The two P's of healthy eating

Presentation and Portions. On friday night I wanted to cook karel a good dinner. He said he was feeling a bit tired and fatigued from getting a few yearly shots on Thurs so my first though was immune system boosting foods-antioxidants! I asked him what he wanted and he said a wrap. Yum-my favorite. I just love cooking the stuff for the inside of a wrap. He was on his bike for a little over an hour so I knew my time was limited for cooking. Most of my meals take less than 30 minutes to make but I needed to get some fruits and veggies for our meal. I decided to walk (YES-I said walk..not drive) to the fresh market 3/4 mile down the road. That took some time to walk and shop but only about 40 minutes. I bought loads of stuff (tomatoes, apples, mango's, grapes mushrooms, potatoes, butternut squash, bananas, chives, onions and lettuce) and for all of that, only $11. I think I would only be able to buy a few apples and maybe a head of lettuce and a pepper at the grocery store for the same price. I walked home with my bags of fruits and veggies and started cooking. Unfortunately, I kinda spent too long prepping my food and Karel came home before anything was finished. Oh well, I cut up some apple slices and grapes for him and with a glass of milk, he held off for 20 more minutes. I had never cooked butternut squash before and since I don't follow recipes (except for the recipes in my head that I come up with and what I see on the food network) I decided to cook the squash like a sweet potato and prepare it like my mom's mashed sweet potato dish. I microwaved the squash for 13 minutes (flipping it every 3-5 minutes) and then scooped out the seeds and then spooned it in a bowl. I added a small handful of oatmeal, a small spoon of Smart Balance Omega Butter, cinnamon and a little light brown sugar. For the wraps, I cooked the red potato's (after slicing them), mushrooms, tomatoes (which release more nutrients when heated) and onions. I cooked them in Spray Pam and a little Olive Oil, paprika, pepper and Cajun Spice (I love hot food!). I also hard-boiled some eggs and cut up some lettuce.
Since I didn't need to eat all the calories from a whole wrap, I wanted to use those 40-50 calories on protein rather than carbs. I filled up on salad and egg whites and prepared 1/2 a wrap (open) with all my great veggies. I love my breads and other carbs, but I's rather have a little of those foods than a lot, especially since i have to be most strict with my protein. We had spinach wraps so I just toasted them a bit in the hot pan that i cooked the veggies in. For desert, since we only had a little room left in our stomachs a few hours later, I cut up the fruit (bananas, grapes, apples and mango) and topped it with 2-3 spoonfuls of orange and vanilla Edy's Slow Churned yogurt ice cream (100 calories per 1/2 cup). As you can see from the pics, Karel and I can eat the same foods but in different quantities. And of course, it is all about presentation. If it looks good on your plate, you are less likely to eat fast and you will also feel super good about the healthy food you are eating. Enjoy!

Eating out...I need to vent

I don't like it. My main reason is that I'm a vegetarian who also likes to eat healthy. Therefore, aside from meat-free dishes which are mearly vegetarian because the meat is replaced with loads of cheese, I don't enjoy ordering salads EVERYTIME I eat out. Who wants to pay $9 for lettuce and a tomato when I know I am going to be hungry 1 hour after I eat. And because I'm a bit frugal with my money and impatient I don't enjoy having to drive to a place to eat, wait to be seated, wait for my food and then have to pay for something that I had to custom-make myself and I usually end up pissing off the waiter. I guess I don't like going out to eat because it isn't very fun for me due to my healthy eating habits which label me as an "outcast" compared to the rest of our culture. I'm sure those reading my blog understand where I am coming from, so I think I am speaking those who I see eating out, when I just don't understand why they don't get it. The portions are too big, there are too many calories in a single serving (when it should feed a family of four), there is too much unnecessary sodium in the food, there are too many unhealthy options and not enough healthy options and why do you need a desert menu when you are served more than enough food to last you two dinners?
I absolutely enjoy having a healthy diet. I love eating fruits and veggies, I love my bread and whole grains like oatmeal. I love my healthy fats, like olive oil, PB, nuts and cheese and love my protein sources like cottage cheese, string cheese, whey protein, yogurt, skim and soy milk, beans, tofu and vegetarian meats. I love my diet, I rarely get bored with my routine foods (Eggs, bread, oatmeal, nuts and PB) and I enjoy not having to worry about my weight (I don't weigh myself, I just look in the mirror or pay attention to how my clothes fit). I have energy all the time, I rarely eat before my morning workouts (Which can last up to 2 hours), I don't feel the need to eat big snacks or meals and I rarely crave foods. I have accepted my eating habits as the way I will eat forever and I feel 100% healthy with what I put in my mouth. But if I want something heart unhealthy, I don't feel guilty that they food is forbidden or that I shouldn't eat it cause I will gain weight. An extra 300 calories one day isn't going to matter and a treat every now and then won't throw off my routine. Although I catch myself sometimes thinking it, I try to always be concious of what I am eating and when I indulge in something (like real ice cream rather than the fat-free, sugar free, boring vanilla ice cream) I tell myself that nothing will happen to my body. I do understand that if I always eat those heart-unhealthy, foods which do not contribute to my training, I may throw my blood sugars off and I may experience a change in my energy and mood and my hormones may be thrown off. Therefore, the only thing I am very strict about is snacking and eating protein before meals. I always carry nuts with me and I try to eat some type of protein (like a piece of cheese, nuts, a few scoops of yogurt, sip of milk) or a piece of high fiber fruit (apple) before meals to keep my blood sugar stable. Therefore, if I always do that, i don't have to worry about eating that sweet treat every now and then. A few years back I was a little obsessive with my food and I saw food as fat-gaining and therefore I never allowed myself to eat certain things. Now I realize that foods which are high in calorie that you eat everyday, overtime will cause you to gain weight. But any food which will help your performance should be viewed as necessary food on a daily basis and therefore can be eaten at anytime. Heck, you could eat carrots and grapes everyday in excess and gain weight. Gosh, I wouldn't want to be the one to tell my friends that I am trying to cut back on carrots and grapes in order to lose weight. It is all about controlling what you eat so that all food is used as fuel. Simple as that.
Last night Karel and I went to Smokey Bones Bar and Grill. I was home all day writing articles and I think karel could sense that I didn't to get out and not cook for myself. Of course, when I go out to eat I have to look at menus, see if there are vegetarian options or see if there is something Marni-friendly. Karel is really good at finding places for me to eat at and I am blessed to have someone in my life (incluiding my family and most of my close friends) who understands and accepts how I eat. If anything, karel has lost a lot of weight (actually, increase lean muscle mass and decreased fat mass, weight has only dropped about 10 lbs) and really enjoys his healthy eating habits as well. He gets full quickly, he stays full and doesn't feel like he needs to eat all the time. Of course he is a guy so he can eat a lot more than I can. So, we decide to go to Smokey Bones because they have great salads. Not lettuce and an onion salad but really filling salads. I got a salad with pecans, cranberries, fresh strawberries, goat cheese, lettuce and onion w/ fat-free vinagarette on the side. It was actually a crispy chicken salad but as usual, I ask for eggs instead of the meat. Sometimes I ask for the meat on the side and give it to Karel. The salad was great and Karel enjoyed his salmon. So, here is where Karel and I started to get a little disgusted. And I really say that in a sensitive way because I am not one to call people fat or to look at people and think they are disgusting. I just question why and how people can consciously eat unhealthy. I think when food is around you when you eat out, you just tell yourself that it is ok, or you just can't resist. Well, it isn't ok and I just can't believe what people are eating. I don't sit around and just stare at people but Karel and I were discussing the big portions, fried foods, fatty, oversized deserts after a high calorie meal and most of all, the foods that kids are eating. Again, if YOU as a grown adult won't eat it or know that you shouldn't eat it than WHY are you feeding it to your kids? Even if they have fast metabolism, they are active or they are growing at the right height and weight, fatty, high calorie foods are addicting and so heart-unhealthy.
OK, I think I have vented enough but I just hope that people out there can realize that it is a lifestyle choice to eat healthy. It is much easier to eat healthy most of the time than to eat unhealthy food, regret eating the unhealthy food, feel sad about your body image because you ate the unhealthy food, feel lousy because of the change of chemicals and hormones in the body due to the unhealthy food and most of all, continously telling yourself that you need to start eating healthy and losing weight but continously putting it off. Take control and starting fueling your body with healthy food!

