I have received several emails and comments on my blog regarding my weekly groceries.
I am more than happy to provide my "staple" grocery list which includes the foods I buy on a weekly basis, no matter what. There are always extra's that I throw in every now and then but you can typically find the same foods in our fridge and pantry no matter what day of the week or what time of the year.
Before I give you a template of what you can consider to add/include in your diet in order to help fuel your workout and lifestyle, I want to open your mind to the idea of shopping healthy on a budget.
We live in a world of processed food. Sure, there are healthy boxed, frozen, packaged and canned foods but the best nutrition can be found in foods that contain little to no ingredients.
My idea of a healthy diet is building off a plant-based diet. Regardless if you are a vegetarian, vegan or meat-eater, the diet should be rich in fruits and veggies to provide your body with an abundance of vitamins and minerals. Assuming that you understand a little bit about the human body, I think you would agree that vitamins and minerals are essential in our diet as they play major role in the normal functioning of the human body. Considering that many people in developing countries suffer from vitamin and mineral deficiencies, you would think that American's would take advantage of the abundance of fruits and veggies in the grocery store in an effort to prevent severe health conditions.
Sadly, much of our nation is obsessed with calories, weight and for many people, performance. I find a strong correlation in the rising number of overweight and obese individuals and the ever-increasing number of processed, "healthy" and fast food options available to consumers. If you think about it, 20-30 years ago the options of "healthy" foods were small compared to now, yet 20-30 years ago, much of the American population was at a healthy weight and lead a fairly active lifestyle.
Despite the number of sugar-free, fat-free, sodium-free options on the shelf, American's aren't losing weight. In my opinion, a calorie isn't just a calorie. People are choosing "diet" foods and "healthy" foods, yet feeling hungry and unsatisfied throughout the day.
You don't lose/maintain weight and/or increase performance by just eating x-amount of calories per day. By timing your nutrition with your training (thus keeping your blood sugar stable), allowing your body to metabolize fat for fuel (thus not overdoing it on sugary sport drinks and unnecessary/unused calories during training) and focusing on recovery nutrition you will ultimately find yourself with more energy throughout the day, thus allowing your body to stay more active. By focusing on more fiber and nutrient-rich foods, in addition to complex carbs, lean/low fat protein and healthy fat you will find yourself eating a variety of foods, thus providing your body with a variety of nutrients, without a lot of calories.
I stress the importance of eating on a budget because many of the "cheap" foods are found in the outside of the grocery store. Sure, the apples may not be on sale and may run you $3, but an apple for a snack, served with 1/2 ounce cheese or 1/2 tbsp natural PB may be much more beneficial to your diet and body than a box of 110 calorie Special K protein snack bars, with an ingredient list that reads:
COATING (SUGAR, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED PALM KERNEL OIL?, COCOA PROCESSED WITH ALKALI, WHEY, NONFAT DRY MILK, SOY LECITHIN, SORBITAN MONOSTEARATE, SALT, POLYSORBATE 60, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR), CORN SYRUP, SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, FRUCTOSE, SUGAR, RICE FLOUR, SEMISWEET CHOCOLATE (SUGAR, CHOCOLATE, COCOA BUTTER), TOFFEE BITS (SUGAR, BUTTER [CREAM, SALT], CRISP RICE [RICE FLOUR, SUGAR, MALT EXTRACT, SALT, RICE BRAN], CORN SYRUP, SWEETENED CONDENSED SKIM MILK [SUGAR, SKIM MILK], SALT), SOYBEAN AND PALM OIL WITH TBHQ FOR FRESHNESS, SOY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE, CONTAINS TWO PERCENT OR LESS OF INULIN, COCOA PROCESSED WITH ALKALI, MAGNESIUM PHOSPHATE, TRICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, NONFAT DRY MILK, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, SALT, GELATIN, GLYCERIN, MALT EXTRACT, SODIUM ASCORBATE (VITAMIN C), VITAMIN E ACETATE, SOY LECITHIN, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, NIACINAMIDE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), THIAMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B1), RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), ALMOND FLOUR, PARTIALLY DEFATTED PEANUT FLOUR, WHEAT STARCH, VITAMIN B12. ?LESS THAN 0.5g TRANS FAT PER SERVING
Better yet, how about a glass of skim milk and a piece of fruit?
Right now in my life, I can't spend a lot of money on my weekly groceries. I would love to buy Greek Yogurt every day but with Karel and I eating at least 8 ounces low fat yogurt a day, I would spend about a 1/4th of my weekly grocery budge just on Greek yogurt. I would love to buy organic meat and fish for Karel but right now, I buy fresh whenever I find a good sale. I don't have hardly any organic food in my house but I would love to consider some other options of foods (specifically fruits and veggies) when I have a bit more money. Do I think that buying organic is going to make me healthier? Well, that all depends on whether or not my body needs the food and what it will provide to my body. Maybe all I can afford right now is brown rice but in a few months I can try out a few different types of grains. I certainly prioritize my food choices the best I can so that I can have a variety of food to meet my athletic and individual requirements and I plan on doing that now and in the future. I'd like to think that I am eating today in order to feel good tomorrow and planning my diet to keep me healthy for the future.
Therefore, as you plan your grocery list to fuel your workout and your lifestyle, bear in mind that you do not have to leave the grocery store with an empty wallet. As you build your diet, to meet your individual needs (and not what a magazine or book is telling you to do) prioritize foods with little or no ingredients (veggies, fruit, lean/low fat protein, healthy unsaturated fats). With the base of your diet filled with vitamins and minerals, you can then build your meals/snacks with foods in the inside of the grocery store (as opposed to the perimeter).
My typical Grocery List
*I try to buy on sale so I typically shop around at Wal-mart, big lots (no fruits and veggies there), Food Lion and Publix.
Fruits:
Bananas
Oranges
Grapes
Apples
Strawberries
Peaches/Nectarines
Veggies
Tomatoes (although technically a fruit)
Onion
Garlic
Mushrooms
Corn (frozen)
Spinach
Romaine
Carrots
Broccoli/Zucchini
Potatoes
Grains
Nature's Own High Fiber Bread
Sandwich Thins
Brown Rice
Couscous
Whole grain/enriched pasta
Fresh bread
Oatmeal (instant and packaged)
Cereal (I typically buy at Big Lots because they are super cheap. I try to find the lowest sugar and least ingredient option)
Beans
*all canned (rinse and drain before using)
Chickpeas
Black beans
White beans
Protein
Skim milk
Part-skim mozzarella cheese/swiss cheese
Low fat yogurt
Greek yogurt
Veggie burgers (on occasion)
Firm Tofu
Low fat or Fat Free Breakstone Cottage Cheese
Eggs
Whey protein (Body Fortress at Wal-mart)
Natural PB
Nuts
Seeds
Others
*these last for a while so we usually don't go through them fast
Low sugar jelly
Whipped cream cheese
Condiments (horseradish mustard)
Salsa (ok-we go through this fast)
Marinara sauce
Spices/herbs (no salt)
Olive oil
Canola Oil
Dark Chocolate (ok-this needs replacing on a weekly basis :)
Fiber One granola bars
Popcorn kernels
Blackstrap molasses
Honey
Wheat flour
Olivio butter
Hummus
Registered Dietitian.....M.S. in Exercise Physiology...Vegetarian...Writer...Speaker...5x Ironman finisher.....2011-2012 Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year...Doggy-mommy...Wife to an amazing Czech cyclist turned triathlete...2x Ironman World Championship finisher...USAT level-1 coach...Oakley women, Brooks Running ID, 110% Play Harder and Hammer Nutrition Brand Ambassador.
4/29/10
Recipes for "most of the time"
Back in Jax....for the next 24 hours. Then back on the road again.
Karel and I love to work hard/play hard so as tiring as it is to be on the road so much in between races (rather than just taking long vacations), we certainly don't complain when we travel.
As you know, one of my philosophy's for healthy eating is;
"If you eat well most of the time you don't have to worry about the rest of the time"
I think traveling for "vacation" is a perfect example of "the rest of the time" when you may deviate from your normal training and eating routine. However, if you aren't sticking to your normal training schedule and you are doing more eating-out than normal while on vacation, one would think that "most of the time" you stick to a consistent training routine and you understand your personal nutrition requirements to support your lifestyle.
Over the past few days, I have tried my best to bring as much food as I can with us, so that we don't go long hours without eating and that we have some of our staple foods/snacks with us when we get a craving. However, as for meals, I look forward to going to new places and trying new foods.
One thing I don't like is paying money for meals which are not as appetizing as they claim to be (although on the menu they sound appetizing and healthy). Secondly, I don't like paying for healthy meals (ex. salads) which leave me hungry an hour after I spent $8-12 for the meal. Just like with my training, I am all about quality over quantity and if I am paying money for a vegetarian-friendly meal I want to feel good about what I put in my body.
One thing I DO NOT do when I travel is give myself the opportunity to have a free-for-all and eat everything and anything that I don't eat on a daily basis. More so, I try to eat on a somewhat normal schedule so that I can feel in control of what I put in my body (and not order something on impulse because I'm starving). I make sure I start my morning with a slow digesting breakfast, I try to eat fruits and veggies as much as I can and I try to balance out my meals with healthy fats, low fat protein and complex carbs.
One thing that I DO when I travel is make sure that I enjoy myself and not feel guilty, restricted or unhappy when I eat. As I continue to improve on my healthy relationship with food on a daily basis when I am at home, I am well aware that a cookie or ice cream cone once or twice while on vacation is not going to make me "fat". I avoid negative self-talk while on vacation and I make sure that I enjoy every bite of food that I put in my mouth.
Throughout the last few days, Karel and I have enjoyed a few sweet treats that we normally don't eat on a daily basis. Considering that Karel has a huge sweet tooth when we are at home, when we are on vacation it is nice to try local favorites and share deserts like a homemade cookie or ice cream. Because Karel has different calorie and macronutrient requirements than me (especially this week since he is doing 7 criterium races in 9 days) he has the opportunity to enjoy more food and more food options than myself. However, that doesn't mean that we can't share a yummy treat. Furthermore, knowing that most of the time we strive to eat to support our athletic lifestyle, all while keeping our immune system, heart, brain and muscles healthy, it would absolutely ridiculous if I told myself I couldn't enjoy a whole cookie (rather than sharing some with Karel).
I hope that everyone reading this blog understands that there is no perfect diet and there are many opportunities in the year to enjoy foods that you normally wouldn't eat....without feeling guilty or out-of-control when eating them. Your daily habits should support those special eating opportunities and with your daily nutrition habits in mind, you should find yourself feeling in control of what you put in your body, even if it isn't part of your eating routine. I would hope that if you eat well most of the time, you recognize how to make educated healthy choices and still enjoy a few sweet treats.
Karel and I couldn't wait to get back home to have some color in our life. I honestly don't know how people can eat a variety of fruits and veggies while eating out. I always stress the importance of preparing meals at home and avoiding eating out. Thinking back on the last few days, it was really hard for me to eat my normal favorite foods (fruits, veggies and low fat protein) while on the road. In my opinion, a veggie sub (w/ a veggie burger) at Subway is not my idea of meeting my vegetable recommendations. Furthermore, I don't want to spend the money on a salad, in an effort to get more veggies into my body, only to be hungry an hour later.
I add a little more fat to my diet (mostly through PB, cheese and nuts) when I travel because I just hate being hungry all of the time. To me, traveling is a great opportunity for me to stay active, enjoy new things and enjoy new places. If I have food on my mind 24/7 I am not going to make the most of my vacation. I bring as much fruit and vegetables (mostly carrots since they are easy for traveling), as well as yogurt, hardboiled eggs and whole grain bread, in our cooler but I don't want to spend my whole vacation eating in my room.
As you continue your quest to build a healthy relationship with food, I can't stress enough of the importance of building your diet off a plant-based diet in order to feel good about what you put in your body. Don't be afraid of healthy fats and be sure to balance out your carbs with lean/low fat protein.
The more I experiment with my own eating routine to support my training routine, the more I am convinced that eating is very much controlled by chemicals and hormones in our body. While I can not explain all of these processes, I have learned enough through my graduate education (MS in Exercise Physiology) that our body is a very amazing thing. Therefore, if we "train" it to do certain things on a daily basis, the body begins to become much more efficient at metabolizing fuels and because of that, when you have an "off" day of eating (planned or unplanned) your body does not react negatively to the change in food.
What's your favorite "rest of the time" food/snack?
When we travel, if I can find one around, I love the Close Talker at Moe's (w/ Tofu) and the Egg white bagel sandwich (stuffed with veggies) at Einstein Bagels. I also LOVE local thin-crust pizza. For a treat I love taking bites of whatever Karel eats (typically brownies, banana bread and cookies).
How about some new healthy recipes to inspire you to eat more at home....
Non-vegetarian:
Coconut almond chicken
1 chicken breast
2 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp shredded coconut
2 tbsp chopped or sliced almonds
1. On medium heat, cook defrosted chicken breast in 1 tsp oil.
2. Before flipping chicken to cook other side, spread olive oil over top of chicken and top with coconut and almond.
3. After a few minutes of cooking chicken, flip to cook other side.
Tuna Salad Wrap
1 can tuna (in water)
1 clove garlic (chopped)
Onion (chopped), roma tomato (chopped), peas, radish (sliced), celery (chopped)
1 hardboiled egg (optional)
1. Mix all ingredients (add as much of the veggies as you like..the more the better!)
2. Stuff a few big spoonfuls in pita.
*you can use more than 1 can tuna if you want to make more servings.
Vegetarian
Potato, Spinach and Egg bake
2 potatoes (cooked until semi-soft/mashable)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
1/4 cup skim milk
Eggs (1 per person)
1/3 cup chopped onion
2 big handfulls spinach (chopped finely)
pepper, no salt seasonings
Optional: Spoonful panko bread crumbs
*preheat oven to 325 degrees
1. Mash potatoes and add milk.
2. Add other ingredients (except eggs).
3. Spoon mixture in casserole dish. Top with breadcrumbs and additional spices.
4. Bake for 15 minutes.
5. Carefully crack eggs on corners of the casserole.
6. Bake until egg is cooked and edges of casserole turn light brown.
(I put my eggs on the casserole the first time I baked it so I am thinking if you cook the dish first and then add the eggs, the eggs won't be as hard. However, the dish was SUPER yummy)
Leftover tofu soup
*Want to finish up your leftovers before you travel? This is a perfect recipe that you can really play around with, depending on what you have in your fridge. Here's what I used:
Carrots
Tofu (firm, cubed)
Garlic
Onions
Red potatoes (cooked in microwave for 2-3 minutes to make it easier to cube)
Mushrooms
Broccoli stalk
Low sodium vegetarian vegetable stock (1 cup) - your stock doesn't have to be expensive, just compare food labels and look for the lowest sodium option
2-3 cups water
1. In a large pot on medium/high heat, add water and stock.
2. When water starts to bubble, add other ingredients and any additional no-salt seasonings (ex. basil, Italian, chili pepper, etc.).
