Prepping for the Big Day | Week 9 of 10 Weeks to a Half Marathon

Every week between now and early May, I will be charting my progress as I train for my next half marathon in Pittsburgh. I'll post everything about my training from the actual distances to what I wear to how I stay hydrated, nourished and entertained while running.

I just completed week 9 and I'm now in the final week of my 10 week training. The good news is that my left foot is feeling much better. The time off I took from running last week helped along with ice, chiropractic care, and I ordered some new fitted orthotics. I waited too long to replace my old ones and my foot paid the price.

This final week is all about prepping for the race. My goal is to drink lots of water and eat well every day and get to bed before 10 pm every night. My training is down to a taper. At this point, either I'm ready to tackle 13.1 miles or I'm not. My left foot is still tender, so I might not make my goal time of less than 2 hours, but I'll put that off for a fall race and just focus on finishing this one.

I've made a list, so that I don't forget anything important. Last year, I forgot to pack a short sleeved shirt and race day turned out to be blazing. I ended up buying a shirt at the race expo and I paid a hefty price--at least it was a cute shirt.

My Workouts for Week 9

• Wednesday - 3 easy miles
• Thursday - 6 miles
• Friday - 1 hour of yoga
• Saturday - 10 miles

My Training Plan for Week 10

• Monday - 3 miles
• Wednesday - 5 miles
• Thursday - 3 miles
• Sunday - RACE DAY

I can't wait to update you next week about the race. Wish me luck!

Have you been training for a race? What distance are you training for? How's your training going? Let us know in the comments.


Read more:

• My Road to Half Marathons.
• Week 1 of 10 Weeks to a Half Marathon
• Week 2 of 10 Weeks to a Half Marathon | My Must Have Gear
• Week 3 of 10 Weeks to a Half Marathon | What I Wear
• Week 4 of 10 Weeks to a Half Marathon | Hydration
• Week 5 of 10 Weeks to a Half Marathon | Preventing Boredom on the Long Run
• Weeks 6 & 7 of 10 Weeks to a Half Marathon | My Favorite Running App
• Week 8 of 10 Weeks to a Half Marathon | Dealing with an Injury

A note about my training plan: I am not a medical professional or a certified trainer, just an avid runner. Please consult a professional if you feel you need one. Also, the half marathon training plan that I follow is designed for beginners. Although, it is advised that you do not start using the 10 week training plan until you are able to run 6 miles. If you are new to running, start by training for a 5k. There is plenty of information online to help you with 5k training.


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• become a Twitter follower

5 Tech & Internet eBooks for Just $7.40

Learn how to use the technology in your life to your advantage with this week's collection of ebooks. You'll discover the secrets to beautiful iPhone photos, how to get organized using free apps and programs, the beauty of online friendships and more. But don't wait because this bundle is on sale for 70% off this week only!



Once Upon the Internet by Marla Taviano
Once Upon the Internet is the funny and touching memoir of the Tavianos' one-year quest to visit 52 zoos in 52 weeks -- and the online friends who helped make it possible. Through the course of their journey, they stayed with 31 different families, 17 of whom they'd never met in person (and countless others met them at zoos along the way), and today some of their dearest friends are ones they first met on the internet.

iPhone Photography by Alli Worthington
Alli's iPhone Photography: The Visual Guide is your go-to guide for the best iPhone photo editing apps. With plenty of full-color images, you'll find step-by-step tutorials to capture and create stunning images yourself as well as ideas for using iPhone photos to stay organized, save money and just be happier.

Pin-terpretation by Holley Gerth & Stephanie Bryant
Your Pinterest account and the images you pin say more about you than you might think, and the ladies at Squee! wrote Pin-terpretation to help you step back and really see yourself. Their goal is to help you see your Pinterest boards with fresh eyes -- to provide questions as well as insights into you, your personal brand & your blog. It's kind of like a Cosmo quiz for your Pinterest boards.

Paperless Home Organization by Mystie Winckler
Organize your life with a digital home management "binder" that you can take with you, doesn't use up extra space, works on every platform and doesn't cost anything. In Paperless Home Organization, Mystie shows you how to get organized using only free, web-based applications that sync with free apps on both Apple and Android devices.

