I’m very blessed to be sponsored by some great companies.  First Endurance is one of them and I’m proud to be partnered with them for yet another year in 2015!  Here’s a little about my race nutrition thanks to the FE blog:

http://firstendurance.com/2014/12/12/kristen-zaitz-sets-5-minute-pr-top-american-finisher-california-international-marathon/

Until next time…

Ever since moving to Colorado 9 years ago I’ve loved having access to Whole Foods! Living in Boulder during the first few years, made it convenient and easy for me to get my favorite organic foods, baked goods (the vegan chocolate chip cookie is out of this world delicious), and grass fed organic meats & seafood to name a few.

However, moving out of Boulder to a suburb about 15 miles away has made my WF outings less frequent. Less frequent may be the case but when I do go there, I hang out and “lollygag” so to speak, savoring my experience. With that being said I am so excited for the opening of a new WF in the Bradburn Community in Westminster. The opening date, scheduled for December 9th will make my trips to WF more frequent & nonetheless still memorable!

A particular love of mine that WF offers is their oatmeal bar!  This is one of my favorite things to do after a run. It equals quick and nourishing recovery with amazing healthy options to top the creamy & pure oatmeal! My fave toppings include blueberries, cinnamon, raw coconut, honey or agave, walnuts and almonds (sometimes I’ll add a little bacon from the salad bar)! Delicious and inexpensive!  It provides a perfect blend of carbs, protein, and healthy fats and is perfect in the cold winter months. It warms you up from the inside out! I’m super excited to have this close by for the many days I run the beautiful trails around my house and the Bradburn community!

Follow my blog and Twitter handle (@kfzruns) for more WF adventures in the upcoming months!  I’ll share my loves, my favorites, my adventures, and my insight on the new Bradburn Whole Foods!

Until next time…

I was asked last week to post a little insight into what my road to Sacramento looks like…

On December 7th, I will toe the line at the California International Marathon in Sacramento, California (http://runcim.org/).  It will be my third time toeing the line.  The first year, I broke my foot unexpectedly during the race  and running with the lead group nonetheless.  Year two, I ran a personal best  and Olympic Marathon Trials standard, but was shy of my initial goal going into the race.  So year three, I’m going to be back at the starting line and the future is yet unwritten.  It’s my job to prepare myself with the guidance of my coach,  to the best of my ability both mentally and physically.  Third times a charm, right?

A little something about my week and my training:

My coach, who was also my high school coach back in the 90’s, has worked with me long enough that he knows what I need.  As I’ve gotten older we focus more on recovery.  I now do workouts every four days and I’m on a three week cycle with the third work being a lower volume week.  There are different workouts that we cycle through and they change slightly throughout depending on what week we are in.  This week I will be doing a prescribed fartlek to work on changing efforts during a race.  It’s a medium length run with lots of speed change during that time frame.  Later in the week I will do my hill workout, which works race simulation hill strength.  It’s a continual effort over a hilly course.

While every third Sunday is a simulation run (simulating my race plan for the marathon), this Sunday is time on feet.  Everything we do is minutes versus miles, except for some of the workouts.

Every workout we do has a specific goal in mind that carries over to my goals for the marathon.  My volume is continuing to get higher and will stay high until we start our taper before the race.

As a coach myself (http://kristenfryburgzaitz.com/kristens-coaching-services-2/), I like the idea of working the objectives that will best serve you in a race.   Don’t just do a workout because it’s a “cool” workout or your favorite workout.  Often the workouts that are our least favorite or the most challenging ones, are the workouts that will help us achieve our goals.  Focus on what you want out of the race, where you’ve struggled in the past, and what it will take to achieve your goals in the race.  Those are the things you work on most!  The marathon is very much aerobic, so build your base first.  You shouldn’t just start building mileage during your marathon build-up if you’ve never hit that mileage before, that’s a recipe for injury.

I wish you all luck on your journey to CIM!  Remember, there are many ways to be successful, there is no one coaching program that is THE program.  It’s finding what works for you, believing in it and believing in yourself.  See you all in Sacramento!  I’m the girl in the awesome neon yellow Brooks kit (http://www.brooksrunning.com/)!

Until next time…

I found this picture online (thanks to VeryBestQuotes.com) and it sums up my belief about running and about life.  I cannot complain because I live a great life with amazing people who support, challenge, love, and encourage me.  However, when it comes to getting what I want, I’ve always had to work hard for it.  I’ve failed more times than I can count, but those failures have gotten me that much closer to success.  My path has never been a straight line but instead one with high peaks and very low valleys.  Through all this, I’ve often been asked why I continue to run… to them I answer, “why not?”  I know what I am capable of and I believe through hard, smart work and never giving up I will reach my goals.  Until then, I’m continuing on the never ending journey called life!

Not only in running is it about getting up when you are knocked down, but this pertains to life too.  I won’t lie, I was always a glass half empty kind of girl, but through my many hardships and heartbreak, I have learned that life NEEDS to be looked at with the glass half full.  It is much more enjoyable and obstacles are easier to hurdle with this mentality.  I won’t say it was an easy outlook to take on, but it has allowed me to be a better version of myself and for that I am grateful.  At the end of the day isn’t it about being better than the day before, for yourself and for those in your life that you love?