3. Turn down heat to medium and cover until vegetables are soft (about 20 minutes).
Carrot Ginger Slaw
*Makes a lot. Perfect for get-togethers or functions
2 cups carrots (shredded)
1 gala apple (shredded)
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp fresh ginger (shredded)
2-3 tbsp lime juice (taste after you add 2 tbsp. May need more to meet your liking)
1/4 cup chopped raisins
1/4 sunflower seeds
1. Mix together ingredients. Stir well.
2. Refrigerate.
Karel and I love to work hard/play hard so as tiring as it is to be on the road so much in between races (rather than just taking long vacations), we certainly don't complain when we travel.
As you know, one of my philosophy's for healthy eating is;
"If you eat well most of the time you don't have to worry about the rest of the time"
I think traveling for "vacation" is a perfect example of "the rest of the time" when you may deviate from your normal training and eating routine. However, if you aren't sticking to your normal training schedule and you are doing more eating-out than normal while on vacation, one would think that "most of the time" you stick to a consistent training routine and you understand your personal nutrition requirements to support your lifestyle.
Over the past few days, I have tried my best to bring as much food as I can with us, so that we don't go long hours without eating and that we have some of our staple foods/snacks with us when we get a craving. However, as for meals, I look forward to going to new places and trying new foods.
One thing I don't like is paying money for meals which are not as appetizing as they claim to be (although on the menu they sound appetizing and healthy). Secondly, I don't like paying for healthy meals (ex. salads) which leave me hungry an hour after I spent $8-12 for the meal. Just like with my training, I am all about quality over quantity and if I am paying money for a vegetarian-friendly meal I want to feel good about what I put in my body.
One thing I DO NOT do when I travel is give myself the opportunity to have a free-for-all and eat everything and anything that I don't eat on a daily basis. More so, I try to eat on a somewhat normal schedule so that I can feel in control of what I put in my body (and not order something on impulse because I'm starving). I make sure I start my morning with a slow digesting breakfast, I try to eat fruits and veggies as much as I can and I try to balance out my meals with healthy fats, low fat protein and complex carbs.
One thing that I DO when I travel is make sure that I enjoy myself and not feel guilty, restricted or unhappy when I eat. As I continue to improve on my healthy relationship with food on a daily basis when I am at home, I am well aware that a cookie or ice cream cone once or twice while on vacation is not going to make me "fat". I avoid negative self-talk while on vacation and I make sure that I enjoy every bite of food that I put in my mouth.
Throughout the last few days, Karel and I have enjoyed a few sweet treats that we normally don't eat on a daily basis. Considering that Karel has a huge sweet tooth when we are at home, when we are on vacation it is nice to try local favorites and share deserts like a homemade cookie or ice cream. Because Karel has different calorie and macronutrient requirements than me (especially this week since he is doing 7 criterium races in 9 days) he has the opportunity to enjoy more food and more food options than myself. However, that doesn't mean that we can't share a yummy treat. Furthermore, knowing that most of the time we strive to eat to support our athletic lifestyle, all while keeping our immune system, heart, brain and muscles healthy, it would absolutely ridiculous if I told myself I couldn't enjoy a whole cookie (rather than sharing some with Karel).
I hope that everyone reading this blog understands that there is no perfect diet and there are many opportunities in the year to enjoy foods that you normally wouldn't eat....without feeling guilty or out-of-control when eating them. Your daily habits should support those special eating opportunities and with your daily nutrition habits in mind, you should find yourself feeling in control of what you put in your body, even if it isn't part of your eating routine. I would hope that if you eat well most of the time, you recognize how to make educated healthy choices and still enjoy a few sweet treats.
Karel and I couldn't wait to get back home to have some color in our life. I honestly don't know how people can eat a variety of fruits and veggies while eating out. I always stress the importance of preparing meals at home and avoiding eating out. Thinking back on the last few days, it was really hard for me to eat my normal favorite foods (fruits, veggies and low fat protein) while on the road. In my opinion, a veggie sub (w/ a veggie burger) at Subway is not my idea of meeting my vegetable recommendations. Furthermore, I don't want to spend the money on a salad, in an effort to get more veggies into my body, only to be hungry an hour later.
I add a little more fat to my diet (mostly through PB, cheese and nuts) when I travel because I just hate being hungry all of the time. To me, traveling is a great opportunity for me to stay active, enjoy new things and enjoy new places. If I have food on my mind 24/7 I am not going to make the most of my vacation. I bring as much fruit and vegetables (mostly carrots since they are easy for traveling), as well as yogurt, hardboiled eggs and whole grain bread, in our cooler but I don't want to spend my whole vacation eating in my room.
As you continue your quest to build a healthy relationship with food, I can't stress enough of the importance of building your diet off a plant-based diet in order to feel good about what you put in your body. Don't be afraid of healthy fats and be sure to balance out your carbs with lean/low fat protein.
The more I experiment with my own eating routine to support my training routine, the more I am convinced that eating is very much controlled by chemicals and hormones in our body. While I can not explain all of these processes, I have learned enough through my graduate education (MS in Exercise Physiology) that our body is a very amazing thing. Therefore, if we "train" it to do certain things on a daily basis, the body begins to become much more efficient at metabolizing fuels and because of that, when you have an "off" day of eating (planned or unplanned) your body does not react negatively to the change in food.
What's your favorite "rest of the time" food/snack?
When we travel, if I can find one around, I love the Close Talker at Moe's (w/ Tofu) and the Egg white bagel sandwich (stuffed with veggies) at Einstein Bagels. I also LOVE local thin-crust pizza. For a treat I love taking bites of whatever Karel eats (typically brownies, banana bread and cookies).
How about some new healthy recipes to inspire you to eat more at home....
Non-vegetarian:
Coconut almond chicken
1 chicken breast
2 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp shredded coconut
2 tbsp chopped or sliced almonds
1. On medium heat, cook defrosted chicken breast in 1 tsp oil.
2. Before flipping chicken to cook other side, spread olive oil over top of chicken and top with coconut and almond.
3. After a few minutes of cooking chicken, flip to cook other side.
Tuna Salad Wrap
1 can tuna (in water)
1 clove garlic (chopped)
Onion (chopped), roma tomato (chopped), peas, radish (sliced), celery (chopped)
1 hardboiled egg (optional)
1. Mix all ingredients (add as much of the veggies as you like..the more the better!)
2. Stuff a few big spoonfuls in pita.
*you can use more than 1 can tuna if you want to make more servings.
Vegetarian
Potato, Spinach and Egg bake
2 potatoes (cooked until semi-soft/mashable)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
1/4 cup skim milk
Eggs (1 per person)
1/3 cup chopped onion
2 big handfulls spinach (chopped finely)
pepper, no salt seasonings
Optional: Spoonful panko bread crumbs
*preheat oven to 325 degrees
1. Mash potatoes and add milk.
2. Add other ingredients (except eggs).
3. Spoon mixture in casserole dish. Top with breadcrumbs and additional spices.
4. Bake for 15 minutes.
5. Carefully crack eggs on corners of the casserole.
6. Bake until egg is cooked and edges of casserole turn light brown.
(I put my eggs on the casserole the first time I baked it so I am thinking if you cook the dish first and then add the eggs, the eggs won't be as hard. However, the dish was SUPER yummy)
Leftover tofu soup
*Want to finish up your leftovers before you travel? This is a perfect recipe that you can really play around with, depending on what you have in your fridge. Here's what I used:
Carrots
Tofu (firm, cubed)
Garlic
Onions
Red potatoes (cooked in microwave for 2-3 minutes to make it easier to cube)
Mushrooms
Broccoli stalk
Low sodium vegetarian vegetable stock (1 cup) - your stock doesn't have to be expensive, just compare food labels and look for the lowest sodium option
2-3 cups water
1. In a large pot on medium/high heat, add water and stock.
2. When water starts to bubble, add other ingredients and any additional no-salt seasonings (ex. basil, Italian, chili pepper, etc.).
3. Turn down heat to medium and cover until vegetables are soft (about 20 minutes).
Carrot Ginger Slaw
*Makes a lot. Perfect for get-togethers or functions
2 cups carrots (shredded)
1 gala apple (shredded)
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp fresh ginger (shredded)
2-3 tbsp lime juice (taste after you add 2 tbsp. May need more to meet your liking)
1/4 cup chopped raisins
1/4 sunflower seeds
1. Mix together ingredients. Stir well.
2. Refrigerate.
4/28/10
Athens, Roswell & Beufort
Lots of traveling this week. Welcome to USA CRIT SPEED WEEK!
Technically this is our "vacation" but with Karel being the general manager of the Trek store, it seems as if he is never on vacation. He loves his job and has a great boss but there is always something to be done or needed at the Trek store of Jacksonville.
It is great that Karel is able to do the entire Speed Week but he also has to squeeze in some time at work in between the races (the racers had/have an off day on Mon and Thurs this week). As for me, I feel as if I work 24/7 but most (if not all) of my work is on the computer. Karel wants me to get a blackberry so I can keep up with emails while we are on the road, but I am not sure if I am ready for that technical advancement in my life. Although I rely on the computer for everything I do, I am not too tech-savvy and I prefer to keep things simple in my life. The more electronics that I bring into my life, the more stressed I feel when something goes wrong.
Athens was amazing. Unfortunately, Karel didn't finish the race but that's ok. He was really hoping to finish this year but throw in the rain, the course was 10x harder than the past few years. I know Karel won't give up and one of the years he WILL finish Athens!
Just to put this race into perspective, this is nothing like the cycling races in Florida. Imagine that you are a top runner or triathlete in your local town and compared to other athletes, you feel pretty confident with your skills and talent and if you are having a good day, you can have a best time or place well in your age group. Well, that would be Karel in Florida and Georgia when he does the Pro 1,2 cycling races. Now, when you get to USA Speed Week, the top domestic professional cyclists (who race and trai for a living) are on a whole other level. This is the REAL thing. Although the races in Florida and Georgia challenging with great riders, they just don't compare to the speed and talent at this level.
So, imagine yourself being able to race with elite triathletes or runners at a BIG event. You only have one chance to try to stay with the leaders and if you can't stay with them (say, if they are running 5 min/miles and you can only run 6 min/miles) you are done for the day. Yep-that's what Karel feels like when he races USA Speed Week. Karel is simply racing to finish...each race that he finishes is an accomplishment and a boost in his fitness. He loves the push and hard effort at these races and he LOVES LOVES LOVES doing night crit races. The races are longer and faster than what he is use to and he has this week on his mind all year long as he is training and racing.
30 people finished the Athens Twilight crit out of 150 starters. It was simply amazing watching the rain come down on the riders and the riders picking up the pace, almost as if they weren't even bothered by the wind and rain. The crowd was crazy but I wouldn't expect anything less in a college town with Terrapin beer as the title sponsor. Lots of money was on the line for this race and every finisher received money (paid 30 deep). Karel said his fitness was there but with the number of crashes, flat tires (you are advised to take out pressure in your tires when racing in the rain, but that also increases the chance of flats) and guys quitting the race, it was almost impossible for him to move up in the field. He was just hanging on for dear life. Karel said his brakes didn't work at all so when he made the 90-degree turns at 30+ mph, it was really hard for him to dodge crashes without his brakes (I would say that none of the guys had working brakes due to the pouring rain). Karel made 20 laps (20K) out of the 80K race and I would say that he held on much longer than about 50 guys. The field just got smaller and smaller as the minutes ticked by and after 1 hour and 40+ minutes of racing (80K later) Karel, Curtis (who also raced but didn't finish), Ralph and I watched the lead break finish the race. Absolutely amazing!
The next stop was Roswell GA (about an hour away from Athens). Karel and I started the morning with a short bike ride in rolling hills. Karel just took it easy and I had fun sprinting up the hills. I just love rollers. After our bike ride and breakfast, we packed up the car and headed out for race #2.
Karel finished Roswell and I was happy that my friend Wes (codegeekstail.blogspot) came to watch. The course is very spectator friendly. Crit races are around 1K (some are less than a mile, although technically that would be called a circuit race) in length so it is really cool to walk around the entire race course to get different views of the race.
Karel finished around mid pack and he looked really good out there. Curtis finished a bit ahead of Karel. Karel and I hit the road right after the 6:30pm race (which lasted 90 minutes) and it was a LATE night for us. We got home at 2:30am and we were ready for some good sleep.
Mon was a day off for both Karel and I for training and my highlight of the day was seeing my CAMPY!!! Thank you Laura for driving him to my parents on your way to St. A's and thanks to my parents for taking such loving care of my Campy!
Well, we are now in Beufort and Karel had race 3# of 7. Last night Karel told me that he has never finished this race (last 2 years) and he would be lucky if he made it halfway. He said he just wants to see how long he can last because the course is really tight and technical with lots of crashes and tight turns. After walking with Campy around the course, he was right! Holy cow, this race looked harder than Athens!
The race started at 7:30 pm and it got dark really quick. I managed to take a few pics with daylight but got lots of videos.
There were several crashes and one crash that stopped the entire field in a corner. Karel and about 20 other guys had to get back to the wheel pit to wait until the field came by again (at this point there was a 6 man break, followed by the chase pack around 45 sec. back). Karel and the other guys managed to get back into the race but out of the 100+ guys who started, there were only around 40-60 guys still in the race. With 7 laps to go (out of 75 laps) Karel got a flat and had to get a spare wheel from the wheel pit. Once again, he was out of his rhythm but managed to get back into the race. After 5 laps to go you aren't allowed spare wheels so I was hoping that Karel wouldn't get another flat (or get in a crash) so that he could finish this race. He looked really good out there and although he was near the back of the group, he managed to stay in the game for the 90 minute race.
Way to go Karel....finishing 2 out of 3 races is amazing.....we are off to Walterboro SC in a few hours for race #4! Heading back to Jax for the day tomorrow and then off to Spartenberg, SC on Fri, Dilworth NC on Sat and Sandy Springs GA on Sun!
Here are some video's... I will post pics later.
Athens, GA:
Karel's last lap
Roswell, GA:
HUGE field!!
Beufort, SC:
Technically this is our "vacation" but with Karel being the general manager of the Trek store, it seems as if he is never on vacation. He loves his job and has a great boss but there is always something to be done or needed at the Trek store of Jacksonville.
It is great that Karel is able to do the entire Speed Week but he also has to squeeze in some time at work in between the races (the racers had/have an off day on Mon and Thurs this week). As for me, I feel as if I work 24/7 but most (if not all) of my work is on the computer. Karel wants me to get a blackberry so I can keep up with emails while we are on the road, but I am not sure if I am ready for that technical advancement in my life. Although I rely on the computer for everything I do, I am not too tech-savvy and I prefer to keep things simple in my life. The more electronics that I bring into my life, the more stressed I feel when something goes wrong.
Athens was amazing. Unfortunately, Karel didn't finish the race but that's ok. He was really hoping to finish this year but throw in the rain, the course was 10x harder than the past few years. I know Karel won't give up and one of the years he WILL finish Athens!
Just to put this race into perspective, this is nothing like the cycling races in Florida. Imagine that you are a top runner or triathlete in your local town and compared to other athletes, you feel pretty confident with your skills and talent and if you are having a good day, you can have a best time or place well in your age group. Well, that would be Karel in Florida and Georgia when he does the Pro 1,2 cycling races. Now, when you get to USA Speed Week, the top domestic professional cyclists (who race and trai for a living) are on a whole other level. This is the REAL thing. Although the races in Florida and Georgia challenging with great riders, they just don't compare to the speed and talent at this level.
