(workout) Life Lately

Hey y'all!
I'm gonna go ahead and blame my out-of-touch-ness on the summer!
It's hot as hell nice out so the last thing I want to do is be inside, in front of electronics.

I'm so out of touch with what's going on in the social media world and I miss you guys! :)
I've even found myself going days without getting on Instagram! (GASP!! Say it ain't so!!!)
We have a 7-8 hour car ride coming up tomorrow, so I'm hoping to spend a lot of that time catching up on reading blogs.
So allow me to apologize in advance if you get several comments from me on several different posts all at one time!
And pray my husband leaves me alone on "using up all the data...blah blah blah!" :)
He's just jealous that he has to drive and I can scour my phone!

Let's move on, shall we?

I feel like I haven't talked about running in quite some time.
Or working out period.
But let me assure you that doesn't mean I've been slacking:

That is my workout calendar for the month of June thus far!

After I finished the #4MChallenge I had mentioned that I wanted to continue that "strength training" so I might do the 30 Day Shred again or look into Jillian Michael's other DVDs.
My BBF, Meredith suggested JM's Ripped in 30 so I went out and bought it.

I don't know if it's because it's a change from constantly doing the 30 DS or what, but I am LOVING this one!
I'm doing this about 4 or 5 times a week.


And running...My first love!
I run about 4 times a week and am averaging anywhere from 15-20 miles a week.
I'm still concentrating on speed work but have pretty much been doing all of that on the treadmill.
It's too dang hot to really push myself, outside!
Which is why I have switched to morning runs for any of my non high-intensity runs.
I've been averaging 9:30-10:00 minute miles for these runs outside.
Which I am 100% OK with.
This humidity is no freaking joke and I'm not going to push myself to passing out just to get a bombass time!
(I'll save that insanity for race days!) 

I've used these 3 treadmill intervals and love them all the same!

 This one I bumped the speed up 1 MPH for each interval to make it more of a challenge!

And I've recently just picked back up the mileage on Saturday's.
Since my half, I haven't done anything over 6.2 miles.
2 weeks ago I did 8 miles and this past Saturday, I did 9 miles.

It's crazy how I just got to the point where I was craving a long run.

During my half training, I felt so scared yet so accomplished as each week, I added on another mile to the long runs.
And now I'm running 8,9,10,12...miles just because I want to!
Who am I?!?!

It's also crazy to reflect back on my half training when I had that thought on every long run of
"Man, I don't think I could do a Full. I just can't wrap my head around running 26.2 miles"
And now, I'm thinking 26.2 miles doesn't seem so out of reach!
What?!?!? Seriously...WHO AM I?!?!

BUT...
that full may have to wait till 2014 or 2015.

See...first things first!
I have a Half Marathon time that I want to beat.
(2:19:28)
So, before this year, 2013, is over, I want to complete another half mary!
And then, after that, I wouldn't mind working on another bambino...
So, God-willing, a good chunk of 2014 could be otherwise preoccupied.
And I may be crazy, but I ain't crazy enough to train for or think I could do a full marathon while preggers.
So, depending on how all that goes, will determine my goal to accomplish a Full Marathon!
You heard it here first, folks!

And I'm contemplating participating in a Tough Mudder in October.

Never Ever have I EVER wanted to do one of those crazy things.
I don't need to prove I'm a badass by saying "Been there. Done that" to a Tough Mudder.

But that's why they say, "Never say Never."
My little cousin, Dustin, was diagnosed with Leukemia in December of 2010 when he was 11 years old.

Since then, he has had a rough road to remission.
Yes, he is in remission but still having to go through all the treatments in order to (hopefully) ward this terrible disease from his body for good!

Dustin's mom and siblings have created a team to participate in a Tough Mudder in honor of Dustin.
Their slogan: "If Dustin has the strength to kick cancer's butt, we can have the strength to conquer a Tough Mudder!!"
They have extended the invite to me and others to join "Team Dustin" and participate with them.
My slogan: "I'm scared shitless!"

I mean, come on!!
How can I say no to doing this when it's in honor of something very near and dear to my heart?
But crawling under barbed wire?
Trudging through ice baths?
Electric shocks?
Jumping over fire?
An obstacle called the Boa Constrictor?!?

