asics | Through Heather's Looking Glass

5 Reasons To Get Over Your Fear of Starting A Blog

February 16, 2018 by Heather

A lot of people have really good things to say. They have knowledge on a topic, or many topics, and have thought about starting a blog. However, that’s as far as it goes for some. For one reason (or maybe many!) they have fears and reasons why they won’t actually take that next step and start a blog. Today I am hoping to ease your mind and get rid of some of those fears for you. Blogging has literally changed my life in so, so many ways and I absolutely love getting to share my life with you, my readers. I want you to have the same excitement and feelings I have as well if that’s something you desire, so let’s get over these fears together!

5 Reasons to get over your fear of starting a blog

Reasons to get over your fears of blogging. If you can do this, you can potentially…

1.) Make Money: Let’s call a spade a spade. A lot of folks get into blogging so they can make money and work from home. Don’t be afraid to speak out if this is your answer. ‘Aint no shame in my game, I definitely like to make money! Granted when I started blogging eight years ago it isn’t why I started…back then I didn’t even know it was possible to make money blogging, but things change and it’s definitely high on the list of motivating factors for me. I love being able to work from home, have a flexible schedule, and work with brands that I really love. It’s very satisfying to be my own boss and make my own decisions!

2.) Have a creative outlet for your thoughts and knowledge: This is kind of why I started. I wanted to start distance running, and decided to blog as a way of holding myself accountable, and a way to share my training with others, in hopes it may inspire them to do the same. Here we are eight years later. Many things have changed, but one thing remains: I love having a place to share and inspire and teach others. I have always loved to write, so this is right up my alley!

3.) Learn and grow as a person: If you asked me to tell you what I have learned about myself and about other topics in the course of the years I have been blogging, it would take me approximately 27 years to tell you all about it! When I look back at a lot of the ways I have grown as a person over the years, so many things stem from my blog and things I have learned, mistakes I have made, and people I have met. Heck, I even owe my husbands CAREER to a friend I met through blogging. It’s so fun and a little unreal to be able to trace back important life milestones, experiences, and decisions to your blog or someone you met via blogging.

4.) Meet great people: Speaking of people I met through blogging…some of my very best friends in the world I met all because of the internet. I love how it connects people from all over the world, and you can share a bond with people you have never met or don’t see that often. I have also made some amazing business contacts, met celebrities, and had mind blowing experiences all because of my blog. It’s awesome, and to think of not having them if I had never started makes me so, so sad.

5.) Have the chance to inspire and change the lives of others: This is definitely my favorite part of blogging. I have a folder in my email titles “happy emails” where I have saved emails from over the years where people have taken the time to write me and tell me that I have helped them, encouraged them, or inspired them in some way to make a change, get over a fear, or try something new. Those emails warm my heart and make me feel like I truly am making a difference in the world.

Don’t get me wrong, some days are hard or frustrating, and it’s not always happy emails, but I wouldn’t change any of it if it means I got to connect with or help someone through my written word. I hope that these reasons to get over your blogging fear have encouraged you to stop being a fence sitter! The best things in life are often the scariest, but come with the greatest reward. Who knows what your life could look like a year from now? You will never know unless you try.

Hey! guess what? Ready to take the plunge and get over your fear of starting a blog but don’t know where to start? You are in luck! I have a completely FREE 5 day email course on how to start a blog of your own. Every day for 5 days I will meet you in your inbox with tips, encouragement, and how to’s for getting your own blog up and running. You can sign up now and get going on that blog!

Filed Under: asics, blogging, Disney, motivation, tips Tagged: blogger, blogging, blogging tips, motivation, tips

The Bridge 5k 2016

September 27, 2016 by Heather

A couple weeks ago, I ran my first 5k since this past spring. Since I haven’t been running much, I knew there would be no PR but I really wanted to participate because it was being sponsored by my church, and was for a good cause:

The Bridge exists to build a bridge of hope and encouragement to our surrounding community. Proceeds will be used to provide equipment, materials, and training to address recidivism among men currently or previously incarcerated in correctional facilities in central Mississippi.

I signed up on a whim the week of the race, and was up bright and early Saturday morning. I went by myself which is fine, but I left a little too early and got bored standing around waiting to start.

