The Four Why's

This is my post of why's. Why Twitter is the bomb, why I love Athleta, why I love Nike and why you should come get Pretty Muddy with me!

Some people are scared of social media. Some people don't see the value in it. Why do you want everyone knowing what you are doing all the time I am often asked. It's not about what I'm doing, Twitter is about communication, about branding, about reaching out to others with similar interests and learning from them. It's about building relationships and using it for good. Are there spammers? Sure. Can it be dangerous? Absolutely. But anything can become dangerous, the important thing is to be careful of what you share, but still be open and honest with your followers. I'm not going to give out my personal address for everyone to see via a tweet, but I will communicate with others about my likes, dislikes, success and failures. It is a quick and honest form of communication and I have been able to build and cultivate numerous relationships by using this medium.

From my interactions on Twitter I have been able to meet new friends, partner with brands, promote my blog, learn new running and training ideas and win prizes. Twitter has been a place where I can go for encouragement on a bad day, or that extra push when I need to get out the door to go for a run. It's great fun and if you don't already have an online presence, I would suggest giving Twitter a test drive and then let me know what you think!

As for my love of Athleta, last night was my sponsored athlete party. I love representing the Roseville store and have really enjoyed all the relationships I have formed with the staff, Run Club girls and new friends I have met along the way. I really enjoyed the support last night, and had a blast shopping, eating and trying on some great athletic wear with my friends and supporters! Thank you to everyone who came out to enjoy the event with me. I'm looking forward to seeing you all again soon!

Nike, what can I say, I love running in your kicks! The new Flyknit sneakers I tried are amazing and super lightweight, they really helped me fly during the Shamrock'n Half Marathon! I can't wait to design my own pair of Free's on NIKEiD and represent in my next race! The pop of color on all my shoes really adds spring in my step.

As for my upcoming race with the Pretty Muddy Women's Mud Run, I am super excited to join together with women around the area and get a little dirty! This will be my first mud race and I can't wait to do it. Join me and my team "Sweat Pink" at 9am on June 29, 2013 in Granite Park. I'd love to see you there, it will be a fun time with friends, mud, obstacles and a rockin' race finish!

~Karen

I'm a FitFluential Ambassador!

Today I found out that I was accepted as a FitFluential Ambassador! I'm excited about this opportunity because it is just another step in the right direction for my fitness career and a way to inspire even more people to work on their fitness and life goals. The email alerting me to my acceptance was a bit unexpected, but so exciting! I had applied months ago, right before my Nike Women ambassadorship took over.  Running the Nike Women's Marathon was one of the best experiences of my life and I can only hope that we will all meet up again for another race soon. 

"FitFluential is fitness found." It is an amazing online community of bloggers, ambassadors, enthusiasts and brands. It merges the online and the physical world into one amazing FitFluential community. With motivation and events across the country, it is a great place to connect with others who share my fitness passion. As I try to merge my love of fitness with my skills in social media, the FitFluential family will be key to my success. 

With so many new goals and challenges for 2013, the FitFluential community is just one area of my fitness journey that I hope will bring me closer to my goals. I also plan on becoming a personal trainer and running coach and expand my online presence. 

What are your goals for 2013 and for your fitness journey?

Weekend Warrior?

Enjoying a beautiful day at the wedding!

This last weekend I spent cooped up in a car on a weekend wedding road trip. This trip really cut into my fitness and Nike Women's Marathon training time. I probably needed to take a break and just rest my muscles, but I sure didn't want to.

Sitting in the back seat of a Ford Focus for eight to nine hours is not my idea of fun. Plus, we drove in the evening and early mornings so my sleep schedule took a hit too. Needless to say, I didn't progress very far in my workouts this weekend. Apart from my Friday morning track workout, I was pretty much stuck sitting all weekend.

Don't think I didn't enjoy the wedding, it was gorgeous and definitely worth the sacrifices, it just didn't coincide with my training. I just want to answer the questions I have been asking myself. What does this mean for all my hard training? Am I back at square run, starting all over again?

I know that I should have found a way to workout, but I honestly didn't have any opportunities. So in answer to my first question, I think all my hard training was simply put on pause. I didn't take a week, a month or even a year off. I only took off Saturday and Sunday. I can survive this and maybe even turn it into my advantage. I haven't stumbled off my path, I just took a short detour. Life happens and we just have to be prepared mentally and physically to handle the challenges that this brings.

So am I starting all over again? No, I don't think that is possible. I definitely have some catching up to do. Veggies were top priority on my list of supper food tonight, and sleep will be coming soon. With a big day of running planned tomorrow, I will be hopping back into my regular schedule in no time. I am just thankful that this wedding was the week before Nike Women's Marathon training began. Nothing will be getting in my way for that training plan.

I'm ready to #maketherules and #makeeverymovecount in the coming months.