No resting for us

Karel was up at 5am for his 6:30am ride at the beach. I layed in bed until 6 and finally started my morning. At 7 I was out the door w/ my bike.
No arm warmers, no winter gloves, no booties. Short sleeve jersey and shorts. I love having open windows when it is less than 70 outside but I am loving the heat right now! The AC needed to wake up since it's almost March but the warm weather just reminds me that cycling and triathlon season is just around the corner.
Sweaty athletes + Racing season = Summer

I rode 45 miles (2 hours, 30 minutes) and it went by so fast. It was a bit windy out there so my HR was up in the 2nd hour but I kept the ride really comfortable.
After the ride, Campy was ready. Ready to run.
We ran 27 minutes and it was hot. We stopped at the Trek store for some water (campy needed it) at 15 minutes and then he was ready to run some more. He is getting so much better with staying focused while we run.

After the run I gave Campy some cottage cheese and I took a refreshing shower. I made a super yummy strawberry smoothie (my favorite protein powder from wal-mart, Body Fortress, now comes in strawberry!!!!) which I shared with Karel. He got home just as I was getting the smoothie ready to blend and he was tired from his 3+ hr ride.

Campy had no idea what he was in for after my breakfast and neither did I. We headed to San Marco/Downtown Jax for the Human Society Expo and Campy was loving the car ride with the windows down. After we parked, Campy had a few barks for another dog walking behind us and I was a bit worried about our little adventure with a lot of dogs around. Well, when we got to the expo, Campy just stopped and looked around. It was almost like he was so overwhelmed with the number of big, small, long, short and furry dogs. There were dogs everywhere! I was suprised that my little dog with a BIG bark was now walking attached to my ankle and periodically he would look up at me and just give me a smile when I reassured him that everything was ok. He didn't attack any dogs and he was suprisingly calm. This was his first time around a lot of dogs and I was really proud of my little Campy.
The training for him has been really slow but he does better everyday. Training a dog takes a lot of patience and a lot of consistency but it is great when it finally pays off. Now we just need to work on those fast bikes that Campy loves to bark at.








Ok-now time to rest

Warm, Sun, Cool, Rain

What a forecast for this weekend.
Although we have a 50% chance of rain tomorrow night (which means, it will rain) the forecast calls for sun and a high of 78-degrees in the morning! Finally...NO trainer!!!
I plan to do at least 2 hours on the bike but no more than 3. It is my recovery week and I am really looking forward to the bump up in volume for the next block of training. I haven't acclimated Campy to the "hot" weather yet (since we got him in October) but I'm sure we will both run with our tongues hanging out after my bike ride.
Weather looks great for a cool run on Sunday because the high is 55-degrees but then there is a 90% chance for rain. I don't think I have too long of a run on Sunday so I could put up with the treadmill on sunday if I have to.

Campy and I are going to downtown Jacksonville after my brick workout tomorrow morning. We are attending the Trail of Tails Pet Walk and Festival. I thought about walking campy for the 1.5 mile walk at 10am but I am a little nervous about trying to walk him around hundreds of dogs. So, we will just go to the festival and I'll let Campy sniff lots of butts. I'm sure he will give a big bark or two at the big dogs and pee on every bush, plant and blade of grass with all the great smells at the park. I'm also going to give a donation since we aren't walking in the walk. Campy (and Smudla) say thank you to all rescue shelters around the world for keeping them and the other doggies and kitties from being homeless on the street.

My biochemistry exam went really well but I have a bit more studying this weekend for my other 2 classes. I am also working on my professional portfolio for my Profesional Dietetic Development course. The portfolio that I am putting together now will be really helpful for when I apply to Internships in Sept. I can't believe I am less than 10 months away from a possible internship...and no more school!!!

I hope everyone enjoys the weekend...I'm sure it will be warm, sunny, cool or rainy depending on where you live. Or, if you live near me, it will be all of those!

