Fitness Friday: Interview with ZOOMA Founder

This fall I will be running the ZOOMA Cape Cod Half Marathon. Touted as one of the "five best races for women" by espnW., ZOOMA Women's Race Series was started by a female runner and the staff are all women.

As a Cape Cod Ambassador, I had the opportunity to ask Founder and Executive Director, Brae Blackley, some questions about the races.

Brae cheering runners at the starting line.

1. When you started ZOOMA in 2007 what was your goal?

I started ZOOMA because I thought it would be fun – both for me and for the women who run ZOOMA races. Really, with the first race, I just wanted to see what would happen. I hoped that first race in Annapolis would succeed, but I had a very steep learning curve and anything could have happened.  I honestly never imagined that ZOOMA would be where it is today – with five events across the U.S., over 30,000 women having run a ZOOMA race, an awesome line-up of sponsors, and a dream team I love working with.

2.   How did you choose the name ZOOMA?

Choosing a name for the series took an amazingly long time… It’s hard to find a name that is unique, meaning no one else is using it for something!  ZOOMA is a nonsense word I made up that is supposed to convey feminine and fast.

3. ZOOMA race series is now in 5 cities. What does the 2013 calendar look like?

Great question!  We are announcing a new event for 2013 on July 25. We’ll announce it on our website and Facebook/Twitter.  We’ve published the dates for some of the 2013 events on our website already, but the full line up will be announced with the announced of the new event next week.

4. What has been the biggest reward of starting a national women’s race series?

Without a doubt I would say the biggest personal reward has been the people I have had the opportunity to meet and become friends with.  There are some incredibly impressive, kind, generous, and driven people in the running industry.  I owe the success of ZOOMA in many ways to the advice and support of the friends I have made.  The sort of community I have experienced is very different from the corporate law firm culture that I came from. (where advice costs you an hourly rate!)

5. Your mission is “to inspire women to live healthy, happy, and active lives.” How do you define “healthy”?

Great question. Healthy and happy go together for me, and this connection is super important for me in my personal life and is what continues to drive my passion for ZOOMA, too.

A happy life is by necessity a healthy one, because I don’t believe you can be very happy in your life unless you are healthy.  Healthy is an all-around state of balance, efficiency, and optimization.  If you are healthy, your mind is settled and at peace, your body is humming along, properly fueled and tuned, and your environment is safe and secure. I think healthfulness is a state we should all strive for above all else (money, career success, material things) because, at the end of the day, being healthy is the only way to be happy.  

________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you to Brae for taking the time to answer my questions. I am even more excited to be a part of this national race series!

If you haven't checked out the ZOOMA Women's Race Series you can go here.

And don't forget, you can still register for Cape Cod and use my discount code CCAMB8.

Have you run in a ZOOMA event? Tell me about it.

You can find more Fitness Friday posts over on Jill's blog.

Color Me Rad 5K

Last weekend I ran the Color Me Rad 5K in Boston with Team FitFluential.

Matt, Caitlin, Janine, me, Heather

The race was held at South Shore Plaza, which is a huge mall just south of downtown. Participants had to be there by 7:15 to avoid the road closures (even though the course was set up on the mall parking lots). We made plans to meet up before our wave at 8:00.

There were so many people there and everyone was wearing WHITE! Finally I spotted the others in their team shirts!

After parting with Janine, who was still waiting in line for her race swag, we headed to the starting line. On the way we decided to have our own pre-race attempt at a color party!

After a short wait, we were off! Here is how it works: along the course there are flagged sections. When you run through the flags, volunteers toss or spray (yep, some of the color is in water form) color on you.

Even though this wasn't actually a race, or a 5K for that matter, it was TONS of fun! I had the best time hanging out with Caitlin, Heather, and Matt during the run and at the finish line color party.

In addition to being tons of fun, this race has great swag. The shirt is ladies fit and the glasses are perfect for wearing during the run and after. And bonus, you can preserve your color-dyed shirt too!

This is definitely an event you want to do with a group of people - friends, family, co-workers. Just be prepared to be covered in color.

Oh, and here is a little video of the finish line color party.






*Special shout out to my husband for getting up so early, driving me down to Boston, and being our official #TeamFitFluential Photographer (once again!)

Who has done Color Me Rad?

What was your favorite part?

