Two weeks ago I braved 20 degree temps in Utah at an altitude of 8000-11000 feet. I stayed extremely active in the snow, both on my board and a few times on my butt. The Oakley Women product testing summit was amazing and I had such a great time stepping outside of my comfort zone.
The following weekend (1/11-1/14) I braved even colder temperatures and traveled to Iowa to speak to the Missouri River Runners group for their yearly banquet. Despite living in Kentucky for the first 21 years of my life, I have become quite soft in the cold..or as we like to say in Florida - when it gets "down to 40 degrees outside".
An average temperature of around 10 degrees each day, with a few flurries and a few gusts of wind making the wind chill drop below zero.
My talk was on "Common mistakes made by runners: train smarter to reach success faster."
I met so many new people and got to know some of my Trimarni Nutrition athletes (from the web) even better in person. My hosts - Patty, Stacy and Therese were amazing and we had so much fun together. I think the most fun was working out together, cooking together and eating together. I was all for them picking my brain all weekend on all things training, nutrition, diet, fitness and health and I just loved being able to cook for everyone and have others enjoy my creations.
After arriving around 9pm Iowa time, it was a rather long day and around 11 am EST, I was ready for bed. It was an early morning wake-up call at 5am for we had a full triathlon on the schedule for our training.
6am swim - 2000 yards (indoor)
7am spin class - 50 min
8 am treadmill run - 50 min (I included a few fartlek intervals)
7am spin class - 50 min
8 am treadmill run - 50 min (I included a few fartlek intervals)
Afterward, a well-needed shower. I almost forgot how cold it was outside until I stepped outside and was quickly reminded I was not in Florida anymore.
I was super excited to make the girls some breakfast. I figured our catered dinner would be fairly carb heavy but with our morning workout, I didn't want everyone to feel depleted all day. The perfect creation was a veggie stuffed omelet (stuffed w/ sautéed in olive oil, zucchini, onions, tomatoes, green peppers and spinach) all topped w/ homemade salsa and shredded cheese. We enjoyed homemade muffins on the side (thanks to Therese) and a side of fruit w/ mixed nuts.
After breakfast and chatting for a bit we bundled up to head to Hy Vee. This was my first trip to this grocery store and the girls (and Michele) picked my brain on their own private grocery store tour, asking me about all the products that they were interested in adding to their diet. It was a lot of fun but by the time we were finished, we were ready for another meal. Since I rarely call meals "breakfast, lunch and dinner" on the weekend due to timing of workouts, I will call this creation #2 for the day.
I'm pretty sure we put everything in the kitchen out on the counter and we each created our own salad from this buffet of food. We also cooked bulgur and quinoa to top on the salad. My creation had mixed greens, pineapple, mango, avocado, dried cherries, pistachios, homemade salsa for dressing, quinoa, bulgur, cottage cheese, onion, pepper, cucumber, carrots and tomato. It was delicious!
I spent a little of the later part of the afternoon preparing a little more for my power point presentation. The venue was super cute - a log cabin that is rented out for functions. There was a fire inside to keep us warm but I think I needed a few more of them as I was a bit on the chilly side all evening. Luckily, the catering company prepared a delicious meal that warmed my belly. Vegetarian lasagna (for a few of us), roasted veggies and salad. There was a dessert of brownie or cheesecake but my tummy had no room for it so I decided to pass.
My talk went well and the group was very attentive and asked great questions. My focus was to open the minds of new and veteran runners (and a few triathletes) to the many ways that you can enhance training besides just focusing on the miles. I look forward to seeing some great results from the athletes in my talk as I know they were able to walk away with a few tips on how to train smarter to reach success faster.
I took my own advice on Sunday and woke up without an alarm to ensure a restful night of sleep. But as soon as I woke up around 7am, I put on layers of clothes to prep for my first icy trail run. It was less than 10 degrees out and a wind chill of -6. Let's just say that thankfully, Nike (below) kept me happy the whole ride to the trail.
No, I am not frozen. This was after my first ever trail run on ice/snow in snow spikes. Almost 7 miles and an enjoyable change from the normal sweaty, hot Florida run-routine. However, I'm not saying I'd trade Florida for this weather...I'm just accepting of a change every now and then.
As I was running, I just couldn't help but think how lucky I am to have a body that is able to travel, workout and stay extremely busy and active and still function at full capacity when I need it to perform. My brain is healthy enough to remember information so that I can speak publicly, my body is healthy enough to move whenever I ask it to perform and my heart is healthy enough to keep on beating so that every day I can try new things and try new opportunities and experiences. I can't think of any other reason than my daily habits that allow me to live a very active, busy lifestyle. I recognize what I want to do in life but I can't expect it to all happen without taking care of my body. It is with good sleep, good food and a deep respect for my body that I am able to live this amazing lifestyle. I only hope you are able to do the same for it is no fun to feel uggh, and to see days pass on by and to feel like you are not able to join in on your imaginary fun and active life. To make those dreams come true, be sure to start with your body as that is the only place you have to live for the rest of your life.
Thanks Stacy for letting me run with your snow spikes! I would have never made it without them! I also want to thank Oakley Women for the base layer top and soft shell jacket for keeping me warm during this run.
Our running group + 2 fast doggies :)
Post-run french toast smeared w/ crunchy natural peanut butter and topped with cinnamon and greek yogurt. A side of eggs w/ spinach and fruit w/ nuts. Oh and a cup of coffee consumed with the making of this creation.
Well - I am finally warm again and I will not be complaining about our "cold" Florida weather any longer. The shorts and sandals are on again and Campy and I are loving our time outdoors. Life is still busy and active but I can't complain.
"If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you."