Crepes

Yesterday was National Pancake day. I plan to celebrate the "holiday" this weekend after one of my long workouts. Although I have a recovery week and an easy 2 hour ride + 30 min run for Sat., I must pay tribute to all the pancake lovers out there :)

I usually have a box of whole wheat and white flour in my pantry but I really like the whole wheat pancakes. However, Karel (and myself sometimes) find it hard to eat a whole wheat pancake after a hot, long ride. The white-flour pancakes seem to digest a bit easier because they are so much lighter. Because we all need more fiber in our diet, here is a "lighter" option for pancakes which will provide your body with complex carbs after your weekend workout, without causing you to feel stuffed. Also, because the batter is low in calories, you can really "dress up" the inside of your crepe however you choose. I like PB and Jelly with granola, yogurt and raisins whereas Karel likes a scoop of ice cream and a piece of dark chocolate. Ok, so this "pancake" is more like desert but we all want a little something sweet after a hard workout.
Enjoy!

Crepes:
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup skim milk
1 egg (or 2 egg whites)

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and eggs. Slowly add the milk and water. Stir until everything is mixed well.
2. In a non-stick pan, sprayed with olive oil PAM, heat your pan to low-medium heat. You do not want to overcook your crepes on high heat!
3. Pour a few spoonfuls of the batter in your pan and and tilt the pan in a circular motion (off the flame) so that the batter spreads around the pan. It should look like a thin pancake.
4. Flip after 2 minutes of cooking, or until bottom of the crepe is lightly browned.

This batter would probably give you 4-5 medium sized crepes so if you have a bigger family (or appetite), double all of the ingredients. If you do double the ingredients, use 3 egg whites and 1 whole egg to make sure you get enough protein in the batter.

ENJOY this yummy treat!!




If you are only doing 1-3 hour workouts on the weekends and feel like you don't need all the calories from a pile of pancakes, you can't go wrong with crepes and a side of scrambled egg whites or an omelet.

The standard crepe is rolled with either fruit or jelly in the inside. Pick your toppings for the inside and don't be afraid to add variety such as an assortment of fruits, nuts or different low sugar/low fat spreads. I like eating my crepe like a pancake so I don't roll mine up, but Karel does a great job with his presentation of a perfectly rolled crepe...with yogurt ice cream inside :)

Randomness

Not much going on here. I have a biochemistry exam on Thursday which I have been studying for since last week. I really want to do well on it.

Tomorrow Karel is off from work...so I am sure he will enjoy a long bike ride in the morning, followed by doing a lot of nothing the rest of the day.

I will be no fun all day unless Karel wants to hear about carboxyl groups, ketones, saturated fats and nucleic acids. Lots of fun, I know.

BTW-I had to watch two movies for my biochemistry class and write a 2 page review on them. If you haven't seen them, I recommend Lorenzo's Oil and Awakenings. Both movies involve biochemistry and they are really good movies!

Tomorrow morning I am going to change things up and run before I swim. I know I will be extremely tired for my swim but more so, I don't know if my body is ready to run at 5am. Well, we will see how this goes but I know I will be glad to have nothing to do after the swim. It's like pulling teeth, every week, to get on the treadmill for a hard hill workout after a 90 min swim practice.

This weekend will be great because we aren't traveling! All of March we have something to do every weekend. On the 6th we are going to Albany GA for the Snickers Marathon (me racing the half marathon) and a Cycling race for Karel. On the 15th is the Gate river run here in Jax which is a BIG race here. Should be a fun 15K over a bunch of bridges. Then, we are staying with my parents on the 21st and 22nd for Karel's cycling race in Tampa. I am super excited to see my parents.

How about a pic of a super happy doggy...

