Holiday Cheer Fitness - 2014

With Thanksgiving around the corner and Christmas not far behind, it is a great time to find some fitness activities that also serve up some good cheer!

Road Races:

• November 29 - Ugly Sweater 5K - supporting military families
  

•  December 6 - Santa Sprint & Stroll 5K supporting United Crescent Hill Ministries 

• December 14 - Go Santa Go 5K - Changed to Dec. 14 Supporting Gilda's Club of Louisville
  

• December 20 - Canned Good Run - Iroquois Hills Runners - Bring canned goods as your entry fee

•  December 21 - Sweaty Sheep's Merry Christmas 5K - Your registration fee supports both Sweaty Sheep, a Christian outreach program, and the homeless community of Louisville.

Yoga:

November 27 - Thanksgiving Day Donation for the 502PY community in going on a Seva Safari with Africa Yoga Project.

January 1 - Yoga Mala for Africa  




Know of others I can add? Let me know!

Fit In for the Weekend: November 14, 15, 16

With the weather getting cooler and holidays are around the corner, now is the perfect time to start or continue getting your fit in! Louisville has lots of venues to help you out this winter so you do not have to exercise in the cold if that isn't your thing.

This weekend picks:


Friday, November 14
FREE yoga - Kentucky Art Center

Saturday, November 15

Walk with a Doc - Layer up and get some fresh air walking at Iroquois  -  taking a walk with our friendly KentuckyOne Health physician. And in addition to the numerous health benefits you’ll enjoy just by walking, you’ll also get:

• Free Blood Pressure Checks
• The Chance to Talk with the Doc while you Walk
• After Attending Three Times, you will Receive a Free Walk with A Doc T-Shirt

Sunday, November 16
Free Spin Class - Bring your trainer and bike to VO2 for indoor biking with others

Check out the calendar for more options or get together with some friends for a hike or a run.

Tasty Tuesday: Enchilada Bake

Anytime you can eat at home, you are not only saving money, but also you know exactly what you are eating and can adapt to your dietary needs.
Today's recipe I received from a friend when I was pregnant with my first kid and introduced me to freezer cooking. Freezer cooking is a great way to make dinner ahead of time.

Enchilada Bake
1 lb ground beef (or turkey)
2c salsa
1 can black beans, drained, rinsed
1/4c Italian dressing
1 pkg taco seasoning mix (Here's my homemade recipe taco mix)
6 flour tortillas (8 inches)
1 cup sour cream
1 pkg (8oz) Mexican style shredded four cheese (or any cheese you have on hand)

Pre-heat oven to 400F. Brown meat, drain. Add salsa, beans, dressing, and seasoning mix; mix well. 

Arrange 3 of the tortillas in a single layer on bottom of 13x9 inch baking dish; cover with layers of half each of the meat mixture, sour cream, and cheese. Repeat all layers. Cover with foil.

Bake, covered, 30 min. Remove foil. Bake and additional 10 min or until casserole is heated through and cheese is mleted. Let stand 5 min. before cutting to serve.
Serve with chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and cilantro. 

Make Ahead:
Line 13x9 baking dish with foil, with the ends of foil extending over sides of dish. Assemble recipe in prepared dish as directed. Cover with foil. Freeze up to 3 months. Bake, covered 1 hour. Remove foil. Bake an additional 15-20min or until casserole is heated through and cheese is melted. Let stand 5 min before cutting to serve. To decrease the baking time, thaw casserole in refrigerator overnight, then bake, uncovered, 45min. or until casserole is heated through and cheese is melted.

Louisville Thanksgiving Road Races

Looking for a race to stay motivated to keep training and hopefully not gain any extra pounds through the holidays? Check out these Thanksgiving related races:


Nov. 22 - Prosser Turkey Trot 5K - New Albany - Find the hidden turkey for a special prize

Nov. 27 - Turkey Trot - Tell City
                Iroquois Hill Runner's 35th Thanksgiving Day Run - 5mile run or 1.25 walk
                Northeast YMCA Turkey Trot - 10K, 5K



If you are traveling over the holidays, check out the local races nearby and get some family and friends to join you too.

Fit In for the Weekend: November 7, 8, 9

It is time for another weekend! This weekend, I'm just highlight Lululemon's Grand Opening at Oxmoor Mall that they have posted on their facebook page. The activities are free and a little bit of everything all weekend long. It is a great way to learn about new classes and even try a few out. And don't forget to check out our giveaway from Momentum from yesterday's post! There's still more activities on the calendar too!

Looking ahead:
Nov. 11 - Fleet Feet Girls Night
Nov. 19 - Poker Run

One Year Later Celebration....

I did it. I met a milestone of keeping a blog for a year. This month, last year, is when it all started: 120 something posts, people sharing their fitness journeys,  and an additional writer/runner - Run Kat Run added to the blog.

 I have met some amazing people through this blog that I would have not otherwise have met. It has provided an opportunity for me to step out of my comfort zone. The further I dig into what Louisville area has to offer in terms of fitness, the more I realize there is no excuse not to be able to find what you love, that fits your schedule, and wallet. You just have to put yourself out there and go try things out.

