Beets....Again

We have some wonderful family friends who were going out of town for about a week and they thought I might like to try out their juicer while they were gone. They were right! I was very interested in trying this out especially after reading some recipes in The Feed Zone cookbook. The authors really push juicing because you can fill up on vitamins and minerals from many servings of fruits and veggies without having to attach yourself to a toilet or go in for a blockage removal due to fiber overload. Pretty picture...your welcome.

So to really take full advantage of the juicer I made 3 recipes from the book one night. First I made some granola sweetened with unfiltered apple juice, some brown sugar, a banana and agave. I mixed up this combo with some old fashioned oats, currants and raisins and threw it in the oven to bake and it was very very tasty. 

I have to admit I was full of apprehension  while buying more beets at the grocery. I just cannot get past the dirt taste of the darn vegetable. I would just give up on them altogether but the health benefits are so epic I really want a relationship with them. I guess we are destined for a love hate one. Anyways the recipe called for 3 beets, 4 carrots, a few apples and any greens you want. I threw in some kale and a sliver of ginger as recommended by the juicer owner. I also threw in some pineapple.

The juice was really good! It still smelled a little bit like dirt but the taste was really good. I was super pleased. The next recipe I made was for veggie burgers and one of the main ingredients was the pulp from the juice I just made.

So I mixed together some pulp, black beans, some red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and sticky rice. I then formed patties and sauteed them in a pan till brownish on each side. They also really looked like hamburgers because the beets in the pulp made the sticky rice turn this deep red color so it looked like bloody meat. Yum.

So I finally found a great way to eat beets! I kept the juice in the fridge and drank a serving after some of my harder workouts that week. It was like drinking recovery... I feel faster already!

The FeedZone

After Christmas I was looking through the USAT newsletter and there was a recipe for a great snack you could cook to take on the bike with you to replace all of the bars and processed foods that are so simple to take on the bike or on the go. The recipe included ingredients like eggs, rice, bacon, parmesan....very nontraditional ingredients when it comes to foods used while working out. I got on Amazon to order the book and it was backordered till mid-February. I finally got it!

 

Allen Lim and Biju Thomas have put together a wonderful cook book full of field tested recipes. A lot of these recipes were born in an RV while fueling riders for multiple stage bike rides, including the tour de France. The concepts of the cookbook include a step back from complicated ingredients and processed foods, quick and easy recipes for the "time crunched athlete" and ways to make foods versatile.

I learned a lot just reading the forward of the book and all of the pictures in the book made me very excited to try out all of the food. Allen Lim has also founded Skratch Labs which carries hydration products. I am very excited to try out some of their drink mixes that do not have artificial colors or flavorings. They have an everyday hydration mix as well as a mix for performance.

I have tried a few of the recipes and so far so good!

Hill Repeats

During 2 of my build weeks I have been lucky enough to do some hill repeats. My coaches lead me to a 1k hill near an elementary school. This hill is tricky, with a nice incline at the start, a leveling off, another gradual hill, slight downhill into one last gradual climb into the finish at this weird looking house. There are a few stop signs along the 1k so traffic can be an issue but I just make sure my senses are hightened. I first did this work out with one of my coaches and we did 4 repeats on 10 minutes in my ideal running weather (a breezy 55-60).

The next time I went to do this work out it was about 30 degrees, 6:30 PM, dark and I had been at work all day. It took every amount of convincing I could muster to drive over to that hill, warm up and run 5 repeats. When I first started running I did not feel good or let alone fast. I had 3 layers on my top that were constricting, a headband ear warmer and gloves. I felt like I was shuffling along the road and had a difficult time picking up my warm up pace. As I made my way to the bottom of the hill at the end of my 20 minute warm up I was dreading every 5 repeats I had to complete.

When I started my first repeat I was shocked that I felt alright! I was hitting my pace and my range of motion didn't feel as restricted as it had while I warmed up. I was running well! I don't know if it was the Nicki Minaj Pandora music I was playing or running in the dark but after that first repeat I knew I would be able to complete the work out.