Balance

Do you ever notice when one thing in life is balance there are 5 other things that stress you out during the day? Or should I say, when your training is going well you come home and have a zillion things on your mind!
That is me right now. Training couldn't be better. However, if I think about my training in the beginning of January, I was thinking I'd never be able to do an Ironman in August. Well, compete in an Ironman and actually race it (and finish of course).
It has been almost 2 months since I started my serious triathlon training. Base season was great and I still have a month to go before I start getting into the "speed/lactate" specific training. However, the miles really got to me in January and I found myself weak, un-motivated and frustrated. Luckily, I didn't give up and because exercise is part of my life, I woke up every morning in January and did my swim/bike/run workout as if I was just exercising.
Today on my 2 hour and 5 minute run, I finally saw myself in IMKY. I visualized running on tender and sore quads after the 112 mile bike. I saw myself riding up and down hills and then pacing myself for the grueling 26.2 miles that come at the end of the Ironman. I saw myself in the water, swimming for 2.4 miles and exiting the water feeling warmed up and not very tired. Then, I saw myself wearing my medal, feeling extremely tired and wanting to do it all over again.
With only 2 Ironman's under my belt, I sometimes forget the training that goes into an Ironman. Having said that, 2 Ironman's is still a big thing. Your first Ironman training season is something you will never forget and the first Ironman finish will stay with you for a lifetime. However, it is at the beginning of Ironman training that it feels like you have centuries to go until race day. Theb, reality hits and you count down the few months (6 for me) that you have to actually prepare the body for the race.
After my run today, I was so excited that I had no pain, I felt great all weekend and really, I had a full week of hard training without any excuses or slacking. After my run, Campy took me on a run for a mile and then it was time for breakfast.
The reason why I titled my post "balance" and not "Ironman" is because I have been at the computer all day, working on school work. If it isn't studying, papers or assignments then I am doing something "nutrition-related" to make a living and not go broke.
I am just so tired of school. Sure, I LOVE my dietetic classes but my biochemistry course drives me crazy. I hate drawing double bonds and really, I never knew carbohydrates, fats and proteins could be so complicated.
Then, when I am not studying or training, I am trying to keep our apartment clean. I am always meticulous about the kitchen but it is the rest of our place that I attend to about once a week. Karel helps out a lot and we have no "roles" in our place of who does what (except Karel takes care of the 3 fish tanks) but since I am at home all day, I try to contribute a bit more with my time at home.
Then, there is the cooking. I love making meals, but it does take time. I won't cook for more than 30 minutes (that includes prep) but that is still time. However, it gives me a chance to watch Ellen that I tape on DVR everyday and cooking really de-stresses me. Plus, I love presenting my "creations" to karel when he comes home from work.
Then there is grocery shopping which I do every Mon. Shopping for our usual foods at Wal-mart is fun for me, but then coming home, walking up 3 flights of stairs with a handful of groceries, and unloading the groceries takes time.
Then there is Campy. Well, I will always make time for Campy. I take him out every 3-4 hours and sometimes, when I need a break, we will go on a long walk around 11 and at 4. I can honestly say that animals really help when it comes to stress, feeling sad or anything else that bothers you. I love having someone so excited to see me when I come home and it is too cute when he stands on his back legs and gives me two high fives with his front paws. Hard to explain, but too cute!
And finally, then there is my marriage. I thought my marriage would be easy because Karel and I are best friends and we have the same lifestlye. But like all good marriages, it does take work. Not the kind of work that you are trying to decide who is right or wrong but just the work to be understanding and to compromise. Karel is really open minded and understanding so that really helps when I am stressed and busy. Also, I have trouble asking for help so I probably need to work on trying not to do everything myself. I was always that person in school where other people wanted to be in my group. Not the best individual quality to do everything myself, but if something needs to be done, I don't think twice about getting it done myself.
So, I guess it is all about balance. All these things in life (and I don't even have KIDS or a HOUSE!!!) to try to balance out. Well, I can say if I didn't have triathlons/exercise in my life, I would probably struggle with all those other things that I often stress about. And if I didn't have a clean apartment I would have trouble studying and without my nutrition-work, I wouldn't be living in an apartment and if I didn't have triathlons...I would not have met Karel! Wow-I guess it all does balance out!

Finally

...finally it isn't raining
...finally I feel strong
...finally I can ride my bike outside.

