Let me just start off by saying, I have been eyeing these Orange Mud Vests for the past year or so. I had been researching and settled on this brand, I knew I was going to be training for a 50k so figured I would wait until that training started to take the plunge. Little did I know the universe was going to align and as part of the BibRave Pro Family, I was chosen to test one out! Talk about your perfect timing!

The second I received this vest in the mail, I was extremely impressed. The simplicity and the minimalist features make this gear vest the perfect for absolutely any type of runner. Yes, minimalist but also it can carry anything you could possibly need. Seriously, it almost defies science if you ask me! Minimalist AND extremely great storage?! Yes, please!

I trained for AND RAN my 50k in this vest and knew it was going to be a game changer. I fit everything I needed and then some into the pockets of this vest. The 1L bladder was also perfect, I was able to fill up at the half way point easily and quickly and was on my way! I was able to carry my extra water bottle with sports drink (I didn't want to put the sports drink in the bladder itself, I have read mixed reviews but decided to go just water!), all of my fuel (which included sport beans, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, energy bites and some pretzels with peanut butter!), as well as tissues, toilet paper, chapsstick and my ID, because you just never know! Do NOT let the size deter you or scare you away from this pack, it's small but MIGHTY as all get out!

I 100% stand behind this gear vest and think it is absolutely worth the investment! I look forward to wearing it on every one of my training runs for my upcoming half marathon in June!!

To score your very own Orange Mud Gear Vest head on over to OrangeMud.com and use code "BRGV15" to get 15% off your order!!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

*CHEERS*

It's been a week and a half since I raced in the Double Chubb 50k.

I'm still a little shocked to know that it's already over.

So many weeks of training, long runs, trail runs, worrying about every little detail.

Thankfully I had another race to jump right into training for, otherwise I know I'd feel pretty lost right now.

Race week I was a bundle of nerves and anxiousness, ask my husband, I was a mess!

Also, both boys were sick on and off the week before the race as well.

I was worried about them, worried about what they had gotten and of course that little thought in the back of my head that said I would contract it as well and be out on race day.

Disclaimer: I received the Orange Mud Gear Vest to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

I did my best to pack as much as I possibly thought I would need.

 I used my Orange Mud Gear Vest to hold all of my fuel for race day, also it held my ID and Insurance Card (you just never know!)

Let me just say, this vest was a life saver. 

The one I had before was much larger and heavier and I was a little worried about having to carry it for 30 miles.

The second I received this vest and tried it out, it was a huge game changer!

It's light but holds SO MUCH STUFF at the same time. 

(if you're interested and want to try it out for yourself, use code BRGV15 for 15% off at OrangeMud.com)

I obsessively checked the weather, it was calling for rain and with each passing day I kept telling myself, "It'll change, It'll be fine."

The entire week leading up to the race the weather was excellent, I was super thrilled about this because the course gets really tricky when it's been rained on. I figured even if it rained on race day, the fact that it didn't rain the entire week before would be reprieve enough.

Night before the race, it stormed, and it stormed a lot!

Race morning I was just ready to go, get the thing started.

We got to the starting line.

The race started.

I definitely shot out way too fast, I always do that and regret it big time later on.

The course starts out on a pretty intense uphill, so there's that as well.

The second I got on the course I realized the rain from the previous night was going to have made things very interesting.

Mud, there was mud, huge puddles everywhere.

Navigating the course was definitely more difficult that it had ever been on any training run.

Due to the fact that my legs were fresh I went harder than I should have, a lot harder than I should have, that coupled with the mud my legs were shot really early on. Having to run and navigate through thick mud took a lot more out of my legs than running or jogging on flat land, again I was not prepared for that.

I hit the 25k mark with 20 minutes to spare, I stopped briefly, talked with Andrew and then was off again for loop #2.

Before leaving he asked me if I wanted my rain jacket, the weather had been fine up until that point, a tad chilly but in all honesty that made running a lot more enjoyable. Anyway, I turned down the rain jacket and by the time I reached the first aid station, roughly 5 miles in, I highly regretted not taking that rain jacket with me.

