Mom Works It Out by Angela Gillis

On the TODAY Show & come a marathon with me

Good morning and Happy Monday! It’s the first week of the New Year which means we turn those plans into actions. This is your time to shine. Don’t just talk about doing something; make it happen.

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Willie and I spent yesterday walking around NYC and enjoying the sights. It’s been a great way to start off the year and it has really made us think about things. This morning Willie and I are on the NBC Today Show in the 4th hour. Please take the time to watch and hear about our weight loss journey which has now turned into my running story.

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It’s a new year which means it’s time to make plans. Are you ready to run your first marathon this year? Or are you just looking to find some motivation to get fit in the new year? Come run the Chicago Marathon or New York City Marathon with me! I’ll be representing Team Healthy Kids and spreading the word about creating a stronger and healthier America through our schools.

This is a great organization to work with because the cause is so great and the people behind the scenes are passionate about what they do. A healthy America can take us so much further in the future and here is your chance to really make a difference.

Action for Healthy Kids educates children and adults on making the healthier choices in life. Money raised goes to ensuring a child has a healthy meal at school or that a gym class has the equipment needed to promote physical activity.

For 2016, Willie has committed to running another marathon which will be the Chicago Marathon. I plan on running both the Chicago Marathon and New York Marathon with Team Healthy kids. If I were to form a team to run the NYC Marathon with Action for Healthy Kids, would you want to run with us? They have guaranteed spots in the marathon with a fundraising commitment. If you’re interested in learning more, email TeamHealthyKids@ActionforHealthyKids.org. Or, check out this page to learn more: www.TeamHealthyKids.org

Don’t forget to check us out on the NBC Today Show this morning and think about improving your health and helping out a great cause by committing to run a marathon with us this year.

What I learned from 40 races in 2015

What I learned from 40 races in 2015

Here’s the breakdown:  7 5Ks, 1 10K, 3 other distances (10 milers and 25ks), 11 half marathons, 15 marathons and 3 ultra marathons (two 50ks and a 50 miler) That was my 2015.  I could be missing something but I’m going to go with this count.  Yesterday I ran my last race of 2015 which made me think about what I’ve learned. This is what I learned from 40 races this year. Running is my vessel to travel.  It gives me an excuse to hop on a plane or get in a car.  It combines two things that I love…

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Race Recap: Kansas City Marathon

Race Recap: Kansas City Marathon

The one thing I will take away from this trip is Kansas City is a beautiful city. My expectations were low and I wasn’t expecting much out of this marathon after not meeting my expectations in Chicago. I orginally signed up for the Kansas City Marathon after finding out that Rock n Roll St. Louis would no longer be a marathon. In a panic, I went looking for another race because Missouri was an imporant part of the plan this year. Luckily, this race was the day before Rock n Roll St. Louis! Things happen for a reason and I…

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Race Recap: Rock n Roll San Diego Marathon

Race Recap: Rock n Roll San Diego Marathon

If you didn’t read my Rock n Roll San Diego 5K recap you definitely should go back to start there.  The Rock n Roll San Diego Marathon was part of my quest and was my 11th state to capture on the way.  I was very excited to be running California and to spend time with my best friend, Missy, who was running the half marathon. It was an early wake up call for us because we had to catch the coaster to the start line.  RnR San Diego staff did an excellent job of organizing transportation.  Everything went smoothly from…

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Race Recap: Brazos Bend 50K

Race Recap: Brazos Bend 50K

Saturday, I ran the Brazos Bend 50K with a lot of my running group. We had a good group of people doing the 50 miler, 50K, 25K and 10K. This course is known for running with the alligators. We went on Friday evening to pick up my packet and hear the trail brief. But I missed the trail briefing because we got stuck in traffic. People had been out there and took tons of pictures of the gators roaming the course. My race started at 7am which was an hour after the 50 milers but I was there to see…

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The daily life and the medals

The daily life and the medals

Good afternoon everyone! I had this post planned today about hydration and I just wasn’t feeling it. That will probably have to come tomorrow because it’s important information. I’m not feeling much today. I’m feeling lazy and tired. I really didn’t take much time to recover two weeks ago from the marathon and then I went and ran another one. I’m a little off my marathon game. So here I am blogging to you today about…not much. Yesterday there was good news in the mail. We got our Little Rock Marathons in the mail again. This time I got my…

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Race recap: Davy Crockett Bear Chase Marathon

Race recap: Davy Crockett Bear Chase Marathon

Hello marathon #20.  Yes folks, yesterday I ran my 20th marathon.  That’s kind of crazy, right?  The marathon wasn’t easy for me.  I struggled but I kept fighting.  It was just something I needed to do. Willie was nice enough to play chauffeur for me on Saturday morning to drive to Groveton,TX.  It was a very early morning because he had to wake up at 3 am for a 4 am leave time to make it to the race at 6 am for packet pickup.  We got there a quarter to 6 and I have to thank my husband for…

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Race Recap: The Little Rock Marathon

Race Recap: The Little Rock Marathon

I running behind on my race recaps.  I thought I better get this Little Rock recap up before it’s too late.  Once again it was pretty cold in Little Rock!  I did the 5K on Saturday and it was 20 degrees outside.  All the fountains were frozen over and there were some slick spots on the street.  I didn’t get any pictures because it was too cold for that.  I’m a wimp. I ran the 5K in 28:41 and got 3rd in my age group.  Too bad they didn’t give out age group awards because I definitely would have had…

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Race Recap: The Mercedes-Benz Marathon

Race Recap: The Mercedes-Benz Marathon

I never do race recaps on the same day that I run.  Lucky for you I’m sitting in a hotel room by myself watching television. This weekend was Mercedes-Benz Marathon weekend in Birmingham, AL.  Yes that’s right, the quest continues and I get to check another state off my list. Yesterday I ran the Superhero 5K which was really fun. The energy was great and fun.  It was really windy and a little cold but nothing too major.  It was just a fun 5K to do and I got a cape to wear, but I didn’t because it was windy.…

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Race Recap: Mississippi Blues Marathon

Race Recap: Mississippi Blues Marathon

This past weekend, I ran the Mississippi Blues Marathon in Jackson, MS.  This race made Runner’s World Best Marathons to run this year.  I was highly intrigued about this race making the list.  Jackson isn’t exactly the travel hot spot so I really wondered what the fuss was about.  I quickly learned but I’ll get to that later. This race was also the marathon maniac reunion race of 2015!  Last year the reunion race was The Louisiana Marathon, but I was just running my first marathon at that race.  It was exciting to be a Marathon Maniac this year and…

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Race Recap: Texas Marathon

Race Recap: Texas Marathon

I wanted to get the new year started off the right way by doing something healthy.  New Year’s Day started with a 90 minute drive to run a marathon.  The forecast for this race was not ideal but it got better as the day approached. When we arrived, we went to pick up our stuff.  We got a huge bag, hat and t-shirt!  This bag is seriously huge.  I have no idea what I’m going to put in it.  Maybe I’ll just use it as my race day bag because I always have so much stuff. I didn’t take any…

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