So, imagine yourself being able to race with elite triathletes or runners at a BIG event. You only have one chance to try to stay with the leaders and if you can't stay with them (say, if they are running 5 min/miles and you can only run 6 min/miles) you are done for the day. Yep-that's what Karel feels like when he races USA Speed Week. Karel is simply racing to finish...each race that he finishes is an accomplishment and a boost in his fitness. He loves the push and hard effort at these races and he LOVES LOVES LOVES doing night crit races. The races are longer and faster than what he is use to and he has this week on his mind all year long as he is training and racing.
30 people finished the Athens Twilight crit out of 150 starters. It was simply amazing watching the rain come down on the riders and the riders picking up the pace, almost as if they weren't even bothered by the wind and rain. The crowd was crazy but I wouldn't expect anything less in a college town with Terrapin beer as the title sponsor. Lots of money was on the line for this race and every finisher received money (paid 30 deep). Karel said his fitness was there but with the number of crashes, flat tires (you are advised to take out pressure in your tires when racing in the rain, but that also increases the chance of flats) and guys quitting the race, it was almost impossible for him to move up in the field. He was just hanging on for dear life. Karel said his brakes didn't work at all so when he made the 90-degree turns at 30+ mph, it was really hard for him to dodge crashes without his brakes (I would say that none of the guys had working brakes due to the pouring rain). Karel made 20 laps (20K) out of the 80K race and I would say that he held on much longer than about 50 guys. The field just got smaller and smaller as the minutes ticked by and after 1 hour and 40+ minutes of racing (80K later) Karel, Curtis (who also raced but didn't finish), Ralph and I watched the lead break finish the race. Absolutely amazing!
The next stop was Roswell GA (about an hour away from Athens). Karel and I started the morning with a short bike ride in rolling hills. Karel just took it easy and I had fun sprinting up the hills. I just love rollers. After our bike ride and breakfast, we packed up the car and headed out for race #2.
Karel finished Roswell and I was happy that my friend Wes (codegeekstail.blogspot) came to watch. The course is very spectator friendly. Crit races are around 1K (some are less than a mile, although technically that would be called a circuit race) in length so it is really cool to walk around the entire race course to get different views of the race.
Karel finished around mid pack and he looked really good out there. Curtis finished a bit ahead of Karel. Karel and I hit the road right after the 6:30pm race (which lasted 90 minutes) and it was a LATE night for us. We got home at 2:30am and we were ready for some good sleep.
Mon was a day off for both Karel and I for training and my highlight of the day was seeing my CAMPY!!! Thank you Laura for driving him to my parents on your way to St. A's and thanks to my parents for taking such loving care of my Campy!
Well, we are now in Beufort and Karel had race 3# of 7. Last night Karel told me that he has never finished this race (last 2 years) and he would be lucky if he made it halfway. He said he just wants to see how long he can last because the course is really tight and technical with lots of crashes and tight turns. After walking with Campy around the course, he was right! Holy cow, this race looked harder than Athens!
The race started at 7:30 pm and it got dark really quick. I managed to take a few pics with daylight but got lots of videos.
There were several crashes and one crash that stopped the entire field in a corner. Karel and about 20 other guys had to get back to the wheel pit to wait until the field came by again (at this point there was a 6 man break, followed by the chase pack around 45 sec. back). Karel and the other guys managed to get back into the race but out of the 100+ guys who started, there were only around 40-60 guys still in the race. With 7 laps to go (out of 75 laps) Karel got a flat and had to get a spare wheel from the wheel pit. Once again, he was out of his rhythm but managed to get back into the race. After 5 laps to go you aren't allowed spare wheels so I was hoping that Karel wouldn't get another flat (or get in a crash) so that he could finish this race. He looked really good out there and although he was near the back of the group, he managed to stay in the game for the 90 minute race.
Way to go Karel....finishing 2 out of 3 races is amazing.....we are off to Walterboro SC in a few hours for race #4! Heading back to Jax for the day tomorrow and then off to Spartenberg, SC on Fri, Dilworth NC on Sat and Sandy Springs GA on Sun!
Here are some video's... I will post pics later.
Athens, GA:
Karel's last lap
Roswell, GA:
HUGE field!!
Beufort, SC:
4/26/10
The Twilight 5K and $1000 mile
The computrainer finals on Fri were very exciting to watch but by the time we got back to the room at 10pm, a full day of excitement had gotten the best of us and we were ready for bed.
My alarm went off at 6:45am so technically, I "slept in" and it felt great. I am a big fan of sleeping(napper, not so much) so for me I need a good 8 hrs of sleep to wake up rested. Although my sleep is rarely continuous with 2 cats that insist on eating throughout the night and a dog who loves to cuddle under the covers, but somehow, I seem to wake up rested on a daily basis.
I had a restful night of rest in my Zoot compression tights and I was looking forward to the Twilight 5K run in and out of downtown Athens. I did the run last year and had a personal best time of 21 minutes and 6 seconds and for the past few years I have always wanted to run 20 minutes for a 5K. Although I do not consider myself a sprinter, I have worked really hard over the past 8 months (since IMKY) to work on my speed for shorter distances, as I progress into longer distances. I figure I can't run fast long distance until my body becomes more efficient running fast at shorter distances. Although it has been a slow off-season and build season, my patience and quality training is slowly starting to pay off. I remember the time, not too long ago in Dec. when running 6 miles at 8 min/mile pace was difficult. However, through a slow progression of intervals, tempo and long runs (in addition to swimming and biking) 6 miles at 8 min/mile pace turned into 9 miles at 7:55 min/mile pace and now I am running 14-15 miles at 7:45-7:50 min/mile pace. I am hoping to keep myself injury-free by sticking to my strategy of intervals during the week and steady long distance runs on the weekend until June 5th (Macon GA Rock n' Roll Halfman)...then it is time to train for IMWI!
Anyways, after coffee,water and a mini snack of cinnamon raisin bread from the Days Inn breakfast w/ a little Skippy Natural PB (PB and nuts go with me whenever I travel 'cause I gotta have some type of healthy fat or else I am hungry 24/7) at 7am it was time to get ready for the race.
The forecast for Sat was rain, rain and more rain. Oh yeah, mix in a little thunder and storms for one exciting day in Athens. I won't discuss the face that Karel's 9:30pm Twilight crit is hard enough on dry roads.....
Luckily, there was a brief period of no rain as I walked up to the race start (.5 miles away from the hotel) but as soon as I stood at the starting line with several hundred other runners, the clouds opened up and down came the rain.
If you participant in athletic events, I agree that it is really easy to complain about the weather. However, having trained and raced in the rain, cold, wind and blistering sun, I have learned over the years that it is a waste of energy to complain about the uncontrollables. There was absolutely no complaining by Karel and me before Sat (and on Sat) even though I compulsively checked the weather on an hourly basis....just in case the weather changed from horrible to wonderful. It was a shame about the ugly and unfortunate weather conditions for such a big and important race but it is what it is and if the weather sucks, we were just going to suck it up and go with it. If anything, we tried to make light of it and laugh it off as much as possible.
The horn went off for the race and I started my garmin. The course is rolling from 2K until 4K and if you aren't running up a hill you are running down. The course is really fast but the hills are not very generous on your quads or calves.
The first mile went by fast and I was feeling good to go for sub 21 minutes. Based on my last few races, I felt I had it in me to hold sub 7 min/miles for 3.1 miles.
Just before mile 2, after a huge downhill and uphill, a pile of bricks landed on my shoulders and I began to run in quicksand...or so it felt like it.
My breathing was under control and I had plenty of energy but wow was my body ready to sloooooowwww down. As I approached the turn which was followed by Mile marker 2, a volunteer was yelling out times. When he said "12 minutes, x-seconds" I got a sudden boost of energy before looking at my Garmin.
I picked up the pace as much as I could and with my non-sprinting legs, I guess you could say that I sprinted the last mile. Once again, there were a few more rollers but I was determined to get a best time.
When I made the last right turn in downtown, I could see the finish line and the clock which did not read 20 minutes....
Instead, it was reading 19 minutes!!! I ran as fast as my 5 foot frame would let me run under 20 minutes and you better believe I was painfully smiling when I crossed the finish line.
Garmin stats:
19:54 (Best time by 1 minute and 12 sec!)
Average pace: 6:31 min/mile
Mile 1: 6:35
Mile 2: 6:22
Mile 3: 6:38
last .1 mile was 5:44 pace (OUCH)
I couldn't wait to get back to the room to tell Karel so after I found out I won my age group (wasn't shooting for anything but a best time but I will take it!) I sloooooowly jogged back to the hotel...in the rain.
Did I mention that it was pouring rain during our run?
Karel was super excited for me and he was very impressed with my "speed".
I decided to pass on the 100K ride after the run because I was in no mood to ride hills in the rain. Since I was already wet I decided to do my "long" run (which I left up to my legs as to how long I would actually run) around the morning race course.
I headed 2.5 miles down to the cycling crit course where groups of riders (in categories) were racing for a few dozen slots for the amateur final race at 5:30 (before the Main events which include the Women Pro race at 8pm and then Men's race at 9pm). Several of the guys do this crit as a "warm-up" race for the night race but I would say the majority of the riders actually race the race so that they can participate in amateur finals in the evening (by placing top 10 or 15 in their category).
Karel, Curtis and Ralph all did the morning race. Curtis and Ralph did the 35+ (age group) race and Ralph placed 7th, qualifying him for amateur finals. Since Karel is not "old enough" to do the 35+ race (hehe - Karel is 34 years old) he did the Pro 1,2 race "for fun".
I ran around the race course as Karel warmed up and had a great time running up and down some hills. Although slow running was all I had in mind, it was nice to push it up the hills. My legs were a bit sore from the morning so with my "fun" training run, I took a few stops every few miles to watch the race. After my run I took a shower, mixed together some whey protein and milk, mixed in some of my homemade granola and headed to watch Karel's race.
Stats from my run:
1 hour and 13 minutes
8.5 miles
8:39 min/mile pace
Total miles for the day: 11.5 miles (+ 1 mile to get to and from the 5K race)
I wore my compression shorts during Karel's race at 12;45 pm but my legs were ready for some rest. However, this weekend was all in fun as our "vacation" and I always take time to remind myself how amazing the human body can be when we don't even ask it to do amazing things. I had been non-stop since my 5K that morning but didn't even miss a beat of the day in an effort to support Karel and watch him have a little fun at this morning race. He was super nervous for the night crit so it was enjoyable to watch him out there making it look super easy...considering that there would be nothing easy about the night race with the Top Pro teams racing for $120,000...in the rain!
Finally, after several small snacks throughout the day it was time for some lunch and finally by 3pm it was time to rest our tired legs.
Karel took a nap as I worked on some nutrition stuff on the computer and through the on and off storms/rain we just watched the clock tick on by....
Due to my top 15 finish at the morning 5K, I qualified to run in the $1000 mile at 7:30pm.
Last year I qualified but had to business running with college and HS runners who run sub 5:30 min/miles. This year I once again opted out of the $1000 1 mile race ($1000 pay out for top 5 men and women) which is held on Karel's night race course in downtown Athens....that is, until I saw Karel's teammate Curtis on the morning race course during my long run.
I told him about my race and that I qualified to run in the evening on their very difficult course (you would never guess it but there are several inclines and declines on the 1K course). He told me I should do it but I just laughed and said there is no way I am "sprinting" a mile and coming in last place. Plus, I had just ran all those miles with my PR and I was done for the day.
The deciding moment....
"Marni" says Curtis "Karel punished himself for 9 minutes on the computrainer last night I think it's your turn to make it hurt for 6 minutes"
Well, thanks to Curtis, I decided to embarrass myself and run the mile with thousands of people watching me come in last place.
To make the story short, my legs were toasted and the run started on the bottom of a steady incline. Let's just say I got dropped before the gun went off. The guys were aiming for sub 4:30 and the girls sub 5:30...haha, I'd be lucky if I could run sub 6:30!!
I nearly quit at the top of the hill before the first turn of the 1 1/2 loop course and within 5 sec. away from quitting, I hear my name from Karel's coach Shawn and our friend Saswata. I kept on running and after the second turn (still running alone with no one in sight) I hear my name again. Although it was a painful 1 mile, I just smiled the whole way (in the rain, once again) with my Czech Republic shirt (just for Karel) thinking to myself that this is a great experience and lesson for future races. As crazy as it sounds, no matter how "fast" you think you are, it takes a lot to actually participate in a race when you know 100% that you will come in last place. Although I was nearly 30 sec. behind the other girls I did feel kinda cool running on the course and being one of the top 15 finishers.
Oh well....
With my first mile for time...I ran a 6:03 mile for my last mile of the day (I think that makes it 13.5 miles for the day) it felt really neat to run on the Athens Twilight course in front of thousands of spectators.
My alarm went off at 6:45am so technically, I "slept in" and it felt great. I am a big fan of sleeping(napper, not so much) so for me I need a good 8 hrs of sleep to wake up rested. Although my sleep is rarely continuous with 2 cats that insist on eating throughout the night and a dog who loves to cuddle under the covers, but somehow, I seem to wake up rested on a daily basis.
I had a restful night of rest in my Zoot compression tights and I was looking forward to the Twilight 5K run in and out of downtown Athens. I did the run last year and had a personal best time of 21 minutes and 6 seconds and for the past few years I have always wanted to run 20 minutes for a 5K. Although I do not consider myself a sprinter, I have worked really hard over the past 8 months (since IMKY) to work on my speed for shorter distances, as I progress into longer distances. I figure I can't run fast long distance until my body becomes more efficient running fast at shorter distances. Although it has been a slow off-season and build season, my patience and quality training is slowly starting to pay off. I remember the time, not too long ago in Dec. when running 6 miles at 8 min/mile pace was difficult. However, through a slow progression of intervals, tempo and long runs (in addition to swimming and biking) 6 miles at 8 min/mile pace turned into 9 miles at 7:55 min/mile pace and now I am running 14-15 miles at 7:45-7:50 min/mile pace. I am hoping to keep myself injury-free by sticking to my strategy of intervals during the week and steady long distance runs on the weekend until June 5th (Macon GA Rock n' Roll Halfman)...then it is time to train for IMWI!
Anyways, after coffee,water and a mini snack of cinnamon raisin bread from the Days Inn breakfast w/ a little Skippy Natural PB (PB and nuts go with me whenever I travel 'cause I gotta have some type of healthy fat or else I am hungry 24/7) at 7am it was time to get ready for the race.
The forecast for Sat was rain, rain and more rain. Oh yeah, mix in a little thunder and storms for one exciting day in Athens. I won't discuss the face that Karel's 9:30pm Twilight crit is hard enough on dry roads.....
Luckily, there was a brief period of no rain as I walked up to the race start (.5 miles away from the hotel) but as soon as I stood at the starting line with several hundred other runners, the clouds opened up and down came the rain.
If you participant in athletic events, I agree that it is really easy to complain about the weather. However, having trained and raced in the rain, cold, wind and blistering sun, I have learned over the years that it is a waste of energy to complain about the uncontrollables. There was absolutely no complaining by Karel and me before Sat (and on Sat) even though I compulsively checked the weather on an hourly basis....just in case the weather changed from horrible to wonderful. It was a shame about the ugly and unfortunate weather conditions for such a big and important race but it is what it is and if the weather sucks, we were just going to suck it up and go with it. If anything, we tried to make light of it and laugh it off as much as possible.
