Reader Question & Answers Part 2 + Birth Week + Don’t You Quit!!

The top 3 most viewed posts last week were:

*Splitting up the Long Run, Friday Favorites & You Are Amazing!

*I GET it Now and Figuring Out A Training Plan!

*How do YOU deal with Pain? Forgive + Guzzle.

————————————————————————————

We woke up to a lot more snow.

So we went outside to play in it for awhile.

IMG 0179

We watched it fall outside from the warm inside too:)

IMG 0108

I bought matching dresses on Black Friday from Ivy City Co and was pretty ecstatic to finally wear them.  Skye’s had stains all over it within 30 minutes but we got a good picture before that happened!

IMG 0201

Sometimes you just need to snack on some snow on your way to church.

IMG 0240

Quite a busy day:

IMG 0247

I’m telling ya… we moved into the best neighborhood.  Neighbors brought us homemade salsa and chips yesterday and it hit the spot.

IMG 0244

It’s SKYE’S BIRTH WEEK!! She is one on Saturday.  I do not know how this year went by so fast but I’m so excited to celebrate her this week!

IMG 3993

————————————————————————————

About a month ago I asked on my IG stories for questions and I have part 2 of the answers here today.  You can read part 1 here.

*How do you stay so positive when life gets you down?

-I definitely don’t always… at all.  You can ask my Andrew, my mom or sister.  I think it is important to really feel what you are going through (I tried to use buffers for too many years to avoid feeling things and that didn’t work well).  I let myself feel what I need to feel to process but then a few things really help me to see the positive and move forward—>  My family, my faith and running:)  I think that focusing on what I’m grateful for rather than what is wrong makes it  easier to see the positive—> “When you love what you have, you have everything you need” is so incredibly true for me.  It’s pretty impossible to feel gratitude and negativity at the same time for me.  When life is really hard I think having hope in a better day to come is what really has gotten me through a lot.  This quote was one I read daily during my divorce and it was such a comfort for me (it’s from this talk).

Quotefancy 378263 3840x2160

*Tips for nutrition during a half marathon?

This book (The New Rules of Marathon and Half Marathon Nutrition) is an awesome resource for half marathon and marathon fueling!  PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE.  Try all sorts of different methods and types of fuel and use them during your long runs.  For me, I found that my body does best with huma gel and starting earlier than I would think and fueling more often than I thought I would need during a race.

*What do you eat before a midweek run, and how far in advance do you eat before you start running?

-Right now a few bites of a banana for my runs that are an hour or shorter.  Before I go on longer runs or on the trails then I have a banana and usually a piece of bread or two.   If I am running during Skye’s nap then I have oatmeal or Kodiak pancakes an hour or two before.  During training for my last marathon when my runs were longer then I definitely take in fuel before.  UCAN is something that I have recently fallen in love with to take before a run.  During marathon training when I was doing 10 plus mile runs then I was usually having about 200 calories of UCAN and a banana or a piece of toast or a huma gel before I went out.  Before a long run I would try to eat about 30-45 minutes before leaving but before my weekday runs I was eating pretty much as I was walking out the door because I had to get back asap to get kids to school.  You can read my full race day fueling plan here.

*How do you handle long hair for sports?  Skin care routine?

POWER BUN.  My skin care routine is terrible lately and I need to get better at this.

10763768032 IMG 0969

*What’s the longest distance you run while training for a marathon?

-For this last marathon my longest run was 22.2 miles.  22 is usually my longest but 20 has also been my longest training run for other marathons too.  

*Where do you get your lashes done?

-Her name is Alyssa and she is the best human.  I’ve gone to her for FIVE years now.  Comment if you want her number and I’ll email it to you:)

*Everything about your lashes, please?

-I go once a month and my lash girl fills them and she also tints my eyebrows and waxes them to shape them.   I avoid getting them wet or touching as much as possible so that they can last longer.  The eyelashes and eyebrows make it so it takes about 90 seconds in the morning to do my makeup.

*What running plan do you follow when you aren’t training for a race?  I just ran a PR half Sat!  Now what?!

-Congrats Jennie! That is awesome:)  My coach wrote my day to day plan for about two months after the marathon and now I’m in ultra training so I am roughly following plans from books.   I think that it is important after a big race to just take time to relax and run whatever your body is telling you each day so that you are ready to get back into hardcore training again when you want.

