Konfessions

What's up Wednesday, always good to see ya.

Don't worry, it's still raining here in Baltimore. But I got a slap on the wrist from Kathy yesterday basically reminding me to be glad it's not snowing. Or hailing. Touché. Sunny skies will be here soon enough I'm sure.

On to confessions.

I confess, that days that it rains I automatically feel entitled to a treat. "Oh sad it's grey outside, I really deserve a chocolate chip cookie."

Wouldn't ya know, I started 21 days of Kait's Klean eating yesterday (I dunno it sounded good?) so chocolate chips weren't on the menu today. "YUM this dried date, talk about some comfort food."

 

This will haunt my dreams tonight.

I confess, my sister taught me a new hilarious game where you endorse a friend on LinkedIn for outlandish skill sets. Garbage collection? Check. Latin jazz? Check. Geriatric dental? Sure will.

Luckily those only go to their profiles if they accept the endorsement, so from there the compliment is in their own hands to do what they wish.

I accepted a lawn mowing endorsement recently because that sh*t is the truth. I am the master of the lawn.

 

fairly accurate depiction of myself

I confess that I've had several moments lately where I dislike the blogosphere and the stupid crappy politics that goes into making other blog friends and promoting your blog and your brand yada yada yada. Sometimes I'm like eh whatever and other times I'm like this is stupid and I day dream about deleting the entire thing.

Yet if I didn't have Kait Makes a Run for it I would have nowhere to confess things like Monday was the first time I cleaned my shower, ever.

Or that I went to bed at 8 pm on Monday night. Or that I ate asparagus for breakfast on Tuesday morning and my pee smelled all day. Or that I'm editing this post as I ride my bike, using my underwear drawer as a desk.

Guys it's Wednesday, and tomorrow is May. Get those chins up and I'll be back for a morale check on Friday.

Cheers -

K

The 21 Day Wrap Up

Well, I said I was going to write this post last night, but the truth is, I was in bed by 8 PM watching The Breakfast Club for my first time ever. Sorry I’m not sorry.

My 21-Day Sugar Detox is over. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but somehow it flew by. The first week felt like a month, and the second two weeks felt like two days. No joke.

source

Let me start by prefacing with this: I learned a lot. A lot about my body, food and the way my body responds to certain foods. I learned a lot about the Paleo Diet in general and the thought process behind it.

Let me clarify a few things. The 21-Day Sugar Detox (Level 1) is not 100% Paleo, as I was ‘allowed’ to eat full-fat dairy, and not allowed to eat most fruits. However, for the final week I tried to phase out most dairy, and slowly phase in a bit more fruit towards the end.

 This could get incredibly lengthy if I let it, so I won’t. But just know I'm passionate about this. I do want to share some final takeaways from these past three weeks, and reasons why I’m glad that I tried it out.

1. The #1 reason why I enjoyed it is, I knew exactly what I was putting into my body, on a daily basis. I literally knew just about every single ingredient that I was consuming, as it’s all about eating whole, real foods. None of that chemical processed crap.

2. Because of this, I didn’t really have to worry about ‘watching what I ate’ the past 3 weeks. I mean sure I was working out and running a lot, but it wasn’t about worrying over the calories in my meals/snacks, it was more about the content of what I was fueling with. And guess what? Without even trying, or wanting to, I lost weight following the detox rules.

My plantain paleo pancakes on the deck yesterday morning.
 Chocolate sauce & coconut as toppings.
SO.GOOD.

3. I wasn’t 100% perfect, and I’m not upset about it. The first week I caved and ate a mini cheesecake with my roommate at WholeFoods. Week 2 I had ice cream, and Week 3 I had a handful of m&m’s. See the pattern here? While these 3 weeks have definitely changed the way I see my diet, chocolate will never die out of my life. Ever. HOWEVER, discovering the fact that I can mix unsweetened cocoa with coconut oil for ‘clean chocolate sauce’ may have changed my life.

4. I missed my fruits. I LOVE fruit, and am excited to have that option again. I already ate a carton of raspberries today alone. However speaking of fruit, plantains have reached the top of my list of favorites. I’m so glad I discovered them as an option during the cleanse, and see them sticking around as a staple.

5. If you are an athlete/runner/competitor looking to try out the 21 Day Sugar Detox, make sure that you check out the ‘Athlete Modifications’ section. This was a life saver – once I discovered I could be eating more of the dense carbs listed in there, my training was able to return to its normal intensity levels.

 Moral of the story? I really, really like the paleo style of eating. I don’t love referring to it as the Paleo Diet because the word diet can have such a bad connotation. It’s far from a ‘diet’ because it’s really just a simplified way of eating. These diagrams helped me to see the differences between Paleo and clean eating:

                                

 I’m not looking to become some die-hard paleo phene. Technically paleo = no alcohol, no dairy, no grains. I would say on my average day to day, I would love to stay leaning more towards the paleo side of things, as it seemed to make my body happy doing so the past three weeks. Am I going to stop eating nachos and drinking beers on game day? No. Am I going to forever avoid cheese and ice cream and pizza? Absolutely not. I’m not going to be uptight at restaurants and ask what kind of oil my meat was cooked in, as this just isn’t a life or death matter for me.

