A Nifty Quickie Workout for Halloween!

Wednesday usually means "Ahhhhh" for me. After 4 straight days of running - usually totaling about 27+ miles - a gym workout is pretty welcome. Believe me, I am all about my running time especially with this weather and not having to wake up as early to beat the heat. I also take Wednesdays (and Fridays when I rest in general) to sleep in and snuggle - snuggle time is very important for my mental stability.

Wednesdays also mean time for strength training!

I've always been a weights girl. Even when I first started frequenting the gym, I enjoyed the ability to feel strong and empowered from a weightlifting workout.

When I was younger, like most girls who were working through body issues and self-awareness, I'd always thought that weightlifting wasn't for girls. As magazines and media started to justify the positive gains a woman could get from weight lifting and strength training, I soon changed my tune.

Each week I try to make sure I do a mixture of upper and lower body exercises to increase my strength and aid fat burning. While I am half marathon training, I don't do as many days as I normally would. Once race season is over (ever over?) I plan to go back to at least 3 days a week. After a Monday or Tuesday moderate run I also take my lunch break to get in a strength workout and do the same on Wednesday with opposing exercises.

This is my go-to Nifty Quickie workout. I admit that I got many of the workout ideas from my Insanity workout and other exercises I've either found online or through blogger friends of mine. It's one that I do weekly and the only variations I may change would be the number per set (if I'm feeling froggy I add on more.) As long as I am moving along at a quick pace and sweating, I'm hitting my goal! The gym, itself, can also come with distrations too that I try to avoid.

Tips for a good, quick, strength workout at the gym:

• Try to avoid too much conversation - the gym isn't for catching up, it's for doing work! I usually have on my iPod so it's easy to not see waves here and there ;)
• Create a playlist that gets you moving - those who know me know I LOVE David Guetta
• Keep it moving - go from one movement to the next quickly to keep the circuit going
• Make sure to warm up beforehand - so that you're more fluid between the rest of the workout and are geared up!
• Plan ahead - know what you plan to do for your workout before heading out into the gym

And I can't forget that it's Halloween!

Jaeden is like my child. Therefore, he gets to dress up, he IS my child afterall....77 year old child.

Mom decided to use her craft skills and make a costume at el casa

Hey I worked with what I had ;)

Happy Halloween! Did you dress up??

What ways do you stay focused during your workout?



My 6 in 6 Mission: Game on!

~ First and foremost - I'm thinking about and praying for those affected by Hurricane Sandy....as a hurricane professional here in Florida I know how hard it is to experience flooding and power outages - I hope everyone is staying safe and can get back to normal soon! ~


Alright guys...it's GAME ON time!

I know many of you know what journey I have up ahead...not a terribly hard one for some who's been running for some time, but a hard one none-the-less for me and definitely a bucket list item I am excited to get started on:

Complete 6 half marathons in 6 consecutive months

a.k.a. - Do work son.

These are the races I have on deck - I've even decided on some (hoping for more than one) destination races that are in the mix:

1) November: (11/18/12) Women's Half Marathon, St. Petersburg, Florida

2) December: (12/2/12) Brandon Half Marathon, Brandon, Florida

3) January: (1/12/13) Walt Disney World Half Marathon, Orlando, Florida

4) February: (2/23/13) Disney's Princess Half Marathon, Orlando, Florida

5) March: (3/23/13) Zooma - Austin Half Marathon, Bastrop, Texas

TBD (PLEASE HAPPEN!) 6) April: (4/28/13) Nike Women's Half Marathon, Washington D.C.

Locked. Loaded. Registered.

They each have a story to them, a reason I chose the race, of course:

I've been registered for the Women's Half Marathon since March when I decided I wanted to do Half marathon; crazy how time has flown!