*How do you find the motivation to run?  I work full-time and have kids, which makes it hard?

-YOU are doing a lot.  A ton.  For me, the motivation comes because I KNOW that my day will go better if I run.  I’m more patient, I’m taking care of myself and my health, I’m getting fresh air and those endorphins… I know that life is smoother when I take care of myself and running is one of my favorite ways to take care of myself.  Also, races.  Those motivate me big time because I want to do well in them and that takes getting out the door almost every day to train for them.

*Do you think you guys will move again, or are you in your forever home?

-Forever ever ever ever ever ever home.  I am so in love with this home.  It is now the 7th member of our family.  You can see our house tour here!

*Do you like to run for time or distance when you are training?

-DISTANCE for sure but with my upcoming ultra plans I think there will be a lot of training by time too which will definitely be something I need to get used to.

*What’s the best part of having a blended family?

-That I get to be in Knox’s life and that Brooke has Andrew and that Brooke, Knox and Skye all have each other.

*Hmmm best piece of advice when it comes to choosing a husband?

-TRUST YOUR GUT.  When dating again after my divorce I was so in tune with how I was feeling.  If somebody I was seeing felt uncomfortable or if they were great but it just didn’t feel right or there was something we didn’t mesh well on or there was even the slightest red flag… I was OUT OF THERE so fast.  My mom said I turned into the most efficient dater out there.  I just knew that I would rather be single than get divorced again or be in a bad relationship so there was no way I was going to waste time when something felt off.  And then Andrew came along and my gut told me nothing but goodness about him.  I seriously just felt at home with him the second I met him.  SO my advice, listen to yourself.  You’re not crazy for feeling the different things you feel, you feel the way you do for a reason.  Have your eyes as wide open as possible while dating and remember that you are the interviewer… not the interviewee (the same goes for them).  You are not on a date to see if you can fit the position to be good enough for them but you are there to see if they fit what you are looking for and for what you deserve.

PS the picture below is from the night before I met Andrew.  I was at a singles activity and remember thinking it’s a good thing I really love my life together with Brooke because this whole dating thing is not working out ha.

IMG 6169

*Do you think you will get a brown eyed baby next time?

-I would love that!  Skye is Andrew’s mini-me so it’s so fun to see that!

*How many kids do you think you all want?

-Andrew and I would love to be able to have two more kids but I also wouldn’t say no to 3 more:)  I get so sick while pregnant that I’m sure I’ll say ‘this is the last time’ each time.

*What’s your next running goal now that you got sub 3?

-A 50 miler, sub 1:20 (1:21 pr as of now) for the half and sub 2:55 for the marathon.  Who knows where those road race goals will fit in with having more kids but I’m determined and I love chasing goals.

*What’s the most effective thing you introduced into your running to help you get faster?

-In general, track workouts and tempo runs.  This last marathon training cycle, mental training really helped me out a lot too.  The track makes you so fast and the boredom of going around in a circle makes you strong too once you are on the roads ha.  Tempo runs condition you to control and maintain pace, they help you to practice for race day and improve your endurance.  Oh and another thing that I did that has really helped is to REALLY take my easy days easy so that I rock the hard workouts.  Read all of the things you can about positive mindsets (running or non running books), listen to podcasts about positive thinking, journal your strengths and truly believe in yourself.  I can honestly say that switching my brain to “I CAN AND I WILL” instead of “I think I might possibly have a chance but I’m not really sure because ….” made the biggest difference in my running recently (well, that and my coaches ridiculously amazing training plan she had for me).

*Best fuel for new long distance runners- I’m training for first half?

-I personally think Huma and UCAN but I’ve been hearing a lot about Maurten and I’m intrigued.  Has anyone tried this.. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

IMG 8124

*What was your first marathon time?

-3:20.  I was just going for completion and was shocked that I BQed.  I was absolutely dead at the end and I pushed myself to the absolute limits that day but loved it so much.

*Do you ever get post marathon blues?

-Yes, pretty much every single time I get them… except for this last one.  I felt super fulfilled after St. George this year and like I seriously gave it my all.    Signing up for new races always helps me with the blues or spending time working on another passion also helps me a lot to get past the post marathon blues.  It’s VERY normal to have those blues so don’t worry, they will pass!

10763769376 IMG 0985

*What’s the hardest part of being a mom?  What’s your least favorite part?

