Hi, it's time to write, again!

Looking back at my posts, I realize that my intended short break from keeping up with this blog turned into almost a year break! The above quote seems appropriate somehow! 

If I tried to update everything over the past year I'd be writing for days! It's been a great year... a few high spots, a few low spots; however, overall a great year! 

RJ is ready for 7th grade in a few short weeks. He has discovered a new passion for Golf. We have spent plenty of time at the driving range lately! Mr. Woods and I are trying to survive the juggling of family, church, fitness, etc.. The list could on and be quite boring! 

My time at BA Fitness is amazing as always. Classes are filling back up with the close of summer vacations. Our CEO is coming up with new creative class designs all the time. Recently, we launched a "Girl Power Camp". Myself and the other Coaches didn't know quite what to expect when we opened to the doors to the sweet little girls. Our summers have been blessed by spending 4 nights a week for 4 weeks with these families and their daughters. We have been able to share our passion of faith and fitness through a whole new avenue. I love how they listen so intently to the lessons and repeat the stories to their parents.  I love their passion for tackling a new workout! Last night they told us that Shockwave and Row were among the favorites of all the workouts. The camp was even featured in the local newspaper, here's the story : http://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2015/07/20/girl-power-summer-camp-inspires-young-girls/30419995/. The camp ends on Thursday, I think it's safe to none of us are ready for it to come to an end!

Running is just that...running. I had a great spring race season only to end up in a boot due to a stress fracture for a few weeks. I tried my best to maintain my upper body and core strength during my time in the boot. Summer training is taking it's toll but how can it not with 95% humidity on most mornings that our group takes on the pavement. We call it the "summer slowdown" with high hopes that it will make us faster in the fall. I'm currently training for another Half Marathon. I told the girls after last year's Women's Running Series Half Marathon in Nashville, TN that I was officially retiring from anything over a 10K. A year later, I couldn't pass up the appeal of a hometown run in the fall, my favorite time of year in Tallahassee! I have registered for the Race 13.1 in Tallahassee on November 15, 2015. August 1st started my training for this half marathon, I suspected many of my upcoming blog posts will be about that training! 

I look forward to being back in the "blog world" and sharing with you the excitement of all things family, faith and fitness from the Woods' household! 

-MTW

BadassBabes Road Trip!

Trouble…that explains a lot! 

Well the day has finally arrived, later this evening the Badass Babes head out for Nashville, TN!! We will drive as far as we can tonight…yeah we have no reservations for this evening. If you've been reading this blog for awhile then you may think this sounds familiar! You may remember that Shannon and Allison talked me into this spontaneous experience last year, too. We wound up in Hover, Al at a decent Hampton Inn. We will see what tonight holds…it will be a hotel with doors on the inside I can promise!! 

Our team of 6 has endured a hectic few weeks including a car accident, falling during a training run, not so good test results and overall stressful craziness. However, not of all our news is bad news! We have also experienced extreme happiness over our friend Ashleigh-Anne getting her liver! That's right our girl has a new liver and is in Nashville where we can visit with her.  We also have been able to celebrate Mrs. Watson being cancer free. Those two moments alone have kept us going through all the extra hassles of life. 

I'm a little nervous about running the race this weekend & suggest that you do not look for a recap that includes a time or pace PR. That's just not in the future for this particular race. You can be on the lookout for a weekend recap of our adventures. We will be touring the Opry and doing a little shopping at Opry Mills. We will be eating at places such as Puckett's, Loveless Cafe, The Stockyard, The Palm…and wherever else we decide to enjoy a yummy meal. We will take in the Johnny Cash Museum and the Country Music Hall of Fame. We will be exploring Broadway and Union Station, Shannon will learn to love country music this weekend! We will be visiting Ashleigh-Anne and her Mama. Most of we will be enjoying time with each other and letting our hair down a little bit! 

Our goal is to rest our minds, not so much our bodies, ha. We will come back rejuvenated and ready to take on the rest of fall with a vengeance! 

So girls grab your boots it's time for the weekend!! 

xoxo - 
Mitzi 

18 days to go to 13.1 ….

