Update!

Alright, so... I SUCK at doing this blog thing. I keep promising that I am going to keep up with it, but as we have seen, my last post was in July. Epic fail. So - I am not going to promise that I will update daily or weekly, but I will promise to make a better effort to post cool things and recipes on here.

Post race - sitting down because I
can't walk

So, last weekend, I ran my FIRST half marathon!! I never thought I could do it. If you have looked at the 'My Struggle' tab, you will know that I have struggled with my weight for most of my life. I finally got in control and lost 50 lbs (and have kept it off!) about 3 years ago. While I was losing my weight, a friend from college suggested to me that I run the Broad Street Run. At that point, I couldn't run a mile straight. This was a TEN miler. For whatever reason, I guess I just believed in myself, I accepted the challenge and signed up. I stuck to a training program and got my runs in pretty religiously. It came to race day and I ran 6 miles straight but then had some crazy
hip pain. I stopped and stretched a bunch of times. I finished the race - doing a lot of walking - sat down and couldn't get up to walk. I had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital, because I couldn't walk to get to the car which was a mile away, where they said I probably just pulled my hip flexor. It turns out the bones were inflamed and I had a pre-stress fracture.

It took a long time to heal - crutches and rest - but it healed up and I  was slowly able to run again. So, I decided to try about Broad Street again for 2013. I signed up with the American Cancer Society DetermiNation group. I raised $500 for the ACS and secured my spot for the run. I ran a bit faster than the previous year, since I wasn't injured!, but not as fast as I would have liked. I did slack off on my training a bit because I was scared of another injury. But I made it through and my fiancé ran the last 2.5 miles with me! How sweet is that!


This year, I decided to run the Nike Women's Half in D.C. I had never even thought I could run a half marathon, but I figured what's an extra 3.1 miles further than Broad Street? I was nervous, but that Tiffany's necklace that was promised at the finish line was a HUGE motivation! So, I signed up and began training. I work with little kids all day, so of course I got sick like 3 times and had some delays with my training. I also had some problems with shin splints (that I remedied by pre-run stretches, ice baths, and strengthening my hips and leg muscles) that messed with my training. So when it came to raceway, I was SUPER nervous. I was nervous that I was going to get injured. I was nervous I wouldn't finish. I was just nervous. I only knew a few people running, but I wasn't close with these people, so I didn't contact them to meet up before the race.

Alan and I at the Expo

EXCEPT for 2 beautiful crazy ladies that I met on instagram. Now, some of you may think it's crazy, but ever since I created my healthy insta to post about my accomplishments and all my foooood, I have realized how AWESOME the FitFam community is. There are soooo many people on there of all different abilities and backgrounds and they are all SO super supportive of people wanting to lead a healthier lifestyle! So, after Alan and I went to the expo, we ran (read: drove) over to Arlington National Cemetery to pay respects to my grandfather and late grandmother. It was a super emotional time there, but I am glad we went. We had dinner plans with my girls from IG Nathaly and Denise in Georgetown. We had never met before in person, but it was like we had been friends forever. We all had the same sense of humor and were just laughing and enjoying each others company throughout the whole dinner! Denise was running the half the next day and Nathaly was being an awesome friend and supporting, just like my fiancé.