-The hardest part of being a mom for me personally is all of the sharing that goes on because we have a blended family… not having them for holidays is probably the hardest.  The lack of sleep during the first few months of their life is my least favorite part.  Andrew says my 3rd biggest hobby (after family and running) is sleeping.

*What is the number one mantra you repeat to yourself during the toughest part of a marathon?

-I can do hard things.  It helps me to remember all of the hard stuff I’ve made it through before (during running or in real life) and helps me to see my strength and know I can keep going.  During this last marathon I used, “I can and I will” the most and I felt like it was a self-fulfilling prophesy for me.  Repeating that to myself made me believe it.

*Where did you get the rug in your living room? 

-It’s our favorite!  You can get it here!

*Fav cold weather running gear?

-I have them all HERE!

*Do you still eat candy?

-I do now but I’ll probably stop again once I want to get fast again… I am realizing it made a big difference in how my stomach felt and how I recovered.  I still eat plenty of desserts during training but I think no candy helped me out (I normally eat a lot so it made a difference).

*Top 5 favorite candy?

-This is hard because it changes frequently but as of this moment:  Strawberry Sour Patch Kids, Rolos, Milk Duds, sour gummy bears and chocolate covered gummy bears.  Our sour candy canister… it forces my nieces and nephews to want to come over here all of the time.

IMG 6690

*How much time do you spend on your blog per day?  Not counting social media?

-This one just depends on the day… some days it is 6-7 hours (split up throughout the day.. usually when working on sponsored posts etc) and some days it is 3 hours if kids are needing me.  I work Saturday’s and just put up a few pictures on Sunday.  Luckily, I can take my computer with us and work in the car when Andrew is driving because it can get tricky with kids in the mix.

*Do you set time aside, every day, to blog?  Or do you write multiple posts to schedule at once?

-I definitely do—>  SKYE’S NAP (she takes one nap a day for 3-4 hours).  This time is sacred for me:)  The other time it just happens whenever we can fit it in… like when Andrew can take kids or when they are asleep at night etc.  I do things like cleaning/house things etc when Skye is awake because that I can do when she is awake, work not so much anymore.   Oh and on the days where Andrew is at work I fit in my run and work during Skye’s nap and that’s pretty much it for the day because she keeps me busy (so if you notice now that he is in the hospital more that I am not so great at responding to comments/writing a lot/emailing.. that’s why).

————————————————————————————

I WOULD LOVE IT IF YOU ANSWERED ANY OF THE READER QUESTIONS THAT CAN APPLY TO YOU TOO!  

What do you use for your skin?  I need to switch things up (I do every so often) and would love to hear what works well with your skin!

Anyone else have a December birthday?  Any December races?

WHO RAN CIM YESTERDAY?!  HOW DID IT GO?

You May Also Like

47 comments

Reply

BOTH of my kids have December birthdays! It gets crazy around here because we also do Christmas in a big way. My son’s is early (December 8th) but my daughter’s is the 30th, which is possibly one of the worst birthdays ever. We’re so burned out by then, we can barely celebrate. We usually have a half-birthday party for her in the summer to make up for it!

Reply

Okay, your December is NUTS. 12/8… best ever! Oh I love that you do a half birthday for her:) Have a wonderful day and good luck with this month!

Reply

I can’t believe Skye is almost a year old already – time does fly! Thanks for sharing..always enjoy reading your answers to things. Just wondering, how do you and Andrew handle things when your kids get in arguements with each other or they don’t want to listen to you, maybe have attitude with you? (Hah) Do you do time outs, etc? Love to know as they seem like the perfect little kids:)

I tried a few different expensive products for my face. Recently I was using R&F unblemished and found it worked for a month or so but then I switched to just using “Spectro – blemish prone skin” and just a moisturizer and my skin hasn’t been this great in years. I have always had little bumps and broke out during the time of my period but my skin hasn’t been this clear for a long time!

Reply

Hey Ash! I know, it has gone by way too fast! That’s one thing I always feel in a dilemma about… our kids are kids and definitely not perfect but then I just don’t feel right about blogging each day about their mistakes etc (I only feel right blogging about my mistakes ha). Our kids do not like chores these days and so as soon as they backtalk or are sassy/fight/etc we just add up chores. If they keep going then we just add more and more but they know we will follow through with all of the chores so that usually stops them ha! We also send them to their room too! AHHH I will have to find Spectro. I’m happy to go with the cheaper treatments:) Have a great day!

