Things are normally busy around here but lately, it’s been in overdrive! The end of school always seems like a time when activities pick up and there are more places we have to be and things to do. Factor in my oldest son graduating from high school on the 19th and my 6 yr old graduating from kindergarten and it gets really crazy.  Oh, I didn’t mention that on the 7th my husband came down with pneumonia. He’s actually doing better but is still really weak and can’t run for a while, which is driving him crazy. My 2 yr old also got sick on Tuesday and has had a really high temp, throwing up and sore throat. The doctor said it was a “strep-like” virus which basically means that she’s having the same symptoms of strep throat but there’s not medicine to get rid of it. :-/ We’re also trying to get our house ready to possibly sell, which is turning out to be extremely a tad bit stressful as well. I’m also trying to fit my running into the schedule, which has been about 9:30 or 10pm…or later.

So, that’s basically a run down of what’s going on here and why I can’t seem to do a lot of writing. I am trying to make sure my SITNF Facebook page stays current and updated, which is a little bit easier to do than to sit and write a detailed race recap. Although I’m DYING to do that!! I want to tell you about the Crescent City Classic, the Rock and Roll Marathon, a crazy 10k where I got lost on the course and then the Okatoma River Run 5k, which I’d trained like crazy for and tell you what the outcome of that race was…in case you don’t already know, lol. I’m also working on a post about how I nearly didn’t make it to the marathon. I started to include it in my marathon recap but decided that you’d probably rather read a shorter version and go back and read the other part later. I will get it all done eventually but my family and the many things we have going on always comes first.

Of course, I wouldn’t trade these busy times for anything (I would like a little more time in the day though! Maybe 26 hours?). Even when the days seems long, I know these moments are fleeting in the grand scheme of things. It seems like yesterday that Tyler was Zach’s age….now he’s graduating and going to college. My 14 yr old will be in high school next year and Zach will be a 1st grader. Those nights, which are usually most nights, when I’m hanging off of the bed on my side and Jason is propping his head on the night stand because Zach and Zoe have gotten in the bed with us, can be exhausting but I know that one day the night time visits will be over. It’s those little things that are so important. They are the things that now seem to be just the normal part of the day (or night) but in the blink of an eye, it will seem like so very long ago. As you can tell, I’m on quite the emotional roller coaster, lol. You always know your kids are growing up but it’s the milestones that can really hit hard.

I hope all the moms had a wonderful Mother’s Day on Sunday! Mine was great. Tyler had his graduate recognition and then later that day had his Baccalaureate ceremony. That evening, the kids and Jason gave me my Mother’s Day gifts which included a pair of Nike Free Run 3.0 shoes in bright pink! 

Here’s a picture from my Mother’s Day that says it all. This was not staged, by the way, lol! It’s how most of our attempts at group pictures turn out.

Thank you to everyone that entered my Tough Chik Ball Cap giveaway! One of my favorite parts of this particular giveaway was reading your responses about what makes you a Tough Chik. We are all tough in one way or the other and I think it’s important to realize that even though our toughness might show up at different times, we have all have what it takes to be a Tough Chik!

In order to make my drawing truly random, I used Random Picker to choose my winner.

The winner of her very own Tough Chik Ball Cap is – The Running Teacher!

Congratulations!! Please contact me with your mailing information and I’ll forward it to Shannon at Tough Chik!

Thanks again to everyone that entered and if you’d still like to get your own Tough Chik gear, you can check out their website by clicking here.

Congratulations again, to The Running Teacher! Be sure and check out her FB page and her blog too!

To continue my giveaways, Shannon at Tough Chik is giving me the opportunity to give away my favorite hat!! When I first saw it on the Tough Chik site, I fell in love with it. At that time, they were out of stock (understandably so!) but as soon as they were back in stock, I ordered mine. I wear it all the time. It’s comfy, it’s cute and it’s got a little attitude on the back.