What the EFF, dude?!?!

When I first got the invite, I felt I had to do it.
Not cos anyone was making me.
Because I wanted to do it.

But the more I let myself think about it, the more I second guess it.
Gah....please impart your wisdom to me!

Or rather, go here and then impart your wisdom to me!

I'll leave you with this quote I got in an email this morning cos I love it!
And because Bart Yasso is the one that said it!

"As a breed, runners are a pretty gutsy bunch. We constantly push ourselves to discover limitations, then push past them."

The past 5 days

Oh yes!
This isn't just a weekend update.
This is an account of what's happened since last Wednesday.
Cos there's been a whole lotta good shit going on here lately.

I'm pretty good about keeping y'all up to date on Instagram (@kbeavtann)
But I know all y'all that don't have IG are dying to be in the loop too! :)

So let's get started, shall we?!?

My baby boy's first ever hair cut was scheduled for last Wednesday morning.

He's 21 months, so he went pretty long without one.
He had crazy curls and everywhere we went everyone always commented on them.
So I was hesitant to cut them!
But they were getting so long and crazy and ratty that I knew it was time.

I LOVE how cute he looks with his grown-up toddler hair cut!

Wednesday was also my 3 year wedding anniversary!
My husband SHOCKED the shit out of me by gifting me with this:

I have talked for awhile now about how I wanted one really bad, but I was prepared to ask for one for Christmas.
But, he scoured ebay and said he got a great deal.
And heck!! I am not complaining!


Thursday, our little town had an outdoor event called the "Affair on the Square"
(because it takes place on the town square)
Think: beer, food, and a band.

The hubs and I headed down there with Royce.
Royce has really grown to love music and get his groove on.
So he was quite a hit.
He danced and danced and walked all through the crowds.
At one point he went through the crowd high-fiving everyone he passed.
It was hysterical.
And I'm pretty sure more eyes were on him than on the band!

From the Affair on the Square, we headed to meet up with some of the people from the local "running group" I'm a part of on Facebook.
We had decided to do a very informal glow run following the Affair on the Square.
So we set out on a 3.25 mile run.
It was so much fun!!

Pre-Run

Post-Run

Friday, we had my in-laws over for shrimp kabobs and other grilling goodies.
And s'mores, of course!

Side note: I LOVE having the fire pit my boys got me for Mother's Day! I could sit out by it every night! So who's coming over for some beverages and s'mores and long talks around the fire?!?!


Saturday, I woke up and went for a 9 mile run!

I was super excited to get a good run in using the Garmin!
And it's crazy that I want to go out and run 8, 9, 10...miles.
And not because I'm training for anything.
Just because I want to!!
GAH!!!! I love running!

Then we dropped Royce off at my sister-in-laws and the hubs and I headed to Raleigh, NC for a little anniversary date.
We went shopping, ate sushi, watched the Hangover 3 and just had a great time just the 2 of us!

Sunday, I woke up bright and early and got a lot of stuff done around the house since I didn't have a little one following me around.
I picked up the bambino and came home to take a nap with him  
(I said I was up bright and early. I deserved a nap!)
And then we headed to a birthday pool party!

It's safe to say, I've just really enjoyed the past week!
And this week is looking pretty good too!

#ilovesummer

Wedding Day Link Up

So, as the story always seems to go...
I'm a day late and a dollar short!
I have not read a blog since Monday and if it weren't for IG, I wouldn't know about the fabulous link-up Mel and Holly did yesterday!

Wednesday was my 3 year wedding anniversary and as per usual, I went through our wedding pictures.
I don't go through them much at all these days...basically only on our anniversary.
But the memories all came back as I looked through the pictures and I wanted to share ALL of them with you guys!

Ok, so maybe not ALL cos no one has time to look through a 500 picture blog post
Let's just highlight a few faves!

We got married on June 19, 2010.

And let me just tell you...2010 was the year of weddings for us.
We attended a total of 12 that year.
I was a bridesmaid in 3 of those 12.

And then, of course, our own wedding!

The Dress!

I knew I wanted that "pick-up" effect and I wanted my pop of color in there somehow.
My mom actually bought this dress for me BEFORE I was ever engaged.
You know, as the girl that dreams about her wedding day, I would get online and look at dresses occasionally.
I found this one and loved it!
It was simple, perfect, and cheap!
So you gotta buy it while the getting is good!

