Five Friday Favorites: Donuts in my Travels {National Donut Day 2015}

So it's National Donut Day. I thought it was one of those really made up holidays you hear about every week, but apparently it's not just a commercial invention. The holiday is a real thing that was created in 1938 as a tribute to a World War I tradition. I know for sure today you can grab a free Krispy Kreme donut at their locations and get a free donut from Dunkin' Donuts with the purchase of a beverage. 

I always talk about how I've got a big sweet tooth so it's no surprise that I find donuts (or doughnuts) delicious.  I was always more a cookie or cake person though.  My boyfriend really loves donuts so since we've been dating I've tried more donuts than I can count on two hands! Lately fancy donuts has become a bit of specialty in some cities, we always are on the look out for great donut shops to try when we travel. A big donut is a great pairing to my cup of coffee in the morning!  

I know there a bunch of famous places like Voodoo and other top-rated doughnut shops that we have yet to try, but here is a sampling of some of my favorite donuts from the past 5 years.  

5 Friday Favorites: Donuts (from my travels so far!)

1. Federal Donuts: Philadelphia, PA 

Federal Donuts was a long-awaited trip that finally happened in March. They have a couple locations in Philadelphia and serve a perfect combination of donuts and fried chicken. The location is small and a had a huge line on a Saturday afternoon. Besides their awesome crispy, not greasy fried chicken, we enjoyed a sampling of their donuts including the fancy Grapefruit Brulee, the hot vanilla spice, and my personal favorite-the hot strawberry lavender.  The donuts had unique flavors that were creative but thoughtful and the perfect burst of flavor to complement the soft, fluffy donuts.  I'll definitely be back since I'm in the area often!

2. {tie} Glazed & Infused + Do-Rite Donuts: Chicago, IL

My boyfriend got a little out of hand in Chicago because we hit most of the donut places in the city except for a few we're saving for next time (like Doughnut Vault).   I'm making this one a tie since both shops had unique donuts.  First we hit Glazed & Infused  which makes massive gourmet doughnuts. We got there in the afternoon and only had three flavors left to choose from, so naturally we got one of each.  The massive apple fritter (top right of photo below) had yummy pieces of apple and ample amounts of glaze. There was a coconut donut with shredded coconut and glaze on it. I know the third one (bottom right of photo) was a savory flavor that I'm pretty sure involved cheese or bacon in it.  All of them were massive and really fluffy. 

A couple days later before we headed out to hit some museums, we stopped by Do-Rite Donuts for some coffee and donuts. I got that large chocolate-glazed one and my boyfriend got a pistachio-meyer lemon donut. he also grabbed a regular glazed donut because you need a standard flavor to compare donut shops upon, naturally. Do-Rite also had vegan and gluten-free options which was awesome to see. These were slightly more doughy in texture and really yummy. 

3. Top Pot Donuts:Seattle, Washington 

A day before we left for the Hood to Coast relay race, all of us Team Nuun Energy Lemon-Lime + Berry members went on a shake-out run in downtown Seattle. It was super fun!

What's even more awesome is that waiting for us at the hotel when we got back from the run was a big box of Seattle's Top Pot Doughnuts which was the most delicious way to refuel and carbo-load for the next day.  I'm pretty sure I grabbed one with chocolate frosting and rainbow sprinkles-my fave! These doughnuts were old-fashioned and came in usual assortment of flavors. They had a delicious glaze and were super tasty!

4. Bonnaroo-The Amish Baking Company: Chattanooga, TN

I've got a little bit of hippie in me. My dad always says I would have been a flower child if I grew up in the 60s. That's why I fit right in when I went to Bonnaroo in 2013. One of the treats we indulged in multiple times was the $4, size of your face, AMAZING glazed doughnuts from Florida-based The Amish Baking Company.  I'd say it was the best food offering from the whole festival,and Rolling Stone agrees. They made yummy soft pretzels as well!

Living that festival life.

{source}

5. Dynamo Donuts: San Francisco, CA

On my boyfriend and I's first anniversary, we took a trip to San Francisco. As the foodies we are, read up on lots of food spots to hit, and I'm pretty sure we saw Dynamo Donuts on the Food Network somewhere. This was the first doughnut pilgrimage of many to come that my boyfriend took me on.  We trekked from where we were staying by bus in the rain all the way to the Mission neighborhood to get there right at 7 AM when they opened. A bit of an early morning for me on vacation but a mug of coffee and really hot donuts with warm glaze dripping off of them was worth it! 