The horn went off for the race and I started my garmin. The course is rolling from 2K until 4K and if you aren't running up a hill you are running down. The course is really fast but the hills are not very generous on your quads or calves.
The first mile went by fast and I was feeling good to go for sub 21 minutes. Based on my last few races, I felt I had it in me to hold sub 7 min/miles for 3.1 miles.
Just before mile 2, after a huge downhill and uphill, a pile of bricks landed on my shoulders and I began to run in quicksand...or so it felt like it.
My breathing was under control and I had plenty of energy but wow was my body ready to sloooooowwww down. As I approached the turn which was followed by Mile marker 2, a volunteer was yelling out times. When he said "12 minutes, x-seconds" I got a sudden boost of energy before looking at my Garmin.
I picked up the pace as much as I could and with my non-sprinting legs, I guess you could say that I sprinted the last mile. Once again, there were a few more rollers but I was determined to get a best time.
When I made the last right turn in downtown, I could see the finish line and the clock which did not read 20 minutes....
Instead, it was reading 19 minutes!!! I ran as fast as my 5 foot frame would let me run under 20 minutes and you better believe I was painfully smiling when I crossed the finish line.
Garmin stats:
19:54 (Best time by 1 minute and 12 sec!)
Average pace: 6:31 min/mile
Mile 1: 6:35
Mile 2: 6:22
Mile 3: 6:38
last .1 mile was 5:44 pace (OUCH)
I couldn't wait to get back to the room to tell Karel so after I found out I won my age group (wasn't shooting for anything but a best time but I will take it!) I sloooooowly jogged back to the hotel...in the rain.
Did I mention that it was pouring rain during our run?
Karel was super excited for me and he was very impressed with my "speed".
I decided to pass on the 100K ride after the run because I was in no mood to ride hills in the rain. Since I was already wet I decided to do my "long" run (which I left up to my legs as to how long I would actually run) around the morning race course.
I headed 2.5 miles down to the cycling crit course where groups of riders (in categories) were racing for a few dozen slots for the amateur final race at 5:30 (before the Main events which include the Women Pro race at 8pm and then Men's race at 9pm). Several of the guys do this crit as a "warm-up" race for the night race but I would say the majority of the riders actually race the race so that they can participate in amateur finals in the evening (by placing top 10 or 15 in their category).
Karel, Curtis and Ralph all did the morning race. Curtis and Ralph did the 35+ (age group) race and Ralph placed 7th, qualifying him for amateur finals. Since Karel is not "old enough" to do the 35+ race (hehe - Karel is 34 years old) he did the Pro 1,2 race "for fun".
I ran around the race course as Karel warmed up and had a great time running up and down some hills. Although slow running was all I had in mind, it was nice to push it up the hills. My legs were a bit sore from the morning so with my "fun" training run, I took a few stops every few miles to watch the race. After my run I took a shower, mixed together some whey protein and milk, mixed in some of my homemade granola and headed to watch Karel's race.
Stats from my run:
1 hour and 13 minutes
8.5 miles
8:39 min/mile pace
Total miles for the day: 11.5 miles (+ 1 mile to get to and from the 5K race)
I wore my compression shorts during Karel's race at 12;45 pm but my legs were ready for some rest. However, this weekend was all in fun as our "vacation" and I always take time to remind myself how amazing the human body can be when we don't even ask it to do amazing things. I had been non-stop since my 5K that morning but didn't even miss a beat of the day in an effort to support Karel and watch him have a little fun at this morning race. He was super nervous for the night crit so it was enjoyable to watch him out there making it look super easy...considering that there would be nothing easy about the night race with the Top Pro teams racing for $120,000...in the rain!
Finally, after several small snacks throughout the day it was time for some lunch and finally by 3pm it was time to rest our tired legs.
Karel took a nap as I worked on some nutrition stuff on the computer and through the on and off storms/rain we just watched the clock tick on by....
Due to my top 15 finish at the morning 5K, I qualified to run in the $1000 mile at 7:30pm.
Last year I qualified but had to business running with college and HS runners who run sub 5:30 min/miles. This year I once again opted out of the $1000 1 mile race ($1000 pay out for top 5 men and women) which is held on Karel's night race course in downtown Athens....that is, until I saw Karel's teammate Curtis on the morning race course during my long run.
I told him about my race and that I qualified to run in the evening on their very difficult course (you would never guess it but there are several inclines and declines on the 1K course). He told me I should do it but I just laughed and said there is no way I am "sprinting" a mile and coming in last place. Plus, I had just ran all those miles with my PR and I was done for the day.
The deciding moment....
"Marni" says Curtis "Karel punished himself for 9 minutes on the computrainer last night I think it's your turn to make it hurt for 6 minutes"
Well, thanks to Curtis, I decided to embarrass myself and run the mile with thousands of people watching me come in last place.
To make the story short, my legs were toasted and the run started on the bottom of a steady incline. Let's just say I got dropped before the gun went off. The guys were aiming for sub 4:30 and the girls sub 5:30...haha, I'd be lucky if I could run sub 6:30!!
I nearly quit at the top of the hill before the first turn of the 1 1/2 loop course and within 5 sec. away from quitting, I hear my name from Karel's coach Shawn and our friend Saswata. I kept on running and after the second turn (still running alone with no one in sight) I hear my name again. Although it was a painful 1 mile, I just smiled the whole way (in the rain, once again) with my Czech Republic shirt (just for Karel) thinking to myself that this is a great experience and lesson for future races. As crazy as it sounds, no matter how "fast" you think you are, it takes a lot to actually participate in a race when you know 100% that you will come in last place. Although I was nearly 30 sec. behind the other girls I did feel kinda cool running on the course and being one of the top 15 finishers.
Oh well....
With my first mile for time...I ran a 6:03 mile for my last mile of the day (I think that makes it 13.5 miles for the day) it felt really neat to run on the Athens Twilight course in front of thousands of spectators.
4/25/10
Athens Computrainer "race"
I suppose I am well overdue for a blog post. Sorry, we've been keeping ourselves really busy here in Athens and enjoying every moment of it.
Friday felt a little rushed too me and I knew I had a lot to do in not a lot of time.
First part of my agenda was my workout. As usual, my workout (whether it is training or just heart-healthy exercise) is my time, my breath of fresh air and my mental and physical boost for the day. Aside from active recovery Monday's, not much comes before my morning Tues - Sunday workout.
The alarm went off at 4:30am and like normal, I ate my Wasa cracker w/ PB and drank my coffee on the way to the Y. I was on the treadmill by 5:05am (Y opens at 5am). The workout went by fast with all of my intervals. This is one of my fav. sets:
15 min warm-up (increasing speed throughout the warm-up, still in a comfortable zone): 7.0-7.5mph
5 min: 45 sec hard, 15 sec straddle treadmill (rest): 8.0mph (get the HR up)
Main set:
5 min tempo (7.7 mph), 5 min (45 sec hard, 15 sec straddle treadmill - 8.5mph)
4 min tempo (7.7mph), 4 min (45 sec hard, 15 sec straddle treadmill - 8.6mph)
3 min tempo (7.7mph), 3 min (same - 8.7mph)
2 min tempo (7.7mph), 2 min (same - 8.8mph)
1 min tempo (7.7mph), 1 min (same - 8.9mph)
Total 50 min, 6.6 miles
Off to the pool from 6:05-7:10....
Main set: 4 x 400's on 6:30 (200 @ 60%, 200 @ 80%) - 5:35, 5:23, 5:21
200 back easy
3 x 200's on 3 min (80%) - 2:42, 2:41, 2:40
Total yrd: 3500
I quickly got cleaned up, dried my hair and headed to the store for some last minute stuff for our trip, filled up my tank in my car and headed home. I've been really busy with some Grant workout for an obesity project here in Jacksonville, so I've really been crunching my time during the week (I'll be writing about the childhood obesity project that I am part of, very shortly).
When I got home I only had 10 min. to show Campy some love before I took him over to Laura's at 8:45am.
I typically pack myself well in advance so my stuff was ready to go. I put Karel to work loading up our stuff while I took Campy and his travel-gear, to Laura's.
Laura (Campy's normal doggy sitter and my BFF, and dietitian and great cook) was super nice to offer to bring Campy to my parents in New Port Richey on her way (with her hubby Pat) to St. A's. My mom ended up meeting Laura at an exit so it worked out perfect. I bet campy was SUPER confused, but excited. Unfortunately, Athens Twilight weekend is no place for a dog who doesn't care for fast bikes.
Laura and I did a quick exchange of food (we always do this) and I gave her my latest granola and muffins and she gave me a strawberry mini bread loaf, dehydrated strawberries and a few pieces of pineapple upside down cake. Laura is the best cook/baker EVER, even with her modifications for heart-healthy recipes. Last year she made me the most delicious carrot cake for my b-day but I'm thinking the pineapple upside down cake might be just as good.
Finally, at 9:10am, Karel and I were off to Athens.
It was an uneventful drive and Karel did most of the driving. After we stopped for lunch (I made PB & J, w/ lots of fruit on hand, Karel got Subway) I drove for a bit.
Karel isn't much of a talker when we travel to big races so I just let him be in his zone. This is a very important race for him and he has his own ways of gearing up for a race so I tried to let him do his thing. I am the complete opposite before races, so as you can imagine, it is very hard for me to keep quiet and not provide some type of motivational talk/story to Karel.
Anyways, after we got checked into the Days Inn (within walking distance to downtown Athens) we had a quick snack (yogurt, granola, skim milk and fruit from my cooler and a little spoonful of PB) and headed to the Computrainer venue.
Karel's heat was at 5:45pm and he had to be there 30 min. before the start. Karel was a little stressed before the race because they didn't have him on schedule for his 8-man heat, but after showing the staff his email confirmations for his heat, all was good.
Each guy gets weighed with their bike in order to give each rider a fair advantage with their resistance. It's funny seeing the guys take off as much possible off their bike and body in order to be weighed as light as possible to avoid a higher than necessary resistance on the computrainer.
While the guys warmed up on the computrainer, I listed to the Jazz festival music which was amazing. What a great venue.
At 5:45 the race started and I watched 8 guys battle it out on the computrainer. Just brutal and pure torture for 3.5 miles of the Athens Twilight course.
The course is rolling, but you wold never guess it unless you ran/rode on it. There are slight uphills and downhills and the Computrainer makes you feel every incline. There is a lot of shifting of gears and grinding of teeth.
Karel started off really strong and moved up to first place for the first mile or so but Karel "got passed" as the race went on. Karel would do anything to not ride the trainer but in this case, all Computrainer riders receive a # for Sat night which seats them closer to the front in the starting corral.
Karel finished 8th in his heat and finished a few minutes faster than last year. Just under 9 minutes for 3.5 miles. The fastest 8 guys from the day come back at night for the Computrainer finals and $2000 up for grabs...and bragging rights.
After the Computrainer finals we watched Curtis (his teammate) race and then grabbed some dinner at our favorite college hang out...The Taco Bar. We went there two times last year and I was so excited to go back.
Tofu tortilla w/ lettuce, salsa and a little cheese....yum!
We hung out at the room for a little after dinner and then headed back to downtown to squeeze our way through hundreds of people to watch the finals.
Just craziness!!!!
Friday felt a little rushed too me and I knew I had a lot to do in not a lot of time.
First part of my agenda was my workout. As usual, my workout (whether it is training or just heart-healthy exercise) is my time, my breath of fresh air and my mental and physical boost for the day. Aside from active recovery Monday's, not much comes before my morning Tues - Sunday workout.
The alarm went off at 4:30am and like normal, I ate my Wasa cracker w/ PB and drank my coffee on the way to the Y. I was on the treadmill by 5:05am (Y opens at 5am). The workout went by fast with all of my intervals. This is one of my fav. sets:
15 min warm-up (increasing speed throughout the warm-up, still in a comfortable zone): 7.0-7.5mph
5 min: 45 sec hard, 15 sec straddle treadmill (rest): 8.0mph (get the HR up)
Main set:
5 min tempo (7.7 mph), 5 min (45 sec hard, 15 sec straddle treadmill - 8.5mph)
4 min tempo (7.7mph), 4 min (45 sec hard, 15 sec straddle treadmill - 8.6mph)
3 min tempo (7.7mph), 3 min (same - 8.7mph)
2 min tempo (7.7mph), 2 min (same - 8.8mph)
1 min tempo (7.7mph), 1 min (same - 8.9mph)
Total 50 min, 6.6 miles
Off to the pool from 6:05-7:10....
Main set: 4 x 400's on 6:30 (200 @ 60%, 200 @ 80%) - 5:35, 5:23, 5:21
200 back easy
3 x 200's on 3 min (80%) - 2:42, 2:41, 2:40
Total yrd: 3500
I quickly got cleaned up, dried my hair and headed to the store for some last minute stuff for our trip, filled up my tank in my car and headed home. I've been really busy with some Grant workout for an obesity project here in Jacksonville, so I've really been crunching my time during the week (I'll be writing about the childhood obesity project that I am part of, very shortly).
When I got home I only had 10 min. to show Campy some love before I took him over to Laura's at 8:45am.
I typically pack myself well in advance so my stuff was ready to go. I put Karel to work loading up our stuff while I took Campy and his travel-gear, to Laura's.
Laura (Campy's normal doggy sitter and my BFF, and dietitian and great cook) was super nice to offer to bring Campy to my parents in New Port Richey on her way (with her hubby Pat) to St. A's. My mom ended up meeting Laura at an exit so it worked out perfect. I bet campy was SUPER confused, but excited. Unfortunately, Athens Twilight weekend is no place for a dog who doesn't care for fast bikes.
Laura and I did a quick exchange of food (we always do this) and I gave her my latest granola and muffins and she gave me a strawberry mini bread loaf, dehydrated strawberries and a few pieces of pineapple upside down cake. Laura is the best cook/baker EVER, even with her modifications for heart-healthy recipes. Last year she made me the most delicious carrot cake for my b-day but I'm thinking the pineapple upside down cake might be just as good.
Finally, at 9:10am, Karel and I were off to Athens.
It was an uneventful drive and Karel did most of the driving. After we stopped for lunch (I made PB & J, w/ lots of fruit on hand, Karel got Subway) I drove for a bit.
Karel isn't much of a talker when we travel to big races so I just let him be in his zone. This is a very important race for him and he has his own ways of gearing up for a race so I tried to let him do his thing. I am the complete opposite before races, so as you can imagine, it is very hard for me to keep quiet and not provide some type of motivational talk/story to Karel.
Anyways, after we got checked into the Days Inn (within walking distance to downtown Athens) we had a quick snack (yogurt, granola, skim milk and fruit from my cooler and a little spoonful of PB) and headed to the Computrainer venue.
Karel's heat was at 5:45pm and he had to be there 30 min. before the start. Karel was a little stressed before the race because they didn't have him on schedule for his 8-man heat, but after showing the staff his email confirmations for his heat, all was good.
Each guy gets weighed with their bike in order to give each rider a fair advantage with their resistance. It's funny seeing the guys take off as much possible off their bike and body in order to be weighed as light as possible to avoid a higher than necessary resistance on the computrainer.