Temps seemed to drop crazily AND it was raining.

THANKFULLY that aid station had the greatest people ever, and one of the men had an extra poncho and he let me have it for the remainder of the race. Seriously, that one rain poncho really made my day and gave me the drive to keep going.

My hands were numb, the rain was coming down and I hadn't even tacked the muddiest and muckiest part of the race yet!

I was miserable, I was wet, I was cold and I was tired.

I made it to the turn around point and it was really hard to put myself back out on that course for the 4th time. (the course is a series of 2 out and backs so you're running the same stretch 4 times total)

Again, that aid station was incredible, filling up my water bottle, handing me every type of food they had, packing a PBJ in my Orange Mud Vest (even though I tried to turn it down & let me just say I've never enjoyed a PB&J more than that one, these aid stations were the BOMB!)

The entire way back I walked almost all of it, I was spent, and my watch had died right after the 25k point so I had no idea how much time I had to finish, I had no idea how far I had gone.

Mentally and physically I was drained of almost everything.

I cursed the course on many many occasions!

I fell at one point and my hands were covered in mud.

There were so many times I thought I knew where I was, thought I was about at the end of the trail then I realized I wasn't. Tears may have been shed at those points.

So where the trail ends, about a mile before the finish line, there's a port-a-potty that you can see a little ways off, kind of like a beacon that says "YOU'RE ALMOST THERE!"

Let me just say, I've never been so happy to see a port-a-potty in my entire life! Once I got to the port-a-potty I knew I was just about done, all I had to conquer was the HUGE hill that the course has at the end.

I knew, though, I was going to finish at that point, which made that hill not as unbearable.

I got to the top, I texted Andrew and said I was on my way down the hill.

I was almost there.

The emotions started to set in.

I saw the clock and knew I was going to complete the race in time.

I had done it.

I had completed my first ultra in extremely crazy weather conditions.

I was a muddy mess but I have never been happier to cross a finish line, have a medal placed over my head and knowing that I finished what I had set out to do.

This race, that day, is something I will never forget.

The support from all of the volunteers and race staff was incredible.

I have never felt so supported on a course in any other race.

The aid station volunteers were so knowledgeable about what I needed even before I knew I needed it. They cheered, high fived and just kept my spirits alive throughout one of the most excruciating experiences I've ever gone through (child birth not included, because let's be real, nothing can really compare to that)

I plan on tackling the 25k next year, and I can say with certainty I will always partake in the Double Chubb race (whether racing or volunteering), it will forever hold a special place in my heart and I plan on supporting it from here on out!

And if you're looking for a challenging 50k or 25k to race and you're going to be in the St. Louis area April-ish next year, come on by and check it out!!! It's worth it!!

*CHEERS*

For the past couple months I have been updating my Athlinks profile and have been having a really great time doing so!

What is Athlinks, you ask?

It's a website/app where you can set up your profile, input your information and claim all of your past race results in one place. Not only that you can set yourself up for future races you'll be taking part in, share your goal times and follow along with other athletes as well!

Athlinks is absolutely brilliant because I never have to wonder what my certain race PR is, I just log into the app, click on the "statistics" tab and bam! There I have it, all of my information readily available.

I also love being able to look back at my earlier races, all the way back to 2011! I can see how I've grown and hold myself accountable to every single one of my times! "If you've crossed a finish line in the last 10 years, you'll find yours here." - Athlinks.com

*CHEERS*

By the time you're reading this I will have exactly 17 days until my first Ultra Marathon, my longest race to date!



Last week I wrote about WHY I'm doing this race and today I'm going to share with you all the training journey I have been on the past 3 months in preparation!



Due to the Midwest and the crazy weather plenty of runs have been done indoors on the treadmill. Not necessarily ideal but it was that or nothing.



The great part is that I have been able to get out on the exact trail I'll be running on during the race. I have ran the trail backwards and forwards, done the crazy hill that's going to be awaiting me at the end of the race. I know the trail, I know quite well and I feel extremely prepared in that aspect.



