#SpinSweatSip at Rev Cycle Studio Baltimore

Clearly I've talked about Baltimore's Rev Cycle Studio before and how much their spin classes rock. Sadly after my class package ran out I hadn't been back in months, until I was invited a couple of weeks ago to #SpinSweatSip , a meetup of sorts for some of Baltimore's social influencers.  Thanks to Annie for thinking of me!

The evening started off with us taking a shortened 45-minute REV60 Blast class taught by REV instructor Jami. 

The class is usually 60 minutes and combines 30 minutes of cycling with 30 minutes of interval riding paired with boot camp exercises off the bike for a full body strength & cardio workout!

Before class started you could totally tell we were a bunch of social media people because everybody was on their phones!

Photo from Kate

I had never taken a hybrid cycling class before so it was a unique experience to take REV60 Blast and my first class with the amazing Jami, who plays awesome music and definitely knows the way to motivate you to push yourself to get the most out of the class. 

 I liked the 20 minute cycling portion in the beginning of the class and found it hard to get back in the zone during the 20 minute blast  portion when I jumped off the bike to do strength exercises and then hopped back on for more intervals.  

Nevertheless, I liked getting a full-body workout experience all in one class!

10 Facts about Hood to Coast and Running with Team Nuun

This summer I've been telling people how excited I am to go out to Seattle & Portland and have heard multiple times "oh that's for some running thing, right?". YES. Some running thing with that hydration company I love and promote. 

Some running thing a.k.a. the largest relay in the world, nbd. 

With the increased popularity of series such as Ragnar, runners have become more familiar with relay races. I didn't know too much about Hood to Coast before I was officially running, besides that it was big, awesome, and on the west coast. That's all still true, but I thought I'd fill you in on more facts about the race since I'll be talking about it a lot in the upcoming weeks. 

I've been crazy excited because the relay is less than 30 days away!

1. Hood to Coast is a 200 mile (technically 199!) "mother of all relays" race that began in 1982 with only 8 teams and has grown with this year's relay race having 1,050 teams!

2. Hood to Coast (HTC) is the largest relay IN THE WORLD with a capped team limit for the past 22 years. They've filled the team cap on registration's opening day for the past 16 years straight!

Procakes Review and a Chocoholic Protein Shake

Disclaimer: Through my connection with Fit Approach and as a Sweat Pink Ambassador, I received a complimentary packet of Procakes. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. 


Today I'm sharing two of my favorite recent breakfasts. I'm usually a big egg scramble or bowl of oatmeal with nut butter kinda girl, but I like to switch it up.

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day after all. 

Like I told you earlier this week, I love pancakes and waffles. Sadly I can't be eating diner pancakes the size of my face everyday so I often turn to various protein pancake recipes as a healthy, protein-packed way to start my day.  

Now while I've had some pretty good protein pancakes, I always know I'm eating protein pancakes and not the real deal.  Let's be honest. 

The texture is weird because of the flour (or lack thereof), egg whites, or protein. They are either too dry because of coconut flour, too eggy, or fall apart when I try to flip them. You also generally have to cook them low and slow because of the batter which usually isn't an option for me before work. 

I was really excited to try out ProCakes  which calls itself "comfort food for the fit inspired" through my Sweat Pink Ambassadorship.  ProCakes is a protein pancake mix which is high in protein, carb-smart, gluten-free, and free of added sugar. 

I love that it makes whipping up a plate of pancakes a breeze- all you add to the mix is 1 egg and 1/3 cup of milk!

You can check out the ingredients here, but the mix alone is only 165 calories with 13g of protein. 

Very Inspired Blogger Award + Froyo and Delta Labs Green Tea + Flash Giveaway!

Did you see my Chi Marathon training update yesterday?

Recently I was nominated for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award by Sweaty Mess Mama which is amazing. I didn't know she was a reader of mine, and I'm glad to hear she thinks I'm inspiring! Sometimes I forget that more than 5 people sometimes read this blog! 