• The Brandon Half Marathon is put on by my local running group so that was a no-brainer.
• The Walt Disney World Half Marathon will be my first ever Disney race. I have a few friends running that weekend in their first full marathon and I will be right there cheering them on after I run the day before!
• The Princess Half Marathon was one I just signed up for this week. I'd been undecided on running Gasparilla (scarred) or the Rock n' Roll half here as my February half. My pal K said we have digs to stay at 10 minutes from the resort and I am pretty excited for it being the 5th year of the race, so I was game!
• The Zooma race's registration also happened this past week. Hubs and I had been planning on visiting...even moving to eventually [postponing that idea for now ;)]...Austin possibly in January. I heard about the Zooma race a while back when I was debating on running that race here in Florida at Amelia Island in January (After I decided on Disney I decided against it.) I saw the opportunity to mix a vacation and a race - hubs is aware of this new phenomenon - and whoa la!
• For April, I am really hoping to get into the Nike Women's Half Marathon. REALLY. I'd a) love to do a Nike race, b) have family up in the DC area who are a hoot and c) LOVE DC...what better way to run a race other than by sightseeing national monuments?

So, that's the plan, Stan. I've been running consistently between 12-13 miles every long run to stay on top of mileage in preparation for these guys. I will, of course, have some tapering in between races and then ramp up for them as well with warm-up runs the day before.

Show. me. the bling!

Here are some things I know I'll stick to:

NO NEW is good new on race day - lesson learned
Carry my inhaler - a.k.a. my lifesaver
Pace myself well and negative split instead of rushing in & then tuckering out
Practice nutrition for race day well before

Anyone run consecutive races like this before? Tips?!

Aside from scheming race-cations, I tinkered in the kitchen to make protein bars at home based on a few recipes I found on the Google machine. I know, right, I baked?!

For those of you who might not know me super well, I am NOT by any means a baker. I'm more of a "sprinkle of this" and "fash of that" kind of girl.

A few peeps on Instagram asked for the recipe; I wanted to wait for the outcome before sharing my baking experiment with the masses ;) Also, a friend made a suggestion that would help balance

 things out a bit:

Banana Pumpkin Protein Bars/Muffins -

1 cup vanilla whey protein (or 2ish heaping scoops)

1 1/4 cups egg whites

1/4 cup stevia or sweetener (or use none)

1 banana

1 cup pumpkin puree/canned pumpkin

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (to lessen dryness of protein)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix wet ingredients: banana, pumpkin, eggs. Stir in dry ingredients. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper (I sprayed non stick spray all over the foil so this didn't stick.) Pour mixture out onto covered baking sheet, spreading evenly - batter is loose FYI.

** Update to recipe: You can also use a muffin pan to make them easier and more separated - with the 'loose' batter the muffin pan helps with evenness. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until slightly golden on the top. Remove from oven and let cool before cutting into snack size bars/removing from muffin pan. I made about 15 smaller sized bars / 1 dozen muffins.

** Another update: I do believe I've found a 'frosting' for these new muffin-dealies too!

* To Reheat: microwave each muffin for 15 seconds and apply the magical frosting goodness - delish!

a friend recommended this peanut butter - I found it at Target - and it definitely adds a great 'frosting' feel to the muffins!

Ta Da! They came out great to use for breakfast or take for lunch snacks ;)

Happy Tuesday everyone! I'm off to run in 40 something degree weather! Yay!

Motivational Monday & Featured Sneakers #7!

We're almost at the end of October...already! And Halloween is just a few days away. I'd like to know where the heck 2012 went?! Between the wedding back in May and all that's gone on in the year of running and living, I feel like it's just swooshed past me...and no one likes it when they're swooshed past!

How do I handle a swooshy year?

Lots of bubble baths :)

And trying new, non-chain, restaurants!

After church yesterday, we headed to a restaurant I'd only been to once but loved: Happy Fish. It's a family-owned (my fave!) Peruvian Restaurant in Tampa off of Armenia Avenue. I can't really describe Peruvian food well except it's a mix of Asian and Latin and just plain yummy! The portions here, are huge! Gar and I shared that steak plate above which came with fries, plantains, side salad, white beans, and yuca! Our bill was around $19 including drinks ... can't beat that!