#TrainingTruths: Workouts & Salads

According to Daily Mile, my training last week was:

It's been awhile since I've seen that! This week I completed three training runs and ran the Color Me Rad 5K (which wasn't actually 3.1 miles...hmmm). My weekly mileage total was 19.98. I'm doing a pretty good job following the recommended 10% weekly mileage increase to avoid overuse and (re)injury.

WORKOUTS:

#TrainingTruth: I have missed the long run.

As I was dealing with the knots in my calf, my PT asked me not to do long runs. Instead I had to break them up. Saturday I was able to do my first long run in nearly a month. It felt so good to put in 8 trail miles and feel good before, during, and AFTER! 

#TrainingTruth: If I want to finish my runs in the heat, I have to slow down.

A couple of weeks ago, I had to cut short a 5 mile run because of the heat. I ran too fast for the conditions, and started to feel sick and weak. I have set a goal to not have to shorten another run and feel that disappointment. Gradually, I am figuring out how to slow my pace on the hot and humid days. 

FOOD:

In the book Born to Run, Christopher McDougall writes about his journey to discover the secrets to running injury-free.

One interesting piece of information is what he learned from Dr. Ruth Heidrich about the runner's diet:

"Under her Tarahumara-style eating plan, lunch and dinner were built around fruit, beans, yams, whole grains, and vegetables, and breakfast was often salad. 'You get leafy greens in your body first thing in the morning and you’ll lose a lot of weight,' she urged me. Because a monster salad is loaded with nutrient-rich carbs and low in fat, I could stuff myself and not feel hungry - or queasy - when it came time to work out. Plus, greens are packed with water, so they're great for rehydrating after a night's sleep."

#TrainingTruth: Salad for breakfast is weird, but not that bad.

Although I am not planning to follow any type of vegetarian diet (I enjoy chicken and fish too much), I have been eating a salad for breakfast along with my usual Activia yogurt.
I have noticed that I feel better the rest of the day and I don't feel bulky or bloated. On days that I ran, I had plenty of energy and no stomach issues.

My salads are pretty basic: leafy greens, chopped broccoli and cauliflower, a little sharp cheese, and a dash of dressing.

Here's a Strawberry and Arugula Salad that looks delicious from eating well.com:

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 4 cups baby arugula or torn arugula leaves
• 2 cups sliced strawberries (about 10 ounces)
• 2 ounces Parmesan cheese, shaved and crumbled into small pieces (1/2 cup)
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

• 1. Toast walnuts in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until lightly browned and aromatic, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a salad bowl; let cool for 5 minutes.
• 2. Add arugula, strawberries, Parmesan, pepper and salt. Sprinkle vinegar and oil over the salad; toss gently and serve at once.

Don't forget to check out other great recipes here!

#TrainingTruths is not just about me. We all like to see what everyone else is doing and use that information to asses ourselves. It's not judgement. It's a way to share and learn and make changes when necessary.

To participate all you have to do is share your #TrainingTruths:

1. Tag a Twitter post with the hashtag #TrainingTruths
2. Comment on the Running Escapades Facebook page 
3. Leave a link to your own blog post in the comments of the weekly post

I look forward to reading your #TrainingTruths!

Run By Women

Are you thinking about running in a women-only event?

My top ten reasons you should are on ZOOMA Blog today.

source

Check it out and tell me what you think!

And don't forget I have a discount code for you to use when you register:

Enter CCAMB8 for $10 off the half marathon and $5 of the 10K

Fitness Friday: Full of Color

July has become my month of fun runs. On Sunday I will be participating in the Color Me Rad 5K in Boston.

What it is. It is all about having a good time, running with a group of friends, and trying to turn yourself into a rainbow. You start out with a nice clean white shirt and end up covered in a "tsunami of color."

What it isn't. It's not about crossing the finish line first or setting a new PR. It's not about winning prizes or even acting like a grown up.

Here's a little preview:

I am running as part of Team FitFluential and we are going to be sporting team shirts. My shirt is a work in progress at the moment.

Janine (the crafty member of the team) has already made some that look awesome.

Janine's FB photo ;)

Sometimes we just need to take a break and do something a little non-traditional.

Thanks to Jill for hosting the Fitness Friday link up!

Have you ever run as part of a team?

What are your plans for the weekend?