Since I was cursed with a stress fracture in my foot back in November, I have been doing a lot of research of running shoes. I knew I had poor form due to scoliosis and rotated hips, and that I was a heel striker. I am also fairly confident that these variables had something to do with my stress fracture (on top of running three half marathons in 22 days.).

I knew a good bit about Newtons since Running Skirts sells them, but I did some more digging and decided these were exactly what I needed to slowly train myself to run properly. Under doctors orders, I was to gradually add back my mileage, so the timing was perfect since you are supposed to gradually add mileage in the Newtons because of the low heel drop.

Huh? Ok, let me back up. Regular running shoes have a cushioned heel. When you run, your calf cannot fully extend in them. they push you forward then you arch your back (typically) to compensate. Newtons have a much much lower drop so it is more comparable to barefoot running, but with the sole of a regular shoe. They also have lugs on the forefoot that stick out further than the rest of the shoe that practically force you to run more on your forefoot.

Because my calves can now fully extend, I have been experiencing some (normal) soreness but it has gotten better. I have run 4.5 miles as my longest run in my Newtons and will up the mileage each week until I feel comfortable racing in them. So far, I really like them and while I have to concentrate to run properly, I can already tell a difference in my form. I don’t feel as if I have to put as much effort into each stride to get the same result (pace).

You can purchase Newton’s through the Running Skirts store. They have racing, stability, and trail shoes in a variety of colors and styles. Be sure to get on Running Skirts mailing list so you can be alerted when new arrivals come in and when sales are going on!

QOTD: If you could design your own running shoe, what colors would it be?

*Enter my Ultra Immune giveaway!

You can tell when you are reading an article or blog written by a person passionate about their subject matter. The joy and excitement overflow onto the page, and is woven into each sentence or idea. Having a desire to share, motivate, and inspire is evident in their work, making each new story exciting to read.  It’s not just about writing, but about the fire that burns within the author, desiring to get their point across to help inform and share with others. Running With Sass is my baby, and I deeply enjoy sharing stories, tips, and motivation with my readers everyday. To be able to do so on an even larger scale would be a dream come true.

True, I am just an average girl, but that is part of my draw. I attract a lot of readers that are new runners, bloggers, and those just starting out on their fitness journey. I have received countless e-mails from readers thanking me for being real and honest, and for showing them that anyone can be fit and healthy.  They enjoy my message of not having to be the fastest, the strongest, or the best…but just striving to be the greatest version of themselves.

Growing up, I played multiple sports, and even moved on to coaching after college. I have coached basketball at the middle school level, and volleyball at the high school varsity (6A) level. I am very knowledgeable of both sports, and fitness in general. Running is my most recent passion of three years, and I recently have added weight lifting and yoga to my always growing fitness practices.

My job allows me to travel to several races throughout the year, so I believe having a fresh perspective on the health and fitness of different cities would be a great benefit to readers. Not only have I learned a lot working at health and fitness expos, but also in partnering with several companies to review and share their products.

Other passions of mine include putting a stop to childhood obesity, and furthering cancer research. I shared my thoughts and experience in a vlog last month on the matter of childhood obesity. As a former teacher, it broke my heart to see so many children struggle with their weight and be bullied by other students.

I also love social media, and spend a lot of time each day interacting on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, as well as several forums, message boards and other blogs. I have a large twitter following, and a fan page for my blog on Facebook as well as a personal Facebook page. Participating in Twitter chats and social media conversations is something I really enjoy. Meeting new people, reaching out and making friends is an encouragement and inspiration.

My mother is a stage three non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma survivor. She is an amazing woman with a lot of fight, and a great inspiration to many. I have learned so much watching her, and as a family we have all taken steps towards a more healthy lifestyle to help prevent certain types of cancer. My husband and I ran a half marathon this fall with Team in Training benefitting the Leukemia and Lymphoma society. It was a great experience and I was thrilled to be a part of raising money for cancer research and treatment.

