Jul 23

5 Minute Kale Pomegranate Parmesean Salad

Comments 42

Super Easy, High vitamin, great tasting salad. Make it today and bring it to lunch tomorrow!

#vegetarian #GF

It literally takes 5 minutes to make this! Here’s what you need:

5.0 from 4 reviews

5 Minute Kale Pomegranate Parmesean Salad

Prep time

5 mins

Total time

5 mins

5 min kale salad

Author: Confessions of A Mother Runner

Recipe type: Salad

Serves: 2-4

Ingredients

-bag of pre cut, pre washed Kale of your choice chopped
-2 oz Parmesean Cheese
-1 package of ready to eat Pomegranate seeds (approx ½ cup)
-3 Tbsp Olive Oil
-6 Tbsp Champagne vinegar (or sub in a fruit flavored vinegar)
-1 Tbsp Agave syrup or honey
pepper & kosher salt to taste

Instructions

-Chop Kale into bite size pieces and put into a large plastic container with a top
-whisk together olive oil, vinegar, agave, salt and pepper
-pour dressing over kale and place top on and shake to coat
-refrigerate for at least 2 hrs to allow kale to soften
(it won't look like you have enough dressing but you do!)
-when ready to eat sprinkle each salad with parmesean and pomegranate seeds and serve

5 minutes to prep!

What’s your favorite Kale Salad recipe? Do you like Pomegranate seeds?

Jul 22

How to stay Fit & Happy while on vacation

Comments 39

I’m linking up with April, Patty & Erika for their Tuesday’s on The Run Series. This week I am in Aspen, Colorado with my husband and some friends. If you haven’t been to Colorado in the summer it’s gorgeous! Pictures to come soon. Every time we go on vacation I get a little nervous about keeping up my fitness routine while still having time to enjoy the vacation. I also tend to have some altitude issues here so we’ll have to see how that goes.

I’ve come up with a plan for this week & some tips that might help you as well:

1. Do some advance work-I have already checked out the hotel to see what fitness equipment they have. I’ve also checked out a nearby gym and secured a day pass. Looks like they have a TRX class that will work for me as well as a strength training class. I usually do strength training 2-3 times per week so this will keep me on my schedule.

2. Try something new- We plan to go White Water Rafting one day which my husband and friends will do with me. It’s a little out of my comfort zone but I’m in. We are also planning a hike later in the week. Not something I usually do but expect it to be a great workout.

3. Find a Race to hop into-I happened to notice that the Komen Race for the Cure 5k/10k is in Aspen this Saturday. The race start is about a block from my hotel so I pretty much have to run it right?? I typically have some trouble running here with the altitude but I figured why not? If I am slower, who cares? It will be beautiful and it’s for a good cause. It’s always fun to do races when you travel.

4. Stretch and hydrate- I always travel with my small foam roller so I can keep up with my stretch routine. Doing different activities is great but I need to remember to stretch. Having access to the gym will give me no excuse to skip the stretch. As I mentioned, the altitude here can be rough so I always try to drink more and drink beverages with electrolytes. I am not a big drinker in general but I also limit my alcohol intake to head off any dehydration.

5. Think about your meals-Knowing that I will be eating out 3 meals a day for 6 days, I need to think about my meals so I don’t over do it. I try to eat my regular breakfast and lunch meals and splurge a little at dinner. My hubby is a big foodie and restaurant guy so I try to go along when we travel.

6. Be flexible-I will try to remember that my friends and family may not be as rigid or structured about their exercise and eating as I am. I may have to alter my usual schedule a little so I am not totally annoying!

7. Cut yourself a break!-This can be the hardest one of all! Remembering that I am on vacation after all so if I don’t get in all of my runs or usual workouts it’s ok. The world will not come to an end. (I think). I am going to try to relax my eating rules a little too. Yes, hubby I did just say that!

This is my plan for this week so we’ll see how it goes! How do you plan for vacation fitness?

Jul 21

Battle Rope training for Runners

Comments 18

Sprint Training for you Arms

You’ve probably seen these ropes on Gatorade or Adidas commercials or in your gym and thought, “wow those look tough-I could never do that!” Well you’re only half right. They are tough but you can totally do them.

playroom/home gym

As runners, we tend to focus on lower body workouts to increase strength. Most of the cross training we do (elliptical, spinning etc) focus on lower body movement as well. As a result, it’s really easy to overlook your upper body. Women, especially have to work to increase upper body strength to help create a more balanced looking physique.

