GotchaBaby

April 24, 2014May 3, 2014

First 5k After 40: Weeks 3 & 4 {and a Giveaway}

Updated: This Giveaway is now closed & the winner notified. Thanks to everyone who entered- I got a LOT of extra steps in this week!

As I sit here, I have an ice bag on my ankle. The good news is that I’ve clocked 13k steps today, including a couple of miles on the treadmill! The past two weeks have driven home what a good decision signing up for the Finishline 500 Festival 5k was, versus the Mini-Marathon (there is nothing mini about it).

Last week we found ourselves down one vehicle. While the van was getting serviced, our usual routines were disrupted, including my workouts. I still made it to the gym twice, but I didn’t meet my goal of five days that week (I know, who am I that that is my goal?). Saturday I did go for a walk with friends. This week I’ve gotten more miles in, but my pace is realistically a 20:0 minutes mile. Which is fine. It’s a still an actual pace, which is better than no pace at all.

I’ve learned that a companion is crucial to training, as is making a date to workout. I’ve put workouts on my calendar like any other appointment, and every weekend, my friend and I figure out which days we can workout on the treadmill together.

With just a week left before race day, I need to bump up my game. I’m going to have to get outside and do 5k a couple of times this coming week. As soon as I get this ice bag off my ankle!

{The Giveaway}

Are you needing a little motivation? Some goodies to get you moving? McDonalds and I can help! Leave a comment telling me your favorite kind of exercise, or the kind of exercise you’d like to try, and you will be entered to win a fun prize pack from McDonalds, including a t-shirt, pedometer, water bottle and a few other goodies.

For additional entries, share this giveaway on social media, and leave a separate comment for each share.

As an added incentive….I will walk 1,000 steps for every entry and report back here when I do. I will do my best to walk your 1,000 steps the day that you enter. So…enter away, and I’ll get to walking! (*So, on a non-gym day, I typically do 6,000 steps. I’ll do a 1,000 over the baseline of 6,000 for every entry)

This giveaway will be open until the night before the Finish Line 500 Festival 5k. Entries will be open thru 9pm on May 2nd. Winner will have 24 hours to respond- if there’s no response, a new winner will be chosen. Good luck!

“Disclosure: McDonald’s of Central Indiana has provided benefits, including free Finish Line 500 Festival 5K registration, an Arch Card, a t-shirt and giveaway products in exchange for my participation in this campaign.”

April 6, 2014April 8, 2014

First 5k After 40 Training: Week 2

I am continuing to move in ways I haven’t in awhile. In preparation for my first post-40 5k, I’m checking in once a week and sharing my progress. I’m proud to say that Spring Break 2014 was full of fun, and full of exercise. We trekked through Conner Prairie, I got in three workouts at the gym, and then Saturday happened. Oh Saturday.

Leilan and I have become dedicated FitBit users. It’s basically a geeky pedometer that works with a smartphone app by syncing throughout the day. We’ve been using our devices since early March, and it’s been a great motivator to move more and sit less. Saturday though, we took this idea to a new level.

Saturday we had a friendly competition- we asked the kids, “Who will take more steps? Mommy or Daddy?”

Friends chimed in with their thoughts, and I had a good number of people on my side. Meg was rooting for me too. We started out just a few steps apart when we got into the car to go to the Children’s Museum.

“Do you want me to drop you off at the door?” he asked coyly.

“No, we can walk with you,” I answered.

In the museum we eventually got split up, and I was put on Andrew duty, which means we watched a lot of trains. After reconnecting, I discovered that he was ahead by quite a bit- while I was watching trains, he and Meg were all over the place! I left him in ScienceWorks on the fourth floor with the kids and “went for a walk”.

In case you were wondering, it’s about 700 steps to walk the ramps of the museum from the fourth floor to the basement and then back up again. I did it twice and evened the score. When we left the museum, we were once again within a couple hundred steps of each other.

Here’s where it gets confusing. After we stopped for a bite to eat, we split up. Leilan was headed to the store to buy some clothes. I took the kids to Holland Park, where they played and I walked the path near the playground. I went over 10,000 steps there, and thought I had gained the lead.

As we were getting ready to head home, I got the following tweet. It looked like 10000 was not going to be the end of it.

That night on our date, we walked through Ritchey Woods- it was quite and peaceful and a nice way to reconnect with each other. We then drove to dinner, and parked at the end of the parking lot. When we were done, we walked over to the mall, walked around the mall and then walked back to the car.

When we finally picked up the kids, we compared notes.

SOMEHOW HE BEAT ME. I do not know what he did while clothes shopping, but clearly he walked around the store a few times. I also got distracted at the mall by shiny things, and I’m fairly certain he got a few more steps in while I looked at baubles. But seriously, how did he get so far ahead???

Even though I didn’t win, it was the most active Saturday we’ve had in awhile, and I booked 8 miles in my training log.

With three weeks to go until the Finish Line 500 Festival 5k, I’m feeling like finishing this event is going to be a heck of a lot easier than our Saturday competition.

April 2, 2014April 7, 2014

You’re Not the Boss of Me: A Storytelling Arts Giveaway

I love story tellers. I have a vivid memory of a storyteller visiting my third grade class and telling us the story “Caps for Sale”. To this day, that story is one of my favorites, and it think it has to do with how the story was delivered.

Families across central Indiana will get to experience a night of storytelling on April 11, 2014 at the Indiana History Center. Story teller Bill Harley will engage audiences of all ages in this special presentation. Wondering if your family would enjoy the performance? See how they like this video:

{The Giveaway}
I am excited to be giving away a family four pack to this special evening. To enter, leave a comment telling me your favorite children’s story.

For extra entries, share on social media. Be sure to link back to this post, and leave a separate comment for each one of your shares. This giveaway will be open through Monday, April 7, 2014 at 9pm. The winner will have 24 hours to respond to the email, if there is no response, a new winner will be chosen.

Good Luck and Thank You for Reading!

Tickets are $5 for children ages 5-12, $10 for adults **Children age 5 – 12 can show their Indianapolis Library card at the door to receive free admission.** Reserve your free seats and purchase tickets by calling 317-232-1882 or purchase online.

Disclosure: Thanks to Storytelling Arts of Indiana for providing my family tickets to this April 11th performance.