Running towards Arlington
National Cemetery

Running over the bridge
back to the Lincoln Memorial

So race day finally came and I was about to crap my pants because I was so nervous. My fiancé and I had utilized the code that Nike provided us with and a code from my friend to take UBER from her apartment to the race. Let me tell you - that was SO much easier than taking a crowded metro into the city at that time. AND because of using 2 $10 codes, we only had to pay a little more than ONE dollar! WINNING. (Ps - if you use Uber and need a code: cwj0k and get $10 off!). I stood at the start line for what seemed like FOREVER, then it was finally go time. I waved goodbye to my fiancé and started running. The first 7 miles were pretty easy - we passed the Capitol building, the White House, GW University, Watergate, Arlington National Cemetery, The Vietnam Memorial, The Lincoln Memorial (you can view the course map here).. SO many cool things. It was around mile 8 when we were running by the East Potomac Golf Course where things got really hard. There were't any cheering sections and there wasn't much to look at besides water. I walked a lot here, I think I was getting a little discouraged. I got a second wind around mile 10 after seeing that we were almost there (It was a 5k with a 10 mile warm up!! haha)! But that second wind got overpowered by pain in my glutes around mile 11. I was getting nervous I may not finish because I was scared that the pain meant injury. I told myself no matter WHAT, you've run farther than ever at this point, you can be proud of that - and I was, but I kept pushing. It was around mile 12 where I got my final wind - we were running back through the 9th street tunnel (we had run through it at mile 2) and I saw the wall we had signed at the expo and the "WE RUN" sign and it just made me so happy and helped me push through. When we got out of the tunnel, there was a HUUUUUUGE screen that was flashing our names and giving us that final excitement. I tried to get a picture but the names were going SO fast that I couldn't. As I came around and hit mile 13, I SPRINTED to the finish and crossed the line at 2:37:38. I was hoping for a 2:30 finish, but I will take it all things considered. Don't worry, I will conquer and BEAT that time!!

Mile 10.5 beauty

WE RUN at mile 12.5

My FIRST little blue box!

I DID IT!!!

Alan and I post race

My Girls post race

Tiffany & Co. Bling!!!

Peace, Love, and Happiness. xo

This year is FLYING by!

Oh my goodness! I can NOT believe it is the middle of July already! I've been really slacking on updating my blog. I have made a promise to myself to update it at least once a week with something fitness related but I haven't been keeping that up. Hopefully now that my life has settled down and I am getting into a routine, I should have a little more time to update!

Since I've last updated...

I'm engaged!! to a wonderful guy on April 6! We had talked about getting engaged, but I was totally blindsided by it! He proposed in Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. His mom said her husband bought tickets for her to go, but due to her back surgery, she was unable to go walk around that much, so she asked us to take the tickets so that they did not go to waste. So I said alright, and after a horrible morning of trying to buy a car and fighting with the dealership (they were JERKS), we headed out and were walking around. We went into the conservatory and were looking at all the beautiful flowers in there when he grabbed my hand and dropped to one knee! I was in SHOCK and just stared at him for like 5 minutes before I could even say yes! 

A week later (April 13), I traded in my '99 Saturn and bought my first car! a 2010 Corolla S - it is a manual transmission, has a moon-roof, power locks windows and steering (none of which my old car had). I am SUPER thrilled with it! The only problem is that it belonged to a smoker, so its been a struggle to get the smell out. Slowly but surely it's going away.

A few days after I got my car, I got into my first accident. I started veering off the road after a series of sneezes and when I tried to correct the direction of my car, I over corrected (because I was used to no power steering, so my knee jerk reaction was to turn the wheel harder than necessary in this new car).
Luckily, I did not hit any other cars and had no serious injuries. I hit the guard rail. My car has since been fixed - looks and runs like new. Hopefully something like this never happens again - it was very scary.




At the beginning of May (on Cinco de Mayo!) I participated in my second Broad Street Run 10 miler! This year, I raised money to complete this run with DetermiNation and the American Cancer Society. I ran with my sister Stacie and my friend Kyle. They both finished before me as I had to walk a lot because I was having hip pains (from my pre-stress fracture from last year's run) and knee pains (oh boy, another ailment!). I still finished about 5 minutes faster than last year! I can't be mad about that because I did not train as much this year. My fiance, bless him, jumped in at mile 7.5 and finished the run with me. It was much appreciated because at that point, I was ready to give up. What a great guy!

On May 25th, some of my cousins, my aunt, my fiance, and I ran the Flood City 9k to benefit a local woman who suffers (but is hopefully done with this disease after her latest surgery in Dec 2012 surgery) from Colon Cancer. Alan (my fiance), my cousin Rachel, and I ran/walked and enjoyed the trail and the cause. It was a great day and I was happy to be a part of it!