Ask yourself, what was the last challenge you had to overcome?  Did you overcome it with a positive attitude and a smile or a gloomy outlook that just made life look worse?  If you chose the latter, next time choose the former and see if that makes a difference.  Obstacles are always a part of life but it’s how you handle those obstacles that determine your life!  It’s all about choices and you have a choice!

May you go forward with a positive outlook, a smile on your face, and determination like no other!

Until next time…

While today is my last day to blog about what I’m grateful for, it certainly won’t be the last day I record or reflect upon what I’m thankful for.  Today I would like to express my gratefulness to gratitude.  My 30 days of gratitude quest has helped me more than I ever imagined and hopefully helped you too.  It has reminded me of something that is easy to overlook in the hustle and bustle of daily life, and that is the gratitude for all the great people and things in my life.

I challenge you to pick-up a journal or a notebook and sometime each day, write what you are grateful for.  It will surprise you, because even on the worst of days, you will find something, even if it’s one thing.  It will shed a new light on your horrible day.  Life is hard, no one said it would be easy.  Focusing on the journey is more exciting and thrilling than constantly living in the past or the future.  I know that can be hard when things aren’t going as planned or life is caving in on you.  That is why I challenge you, good day or bad to write what you are grateful for.  Hopefully it can transform your days like it has mine.

Today I give thanks for the ability to have gratitude in my life.  I have so much to be thankful for today and everyday, from the breath I breathe to the clean water I have to drink, to the amazing people that bless my life!

Here are some pictures that have given me much gratitude in my life!

 

Until next time…

So after realizing that I had two days at #26, I’m at day 30, the final day, but that doesn’t seem right since I mislabeled my gratitude days. According to my title, yesterday was day 28 so I will continue on for today and tomorrow. Heck I’m having so much fun with this that I may continue on at random.

For day 29 or the real day 30 I’m grateful for hope, love, and my faith. Without these things I could not have gotten through any of the obstacles I’ve overcome in my life. Through each obstacle in my life it seems my hope becomes bigger, the love in my life richer and the faith in my life stronger! This injury, I had to have faith in someone bigger that there was a purpose and a reason. I have found the reason and believe it will truly lead me to a better place. I haven’t always been able to think this way, in fact only the last two injuries I’ve sustained have I finally reached this mindset. I used to fight adversity, and while I may start to in the beginning I begin to see the light and what a positive outlook, faith, love and hope will do for me. They will do much more for me than fighting something that is out of my control. Oh, if only I had learned this sooner!

Life is a journey and the destination should be enjoying the journey, having hope for the future, love in the NOW, and faith in yourself and your dreams! I am grateful today and everyday for the hope, love and faith in my life. I hope no matter what life throws my way that I will always hold onto these three things that will get me thru to the other side!

Until tomorrow…

Today I’m grateful for my support team. While I train mostly by myself, I couldn’t do what I do without my support team.

My support team includes my massage therapists, physical therapists, chiropractor, sports psychologist, Pilates instructor, and of course my family and friends. Without this amazing group of people my goals wouldn’t be meet & the journey along the way wouldn’t be as fun! For a full list of my support team go to my support page!

My support team rocks! Does yours? Make sure you’ve surrounded yourself with only positive and encouraging people who push you to be better!

Until tomorrow…

Today is short and sweet and to the point!  Today I’m grateful for the 6.5 miles of pain-free running!  I know 6.5 miles is nothing for someone used to doing at least 12 miles every easy day, but it was 6.5 miles of pure bliss!  I got to be outside and be pain-free.  Started my day off pretty great! 

Until tomorrow…

Today I’m grateful for so many things and it’s only 7:30 in the morning. While I work all weekend for one of my awesome sponsors, nuun electrolyte tabs, I’m thankful for the job.  Of course I’d love to be hanging out with my husband but I’m happy to make extra money doing something I’m passionate about and that I love! I’m thankful for the awesome friends we got to hang out with last night and for the robins nest in one of our trees (she had her babies and has been protectively sitting on them). I’m thankful for my husband for so many reasons, but today he’s building the rest of our split rail fence.  He’s so handy and so motivated! I’m thankful for being healthy again and able to run (although to be cautious I’m on the bike today). I’m thankful for a Telluride vacation we planned for the future and that time to be with my husband. I’m thankful for my entire family and the love, support, and blessings they provide/are. I’m grateful for knowing that I have food and will not go hungry like too many people do. My garden is starting to sprout and I’m so thankful for the opportunity to grow my own fruits, vegetables, and herbs.

Today I’m just thankful all around. Whether I have a smooth or a rough day, the fact that I’m thankful will enrich my day and make it better! Be thankful and you are bound to have a better day than you ever thought imaginable!

Until tomorrow!

Yes, I’m back running pain-free.  Today I ran outside and I am so grateful for that time with nature doing what I love.  I’ve been alternating between the Alter-g treadmill (the anti-gravity treadmill for those of you wondering what an Alter-g is).  While the Alter-g feels great because I’m running, ultimately there is nothing like running outside. 

This is my favorite time of year and not being able to run is always hard for any runner.  So today I’m thankful that I got to feel the fresh air on my lungs the gravel and road under my feet and the pure enjoyment I get from my favorite sport.  While once again, when made to ponder about what I’m grateful for, I can come up with many.  Today, however, I’ll highlight getting to run!

Until tomorrow…