January 26 | Week in Review

Happy Monday Everyone! I don't know about you guys but I'm super excited about this year and what is to come. ☺ If you put in the effort, anything is possible! I'm currently going on week 3 of my 10K training program with a local running store here in my hometown and LOVING it. Like I said last week, my goal this spring is to build up my core and really focus on my form. I think I may have started out too fast too soon last year (I have a tendency to push myself too hard!) which caused some IT band issues with my non-IDEO leg... so in 2015 I am starting with working on my form and core strength. #gettingstrongereveryday

This weekend I have a 5K planned and a wedding to go to so fun pictures to come! Can't wait to see how the IDEO fancies up for the black tie wedding in my floor length dress! So stay tuned...

 

My advice this week: Take time to reflect on how AMAZING it is that you are even able to walk without pain again, let alone RUN. We are so fortunate to have the technology of the IDEO. When I am out running and start to get tired and feel like stopping, I remind myself of all the pain and the times when I longed to just be able to run again... and it keeps me going. I smile because I am reminded each day of how much the IDEO has changed my life and that is something I will never take for granted. #IDEOstrong What are you grateful for?

Of course, I can't sign off without showing an outfit and a little inspiration. ☺

 

The IDEO looks pretty sleek here if I don't say so myself :)

 

Getting more flexible - feels good!

 

I run every chance that I have because to me it is a gift. ♥

 

 Have a great rest of the week! Never stop trying. #beAMAZING

Fashion, Shoes & Fitness | What more could a girl ask for?

Happy Saturday everyone! Today I thought I'd share a photo summary of my past week and give you a little inspiration covering all the bases: fashion, shoes and fitness :)

Skirt Fashion: Below are two pictures of how I pair skirts with my IDEO during the winter. The key is finding a way to make the IDEO a seamless part of your outfits. I've found the easiest way to do this with your skirts (during the cold months) is by wearing tights. By doing this, the IDEO becomes magically less noticeable at first glance and your look feels more streamlined. Top it off with dark colored tennis shoes and a dark colored compression sock (whatever goes best with your tights) and you are set to go! NOTE: I've had to cut some of my tights because it was too compressing to wear tights + compression sock over... so keep that in mind. You can always cut the tights on your IDEO side leg if you need to (its a little tricky but doable!). It's all about finding what feels & works best for you :)

 

Shoes: I was so excited to get my new Brooks Glycerin's this week!  I can run like the wind in Brooks and they are super cushy. (To give you an indication of how they fit: I wear a men's 8 on the L and a men's 10 on the R with my IDEO.) I'm planning to supplement this pair with my other Brooks Glycerin's and rotate them out with all the running & activity I am doing. This greyish color is great and I know it will go with a lot of outfits too :) New shoes = happy Beth.☺

Brooks Glycerin ♥

Fitness: Last week I signed up with a local running store for a Spring Training Program. So excited! After reaching such a huge goal with Project Athena last November, I couldn't decide what I wanted to do in 2015... but I finally decided for year 2 in the IDEO to improve my running form and distance. So this spring I am training and working on pace/form from Jan - late April on 5-10K level races and then assuming my body holds up for me (I have a tendency to push it too hard sometimes.. hehe) I plan to train for and run in the Race for a Soldier half-marathon in September in Gig Harbor. I have also started adding in more formalized weight training and yoga... working on flexibility and muscle strength needed to keep good form while running and also to avoid injuries (ain't nobody got time for that!). I have a lot of work ahead of me this year but I think by taking a systematic approach to my training and building my base / form / pace from the ground up, I will be in good all around shape to train for a half-marathon. So more to come on this... But if I can do the half-marathon - that will be the first half-marathon in my IDEO! (definitely on my IDEO bucket list!)


 

#iloverunning

 

Sometimes all it takes is believing that YOU CAN. Believe that YOU CAN look cute in your IDEO, believe that YOU CAN get back to living life to the fullest again, and believe that YOU CAN do anything you set your mind to. It all starts with believing in yourself. Make it a great week! #achieveyourdreams #beYOU #beFABULOUS #IDEOnista

Find YOUR style. #beAMAZING.

