Danceaton on Daybreak & a Comeback Race.

Holla holla it’s Friiiday! I hope everyone’s day is getting off to a great start. Mine sure did! I was up bright and early this morning with my dancing shoes on…Danceaton was live on Channel 8′s Daybreak show this morning! So much fun. They filmed us and did short cut-in segments during the news the entire hour. We had a blast dancing and taking tons of photos!

My mama joined in on the fun, she loves to dance too!

We will be back on June 25th for a special tribute to Michael Jackson, so come dance with us or tune in if you’re in the DFW area!

After the fun little dance segment I had to jet off to the 9 to 5…so much work to do, so little time!

This weekend I am looking forward to coaching my running group on Saturday, then Sunday morning I will be running the Wounded Warrior 10K with my Luke’s Locker teammates! I honestly have no goals for this race other than to just have fun with it. It will be the first race I’ve done in a couple of months since my hip flexor strain, so I am excited to be making a little running comeback!! After the race I will be hosting a little post party brunch for Team Luke’s Locker at my place. I have to put together a fun breakfast menu! I put together a yummy light french toast casserole last time, so I may be whipping some up again for this weekend.

I will leave you with one of my favorite songs to rock out to right now…I am loving the Ne-yo/Calvin Harris combo!

What’s your favorite song to dance to? Any brunch items I should add to the menu? 

The Perfect Morning & Tasty Eats.

My morning started just perfectly. I would not have wanted it any other way honestly. Bright and early run, great conversation with a running buddy, beautiful sunrise off in the horizon. My endorphins tank has been filled for the day. Thankyouverymuch.

The last couple of days have been busy both at work and at home. I have been so wiped out in the evenings but manage to get it together somehow and prepare some tasty healthy meals. One of my favorites this week was whole wheat spaghetti with kale sauteed in garlic and a little olive oil, topped with feta cheese.

I have found cooking to be quite therapeutic lately after a long day at work.

I also discovered a yummy smoothie they make at the Starbucks at my job! (yes we have a Sbux at my job…hate on me) The barista whipped me up a protein smoothie with mangoes, bananas, soy milk and whey protein powder. No syrups, no sugar! The bananas gave it just the right amount of sweetness. The perfect blend. Now all I need is the ocean side and an umbrella to put in my drink.

Oh how I would long to be here right now…

So anyway, back to my morning run. I ran with my neighbor Elyse who is tapering off for the upcoming San Diego Marathon in June! She is super speedy but was gracious enough to let me run with her this morning. We kept it real easy, finishing 4 miles in just under a 9 minute pace. And of course I logged it on Daily Mile…

I really enjoyed running this morning with a buddy. Since I ALWAYS run solo during the week before work it was a nice change of pace and made the miles whizz by quickly! The strain that was once in my hip has dissipated and I honestly felt stronger than I have felt in WEEKS! Taking some time off definitely does a body good. It just goes to show how important resting your body in between training seasons REALLY is.

My week of workouts has looked something like this:

Monday – Sharanda’s Danceaton class, 1 hour. Yoga On Demand 16 minutes

Tuesday – OFF

Wednesday – 4 mile easy run, Yoga On Demand 20 mins

Thursday – Teaching 15 minutes of abs ‘Crunch Time’, then an hour of Danceaton at 24 Hour Fitness - This will be my FIRST time teaching an abs session! I am so nervous!! Wish me luck

Friday – Easy recovery run

Saturday – Early Marathon training begins at Luke’s Locker. TIME TRIAL for the participants to put everyone in pace groups. 6 mile run

I am so excited that Early Marathon training is starting! I have never been more ready. I am looking forward to meeting some new running faces this season and getting reacquainted with some older ones. We have lots of people training for various races in the fall season, including New York, Chicago, Marine Corps (which I will be running) and San Antonio. Bring it on baby!

If you are in the Plano area and want to check us out, we have an orientation this evening at 7PM. Come join us!

 

Anyone training for a fall marathon? Do you practice yoga? What is your favorite kind of smoothie?

Swag & Swing Swangin’.

This morning I enjoyed listening to the whizzing of spin bikes while we cycled the minutes away. Can I tell you that is one of my very favorite noises. The “whizz” of the bike. An hour of sweaty cycling and nonstop jams. I worked up so much of a sweat this morning I literally fogged up the windows of my car on my way home. Nice.

 

The spin instructor Bridget had some heart pumping songs for us during our ride. My favorite song of this morning’s class:

We ended our workout with this one…one of my FAVES…it’s from the movie Drumline. De-fense!

Before class I also did a quick HIIT on on the Precor.