While the guys warmed up on the computrainer, I listed to the Jazz festival music which was amazing. What a great venue.
At 5:45 the race started and I watched 8 guys battle it out on the computrainer. Just brutal and pure torture for 3.5 miles of the Athens Twilight course.
The course is rolling, but you wold never guess it unless you ran/rode on it. There are slight uphills and downhills and the Computrainer makes you feel every incline. There is a lot of shifting of gears and grinding of teeth.
Karel started off really strong and moved up to first place for the first mile or so but Karel "got passed" as the race went on. Karel would do anything to not ride the trainer but in this case, all Computrainer riders receive a # for Sat night which seats them closer to the front in the starting corral.
Karel finished 8th in his heat and finished a few minutes faster than last year. Just under 9 minutes for 3.5 miles. The fastest 8 guys from the day come back at night for the Computrainer finals and $2000 up for grabs...and bragging rights.
After the Computrainer finals we watched Curtis (his teammate) race and then grabbed some dinner at our favorite college hang out...The Taco Bar. We went there two times last year and I was so excited to go back.
Tofu tortilla w/ lettuce, salsa and a little cheese....yum!
We hung out at the room for a little after dinner and then headed back to downtown to squeeze our way through hundreds of people to watch the finals.
Just craziness!!!!
4/22/10
Athens Twilight Crit!
This will be my second Twilight and Karel's third. As a spectator, there are no words to possibly describe this race.
Our friend James, who is an amazing cyclist, posted this on Karel's FB. If you are a cyclist and race/ride with others I am sure you can agree with James:
"Karel, Good luck in Athens...do what I used to do...keep telling yourself, "It can't keep going this fast for the whole race, it will slow up soon..." :-)
If you only knew how fast this race was you would totally agree with that quote.
We will be in Athens tomorrow around mid-afternoon so that Karel can do the Computrainer event at 5:45pm (his heat of 8 cyclists). Although Karel is not a fan of the trainer, this unique event gives certain riders an advantage on Sat for the Twilight Crit by assigning them a higher number for the starting corral. It is really neat to watch 8 guys "race" on computrainers with TV's in front of them (and in the audience) to see who is winning. The Computrainer is set up to replicate the exact Twilight Course and it is just brutal to see these guys go all out on the computrainer. It is also really neat to see their power and HR. I will be sure to post pics.
Here's the info about the main event:
The main event of the Athens Twilight, features cyclists representing teams from all over the nation and the world. The men's criterium is a 80-km race around historic downtown Athens. The course start-finish is on Clayton Street at College Avenue. The 1 kilometer course runs clockwise on Clayton, Lumpkin, Washington and Thomas.
With $120,000 in prize money on the line for the USA CRITS Series, the Athens Twilight Criterium is dubbed the most insane criterium in the world. Don't miss a minute of the evenings events.
This event starts SpeedWeek for USA crits so Karel will be racing 6 (possibly 7) crits in 9 days. This weekend and next weekend is our "vacation" so we are really looking forward to getting away. We both look forward to Speedweek all year long...I can't believe it is finally here.
Karel has never finished the race before (most people don't) so he is hoping that this is the year that he doesn't get stuck behind a crash (like last year) and can get in a good position to stay in the race. With 150 starters and around 40-50 finishers, you get treated like a superstar regardless if you cross the finish line.
Karel's favorite part of the race last year was getting high-fives from spectators and getting congrats from people just because he stayed in a little longer than the last guy who didn't finish.
I will be doing the 5K race on Sat morning, followed by a bike in the hills of GA (YAY!!). Sunday I will do a long-ish run, probably followed by an easy bike with Karel.
On Sun afternoon we head to Roswell GA for Crit #2 which will be at 6pm at night.
Did I mention that the Athens Twilight Crit starts at 9pm?!?!!?!
CRAZY! Nothing like watching the top cyclists in the USA race for close to 2 hrs, with over 10,000 spectators.
*If you live in the Athens or Roswell area, let me know (email me). I'd love to meet up!
Here's the link for the Athens Twilight Crit
http://www.athenstwilight.com/cycling.php
">
Our friend James, who is an amazing cyclist, posted this on Karel's FB. If you are a cyclist and race/ride with others I am sure you can agree with James:
"Karel, Good luck in Athens...do what I used to do...keep telling yourself, "It can't keep going this fast for the whole race, it will slow up soon..." :-)
If you only knew how fast this race was you would totally agree with that quote.
We will be in Athens tomorrow around mid-afternoon so that Karel can do the Computrainer event at 5:45pm (his heat of 8 cyclists). Although Karel is not a fan of the trainer, this unique event gives certain riders an advantage on Sat for the Twilight Crit by assigning them a higher number for the starting corral. It is really neat to watch 8 guys "race" on computrainers with TV's in front of them (and in the audience) to see who is winning. The Computrainer is set up to replicate the exact Twilight Course and it is just brutal to see these guys go all out on the computrainer. It is also really neat to see their power and HR. I will be sure to post pics.
Here's the info about the main event:
The main event of the Athens Twilight, features cyclists representing teams from all over the nation and the world. The men's criterium is a 80-km race around historic downtown Athens. The course start-finish is on Clayton Street at College Avenue. The 1 kilometer course runs clockwise on Clayton, Lumpkin, Washington and Thomas.
With $120,000 in prize money on the line for the USA CRITS Series, the Athens Twilight Criterium is dubbed the most insane criterium in the world. Don't miss a minute of the evenings events.
This event starts SpeedWeek for USA crits so Karel will be racing 6 (possibly 7) crits in 9 days. This weekend and next weekend is our "vacation" so we are really looking forward to getting away. We both look forward to Speedweek all year long...I can't believe it is finally here.
Karel has never finished the race before (most people don't) so he is hoping that this is the year that he doesn't get stuck behind a crash (like last year) and can get in a good position to stay in the race. With 150 starters and around 40-50 finishers, you get treated like a superstar regardless if you cross the finish line.
Karel's favorite part of the race last year was getting high-fives from spectators and getting congrats from people just because he stayed in a little longer than the last guy who didn't finish.
I will be doing the 5K race on Sat morning, followed by a bike in the hills of GA (YAY!!). Sunday I will do a long-ish run, probably followed by an easy bike with Karel.
On Sun afternoon we head to Roswell GA for Crit #2 which will be at 6pm at night.
Did I mention that the Athens Twilight Crit starts at 9pm?!?!!?!
CRAZY! Nothing like watching the top cyclists in the USA race for close to 2 hrs, with over 10,000 spectators.
*If you live in the Athens or Roswell area, let me know (email me). I'd love to meet up!
Here's the link for the Athens Twilight Crit
http://www.athenstwilight.com/cycling.php
">
Happy Earth Day and Chocolate peanut butter tofu pudding
My furry little ones....
Although I don't recognize it all the time, every day is Earth Day to me.
Last year I posted some tips for being more Earth-friendly and I got some great comments from others who do their part in keeping the earth clean and respecting the planet. From having garden's to using "green" products, I sure do have a lot of earth-friendly blog readers!
I think it is important to take some time today and find a few small things that you can do to save your planet. If I could make one suggestion, I think the biggest change is driving less and walking/biking more. Just think of all the places you drive to during the day. I know there is a big movement right now (more than ever) to create more biking/walking friendly roads but if you have the opportunity to walk instead of drive, I think it is an easy (and heart-friendly) change that anyone can do a few times (if not every day) during the week.
I want to stress that we all do not have to strive for perfection when we want to make a change in our life or make a difference in this world. There is no perfect training/exercise plan, there is no perfect eating plan and certainly, no one is expecting you to be 100% "green".
Just because you don't recycle your plastic doesn't mean that you aren't saving the planet. Maybe you re-use wrapping paper, avoid buying plastic water bottles or turn off lights when you aren't in the room. Just look of the many ways that you are saving the planet!
Rather than thinking of ALL the things you can do to live a healthier life, think of a few things that you can do to be a healthier person. Rather than trying to stick to training/exercise plan every day of the week, which may be unrealistic or not beneficial to helping you meet your weight loss/training goals, try to stay consistent with a training/exercise plan most days of the week. On the other days, just stay active and have no expectations for your workout.
Rather than having the "all or nothing" approach to "saving the planet" just pick up trash when you see it or buy/use a re-usable grocery bag.
No matter if it is exercise, fitness, health or nutrition-related, believe me when I tell you that small changes in your life really do make a big difference. You have to find what works for you, without comparing yourself to anyone else.
In honor or Earth day, take a minute and look at all of the great things you are doing in your life (nutrition, activity, health related) rather than looking at the things you "wish" or feel you "need" to be doing.
What are your "EARTH DAY" tips???
Although most of my habits started a bit before graduate school, I realized I was doing a lot of great things for the planet as I was trying to save money.
Here are 21 of my earth friendly habits:
1) Reuse grocery bags for "lunch" bags
2) Reuse grocery bags for trash and/or dog/cat poopy bags
3) Use re-usable grocery bags most of the time
4) Separate my "big" trash items (ex. milk jugs, egg cartoons, laundry detergent, boxes that I can't open up, etc.)from my regular small trash so that I take out less trash bags and fill-up the bags as much as possible.
5) Air-dry cycling/triathlon clothing (with the increasing temps we do laundry a lot more often than in the winter)
6) Never throw away food. I freeze/refrigerate leftovers and find a way to use it.
7) Walk to the post-office (.3 miles down the road) and to the bank (.4 miles down the road) w/ Campy.
8) Walk to the Trek store w/ Campy (1.2 miles) a few times per week to say hi to Karel.
9) Walk to the grocery (.4 miles) w/ Campy and Karel when we need a few necessities (ex. milk, eggs, dark chocolate, yogurt).
10) Karel bikes to and from work in the summer.
11) Carpool whenever possible.
12) Try to run errands on the same day.
13) Re-use wrapping paper.
14) Re-use tinfoil, baggies, glass containers, etc. whenever possible.
15) Don't use lights unless I have to. I LOVE sunlight through my windows.
16) Britta water in the fridge instead of plastic bottles.
17) Turn down the AC 3 degrees in the evening and keep the apartment comfortable during the day.
18) Print out directions on scrap paper (or just hand-write directions on scrap paper).
19) Re-use big envelopes from races (typically race packet) for mailing or storing papers.
20) Pay bills online and re-use envelopes from credit card, electric company, cable, etc. whenever I can (typically I use old envelopes when I pay the rent or need to put together some papers to bring to meetings).
21) Give away (or try to sell) items I don't use rather than throwing them away.
22) Ask the grocery check-out employee's to stuff my bags when I don't have my re-usable bags
23) Shop at farmer's market for fruits and veggies
24) Buy in bulk whenever possible
Chocolate Peanut Butter Tofu
Karel loved this dessert so much I caught him licking the bowl!
Campy also loves this recipe - who doesn't like licking the peanut butter off the spoon?
Serves 2
1/2 cup tofu
1/4 cup skim milk
1 tbsp water
1 tsp natural PB
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp honey
1/2 ounce dark chocolate
optional: Brown sugar
1. Melt chocolate for 30-45 sec., stir and then melt again for 30-40 sec. You don't want the chocolate to become hard but at the same time you want it a little soft so it will blend evenly.
2. Add all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth (you may need to scrape down the inside of blender incase chocolate or PB sticks to the sides).
3. Pour into two dishes and top with a pinch of brown sugar (optional).
4. Best if you refrigerate for 30-60 min.
SOOOOOOO good!
*Packed with protein!
Although I don't recognize it all the time, every day is Earth Day to me.
Last year I posted some tips for being more Earth-friendly and I got some great comments from others who do their part in keeping the earth clean and respecting the planet. From having garden's to using "green" products, I sure do have a lot of earth-friendly blog readers!
I think it is important to take some time today and find a few small things that you can do to save your planet. If I could make one suggestion, I think the biggest change is driving less and walking/biking more. Just think of all the places you drive to during the day. I know there is a big movement right now (more than ever) to create more biking/walking friendly roads but if you have the opportunity to walk instead of drive, I think it is an easy (and heart-friendly) change that anyone can do a few times (if not every day) during the week.
I want to stress that we all do not have to strive for perfection when we want to make a change in our life or make a difference in this world. There is no perfect training/exercise plan, there is no perfect eating plan and certainly, no one is expecting you to be 100% "green".
Just because you don't recycle your plastic doesn't mean that you aren't saving the planet. Maybe you re-use wrapping paper, avoid buying plastic water bottles or turn off lights when you aren't in the room. Just look of the many ways that you are saving the planet!
Rather than thinking of ALL the things you can do to live a healthier life, think of a few things that you can do to be a healthier person. Rather than trying to stick to training/exercise plan every day of the week, which may be unrealistic or not beneficial to helping you meet your weight loss/training goals, try to stay consistent with a training/exercise plan most days of the week. On the other days, just stay active and have no expectations for your workout.
Rather than having the "all or nothing" approach to "saving the planet" just pick up trash when you see it or buy/use a re-usable grocery bag.
No matter if it is exercise, fitness, health or nutrition-related, believe me when I tell you that small changes in your life really do make a big difference. You have to find what works for you, without comparing yourself to anyone else.
In honor or Earth day, take a minute and look at all of the great things you are doing in your life (nutrition, activity, health related) rather than looking at the things you "wish" or feel you "need" to be doing.
What are your "EARTH DAY" tips???
Although most of my habits started a bit before graduate school, I realized I was doing a lot of great things for the planet as I was trying to save money.
Here are 21 of my earth friendly habits:
1) Reuse grocery bags for "lunch" bags
2) Reuse grocery bags for trash and/or dog/cat poopy bags
3) Use re-usable grocery bags most of the time
4) Separate my "big" trash items (ex. milk jugs, egg cartoons, laundry detergent, boxes that I can't open up, etc.)from my regular small trash so that I take out less trash bags and fill-up the bags as much as possible.
5) Air-dry cycling/triathlon clothing (with the increasing temps we do laundry a lot more often than in the winter)
6) Never throw away food. I freeze/refrigerate leftovers and find a way to use it.
7) Walk to the post-office (.3 miles down the road) and to the bank (.4 miles down the road) w/ Campy.
8) Walk to the Trek store w/ Campy (1.2 miles) a few times per week to say hi to Karel.
9) Walk to the grocery (.4 miles) w/ Campy and Karel when we need a few necessities (ex. milk, eggs, dark chocolate, yogurt).
10) Karel bikes to and from work in the summer.
11) Carpool whenever possible.
12) Try to run errands on the same day.
13) Re-use wrapping paper.
14) Re-use tinfoil, baggies, glass containers, etc. whenever possible.
15) Don't use lights unless I have to. I LOVE sunlight through my windows.
16) Britta water in the fridge instead of plastic bottles.
17) Turn down the AC 3 degrees in the evening and keep the apartment comfortable during the day.
18) Print out directions on scrap paper (or just hand-write directions on scrap paper).
19) Re-use big envelopes from races (typically race packet) for mailing or storing papers.
20) Pay bills online and re-use envelopes from credit card, electric company, cable, etc. whenever I can (typically I use old envelopes when I pay the rent or need to put together some papers to bring to meetings).
21) Give away (or try to sell) items I don't use rather than throwing them away.