Evernote for Moms by Lauren Rothlisberger
Lauren's specialty is providing tech tips for "non-geeks", and Evernote for Moms is the quick and easy guide to help you use Evernote to organize your ideas and information. It includes a quickstart guide, simple template files and step-by-step instractions for installing, launching and adding items to Evernote through your smartphone or computer.

The Tech & Internet bundle is only available through 8am EST on Monday, 5/6. Get yours today:



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Chicken, Spinach & Orzo Dinner Recipe

Chicken, Spinach & Orzo comes together quickly and is perfect for busy weeknights. Serve with a salad and homemade applesauce or fresh fruit.

Chicken, Spinach & Orzo Dinner

adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients

• 1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked orzo
• 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 6 oz bag baby spinach
• Parmesan (optional)

Instructions

1. In a large dutch oven, heat olive oil. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

2. Add the chicken and brown until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

3. Add the water to the pan and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and cook for 8 minutes. Drain, but reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking water.

4. Add the 1/4 cup water, tomatoes, and Italian seasoning. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the chicken, orzo, and spinach. Stir well as the spinach wilts.

5. Sprinkle with Parmesan when serving.

Print recipe for Chicken, Spinach & Orzo Dinner.

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April 27 & 28 | FREE or Low Cost Events for the Whole Family

Healthy Kids Day at the YMCA This is open to all members of the community, not just YMCA members.

• Saturday, April 27 | On Saturday, April 27, the Y is celebrating YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day® with free community events across the country to inspire families to move, learn and live healthier. My kids look forward to this fun event every year. Find a local Y in your area that is participating.

Michael's

• Saturday, April 27, 1 - 3 PM | FREE DIY Chain Maille Earring Show IN Tell. Add a sleek, modern look to your attire with DIY simple Chain Maille earrings.
• Saturday, April 27, 10 - 11:30 AM | Mother's Day Memory Frame. Let your kids explore their creativity while you shop! Only $2 per child reserves 30 minutes for your creative kid. Sessions starting every half hour from 10AM - 11:30AM

A.C.Moore

• Saturday April 27, 1 - 3 PM | Demonstration - Mother's Day Glass Block with Plaid Gallery Glass

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Christmas Savings Club | April Meeting

On the 25th of every month from January to November in 2013, I'm holding a virtual meeting for the Christmas Savings Club. The goal for this monthly accountability meeting is to give updates on our progress, motivate one another and help all of us save for a cash Christmas. Today is the fourth meeting, but anyone can join at any time.

If you are new, please read more about the Christmas Savings Club in the first post and join us. I'm still offering a FREE Christmas Gift & Spending Budget excel spreadsheet, click that link for more information.

On with the meeting...

How did I do in April?
Our monthly goal is $100. That number includes gifts for our kids, extended family members, teachers, friends, neighbors, bus drivers, service people, our Christmas cards, stamps, and our donations towards the Salvation Army's Adopt-a-Family program.

As I said in the March meeting, my husband and I are going through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University online course and we have never in our marriage sliced and diced our budget like we are as a result of this course. We have made gift giving a line item in our budget since it can be a budget buster unless it is planned for. I transferred $115 to our Christmas account in April. $15 was my shortfall from January & February and $100 was my April goal.

How did YOU do in April?
Did you reach your goal for April? Were you able to save more than you needed to get ahead? There is nothing wrong with that! Or were you short for the month? Please let us know in the comments.

May's Assignments:
1. If you have not done so, complete the Christmas Gift & Spending Budget worksheet.

2. If you have not done so, open up a separate checking account specifically for your Christmas Spending Savings.

3. Find your monthly savings goal for May and any shortfall that you have from January through April.

4. Start thinking about some handmade gifts that you can make for your friends and family for the holidays. Some projects might take some time, so it's better to start planning now.

Let us know how you're doing with your Christmas Savings Account in the comments. You don't need to leave specific numbers if you don't feel comfortable, but let us know if you did anything specific to save your goal.