The race was set to begin at 8:00, which is late for Mississippi in September. It was hot and humid yall. I did a little warming up and then hung out around the start line. At 8:00, it was announced that they had blown a breaker so we would be starting late. Great. It was getting hotter and hotter by the minute, and my once ready to run and warmed up body was getting tight. Oh well.

We finally began at 8:17. There was a 5k and 10k option, and after standing around in the 94% humidity and 83 degrees, I was so glad I opted for the 5k! The race was pretty small (just over 100 in the 5k and 10k) and I had no grand illusions of doing well or placing. I was dumb and went to a hard boot camp class the day before where we did lots of running, and my legs were definitely not feeling fresh (totally my fault).

We took off, and I noticed I was about the 4th female back after about .25 miles. We went down a big hill which I knew meant we would be going back up after the turn, so I decided to not push too hard on the front end. I had my music playing and just hung out behind this one guy for a while, kind of zoning out. Two girls passed me, and then I passed then just before the turn around. At this point, I wasn’t sure if there were any girls ahead of me because I hadn’t paid attention to the people coming back the other way, and I saw at least two girls going straight for the 10k course. I felt it a very strange feeling to be the possible lead female, and it made me chuckle in slight embarrassment because with the time I was running I should NOT have been in the front. I made my way up the second hill and when I had a half mile left I started to really fade. I felt like I was going to throw up and my face was so hot it felt like it was on fire.

All of the sudden, a girl sprints past me. Hmm. Well, if I was in the lead I wasn’t anymore. Oh well. I had about .35 left and was SO ready to be done. I had slowed considerably, and another girl goes by. Well. That’s what I expected so I wasn’t upset. I turned the corner and got to the last straightaway and saw the girl in front of me had slowed down considerably. I gave it all I had and sprinted past her to the finish. Turns out, I was second overall female which means I WAS leading all that time haha!

I finished the race in just over 28:00. Everyone was saying how much slower their times were because of how oppressive the humidity was, so at least that made me feel a little bit better. Some cheerleaders from the local high school were there, and they did some cheers while we waited on the last 10k finishers and the awards.

There were a bunch of door prizes, but sadly I didn’t win anything.

The pastor of my church got up and said a few words about the money we raised and how it was going to a good cause in the community. Then the awards were handed out.

I was second overall female and first in my age group (which I thought was weird because in most races I have run, if you win an overall award, you are taken out of the age group category for winning?) Either way, I was proud of my accomplishment despite it not being a great time for me in the race. I truly gave it my all with what energy I had that day. I also really liked the hand carved awards!

QOTD: Do you race when it’s hot outside or wait for cooler weather? Any races coming up?

Filed Under: asics, blogging, fitness, health, Race Recaps, running, running gear, Running Skirts Tagged: 5k, race recap, running, Running Skirts

Running Day 2016

June 1, 2016 by Heather

Hi friends! Today is a big day in the running world. It’s Global running day! What a fun thing to do, celebrate a sport that so many people have come to love and enjoy over the years. I am so thankful for what running has taught me, and the opportunities it has provided for myself and my family. I have gotten to travel, work, and run through the past six years and I am so grateful.

I thought it would be fun to take a walk down memory lane and see what I have done thanks to running over the past six years. You can check out how I was bit by the running bug here.

Bobby and I ran our first half marathon in January of 2010 at Walt Disney World during the year of the sleet and ice. It’s a wonder I ever ran another race again!

At that point I still wasn’t convinced I wanted to run a full marathon, so I ran more halfs and shorter distance races in 2010, but ultimately signed up for the full for 2011.

We had an amazing time running, but weren’t ready to sign up for another full just yet. That race was hard, but we continued to run all year, and my blog began to pick up some steam. In February of 2012, I was invited to attend my first race as media, and had a blast working with runDisney for the first of many times.

I ran the Princess 5k and half, and then had more opportunities to work with brands that year. We started traveling to more races, and even ran at the beach in Florida.

I also began working with RunningSkirts.com that year as a sales rep, which afforded me the opportunity to work race expos and then run the race. I traveled to Florida, Rhode Island, and Missouri among other places to work and run.

