From Rachel's Kitchen: Almond Vanilla Espresso Protein Shake

Packing on the mileage, body needs refueling.

...and so, the Protein Shake Queen strikes again!

Almond Vanilla Espresso 

Shake:

Ingredients:

1. 1 banana
2. 2 tsp Wildfriends: Vanilla Espresso almond butter
3. 3/4 cup almond milk
4. 1 scoop Designer Whey Vanilla protein powder
5. 4-6 ice cubes

 Blend all ingredients and enjoy!

    

To learn more about Wildfriends, click here.

To learn more about Designer Whey, click here.

To visit my fitness feature and learn more about my journey, click here.

Thanks to Designer Whey for the continued support...

xo

Quote of the Day: 9.24.13

Hope everyone had a great weekend,

still in recovery mode from mine - 

but I find myself falling more and more in love

with running every race.

Its tea + relax time. 

Checking out a new show 

on a friend's recommendation

(Sleepy Hollow)

and starting a new book

(Born to Run)...

What are you up to on a Tuesday night?

xo,

Rach

Glamorous Races

I love running!

I started over just 2 years ago and in 2 weeks,

I'll be running my 4th half marathon in the Divas San Francisco Bay.

Pretty crazy, when you take a girl

who can barely run a mile 

and turn her into a running machine.

And that's what I feel like these days.

A running #machine.

It's kind of addicting -

a feeling I know for certain other runners empathize with.

What felt like the ultimate struggle when training for 

my very first half marathon back in October of 2011,

has turned into an escape of sorts.

I run to get away.

Physically and emotionally.

Some people are emotional eaters...

yeah, well I'm an emotional runner.

I run when I have so much happiness

I don't know what to do with it

and I run when grief overtakes me

and it feels like my heart might burst at the seams.

I run to burn off some negative energy

and I also run to re-energize myself

 *hello, endorphins! *

if that makes any sense. 

It definitely has become an outlet for me.
It sure beats taking it out on a container of Haagen-Dazs.
And my butt thanks me too. :)

The more I run, the more I find myself

wanting to encourage others to run-

see if running brings you the same kind of joy.

If running around your block or at the local track

seems boring, repetitive, or tedious-

I encourage you to sign up for races.

No race is too great or small,

and its a great way to not only meet other runners

in your area, but also to feed off the energy of the

collective group. For myself, there is no better feeling

than running the Divas Half Marathon Series

with other girls who have the same motivation,

spirit, and drive to challenge themselves.

I look left. I look right.

And the energy is palpable. 

You can feel it.

I need that. I feed off that.

Here are some races you might want to check out:

Some are girly. Some are fun and carefree. Some are themed.

How much fun can you have running?

Well, that's what YOU'LL decide.

1. Divas Half Marathon Series

I've run Long Island, North Myrtle Beach, and upcoming San Fran.

They are well-organized races, and so much fun! :)

P.S New to running and not up for a 13.1 challenge?

Check out their 5K's!

2. Color Run 5K

Check out the Color Run.

I'm signed up for the Color Run Brooklyn in June,

but races are held all over the U.S!

3. Diva Dash

Forget barbed wire, fire pits, and mud.

Bring your girlfriends and challenge yourself

in this fun womens-only 5K Obstacle course.

4.  Dirty Girl 5K

Where are my dirty girls out there? ;)

If you don't mind getting a little dirty, 

this is a fun race for you and your girlfriends.

High-maitenance girls, need not apply.

YOU WILL GET FILTHY.

5.Disney: Princess Half Marathon

I haven't experienced a Disney Race YET,

but I will and I've heard good things!

They offer all sorts of races at a

variety of Disney Parks throughout the year.

Def worth checking out

if your a frequent FL visitor, like myself!
And the Princess one, has my name
written all over it! =)

6. Glow Run 5K

Black lights abound! Pretty cool stuff.

If you like themed races, this is worth investigating.

7. Mermaid Series - San Diego

Grab your girlfriends for one of the best

all women's run in San Diego. The course is fast and flat and offers

incredible views of Mission Bay. If you're not up for the half marathon

they offer a 10K and 5K as well. 

8. Revlon 5K

Coming up on May 4th, 2013

Revlon's 5K Walk/Run in NYC.

9. Heels and Hills

Based out of Texas, but looks adorable.

Multiple races for runners of all abilities!

10. Foam Fest 5K

Hate getting dirty? Then get clean.

Run through tons of foam in this race

thats good clean fun!

Loofah not included. ;)

Ok, and one more for good luck.

Check out the 

Summer Run Series

and join other Long Island runners

for some light races (5 & 10Ks) throughout

beautiful Long Island parks.

I'll see you there!

Hope these races give you some inspiration to get out there

and run - with your pumped up kicks!

Lace up, and good luck out there!

xo,

Rach

Quote of the Day: 3.13.13

"The only thing more unthinkable than leaving was staying; 
the only thing more impossible than staying was leaving. 
I didn't want to destroy anything or anybody.
 I just wanted to slip quietly out the back door, 
without causing any fuss or consequences,
 and then not stop running until I reached Greenland." 

— Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love)

xo,

Rach

Quote of the Day: 3.7.13

I just love this quote.

It's not particularly deep or anything profound -

and yet,

we can all identify with it

because somewhere along

the line -

someone has told us 'no'

or didn't believe in us,

or we faced a setback

that made a task or goal 

seem impossible.

Well I can't stand naysayers.

They annoy me.

As far as I'm concerned
the only person who can stand in my way
is myself.

Quick anecdote before I head to bed...

Almost 3 years ago someone challenged

me to run a half marathon. 

I wasn't a runner.

I didn't have a history of running -

no track in high school or anything

and I certainly don't come from 

a long line of runners -

meaning...it's not in my blood.

I'm 5'

I have no legs!

I laughed at the idea 

because (to me) it seemed impossible.

I couldn't even get through a mile...

how in the world am I going to get through

13 of them without dying

before I reach the finish line.

But you know what?

I trained.

I trained harder than I've ever trained

for anything in my life.

It wasn't just the challenge

(although I'm super competitive

and love the thrill of one)

that put some fire behind my ass

(excuse my French)

...It was the feeling that the person

didn't think I could do it--

and I wanted to prove them wrong.

That was (almost) 4 half marathon's ago

and I still live to tell the tale.

I can still remember crossing the finish 

line of my first one 

(I'm tearing up as I write this)

-that incredible moment -

where I didn't necessarily prove everyone wrong...

I just proved myself right.

I hope this inspires SOMEONE.

ANYONE.

Thanks for listening...

Ok off to bed with some tea and a good book...

I'm reading the classic

'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn'

and liking it so far

(Have you read it?)

Rach