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Dealing with an Injury | Week 8 of 10 Weeks to a Half Marathon

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Every week between now and early May, I will be charting my progress as I train for my next half marathon in Pittsburgh. I'll post everything about my training from the actual distances to what I wear to how I stay hydrated, nourished and entertained while running.

At the worst possible time, two weeks before the Pittsburgh half, I've been hit with an injury. During week 7's 10 mile run, I developed pain in my left foot.

I have been cruising along with my 10 week training for the Pittsburgh half marathon and feeling pretty good about my progress. I have missed very few workouts, I've been building up my mileage, and I was pleased with my pace, when all of the sudden I developed some pain in my left foot during the 10 miler. I had a sick feeling in my stomach that the pain was plantar fasciitis.

Plantar fasciitis occurs when you strain the long band of tissue that connects the heel bone and your toes. This tissue supports your arch and the arch of my left foot was killing me. I've had plantar fasciitis before, but it was about 8 years ago and I wasn't training for a specific race, so I took time off from running. I'm running a half marathon in two weeks, I can't take time off now!

When I got home from the run, I immediately iced the bottom of my foot and continued to ice through out the day for 20 minutes at a time.

When my alarm went off on Monday the next morning, there was no way I was going to be able to run my planned 3 miles. Plantar fasciitis pain is worse in the mornings, because your foot attempts to heal over night, but as soon as you put weight on it in the morning it feels like you're walking on glass.

Once I got moving that day, I made a trip to see my chiropractor (who also happens to be my husband). He not only adjusted my back and hips...

but also my feet.

I took Tuesday off from running as well, but continued to ice and I went for another chiropractic adjustment. By Wednesday, my foot felt much better, so I went for a 3 mile run. I ran very gingerly, if that is a word, but I tried to run as lightly as possible. I was afraid to put much stress on my foot. On Thursday, getting out of bed was a bit painful, so I iced and got another chiropractic adjustment.

On Friday, I needed to run 6 miles. I made it through 4 before I stopped from the pain. I'm not sure if the pain was something I could run through or if I was going to make the plantar fasciitis worse.

I iced all weekend and on Sunday, my plan was to run 12 miles, my longest run on the entire 10 week plan.  I scratched it completely and decided that the best thing for my foot was to take a few more days off. I was a bit frazzled at the thought of not running my longest training run two weeks before a big race, but I surrendered. Anxiety will get me nowhere and the best thing for my recovery is to take some time off. I continued to ice and I got another chiropractic adjustment, so hopefully when I go out for the first time during week 9 my foot will be completely healed.

What I was supposed to run during week 8:

• Monday - 3 miles, easy pace
• Wednesday - 6 miles, tempo pace for 4 miles
• Thursday - 3 miles, easy pace
• Friday - 1 hour of yoga at the Y
• Saturday - 12 miles at conversational pace 

What I actually ran week 8:

• Monday - My alarm went off at 6 am. As soon as I put my left foot on the floor and put weigh on it, I knew I wasn't going to be able to run, so I decided that I needed to take a couple of days off.
• Wednesday - I ran 3 very easy miles at a gingerly pace. I was afraid to put to much stress on my left foot.
• Friday - My goal was to run 6 miles. I needed to run 6 miles. But at mile 4 I stopped. My foot was in a lot of pain. I can usually work through pain, but I wasn't sure if this was the kind of pain that you can work through or if I would cause more damage trying to work through it.

My training plan for Week 9 (or at least what I should be running):

• Monday - Run 3 miles
• Wednesday - Run 6 miles
• Thursday - Run 3 miles
• Friday - 1 hour yoga at the Y
• Saturday - Run 9 miles

Have you ever suffered from plantar fasciitis? How did you deal with it? Are you training for a race? How is your training going? Let us know in the comments.

