#TrainingTruths: Workouts & Veggie Burgers

I'm about 4 weeks away from my next big race, Rock n Roll Half Marathon in Providence, RI, and my training, although modified, has been ramping up. Last week I ran four times for a total of 21.42 miles including my longest distance (9.2 miles) since my last half marathon in May. Here are my latest..

WORKOUTS:

#TrainingTruth: Running hills is really a mental game with yourself.

Part of my training for RnR Providence includes getting ready for the hilly course. I'll be honest, I dread hills. What I realized this week, however, is that I can conquer the hills if I just focus on how I'm really feeling. My legs get tired and feel the strain, but really it's my mind that wimps out. Slowing down allows both my legs and mind conquer the hill.

#TrainingTruth: Last minute rest room visits make all the difference.

As I've gotten older, I have noticed that the need to pee intensifies greatly not long after the start of my runs. I have found myself literally running across finish line of a race and not stopping until I reach the port-a-potties. Eyeballs floating is not a fun feeling! I have been making a point to visit a rest room immediately before starting my runs and it has been successful so far.

FOOD:

#TrainingTruth: I accidentally bought some veggie burgers and I like them.

In the summer I'm all about keeping it simple and light, especially since often times I am the only one home for lunch. I picked up some Morning Star Grillers after seeing a commercial that showed how easy it was to heat these pre-cooked burgers. It wasn't until I had my first one that I was pleasantly surprised to learn that they are veggie burgers. They taste good, are low in calories, high in protein and low in fat.

A favorite burger that I like to make is a salmon patty burger.

Ingredients:

1 can salmon
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
salt & pepper

Directions:

In a bowl combine drained salmon with 2 tablespoons of liquid reserved, egg, and bread crumbs. Mix ingredients together. Form into 1/4 patties. Cook in skillet over medium heat in EVOO until browned.

Don't forget to check out other great recipes at the WIAW link up at Peas & Crayons.

#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

I look forward to reading your #TrainingTruths!

Where is ZOOMA going?

Last week I posted my interview with ZOOMA Women's Race Series founder.

Many of you expressed how much you wish a ZOOMA race was in a city near you.

This week ZOOMA is announcing a NEW RACE LOCATION!

Check out this video:




ZOOMA will be announcing the new location on Thursday, but until then they are offering you a chance to guess the location and win a bunch of swag from the mystery location!

To enter go to the ZOOMA blog and leave a comment with your location guess.

Where would you like to see a ZOOMA race?

Building a 30 Day Challenge

Do you like 30 day challenges?

My tips for how to build your own 30 day challenge are over on the FitFluential Blog.

Go check it out and tell me what you think!

Enthusiasts: Are you passionate about fitness and would like to be in-the-know about great fitness opportunities?


Bloggers: Do you blog about fitness and want to spread your inspiration to even more people?

Join the FitFluential family.

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?