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Showing posts from September 30, 2012

2011-2012 season recap: no easy way to success

  Around the beginning of October, 2007, I came to the conclusion that my body had enough of triathlons. All because I raced the Ironman World Championships w/ an undiagnosed muscular injury in my right hip that left me on crutches after the race and the inability to bear weight on my leg for almost 2 months. I've had many MRI's, x-rays and doctor visits over the past 5 years and thankfully no stress fractures in my lifetime (or broken bones) but a lot of wasted time and money that came from a poor decision that showed that I did not respect my body. The pain I went through to finish the race is something that I never want to relive again. It was a hard decision to compete in the race and a big part of me wishes that I could have a do-over moment to approach the situation differently. With a flawless season leading up to my first Ironman (IMFL 2006), I figured if it worked the first time around, I don't need to change anything but instead, do more to be more competit

Off-season training tip

" Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success." Napoleon Hill I can't believe one year ago I was packing for the 2011 Ironman World Championships. I will be blogging soon about my recap of my 2011-2012 season, reflected by my decision to not do an Ironman this year. But in the mean time, just a few pictures from last year to remind me of the amazing opportunity I had to be an Ironman World Championship qualifier and finisher, two times earned. Quick pic before Karel discovers the mountains of Kona on his bike Thankful for Ironman Finish #5. Successfully starting and finishing every Ironman I have signed-up for.  Pre race warm-up Karel making sure I have proper hydration n my bike Can't ask for a better place to warm-up for a race Karel fully enjoyed his vacation. Sometime, hopefully we will both be racing in Kona. The calm before the storm. 140.6 miles awaits us all. No race is c

Fueled by plants

At the young age of  10ish years old and I made a life-changing decision. I told my parents that I didn't want to kill or eat animals. Since then, I've been a woman of my word. Of course, leave it to the vegetarian to forget about World Vegetarian Day on Monday October 1st!!! I guess my lifestyle of being fueled by plants for almost 20 years (April will officially be 20 years since I had my last chicken nugget) makes it easy for me to overlook a day that pays tribute to humans, animals and the planet. I am a supporter of a plant strong diet but as a clinical dietitian AND endurance triathlete, I keep a very open mind when it comes to the individual diet. You do not have to be a vegetarian to be healthy and a meat-free diet doesn't mean your body will become healthy. Health is something that you feel - it is a way of life and I hope everyone is enjoying a diet that emphasizes real food. In my early days, my vegetarian diet consisted of a lot of cheese, pasta,

Fall into Seasonal Nutrition

Source   I may live in Florida but I LOVE the change of seasons throughout the year. Although we (Floridians) may not rake the leaves or shovel the snow, the hot humid temps will eventually go away and the cooler temps will grace our bodies as we bundle up for "winter" bike rides and runs.   Just like I love the change in temps (which reminds me that it is officially my off-season), I also love the change of produce. Enjoying seasonal produce keeps my creativity going throughout the year to avoid eating/cooking-boredom and I always look forward to the dark colors in my meals and robust flavors that fill my house. My crock pot, oven and panini maker get a lot of action in the fall/winter but before I know it, it'll be spring again.   My latest article from my Iron Girl column comes at a perfect time. With my best triathlon season ever ending on a high note, the next 3-4 weeks of unstructured activity allow for lots of (extra) time in my kitchen. Although we