 

It’s a little different from the elliptical. There are different variations you can do on it and different parts of your body you work based on how much you swing your arms. Minimal arm swinging – kind of like stair climbing. Lots of swingin swangin’ – more energy expended, more intense and more calories burned. It was hard but I loved it. Then I did some weights while I waited for the 5:30 AM spin class to start. Triceps, shoulders, chest presses. Welcome to the gun show. Upper body is nice and sore and happy.

So yesterday after work I ventured over to one of my favorite discount stores, Marshalls, in search of some inexpensive fitness gear. I really needed a new yoga mat and some workout tops. I found this pretty mat on clearance for $7.50:

 

And then 2 workout tops that I absolutely love. The brand is Kyodan and I’ve only seen it at the Marshalls & TJ Maxx stores, but I love this brand! It’s more of a yoga brand but I also like to wear this top while I’m running or crosstraining. I already own one in blue so decided to go with the basic black and key lime green.

These tops are SUPER comfortable, moisture wicking material and a great price at $16.99 a pop! They definitely do the job and keep the “girls” at bay if ya know what I’m sayin’.

I wore the black Kyodan top, my Nike capri pants, and sparkle pink bic headband along with my pink Nike cross trainers to Danceaton last night.

I love bic bands. Seriously, these bad boys are stubborn, they don’t slide off of your head. They are awesome. My goal is to get one in every color.

I think having stylish, breathable, comfortable fitness SWAG is key. It makes you feel good, look good and keeps you motivated. Some of my favorite places to buy fitness wear and gear – Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Target, and Ross. I also like the Nike Outlet. Occasionally I will go to fancy pants Lululemon to get some cute top or water bottle I can’t find anywhere, but that’s a rare occasion. Bottom line, workout clothes do NOT have to be pricey, and you can get good quality things at less expensive stores.

What is your favorite brand of workout clothes? Do you have a store you like to bargain shop at? What is your favorite color to workout in? 

It’s a Celebration…Wknd Recap.

Before we jump into another busy week I of course have to update you on my weekend! So much going on so we’ll back it on up to Friday night.

Friday was spent catching up with my lovely mama. I like to pay her a visit on the weekends in Plano, and since I was celebrating my birthday ALL weekend we had to have our traditional mama/daughter birthday treats and eats. We went to Grimaldi’s – known for their coal brick oven NY style pizzas. They give you a free large pizza on your birthday so you know we had to be on board with that! I ordered the Margherita pizza, my all time fave, with fresh basil and tomatoes. Heaven.

 

Mama seemed to enjoy it too.

 

After getting carb’d up I went to bed early and got up bright and early to get a few miles in.

My running group is at the track for the remainder of the season. They had 12 x 400 meter sprints on deck. Since my old lady hip is on the mend, I have been starting back with my running, SLOWLY in preparation for marathon training for this race which starts up at the end of May. So I did a slow 3 miles followed by some dynamic stretching and a few of the sprint drills. I knew I wasn’t up for all of them so I did what my body was ready for at the moment. It was just nice to be out there in the mix with my team! I logged a total of 6 miles for the day so I was happy.  I spent the rest of the time cheering on those speedy runners.

Later on in the day I went to the Danceaton flash mob! It was held at the Dallas Kidz Get Fit Festival. We danced to Flo Rida’s “Good Feeling”. It was a crazy fun good time! Can you find me?

 

After a NAP I went to Saturday night church with Eric, then hit up Gloria’s for my birthday celebration. I had a great group of friends that made it! We had some amazing food and then salsa danced the night away!

Sunday morning, it felt so good to sleep in knowing that E and I had been to church the night before. We met up then went to a pool party at our friends Iesha and Jay’s house. They were workin’ it on the grill – ribs, chicken, and hot links, oh my!

 

We layed out by the pool and enjoyed the beautiful sunny afternoon.

 

Overall I had a great weekend. I was so happy to see so many friends old and new come out to my birthday celebration. God has blessed me with so many wonderful friends, and for that I am thankful.

How was your weekend? Did you do anything active in the great outdoors? What is your favorite thing to cook on the grill? 

Fun in the Sun – Wknd Recap.

Happy Monday to you! How was your weekend? Let’s get caught up!

My weekend was filled with some fun in the sun, teaching back to back dance classes (LOVE) and catching up with friends old and new! Friday night I went out with the boyfriend and some good friends of ours. Took some snapshots with the girls. Good times as always.

It had been a long time since I’d been out on a Friday, as most of those nights are dedicated to getting some shut eye so I can be up early for a Saturday long run with my running group. Saturday morning, I slept in. Unheard of, right? It was soo nice. Then I had to teach Danceaton at the 24 Hour Fitness Irving gym at noon. We have been getting ready for our big flash mob which will be next weekend!