Now that I'll all recharged with good eats in my tum-tum, I was ready to start off Motivational Monday with a tempo run. I know all of this PR talk I've been chatting about lately may be too much..but it happened again today. 44:25 for 5 miles ... last week was 44:33 I believe. It was in the 50s here in Florida this morning; that was my driving force ;) I only pray that the weather will hold up like this for November! {crosses fingers}

If I can just keep it steady under 9 min/miles!

This week's Featured Sneakers belong to Crystal, another fellow Sweatpink sister! She runs, she bikes, she lives and breathes being active!

Name: Crystal Gauvin
Blog: http://crystalfun2race.wordpress.com

What is your favorite way to workout/exercise: My first love/passion will always be swimming, but since I have no pool nearby I am always trying other activities (running, biking, archery, volleyball, cyclocross, water-polo, floor hockey, softball, yoga, etc)

What is your #1 cheat food: ice cream

What advise do you have for those starting on a fitness journey: Find friends and a support system, whether it is online or in person AND don't make yourself do anything you hate (dislike is okay though :) )

Dream destination race/location: For somewhere I have never been, Hawaii hands down, but in terms of somewhere I would like to return, that would definitely be New Zealand/Australia. I had the opportunity to compete there in 2001 for swimming, but I have never been back.

Favorite inspirational fitness personality/trainer: All my fellow Girls Gone Sporty and Sweatpink ambassadors. They all have been a great resource, and they also keep me motivated.

Workout apparel must have (+brand): Anything from 110% (http://110playharder.com), comfortable shoes, Garmin edge 500 and TYR racetech goggles

Motivational motto/quote: "Hills Hurt, Couches Kill" is one of my favorite quotes, but my true personal motto is: you have to have fun and be willing to do it for a lifetime, otherwise it won't last (whether "it" is food/nutrition, fitness or just life in general).

Twitter: @fun2race
Instagram: CJG800
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CrystalFun2Race

Enjoy this brisk Monday everyone!

How have you passed this fast time in 2012 by?

The Roundup + A Last Chance Pretty Muddy Giveaway!

Yesterday's event was awesome in every way - it definitely motivated me to keep going and never quit on my training journey & that there are NO excuses!

So, this morning I enjoyed a lovely recovery run with Kris - it's her birthday today - and we shook out in 4 miles what made us stiff from the 13 we did yesterday ;)

Today I also think about my pal Gina, who is also celebrating a birthday AND running the Marine Corp Marathon along with my cousin J! So much awesome racing going on today - keep away Sandy!

This week in workouts was one of PRs and faster paces thanks to cooler weather and amped-up training!

Feel free to grab a button and Link up! You don't have to necessarily do it on Sunday; just whenever you look at your week's workouts with in the week ;)



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Monday was a PR for 5 miles. Thursday was a PR for 6 miles. Saturday was a PR for 13 miles.

Am I ready for race season?? Heck YES!! ;)

Along with the Women's Half (remember to use code KATSNF for $10 off registration!) being 3 weeks away, Pretty Muddy is officially 2 weeks away and I have to admit I'm going to be so super careful and am terrified of my first mud race pretty excited for this race! I plan to stay committed to this set of rules:

• Don't be a competitor: I have a tendency to always race when there's a 'race' so that I can always do my very best - duh. That will not be happening at Pretty Muddy. Not!
• Watch where my feet go: I'm not sure if there is a medical term for the condition I like to call "Loose Ankle" that I suffer from am a hypochondriac about, but I would like to remember to keep an eye on my landing so that I don't slip or twist anything, I can't afford that a week out
• from the Women's Half!
• Frolick: I want to frolick...it will make for awesome photography
• Don't be a priss: There's going to be mud, I have to not care that I'll get super dirty. It will make me happy to offer free hugs after the fact, so that's always an added bonus.



• Have Fun! That's the key to this event, HAVE FUN! It's all in good, dirty, fun ;)

This Weekly Workouts Roundup has been a great one! My pace has stepped it up and I am ready for this cold (or semi-cold) race season, bring it!

