Happy Easter and of Course a Running Update!

First of all I want to wish you all a very Happy Easter. I hope you were able to spend time with your family, friends and loved ones. I spent the day making a delicious pancake breakfast, watching the Miami Open Men's Tennis final, playing tennis with my hubby, watching a movie and doing a little of Serena Williams New Nike Training Club Workout. It was a great, relaxing day before starting the new week.

Tomorrow I start my first full week working remotely from home. I am also going to join a new gym in the area and start my first triathlon training program. It is also the first day of April, which brings with it the Serena Williams NTC workout challenge. Care to join? All you have to do is download the Nike Training Club app and then do Serena's Core Power workout each day for the entire month of April. I'm excited to start this challenge since her fifteen minute workout focuses on abs! Let me know if you join and we can motivate each other.

In the running part of my life, the countdown to the Nike Women's Marathon in DC has begun. It's just 28 days away until I do this amazing race. I can hardly wait to run it with one of my Sister's in Nike, Brandy. I also am running it virtually with Sheena from Australia. I love you ladies, so glad I get to experience this race with you both. The best part of racing is training and running with friends and DC is going to be an amazing race to participate in. Bring it on April!

Running, Nuun and Tennis, Nothing Better!

The year is almost a quarter of the way over and I have been having a blast so far. If you have been following my blog, you have been able to see some of the exciting things I have been up to and been able to follow my goals and aspirations. I thought I would give you a recap today of some of the things this year has brought to me already and some of my new endeavors. 

Athleta Roseville Store - Come Join Me For Run Club!

So far this year I have been pursuing my passions and it has come to fruition. I have been loving my stint as the Athleta sponsored athlete and leading run club for their store has brought me many new friends and taught me a lot about life and running. There is something about running that is just different and breeds amazing people, people who seem to see life a little bit differently. If you're ever in the Roseville, CA area stop in for run club, I'd love to meet you! 

Meeting Sam Querrey! 

Also, I have been able to become a Sweat Pink Ambassador, Nuun Hydration Ambassador and as of today am starting my second season working with the Sacramento Capitals World Team Tennis managing their social media. I love tennis, if you can't tell from my goofy grin in this picture with my hubby and Sam Querrey (ranked #20 in the world right now I might add) after a match last year. I also really enjoy social media and have a lot of great ideas I am looking forward to working on this season. The team I am working with this year seems so supportive and I am excited to see how great we can make this season. 

Serena Williams Behing the Scenes for Nike Training Club

I also have remained in contact with some of the amazing women from the Nike Women team in Beaverton, OR and have had the privilege of helping promote their new Serena Williams workout for the Nike Training Club app for iPhone and Android. If you haven't tried these workouts yet, you need to check them out. I have been trying to network and learn more every day about the sports industry and Nike and have met some amazing people this year via Twitter, if you would like to follow some great Nike people check out @nikedigitaljobs, @heidiburgett, @leahkimyoga, @mariepurvis, @britthayley, @robinnyc, @nikerunning, @nikefuel, and @nikewomen. There are many more, but start here and you'll learn a lot! I had the privilege of speaking with a Nike recruiter and some employees on the inside regarding their path and journey to Nike and it has given me an idea of what I need to do to make myself more marketable.

I get to run and volunteer for the race. I am excited about that!

Also this year, I get to go to Washington D.C. to run the Nike Women's Half Marathon. I was heartbroken when I didn't get in, especially since the race is on my birthday, but when more spots opened up, I was the first to sign up. I cannot wait to visit this city and run with 15,000 other women! No better way to celebrate my birthday than to crush a race! I have a 1:53 PR from my half marathon this past weekend, so I am hoping to beat that and set the bar a little higher for my training. I am also volunteering to help with packet pick-up on Friday morning. I am excited to be able to help and give back to a race that I am so excited about. This weekend will be amazing. 

Nuun Hydration Tabs - I'm Hoping to Run Hood to Coast With You! 

