Say goodbye to the old, and hello to the new.

I said goodbye to 2011 with an 11 mile run today. I'm excited for 2012 and what it has in store for me and my family.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

If you need me I'll be having a serious Beyblade tournament with my son :)

I am an ATHLETE.

 

Sometimes people ask me what I'm up to these days and the typical answer is-"Nothing really.  Just kids and all of the normal things you do in life.  I like to run."

You know what?  I've been short changing myself.

This year I have come a long way.

I've logged over 1200 miles on the road.

I'm racing in the top 3% of females and top 8% overall in my bigger races.

I won a race outright this year.

I ran a marathon.

I wear a pair of running shoes out in 3 months.

I run a 20 minute 5k.

I qualified for the Boston Marathon.

I ran 4 Relays this year- (3 Ragnars- Del Sol, Wasatch Back, Vegas) including running a 4th leg in one of those and hauling my way up the Ragnar leg in the Wasatch Back.

These things are all a big deal to me!

I am an athlete.  And that is something to be proud of.

Weekly RUNdown

You guys aren't going to believe this:

I STRENGTH TRAINED TWICE THIS WEEK!!!!!!

I know.  The world can go back to revolving on its axis now.

Monday:  6 miles hills, 8:29 pace.  372 foot gain.  Butt was sufficiently kicked.  I need to put more effort into my hill running because I'm getting soft these days.  I even had to walk at the top of the biggest hill.

Tuesday:  7.5 miles, 8:15 pace.  There's a big hill at the beginning of this run(400 foot gain) and, yet again, I ended up walking after I got to the top so I could catch my breath.  What's my deal?  It has also been really foggy this week and it seems like it's harder to breathe- or am I just making up excuses?

Thursday:  Jillian Michael's Yoga Meltdown DVD.  I'm so weak.  That's all.

Friday:  10 miles, 8:02 pace.  Ran 50 laps on the indoor track.  It felt so easy!  I ran with Mindy, but I threw in a number of sub 7 miles to mix things up.  It was really fun and I honestly never got bored.  (Which is surprising considering I ran in circles for an hour and twenty minutes.  I think the track is so much easier because A) It's actually flat, and B) there is no wind resistance.  It's also nice to have a bathroom and a drinking fountain every 2 tenths of a mile.

Saturday AM:  Christmas Eve Virtual 5K!  3.1 miles in 20:25, 6:36 average pace.  So hard.  So awesome.  Pretty stoked to have a PR in the 20's!

Stacee (Mindy's baby sister!), Mindy, Me and Liesel (My super cute sister in law!)

This is the best you get in a running picture with an iPhone.

Saturday PM:  20 minutes hips, glutes, calves.  I did this after an insanely busy Christmas Eve at 11 PM at night.  There was no way I was going another week without hitting my strength training goal!

Last week's goal:  Strength train twice a week.  Done!!!!

This week's goal:  Run 20 miles.  It's Tuesday and I have yet to run yet this week.  I'm tempted to take the entire week off to chill with the family, but I know I'll regret it, so I'm setting a 20 mile goal- not a ton of miles, but enough to make me feel like I did something.

Christmas was great this year, but SECOND Christmas was a billion times better!  I'll do another post about it after I get all of my pictures loaded.  Hope you all had a very merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve Virtual 5K- RESULTS

I can't tell you how much fun it was for Amy and I to see the results come in for the virtual 5K.  When we first decided to do it, we were anticipating it to be only the two of us.  Thanks for joining us!

Without further adieu, we have decided that the winner of the photo contest is....

Suzette!
Suzette runs on the other side of the mountain from me.  We both love Mt. Timpanogos- only from a different view.  

Amy was super awesome and put together all of the results, so a huge THANK YOU to her!  (You know, it was really hard for me to do copy and paste...) 

Disclaimer: Though 30 people may not seem like a lot keeping the blogs, pictures, names and times all together was more brain power than my brain can handle.  So if I made a mistake or left you out let me know and I'll correct it.  

1 - Mark - 19:16 - Overall Winner!

A little background info on Mark- we went to high school together.  He also happens to be the other Amy's brother in law.  He ran cross country while stealing the show in many a theatrical performance.  I pretty much want to be him.  In every way.  Well, except I still want to be a girl...  you get the picture.  He's incredible.  Great job, Mark!

2 - Amylee - 20:25 

3 - Amy - 21:01

4/5 - Martinho and Terra - 22:17

(Heather, Terra, Martinho)

6 - Heather - 22:50

7 - K - 23:34

8 - Heather - 24:20

(See photo above)

9 - Kyle - 24:22 - First 5k!

