Daily Archive

As soon as the hypothetical whistle blew today at work I was out of there. I was so anxious to get on the road and meet up with my running buddies.

Before the whistle blew I had a great snack to hold me over.

I missed my yogurt this morning so I had a container of Vanilla Oikos and 1/2 cup of Kashi GO Lean Crunch as my afternoon snack.

The drive to the hotel was an interesting one. We’re staying in Brooksville, Fl which is essentially the middle of nowhere, so I watched the landscape go from beautiful suberbia to cows and trailers. Welcome to no-mans land is what the signs should have said.

I was the last one to arrive at the hotel and was very excited to be greeted by Abbie (again the blogger not my puppy). If you haven’t read her blog, I would highly suggest you check it out. Its called Foods That Fit and she has competed in some pretty adventurous races, it was actually her idea that we all get together for this one.

Abbie was also very sweet playing the Easter Bunny (sorry, Derek I promise you haven’t been replaced!) She brought us easter baskets full of fun running goodies.

The tubber ware was filled to the brim with bars, advil, midrun fuel, music and oatmeal. Thank you Abbie!

She also brought us some homemade Raw Doughnut Holes I was eyeing on her blog yesterday.

Very good, like a Larabar only 10 times better!

After playing a round of catch up we all headed to the race site to pick up our shirts.

It was a beautiful drive in to the site under canopy roads deep in the forrest. Seeing the site made it that much more exciting!

Then it was time for dinner, the only problem is we are literally in the middle of nowhere and the options are limited. We first attempted to go to a cute little Italian restaurant Caitlin found online, but they were closed for Easter Weekend.

After driving a little farther west we discovered quite a few hole in the wall BBQ places and decided When in Rome? and stopped at one.

We were definitely outcast here, spending 10 minutes at the ordering counter ohhing and awwwing at the menu. Even though I grew up hanging out at the local BBQ joint back home on a weekly basis, I could even tell you the last time I stepped in one.

I finally decided on a Pulled Pork Sandwich with Corn Nuggets, Collard Greens, & UnSweet Tea.

This is one of those meals where it seems really great as your eating it, but regret it almost immediately when you’re done. It didn’t give me that full satisfactory feeling, instead it gave me that greasy lump in my stomach. It probably wasn’t the best pre-race choice.

After dinner none of us were satisfied so we threw options in the air of beer or Ice Cream, we all agreed on Ice Cream in the end.

1 Pint had 4 perfect servings.

I also just had a bite of a Super Charge Me Cookie Jenna gave Abbie…. SOOO GOOOD!!!

Now its time to call it quits and tuck myself in bed for my early wake up call in the morning. 15 miles here I come!!!

I am down to the wire and am determined to get everything I need to have shipped out today. I mean so what if I just stuffed 105 packets only to find out there was an error in one of the sheets and have to  reprint them? I am resilient and I will make it!

While stuffing the packets the first time around I munched on a trail mix of Peanuts, Pumpkin Seeds & Dried Mango.

I loved eating the dried mango with peanuts attached. Such a great sweet and salty combo!

Since I am leaving for the weekend I used my lunch as a tool to dispose of as much left overs and produce that I could handle.

I made a wonderful salad with

• Spinach
• Coconut Chicken Nuggets
• Mango
• Swiss Cheese
• Tomato
• Carrot
• Jalapenos
• Drizzle Peanut Thai Dressing

With the salad I had a serving of Marys Gone Crackers with a little Almond Butter for dipping.

I am leaving straight after to work to meet up with Caitlin, Abbie (the person not the puppy), and my sister about an hour north of Orlando for our 15 mile Trail Run in the morning. I am very nervous about the run, but am very excited to have a sleep over with these girls in a hotel room we booked near the race stop. Let’s hope we don’t stay up too late doing each other’s nails and hair before the big race.

 This morning was my final day of my 30 Day Shred Challenge.

In review I committed to take on the challenge for 30 days starting on March 10 (I added a couple days on the end for ones I had skipped during the actual 30 days). I set out to do the 20 minute everyday during the 30 day time frame. The first 10 days I started at Level 1, the second set moved on to Level 2 and the third ended on Level 3.

I found each work out equally as challenging and preferred to have the different levels rather then sticking to the same work out for 30 days straight. I like how short the work outs were so I could easily fit them into my daily routine, I found no problem squeezing them in after work or even completing it on days I had long runs.

There were some days I did just become too busy or was too tired from other work outs that I just did not have it in me to Shred. I do not regret taking those breaks and just shows that I’m not super women by any means. I also found it a little challenging trying to complete this challenge while training for my upcoming marathon, but it did force me to get some sort of strength training into my routine instead of the usual carido bad ass I am.

Results?

I wish I had taken measurements or taken before and after shots for you, but I don’t own measuring tape and I am the worst at taking self timed photos. I always cut a body part off or make it at such a weird angle that I never like the way I look, so you will have to take my word for it, but I really do see a difference! Especially in my lower abs where I swear there is a faint V there. (The picture to the side is from the beach a couple of weeks ago, smack dab in the middle of the challenge)

I would highly suggest doing the 30 day challenge if you have a special event you want to tone up for. Its quick, easy and you really do see results. My shoulders are well defined, the back of my arms don’t wiggle as much and I wear my back is so much stronger then ever before.

Future?

I really enjoyed the 30 day shred challenge, but I get bored so easily that I think 30 days is enough for me. I really, really want to keep up with the results though so I think I will take a break from this particular video and explore other options to keep myself motivated. Jillian has a whole line of other videos I am dying to try.

I also like the idea of a challenge to keep myself motivated. Does anyone have a suggestion for another easy to follow work out challenge where all it takes is 20 minutes out of my day for 30 minutes? I am open for suggestions!!

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I woke up extra early this morning so I would have time to shred, shower and finish packing for the weekend. I overestimated my time needed, so I ended up with a little extra to make a fancy schmancy Friday morning breakfast.

I made some lovely French Toast out of Publix Multigrain Whole Wheat Bread. I dipped the pieces in a mixture of Egg Whites, Lemon Curd, Cinnamon and Vanilla Extract before placing them on the griddle. I then topped them with Strawberries, Sugar Free Syrup and a spoonful of Pecan Praline Granola.

It was a very yummy treat indeed and very out of my normal routine. I have to say though, I was deeply missing the appearance of my morning yogurt. I guess I will just have to sneak some in in another part of the day.