Baltimore Running Festival Tips & Girls in STEM with Teza

It's been a whirlwind since Chicago so I'm still working on getting my expo and race recaps ready. For now check out some awesome other things going on around the interwebs! 

Check out my favorite Quick Workout Resources guest post on Nicole's blog, Fitful Focus. I share some of my favorite videos, youtube channels, websites, and DVDs I use to squeeze in a quick workout when I'm short on time.   

Attention all my Baltimore area runners racing in the Baltimore Running Festival this weekend!

Check out all these great race tips (including a few from yours truly) from this Baltimore Sun article which also includes an interactive marathon map.  I also did a guest post on BMOREtoned featuring my 5 tips for the Baltimore Running Festival half & full marathons-the post also includes an awesome running playlist from Jami.  

The Baltimore Running Festival included my 2nd ever half marathon in 2012 and first full marathon in 2013 which were both great experiences.  

Post-Baltimore Half Marathon 2012

Good luck to everybody racing this weekend! 

As a lady with a degree in chemistry and job in the medical research field as well as soon to be woman in healthcare, I am a huge supporting girls in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math education).  We need more ladies who love math and science to contribute and do great things in this country and around the world. I was contacted by Teza Technologies to help spread their message related to this and wanted to help share their latest campaign: 

Chicago Marathon 2015 Post-Race Check In

Yesterday I completed my 3rd marathon in Chicago (full recap to come soon!) The weather was windy and warmer than I was comfortable with at a high of 79 and completely sunny. I went out cautiously slow in the beginning and ended up feeling overheated the last 5 miles. It wasn't the 3:30 A goal I had, but I did manage to run a negative split, get a PR, and a BQ of 3:34:48. It's not enough to actually get in and run Boston nowadays, I know. It's still awesome to have a BQ that I seriously fought for those last miles of the race when I was in so much pain. Looks like I'll need to keep trucking towards my Boston dreams! For now, I'll be celebrating with lots of fun, food, and beer!

Thanks to everyone for all the support. All your texts, comments, tweets,shout-outs and likes made me so happy.

Be sure to check out my last post that includes my marathon race packing list! 

Chicago Marathon Training 2015 Recap {Weeks 15-17} & Marathon Packing List

{Read about Weeks 1&2, 3&4, 5&6 ,7&8, 9&10, 11-14 of my training}
 Weeks 15-17 are pretty much done with which means the Chicago Marathon is a day away (!?!?!?!)

Be sure to check out the hashtag #breathedeeplyandrunchi on Twitter and Instagram for more snippets of my training! 

#breathedeeplyandrunchi

Chicago Marathon 2015 Training Recap

Week 15

Week 15 was a solid week of training with some runs, November Project, and getting in my 14 mile long run before and during November Project #hillsforbreakfast on Friday. 

Taper-style November Project with Sarah. 

 Tuesday I made it to the newly formed informal Track Tuesday group of November Project runners. I haven't done track workouts in forever so it was definitely really tough. I can't wait to get my butt to more of them after the marathon is over.  

I'll probably eventually get to sharing a full race recap, but on Saturday after a night out including beers and late night pizza I ran the Donate Life 5K with a November Project team.  I wasn't expecting much, but ended up being motivated by my NP friends and snagged top female. It was a small 5K, but it was still fun because this never will happen at any big races and NP guys took 1st and 3rd as well.  I mostly was motivated by the awesome crab medal that the winners got, let's be honest. It felt good to run a fast 5K and one where I didn't feel too bad during the first two miles.  

Week 16
This week I had booked a 45 minute massage which was honestly the highlight of my week. Apparently my legs are unbalanced when I run which could be fixed after I release enough of the tension. I might try to find a way to get regular massages to keep everything aligned and loose. This week was some true taper time so I only run a couple times and took a really sweaty spin class at Rev.  I was getting a little anxious about taper and aware of each and every twinge I felt in my legs when running.  