I'm hoping to get in a 20 miler sometime in the next week or so, may be a bit tricky but I'll get in something long-ish out there *fingers crossed* I have been able to hit long distances, longest run was 18 miles and it felt really good actually! I've been running pretty much daily, taking the "active rest" days as power walking days.



I try really hard to do SOMETHING every single day to keep my legs sharp and used. I have also been doing some long-ish runs back to back days so my legs get used to being ran on when they're tired. I haven't pushed it too hard but I do need my legs to get used to running while tired because let's be real, 30 miles on a trail and they'll be tired!



One of my favorite part of this entire training cycle has been the exploration of a new terrain, I've been solely a road runner until late last year when I discovered the trails! It's also a huge plus that I've been able to share this experience with my Mom. I really feel like it's a pretty unique thing to be able to do this sort of thing with a parent, maybe no and I'm just crazy but either way, I love the time we get to spend together out there, sharing a passion and a love for running and the outdoors in general. It's really special and something that I'll be able to treasure forever!



My other favorite part has to be watching my boys watch me train. They know my running shoes, they know that when we go down into the basement that I'm running. They love to ask, "Mommy, how's your run?" every now and then during a treadmill run. They also ask that whenever I get home from running outdoors. They're invested as well, no they don't understand that I'm in training for a huge race, but they know this is something important to me. I love that they get to watch me run, they get to watch me be dedicated to my health and fitness. I really hope to be able to pass this love along to them!



Overall I'm super happy with how my training has gone, sure there have been hiccups, a couple weeks in there where I was sick and had to step back so that I could recover, then having to readjust the plan BUT that's life, especially when you're dealing with a 16 week training plan, life happens and we just have to roll with the punches. It's much easier to be adaptable than to get frustrated and give up all together (let's be real, it's taken me YEARS to be able to be okay with this idea when it comes to training!)



 I've essentially switched over to training for my upcoming Half Marathon in June, the goal is to PR that race SO I wanted to make sure I give that race it's due as well. Overlapping these training plans has been interesting and I'll let you all know how that feels closer to the 50K and then give a recap afterwards on whether it was a good idea or not! I'll also write out, roughly, my entire training cycle and plan that I stuck to throughout this cycle in hopes that it may help someone else out there looking for a plan that can be easily adaptable (hello moms who love to run!)

I hope everyone has been having a great week!!

This story is a little bit of a winded one but aren't they all?

My entire (young) life I was in some sort of sport, dance, basketball, gymnastics, oh gymnastics was my thing. I honestly don't remember a time when I wasn't in SOME sort of sport. Being fit was just something that happened. Now I wasn't ever the "skinny" girl or anything like that but I never felt out of shape or anything of the sort growing up. I always felt pretty confident and I know it was because I was so active that it never dawned on me to really worry.

BECAUSE I was so active, paying attention to my eating habits was never an issue. Gymnastics was my sport, sure I did other sports but I lived and breathed gymnastics once I got a little older. Being in the gym 3 nights a week for roughly 3 hours and then roughly 4 hours on Saturdays, also figure in private lessons which were an hour or so on other nights of the week and THEN on top of that meets. My eating habits were just NEVER a worry, which once I got older was something that really plagued me.

I did gymnastics until I was in high school, then once I quit competitive, I continued private lessons with a coach of mine. I was about 16 by the time I quit the sport, and any other sport, completely. At that age I had never truly learned what it meant to really take care of my body. I was always working out so when I was hungry I ate whatever it was that I wanted. This pattern continued. I ate what I wanted when I wanted and never gave it a thought.

It hit hard when I quit and I didn't even truly realize it.

The weight started adding up and having always had an okay body image I didn’t really pay too much attention it. Working out, running, fitness were just not my thing. I always visioned myself as a gymnast, nothing else. Once that chapter of my life was over, that was it, I even had moments where I was so discouraged that I convinced myself that this was it, this was what I truly looked like and felt like, that there was nothing I could do to change anything.

I graduated high school, started college and realized that something needed to change. I just didn't feel good, I was always tired. Eating never really crossed my mind honestly (and I worked at Subway, go figure)... I started doing workouts at home, in my bedroom every single day. I lost weight, not a lot but it worked enough to make me mildly happy.