I really enjoyed the maple bacon donut! 

What's your favorite kind of donut? Is there a treat or special food you always try when travelling? 

Today I'm linking up with Clare, Jill,Katie, and Heather. This was also linked up with Tasty Tuesday. 

National Running Day 2015: 10 Ways to Celebrate

Happy 7th Annual National Running Day! Yes, this is a thing. It is a holiday held since 2009 and sponsored by the New York Road Runners and other associations including Running USA and B.A.A as a way to celebrate the sport and share the running love.  Look for the hashtag #NationalRunningDay on social media to see how others are celebrating. 

 Since I've been a runner I've celebrated in  2013 and 2014  and love seeing this sport getting some attention. You can read about how I first got into running in 2011-2012 here.  It's inspiring to see so many runners out there share their stories. 

I always feel so grateful for all that running has brought to my life. Amazing experiences, happiness, challenges, and awesome people. 

You can customize your own "I run..." logo to share here!

10 Ways to Celebrate National Running Day

1. Go for a run of course! You search the event Facebook group to find a run, your local running store for runs, or even grab a friend to go for a run! 

2. Virtual run with Nuun: Nuun has teamed up with Motigo to sponsor a virtual run. You can download the iPhone app or follow other instructions if you've got Android like me to get personalized audio messages from your biggest fans to motivate your run and maybe win a prize! Check out all the details on the website. 

3. Run for Others: Download CharityMiles app on your phone to donate the miles you walk or run to your selected charity. 

Race Recap Link-up {6}

Today I'm really excited to be a guest host for the 6th Race Recap Link-Up. I love reading and writing race recaps. It's a great way to learn about different runners and hear different perspectives from races I've run.  Be sure to link-up and check out all the awesome hosts!

Welcome to the 6th Race Recap Link-Up!! I love reading recaps from other bloggers. Its a great way to learn about different races, support other runners, and gain motivation. A recap is the final leg of the race. It’s your chance to relive your race and allow others some insight. The training miles, the race day jitters, the glory of crossing the finish line. the good - the bad - the ugly We want to hear it all….

Meet the hosts...

 

 Jessica at The Silvah Lining: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Bloglovin' 

 Elle at keep it simpElle: Facebook| Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Bloglovin' 

 Smitha at Running with SD Mom: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest 

 Lauren at Breathe Deeply and Smile: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Google+ | Bloglovin' 

We'd love it if you'd follow us on all social media & let us know you've shared a post.

Featured post from last week...

 

Crystal (from Discovering Me in Them) and her dad ran the Vermont City Marathon Relay.[/caption] We actually had two recaps from the Vermont City Marathon and I have added it to my "Race All 50" list. Crystal's story really moved me. She had an awesome race, got a PR and teamed up with her dad! How cool is that - I mean, check out their coordinating shirts! Read her recap here.

About this link up...

It is active every Tuesday - Friday. Link up your most recent recaps, or throwback to an old favorite. *If your post is unrelated to the theme, it will be deleted. One recap will be featured on the next link up! Read at least 3 other posts and leave them some love. The more the merrier… share on your social media so others can link-up. #TuesdayTales Grab the code to the link-up image below on your post or somewhere on your blog.

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An InLinkz Link-up

Thank you for linking up this week - be sure to come back next week. If you are interested in being a guest host, fill out this form.

What's the next race or competition you are training for? 

ZOOMA Annapolis Women's Racing Half Marathon 2015 Recap

Disclosure: As a 2015 ZOOMA race ambassador I received complimentary entry into the race. As always, all thoughts & opinions are my own. 

If I had to describe this past weekend's race it would be the 3 H's-hot, humid, and HILLY.

Nonetheless, ZOOMA put on an awesome race event in Annapolis and I'm so happy to have been an ambassador for the race. 
Check out all of their race events here and an awesome set of pre/post-race recipes from the Annapolis ambassadors with a promo code for future ZOOMA races here!

This is a longer race recap, but I just had so much to say and so many photos!

Packet Pick-up/Expo: After a Crossfit class on Thursday I popped into Charm City Run to use a coupon before it expired and stumbled upon the ZOOMA packet pickup so I grabbed my bag & bib.  Apparently Sean Astin had picked up his bib a little bit before-SO awesome that he was in Baltimore and was running this race!

We got a nice women's sized race shirt, ZOOMA branded journal, and a pair of my favorite running socks-Feetures! It was nice to know I already had everything I needed for the race with me, even though I planned on checking out the expo the next day in Annapolis. 