Karel braved the cold at 6:30am with Jeff. They must have been inspired by the stage last night, Levi crushing the competition at the Tour de California, and they rode their TT bikes for 3 x 15 min. all-out efforts. Karel said he was so cold he never warmed up.
When I let Campy out at 7am I knew I would never survive in the cold. However, I also knew I wouldn't survive the trainer.
I came up with several ideas to keep myself entertained for a 4 hour ride.
First I thought about riding an hour, running 10 min. I would do that 4 times.
Then I thought about being all sweaty on the trainer and then being so cold and wet outside. I decided to pass on that idea.
My next idea was to ride on the trainer for 2 hours and then do 2 hours outside.
I had my mind made up that I WOULD do a 4 hour ride so at 1 hour on the trainer, I let Campy out, got dressed and headed outside. It was a lot warmer than when I woke up (upper 40s compared to 34 at 7 in the morning) and I dressed perfectly for the weather. I was very comfortable when I got on the bike and luckily, I didn't overdress.
The ride went really well and I am feeling really strong on the bike. I think something is working and finally, things are coming together. I am not minding the 3+ hour rides, whereas a few weeks ago I was so bored and tired after 2 hours. I am constantly being reminded by Shawn that I have plenty of time until IMKY and I am really looking forward to increasing my weekly volume in a few months.
I ended up doing 3 hours and 51 minutes. 2 hours and 48 minutes outside and 1 hour and 3 minutes on the trainer. I think it was around 68 miles but my power was steady and I felt really good on my tri bike.
After the ride, I came home to Campy and Karel sleeping on the couch. Karel told me that Campy wanted to run with him when they went out around 10:30 but Karel told Campy that he doesn't run. Marni is the runner in the family. Campy was super excited to see me and he couldn't wait to run.
I just love running Campy after my bike ride. Sure, I would probably have a more consistent run without him but if I am out running for 30 minutes, I may as well be with Campy who makes me smile when we run. I even had someone yell to me as we were running "You can run my dogs too!". We stopped by the Trek store after 15 minutes of running to get some water (Campy has a bowl just for him). We then headed home for a great 27 minute run. Campy got his cottage cheese after the run and after I recovered, I made my whole wheat pancakes. At 12:30, I could finally sit on the couch and relax.

Looks like it will be a beautiful day today....so I will just look out the window as I sit at the computer all day studying for exams for my three classes.

Water

I'm feeling more like a swimmer, than a triathlete, in the water. Sometimes I give my coach the look of "Why are we doing that set? We are triathletes!" but when the workout is over I like feeling like a swimmer.
Here are my three swim workouts for the week.

Monday (recovery day, no master swim)
400 warm-up
300 kick
2x's:
50 easy, 50 fast (50 sec)
100 easy, 100 fast (1:30)
150 easy, 150 fast (2:20)

100 kick
200 warm-up
Total: 2000

Wednesday (Endurance, Master swim)
Main set:
8 x 100's (odd Free on 1:30, even IM on 1:45)
3 x 400's Desc 1-3 on 6 min (my splits: 5:38, 5:32, 5:26)
Total: 3800 yards (I forgot the warm-up and the sets before the main set. This practice + my post-swim 5 x 1 mile @ marathon pace run w/ 3 min recovery on the treadmill drained my brain)

Friday (Speed, Master swim)
400 warm-up (4th 25 skull)
5 x 200s kick on 4 min.
Main set 3x's:
5 x 50's drill on 1:00
3 x 100's desc 1-3 on 1:30
4 x 50's all-out on 1:00
(I did the last two sets of 4 x 50's 25 free, 25 fly)
200 warm-down
Total: 3850 yards

Although it is supposed to be cold here tomorrow morning (36), I am looking forward to being outside on my bike. If I have to, I will bundle up in 20 layers so that I don't have to go insane on the trainer.