10 - Stephanie - 24:32 - New PR!

11 - Stacee - 25:30

(Stacee, Mindy, Amylee, Liesel)

12 - Mindy - 26:00

(See photo above)

13 - Ali Mc - 26:06 - New PR!

14 - Kalie - 26:30


15 - Biking Buddy April - 26:50
(With a migraine on a treadmill, I wouldn't have finished)


16 - Scott - 27:38 - New PR!

17/18 - Les & Rachel - 28:30 - New PR's!

19 - Liesel - 28:49
(See photo above)

20 - Jamie - 28:55

21 - Maren - 29:00

22 - Suzette - 29:15 - New PR!

(I had to post two of hers because they cracked me up)

23 - Keven - 29:52

24 - John - 34:20

25 - Anna - 37:48 - First 5k!


26 - Bridget T.  - 42:00


27 - Suzanne - 45:26

28 - Joy - 55:00

29 - Gail - 55:00 - First 5k!

(That's my Mom ya'all!)

Thank you again to everyone who participated!  You were all so amazing.  It was really cool to see how many first time 5Kers there were in this bunch.  There's nothing I love more than seeing someone else begin their journey of doing something that I love!

Hope you had a Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve 5K

**Hello new readers!!!!

Only a couple other times in my very new running "career" have I ran as hard as I did today.  The other times were:

RUNNING A MARATHON

RUNNING UP A MOUNTAIN

It was WORTH IT.

Christmas Eve 5K- 20:25, 6:23 average pace.

Waaaaaaaahoooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't forget to submit your time and photo to us at runmomrunblog@gmail.com.  You have until tomorrow night.  If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you should click HERE or HERE.  We seriously can't wait to see all of you running your guts out just like we did.

For some reason I feel like my favorite quote is fitting for today:

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."
- Theodore Roosevelt

Running isn't about winning or losing.  It's about getting out there and giving it your all.

Merry Christmas to my favorite running buddies!

Merry Christmas

Sometimes at Christmas I feel lost. Somewhere between parties and presents, Christmas cards and neighbor gifts, Santa Claus and all of those magic reindeer, I get swallowed up in a lot of things that don't matter. This year I have taken more time to reflect.

I have yet to do neighbor gifts.

I didn't send out any Christmas cards.

Family parties were focused more on relationships than gifts.

And I have read the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John- the gospels that chronicle the life of our Savior, Jesus Christ. My focus has been so much better this year because I have been thinking about the one thing that makes a difference to everyone- that many many years ago there was a sweet baby boy born in the most humble of circumstances.

I can't help but think that his mother, Mary, thought he was sure to be the most beautiful baby in the world- just as I did my own children. I wonder if she really understood that as surely as she delivered him, that he would deliver her, and us, right back.

He led a perfect life so that he could show us the way to return to our Father in Heaven.  I am so, so grateful.  He is the greatest gift that we could ever receive.   Merry Christmas.

Christmas Eve VIRTUAL 5K

Can you believe that it is only 3 days until the biggest event of the year?

You're thinking 4?  No.  4 would be Christmas Day.

Only THREE days until the virtual Christmas Eve 5K!!!!!!

Amy (from Run Mom Run) and I often lament how we can't run with all of our running buddies we know through the blogosphere.  So, our answer was a little virtual 5K!

Want to join us? Here's what you do:

• Run 5k or 3.1 miles - this is no certified race, so we'll take Garmin distances, or your best estimate.  We know y'all are honest.
• E-mail the other Amy at runmomrunblog@gmail.com (don't you love how I'm making her do all of the work? Now she knows how my husband feels.) by midnight on Christmas evening (we'll give you an extra day in case you're as busy as we are!) with your finish time and a picture of your success to be entered.  If you're a blogger, make sure you send me your blog address too! 
• Results will be posted on both of our blogs ASAP.

There may or may not be a prize.  At the very least you will earn our respect!

Who's gonna beat who?  This Amy, or that Amy?  That's the question.

IT. IS. ON.

Join us!!!  I hear the coolest guy around is going to:

See how terrified his face is?!  It's because he has to race YOU.

Weekly RUNdown

I need a race.  That's all I have to say about that.  I need some serious motivation.  This is the first time since I started running that I've had such a long space of time between races.  It's not good.