The race host hotel was the Loews Annapolis, but their special race rate had already sold out by March so I ended up booking a night at the historic Maryland Inn. I got there in the afternoon on Friday and was really happy with the room. It's old and the rooms are smaller, but staying in a place with so much history was great. The bed was really comfortable so that's the most important thing in my book!

My boyfriend and I grabbed dinner in downtown Annapolis and then I headed over to the Loews where the expo was taking place for an ambassador happy hour. It was great to see all the other ladies and chat running. I even got to get some great advice on marathon training from the race's announcer, Creigh Kelley.  Thanks so much to Stella Valle for the beautiful bracelets as well! I had a really terrible headache for most of the evening so after meeting up with my boyfriend at the bar down the street and grabbing a late night pizza bagel, I laid out my Flat Lauren gear and went to bed. 

5 Friday Favorites 5/29/15 : Snack City {snacks I'm loving lately}

Whew, even with a shorter work week it still felt long so TGIF. This week has flown by and all I really feel like talking about are all the yummy snacks I've been eating.  I didn't pack lunches or plan meals this week (oops) so I did a lot of snacking! I'm joining the DC Trifecta Friday Five linkup since the topic was a freebie today. I stocked up on some food this week plus got a few surprises that I can't wait to share. 

5 Friday Favorites: Snack City {snacks I'm loving lately}

1. Everything Watermelon

Even though it's still officially spring, with warmer temperatures post-Memorial Day it's been feeling like summer. That means I'm in the mood for one of my favorite fruits-watermelon! My parents hooked me up with a huge bag of watermelon chunks that no one at the house was eating (um, why?), and it disappeared last weekend before I could snap a pic, oops.  Also over the holiday weekend I enjoyed post-beach run Gundalow Juices in my new favorite summer flavor Watermelon Waves, which is watermelon juice with lime and mint. It's so refreshing and delicious. 

Take me back to the beach!

2. Lesser Evil Wasabi Style Bonsai Popcorn

I seriously have more snacks and popcorn from Lesser Evil than I know what to do with. Seriously if you are in the Baltimore area and want me to share the wealth, message me! 

This week they sent me their brand new flavor of popcorn-Wasabi style Bonsai. I love wasabi with my sushi so I was excited. My first handful tasted super spicy like whoa-they didn't hold back on the wasabi flavor at all! It has one a kick right off the bat, but the spice/heat doesn't linger or build in your mouth as you kept eating. After the first handful the spiciness wasn't as in your face. It's 40 calories per cup, non-gmo-, gluten-free, and delicious! 

If you love wasabi you need to get your hands on this. 

3. Double Chocolate Chunk Quest Bars

Rock 'n' Roll DC Half Marathon 2015 {Race Recap}

Disclaimer: I received a free 3-pack Tourpass through my Rock ‘n’ Blog ambassadorship. As always, all thoughts & opinions are my own.

I ran the DC Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in 2014 and thought the race was just okay. I honestly wasn't planning on running it again this year until I found myself with a Rock 'n' Roll Tourpass (thanks to being a Rock 'n' Blogger) for 3 races with not much money to travel far. While I appreciated the course a lot more this time around, overall it was a crappy race for me.  

Mostly because of the cold, rainy weather. 

This is partially a pity party because I was not enjoying myself for most of the race so apologies if that's annoying. 

I'm pretty sure this race used to be the National marathon and 1/2 but officially is now the DC marathon and 1/2.  I'm luckily my best friend lives in D.C. so I always crash at her place the night before any races I run in the area.  

Expo: 

I headed down to DC after work Friday and just the trek was much less unpleasant this year since the expo was at the Convention Center not the Stadium Armory.  Brooks Running is a sponsor of the race series and had an awesome area called their Run Happy Island with a tiki bar to show off their shoes and some games. I was flying solo for this expo, so I had some time to walk around and check everything out.  

Of course I stopped at the Rock 'n' Roll Race Series booth as I dreamed of running a race abroad. 

A Mile is a Mile is a Mile {Workout Comparisons}

A mile is a mile. It doesn't matter if you are a marathoner, a new runner, or record-setting Deena Kastor. No one's workout is better than someone else's. If you challenged yourself with a two mile run, that doesn't make it worse than someone who ran 12 the same day. While a mile as a distance is the same, everybody's miles are different. Everybody's workouts, bodies, and goals are different too.  