Happy Birthday Dad!!!!

It's my dad's birthday today and I couldn't be more proud to be his daughter and to call him my dad. As a dedicated optomestrist at the VA clinic, a dedicated dad and a loving husband, I think my dad is just great. Of course I thank him for me and my brothers' great athletic abilities, my tan greek skin, love of science and school and shortness from my dad (love ya too mom!), but most of all I have learned to just enjoy life from my dad supporting me through all my journey's. My parents helped me through college (monetary speaking) and helped me through grad school (mentally speaking after all my breakdowns). Then after grad school when I had negative dollars in my bank account my parents let me live at home while I found a job and pursued my passion of becoming a sports nutritionist. My parents have encouraged me to pursue my dreams no matter how crazy they seem...Examples being Marathons, Ironman's and going back to school for my 3rd degree. Oh, my dad takes great pics at my races and always has something funny to say to make me laugh:) I just love my dad and I wouldn't be what I am now without his help, guidance and positive words. I probably call my dad once a day and either tell him about my workouts, ask him for advice about my car or electronics, complain about bills and other money issues and of course, tell him how happy I am with Karel. A dad always wants the best for his daughter and my dad was open and loving when welcoming Karel into our family. Most of all, I feel I found a guy to spend my life with who is just like my dad in so many ways. And if anything, I hope that Karel and I can have the wonderful, loving relationship that him and my mom have had for over 30 years.
Happy Birthday Dad!!! Many more years to come....all exciting I'm sure!

This week is flying!

Well, it is already the end of Tuesday. After telling Karel I wasn't going to ride tonight I was in need of an outdoor spin after spending almost 3 full hours in my biology lab. I spun my legs in the wind for 15 miles and that is all I needed to do to finish my tuesday. After my intervals on the treadmill and 2000 yard swim I really didn't need to do anything else today in terms of training but mentally, I needed to just get outside and loosen out my legs. I feel much better now. I am working on some computer stuff as I watch Idol but I wanted to post a link to the team blog that Karel races for - Linder Capital. Enjoy! http://www.abrt.blogspot.com/

Interval Tuesday!!!

Alarm went off at 5:45am but I couldn't get out of bed. Just 10 more minutes...ok, I was ready to get up. Karel...again, fast asleep. Oh the life of a cyclist to only have to do one sport a day :) Made my coffee, checked my email and I was out the door around 6am. It was really cold this morning for a Florida day in March but I toughed it up in the 46 degrees by turning on the heat in the car. I got to the Y a little later than planned but the treadmill was ready for me. A quick bathroom stop, filled up the water bottle and I jumped on the treadmill. I think after last weekend, I really recovered well from my two long workouts and I really feel a lot stronger by resting my legs on Mon. I feel I was starting from scratch back in December when I was almost running at 6.4 mph and I just impress myself with the slow changes that my body has made along the way. Again, I love the training aspect of what my body can do. Of course I love racing and the competition but there is something about slow changes over time and really being aware of what your body can and can't tolerate. It is so important to uderstand how to place positive training stress on the body, eat the the right foods to recover and then get stronger. Of course I have plenty of bad days but I really take note of the good days...like today! Here's the workout:
Warm-up 7.1 mph for 5 minutes, 7.5 mph for 5 minutes. Easy..I couldn't believe how good I felt. Big Set: 10 x 50 sec. at 8.5 mph, 10 sec. straddle the treadmill. This set was just to get the heart rate up and get my legs warmed-up for speed. I felt good foreach set. Then, 5 x 1 min at 9 mph, 1 min at 7.5 mph. I probably should have stepped that up. I felt the burn after around 40 sec. but it wasn't intense. I knew I had more sets to go but I either gave myself too much recovery or I did those intervals too slow. When the whole workout was over, I probably should have bumped up the speed. I'll go faster next time.Next set, 4 x 1:30 at 8.8 mph, 30 sec at 7.5 This set was great. I was feeling super good through the whole run but I could tell I was getting stronger with every set. I decreased the speed since the intervals were increasing in time but again, I think I should have started out faster in the first set. It is alway easy to start with the long intervals first and then get faster but I wanted to do the whole set with some type of lactic acid buildup. Next set, 3 x 2 minutes at 8.6 mph, 30 sec. recovery at 7.5 mph. Now I was feeling a bit of a burn. Around 90 sec. I was checking my time to see how much longer I needed to suffer. I probably could have ran faster for the 2 minute set but I was focusing on my leg stride and steady breathing. I felt good and solid as I was running. Last set, 3 min at 8.5 mph. By this point I had been running for over 45 minutes and 35 minutes of my run was intervals. The 3 minutes was a solid tempo and running under 7 minute miles for all my intervals was a great boost for me. I finished the workout with a few minutes of easy running and walked it out for a total of 7.2 miles in 52 minutes. Sweaty, out of water and ready to get in the pool. I did a few plyometric leg exercise (step ups on a bench, quick lunges and abs) before I changed out of my sweaty clothes. I am surprised I stayed in the water for a 2000 but I wasn't feeling any speed in the pool. I stretched it out and did everything on a 1:30-1:40 100, base. Nice and smooth for the following: 3 x 200, 5 x 150 (50 fast, 100 long/50 long, 50 fast, 50 long/100 long, 50 fast..and repeat for 2 more), 3 x 100 pace and 4 x 50 kick. Then a 100 cool-down and I was finished.
Another great Interval Tuesday completed! I have biology lab at 2 until 4:40. If I get out early I'd love to get on my bike. If not, no worries..I'd enjoy the evening to recover and get ready to teach my spin class tomorrow.

Super Fast Monday!

Today came and went. 6am I didn't want to leave our place. Karel was fast asleep but I made my way to the Y with my coffee in hand. A 15 walk on the treadmill hardly woke me up but after a few hip and ab exercises I was on my way to the pool for a swim coaching session. It was 8:30am when I left the Y and I was still a little sleepy. Off to the DMV to turn in some papers and then straight to school. 1 hour of studying in the library and then to class at 11-12:15am. Back home for lunch and a brief chat with Karel as I start working on an Iron Girl article. I barely made it to 2 and I had to lay down. I guess with the increase in training volume (and intensity) I am in need of a little more sleep. I've been really good at getting into bed before 10 (around 9:20 the last couple of nights) but I think I need a few extra naps during the week and especially on the weekends. I woke up semi-refreshed after a 30 minute nap but then it was time for another swim coaching session. 4-5pm went by super fast and we had a great time in the water. I've been working with a guy, Gary, who incredibly dropped 3 minutes in his swim a few weeks ago at the Orlando Wildman olympic distance tri and with efficient swimming, he also dropped 9 minutes in his bike. He is 60 and hoping to qualify for Nationals so I am super excited to see how he does in Clermont on April 6th. So, into the shower to get warm since I have had trouble getting warm all day (it's getting cool here in Florida, 40's tonight!). After the shower I made a quick stop at Walgreens and then to the library again for my 7pm evening class. Thank goodness that we got out of class early tonight and I was able to get home before 9:30pm. Phew...the day is finally over and as Karel sits watching a movie, I am heading to bed to get ready for Interval Tuesday! Good night!