Speaking of water....
Look what Campy and I found on our walk around our apartment lake yesterday

Homemade Tortilla

If I could make more homemade foods, I would do it in a second! However, my grocery budget doesn't allow me to buy a lot of "additional" foods. Right now I have learned how to feed Karel and myself for less than $80 a week but I tell ya, it isn't easy eating healthy, maintaining our weight and trying to improve our performance on a budget. The people at the checkout station must think I am crazy when I say "that is great!" to them when they hand me my receipt but I just love saving money.

Luckily, however, I have moved on from a grad-school diet of only PB&J (ok, I still do that), oatmeal and free samples at Whole foods...ok, I still like all of those :) I try not to get too excited when I go into Whole Foods or the organic section at Publix because it is expensive to eat natural and organic. One day Karel and I will add more natural and organic foods in our diet but for now, I do the best I can to eat lots of fresh food and little processed food. In my opinion, you can still gain weight and be unhealthy with natural and organic foods. To me, there is nothing better than a home-cooked meal and the fact that I know exactly what I am making and I can control how much or little I put in it.

I attempted wraps/tortillas the other night. Ever since Karel made my crepes I just love the idea of a thin pancake for a meal. I am still working on this recipe because I haven't really gotten the perfect mixture of flour and water but the recipe is still good. Karel said he never wants me to buy wraps again and he says this is one of his favorite things I have made.

Homemade Tortilla:
Makes about 4 large tortillas.
-About 1 tsp. of every spice in your house. I used the following:
Curry powder, italian seasoning, garlic salt, pepper, paprika, chili flakes and thyme.
-1 tbsp. parmesean cheese
-2 tbsp. Italian bread crumbs
-2 tbsp. Taco sauce
-1 tsp. baking powder
-1 tbsp. Olive oil
-1/2 cup whole wheat flour
-About 1 cup water.

You add all of the ingredients in a large bowl, EXCEPT for the water. Start by adding 1/2 cup water and then slowly add water and mix. You want to the mixture to be soupy but not too watery. When the mixture quickly drips from your fork (or whisk) after at least 1 cup of water is added, it is ready. You want the mixture to be soupy so that it spreads out thin when you put it on the non-stick pan.
Be sure your non-stick pan is on low heat. If your pan is too high, the batter will cook right when it touches the pan. You can use Olive oil spray for the non-stick pan.
Pour a little less than 1/4 batter in the pan and move the pan around (off the burner) so that the batter spreads all over your large non-stick pan.

The second time I tried making the tortillas I put them in the oven (about 350 degrees) to finish them off and they had a nice crunch to them after they were folded around our veggie mixture. I stuffed the tortillas with our normal "go-to meal" foods.

For the inside:
1/2 can beans and rice
1/2 can chickpeas
Tofu
Mushrooms
Veggie burger
Onions
Tomato
Corn
Salsa






The wraps take a few minutes on each side to cook so I had some time to take some pictures of my animals.

Weekend

It was weird being at home for a full weekend. I had the opportunity to go with Karel to Dade city (about 3 hours away) for his crit on Sunday but I had a lot of school work to catch up on. Karel wasn't feeling pumped for this race since he did a 3 hour ride in the pouring rain (karel, jeff, curtis and shawn) on Sat but he decided it was worth a try to get out there and try out the sprinting legs. Karel ended up getting 11th which he was really happy about. This same race last year was not so good for Karel because he crashed twice on the technical course. This year it was the same course, but in rain, so Karel was a bit more careful on the corners.