Here’s a flashback of one of the flash mobs we did at the Galleria in Dallas.

After I taught dance of course I had to squeeze in my plank-a-day. Eric decided to join me in my endeavor. Couples that plank together stay together, isn’t that the saying!?

I also decided I wanted a hair upgrade this weekend. So my stylist Lydia highlighted my hair! I am already loving the sun streaks. Much needed update.

 

Saturday night boyfriend and I went to one of the newer services at my church. Can I just say that church on Saturdays is such a genius idea? I love being able to have my entire day free on Sundays knowing you have gone to church the night before. We had a little date night on Saturday night and went to see the movie ‘Think Like a Man’. Go see it, by yourself, with girlfriends or with your man! GREAT movie to strike up a conversation!

Sunday I went to Gaby’s Danceaton class at the gym, then hung out at the pool and went to a bbq.

It was such a beautiful day to bask in the sunshine! I brought over some of my famous skinny buffalo chicken dip to the pool with Texas Rangers style blue & red tortilla chips.

 

This week I will be doing more cross training (teaching dance class again tonight) and just may sneak a run in this week somewhere! Thursday is my birthday so I just may make it my comeback BIRTHDAY RUN. Stay tuned!

cake the boyfriend got me a couple of yrs ago when I first started getting into running

How was your weekend? Did you grill or hang out by the pool? What is your favorite poolside snack? 

A Mental Break & The Perfect Amount of Sweat.

My day started out with the perfect amount of sweat. Planks, side planks, some strength training moves, and an hour of crunk-tastic spin class at 24 Hour Fitness!

The instructor, Marina, is pretty hardcore. She likes to make the mirrors foggy. Intense.

From her Saturday Addison class. Good stuff here.

Doesn’t get any better than that, folks. I also held my plank for 2:36 this morning. BAM. Two snaps. Progress.

All while listening to some Nicki Minaj. This is my favorite song of hers right now in case you were wondering, which you probably weren’t but I’ll tell ya anyway.

I love getting workouts outta the way first thing in the morning! I also love getting a good parking spot at work, and being the first one in my office suite which all happened this morning. Such an overachiever.

So, maybe some of you are wondering how I am feeling since my little hip strain issue last week. I am feeling so much better this week. I think my body was just screaming for some time off from running lots of miles. Sometimes my mind and my body don’t always agree with one another. Like my mind is like gogogogo don’t stop, EVER! So I got a serious wakeup call after my crazy speedwork session. Sometimes you have to learn the hard way. You live and you learn, then you move on.

This whole entire week will be filled with tons of cross training and some weights. I will return to running when I’m ready. Right now, it feels really good mentally to take a break from the running and gunning. I didn’t realize I needed the break but I totally did. Sometimes you have to take heed to what your body needs and give it a rest. It’s all about staying healthy, mentally and physically.

Since my break I have been focusing more on my diet which is so much easier now that I’m not so RUNgry all the time. I have been tracking my food on the Livestrong myplate website. We have a health & wellness program at work where we are tracking our calories for the month of April. I have been doing good so far! I already read nutrition labels but I think it is helping me be a little bit more aware of what I’m eating. I have also been bringing lots more fruits to work. I am loving me some fresh strawberries right now!

I have also added glucosamine to my daily vitamin intake. Glucosamine is supposed to be great for your joints, which I think joint health is especially important for runners. So we will see how it goes!

What kind of vitamin supplements do you take? Do you lift weights? If so, how often? What is your favorite workout song right now?

Hump Day Hustle.

This morning I ventured outdoors after a couple of days off from running! It felt so good to hit the roads again. I went on a little easy effort 6 mile jaunt, and of course I stopped and took photos of the duckies that were waddling about the neighborhood.

On Monday I took the day completely off, then Tuesday night I hit the gym for a hard 2 hour session. The first hour was Bodypump, round 2 was Turbokick. I was itching to get back to kickboxing and I’m so glad that I went! The instructor, Emily is a total BEAST. She always pushes me out of my comfort zone. She makes us do several rounds of push ups, mountain climbers and burpees in between kickboxing sets. It is definitely intense, but I always feel amazing when it’s over!

I was so glad I took a day off this week after Sunday’s half marathon. Not gonna lie, racing in the heat always wears my body out. I was super stiff after the race on Monday and my body was really feeling out of whack.  I had plans to go to a friend’s birthday dinner after work but my body was giving me some off signals and I was tired. So I went home and RESTED. Put my compression sleeves on, laid down and went to bed early. I was so glad I took Monday to rest and get back into balance.