In closing, I think the name of my blog says it all. Yes I run, and yes I try to live an active, healthy life…but I do it all with a touch of sass. Who says healthy living and fitness have to be boring and bland? Spicing up your fitness and health as well as your life in general, can help you to be a success story. I have faced obstacles, criticism, injuries, mental defeats, and trials. Through it all, my husband and I are dedicated to a healthy and fit lifestyle, against all odds.

Below is a video I put together last summer documenting my healthy living journey. I hope you enjoy following along.

Hello everyone! I can’t believe Christmas was a month ago! (Please tell me you have taken down your decorations…)

If you are running Disney’s Princess half marathon, I hope you are as excited as I am that we are about a month away! You may remember awhile back I put a poll on my right sidebar asking what day and timeframe will work best for everyone for a blogger meet up.

Unfortunately, I cannot please everyone (unless there is interest in doing a second meet up at another time if a good number can’t attend the first.) So, I really hope all of the bloggers out there who are running the race will be able to swing by for a few minutes and hang out!

Here are the tentative plans:

WHEN: Saturday, February 25, 2012 @ 3:00 pm (I picked this time because it won’t interfere with lunch or dinner plans, and hopefully everyone will have had time to hit up the expo by then.)

WHERE: Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa , outside of Gasparillas quick service restaurant, in front of the marina (with a great castle view!) I chose this spot for a number of reasons. 1.) It has a castle view, duh. 2.) There are a lot of outside tables and umbrellas for us to all hang out 3.) If there is inclement weather, we can just go inside of Gasparillas and meet up at their indoor tables 4.) If someone wants food or a snack they can run into Gasparilla’s and grab a drink or what not. Also, the Grand Floridian is on the monorail, so anyone coming from or going to EPCOT or the Magic Kingdom before or after the meet up will be very close by.

WHY: Blogger meet up! There will be pictures, giveaways, and a chance to network. If you have a blog business card, BRING IT! Bring a whole stack, hand them out, and make new friends. Who knows, you may even meet someone who lives near you. You may even find a running buddy for the race the next day!

Tables and chairs by the marina

If you are staying on property, the best way to get to the Grand Floridian is to take a bus to the Magic Kingdom then hop on the monorail. If you are at EPCOT, take the monorail to the TTC and switch to the resort monorail. If you are at another park, then just take the Grand Floridian bus.

-If you are coming from the monorail, it will let you off on the 2nd floor of the lobby. Take the stairs or elevator to the 1st floor of the lobby and go out towards the back left down the hallway (the Gardenview tea room will be on your right) Go straight out the doors next to the Grand Floridian café and follow the covered porch/walkway to the left and you will see the Marina and Gasparillas.

-If you are coming from a bus, it will let you out next to the lobby. Follow the covered walkway through the main entrance and then follow the ground floor directions above.

-If you are driving: Self parking at the Grand is across the street. Park in the lot, cross the street and stay on the walkway until you get to the main entrance/ building then follow the ground floor directions above.

The yellow X above marks the spot!

If you have any other fun ideas for the meet up please e mail me at runningwithsass@gmail.com. I would love to hear them! I wanted to go ahead and get a day and time out there so people can start making plans.

*If you have not yet booked your travel for the race yet please e mail me at heather@travelwiththemagic.com. My services are totally FREE and I would love to help you plan your trip!

*Don’t forget to enter my giveaway!

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by the folks at Ultra Immune about doing a review and giveaway of there product. I was intrigued as I have been seeing ads for it all over the place. Plus, with the weather here going from hot to cold, I usually get pretty sick this time of year. Very willing to try an herbal supplement to boost my immune system, I was on board! Not to mention…a RWS reader will win a two month supply for themselves! ($72 value!)

First, what is Ultra Immune?

Ultra Immune is an herbal supplement designed to support the natural function of your immune system…..

“Ultra Immune combines the best in Eastern and Western philosophies, crosses centuries of practical use and focuses exclusively on well-researched and regarded herbal and botanical extracts.

In addition to combining ten select ingredients, we also work hard to ensure that the original sources and suppliers of those ingredients follow best practices (including sustainability) and deliver the highest quality possible.”