“…style is the sum of so many things-beginning with a sense of who you are and having self-confidence. It’s about getting the most mileage out of what works best on you. I’m a firm believer in wearing what makes you happy. And the only rules I’d encourage any to follow are their own rules.” - Kate Spade

 

True that Kate! One of the things I love most about Kate Spade is her confidence in her own unique style. Her looks are classic, yet it's her confidence that makes her beautiful. You can add all the cool compression socks to your wardrobe that you want but it's your confidence that will bring out the best that is within you. Turn your focus away from what you can't wear to what you can wear... there are a lot of options out there but it all begins with how you see yourself. So experiment, find your unique style, wear what makes you happy, and most importantly don't forget to smile. You've come a long way :)

 

PS - I would love to see pictures of your unique IDEO style. Share them in the comments or message me on the right. Have a great weekend! I don't know about you guys, but there will be running involved in mine... :)

 

#beYOU #beAMAZING #IDEOstrong

 

Winter = Skinny Jeans.

Hope everyone is off to a fantastic year!

Today I want to show you just how easy it is to make your IDEO blend in with your favorite jeans. As I mentioned in an earlier post, wintertime is one of my most favorite seasons because I can layer up and wear darker colors to blend in my IDEO. As you'll see in the images below, I am wearing skinny jeans. I truly believe as a woman, if you are going to wear tennis shoes with jeans, skinny jeans are the way to go. In fact, even non-IDEO people are wearing skinny jeans with tennis shoes - the style is real my friends :)
 
Skinny jeans with the IDEO... best kept secrets:

• Find a solid dark wash jean. This color can be dressed up and is great for work or going out with friends.
• To help the IDEO blend in, pull your skinny jean under your knee cuff and over the slats at the bottom (see last picture at bottom for close-up) Put pants on first, then the IDEO on over and pull the bottom of the pant leg over the outer side slats to cover them.
• Find jeans that are not too thick... you definitely don't want your jean material to be so thick that it makes wearing your IDEO too tight (this is not fun). Make sure to try your jeans on with your IDEO before purchasing to see how it feels.
• Try to match your shoes with your outfits / pants (as best you can!) I've found having neutral colored shoes - black, dark grey, tan, and light grey make for great options!
• Experiment with different colors of pants - this will help you feel like you have more options when it comes to making outfits. Currently, I only have regular denim, black, navy and grey jeans but I'm hoping to find some new colors to add to my wardrobe - maybe maroon!
• Don't cross your legs all day... this may sound odd but I was used to crossing one leg over the other when I was sitting at my desk. Interesting enough, I found over the last year that I was making a tiny hole in my jeans from where the IDEO was resting on my other leg when my legs were crossed at my desk. Even the color of the jean was fading from where the IDEO had rested on my opposite leg. Recognizing this, I made a conscious effort to frequently change up how I cross my legs when I am sitting for long periods of time. The way I look at it is it's a small price to pay for the benefit of living pain free! You may not experience this problem but just wanted to point it out in case you are a leg crosser like me :)
• If you are wearing dark pants and you have dark tennis shoes, wear dark socks with your IDEO. Do not wear white. This will make you feel more stylish - I promise!
• Unless the pant legs of your skinny jeans are pretty loose, put your compression sock for your IDEO on first and then put your pants on. Trust me on this haha.
• I haven't typically needed to wear the knee sleeve if I'm wearing skinny jeans because the jean material is enough to act as a buffer between the IDEO and my knee. See what you like though!

Skinny Jean Winter IDEO wardrobe ideas below. (Click on image to enlarge pictures)

Where is the IDEO, I don't even see it?? :)

 

 
Remember: You are beautiful no matter what outfit you have on, I'm just here to show you what's worked for me and to inspire you to find ways to feel fabulous again! Most importantly, wear the IDEO with confidence knowing there is beauty in your strength. After all, that's what an IDEOnista is. And smile - you're pretty amazing!

Until next time my friends.

Get Yourself a Shoehorn. You'll Thank Me Later.

I know you're thinking "Who uses a shoehorn?" I thought the same thing for a long time until my mom gave me one for Christmas this past year and I don't know how I went this long in my IDEO without it. Maybe it's stubbornness or possibly the idea of associating a shoehorn with something my grandfather would have used, but trust me using a shoehorn can help make your IDEO side shoe last longer and help you get your IDEO into tighter fitting shoes. (I should listen to Ryan's advice more often!)