Unfortunately I also struggled with a couple of injuries that sidelined me along the way, but I always came back to running. In the spring of 2012, Bobby and I did something pretty goofy….we signed up to run Goofy! We ran the half marathon on Saturday and the full on Sunday, which also happened to be the 20th anniversary year of the marathon, and still my favorite race medal.

I had conquered the toughest challenge runDisney had, and thought I was done with full marathons. I started doing a little bit of weight training, and in the fall of 2013 was asked to be a blog ambassador for Under Armour, and even got to visit their gorgeous facility in Baltimore.

I also had the opportunity to travel to Disneyland a few times, and even take my mom there at the beginning of 2014.

Speaking of 2014, runDisney decided to throw a curve ball and create the Dopey challenge: 5k, 10k, half and full on back to back days. Of COURSE we had to sign up for the inaugural year. I know they never say never, but I don’t plan on doing that one again.

I was also photographed and interviewed for the front of the sports page of the Orlando Sentinel newspaper for my Dopey costumes, so that was pretty cool.

Ok, so NOW I’m done with full marathons! I was so tired during Dopey then flew to CA that week to run Tink with my mom. I chalked it up to all the running and flying, until I went home, and took a pregnancy test.

I announced babyM in March, but it was hard to keep a secret when my whole family when to Disney to run the Glass Slipper Challenge in February. They knew, but no one else did, and I was SO sick. I was terrified someone would find out!

Unfortunately I had bad round ligament pain and couldn’t run for almost the entire second half of my pregnancy, so obviously there was no racing or traveling, but I kept up with my blog and got to virtually meet a ton of awesome people, and I started working with my favorite shoe brand, ASICS.

Shortly after Emma Kate was born (like a couple months after) ASICS asked me if I wanted to come run the LA marathon with them in MARCH. So, another marathon, and I would be 5 months postpartum. SURE! It ended up being one of the hardest but BEST experiences of my life for so, so many reasons. I had an amazing and special time in LA and am so thankful for the opportunity.

I ran many more races in between all of this, but there are too many to list! Having a baby definitely forced me to cut back on my travel that first year which is totally fine, but I’m hoping to get to venture out further again to new places very soon.

So far in 2016 I ran the WDW half, the Castaway Cay 5k, Rock n Roll New Orleans, the Glass Slipper Challenge, the Crescent City Classic 10k, and another local 5k. I was also asked to be an ASICS ambassador, and a RunningSkirts ambassador, two of my favorite brands!

I even placed 2nd in my age group only running 1 day a week thanks to boot camp at my gym and all my new friends there.

Whew! The past 6 years have been so much fun and full of running. Never did I think my life would revolve so much around this, but I am happy that it does. I run for my health, my sanity, the people I meet, the experiences I have, and because it just makes me a better person. I can’t wait to see what the next 6 years hold.

You will now be rewarded for making it to the end of that long post! Today, ASICS will be giving away 1 pair of shoes for every 100 uses of the hashtag “#WeRunJune1” on Twitter. Be sure share to tell them what you run for with the hashtag for a chance to win!

Happy World Running Day!

QOTD: What is something you wouldn’t have done/experienced if not for running or working out?

Filed Under: asics, blogging, health, running, Running Skirts Tagged: asics, global running day, running, running day, Running Skirts

April 2016 Goals

April 4, 2016 by Heather

Spring has sprung! With warmer temperatures and tons of rain, everything exploded into green in the past couple of weeks. But I’m ready for all the rain to stop. Seriously. stop.

It’s a new month so that means new goals and checking in on how badly I did on last months goals. I kids, I kid. Let’s take a look at my March goals:

1.) PT exercises every night: (B-) I would venture to say have been doing them four times a week, but good news is I had no hip pain at my 10k so hopefully they are working and I can be done with the hip pain!

2.) PR at the Crescent City Classic: (A-) I’m giving this one an A- because while I did PR at the race, it wasn’t the PR I wanted/knew I had in me. I hate humidity, it ruins all the races! Still happy I was able to break a three year old PR.

3.) Daily devotions: (B-) Again, I have gotten way better, but still not doing this daily. I think I missed two days last week. But going to small group Bible study during the week helps a lot!