(and it was seriously just a few months before he proposed that we bought it! 

I knew that man wanted me!) ;)

The Wedding Colors!

"Bright Ass Purple and Lime Green"is what I told anyone who asked about what colors I was doing.


The Wedding Party!

We both had 6 each.
My 'maids consisted of my sister, 2 cousins, my husband's sister, and 2 of my friends.
His guys consisted of his dad, my brother, my brother-in-law, a cousin, and 2 friends

 

And just because I love this shot...

Our Song!

We both dig 80's rock and I wanted something that no one else in those 12 weddings that year was gonna use.
So our first dance was to "When I Look Into Your Eyes" by Firehouse

The Cake!

I looked at tons and tons of pictures of wedding cakes.
I saw one done in all color and fell in love.
I knew right away that I wanted my cake to be iced in lime green.
The bottom layer was just plain white cake that I asked our caterer to dye "bright ass purple" - I loved that detail.
The rest of the layers were chocolate, raspberry and lemon!
So delish!!


The Favors!

Coozies, duh?!?!
On one side it had "Michael & Kyra June 19, 2010"
On the other side was "The Perfect Pair" with pears.
And the bottom says "Eat Drink and Be Married"

These were a hit as they fit perfectly around the cups that were used for the massive amounts of alcohol at the reception.

The left picture isn't that great, but that's the "bar" area.
3 bartenders serving I can't even tell you how many different liquors and mixes.
Down south, they have a party prior to the wedding called a "Stock the Bar party" where everyone invited brings some type of alcohol to literally stock the bar at the wedding.
So we got a good bit from that party, and then, of course, my father-in-law bought copious amounts of more liquor so as to make sure no one went thirsty.
(Needless to say, no one went thirsty, but we still have bottles of liquor left over from the wedding!)
And then we had 2 kegs of beer!

My husband was feeling REAL GOOD that night.
And I constantly had a drink in my hand that whole night...of water!
I was so hot and so thirsty, I couldn't get enough water!
In fact, I think the only alcohol I had that night was the one glass of champagne for our toast!


The Party!

I mean, we broke it down!
This is the one part of my wedding I want to repeat over and over again!
Just having a whole bunch of the people I love, in one place, having a great time!
It meant the world to me!!


The Honeymoon!

We honeymooned in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
I became obsessed with that little rock formation you see behind us.
"El Arco"
I often have thoughts of, "Man, I want to go back to Cabo!"
And we will.
Promise!!


The wedding planning sucks, takes forever, and is stressful.
But the finished product is amazing!
Yeah, I'd do the wedding all over again!

June 19, 2010

That's the day I married my best friend!

Today marks 3 years as being husband and wife!

 

 Just looking back at all the pictures from that very special day make me want to do it all over again!

 

3 years sounds like nothing, but then again, I can't remember my life without him.

I am beyond grateful.
Beyond blessed...
to have married this incredible man.

He is giving, funny, handsome, thoughtful, and encouraging.
He is an amazing friend and confidant, a generous and helpful man, a loving husband, and an incredible father.
I look forward to many, many, MANY more anniversaries and memories!

...and I thought I loved you then...

Trend Spin: Floral

I must say...Fashion Blogger, I am not.
But I am really digging these Trend Spin link-ups!

This week is florals.
Typically, I think of shirts and dresses with bright and vibrant colors.
And I have quite a few of those in my closet.
But today, I'm just sharing with you my current favorite piece of floral clothing:

Floral Jeans:

Kohl's: Lauren Conrad Floral Skinny Jeans

And just one shot for when I pretend to be a fashion blogger

Take time today to stop and smell the roses!

Father's Day Weekend

Here we are.
Another Monday.
Another weekend recap.

I will forewarn you...
This could be very boring.
We didn't do a whole lot but the weekend still seemed to fly by!

Saturday, I woke up and decided I wanted to get in a long run.
8 was the number in my head.

The weather was absolutely amazing.
Low 70's!
The run just felt awesome!
And it was the longest I've done since my Half.
I think I need to bring the distance runs back into my Saturday summer mornings!