I had my last long run of 10 miles scheduled for the weekend, which forecast ed to be full of rain and possibly Hurricane Joaquin.  Luckily the hurricane didn't hit us, be we got days of rain and colder temps. I managed to get in 10 miles Friday morning with 2 fellow November Project friends and ended up at #hillsforbreakfast. I did a few hills but mostly stretched, before getting home into dry & warm clothes and napping! 

Running in the rain in my purple raincoat. 

Week 17
This final week was all about tapering. Honestly I was so swamped with school that I didn't feel antsy about running less or taking extra rest days. Plus having an excuse for why I eat so many carbs was nice.  I got in a few easy, short runs along with a November Project workout on Wednesday. Today I stopped by the Chicago Marathon expo and probably spent too much of the day walking around the city. I plan on putting my feet up and stretching out tomorrow after a quick shakeout run. 

The bad: I've noticed since being in school and sitting for hours in class that my hips in particular have been especially tight. I need to really do better about stretching during the week after class all day and doing some hips-opening yoga stretches.  

The good:  I'm just happy that I've survived training injury-free. There are always hard training runs as well as ups & downs, but overall I had a pretty straightforward training cycle. I wasn't travelling as much so getting runs in wasn't hard and most of them felt great-training for a marathon hasn't gotten easy, but it's definitely become more comfortable to transition into.  

Things to Focus on: Since race day is on Sunday, all I am focusing on is trying to relax. I had a stressful week at school plus then travelling and all so I just need to keep breathing and thinking positively.  

I'm a total list person so whenever I have a big race like a half marathon or marathon and especially if I need to travel, I like to make a list of everything I need for the race. I like to lay everything out together so that I hopefully don't forget anything I need in the morning, especially since I'm not a morning person.   

Here's my race packing list: 

How was your week of workouts?  Do you get the taper crazies? 

Apple Cinnamon Smoothie Recipe (With Zing™ Zero Calorie Stevia Sweetener)

This is a sponsored post in partnership with Zing™ and Her Campus Media. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

As someone with huge sweet tooth, I love using alternative sugar replacements to cut

down on the sugar in my diet. Since discovering stevia years ago, it has become my go-to daily sugar-replacement.

I was really excited to try Born Sweet™ Zing™ Zero Calorie Stevia Sweetener because it is made from 100% stevia and has zero calories and zero artificial ingredients. Zing™ makes a Baking Blend with stevia leaf extract and pure cane sugar (5 calories per serving), but I was sent the Zing™ Zero Calorie Stevia Sweetener which is perfect for sprinkling on food or mixing into food and drinks. I was sent a box of single-serve packets, but it also comes in an easy-to-spoon jar as well.

The biggest test for me with stevia and recipes that use stevia is the taste. Some varieties of stevia leave really strange, bitter aftertastes to the food and drinks they are added to that totally take away from enjoying my meal or snack! I have to say, that the taste is really great with this brand. I’ve been sprinkling a little into my coffee and tea or mixing into smoothies and yogurt bowls.

Since the weather is starting to cool down and fall is in the air, I’m ready for some of those great fall flavors in my food. 

Don’t worry, I don’t have another pumpkin smoothie or latte recipe for you today. 

Instead I have an awesome smoothie I have been loving as a snack in the afternoon or after a workout that includes another one of my favorite autumn flavors-apple cinnamon and goes perfectly with some Zing™ Zero Calorie Stevia Sweetener.

The spiciness of the cinnamon and nutmeg is balanced by the hint of vanilla and

sweetness of the apple. I used my NutriNinja blender, but just a word of caution that you may need to experiment using applesauce in the recipe if your blender at home cannot handle blending apple chunks!

Apple Cinnamon Smoothie

Serving Size: 1 Smoothie      Total Time: 5 Minutes

Ingredients:

1 small apple, cored, chopped in chunks

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground nutmeg

½ tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 packet of Zing™ Stevia or tsp of sweetener of your choice

1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder

1 cup cashew milk (use whatever milk you prefer or have on hand)

1 handful of ice cubes (~ 1 cup)

Instructions:

Place all ingredients into a blender and pulse until blended completely. Serve immediately and enjoy! 