4.) Finish boot camp strong: (B+) Boot camp ended the 24th, and I skipped the last day due to some other stuff going on, but other than that I would say I finished pretty strong. We start another two month session TODAY, so here is to getting stronger and faster!

————————————–

Now let’s move on to April goals:

1.) Continue PT exercises: The reason my hip started hurting again is because it got better so I STOPPED doing my exercises, so I don’t want that to happen again!

2.) Read one book: I haven’t read any books since our cruise in January and I miss it!

3.) Give away or sell items: While I have gotten rid of a lot of stuff in the garage, there is still a pile of things I need to sell, and then donate the rest. Spring cleaning time!

4.) Keep a running base of six miles: Now that it’s getting warmer and we are moving in 5k season, it’s tempting to only run two and three miles at a time, but then when fall comes I am not prepared for half marathons again, so I would like to keep a consistent six mile base all summer, even if I just run six miles once a month.

That’s it! I will check back in with you in May (omg, MAY! Where is the year going?) to see how I am doing.

QOTD: What is a goal you have for April?

Filed Under: asics, baby, blogging, family Tagged: goals, monthly goals

5 Things Friday XI

March 18, 2016 by Heather

Happy Friday yall!

1.) The Crescent City Classic is next weekend in New Orleans! I can’t wait to run this race again, I think this is my fifth time! It’s always the Saturday before Easter, and so much fun. If you will be within driving distance of NOLA Easter weekend I can’t highly recommend this race enough. You can sign up here.

2.) Have you heard of the ASICS Beat the Sun Challenge, that takes place on the longest day of the year? You can sign up for a chance to run the race, or sign up for the virtual race where you can challenge yourself to reach a goal.

3.) I am loving this month’s Fabletics picks. As much as I love the fun prints on my carpi pants, I wanted to tone it down a little, and so the print just along the side is a great option! The tank is made of a thicker material, but I love the fit and the colors.

4.) I just started small group Bible study with my lifegroup from church, and we are doing a book called Anything: The Prayer That Unlocked My God and My Soul. So far I really like it and recommend it!

5.) Emma Kate loves the water, which is a drastic change from last summer. I have a baby pool and little splash pad for her, but I think I want to get her a water table. Any one in particular that’s good? I was looking at this one: Little Tikes Spiralin’ Seas Waterpark Play Table. Opinions?

QOTD: Are you running a race the next two weekends? Did/do your kids like playing with water tables?

Filed Under: asics, blogging, fitness, running Tagged: asics, crescent city classic, Easter, fabletics, running

Run True Love

February 16, 2016 by Heather

Hey guys! Happy late Valentine’s Day! Honestly, Bobby and I never go out on Valentine’s Day, and he knows I would kill him if he bought overpriced flowers, so we just normally exchange cards and call it a day.

However, when ASICS reached out to me about giving a surprise to our support system or “run true love”, I was super excited and decided to make it a scavenger hunt live on Periscope.

It was fun and I am glad I did it, and Bobby is happy he has some new shoes. He has never run in the Nimbus before, so I will have to get him to write a review post after he has run in them awhile. If you want to see how fellow ASICS ambassadors surprised their friends or family, follow #runtruelove.

We ate pizza for dinner, and then it was time for the main event. THE WALKING DEAD! Yall, if you aren’t watching this show then you are missing out on the amazingness that is Daryl Dixon and the rest of the gang.

Love it. The episode did not disappoint (wow it was intense!) and I can’t wait to see the direction they take the rest of the season. Also, Carrie Underwood was the special guest on the Talking Dead, and I am a HUGE fan of hers, so that was a fun bonus.

So, that’s our incredibly exciting Valentine’s Day, which was fine by me. I hope your day was a good one, too! (and congrats to all the LA marathon finishers. You can check out my recap from last year here.)

QOTD: Do you watch The Walking Dead? What did you do for Valentine’s Day?

Filed Under: asics, family, holidays, running, running gear Tagged: asics, nimbus, shoes, Valentine's day, walking dead

ASICS fuzeX Photo Contest

January 28, 2016 by Heather

When you think about your running shoes, it’s interesting to think about all the places they have been, and the things they have seen. If my shoes could talk, they would rave about running through Cinderella Castle, on the peaceful trails near my house, and up and down the Hollywood hills for the LA marathon. Running shoes can literally take us anywhere, so that is why ASICS came up with the all new fuzeX shoe.