Reply

OMG. LOVE those matching dresses!! Too precious!

And that is SUCH good advice about finding the right guy and trusting your gut. I’m still super single, but I’m also to the point where I’m not going to date people just to date them. If someone doesn’t feel right, adios, fella. Hoping to find my lobster soon, but I’m making sure that he’s the right one.

Reply

EXACTLY!!! That is how I felt… I’d rather be home watching Netflix and eating chocolate on my own then dating someone I knew wasn’t right for me. You are close… I can feel it! I hope you have a wonderful day Natalie!

Reply

Boy, but it looks so cold. Only my eyes will be showing if I were there. I’ve been using Avon for years. I can start running tomorrow, I must start with 1 km, obviously if my ankle hurts I’ll stop.
Have a great day.

Reply

YOUR ANKLE IS BETTER… I’ve been wondering when you would be able to start running again. I’m so excited about this. Let me know how it goes and enjoy the warmer temperatures for me!

Reply

Pretty impressive that Skye takes such a solid nap every day! Is it usually at the same time each day? How did you manage that?

Reply

I wish I knew but I have no idea why she does that… I lucked out, that is for sure! As long as her sound machine is on, she has a fully belly, a binky, the kids aren’t running around making noise and she has her blanket, that girl is out! Have a wonderful day Claire!

Reply

Can I just say that I am always amazed at how you GET LIFE THINGS DONE, you SO OFTEN reply to these comments, and, of course, you are an amazing runner and human being!

A couple of things! I tried Maurten during my last marathon and really liked it. I think I already told you, but I’m thinking of switching from Huma to solely Maurten. The Maurten is so $ though! It really is like a liquified gummy bear in texture–kinda thick, but it’s not bad. At one of my races this fall, the photographer caught me just as I had put Maurten in my mouth. Let me tell ya, it’s a lovely photo he captured :0 ha ha I usually put it in and then kind of suck it through my teeth?! Sounds weird, but it works. Try it!

I didn’t realize you tint your eyebrows. I’m dying to get mine microbladed, but you’re not supposed to sweat for 2 weeks after you get it done! Uh, I run and do hot yoga. So, I’m torn. I’m afraid they’ll be too dark and fake looking, too, but I would LOVE to have it done. I have found a girl who does amazing work!!!!! I need to find two weeks where I won’t sweat! Life’s major problems, huh?! ha ha

Skin! I use Kiehl’s products and LOVE them!!!!!

My oldest daughter’s birthday is this Friday :) I do not think she is my child though b/c she doesn’t want a cake. She wants all of us to just get a Slushie from 7-11. ha ha

And, you ladies are GORGEOUS in those dresses. Perfect color for this time of year!!!!!

Reply

Jen, you are way too nice to me! YES… you are one of the reasons I started thinking about Maurten! I need to see that picture haha:) That is the reason I don’t want to get them microbladed ha… I want to run! Plus I just like how they look tinted so I stick to that… try tinting yours and see what you think! Kiehl’s products… I’ll look into that!
Bahaha that sounds like Knox… Slushies > cake. I love it! Tell her happy birthday week for me:) Have a wonderful Monday!

Reply

Setting new PRs are so much fun (means you just smashed your goal too)! Those matching dresses are everything. I want my sons to have matching cowboy boots :)

Reply

Matching cowboy boots… okay, that would be so cute! Thanks Ginette, have a great Monday!

Reply

Yay December birthdays! My son turns 2 Wednesday and I turn THIRTY THREE on the 13th. Happy Birthday week to Skye! :)
I love these question and answers, they’re so fun to read! And you guys look adorable in your matching dresses.

I wanted to say though, I tried Maurten and it destroyed my stomach. I think I’ve mentioned in the comments here before that some people can have a reaction to maltodextrin….that’s what happened with Maurten. :( I was pretty bummed because I had heard such good things!

Reply

OHHHHHH good to know! Thanks for sharing that about Maurten (just in case I do try a little bit and it kills me I will know what is going on… thank you)! You have such a busy December… so much celebrating! Happy birthday next week and have the best time celebrating your son on Wednesday. Have a great day!

Reply

To the reader asking how you get things done, I also work full time and have 2 young kiddos. If I want to work out it’s either at 4:30 am or after they go to bed (which is hard). I really, truly feel so much better if I take the time for myself. I have to remind myself of that when my alarm goes off for sure, but it’s always worth it. I’m in such a better mood if I moved in the morning. My best tip if you’re just so tired and don’t think your body can do it, start easy, sometimes I tell myself I’ll just watch something on my ipad and walk on the treadmill for 20 minutes, it always turns into something more!