Here’s the Tough Chik store’s description:Tough Chik now has an answer to a bad hair day!  We all have them, so why not look cute with the Tough Chik ball cap?  The graphite colored hat features the Tough Chik logo in pink embroidery across the front and the back reads “this is what tough looks like”.
100% brushed cotton twill with 6-panels, unstructured construction. Self-fabric closure with brass buckle and grommet tuck-in.  One size fits most.

My Tough Chik hat came with me to the Rock n Roll Marathon in New Orleans.

It also got to meet Olympic great, Frank Shorter!

Here’s what you need to do to enter to win your own Tough Chik hat:

1. Become a fan of Tough Chik on Facebook and let them know I sent you. Leave a comment here with your FB name. (+2 entries)

2. Become of Slow is the New Fast on Facebook and comment here. If you’re already a fan, just let me know. (+2)

3. Follow my blog. (+2)

4. Tell me what  makes you a Tough Chik. (+3)

Optional entries:

1. Follow Tough Chik on Twitter. (+2)

2. Follow me on Twitter. (+2)

3. Announce this giveaway on Facebook or Twitter. (+3)

4. Blog about this giveaway and link back here. (+5)

That’s it! This giveaway will end on Tuesday, April 17th and I will announce the winner on Wednesday, April 18th.

Please remember to leave a separate comment for each entry and please enter only in the ways listed above. I reserve the right to delete comments not adhering to the above entry guidelines.  You must be 18+ years old & live in the USA or Canada. The winner will be notified via email and/or announcement on this blog, Facebook or Twitter. They will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner will be chosen.

Good Luck!!

If you would like to sponsor a giveaway on my blog (or you know someone that does) please contact me by sending me an email to gcmjjm03 at gmail dot com.  I will always disclose whether or not the giveaway is sponsored by someone else or if it is one of my very own.

Thank you so much to everyone that entered to win a signed copy of Train Like A Mother! Also, a huge THANK YOU to Dimity McDowell and Sarah Bowen Shea for sharing a copy of their wonderful book with me to give to one of you!

As always, to make sure my results are chosen at random, I used Random Picker.

The winner of her very own signed copy of Train Like A Mother is: Rachel Goeden!

Congratulations, Rachel!! Please email me at gcmjjm03 at gmail dot com (or message me on Facebook/Twitter) with your mailing information and I’ll get that over to the ladies at TLAM so they can get your book out to you!

Thank you to everyone that entered the contest and don’t forget to stay tuned for more giveaways coming up! (Yeah, I know March is nearly over but it’s my party and I can extend it if I want to. )

Also, if you’d like to pick up your own copy of Train Like A Mother, just click here!

Congratulations again, Rachel!!! Keep us updated on that 50k that you’re going to be training for!! By the way, check out Rachel’s Facebook page – We Run This! 

That’s how I’ve been feeling when it comes to my running lately. Ever since the marathon, I’ve not been in a regular running routine. Of course, I know that I’m not supposed to go back full throttle right after one but I do think I’m supposed to be running a little more than I am.(Jason went for a 12 mile long run last week….) My normal running time has gotten interrupted lately by my 2 yr old that has decided not to go to sleep until really late most nights. My husband helps me out with her but can’t until he’s gotten our 6 yr old to bed. (Zach says he can’t go to sleep without his daddy lying beside him. )

I guess things felt extra bad yesterday because I hadn’t been able to run since last Tuesday or Wednesday and I was feeling the grouchiness emerge. On top of that, I  was STARVING yesterday, all day!! It’s one thing to feel that way the day after a long run because I feel like I can pat myself on the back and say, “Eat up, you’ve earned it.” But when I’ve done nothing that day or the day before, it’s not a good feeling to feel like my stomach is a bottomless pit.  Last night, after Jason got Zach to sleep, I was still in bed with Zoe, who was still not asleep (but I had been). He told me he’d take over with her so I could get my run in. At that moment, I didn’t care if I ever ran another step. I was frustrated, not at Jason, not at Zoe…. I just was in general. In my best Eeyore impersonation, I declared, “I think I’m just going to give up on all of this. I think I’ll just see how much weight I can gain.”  Of course, about 10 minutes later I had my running clothes on and ran 4 miles of frustration off. 