22) Ask the grocery check-out employee's to stuff my bags when I don't have my re-usable bags
23) Shop at farmer's market for fruits and veggies
24) Buy in bulk whenever possible
Chocolate Peanut Butter Tofu
Karel loved this dessert so much I caught him licking the bowl!
Campy also loves this recipe - who doesn't like licking the peanut butter off the spoon?
Serves 2
1/2 cup tofu
1/4 cup skim milk
1 tbsp water
1 tsp natural PB
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp honey
1/2 ounce dark chocolate
optional: Brown sugar
1. Melt chocolate for 30-45 sec., stir and then melt again for 30-40 sec. You don't want the chocolate to become hard but at the same time you want it a little soft so it will blend evenly.
2. Add all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth (you may need to scrape down the inside of blender incase chocolate or PB sticks to the sides).
3. Pour into two dishes and top with a pinch of brown sugar (optional).
4. Best if you refrigerate for 30-60 min.
SOOOOOOO good!
*Packed with protein!
4/21/10
A healthy breakfast makes for a great day
There are a lot of blogs on the web. Some blogs are inspiring, funny and/or entertaining while others are informative and educational. I would like to think that my blog is both informative and inspiring and perhaps a little entertaining with my Campy pics. If you are one of my daily blog readers, I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for checking out my blog as you make small changes to live a more active and healthy life. Regardless if you are a newbie triathlete, top age group Ironman, fitness enthusiast or are considering participating in your first running race, I hope my blog has inspired you to have a healthy relationship with food and enjoy the many benefits of staying physically active.
The goal of my blog is to inform and not to preach. While I do get off on a tangent every now and then with my own personal views of the health of our nation, I try very hard to not to tell you what to do, but rather to give you the tools or the template of living a healthy and active life. Certainly there are a lot of food, health, fitness and wellness blogs out there and no matter if the blog creator is an educated professional or just a passionate individual, it is important to recognize that every blog writer (including myself) has his/her own philosophy and views of what it means to be healthy.
If I can assume that the majority of my blog readers take part in some type of physical activity on a daily basis (or most days a week), I believe that a balanced diet is 100% dependent on your individual lifestyle, your daily commitments and your exercise routine. How I eat on a daily basis is completely different than how Karel eats, it is different than how my parents and brother eats and it is different than how my best friend Laura (RD) eats. However.....although "how" I eat may differ from other individuals, "what" I eat is very similar to what I believe makes up a healthy diet. Having said that, what I eat is very similar to what Karel eats, what my parents eat and what my best friend Laura eats. I would hope, after reading my blog and checking out my many creations, that you have learned a few tricks on what to eat in order to lose/maintain weight and/or improve performance. Without a doubt, I am not perfect but I believe that there are a few key points in creating a healthy diet to support longevity and a lifetime of exercise.
Because there are so many diets out there, telling people what to eat in order to lose weight, tone up, stay healthy, maintain weight or improve performance, I find that many people are forgetting (or have never learned) that we all have different dietary requirements and different fueling strategies based on our physical activity routine, fitness levels, dietary choices, age, gender and socioeconomic status.
For example, right now in my life I am trying to be the healthiest vegetarian I can be to support my current training routine as I prepare for to go sub 5 hrs in a Half Ironman in June and qualify for Kona at IMWI. I am training very hard for my upcoming events and my eating routine is supporting the intensity and volume of training. Not only am I eating for fuel but I am eating to recover quickly and avoid injury and sickness. However, after IMWI, my focus will be on completing the 1200 hrs that I need to finish my dietetic internship in order to be eligible to sit for the Registered Dietitian national exam. After Sept, I will set new racing goals for the upcoming season and for a few months after IMWI I will be exercising and not training. Although the composition of my diet will change to support a decrease in volume (and perhaps intensity) my food choices will be similar because I enjoy being the healthiest vegetarian I can be.
Rather than telling you what I eat or what I think you should eat, I will give you some pointers to help you find what works for you.
The best way to start my day is oatmeal. I feel satisfied and my blood sugar stays stable for a good 3 hrs after I eat. When I increase my volume with training, I add in extra's to my oatmeal like nuts, seeds or fruit. When I increase the intensity with my training, I add in protein to my oatmeal like yogurt, skim milk or whey protein. When my weekly volume and intensity increase and I find that appetite is larger than normal, I add in a little more fat to my oatmeal like flax seeds or peanut butter. And, when I am nearing the end of a big build week I add in a smoothie to my oatmeal.
With my two hardest workout days being Tues and Wed, I typically have oatmeal and a smoothie on Wed and a smoothie w/ oatmeal on Tues. Sounds like the same thing but they are not.
My intense interval bike and run is on Tues and I have learned that I have a great workout following an active recovery day on Mon. However, because I am feeling fresh, I work extra hard on Tues and really need to think about my recovery.
I go for a big smoothie w/ whey protein, fruit, milk, flax seeds and ice and then I add in a bowl of oatmeal w/ raisins (about 1/4 cup oats). I use to just do a smoothie w/ about a handful of cereal (like Kashi Crunch) but I found that I was extra hungry come lunchtime and snacking more than normal throughout the day. I decided to add in a little oatmeal, rather than the cereal in my smoothie and well, that did the trick. Recovery was good and I felt satisfied.
As for Wed, my early morning Run + Swim gets me out of bed at 4:30 and I get home around 8:30. It's a long morning but a quality workout...one of my favorites. My run is an interval run (usually 7-8 miles) and swim is typically anaerobic (around 4000yrds) but afterwards I am pooped and anxious for my tempo bike on Thurs...with no running on Thurs. Because I am usually super hungry after my Wed workout, I have a small smoothie w/ whey, yogurt, ice and fruit (usually a piece of banana) and cinnamon and then I have a big bowl of oatmeal w/ fruit (usually apple or peach/nectarine), nuts, seeds and raisins. If I decide to pass on the smoothie, I would just do a glass of milk instead.
As you can see, my workouts changes, as does my appetite and my morning meal. Similar foods but over the last few months, I have really tried to pay attention to what I need rather than what I think I need.
Starting tomorrow, try to work on your breakfast so that you can start your day with a balanced and healthy meal. Regardless if you workout in the morning or at night, I find that many weakness's in the diet come from not eating a balanced breakfast. Thinking back to yesterday, when did you feel the most hungry? If you say lunch through dinner, it is likely that the composition of your breakfast needs some tweaking in an effort to help you stay satisfied and energized throughout the morning.
Any questions...just let me know how I can help you! Starting with breakfast, I think this could be a great topic to discuss on the comment section.
*Once again, I have to stress that my current eating habits did not come about over night and they will always be a work in progress. How I eat now will likely change next fall and the following summer. While you may think it is stressful finding what works for you, just remember that there are 365 days in a year and because we must eat for fuel, you have plenty of time to find what works for you. ;)
What's your favorite breakfast?
Do you think your breakfast needs some tweaking? What small changes do you think will make a difference in how you start your day?
Banana smoothie
1 scoop body fortress vanilla whey protein
dash of cinnamon
1/2 small ripe banana
2 tsp PB
1 tbsp flax seed
Ice
2-3 ounces strawberry low fat yogurt
Almonds for a topping
Crunchy Oats
1/3 cup instant oats
dash of cinnamon
1/2 small apple (chopped)
A few raisins
Kashi Crunch, nuts and sunflower seeds for a crunchy topping
The goal of my blog is to inform and not to preach. While I do get off on a tangent every now and then with my own personal views of the health of our nation, I try very hard to not to tell you what to do, but rather to give you the tools or the template of living a healthy and active life. Certainly there are a lot of food, health, fitness and wellness blogs out there and no matter if the blog creator is an educated professional or just a passionate individual, it is important to recognize that every blog writer (including myself) has his/her own philosophy and views of what it means to be healthy.
If I can assume that the majority of my blog readers take part in some type of physical activity on a daily basis (or most days a week), I believe that a balanced diet is 100% dependent on your individual lifestyle, your daily commitments and your exercise routine. How I eat on a daily basis is completely different than how Karel eats, it is different than how my parents and brother eats and it is different than how my best friend Laura (RD) eats. However.....although "how" I eat may differ from other individuals, "what" I eat is very similar to what I believe makes up a healthy diet. Having said that, what I eat is very similar to what Karel eats, what my parents eat and what my best friend Laura eats. I would hope, after reading my blog and checking out my many creations, that you have learned a few tricks on what to eat in order to lose/maintain weight and/or improve performance. Without a doubt, I am not perfect but I believe that there are a few key points in creating a healthy diet to support longevity and a lifetime of exercise.
Because there are so many diets out there, telling people what to eat in order to lose weight, tone up, stay healthy, maintain weight or improve performance, I find that many people are forgetting (or have never learned) that we all have different dietary requirements and different fueling strategies based on our physical activity routine, fitness levels, dietary choices, age, gender and socioeconomic status.
For example, right now in my life I am trying to be the healthiest vegetarian I can be to support my current training routine as I prepare for to go sub 5 hrs in a Half Ironman in June and qualify for Kona at IMWI. I am training very hard for my upcoming events and my eating routine is supporting the intensity and volume of training. Not only am I eating for fuel but I am eating to recover quickly and avoid injury and sickness. However, after IMWI, my focus will be on completing the 1200 hrs that I need to finish my dietetic internship in order to be eligible to sit for the Registered Dietitian national exam. After Sept, I will set new racing goals for the upcoming season and for a few months after IMWI I will be exercising and not training. Although the composition of my diet will change to support a decrease in volume (and perhaps intensity) my food choices will be similar because I enjoy being the healthiest vegetarian I can be.
Rather than telling you what I eat or what I think you should eat, I will give you some pointers to help you find what works for you.
The best way to start my day is oatmeal. I feel satisfied and my blood sugar stays stable for a good 3 hrs after I eat. When I increase my volume with training, I add in extra's to my oatmeal like nuts, seeds or fruit. When I increase the intensity with my training, I add in protein to my oatmeal like yogurt, skim milk or whey protein. When my weekly volume and intensity increase and I find that appetite is larger than normal, I add in a little more fat to my oatmeal like flax seeds or peanut butter. And, when I am nearing the end of a big build week I add in a smoothie to my oatmeal.
With my two hardest workout days being Tues and Wed, I typically have oatmeal and a smoothie on Wed and a smoothie w/ oatmeal on Tues. Sounds like the same thing but they are not.
My intense interval bike and run is on Tues and I have learned that I have a great workout following an active recovery day on Mon. However, because I am feeling fresh, I work extra hard on Tues and really need to think about my recovery.
I go for a big smoothie w/ whey protein, fruit, milk, flax seeds and ice and then I add in a bowl of oatmeal w/ raisins (about 1/4 cup oats). I use to just do a smoothie w/ about a handful of cereal (like Kashi Crunch) but I found that I was extra hungry come lunchtime and snacking more than normal throughout the day. I decided to add in a little oatmeal, rather than the cereal in my smoothie and well, that did the trick. Recovery was good and I felt satisfied.
As for Wed, my early morning Run + Swim gets me out of bed at 4:30 and I get home around 8:30. It's a long morning but a quality workout...one of my favorites. My run is an interval run (usually 7-8 miles) and swim is typically anaerobic (around 4000yrds) but afterwards I am pooped and anxious for my tempo bike on Thurs...with no running on Thurs. Because I am usually super hungry after my Wed workout, I have a small smoothie w/ whey, yogurt, ice and fruit (usually a piece of banana) and cinnamon and then I have a big bowl of oatmeal w/ fruit (usually apple or peach/nectarine), nuts, seeds and raisins. If I decide to pass on the smoothie, I would just do a glass of milk instead.
As you can see, my workouts changes, as does my appetite and my morning meal. Similar foods but over the last few months, I have really tried to pay attention to what I need rather than what I think I need.
Starting tomorrow, try to work on your breakfast so that you can start your day with a balanced and healthy meal. Regardless if you workout in the morning or at night, I find that many weakness's in the diet come from not eating a balanced breakfast. Thinking back to yesterday, when did you feel the most hungry? If you say lunch through dinner, it is likely that the composition of your breakfast needs some tweaking in an effort to help you stay satisfied and energized throughout the morning.
Any questions...just let me know how I can help you! Starting with breakfast, I think this could be a great topic to discuss on the comment section.
*Once again, I have to stress that my current eating habits did not come about over night and they will always be a work in progress. How I eat now will likely change next fall and the following summer. While you may think it is stressful finding what works for you, just remember that there are 365 days in a year and because we must eat for fuel, you have plenty of time to find what works for you. ;)
What's your favorite breakfast?
Do you think your breakfast needs some tweaking? What small changes do you think will make a difference in how you start your day?
Banana smoothie
1 scoop body fortress vanilla whey protein
dash of cinnamon
1/2 small ripe banana
2 tsp PB
1 tbsp flax seed
Ice
2-3 ounces strawberry low fat yogurt
Almonds for a topping
Crunchy Oats
1/3 cup instant oats
dash of cinnamon
1/2 small apple (chopped)
A few raisins
Kashi Crunch, nuts and sunflower seeds for a crunchy topping
4/20/10
Homemade almond ginger granola bars
My philosophy of eating and training are very similar.
Balance and quality.
However, it has taken me a good 3-4 years to learn this.
When you think about balance and your life, I think everyone wishes for more time to balance out all daily responsibilities. Of course, if there were more hours in the day we would also have a bit more time to squeeze in more "fun" activities as well.
As much as I stress the importance of eating wholesome and natural foods, with little to no ingredients, I certainly don't believe that everyone should live by a raw or organic diet. I don't think it is realistic for me to tell you not to eat low-fat yogurt, ice cream or pita chips (or any food for that matter) because they have ingredients. I believe balance is key when fueling your body for sport and for meeting recommendations to prevent and reduce risk from disease.
If you are aiming for a balanced diet, why not have a bowl of fruit with ice cream on top, yogurt w/ cereal on top or a plate of veggies with a few pita chips.
I have a feeling that many people don't even touch a veggie or piece of fruit between breakfast and lunch and between lunch and dinner, simply because there is the convenience of ingredient-filled food, alongside the desirable taste of many processed foods. And no, a sliced tomato and piece of iceberg lettuce in your chicken wrap does not technically count as a serving of veggies...not to mention a bowl of fruit loop cereal because it now contains fiber and includes "fruit" in the name.
When it comes to meeting realistic weight goals and maintaining a life of activity and weight maintenance, I believe we all should aim for balance in both our training/exercise routine and eating routine.
As an example, since I work with a lot of Ironman athletes, I find that many people get so accustomed to fueling long distance training (regardless if the fuel is healthy) and when the Ironman distance race is over, a big question-mark follows the phrase "now what, I don't want to get fat". Certainly, if you were 'rewarding' your Ironman training with donuts and pancakes you may find it difficult to maintain weight post Ironman. However, if your diet was balanced and portioned controlled prior to the Ironman, you should find an easy transition of enjoying a variety of healthy foods but in less quantity (aka decrease calories but enjoy the same healthy foods you were eating prior to and during your Ironman training).
It's very important to see food as fuel to give you energy to live an active life but more than anything, food gives your body vitamins and minerals to stay healthy....regardless if you are training for an Ironman or exercising for fun. Likewise, if you were training for a big event (Ironman or your first running race) which took you out of your comfort zone and required that you put in more hrs than normal of "training", there needs to be some sense of balance in your life and an understanding that training for a big race does not mean that you have to train like that for the rest of your life in order to maintain your weight.