I'd like to give one of my Tampa readers a chance to win FREE entry to the event so that they can get dirty and be girly all at the same time!

Enter here for a LAST CHANCE GIVEAWAY a.k.a. FREE entry into the Pretty Muddy Race on November 10th in Dade City!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

and here's the winner of last week's Larabar Giveaway! Yay Jen, I'll be sending you an email to get your info today!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Time to PR & Cheer for a Cause!

This morning's long run was one of the utmost awesomeness. Last Saturday K and I ran 13 mi in 2:06...today this happened

3 minutes faster?? Could it be, should it be...a personal best? {Happy Dance}

This calls for a bit of a celebration toast

Cheers!

By the way, these Buddy Fruits are a great post-run snack! I want to try them on my run next week - see how the fruit-fiber does on the tummy?

Okay, enough of the PR talk, let's get down to Breast Cancer Awareness business!

In conjunction with our Breast Cancer Awareness Walk, the girls on my planning committee at work thought it would be a super rad idea to cheer on walkers at the local Tampa 3-Day Susan G. Komen Walk Saturday. We planned to have waters, snacks, and lots of cheering to show out support and appreciation for the cause that these walkers worked so hard for!

We all met up at the office with the caravan loaded with snacks and water, and were on our way to find us some walkers! ... If you watch "The Walking Dead", it's not those kind of walkers...rest assured. I double-checked.

Anyone want a snack? carb load?

To see these people walk 20 miles a day, 3 days in a row, for a cause that has affected so many women .. and men..was awe inspiring. I thought I'd be tired and want to sit most of the time, but I just wanted everyone to know just how much we appreciated their drive and dedication to bringing awareness to such an icky disease.

Pink compression sleeves really come in handy

This beast of a mobile was worth jumping on even if for a second

The costumes...and flag-bearers...such positive energy!

I had my own awards for the costumes that we saw...and here were my winners:

Cutest Couple

Absolute best costume .. hands down. Ladies dressed as Borat - "That's Nice!"

The crew from my office

The 3 Day participants spent time fundraising, bringing awareness, walking, camping each night (most) and celebrating life while making sure to work towards finding a cure to breast cancer. It was a pleasure to give them treats and refreshments that could at least make things a bit easier on their trek through their 3 Day experience. Many of those who inspired me the most were those with the "Survivor" buttons on their backpacks - this disease is not going to let them stand by and not do something to help others. Then, there were others who wore shirts in memory of those love ones they lost to breast cancer. I admire their dedication and ability to honor those loved ones in a way that only this 3 Day Walk can portray.

Pardon my French, but F*ck Cancer.

Here's a peek at us on our walker-cheer mission ;)

Want to know more about this event & its history, go HERE!

Thankful Thursday - Needing happy prayers for Hubs

Every week I don't have a hard time noting what I'm thankful for ... even though it is really easy to take many things for granted on a daily basis. This week I'm thankful for Hub's recovery from his surgery this morning & just ask for happy prayers for a healthy recovery for him to be back on both feet soon. By the time this posts, he'll be waking up from his anesthesia and oblivious that I am carrying a man twice my size him into our house and to rest after having his ankle operated on ... again.

Oh snap...back up a second {rewinding}
Yes, Gar bear had surgery. I forgot to preface that, didn't I? I kept it kind of on the DL because it was making me kind of nervous all week and I was quiet about the whole thing because it was stressing me out to even think about it.

 Way back when, we actually met at the gym, and he was the one who originally got me back into running after I'd taken a hiatus from it for a couple of years.  It helped since he was my buddy - always by my side to push me past my mental blocks and self-doubt.

Many of you know that I haven't been able to run with my husband for almost a year now.

Last year, he hurt himself multiple times whether it be tripping over a stair, a curb, or a softball field plate and eventually his ankle started to be in pain consistently. He went in for [what we thought would be] a minor surgery in February of this year in order for the Orthopedic surgeon to remove the damaged tissue from around his ankle. Unbeknownst to us, the recovery turned out to be the most difficult part; we were under the impression that the surgery was the beginning of the positive turnaround for his activity level. In reality, the healing from the surgery impacted his ankle's overall mobility.