I’m a big fan of glossier milk jelly cleanser. I use that, followed by a toner (don’t have one I love), a vitamin c serum very other day, and then rose hip oil.

No December birthday for me, but Saturday is my daughter’s 1st birthday too! The year just flew!

Happy Monday Janae!

Reply

Sara, THANK YOU for sharing how you do it. 4:30 or after they go to bed… you are a rockstar. It’s amazing how much better our days go when we take time for ourselves and next time I am complaining about waking up at 5something… I’ll think about YOU. Thank you for sharing your skin care routine too. I forgot about my vitamin c serum that I have, I’ll have to start that again.

Happy birthday to your little girl this Saturday! Enjoy your day!

Reply

Love the quote, I printed it out. Needed that this morning, so thank you.

Today is my birthday, then my husband’s is the 13th, my youngest daughter’s is the 27th, and my dad’s is the 31st. :)

Reply

Hey Amanda, HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TODAY! Your December is nuts… so much fun! I’m glad that quote could help and if you ever need to email, I’m your woman!

Reply

I have been using Sunday Riley products for skincare for the past few months – they are pricey, but worth it. Plus, they are high quality, so a little bit goes a LONG way. The product line has something for every skin type! Also, for any breakouts, I just discovered Mario Badescu Drying Lotion and that stuff is A-MA-ZING. The older I get, the more I try to take care of my skin.
The matching dress picture is SO CUTE! :)

Reply

Drying Lotion for breakouts… that sounds like exactly what I need. I am just like you, the older I get the more and more I am strict about sunscreen and I need to figure out my skincare better! Thank you Rhiannon and have a wonderful day!

Reply

It is amazing how much you get things done and how you SEEM to get your blog and momming and running and everything else done and still get enough sleep at night. I don’t get enough sleep…nowhere near. It’s a dang good week if I got at least 6 hours of sleep two nights in the week. I’m perpetually exhausted, and I don’t have kids-at-a-very-active-age to chase around all day (and Blended Family Things to coordinate…).

For me, skincase is something like this: once a week, every week (but during the middle third or so of the semester it becomes every OTHER week…) I give myself a few minutes of quality time with the Charcoal face mask from Origins (I have been using it for literally 21+ years and it is amazing…). Every day I cleanse with Aveeno Positively Radiant cleansing pads while I am in the shower (it’s the only way I will do daily facial cleanser–if it’s double-duty…), and for my MOISTURIZER I use the Gin-zing gel moisturizer from Origins–the gel feels really hydrating on my skin and it doesn’t dry out in the winter, and in the summer it doesn’t feel so thick and like the moisturizer will slide right down my face with all of the sweat that comes with the Atlanta humidity.

When the weather gets really cold–so cold that my face stings and there’s a worry that all night long somehow I will dry out (we keep our bedroom really cool and Tom needs a dehumidifier in the bedroom…), I use the Vitamin E night cream from The Body Shop.

I can easily get the post-race blues. Length of the race doesn’t matter–capacity to feel the let-down that comes with the end of a goal is still really big for me. One thing that helped me is that the day before my 5K yesterday I began to put together a schedule to keep me training REGULARLY for my 10K in mid-January, and yesterday night–after I put together my playlist for the spin classes I teach this week–I finalized that training plan, printed it out, and put it on my fridge. My 2018 running goal is now done, but my 2019 running goal is something that will require a different kind of focus and even more belief in myself to attain. So I need to hype myself up! And thinking of the goal I just completed as part of a longer and more on-going endeavor helps me a lot, almost like the way a video-game-lover would get excited about finally completing the level of the game they’ve been on…but there’s still a whole lot more ‘game’ to be played!

(but don’t worry–yesterday my husband and I celebrated my year-long effort at one of our favorite ‘nicer’ restaurants in town with a big fancy brunch and it included as many carbs as if I had run a marathon instead of a 5K that morning…cake on Saturday, donuts & biscuits yesterday…it’s been a BIG food party weekend for me!!! Romaine lettuce is still on recall and I already finished all the spinach in the fridge, so why not? Today I will grocery shop and go back to eating the foots that make my body feel great rather than the foods that primarily make my taste buds want to dance…)

Reply

I think that’s one of the hardest things about blogging so making sure I set time aside to do everything instead of continually getting on all day. When my kids napped that was the best time but they don’t nap anymore so I have to try to find a good quiet time/alone play for them to do while I work on it.