The basics:

• Strengthen Immune System.
• Safe for Continuous Use.
• 100% All Natural. Vegan.
• 10 Compelling Ingredients.
• Gluten & Preservative Free
• Minty flavor

My personal review:

In the mornings before I eat anything, I put a dropper full under my tongue. The flavor is fine, and it’s easy to take. We will see how I do over an extended period, but so far, no sickness and I feel great! A lot of supplements are not safe to take for extended periods of time, but I like that this one is. As an athlete, a strong immune system is very important to me, especially this time of year. I think a product such as this is great for anyone busy and on the go, and I am happy with the results so far.

GIVEAWAY:

You can win a 2 month supply which is worth $72!!! Winner will be chosen at random on Saturday, January 28th at 8:00 PM and announced the following day. There are three ways to enter. Please leave a separate comment for each entry.

1.) Check out their Facebook page and tell me you did so

2.) Tell me why YOU need a healthy immune system (busy mom? athlete? race coming up? wedding?)

3.) Tweet about the giveaway (must include link to this post in your tweet and @runningwithsass)

Good morning! Catching up from the weekend? Here’s what you missed:

Saturday in Pictures and Workout Recap

RWS Features #8

Tour of The YMCA Vlog

Remember yesterday when I posted about my workouts for the week, I mentioned I didn’t get to long run Saturday because of our service project? Well, just my luck, my friend and Rouge Orleans teammate Kristyn texted me yesterday morning asking if I wanted to long run with her that afternoon. YES!

After church, we ate lunch, took a quick nap, then I drove down to the beach to meet Kristyn….and the fog.

I promise the water is there…somewhere…..

It was a little creepy and so so humid!

I waited for Kristyn in the parking lot.

We decided to head out in one direction from the bathrooms then turn around, grab some fuel/water then head in the other direction.  Within a half mile of running, I was soaking wet form the humidity, it was like swimming! My hair was soaked, my eyebrows, it was insane.

I started out in my Altra’s but an so glad I also brought my other shoes because I got a bad blister at mile two and had to walk/hobble back to the car. We headed out again in the other direction and ended up running nine miles! I took it really slow…I was nervous in jumping my mileage from 5-9 in a week, but I think taking it slow and taking walk breaks made it much more bearable for me, and gave me a little confidence I can do the distance again.

Also, congrats are in order…this was Kristyn’s FIRST TIME to ever run nine miles. WOO HOO!

Sorry it’s blurry Kristyn…not sure what my problem was there! The miles went by so much faster having a friend to run with, I hope we get to do it again soon!

So, I took it really slow amping up my mileage for three weeks, and now am at nine, which boosts my confidence for our relay that is coming up in just a few short weeks!

QOTD: Would you rather run alone or with a friend and why?

Yesterday, my Sunday school class and their families went to the place my husband works to do a mission project. They have some older buildings that needed repainting and we agreed to do it for them. The day started off gloomy and windy but turned to be beautiful and a great day for painting. (Although, I must say my shoulders disagree that it as a perfect day, very, very sore!)

Here are a few pictures my lovely friend Gina took of the occasion.

walking to our project, ready for painting!

So, you may be wondering where I am in these shots. The above picture is the only one I made it into. You can see a bit of my gold shirt and blue shorts. Can you find me?

Bobby with a paint sprayer. Oh boy.

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I am going to start doing a run down of all of my workouts from the past week on Sunday’s instead of trying to remember to post what I did every day. I still may mention workouts, but will compile a list on Sunday was well.

Sunday: rest

Monday: ran 5 miles, upper body weights, 25 minutes elliptical

Tuesday: leg, ab, and upper body weights, 20 minutes elliptical

Wednesday: 1 hour yoga class, 10 minutes upper body weights

Thursday: ran 2.5 miles, upper body, ab, and leg weights

Friday: rest

Saturday: painted the outside of buildings (4 hours) moving long run to Monday (will be 6 miles)

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*Be sure to check out a post my friend Katye did on my travel agent services!