So that is my year so far. Pretty good for only being two and a half months in. So what about my upcoming goals? As of this moment I am hoping to get to run Hood to Coast this coming August. As you may know, I entered the lottery last year and was not chosen. Two days ago, Nuun Hydration, the amazing sports hydration tab company I love, announced a contest they have to give twenty women spots to run with them on the 30+ hour relay event. The catch, create a video showing why you are a fan of Nuun, why you want to the run the race and how much fun you would be to ride in a van for 30+ hours with. I pretty much fit into all these categories, so for the next few weeks I will be working on showing Nuun just how great of an addition to their team I will be. If you want to join me check out the Nuun Hydration Blog and enter your own video. Hopefully we can run together! I'll post a link to mine when it is finished and let Nuun know how much you would love me to be on their team. I would love to have all of your support! 

The next few weeks I will be focused on training, work and showing Nuun just how great of an ambassador for their brand I can be. Please, let me know if you have any suggestions for my video or just want to offer me your support or a shout out in the comments! I would love to hear from you all! Remember to follow your dreams and never give up. I have passionately pursued my dreams and goals no matter how many times I have been told no and good things keep happening. The world truly can be yours, just remember to work hard and always put your best foot forward. 

Happy Training! 

~Karen

Tennis Season, Training and Exclusive Serena Williams Content!

With the tennis season in full swing, the Nike Women team could not have released the Serena Williams Core Power workout at a better time. With the first Grand Slam of the year already completed in Australia and the conclusion of the BNP Paripas Open in Indian Wells, CA this Sunday, now is the perfect time to promote Serena Williams new workout! With the Sony Ericsson Open beginning tomorrow, I'm going to be rooting for Serena. 

To prepare for her upcoming tournament and to get me in the spirit, I am going to be doing her 15 minute Core Power workout for the Nike Training Club app for iPhone and Android this week. One of my favorite drills is featured below, the Stability Ball Transfer. I encourage you to download the app and do her entire workout, but if you only have time to do this drill, do it for one minute and repeat 3-4 times. Your abs will thank you! 

When you finish doing this drill, let me know what you think? Also, my fellow Sister In Nike has started a 30 day challenge with the Serena Williams Core Power workout. To join, just let her know on her blog and check out her challenge post here. What do you have to do to join, just commit to doing the workout once a day for every day in April. You won't regret it! Let me know if you decide to join! 

Serena Williams Core Power for NTC

The Nike Training Club (NTC) app for Android and iPhone offers an amazing full body workout from the comfort of your own home. The exciting thing about the NTC application is that it offers real workouts from certified trainers and professional athletes that have been tested in the gym and on the field. These workouts are taught live at 24 Hour fitness locations, studios and Nike stores and events around the country. I first started using the app a few years ago and have since worked out with it for over 14,000 minutes. Yes, it keeps track!

I have had the privilege of doing a live NTC class at the Nike Women's Marathon in 2011, last year at Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, OR, and have used the app for 3-4 workouts every week. I love how it challenges and changes my body. With constant updates and new workouts from professional athletes and Nike elite trainers, the Nike Training Club app has it all!

I teamed up with Nike Women for the Serena Williams NTC "Core Power" workout launch and can't wait to share this workout with you all. I did it for the first time last night and my abs were feeling it today. It definitely worked my core and abdominal muscles.

The Serena Williams "Core Power" bonus workout is a fifteen minute, high intensity workout consisting of five exercises that you perform three times. The "Stability Ball Transfer" is one of my favorite drills on this new workout. Check out the photo below for a breakdown of this exercise performed by Serena Williams herself.

Keep your eyes on my blog, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest for more exclusive content and my thoughts on this great new workout! Until then, enjoy this motivational photo from Serena Williams and go download the Nike Training Club app now, or check it out at a 24 hour fitness location or Nike store near you! 

Happy Training!

~Karen