I am inspired by everyday athletes like you, and these two beauties as my Grandmother would say.

Grab a glass of water and some popcorn and take a look…

This video makes me want to go the extra mile this week, how about you?

Now I really must go return the movie and run like a (grand)mother!

[Jill and Ashley Kumlien]

1 woman is running across America right now

2 raise money

4 Multiple Sclerosis (MS).  It is going to take her

6 months and

11 pairs of shoes to complete her mission. Last week Ashley Kumlien ran through Omaha, Nebraska (my neck of the woods) where she was accompanied by

14 local runners (her largest group yet!) for about 10 miles. Go Omaha, Go Omaha! She started her run at the Golden Gate Bridge on March

22 and anticipates completing her cross-country journey by the end of September in New York. She’s getting it done by running about

25 to 28 miles a day splitting her mileage up into 2 sessions. Pretty impressive for any

26 year old. Ashley quit her job and is running in honor of her mother, Jill Kumlien, who has been living with MS for

28 years.

28 years! But Ashley’s not alone, she’s sharing her borrowed

30 foot motor home with her fiance, who proposed 3 weeks into the trip…ahhhh! Love birds! OK, enough of the mushy stuff…Can you even image running over

3,200 miles?! She has 2,000 miles behind her and a little over 1,000 to go! One of the benefits, OK 2 of the benefits of running as much as Ashley: You get to eat

4,500 calories a day and get a killer tan plenty of Vitamin D! But running across America is no joke. Ashley hopes to raise

500,000 dollars and to raise awareness of MS, a disease Ashley describes as a “brain/body disconnect that can impact anyone.” You can follow Ashley’s run and find out how you or your company can support her foundation by visiting www.msruntheus.com.

Now I really must go, but before I do, I’ll leave you with 1 of the lessons I’ve learned from Ashley, a woman who truly believes…

“To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” – Steve Prefontaine

I love jewelry because jewelry always fits whether you gain 2lbs or 20.

And when jewelry is also fit, I’m sold!

Sarah Wilson, the founder and jewelry designer behind Fashletics (where Strength Is Style), invited me to take a look around her site. It took me about 2 seconds to find something for myself…

…and a few gifts.

I think my sister-in-law, Dawn who ran her first 1/2 marathon a few weeks ago (Yeah, Dawn!), and Shay who is training for her first marathon this year, both need this charm:

But I digress.

I happen to think Sarah, our silver medalist, is a triple threat. Not only is she an incredible artist, but an athlete and personal trainer, too. So it is no surprise that her jewelry mirrors her passion for fitness.

There’s something for just about everyone on Fashletics.com, from runners, to lifters, to kettlebellers, to cross-fitters. And, if you want something custom like a Fitness & Spice logo (wink, wink) or race date, for example, you can get that, too.

Swing by and check them out!

Now I really must grab a quick bite and go to the gym so I can earn my silver metal!

After reading all of the comments about why you run in the Will Run For T-shirts article, I learned that runners have one thing in common: PASSION!

I am so impressed with all of you and I’m honestly going to give running another try. I sincerely thank you for your inspiration!

And now for the big announcement…the winner of the Sistas Shirts drawing is….Lauren @Team Giles!

Congratulations, sista!

When God was passing out the love of running genes, I was waiting in line for the love to lift weights sweatshirt.

While I love the way I train, I envy people who run. Runners have discipline, grace, lean bodies, and really cute t-shirts.

If I was a runner, I’d get this shirt…

..and definitely this tank top…

And, if I was really fierce, I’d wear this t-shirt…

Ironically, my sista, Jennifer, told me about Sistas Shirts, the company that makes these shirts! How crazy is that? Sistas Shirts has an entire line of sassy accessories that have been featured in Sports Illustrated and Runners World, too. And guess, what? They are going to give a short sleeved “Run Like A Girl” t-shirt in black or pink to one Fitness & Spice reader.

Here’s how to enter the drawing: In the comments section below tell us why you run, maybe it will convince me to hit the ground running. The contest will close on Wednesday, November 11th and the winner will be announced on Thursday, November 12th.

Now, I better run, I mean drive, to the gym…Pastalavista, Baby!