Training and Racing

I've had a really busy week so my apologies to my blog readers. Karel and I took a quick trip to Jacksonville and I will post about that trip shortly. Training has been going really really really well. I emphasize really well because compared to where I was a couple months ago, I'm seeing great improvements. I'm feeling strong and consistent. Getting my speed back has been progressive but overtime I slowly see improvements. On saturday morning Karel and I needed to leave at 8:30am for his race in Webster. I really wanted to get a run in so I set the alarm for 5:30am, had my coffee and a piece of toast w/ PB and a little banana and I was out the door at 6:00am. I do not like running in the dark and 6am is a little scary for me to run outside. I do not like to take my chances training outside or in unsafe conditions. I put on my RunnerID ankle band and told Karel my route. Although I run on the pinellas trail through Dunedin, there are a couple dark places and I just don't like zoning out when I can't really see where I am going. Well, I had my radio on and the moon was keeping it a bit light out and slowly the sun was rising. I enjoyed listening to my footsteps and not hearing any cars and after about 10 minutes of running I was pleasently greated by many other early-morning runners on the trail. Finally, I could start to zone out. The plan was 12 miles and I did just that. It was a slow 12 miles but it went by fast. I ran for just about an hour and 40 minutes and as I was coming back home Karel was packing his racing stuff in the car. It was a quick hi and then i was in the shower to clean myself up. I made myself my breakfast, ate it in the car and after a grocery and starbucks stop we were on our way to webster. In about 90 minutes we arrived at the race site but just like last year, you are riding on back roads of only gravel, you feel completely lost and then all of a sudden, you see a field full of cars and cyclists. Karel has had a really tough training week, with several big GA cup races behind him so he knew this would be a tough race. The race consisted of a dirt road section which takes the life out of you to just hold on to the handlebars and just kills your butt bouncing up and down. The race started at 11:30, 12 loops and was 180KM! Karel only needed one extra water bottle since he carried 3 on his bike (2 on the frame, 1 on the jersey) and I had a successful water bottle toss around lap 5 or 6. Karel had a really great race and ended up 14th. He was a little bummed because he was 5th last year but he is racing really strong and consistent this year and it is very early in the season. He had to remind himself that he doesn't want to peak right now so after a quite ride home of me driving and him thinking about his race, he had good self-talk conversation that his place in the race was just fine. It is tough in cycling (as oppose to triathlons) because you are racing for places. You can have a great race with a fast pace but if you get dropped or you finish in a chase group, you are finishing at least 10th place or above. But if you can hang on to just one break you have the chance to place top 10 or even top 5. Cycling is a very exhausting sport both mentally and physically and although I always think Karel does great, I know he really hung in hard to finish that race. A lot of people didn't finish and after 4 hours and 18 minutes, Karel crossed the finish line. I was proud of him for not quiting the race. I had to smile when he finished because you see all the Pro 1,2 guys (and everyone else) just covered in dirt. You can see lines from the helmet and their jersey and bibs and the bikes are just covered in dirt. Well, I think it was a great race for Karel and after he slept on it (and woke up incredibly sore) he is ok with his finish. This morning I woke up early as Karel recovered and I was out the door at 6:30am on the my bike. Again, a great workout where I felt good. 60 miles on the bike and followed it with a 4 mile run (8:30 pace). I was a little slow starting the run but after 2 miles I felt a little more comfortable. Well, I will enjoy the rest of the day...studying and eating :) and hanging out with my very tired and sore Karel. Happy Easter to those celebrating the holiday and for everyone, enjoy your sunday!

Exausted

The alarm went off at 4:35am. I was a bit tired but it was good that I taped idol and made myself get into bed at 9:15am. It didn't take Karel too long to get into bed and hit the sack. I use to think it was pathetic that we went to bed so early but I think sleep is so important to training that is should never be overlooked. Ok, so maybe 9:15pm is a bit early but usually I'm in bed before 10pm. I got myself ready for my spin class while my coffee was warming and I was out the door at 4:55am. My spin class was phenomenol today..not because of me teaching it but because my students were absolutely on fire today. We were sweating by warm-up and even with the two fans going we looked like we had just biked outside in mid-afternoon..we were toasted! After a 5-6 minute warm-up of spinning the legs and getting out of the saddle for some running in position 2 (hands on the bar right in front of you with your body over the saddle, position three hands on the side handlebars with chest over the front of the bike) we were ready for our main set. I give my class a main set and we do the same set for 5 weeks straight. The only thing is that we add anothe interval. I don't treat my class like an "aerobic type" class. I treat them like athletes. Since we only have 45 minutes I give them plenty of intervals to keep the heart rate up. Since most of the people have taken my class for over the past year and everyone in there is usually a regular, there are so suprises when I give them the main sets. I do get a few looks before (crazy looks) and many tongues hanging out after (exhausted) but other than that it is a quality workout that goes by very quickly. The main set is a sprint set. I don't like to sprint for a long time (anything more than 45 seconds) on a spin bike because I think people tend to lose form and if the resistance is too low (the bike should have a little resistance with sprinting) people tend to bounce with their hips or point their toes. I don't want any injuries so I try to break up the sprinting sets. We start with 5 sets of intervals for the first time we do something and the build to 10. It is fun to see people suffer on the first week of a new interval set because it is hard to imagine doing the same set, with 10 intervals. However, it is all about training and I like my students to see themselves progressing and that they CAN improve their cardio endurance. So we are on 7 (3rd week) intervals right now and the set goes like this: 25 seconds sprinting sitting down, 3-4 turns to the right (increase resistance) and up out of the saddle to position three and sprint climb. I won't let my students touch the knob when they are up and climbing so I tell them it is tough luck if they turned too much. Of course they see me smiling and I am not mean to my class but I like them to see that they CAN get out of their comfort zone. Of course at 5:30 in the morning I am energetic, talkative and ready to push my class hard...and because of it I get a really good workout. We only rest for 15-20 seconds between intervals so that is where the heart rate starts to really climb. We do a 2 minute recovery after the sprint set and then we are ready for the next set. I like to do jumps (quick up and down on the saddle with hands in position 2) and climbs but I always do sets and nothing lasts more than 2 minutes. We may do a set which takes 10 minutes but I give my class time to recover even if it is 5-10 seconds. Same with triathlon training, if you give yourself a little recovery, you get that "umph" to push hard again without feeling exausted after only a few minutes. The body can only handle so much hard intensity at one time. After the sprint set we did the following 4 times: 20 seconds of quick jumps (barely sit down or stand up, I call them 2 and 2's), then sit down, turn the knob 3-5 times and climb for 20 sec. Then turn the knob to the left to go downhill (yes, I talk like we are on real bikes, we race, we climb, we see finish lines, we go aero and we do rollers). We descend for 10 sec. and then do another seated climb with 3-5 turns for another 20 seconds. We rested for 15 seconds by running out of the saddle in position 2 before doing the jumps again. We had about 5 min left before the warm-down so we did some push-ups while pedaling and then hoovering (holding the upper body still and pedal just with the hips down) in position two.
The class looked beat at the end and so was I. I even got a cramp in the middle of the class which has never happened before. I finished my 20 ounce water bottle and I couldn't even think straight. I had my class there with me and everyone had a really good workout. I'm so lucky to have such great athletes in there..even if they don't do races.
So then it was time for the treadmill. Since today is the brick workout, I (for the first time) started running as soon as I hit the treadmill. No 5 min. walking for me. Oh the legs wished I was walking for the first mile. I had to make a quick stop to the bathroom (probably all the water drinking from before, during and after spin) and then I was back on the treadmill. For the brick workout I do tempo running and I was happy that I am running comfortably at 7.5 mph. Finally I am feeling like myself again. i had my medical terminology book to keep me occupied but that only lasted another mile. Then I read redbook and diabetes forecast magazines. I don't really read, just kinda flip through the pages and look up at the TV as well. Yes Jen H., I finished two magazines :) So the last 10 minutes I was really bored so I did 10 min. of intervals. I did 1 min at 8.1 mph, 30 sec at 8.8 mph and then ran for 1 min at 7.8 mph. After a few of those, I was finished with a 51 min. run and 6.2 miles. I was exhausted when I got off the treadmill. I was moving slow, covered in sweat and my face was ready. I wasn't about to complain and I am loving working hard again. I love pushing myself and seeing what my body is capable of...so early in the morning that is :) I did a bit of lifting (don't think I actually lifted). one or two sets of some arm stuff and a couple sets of abs on the ball. I was done, the shower felt great and so did the oatmeal, MOJO bar and many many many drinks of water w/ amino's in it. I had to rush out the door after my oatmeal to run some errands before class but I did get in a smoothie during lunch. Probably a bit too late and now I am really feeling it. I feel so exausted! I know I worked hard but I wish I would have had my protein powder right after the workout. I know..even I mess up! I will be sure to have some more eggs tonight so in addition to a tofu and egg sandwich for lunch, I will hopefully repair before tomorrow. I also took a 20 min. power nap today (which I hardly ever do) since i have a bit of time before my evening class, and I am feeling much better. :) I think 9pm might be the bedtime tonight..oh, I am exhausted!

Interval Tuesdays!!

For the last two years i have been doing brick interval workouts on tuesdays. When I was training for IMFL in 06 I took a 45 min spin class and then jumped on the treadmill for a speed workout (usually 45 min-1 hour). Last year when I was training for Kona I did an hour swim and then ran either outside or on the treadmill. Now it is 2008 and I am still doing intervals but I have decided to run first, then swim. Now that I am back and enjoying the process of getting back speed (I love to push myself and feel the burn!) I live for Interval Tuesdays. One thing I like about doing intervals on tuesday is that I feel fresh after having Monday as my "recovery day". I usually do something active on mondays (swim, bike or walk..no running) but I just do whatever I feel like. If I want to just rest and not do anything, then I just do nothing. I don't like to say "off" day but rather an active "recovery" day is what works best for me. I'm sure others can understand but after having a day off from hard training, it is nice to start off the week with something not boring and something intense. Not training for one day can kinda take a toll on your mentality (especially if you are training for an event) and doing intervals on tuesday (day after recovery day) gives me the push that I need to start off the week feeling ready to give it my all for 6 more days. Also, I find that if I know I am doing something intense on tuesday morning (early tuesday morning) I don't want to eat crappy on monday. Of course after two days of long training (sat and sun are most people's long workout days) you are probably like me and emphasize a bit more carbs to replace what was burned. I'm sure everyone knows how big I am with protein (now I am eating tofu at least once a day for even more protein in my vegetarian diet, in addition to my 4-6 egg whites a day) but after a long brick on the weekend, I'm totally enjoying my french toast or pancakes (portioned controlled of course). So when it gets to monday and I'm not really doing anything which would upset my GI system or make me worry about having a bad workout (since I am not training that day) I want to be sure I am back into a solid diet of high protein, good sources of complex carbs. I watch my snacks on monday (since I tend to eat several mini meals on sat and sun since I am getting home around 10 or 11am from my training) and I am sure to not overeat on monday night. I think a lot of people tend to do well in the morning through lunch on their day off but then in the evening it is almost like you feel you haven't eaten all day. Well, I try to focus on what I am eating on sat and sun to replace the used fuel and repair the muscles and tissues I damaged so that when it comes to mon I am not starving for food and ultimately I avoid overeating on mon evening. So, those are the two big reasons why I love doing intervals on tuesday. Here's the morning's workout, which started at 6am on the treadmill:
5 min walk, 5 min at 7.2 mph. First set: 5 x 30 sec at 7.8 mph, 30 sec at 7.4 mph. Next set: 10 x 1 min at 8.5 mph, 30 sec at 7.6 mph Next set: 5 x 2 min at 8.1 mph, 1 min. at 7.6 mph Last set: 5 x 45 sec. at 8.7 mph, 15 sec. straddle the treadmill. Total: 6.5 miles, 51 min.
Then to the pool. 800 warm-up swim, 200 pull Big set: 4 x 125 on 1:50 (made the first one on 1:38!!), 4 x 100 on 1:25 (made the first one on 1:14!!!), 4 x 75 on 1:05 (made the first one on 54!), 4 x 50 on :45 (made the first one on 37!), 4 x 25 cool-down. Total: 2500

I was sweaty, tired, a little out of it..but loving every minute of it!!!

The lucky shorts

On Friday morning I did my long swim of the week (A new part of my training) and swam a 4000. I felt great and it went by fast because I was accompanied by a group of fast guys for the first hour and therefore I was pushed for the first 3100. On saturday morning I was up around 6am and decided to run/swim for my sat. morning workout. In order to be sure I swam after the run I needed to be at the Y so I wouldn't skip out. It's tough to finish a workout at home and then drive somewhere else to do another workout...I have discipline but not that much on a sat after a long run. I jumped on the treadmill and 7 and the plan was 10 miles (yes Jen H. all on the treadmill and I only read 1 magazine!!). I walked the first 5 minutes and then started running. I had my lucky shorts on (always have good workouts in them) and the entire run felt great. I wouldn't say effortless but I felt really strong and I was doing a few interval sets at 8mph. Again, I felt like I could pick up the pace pretty comfortably and I am running at an average of around 7.4-7.6 mph pretty easy. It is great to finally run pain free again but I think about November when I couldn't even walk for .5 miles. Part of my self-rehab plan was just walking on the treadmill for 20-30 minutes and gripping hard on the side handles so that I could train myself to walk without a limp. OH the pain then from an injury was awful and now I am loving the hard effort workouts and the "earned" pain after working hard. I ran for 1 hour and 30 minutes and covered 11.2 miles. I broke down the workout into 3x30 minute runs and I didn't lose focus once. I had many looks from the Y members that I was on the treadmill for a very long time, but I like that...I like those "she is crazy" looks...it kinda makes me want to run even longer. I finished my gym workout with a few sets of abs on the ball and the captain chair and then it was into the pool for a quick dip. On sat. morning the little kiddies are learning how to swim so I can't help myself to stop every now and then and check out the happy and oh so not happy kidos in the water. I did a 500 swim, 400 pull, 300 swim, 200 fly kick and 100 swim to give me a 1500 and I left the Y for a yummy french toast and eggs breakfast (Marni style...healthy and yummy!). This morning I didn't have the lucky shorts on but the energy of saturday's workout got me pumped for this morning. The plan was a 3 hour ride and a 3 mile run. My first brick since before Kona!!!! I am getting close to Disney (Ironman Florida 70.3) and since I am feeling competitive once again, I am ready to step up the training...and actually start training! The wind changed a lot this morning so I kinda felt it at my side during the whole ride. I finished the ride with 56 miles and quickly put on the running shoes and IM visor and I was out the door. Smudla was a bit upset that i didn't stay home and pet her but I think she will forgive me :) The first mile was a little tough cause I was running a bit slow to try to find a rhythm but then I got into a groove and ended up running 4 miles at an average of 8 min and 30 sec. And after a yummy breakfast I am about to start studying for my two exams tomorrow :(
So the running shorts worked out well for me this weekend and I am really happy that I am back into the groove. Karel is out in Perry, GA and he raced twice yesterday. Instead of doing the 10-mile TT he decided to race in the Masters Crit (30+) as a warm-up before the Pro 1,2 race a few hours later. I'm super happy for Karel because he earned a spot on the podium for his 3rd place finish in the masters race....great job Karel!!!! And after a quick recovery drink and lunch he was back again for the Pro 1,2 race. Karel's teammate Curtis placed 5th and Karel was 16th. A few of the other Linder Capital guys were in the mix as well but after over 100 miles of racing (between 2 races) for Karel I think he should be happy for a 3rd and 16th place finish. Right now he is racing another 100 miles for the road race. Now this isn't any normal road race...this race is on red dirt and clay and is totally a suffer fest for 100 miles. I will take a pic of his bike when he gets back late this evening. This race is similar to the Roubaix race in Paris, France but instead this is the Perry Ga Roubaix :)

That's One Amazing Athlete-PERSON!

So, the last couple of days have been great. I've been consistent with my training, my leg isn't hurting and I have been 100% focused and motivated. I ran 6 miles on tues and followed the interval treadmill run with a 2500 swim and on wed I taught my spin and ran 7 miles at a very comfortable 7.2-7.5 mph pace. This morning I woke up early and headed out on the bike at 6:45am for a 30 mile ride with a few hard efforts. So with all this training, I can't sit here and think that I am the amazing athlete. Over the past couple of months I have been helping a guy named Tom Bassano with his nutrition. See, he isn't training for any particular race. He is running across the US!!!! I was a little shocked at first and just like when I tell people I do an Ironman and yes, it only takes one day, I kinda giggled and was taken back when he said he was going to run across the US. I met Tom after I spoke at the American Running Company in Dunedin (I love that store!) on nutrition for distance running. Tom came up to me and I was honored that he asked me to help him with his nutrition plan for this adventure. I was a little apprehensive because an Ironman was the extent of my nutrition planning for helping myself and others. I felt I could use the same science behind nutrient timing and glycogen loading but I had no idea what it would be like to run for almost 2 months straight! However, I was up for the challenege, I did my research on ultra running and of course I talked to the pro's at Hammer. Not only did i talk to hammer but they totally hooked Tom up with the best nutrition products and gear to help him out. I knew Hammer was the way to go when seeking endurance products. In addition to Hammer, however, I also recommended regular convenience food to satisfy Tom's hunger and cravings and prepare him for different environmental conditions. So after many nutrition plans and ideas Tom was ready for his trip out to California to start his run. Unfortunantly, several weeks before he left he was diagnosed with having a hip fracture which caused him to rest for a lengthy amount of time. But with many 30+ mile runs under his belt and the plan to walk/run and do 2-3 10 mile runs a day, I knew he would be able to start his run even with missing a week or so of training his body. I have been hearing from Tom every couple of days and he is doing OK. He is running between 50-70 miles a day and he has his wife and 3 kids supporting him along the way. He is doing very well with his fluids and enjoying his Recoverite after every run. Other favs for him is Tuna, candy and soup during the runs. During an ultra, I recommend being strict on your fluids and calories per hour but mostly taking in food which you can tolerate and tastes good. He said he likes the Apple and cinnamon Gels from Hammer which taste like candy. On the downside, he has had some swelling in his ankles (which is normal) and we decided to cut back on salty foods and focus on electrolyte tabs during the run, while still consuming carbs during the training. I have a feeling there is a little electrolyte imbalance going on and I'd rather him not overload himself with sodium chloride (table salt) and rather focus on all the electrolytes to balance out himself. That is why you don't always want to just salt food or consume salty food before an event in the heat. Even though Tom is running in cooler conditions (he was last out in Arizona when we spoke a few days ago) and is not running fast, it is still important to balance the electrolytes in the body. He is icing, elevating and popping some ibuprofen but i don't want his body to get use to "pills" as a relief system. He is heading towards Florida and should arrive in April so I will keep everyone posted. Besides running across the US, there is a reason for this run. Tom is raising awareness for the Jessie Lunsford Foundation-Jessie's Place. If you are from Florida I am sure you know of Jessie and that she was kidnapped from her house (very young girl) and was buried alive after she was tormented. It is a very sad story and the father of Jessie (mark lunsford) has been raising money to keep child molesters off the street. Tom is fighting his way across the US with the strength of many people who have delt with horrible child abusers and raising money for Jessie's Place which helps children who have been abused or neglected. You can read more at

Run For the Innocent

This is one amazing athlete!

Swimming Efficiency

I finished my weekend with a good bike ride on sunday. The wind was coming from the North East so I headed North, and then east, for the beginning of my loop. I did 3 x 2.5 mile hard effort intervals with .5 mile spin. I thought about doing more intervals but with the first 28 miles of my ride in almost straight headwind, I feel I did double the work with only 3 intervals. I rode hard to get to the point where I would start heading south and it felt good. I finished the ride with 53 miles and an average of 17 mph. Since I wasn't keeping track of my speed and just trying to be as efficient as possible with my pedal stroke (I LOVE my new DMT carbon shoes..oh, they are great!!!!) and aero position. After the ride I was really pooped and since Karel was off in San Antonio I had no excuse but to study for the rest of the morning. In the afternoon, Karel and I did two videos for Beginner Triathlete (plyometrics and changing a tubular) and we had a lot of fun putting those together in our backyard. It was Karel's first time on video so he was a bit nervous but opened up in no time. As for me, I always get nervous but the bigger the crowd the better for me. As for talking to yourself on a video, you kinda feel silly at first but when I think about my audience (BT.com) I feel much more comfortable. My spring break is over and done and now back to sitting in class for three days in a row. I guess it could be worse but I always have a million things on my mind and it takes a full day to squeeze them all in. This morning I coached an older man at the Clearwater Y. He is in the 65-70 age group and his goal is "to win!!!" I quoted him on that :) I LOVE working with the older triathletes because, believe it or not, they are just as competitive as us young kids :) And you 35-45 year olds...you are just too fast!!! :) hehe Anyways, when I coach atheletes in the water I first and foremost understand that most triathletes aren't swimmers when they start the sport. Therefore, triathletes don't only have to learn how to swim properly but learn how swim and then bike and run. In graduate school I really found the topic of efficiency so important to triathlon training, or any endurance sport. Efficiency is using the least amount of oxygen possible during exercise. It is easy to think about efficiency in running..if you jump up and down as you are running or fling around your arms you are wasting energy. If you are huffing and puffing because you didn't train properly and you are running too fast you are using too much energy for your body to handle. Ultimately, you are costing your body too much oxygen usage and you have to slow down because you don't have enough fuel. Without going into my soapbox, this is why so many athletes feel like they have to constantly fuel for all workouts no matter the length. I believe in training the body to use the least amount of fuel possible by being as efficient as possible with your oxygen. Just a note, you use fuel in the process of cellular respiration. Therefore as you breath and inhale Oxygen and rid your body of CO2 you need to metabolize the proper fuels (mostly carbohydrates and fats). Depending on the intensity, certain fuels are used at different times..all becuase of how much oxygen is given to the body. OK, back to swimming..wow, how I get off track!!! So when I was in the pool this morning (just like when I coach all athletes) I was focusing on ways (drills) to become a more efficient swimmer. One of the most important concepts for triathlets is distance per stroke for swimming. If you are taking a lot of strokes to get to one side of the pool you are wasting energy compared to if you reached a bit more and were able to cover more distance with one stroke. I have a project for my blog readers. Next time you are at the pool, count how many strokes it takes you to swim a 25. I suggest warming up for 300-500 yards and then doing 4-5 50's by counting your strokes. Try to use the least amount of strokes possible without losing form. Try not to just kick underwater until midway and then just glide with each stroke until the end :) Then do 2-3 100's and see if you can keep your stroke count as low as possible and try to be consistent. OK, so after you get your stroke count (I'm guessing around 20-25) for most intermediate triathletes) I have a set for you..and easy set. 4 x 25's. You may need a partner cause this involves lots of thinking. On the 1st and 2nd 25 I want you to go as FAST as possible. FAST, FAST, FAST!!! Get your time AND count your strokes. Then for the 3rd and 4th 25, I want you to be as long AND strong as possible and try to reach and get to the wall quickly but efficiently. Get your time and count your strokes. Here's my hypothesis.. you will probably take 5-10 more strokes on your FAST (first 2 25's) compared to the 50's and 100's you did earlier in the workout. However, you will have a quick time. For the distance per stroke 25's (#3 and #4) you will probably be 3-5 seconds slower but you will have a distance per stroke around 3-5 over the number you did in the 50's and 100's. So how does this all have to do with triathlons? Imagine you are swimming a 400 meter swim before a 10 mile bike and a 5 mile run (sprint tri). You are use to taking 20 strokes per 25 in a pool but come race day you want to go fast and you hope to set a PR. YOu go out swimming hard and fast but come out of the water kinda tired. YOu expended a lot of energy in the swim but you had a best time. So if you normally took 20 strokes but in your practice FAST set that I gave you, you took 30 strokes (but went super fast) that would give you 120 strokes per 100 or 480 strokes for a 400. And because you went 5 seconds fast per 25 on the fast compared to the Distance per stroke 25's (even though you took MORE strokes on the FAST) you would save 20 seconds per 100 or 1 minute and 20 seconds on the 400. Hummmm....is it worth it to take more strokes??? I think will tired legs during the bike and lactic acid buildup on the run you will ask yourself if it is was worth saving 1 minute and 20 seconds to go FAST during the swim. When you swim in practice, think efficiency. Long and Strong is the best advice I can give. Please post on my comments thread how things go!!!! :)
*Drills: Catch-up drill. Focus on reaching far and not letting the outstretched hand sink as you are following through with the pulling hand. Try to keep that outstretched hand close to the surface of the water.

Oh....my latissimus dorsi, deltoids and biceps!!!!

I remember when I was in HS that after every Sat morning swim practice I would come home, have 2 waffles with cream cheese and syrup and go downstairs to the basement, turn on the TV and crash on the couch for at least two hours. A normal practice on sat morning would last 2 1/2-3 hours and we'd probably do at least 8,000 yards. I was a 200 butterflier so I remember many repeater sets...8 x 200 Fly, 20 x 100 fly or the one I remember the most (due to the pain) was 8 x 400 IM. Well, this morning's swim brought back a lot of memories and as much as I thought I didn't miss competitive swimming, I reminded myself how much I loved being a swimmer. Last night after Karel and I watched a movie I checked the weather and with no surprise (after a full evening of rain and wind) the forecast showed crazy wind on sat morning. Not just a little wind, but gusts over 30 mph. I'm sure the northerners would take wind over ice and snow but it was pretty scary outside this morning. Karel and I both woke up around 5:30am because of the noises from the wind. It sounded like ghosts and I knew I wouldn't be going on my bike ride this morning. Because I checked the weather last night, I had prepared myself with plan B if I didn't ride. After Friday, of being totally out of it to decide what to do, I told myself I would do a LONG swim to take the place of my sat ride. I plan on riding on sun which should be ok for weather. It was around 6:45am and I asked Karel if he thought I should ride and he said no. He said he has seen grown men get flown off their bikes into the water (last year, one of our Gearlink friends) and if I rode I'd probably fall over before I made it 1 mile down the road. And plus, since I am all about training right now, I decided that there was no way I would be able to train when I am trying to stabilize myself on my bike. The Clearwater Y opens at 8am so I jumped on the treadmill for a 2 mile run before my swim. Surprisingly, no pain in the legs and I was able to run after only a 2 min. warm-up..and I felt great. I wrote down my swim workout prior to arriving at the Y so I didn't need to think about what I was going to do in the water as I was running. I typically think of workouts either in the pool or right before I get in the water..therefore, I am probably not the best at making myself do something that I don't want to do..that I probably should do....especially when I am swimming solo. After the run I quickly changed into my suit so that I would be the first one in the pool to get a lane. I had the lane to myself for a while and then surprisingly, a man that I coach jumped into my lane...what a great surprise! I think it was kinda funny that he saw me pushing myself and barely catching my breath when normally I am the one pushing others.
Ok, so now to the set. My good friend Angela (http://angesdrivetotri.blogspot.com) had posted on her blog about an Epic swim set of 7000 yards. As a college swimmer herself, we both swim very comparable times and I wrote down her workout just incase I wanted to swim 7000 yards. I haven't swam anything over 3000 yards since Kona (maybe 3400) and nothing over an hour in a long time. I'm a triathlete now (not a college swimmer) so therefore, I validate my 1-hour swim as time-mangement, quality swimming :) Or, I just play around in the water after a 1500 warm-up and the "workout" usually takes up an hour. So back to this morning's set. I was motivated, determined and ready to swim a 5000. I didn't feel like I would have the discipline to swim solo for 7000 yards but perhaps if I had a buddy who could swim my pace I would have tried the challenge. Again, I graduated college in 2004 and since then, I have only swam for the purpose of training for triathlons. After a 500 warm-up I began the BIG main set from angela's EPIC workout. Here's the set:
400, 4 x 100, 8 x 50
The 400 was on 6 min, 100's on 1:30 and 50's on 45 (Angela did 40 sec. but I wasn't feeling speedy)
300, 3 x 100, 6 x 50
After 1 minute break I began the next set and continued with the rest of the set on the same cycles and 1 min break after the 50's.
200, 2 x100, 4 x 50, 100, 100, 2 x 50
If you total up the main set it comes to 3000. After 100 easy swim, 200 drill breathing 3,5,7,9 by 50, and 100 fly kick, I started another set which I made up just to give me yardage.
200, 150, 100, 50 w/ 5 sec rest.
Next set 100 free pull, 100 back (to losen up my back muscles and work the chest), 100 free and 100 back.
I then did another 100 fly kick and flopped around for the last 100 cool-down.
So, there it is....a 5000 yard swim!!!!! I really enjoyed just feeling like a swimmer and wow am I beat. I came home and found Karel on the couch and I told him I can feel my back muscles, in addition to my shoulders and biceps. I always want to tell him about my swim workouts but I know he doesn't understand the swimmer lingo. So I just tell him "OK babe, I know you won't understand but let me tell you what I just did." I am not sure if he listens but he always ends in "that's great". That's ok, he talks "bike" and I don't always get it. Right now and even during the workout, I'm not incredibly sore but I feel pretty tired. I didn't really slow down during the workout but i could tell I was getting tired from being in the pool for 1 hour and 35 minutes. Karel said it was super windy out and only 1 guy showed up for the group ride. I guess I made the right decision this morning. Most of all, I feel like i had a quality workout and really never talked myself out of a set this morning. I focused on just swimming and didn't think about all the other things I have to do today (like studying which I am procrastinating as my book is sitting right by this computer as I am typing). I want to wish all the Florida Great Escape athletes in Clermont Florida good luck this weekend!! Gay and Kate...go out there and have fun!!!

Has it happened to you???

It was that morning..the morning when plans change and you just can't decide what to do. I had a plan to get in a nice 2 1/2 hour ride on Seduza. I couldn't wait to get on my bike. I decided to "sleep in" a bit and set the alarm for 5:50am. If I didn't plan on riding, I would have set the alarm for 5:20am to head to the Y for a 6am swim at the Y with some other swimmers. So the plan was to go for a ride and when the alarm went off I hear the wind blowing....loud! The ground was all wet and I knew that this would be a hard ride due to the bad weather conditions. I checked the weather (as any type-A triathlete would do) and saw that the rain was gone but the wind was not slowing down. Since I had planned to visit my mom in New Port Richey today, I figured I'd drive the 25 miles early in the morning rather than later on in the morning. So, at 6:15am I packed seduza in Hyundai, packed the new DMT shoes and my pink helmet and grabbed the grover jersey and bike shorts. I figured the grover jersey would keep me smiling in the wind. So i am driving north and I call my dad to let him know that I will be heading to the house. It is 6:45am and my dad is getting ready for work and I just wanted him to prepare my mom in case she heard some noises when I got there. Well, then I thought it was silly to drive all the way north, 25 miles, and then turn back around after my ride to go personal train someone who lives 10 miles south of my parents. Yes, this is all I do in Clearwater..drive, drive, drive. I probably put in around 50-70 miles a day of driving...errrr. So, I call my dad again and tell him that I am just going to stop by my personal training clients house and ride my bike over there for 3 hours before her appointment. I have scared my mom so many times by surprising her early in the morning so I try to give her a heads up when I arrive unannounced. So, I head to the park in Landsbrook to fill up my water bottle and take a well needed bathroom stop. I drank my whole water bottle before the ride and I had to go. the door was locked! oh jeezz...so, I drive a few miles down the road to Publix and go to the bathroom there and fill up my water bottle. I decide to just park my car and get on my bike right there in the parking lot (Same parking lot as my summer wed. night rides). Well, the wind had picked up and it is now 7:15am. I was in no mood to battle the wind when I just wanted to go for a nice long spin. So now i am debating what to do until my 10am appointment. I did have my biology book but that remained closed and burried under a bag in my car. I called Karel cause I needed to complain about my indecisiveness but he didn't answer. Instead of leaving him a long message, I figured I'd make something of my morning and just go to the Y (1 mile away, where I teach my spin class) in Landsbrook and walk on the treadmill. I just didn't feel like doing anything at this point and I gathered all my strength to get out of the car. Since I like reading when I'm on the treadmill, I just thought about a good magazine at the Y that would entertain me as I listened to the radio (I listen to the MJ morning show on 93.3 every morning). I had a few looks at the Y why I was there on a Fri and not Wed and the treadmill was waiting for me. It is now a little after 7:45am and I am walking on the treadmill with Men's Fitness and Shape in front of me. I knew the older man next to me on the treadmill and we started talking after my 10 min walk. I started to jog at a comfortable 6.8 mph and after 20 minutes, I bummped up the speed to 7.2 mph. After 30 minutes of chatting I couldn't believe I had ran over 3 miles and now I am feeling great. NO leg pain and i felt super fresh. The sun is now coming out and it looks nice outside (still with a little wind). I thought about getting off the treadmill and jumping on my bike but I thought I would enjoy this moment of running pain free (w/ motivation to run) and keep going. After an hour, I restarted the treadmill and kept running. After over 2 hours of deciding what to do and having no motivation to do anything, I ended up running 9.2 miles, with at least 20 minutes of the run at 7.5-8mph (intervals). I felt SO good. How amazing that I turned around my morning. I finished the run with some abs and a few arm exercises, showerd up and left the Y just in time to personal train. I know i've read many blogs of people who have a plan for training and well, plans change and it happens to me every now and then and it is such a BUMMER! BUT..if we only could think about our other options in the sport of triathlons than perhaps we always have an opportunity to turn a bad day into a good day. And if for some reason all doesn't work out for training..well, consider it a well needed rest day and enjoy just doing nothing!!

I can't believe it is THURS!!!

First off, let's talk training. The past couple of days have flown by at ridiculous speeds. I can hardly believe it is thurs!!! Still haven't opened my book (or kept it open long enough to comprehend anything) but I have high hopes that today will be the day that I retain biology. The training has gone really well this week. For some reason, my "injured" right leg no longer hurts. I have to think which leg it was that was hurting me so bad pre-kona and that is because now my left leg is giving me some tightness. It isn't keeping me from running but I have to run "fast" in order to make it feel ok. So you know I won't complain about running fast but I just wish it would all be ok with my legs. With time, I sure hope I will continue to heel.
On wed after my 45-min spin class (totally sweat fest!!) I ran 7.2 miles and lifting just a bit. Did plenty of abs to make my tummy a bit sore but I love my ab exercises! I do abdominals everyday and usually they are all on the ball. I rarely get on the floor for abs, so it is usually a bench, captains chair, bosu or ball which make my abs sore and feeling strong. Gotta work the core to be a strong athlete! I spent the day with my mom on wed checking out some wedding venues. I think we found two good ones and we will go see one of them on Fri. I am not doing very well with this wedding stuff. To me, I want something low key, casual and fun with lots of good food and all our friends and family. Unfortunantly, the venues which I like have packages which are a bit too elegant and formal for me. We are getting married on Oct 26 (sunday) around noon and we just want a fun day for everyone. I hope this venue works out on fri cause then I will feel like I accomplished something with the wedding planning, besides picking a date :) Karel picked me out some new tri shoes (DMT carbon) two days ago so I went for a 15 mile spin on wed to try them out. I am mentoring a HS girl for her senior project on healthy habits and exercise so we rode our bikes together around lunchtime on wed which was a lot of fun. I love my news shoes and they feel just great. Karel got magnesium shoes which are super light compared to my carbon shoes. In the later afternoon I headed from New Port Richey back to Dunedin to feed the cat and get ready for dinner. What a nice change to have someone cook for Karel and I and it not be fast food or restaurant. Kate and I have spent everyday together since she arrived in Florida and we couldn't go one day without a text, phone call or training. I think I have a new friend for life..how great!!! Karel worked on her bike on wed after Kate thought she was only dropping it off on tues for Karel to true her wheel. Well, after a complete overhaul, she is now riding a safe and almost new bike...it needed a little TLC from Karel. Wed evening Kate's family prepared Karel and I dinner, in addition to Kate's husband and coach John. Incluiding her family, we were in great company at their beach house at clearwater beach. Although it was a fish feast, Kate's mom did a perfect job to make Marni-friendly food. Veggies, salad, hard boiled eggs, fresh potatos and bread...I was one happy girl. And with fruit for desert, it was like she read my mind for a perfect Marni dinner. Kate's hubby craig is super great and I have never met a non-triathlete, husband of a triathlete who knows so much about training, equipment and athletes. It is just great how supportive her hubby is and she always has a bike tech on hand/picture taker. After a long day, with the alarm going off at 4:30am on wed morning, Karel and I were both ready for bed around 9:30pm. It is super easy to fall asleep in our place because we have no TV in our bedroom. I thought about just turning on the TV when we got home but I am glad I gave myself a little extra sleep last night. So now it is thurs, not even noon and I am beat. I decided to run before I swam since the weather is getting a bit cool here. I jumped on the treadmill at the Y at 6am and did a bunch of intervals. 5.6 miles and 10 minutes of walking, I was sweaty and ready for the pool. Swimming by myself is what I am use to but I like being pushed. Today I had to push myself because I was solo in my lane. After a 500 swim and 500 pull warm-up, I created a main set that wouldn't bore my. 3 x 200 on 2:50, 4 x 100 on 1:25 and 5 x 50 (25 1 breath, 25 fast) on 50. The set went by super fast and I felt really smooth. I probably could have bumped up the cycle by 5 seconds but in the world of swimming, 5 sec. is a world of difference and I felt super strong with a little extra rest (especially on the 200's. I was coming in around 1:18 on the 100's and I looked forward to 5 seconds rest rather than 1).
So I rushed out of the Y to personal train someone and I was home at 10:10am ready for a smoothie. I had a yogurt and a few raisins on the way to the park for my PT client but I needed to make sure I quickly recovered after my long morning. I've got two full days this weekend to train and I want to make sure I feel strong for two quality workouts.
Well, there it is..thurs already and my spring break is almost over..booo!!!!!
Hopefully the next 2 months will fly by and I can finish off this semester and finally start my dietetic online courses...YAY!!!!

Pics from this weekend and Results

http://georgiacup.gobike1.com/albany2008/Pro12-crit.pdf (crit race)
http://georgiacup.gobike1.com/(check Pro 1/2)

It's good to be back!

After a long drive on Sunday, with two sun-burnt faces, Karel and I were happy to be home. We had to make a quick stop at the grocery for our essentials (eggs, milk and meat-vegetarian and non-marni friendly) and were looking forward to a home cook meal. It was already 8pm but Karel and i could not do any more "fast food". We opted for a real lunch (although late) and we stopped at Moe's (a great mexican place, like Subway) and I had my favorite salad of beans, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, salsa (lots of it) and tofu. Karel had the home wrecker..what a funny name. After a full weekend of hardly any protein for me (it is hard when i travel) I was feeling the effects of going almost three straight days without eggs. As my main source of protein (I go through about 5-8 egg whites a day) I was really slow on my recovery after my half marathon. I'm telling you, protein post workout and especially a race makes a big difference on how you feel the next day. I was so ready to get home on sunday and get a spin and/or swim on monday morning. I would have loved to spin out my legs on sunday but I was without a bike and watching Karel's road race for 4 hours. Anyways, when we got home on sunday evening I was ready for an omelet. We bought some fresh rye bread and I enjoyed my home cook mushrooms and veggie salami (I know, sounds yummy!!)omelet with a little cheese and cottage cheese on the side. It was just so good to have something prepared at home and I know exactly what I am eating. I just don't like waiting for food nor do I like not knowing what all I am eating. usually my meals are simple (salads) when eating out but then I get to the point, come on..give me something besides a salad! On monday morning I coached someone for swimming and it was great to be in the water. Later that day, after hours of catching up with emails, avoiding studying (it's spring break!! I will get to that studying tomorrow...I hope!), working on re-doing my website and working on BT.com videos, I met my good blog friend Kate (check Ironkatemonster.blogspot) who is visiting from Iowa. We went for a spin on monday around Clearwater beach. It is funny how I don't really take advantage of one of the best spring break places and that I can ride my bike 4 miles and I am at the beach. It was so nice on mon that Kate and I decided to ride again at 6:45am tues morning (rain tues evening so I decided to skip the am swim). Well, although Florida is great along the water..it can be super windy!! I don't think I have been that scared on my bike since Kona and riding over the two causeways scared me so much I really thought I would fall off my bike. Luckily, we survived and I was glad I had a girl to ride with. It is just great to know that you have someone who enjoys training as much as yourself..I think everyone should have some type of training buddy. Hey, I even look forward to my spin class on wed morning cause I just love being with my 10 students to push me as I push them! This afternoon Kate and I went for a swim with a main set of 8 x 100. We finished the workout with some 50's hypoxic (breathing 5,7,9 by 50) and then 4 x 25's fast 1-2 breaths. It was a great workout and I really enjoyed the company. I don't know the last time I swam at 2pm and looked forward to going to the pool. Typically, if i don't swim early in the morning there is no chance I will get in the pool in the afternoon. I guess I need a swim buddy!
Well, the last two days have been great. So nice to be back but i feel like i have a gazillion things to do now that it is spring break. Well, I guess I should get back to things....

Snickers Albany Half Marathon Race Report

The ride north to Albany was uneventful. No traffic and a few potty breaks brought us to Albany in less than 6 hours. The town is small and there are more walgreens and rite-aids than grocery stores. I picked up my race packet around 4:45pm but the process was kinda hectic. They had plenty of goodies (Snickers marathon bars and Kuodos bars, Mars company is stationed in Albany) and the t-shirt for the race is really nice. Before picking up Karel's race packet at a different hotel, we had to settled for Ruby Tuesdays last night due to lack of options (I couldn't find the outback!!) but I filled up on yummy salad bar selections, incluiding some bread and some of Karel's pasta. No big deal since I wasn't planning on "racing" the race and if you think about it, how often do we really "carbo load" before a "long" run. I think when we take a race seriously we should prepare nutritionally to the best of our ability. In this case, as long as my blood sugar doesn't drop (I carry my nuts with me at all times) the day before and I get in 3 good meals and plenty of snacks I would be ready to run 13.1 miles at a comfortable pace. The Days Inn was better than expected (seeing that our expectations were low :) hehe) and we were in bed by 8:45pm ready to fall asleep. Although I was not nervous for this race on a competition side, I was a bit anxious because I haven't ran 13.1 miles since Kona. Actually, since I got injured and stopped running on Sept 4th (a month before Kona without running) I only did the Ironman in Kona (yes, I said "only", I just realized that) and one long run of 10 miles last sun. Again, no expectations for this race but to try to stay healthy throughout the race and enjoy every footstrike. I actually hoped to finish under 2 hours and not walk so that I would actually have a goal in order to push when I felt weak. Although I wouldn't be upset if I walked or came in after 2 hours, I just wanted to feel like a runner, with goals and a little competitive side. I woke up every hour last night, just checking my watch to make sure I didn't miss the 3 alarms on my cell phone. I don't even laugh when I say that because that is so me to be anal like that...even when not racing. I still get nervous for local sprint triathlons....but I always have fun no matter what my finish time. So I finally got out of bed at 5:20am and prepared some istant coffee (no surprise, there is no starbucks in Alabyn GA!). After a few minutes of me getting myself ready in the bathroom, Karel was up just laying in bed. I didn't want a lot before this race so I prepared 1/2 packet of oatmeal w/ a little bit of a banana and a few raisins. The same pre race breakfast but just less in calories. I finished off a full 24 ounce water bottle of water/sports drink and I was ready to walk/jog to the race start. Karel was getting his breakfast ready so a quick kiss/good-luck and good-bye and I was out the door at 6:10. Burrr..45 degrees out and I had a long sleeve Zoot dry-fit shirt and shorts. Perfect for running but my Florida blood hasn't really had a chance to get use to cooler temps. Once I got to the race site (10 min. later) I stood in the Hilton for 20 min. to get warm. Then over to the race start by the civic center. I heard a familiar voice and it was Tom Ziebart announcing the race (he is the race director for Escape from Florida in Clermont and Florida 70.3). I was standing around and all of a sudden I hear a voice asking if he could get a pic of me....guess who??? Karel came down with one of his friends to wish me good luck prior to Karel's warm-up on the trainer in the hotel room. So, a quick pic of me for my "fan" and then it was time to line up for the race. The race was just perfect in size (around 1000) and the course was amazing. It was really homey and the scenary was beautiful. There were very few moments without fans and although the race was feautured as "flat", i think that term is very relative, especially for someone in "flat" florida. There were several rollers but I didn't mind the climbs and descents. At 7am we were off. I kept track on my watch to see if I could hold some type of pace and most importantly to my non-distance running legs, I didn't want to go out too fast, too soon. The first 4 miles went by slow. I was enjoying my time running but I wondered if I could make it 13.1 miles running. I self-talked my way into a few more miles and by mile 6 I was feeling GOOD. Apparently, it is kinda hard to run slow and my legs were remembering how to run semi fast. So now I was beginning to pass the people who were passing me and I was getting into a zone. Although I was keeping track of my pace, I was noticing that I was getting faster during the second half of the race. I never got excited during the race because the race wasn't over until I crossed the finish line. Now, with a leg that hasn't ran 13.1 miles in over 4 months, I needed to be sure to focus on my form, strides and foot strikes. All was good until aroun mile 12 when I began to hurt in my right leg. It wasn't pain but my leg was tightening up. Really tight! I was having trouble keeping a steady rhythm and I couldn't really lengthen my stride. Luckily, there was a 1/2 mile incline which couldn't have come at a better time. Right before mile 13 I had almost 4 min. to shorten my stride. At that point, I felt ok and I knew i would be able to finish this race. You could imagine my worries when at mile 12 I look at my watch, see a better than expected time and think that i might have to walk the rest of the race. Well I thought about my last couple of months of rehabing my leg back to running and I thought about what I could do to work this injury out. Throughout the entire race I just thought about all the good runs I had and I had several smiles when I was running just thinking about pushing hard, oh so many times. Without spoiling the finish for my blog readers, I kept checking my watch and by mile 9 I realized I was going to beat my expected time of 2 hours and in fact, I was going to go 2 hours or less. I guess I picked up the pace just in case I had to walk or slow down but when I rounded the corner at mile 13, I was so happy that I was able to get through this race. With a finishing time of 1:47, I finished 66 overall and 3rd in my age group. I am very happy with my performance and I am just moving a bit slow right now. Not in pain (thankfully) but the normal post-race, half marathon soreness which is expected. I really did push hard and to only be 8 min off my PR I am pleased. Off I go now to cheer on Karel for his crit. This morning's TT went well for Karel. He finished in around 4 minutes and 30 seconds after 12 turns, a crazy roundabout and mega inclines and declines for only 3.6K. Thanks for all the good luck wishes everyone!
Here are my splits: 8:20, 8:34, 7:53, 8:25, 8:19, 8:05, 8:01, 7:59, 7:56, 8:16, 8:12, 8:13, 7:28, 1:44 = 1:47.33