From here on I will now be referring to a shoehorn as a shoespoon, because (a) it's a better description of what the tool does (acts like a spoon!) and (b) it's more fun (and I'm all about fun)! Below are instructions for how to use the shoespoon to help slide your IDEO into your shoe. Note: You don't have to use a shoespoon every single time you put your shoes on. I can't honestly say that I always use it, but I have started to with my new shoes and it's allowed them to keep their shape and not stretch out.

Step 1 - Hold shoespoon in your hand and get your shoe in front of you. 

 

Step 2 -  Place shoespoon in shoe with the angle of the spoon facing down like a rainbow :)

 



Step 3 - With your IDEO on, start sliding your IDEO into your shoe - using the shoespoon to help guide you in the back.

 

Step 4 - Your IDEO should begin to slide in smoothly. Shoespoon = your friend.

 



Step 5 - Once your IDEO has slid in completely, your shoespoon will be up in the back. It has done it's job.

 

Step 6 - SUCCESS. IDEO is in and shoe has maintained shape. Rock on IDEOnista.

This concludes my IDEO wisdom on shoespoons. Stay fabulous my friends ;)

Project Athena Foundation | What will you do in 2015?

Happy New Year everyone! Today I wanted to write a post about an organization that is very near and dear to my heart. This organization is Project Athena Foundation. Seeing as it is the beginning of a new year and we are all trying to think about what goals we want to set for ourselves (I'm still brainstorming!), I thought I would share a huge goal that I reached last year with the help of Project Athena. This accomplishment changed the way I looked at what is possible with the IDEO and it is my hope to inspire you to set a fitness goal for yourself this year in 2015! You never know what is possible until you try :)



After receiving my IDEO in November 2013 - I couldn't wait to set a goal for myself. Literally the week after I got my IDEO, I went out and ran a 5K... Looking back I probably should have taken time to train for it, but I just couldn't contain myself! Close to four years of not being able to walk 100 yds without pain - all I wanted to do was run again! I'm sure many of you can relate. Over the next couple months, I started getting myself back into shape with a local bootcamp called Camp Gladiator - which focused on core work, calisthenics, agility, and body weight exercises - all of which really helped to rebuild my balance and conditioning again (Jared would be proud!). However, I felt like something was missing. I needed a breakthrough - some type of challenging race to prove to myself that I was no longer a victim of an injury that plagued me for so long, but an athlete again. One day my parents were in town visiting and as they left, I remember my dad turning off the TV. Not giving it a second thought, a few days later, I turned on the TV again and it was tuned to CNN (which I don't often watch.) The show that was on was called "CNN Heroes". I was intrigued by the story of a girl with a prosthetic leg, kayaking, biking, and running across the Florida Keys. As I watched further, I learned about the incredible woman behind the foundation whose mission with Project Athena Foundation is to inspire women (like this girl) who have overcome medical setbacks (like herself) to achieve an amazing athletic dream of a lifetime and see themselves as athletes again. This amazing woman is Robin Benincasa and little did I know she would change my life. As the program came to a close, words flashed across the screen on how to apply to be a recipient of a PAF grant and put your medical setback behind you with an athletic dream of a lifetime. I was so excited about it that I ended up applying that same day. {See a theme? :)}