This shoe is being touted as a “shoe for any distance,” and will retail for $110. This shoe is for underpronators to neutral runners, and is more lightweight than most of my other shoes with seamless construction and an adaptive fit. It contains fuzeGEL™, a fusion of GEL® property and foam for the ultimate rearfoot shock absorption that transfers to the forefoot during takeoff.

It is comfortable, the colors are adorable, and not the least bit heavy feeling or clunky. The shoe is just now launching, and a great contest will also coincide, beginning in February.

So I have already mentioned where my shoes have been, but what about asking yourself where do you WANT your shoes to take you? Check out this awesome photo contest.

1. Navigate. Go to ASICSamerica.com/fuzeX-contestdetails to find a participating retailer near you
2. Try fuzeX™ shoes. Head to a retail location and try on a pair of fuzeX™ shoes.
3. Share. Tell us where fuzeX™ shoes will take you:
a. In the try-on area at the store, find the floor mat featuring the fuzeX™ shoes arrows.
b. Place your foot wearing the ASICS fuzeX™ shoes onto the floor mat
c. Upload your photo or “shoefie” to Instagram or Twitter and complete the caption “fuzeX™ shoes will take me____” paired with the ‪#‎FuzeXplore ‬hashtag.
4. Win: Be entered to win a pair fuzeX™ & a grand prize trip!

Pretty fun huh? I hope everyone participates and tries on the new fuzeX! If you can’t wait until February 1st to get started, share your excitement on Twitter or Instagram now. Take a pic of you getting fit in your favorite running spot and share where fuzeX™ shoes will take you using the hashtag #fuzeXplore for a chance to win the latest shoe!

QOTD: If you could go anywhere, where would you have your running shoes take you?

The winner of the Disney park map leggings giveaway is Erica B! Erica, please email me at [email protected] to claim your prize. Don’t forget you can use coupon code LOOKINGGLASS through the end of February for 10% off orders of $25 or more.

Filed Under: asics, fitness, running, running gear Tagged: asics, fuzeX, review, running, running gear

Marathon Weekend Cigna Blogger Event

January 19, 2016 by Heather

I mentioned yesterday in my expo recap, that I had a very bust 24 hours in Orlando. As soon as we landed in Florida and hopped a shuttle to our resort, I hoped in Megan’s car and we headed to EPCOT for the Cigna blogger event. For those that don’t know, Cigna is the title sponsor of the runDisney marathon weekend! We were tight on time, and of course ended up having to park the furthest out in the parking lot.

Cigna had asked me to interview a couple of TV stars from Mexico right before the event, so Megan came with me to meet up with them (more on that interview later, it gets its own post!) We had time for one quick photo before running over to the meet up.

We booked it over to the Odyssey building, and they had the doors roped off, so naturally I jumped over them and tried to go inside, where I was immediately yelled at by a lady with a light saber saying this was a private event. Once we gave her our names and tried to explain we were supposed to be AT the event but were late, she finally let us in.

The super sweet Cigna people helped us get lunch (everyone else had already eaten) and found us seats so we could eat and join in the fun.

Basically each table was a team, and through various games, each team got coins for getting correct answers (all related to health and fitness of course!) I scarfed down my food and watched at first, but it looked like my team was already doing great!

The games were all super creative. I mean, check out the concentration I used during this one.

Our hosts did an excellent job as well.

One game involved holding the tree pose as long as we could, and you all should already know how unsuccessful my yoga practice has been, I think my face says it all.

I really can’t remember what was going on in this one, but it appears I am having fun! (Dancing? telling on someone cheating? who knows!)

In all honesty, not only was the event super fun but it was really informative. I sadly didn’t get all my questions right, but learned a lot! For instance, did you know that 25% of adults with diabetes don’t know they have it? Or 65% (!) of adults are overweight or obese, but only 18% realize it and are trying to lose weight? Crazy stuff yall.