On June 15, Alan and I did the Foam Fest Pittsburgh and had an absolute blast! It was a fun, muddy, soapy trail with lots of obstacles and laughs. I would definitely recommend doing one of these if you have a chance!

At the end of June, I had an MRI and found that I have severe degeneration under my kneecap. Because of this (and not yet seeing the orthopedist) and Alan hurting his shoulder at the Foam Fest, we decided that it would be best to opt out of the Spartan Race that we were signed up to do. I was very upset about this decision, but until we are healed up, a race that is that intense wouldn't be a good choice. Maybe next year!!

On June 29, Alan and I got an apartment together in southeastern PA. I am SO excited about this.
1. We no longer have a 4 hour drive between us!
2. We have a POOL at the complex!
3. We have our own washer and dryer!

So the last 3 weeks have been crazy with unpacking, getting settled, starting a new job, and trying to get into a routine! I love my new life and though I miss my family, I'm grateful that Alan's family is close (relationship-wise and distance wise) and that we all get along very well! I LOVE my new job - I am an IA (instructional assistant) in a special education preschool. I love the teacher and the other IA that I work with and the kids are SO much fun! I will be starting some TSS work on the side in the next few weeks, which I am also really excited about.

SOOO, that brings us to today. Alan and I drove back to my hometown last night and I have my orthopedist appointment this afternoon. I'm hoping that things aren't too bad with my knee and that I can still teach Spin.

I am also thinking about doing an E-Cookbook with some of the recipes that I come up with. If I did, would anyone be interested in buying it? I'm thinking like $5 for a bunch of recipes. Most of the Ebooks that I've seen are about $10-20, so this would be much less than that. Just a thought..

Sooooo.. Food.

I don't know how else to segue into that. I love food. Here's a recipe that I took from someone else and tweaked. It's a protein crepe with greek yogurt and blackberries. Y U M.

You can access the recipe through the link at the top of the page that says "recipe" or by clicking the picture.




Peace, Love, and Happiness. xo

Spring has (almost) sprung!

Hello everyone - all 1 of you that look at this ha! Happy Springtime! I have been in the best moods lately. I think its because of the increase in sunshine. I would say that the weather is getting warmer, but that's not really happened much here in the tundra of Western Pennsylvania. It's coming, though, I can feel it!

Anyway, I've been super busy lately! One of our Spinning instructors has just returned from a 2 month break from having some back surgery, so I was taking over 2 of her classes a week in addition to my 1. I've also begun my training for Broad Street again - this year it's May 5th! I CANT WAIT.

My mom finally got married and I now have 2 more sisters and a brother! I am absolutely thrilled about our "Brady Bunch" like family!

I mean, really. We're all just really great looking. 

I have also been looking for a new (to me) car. My wonderful Hector (99 Saturn SL) who has been in my life since the end of November 2006 is nearing his end (at least for me right now..). There are 225k miles on that baby and with the amount of driving that I do, I am starting to feel uncomfortable - like something bad is going to happen. I am just looking, but keep your fingers crossed for me! :) 

So, for a while, I have fallen off of my "getting in shape" grind. I was working out and eating healthy foods, but I was not being mindful of how much I was eating and I was just getting by with my workouts. In the past 2 weeks or so, I've really been focusing on getting back to healthy and in better shape. I've come a long way, but I have a long way to go. 

Anyway, I shall post some foodporn, which is probably what you guys are here for! 

Omelette with my homemade salsa

Click the pictures for the recipe!

Peace, Love, and Happiness. xo

Slacking!

Hey guys (whoever actually reads this...)! I have not been posting a lot lately. I've been in a funk - most likely weather related - and have not really felt like I've made much progress with my fitness lately. I've been teaching my Spinning classes 2-3 times a week. I love teaching classes! I feel the pressure to make sure I push myself my hardest to set a good example for the people that show up.

Lately I've been trying to lift weights more. I think that lifting has produced some results, but it's been slow going. I haven't seen much progress with my weight, but at some point, the numbers matter less and the physical changes are more important. Though I am trying SO hard to stop weighing myself everyday and relying on that number to set my mood for the rest of the day, it's hard. Everyone has been telling me I look like I've lost a lot of weight recently, so even though I may not see it, others are, so I guess I am doing something right. I suppose slow and steady wins the race.