Monday:  10 miles at 8:27 average pace.  Since I missed the long run last week I really wanted to start this week off right.  It was a great way to start it off!  I ran with Jami and we were able to easily hit my goal of running under an 8:30 pace.  (30 seconds slower than Ogden Marathon goal pace).

Thursday:  12 miles at 9:47 average pace.  I ran with Mindy.  This is a good thing because I think I would have had a heart attack when were were howled at by wolves.

Seriously.  I wish I were joking.

Doug Seuss- owner of Bart the Bear, the grizzly bear actor from the movie "The Edge", lives on one of my regular long run routes.  He owns grizzly bears and wolves.  I've run past his place gillions of times.  I have NEVER been howled at.  It was at about 9:30 PM and it was positively bone chilling.

source

A couple miles later we were chased by two giant farm dogs.

Note to self:  BUY SOME MACE.

Friday:  IT Band Rehab routine- glutes, calves and foot strengthening exercises. 45 minutes.

Saturday:  4 mile tempo run 7:27 average pace.  I slept in and had to cut the run a little short, but I felt pretty good about my pace.  It kicked my butt.  I definitely need to do some more solo running so I can get back in shape.  I'd like to consistently run 7:30's again soon.

Last week's goal:  Strength train twice/week.  This is getting embarrassing.  If I don't do it this week, I'm pretty sure I will be fired as a FitFluential Ambassador.

This week's goal:  Strength train twice/week.  IT. MUST. HAPPEN.

What is the freakiest thing that has happened to you on a run?

The wolves.  By far.  It was terrifying.  Well, and there was the other time that I thought I was being followed by a car.  And the two skunks that I almost ran into.  Those would have been bad news as well.

Good tidings and CHEER

Have a holly, jolly Christmas!  It's the best time of the year.  I don't know if there'll be snow, but have a cup of CHEER!

How are these for some good cheering gloves?!  Ha ha!

My sweet friend Kristen made these for me.  I think they go well with my "I see my family!" running face.

What TO wear. Winter running edition!

I thought that most people felt the same way about running in the winter as I do... turns out I was wrong!

I can't help but wonder if it's because y'all aren't dressing properly?

Running in the winter is stellar.  I'm telling you!  It's so calm and peaceful outside.  There isn't as much traffic.  You don't walk in the door totally drenched in sweat.  You really can enjoy the benefits of outside running year round.  The key is dressing properly.

Here is what I wore on my 12 mile run last night-

Fleece ear warmer ($3), glove liners ($0.99), long sleeve Nike cold gear shirt ($40ish... I don't really know because it was a gift), long running pants from The Gap ($40), and I'm wearing compression thermal pants from WalMart ($15) under my running pants and a cotton T-shirt under my running shirt.  I was cool and comfortable for the run and it was between 23 to17 degrees outside.

In lower temperatures you might see me running in:
19 to10 degrees- I like to throw a wind breaker on over the top of this.
10 to -18 degrees- I wear a beanie that covers my entire head, a thicker pair of gloves, and a lined cold gear jacket that I got from Columbia for $30.

When I run at night I always wear my amphipod vest, a blinking LED light on my rear, and a head lamp.

Don't be afraid of the cold weather!  What's the worst that could happen?  I suppose you could walk in the door and look like this:

That is what my brother in law looked like after we ran a 5K on Thanksgiving morning.  It was -5 outside AND FREAKING COLD.  Once we got moving, it wasn't too big of a deal.

It helps to warm up with some hot cocoa and a bath :).

Getting even closer to those people I stalk... I mean, follow.

***Update to the Family Blog! {Makeover!}

A week ago Tuesday I received a very exciting e-mail from Kelly Olexa, CEO of FitFluential- I was chosen to be a FitFluential Ambassador!

This is a very exciting opportunity for me.  I'm thrilled to broaden my horizons a bit.  It's also pretty cool to be ranked with such amazing ambassadors as Dorothy Beal, Skinny Runner, Blonde Ponytail, Suz, Julia, and many, many other fitness enthusiasts.

Have you signed up to be part of the FitFluential family yet?  Do it here!

Do you think you have what it takes to be an Ambassador?  (They let me in, so they're probably letting anyone in these days).  Check out the info here to see if it's something you are interested in.  Let them know that Amylee sent you!

Lastly- check out the blog!  Great tips, giveaways, and people to get to know.

Okay, so maybe that wasn't "lastly".  I also set up a Facebook page for my blog!  Please "like" me.  Y'all know what a giant desire I have to be cool.  You can just hit the "like" button in the box on my sidebar, or you can actually head to Facebook and check out the page.