But if it’s up to me, on a normal week day when I’m cooking for myself, I’ll stick to the paleo plan.

The paleo jalapeno poppers I made on Saturday...

I realize I’m a little out of the ordinary, and thinking that food experiments like this are ‘fun’ isn’t necessarily the norm… but if you’re looking to clean up your diet, trying to change the way you see food, and even make some positive changes to your body, I would honestly considering giving the 21 Day Sugar Detox a try. It definitely positively impacted me.

Would love to answer any questions or address any comments out there, feel free to ask away!

This girl's off to celebratory sushi with friends.

Cheers to good health!

Kait

chef kait

I don't get to say this very often, but holy crap was I productive this weekend!

What do you all think of some of the blog changes? Did you notice I have my own domain now? Woot Woot, high roller.

Still tweaking a few things, so expect a few more changes in the next week or so. If you're one of those people who hates change, and the recent reformatting has severely stressed you out, I offer my deepest apologies. But I won't change it back.

I want to talk about food.

And you're probably like, what else is new Kait?

I will admit, the 11 miles from this morning has left be a little hungrier than normal this evening, but that's not the main reason I want to talk about food. First off, have I ever told you that I love my kitchen in our new house?

It's marvelous, the island is extremely ideal, and I always feel very homey during my time up there slaving away over the stove.

Saturday night, I created this:

Cheesy Garlicky Shrimp Tacos.

Remember when I told you I want to be a taco connoisseur? I wasn't messing around kids.

The tacos were pretty easy to whip up, so I shall share the recipe:

- 1/2 bag of shaved brussel sprouts (get my from trader joes)
-1-2 tsp of garlic
-1 tbsp of olive oil
-2 wedges of Laughing Cow's light creamy swiss
-6-8 unthawed, pre-cooked shrimp
-3 corn tortillas
-hot sauce to taste.

The method to the madness:
Saute the brussel sprouts with the olive oil and garlic on the stove until they start to really stink of the entire house soften, it usually takes about 10 minutes. Mix in the cheese wedges, let melt a bit, and stir that bad boy up.

Microwave the corn tortillas if you like them soft, then add the spouts as the 'lettuce' portion of the tacos. Top with however many shrimp you prefer, and squirt some of that wonderful hot sauce on top.

It sounds a little weird, maybe it is, but I thoroughly enjoyed them up on my deck, while overlooking a brilliant sunset.

That was Saturday's creation. Tonight between the hours of 5-7 pm I slaved once again over the oven/stove/crockpot to create several paleo-like, sugar free creations, as I kick off the 21-day sugar cleanse/detox whatever you want to call it. Woot Woot!

I even enjoyed one final beer before kissing alcohol goodbye for the next 3 weekends. My friends think I'm crazy, maybe I am. I like crazy. And I definitely like challenges.

I spy a Blue Moon...

After the 11 miles today, some hot yoga is once again on tap for tomorrow. Dare I say, I'm looking forward to it?

Let me know your thoughts on brussel sprouts, paleo eating... heck tell me your most recent favorite meal creation. Hope your weekend treated you well, and Monday is kind.

Cheers!

Pumpkin Parties... & A Beach Bonanza

I'm actually not sure if that title makes any sense? Oh well, it's my blog.

Anyone who already follows me on Twitter or Instagram may already know this, but I have a confession to make. I have pumpkin fever.

what's that? i've used this picture before? i know.

Today consisted of pumpkin oatmeal for breakfast as well as a pumpkin smoothie as an afternoon snack. The day before started with some banana pumpkin overnight oats.

AND, because I’m a lover not a hater, I’m going to share how to make it:

Pumpkin-Banana-Dark Chocolate Overnight Oats:

The night before, combine the following:

-1/2 cup of rolled oats (or however much you want)

-1/2 cup of pumpkin

-1/2 or 1 full banana

-cinnamon

-squirt of honey (however much sweetness you enjoy)

(optional: chunks of dark chocolate, flax, chia seeds, dash of vanilla extract)

Mix/smash all in bowl with enough milk of choice (I use almond milk) to cover the ingredients. Let soak overnight. Enjoy in the morning!

For a warm version, basically combine the same ingredients in the morning and heat that puppy up for about 2 minutes in the microwave. Voila! So good, I was literally licking the spoon in the parking lot before walking into work.

OHHH, you're sick of these weird self-portraits of myself? Lately, have you found yourself thinking:

That's unfortunate, because I'm not going to stop.

On to more exciting things: Labor Day Weekend!

