Mom Works It Out by Angela Gillis

Angela December 12, 2014

Good comes from a bad day

Yesterday was a pretty bad day. Things has progressively gotten better throughout the day but it had taken a toll on me mentally. A series of unfortunate events finally led me to the road. I needed to burn off some of the stress that had been building all day. I hit the road to clear my mind. I felt really good when I was done. I was back in a better head space and I was ready to relax! But then this happened! The bus aka The Sequoia had a really bad flat. When I got out of the car…

View Post

Angela December 10, 2014

Sleep evades me

I wish I had something more exciting to talk about but I don’t. I have been desperately searching for sleep. I haven’t had good sleep since Friday night. After the marathon, I thought I was going to sleep really good but I didn’t. I spent the majority of the night watching Willie get the best sleep of his life. I went to sleep in the car on the way home Monday, but that was only for an hour. Monday night I got absolutely no sleep and I had to get up to teach my 5AM cycle class. I was hoping…

View Post

Angela December 7, 2014

Race Recap: St. Jude Memphis Marathon

Please excuse me while I talk about this race with great emotion. This race was supposed to be my first race last year but we all know what happened. This year it was Willie’s first marathon! When we arrived in Memphis, I felt like I was running a marathon for the first time. I was nervous. I was excited. I didn’t know what to expect. There was only one thing I was interested in: watching Willie cross the finish line. Willie has a strict “no running with me” rule and I had to abide by it. It’s probably a good…

View Post

Angela December 5, 2014

The St. Jude Memphis Marathon is happening…

Willie and I hopped in the car to drive to Memphis for the big marathon. Willie will be running his first marathon and I’ll be adding another state to my marathon quest. It’s a moment for me but it’s a BIG moment for Willie. That’s why he drove the entire 8 hours. But we didn’t listen to Serial which an incredibly addicting podcast. It’s so good! This morning we went on short shake out run. Riding in the car for 8 hours will kill your legs. Plus, I had a less than desirable run on Wednesday. No one wants to…

View Post

Angela December 3, 2014

It’s time to get your HIIT on!

It’s time to change up those workouts people. When I feel like I need a change, I take a HIIT. HIIT = High Intensity Interval Training. It burns A LOT of calories and gets in everything that you need. Cardio and strength in one killer workout so it’s one of the best. I have a love/hate relationships with HIIT workouts because I know the workouts are going to be intense so I hate them. I love them because I definitely see improvement in my body and fitness after doing these workouts for a while. The key is to stick with…

View Post

Angela December 2, 2014

It’s #GivingTuesday: The children of St. Jude …

Brown Thursday, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, those are all over. It’s time for #GivingTuesday. So what is Giving Tuesday all about? Getting together to celebrate generosity by giving! We give all our money to the stores so why not give to help out a great cause. Last year we raised $2500 for the children of St. Jude. This year our fundraising goal wasn’t quite as high but we would still like to give back. Can you help us raise a little bit more money? Last year this was supposed to be my first marathon but it was canceled. It…

View Post

Angela December 1, 2014

The pie hit the trash so let’s …

There’s nothing wrong with Thanksgiving eating but there is a problem with leftovers. It’s especially hard to be one of those people who HATES to throw food away. Continuing the Thanksgiving eating for many days after Thanksgiving can be a problem. I woke up yesterday and saw a lot of food in the trash including a full pecan pie, angel food cake and some macaroni and cheese. Willie was serious about it. It’s time to move on. It’s marathon week! It’s not my first marathon but it was supposed to be my first marathon this year so I’m excited to…

View Post

Angela November 28, 2014

The day after Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving yesterday. I was hosting this year which took up a lot of time. It was hard to keep up with everything and keep blogging. I’ll give you the short version of the holiday. On Wednesday night, we had a little get together with some friends. I didn’t get a chance to take pictures because I was running around like a crazy person, but I did get one with my good friend Julie. You might remember Julie from her story. Check it out if you haven’t! She just keeps getting better! On Thanksgiving morning…

View Post

Angela November 24, 2014

My Thanksgiving eating tip

I’m so excited. I love the holidays because this is the one of two times the family gets together and we have a good time. Of course there is always reason to give thanks and to eat some good food. It’s always hard during the holidays to slow the eating down when you’re being tempted so much, right? I know I’ve already posted the tips on how to stay in control over the holidays but I want to stress this to you again. Thanksgiving is one day so you should enjoy it. But remember it’s one day! I normally get…

View Post

Angela November 23, 2014

Race Recap: The Ultracentric Experience 6 HR

Good morning. It’s early but I’m still excited from yesterday. I ran the Ultracentric Gold Rush 6 HR Race. The race is actually a 72/48/24/12/6 HR running event. Yes, there are people who had been out there since Thursday morning. I think that’s crazy. The whole thing is set up where they serve you real food throughout the day to keep you fueled. Ultrarunning is very different from road racing. Let me back up, for people who don’t know what an ultra marathon is: it’s anything about 26.2 miles. The atmosphere is more laid back. It’s really all about having…

View Post

Angela November 20, 2014

GO HARD – Hug a Runner

Go hug a runner because it’s time to Go HARD. It’s Globally Organized Hug A Runner Day! Last year, I missed out but this year I got in lots of hugs! I told you running makes me want to hug people! These are some of my favorite people but not all. So don’t get offended if you’re picture isn’t here. I’ve been icing my foot. Sunday when I ran the half marathon in the rain, I think my shoes were too tight or too lose and were sliding up and down my foot. It hurt like the dickens so I…

View Post