I read this great article on the importance of recovery and basically each point made I totally agreed with. It really all comes down to listening to your body. I make sure after a race that I don’t rush back into running hard miles. When I do hit the pavement again I make sure to ease back in and I ALWAYS take the time to stretch my tired muscles afterwards. I think it’s easy sometimes to get caught up with what your peers are doing (especially when you are in a running group), and want to ‘Keep up with the Joneses’ so to speak and rush back into training when you see everyone is running. But always take inventory and make sure you are doing what is best for you. Your body will thank you for it later and you will reap the rewards.

Tonight I am teaching dance class for a friend at 24 Hour Fitness. I am looking forward to some much needed booty shaking this evening. Today is a hustle HARD kind of day! If you are in the area and a member of 24 Hour Fitness, feel free to join me at the Central & Royal location at 7pm.

What is your favorite form of cross training? How often do you strength train? 

Oh Yes, It’s Ladies Nite.

Last night I had to sub a Danceaton class at the 24 Hour Fitness in Valley Ranch. Man, was the gym hot and humid last night! I think I was dripping sweat within the first 5 minutes of class.  Overall it was a sweaty good time as always. I did some new choreography and added some old stuff. I always love doing the Ludacris song “How Low Can You Go” because we drop down on the ground and hump the floor. Most of the time everyone is a good sport and drops down low along with me. Other times I will get looks of bewilderment which is fine too. Remember to always hump the floor in dance class when you get the opportunity – everyone is doing it so you don’t look like an idiot. Plus it burns more calories.

Check out this movie trailer/promo the lead instructor Gaby made for some of the teachers. I thought it was fun & creative!

After dance I went to the grocery store to grab a few essential items. Some days I am seriously craving lots of protein. I got some avocados, hickory smoked tuna, turkey lunchmeat, tacos to make for later in the week, fruits and veggies, and multigrain sandwich thins. I had dreams of mixing the tuna and avocado. Anyone know if that tastes good? I also love that the sandwich thins are only 100 calories and they are super easy and convenient. I’ve had the honey wheat and multigrain ones so far, they’re delish.

This morning was definitely a struggle to get out and run. It was pouring rain and thunder/lightning outside. My bed was so warm and cozy. But my drill sergeant in my head wasn’t having it. Get up, get going, NO excuses…it said. So off I went to my apartment gym. There was another runner girl in there so that made me feel a little better. I love how runners always acknowledge each other when they cross paths. It’s like a mutual respect. I did a quick 4 miles and some ab work on the stability ball. Overall it was a great workout. Got ‘er done. And of course I logged it on daily mile, because that’s what I do.

Tonight I am hoping the weather cooperates because I will be going to Ladies Night over at Luke’s Locker. Brooks is sponsoring this evening’s event and there will be a stylish fashion show which I will be a part of. We always leave there with some exciting freebies – oh and there’s wine and cheese so you know I’ll be there without a doubt. Love hanging with the ladies on a weeknight. If you are in the area and of the female persuasion, come join the fun!

Have you ever tried a dance class? What kind of music do you listen to when you workout? 

Sweat it Out.

Almost the weekend! It’s so close I can taste it. This week has been long and all over the place in terms of my work schedule so I definitely needed a double dose of endorphins today. So I went to Danceaton this morning followed by a 4 mile run in the sun. I made sure to pause and smell the flowers for just a bit!

 

I ran in my Inov-8 F-lite 195′s. These shoes are what you would classify as minimalist shoes, so they are great for short quick runs. I really enjoy these and love the hot red color. 

 

They are also great for trail runs. As long as you don’t mind ‘em getting a little dirty!

 

This weekend is gearing up to be a busy one for me. Saturday I will be rocking the Esperanza 5K in Plano with the Luke’s Locker crew. This race was featured in Runner’s World magazine! 

 

The Esperanza 5K Race is in support of the work of Dr. Nancy Rodriguez and Larry Cox at Casa Bugambilia near Matamoros, Mexico. Casa Bugambilia shelters ill and abandoned persons until they can be reunited with their families. It is a center for diabetes prevention and treatment. It provides medical care and physical therapy to people without access to quality health care. Casa Bugambilia advances the education of children through preschool learning readiness classes, tutoring and education enrichment. 

I am excited to run to support such a great cause! The first 500 finishers also receive a ceramic medal hand painted by members of the Case Bugambilia Community. 

Then Sunday I will be traveling to Atoka, Oklahoma to run my first true blue trail race – the A-OK 25K/50K race! I’ll be running the 25K. A bunch of my running buddies will be taking a road trip up there together so it will definitely be a good time. I hear the “medals” there are fun too! Here’s a pic of my friends Pepsi and Lori rocking Atoka from last year.