Yeah, so today as Allison and I had a little quiet training time, we realized there's only 18 days until the Women's Running Series Half Marathon in Nashville….insert the heart pounding & heavy breathing & major giggles from the two of us! 

I see several of my Badass Babes teammates putting in crazy miles in preparation for the race. I, on the other hand, have had little time and even less motivation for the long training runs. To date the longest run I have completed is 8 miles. Yes, I should be a panicked disaster; however, I am not. I will not let the stress of the "race" turn me into a crazed maniac the next 18 days. Let's be honest, it's not like I am sitting on the couch saying "hey girls, let's go run 13 miles in 2 weeks with zero training!". I am putting in my cross training time. I am concentrating on being a strong coach in my classes. I am doing pretty good with my diet, minus the tailgate this past weekend. Oh and I am running when I can! I just refuse to let the stress of training take away my focus for participating in this race! 

In 2013 I fell in love with city of Nashville, it's beautiful! Allison, Shannon and I have stated before this was our favorite of all the run-cations we took last year. What is my focus of this race weekend?…for me it is not about 13.1 miles, it's about celebrating life and friendship with some amazing ladies. 

This particular race is special! I did set a half marathon PR at this race last year. We celebrated my friend Ashleigh Anne and her journey to new a liver continues so we will celebrate her again!! Our prayers have been that AAKH and her new liver would be at the finish line: however, there's a reason God hasn't answered that prayer yet. I secretly pray she gets that liver in the next 18 days so that we can love on her a little more while in TN. (guess it's not a secret anymore, ha!)

My focus even got a little jolt in August as one of my best friend's called me to tell her mom was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Crystal is a runner herself and hoped to make the Nashville trip this year, due to her Mom's diagnosis and her starting back to school she won't make the 7 hr trek with us. She may not be with us in a physical sense she will be with us in our hearts! Mrs. Watson's surgery is this coming Thursday - Sept 11th. By the power of prayer we all trust God has a great plan for her and her family! The Badass Babes will be there every step of the way! 

I am excited to see what Nash-Vegas holds for the Badass Babes this year. I will run/walk the WRS Half Marathon to honor my friend Ashleigh-Anne and Mrs. Watson. No, I am not thinking a sub 2:18 course PR is in my future; however, I do think a different kind of PR will occur for that I will send praise. 

Here's my favorite picture from last year…can't wait to snap it again with few more babes! 

So to my girl Allison…looks like we will be giggling our way through 13.1 miles. Hey, maybe this year we will see Tim, Kenny or Jake on Music Row! 

Shannon, Erin, Stephanie & Ashely, we will see you at the Country Music Hall of Fame! 

The Valley's and The Peak's

In life there are always the valley's and always the peak's, sometimes those valley's seem to last forever!

When I look around me I wonder why somethings are going so well while at the same time other areas of life just plain suck - sorry for that! I wonder if this is all happening because of an action on my part (or maybe lack of an action). Have I become complacent?

There are times when I look around me and it's amazing to see how awesome life is cruising along. Not only for me but family and friends! Everyone seems happy and content….isn't that how life should be? Many of my friends are taking on new adventures, accomplishing bucket list items and seeing such bright futures!

Certainly, I can't be the only one with types of thoughts… maybe I am! Lately, I have questioned my parenting - 6th grade brings about some new and exciting experiences! I have found myself wondering if I am where I need to be physically to be a successful member of the Badass Fitness staff. I have thought deeply about many other things as well! I think God allows us to wonder about such things so that we can see areas in our life that could use a little adjusting. I think he wants us to find ways to challenge ourselves. Let's face it, I work better under pressure, ha! I think this is how we grow as Christians, Families and Friends.

I often remind myself to let it go, put a smile on my face and trust that through the valley's and the peak's God has a great plan. According to this verse he does have a mighty plan: "For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11.

Do you find yourself with the same questions? Remember, God has a plan..oh and we're in this together!! 

Pretty sure I need this tattooed on my forehead - LOL! 

Smile and Let it Go! 

Another month flew by!