Our team didn’t end up winning, but we had a blast, and that’s what counts, right? (Or that’s what I told myself as I cried in the corner. I kid).

After the event, we got to meet and take photos with two very important folks, Minnie and Mickey! They loved our ASICS Gel Quantums!

Cigna put on a great event (and even gave us sweet swag bags at the end!) and I was thankful to be a part of it. I am going to leave you with this info graphic they created about training for a race. Enjoy!

Be sure to follow #CignaRunTogether to check out other posts from the event, and follow Cigna on Twitter.

QOTD: Best running tip you have even gotten?

Filed Under: asics, blogging, Disney, runDisney, running Tagged: blogger event, cigna, Disney World, marathon wekeend, meet up, runDisney

2015 in Review

December 31, 2015 by Heather

Whew! 2015 was quite a big year for our little family. It definitely looked different than most of 2014 since we have little Emma Kate now, but there was still plenty of adventure and fun!

In January I ran my first post baby half marathon, my favorite hometown race: Rock ‘n Roll New Orleans. It wasn’t pretty, but it gave me confidence that I could run long distances again, even right at four months post baby!

February brought a Walt Disney World vacation, and running the Princess half marathon with my partner in crime, Jen. We had a blast with our costumes, and it was great to be back in my favorite place after a year absence.

March was also a milestone month. I hopped a plane to California to run the LA marathon with ASICS. It was an AMAZING once in a lifetime experience that was filled with fun, sweat, tears, and jaw dropping introductions. I felt so so blessed walking around all weekend. The race was very hot and so, so hard, but I felt extremely accomplished after and learned I can do hard things.

April brought Emma Kate’s first Easter, and our annual Easter race: The Crescent City Classic 10k. It was a rainy gloomy, cold day, but I love running in New Orleans and seeing blogger friends, so it made it worthwhile!

May brought me back to Walt Disney World for the final Expedition Everest Challenge. I am so glad I got to participate in this race once before it went away!

May was also special because it was my first Mother’s Day, and we dedicated baby Emma Kate at church.

June was pretty low key, except for when Bobby threw me a surprise 30th birthday party.

July brought Bobby’s annual conference in Destin Florida, and my parents tagged along to keep me company while Bobby was at his sessions.

In August, Bobby and I made a purchase, a BIG purchase. We bought the local Orange Leaf frozen yogurt shop! This involved a lot of stress and a trip to Oklahoma for training, but things are going smoothly now.

In September, Emma Kate turned ONE! We had a fun Minnie Mouse themed party at our house.

In October, my mom decided she wanted to go to Walt Disney World for her 60th birthday, so that’s exactly what we did! I surprised her by booking club level at the Polynesian for a few days, and also with a cake and a fireworks cruise. We had a blast!

I also had the privilege of speaking at the Refresh Summit in Nashville at the end of October. I was sick the whole time but am still so glad I got to go share with the lovely women who attended. I was also asked to be an ASICS ambassador in October, such a great opportunity!

November brought cooler weather, tubes in EK’s ears, and Thanksgiving. My parents and sister came into town, and we also got to see some of Bobby’s family. Poor Emma Kate was sick that weekend, and ended up getting a mild case of hand foot and mouth.

December of course brought the busyness of Christmas, and it went by in the blink of an eye. We went to my parents house for a few days, and it was great to just have a low key holiday.

There are a lot of other things that happened in 2015, but this post is getting really long, so I will stop with what I have. There were a lot of uncertainties in 2015, and I can happily say a lot of them have resolved, but we still have some things up in the air I really can’t share right now. It’s so much fun to look back on the year and see the accumulation of all of the things that went on. It makes me smile. I hope you do as well when you look back on your 2015!

As always, thanks for hanging around and sticking with me here at THLG. I appreciate you all. Cheers to 2016!

QOTD: What was your favorite thing you did in 2015?

Filed Under: asics, baby, blogging, fitness, motivation, runDisney, running, vacation Tagged: 2015, asics, new orleans crescent city classic, Princess half, Rock 'N" Roll, running

Master It with MetaRun

December 14, 2015 by Heather

When I think about Mastering things in life, one of the things that immediately jumps into my head are athletic related goals. I have been an athlete since the third grade (well, if you call 3rd grade basketball a sport,) and I thrive on competition and physical fitness.

