Want to join in on the beach fun?? Here are some posts you might have missed:

• Confessions (I had FFF t-shirts made!)
• Greetings from the Road (my favorite pit-stop for breakfast)
• Settling In (comforts of home when away)
• Officially Started (our first beach moments – including super cute kid photos!)

Before hitting the beach yesterday morning, I helped Peter get started on a new challenge he has decided to pick up. The Couch to 5K!!

I was so thrilled when he told me he wanted to try to get a bit more into running as well. Even better? He wanted to get started on our vacation so I could go out with him. We woke up early yesterday morning to get in the week one, day one workout.

The workout called for 5 minutes walking to warm-up and then alternating 60 seconds of jogging with 90 seconds of walking. Our walking intervals ended up being more photo shoot intervals instead though…

Besides our self-portraits we snagged some shots of our new house…

(if only)

…and one of the many scary looking jelly fish washed up on shore…

(remind me not to go in the water)

….and goofy “I’m running pictures”.

so special

We still managed to cover 2 miles in our workout, which felt great. It also got me amped up for a longer, steadier run on the beach this morning.

I laced up and headed out to the flat, packed sand. Oh, how I would love to run along the shore every day!! I covered 4 miles at a calm, easy for me 10 minute/mile pace. It felt amazing! The peaceful, quiet of the early morning coupled with the serenity of seeing such beauty as the vast ocean and colorful sky God created – what a way to start a day!

To top off a revitalizing workout, I filled my belly with my all-time favorite breakfast. Oats with strawberries, raisins, and peanut butter of course!

Mmmmmm. Now I feel ready to tackle anything. Though today I only plan to tackle my beach chair and sand when playing with Makenzie. I hope Monday treats you well!

• What is your all time favorite breakfast?
• Do you know anyone ever stung by a jellyfish? My sister has been…and someone did in fact have to pee on her. She’s gonna kill me for telling that!

You may remember my stellar 10K race experience from this past weekend. You may also remember seeing some cuteness like below…

Seeing little Miss M cheering on her mommy with some awesome racing yard signs really gave me a spark of energy each of the four times I got to pass my family. See?

I have always heard other runners talk about the value of support from race spectators. I would think it sounded nice, but didn’t understand the difference it truly makes. I quickly learned. There were certainly a few times along the course on Saturday that I could feel my energy waning, but then in the distance I would see a bright green sign waving around and BAM – instant energy shot. Like tequila…but better…and safer when running.

Awhile ago, Megan from Signs on the Cheap (that’s a name I can get on board with) contacted me about reviewing some of their create-your-own products. My newfound love of racing sent me directly in the direction of cheering signs. We tossed around some ideas and she created these great personalized signs.

I don’t have much creativity dwelling inside me and she worked it out to somehow give me exactly what I wanted. Awesome!

The signs worked perfectly. They are a durable material so we can continue to use them in all my future races. They are lightweight and easy to handle. The bright colors stand out so I can easily spot my personal cheering crew. Other people loved the signs as well and commented on the great idea of using them. Clearly, this won’t be the last time you see the appearance of “The Finish Is Worth It” or “You’re Kickin’ Asphalt” on FFF.

Would you love to create your own cheering sign? Simply leave me a comment telling me how you appreciate support from others in your fitness goals for a chance to win your very own creation!

Winner must be a U.S. resident *excluding Hawaii and Alaska. Giveaway will end Thursday evening at midnight. Winner announced in Friday morning’s post.