The best part about this work out was finishing. I was so happy and satisfied with myself for completing that work out when I could have drawn up multiple excuses not to do it. I did 6 repeats on this hill last week in 60 degree weather and while happy with myself for completing this work out and finishing the repeats in good times, I was not nearly as proud of myself.

So next time I am dreading a work out or trying to come up with excuses not to do a work out (that don't include REASONS like over-fatigue, sickness, injury or sleep deprivation) I will try to remember the gratification that comes from completing something in conditions stacked against me.

Babycakes

While I was visiting New York my aunt Ginny (who lived in NYC for a bit) gave me some recommendations on some awesome bakeries and desert stations to hit up. My bestie JKB and I visited Momofuku which was amah-zing and we purchased a plethora of goodies that provided multiple sugar highs. One place we did not make it to was Babycakes, a bakery opened in NYC before the gluten free hype really began. The bakery features all vegan, mostly gluten free and mostly sugar free baked goods.

Since I didn't make it to the bakery myself my aunt and uncle were thoughtful enough to get me the cookbook for one of my Christmas presents (along with a Beibs notepad :) )! I was so excited to get this baking book because all of the recipes have healthy ingredients, low glycemic indexes and would be easily digestible. All of these qualities lead to foods perfect for pre-workout fuel!

The first recipe was so good I am putting it up here. I made some zucchini muffins and they have been perfect to eat before workouts; especially as something to look forward to at 5am when rolling out of bed for swim practice.

Recipe:

2 cups whole spelt flour
1/2 cup flax meal
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp ground ginger
1/2 cup coconut oil
3/4 cup agave nectar
3/4 cup rice milk
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups shredded zucchini

A few things about some of these ingredients:

• Spelt flour: make sure to get the whole spelt flour because the germ and bran have not been removed, so the muffins will be a bit heartier and more healthful 
• Flax Meal: this will boost the fiber in the muffins and add good omega 3s
• Agave: this is a wonderful alternative to sugar because it has a lower glycemic index (provides more sustainable energy instead of a white sugar energy spike) and it is sweeter so you can use less than you would with white sugar, resulting in fewer calories
• Coconut oil: this comes in a jar and will be rock solid so you will need to melt it in the microwave to measure it and use it. The lady at Whole Foods told me that she uses it to remove her eye make up....I haven't tried this yet...

The instructions are simple from here. Preheat the oven to 325 and line 12 muffin cups. Whisk together the dry ingredients. Next stir the coconut oil, agave, rice milk and vanilla into the dry ingredients. Stir until smooth. Using a plastic spatula, fold the zucchini into the mixture till evenly distributed. Fill each cup with 1/3 of mix and bake for 22 min, turning the tins 180 degrees 15 minutes through the baking.

I think I added a bit too much zucchini because I ended up with 14 muffins and they sort of overflowed the cups but they are wonderful and keep for awhile in an air tight container.

Enjoy!

Call Me Mix Master

My sister is a FOODIE QUEEN. She knows how to use things like rosemary, prosciutto, cooking twine, make her own fancy pasta, season things properly and pair the correct wine with it. When I was visiting her a few weekends ago she was putting together some tuna salad sandwiches for us. She put some tuna aside for me so I could put mine into large pieces of living lettuce instead of bread (seen below). I took my first bite and it was exceptionally good.

I was like sister, what did you do to this canned TUNA?

Ummmm I added salt and pepper!

Just tuna, salt, pepper and avocado in some lettuce. So good, so good.

My mind exploded. Like I don't add anything like that to any of the food I ever make. A few days ago a coworker asked me what I was going to make for dinner that night. My response was I have no clue, it depends what is in my fridge.