I didn’t really mean that I was going to give up and my new goal was to eat as much as possible. I think what I really meant was I’m scared to death that this whole running thing is suddenly going to stop one day and I will turn back into the person that I used to hate looking at in the mirror. Honestly, I can’t go down that road again….I won’t let myself. I think that’s why I start feeling like the wheels are coming off the wagon if my routine is thrown off.

What I’m saying is that I’m quitting at being a quitter. It’s silly for me to let a few days get me down and instead of bellyaching and moping, I’m going to do what I can when I can. This isn’t the first time I’ve felt this way but I wanted to share it with you this time. I wanted you to know (in case you didn’t already) that if you feel like this, you aren’t the only one and you can get back on track. Don’t let a few bad days ruin a good thing. 

I’ve got a 5k race this weekend and then the next Saturday is the Crescent City Classic 10k. I haven’t trained as much as I have in the past for it but I know I can run 6 miles, I know it’ll be fun and I know if I skipped out on it I’d really be let down.

I feel much better today, btw. It’s a good thing I waited to blog about it now instead of doing it yesterday like I thought about doing.

Thanks for the reminder, Nike.

I’m going to do what I can, with what I have, with the time I’m given and I’m going to be grateful for it. 

P.S. Don’t forget to enter my Train Like a Mother giveaway!

The lucky winner of my Skirt Sports giveaway is…..Joy Scott!! Congratulations, Joy!

Because I have so many entries in my giveaways, I always use Random Picker.


Joy, please contact me at either gcmjjm03 at gmail dot com or via Facebook or Twitter with your mailing information and I’ll pass it along to Katie at Skirt Sports!

Thank you again to Joy and everyone else that entered my giveaway!

Don’t forget that I have another super giveaway going on now which is a signed copy of Train Like a Mother!!!

Congratulations again, Joy!!

Here’s what you need to do to enter:

1. Go to Facebook and become a fan of Run Like a Mother, then come back and let me know you did – don’t forget to leave your FB name. Tell them I sent you, if you don’t mind. (+2 entries)

2. Like Slow is the New Fast on Facebook, leave a comment here. (+2 entries)

3. Tell me which distance and/or race you’d like to Train Like a Mother for. (+2 entries)

4. Follow my blog. (+2 entries)

Optional entries:

1. Run on over to AnotherMotherRunner.com and follow their blog. (+2)

2. Follow me on Twitter, leave your Twitter handle here. (if you have Twitter). (+2)

3. Tweet about it, “I can’t wait to #trainlikeamother with @SBSOnTheRun, @dimityontherun & @GinaMooney! #slowisthenewfast” (+3)

4. Announce this giveaway on your own blog, and let me know. (Leave a link to your blog, please!) (+3 entries)

5. Post this giveaway on Facebook or tweet about it on Twitter. (+3)

That’s it! I’m sure you’re getting used to this by now.   This giveaway will end on Thursday, March 29th and I’ll announce the winner on Friday, March 30th.

Please remember to leave a separate comment for each entry and please enter only in the ways listed above. I reserve the right to delete comments not adhering to the above entry guidelines.  You must be 18+ years old & live in the USA or Canada. The winner will be notified via email and/or announcement on this blog, Facebook or Twitter. They will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner will be chosen.

Good Luck!!!

Since today is my 1st Blogiversary, I wanted to celebrate in a big way by giving away a signed copy of Train Like a Mother! These are the awesome ladies who also authored Run Like a Mother. In TLAM, Dimity McDowell and Sara Bowen Shea offer up realistic training plans that are helpful and add a big dose of humor, which every mom needs….I know I do!