So these are the award rules:

• Thank and link to the person who nominated you

• List the rules and display the award.(Voila!)

• Share seven facts about yourself.

• Nominate 15 other amazing blogs and comment on their posts to let them know they have been nominated. 

7 Facts about Lauren 

1. I love pancakes and waffles. Breakfast for dinner is always acceptable. 
2. I'm a huge Francophile and was a French minor in college.
3.  I always save room for dessert. 
4. If Sex and the City is on TV, I watch it-even though I've seen every episode at least 10 times. (i.e. this weekend, haha)
5. I don't really own matching workout/running clothes. I should buy some more matching outfits. 
6. I'm easily scared and pretty jumpy. Yeah, not a fan of scary movies. 
7. My feet are always cold-I usually need to sleep with socks!

Weeks 4&5 Marathon Training Recap

Life has been busy with summer travelling, bridal showers, and family time so I'm recapping marathon training weeks 4 & 5 today. Training has been going pretty smoothly-so far so good!

On the Road to 26.2-Weeks 4&5

Long run: Week 4 had a long run of 14 miles, and week 5 was 16 miles (more on that below!). Once I'm starting to run longer than a half marathon each weekend I know that training is getting serious! I ran the 14 miles with my friends from my training group along the latter part of the Baltimore Marathon course. It was the first time I had run that part of the course since the marathon. I remembered how awful I felt at that point of the race as I was running around Lake Montebello, and how I thought I might not make it to the finish! Definitely something to think about as I continue training for #2! The weather ended up being warmer than I expected therefore my friends and I were definitely in need of more water than we had brought with us. I think I'll reluctantly start using my fuel belt with the two mini water bottles again instead of just my little handheld bottle. 

Weekly runs: My training group did some speed work during week 4 and then some hill repeats in week 5. I ended up doing the hill workout by myself last week because I was running late after work and am pleased to say it didn't feel too hard. I managed to get in my hill workout right before a storm hit the city so I was really motivated to get up those hills fast and get home!

Little Things Thursday feat. Snowballs and Beyonce

Welcome to another It's the Little Things Thursday, which is the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month. I think it's important to remember to take the time to stop and appreciate all those little things that make us smile. 

 I cannot believe how fast July is flying by! It's pretty much non-stop from now until the end of the summer, making it the perfect time to stop and reflect on all those small joys in my life. 

Remember that all those small moments of happiness add up,even though it's hard to see that when life gets stressful (i.e. me this week!). 

Here are some of the little things lately that have made me smile!

Taking iced coffee to work in my frog cup.  Yes it's mine. Yes I'm in my mid-twenties. 

How to Run with A Bulky Phone {Fit PlusWear Pants Review}

I'm featured on Sara's blog as part of her Bloggers on the Run series so check out my interview to find out more about me, my blog, and my favorite race distance! 

As a young runner lady who runs around the bad streets of Baltimore (they're actually not that bad), I like having my cell phone with me. Even if I'm not listening to music, I'd rather take the gamble of bringing an expensive phone along so I have the option to call somebody if something happened to me or I got stuck somewhere. Or if I take an embarrassing spill miles away from home, you know, because that has never happened.

Sadly, I hate running with my phone. I have a fabulous but huge Samsung Galaxy phone that isn't easy to take along. I have a little fanny pack belt and an arm pocket, but it's still annoying with such a big and heavy phone.  It's bouncing around or weighing down my arm as I'm trying to get my run on. No bueno.

This is where the Fit Plus Wear Sound Solutions Capris come in. I was offered a pair to review and since I always give my honest opinions spoiler alert: these are AWESOME.

Disclaimer: I was given 1 pair of Fit Plus Wear Sound Solutions Capris to review from Fit Plus Wear on my blog. I received no other compensation for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always. 