I have decided I am not a cook, but an ASSEMBLER. If I am making a meal for myself my thought process is so simple. I open the fridge and pick a main protein, like tuna, tofu, beans, shrimp or fish. Then I simply pick out all some of the veggies, pick a sauce and done! Dinner. By sauce I usually mean a Marsala, stir fry or tomato sauce. On week nights I am usually just getting done with a work out and am very hungry or I am in a huge rush to just eat and get into bed. Regardless, I leave the fancy cooking to my sister :)

Asparagus, tofu, and yellow peppers sauteed in a mango curry sauce over a mashed sweet potato

My new breakfast staple: oatmeal with chia seeds and wheat germ, blueberries, strawberries and walnuts

Spinach, chickpeas, avocado, Gorgonzola, blueberries, walnuts and hemp. I love making my salads in a Tupperware container so I can add my dressing then shake the heck out of it to mesh all the flavas. 

Tofu, zucchini and squash simmered in Marsala sauce over a sweet potato with cashews on top

Perfect Day

I love the holidays BUT I must admit I am glad that they are over. I do much better when I can get my sleep, have fewer obligations, and there is not candy and chocolate around every corner. I am also excited for the new year because my training has picked up a bit and I am feeling much more like I am devoting my "training time" not only to swimming, biking and running but also to recovering, eating and sleeping.

This past week I had a few glorious days where I fit all my work outs in complete with naps and even a massage. Here are some recaps of what I have discovered make a perfect day:

Day 1:
Wake up 5 am for swim practice
Swim 4200m (these practices are usually pretty challenging)
Eat: 3 egg whites and 1 egg scrambled with cheddar cheese, oatmeal with blueberries, strawberries, walnuts and chia seeds
Go back to bed!!!!
Wake up ~2 hours later
Bike at 10:15 for 2 hours (a power work out on the CompuTrainer)
Refuel with some food
Ice Bath

Relax the rest of the day!

Day 2:
Wake up ~7 am
Run 5.5 miles at the YMCA on the indoor track
Snack on the way to the CompuTrainer
Bike 2 hours with power efforts
Massage at Noon!!
Watch TV and relax

It is just so wonderful to get my training out of the way in the morning and really let my body recover from my work outs. I am not minding this schedule at all!

Pre/During Work Out Snacks

If I do not eat something within 30 minutes of waking up I get a nasty stomach ache and cranky. To avoid this at all costs, when I am going to sleep at night I am already looking forward to what I will have for breakfast. When I wake up at 5 for an early work out like swim practice I need to pick a food that will satisfy my stomach without weighing me down for practice. In an attempt to stay away from the more processed foods I have tried bananas, Larabars, peanut butter and a variety of different bars. None of these options were sitting that light in my stomach at 5 am so I kept on experimenting.

I did come across the Clif Kids bars and they actually work really well. They are 110 calories which is just the right amount of fuel for the morning.

They are also pretty organic (like 70% or something, whatever that means) and don't have an insane number of ingredients or any ingredients that my grandmother wouldn't know. They are pretty inexpensive and can be found at Kroger.

I was still longing for something a little more pure but just as convenient and thanks to a recommendation from my mother when I was sick during college I started buying baby food again. This sounds weird but it really is so good and I have started to us it during some of my work outs over the past few years. I only buy the fruit flavors and thanks to my choices and coupon targeting I now get coupons for diapers and formula. So now I find it necessary to hint to the check out person that I don't have a baby, and that the food is just for me, so then I just sound like an idiot but I can't help myself. There are no added ingredients since they are for babies so it really is just pureed fruit in a very convenient to go container. Basically exotic apple sauce.

Peaches is one of my favorites. I also love the apricot and mixed fruit but DO NOT buy strawberry banana; it is nar-nar. The best part is that they usually run about $1.00 for 2 and contain 50-60 calories apiece which is great towards the end of a bike ride when all of a sudden I am starving. An even more convenient take on the baby food is Buddy Fruit!

 

These can also be found at most groceries and they contain only pureed fruit. The packaging is so convenient. It is just like a gel! They of course do not have any electrolytes or any of the fancy ingredients I might want when racing but they are perfect for training over the winter. I have liked all of the flavors so far. These run about $1.00 apiece but I think it is worth it for the packaging. That's not very environmentally conscious of me but until I start making my own gels this is what I got to work with.

