A year ago I was in my final two weeks of prep for my first ever figure show. Today, I am one week away from my first Spartan Super race. A lot can sure change in a year. I never imagined being drawn to endurance races because I was also so strength and aesthetic focused (hence why I did a show). Change is inevitable. How we embrace change and what we do with it makes us who we are as a person, athlete, wife/husband, parent, friend, etc. I trained like a body builder for years because it was what I knew, it was what I was exposed too. I thought it was my passion. Then change happened.
After running my first ever Spartan Sprint race last year, I was hooked. But, it was different than anything else I knew. Different style of training, different way to fuel your body, performance based versus aesthetic based, and completely different community. I embraced the change, though. I started teaching myself endurance training, researching how to fuel the body for higher intensity training and I went for it. I set a goal to run all three lengths of Spartan races in 2017 (3-5 miles, 8-10 miles and 12-15 miles) and this coming weekend I will be knocking one of those off my lists. The biggest and most proud of change I embraced during this process is letting go of training to look a certain way and be stronger than other girls. Now, my focus is to perform. I eat to perform, I don’t eat to get a six pack. I train to be quicker, more agile, and more functional, not to lift the most weight I humanly can. By embracing the change that at first scared me has brought me confidence, joy in training, new experiences and motivation to keep pushing towards my goals. Embrace the change and let go of the unfamiliar because you never know what experiences are waiting for you.
Because we all know it is officially grilling season and we have cookouts to attend! Here is a health and easy salad to bring to any summer gathering!
- 1 bunch kale, thinly sliced
- 1 bunch red leaf lettuce, thinly sliced
- 2 cups fresh cherries, halved and pitted
- 6 ounces fresh blueberries
- 1 cup cashews, roasted and lightly salted
- ⅓ cup (+/-) crumbled goat cheese
- For the Dressing
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
- dash of salt and pepper
- Combine all the salad ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.
- Combine all the dressing ingredients in a small mason jar. Secure the lid and shake vigorously for 10 - 20 seconds until well combined.
- Pour the dressing over the salad mixture and gently toss until everything is well combined and coated with dressing*