After that, I took a nap with my sweet little baby and then my little family went to the pool.
Where I took no pictures because I was too busy trying to keep up with my water baby!
I'm so glad he loves the water, but he sure gives Mama a workout!

Sunday was Father's Day, of course!
When Royce woke up, we had to put together our little gift for "Da-da".
Royce is obsessed with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, so when I saw this card, it was just perfection!

We were just giving him money to go towards his new Triathlon bike, but I saw this cute idea from my sister's post about Father's Day ideas.

Since my husband has started getting serious about his weight loss/healthy lifestyle, he's scaled back on eating junk and his sugary love of Mt. Dew, but for Father's Day, I thought he deserved a treat!
And boy loves him some popcorn and soda!
#worldsbestpop

We had brunch over at my in-laws house.
Then, it was naptime for little man.
So, while he napped, we got his new pool all ready to swim in when he woke up.
I even got to enjoy a little wine and sun time alone for a bit!

I can really get used to Royce's love of being outside!
And particularly outside, in water!

We ended the night just lounging and hanging out!
And I love to see my boys cuddle!

Melts. My. Heart.

The Hubster's Journey

In keeping with the main theme of this blog, weight loss, I wanted to tell y'all about my husband's journey over the past couple of months!

In my personal weight loss journey, I started becoming very aware of all the health benefits of dropping the weight and becoming fit.
I so badly wanted those benefits for my husband!
But I knew me "nagging" (Does anyone else's husband LOVE to use that word??) wouldn't get the job done.
So I didn't say a word.

Just being the example...
of cleaning up my eating and being persistent and consistent with my running and exercise and race accomplishments was enough to make him decide that he wanted the same results!
Hallelujer!!!

Let's start with some pictures to do the talking!

This was the hubs and I April 2010

We had both lost some weight for our wedding that was just 2 months away from this picture.

Fast forward to May of 2012 after wedded bliss, pregnancy (my loving hubs gained the "sympathy pregnancy weight" with me - so sweet!) and life and here we are.

This was Mother's Day, May 2012.
2 months before I got serious and started on my weight loss journey.

From July 2012-January 2013 I lost about 30 pounds.
I guess that was enough for the hubs to take notice and think, "Hmm, maybe I should do something about my weight!"

I remember after Super Bowl weekend (Feb 3, 2013), Michael mentioned he was going to try to lose some weight.

Husband and wife chugging a beer at my 30th birthday party - Feb 2, 2013

 #classy

Us on Super Bowl Sunday

Since deciding that, he's lost about 30 pounds!!

But, it hasn't been till about the middle of May that he's gotten really seriously about getting healthy.
He's lost 10 of those 30 pounds total in just this past month.
He downloaded My Fitness Pal.
He's been taking his lunch and snacks to work instead of getting whatever everyone else wants to order out for!
He started out running.

This was him finishing at a free 5k we both participated in on May 18th.

He pushed Royce in the stroller the whole time, then went back and ran some more to complete a full 5k!  

(The course was measured a few tenths of a mile short.)

And, that shirt he's wearing is one I got for him for Easter that was a little too snug at that time!

But then, one day, towards the end of May, I get this text from him

Yes, my husband is in my phone as his full name. It's what I put in when we first met and I've never changed it! haha

You might think my first response, "Oh yeah???" is a little rude.

Well, the thing with my husband is he gets really into one thing and then a couple months later, he's on to the next.

So, to be honest, I didn't entirely believe that this would all stick!

But, July 27th is the date of the Tri that he's already signed up for!

He's also bought a bike and lots of gear in preparation.

He's biked and/or ran pretty much every day since he's stated he was going to do this.

(I have to encourage him to take a rest day!)

I am truly just amazed at his dedication.

And the fact that it's all on his own doing.

Not because I'm making him do it.

But because he wants it!

I can't wait to be at his Triathlon, cheering him on and watching him finish!

I might cry!

I love the example we are being to our son and can't wait for the day he chooses to complete a 1-mile fun run or 5k race!! (But not too soon, baby boy!! Mama's not trying to rush anything!!)

I am continuously reminded that our health is a gift!

Our ability to exercise is a gift!

Be thankful for that gift and go out there and work your ass off!