Simply Running

Remember awhile back when I had a great idea to start a running group? Well, folks, after many hours of brainstorming it has come together.

Mark your calendars for Saturday, May 2nd because Simply Running will officially begin! We will start small and work up the mileage.

What exactly is Simply Running? It will be a group of people who gather a few times a week to RUN. We will encourage, push, and motivate one another to be the BEST runners we can be. No matter if you are a beginner or have run 50 races, I want you to feel welcomed. We will start small and work our way towards a half marathon. If that sounds scary to you, you can put in as much mileage as you want for your goals. Either way you should join if you want to become a runner or currently have passion in your heart for running (it is totally free). I am thinking Saturday mornings for longer runs, but I am open to any other ideas!

If you want to be part of this special running group, ask to join the Facebook page. I (with the help of some other amazingly cool people) will keep that up to date with all sorts of special information. For more information or if you have any questions email me: baileymckenziesff@gmail.com

I cannot wait! This is going to be such a fun way to connect with runners in the area! Please share with anyone you know who might be interested.

Food Prep

Do you food prep? I have found that when I food prep I am successful. If I do not prep my food it is hard to eat well.

Here are some of my tricks:

I make a list on Wednesday or Thursday for events I have the following week.

I typically shop on Sunday’s (early before all the other crazies are out… This particular time I went at 4:00 PM on a Thursday, it was BUSY). I always prep on Sunday’s for the following 4-5 days. Friday’s I usually eat leftovers and make things fit where necessary.

After my shopping is done, I take a deep breath. This shit is exhausting.

I turn on some music and get my containers out. GET YOURSELF SOME CONTAINERS THAT MAKE YOUR HEART HAPPY.

I cook all my meats, side dishes, etc. AND start chopping fruits and veggies. My favorite kitchen tool is my crockpot because I can put my chicken in and walk away for three hours.

Next I start weighing my food and entering it into MFP. (Sometimes I leave the cooked meat in a big container until closer to the date so it can stay with the juices).

The last thing I do after weighing all my food and entering it into MFP, I walk away feeling so accomplished and ready to kill the week.

This week:

I will have toast and PB pre-workout. Post workout I will have protein pancakes or a protein shake. For lunch, I will have TJ’s chicken salad, egg salad or turkey meat with berries and nuts. I made shredded buffalo chicken for buffalo chicken ranch salads. For snacks/desserts, I will have protein brownies, quest bars, fruit, cottage cheese and turkey jerky.

Everything I got from Trader Joe’s:

 celery - lettuce - mango - strawberries - blackberries - raspberries - almond milk - greek yogurt - egg whites - whip cream - chicken hot dogs - turkey dogs - hot dogs - turkey bacon - chicken salad - egg salad - turkey - ham - ground turkey - grass fed beef - chicken burgers - black beans - sunflower seeds -tomato paste - cookie butter - crackers -turkey/buffalo jerky 

Typically I also swing into Target/Cub/Costco to grab a few items, this week I got:

Fair Life milk

Spinach

Asparagus

Then I stopped at my local farmers house for fresh eggs!

Until you get the hang of food prep it will suck. But once you get the hang of it you can easily get your shopping/prepping done in less than two hours.

“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!” - Benjamin Franklin

FRIDAY!

And just like that Friday is here! I feel like the weeks are going by SOO fast, next week it will be April. I guess that is what happens when life is going well.

I will be honest…. This week I did not grocery shop or try anything new. Therefore, my Friday Favs list is short and sweet:

Kombucha – ah. Have you ever heard of kombucha? It is amazing for you! You can read more about it on a post I did this summer, when I was a pro and made it by hand… This bottle was $3.89 at Kowalski’s. Yikes.

Oikos greek yogurt triple zero! Excellent source of protein and carbs for a yummy post workout snack. My favorite is the triple berry, but I ate it before I could take a picture… Oops.

My final favorite for this week is HILLS. You gotta love them. Find a real kickass hill and sprint to the top, and then give yourself 2 minutes to rest, and then repeat. Do it until you are DEAD. It is usually 8-10 times for me. You will feel like death but the good kind of death.

And at the end of the week make sure to #FlexBreak

Duathlon Prep

Duathlon Training:

Last year when I ran the Esprit De She Duathlon I was not prepared. In fact, I found out about a week or so before the race that I was going to do it because I took a friends race bib that was sick. Because of this I was not able to fully train. I knew I could run and bike but combining two runs and a bike ride, man I was exhausted.

Duathlon 2014 - post race. The after party was the
best after party for a race I have ever been too. The
food was on point!

Catherine and I did not do spectacular for time, but I  was not worried because I had so much FUN. With that said, this year I care about my time, and I want to go into the duathlon feeling prepared.