Sorry if this gets a little rant-y as I think out loud, this has just been a topic that has been on my mind recently. I find that it is so easy to play the comparison game with other people.  With a culture of over-sharing and social media it's easy to just see other people's mileage and workouts. Online there are lots of gym selfies, workout recaps on blogs, and #runbrags. 

How many photos of Garmin watch faces and heart rate monitors post-workout are posted online everyday?   

Sometimes that all can be motivating and creates a supportive community.  

However personally sometimes it causes me to doubt myself, especially since I follow so many inspiring athletes, fellow runners, and bloggers.  Stepping away from the fitness and blogger community I realize that many people would think it's crazy awesome just to work out 4-5 days a week like I do. 

I just  am friends with too many kickass people! 

I'll be out for a run at a slower pace than I wanted and feel badly about it. It's easy to get caught up in things like who ran how many miles today and how that person that passed you on your run is running way faster.  Maybe they are faster, more fit, or more experience than you. Then again, maybe you are just having an off day. 

Sadly sometimes true. 

Or you look at someone's workout recaps or post-run Instagram and see that they ran double the miles you did, fit in my workouts, burned more calories, or lifted more than you did.  It's so easy to get caught up in the numbers game and compare weekly mileage, paces, weights, and calorie burns.  

It's not all online either. Maybe a friend said they were feeling a little tired or sore so they were taking it easy on your run together. Meanwhile your breathing is getting heavier as you struggle to keep up so now you feel like you must be out of shape or not as good of a runner. 

Then I just remember that my run is not the same as your run. Just like my race isn't the same as someone else's, even if we are running the exact same miles, course and distance-wise. Everybody is on their own journey.    

Your run or workout is different because you are different. Your sleep,your fitness, your eats, your mood, and what's going on in your life are all different and all differently affect your runs or workouts. 

Just because someone who is also training for the same race runs more miles than you doesn't mean that their training is better. Everybody's training can be different to fit your own needs. Just because someone worked out more days a week than you doesn't mean they are stronger or faster. 

It's important to remember that even if you ran the same race as someone, they did not have the same experience. You don't know how they were feeling, their thoughts, or what's going on in their lives that affected those miles. 

So guess what, getting your sweat on counts no matter what. 

Running 2 miles is better than no miles. Doing a 20 minute body-weight circuit in your living room because that's all you could fit in today is awesome. Deciding to start running and feeling accomplished when you can run a mile straight through is awesome. 

It's okay to get motivated by scrolling through your Instagram feed or following fitness blogs. It's okay to post your accomplishments or post-workout selfies when you are proud of yourself. Just remember that you don't need to prove anything to anyone. 

Your workouts are for you. 

Anybody else get caught up in the comparison game?  Do you find motivation from social media? 

This post was linked up to the Fit & Fashionable Friday Link-Up. 

Broad Street Run 2015 Race Recap

I am originally from the Philly area and got into running after I moved away so I was really excited to be able to run Broad Street for the first time . The Broad Street Run is the largest 10 mile road race in the country and is most definitely a staple of Philadelphia-area running. It's actually so popular now that they moved to a lottery system for entry a few years ago. It always falls near my birthday so I was excited to be able to run it and get in the lottery this year.  

Expo: The expo was a decent size and efficient. I didn't get the tech tee initially, but ended up buying a tech shirt vintage design from Modell's on sale while I was at the expo. They had it in the convention center so it was spacious but not overloaded with vendors. I'd like being able to go on a Friday afternoon and beating the crowds.  I had just gotten back from a family vacation the day before so it was nice to be able to have a relaxed day in the city.  

Of course I stopped by the Bondiband booth to check out their designs. 

Remember you can always use my code BREATHEBLOG to save 10% on their website off their headbands compression socks, and more!

Race: My boyfriend and I parked at the Stadium Complex at the start since it's a point-to-point race. We took the Septa train from there all the way to the start at the beginning of the line. They let runners ride for free to the start so even though it was packed, thank goodness there was no ticketing delays. The trains got very crowded, and it seemed that people in the middle of the line at stops couldn't get on. Once we got off, we parted ways as I made my way towards the corral. The weather was already quite warm so I immediately ditched my throwaway shirt as I entered the crowd of people.  

I was pissed that I wasn't even close to getting into my corral because it was too crowded. I thought it wouldn't be so bad since I was in the Orange corral which wasn't too far back. However, once the race started and my corral went I was able to get in pretty smoothly. It was amazing starting a race with 45,000 runners. The energy was amazing!