Read more:

• My Road to Half Marathons.
• Week 1 of 10 Weeks to a Half Marathon
• Week 2 of 10 Weeks to a Half Marathon | My Must Have Gear
• Week 3 of 10 Weeks to a Half Marathon | What I Wear
• Week 4 of 10 Weeks to a Half Marathon | Hydration
• Week 5 of 10 Weeks to a Half Marathon | Preventing Boredom on the Long Run
• Weeks 6 & 7 of 10 Weeks to a Half Marathon | My Favorite Running App

A note about my training plan: I am not a medical professional or a certified trainer, just an avid runner. Please consult a professional if you feel you need one. Also, the half marathon training plan that I follow is designed for beginners. Although, it is advised that you do not start using the 10 week training plan until you are able to run 6 miles. If you are new to running, start by training for a 5k. There is plenty of information online to help you with 5k training.

Thanks for reading. If you would like to receive FREE updates of FBS, there are four ways to do so:

• have updates sent to your email,
• through your RSS Feed
• become a fan and 'like' FBS on Facebook
• become a Twitter follower

5 Gardening eBooks for Just $7.40

Whether you're a new or experienced gardener, this week's collection includes a variety of gardening tips for everyone! Learn how to garden without a big budget or a lot of space, discover tips for organic gardening and preserving your harvest, and get organized with custom printables. But don't wait because this bundle is on sale for 75% off this week only!



Frugal Gardening 101 by Phoebe Hendricks
In Frugal Gardening 101: A Comprehensive Guide to Vegetable Gardening Without Breaking the Bank, Phoebe shares her passion for gardening and proves that vegetable gardening doesn't have to be expensive. It's a comprehensive guide that shows you how to garden organically for very little with tips for buying, starting and saving seeds, organic pest and weed control and more.

Apartment Gardening by Jami Balmet
If you've ever wondered whether it's possible to have a garden with limited space, Jami's ebook will show you how! Apartment Gardening: A Practical Guide to Growing Vegetables in Small Spaces is a beginner’s guide to everything you need to know about container gardening, including more than 100 pages of how-to advice to help you start your container garden today.

Simple Food {For Spring} by Shannon Stonger
Simple Food {For Spring} is more than just a cookbook. In addition to 28 grain-free recipes (complete with full-color photos!) highlighting spring produce, Shannon also encourages readers in sustainable and homegrown living through her introductions to cleansing, foraging, dehydrating greens and more.

Heavenly Homemaker’s Guide to Gardening and Preserving by Laura Coppinger
In Heavenly Homemaker's Guide to Gardening and Preserving, Laura shares her tips for a successful, organic garden, including how, what and when to plant. Beyond gardening, you'll also find her strategies for making the most of your farmer's market plus canning tutorials and recipes to help you preserve your harvest.

The Gardening Notebook by Angi Schneider
In addition to a how-to guide for gardening beginners, Angi has created the perfect spot for recording all of your notes and research for your garden. With more than 50 pages of printables, The Gardening Notebook is the perfect way to organize everything you need or want to remember for your garden!

The Gardening bundle is only available through 8am EST on Monday, 4/29. Get yours today:



Thanks for reading. If you would like to receive FREE updates of FBS, there are four ways to do so:

• have updates sent to your email,
• through your RSS Feed
• become a fan and 'like' FBS on Facebook
• become a Twitter follower

Disclosure - This post contains affiliate links that help support this site at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Family Balance Sheet! You can read the site's full disclosure here.

Chicken & Black Bean Enchiladas

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Chicken & Black Bean Enchiladas are in the top 10 of my favorite dinners for many reasons. It's a delicious dinner that my family loves. It's easy to prepare. And it's a great way to use leftover roast chicken. If you don't' have any cooked chicken on hand, quickly grill some chicken breasts in about 10 minutes.

Chicken & Black Bean Enchiladas

Ingredients

• 16 oz tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 1/2 cups homemade chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/4 cup homemade chicken stock
• 2 cups chopped or shredded cooked chicken
• 1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed & drained
• 1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies
• your favorite shredded cheddar cheese
• 8 (8 inch) flour tortillas

Instructions

1. In a large sauce pan, combine tomato sauce, chili powder, oregano, cumin and 1 1/2 cups chicken stock. Stir well and bring to a boil.

