Crazy 10 miler!

Well, this run did not go as planned. (shaking my head)  I set out to do 10 miles this morning, trying to run out the door before it got too hot. Temps are kissing 100 here the past few days, with heat advisories every morning I wake. Only 2 miles into this run, a Pit bull charges at me. Unfortunately the new Mace in my hand decides it doesn't want to work. I had tested it when I bought it and haven't had to use it since. Thankfully I came out of this standoff without a dog bite. Knew I had about 5 more ankle-biters on the same road that would run out at me, so I stopped to figure out what was going on with the Mace. Couldn't get the dang thing to spray, but it did leak purple liquid all over my hands. So with all the sweating in the heat and trying to get back to my car, thinking I wasn't about to do this loop again today, I somehow managed to get it on my face while using the backs of my hands to wipe sweat. Let me tell you, if it had worked on the dog, he would have had a really bad day. Because I felt like I had flames burning my face and hands.

At this point my run was over. I was just trying to run back to my car so I could get home and shower. My fingers were red and swelling, my face was burning, and I started getting a headache. Got home and showered, iced my hands and coated my hands and face with Rodan+Fields SOOTHE!  This is a recovery I've never done before.

Thankfully, I was able to get the last 5 miles on the treadmill in my basement, where there are no dogs threatening my safety. Glad this 10 miles finally came together. Nothing like a little drama to make things interesting.

Changing Skin & Changing Lives!

I am overjoyed with excitement, and would not be a good friend if I did not share this information with everyone that I know and meet. I have teamed up as a consultant with Drs. Katie Rodan and Kathy Fields, the creators of Proactiv. They wanted to change skin and change lives for everyone, the same as they did for acne, so they created regimens for anti-aging, including fine lines, loss of firmness and wrinkles...sun damage, brown spots, age spots and melasma...sensitive skin, rosacea, psoriasis, and eczema...and acne, cystic acne, post acne scarring. Why do these products work so well? They use the right ingredients and the right formulations in the right order. I have seen firsthand the amazing results with all of these products! The Doctors believe in their products so much that they offer a 60-day moneyback guarantee. If you aren't satisfied, send the empty bottles back for a refund. What other company offers that?

REDEFINE for anti-aging

Here's how well these products work. Steve is a friend of mine, a former products liability lawyer, and circuit judge, who was trying to prove these products didn't work, but actually ended up proving that they work amazingly well. Steve used the REDEFINE regimen, coupled with the AMP MD roller, and is looking younger than ever at the age of 63!! He and his wife both have retired from their legal careers and are consultants on my R+F team.

SOOTHE for sensitive skin

And I am so happy my mom has agreed to let me share her results with everyone. She was diagnosed with Stage 3C breast cancer in November 2012. After finishing chemo, she went through several months of radiation, which caused her skin to dry out so much it was cracking and bleeding. Awful and painful! After doing everything that her doctors had recommended, which obviously wasn't working, she agreed to try Rodan + Fields SOOTHE, which is for sensitive skin conditions, including eczema, psoriasis and rosacea. These are her results after only 5 days!  A year later, you can't even tell. No scar.

Shop Now

So for the month of August, I am offering a special deal. All new customers who order as a Preferred Customer from me will receive a FREE gift of choice from our Summer Survival Essentials Collection. By answering just a few questions in our Solutions Tool, you will know in a matter of minutes which regimen is recommended for you. And you'll be on your way to having the best skin of your life!  By signing up as a Preferred Customer, you will also receive 10% off all products and receive FREE shipping with every order. 

If you know of anyone that might be interested, please share my contact info with them. I'll be glad to answer any questions anyone has about these wonderful products.

Thank you!

Michelle Foster
Rodan + Fields
Independent Consultant
Website: https://michellefoster.myrandf.com/
Email: mefoster262@gmail.com

365 Day Plank Challenge

Just over 365 days ago I started a plank challenge. I had attempted it once or twice before and then something would happen and I would forget, which would cause my streak to start back over with Day 1. How frustrating is that!  But as they say, you don't fail until you quit trying. Persistence pays off!  I found that I could remember easier by making it part of my nightly routine, and a year later, I am still planking. Every night, for 377 nights now.

Are you looking for a challenge?  Try this one.  Start out small. Set a goal to plank every day for a week, and then as you get closer, raise the bar higher. I never expected to plank for a year straight, but if you break it down day by day it doesn't seem so overwhelming.

Soldier Half Marathon ~ Fort Benning /13.24 mi/ Time 2:07:44

I have to say, this was probably the most fun half I have ever run. The energy in this race was unbelievable!! I have had my heart set on this one for a year now. Really wanted to give back and run for our fallen heroes. So this one was for "Easy 40", who lost their lives when their heli crashed near Baghdad in 2007. Flight crew: MAJ Michael V. Taylor, CPT Sean E. Lylerly, SFC John G. Brown, 1SG William T. Warren...along with 8 other crew members (guys my friend Brad Williams served with and knew well). Also SFC Jon Lowery and CPT Waid Ramsey, who my friend Shane Higgins knew well. It was an honor to run for these guys and their families, and I am thankful to Brad and Shane for sharing that with me.

Race recap...

