YAAAAAAAAS Queen

As promised a blog post about the upcoming Queen Bee Half Marathon. About a year or two after I started running, my sister also started running. Her name is Lisa. The Queen Bee 4 Miler was her first race and we completed it together last year. She completed the Pig 10K in may, so she is naturally progressing to longer distances as we crazy runners always do. I had to text her repeatedly until she finally agreed to sign up for the Queen Bee Half. There is always a lot of fear associated with doing more mileage than you've ever done before, which is completely understandable. My perspective on things can sometimes get redundant and boring, so I wanted to make sure I showcased what Lisa was feeling about the upcoming race.

Lisa's sister in law, Korie, also completed this race with us. I stole this nice little collage she made. I love all the fun giveaways geared towards women. It's such a fun day to see so much girl power!

What are you most excited about for running your first half marathon?

Lisa: That I am going to be completing something that I never thought I would be able to do.  I was never much of a runner and finishing this race will be such a huge accomplishment for me.

What are you most nervous about?

Lisa: not being able to complete the race in a time I am happy with. And the hill into Eden Park

Many people say it is too difficult to train for races when they have kids. How do you make it work? Lisa has 3 children by the way. 

Lisa: Training with children is difficult.  Luckily though I have a husband who helps a lot with the kids so I can get in some running. I do end up running mostly on a treadmill though and run during nap time or right after work while my husband picks up kids so that I can get in some running before they get home. I already get up at 4am to go to work so training before work isn't an option for me, so I have to run in the afternoons and evenings.  It is difficult to be running on the treadmill training though when I can hear them laughing and having a good time. Or watch them out the window and see them playing and know that I'm  missing those fun times with them. But I hope I am teaching my children that keeping yourself healthy and in shape is important in their life.  

What do you like about running in general?

Lisa: How you feel when you have just finished.  

Any other races or activities you’d like to try

Lisa: Flying Pig Half Marathon this year.  Last year I did the 10k, but this year i want to do the half.

There you have it. By the way, I secretly love Gilbert (the hill she is referring to going up to Eden Park.) There is no other hill in Cincinnati that gives you that sense of accomplishment when you reach the top. It could also have something to do with that view! 

Lisa also has some anxiety about finishing in last place. While, I don't foresee this happening, it's so important that we remind ourselves that no matter the time, we are all going the same distance. I have been trying to get a better handle on that concept for myself as well. 

Any words of encouragement you'd like to share with Lisa as she completed her first half marathon? Congratulations to her for pushing her fears aside and committing!

Queen Bee is close to selling out. Grab your Queens and do it together!

Grow Flowers

Starting school again has been difficult this year, as I know it probably is for most teachers, parents, and students. We've all gotten used to no schedules. I know I personally had gotten used to daily naps, a wardrobe of workout clothes, lunches out with my husband, and at times being downright lazy. Now that school is back the naps have ceased and I have to make sure to meal plan on Sundays in order to fit dinners and lunches into a full day. I'm also changing positions at my job this year which has come with some adjustments. I don't immediately have students, which has been hard for me because I love building relationships with "my kids" right from the beginning. I'm currently doing a lot of testing so I'm seeing kids for 15-20 minutes at a time. Having taught for 5 years doing pretty much the same job, I had gotten in such a routine of what these first weeks of school look like so this year has been out of the norm. I also have my "back to school sinus infection" and have been feeling under the weather.

This time of the year it's easy to get grumpy. I like many people am tired and running on coffee (oh and nasal spray for me.) I'm working to stay upbeat while I'm falling asleep on my way to workout. I'm trying to dig back out my professional outfits when I haven't seen them in two months and forgot that the shirt I'm wearing had a stain on it. However, I'm lucky enough to get to walk past this bulletin board every day in our school and I get a silent reminder.

When I see this, it sort of puts me in a good mood and changes my perspective (thanks Jacqueline.) I remember how grateful I am to have this job in a building with coworkers who take care of each other, which has already been evidenced. I remember that I'm lucky to have a gym where I can go to work out and a running group that helps to relieve stress. I'm thankful to have a husband that helps me cook healthy meals each night and never complains. 

Once you get in a cycle of negative thinking, it just keeps going. You have to be the person that grows the flowers, because nobody wants a garden full of weeds, or a life of negativity.

I have a friend that posts on Facebook once a week about things she loves. Once she brought up the memory of playing the game of sardines as a kid, which I feel like brought out good memories for everyone, so I thought I'd steal her idea and put it on some of my blog posts. Hers are way more quirky and fun though. :) 

10 things I'm super happy about RIGHT THIS MINUTE 

1. Being a Flying Pig Ambassador- follow me on Instagram my main platform for sharing lauren_ritter_bitter

2. Coffee date with my husband this morning. Anybody else LOVE Coffee Emporium?

3. Friend told me about potential tickets to a UK basketball game this fall. Road Trip!

4. Taco Tuesday w/ avocados

5. My dog didn't throw up when I got home like she did yesterday. Happy to see me?

6. Photos of all the cool places I visited this summer.

7. I didn't hear Post Malone's "Psycho" on the way home.

8. Being barefoot after spending the day in uncomfortable shoes.

9. Up and Vanished podcast, about to listen to the new episode...EEK Are you a fan? 

10. My sister signed up for the Queen Bee-blog to come about that this week!!!! 

Bonus: keyboards for iPads. 

Tell me what you are happy about RIGHT THIS MINUTE! We can help each other grow our gardens. 

Flying Pig Ambassador Program

I know I haven't posted in quite some time and frankly I've missed it. When I completed The Flying Pig Marathon in the spring I was injured and hadn't had my best day. I don't think I was in the right mindset in general. My husband said he thought it would be good if I got back to blogging because it seemed like something I really enjoyed and that it gave me a way to help other people become inspired or encouraged. Being able to do that makes me feel fulfilled, but not only that, I in turn become inspired and encouraged by other people. I think it's an important piece of my "health journey." I recently learned that I was chosen to be a Flying Pig ambassador and it seemed like a great time to give my blog some love. My husband is a video editor and very concerned with graphics. He says my blog needs a major facelift, so if you are like him, please know that a facelift will come eventually when I am able to research more and better understand the world of design for blogs. If anybody has any tips, feel free to send them my way.

So many people have asked me what the ambassador program will mean for me. I don't feel like it will mean the same thing for every person, but for me it means I will be sharing my journey more and with that I hope to allow people to feel more confident in their abilities to complete things they may have not deemed possible for themselves. I'd love to get more friends and family participating in healthy activities, and especially joining me on Pig weekend. We are very fortunate in Cincinnati to have such a rich running community and culture. The Flying Pig is a weekend where we can all come together, no matter our ability levels. That's part of the reason I love it so much!

Meanwhile on the blog, I'll be sharing stories, recipes I've tried, and workouts or groups I'm leading.

Anybody want to make a commitment to try something new? I'll have some discount codes for all Pig Events. What's on your radar? Anything you'd like to see from me on the blog?

It feels so good to be reenergized!
Lauren

This is a photo from my time in Northern Maine chasing an inspiring man, Harvey Lewis, on the Appalachian Trail. It was a great adventure.