After multiple PT sessions, Gar still experienced so much pain that he was put on an Ibuprofen drip ... not really ... but he was dependent on Ibuprofen just to take the pain away enough to walk around. That's when we knew something wasn't working right. After more extensive evaluations it turned out that his ankle 'over healed' limiting mobility & he'd also formed Achilles tendinitis. So, when he tried to run on it or jump rope when the PT asked him to, he just couldn't push through that range of motion. (We're not sure if this was due to his own healing abilities or something that didn't go right in PT.)

So, after 8 months of barely any progress, Gar decided to have another surgery that the Orthopedic said should break that strained tissue and allow for him to be aggressive (more-so this time) with PT almost immediately post-op to avoid the stiffening and incorrect healing.

I don't like any of this surgery mumbo-jumbo. I'm just being honest. I mean, we just got married in May. We got to enjoy that and our Honeymoon of course, but I've had to watch Gar get super frustrated with his inability to be by my side. I don't blame him. If I had that bad of an injury, I'd be a stubborn, bullheaded, aggravated Kat. I just wish I could make it all ok with the snap of my finger. But I've tried, and I can't.

I think back to when Gary used to run a 5k a day on his lunch break every day at work around a track we have that goes around a pond behind our parking lot. It even makes me laugh to think that people who knew we were together would say "Do you care that your man is out there jogging every day shirtless??" ... "um...no! Why would I?" And I think back to when I ran my fastest 5k - in a time of 24:30. It was freezing cold and we were just doing a 5k on that same track for an on-site fitness event - it wasn't a 'formal' race. Maybe that's what took the pressure off, but Gar was right by my side pushing me to go faster (I was around a 10 minute/mile pace gal at the time) and before I knew it I'd ran the fastest short distance run I'd ever run...ever.

I know he supports me and loves that I am on this new journey to run more and run farther. He knows that I have a great support system of running pals and even those online who push me harder every day. But I always let him know that I want my O.G. running buddy back too still.

I pray every day for him to not only not be in pain, but for him to get his stride, his cadence back. He loved running and misses it so much - I can just see the hurt in his eyes.

This post may be unlike most of my others, since I'm actually being more serious & and maybe because I'm letting a bit of my guard down -

so no pics .... just my thoughts

I just want my buddy better. I am thankful that this surgery was an option but I'll be even more thankful when he's outside running and has his "runner's glow"  back.

xoxo, Kat

Just call me Partially Paleo

My Canadian Blogger BFF, Michelle, started a 7 Day Paleo Challenge this past weekend - and as super excited to try to get me on the bandwagon with her and her crusade. I thought..hmm...no protein shakes...no shot bloks...no greek yogurt...& most importantly, no mini Baby Ruths? We compromised on me semi-participating by trying to enjoy 2 paleo meals a day or so...compromise = the foundation that holds friendships together ;)

You can check out more on the definition and 'perameters' of the Paleo diet HERE. Basically, you eat like a caveman would - no processed foods: product and meats and natural goodness.

I am pretty behaved with snacks throughout the day consisting of apples and other fruits. I can also have a simple breakfast with meat and eggs or oats and chia seeds with eggs. I knew I'd still have a challenge of being Partially Paleo, but was up to try it out for the week - consciously.

Here's a look at some of my biggest efforts this week - kind of like a "I tried to be as Paleo as I could" Photo Montage (love me, Michelle!)

Saturday's lunch: Taco Bus taco on corn tortilla, but I didn't eat the tortilla

then I magically had an idea to use the crockpot to make chicken salad for lunches during the week:

Saturday's dinner: crockpot chicken salad w/broccoli slaw

Partially Paleo Chicken Salad

Ingredients: 2-3 Chicken breasts (depending on portions), bag of Broccoli slaw, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, salt, Adobo seasoning, 3-4 cups water, non dairy mayo/fat free ranch dressing

(super simplified version you can tweak depending on portions)

 Put 3-4 cups of water, 1 tbs soy sauce, pinch of salt, pinch of Adobo into Crockpot
Add in 3 Chicken breasts, cut chunky
Cook on High for 2-3 hours

After done, Set chicken aside to cool

"Fork" to shred meat and mix with non-dairy mayo or salad dressing of choice

Mix/toss Broccoli slaw with balsamic vinegar to desired taste

Place chicken salad on top of Broccoli slaw

Whoa la!