Late tonight, three starry-eyed Colorado babes who I like to refer to as my wolf pack will arrive at BWI Airport. I do believe I’ve mentioned them before but just in case you wanted another visual… here’s an example of our semi-daily roll call, where we literally stop whatever we are doing and send out a pic of ourselves in that very moment to our on-going group text. Because that’s how long distance friendships operate, right?

Kar

Les

Sarah

and of course, me. 

Following my killer fabulicious 18 mile run tomorrow morning, we are headed to Bethany Beach along with Andrew and a group of his hooligan friends. We rented a house, and plan to do very little aside from lounge, soak up some sun, play in the ocean, catch up on life, grill… enjoy some beverages… you know the deal. Just an All-American weekend.

Hope your Labor Day weekend is absolutely fantastic, take some time for yourself, whatever that may look like!

Cheers!

In Limbo

Late August always puts me in a very strange mood. It's definitely the end of summer.. with hints of fall. Fall is definitely one of, if not my favorite season of the four. Yet it's always bittersweet to say goodbye to summer, no matter how hot it's been.

couldn't resist another CO pic

Fall always reminds me of my college days, being a college athlete, and living the life in a house full of best friends.

that's me, hanging on the BU sign. miss you girls.

I honestly feel like the slow weather change is contributing to my weird, moodiness. I feel super "in limbo."

Because of that, runs have been alright, not great. I'm honestly not going to sweat it too much until we hit September, which will be about two months out from NYC.

Remember in my August Goals post when I ran my mouth about wanting to do a 5 min. plank? My best plank so far looks like this:

fail.

So, to quickly revise that goal with about a week left in August, I'm going to cut it in half and make it 2:30. Talk about overestimating.

If I recall correctly, I also joined the Run to the Finish Clean Eating Challenge. Now I didn't have super high hopes for this, knowing we had a 10 day trip planned. But even after getting back this week it's been a bit of a struggle, especially since I tend to make food one of my best friends when I'm sad.

I may or may not have stuffed a cupcake down my throat in the midst of a panic attack at work on Thursday.

I will say, I'm proud that my Friday Treat to myself at lunch yesterday was a Chipotle Salad. That's pretty clean, right?

yum.

 Another high point of yesterday was the fact that although I considered, I did not eat the rest of the guacamole out of the little cup, with my fingers. I used a spoon instead.

my tweet yesterday

So there's some more thoughts and emotions for ya. And if you think these sentimental, gooey posts are exhausting, imagine how my boyfriend feels.

Speaking of him, we are running the Annapolis 10 Mile race together tomorrow. That will be the longest distance he has ever run, so shoot him some love, or leave him some below for encouragement. I'll relay it on.

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend, I'll leave you with some awesomeness that I stumbled upon on Pinterest last night. Because only the cool kids go to bed at 10 on Friday nights.

Cheers!

It's August. Let's talk Logistics.

bird diarrhea.

Even after coming outside this morning to bird diarrhea all over my car, my spirits were not dampened. Why?

August. It’s August, and I couldn’t be happier. Two reasons:

Oops, did I already use both of these pictures in previous posts? Sorry I'm not.

Our Colorado/Chicago/Danielle & Jeff's Wedding trip.

And then Labor Day shenanigans at the Delaware Beaches with my Colorado wolfpack.

August is going to be phenomenal.

Now, I owe you all another apology because today isn’t going to be weird. As much as I know you love my random weird/disturbing thoughts every Wednesday, the fact that it’s August 1 is going to override that.

July overview/August goals.

Looking back at July, I had a BLAST doing the Strong Like SusanAb Challenge through Run to the Finish. Honestly, she threw some AWESOME, challenging moves at me that I had never even thought of before, and I really feel stronger as a result.  If you are ever looking for a quick ab workout for the day, check out any of her Strong like Susan videos on Youtube. I recommend it.

this is Susan. she's a beast.

Other July recommendations? 

I don’t really feel like babbling on forever over plant-based smoothie supplements (although I could) but let me just say the samples that Vega sent me were were legit, so a huge thanks to them for sending them to me to try out.  My favorite? Tropical Tango, fo sho. I enjoyed them all, they are pretty low cal and PACKED with nutrients.

A dear friend of mine out in Colorado also sent me some samples from a company called Organo Gold that he works with.  I didn’t try them all, but did give the green tea and instant black coffe a go.  I was definitely a fan of the green tea, it had great flavor and helped to keep me on track with my “Drink more tea and less coffee” July pledge. If you’re interested in trying out the brand, let me know and I'll get you in touch with him.

Now, I know what you’re wondering. “Kait, what are your August goals?”

I’ve put some thought into it. And knowing that I will be traveling a lot over the next month, I’m keeping it fairly simple.

•  Plank a  Day. #Plankaday – At least one plank, every day, continuously trying to lengthen my time. Shooting for 5 mins by September.
• Clean Eating Challenge through Run to the Finish. I like her challenges, they are usually clear cut and offer great accountability. It also is a flexible challenge, which I need. Check out the challenge here.

Oh wait, one more thing. I officially have a running coach. But more on that later.

Cheers!