If I was being honest though, there are other areas of my life that I would love to master as well, one being the way I see myself. Being a competitive person, I have always been VERY hard on myself when it comes to well…everything. If I made a 98 on a test in school, it was “gosh darn it why didn’t I make a 100?” If I had 10 kills in a volleyball game, I wanted 11. If I ran a race, I wanted to PR every time (well, I still do that.) While this is a great, goal driven attitude to have, it can also be destructive.

Ever since having Emma Kate in September of 2014, I have been really, really hard on myself concerning my physical appearance. This once bikini wearing girl bought a tankini and a wrap to wear for the summer at the pool. I ran non stop but still wasn’t thrilled with my body. Still about two pounds from my pre-baby weight, I have beat myself up over why it is taking me so long, when other seem to bounce back in lightning speed.

What seemed to me was that I really needed to master my attitude and evaluate the process. This for me started in the summer while following the BBG fitness program. While I am getting a lot better, I still have some work to do. I realized a few things 1.) I can’t eat like I did while I was pregnant, 2.) JUST running isn’t going to get me in the shape I want to be in, and 3.) My body did an amazing thing, and even if I never look the way I “used to” ever again, I have done something even greater, and that is having a child

I love my body for what it has done for me and continues to do for me, and taking bootcamp classes + running has done wonders for making me feel good about myself. However, it’s so easy to sit back in my yoga pants and sweatshirts and say I am proud of how far I have come, hiding the flaws and trouble spots.

So, today I have decided to force myself out of my comfort zone (which seems to have been the 2015 theme around here,) and take some pictures in my awesome new MetaRun ASICS shoes, baring the body part that I give the most grief to.

Thankfully, the shoes are so adorable and awesome (and just so happen to be New Orleans Saints colors), I know you are all just staring at them, RIGHT? I know I have things to work on both physically and mentally, but I also know that with the right attitude and some hard work, I can master anything. Having cute shoes helps, too. (Also, WOW do I need some sun!)

So can I tell you a little about the shoes that prompted me to write this oh so honest blog post? I promise they are super cool.

Over the last 3 years, ASICS’ Institute of Sport Science (the ISS) has been researching, prototyping and designing a shoe that they think will master long distance running, with no restrictions. They were told to create the best thing they could and they did.

These shoes adapt and contour to your individual running style. MetaRun was built using the latest ASICS exclusive technologies providing you with the best and first ever running shoe with a responsive ride. The first thing I noticed was that they are really lightweight, but at the same time very cushioned, which are two things that tend to not go together in the running shoe world. I basically forgot that they were on my feet!

The following is from their website:

“Constructed using groundbreaking midsole foam developed in the ASICS ISS. FlyteFoam isn’t a little bit lighter, it’s remarkably 55%* lighter than the industry standard. FlyteFoam isn’t just super lightweight, it’s organic fibres bounce the MetaRun back into its original shape in the space of each stride to provide perfect cushioning from the start of your run to the finish.

A carbon fibre reinforced, two-piece AdaptTruss gives MetaRun both incredible stability and amazing flexibility. This helps to reduce the impact of medial forces on the foot, so the MetaRun will flex safely but become rigid if the foot rolls in too much, meaning reliable stability no matter the distance.

A new one-layer engineered mesh minimises rubbing between the foot and the upper to create a super snug, glove-like fitting experience. A unique combination of closed and open weave patterns optimises flexibility and breathability.”

Pretty sweet huh? I can say for myself after testing these guys out yesterday that they are pretty amazing. The Gel Quantum 360 is my favorite ASICS shoe, but these bad boys are giving them a run for their money. They are currently available for limited release through December 31. Christmas gift anyone?

Shoes can truly take you anywhere, and I can’t wait to see where my MetaRun’s take me next year. Hopefully to not only master some great runs + races in 2016, but also to a place of being more at peace with myself and my body, and all of the amazing things it does for me every day.

QOTD: What is something you want to Master in 2016? It can be running related or not!

Filed Under: asics, fitness, Mental Health, motivation, running Tagged: asics, body image, boot camp, master it, metarun, running, shoes, weight loss