(I also add in relish but didn't have any - boo)

Sunday's dinner: Panda Express (side: mixed veggies, beef & broccoli, cashew chicken) 

Sunday night we visited a local product stand

Some of our produce stand booty

Those cucumbers made a debut in my Tuesday lunch with a Whole Wheat Panini including chicken breast, pepper jack, and cucumber

Last night I also made this lovely wonder:

Chicken with Zucchini stir fry

I've realized that either I'm too stubborn right now or maybe when I don't have 500 goals on my mind at the moment I may be able to move from Partially to Completely Paleo in regards to what I eat - but not right now...this girl can't give up fro yo...no sir. I really dig the concept, though, and like to try the best I can to eat more veggies and fruits period - I can tell a difference in how they make me feel overall.

Do you practice a Paleo diet or are Partial like me or do you not want to even go there because that's not how you get down?



Pretty Darn Quick!

Ah, 4 days of running in a row. 27 miles in 4 days. An 8:54 pace 5 miler and a 9:04 one day - PROGRESS! Consistency is the name of the game for me now, and I'm loving these improvements!

As I figure out what to eat for breakfast & blog, let's go back to a Sunday adventure, eh?

After my recovery run Sunday, I'd planned to meet up with the lovely Tampa Lady Bloggers to try out a new food digs & meet up about bloggy blog thangs.

Beks came over a tad earlier to meet up and head to Fit2Run so that I could pick out arm sleeves and pick up some new flavors of Shot Bloks.

(when I got home to show Jaeden my new sleeves, he said he was too busy eating dinner to care - le sigh)

After some fun depressing window shopping looking at things I can't buy just yet some of the new stores they just put in International plaza, we headed to St Pete to meet up with the TBLB gang.

The acronym PDQ stands for People Dedicated to Quality - which was an evident part of this restaurants's philosophy the moment we stepped through their doors! Boasting "the freshest chicken nuggets and salads" I was readily available to meet up and eat up!

The drive thru is Pretty Darn Quick! {Peewee laugh}

The marketing and PR officer, Jeff, along with the Operating Partner, Dan, welcomed us once we all arrived and offered to treat us to a PDQ lunch! This was a first for me so I was kind of overwhelmed with what to choose as my first meal.

I ended up deciding to go with the Grilled Chicken Salad while sharing fries with Beks. The dressing, the fiesta vinaigrette, was AWESOME! I thought I wouldn't finish the salad, but...I did...and pretty darn quick too! ;)

[before shot]

I was also like a kid in a candy store once I saw 2 of my favorite machines in the world - the Coca-Cola Freestyle! I'm not a huge soda drinker, and if I do it's diet/sugar free, but this machine is magical! You can create over 100 flavor combinations including your choice of soda (or water!) plus flavors like peach or raspberry! A lot of the restaurants we frequent have these glorious machines, so that's always a huge plus for me when deciding where to go - hey, no judgement please. *Sidenote: One of these puppies costs like $50k! Anyone want to pitch in for Christmas for Kat? Bueller?? My drink of choice: Sprite Zero with Raspberry flavoring...muy delicioso.

Kid. Candy Store.

Beks is super excited to try the fries

These apples are paired with a spectacular dip that has toffee/chocolate pieces in it. Who would make such a creation?!

Verdict: I love it! The chicken was super fresh and tender and the salad was a welcomed healthy option - because when you eat fries with it, it all balances out. There were great options on the menu for everyone from sandwiches to shakes to salads to crispy chicken and grilled. I asked Jeff when one of these would be opening closer to my side of town and he said the company is looking into it. Thank goodness!