Just saying

Why use Battle Ropes?

1. They are fast-you can easily add in an intense rope workout in 5-10 min

2. They are portable-Bring them to the track or trail where you run. Simply loop them around a tree, pole or any sturdy object. No assembly required.

3.Build muscle and burn fat simultaneously-doing short high intensity bursts with ropes is HITT training in it’s purest form. You are working shoulders, core and biceps while elevating your heart rate.

4. Mix up your routine-I’m all for bicep curls but they get a little old after a while. I like to mix in some new exercises to keep me interested.

5. It is low impact-As runners, we don’t need more impact just sculpting.

Here is a great 10 min routine with 5 basic exercises. You do each one for 40 seconds with 20 seconds of rest. Two times through. Sound easy? It’s not give it a “swing”

(credit Bonnie Lang-You Tube)

Where can you get a set?

Amazon has many choices ranging from $45-125 and they also go on sale quite often at Sporting Goods stores. 1 1/2 inch diameter ropes are a good place to start.

So tell me what do you think? Have you tried a Battle Ropes workout?

Jul 18

Friday Five-Summertime Favorites

Comments 51

Happy Friday! I’m linking up again with the fabulous ladies of the DC Trifecta Cynthia, Mar and Courtney

I absolutely love summer so this was a fun, easy post for me to write today. Here are some of my favorite things right now.

1. Running and biking outside. After the winter we had this year, I’m loving being outside as often as possible. I know lots of people think of summer running like this:

I actually love it! I love feeling free with less clothing & love the sun on my back. Yes it is challenging running through humidity and heat but I feel pretty accomplished and bad ass after a long sweaty run. I love biking in the summer-I may not be a fast runner but I feel fast when I fly downhill on my bike. I get a definite adrenaline rush on a good bike ride. Plus it’s a lot easier to do a 2 hour bike ride than a 2 hour run.

I love this feeling!

2. My vegetable spiralizer and water infuser

I added lemon but you can add any fruit

These are my 2 favorite gadgets this summer. There is no end to the combinations you can make with the spiralizer and it’s easy to go raw with great summer veggies. I’m addicted to the lemon, cucumber and orange infused water. So easy to make and satisfying to drink.

3. Mac Lip Gloss- I’m a little addicted to Mac Lip gloss and Lip Glass. Ok a Mother Runner has to look good for all of those selfies right?! They last forever in great subtle colors. I’ve been known to sport some on a run too.

Mac “Lipglass”

4. Summer Fruit- I could live off of watermelon and cantaloupe all summer. It’s so sweet and juicy and the perfect post workout snack.

5. Sleeping in- Where we live, the High Schools start at the ungodly hour of 7:15 am so that means early wake ups for me and my teens most of the year. None of us get enough sleep. I am reveling in my slightly later wake ups this summer. What a difference an extra hour of sleep makes. I am much happier!

What are your Summer Faves? Are you sleeping in?

Jul 15

Foam Fest 5k- Mud, Sweat & Fears

Comments 57

I was given a fee entry in the Foam Fest 5k in Washington, DC through my association with Fit Approach & Sweat Pink. All opinions are my own.

This was my first “Mud Run” obstacle course race. I am referring to the Foam Fest as a mud run because it was about 90% mud and 10% foam. I was really excited to this because it is so different than anything I normally do. I knew this would be way out of my comfort zone. I honestly have never been this dirty in my life!! I realized as we were driving there that I got my nails done the day before (ok and a pedicure too) -who does that?! Me!

Obstacle course races are definitely more fun with friends and I brought 3 from my MRTT group including my co-leader Alex (Lexielovestorun) and my 14 yo son. This race was a little farther away than we thought so we got there just in time to start our wave. The waves were small, about 40 people, which was a plus and we did start by running through a small burst of foam. We were off to tackle 10 obstacles. Because we were told not to bring our phones or cameras along, I don’t have photos of us doing the actual obstacles. These photos are borrowed from the Foam Fanatics website and Pinterest. They had photographers randomly scattered on the course.

Crawling through the bungee cords in the first pic was easy but the second one was a little tricky. It was full of mud and you could not see the rocks underneath. We scraped up our knees and elbows a bit. We continued on the trail through the woods. Obviously each location will vary on the conditions. The DC race was a mostly uneven, wooded terrain something I was not used to at all. It was very muddy and slippery at points and I was hoping not to twist my ankle. People were slipping and sliding quite a bit.