It's also around that time where I have started my training for the Broad Street Run! I am determined not to get hurt this year, so I have been very careful with my training. It's been a delicate balance with also teaching about 3 Spinning classes each week and having 3 running days, but I am managing so far.

Lately, I have been focusing on eating clean. Just cutting out processed foods and focusing on homemade and whole foods. It's been a bit of a challenge, but I am really doing my best. Here are some of my favorite products that are considered clean and help me get through my days.

Quest Bars:

Quest bars are all natural, high protein, low carb, gluten free protein bars. Some of the flavors are ABSOLUTELY delicious: chocolate chip cookie dough, cinnamon roll, apple pie, and the peanut butter cups. I have not had all of the flavors, but the ones I had were awesome. They are a little chewy and dense, but if you heat them up for about 15 seconds, they're softer and even more delicious. Each bar has 20-21 grams of protein and between 3-6 active carbs (meaning they have a lot of fiber that 'cancels out' some of the carbs - very scientific wording, I know..). *If you use the code 'SAMPLE' when you order, they will send you an extra bar for free as well as ship your order for free!*

Peanut Flour:

Peanut flour is defattened, ground up peanuts. I have an ADDICTION to peanut butter, so this is my go to option for the next best thing. Similar to PB2 but without the added salt and sugar. I mix 2 Tbsp of the peanut flour, 1 Tbsp water, a dash of salt, and a few drops of Stevia and spread it on one slice of bread to take for lunch. I also use it in smoothies. It can be used to thicken soups, in baked goods, or for coating meats for dishes like Pad Thai. In 1/2 cup (4 Tbsp) there is 110 calories, 4 g fat, and 16 g protein. Even though it doesn't specifically taste like peanut butter (especially the processed plastic butter that almost everyone eats like JIF and Skippy), it is enough to satisfy my cravings! If you click the picture of the peanut flour, it will take you to the website iHerb.com. *Use the code 'MMM553' to get yourself - as a first time customer - $5 off any purchase under $40 and $10 off any purchase over $40. I will also get rewarded for you using the code, so spread the love!*

Little side note: 

Make sure you check your labels. Jif (and many other peanut butters, not to mention things like cool whip..) contain hydrogenated oils. They're terrible for you. I'm not getting into it, but you can read up on it here if you would like.) Look for organic peanut butters that contain ONLY peanuts (and probably a tiny bit of salt, but avoid it if you can). Just check out the ingredients in the pictures below and decide what YOU want to put in your body. You really are what you eat.

Protein Powders:

 

I really struggle with protein powders. I really HATE whey protein. I think it's very gritty and has a weird taste. So, lately I have been using Jay Robb egg white protein - strawberry flavored. It's pretty delicious and mixes well with shakes and is a great supplement to an PWO meal (post workout meal). I would not recommend baking with it, it turns out pretty rubbery. Per scoop, there are: 120 calories, 0 g fat, 4 g carbs, and 24 g protein. Can't beat that! Click on the picture to check out the website!

I also just tried About Time Whey Protein. It is made of whey protein isolates, so it's not as gritty and it is absorbed quicker especially PWO. I have only tried the chocolate flavor, and it was pretty darn good. I mixed it with almond milk and the peanut butter flour previously mentioned and had one kickass protein smoothie. They have a bunch of different flavors and they're all clean!! The nutrition for these are: 105 calories, 0 fat, 0 carbs, and about 25 g of protein. Check them out by clicking on the picture. *if you use the code "BEAN" you will get 25% off your order!* Check out their trial packs - you can get 2 for $3.99 or if you use the code 2 for $2.99. For trying out a new product, you can't be mad about that!!

I am going to try to start posting more, especially since I've had people coming to me to ask questions. If you have anything specific you would like me to post about, leave me a comment!! :) 

Peace, Love, and Happiness. xo

Fall into Fitness!