On Friday morning my arms fell off and I didn't find them for my Saturday workout. However, luckily I had a bike ride to do.
Sadly, it was raining.
I put my bike on the trainer and decided that I would ride inside until it cleared up. After 90 min. of watching a few reality shows on my DVR, that I missed while I was on my honeymoon, I got off the bike and let Campy outside. Great...no rain!
I put on a jersey, my helmet and gloves and got my bike off the trainer. I put on my cycling shoes, walked down my 3 flights of stairs and got on my bike. At that moment, it started raining.
Ughh.
Back up stairs, took off my jersey, put on a dry-fit shirt and put my bike back on the trainer. Turned on the TV, said hi to Campy and started riding again. Campy slept and I suffered my way (partly insane) through another 90 min. Not sure how I did it, especially the last 50 min. when Karel came home from his ride and started cooking breakfast...yummmm.
After 3 hours on the trainer, my legs were toast! The thing about trainer riding is that you can't coast, you don't have opportunities to stop and you stay in the same spot.
My legs hurt so bad after the ride that I could barely walk. I decided a 20 min. walk with Campy was better than nothing so once again, I slacked on the brick run. I am having a really hard time with that run off the bike and I blame Campy for looking so cute and happy for me to give him some attention.
I did a ton of studying and work on Sat and could barely keep my eyes open during the afternoon. Karel had to work and the evening was spent watching the Tour de California (we have it taping every day this week. We LOVE this tour!).
I am not a big valentine person so I consider the 14th of Feb. just another day but I do like the excuse for a little gift giving. Since Karel finished his Landis to Lance book, I got him another book about Lance Armstrong. I also got him a few chocolates...oh, does he love his chocolate. We both had pancakes for dinner (typical valentine dinner for us) and Karel gave me pink TYR goggles. LOVE them!
On Sun. Karel got up at 6am and he was gone at 7am for his race. As for me, I took my time to start my run because my legs were so stiff and sore. My inner thighs hurt so bad that I could barely walk downstairs. Luckily, they loosened up for my 1 hour and 45 min. run and I felt really good for my run. It was so nice to be outside and I just love listening to my music and thinking.
After my run, Campy and I went on a nice walk and then it was time to get back to homework. I am so ready to have a weekend of no studying!
This morning I slept in. Went to bed at 9:45 and woke up at 6:45. I stayed in bed until 7:10 when I smelled the coffee. Campy stayed in bed until 7:20. :)
I went to the Y for a recovery swim which I debated about last night. I decided I would not swim (or do anything) if I didn't feel like it in the morning but as time went by in the morning, I really wanted to try out my new goggles. I felt really good in the water and did a nice pyramid set of 50 easy, 50 fast, 100 easy, 100 fast, 150 easy, 150 fast. I did that two times, plus warm-up, warm-down and a 300 kick. I finished with 2100 yards and did some core. I was really glad I gave myself a little extra sleep in the morning and I am looking forward to a good week of training...and studying :(

Things I Love

Happy Valentine's day! First off, my thoughts go out to all the families and friends of those who lost their lives in the recent plane crash. It was just in the airport this past week that I told Karel how much I love watching people in the airport. I always wonder why people are traveling...are they are visiting or going home? Who they are going to see? Is this a happy trip, boring trip, stressful trip, exciting trip or sad trip? Is this a business or pleasure trip? Has this person ever flown before or is this a trip to a new place? I like trying to figure out why a person is flying. After reading the stories of the victims, I believe that everyone has a story. You never know who is on your plane and if you are lucky enough to sit by me, I will let you share your story to me :) (I love talking to people next to me on the plane).

Things I Love (in no particular order after my top 3):
1) My family (mom, dad and aaron) and relatives
2) Karel (my hubby forever)
3) Campy, Smudla and all my fishies
4) Triathlons
5) Swimming first thing in the morning
6) Running first thing in the morning
7) Cycling with Karel
8) Traveling
9) Animals (any kind)
10) Saving animals
11) Being a vegetarian
12) Being a student
13) Knowing that I will be done with school in Dec. '09
14) Living in Florida
15) Wearing shorts year-round
16) Yogurt ice cream w/ cereal
17) Watching movies
18) Watching TV in the evenings
19) Writing emails
20) Anything related to nutrition
21) Cooking
22) My friends
23) Meeting new people
24) Public speaking
25) Writing
26) Helping people
27) Sunny 70-degree days and Cold 30-degree nights
28) Going to the Y
29) Sleeping
30) Being outside
31) Rainy days...after my morning training
32) Training first thing in the morning
33) Long weekend training
34) Pancakes after training
35) Happy, not-rude, optimistic people
36) People who support and encourage me
37) Learning from people smarter than me (that's lots of people!)
38) Meeting people
39) Close friends
40) Living each day as if it was my last