I have been riding my buns off and running a lot more than usual. I try to go to spinning class one or two days a week and run outside two days a week. On the weekends (every other weekend) my goal is one 'practice' duathlon. So far I have done  well, and I did my first practice duathlon two weekends ago, and I did great! I kept all four miles under a 9:39 pace and then I biked 6 miles in under 30 minutes. I was happy with this! But as I add more distance to my bike ride (11 total) and add in those runs, I know I will start to become tired. 

My mom AND sister are doing the duathlon too! So it has been
fun to train with them :) 

I am enjoying doing the extra cardio because it is allowing me some more carbs ;)

Sometimes I feel guilty when I do not have as much time to lift but I am trying to be careful to plan my workouts to reach my goals for this race. Speeeeeed speed SPEED! Then I move into distance training to train for my next marathon.

Gym Clothes

I LOVE CLOTHES.

If I had unlimited amounts of money, it would solve all of my problems because then I would be able to by ALL THE CLOTHES.

But… I am in college.

When I do shop my favorite brands are Athleta, Lulu Lemon, Old Navy, Gap-Fit and Nike. I do sometimes get workout clothes from Target or Walmart, and although they are super cute, my butt shows through and that is a problem!

Now, when I became a CPT last June, I began to get significant discounts at some super cool stores like Athleta and Lulu Lemon. This helped a lot when trying to save money. I also always check the clearance/sale rack first.

What is important to me when finding workout clothes?

It is NOT see-through

It will not roll down

It will not show my boobs/cleavage

It will not show back/boob fat

It does not smell after one workout

It will longer than four months

I can move in it

Layering will NOT be a problem

It will be comfortable for ALL workouts

It does not cause pain (running shoes)

I have bought used workout clothes from Clothes Mentor and online fitness swap sites. I have not had any problems, but I only buy used expensive brands because then I know that the item still has some life left. I NEVER buy cheap shoes for running because it is important to have a good running shoe; however, you can find some great deals online.

Here are some great sites to look for:

Running Warehouse 

Fitness Swaps Facebook 

Lulu Lemon 

Ahtleta/Gap/Old Navy 

You need to ask yourself if you want one nice pair of pants that will cover your booty and stay up when you run or if you want a few different pairs that are not as high of quality. I have both in my closet and you can for sure tell the difference; however, the cheaper options WILL still do the job especially on lifting days of only UPPER body.

Enjoying Life

When I go away for the weekend, I have one goal: to have fun. I do not worry about my macros or if I am going to lose weight. Instead, I take a deep breath and enjoy life. For me, life is not about losing weight and being extremely fit. Instead it is about enjoying the process and enjoying time with the people around me.

This weekend I was able to see Catherine, Annie and Kyle! It was much needed, and I had a lot of fun. I was able to workout with Kyle and workout with the girls. My food was OK, I ate a lot of wraps and sandwiches. Probably not the best choices, but again, if I am thinking about ‘dieting’ my whole life how can I enjoy it?? (Also, FYI I hate the word diet).

I am excited to get back in the gym even though I have a slight cold and start tracking my macros again.

I only have one more week of school before spring break! YAY. Also, this weekend I hope to get in another mini-duathlon.

PS – I am running out of blog ideas…. What do you want to read about?? Pretty much nothing is off limits ;) Ask below or email me: baileymckenziesff@gmail.com

Friday Fun!

Happy Friday Lovely People!

This weekend is going to be so fun and fabulous as I travel north (well, kind of north) to be with friends. I pray I can keep an eye on the choices I make, not completely blow my macros, but still indulge and have some FUN.

This week I found some FABULOUS things. Man, Trader Joe’s, you have my heart forever and always. I could make a whole post on 1000’s things I love from there, maybe someday.

Trader Joe’s reduced guilt chicken salad – ½ cup is 100 calories 2.5f, 4c, 14p. Every day this week I have had 1 cup of this with some TJs crackers.

Zoodles – yum, yum, yum. I have made zoodles for dinner a few times this week, and it is so low carb compared to regular noodles. And filling with fiber. WIN WIN!

Workout buddies! I went home this past weekend and got in THREE kick-ass workouts with my sister and mom. Working out with someone makes everything better and this weekend I get to workout with Catherine and Kyle! Yippie!

IIFYM – I have written a few posts about IIFYM {here or go to the IIFYM home page), so I am not going to talk about that right now. But I will say I LOVE having flexibility in my diet, and guilt-free treats. Below is some TJ’s pudding; TJ’s whip cream and TWO protein brownies. I felt zero guilt and woke up lighter this week than last week. Winning!

Finally, funny pictures that float around the internet. Here are a few of the ones that I could not stop giggling at.