If you like me, then I promise to tell Santa that you've been extra good this year!

What do you want for Christmas?  You better tell me so I can pass the word to the big guy!
This year I want an iPod touch and ten bags of Edamame Chips from Trader Joes.

Tips and Tricks

***Family blog update! {Festival of Trees} and {Little Angels}

You know Janae mentioned you on her blog when you suddenly have 300 hits on your blog in one day. Welcome new readers :).

One of my favorite people on the planet is running her first marthon next year (eeek!).  She sent me an e-mail with a few questions and I figured y'all might want to take a peek at the answers.  First let me say that although having run one marathon could technically make me an expert, consider this advice from a novice that has done a lot of reading and researching and only a little bit of application.

1. Do you think a 4:00 time goal/9:00 per mile pace is reasonable for a first marathon? Yes, but you need to be aware of your paces in previous races.  Use the McMillan Running Calculator to more accurately gauge your abilities.  That being said, there is always room for improvement... and failure.  For your first marathon, I would say to hope for the best and have your goal be to cross the finish line.  I talked a lot about goals in this post.

2. What training plan did you use when you were training for your marathon?  This is the post where I talk all about my training plan that I used for Top of Utah.  It has some good stuff in there. Check it out.

3. How many weeks did you set aside to train?  I was talking to Rachelle, Julia and Janae about this yesterday.  We pretty much decided that it depends on where your base is.  If you have a solid base, then you probably don't need to "train" for more than 2 months.  When I started training for TOU I was already trained up to a half marathon distance, and I trained for 3 months before the marathon- AND I ENDED UP INJURED.  Next time around I plan on keeping my distance up, but I'm going to cut my speed work down a bit- I'll start doing it later and finish doing it a little earlier.

Rachelle, Julia, Janae, Ichabod Crane, and the cutest Annie you've ever seen.

4. What are your thoughts on the Galloway method? FYI- this is a run a mile/walk a .10 method.  For me, I don't walk when I run.  This is a personal decision on how you like to run.  I do, however, walk through every water stop so I can get a good drink.

5. Would you suggest running with a pace group? YES!!!!!  RUN WITH A PACE GROUP!!!!   I really can't encourage this enough.

6. Would you suggest buying new shoes to train in?  Yes.  For the marathon I would suggest running in a pair of shoes that has about 200 miles on them.

7. What are your secrets for avoiding injury?  Ugh.  I have no secrets.  I'm injured frequently.  I do know that I should be strength training more.  I would definitely foam roll every day and stretch every day.

8. What speed workouts would you recommend (if any)?  I love the Yasso's for a marathon!

These completely helped my speed all the way around- from the marathon to the 5K. The reason they work is by teaching you to run fast when you are already fatigued. 10 Yasso's is A LOT. Believe me. You will be plenty tired. And hills.  Hills are awesome and prepare you for so many things.

9. Any last tips?  Just enjoy the ride!  The marathon is my favorite distance because it takes so much blood and guts to train for it- let alone run it.   Find a good training partner and hit the road!

Weekly RUNdown

Monday:  Yasso's- 5 sets.  3:00, 3:06, 3:05, 3:09, 3:03.  These were some of my fastest sets yet!  Amazing what can happen when you are running in a warmer environment (I ran on the inside track at the rec. center) and without a bazillion layers of clothes.  Have I mentioned yet how much I love programming the workouts on my Garmin?  LOVE. IT.

Wednesday:  5 miles at 8:11 pace.  Baby, it's cold outside!  My outdoor thermometer stopped reading the temperature at 6 degrees.  It was cold, but I overdressed and still ended up hot and shedding layers.  This run was amazing!  Great music, a sky filled with stars, and nice cool breaths.  It rocked my world.

24 degrees was the high from the day before and the temperature was somewhere below 6 degrees.

See all that white around my hairline?  FROST.

 Thursday:  5.48 miles, 8:43 pace and 282 feet in elevation gain.  So, I have this running partner named Jami.  She's amazing.  She can do anything without even trying.  On this day she completely schooled me up the huge hill that I run in The Cove.  SCHOOLED ME!  My butt was thoroughly kicked on this day.

Saturday:  Circuit strength training- some legs, some abs, some arms.  Let's be real- I have no idea what I'm doing.  I don't really like it.  I just make stuff up, but I always end up sore the next day so I guess that works.  Right?  Know how I get through something I hate?

Round 1-  An oatmeal chocolate chip cookie after every set.