Good to be back

Although vacations are great, it is always nice to be back to my normal routine. However, I find myself being less obsessive about "training" when I am away from my home and I really enjoy a change of scenery every now and then. Exercise and healthy eating are two big parts of my life so I don't really mind taking away the "disciplined" training routine every now and then. I know that I will always exercise, choose healthy foods (and a few sweet treats) and get plenty of sleep when I am away. I might be boring but it is really nice to not loose touch of my normal lifestyle when I am away.
So, back home and Campy is one happy doggy. We have gone on a bunch of walks and he is full of smiles. Smudla is still with my parents since she LOVES having a big house to call her own. Karel has a race near my parents on Sunday so he will bring her home on Sun. I am missing her as well.
Training is going well and I hope I picked up a few red blood cells with all that altitude training. On wed. I tried to sleep in just enough to wake up without an alarm and I was at the pool at 8am. We got home at 12:30pm on Tuesday evening, after driving 4 hours after we landed in Tampa. However, I felt ok at 6am but stayed in bed until 7am. The swim on Wed was relaxing and I somehow kept myself in the pool for 2600 yards. I then went grocery shopping since we finished all our food before we left.
Because I didn't feel like running on Wed. (hill workout) I decided to run first thing on Thurs morning. I did my 50 min run on the treadmill and I felt super good.
The workout was a bit challenging but I really liked it.
10 min warm-up @ 1%
Main set 2x's:
10 min @ 2%
2 min @ 4%
2 min @ 6%
6 min recovery @ 1%

I managed to squeeze in almost 6 miles for my hill workout and it really felt good to do this run first thing in the morning. After the run I needed to get on my bike for the first time in a week in a half. I decided to ride my road bike and draft off Karel and Jeff. I did a quick 28 miles and I was suprised how good I felt on my bike. It is always nice taking some time off from structured training. I was also amazed that my power was pretty high, although I was drafting. The wind was from all directions but I was super happy to wear a short sleeve jersey and shorts. It has been in the upper 70's here and I forgot how much I really do love my sandals and shorts on a daily basis :)

This morning we had a chilly swim. Once again, the temps were a bit cool for me. I like it around 78 degrees but it felt like 74..brrrr.
I must have counted the yardage wrong as I was swimming in circles for 90 minutes this morning because our 3400 practice became a 4200 practice one I re-counted the main set yardage. I guess my brain was frozen. I was pooped at the end and I had really tired arms.
200 warm-up
5 x 100's pull on 1:30
6 x 50's mid-pool working on turns
Main set 4x's:
200K
3 x 100's on 1:30
2 x 50's on :40 (just touch and go)
100 all-out
100 recovery

After the swim I ran an easy 2.5 miles and lifted a bit. I'm really looking forward to this weekend. Nothing super long but I am happy to be on my bike for 3:30 on Sat and to run long on Sunday.

Here are a few of my favorite picks from our trip:

Cooking with Marni

I wish I had my own show on the food network but for now...enjoy my "show" on BeginnerTriathlete.com!


Beginner Triathlete

Honeymoon is over

What great fun we had here! We spent most of our time in the snow in the morning and then relaxed in the evening. There was lots of eating (healthy and yummy food of course), lots of warm coffee and lots of pictures.
Totals for our trip:
Hours cross country skiing - 7 1/2
Hours on the slopes - 4
Movies watched - 4
Hours on the computer - 3 (love that one!!!)
Pictures taken - 100+
Money spent on activities - ??????
Money spent on food - $50 (love that one even more!!!)
How many times we ate out - 1
How many times I talked about Campy - too many to count :)

Time to head to the airport for a 2 hour and 5 hour flight. Then, get our animals and get in the car for a 4 hour car ride. Errr...traveling.

Doesn't get much better....

Than This......




Our day at Diamond Peak ski resort.