So now on the way to practice or before a work out if I need a snack I have one of these guys and some dark chocolate and I am ready to go.

TRX

Since the off season started (around October for me) I have been doing TRX about 3 times a week. It has been really great to get back into a strength training routine. Lifting and weight training was a huge part of being on the crew team at Colby. We did dead lifts, squats, rows, bench press, on and on with these intense barbells made with a pole and 2 rusty paint cans filled with cement....weird thinking back on that....But we got really strong. Since crew I stuck to the same routine (except with normal weights) and then pretty much stopped any weight training as triathlon training got busier. Last year for Christmas I got a TRX and have been hooked on it ever since. It is the perfect tool to get a full body work out based on functional exercises. It also targets a lot of smaller stabilizing muscles which is really important for injury prevention.

Here is what it looks like:

I liked this guy cause look! He is on the beach, working out, doing his TRX in his board shorts. That's how convenient this thing is. I also like the looks of his abs :)

OK here is a more helpful picture:

So the top of the TRX can be looped through some sort of eye hook or slung over a pull up bar in a gym or just anything stable. I have the door anchor as well so I can literally use it most places. You just have to shut it into a door and you are ready to go. The top part where the straps come together has a little see-saw type connector so the straps can even themselves out. With the yellow tabs you can adjust the lengths. There are the places for your hands and the craddle for your feet like Mr. Board Shorts is using.

I mean look at this guy. He was about to leave some stadium but decided it was time to TRX so he parked his truck next to some electricity tower. So he is doing a super inclined TRX push up. Based on his facial expresion he knows how hard core he is and is feeling pretty good about it.

He should have seen this guy first. I think that smirk would fade right off of his face:

Boom. That's about as hard core as it gets if you ask me.

It really is awesome and they even do it on the Biggest Loser and now Jilian has her own like knock off version of it that there are infomercials for.

During the season I didn't do it as much but I have been really consistent since October and it is paying off! I do a few different variations of work out with it but my favorite is called the Metabolic Blast Circuit. It comes on a card with the TRX. It goes as follows:

3 times through:
10 x 30 s of a TRX exercise, alternating legs, upper body, and abs. No rest inbetween each exercise.
      During each exercise focus on high intensity movements, really "blasting" everything
1 min SPRINT all out. If you don't have a track to sprint around you can do burpees, jumping jacks, jump rope or anything else awesome.

I have been TRXing with my friend meh and am going to start teaching TRX classes come January!

TriSports.com

I am very excited to say that I have a new sponsor! I am a new member of team TriSports.com!

I am really excited for this opportunity. I applied to a few different teams in October on a whim and didn't think I would make any of them so I was thrilled when TriSports.com offered me a spot on their team! I will be getting a nice box of free garb and help with different aspects of this sport. There is also a training weekend out in Tucson at the end of March that I am going to try my best to attend. Should be fun!

When I applied for this team the instructions said to get really creative because they get so many applications each year and spots were limited. We had to submit race results, a bunch of answers to questions and also a "personal essay" that could be in any format. I decided to make a short power point which I have shared below:

So I knew they would either think I was a freak or that they just might like it! Thank goodness they did :)

I am so lucky to have the support of Mideast Multisport who provide me with not only wonderful coaching but also advice, ideas, bike help and soooo much more. I am excited to have another group of people helping me out this year. Time to really get training so I can make it all worth it!

Burned Cookies

So I tried to make cookies for 2 of my friends that are in finals week right now. Attempt number one with chocolate chip:

Terrible

The worst part was that I was simultaneously cooking shrimp and veggies with marsala so it smelled terrible in my apartment. I was literally falling asleep as I baked these because my workouts that day and little sleep had left me so tired. So last night I tried again, this time with aluminum foil lining one pan and a silicone cookie liner on the other. I even rolled the cookies in festive holiday sprinkles this time and was going to give a batch to my coach for his BDay as well. Result:

Burned sugar cookies. Which smelled even worse than the chocolate chip ones. Guess I need to use a different oven. Or try to be more like Foodie Girl!