I will leave you with my new favorite song to groove to. We are learning the choreography to this song in dance class! 

How are you “sweating it out” today? Have you ever done a trail run or race?

Tutus Make You Run Fast & Racing Tips.

Last night I pulled in from work at about 9:30 pm after working the telethon. I got a full night’s rest and woke up this morning for Danceaton class. I don’t talk about it a lot on the blog but I also sub dance classes at 24 Hour Fitness from time to time (yes, I’m a jack of all trades). So I decided to go to class this morning to check out all the new choreography. It was so much fun. I love dancing under the disco ball and lights.

a little glimpse of the dance floor...

After the cardio burn I went home for lunch and decided to experiment with some polenta I bought from the organic section at the grocery store. I came up with this concoction – Eggs with goat cheese, kale, and mushroom and onion polenta. I sprinkled some red pepper on top for a kick. Delicious and filling.

So this weekend I will be running The Cowtown Half Marathon with my friend Ann. I am super excited to run out in Ft. Worth!

I have never done this race before but I hear it’s a good one…I hear there’s a few rolling hills but nothing I can’t handle.

My plan is just to enjoy myself for this race – not really interested in a PR but may be gunning for one for my homegirl.

I just plan on wearing a tutu and running fast! Did you know that running in a tutu makes you faster?

The Cowtown Marathon has a marathon, half, 10k, 5k, and ultra marathon. So lots of distances to choose from!

There are a few things I like to do when preparing for a half marathon. These things in the past have made for a pleasurable racing experience.

-The tried and true – Do not try anything new on race day. I know you’ve heard it many times but it really is the case. Wear the same clothes you have been training in, keep your fuel / hydration the same. The days leading up to the race should be no different. Do not do anything crazy out of the ordinary the night before. I like to stick with bland foods that I know don’t mess with my tummy. Typically that consists of chicken and potatoes – nothing ethnic. A couple of nights before (say your race is Sunday, so that would be Friday) I eat a meal of primarily carbs. Pasta, pizza, chicken with rice (more like rice with chicken), whatever works for you. Don’t go overboard, eat normal portion sizes…but your Friday night meal should consist of primarily carbohydrates.

-Plan/Visualize – Make sure you work all the details of the race in your mind before the big day. Don’t leave anything up to chance. Study the route, figure out parking, what time you will need to be there (I like to be at the race about an hour before the actual start time – leave just enough time but not too much where you are just standing around). Set out your clothes, make sure your bib is pinned to your shirt. Race morning you want to wake up relaxed and ready to go, not frazzled and rushed.

-Pre Race Breakfast – Again this goes back to what has worked for you in the past. My typical pre race meal consists of carbs and protein. I like an english muffin or sandwich thin with a little bit of peanut butter on it. Nothing too heavy but you want a little something in your stomach. Make sure you do this about 2-3 hours out from the race. This is also the time to have your coffee if you are a java drinker. You want to drink it in advance so you can go to the bathroom right before the race starts (the worst feeling is having to use the bathroom during a race – empty yourself out before you get to the start line.)

-Hydration/Fueling during the race – It is important to drink fluids at the hydration stations that are provided. I used to carry water with me, some people do but for me it’s a hassle. I like to run without things weighing me down, so it’s much easier to stop and take sips. Take advantage of the water stations, they are there for a reason. Typically the VERY FIRST water station about a mile or so in is always crowded so I skip it. After the first one though, I stop at nearly every one. Take some energy gel (Gus or whatever your energy fuel of choice is) about every 45 minutes to an hour. Make sure you drink water with your Gu or energy chewies.

-Talk to yourself – It’s okay to do so. For me, it keeps me going…one foot in front of the other…no pain no gain! There are lots of mantras out there. Write them down on your arms & legs if you have to. When my friend Lori ran the Chicago Marathon she wrote on her legs as motivation. Whatever floats your boat. Running is mostly mental, and if your mental game is strong, chances are your performance will be too.

-Take in every moment – It is easy to get caught up in your pace, what everyone else around you is doing. Make sure you conserve energy in the beginning. Relax. Take in the scenery and the sights around you. High five spectators, smile at people cheering you on. Thank the police officers that are blocking traffic. These people are here for you! Enjoy it…don’t take it too serious. Running is fun, that is why you are doing it. One of my running mentors Patton once said something that has stuck with me for years throughout this running journey of mine, and it is this:

“Your ability to generate power – is directly related to your ability to relax.”

What are some of your favorite running mantras? Do you have any races coming up?