Five Friday Favorites 2/20/15 featuring Shake Shack Baltimore

Today I'm linking up with my 5 Friday favorites from the week here , here, and here. I'm sharing my favorite things from the past week. It's been a long and cold week so I'm happy it's Friday. Minus that today I woke up and it was 1 degree outside. I know Chicago and Boston have it worse, but I'm still not happy about it.  It makes me want to hibernate and never leave the apartment. 

1. Favorite Meal: Shake Shack Baltimore

Shake Shack Baltimore FINALLY opened this week on Monday. However I snagged an invite to the Friends and Family Day on the Sunday before which allowed my boyfriend and I to try out their menu as they trained their staff. 

As you can tell from the photo, we hated everything. 

It was also really sunny in there-no joke. 

I got the Hamburger which was so delicious and juicy. We split some crinkle fries which were glorious and crispy along with a special Baltimore-only concrete, the Pratt St. Pie Oh My. It's frozen vanilla custard with a slice of local Dangerously Delicious blueberry pancake pie mixed in. It was SERIOUSLY amazing. We split a single, and it was definitely satisfying enough after all the other food. It was all worth every single calorie! 

 I hope Shake Shack does well in Baltimore-I know it's where I'll be treating myself all the time. 

2. Favorite Feature: 2015 Feetures! socks ambassador

I found out in January that I was selected as an 2015 Feetures! running socks ambassador. I'm super excited about yes, socks, because after trying multiple brands during marathon training, I finally settled on Feetures! being my favorite last summer.  I just ordered a few more pairs so it's all I've been wearing to keep my feet blister-free and happy.

I'm also really excited because Feetures! is also a sponsor of the ZOOMA race series (just another good reason to register for the ZOOMA Annapolis race in May with my code LAUREN15 to save 10%)!

Sail Windward with Baltimore's own Gundalow Juice

Disclaimer: I was given a complimentary 1-day juice package from Gundalow Juice for review. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

I've mentioned before that I'm a fan of juices, especially as a way to get in some greens and nutrients on days where they are sparse from my diet. I was really excited when I tried Gundalow Juices at a tasting at REV Cycle Studio last year because it was not only a local Baltimore juice business, but the juices were delicious!

Shortly after, I got the chance to sit down with the founder Dana who has a degree in Nutritional Sciences and also owns her own personal chef business.  We immediately connected on the idea of balanced, healthy living and the way that juices can be an easy, portable way to get some fruits,veggies, and good nutrients into a busy lifestyle. 

I love grabbing one after a workout at Charm City Yoga or REV Cycle Studio.  You can purchase individual juices or pick up a pre-ordered package at a growing list of Baltimore-area fitness studios.  

Besides supporting a local business, I love that the juices are fairly priced. They offer a 16 oz. bottle for $7.50 or a 8 oz. bottle for just $5.  They also offer several packages. For example a 1-day package of 6 juices like I did is only $45 dollars and a 3-day package of 18 juices is $129.  Their juices are more affordable compared to some other brands of cold-pressed juices I've seen. 

Now I'm not a big proponent of the typical cleanses and detoxes. I've tried the strict 3-day juice cleanse before and while I think it is a nice reset, it's hard for someone who workouts out and really likes food.  

However, I was eager to try a one-day package when offered to by Gundalow because their philosophy is different. It also seemed like the perfect thing to do the Friday before Valentine's Day which was also the day I was running in my underwear at the Cupid's Undie Run before I indulged in large amounts of chocolate and wine. 

I  LOVE that Gundalow sells juice packages NOT cleanses.  I totally am on board with resetting my body but without restriction.  The information that came with my juice package recommended enjoying some raw nuts, fruits, or veggies with the juices for extra energy and possibly a light lunch and/or dinner with lean protein and raw fruits and vegetables, especially if working out.  

As their website describes "We don't believe in holding you back or making you take a "light day" when you are drinking our juice." 

Cupid's Undie Run Baltimore 2015

I spent my Valentine's Day in my underwear with the November Project Baltimore team NP_BALs to the WALL for the Cupid's Undie Run. Yes, it is an actual run in your underwear. Yes, this past Saturday when it snowed. We are crazy people. 

Luckily it was only flurrying when I arrived down at Power Plant Live! on Saturday around 12:30 in the afternoon.  I quickly got in line to pick up my gear and head inside Luckie's Tavern before the run. I raised $50 so I got a tee shirt and a sweet pair of underwear. Apparently the run sold out that morning with 700 runners registered!

