much as we both love the Philadelphia Marathon, we decided to broaden our horizons and try a new race. After much research and discussion, we finally decided on the Coastal Delaware Marathon in April!

I'm not really sure what really sold us on the race but there are a ton of nice perks! For one, the cost wasn't terrible. It would've been cheaper if we registered back when we first kind of made a decision but we wanted to be sure before forking out the cash. The race highlights include a finish line party, big finisher medals, a scenic & flat course, free photos, and more! Overall it sounds pretty exciting!

When it comes to my training schedule, I am doing a mix of two schedules. I have followed both a Hal Higdon program and Run Less, Run Faster program in the past and enjoyed both. This go around I am combining the two, which basically means I am following the mileage from Hal Higdon but throwing in the speedwork from Run Less, Run Faster. Bottom line: I am winging a lot of it. 

Prepped to start running during the most RUNderful time of the year!

This will be my first time training for a marathon through the winter. I have trained for a half during the winter before but that training is a lot less involved than full marathon training. I am actually looking forward to winter training but am already anticipating many treadmill runs or even missed runs due to weather conditions. I think the second biggest concern of mine {besides weather conditions}, is the time of day I run. Before work is the most ideal for me but it is obviously darker and colder then. Running after work is possible, but I am usually a lot less motivated and tired at that point in the day. Overall, it will be a learning experience for me but I think I am going to end up enjoying it! I tend to enjoy running in the cold so that should make it good, right? Haha.

I will be documenting my training weekly so keep an eye out for my training updates every Monday! 

My Week in Pictures XXXVII

I’m checking in quite excited this Monday for many reasons! It’s not only my last week of work before my winter break, but it’ll be cut short! I leave Wednesday to go see my brother graduate as a marine from boot camp. The drive takes about 13 hours one way but we are driving down with my sister and her little family which should be fun.  It’ll be a busy week but so worth it! See what I was up to all last week in today’s Week in Pictures!

Monday was my birthday so I obviously stopped at Starbucks on my way to work for my free beverage!

After a long day at work, John took me to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. We brought our dessert home and ate it in bed while watching TV.

Tuesday was my school’s holiday concert. The kids did great!

John ran errands on Thursday night so I took it as a chance to relax and eat soup while catching up on This Is Us.

I got to see my nephews on Friday. Tommy loves taking pictures with my phone and he snapped this cute one of Joey and I.

I caved and went to the Body Care Day dale at Bath & Body Works on Saturday. I got some awesome things for such a low price! I even got some stuff for gifts ;)

We were out a majority of the day looking at cars for John so I relaxed later on with a face mask. I got this one from Dollar Tree a couple weeks ago!

John’s parents brought us to Maggiano’s for dinner to celebrate my birthday a little late. I ordered my favorite moscato mojito :)

Sunday was another mix of getting things done but also relaxing on the couch with the cats.

I managed to finally peel myself off the couch and go for a run. It was nice enough for shorts!

I wrapped up my day with packing for our trip and using this amazing stress relief body scrub!

Question of the Day: What is something fun you did this past weekend?

Friday Favorites

Wow what a long, yet good, week! I started out the week on cloud 9 because we had heard from our new MARINE {my brother} on Sunday and Monday was my birthday. Work was busy since we are trying to wrap things up for the year. I have a semi-relaxing weekend ahead of me with just plans to celebrate my birthday with the in-laws on our agenda. Other than that, you will be able to find me parked on the couch with a blanket and Grey's Anatomy! Before I truck through this Friday, I'm sharing a few things I've been loving this week.

Mahogany Teakwood B&BW Candle

Thanks to the suggestion from Maureen, I picked up this scent while at the Bath & Body Works Candle Sale this past weekend. Not going to lie, I wasn't 100% sold on the scent just by smelling it but the jar was gorgeous so I figured I'd try it out. I am so glad I did because it gives the room a warm and cozy feeling. The candle is a mix of rich mahogany, black teakwood, dark oak, and frosted lavender with essential oils. It is pretty strong so I don't recommend it for those who like a more lighter scent.

Vanilla Bean Noel Whipped Confetti Body Scrub

This was an impulse buy while at B&BW on Saturday because 1. I had a coupon and 2. I can't pass up a body scrub that has the word confetti in the name. I've used it a few times already since buying it and I'm in love! It has a wonderful vanilla scent without being overpowering. I use my hands to apply it and it actually starts to create a light lather which is cool. I'm actually surprised at how moisturized it leaves my skin but of course my eczema makes it where I still need to put on a ton of lotion post-shower.