Reply

That picture of the three of you in your dresses absolutely makes my heart melt. So cute!!
My little guy is 13 months today! It has been so fun following along with Skye since she is so close to his age :)
I use a Neutrogena cleansing bar at night (no soap on my face in the morning), and products from The Ordinary to tone and moisturize. In the wintertime, I need heavy duty moisture, so I reach for Pond’s sensitive cream in a jar. That stuff goes on like buttah ;) And spf 50 if I’m even stepping foot outside, despite living in the 5th cloudiest place in America.

Reply

Great post today Janae! So fun reading the questions and all the replies.
LOVE the quote about staying positive!! I’m going to screen shot that so I can read it whenever I need to :)
I’ve always tried to take good care of my skin. It’s something my Nana taught me from a very young age. I think it’s so important to use a VERY GENTLE cleanser. I use (old school) Aveeno Moisturizing bar and a Clarisonic (extra gentle brush). I sweat a lot when I run so I have to wash the salt off my face right away or it gets irritated. I’m also diligent about sunscreen every day of the year, even if it’s not sunny. The last thing is to use a moisturizer that is a little more than you think you need, unless it breaks you out. I like Kopari Sheer Oil and Confidence in a Cream by It! Cosmetics. I hate having dry skin.
My birthday is December 26th. Sometimes I’m so busy on Christmas that I forget it’s my birthday.
I can’t believe Skye is almost a year old! Hope y’all have so much fun celebrating that Sweet Little Girl!!

Reply

Hope has a December b-day.
Still in need of b-day presents for Skye? The book Someday. (you might need to get it for both girls, though) It is the absolute best!

Reply

I ran again today and I think everything is improving!! I think I’ve figured out how to land forefoot without putting too much weight on my soleus (I think that was my problem that left my calves feeling crazy sore). And no shin pain. I think as long as things continue to improve rather than worsen I’ll give the marathon next Saturday a go. But if not I have a backup marathon three weeks later. I just know that as long as everything is feeling okay on race day that I CAN meet my goal of a new PR! The only thing that keeps me from saying “I can and I will” is fear of reigniting pain…

Reply

I have had more acne (around my chin) as an adult than as a teen! I finally found a cream that works miracles for my face. It’s called Keeva. It has tea tree oil and I love the feeling plus it’s not full of chemicals. It’s not cheap but Amazon has it. I paid it with Biore charcoal wash and then you just need the Keeva once a day which usually goes on after my shower no matter what time of the day that is. ? Happy Birthday Skye, she is a DOLL!

Reply

I’m running the rocket city marathon in Alabama on skyes bday! So I hope that brings me extra good luck!
My niece has a bday on the 26th. Always feel bad for her!

Reply

SKIN: Have you tried BeautyCounter? It changed my skin ~ finally finally in my 30s I’m no longer breaking out :). The best thing about them is they ban thousands (yep, over 1 thousand) toxic ingredients and chemicals that are often found in skincare products. SO important to be conscious of this ~ chemicals are often to blame for clogging up our skin … and then can lead to a whole host of issues. Yes, I’m now a consultant for them after ~1year of trial and error in using their products and realizing what a huge difference it was making. Please please check it out! :)

Reply

LOVE what you said about dating–my issue with dating right now is that I feel like so many people want to date just to date and go out a few times, and that drives me crazy! I put a lot of effort and time into my friendships and family so I don’t want to be dating someone that just sees it as something temporary. And being introverted, going on a first date with someone is nerve-wracking enough so why would I want to do that over and over?! Sorry, that turned into a tangent–but you got me thinking!

I recently started using Burt’s Bee’s tinted moisturizer–it’s only SPF 15, but it uses zinc and titanium dioxide for sunscreen instead of chemicals, which I prefer. I had never used tinted before but I love it. Saves a bunch of steps in my morning routine AND works on my really dry skin.

Reply

I was having a terrible issue with hormonal acne. I was breaking out with painful cystic acne along my jawline amd even under it. I had been to the dermatologist and after antibiotics and 2 facial creams I was still breaking out. Someone told me to try Unblemish by Rodan & Fields and in 2 weeks my skin was clear! I definitely don’t sell it – just a happy customer!