 Round 2- A Reese's Peanut Butter Cup after every set.

Round 3- Creamy chicken enchilads, peas, and a garden salad upon completion.  (My brother, if he even reads this, is dying right now.  Sorry, James.  I'm a terrible weight lifter).

Someone once told me that I'm not a dog and I shouldn't reward myself with food.  I say I don't mind being a dog.  They get to sleep all day, go for a run, and are bribed with treats.  Sounds like a good life to me.

Last weeks goal:  Strength train twice a week.  Know what's harder than running a marathon?  Strength training twice a week.  For me, anyway.  Seriously.  Which leads me to....

This week's goal:  Strength train twice a week.  My friend told me that you shouldn't set a goal unless it's hard for you to reach.  So, I guess I'm setting a good goal considering I've set it 4 times in a row and have never done it.  I have a feeling this is going to be my week though.

How was your workout week?  Any new PR's?  Do you like strength training?  What's your secret?

Confession

***New post on the family blog- {That. girl.}

I use the conjuction "it's" when in fact I should be writing "it has."

On that same note- if you have terrible grammar then there is a good chance I don't read your blog very often.  Or ever.

Reading blogs makes me feel like I need to run a marathon, run fast, and love peanut butter.  I'll let you guess which one I could care less about.

If I have 2 corn dogs and a green smoothie for lunch, then I consider that a healthy meal.

I think Anderson Cooper is ridiculously good looking.  Something about that grey hair and blue eyes combo.  Don't tell my husband this.

I recently started using swagbucks.  (Do you do this?  If you want to, let me know and I 'll send you an invite!)  I use the search button repeatedly just so I can win swagbucks sometimes.  Today I typed in random questions including (but not limited to):

• Should I have another baby?
• Am I cool?
• Is running a marathon cool?

Apparently I hope I'm cool.

No, I haven't grown up since the 7th grade.  Why do you ask?

I loathe getting up at 5AM.

How about you?

Because I was in need of a laugh today...

...  which means more than likely you are, too.

Possible name change in my future?

***For those that are still checking on my family blog, I blogged every single day during the month of November.  I didn't link to my blog from here out of sheer laziness.  In case you missed it, here are a few of my favorite posts from last month:  {The Things They Say}, {"I know you not."}, {What are you going to be when you grow up?}, {The Seasons}.  I also posted again today- {Meet Ledger}.

Now back to your regularly scheduled program...

I ordered myself something for Christmas from Tommie Copper that I had been wanting for a long time now- compression sleeves for my calves. 

What I didn't realize was that I was actually ordering a sleeve for my calf. Singular.

No wonder they were so cheap.

In the interest of being a cheapskate saving a penny or two, I'm returning it (you know, the one sleeve) and ordering the CEP Compression Sleeves that were recommended by SkinnyRunner.  After all- she runs something like a bazillion miles a month, so she should know what works.  Plus the move will save me about 20 bucks.

Operation Get-Amy-to-Gain-5-Pounds-or-More is officially under way!  (You can read more about this issue here).

I went to the store and picked out some snacks that I like that are high calorie and not totally terrible for you (read- don't contain a cup or more of butter and sugar).  I chose cashews (they are my favorite nut), Good2Go Bars, cheese and wheat thins, and apples and peanut butter.

On top of that I will now be drinking a shake that consists of a cup and a half of Vanilla Almond Milk, a Carnation Instant Breakfast, a scoop of my protein powder, and a banana each night before bed.  It contains something like 480 calories.

If that doesn't help me pack on a pound or two then I will be changing my blog name to "See Skeletor Run".  Or maybe "Skinnier Runner"?  Is that plagiarism?

On a totally different note, I'm sure you are looking for a new song to get your heart pumping (whether you're running, or cleaning the bathroom).  Thanks to Florence + The Machine, you can move to this:



I've been listening to it repeatedly on You Tube because I'm too cheap to pay for it on iTunes it's so catchy.  Good times.

Have you splurged on something for yourself for Christmas this year?  Any new running gear?

Weekly RUNdown

What a week!  It seems like this is the first time in ages that I felt back to normal as far as a running routine goes.  That's pretty amazing considering we had 2 Christmas parties this weekend and it has been freezing.  (Or should I say below freezing?  5 degrees this morning. Can you say "frostache?")

Monday:  Easy run with Mindy and Jami. 6.2 miles at 8:52 pace.  I did choose to do one fast mile in the middle of the run at 6:30 pace.  It felt good to have a fast mile.