Winter Marathon Training RW Article

I'll talk more about it in a post next week, but I am running a marathon in April which means I'll be training through the winter. I trained during the summer for my other marathons and did half marathon training during the winter once but that is different. I turned to the good ol' internet this past week to find some helpful tips/information to help motivate me and out of all the articles I read, this was one of my favorites. They went beyond the basic tips of what to wear and how to be safe, which is what I was looking for. I just wanted something to get me pumped to run in the winter. I won't spoil the whole article, but my favorite tip was that winter training helps you not feel so "bleh" during the colder months when you're so tempted to just hide under blankets and snack on junk. I tend to gravitate towards comfort foods during the winter which leaves me feeling not my healthiest. Following a marathon training plan will keep my body moving and make me eat healthier, feel good foods, which makes me more motivated for this spring marathon!

Question of the Day: What is something you're loving this week?

Cheers to 27 Years!

Happy Monday AND happy birthday to myself! Since today is my birthday, I have been thinking for a couple weeks about what kind of special post I should do for it. Considering I am 27, writing a list of 27 things just seemed exhausting. Instead, I decided I would share with you some lessons I have learned so far in my life. They might not be anything life-changing, but maybe one of them will help somebody out! Also enjoy some photos of things I did during my year as a 26 year old {aka my favorite age/year}.

Married my best friend!

Be kind. You truly never know what others are going through so just treat each and every person you meet with kindness. 

Ran my 4th marathon!

Take chances. You never know where a little risk-taking could take you! 9 years ago I took a chance and told my best guy friend how I really felt about him. Today we are happily married :)

My brother left for marine boot camp!

Do what makes YOU happy. I CANNOT stress this one enough! For years I have been a people-pleaser. I may still be, but I am working hard and making decisions that make ME happy and not basing my decisions off of making everybody else happy.

Adopted Jax!

Go at your own pace. I used to think that I was "behind" in life. I graduated college a little late because of transferring issues. I was still living at home at 25 years old. John and I waited over 8 years to get married. It took me a long time, but I finally realized it really doesn't matter what pace you go, as long as it works for YOU. I spent so many years comparing myself to other people when I should've just been enjoying my own life.

Became an auntie for the second time to this little cutie, Joey!

Treat Yo' Self! I've spent plenty of my years being cheap as heck for myself and then spoiling others. In the last couple year or so I've been letting myself splurge on the things that matter or make me happy, such as good running shoes or a chai tea latte.

Question of the Day: What is your favorite way to treat yo' self?

Friday Favorites

I'm checking in exhausted today since I just had the longest week! We had conferences at school all week and they just drain me of my energy. It also didn't help that last night was John's work holiday party. It was a blast but it was a late night! Anyway, I have a busy weekend ahead of me so the fun doesn't stop here. My mom's 50th birthday was yesterday and my birthday is Monday so we will be celebrating together on Sunday. My brother should also be calling us so we are looking forward to that :) Before I push through this final day of the work week, I'm sharing some things I've been loving lately!

Pop Socket

I am wayyyy late to the Pop Socket game but I'm glad I finally joined. When I first saw them a few years ago, I thought they were a bit bulky on phones. Lately I've been hearing how useful they are so I figured I'd buy one eventually. As luck would have it, I was able to snag one for free at the Philadelphia Marathon expo. What made it better is it's not some random design, it's the marathon logo! I've had it on my phone for over a week now and it's making such a difference. How'd I live without one before?

Purple Heart Donation

In the past few weeks my mom has asked me to clear out the rest of my belongings taking up space at their house. That turned into me figuring out a majority of the items were junk that I no longer wanted/needed. I filled up a couple bags of items to donate. I was thrilled when I realized how easy the process would be through the Purple Heart. All I had to do was bag up the items, fill out a form online indicating the day and area for pick up, leave the items outside for them labeled with "Purple Heart," and BOOM! Done! I sound lazy, but filling up my car with the bags and then lugging them into a Goodwill or throwing them in a donation bin takes effort and this was just too easy not to do. If the Purple Heart comes to your area and you have things to donate, I highly recommend having them pick up your stuff!

Last years haul!