You can use the store locator to find a location near you that carries Zing™ and even Give Zing™ a follow on Facebook and Twitter for more news and recipes. 

Use this link to snag a free sample to give it a try!

Have you tried stevia or an alternative sugar replacement before? What's your favorite fall flavor?

Pumpkin Beer Bread Recipe {With DuClaw 31 Pumpkin Spiced Lager}

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by DuClaw Brewing Company and a 6-pack each of 31 Pumpkin Spice Lager and  was provided to me for review. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

I'm not a fan of cold weather and therefore am not Fall's biggest fan because, let's be honest, the magical light jacket, brisk Fall weather only lasts maybe a month before Old Man Winter takes over and refuses to leave for months on end. 

Besides candy corn and Halloween, the only things I like about fall are pumpkin foods and Fall beers, including pumpkin beers. 

I have a lot of favorite pumpkin beers and love supporting local breweries so I was excited to try out the latest seasonal offering from DuClaw after enjoying their Naked Fish Stout so much this past Valentine's Day.  I was sent their 31 Pumpkin Spiced Lager and the 62 Imperial Pumpkin Ale. 

Both beers were excellent but the Imperial Pumpkin Ale was my personal favorite.  This 8.2% ABV beer is infused with cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg to round out one of DuClaw's most hop-loaded beers to date! I loved how flavorful the beer was and how much the spices came through. It's a delicious, just hoppy-enough fall beer. 

The 31 Pumpkin Spiced Lager is packed with cinnamon and nutmeg flavor, sits at 5.7% ABV, and is frighteningly delicious. Don't worry, I thought of some more corny Halloween puns. You can find either the 31 Pumpkin Spiced Lager or the 62 Imperial Pumpkin Ale at a store near you for a limited time.

I decided to experiment with a pumpkin bread recipe using the 31 Pumpkin Lager. It would work with either of these pumpkin beers, but I ending up using the 31 Lager because my boyfriend and I had already drank most of the 62 Imperial Pumpkin Ale six-pack-whoops. 

This pumpkin bread is my twist on a classic beer bread. It's not a super sweet bread, and I see it as being the perfect side to a hearty dinner like my turkey pumpkin chili. 

Pumpkin Beer bread

Author: breathedeeplyandsmile.com

Total time: 60 mins

Makes: 1 loaf (8 slices)

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 cups of flour

1 12-ounce bottle of pumpkin beer (I used DuClaw’s 31 Pumpkin Spiced Lager)

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp of salt     

             

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 375F. Grease a bread loaf pan with cooking spray. Mix all the ingredients except beer together in a bowl until combined. 

Next slowly add in beer and stir until combined. Pour batter into the greased loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes or until lightly no longer wet in the middle (test with a toothpick after around 30 minutes of baking) .  

Allow bread to cool and firm up before slicing up. Enjoy!  

DuClaw Brewing Company is a Baltimore-based craft brewery that was founded in 1996 and has released over 65 unique beers, producing over 25,000 barrels per year to keep pace with it's always-expanding beer lineup and demand. They outgrew their initial brewpub space in Bel Air, MD and relocated their brewing facility to Rosedale, MD.  You can find DuClaw in select liquor stores, restaurants, and bars through MD, DC, NJ DE, VA, PA, NC WV, and most recently-Cleveland, OH as well as their brewpub restaurants in Arundel Mills, Bel Air, Bowie, and BWI airport.  

Be sure to check out DuClaw on Facebook and Twitter! 

What is your favorite pumpkin food or drink? 

This post was linked up with Weekend Snapshots and  MIMM 

5 Things to Do To Stay Sane In Grad School {plus juggling everything else}

The countdown to Chicago is on and I've made it just over a month into my first semester of grad school. Jumping into a professional Occupational Therapy Master's program has been exciting but crazy busy. Changing my schedule and dealing with lots of simultaneous projects, studying for classes, and fitting in the rest of my life drives me crazy some days.  Even if you aren't in school, these tips could be applied towards any busy week!  Here are some of the things I've been doing to try to balance school, work, fun, and marathon training.  