My apartment still smells like burned cookies. Guess I will try something for them on the stove top tonight: Rice Crispie treats!

Chelsea Piers

NY has an extremely larrrgggeeee sporting complex called Chelsea Piers. They have everything: gymnastics, tons of indoor courts and fields, spa, a shooting range, and on and on but also a gym and pool!



I had looked up a list of local USMS Masters teams in NYC and found that the Chelsea Piers team was meeting Saturday morning at 9:00. This was too perfect! My flight wasn't until 2 so I had time to practice, shower, pack, eat with my friends and get on my bus to the airport out of there. The only trick was getting there. I ended up leaving my friends apartment at 8:10 on 8th ave and 47th, headed towards the Hudson River. The run to the pool was about 2 miles and I was so glad to have the extra time because as you can see above, this place was GI-NORMOUS and took some navigating. I finally found registration and got myself set.

Then something weird happened. I had never experienced this before. The guy at the front desk said I had to go into the locker room, then get my swim suit on and then put on a robe before walking across the gym to the pool. I was like OK this is a joke. He assured me it wasn't but I was not going to be a fool so instead I looked like a perv because I hung out in the locker room and eyed everyone in a swim suit to see what they did. Sure enough they put their robes on and went back out into the gym. I did the same but felt like a freak walking past the smoothie bar, all of the weight lifters and tradmill-ers.  



The pool was super nice and was on a second floor sort of extending over the water with windows all around so I was basically in the Hudson minus the boats, heroine needles and cold water. The practice ended up being really nice. The coach was super friendly and before I knew it I had gotten in 4800 solid yards! I ran the 2 miles back with my wet hair and intense goggle marks. At one corner I was stopped and a woman turned to her BF and was talking in a language I didn't know while making circle motions with her finger around her eyes and looking at me with a raised eyebrow. Yeah, I get it, I look like a freakish raccoon. So I lifted my hand that was holding my cap and goggles up near their faces in a fake stretch so hopefully they put it together. 

All in all, when out of town I am going to do my best to swim with the local masters team because it was really fun, in this case free, and a nice way to meet new people and see new things.

NYC

It is always difficult to find a swimming pool when traveling. While staying with my friend JKB outside of the city in Pound Ridge we had to trick a very nice woman named Joan or something into thinking we were actually interested in membership so that I could get a swim in. So I walked away with not only a free swim but a really nice folder detailing all the membership benefits awaiting me. We found a back exit so we did not have to pass her desk on the way out. The pool ended up being nice but foggy and super warm. There were def things growing in that water but it allowed me the 30 minute swim I needed.

Swimming is the one of the 3 disciplines that I hate to slack on because my form suffers so quickly since I was never on a swim team growing up. I loose a feel for the water about an hour after I get out of the pool as it is. My ears were still hurting though and once in the city I wasn't going to bed early thanks to fun outings and Broadway plays (yay best NY hosts ever). 

Christmas market near Bryant Park

Me and some big building...

THE BEST Salvation Army JINGLERS ever. They danced with bells the whole time. I totally would have given then money but I only had a $10...and I'm too cheap to give that bill up.

The view from my b-fri's apartment. IT IS GORGEOUS but she is beyond jaded by it. She says "oh yeah, the sunset is pretty...."

Yeah, it's pretty.

I got to CLM for a super quick visit again because she came into the city with some friends in her school program. We honestly had the most FREE fun here by the tree, where we got to watch skaters of all ages fall on the ice or show off their non-existent moves while drinking hot C from magnolias. 

Pretty nice tree. I'm glad I didn't have to put the lights on that thing.

Vacation

I got to go visit Baltimore and then NYC for Thanksgiving and a week beyond! It was so wonderful to get out of Lexington and see family and friends. My Aunt Judy hosted Thanksgiving and she somehow managed to feed 38 people in her new house of only 25 days! It was a wonderful time. I also got to spend some good time with my siblings and brother-in-law.