Aside from all the fun and silliness,the Cupid's Undie Run supports an awesome cause. Clearly I hate being cold so I wasn't doing it just for fun.  The Cupid's Undie Run is a Valentine's Day weekend fundraiser for the Children's Tumor Foundation to fund research for the genetic disorder neurofibromatosis. The run is staged in 38 cities around the world and overall has already exceeded it's goal of raising 3 million dollars. Now if you happen to be somewhere that doesn't become an icy tundra in the winter, I'm sure this event is much more comfortable! 

I was really proud that NP_BALs to the WALL raised over $1200 as a team and Baltimore itself raised $50,000 for the cause. I kept telling myself it was for the kids as I ran in my grassroots gear sports bra, tights, and my hot pink underwear. 

Five Friday Favorites 2/13/15

Today I'm linking up with my 5 Friday favorites from the week here  here, and here. 

Happy early Valentine's Day!

1. Favorite Find: La Croix Coconut Sparkling Water

I just happened picked up this box of La Croix Coconut at Target on a whim. The coconut flavor is delicious, and I love the carbonation in the water. It's a great swap for soda because it has 0 calories with no sugar and no artificial ingredients. Now I'm obsessed and have at least one every day!

2. Favorite Easy Dinner: Crockpot Beef Stew. 

With colder temperatures I have been craving warm and hearty meals like chili and stews. I easily set this up in the crock pot before I went to work and came home to a delicious, comforting meal. I used this recipe from Lexi's Clean Kitchen and substituted the vegetables for what I had on hand- such as green peppers instead of frozen peas. 

3. Favorite Workout : Surfset 

Loving my hot pink Feetures! socks

Thanks to ClassPass I've been getting the chance to switch up my workouts. I attended a Surfset class taught by Jessie at BeachFit Baltimore on Tuesday evening and loved it.  I've done Floyo there before so I was excited to try a different workout with the boards. We did sets of tabatas with the Surfset boards that left me sweatier than I expected. I love finding new fun & challenging ways to exercise.  

Treat Yourself to DuClaw's Naked Fish Chocolate Raspberry Stout this Valentine's Day

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by DuClaw Brewing Company and a 6-pack of Naked Fish was provided to me for review. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

While red wine paired with chocolate is the obvious romantic choice to go along with your Valentine's Day plans, you might want to reconsider. 

I was lucky enough to be approached to try Baltimore's own DuClaw Brewing Company's seasonal release of the Naked Fish Chocolate Raspberry Stout.  I love trying new craft brews and seasonal beers so I was really excited. I'm especially a fan of DuClaw's Mysterium and Dirty Little Freak beers. While I am all about red wine and dark chocolates, I also love the pairing of stouts and chocolate. 

I'm not just saying that because I love pretty much anything with chocolate either!  

This Naked Fish Stout was first brewed in 2002 and inspired by a hot cup of raspberry coffee DuClaw Brewmaster Jim Wagner was drinking while fishing. He homebrewed the first batch later with the same coffee and a new beer was born.

It is a pretty standard medium-bodied stout with a tan head and 4.6% abv, but then gets fun with gourmet chocolate raspberry coffee added to the grain bill to produce the distinct flavors of roast coffee, raspberry and dark chocolate at the finish.  

Despite the sweet flavors, this Naked Fish Stout is surprisingly very drinkable. I know some flavored,sweeter beers are sometimes trying to do too much or aren't everyone's cup of tea. I was worried this stout would be too sweet or that the raspberry flavor would get lost.  At first sip you taste the chocolate and coffee flavors and then get a subtle hint of the fruity raspberry.  It's not overwhelming and also has a nice, slightly carbonated mouth feel that isn't too heavy either. 

Dogfish Dash 2014 Race Recap

Okay so I'm an awful blogger and got totally behind on race recaps from last spring/before Chicago.  There's just too many races and not enough time in my day to blog about it all!  So in the new year before the spring racing starts, I thought I'd go back and finish some race recaps.  

I'm starting with the Dogfish Dash 5K/10K from September 2014. 

I had been really wanting to visit Dogfish Head Craft Beer Brewery because my boyfriend are huge fans of the beers they put out. We also were enamored with a series called Brew Masters about them we found on Netflix which had episodes built around specific beers from concept to creation and problems encountered as a brewery.  