1. Schedule in at least one consistent stress-relief activity.

 For me I feel so much better with a morning run or sweat session and need to make time for it each week.  Some days lately I can't sneak a run in because of lack of sleep, schoolwork, work, and life but too many days of no runs would drive me crazy.  I need those easy morning runs with time to reflect and think before most of the city is awake.

The days I get morning views like this are the best. 

 In school we are always talking about occupational balance, and it's such an important concept. We need both work AND play in a balance. 

Morning runs don't have to be your thing. Maybe your thing is to always spend X night watching Netflix or going out to eat. Maybe your stress-relief activity is just morning yoga or spending extra time to leisurely cook a nice meal. Build it into your schedule.  

2. Portable snacks and food.

I don't know what it is about sitting in classes that makes me so hungry. With my days on campus packed mostly back-to-back with classes not only packing lunches but packing plenty of snacks is key.  I always makes sure I've got easy snacks like fruit, baby carrots, protein bars, and LesserEvil mini popcorn bags in my backpack for when I'm hungry and stuck in class. 

I try to find packaged snacks that have lots of protein and are satisfying. Quest Bars have been awesome because they have lots of protein and satisfy my sweet tooth. 

Quest Nutrition mint chocolate chunk bar

  Luckily we have access to a refrigerator so I can pack some of my favorite cold snacks like greek yogurts or the local skyr smoothies from B'more Organic.  This coffee-flavored smoothie has 46g of protein, no added sugar, and is easy to drink in class or on the go. 

B'more Organic Skyr Smoothies are an awesome for on the go. 

3. A planner. 

Being organized is the most important thing. There is NO way I can keep track of everything I need to be at, homework, tests, work, social events, races, and appointments without writing everything down in my planner. Also I need to plan out things like 6 months in advance, no joke. 

Find what organizational system works for you whether that be your phone, Google calendar, whatever. Write stuff down because otherwise you will forget everything and drive yourself crazy. 

Speaking of which, anyone have an affordable favorite planner suggestion?

{source}

4. A support system. 

I wouldn't make half my workouts lately if I wasn't meeting a group of people or knowing I told some November Project tribe members I'd be there. Having the purpose of meeting people is major accountability for getting my butt out of bed in the mornings. 

It's also about having family and friends and significant others that can help you out whether that's running that errand for you so you have one less thing to do, offering moral support, buying you chocolate, editing your papers, or offering up fun things to do in the little spare time you have.  Don't be afraid to rely and lean on people a little more during this stressful time. 

For example, I never would have gotten out of my warm bed to go do a track workout at 5:30 AM yesterday if it I didn't tell a group I'd meet up with them.

Post-track workout all-stars.

5. Coffee. Everyday. Anytime.

 Enough said. 

Truth bomb {source}

What is your best way to stay sane during really busy weeks?  Do you use a planner? What's your favorite one?

Chicago Marathon 2015 Training Recap {Weeks 11-14}

{Read about Weeks 1&2, 3&4, 5&6 ,7&8, 9&10 of my training} Weeks 11-14 of training are here already.

Be sure to check out the hashtag #breathedeeplyandrunchi on Twitter and Instagram for more snippets of my training! 

#breathedeeplyandrunchi

Chicago Marathon 2015 Training Recap

Obviously I've been busy and training has been going okay although my marathon goals have changed from the beginning of training. Since I'm being on training, here's a big ol' 4 week recap. 

Week 11

Week 11 was a really great week of training with just over 40 miles in for the week. I've added at least one day a week of just lifting in the gym at school which makes me happy. My tempo run this week was done on a cooler day, and it was one of those runs where my tempo paces felt really natural.  

This week I did a really solid 20 mile run despite falling and scraping my knee in the dark on the first mile of the run as I was on my way to meet up with a group to run with.  My knee was a little sore but my hand took a bit hit. I awkwardly tried to hold a tissue on my hand during the run and cleaned it all up after I got him. Falling during running will never not be embarrassing.  I also happened to be decked on in my new favorite Brooks Running hat and an appropriate Brooks shirt.  