QOTD: Do you like to paint? What is the biggest painting project you have ever done?

Good morning! Today Bobby and I are doing a volunteer service project with our Sunday School class (painting some old buildings) so I thought it would be a good day for another Friday Feature! Everyone, meet Lindsay from The Lean Green Bean!

1.) How/why did you start blogging?

I’ve always liked to cook and bake. A couple years ago I started taking pictures of what I made for dinner and posting them on Facebook. My friends and family kept encouraging me to start a food blog and I finally gave in!

2.) Sum up your blog in a couple of sentences:

The Lean Green Bean is a place to find easy delicious recipes that anyone can make! There are lots of healthy recipes, along with a few tasty treats!

3.) What do you wish to accomplish/achieve by blogging?

I hope to teach people that eating healthy can be both rewarding and delicious, and that with a few simple substitutions, even your favorite comfort foods can be good for you.

4.) What is your greatest healthy living accomplishment?

Going back to school to become a Registered Dietitian. When I’m finished, I’ll be able to help other achieve their healthy living dreams!

Thank you so much Lindsay! You have such a cute blog and some great recipes. Be sure to stop by The Lean Green Bean and say hello, and follow Lindsay on Twitter.

QOTD: What is your favorite comfort food? Have you found a way to make it more healthy? How?

Hello friends! I am back to my vlogging today, and this time it’s not just me staring into the camera. Well…the first part is but that’s ok. Below you will find three videos. The first is the introduction to what I am doing. The second is a video explaining our running trails and village green area. The third is a tour of the actual YMCA in my neighborhood.

I am sure you are aware that my state, Mississippi, is the most obese in the nation. However, there are plenty of active and healthy things to do here if you look hard enough. I am going to start showcasing these things, and thought my neighborhood Y would be a good place to start.

(check out the site before the building was built)

Intro to what I am planning to do and why:

Village green and running trails:

YMCA tour: I decided to go in right when they opened as not to disturb gym goers. The only people working out were the other employees, and I got their permission.

Thanks for watching!

QOTD: If you had to do a vlog to share a healthy location in your city, what would you vlog about?

If you have been reading RWS for awhile, you know that sometimes I like to look back on what I was doing a year ago. Considering I have experienced many life changes in the past 10 months, I thought it would be fun to look back and reflect.

This time last year, I had just run the Disney marathon.

Bobby got sick with the flu post race and we had to cut our trip short.

I was living with my parents for four months while Bobby and I built a house in a new town. We had most of our things in boxes in the garage of the house we were trying to sell, and the rest were crammed into the upstairs bedroom that I grew up in.

I switched my blog over to self hosting, and am so glad that I did! It has given me a lot more opportunities and flexibility.

We watched over the building of our new house, and and we ran a 5k in my old hometown to finish out the month.

I know I say this a lot when I do these types of posts, but wow have things changed since then. I know a lot of times I wish I could see the bigger picture of life, but then there are other times when I know if I did, I would probably have a breakdown knowing what was coming.

We have been through several things since last January that I never saw coming. I know I am stronger because of it, but it’s still so funny to see where life takes you even though you have a different “plan.”  I also find it amusing that at any given age, you feel so much older than the year before. In a way, I guess it’s true. Through life experiences, we learn and grow, and the way in which you grow depends on what you choose to get out of any given situation. I am working on looking at the negative, and making sure that I at least learn something from it it. That way, I can always know that at least one positive thing came out of my trial.

I will check back in with another flashback in a few months and see how things have changed again!

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Last night I took my first yoga class at our new YMCA. I have always wanted to take yoga classes because I am incredibly inflexible, and I knew it would help my running. Unfortunately, we weren’t members of a gym for a long time, and then when we were, it was Planet Fitness with no classes.

Our yoga teacher is amazing! She is 76 years old, 76! She is way more flexible than I will ever be, and I totally admire her. I hope to still be working out at that age. It’s safe to say my arms and legs were jello and I am quite sore, but a good sore.

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Registration is now open for the Disneyland half marathon! Let me help you plan your trip. heather@travelwiththemagic.com