After we ate, we were treated to a 'beheind the scenes' tour of how PDQ operates!

Dan walked us through the fridge where he taught us that all of the chicken was fresh daily & hand cut and marinated to be stored for use. The dressings and all of the sauces are also made in-house and packed there as well. The french fries had a 5+ step process to make sure they were the best PDQ could offer as well!

This is Josey. He is a professional potato smasher. I am jealous of his job title. He showed us how the potatoes are cut fresh, washed 3 times, and then put through a blanching and refridgeration process before being fried. He was nice enough to let us ladies try out potato smashing for ourselves.

I am She-ra, the potato smasher. Watch as Josey is laughing at my lack of smashing skills behind me.

This was definitely another great TBLB meet up! Thanks to Caroline for organizing it and to Jeff & Dan for welcoming us to their restaurant for lunch and a tour - we really enjoyed the day ... and the chicken!

Tori, Beks, me, Jackie, Caroline, and Debbie

Be sure to check to see where there is a PDQ near you - here in town there is one in South Tampa and this location in St Petersburg.

Oh, by the way, Have you entered my newest Giveaway??

Motivational Monday! Featured Sneakers #6

It's another joyous Monday here in Florida - hope you all had a fabulous weekend!

I just got done with my 5 mile tempo run where I had a PR at 44:30! Man, I am always so surprised by what your body and mind can do when you let yourself push through it!

It's about that time for another Featured Sneakers this lovely Motivational Monday!

This week we have Ang, a fellow Sweatpink sister, who has been working on healthy eating and exercise in order to focus on weight loss:

Name: Ang Harris
Blog: Angiloo!   http://angiloo.blogspot.com

What is your favorite way to workout/exercise: water aerobics and walking
What is your #1 cheat food: chocolate!
What advise do you have for those starting on a fitness journey: Don't give up, and take it slow. 
Dream destination race/location: Hawaii!
Favorite inspirational fitness personality/trainer: I love Jillian Michaels, but I also have a fondness for Richard Simmons... I met him once and he was so wonderful! My mom and I used to do his "Sweatin to the Oldies" when I was a kid.

Workout apparel must have (+brand): Old Navy. Although you can only find the larger sizes online, the price is reasonable and the clothes last forever! I still have yoga pants I bought three years ago, and the color hasn't faded much, nor have they stretched out.

Motivational motto/quote: "I am a runner because I run. Not because I run fast. Not because I run far. I am a runner because I say I am. And no one can tell me I'm not."- John Bingham

Twitter: @AngHarris55
Instagram: I haven't joined this yet... nor Pinterest.
Dailymile: http://www.dailymile.com/people/angela_harris_1
Facebook: www.facebook.com/angilooblog

Thanks to Ang for sharing her story with us!

If you are interested in a feature on my Motivational Monday: Featued Sneakers, feel free

to email me at katwilsonart@gmail.com

Any questions for myself or Ang?

Have you entered my newest Giveaway??

Sunday's Weekly Workout Roundup

Happy Sunday Everyone!

I am actually feeling NOT sore from running 17 miles this weekend! That's a first! Funny thing is I was rolling...icing...and feeling great after yesterday and then decided to gun it down the stairs too fast only to kind-of hurt my right foot. All is ok now ... I was able to run this morning no problem - but it kind of hurts when I wear flats or flip flops. Maybe I get to wear sneakers all week long? Ok!

For today, here's another weekly recap for our

Weekly Workouts Roundup

Grab a button too to link up! You can link up any day this week - whenever you want to tally up your workout week!

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I felt great this week despite the fact that I didn't actually take a 'rest day.' With me being bad here and there, food-wise, I felt I needed to work those calories off!

Training: I have been consistent and/or speedier with speedwork and adding in mileage weekly - I wish that Women's Half was here sooner! (*don't forget you can enter the code: KATSNF for $10 off the St Petersburg Women's Half Marathon November 18!)

New Shoes: Have been a Godsend! I should have gotten them earlier, but I will just learn lessons from this time around and be sure to track the mileage on the new Ravennas.