I randomly stumbled upon the registration link on Twitter the day of registration and since I knew it would sell out that day(it's capped at around 2000 runners), I signed my boyfriend and I up on a whim! 

We ended up making the trek to Rehobeth Beach the day before the race and went straight to packet pickup at the Dogfish Head Brewings & Eatery. Of course it was super packed, but after some waiting around we eventually snagged a couple seats at the bar and got to tasting beers. They have all of their usual beers on tap, plus specialty beers you can't get anywhere else!  I was also REALLY happy that they had their Punkin Ale which is one of my favorites, on tap.  

Our food and the beers were great!  I had the pub salad with falafel and a beer sampler.We even saw the owner Sam come in to eat with his family. It was awesome to see he was so down to earth, even when my boyfriend stopped him on the way to the bathroom to gush about how much he loves their beer. 

We ended up enjoying ourselves a lot and since hotels in the area were all booked for the race, we stayed at local campsite in between Rehobeth and Milton. It's definitely a race you need to plan ahead for!   We had left Baltimore later than we liked so after dinner and many beers, we pretty much got to the campsite, pitched a tent, and went to sleep. 

The next morning we woke up bright and early to a sunny, clear sky.  We drove to the actual brewery in the small town of Milton, Delaware, parked the car and got ready to race. 

As seen in the parking lot!

ClassPass is here, Baltimore!

Disclosure:  I was offered a one-month ClassPass membership to review for no cost. This blog post contains affiliate links. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own! 

I'm really excited to let you know that ClassPass has finally come to Baltimore! I have been hearing about for a while on the interwebs, and so I was really excited to get an email offering to allow me to try it out and spread the word in Charm City.

What is it?

ClassPass is a subscription service with a flat monthly fee (between $79-99 depending on location) that allows you to take fitness classes at a various boutique fitness studios in your area.  There are tons of classes available to ClassPass members inlcuding cycling, yoga, pilates, barre, martial arts, strength-training, and more.  

Book Review: Ultra Marathon Man by Dean Karnazes

I'm participating in Sarah Ohm's Blogger Book Club 2015 because I love books and participating in this link up will hopefully help motivate me to reach one of my New Year's goals to read one book a month for fun.  This month I decided to read Ultramarathon Man by Dean Karnazes. Actually I read the whole book one day during jury duty last week. High five to me for being productive.   

I have read about Dean Karnazes, one of the most famous ultrarunners, and even met him a couple years ago at a running store event. He was so genuine, enthusiastic, and positive in person.

I finally picked up his autobiographical book Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner published in 2006. It seemed like a great pick for the motivation theme of this month's book club. No, I've never run an ultramarathon, although I'm toying with the idea of trying a 50K one of these days. I am however a runner and fascinated by ultramarathons.  I give lots of respect to the different type of running and physical stamina those events take. The ultrarunning culture, fuel, and community is interesting to me.  

I also like how even though Dean eats super healthy, during ultras he does things like gets an entire pizza delivered to him on a run and eats the entire thing himself. 

True story, it happens in this book. Pizza is clearly the way to my heart. 

I'd say you don't have to be a runner to like this book though. It's more about inspiration and following your dreams, no matter how crazy they seem.  Clearly that lines up with my "run happy, dream big" mantra as well. 

The book Ultra Marathon Man is about Dean from the very beginning of his running career until the end of a 199 mile relay race he ran solo in California in 2000. 

He ran mostly cross country in high school and fell in love with running but later is sister Pary was killed in a car crash.  Her death and how it affected Dean is a theme throughout the book. What I think is surprising is how Dean  not only held a corporate job in San Francisco when he started running but throughout his career.  One of the motivating quotes in his life and of the book is how a former favorite high school coach told him "If it felt good, you didn't push hard enough. It's supposed to hurt like hell." After a hiatus from running, he rediscovers his love of it on his 30th birthday and enters the world of ultramarathoning.  

I'm not going to give the whole book away (you should read!) but it talks about his journey towards chasing the toughest events in the world form his first Western States, to Badwater, to the first marathon on Antarctica, and then finally the relay in California.  He doesn't just run ultramarathons but ridiculously difficult events like Badwater which takes place in Death Valley for 135 miles with temperatures in 120 °F. Seriously. Oh and he won it in 2004.