The log roll was fun and not hard at all. As you can see not much foam.

The “LILY Pad” was fun but our race was a mud pond that my friend, Louise, and my son fell right into. Hilarious! The wooden boards we had were similar to these but higher off of the ground. Also not too hard but challenging enough to feel like I was working. There was also a cargo net type obstacle which was a little tougher. I wore an old pair of bike gloves and I was glad I did. The ropes and the boards were rough on the hands.

This was the scariest obstacle for me as I am not that good with heights. This baby was high off of the ground. We had to crawl up the left side grasping at the rungs and then slide down the water slide. I screamed my head off on the way down to the amusement of my son. At the finish line there was another burst of foam to run through.

The Pro’s

-This was a ton of fun to do with friends & family. My son had a blast!

-The obstacles were challenging enough to feel like you got a work out

-It was well organized at the check in

-The waves were small and we did not run into any sort of back up

-1 free Mike’s Hard Lemonade was included for each entrant over 21

-There were hoses to wash off at the end

-Plenty of port a potties and changing area

-They provide free pictures on their website 1-2 weeks after the race

-The shirts and the medals are very nice

The Cons:

-It is very expensive ($70-90) so this might prohibit families from doing it together

-It really is a mud run and not a foam run

-There were only 2 photographers so we did not get that many pictures of really great times

-They only had water and 1 type of protein bar at the finish. I would have preferred some bananas or another option.

-There is a $10 charge to park in a field

This is our after picture after the hose down

What might I do differently?

-bring a disposable, waterproof camera to capture the fun stuff

-bring a large trash bag to put our clothes in

-wear a pair of trail shoes for more traction

-I would bring my own water to carry on course-it was a hot day and I could have used more

Would I do it again? Absolutely!

It was a fun, different way to get a workout in. Having my friends and my son with me made all the difference. We had lots of laughs and it was great to step out of my comfort zone (something I don’t do too often!) Oh and I know you are wondering-I made it through without breaking a nail whew!

#FoamFanatics #Foam5k #SweatPink

Jul 12

Skirt Sports Virtual 10 on 10-Join me!

Comments 18

Many of you have seen my pics from the last few months and know that I pretty much live in my Skirt Sports running skirts all summer.

this is the new “Jette” skirt
my current fave

It’s been 10 years since Skirt Sports began and launched the first running skirt. To celebrate this milestone they are having a virtual 10 on 10 race. I’m not usually a big virtual race fan but this one is a great deal and for a great cause.

First the details:

10 Year Anniversary 10k or 10 mile Virtual Run

Who: You and your Skirt Sisters
What: 10k or 10 mile Virtual Run
Where: In your home town or run with us in Boulder
When: September 13, 14 or 15, 2014
How: Simply click here to signup

Now the amazing deals:

And there’s more-you can use this code for another 10% off of the registration price : 10on10ImIN

Plus, your entry gets you some serious Skirt Love including:

Skirt Sports gift certificate ($50, $100 or $250)
Choice of special finisher’s award (including skirts or a performance tee)
Lucky #10 race bib
Awesome sponsor swag
Weekly training plan & exclusive newsletter from me with tips, advice and other fun stuff!

The Cause:

“Kick Start”

A portion of each entry will help to fund their Kick Start Program, where they mentor and support Skirt Sisters looking to get their run on, many for the first time in their lives. This session they will be taking a few team members from running their first 5k to completing 10k.

Your entry will help to fund one-on-one training, a race-day outfit, free entry, emotional support and more.

You can run anytime between September 13-15th on your own-no need to track-it’s all on honor system. Not ready to take it all on in one day? That’s ok split it up no problem.

Share your success on their Facebook Page using #10ON10 #SkirtSports #RunLifeRun

The purple Jette skirt here:

Girls on The Run 5k-May

So what do you think? Ready to rock your skirt with me virtually?

Jul 11

Friday 5! Week of workouts Edition

Comments 39

I’m linking up again today with the Fabulous DC Trifecta Courtney, Mar & Cynthia.

This week’s theme 5 workouts from this week

Sunday I went out for a nice 6 mile run with my MRTT group. I truly look forward to and love my runs with them! Even if I am tired or not in the mood, I always find energy once I get chatting with them.

Monday-I warm up for 30 min on the elliptical and then saw my trainer for an hour of weights & abs. Always a hard workout. He really motivates me to push past my comfort zone. Didn’t get a good pic but we used this:

Wednesday is one of my favorite workout days! I do an hour and half of kick boxing and weights with my trainer. It’s such a hard workout and I love the feeling of dripping with sweat afterwards. I have a hard time pushing myself to the point that he can push me. This week we hit some rope exercises afterwards. I seriously thought my arms were going to fall off.