2. Stir together the flour and 1/4 cup of chicken stock until smooth. Add to the tomato mixture, stirring continuously until blended. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

3. In a bowl, combine the chicken, black beans, and green chilies.

4. To assemble the enchiladas: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13 X 9 baking dish with non-stick spray. Spoon 1/3 cup of chicken mixture on each tortilla and top with about 1 tablespoon of cheese. Roll up and place the tortillas seam side down in the pan. Cover with the enchilada sauce and sprinkle with shredded cheese.

5. Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

6. Serve with sour cream, guacamole, and/or your favorite salsa.

Print recipe for Chicken & Black Bean Enchiladas.

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April 20 - 26 | FREE or Low Cost Events for the Whole Family

FREE Entrance Days at the National Parks

• April 22 - 26 | Fee waiver includes: entrance fees, commercial tour fees, and transportation entrance fees. Other fees such as reservation, camping, tours, concession and fees collected by third parties are not included unless stated otherwise.

Michael's

• Saturday, April 20, 1 - 3 PM | FREE eco-friendly t-shirt upcycling Show IN Tell - Celebrate Earth Day by learning how you can turn your old T-shirts into trendy and fashionable accessories.
• Saturday, April 10 - 11: 30 AM | Earth Day: Trash to Treasure - Let your kids explore their creativity while you shop! Only $2 per child reserves 30 minutes for your creative kid. Sessions starting every half hour from 10AM - 11:30AM

A.C.Moore

• Saturday, April 20, 1 - 3 PM | Make & Take: Easter Seals Act for Autism - Creative Hands Foam Name Sign 

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• have updates sent to your email,
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• become a Twitter follower

Thrifty Finds: Brand Names, Dirt Cheap

I stopped by my two favorite thrift stores last week: Salvation Army & Community Aid, a local store. I only go on Wednesdays, because both stores offer an additional 50% off on almost everything.

I cleaned out our closets a couple of weekends ago and I found that we are in need of some spring & summer clothes. My oldest daughter has grown out of everything,  thankfully, I can pass them on to my younger daughter, so at least she is set for spring and summer.

Finally, spring has arrived in central PA, so I carved out some time last Wednesday to hit the thrift stores. And as always they did not disappoint.

By far the best find of the day was the pair of Keen shoes (in the above picture) for my oldest daughter.

Do used shoes gross you out? Me too, but these Keen's were in great condition and were only $2.50, so I bought the shoes and simply washed them in hot water in the washing machine when I got home. These shoes retail for $49.95.  No THANK YOU! I just can't justify that price for kids shoes; their feet grow like weeds.

Unfortunately, I didn't have much luck with finding any clothing for my daughter, but I did pretty well for myself. I found 2 pairs of shorts and a pair of brand new Gap denim capris. While I'm not brand loyal, there are brands that I like based on their quality and fit. So I was excited when I found Calvin Klein & Ralph Lauren shorts in like new condition. And they were $2 each after the 50% off sale.

I really liked the fit of the khaki Ralph Lauren shorts, so I was bummed when I noticed a missing button as I was trying them on.

Thankfully a spare was hidden inside the shorts. I'm no seamstress, but I can sew on a button.

My absolute favorite find for myself was an Athleta running skirt for $2. So mom made out well!

I also bought a Pyrex casserole dish with a lid. Unfortunately, it was excluded from the 50% off sale, but at $4.99, I bought it anyway. I rarely see Pyrex dishes WITH the lid. I love that I can avoid using aluminum foil or plastic wrap.

Do you shop at thrift stores? What great finds have you found lately? Let us know in the comments.

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Sauteed Boneless Taco Pork Chops

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Have I told you how much I love having homemade taco seasoning in my cupboards? It's so easy to grab to season food and it can be used for dishes other than tacos. These Sautéed Boneless Taco Pork Chop take about 20 minutes to prepare from start to finish. They make a delicious and quick dinner on those crazy busy weeknights.

(There's no reason why you can't use bone-in pork chops; I just happened to have boneless in my freezer.)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 1 inch boneless thick pork chops
• ½ cup flour
• 1-2 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning

Instructions

1. Combine the flour and the taco seasoning. Dredge the pork chops in the flour mixture.

2. In a large saute pan, heat the butter and oil over medium heat. When butter is sizzling and fragrant, add the pork chops. Heat on one side until golden browned, about 5 minutes. Turn over and brown the other side for another 4 minutes or until pork chops are cooked through.