The month of July flew right by me! I really need the clock to slow down just a bit! Our trip to Atlanta for the Peachtree Road Race was one that we will not soon forget! We came away with so many hilarious memories and stories to tell…oh and all the new hashtags! The group of 11 definitely made the most of 4 days in Atlanta. 

Can we talk about the weather? The weather was PERFECT the entire weekend. We were quite spoiled by those temps in the month of July. 

We also left the Peachtree Road Race with several PR's! In 2013 I finished in 1:07:21, this year I finished under an hour at 57:31! Just goes to show how much the cross training and better nutrition has aided my running ability! Needless to say we are still laughing at the events of this trip and we're already planning our return in July 2015. 

The 11! 

We mastered the #selfie in Atlanta! hehe! 

Love this crew so much and our photographer, too! 

The rest of the month has been days of sitting poolside and being thankful to be together! This summer has not provided much vacation time for Scott and I; however, we have taken advantage of the beautiful beaches that are only a day trip away from us. We may not have taken a "big trip" but we sure have enjoyed the slower pace of summertime weekends!! 

#TWSS 

RJ and I at Henderson Beach State Park

Badass Babes

Now, it's August! We will celebrate Scott's 40th birthday this weekend. And, we're only 10 days away from meeting Riley's 6th homeroom teacher. That means we're 12 days away from him official starting middle school. EEK! I am off to shed a few more tears! While Riley has been wrapping up the end of his summer, I completed another TRX certification, making the Badass Fitness studio one of the few in town that offer the TRX Team format. I can't wait to see what this new level of training will mean for our clients as we begin to implement that training into our classes. 

TRX Team certification 

The Badass Fitness TRXteam Instructors

The BAF team also kicked off another round of Tabata Bootcamp, making this Shannon's 7th round of bootcamp! This program is life changing and I love seeing new faces each round. These bootcampers are going to have an amazing 8 weeks. 

During our weekend downtime at the pool or by the ocean I had a little time to reflect on my goals. I have to say that I am on track to accomplishing most, if not all, of them by the end of the year. None of this would be possible without trusting and having faith in God. While somethings didn't go as I had planned (or wanted), I know in my heart there's a reason. I'm excited to see what else God has planned for our little family of three and the team at Badass Fitness! 

Bring on the fall…Middle School, Football, Half Marathon(s), anything else in between, we'll be ready!! 

An Epic All-American Adventure

As I am preparing for a little getaway with my hubby, the Badass Babes and our BadDudes I can't help but think about the EPIC All-American Adventure that awaits all of us! 

First, this little tradition of going to Atlanta for July 4th started when Scott and I were dating in 2010. It was our first road trip, clearly we had a blast because I didn't try to kill him in Atlanta traffic!  We enjoyed lots of All-American activities, none more so than the Braves game! 

July 2010 - Turner Field

Second, the running of the Peachtree Road Race on July 4th in Atlanta started in 2011 as a bit of a joke between Scott, myself and the Carter's. The four of us learned a lot about running and preparation for big races during our first time participating in the largest 10K in the world! On our drive home Allison and I committed to embarking on a mission to never be that ill-prepared again! 

Start Line Peachtree Road Race 2011

Third, we have convinced a few people to join us throughout the years! The first of those was Brandi, the following year it was Shannon & Ieva. Now, this year we have grown to a team of 14! Yep, 13 BadassBabes and 1 BadDude are taking on the PRR this Friday morning. 

Brandi, Me and Allison - PRR 2012

PRR 2013 - Rainy Hot - FUN! 

Watch out Atlanta… the Badass Babes and Dudes will be there tomorrow! I have no idea what the weekend will hold for us, well sort of but you never "really" know until it's over! I do know this, I can't think of a better way to spend July 4th weekend than celebrating my freedom to run, be happy and to do all this with a pretty amazing hubby and awesome friends. I praise God that I live in a country where men and women fight daily for my continued freedom to worship freely, to share new experiences with family (and our friends), to run when and wherever I want. I always shed a tear or two at the beginning of the Peachtree Road Race as they play the anthem and have a local pastor bless the course for us, this year will be no different. I'm a very blessed! 