Tuesday:  Yasso's, 4 sets- 3:26, 3:27, 3:18, 3:20.  Remember how when I did these I thought I was going to die?  Well, I learned my lesson.  This week when I do Yasso's, I'm going to the indoor track.  I would rather dodge other people than freeze to death.  This run was hard.  I didn't even want to get out of bed, and then speed work?  Yuck.  I got to the track and then my iPod battery died.  Doesn't it seem that way sometimes?  I didn't quit though!

Wednesday:  Rolling hills- solo.  5.28 miles at 7:48 pace.  315 feet in elevation gain.  It was so nice to do a run on my own.  I feel like I've been losing a lot of my speed and strength lately, so to do my hills workout on my own and end up with a good time made my entire week.  My PR for the course I ran was 7:42, so I wasn't too far off.

Saturday:  Long run with Jami.  I completed my goal!  My goal was 6 miles at 8:12 pace and I ended up doing 8 miles at an 8:10 pace.  It was great.  I have been fighting off a cold and I felt like I couldn't breathe, so that made it a little more difficult.  Plus, it was cold (so cold that our water turned slushy in an hour).  But I did it and I was proud of myself for the rest of the day.  The coolest part of the run was seeing this:

Photo credit:  Ken Hermanson

Jami and I kept hearing a billion sirens going off.  Being the ambulance chasers that we are, we headed in the direction of the sirens and found every single police officer in our small town with lights and sirens blaring.  At the beginning of the line was a hummer and inside was none other than Jolly Old St. Nicholas!  That's right, folks!  It was an escort for Santa Claus.  I love living in a small town.

Last Week's Goal:  Long run with 6 tempo miles in the middle.  Check!  I really can't say how nice it was to get a long run under my belt after missing out for a couple of weeks in a row.

This Week's Goal:  Strength train twice a week.  Seriously.  I'm going to do it this time!  I know it is important- especially considering my history of IT Band problems.  I don't know why it's so hard for me to get it done, but I'm going to make it happen.  Also, I have a plan for some weight gain!  I'm going to do a separate post about this tomorrow, so stay tuned...

How was your running week?  Any spectacular or terrible moments you'd like to share?  Christmas parties?  New Traditions?

Who needs Vegas...

when you can have lights like this?

Confession: Serious Style

The people that are really close to me know this about me, but it's something I don't talk much about to people outside my little sphere because I don't want to sound ungrateful or anything like that.

Here's the deal:  I really, really want to win Rachelle's Good2Go Bar giveaway.  Over compression sleeves and running jewelry, Running Diva shirts and marathon entries, I want to win these bars.

Why?

I want to gain weight.

I know I'm an anomaly. Most blogs (and people) are focused on fitness and maintaining or losing weight, but this doesn't apply to me.  My entire life I have been a stick figure.  I can eat mountains of food and it doesn't go to my thighs, my love handles, or (Heaven forbid!) my breasts.  In Junior High there was a rumor going around that I was anorexic.  In High School I was called "Skeletor" by the skater guys that hung out at the end of the hall by the cafeteria.  When I was pregnant I was often told I looked so much better with meat on my bones.

I know some of you are thinking- 'Why are you complaining?  I would give up Christmas for the rest of my life for thighs that don't touch.'

We all have things we would like to change about ourselves.  It's not very fun to be sitting in a theater watching a sick and anorexic looking Bella from Breaking Dawn on screen, feeling horrified at how she looks, and then have someone say that she reminds them of you.

Please don't take this post the wrong way.

I'm not trying to be whiny or ungrateful here.  I am very blessed to have this body.  It is healthy.  It is strong.  And I do feel blessed to be thin rather than overweight- the health risks are far fewer.  Overall I am really happy with how I look and this isn't a focus of my life at all.

I have had a goal to gain some weight for several years.  I weigh more right now than I have for a long time, but it's because I am more muscle than anything else.  This year I've managed to gain a couple of pounds and I'm proud of this because I'm eating healthier now than I ever have in the past.

Back to the whole point of this post- Good2Go Bars.  Calorie packed, protein packed, nutritious.  These seem like an answer to my problem! It's hard to find snacks that are easy and filled with everything you need- and TASTE GOOD.  I just wish I could try one before I commit 30 bucks (which in a family of 4 living on nothing a student income is A LOT) to buying an entire package.

I'm not looking for sympathy or validation, but I am looking for help.  PLEASE give me suggestions on healthy, calorie packed, tasty snacks!