Here’s a quick description of the book that Amazon.com provided (where you can buy this book, btw, if you don’t win it):

Since the publication of their first book, Run Like a Mother, the authors have built up an engaged, vibrant tribe of women runners–more than 10,000 fans on Facebook and an average of 2,500 daily visitors to anothermotherrunner.com–who are clamoring for another book. At its core, Train Like a Mother will comprehensively cover how to train for a race, including training plans for four race distances (5K, 10K, half-marathon, and marathon) for both beginner and more experienced runners; the importance of recovery; pre- and post-race nutrition; strength training; injury prevention (and rehab); and everything busy women need to know to add racing to their multitasking schedules. It is all presented with the same wit, empathy, and tone the avid fans connect and identify with.

The book is divided into 13.1 chapters -the distance of a half-marathon, the sweet spot for many mother runners -narrated by both Sarah and Dimity. Like the first book, Train Like a Mother chapters have plenty of sidebars, including Practical Motherly Advice (helpful information about training and race-related advice), Take It from a Mother (advice and answers from the growing tribe of running moms), and Racy Talk (entertaining, race-related stories from the authors and other moms). The .1 sections are entertaining “commercial breaks” celebrating the sport of running and the added thrill of racing.

If you are like I was, I know you’re going to be so excited to finally get your hands on this book! (Don’t forget it will be signed too!)

Have a piece of virtual cake (click it) and get signed up for the giveaway!:)

Thank you again to everyone that has been participating in my giveaways. Like I’ve said before, I’m doing this because I appreciate you so much! I wouldn’t be having a “Blogiversary” if I didn’t have all of you here to support me.  As always, I used Random Picker to draw the winners of my contest.

Ok, here are the winners for the Sweaty Bands giveaway – Kari Lemoine and Stacey Berube!  Congratulations! You are the lucky winners of the Sweaty Bands!

If you will please message me either on Facebook or by emailing me at gcmjjm03 at gmail dot com with your mailing info, I will be getting these out to you ASAP. By the way, I will flip a coin to decide who gets which Sweaty Band…you’re a winner either way because they are both soooo cute!

Thank you again to everyone that entered and don’t forget about the Skirt Sports giveaway that I have going on now. I’ll also have a few more before my blogiversary celebration is over!

Congratulations again, ladies!

To keep the blogiversary celebration going, Katie from Skirt Sports has contributed  this super cute visor and sling bag for you to win!

Here’s what you have to do to enter:

1.   Become a follower of my blog and leave a comment to let me know.  Already a follower?  Check in with a comment on this post. (+2 entries)

2. Become Skirt Sports fan on Facebook. (Let them know I sent you if you don’t mind.) Leave your Facebook name on this post’s comments section. (+2 entries)

3. Follow Skirt Sports on Twitter. (Tell them I sent you their way, if you want!) Leave your Twitter nickname on this post’s comments section. (+2 entries)

4. Like Slow is the New Fast on Facebook. Leave your Facebook name on this post’s comments section. (+2 entries)

5. Follow me Twitter, leave nickname in comments section. (+2)

Optional entries:

1. Spread the word about this giveaway via Twitter or Facebook.  Leave a comment on this post and let me know. (+3 entries for each one)

2. Announce this giveaway on your own blog, and let me know. (Leave a link to your blog, please!) (+5 entries)

Don’t forget to check out Skirt Sports and see all of their great running outfits!

The giveaway ends Sunday, March 25th and I’ll announce the winner on Monday, March 26th.

Please remember to leave a separate comment for each entry and please enter only in the ways listed above. I reserve the right to delete comments not adhering to the above entry guidelines.  You must be 18+ years old & live in the USA or Canada. The winner will be notified via email, they will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner will be chosen.

Good luck!!

If you would like to sponsor a giveaway on my blog (or you know someone that does) please contact me by sending me an email to gcmjjm03@gmail.com.  I will always disclose whether or not the giveaway is sponsored by someone else or if it is one of my very own.