I had big work out plans for this trip;  I had already signed up for a 5K I had done the year before and there was a local YMCA that I loved to go to.  I chose last minute not to bring my bike because there would not be enough days in Baltimore to ride it before I went on to New York City. Alas....in the days leading up to our car ride I got sick...again. I was not happy with this. I had a sore throat, my ears were upset and I had the green oooz. I went to a doctor in Baltimore and got on some drugs for my diagnosed sinus and double ear infection.

This episode ended my gluten free days. I was baffled by my good eating returning little results. So I said bye bye and welcomed the gluten back into my life with open arms. I am still doing no white flour but my goodness is that soooo much easier. After 4 days in Baltimore I took a train up to CT to meet up with two of my best buds from college. Being sick was actually a blessing in disguise because instead of worrying about fitting work outs in I was more concerned with getting to feeling better. I had a WONDERFUL run along the Connecticut coast in Greenwich.
This is oh so New England and it reminded me so much of school and why I love the ocean so much.

The running trail was full of people on Sunday morning runs, bike rides and family walks.

 Good thing the bird in this pic didn't poo on us.

I'm A Belieber (sometimes...)

Sometimes my early swim practice really kicks my butt. I was OK with this today because I hadn't had a swim I felt good about since before I was sick about a month ago. So even though I refueled with a great breakfast and a Starbucks holiday-cup drink on the way to work, come noon time, tiredness settled in. My lunch time smoothie perked me up a bit but my afternoon was filled with data entry so when I returned home at about 4:30 to find Travis and a puddle of pee in my living room: I was tired. I still needed to run 7.5 miles and although it was an easy pace run it was still a run. I recharged on the couch, watching Top Chef and eating a gluten free homemade corn muffin.

These are Bob's Red Mill corn muffins, superrrr good

Then decision time: run outside in the 40 degree weather with the sun setting right as I start or run at the YMCA, the Triathlon Store or Healthworx, which all have treadmills. All of these places provide the distraction of people and TVs but I turned down all of these places and instead opted for the treadmill in my parents basement. The max speed on this bad boy is 8.0....not too impressive. What it offers me is solitude and time to decompress while doing one of my favorite things. Today I was also in need of a mental pick me up so here is my confession. One of my favorite Pandora stations is Justin Beiber.

The Beibs

How sweet does he look in those shades? Yeah he is the Beibster and ridiculous and might have a baby-mama in California or something but his music is fun to run to. I will also confess that I watched Never Say Never (the Beiber movie) on the CompuTrainer and it was good. The station on Pandora plays lots of other great running music. I like to run to complete crap music when I run because it generally has a nice fast beat and gets me going. Thanks to this station I had a really fun run and because I had the whole place to myself I might just have sang along to some of the tunes :) I may be lame for giving into the Beib-Vibe but he sure did brighten my afternoon today. It also reminded me that even when I am tired from work, working out generally makes me feel loads better.

Dirty Water Bottles

Water bottles always get nasty. No matter how diligently I empty them out after use or rinse the gatorade/powerade/sugars from them they always get moldy. Thanks to their lovely curvature this mold is impossible to get out.

UNTIL NOW!! I finally found the perfect tools for cleaning any water bottle.

Tools:

 

So these are both pretty simple bristle brushes but they had just not occurred to me to use! I was sooo close to throwing out about 6 water bottles that had grime that the dish washer couldn't handle. I had tried soaking them and scrubbing them but my hands were getting cut up trying to reach the sponge to get to the nasty black mildew.  

I finally found the Libman brush in the cleaning isle at the grocery store and then got the even better Munchkin brand scrubber. It is made for baby bottles so it really works perfectly to get to the bottom of the bottle where it is all curved and impossible to clean.

So don't throw those bottles away just yet! The mildew can be conquered. Maybe everyone has already figured this out but I was super psyched when I discovered these guys a little while ago.