Bath & Body Works Candle Sale

I'm here to share some great news with you! Tomorrow, December 7th, is the Bath & Body Works Candle Sale! All 3-wick candles will be $8.95 when they are originally $24.95. What?! It's such a good deal! And it's even better if you have a 20% off or a $15 off $40 coupon laying around! Last year was the first year I found out about this sale {it's apparently always the first Saturday in December}. When I told my mom about it, she was all on board to get there early in the morning. We mayyy have gone a bit nuts but hey, my house smells good every day! This year we invited my sister to our little candle shopping spree and to say we are excited is an understatement {I already have a list of candles I want!}. We are even planning to make a whole morning of it and grab breakfast :) I am pretty sure this sale is online as well so join in anyway you can!

Question of the Day: What is something you're loving this week?

Bonus Question: What is your favorite Bath & Body Works candle scent(s)?

2019 Goals: November Update

This is coming at you a little late but my schedule got a bit mixed up with my marathon recap last week. We are sooo close to being done the year so I didn't want to give up on my updates this late in the game. I am already thinking of some goals for next year and how I want to go about them. I'll be putting together that post throughout the month so I can post in when the new year begins! It's so crazy that 2020 is just a few short weeks away... Crazy, right?

Goal 1: Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle

With WW (formerly Weight Watchers) introducing their new plans, I have been switching up my meals lately and it's making a difference! As most of you know, I ran the Philadelphia Marathon on November 24th so my fitness was on point for a majority of November in order to prepare for the race.

 

Goal 2: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

I finally splurged and purchased a Stash reusable sandwich bag and it's a total game changer! John loves packing sandwiches for lunch and the one I purchased is the perfect size for them.

Goal 3: Reduce Phone Usage

Work keeps me busy enough during the day that most days I don't end up playing on my phone until bedtime. I did have a good chunk of time off work this month which led me to playing on my phone a lot. I am trying my best to find other things to do with my free time rather than go on my phone such as organizing, reading, and cleaning!

Tilapia with rice and mixed veggies made for an easy and yummy dinner :)

Goal 4: Try New Recipes

John jump started this goal this month by coming up with some new dinner meals. My favorite was tilapia which is now in our dinner rotation. Shoprite sells a bag of individually sealed filets that we purchase and take out just as much as we need when we make it. 

Goal 5: Give Back

This month I did a good amount of purging old things I didn't need. I chose to donate all the items to the Purple Heart. It was such an easy process! I just put everything in bags and boxes and then scheduled a pick up. On the day of the pick up, I left the bags and boxes on my front patio where they picked them up.

Goal 6: Save Money

With our new budgeting app, saving money has been so much easier for us. It really makes me think about every purchase I make. Black Friday was the first time in a few months that I actually purchased something for myself {a new tank top!}, other than an iced coffee, and it felt so strange. We've been really good about only spending money on groceries, gas, and the occasional meal out so buying things other than that is odd to me.

Question of the Day: How are your 2019 goals coming along? Have you completed anything on your 19 in 2019 list, if you made one?

My Week in Pictures XXXVI

Hi everybody! I am coming at you awake and refreshed after a relaxing 4 day break. It was a much needed break and I'm now counting down the days until winter break! I may also just be counting down the days because that is also how long it is until my brother comes home!

I realized it has been over a month since I shared a week in pictures. Although this past week wasn't anything exciting, here it is anyway :)


Of course I brought my medal to school on Monday and let my students pass it around. They got a kick out of the bell!

I also wore my race shirt because why not? ;)

Rolling my legs was a MUST throughout the week!

We made cute little hand turkeys in school on Tuesday!

Wednesday was a half day due to the holiday so we let the students watch a few different Thanksgiving movies.

We also gave them their own Charlie Brown feast!

I spent Wednesday night baking cookies for both our family's Thanksgiving dinner's the next day.

Thursday started off nice and relaxing with Jax before I got a burst of energy to go clean the garage.

I got to see this little turkey for his first Thanksgiving!

Joey and Tommy didn't disappoint with their name tags this year :)

Somebody got ahold of my phone and took a ton of selfies on it...

My sister and I took pictures with a photo of my brother since he couldn’t be there.

On Friday we decided to go out later and do a little bit of shopping. We didn’t really need anything but we had fun, especially in the kitchen store in the outlets!

Saturday night called for Red Robin and Ticket to Ride with our friends!

We had a lazy Sunday morning. Eventually we made waffles. We’ve been loving Kodiak Cakes lately!

We spent most of the day lying around while also getting some things done around the house. We had a cheese tray for lunch!