Reply

Skincare -> Kiehl’s midnight recovery serum is a miracle product! I have terrible skin and it is the only thing that really made a difference over time in how smooth, even, and bright my skin is. Put it on at night (one of the oils in the serum is lavender oil, so it smells great and is very relaxing) and once it has absorbed into your skin, layer a good moisturizer on top like Clinique Moisture Surge or Kiehl’s ultra facial cream (at least during winter when running makes our skin extra dry). The serum is expensive ($47), but if you start with a cheaper Kiehl’s product first (like a soap) you can add the serum as one of your free samples during checkout, and the sample is good for 3-5 nights :)

Reply

Awesome post. Out of all that writing in this entire post, I just can’t get over your neighbors brought you homemade salsa and chips. Seriously!? Best neighbors ever !!!!

Reply

I just keep it simple and cheap with an unscented cleanser + unscented moisturizer w SPF for day and without SPF for night … spectro or cetaphil brands. And also acne medication from my doctor!!

Reply

Ran my first marathon on Saturday – St. Jude in Memphis! Thought of you several times (mostly, “how the HECK can you possibly run a sub-3 marathon?!” ?). It was a rough day to race – thunderstorms delayed the start time by an hour, and then we ran in 70-72 degree sunny, humid weather the rest the morning. I was literally in survival mode the last 5 miles and had to readjust my expectations, but I finished! 3:34:50. Someday maybe I’ll do it again and try to BQ!

Reply

HANNAH!! OH MY GOODNESS… HUGE HUGE HUGE CONGRATS ON YOUR FIRST MARATHON! 3:34 for your FIRST marathon… you killed it and in those conditions?! I am so impressed by you and that BQ will be yours! I hope you feel beyond accomplished and that you are recovering well. Thank you for telling me!

Reply

My birthday was yesterday (I’m feeling good about entering my 33rd year:) ). Hooray for winter birthdays! I love the matching dresses with your girls. So cute! Thank you for your words about positive thinking. I think that’s something I need to get better at in every aspect of my life. The mind really is a powerful thing!

Reply

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMANDA!! I hope your day was perfect. I’m excited for my 33rd year starting in February too:) I hope the rest of your week is great!

Reply

Don’t me mad but I hate all your fave candies lol. For me mms, Reese’s, jr mints, Oh and this local chocolate store that has pretzel bars that are heaven.

You should check out ole Henriksen. My age spots are complete gone after using the products! I also just use a bunch of Sephora samples on my Face all the time haha

Reply

I could never hate you… as long as you send them all to me if you ever receive them. I NEED TO TRY THAT… my age spots need some help:) Thanks Sara and I hope you get the pretzel bars soon!

Reply

I LOVE my skincare routine (I get excited for it every day, but maybe I’m just excited to go to bed… haha)
I wipe off all my makeup with a magic makeup eraser and water
Next, I use my Foreo Luna and some Lancome Re-Hydrating Face Wash to really wash my face.
Twice a week, at this point, I apply either a hydrating mask or a brightening, but anti-acne is also awesome. I’m currently using an Ahava hydrating mask and a Yes To charcoal mask.
Then, I rinse the mask off, use Lancome’s Re-Hydrating Toner, and apply some Murad lotion before going to bed. I pull my hair back loosely for bed so that I don’t get oil from my hair on my face, and I change my pillowcase every 2 – 3 days.

Hope that helps with the skincare!

Reply

I’m due with baby #2 this Saturday 12/8! :) have loved following your post partum journey since I’ll be on a similar timeline/calendar.

Skincare wise I have used and love Rodan+Fields. Has made the biggest impact on my runner girl skin! :)

Reply

AHHH ELISE!!! I am so incredibly excited for you! I hope that you are feeling well! Please keep me updated! I keep hearing the best things about Rodan + Fields… I might have to try it! Get some sleep tonight!

Reply

Hey Janae! How long has Skye been taking just one nap? My daughter will be 11 months next week and I’m convinced she’s ready for just one nap, but I feel like everyone is trying to talk me out of it. Just curious about your experience!

Reply

I can do hard things is my mantra too, not only in running, but any time life gets a little…well…hard. The Matt Fitzgerald nutrition book looks like an excellent read. I’m thinking about picking up Racing Weight too. Running nutrition has always interested me, but never has been something I’m particularly good at. xo.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *