Just training

I've been enjoying myself lately. No races, just training. I am totally exhausted by 9am and I don't really have goals when I am training. The best part is that I am actually sticking to a routine and finally, I feel like I have the week planned out as far as when I will swim, bike and run and the type of workout I will be doing every day. To me, I need a schedule.
It is funny because Karel is the total opposite. He seems to get his workouts done and he gives more than 100% but if you'd ask him what time he is waking up the next morning he would say he will wake up when he is ready to get up (which is usually around 6-6:15). As for me, the alarm is usually set for 5:20am and I usually set the alarm around 7pm the night before, as I am packing up my swim bag for the next days workout or getting out my running/biking clothes. For me, I find that if I have everything ready then night before it is so easy to just wake up, turn on the coffee and make my way out the door. Although Karel and I have different ways of getting ourselves out the door to train, it is always a great feeling to see the other person on the road and not expect it. I just love running outside and seeing Karel riding. It isn't until I wave to him and yell his name that he actually sees that it is me. Then again, sometimes I am the one in the zone. :)
Since I am just training for anything in particular right now, it has also been great to focus on nutrition consults, the wedding and school. I am actually using my training as a way to keep me busy during these last few weeks before the wedding (OCTOBER 26th!!!).
I am also doing things that I normally wouldn't do, such as training with groups and driving places to train. I don't mind that change in scenery and along the way of just training, I have met a lot of nice people and have finished a lot of tough workouts.
The swim workouts have been extremely tough. There is very little thought about triathlons during these workouts cause they are long and hard. Well, I guess triathletes train long and hard but the average yardage of 4000 is something new to my triathlon training.
Today's swim set:
400 swim
200 kick
5 x 50's (easy, medium, fast, medium, easy)
Main set:
800 pull
200 Kick
600 swim (every 3rd lap fast!)
200 kick
400 swim (every other lap fast!)
200 kick
200 fast

10 x 25's on :45 (working on butterfly kick off the wall and streamline as far as you can go)
(Total 4100)
After the swim I ran 6 miles and I couldn't help but think....wow, I just love training!


This is after a "just training" workout with my friend Kellie who is training for the Amelia Island half ironman, which is this Sat. Last sat we did a 45 mile bike and 3 mile run and 2 weekends ago we did a 60 mile ride and 3 mile run. As usual, the best way to finish off a workout is with a nice dip in the ocean.





Although I love training, I think my excuse for training for fun for 3-4 hours on a sat morning is so that I can get in the ocean and play like a fish.

Getting dirty!

My first mountain bike race. Well, it was Karel's race and I was there to support him and take pics. This was Karel's 2nd mountain bike race and I couldn't wait to see him in action.

The morning started around 5:30am when Karel got up and prepared the coffee. I stayed in bed until 6am and then I was up ready to pack for the morning. The race was about an hour away at Fort Clinch park which is in Fernandina beach. I was looking forward to going to a new place, watching Karel and of course going to the ocean. I packed our cooler of water bottles, fruit, nuts and two PB&J sandwiches and after preparing my coffee and a little oatmeal we were out the door at 7am.
When we arrived at the park I was super excited that we were just a boardwalk away from the ocean. As Karel was getting himself ready to warm-up I headed to the beach with my radio for a nice morning run. With the ocean to my left I fumbled my way through the sand for 20 min. What a great workout! I can't think of the last time I trained on the sand for a run but it was really enjoyable to be so close to the water. As anyone knows, I am a fish in the inside and I just love the water.
I headed back to the park on the pavement and finished my 42 min run inside the park. Another one of my loves is being outside and before the race even started, I knew I would enjoy the day.

Karel's race started about 30 min behind schedule but at 10am they were off. There was 1 guy from Karel's Linder team and 2 guys from the Trek store who raced that morning. Karel raced in the XC 2, 30-39 category which is just a step above the Pro mountain biker category (I think).

I wasn't quite sure where to go to watch the race but I saw a friend from Clearwater that I use to ride with and she told me where to go to see Karel a few times during his race. Karel's race was 3 loops of a 7 mile course. Seeing that only about 1.5 miles of each loop is on the pavement there was no time to relax during this race. From what I saw in the race, the pavement was not a place for the riders to relax. If anything, they were pushing almost all out on the pavement to either pass someone, catch up or try to get ahead.

I found a great spot in the forest and when I saw cheered on Karel as he was finishing his first loop, he noticed me and said "I'm 2nd". Honestly, I wasn't even expecting him to say anything to me because the course was challenging and I really had no idea what to expect from this race. When I saw Karel for the 2nd time I continued to cheer and I made my way to another spot in the trees. I just don't understand how these guys (and girls) do it but I did get a little hint of excitement that I would really enjoy taking up mountain biking and of course, doing an Xterra race.

When I saw Karel coming in the middle of his 2nd loop he told me to see where the person behind him was in relation to him. All in a few seconds, Karel and I were having a conversation as he was battling his way through the dirt, trees and bushes. Karel told me that the guys in his category were in the 300's so I knew who to look for. After many cycling races, Karel and I have learned how to have mini-conversations as he is racing. I am pretty good at taking a few sentences of race reports and yelling them out in a few seconds as he is racing.
I waited until I saw the 4 guys chasing Karel down and they were only 30 seconds behind him. At this point, Karel was almost finishing up his 2nd loop so I made my way back to the race start. It took me a good 15 min to walk back to the start so I ended up seeing Karel as he was making his way up to the start/finish to begin his last loop. I told him that they guys behind him were 30 sec. away and the guy infront of him (the leader) was a good minute....and still looking really strong. Of course, with the time gaps being right as they entered the woods, Karel had made up a lot of time in the woods for his 2nd loop.
Knowing that there were a few guys still chasing down Karel he really picked up the pace on the 3rd loop. Unfortunatnly, with the fear that guys were chasing him down comes risky moves to keep his position.
When I saw the 1st place guy finish the race I hoped that Karel would be the next 300 guy coming through the finish. Of course, I would be happy with any place and I never go into a race thinking that Karel is going to place X-place. But, getting a top 3 finish is always good :) I just love seeing him out there and of course, taking pictures :)
To my surprise, Karel finished 2nd and the 3rd place guy was well behind Karel. As I continued to take pictures of Karel I had to cringe a bit when I saw Karel completely covered in dirt.
Karel fell 2 times during the last loop and lost at least 2 minutes in that loop. For the first fall he was down for about 30 sec. to put his chain back on his bike. It was the 2nd fall that really knocked Karel down and he had a hard time getting back his rhythm after being down for about a minute. Luckily, all in one piece, Karel landed a spot on the podium and he has a pretty medal, a hurt wrist, very sore ribs and a few scraps to show for his great effort...in his 2nd mountain bike race!

To finish off the morning we headed to the beach for a dip in the ocean. After playing in the ocean for a little bit we collected shells which were all over the sand. At the beach, I took some time to really think about my life and how I want to continue living my life.

Taking a moment to enjoy the little things is something I try to do everyday. I am a very open and honest person and you will always know what I am thinking and feeling. That is probably one of the main reasons why I aspire to be a writer...hinding my thoughts and feelings is very, very, very hard for me.
Aside from calling my parents daily, telling Karel I love him every night before I go to bed and appreciating everything that comes my way, I continue to work hard on not complaining and not getting stressed out. I think everyone has something they need to work on..no one is perfect and we should never judge someone for having imperfections. Most people in my life, who I am in close contact with on a daily basis, know my personality and that I am very opinionated and I always have something to say. But with the help of Karel and supportive parents and friends, I have also learned that it is a lot easier to enjoy life rather than to worry about things or get stressed. Thankfully, I have enjoyable events in my life to remind me why I love waking up every morning and to not dread the day.

My go-to meal

I think everyone has at least one go-to meal. When the day is busy, you are stressed, it is cold out, you just trained hard or you are about to watch a movie, here is always something that you can rely on to keep your tummy happy and it is also quick and easy to prepare.
And no, cereal doesn't count.
The meal should take at least 5 minutes to make :)

I love cooked veggies. Not the kind that are loaded in oil and/or butter from a restaurant but veggies that are cooked by me in my house. I have a few staple veggies in my diet and in no particular order; mushrooms (I only like them cooked), onions, corn, peppers, chickpeas, romaine lettuce and tomatoes. I enjoy almost all veggies, but those veggies are always in my refrigerator. *Tip: cook veggies in a little bit of olive rather than always using just spray pam. The fat from the olive oil will help absorb the water-soluble vitamins in the veggies (fat soluble vitamins include A,D,E and K. All other vitamins are water-soluble) to give you more nutrients. Also, heating certain veggies (ex. tomatoes, even though it is really a fruit) will release more nutrients than not cooking the veggies.

As far as my go-to meal, I love cooking veggies for dinner. But unless I "spice" it up somehow, a plain bowl of veggies is something that I can easily get bored with. Also, Karel would not be a fan of cooked veggies every night for dinner. My go-to meal is not only simple but it is healthy and yummy.
If you have trouble including veggies in your diet, I find that if you can include one or two foods that you really enjoy you won't dread preparing and eating a healthy meal. Ex. If you don't really like broccoli (like me), make an omelet and add lean/veggie meat and then add in the steamed broccoli. This way, it won't seem like you are a eating a serving or two of broccoli because you look forward to the other foods.

There are three reasons why I call this meal my go-to meal:
1) I can go to this meal because it is easy and quick to prepare. Including chopping (which is my favorite part), this meal maybe takes 15 min. max to make.
2) I can go to my pantry, fridge and freezer and find every veggie I need to make this meal.
3) If I need to go to the store, I know exactly what veggies I want to cook with and I know I will enjoy eating them.

Ingredients:
Chickpeas (canned-rinse before using due to high sodium content in canned foods)
Onion
Green Pepper
Mushrooms
Veggie sausage (you can use lean meat)
3 egg whites, 1 whole egg and a little skim milk
Marinara sauce
Salsa
Hot sauce
Seasonings: Pepper, paprika
Optional: Wrap

The first thing I do is cook my veggies.


I spray my pan with olive oil spray pam and let the pan heat up. While it is heating to medium heat, I chop my veggies (onions and green peppers) and veggie sausage. If you have frozen food (ex. corn, green peppers, etc.) you will want to cook anything frozen first.
I added about 1 tbsp. of olive oil to the pan before adding my mushrooms, onions and green peppers. You can't go wrong with preparing too many veggies so don't be afraid to cut 1/2 onion or a whole pepper. The more the better with veggies and leftovers are great!
After letting the veggies brown a bit and soak up the healthy oil I added my rinsed chickpeas (about 1/2 can). I love chickpeas because they are high in fiber and protein. A lot of people don't know that chickpeas are the base of hummus and you can't go wrong with hummus!


After all my veggies were cooked I sprayed a little more pam and poured in my egg mixture. My egg mixture consisted of 3 egg whites and 1 whole egg, mixed with a little skim milk and a dash of hot sauce. I mixed that all with a fork and then poured it into my veggie-filled pan.




I scrambled the mixture until the eggs were fully cooked. At this point, you can also make an omelet by removing the veggies and then cooking the eggs before adding the veggies back into the pan.

Once everything was cooked, I added a few spoonfuls of the marinara sauce and salsa.





Both salsa and marina sauce are staples in our house and as you can see, we need to buy more!



I love these low-carb wraps.
I buy mine at Wal-mart but they are found at various grocery stores. They are not only low in calories (90-100 calories for the whole wrap!) but they are high in protein and fiber and come in different types of wraps (tomato, italian and whole wheat).


After I stirred together the veggie and egg mixture with the sauces, I topped it with a little cheese and I was ready to eat my go-to meal! I served my veggies with 1/2 wrap and roasted pepper hummus.





Here are some options to make my go-to meal a lot less boring...
1) Serve w/ a wrap (or 1/2 wrap) and hummus (as I did last night)
2) Serve with a piece of toast (you could spread a little marinara sauce on the bread/wrap and with a little Parmesan or mozzarella cheese you almost have a pizza!)
3) You can eat the veggie and egg mixture just like I prepared but top with some fresh mozzarella chunks.
4) You can serve the veggie mixture with a bowl of spinach or romaine lettuce.
5) You can serve the mixture with any meat or fish.
6) You can add any type of veggies that you like.
7) Take your favorite type of cuisine (ex. Mexican, Italian, vegetarian) and add rice, noodles and/or tofu (respectively).

It's really important that you find a way to incorporate healthy food into your diet by enjoying what you eat and taking pride in how it is prepared. :)

TCBH? BROWNIES!

This will be my new tag line for the healthy meals that I make...

THAT CAN'T BE HEALTHY?????

For Karel's b-day I decided to make him something besides a cake. This came out so good and you won't believe it until you taste it. I'm sure I could play with the recipe a bit and mix in some more goodies or hide some more nutrients in there.... but this one will really make your tummy happy.

This is another great desert to make with your kids and because it is a lot healthier than a boxed brownie mix or homemade brownies, this would also be a great treat to bring to parties, functions or events when you are always worried that there are going to be too many unhealthy foods for you to stick to your healthy eating habits. My advice: when going to events where there is a good chance there will be unhealthy foods, be sure to bring something healthy. This will be your go-to-dish to make the bulk of your plate. Then you can eat a little of everything so that you can stay within your calorie guidelines without feeling guilty that you are eating foods which you normally wouldn't eat.

BROWNIE RECIPE

2 cups crushed graham crackers (I used cinnamon)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup skim milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup instant oatmeal (not cooked)
1/4 cup chocolate chips (semi-sweet)
1/3 cup walnuts
1/4 cup raisins

1. Crush the graham crackers.
*this was the fun part. At first I used a wooden spoon but decided it would be more fun to just crumble the crackers with my hands. So long as the kiddos wash their hands, this would be the fun part for kids. Also, it is a good stress-reliever to play with food :)
2. Combine cinnamon with graham crackers in a mixing bowl.
3. Stir in the milk and add vanilla. At this point, the graham crackers take the place of flour.
*There is NO flour in this recipe!!!
4. Combine chocolate chips, oatmeal, walnuts and raisins in a small bowl and add to the large mixing bowl.
5. Stir in the chips, walnuts and raisins.
*You can melt chocolate before combing with walnut and raisins. Since I am not much of a chocolate fan I decided the chocolate taste would not be so overwhelming if there were only pieces of chocolate chips in the brownies rather than being melted in. You can also use different nuts if you choose.
6. Pour into a non-stick 13 x 9 baking pan (I first sprayed it with spray Pam) and level mixture with a spatula or spoon.
7. Cook for 350-degrees for about 15-20 minutes. Check mixture at 10 minutes to estimate your finishing time. You will smell it when it is ready.

ENJOY!!!

Happy Birthday Karel!!!!

According to Karel, he is an old man. Turning 32 is hardly old and I know he doesn't feel 32. Plus, with a 26 year old fiance I hope I have kept him young. If anything, I know I have kept him healthy and kept his tummy happy :)

If you know Karel, it is easy to see why I have been so happy for the past 2 years and 4 months. And if you haven't met Karel, it is easy for me to talk about all his great qualities. If I have to think of a bad quality I would ponder for days just to even make-up one bad quality.

Karel has been a blessing in my life since the day we met. Although I was not ready for a relationship at that time in my life, there was something about Karel that I knew I couldn't get enough of. The more I told myself I wasn't ready for a serious relationship, the more I found myself falling in love with Karel.

Karel is one of the most helpful, thoughtful, caring, generous, funny, encouraging and supportive people I have ever met in my life. Lucky for me, I get to spend everyday with him. I have been told my many of my guy friends, they also wish they had a Karel in their lives. I do share him but he must come back to me at night.

Among his many great personal qualities, he is also an amazing athlete who is extremely passionate about cycling. According to me, if Karel had a philosophy for life, I believe he would say "never give up". Clearly, Karel is someone who never gives up when times get tough and regardless if it is a cycling race or something stressful in his life, Karel fights all odds and seems to always come out with an optimistic attitude.

Not only does Karel love cycling (and me) but he loves taking care of our 55 gallon and 20 gallon fish tanks. After my dad gave Karel a 10-gallon tank, Karel turned a tank with a few fish into a hobbie. And without a doubt, Karel is perfectionist with our fish tanks just like he is with bikes and anything else he does in life.
Karel also loves his cat (smudla) who I believe is really MY cat :) Probably because I feed her everyday but I have clearly adopted Smudla.
Karel is also very close to his family, just like myself, and we both can't wait to have little athletes and start a family of our own. Hopefully we can be great parents just like our parents.

Karel has always supported me in all my adventures and when life gets tough for me he has a way to cheer me up and turn everything around. I am not one who deals with stress very well but to have Karel make me laugh when I am sad just makes me feel much better, no matter what I am stressing about.

I don't feel like I need Karel to live life my life but I can't imagine my life without him. Karel has a lifestyle that is similar to my own and because of that I am so happy. Karel has made me a better person and he gives me strength for all my weakness's. If it wasn't for him, I would have a lot of broken appliances and of course, a bike that I wouldn't know what to do with. I have also found myself doing things that are scary or out of my element and because of Karel believing in me, I gain so much confidence from him.

This is also a special day for me as well because it is our 1 year engagement anniversary. Not sure if we will always celebrate these little milestones but I couldn't ask for a better person to come into my life, brake down my routine and show me that is ok to love someone and to not be afraid to just be myself.

Happy Birthday KAREL!!!!

Do they really know you???

Or do they just know the way you are???

On Friday morning, Karel and I headed to New Port Richey to stay with my parents. I was so excited to be back home and spend some time with them. We brought Smudla and although she hated the trip down there (MEOOOOWWWWW's the WHOLE 3 1/2 hour drive!) she is just loving the screened in pool/patio and being able to roam around the house. So long as she doesn't accidentally bump into my parents two cats.
Karel had two races this weekend. Yesterday was in Pinellas Park and today is in San Antonio. Yesterday was an exciting day for me because I had my bridal shower! Getting married is so much fun! I enjoyed being around my friends, mom and bridesmaids and it was just a nice afternoon of yummy food and LOTS of gifts :)

When thinking about my bridal shower and leaving it up to my maid of honor, mom and a few other girls, I tried really hard not to step in. Of course, my personality wants to do everything, even plan my own bridal shower, but I was strong and I just sat back and let everyone plan a wonderful shower at my mom's house.
In the midst of planning this shower, I started thinking about the food and what we would have at the lunch table. Without my input, I was in good hands with lots of people who knew me well. We had a lot of different foods but the main dishes were veggie pizza, fruit, veggies and dip, wedges of spinach and cream cheese stuffed in a pita, pretzels and salsa, deviled eggs, Triscuits and cheese and my croissants w/ low-sugar jelly inside. As for the desert, no rich cake w/ icing. Instead, they bought an Angel food cake and they loaded it with fresh strawberries and we served it with slow churn strawberry ice cream on the side.
It was funny that we didn't have a table of deserts, a bunch of fried or sugary foods or any really unhealthy dishes. Actually, we didn't even have any meat now that I think about it. It is just great that people know me so well that having "unhealthy" food at my bridal shower would just not be representative of me. But then again, no one really complained about the food choices and isn't everyone on a quest to eat healthy anyways?

In part of my title for this post I wanted to express how important it is that your friends, family and significant others really know you. Knowing your likes, dislikes and dietary preferences is one thing but what about knowing why you eat a certain way. Furthermore, why not express to people why you train the way you do instead of just telling someone "I have a 4 hour ride and 40 min brick run on sat".

It is really important that you talk to your significant other, friends, co-workers, family, and anyone else that is part of your life, and without being defensive, talk about your choices for food and discuss the importance of training long hours on the weekend (if you are training for a long distance race or you just enjoy endurance sports). I find that so many relationships (friendships, marriages, dating relationships) fail because there is little communication about the lifestyle of multisport athletes. Even if the healthy addiction started well-into the relationship/marriage, it is important to talk about this choice to really change your entire lifestyle. People are pursuing a healthier lifestyle and because of lack of communication, I know that there are people out there that just don't understand what we do, why we do it and why we love what we do.

After talking to the ladies at my bridal shower and hearing their tips for a successful marriage, communication is key. Words of advice also included laughing, listening and lots of love. I think the advice that I will really take away is that every relationship is unique and it is important to always stay best friends.

I made this post short on purpose so that everyone out there can think about ways to improve their relationship (if needed) in a way that works for the two of you. I don't believe that people should struggle with their weight loss goals because the other person in the house is bringing in sabotaging foods to the house. I don't believe that a person training for a race should feel guilty about going out for a long workout if the other person in the relationship can't understand why it is important to train the body for an IM distance race. However, I do believe that training schedules can and SHOULD change so that there is compromise in a relationship and that the world is not over if a training session is cut short, missed or altered in order to spend time with the family, the other person or to attend a family function. It's just training and believe me, the body will appreciate it more if you are consistent with quality training rather than getting obsessed with every little detail of training and that more is not always better.

If you are around people that question what you do, take time to explain to people why you eat a certain way, why you need to sleep a little more to recover from a workout and why you train the way you do. If that person continues to give you a hard time about your diet and training schedule, re-evaluate if that person is giving you energy (as a good friendship/relationship should) or taking your energy. I know Karel and I will have a successful relationship just like many others out there and I really enjoy hearing from people about how they make their relationship work. Everyone relationship is different and lifestyles are different.
From a nutrition point of view, I really think it is worth the time to make lifestyle changes for yourself, for your family and with your significant others so that you don't feel like you have to live your exciting and healthy life all alone.
I've been saying this since day one, when I met Karel in May 2006...
People don't have to have the same passions but it is important that two people in a relationship have similar lifestyles.

What a week

As usual, another week down, another week closer to my wedding.
But among the happy times of counting down and finishing up a few last details, I still try to squeeze in everything I do which makes my life very eventful.

For 1 whole week Karel and I were without AC. Actually, our AC worked but it was stuck on 86-degrees. I didn't mind it at first but the evening was just awful. And since I am spending a lot of time at my computer I was super hot in my hot apartment. We first bought a fan so we could get through the night without waking up all sweaty but then when maintenance came last mon morning we were so happy that he said he fixed it. After I came home from school on that Monday afternoon I realized it was not fixed and something was really wrong. We gave it a week because we were told it needed some time to cool off our 3rd floor apartment but I think 7 days was a bit too long.
On Mon, Karel explained all the AC details to the maintenance man and once again the AC was being worked on when I was away at school. Finally, on Mon afternoon...we had air! Oh the relief. We only keep it at 76-degrees but just to feel the air after we come home from training is so welcoming. I am a big stickler on turning off lights, not letting water run, not leaving the fridge door open and doing anything I can to "be green" but September in Florida is not a fun time to be without AC (I thank my parents for teaching me to be environmentally friendly :).

During the weekend of no-AC I was busy studying for my first Microbiology exam. Honestly, I am so TIRED of school. I have been in school for 8 years since HS and well, I am just tired of sitting in the classroom. However, I now have a career path and knowing what will come in the next couple of years is really helping me sit in class from 9:30-12:20 and 12:30-1:40 on Mon and Wed. The exam went well, I got a B and I am happy with that grade for my first exam. I know how interesting Microbiology sounds to everyone but really, I am more looking forward to biochemistry next semester. A little closer to my area. Bacteria doesn't excite me as much as carbon bonds and macromolecules.

Well, now that my classes are over this week(I love thurs-sun!) I get to catch up on everything I don't finish during the week. Primarily, I get to go to the grocery, clean and do laundry. Errr....laundry and cleaning :(

Last night was interesting because there was a bad storm and we lost power at 8pm. The fish and smudla did not appreciate the darkness and loud noises of thunder and we were a bit concerned when the power stayed off for the next few hours.
As Miss Planner, I couldn't believe I didn't have a hurricane/black-out kit on hand and Karel and I were scrambling around for a lighter, matches or a flashlight. No batteries in the flashlight, I couldn't find any matches but I did find a lighter with the help of my cell phone. No, I didn't call the lighter, I needed some kind of light to find it.
With the candles lighting up our bedroom, we decided to relax and read. Karel read a Floyd Landis book and I was reading Fitness magazine. Smudla LOVED it that we opened up the window for some kind of breeze but the noises of people outside, gathering in the rain, was a bit annoying. I decided to call it a night at 9pm but I had a lot of trouble sleeping. Finally, at 12:30pm the electricity came back on and once again we had air. The fish were also happy because they were without oxygen (bubbles) for 4 1/2 hours :(

So, now that the exciting stories are over, I will talk about how TIRED my body is right now.
The running is going well, getting on my bike mon-thurs is tough due to school but swimming has consumed my life. I only swim twice a week (tues and thurs, 6-7) but it is tough, tough, tough.
Here are the two sets that have really done it for me this week. The only thing that gets me through these sets is thinking like a swimmer rather than a triathlete. I get to a point during my swim workouts where I feel like I am running out of oxygen, my arms are simply going in circles and if I keep going, the guys who are lapping me will eventually slow down.

Tues:
400 warm-up
8 x 75 on 1:20, continuous IM (fly, back, breast. Free, fly, back. Breast, free, fly.etc.)
3 x (4 x 100). #1: 1:30 #2: 1:25 #3: 1:20 #4 1:15
100 recovery swim between each 4 x 100 set.
400 for time (I did this on 5:30).
200 warm-down
(40 min. interval run post-swim)

Thurs:
Warm-up: 200 swim, 200 kick, 200 pull
8 x 75 on 1:20, continuous IM (fly, back, breast. Free, fly, back. Breast, free, fly.etc.)
Main Set:
2 x 400's (150 swim, 50 kick, 200 free) rest 30 sec.
3 x 300's (100 swim, 50 kick, 150 free) rest 30 sec.
4 x 200's (100 swim, 50 kick, 50 IM) rest 30 sec.
Warm-down 100
Total: 3800 yards (1 hour!!!)
(15 mile bike post-swim. I easily could have slept on my bike I was sooooo tired!. I saw karel doing 5-mile intervals on the route I was biking on and he looked really strong. I looked pretty pathetic and my aerobars were putting me to sleep).

Where are my pasta lovers?

I'm not a big pasta fan. The name Olive Garden or Macaroni Grill doesn't really get me excited for pasta. I'm more of a pizza girl. When I think thin crust pizza, light on the cheese, lots of marinara sauce and loads of veggies...my mouth starts watering....yummmmmm.
But enough about me. For all the pasta lovers out there, I have created a healthy (yes, you heard me right) lasagna. I love cooking for Karel and I love trying new meal ideas. When I was heading to Wal-Mart for a few groceries on Friday afternoon I texted Karel if he wanted anything in particular for dinner. He will eat anything so I usually don't ask him what he wants but when I received the text "Lasanga" I started to cringe.
Lasanga!!!?? I knew this meal wouldn't be for me but I do not feed Karel foods that I wouldn't eat. I would not cook for him a high fat, high calorie and big portion meal even if he could get away with eating it all. I am all about showing people that meals can be healthy for everyone regardless of daily caloric requirements. I am always on a mission to take people's favorite foods and create a healthier recipe.
Because I didn't want the Lasanga noodles I created my own version (which Karel also enjoyed). So, for those looking to save a few calories but still want the texture of thick Lasagna you will really enjoy the last picture of my "noodle-free" Lasagna. We also had a nice salad with the lasagna.
And if the pictures don't do this meal justice, Karel had this to say as he was eating "This was the BEST meal you have EVER made. This is the best meal I have had in a long time." :)
*remember, I don't measure when I cook. So when preparing this meal prepare as much as you want but recognize your portion for that meal. You don't have to eat everything...even though this meal can't be any healthier! And after you have your portion, you will have leftovers! I created this recipe on my own so you can use whatever you want for the layers (ex. whatever veggies you want in the insides and if you choose, you can use real meat-I recommend a lean meat). Karel didn't mind another meat-free meal.

This meal took me about 20 min. to prepare. I let it cook for about 30 min. A bit long for me but during that time, I prepared a big salad. All ingredients are from Wal-Mart. I used two pans which were sprayed with olive oil spray. I pre-heated the oven to 375-degrees.

Ingredients:
Veggies: Brocoli, onions, mushrooms, corn
Sauce: Marinara sauce
Meat: Vegetarian sausage, vegetarian meat crumbles, black bean and corn salsa.
Cheesy layer: Firm tofu, parmesean cheese, roasted pepper hummus, shredded cheddar and Mozzerella sliced cheese.
Noodles: Whole wheat Lasagna noodles

I absolutely LOVE these sausage links. Karel likes them too! I love cutting them up on my salad or with my eggs. I also used about a cup of my frozen vegetarian meat crumbles.


I ended up only using 6 noodles! I only did 3 layers and used 2 noodles on each layer.


According to the package, I boiled the noodles in water until softened and then when I was ready to start layering (when the veggies and meat were cooked) I drained the pot with the noodles.


This is the "meat" mixture. I added chili flakes and a little hot sauce. Also, a staple in most of our meals, I added salsa to the pan when the frozen meat was cooked. The sausage links are refrigerated so they didn't take long to cook.


The veggie mixture really made the lasagna thick. I rarely eat brocoli (unless I am with my mom, she loves it!) but I decided I needed to be add some green to my veggie mixture. The brocoli and corn was frozen so I heated those first. Then I added the fresh mushrooms and chopped onions.


If you have kids they will LOVE helping you with this part. And if you think you don't like Tofu, you won't even know it is in the meal. I decided to crumble up the tofu like ricotta cheese and that was a lot of fun. Then to spice it up, I added a spoonful of Hummus and a little parmesean cheese.



Now you start layering!!! I started with 2 noodles. I then used about 2 spoonfuls of marinara sauce to lightly cover the noodles. Then I put the meat on the sauce, then the tofu and then I piled up the veggies. Because I made two dishes, I used half of every mixture (veggies, meat and tofu) for the noodle-free version. After each layer was finished, I sprinkled a little shredded cheddar cheese (regular, not fat-free or reduced).


This was the noodle-free finished product before I put it in the oven. As you can see, I used the same layers (without noodles) and made sure I had the marinara sauce in there. I put 1/2 slice mozzerella cheese on top by splitting it into little pieces/strips.


This was the finished product of the pasta lovers HEALTHY lasagna. I used the other 1/2 slice mozerella cheese by tearing it into pieces and laying it on the top layer before I put it in the oven.

Speaking of change...

If you think this blog is about me you are wrong. Baby steps....change for me takes time :)

As for my other half (wedding countdown 41 days!), Karel has added a new addition to our cycling family by taking up a new sport. As if these bikes weren't enough for him....






He now has a mountain bike (no pic yet..the bike seems to stay at the Trek Store).
Karel is now a mountain biker here in Florida. According to my dad Karel is a little clueless if he thinks he can ride on mountains here in Florida but I think karel is proving my dad wrong.
Karel got his mountain bike about 2 weeks ago and has fallen in love with it. His first moment of love at first sight (or ride) was at the Trek Conference in WI. Ever since the text message "I have to get a mountain bike" I think Karel was feeling the effects of his long cycling season.
Karel is ready for his base training which means lots of hours on the bike in the winter. He still wants to race but the motivation to train anaerobically/hard is slowly dwindling. I think we all get that way during the season. In an effort to keep things interesting and me on edge, Karel decided to do his first mountain bike race on sunday (yesterday).
So, with one day of practice on Fri (at Hannah park in Jax beach) with a few of the Trek guys who mountain bike, Karel was really excited for the race. Seeing that he fell 5 times on Friday, I was a bit nervous for his race on Sunday. I am all for endurance and adventurous sports...but not with our wedding 1 month away! As I headed to the beach on sat morning for my training, Karel headed to Gainesville to pre-ride the course.
On sat evening Karel came home a bit tired and extremely hot and said the course was tough. He said there were lots of people out at the course since this race was the first Mountain bike race of a series of races. A series of races I'm sure Karel will be doing.
On sunday morning I headed out for a 11.5 mile run+1 hour spin on my bike as Karel headed to Gainesville with Alex. I wanted to go with Karel but unfortunately, studying took all my attention this weekend since I have my first microbiology exam on wed. :(
Not sure of the logistics of a mountain bike race but according to Karel everyone starts in a wide field and you sprint to the trail which is only a few riders wide. Karel had trouble clipping in which caused him to be at the back of the pack as they entered the loop course. I think the race was about 90 min (not sure) but Karel said he gained a lot of positions on the climbs. I think there was around 50 people in his wave..but again, I am not sure of the details. Karel raced in the 30-39 sport category (I think) and after 3 grueling loops with only a camelback to hydrate him, Karel placed 6th place in his first mountain bike race!
I am glad Karel made it back in one piece. I am happy he has decided to pursue a new sport because it makes him happy to do something challenging. As for me, I am still enjoying the challenge of trying to descend on my aerobars so I think I will stick to tri's for now. Or until Karel talks me into a mountain bike and I lose all my fears and join the guys on the trails. I think that day won't come anytime soon :)