Without discussing the importance of timing your nutrition with your training/exercise, I want to stress the importance of including a variety of foods, from all of the food groups (grains, vegetables, fruits, milk, meats and beans, and oils) in an effort to meet vitamin, mineral and nutrient recommendations. However, with much of the population seeking ways to lose weight, maintain weight or live a healthier life, you are in no shortage of "diets" to follow in an effort to reach your weight goals.
A lot of people ask me about diets like the raw diet, thrive diet or paleo diet (as examples) and whether or not I feel the diet will help the individual reach weight/performance goals. I personally live by the "Marni" diet which means I know what my body needs and my diet helps me recover fast, improve performance, avoid sickness (and hopefully disease as I age) and feel satisfied throughout the day.
In my opinion, regardless if you choose a diet including meat or a vegetarian diet, vegan diet, semi-vegetarian diet or some other type of restricted diet, it is so important for your performance as an athlete (even if you are a newbie) or a fitness enthusiast/weight loss seeker, that you emphasize a balance of foods to ensure that you aren't neglecting key nutrients in the diet. Most people aren't going to make healthy transition overnight (nor are ready to make every change all at once) so as you try to achieve a more balanced life with your training and nutrition, realize that you will always have a "today" to work on your eating/exercise habits but waiting "until tomorrow" will not make it any easier to start a change. You must be patient and recognize the whats, why and hows of your individual exercise and eating routine.
When it comes down to it, if you don't take the time, on a daily basis, to address the strength's and weakness's in your diet (why you are hungry at 10am, why are you tired at 3pm, why do you eat late at night, why don't you eat breakfast, why aren't you getting stronger or faster.....) you will never understand how great it feels to live a healthy and balanced life. If you make unrealistic changes and set unrealistic goals, you will continue living a life of stress, guilt and unhappiness.
Life should be enjoyable.....do you go to sleep looking forward to tomorrow? Sure, work and other responsibilities in life can be a bit stressful but food and exercise can be fun and positive.....don't make fitness and a healthy diet the enemy.
Believe me, this balance thing doesn't happen overnight and it isn't a one-time deal. You always need to be conscious of your eating and training so that you make healthy habits that can be maintained for a lifetime.
So, as you are working towards a more balanced life, whether it is with your work, training, eating or with friends/family, enjoy some homemade granola bars!
What is your number one tip or suggestion when it comes to balance with training and/or eating?
Homemade walnut ginger granola bars
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup raisins (chopped)
1/4 cup cranberries (chopped)
1/8 cup sunflower seeds
2 cups instant oats
1 tbsp fresh ginger (shaved)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp all spice
1 tbsp flax seed
1 cap-full rum or almond extract
1 egg
3 tbsp honey (or if not using molasses, use 4 tbsp honey)
1 tbsp blackstrap molasses (good source of Iron and Calcium for vegetarians!)
1. Stir ingredients well.
2. Spread on a non-stick pan sprayed with a little non stick spray.
3. Cook for 30-40 min (or until crisp and hard) in a 325 oven.
4. Brake the bars into squares or bars and store in a covered container.
Balance and quality.
However, it has taken me a good 3-4 years to learn this.
When you think about balance and your life, I think everyone wishes for more time to balance out all daily responsibilities. Of course, if there were more hours in the day we would also have a bit more time to squeeze in more "fun" activities as well.
As much as I stress the importance of eating wholesome and natural foods, with little to no ingredients, I certainly don't believe that everyone should live by a raw or organic diet. I don't think it is realistic for me to tell you not to eat low-fat yogurt, ice cream or pita chips (or any food for that matter) because they have ingredients. I believe balance is key when fueling your body for sport and for meeting recommendations to prevent and reduce risk from disease.
If you are aiming for a balanced diet, why not have a bowl of fruit with ice cream on top, yogurt w/ cereal on top or a plate of veggies with a few pita chips.
I have a feeling that many people don't even touch a veggie or piece of fruit between breakfast and lunch and between lunch and dinner, simply because there is the convenience of ingredient-filled food, alongside the desirable taste of many processed foods. And no, a sliced tomato and piece of iceberg lettuce in your chicken wrap does not technically count as a serving of veggies...not to mention a bowl of fruit loop cereal because it now contains fiber and includes "fruit" in the name.
When it comes to meeting realistic weight goals and maintaining a life of activity and weight maintenance, I believe we all should aim for balance in both our training/exercise routine and eating routine.
As an example, since I work with a lot of Ironman athletes, I find that many people get so accustomed to fueling long distance training (regardless if the fuel is healthy) and when the Ironman distance race is over, a big question-mark follows the phrase "now what, I don't want to get fat". Certainly, if you were 'rewarding' your Ironman training with donuts and pancakes you may find it difficult to maintain weight post Ironman. However, if your diet was balanced and portioned controlled prior to the Ironman, you should find an easy transition of enjoying a variety of healthy foods but in less quantity (aka decrease calories but enjoy the same healthy foods you were eating prior to and during your Ironman training).
It's very important to see food as fuel to give you energy to live an active life but more than anything, food gives your body vitamins and minerals to stay healthy....regardless if you are training for an Ironman or exercising for fun. Likewise, if you were training for a big event (Ironman or your first running race) which took you out of your comfort zone and required that you put in more hrs than normal of "training", there needs to be some sense of balance in your life and an understanding that training for a big race does not mean that you have to train like that for the rest of your life in order to maintain your weight.
Without discussing the importance of timing your nutrition with your training/exercise, I want to stress the importance of including a variety of foods, from all of the food groups (grains, vegetables, fruits, milk, meats and beans, and oils) in an effort to meet vitamin, mineral and nutrient recommendations. However, with much of the population seeking ways to lose weight, maintain weight or live a healthier life, you are in no shortage of "diets" to follow in an effort to reach your weight goals.
A lot of people ask me about diets like the raw diet, thrive diet or paleo diet (as examples) and whether or not I feel the diet will help the individual reach weight/performance goals. I personally live by the "Marni" diet which means I know what my body needs and my diet helps me recover fast, improve performance, avoid sickness (and hopefully disease as I age) and feel satisfied throughout the day.
In my opinion, regardless if you choose a diet including meat or a vegetarian diet, vegan diet, semi-vegetarian diet or some other type of restricted diet, it is so important for your performance as an athlete (even if you are a newbie) or a fitness enthusiast/weight loss seeker, that you emphasize a balance of foods to ensure that you aren't neglecting key nutrients in the diet. Most people aren't going to make healthy transition overnight (nor are ready to make every change all at once) so as you try to achieve a more balanced life with your training and nutrition, realize that you will always have a "today" to work on your eating/exercise habits but waiting "until tomorrow" will not make it any easier to start a change. You must be patient and recognize the whats, why and hows of your individual exercise and eating routine.
When it comes down to it, if you don't take the time, on a daily basis, to address the strength's and weakness's in your diet (why you are hungry at 10am, why are you tired at 3pm, why do you eat late at night, why don't you eat breakfast, why aren't you getting stronger or faster.....) you will never understand how great it feels to live a healthy and balanced life. If you make unrealistic changes and set unrealistic goals, you will continue living a life of stress, guilt and unhappiness.
Life should be enjoyable.....do you go to sleep looking forward to tomorrow? Sure, work and other responsibilities in life can be a bit stressful but food and exercise can be fun and positive.....don't make fitness and a healthy diet the enemy.
Believe me, this balance thing doesn't happen overnight and it isn't a one-time deal. You always need to be conscious of your eating and training so that you make healthy habits that can be maintained for a lifetime.
So, as you are working towards a more balanced life, whether it is with your work, training, eating or with friends/family, enjoy some homemade granola bars!
What is your number one tip or suggestion when it comes to balance with training and/or eating?
Homemade walnut ginger granola bars
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup raisins (chopped)
1/4 cup cranberries (chopped)
1/8 cup sunflower seeds
2 cups instant oats
1 tbsp fresh ginger (shaved)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp all spice
1 tbsp flax seed
1 cap-full rum or almond extract
1 egg
3 tbsp honey (or if not using molasses, use 4 tbsp honey)
1 tbsp blackstrap molasses (good source of Iron and Calcium for vegetarians!)
1. Stir ingredients well.
2. Spread on a non-stick pan sprayed with a little non stick spray.
3. Cook for 30-40 min (or until crisp and hard) in a 325 oven.
4. Brake the bars into squares or bars and store in a covered container.
4/19/10
Quality weekend training
Last week, when I was riding home with my parents after the Iron Girl race, Karel informed me that he crashed on the group ride. He taped a wheel in a 5-man breakaway on a training ride.
Karel posted this pic and comment on Facebook:
For sell: LCA Team Jersey and bibs. Lightly used.........;-))
Well, I am glad he has a sense of humor because no matter how many times I hear "I crashed" from Karel, it never gets easier for me. As much as cycling is exciting to watch, my life as a cyclist's wife is never stress/worry-free. I asked Karel if he was ready to switch to Triathlons after his crash and he just laughed at me (I would never ask him to do that since he is and always will be a cyclist). Just a side-note, if you ever need gauze, band-aids and neosporin and second skin, just give me a call or stop by...we got it all here!
So, I was a little nervous to ride my tri bike with the group at the beach on Saturday morning because it's been a while since I have rode with this group.
And, considering that I was about to do the ride that he crashed on, I was extra nervous as we were driving to the beach. But like usual, the nerves went away once I hoped on my bike and warmed up with Karel.
Karel got me new training/race wheels and I have fallen in love with tubulars. Don't worry, Karel already gave me my lesson of changing a flat with tubulars.
Did I ever tell you that before my first IM (IMFL 2006) Karel made me change a flat for 30 minutes straight. On and off, on and off, etc. He said that was the only way I would learn and feel confident and well, I sure feel confident changing a flat tire!
Still loving the new ride....
The group ride was fast. Curtis, Ralph and Karel (all LCA riders) pretty much controlled the whole ride and me and the other 20ish guys (yep, I was the lone woman cyclist) rotated and responded to attacks. This group ride is fun because it is on a really safe road with 3 90-degree turns. We do 2 loops in Nocatee (developing neighborhood near Ponte Vedra beach) so there are lots of opportunities for the guys to pick up the pace. Karel and a few of the other guys were impressed with my skills but I had no time to chat....I was in total focus mode the whole ride (with a smile of course). Every time we rotated and Karel would pass me on my rt he would tell me "great job babe". I just love hearing those words from Karel.
After the two loops in Nocatee, Karel finished the ride with the group to head back to the beach Trek store (where we parked) and I rode my bike home. The ride is kinda in the middle of the beach and our place so I had planned on doing the group ride as my "intense" part of my workout and then finishing off my ride with 2 x 30 min. pace w/ 10 min recovery. I ended up with 3 hrs and 24 minutes (65 miles). The group ride was around 35 miles (we averaged around 23-25mph) so I had a good amount of time in the wind to ride alone.
After the ride I headed out for a tempo/comfortable run and although hot, I was able to stay pretty steady with my pace. It sure took a while to gain my strength back in my injured leg but I am pleased where I am right now and I am hoping it only gets better.
Sat run off the bike:
32 minutes
4.2 miles
7:38 average pace
Mile 1: 7:41
Mile 2: 7:34
Mile 3: 7:35
Mile 4: 7:35
Sunday was a great morning. Karel headed to the beach to do some hilly neighborhood circuits w/ Curtis and Clint and I headed out for a run. I did 2 x 7 mile loops under a beautiful overcast sky. I had my music and fuel belt and it was great to put my tired legs to work.
My training philosophy this year is "quality over quantity" so I am not doing more than 15 miles or 2 hrs running before the Rock n' Roll HalfMan in Macon, GA on June 5th (as for biking I am not going more than 70 miles or 4 hrs riding). I have devoted the past few months to improving my efficiency as a swimmer, cyclist and runner and because of it, I am finding myself getting faster at a lower HR. I think lifting a few times a week has helped as well and I contribute much of my steady, yet slow, improvements this year to a variety of nutrients in my diet. In my opinion, food for fuel is more than just calories..it is most important to understand what is in the calories we are eating and how those nutrients can positively or negatively affect our training/exercise goals (or for some individuals, weight loss/maintenance goals). So, with this improved efficiency, I have also taught my body to perform off very little fuels/calories during training. I have never been a big calorie consumer for my long distance races and I don't plan on being one. I believe anyone can teach their body to metabolize fat for fuel and because faster at a lower HR. When I write workouts for my athletes, I really stress the importance of recovery and intervals during the week and understanding their individual nutrition needs during long workouts on the weekends. I find that way too many athletes want to train and race fast all the time and while there is nothing wrong with going fast every now and then, no nutrition product or nutrition strategy is going to help you maintain your elevated HR if you are pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, in a zone which you haven't trained it to do. Sure, you can try to pound down the sport drinks and gels to prevent bonking or cramping (I believe much of cramping is due to the contraction of muscles and not sodium related) but at a high HR for a prolonged period of time you will only end up with GI upset and a race performance that you didn't plan for...however, I could go on and on....
So, after spending over 2 months building up from running 6 miles comfortably, to 9 miles and now 14-15 miles, I am finally able to add intervals into my long runs. I do running intervals on the treadmill on Wed before swim as well.
Here's the workout for Sun w/ my stats:
3 mile warm-up
2 x 1 mile half ironman pace w/ 1 mile tempo recovery
2 mile pace
2 x 1 mile half ironman pace w/ 1 mile tempo recovery
3 mile pace/warm-down
+ 1 extra special Campy mile (10 minutes)
14.03 miles
1 hr and 50 minutes
7:52 min/mile pace average
Mile 1: 8:10
Mile 2: 7:55
Mile 3: 7:51
Mile 4: 7:22
Mile 5: 7:59
Mile 6: 7:25
Mile 7: 8:06
Mile 8: 8:02
Mile 9: 7:59
Mile 10: 7:35
Mile 11: 7:56
Mile 12: 7:25
Mile 13: 7:59
Mile 14: 8:08
This morning I took my time waking up (No alarm on Mon) and eventually got to the pool for a 30 min swim (2500 yrds).
These guys have it made....what a life...
Karel posted this pic and comment on Facebook:
For sell: LCA Team Jersey and bibs. Lightly used.........;-))
Well, I am glad he has a sense of humor because no matter how many times I hear "I crashed" from Karel, it never gets easier for me. As much as cycling is exciting to watch, my life as a cyclist's wife is never stress/worry-free. I asked Karel if he was ready to switch to Triathlons after his crash and he just laughed at me (I would never ask him to do that since he is and always will be a cyclist). Just a side-note, if you ever need gauze, band-aids and neosporin and second skin, just give me a call or stop by...we got it all here!
So, I was a little nervous to ride my tri bike with the group at the beach on Saturday morning because it's been a while since I have rode with this group.
And, considering that I was about to do the ride that he crashed on, I was extra nervous as we were driving to the beach. But like usual, the nerves went away once I hoped on my bike and warmed up with Karel.
Karel got me new training/race wheels and I have fallen in love with tubulars. Don't worry, Karel already gave me my lesson of changing a flat with tubulars.