Thursday- I ran with my MRTT group again today. Love these ladies! It got pretty hot out there but they keep me going. We have lots of fun trying to take selfies before each run-goofy I know

Thursday night once a month our group joins in with the Road Runner Sports Run Like A Girl series. Despite the rainy weather, we had a great turnout last night. Recovery drinks Mad Fox brewery- Fun!

A Mizuno Rep was on hand tonight to let us test out the Sayonara 2 on our run-what a fun treat!

Friday- Today is a workout at home day with 45 min on the elliptical followed by a “6 minute 6 pack” quick abs routine and a stretch. This Mother Runner is off to the Nordstrom sale today. A girl’s gotta look cute for all of these photo shoots!

What was your favorite workout this week?

Jul 10

Greek Style Cucumber “Noodle” Salad w/ Kale infused Quinoa

Comments 20

My “spin” on a Greek Salad

Ok so I combined a few of my favorite summertime foods to create an amazing, easy salad or side. I’ve been loving the vegetable spiralizer and creating all kinds of great things. #vegetarian, #GF

Greek Style Cucumber Zoodles w/ Kale infused Quinoa

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

35 mins

Spin on a Greek Salad with a vegetable spiralizer

Author: Confessions of A Mother Runner

Recipe type: Salads, sides

Cuisine: Greek, American

Serves: 2

Ingredients

2 large cucumbers-peeled, leave whole
pint of tomatoes-heirloom, grape or cherry etc
4 oz Feta cheese
Greek Peperocini (3-4)
Chick peas- 1 can
Olives-optional
Chopped Romaine, kale or your favorite lettuce as a "bed"
Lemon flavored Olive Oil-to taste
Balsamic Vinegar-to taste
Oregano
salt & pepper
For the quinoa:
1 cup of quinoa cooked according to directions
2 cups of kale

Instructions

Cook quinoa according to directions
At the same time, saute kale in a little olive oil
once quinoa is done mix in kale, season w salt, pepper set aside
Salad:
spiralize cucumbers
arrange lettuce on plate, top with quinoa/kale mixture
top with cucumber "noodles"
add tomatoes, peperocini, olives (if desired)
Sprinkle on chick peas
top with Feta
drizzle olive oil, balsamic, salt, pepper & oregano
serve

Super easy & fast! Note: This will make more quinoa than you need so it’s great to have around for lunch the next day. I even add it into an omelet for breakfast. It can be eaten cold or at room temp.

Tell me: What do you think of my Spiralized Greek Salad?

Jul 08

Road Runner Sports outfits you for summer Giveaway

Comments 227

You probably already know that Road Runner Sports is The place to buy your running shoes. Did you know that Road Runner also has their own brand of running apparel (R-Gear) and accessories for men and women? In the past, I’ve always walked right by it and headed to the bigger brand items that I was familiar with. More recently, I’ve noticed the bright colors and fashionable designs of the Road Runner Sports summer line. So, when I was offered the chance to test out some of their new gear, I ran in to check it out.

I aimed to test a wide variety of styles so I could report back to you all! First up-running skirts. I love to run in skirts during the summer but I am very picky about them.

This one, The R-Gear Flutter By skirt, ($40.49 VIP) immediately caught my eye because I loved the color and the flirty style of the skirt. It was the perfect length for me and I love the built in shorts. The inner shorts are a compression style with a pocket on the outer thigh big enough to hold gels or keys. The Runner’s High sleeveless, minty green tank is a great summer weight with a zippered rear pocket and mesh side panels. One of the other things I like about their line is that the colors mix and match well to create multiple outfits.

When I took this out for a test run, I was surprised by how comfortable the skirt was. I did not feel any chafing or riding up from the compression short. This has become one of my favorite running outfits. Additionally, It is universally flattering on a number of body types.

Next up: The R-Gear 2-in-1 Mixed Message 4″ short. I was immediately drawn to the coral color and shorter length shorts. I usually shy away from double shorts because I think they will be too warm. These were light and comfortable and I really enjoyed running in them as well. There are a ton of color combos and I plan to get another pair. The inner compression short is similar to the short under the skirt and again they did not ride up o bother me at all. I paired these with the R-Gear Runner’s High Singlet which also has the mesh panels and a side zip pocket for music or phone. There is also a cord opening to manage headphones.

