5 Things I Loved in July

Well July just flew by right?!  We only have one more month of scorching hot temps here in Phoenix until we get a little relief.  Despite the heat, I really do love slower pace of Summer, where everyday, fun is on the menu.  Without further adieu, I being you, 5 things I Loved about July:


1.  Living room sleepovers with my favorite 4 year old on the planet.  We layer a ton of blankets on the floor, pop popcorn, rent a Disney movie, and sleep there all night.  I wake up stiff and sleep deprived, but it is a million times worth it!

2.  My new Brooks Visor!  I was never a visor wearing girl, but this for me was a total game changer for hot Summer running.

3.  P90X3.  I have been really focusing on cross training this half marathon cycle and am loving the results!  This set is really good and I LOVE how each workout is only 30 minutes.  I think its really improved my strength overall a ton.  I am currently on week 5.  This month I did 32 P90X3 workout routines in addition to my running.

4.  40 calorie Fudgesicles are low-cal chocolate frozen bliss.  We are huge fans of dessert in our house :)

5.  Running (Duh)!! I actually took an entire week off running this month but still managed to log 90 miles!  My next half is not until mid October, The Lake Powell Half, so I have awhile to log the miles.  I'd love to get a PR on this course so my goal is to do one speed work session a week next month.

Run Eat Tweet AZ Meetup

This weekend I went on my first meet up with my new running group RunEatTweetAZ!!  They are such a fun group of people!  Most of us "met" on IG and through the blogging world.  Meeting this way allows for us to really get to know each other ahead of time, completely diminishing any nervous, awkward, or forced conversations.  It's hard to believe that this was the first time that I had talked to most of these people face to face!

We met at Camelback Mountain to hike the Echo Canyon Trail.  To say we were hiking was maybe the understatement of the century.  We were straight up scaling rocks, holding on to support rails, or large boulders, for the majority of the time!  What a rush it was!!

                                     

According to my Strava, we gained just over 1900 feet in elevation!  The hike was about 2.8 miles round trip.

 I was on a "hiker's high" for the majority of the day, elated from the amazing views, new friendships, and great workout.  Even though I didn't feel sore that day, let me tell you, its been two days now and I am still sore in my shoulders and butt!  I cant wait to add this hike to my cross training regime once the weather cools down a bit.

I am also super excited about my next meet up with Run Eat Tweet AZ!  Next month we are going to run miles with meaning, doing a virtual 5K for a one of our members, Traci's daughter's friend, a local 21 year old named Courtney who was recently diagnosed with a rare form of Liver Cancer.  If you are local we would love to have you join us on August 10!  If you can't make it, that's the best part about a virtual run, you can complete it in your own time and place.  The most import thing is showing our support for Courtney and her family.  You can find out more information and register here.


                                

Hello!

Hi!  I'm Amy, aka, Go Fast Mommy!  I'm a mom to an amazing 4 year old, Brayden.  I started my running journey in the Fall of 2012.

The weather in Arizona in the Fall is amazing, after sweating it out all Summer in the hundred degree heat we soak up every outdoor second that Fall has to offer us!  It was on one such a fall day, that I decided to blow off the gym, for the 5th time that week, and walk my son, then 2, to one of our neighborhood parks.

He, as any 2 year old, was anxious to arrive and start playing, so he enthusiastically shouted, "Go fast Mommy!"  To which I replied, "I'm walking as fast as I can!"  Of course he replied, "No, go FAST Mommy, run!"

My first Half Marathon Nov 2013

Up until that point I was always vocally adamant about how much I hated running, how hard it was for me, how I had no interest in it ever, and that I would happily just stick to my 4 times a week classes at the gym thankyouverymuch.

But, like any mom, I would do anything to make my child happy, and if my little boy wanted me to go fast, dang it, I was going to make that stroller go as fast as I could!!  And I did, for a whole block!  Of course that only quenched his thirst for speed for a short while, so I think I ran two more blocks that Fall afternoon.  You had better believe that my speed impressed his little socks off!

What impressed me though, was that I actually liked it!  So the next afternoon, I asked him if he wanted to go fast to the park.  We ran a little father that day, enjoying the wind in our hair and his giggles every time I hit a bump in the road.  Running quickly became something we both looked forward to.

Running for me became something hugely empowering and freeing for me. It's one of my greatest challenges, but also one of my favorite treats.  Its saved my sanity more times than I can count and brought so many experiences, accomplishments, friendships, and joyful memories into my life.

The Night Run, a local 10k race we recently did together

Here's to a blog filled with documenting the balance of motherhood and runner, and how each role helps strengthen us in more ways than one!