Did I ever tell you that before my first IM (IMFL 2006) Karel made me change a flat for 30 minutes straight. On and off, on and off, etc. He said that was the only way I would learn and feel confident and well, I sure feel confident changing a flat tire!
Still loving the new ride....
The group ride was fast. Curtis, Ralph and Karel (all LCA riders) pretty much controlled the whole ride and me and the other 20ish guys (yep, I was the lone woman cyclist) rotated and responded to attacks. This group ride is fun because it is on a really safe road with 3 90-degree turns. We do 2 loops in Nocatee (developing neighborhood near Ponte Vedra beach) so there are lots of opportunities for the guys to pick up the pace. Karel and a few of the other guys were impressed with my skills but I had no time to chat....I was in total focus mode the whole ride (with a smile of course). Every time we rotated and Karel would pass me on my rt he would tell me "great job babe". I just love hearing those words from Karel.
After the two loops in Nocatee, Karel finished the ride with the group to head back to the beach Trek store (where we parked) and I rode my bike home. The ride is kinda in the middle of the beach and our place so I had planned on doing the group ride as my "intense" part of my workout and then finishing off my ride with 2 x 30 min. pace w/ 10 min recovery. I ended up with 3 hrs and 24 minutes (65 miles). The group ride was around 35 miles (we averaged around 23-25mph) so I had a good amount of time in the wind to ride alone.
After the ride I headed out for a tempo/comfortable run and although hot, I was able to stay pretty steady with my pace. It sure took a while to gain my strength back in my injured leg but I am pleased where I am right now and I am hoping it only gets better.
Sat run off the bike:
32 minutes
4.2 miles
7:38 average pace
Mile 1: 7:41
Mile 2: 7:34
Mile 3: 7:35
Mile 4: 7:35
Sunday was a great morning. Karel headed to the beach to do some hilly neighborhood circuits w/ Curtis and Clint and I headed out for a run. I did 2 x 7 mile loops under a beautiful overcast sky. I had my music and fuel belt and it was great to put my tired legs to work.
My training philosophy this year is "quality over quantity" so I am not doing more than 15 miles or 2 hrs running before the Rock n' Roll HalfMan in Macon, GA on June 5th (as for biking I am not going more than 70 miles or 4 hrs riding). I have devoted the past few months to improving my efficiency as a swimmer, cyclist and runner and because of it, I am finding myself getting faster at a lower HR. I think lifting a few times a week has helped as well and I contribute much of my steady, yet slow, improvements this year to a variety of nutrients in my diet. In my opinion, food for fuel is more than just calories..it is most important to understand what is in the calories we are eating and how those nutrients can positively or negatively affect our training/exercise goals (or for some individuals, weight loss/maintenance goals). So, with this improved efficiency, I have also taught my body to perform off very little fuels/calories during training. I have never been a big calorie consumer for my long distance races and I don't plan on being one. I believe anyone can teach their body to metabolize fat for fuel and because faster at a lower HR. When I write workouts for my athletes, I really stress the importance of recovery and intervals during the week and understanding their individual nutrition needs during long workouts on the weekends. I find that way too many athletes want to train and race fast all the time and while there is nothing wrong with going fast every now and then, no nutrition product or nutrition strategy is going to help you maintain your elevated HR if you are pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, in a zone which you haven't trained it to do. Sure, you can try to pound down the sport drinks and gels to prevent bonking or cramping (I believe much of cramping is due to the contraction of muscles and not sodium related) but at a high HR for a prolonged period of time you will only end up with GI upset and a race performance that you didn't plan for...however, I could go on and on....
So, after spending over 2 months building up from running 6 miles comfortably, to 9 miles and now 14-15 miles, I am finally able to add intervals into my long runs. I do running intervals on the treadmill on Wed before swim as well.
Here's the workout for Sun w/ my stats:
3 mile warm-up
2 x 1 mile half ironman pace w/ 1 mile tempo recovery
2 mile pace
2 x 1 mile half ironman pace w/ 1 mile tempo recovery
3 mile pace/warm-down
+ 1 extra special Campy mile (10 minutes)
14.03 miles
1 hr and 50 minutes
7:52 min/mile pace average
Mile 1: 8:10
Mile 2: 7:55
Mile 3: 7:51
Mile 4: 7:22
Mile 5: 7:59
Mile 6: 7:25
Mile 7: 8:06
Mile 8: 8:02
Mile 9: 7:59
Mile 10: 7:35
Mile 11: 7:56
Mile 12: 7:25
Mile 13: 7:59
Mile 14: 8:08
This morning I took my time waking up (No alarm on Mon) and eventually got to the pool for a 30 min swim (2500 yrds).
These guys have it made....what a life...
4/17/10
Powerful Cranberry Muffins
When I did a google search on "powerful" foods, I was not surprised by the number of websites promoting their own "top" powerful foods. Without clicking on any links, I can choose from the top 16 most powerful foods, the top 13 most powerful foods and the most intriguing, the top 29 healthiest foods on the PLANET!
I don't think we should live our life by a good food/bad food diet. There are foods which promote good health and should be emphasized in the diet and foods which have been shown to be invaluable to improving our quality life and thus, should be de-emphasized in the diet. More than anything, the more balanced the diet the more likely you will have the energy you need to stay physically active.
Thinking about all of the "diet" foods out there (sugar-free, fat-free, carb-free, etc.) I believe that these foods could be eliminated from the diet and people could still lose weight (and maintain weight). Because people like to eat, there are many processed foods available, claiming to be low in calories, fat, carbs, sugar, trans fats, etc., that people choose to eat when sitting in front of the TV, sitting at the computer late at night or sitting around the house. Sure, I love to sit at night but I am not choosing to eat a bag of sugar-free muffins because I am bored and hungry.
I am very passionate about people eating wholesome food to provide the body with a variety of vitamins and minerals, alongside complex carbs, healthy fats and lean/low fat protein. I just don't see how a glass of sugar-free apple juice w/ fat-free cheese on a rice cake (as a snack) is going to contribute to weight loss/maintenance and promote longevity? Considering that we eat for fuel, your physical performance when you are exercising or training will certainly be affected (when you don't eat a balanced diet) due to your body not receiving the right nutrients which are required to perform at an optimal level. My suggestion for this snack would be an apple w/ an ounce of cheese and 45-60 min before your afternoon/evening workout, you could do 1/2 tbsp PB and a rice cake or Wasa Cracker.
In an effort to have a healthy relationship with food and to feel satisfied with what you are eating, learn to understand your body. Listen to yourself and depending on what you are feeling (hungry, stuffed, sudden drop in blood sugar, starving) before or during the meal, evaluate your meal/snack and ask yourself if you need to make substitutions and eliminations. It's easy to add fruit and veggies to a meal to promote fullness but without healthy fats and lean/low fat protein, you may find yourself starving 30-60 min. after you finish your meal. I find that many people can look back at the previous meal/snack when you are trying to develop a healthy relationship with food. Many people skip snacks, overeat at meals or don't include a healthy balance of nutrients at meals and snacks in an effort to lose weight, tone up or prepare for or recover from workouts. This often contributes to performance-limiting food choices later in the day (not to mention overeating or going long hours without eating).
Do not expect your diet to change overnight. Everyday is a new day and with 365 days in a year, one or two "off" days/weeks of experimenting with your diet is certainly not the end of the world. Sure, it may take you a year to find out what works for you and then another year because you are becoming more lean and more efficient with your training but guess what, if your diet is filled with "powerful" and wholesome foods, you will not find yourself feeling restricted, guilty or unhappy with your food choices.
Here are some "powerful" vegetarian foods that you may want to add to your diet......see how you can fit them in as a replacement for a food that may not be contributing to your weight or fitness goals
(Certainly the list could go on.....)
*Apricots
*Avocados
*Raspberries/blueberries
*Cantaloupe
*Cranberries
*Raisins
*Apples
*Figs
*Onions
*Artichokes
*Ginger
*Broccoli
*Spinach
*Bok Choy
*Kale
*Brussels Sprouts
*Carrots
*Arugula
*Squash
*Tomato
*Garlic
*Quinoa
*Sweet potato
*Wheat germ
*Flax seed
*Lentils
*Nuts
*Low fat yogurt/greek yogurt
*Skim milk/soy milk
*Tofu
*Eggs
*Olive oil
What is your favorite powerful food?
I LOVE yogurt, garlic, eggs, tofu and ALL fruit. I'm still working on the variety of veggies in my diet but I find myself being more creative every day!
An athlete of mine, asked me to re-create her favorite Power Muffin recipe. Joan, and several of her training buddies from the TriLewis club are all training for IMKY and I have the honor of helping them all with their nutrition. I was super excited to re-create this recipe. Although this recipe isn't heart-unhealthy, my goal was to cut back on calories so that Joan and her friends could still have a tasty, satisfying and sweet muffin all while enjoying real foods before or after a workout.
Here's the original recipe:
1-1/4 cup all purpose flour
1-1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup oatmeal
1 scoop protein powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 T baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t ground allspice
1-1/4 cup grated carrots
1 cup raisins ( I use dried cranberries instead)
3/4 cup 1% milk
1/2 cup low fat buttermilk
1/3 light ricotta cheese
1/2 cup mashed pumpkin or sweet potato (used pumpkin)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 T vanilla
1 large egg
1 large egg white
Here's my recipe which came out SUPER yummy!!
Powerful Cranberry Muffins
Dry:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup instant oats
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp all spice
1 tsp ginger (fresh or powder)
1 tbsp flax seed
1 tbsp blackstrap molasses or honey
1/4 cup cranberries (chopped)
1/4 cup chopped nuts (I used peanuts)
Wet:
1 apple shredded
1 cup carrots shredded
2 eggs (1 whole, 1 white)
1/2 cup skim milk
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp greek yogurt
1 tsp almond extract
1/4 cup brown sugar
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Mix together wet ingredients in a small bowl and add to large bowl.
4. Stir all ingredients.
5. In a nonstick muffin tin sprayed with non stick spray, fill 3/4ths full.
*I made 12 muffins and 13 mini muffins
6. Cook for 25-35 min for muffins and 12-20 min for mini muffins. Remove when top of the muffin is firm and semi-pointy.
I don't think we should live our life by a good food/bad food diet. There are foods which promote good health and should be emphasized in the diet and foods which have been shown to be invaluable to improving our quality life and thus, should be de-emphasized in the diet. More than anything, the more balanced the diet the more likely you will have the energy you need to stay physically active.
Thinking about all of the "diet" foods out there (sugar-free, fat-free, carb-free, etc.) I believe that these foods could be eliminated from the diet and people could still lose weight (and maintain weight). Because people like to eat, there are many processed foods available, claiming to be low in calories, fat, carbs, sugar, trans fats, etc., that people choose to eat when sitting in front of the TV, sitting at the computer late at night or sitting around the house. Sure, I love to sit at night but I am not choosing to eat a bag of sugar-free muffins because I am bored and hungry.
I am very passionate about people eating wholesome food to provide the body with a variety of vitamins and minerals, alongside complex carbs, healthy fats and lean/low fat protein. I just don't see how a glass of sugar-free apple juice w/ fat-free cheese on a rice cake (as a snack) is going to contribute to weight loss/maintenance and promote longevity? Considering that we eat for fuel, your physical performance when you are exercising or training will certainly be affected (when you don't eat a balanced diet) due to your body not receiving the right nutrients which are required to perform at an optimal level. My suggestion for this snack would be an apple w/ an ounce of cheese and 45-60 min before your afternoon/evening workout, you could do 1/2 tbsp PB and a rice cake or Wasa Cracker.
In an effort to have a healthy relationship with food and to feel satisfied with what you are eating, learn to understand your body. Listen to yourself and depending on what you are feeling (hungry, stuffed, sudden drop in blood sugar, starving) before or during the meal, evaluate your meal/snack and ask yourself if you need to make substitutions and eliminations. It's easy to add fruit and veggies to a meal to promote fullness but without healthy fats and lean/low fat protein, you may find yourself starving 30-60 min. after you finish your meal. I find that many people can look back at the previous meal/snack when you are trying to develop a healthy relationship with food. Many people skip snacks, overeat at meals or don't include a healthy balance of nutrients at meals and snacks in an effort to lose weight, tone up or prepare for or recover from workouts. This often contributes to performance-limiting food choices later in the day (not to mention overeating or going long hours without eating).
Do not expect your diet to change overnight. Everyday is a new day and with 365 days in a year, one or two "off" days/weeks of experimenting with your diet is certainly not the end of the world. Sure, it may take you a year to find out what works for you and then another year because you are becoming more lean and more efficient with your training but guess what, if your diet is filled with "powerful" and wholesome foods, you will not find yourself feeling restricted, guilty or unhappy with your food choices.
Here are some "powerful" vegetarian foods that you may want to add to your diet......see how you can fit them in as a replacement for a food that may not be contributing to your weight or fitness goals
(Certainly the list could go on.....)
*Apricots
*Avocados
*Raspberries/blueberries
*Cantaloupe
*Cranberries
*Raisins
*Apples
*Figs
*Onions
*Artichokes
*Ginger
*Broccoli
*Spinach
*Bok Choy
*Kale
*Brussels Sprouts
*Carrots
*Arugula
*Squash
*Tomato
*Garlic
*Quinoa
*Sweet potato
*Wheat germ
*Flax seed
*Lentils
*Nuts
*Low fat yogurt/greek yogurt
*Skim milk/soy milk
*Tofu
*Eggs
*Olive oil
What is your favorite powerful food?
I LOVE yogurt, garlic, eggs, tofu and ALL fruit. I'm still working on the variety of veggies in my diet but I find myself being more creative every day!
An athlete of mine, asked me to re-create her favorite Power Muffin recipe. Joan, and several of her training buddies from the TriLewis club are all training for IMKY and I have the honor of helping them all with their nutrition. I was super excited to re-create this recipe. Although this recipe isn't heart-unhealthy, my goal was to cut back on calories so that Joan and her friends could still have a tasty, satisfying and sweet muffin all while enjoying real foods before or after a workout.
Here's the original recipe:
1-1/4 cup all purpose flour
1-1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup oatmeal
1 scoop protein powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 T baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t ground allspice
1-1/4 cup grated carrots
1 cup raisins ( I use dried cranberries instead)
3/4 cup 1% milk
1/2 cup low fat buttermilk
1/3 light ricotta cheese
1/2 cup mashed pumpkin or sweet potato (used pumpkin)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 T vanilla
1 large egg
1 large egg white
Here's my recipe which came out SUPER yummy!!
Powerful Cranberry Muffins
Dry:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup instant oats
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp all spice
1 tsp ginger (fresh or powder)
1 tbsp flax seed
1 tbsp blackstrap molasses or honey
1/4 cup cranberries (chopped)
1/4 cup chopped nuts (I used peanuts)
Wet:
1 apple shredded
1 cup carrots shredded
2 eggs (1 whole, 1 white)
1/2 cup skim milk
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp greek yogurt
1 tsp almond extract
1/4 cup brown sugar
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Mix together wet ingredients in a small bowl and add to large bowl.
4. Stir all ingredients.
5. In a nonstick muffin tin sprayed with non stick spray, fill 3/4ths full.
*I made 12 muffins and 13 mini muffins
6. Cook for 25-35 min for muffins and 12-20 min for mini muffins. Remove when top of the muffin is firm and semi-pointy.
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