Lastly, I donned these cool looking R-Gear Get Graphic lace capris. It was too hot to wear these on a run this week but I did wear them to a barre class. They were light and flexible and perfect for an indoor class or for those not comfortable wearing shorts or skirts. They are not actually lace but a lace print which made them pretty fashionable. I paired them with a R-Gear Shades of Grey tanks. I thought it made for a pretty cute outfit which again can be mixed and matched with the above tanks.

Accessories-I’ve been wearing the Road Runner brand socks for a few years now. They are very durable, breathable and wash well. They come in numerous styles and colors. I’ve been wearing the R-Gear Dryroad Simple & Speedy which are sold in a 3-pack for $26.99 (VIP price).

I was pleasantly surprised to come across the new R-Gear Safe from Chafe balm ($8.99 VIP). I’ve had some issues with chafing this summer and this was great. I like the added aloe and Vitamin E which some of the other leading brands do not have. It is fragrance free as well. The price is great too. I’ve been using it for a few weeks now and no complaints.

A great basic for summer runs the R-Gear Shady Lady visor ($13.49 VIP) is a lightweight, velcro adjustable, stylish visor. I’m really not a hat or visor person but I hardly felt this on my head during a run. It stayed in place and did not need further adjusting at all. For the price, it’s a great deal.

Lastly, I always carry water with me on summer runs. Road Runner has a co-branded water belt with Fuel Belt for this 2 (10 oz.) bottle holder with a zippered pouch. You can mix and match with any Fuel Belt water bottles. I have been running with this same belt for over a year and love it. I prefer to have my belt on my hips instead of my waistband. With this velcro adjustable band you can wear it where ever it feel comfortable. It did not bounce around or ride up on me at all. The pouch holds my keys and gels with plenty of room.

So what do you think? Ready to try out some of the R-Gear from Road Runners? Enter to win up to $120 worth of R-Gear apparel and accessories for men and women. (Shoes not included). See Rafflecopter below to enter to win.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

So tell me-Do you wear R-Gear? Which piece looks appealing to you?

Jul 05

July virtual coffee date

Comments 36

It’s hard to believe that it’s that time again…Our monthly coffee date. I can’t believe a month has gone by already. Why does June must fly by when February last forever?! Want to have coffee with us too? Link up with the hostesses Jill, Lynda and Nikki

If we were having coffee I would tell you that I just put my 17 y.o. daughter on a plane to spend the summer in Spain. She will be studying and living with a family over there. It was so hard to let her go but I know she will have an incredible experience and be able to be a little more independent. I already miss her though!

If we were having coffee I would tell you that I had a fabulous time in Vermont last weekend with my old college room mate. It was so great to spend some quality girls time together without husbands and kids. The weather and the scenery were beautiful. I loved running and hiking there. You can read more about it here.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that I did a 4th of July 5k with my 14 y.o. son yesterday. He doesn’t really love running and I know he did for me. I probably don’t have that much more time before he won’t want to be seen in public with me so I am enjoying every minute of it. I also got to meet up with some MRTT moms from some of the other chapters so that is always fun. They all like to get decked out in costume.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that I am doing the Foam Fest obstacle course race next weekend. This is way out of my comfort zone. I am embarrassed to admit that some of the obstacles look kind of high and scary. And lets not even mention the getting completely dirty part! I’m sure we will have lots of stories to tell after that one!

If we were having coffee I would tell you that we will be meeting up with some friends in Aspen at the end of the month. I love going there in the summer when I think it is even more beautiful. We will be hiking, white water rafting and biking. Sometimes the altitude bothers me there so I have to try to remember to ease into the athletic activities and give myself time to adapt. That’s not really my style-I usually like to jump right in on vacation.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that I’m really happy that my running is slowly coming back post injury. I was really worried that my stress fracture injury might linger longer than I anticipated. I have my first Ragnar race in September and I want to be ready. I’ve just accepted the fact that I am not running as fast as I was. I am just happy to be running pain free and to be adding the miles back in slowly.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that I have a few days to myself this week without any kids or husbands. I’m not quite sure what to do with myself. I guess as they get older, this will happen more and I will get used to it. I feel like I should take on some sort of project or clean out my closets. Or maybe I should just let all the laundry pile up and walk around naked-LOL.

If we were having coffee…What would you tell me? Have you ever done an obstacle course race? Have you ever had the house all to yourself?