Post-run Cream Cruiser ice cream sandwiches at the farmer's market also make me feel better about my fall (see bandaged knee).

So big, but of course I ate it all. 

Week 12
This week had slightly lower mileage than I wanted but lots of great, shorter workouts. I had two 4 mile runs that felt really hot, humid, and hard. This week also included a super fun November Project-Baltimore workout that featured our awesome yearbook photos thanks to Pixilated. 

 This week's long run was 15 miles which included the Charles Street 12 Miler race which didn't feel as great as I wanted but was still a fun race.  

Double-thumbs up aka my classic running pose

  

Week 13
On Labor Day a bunch of us November Project-Baltimore people traverbaled and went down to the NP-DC workout.  It was super fun to visit another tribe and get in some different #hillsforbreakfast at Meridian Park.  

Loving my fresh new DC tag

This week also included a bunch of running including NP-Baltimore workouts on Wednesday and Friday as well as the Shake Shack Track & Field Run on Tuesday.  

My long run started out with me planning on only running my 17 miles, but the route I ran with some November Project people on the northern part of the city to Charles Village and along to the Robert E. Lee Park trails proved it would probably be a few miles longer. The group I was running with was running 20 miles and since I was feeling good I decided to get in my 22 mile run. It was nice to have a group of people to motivate me and made the run less painful than it otherwise could have been.  We finished the run just in time because as I sat down at breakfast to eat my chocolate chip pancakes at Light Street Cafe with the run gang it started to rain.  I was thinking about breakfast for the last 1/4 of that run! 

It was weird how chill I felt afterwards when I finished 22 miles. I took a moment to sit by the Inner Harbor and stretch and soak in the moment. I saw my friend on his way to work right after and he said I looked like I was about to start my run, not be finished with such a long one! Training doesn't get easier, but certain parts of it are definitely different each time around. 

Repping my Momentum jewelry shirt and Footnotes of course

Week 14
This is the week where school and my new schedule really started to catch up with me so it was struggle to fit in some workouts and runs.  I had a quick treadmill run one day and a quick lifting session at school on Monday.  I also had to take a rest day on Tuesday instead of on Sundays like I frequently do. 

My long run was a 17 miler (for real this time), and I was totally mentally not feeling it. I got up super early and the city was eerily quiet and seriously foggy. I was feeling so over training and waking up really freaking early to run this morning but thank goodness for running with NP-Baltimore people who kept me motivated and entertained throughout the run.  

Yep, that's the Inner Harbor. Totally looks like The Mist attacked.

Sunday was the super awesome Empowered by Gundalow event. We didn't get quite enough people to sign up to run with me which makes me sad, but I totally understand because there was tons of races this weekend. I was happy enough to go help out with the barre class at Pop Physique. I definitely felt the burn-it had been a while since I've taken a barre class. My legs were especially feeling it since it was the day after my long run, yikes.  

The after-party at Ryleigh's Oyster was really fun and reminds me why I love Gundalow Juice and all the amazing people who are involved with and support the company and the Baltimore fitness community.  

{again thanks to Pixilated for the fun photobooth!}

The bad: Weeks 11 & 12 I really needed to be more hydrated. It was another hot and humid stretch of weather. Weeks 13 & 14 I was noticing really how tight my hips have been. It's probably due to the lack of stretching plus all the sitting at desks in school during the week. 

The good:  I'm happy that I made it through my 20 and 22 mile runs and that they actually felt pretty good. No injuries and not even much post-long run soreness which is weird to me, but I'm not complaining. So happy to be starting taper! 

Things to Focus on: I really need to tighten up my schedule and actually plan workouts for the beginning of the week when I'm busiest so that they happen. I seriously need my morning runs as stress-relief. 

This post was linked up with Weekend Snapshots, Weekly Wrap, and MIMM.  

How was your week of workouts?  Do you get really tight from sitting all day? Have you ever fallen running?