  I look forward to seeing what the next year is going to bring. It will be hard to top this year: being paired with my IRUN4 buddy, learning static trapeze, and finishing my first Olympic distance triathlon, but I am already making goals to try to make this upcoming year even more exciting.


In honor of making it a year, I am doing my first GIVEAWAY to 2 lucky readers! I am big on being inspired and staying fit. Momentum has combined these two things into jewelry, so it is a perfect first giveaway! One reader will receive a footnote (single or a coordinated pair) and one will receive a wrap bracelet with the wrap color of their choice.  Momentum's website has a list of all the available sayings. Note: custom sayings are not available for this contest.

You have until Sunday, midnight to enter.  I will select winners by random draw and post early next week. All you have to do is comment on this post (once) OR on my facebook page under the link of this post (once) about a fitness goal you want to accomplish next year.  This jewelry will help you stay inspired to achieve your goal!

Momentum is also offering 15% off orders until 1.1.15 with the code MOTIVATEME (or 20% off until 11.30.14 with code INSPIREFIT).  They make great Christmas presents which is just around the corner!

Tasty Tuesdays: Spicy Chicken and Sweet Potato Stew

This is a new one we recently cooked up to use the last sweet potatoes from our garden. It reminded me of a chili and was great on these cooler days we are having now. It's from allrecipes.com. I ended up just putting frozen chicken and everything else into a slow cooker for 4 hours on high. I was able to shred up the chicken after the four hours. I did not think it was spicy (hot), so if you like it hot, adjust the spices to your liking. Definitely hit the spot for us.


Spicy Chicken and Sweet Potato Stew
Ingredients:

1 teaspoon olive oil 1 onion, chopped 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 pound sweet potato, peeled and cubed 1 orange bell pepper, seeded and cubed 1 pound cooked chicken breast, cubed 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes 2 cups water 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons chili powder 1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon cocoa powder 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons water   1 cup frozen corn 1 (16 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1.

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in sweet potato, bell pepper, chicken, tomatoes, and 2 cups of water. Season with salt, chili powder, cumin, oregano, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and red pepper flakes. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Dissolve flour in 2 tablespoons water, and stir in to boiling stew. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are tender but not mushy, 10 to 20 minutes. Stir the stew occasionally to keep it from sticking.

2.

Once the potatoes are done, stir in corn and kidney beans. Cook a few minutes until hot, then stir in cilantro before serving.

Run, Kat, Run: Urban Bourbon Half Marathon October 2014

My last mini-marathon I swore it would be the last.  It was awful.  I never officially checked my time because it was so awful.  I was 30 pounds heavier, eating food that came out of a drive thru window, and not training to the level that I should.  I learned my lesson, oh boy did I learn my lesson.  I vowed to either change and train right or not do another race.

After losing weight I decided that I would give it another try.  I dedicated myself to training like I knew I should and signed up for the Urban Bourbon. 

pre-race

Training was fun!  I enjoy running, I enjoy cycling, and I enjoy being active so that was not a problem but finding time to do all those was the problem.  I started training about 10 weeks out and ran 2-3 times a week for shorter runs then once a week for my long runs.  Long runs are my favorite!  I know I complain while I’m running but I enjoy it. 

I missed one long run because of being out of town but otherwise I made all my long run dates!  And through the training I continually was impressed by my ability and my time on training runs.  But I wasn’t convinced that all that training “greatness” would surface on race day!

We lined up for the race, headphones in, garmins on, ready to rock it!  I was lined up near the 2:45 pace group, not at all where I wanted to be.  My first and best half marathon was 2:24 and my goal was to be under 2:24, even if it were 2:23.  I quickly passed the 2:45 pacer, then the 2:30 and I was feeling good.  Up ahead my running partner saw the 2:20 pacer and said “there’s your pacer” to which my reply was “there’s OUR pacer”.  We caught up and stayed in front of the 2:20 pacer for a long time.  Eventually, my partner and I got separated on the hills of Cherokee.  But I just turned my music up and kept going all the while the 2:20 pacer was still behind me.  And I was feeling good!  I couldn’t believe that I was on pace to finish under my goal. 

My folks and my Granny came to see my about mile 8, my kids and in-laws came around mile 11, and then at the finish line.  I cry every time people come see me, it makes me so happy.  Try running and crying at the same time.  I always get choked up when I see my kiddos and I get a burst of energy from their hugs and high fives. 

Around mile 11 I started getting cramps in my calves so I slowed down but kept going.  Just keep swimming, just keep swimming was going through my head.  I saw the finish line and tears welled up in my eyes, I was just about done!  I turned it up and headed to the line.  I crossed the line at 2:19 and my chip time was 2:17:11!  I was thrilled!  So proud of myself and my dedication to training correctly.  Of course, now I’ve got like three more half marathons scheduled to do in the near future and hopefully a marathon will happen sooner rather than later. 

post-race

Kathy Kingsbury