Then I got bored and stopped. That was the trend from then until after I had Oliver, so for about 7 years I went in and out of training, not training and everything that came along with it.

Fast forward to 2014 after Oliver was born. I wasn't in the best shape prior to getting pregnant and I made sure that I didn't limit myself on anything food related during that pregnancy. After Oliver was born something changed and I realized I needed to get myself into shape, not only for me but for my son. The little note to the entire thing is that looking back I took it to a really unhealthy extreme, I was dealing with pretty intense postpartum depression. I worked out like crazy, I ate as healthily as possible. I took every chance I could to get out of the house and get to the gym, away from my family from everything to work on myself. I lost the weight pretty fast, I was in incredible shape but I wasn't really entirely happy. I loved my son, I loved my family but I wasn't happy. It took a long time for me to really come around and realize that just because I was a wife and a mother didn't mean that I wasn't also my own person. My entire life, my DREAM job was to be a Mom so it never dawned on me, in the moment, that I could be dealing with something so intense. it still seems a little off putting that for someone who wanted to be a Mom so bad, that I could be plagued with postpartum depression (totally different topic but still, it can happen to anyone and there shouldn't be ANY shame in that!!!!! I wish I would have realized it at the time and dealt with it because my oldest sons first six months are so foggy to me because of this!)

Moving along to my second pregnancy, totally different experience. Maybe it was because I had a toddler or because I was aware of what was to come but I was much more in tune with my body and my mental and physical health. I stayed in shape, I was healthier, I didn't gain as much weight... Charlie stayed inside quite a bit longer, about 50% longer than Oliver did! The delivery was much more enjoyable and I was with it the entire time. I love both my boys more than life but I can tell there was such a difference mentally for me between each pregnancy and delivery.

I realized after Charlie was born that I was no longer working out for myself, I was no longer getting fit for myself but for them as well. I realized it was going to be tough and I was willing to do that. Instead of working out outside of the home, I started using the Sworkit App, I worked out at home, joined a few Facebook groups geared to at home working out/eating healthy challenges. I was present and I was getting stronger.

THIS TIME IT STUCK.

There hasn't been that drop off, that boredom I dealt with for YEARS just never crept back up. I can't fully explain it, something clicked and I didn't question it.

Charlie is going to be 3 in July and I can honestly say that I have been actively working on myself emotionally and physically since the day that he was born.

I have been running for the past 2 years, consistently for the first time in my life.

I'm committed, my mind is clear and I am willing to put in the work.

This journey has taken me at least twelve years. 

TWELVE

YEARS

So when someone comes to me with a pitch about a miracle pill, drink or wrap I will politely decline the offer because it is so much more than that. Health and wellness isn’t something that you get form a "quick fix" it's a journey that we all have to go on; maybe we don't all get there the same way and that's okay but what's NOT okay is tricking each other into thinking that it CAN be easy because IT'S NOT. It's hard, it's emotional, it's the hardest damned (sorry but it's true) thing in the world. We have to come to terms with who we are, what we want and work our A** off to get there.

I did participated in the ADVOCARE 24 day Challenge after Oliver was born, yes, but bottom line, that was WAY more MEAL PLANNING based than anything. I also did the Whole30 Diet after Charlie was born, this was 100% meal based, no supplements or anything of the sort at all and honestly, I didn't lose any weight but I did learn a TON about food and learned what I wanted and didn't want to put in my body.

My tried and true method has always been:

I cut soda, added a butt load of water and I drink my coffee black. I track my calories using My Fitness Pal (add me, I like new friends @mmlarose)... I workout daily, I run, I crosstrain (looking at you Sworkit) and I do anything I can to be active.

2006 vs. 2018...

***THIS IS MY PERSONAL OPINION AND WHAT HAS WORKED FOR ME. I DO NOT PRETEND TO THINK THIS IS THE ONE AND ONLY METHOD TO HEALTH AND FITNESS. EVERYONE HAS THEIR OWN JOURNEY, THIS IS JUST MINE***

*CHEERS*