Life has been so busy lately! Between being sick, making a lot of trips to visit my boyfriend, and my TSS hours increasing I have been insanely busy/tired! I haven't been making it to the gym as much and I've been eating a little less healthy which is a very bad thing for me. While I've been able to maintain my weight, I feel like complete crap! I've decided that no matter how tired I am, or how long my day is, I can squeeze at least 30 minutes of fitness in a day. I need it!

This is why I joined the Planet Fitness by my boyfriends house. It's only $10 a month, and while they don't have classes or anything too great, it's just what I need! I joined during the $10 down sale, which made it even more worth it!!

The next big adventure was my decision to become SPINNING certified! I have loved Spinning since I first started taking classes in October 2011. I believe that, along with healthier eating, Spinning was a big factor in my losing weight. So, I decided to share my passion for fitness and healthy lifestyles and become an instructor. That way I can help people along their journey - wether its losing weight or gaining fitness. I took a certification class from 8-5 in Latrobe, Pa and it was wonderful! I took my exam and passed! I am now a certified Spinning instructor!! Woohoo! I have yet to begin teaching, but I did create a Spinning profile for my first class! Hopefully it's soon!!!

I believe that's everything exciting that has happened to me since my last post. I will be spending my Thanksgiving break from work with my boyfriend and his family. I decided that I thought it would be fun for Alan and I to participate in a Turkey Trot Thanksgiving morning 5k. He agreed that it would be fun, so we signed up! It's gonna be so COLD for the 8 am run, but I think it'll be fun, and a good way to work out a bit before we gorge ourselves on Thanksgiving dinner!! :) It's my favorite dinner of the year - yes even though I am a vegetarian....

Also, as of today, we have been invited by some friends to join their Spartan Race team July 2013. So that'll be our next fitness adventure!

In May, I plan to run the Independence Blue Cross Broad Street 10 Miler Run - with no injuries this time! I plan to run with the American Red Cross, but to do this, I need to raise $500. As of now, I have $20. I am still in need of $480 more! Please please please help! Any little bit helps!!! Here is the link to my page where you can donate: Katherine's American Red Cross Profile.

That's all I have for today. Next time I will be posting some recipes, I just need to do some more tests on them!

Peace, Love, and Happiness. xo

Oh October..

So, it's been a while since I have posted. Probably because I've been kinda bummed about the way things were going in my life. My hip was hurt and I was unable to run for a long time (5 months), my boyfriend lives 3.5 hours away from me, I am at a career stand-still until I get a graduate degree....

Aaaaaaaanyway, I am done sulking over what isn't going my way and I am taking strides to make changes in my life. First off, I love my job. Of course, it's not theee best job out there, and it occasionally (read: more often than not) makes me crazy, but I get to work with kids who are funny, silly, and like to have fun - in between their issues that we work on.

I was able to resume working out, doing low-impact activities, around mid-July. That was nice, but the best part came when I was able to resume going to spin class again! More recently, I was cleared to run. So far, I have only run one consecutive mile. Slowly but surely, I will regain my running endurance.


About a month ago, I decided to talk to my spinning instructors, one of whom is in charge of the business end of the gym, about becoming a spinning instructor. They were both delighted and very encouraging of my idea and I was told that once I become certified, I will get hired to teach at my gym!!! At first it'll probably just be as a sub, but then I may get my own class! Who's excited?! THIS GIRL! So, Saturday, November 3rd, I will be taking the certification course! Wish me luck!!

That brings us to my most recent achievement. I did the Run For Your Lives Zombie 5k Obstacle Course this past weekend in Maryland. It was incredible! It was rough, but Alan and I finished the course with a group of his friends. We didn't do much running, unless it was away from zombies, but we did a lot of mud jumping, electric rope dodging, army-crawling under barbed wire, and jumping into the coldest water I've ever been in. It was a real physical challenge, but I proved I could do it. I think my next challenge may be the Warrior Dash!

Well, that's all for now, I am currently cuddled up in bed with an upper respiratory infection, awaiting the wrath of Hurricane Sandy... all alone. However, I am prepared!

Peace, Love, and Happiness. xo