Marla and I got to Fort Benning yesterday morning and traffic was really backed up. Parking was a nightmare. FINALLY got parked 5 whole minutes before the race started! There were others behind us, so I wasn't in panic mode yet. Ended up starting in the 8:00/ pace group because we just couldn't make it through the crowd. The start to this race was amazing! Held a pretty good pace for the first couple of miles. Coming up the only hill we had at mile 2, we had drill sergeants hollering at us...it was awesome! Didn't see a single person walking that hill. LOL. Somewhere between mile 6 and 7, we had some good entertainment with the drill sergeants. One was yelling that he had been waiting 59 minutes for us to finish this marathon!! He seemed pretty ticked! LOL. No checking up in front of him either!

Achilles started tightening up pretty bad around mile 10, but kept pushing through. Knew I had to run strong for "Easy 40"! Also had my own drill sergeant running with me (Marla). Good to have that when you're fighting through discomfort and trying to keep running strong. The energy in this race was just amazing!

It was such an awesome feeling to come around and see the finish! So many people lined up...soldiers at the finish line handing out medals. I kick it in gear through that homestretch to pass this dude in front of me and almost bust my bootay...right at the finish!! I really thought I was going down. My body was moving faster than my legs could keep up. I'm sure that was caught on camera...and probably the only pics taken of me that day. But hey, I beat the dude that was in front of me. :) Mission accomplished! and didn't face-plant, thankfully.

Fort Benning is gorgeous! High energy throughout this entire race. The soldiers were so humble and thankful to us for running. Just wanted to stop and hug every one of them. We did a lot of high-fiving! Enjoyed running this with my bestie. Had such a fun time with her this weekend, as always. Definitely going to run this one again next year!

Kudos to these race coordinators! This was a very well-organized race! Cool medal and shirt...and the best variety of after-race food and beverages I have seen to date! This one was topnotch!

Montgomery Half Marathon ~ 13.21 mi/ Time 2:07:37

Was so good to go back to my first half marathon and run it for the third time. Got to run this race again with my bestie, Marla C. and ran into my friend, Brad W., who was running his first half. The morning started off nice and cool, but warmed up rather quickly. Not near the spectators that I have seen at this race in the past, but the energy from the other runners in the race was just awesome today. Saw some really good motivational signs that made me laugh out loud...great encouragement from the volunteers...and made some new friends along the course. Saw a girl who ran it with a prosthetic leg...just wow!! No excuses, People! No excuses!

I had been running behind this one girl, Monica, who slowed down around mile 10.5. So I gave her some encouragement and we stuck it out and finished together. That's what running is all about. Love the running community.

Not my best time, but happy that I was able to shave 6 mins off my Talladega time from 3 wks ago. Splits were pretty good with the exception of the hill at mile 10.5. Mile 1-4 (9:25, 9:44, 9:33, 9:18) mile 5-8 (9:28, 9:24, 9:35, 9:44) mile 9-13 (9:49, 10:12, 10:10, 9:30, 9:27.)

Great after party! Got to see a police officer who had been injured in a motorcycle wreck being helped across the finish of the 1 mile walk I take it. Don't think there was a dry eye in the stadium when he crossed and got his medal. Hung out after and shut the place down. Good times today!

Ran this one for Stephanie...

Talladega 21000 ~ 13.15 mi/ Time 2:13:10

Awesome time at the Talladega Super Speedway today. Not a PR by any stretch, but I had a blast out there today...and that's what it's all about! It was so good to revisit the track and run this race again this year. Kinda strange how you remember all the little things from the first time you run a certain course or race...like what you were thinking at a certain point or what your pace was. I had a lot of that going on today, which made it all the more exciting.

Had to fight the wind a good bit today, and it was pretty hot. There were a few times I questioned whether I was actually moving. Held a steady pace in the 9:50s/ until around mile 7, where I started to slow down just a bit. Had a cool moment where I looked down at my watch at mile 10.13, was running a pace of 10:13/ and an average pace of 10:13/. If only I could have gotten a picture of that!

Picked the pace back up the last little bit and finished strong! So cool to have friends and family waiting at the finish line. The kids had a super awesome time at the track today. :) So glad I got to run this with my friends Kathy, Keith, and Glen. This was Kathy's first half, and she ran it strong! So proud of her. Hope we got you hooked, Girl! There is nothing like RUNNER'S HIGH!

Finish time was 2:13:10.

What You Should Know About Skincare and Sun Exposure as an Athlete

Since health and skincare go hand in hand, I am excited for the opportunity to share my latest business venture with all my athletic friends. I just recently teamed up as an independent consultant with Rodan + Fields Dermatologists, the very doctors that created Proactiv. As athletes, we subject our skin to hours of direct and indirect sunlight. These hours can do major damage over the years, that we need to be concerned about. Skin, our largest organ, needs to stay healthy for a lifetime. If you have sun damage, brown spots or dullness...acne and post-acne marks...sensitive, irritated skin or facial redness...concerns with wrinkles, pores or loss of firmness...please message me. I would love to share with you how Rodan + Fields can help redefine your skin. It truly is life-changing!!  I have seen AMAZING results and can't wait for everyone to experience that. 

To find out which regimen is recommended for you, please take a moment and use the Solution Tool. Once completed, you will receive an email with the regimen that will work best for you!

Michelle

Rodan + Fields 

Independent Consultant

michellefoster.myrandf.com