Serve with your favorite salsa.

Print recipe for Sautéed Boneless Taco Pork Chops.

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5 Simple Living eBooks for Just $7.40

Is simple living just a pipe dream in today's fast-paced, always-on, more-is-better culture? With this week's collection, you'll discover the secrets to living simply from five authors who are living intentionally and inspiring others to do the same! But don't wait because this bundle is on sale for 90% off this week only.



25 Intentional Days by AndHeDrew
Laid out in an easy-to-follow format, 25 Intentional Days will take you step by step through setting effective long-term and short-term goals, finding time you didn't know you had, tracking your progress and creating the life you've dreamed of.

Simple Ways to Be More with Less by Courtney Carver
In Simple Ways to Be More with Less, Courtney shows you how to simplify your life and live each day more purposefully. This book will challenge you, brighten your day, and if you let it, change your world.

Inside-Out Simplicity by Joshua Becker
Living simply starts on the inside, and in Inside-Out Simplicity, Joshua shares why healthy relationships are essential to a simplified life. You'll discover how to live intentionally by embracing contentment, gratitude, and humility and making generosity, kindness, service, and forgiveness a hallmark of all of your relationships.

ClutterFree by Leo Babauta & Courtney Carver
With the tools in ClutterFree, you'll learn how to eliminate the clutter and create more time and space in your home and life. Leo and Courtney walk you through understanding why we have clutter, learning how to get rid of it and enjoying a clutter-free life.

Flying by the Seat of My Soul by Tess Marshall
Through personal stories, profound lessons, uplifting quotes and stories of others, Tess inspires you to live more passionately and pursue your heart’s desire with more conviction. Flying By The Seat Of My Soul will empower you to move toward inner change, let go of the past, follow your dreams and fly!

The Simple Living bundle is only available through 8am EST on Monday, 4/22. Get yours today:

Thanks for reading. If you would like to receive FREE updates of FBS, there are four ways to do so:

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Disclosure - This post contains affiliate links that help support this site at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Family Balance Sheet! You can read the site's full disclosure here.

My Favorite Running App | Weeks 6 & 7 of 10 Weeks to a Half Marathon

Every week between now and early May, I will be charting my progress as I train for my next half marathon in Pittsburgh. I'll post everything about my training from the actual distances to what I wear to how I stay hydrated, nourished and entertained while running.

I've owned an iPhone since May 2012, but it's taken me almost a year to use a running app. I hate to call myself lazy, but I don't know how else to explain it.

Anyway, I love the Nike+ running app. It tracks my pace, distance, workouts. It stores my personal records, such as fastest mile, fastest 5k, longest run in distance, and longest workout in duration. You also can assign an emoticon and write some notes about each run. So in a few weeks when I look back on yesterday's run, I'll know why my pace was somewhat slow. My foot was throbbing and I had to go to the bathroom really, really bad the last mile. Really bad!

At the end of your run, the app syncs with your Nike + account and stores all of your information for you to over-analyze or ignore.

To get your own Nike + running app, log into Nike.com on your phone and click download app to join the Nike+ running community. Create a profile and then download the app to your iPhone or Android. It's a FREE app

And then start running!

My Workouts for Week 6

• Monday - 3 miles, easy pace
• Wednesday - 4 miles, easy pace
• Thursday - 3 miles, easy pace
• Friday - 1 hour yoga at the Y
• Saturday 6 miles, run at conversational pace

My Workouts for Week 7

• Monday - 3 miles, easy pace
• Wednesday - 4 miles, tempo pace for two miles
• Thursday - 6 miles, easy pace
• Friday - 1 hours yoga at the Y
• Sunday - 10 miles, run at conversational pace

My Training Plan for upcoming Week 8

This is the hardest week before the race, because of the 12 mile long run. I was really nervous about this workout when I was training for my first half. I had never run that far before. I remember feeling victory when I turned the corner towards my house on that first 12 miler. My husband and kids were waiting for me on the sidewalk to cheer me home. It was because of that 12 mile run that I felt confident on my first race day that I could finish the half marathon.