Scott and I wish that RJ could go with us on this little vacation, we know he has some awesome plans with his Dad's family. There are few friends that I wish could make this trip with us; however, they will be beachside running their own Firecracker 5K on Friday morning…Crystal and Christina I can't wait for a race report! 

I hope each have a great July 4th celebration surrounded by family and friends. Above all else don't forget to thank God and a Veteran for your freedom to celebrate! 

Be on the lookout for a post - weekend update next week! It's sure to be full of a fun stories! 

Life and Breaking the Scale, again!

Hi, I am back!! I find it funny the last post I wrote was after a spring trip to visit GiGi and Grandfather. Scott and I just returned from their house late yesterday, too. We attended my 20th high school reunion, check back later for the post with stories from the weekend! 

Life has been crazy for us lately so I will give you a quick highlight of the past two months!

Riley - Successfully graduated 5th grade and is gearing up Middle School. His baseball team won the North West Little League championship and he made the Allstar team as well! We are at the ball field a few nights a week but he loves it! Riley is also enjoying several camps throughout these summer months. 

Scott - Well, he is wonderful as always! He is getting back to a somewhat normal routine of running and hitting the gym after the baseball season craziness. He is my rock during the good, the bad and the ugly! 

Me - I have been learning how to transition from a Badass Fitness Student to becoming a Badass Fines Instructor. I am teaching a few classes a week since in the past few months I have completed more certifications. I have added BOSU, Kamagon and TRX to the list - whew, I should've posted about each of those experiences! My "day job" is going pretty well, too. I have been a busy working mom and loving life!!  All in all life is good - just wild! 

Clearly, we are enjoying a few poolside weekends, too! 

As we were heading home yesterday from South Florida I had a chance to reflect over the past weeks and of course my brain led me to the past few weeks at Badass Fitness. The studio is expanding and things are very exciting! It's awesome to stand beside our dear friend, Shannon, as she watches her dream come true. We have to remind her to breathe sometimes! 

As the studio expands so does our client list. We recently kicked off another round of Tabata Bootcamp with several new friends taking part in the fun. If you have read this blog before then you know part of the program is an assessment every two weeks. We track weight, measurements and strength gains. The first assessments are always nerve-racking, even for the most strong willed people! This past week it was time for the second of these assessments. The other Coaches and I watched as people struggled with the numbers they saw on the scale. We grew frustrated for them, this frustration is what inspired to me write this blog today…by the way I wrote about this same topic a year ago, too! 

I have been a student of Shannon's for almost two years. I hated the scale when I met her and I hate it today. Do I look different than when I started working out with Shannon? YES! Do I feel different after all these workouts and trainings? YES! Do my clothes fit better? YES! Is the number of the scale lower? NO! That's right, the number on the scale today is no different. It has fluctuated from time to time but as of today it's the exact same. 

I feel better and have more energy than when I first joined Badass Fitness. I took the leap from student to instructor and I am loving it! I love seeing the smile on the face of a friend when she conquers the almighty Tabata Tricep Hover, I love the celebrating with my BRB as she wins first in her age group, I love hearing the excitement from another friend as she does a pull-up for the first time - I am not even sure I can do one successfully! The scale can't celebrate those accomplishments with these girls but I can! The scale won't celebrate with my friend as she puts on a skirt that is two sizes smaller or another friend who is already back in IndoRow class only 2 weeks after his knee surgery. 

Friends, the scale does not own you - if you don't let it. It is only a number! I had the most fun today as we broke a scale, that's right we kicked it in the face! If you have a chance today or this week watch this video and kick the scale! I shared the video with this post earlier today: "I weigh the same as I did one year ago; I can fit into my senior prom dress; I have run multiple half marathons; I've checked several fitness certifications off my bucket list. My reasons to kick the scale in the face could go on for days!! What do I want you take away from this video? Don't let the number on the scale own you, it knows nothing!". 

And I will leave you with this quote…. 

My goal for July is get back to blogging, more regularly! At some point I will share the reason as to why I really took a break from the blog, other than life has been too crazy. :-) 

xoxoxo

Mitzi