receiving IDEO test device | 1 year later

Fast forward a few months to June, I was in Yosemite National Park for a friend's wedding hiking over 25 miles in the park - AMAZING. First big hiking trip with my IDEO and it felt great. I didn't have my phone on for much of the trip, but one morning I turned it on and received a call from a CA number. It was Project Athena... calling me to tell me that they had chosen me as a grant recipient for the 120 mile Florida Keys Adventure in November! A bike + kayak + run event of 120 miles from Key Largo to Key West! I was beyond excited - I think I even cried I was so happy! I received my training plan in July and hit the ground running. (I literally fell off my bike the first day and hit the ground haha) My training plans consisted of 5 days/week of biking + running + kayaking - in combination with strength training. I mostly did my long bike rides on the weekends with a local bike group, but during the week I put in a lot of hours as well. If you couldn't find me at work, I was outside exercising! It took a lot of dedication to stick to the training plan but I found myself getting stronger as the weeks went by (Click here to read my lessons from training!). One of the funniest / scariest parts of my training was when I went on a 4 hour solo training adventure down the Trinity River... Up to that point I had only been training in a lake so I thought a river might bring a little more excitement to my life and boy was I right. Not more than 15 minutes into my trip, I hit a stump (yes, I was trying to take pictures...) and flipped my kayak. Water quickly filled in and I knew I had to do something to save it from going down! I looked to my left and right as water moccasins swam by and I watched as my Camelbak and paddle floated off down the river and my sack lunch and Raybans sunk to the bottom. I managed to flip the kayak upside down (with my uber IDEO strength) and floated on down the river with enough air somehow underneath the kayak to keep it afloat. I secured my paddle but couldn't find anywhere to get out of the water- it was not like the pictures Google showed me of lush Texas land... it was more like the Amazon! Then I remembered what the Kayak rental people told me about watching out for alligator gar. I really didn't think I would fall in on the trip and I wished I had paid more attention on what to do if I did... They had also mentioned that I would know the way to go by following the largest body of water... that was no easy task either! A little ways down, fighting off more water mocassins with my paddle, I found a place to dump out the water (most of what I could) and I got back in and kept going. I figured I had made it through the worst of it and the next three hours hopefully wouldn't be as bad.. I came to a point where the water got really still. I noticed up ahead that the trees must have fallen down from the rainstorm a week ago. (Again, wondering why I didn't think about this before coming on the trip!?) Seeing no way to get through, I did what I didn't want to ever have to do again. Get back into the water. I got out of my kayak, climbed the tree debris, pulled the kayak over and pushed it back into the water... only to see it float away. A snake lined the tree next to me as I jumped in after my kayak trying to keep moving and not freak out. I had to do this a few more times down the river before I made it to a place where I could get out and have the rental people come for me. Thankfully a few hours later I made it without injury, however I did learn that another kayaker that day was not as lucky. Note to self: Never go kayaking on a river alone and always wear your life jacket. On a brighter note, at least after this trip I felt like I was definitely ready for the Florida everglades!!

what started off as a nice day on the Trinity River... ahh!

In the days leading up to the adventure race in Florida, I was both excited and nervous hoping that I was ready for what was to come. I boarded the plane for Florida and didn't look back . Upon arriving in Key Largo, I was greeted by the wonderful PAF team and other adventurers and grant recipients. I could already feel the excitement in the group! We loaded in vans and headed to a campsite where we would be heading out from first thing in the morning. Each day the plan was to do a combination of kayaking + biking + running until we made it from Key Largo to Key West = 120 miles. We ended up having a lot of rain during the 3 days of the adventure but to me, it made it that much sweeter to cross the finish line knowing you didn't give in despite the elements. The day to day details from the trip would probably take me a few pages to write... but what I want to get across is about how being able to kayak +bike + run 120 miles gave me back my vision of what is possible. It was the challenge I needed to remind myself that I am an athlete again. Crossing the finish line reminded me who I was. Though the injury took a lot away from me it didn't take my spirit and because of the IDEO technology, the sky truly is the limit. I want to thank Project Athena & Robin Benincasa again for selecting me as a grant recipient this past year. Not only did I meet such incredible, caring people (every person really was amazing and inspiring), but along the journey I found within myself the person I knew I once was and could be again. Before I had the IDEO device, I was told many times and reminded daily by my pain that I might just have to accept never running or being active again, but I never let myself believe that and Project Athena through their generosity and support helped me see that I was not just going to be a survivor, but an ATHLETE again.



Project Athena group

My friends & fellow Project Athena grant recipients

One year ago, an adventure like this didn't seem fathomable and now I feel like there is no limit to what is possible :)

 

BRING ON 2015. May this be a year of new beginnings and adventures in your IDEO and may you find within you the person you know you can be again. 



Sporting Hanger Clinic along the 120 journey
  

PS - Definitely check out the Project Athena website and look at their adventures for the upcoming year! I definitely recommend applying if you are interested!

Best wishes!

Beth

:)

simply amazing