My Top 3 Moments of the Summer and a Momentum Wraps Giveaway!

Disclaimer: I was given the Momentum Wraps fall collection in exchange for this blog post. All opinions and content are mine.

Summer is winding down and fall is creeping in. It feels too soon, doesn't it? The arrival of Pumpkin Spice Lattes is a sure sign that fall is just around the corner. On our most recent trip to Wisconsin, we spied some trees with the leaves changing colors. Say it isn't so!

I had a great summer. I traveled, I ran, I spent a lot of time on the water. I made a lot of memories this summer. As I get older, collecting moments and memories means a lot more to me than collecting things. During our predictably cold, endless winter, I'll have a lot of warm weather fun to look back on!

For this post, I stopped by the water to do some yoga and reflect on what were my top 3 moments of the summer. It wasn't easy to narrow it down to just 3!

Grandma Didn't Run

Today's post is introspective and raw. I had one of those runs where I get in my head and this post is the result of that. I try to keep things positive as much as I can when it comes to living and running with RA. Off the road, I've had to deal with some negativity about the ways I choose to be active. Don't think for a second that I'm going to let RA or negativity stop me from doing my thing! Thanks for indulging me and for all your support.

Rock 'N' Roll Chicago Half Marathon
July 2018

Running is My Therapy

I am sure that somewhere in the archives here there is another post titled: Running is My Therapy. Maybe more than one. I run for many reasons but top on my list of reasons is stress relief. While not all stress is bad, and certainly this week's stressor of dropping my baby off at college was a positive stressor, stress is stress and this mama needed to run! Fortunately, my body cooperated with some really nice runs and helped me to stay cool and calm throughout my week.

Runfessions Over Coffee

Disclaimer: This post contains an affiliate link.

It's so hard to believe that Labor Day weekend is upon us. Summer just flew by for me and what a fun summer it has been! The end of the month always means one thing to us running bloggers--the runfessional is open. Let's runfess over coffee while we're at it.

I've got a fresh pot brewing and some GLG Collagen Hydrolysate to mix in. Cocoa thinks she likes coffee too. I've got some runfessions--and since we're 'fessing over coffee, I've got some other 'fessions too!

Accept No Limits

This week, I continued to push out of the comfort zone and challenging any limits--physical or mental-- that have been holding me back from reaching some goals. I'm not sure what's behind all of this, but I have been having fun!

It's been a busy week and I apologize for my lack of posting. We've got my youngest leaving for college this week and lots of other things going on. Summer's like that. I'll be back to my regular blogging schedule after Labor Day.

...Because Sitting on the Sidelines is No Fun

First of all, an apology. Holly and I were set to go live at 4:30 today. I texted her at 2:30 to tell her I wouldn't be ready. I had a post prepared and ready to go. Then, on a whim, both my boys and I joined my husband and his father for a fun weekend on Lake Wisconsin. It's been a full 3 years since we've been able to do this. The boys are busy with their friends and work, we don't want to leave them home alone, and fast forward to a Friday night when we all realized that we could make this happen.

I don't have to tell you how special this was for me or how much fun it was. We didn't want to leave. Sadly, the boat told us that it was time to go when it finally stopped being able to pull my boys out of the water. We gave the boat quite a workout. We skied, we wakeboarded, we kneeboarded. While my husband manned the boat, we each took our turns behind the boat. No one wanted to stop. My oldest son not only wakeboarded but got up for the first time on one ski and did some slaloming. I have no doubt that if the boat hadn't been such a jerk, my youngest would have gotten up on one ski as well. It was one of those weekends that warms a mom's heart.

Now you know why my tagline for this blog is 'sitting on the sidelines is no fun'. I never wanted to be that mom sitting on the bench, watching my boys have fun. I want to be right there, having fun with them. My heart is full.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Thanks for your understanding! Now, on with the Weekly Wrap!

Book Review: Living with a Seal: 31 Days Training with the Toughest Man on the Planet

This post contains affiliate links. 

A while back, Allie, who blogs at VITA Train for Life, reviewed Jesse Itzler's book Living with a Seal. She loved it and after reading her review, I was intrigued. Who on earth would invite a Navy Seal to live with them as a means to get in shape?

Jesse Itzer, entrepreneur and successful businessman wanted to get whipped into shape and he was looking for some mental toughness, so he chose Navy SEAL David Goggins, aka The Toughest Man Alive to train him. Goggins agreed to train Itzler but only on one condition: that Itzler does everything he said.

And he meant EVERYTHING.

This guy is hardcore. The training makes for a good story, but the way Itzler tells it, it's hilarious. There's no whining. There's no quitting. To emphasize Goggins' no-nonsense approach, Itzer only refers to him as SEAL throughout the book.