• Monday - 3 miles, easy pace
• Wednesday - 6 miles, tempo pace for 4 miles
• Thursday - 3 miles, easy pace
• Friday - 1 hour of yoga at the Y
• Saturday - 12 miles at conversational pace 

Do you use a running app to track your workouts? Which one do you use? Also, how did your training go this week? Let us know in the comments.

Read more:

• My Road to Half Marathons.
• Week 1 of 10 Weeks to a Half Marathon
• Week 2 of 10 Weeks to a Half Marathon | My Must Have Gear
• Week 3 of 10 Weeks to a Half Marathon | What I Wear
• Week 4 of 10 Weeks to a Half Marathon | Hydration
• Week 5 of 10 Weeks to a Half Marathon | Preventing Boredom on the Long Run

A note about my training plan: I am not a medical professional or a certified trainer, just an avid runner. Please consult a professional if you feel you need one. Also, the half marathon training plan that I follow is designed for beginners. Although, it is advised that you do not start using the 10 week training plan until you are able to run 6 miles. If you are new to running, start by training for a 5k. There is plenty of information online to help you with 5k training.

This post is linked to Motivation Monday at Life in Balance.

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• have updates sent to your email,
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• become a Twitter follower

Our History with Credit Cards & Switching to Cash

"Debt is Dumb, Cash is King" - Dave Ramsey

Dave Ramsey has built quite a business around that quote. He has successfully inspired thousands of people to a life free of credit cards and debt.

My husband and I always thought we were different.

It just seemed easier to us to carry and use credit cards versus cash. We used them for everything, from groceries and restaurants to gas and clothing and everything in between. And we always paid the entire balance at the end of the month. We were using the cards to earn cash back on purchases that we needed to buy any way, so we were being smart about our spending.  Right?  Or so we thought.

But Dave Ramsey and Financial Peace University challenged us to think about credit cards & cash differently.

According to Dave, you actually spend 12-18% less when using cash. That caught my attention. If we could reduce our spending by 12-18%, we could put that money towards our debt. In 2012, we spent  almost $8000 on groceries and 12% of that is $960. The most cash back we've received from our visa has been $250 a year. We have the potential to save almost 4 times that just by using cash instead of our visa.

So in March, we started using cash or our debit card for 3 spending categories: groceries, restaurants, clothes.

This has been a huge adjustment for us. We've been handing over our visa for most of our purchases for our entire marriage. We didn't even have ATM cards at the beginning of March, so I had to order them.

Switching to cash definitely will take more communication and coordination between the two of us so we don't overdraw an account. We are trying to figure out a system for when my husband needs to make a purchase. I do most of the shopping for groceries and household purchases, but what if he needs to pick something up on the way home from work or he needs to stop at Lowe's for a household item? He will now need to bring me receipts immediately after a purchase rather than wait until the credit card bill was due.

After one month, we both like the feeling of paying with cash. We felt like our purchases were more intentional and less impulsive, but there were some hiccups in March. I did use my credit card for a few things that I knew I could find the cash for by the time the payment will be due. And I could hear Dave Ramsey barking in my ear each time. My credit card is like a security blanket that I'm not ready to give up.

We took the first step to cash in March and each month should get easier, because "debt is dumb and cash is king."

Do you use credit cards or cash? Let us know in the comments.

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April 13 & 14 | FREE or Low Cost Events for the Whole Family

Lowe's Build & Grow

• Saturday, April 13, 10 AM | Your child will build a plantar and decorate it with creatures & characters from The Croods.

Michael's

• Saturday, April 13, 10-11:30 AM | Earth Friendly Fox - Let your kids explore their creativity while you shop! Only $2 per child reserves 30 minutes for your creative kid. Sessions starting every half hour from 10AM - 11:30AM

A.C. Moore

• Saturday, April 13, 1 - 3 PM | Wilton Treat Pops Demonstration

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