Hi all! Happy Workout Wednesday!

With a busier schedule (which I love) I realized I haven’t updated you guys lately on what I’ve been up to in the workout department! My weekly workouts have been consistent with getting ready for both the Half Marathon & Civilian Military Combine both in May! These events involve not only endurance, but also strength, which means I’ve really been loving combining the two!

This past Sunday was a gorgeous morning to start off  with an 8.5 mile run!

(finally some sunshine!!)

For not being a huge runner – an 8.5 miler was a milestone for me! I felt great the whole time in the new Under Armour Women Apollo Speedform shoes and also felt good afterwards which means I’m excited about upping the mileage next time.  I don’t know if I’ve found that runner’s high yet BUT I am enjoying getting outdoors for the runs!

Funny side note: about half way through, I decided I needed to spit a little bit cause my mouth needed to…if you’re a runner I’m sure you may understand.

SO I look behind me to make sure it won’t get anyone in the path, then proceed to safely spit into grass…as I go to spit (sorry for the visual) I step…aka completely wipeout, off the side of the road.

I’m talking a split landing, a bruised & scraped knee, and a hole in my leggings.

I stood up like a champ, laughed at myself yet secretly hoped that no one saw…then thought – hm, wonder what all of these people in the cars are saying now as they drove past me hahaha I’m pretty sure I’m THE most clumsy person I know. Go me!

After my off-roading run, I was totally looking forward to my VEGA recovery tropical accelerator post run for a good carb/protein ratio to refuel! and a band aid…for my knee.

You can find the accelerator on iherb.com with coupon code XUG228.

I’ve been incorporating strength training & cardio based training throughout my week to get ready for both events.

My schedule usually looks something like this –

Monday: Strength (Back Focus) & 30 Min Teaching Spin Class

Tuesday: Strength (Shoulder Focus)

Wednesday: Off Day (Recovery)

Thursday: Leg Strength & 30 Minute Teaching Spin Class

Friday: Strength (Arm Focus), Bodyweight Movements, Core

Saturday: Off (recovery) or Long Run

Sunday: Off (recovery) or Long Run

I usually pick a day on the weekend to get a long run in outdoors and the other day I am off which still includes training clients, getting in a nice walk, & foam rolling/stretching. I’ve really found the importance of really approaching my training with all my effort on the days I train & then taking recovery to do just that : recover.

Too often I used to go go go almost 6 days a week with workouts and found that on top of the active work I do daily with clients & teaching that I was getting run down very quickly. I find that when I put all of my effort into those training days and take time to recover, that the two days off really help me go hard the next training session.

Again, this is what has been working for me and my schedule! Sometimes my strength days consist of 15-20 minutes in between clients & classes so I just make sure that my effort is high & those 20 minutes count.

I’ll be posting videos this week to our workouts that myself & the ladies of @average2athlete put together to help you train for the CMC with us!

I used to think I had to be in the gym for hours to get better but I find that for me, the effort I put into my training is what really counts. Whenever I was done with my 8.5 miles, I really noticed how my breathing was totally fine throughout the whole run. I really do believe that my spin classes have truly helped my endurance! My heart rate was good & my breathing felt great – I did notice my knees start to get sore but I haven’t ran outdoors in a while so I’m sure it’ll take some getting used to.

Every week I challenge myself to new things & love having that athletic mindset that I’ve always had inside of me.

I was talking with a friend last night about how sometimes we lose sight of why we’re working out because we focus too much on calorie burn or our outward appearance. If we focus on that only –s sometimes our workouts aren’t as fun because you feel you “have” to do it to look a certain way.

I used to be in that rut & after a while of challenging myself to see the true reason behind my own workouts – I am now at a much happier place with training like an athlete again for improved athletic performance, and not just for a focus on calorie burn.

If you are struggling with that – please don’t hesitate to reach out (kasey@powercakes.net) and I would love to chat with you!

So tell me, what have you been up to?!

Have you had a less-eventful workout lately that you feel great about? I’d love to hear!

I’m off to a meeting at a local high school where BIG THINGS are happening as far as being true to yourself & bodypeace goes. I cannot wait to share this with you all!

Have a great Wednesday & be true to you,

xo Kasey