Weekly Marathon Training Update Week #3

On the Road to 26.2-Week 3

Long run: This week was a shorter long run (oxymoron?) of 8 miles. I stuck to my routine and tried to keep it at a slow, usual long run pace. I was pretty tired before the run, but we kept it easy by sticking to the nice, flat route around the Inner Harbor along the water. After the run was over I grabbed a large coconut flavored iced coffee  from Dunkin Donuts. Iced coffee is pretty much the best after a hot & sweaty morning run. 

Silly iced coffee face

Recent Features Around the Web

Well I was going to have a marathon training update for you today but an unplanned afternoon yesterday plus my body sleeping in way too late this morning means it's pushed back to tomorrow. Must mean I need to move up my bedtime!

Today I'm sharing some links of blog posts and shout-outs of mine around the interwebs for you to check out and share!

Lifestyle Accountability Podcast

A few weeks ago I was featured on fellow co-host and fellow Fitblogger Adam Bates' Lifestyle Accountability Podcast here. I talk about starting out as a runner, training, healthy living tips, and motivation. I've listened to a bunch of the podcasts of fellow bloggers and they are all great so browse through other episodes while you're there!

What's In Your Bag?

I participated in a guest post here for the What's In Your Bag? series on Your Fit Trip. I talk about what I packed in my carry-on when I traveled down to Savannah for the Fitbloggin' conference. See what I packed to stay healthy and some things I wish I would have brought!

14 Favorite Things from Fitbloggin' 2014 {big recap post}

I've been trying to figure out how to do a proper recap of Fitbloggin' 2014. I could do a day by day, but if you really want that you could just check out the schedule.  

Fitbloggin' was an amazing personal experience for me, and something that definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone. I flew alone to a conference in a city I've never been, with no friends or anyone I knew personally there, and roomed with three other blogger ladies I've never met before (who were awesome!).  

I could make this multiple posts but decided to just highlight 14 of my favorite things or experiences from Fitbloggin' 2014 with a bit of a photo dump! It's going to be a long one and sadly it's not even 1/4 of my photos!

1. Making friends during a Crossfit-style workout led by Andrea I was excited to do this WOD since I'm a part-time Crossfitter. It wasn't too hard for me, but I loved doing a team WOD with ladies who never tried Crossfit before. We actually ended up becoming conference friends after the workout. Sweating together =friendship, people. 

Thanks to Angela for the photos!

2. Savannah parks/squares I spent most of Sunday walking around to all the different squares in Savannah and had a fabulous afternoon alone. The moss in the trees is gorgeous, and I loved the little pristine slices of nature tucked into the city. 

It's the Little Things Thursday Returns!

I've got another It's the Little Things Thursday and am trying it out as a linkup that happens the first and third(!) Thursdays of the month. Please join in and  add your link at the bottom of this post. All I ask is that you use my graphic below and link back to my blog!

It's been non-stop since I got back from Savannah and the holiday weekend is just as jam-packed. It makes it the perfect time to take a step back, breathe, and focus on the little things that have made me happy over the past week! 

All of those little sparks of happiness and moments that makes us smile add up!

Here's some of the little things lately that have brightened my days!

Words of wisdom from Oprah on my Starbucks coffee sleeve. Pretty appropriate for sitting in the airport after an inspiring weekend in Savannah.

#breathedeeplyandrunchitown-Marathon Training Update

Here we go again-training to conquer 26.2 miles. The 2014 Chicago Marathon is only 101 days away. Say what?!

Yes, I'm starting my own hashtag #breathedeeplyandrunchitown. I will need a lot of deep breathes and smiles to make it through another cycle of summer marathon training. 

Since I've already made it through one marathon I should be feeling older and wiser, right? Not really. I think the pressure is on more this year because even though I had goals (which I met!) last year, just finishing was an accomplishment. Now I'm looking to shave ten minutes off last year's time. Of course, this is all self-imposed pressure. Of course.   I'm looking at eventually getting that shiny BQ (Boston Qualifying) time. Right now I'm trying to run another strong marathon except in a city I've never visited. Big goals set you up for big accomplishments, right?