Crosstraining: I've been increasing my weights and overall 'sweatiness' of my strength training workouts. I make sure to change things up weekly so that I don't get bored and can alleviate any sort of plateau I may happen to run into. Kettleball/Dumbell squats, burpees, a plethora of pushup variations, shoulder presses, lunges, hollow rocks, planks, and wall sits have been my go-to exercises.

I love step/box jumps and repeated dumbell squats, oh so much!

The mixture of running and crosstraining is becoming more of a routine which means I'm not fighting it with soreness and fatigue as much as I was in the beginning - all awesome signs that it should only get better from here ;)

A big congrats to all who raced/competed this weekend! From swim meets to tris to figure competitions to 5ks and more...a HUGE pat on the back is in order!

Have you entered my newest Giveaway??

  How was your week in workouts/races/training?

In Honor of Fall, another Giveaway!

Nothing big happened this morning, just... I ran a half marathon before my first half marathon! Ok, so I've done that before (14 miles at the farthest) but I just thought it'd be fun to make a bigger deal out of it than need be ;) Knowing K had 16 miles to do for her long run Saturday morning made it [again] easier for me to know I needed to meet up with her at 5:15am to do my own 3 miles before the group did their usual route of 10[ish.] I met up with her and another running gf to do the 13 mi trek through our usual route area. It was very humid this morning, but once the sun came out it became somewhat breezy and pretty cool! Cool?! Yes, cool for Florida! I was able to test out the new Brooks Ravennas I'd gotten last weekend too, which worked like a dream!

Now, we eat!

Afterwards, we met up with our friends for brunch before heading to a neighborhood Fall Festival. We stopped over at the Brunchery which is an awesome little breakfast place that's always packed on the weekends - and for good reason! They have so much variety to their different omlettes and breakfast plates along with sandwiches; they're definitely a local favorite!

This is a lobster/avocado/spinach omlette....

Then, it was time to enjoy the season of the pumpkin and head over to the festival

Hubs and I - haaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyy

Me and my girl S

Taco Bus' food truck was there [one of my other favorite local restaurants - a.k.a. heaven]...and there was room in my belly for one of these: a carne asada taco.

You know how I roll.

Those of you who know me know I really dig food. Quite a bit. Then again I really also dig being fit and working out. My philsophy has been that I want to enjoy food while also being as healthy as I can at the same time. The biggest way that I do this is to SNACK! I rarely sit to eat a large meal or a big portion of anything; I eat every 2 hours or so - unless I've run quite a bit of miles {clears throat.} I am always on the hunt for snacks that balance out a good carb to protein to healthy fat ratios; so I follow no diet, but look for balance with what I eat instead - especially during the work week.

One of my favorite snacks have been Larabars! I discovered them when trying out different snack bars and was pleasantly surprised that I was able to read all of the ingredients (nothing ended in -olic or
'acid') because they aren't filled with crazy processed ingredients and were all natural! I also learned that none of the bars are made with anything outside of 2-9 ingredients.

Look Jaeden, the good stuff! - no GMOs!

After being in touch with the company, they were kind enough to send me some samples of flavors I hadn't had before: Carrot Cake, Blueberry Muffin, Chocolate cherry torte, Key lime, Tropical Fruit, and Uber: Bananas foster. {Drool} In total, Larabar has 20 flavors with 5 new Uber flavors)

New flavors - goody goody!

they are cubicle buddies of mine

(* Larabar did provide free product, but opinions are all my own)

The Verdict: they're all gone. I really liked how the Uber bar was a bit more nutty and tasted just like Bananas Foster! My overall Favorite flavor? Chocolate Cherry Torte!
I love the mix of sweet and tart in this flavor and who's going to argue with chocolate??


Not too shabby for a sweet, healthy treat!

With all that being said, I want one of you to win the opportunity to try out these fabulous bars of yummy goodness!

Larabar has graciously offered to do a giveaway where one of my readers will win a 16 pack of Larabars with all kinds of flavors!

Here's how you can enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway