swam, running out the door!

First of all, HUGE shout out to TriCrowd.com for adding me to their "More Triathlon Blogs" section! SOOO stoked!
www.tricrowd.com

Second, my swim workout early this morning (with a the gosh darn cold water hose spewing into my lane! Acckk!)

250 easy warm up
6X25 mixed drills, RI=10secs
4X100 (25easy/25hard), RI=10secs
8X25 sprint, RI=20secs
6X25 kick, RI=15
250 easy cool down
Total: 1400 meters

Whew! Loved getting in some speed work! Now for a weekend of indoor workouts and ice rinks!

Compression calf sleeves on, ready to fly! Happy training!

detroit bound

Tomorrow we are off to Detroit for my wife's ice hockey team to compete in Nationals! I'm really excited to go and cheer, although I'm not totally and completely stoked to have to work out in a hotel gym for the next few days. Still, it will definitely be completely worth it! I can't wait.

So because of this trip I have moved my workouts around. I am going to swim tomorrow before my travel day begins cause it doesn't look like the pool will be big enough at the hotel. Then I'll have to stationary bike and run/elliptical (YUCK) in the gym.

I would have really liked to get a nice ride outdoors in today, especially since my long ride this weekend will be indoors, but the weather did not cooperate. It turned out OK though because my training program called for hill repeats and it was of course really easy to get exact times for the hills and recoveries on the indoor trainer.

Thanks for the luck wishes, I'll pass them on to Erin. She appreciates it. And I know she'll be great. It is really awesome to be with another athlete and cheer one another on, and luckily for me her sport is fun to watch! I think watching 6 hockey games in one weekend more than makes up for having her watch a triathlon though... :)

I'll post about my adventures in Detroit, and hopefully add a new recipe early next week. Till then, happy training!

tattoo talk and my swim workout

Thank goodness for a build week! I loved my swim today. I'm even more excited for the ramp up that is coming. My only mistake was that I lifted yesterday and my arms were a bit sore. But overall, it was great.

250 easy warm up
6x25 mixed drills, RI=10 secs
6x100 moderate, RI=5 secs
6x25 kick, RI=15 secs
250 easy cool down
Total=1,400 meters

The only thing about this is that I am used to swimming more, earlier in my schedule. And longer sets, like pyramids. But this program builds slower over a longer period, so I hope it will work the way it's supposed to!

Now I want to talk about triathlon tattoos. Anyone have one? I know if I finish an Ironman I will get one. I have been searching online for pics of tattoos, and I have found a few with mdots, and a few without.






This is my favorite probably. Very original.






This seems pretty classic















Simple Mdot. Very hard to argue with.








Love this with the whale, wish I knew the significance






My friend Nat said that if he ever gets a tattoo he wants a bike chain imprint like you get when you lean the bike on your leg. Love this.











I'm not sure what I will get, but I think that I will get something, someday. :) Maybe I have to do my ironman somewhere cool to get some inspiration for the tat!

another day fighting that hip...

Another "run day" passed on the cursed elliptical. It seems like I have been off of running forever, but really with this injury its only been a week since my bff/pt was here to tell me to stop running. It probably feels like longer because I was JUST coming back from the shin splints...

Knock on wood, so far my injuries are limited to my running. This is probably pretty common, considering that swimming and biking are relatively low impact (assuming you avoid major crashes on your bike. that's high impact)

It's supposed to get warmer and nicer over the course of the month of March, right? The weather here has been very up and down, and the last few days have been pretty darn cold. I would really like to get a nice ride in outdoors on Wednesday and not feel like my toes are falling off.

Also if I could run again maybe I wouldn't sound so whiny and grumpy. I'm sorry for the bad attitude. I promise to get it adjusted ASAP. Maybe I am coming down from the high of that sweet Multisport Expo yesterday...sigh...

I spent several hours this morning plotting out my training schedule for the next few weeks. I am getting really excited for the upcoming races this season, as well as for the training increases that are coming. This next week I will really need to switch up my training schedule because of the travel to Detroit. I checked out the hotel and it looks like the pool is pretty small, so I'll need to get my swim in early in the week. I am really excited to watch my wife play! Check out the tshirt I made today! Go CB Lightning!!

Swim day tomorrow! New set added to the line up, cause I'm in a build week! YAY!

MULTISPORT EXPO!

Welcome to HEAVEN!! Seriously, the expo was really cool/fun. I enjoyed just walking around and checking out all the vendors and merch, etc. I got a swag bag as well, which was nice. I ended up buying a pair of sunglasses (a need that bumped itself to the top of my list when my shades fell in the middle of a busy intersection on a ride a few weeks back) and getting a body composition analysis. According to the analysis I have a normal range BMI, as well as a mid-normal range fat percentage. My muscle composition in my legs is at the top of the normal range, and the muscle comp of my arms is just over normal (muahahaha). My core muscle comp leaves something to be desired however. Still normal, but not too high. Still, I was pretty happy overall.

Anyway, today I switched in a rest day and will do my "run day" tomorrow. I'm getting ready for next weekend when I'll be in Detroit and will probably have to do the same thing. Actually I may have to move my entire schedule around, depending what the pool situation is like in the hotel. We're going to Detroit because my wife's hockey team made it to nationals! Wooot!

So more tomorrow!

chilly ride and RUNNING TUNES! (free downloads!)

It was relatively chilly this morning when I went out to cycle. I don't have a very extensive selection of cycling gear, so I can only keep so warm. I felt great and had a nice ride (without a clip-induced fall, I might add) but my toes were totally numb by the end. It's all good though, because the warm weather will be here soon and I won't have to worry about spending money on cold weather gear until next winter... :)

Anyway, I thought we would discuss music today. I know I've talked about audiobooks in the past, but I am also a believer in great tunes for running (NOT cycling, very dangerous). I am always trying to find new stuff to add to my running/lifting mixes, and I am sure other people struggle to find the good stuff as much as I do. The other day I came across some pretty sweet ways to find new music to run to, and I wanted to share.

First thing's first, Nike Women on facebook has a new download every week for free, so that is worth checking out. Still, the stuff they put up is often too techno/electronica for me. A couple of things happened recently which brought me to a whole boatload of new songs. First of all I found a website that gives you a free trial and $10 of free music. You have to sign up, but as long as you cancel your membership within 14 days (or right after you use up your free credits) you won't get charged. It's awesome.
Go to:
www.emusic.com/runnertunes

The prices are cheaper here than iTunes so you get more musical bang for your free buck! Now to find the tunes you wanna buy! So you know when you're running with the beat of a song and it's awesome and then your next tune comes on and it's a totally different tempo and your running feels awkward? Maybe you have heard of the acronym BPM (Beats Per Minute). It is a way to define the tempo of a song, and a way to sync up your running with your music. To find out what BPMs work best for you, go to:
jogtunes.com

They have a tool to pick out your best BPM and can show you a list of tunes that have the BPMs you're looking for. Once you know what tempo you want, the website:
runhundred.com

is a blog-type place listing new music all the time, as well as other tips for finding running music. This site lets you listen to samples of the music before you hop over to your new emusic account to download!

So the websites you need, again:
www.emusic.com/runnertunes
www.jogtunes.com
www.runhundred.com

NOW, if you're an iPhone user (guilty) there is a pretty cool (but sadly not free) app you can buy (under $5) that searches through your music on your phone (or itouch) and sorts it into groups according to BPM. This way if you're out running and dial into a BPM you like and want to stay there, you can use the app to find other songs with the same tempo! Name of the app is Cadence. Find it in the iTunes app store.

Ok so now that I have given you allll that, here is a list of songs I downloaded recently (with their BPMs) to add to my running mix.

The Catalyst - Linkin Park [135]
Sweet Disposition - The Temper Trap [127]
Wish We Were Older - Metro Station [140]
S&M - Rihanna [125]
Damage is Done - L.P. [130]
Rolling in the Deep - Adele [100]


Have fun out there!

Weekly recipe!

Here it is, folks! The weekly recipe! This is one of our absolute favs and it's always always a big seller. I basically created this recipe myself, with influences from the Asian ingredients present in my mom's kitchen, and my dad's famous stir-fries.

We call it "Asian Chicken and Broccoli" but it can be made with a variety of veggies, including spinach and bokchoy. We also love to add mushrooms to ours. It can be made with chicken breast or thigh. We prefer thigh because it is cheaper and more tender, but it is a bit more work to cut off the fat. You need a large skillet, or a wok for this recipe, preferably with a lid. You also should start with fresh garlic and ginger for the best results.

Jo's Asian Chicken and Broccoli

- 1.5 tbs sesame oil 2 large cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 1-2 tbs fresh minced garlic
- 1 lb low fat chicken thighs (or breasts), cut into small, bite sized pieces
- 1 tbs sweet chili sauce
- 1.5 tsp red chili paste 2 tbs soy sauce (or to taste)
- 1 tbs fish sauce
- 2-3 cups fresh broccoli florets
- 6-8 oz chopped mushrooms (baby portobella, oyster or shitake)

Pour sesame oil into skillett or wok, and add garlic, ginger and chicken. Begin to saute on medium-high heat. As chicken cooks, add in sweet chili sauce, red chili paste, soy sauce and fish sauce. Cook, stirring often, 8-10 minutes, or until chicken pieces are just cooked through. Add in broccoli, mushrooms and any other desired veggies. Stir so sauce covers all veggies. Turn down heat to medium-low heat and cover to steam broccoli for 3-5 minutes.

Your dinner is finished! Enjoy alone or with whole grain brown rice. Hope you love it as much as we do!

swim day, transition goals

Just got back from a nice swim, again in recovery week mode. I'm starting to really like the sets I do with 50 easy/25 fast. I feel like they're really helping me increase my fitness.

250 easy warm up
6X25 pull RI=10 secs
4X150 (50 easy/25 fast) RI=15 secs
250 easy cool down (including 50 kick, 50 breast)

Everything felt good. Just caught this video from triathlete magazine website. A few things I need to work on in transitions this season:



Dinner recipe on the way tonight! Stay tuned!

so many salads

It's reached that time of the training season where I start to work towards making my race weight. This means dropping five pounds, which means watching my net calorie intake. Which also means that even though I'm not eating much less than before, the focus on my calories makes me feel constantly RAVENOUS. Seriously. I feel like it is impossible to be full.

And I am not starving myself. I had TWO different salads for dinner tonight. Big ones. One had chicken. graaaaarrrgghhh.

Anyway, that's how I feel. And I had to use the elliptical instead of running. So I'm just all around cranky.

Low cal, yummy recipe for tomorrow night though! I wish I was eating it now...

the short version of the wish list

Hello friends! Just sittin' here, enjoying my post workout dinner. My wifey has practice tonight, so I didn't cook up a big dinner. Intead I'm having quinoa with beans! yumm! I also had a turkey dog. And some yogurt with berries and walnuts right when I got into the house from my bike.

Bike today was spinning, since it was cold and raining by the time I got done my work today. I really pushed myself on my hills and sprints, so I felt good about it. Plus today included a core workout too.

So I have been thinking about something we triathletes have a love-hate relationship with: our next triathlon purchases. Personally I love having new stuff, so that's the love part. And I never have the money for everything I want. That's the hate part. My current wishlist is long, but I have narrowed it down to a few things:

Race fees (always at the top, cause otherwise what's the point??)
New tri racing top
Adamo saddle (the noseless ones)
more cycling clothing

Ok there are a million more, but I think it's important to have a short list. Hopefully it will keep me focused, cause I have a tendency to be an impulsive buyer. Ooo, new running shorts? sure! New Nike tshirt? yes please! Oh crap I'm broke.

So the other thing I really want is a new tri bike. I have a road bike, and I am going to be continuing to give it more tri upgrades, but still I would adore a tri specific bike. But I'm a student. Cannot afford. nope. not at all. PLUS no where to put it. So I think maybe I'll be working towards that for next year. First I have to learn how to save money...

Outdoor pool water: 84 degrees!

Another lovely swim day! And it was nice outside, so getting into that outdoor pool wasn't too terrible. The water was actually just a bit warmer than the air, so once I was in I actually felt better in the water than out. The swimming felt great too, although my training plan has this week as a "recovery week" (I've earned my first recovery week already??) so it wasn't a tough swim.


I actually added a set more than it called for...Hope that I don't somehow pay for that, but I figure I need to make up some for not exactly following the running schedule with all my injuries.

I also got in a strength session this afternoon, which I was really happy about. I put in arms and core. Tomorrow I will probably get in another core section, as well as a bike.

Watching the Flyers now (a little behind cause we DVRed it while we were working out...don't tell me what happened!)

MY NIKE PROFILE!!

Here it is! Nike Women on Facebook did a profile of me!



Jo Huxster: Really bad asthma and a heart arrhythmia limited her to swimming, snorkeling, and scuba. She rebelled with field hockey. Injuries forced her back into the water. That’s when friends got her to swim in a triathlon relay. It was love at first splash.

“I was a pretty strong swimmer, given all my early experience,” Jo told us. “From that first relay, amongst athletes of all ages and abilities, I was instantly hooked. I loved the camaraderie on course, the competition, and most of all realizing that I was capable of pushing my own limits. “

When she began participating in triathlons, Jo could barely ride a bike or run more than a mile. How did she go from asthmatic to hardcore triathlete? With perseverance and cautious, meticulous training.

Most days Jo works out twice a day. (Being a graduate student gives her the flexibility to do that.) She swims, bikes, or runs almost every day and usually does a strength workout in the evenings.

Her cardio routines rotate through strength, speed, and distance work. She also swears by arm, leg, and core circuits for strength training. Her toughest and most important workouts are called “bricks.” Bricks consist of going out on her bike for an hour or so, then hopping off and transitioning right into a short run. These workouts help triathletes get used to running right off the bike when their legs feel funky from all that pedaling.

She always carries an inhaler in case her asthma flares up. But the more fit she gets, the less she seems to need it.

Jo knows that the triathlete lifestyle requires special attention to nutrition, so she is careful not to eat too many or too few calories. A half-hour before workouts, she’ll have a banana and maybe a sports drink. On long rides and runs she will carry energy gels, low-calorie Gatorade, and plenty of water. Post-workouts, she has a small snack with protein, like plain nonfat Greek yogurt with berries and walnuts, or a protein drink.

All this attention to detail is having a huge impact on her health and fitness. She’s going for five races in 2011 and her first Ironman. She’s not letting asthma or anything else keep her from reaching her goals.

“I am making myself UNSTOPPABLE,” she said. “Every day I am inspired to push my limits and to never give up. I refuse to let my medical problems keep me from being exactly the athlete and person I want to be.”

Here’s to your past accomplishments and upcoming Ironman, Jo. We’re sure you’ll continue to prove that anything’s possible.

Click here to see it on their page

I'm super excited! It was really awesome of them, and they made me sound super important. haha. I wish I was still getting in two workouts a day...I've inspired myself to get back to that, haha. Today was a rest day except for the leg exercises Rach prescribed, so nothing else really to share about training. But this was so awesome! Yay!!

I almost forgot!

I took a nice little spill on my bike on Saturday!

Nobody panic, it really was little. And pretty funny. And something I know many cyclists have experienced. The whole ride had gone quite well, almost without a hitch, except for a bit of a headwind that made some sections tougher than expected (and slower). But all and all I was happy. At the end of the ride I pulled into the parking lot where I had left my car, unclipped a foot and glided slowly towards my Rav4. And then I started to lean...the wrong way! Wasn't unclipped on the left! Going down! It was slow motion and hilarious, and I was laughing before I even hit the ground. After sprawling out and giggling for a good bit of time, I looked around to see if anyone had actually witnessed my ridiculous display of...newbie-dom? inadequacy? grace and poise? ha! It seemed that no one saw, or if they had they had quickly determined I was OK by my (slightly maniacal) laughter and scurried away to avoid further embarrassing me.

At first I meant not to tell my wife about my little spill. I told instead Rachel, because it was too funny not to tell someone...but then after a beer later in the night I mentioned it in front of Erin too. Heh. oops. So I got a lecture about how much she worries about me being attached to a bicycle with cars wizzing by, and a really nice, deep purple bruise (aka war wound) to show off on my left buttocks!

I know it's happened to others. I've witnessed it. But I am still laughing at myself...

side leg raises and clams

This was one excellent spring weekend! The weather was fantastic, especially on Saturday. I got in a beautiful ride Saturday morning.

And my bestie, Rach, the PT was visiting. She did an eval. on my hip and overall strengths etc. She gave me a bunch of exercises to do, as well as orders (surprise surprise...) not to run for a few weeks. So back to that cursed elliptical I go... According to her I have weakness on the outsides of my legs and hips, which I have read before is a common cause of injuries in runners. Hopefully it will only take a few weeks of ellipticaling and exercises before I can make it back to running again. I am very tired of the setbacks, but I truly hope that I have learned my lesson. I will be very slow to increase my mileage next time.

Sigh.

(The rest of Rach's visit was awesome, btw. Saw my first DC United game!)

Something very exciting should be happening tomorrow though! Stay tuned!

You think I train hard?

I don't do it like the pros do! Michellie Jones shares a day in her life:

Ice, Advil, Swim...FLIP FLOPS!

It has to be a nice day out if I hear the ice cream truck...

Today's agenda included ice, advil and a swim workout.

250 easy warm up
6X25 drills with RI=10 secs
5X150 (50 easy/ 25 hard) RI=15 secs
6X25 kick with RI=15 secs
250 easy cool down

For 1,550 meters.

My bestie is on her way from NYC so I gots to get to work studying and cleaning. Think good thoughts for my hip!!

Dissapointing run, Yummy dinner

I know I am supposed to only increase my running mileage by 10% per week. I should know better than to push it.

I started my run today in the beautiful weather and I just wanted to do a full workout on the roads. I didn't want to stop and come in and get on that damn contraption of elliptical boredom. But two miles into my lovely run, I suddenly had a strange feeling in my right hip (again). It felt kinda weird and out of place. I pushed on for a bit, but was soon brought to a halt by stabbing, radiating pain. I stretched it out a bit and then gave in to my inner triathlete and tried to pick back up. My hip protested angrily with pain and now shooting numbness. I finally listened and hobbled my way home, trying to convince myself I could still get on that damn machine (didn't seem so bad now...). And then realizing I could barely walk and that it was time to kick myself for increasing my run mileage too quickly.

I am getting really disappointed with my body's abilities to ward off injury. I feel like I am always hurting, and I can't seem to make it NOT happen. Last winter I was plagued by shin splints and sprained ankles. Plural, I sprained one twice. Now my hip? Ugh.

So it's back to taking it easy on the running again. Luckily my bestie is coming to visit this weekend and she's a physical therapist. Little help here?


SO now I am cooking a glorious dinner and I plan to share this time!! This recipe is super easy, super delicious and good for us athletes (and our families).

Chicken Breast with Tomatoes and Capers served on a bed of Quinoa

Chicken and sauce:

1 lb boneless chicken breast
2 tbs virgin olive oil
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small yellow onion, diced
1/3 cup white wine
28 oz can of diced tomatoes (I like italian seasoned ones)
2-3 tbs capers
Salt and Pepper to taste
Marjoram, Oregano and Basil to taste

*NOTE: chopped fresh tomatoes can be substituted for canned. Be sure to add some chicken broth to increase the liquid if necessary.

Take a nonstick pan with a lid and add one tbs of olive oil. Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt, pepper and oregano, and then brown on both sides in pan. Chicken will not yet cook through, we'll do that later. Take the chicken out and place on a plate to the side. Add minced garlic and diced onion to the pan with the second tbs of olive oil. Saute on medium heat till the onion is soft. Add the white wine and simmer for a minute or two. Add the tomatoes and capers, and sprinkle in marjoram, oregano and basil. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Put the chicken breasts into the sauce, covering as much as possible. Cover the pan and simmer the chicken breasts in the sauce until cooked through (15 minutes or so). Serve over quinoa (recipe below).

Serves 2-3

Quinoa
1 cup white or red quinoa
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

*NOTE: some quinoa needs to be "cleaned" before you cook it. This means you need to soak it in water for a while to allow husks to come off. If your quinoa comes in a box, be sure to read the label. To be honest, I've always skipped this step and been plenty happy with the result.

Add the quinoa and chicken broth into a saucepan or pot with lid. Bring to boil and cover. Allow to cook about 10 minutes or until all the broth is absorbed. Be careful not to allow to overcook or the quinoa will burn onto the pan.

Quinoa is a South American grain that packs an extra protein punch. It's a real superfood. I find mine in the organic aisle of my grocery store. You can often find it in bulk at Whole Foods, natural food stores or co-ops.

Happy Eating!

St. Patty's photo shoot

I know I am a grad student, which means I have more free time than the average person, but most of this day has come and gone and it was spent self timing my camera.

Yesterday I received an email from Nike Women telling me that they still want to do a feature profile on me on their facebook page, but that my photos were too "grainy." They asked me to get a friend to take pictures of me. Little do they know that none of my remotely artistic friends live nearby. So today I spent a fair amount of time setting up my camera in the park and in my apartment complex (getting strange looks of course) and posing for it. Or running back and forth over and over. Complete with costume changes.

I am pretty happy with the results though. I sent in 4 shots. I put one up here that didn't make the cut (I'm too far away) but just to give you a taste of my day.

My real run will be this afternoon. It is so pretty out. But first I actually have to get some work done, because my life cannot be ALL fun and games!

bouncy bouncy bouncy bouncy fun fun fun fun fun!

Alright everyone. This one is gonna be for the ladies. Sorry fellas, tonight we're talkin Ta Tas!!

Yesterday I did a bad thing. This is actually probably relatable to men and women. I went to a couple of different athletic outlet stores (including Nike!!) and I might have gotten a bit carried away. But my overspending isn't the topic I want to discuss. I want to discuss sports bras.

I think it's possible that athletic apparel companies might have a different definition of "high impact" than I do. Or maybe I am a really bouncy runner? Or maybe my boobies are just super bouncy? I mean, first of all, I am a weird size. low number chest size, big letter. This means that there aren't many sports bras out there made for me. But still, I feel like every time I try on a bra labeled "high impact" and jump around in the changing room I am sadly (jigglingly) disappointed. Is this just me?

And yes I have tried Moving Comfort. I have one, I love it, but the ones that I like are tough to find. And they're just not as cute...

Anyway, sorry gentlemen. I had to get that off my (he he) chest (he he). Anyway today I worked out from 5:30 to 8 pm. It was awesome. Two bike rides, split up by a nice core workout. Gonna hurt to sneeze tomorrow...

swim body art

Tuesday is swim day! This is how I remember my swim workouts. I write them out on my hand!

Gettin' started in my training schedule, so I am only a few swims in. Today was a total of 1,300 meters with 250 easy warm up, 6X25 mixed drills with 10 second rest intervals, 5X100 moderate for my main set, a 6X25 kick set with 15 second rest intervals, and a final 250 cool down.

I got to swim with my new training partner, Brad. It was great to have someone in the pool I knew! We had to swim outside today cause the indoor pool was full. Lemme tell ya, that water was NOT warm enough!!

Tonight I meant to take pictures of the dinner I made and share the recipe with you. But I forgot. So I will have to make it again next week and share then. A hint of what you have to look forward to: My wife's favorite of my recipes. A delicious, healthy, and super easy salmon that can be made in 20 minutes. You'll have to wait for the rest! (dun dun duuunnn!!)

Bike day tomorrow! In the still shaky weather, I think I may hit up a spin class...we'll see. Off to get yummy healthy yogurt for dessert!

Nike Women Throwdown Anthem

Gotta gotta LOVE this

Rest day questions

It's Monday and in my new schedule, that's a rest day. It works out pretty well, because on Monday nights I have class up in Delaware, so I don't have to worry about fitting my workout into my day of traveling and studying etc. It's also good today because a mystery pain has decided to show its ugly little face. Yesterday my run was pain free. I walked back and forth to the movie theater with my wife and friend later. I did some homework, cooked some dinner, went about my day, but at some point when I was taking it pretty easy my hip started to ache a bit. As the evening wore on, it started to feel worse. I iced it and took some ibuprofen and hoped (with all of my might) that in the morning it would be gone.

Welcome to the morning. Still there. It feels like it's in my joint/socket, not muscular. It hurts a bit when I walk, but mostly catches me off guard with a random footfall, when I go up a step, or when I am getting out of a chair. I have no idea what it is, and more annoyingly, what caused it. I am going to keep icing and hoping I guess. Please at the end of this rest day, will you be better for me hip?

Alternatively I could run it by my father tonight as I will be seeing him and he's an orthopedic doc.

Another question/idea. Not to brag, but I am a pretty good cook. And of course as a triathlete I spend a fair amount of time worrying about the nutrition and caloric values of my food. I was thinking about putting up recipes for some of my staple athlete meals. They're hockey player tested, too, which I think means they're pretty awesome...

The only problem with this idea is that I will run out of recipes in a while, but I am hoping it will also inspire me to try a few new ones. Opinions? Comments?

Hit the ground running

Spring forward everyone! Thank goodness I set the alarm on my phone, not on a house clock, because I had totally forgotten by the time I went to bed last night!

Got up and did a nice run this AM with my new training buddy, Brad. I feel kind of bad cause I'm easing back in and going slow, and I think it's not really doin' much for him to go at my pace. Hopefully I'll be able to kick his butt swimming so that I can be as helpful to him as he is probably going to be for me!

It is so gorgeous out today. Startin' to get that spring fever feeling!

Pleasantly Surprised!

This morning I woke up nervous. I had a group ride planned for 10am and I didn't know what to expect. My previous group ride experience has not been positive. Mostly I had been snobbed out, clearly not a pure cyclist and all. Today though I came in knowing someone (my new training buddy!) so I decided to brave it.

I got out there and warmed up a bit with my friend and his friend, two fellow triathletes, and then we joined the peloton. I was still a bit out of place, and a bit out of shape comparatively, but definitely not as ridiculously so as the last time. The group leader, a hugely ripped guy everyone calls "Crank", spent the first few miles coaching me, sometimes actually pushing me along as he rode next to me. I was embarrassed at first, but eventually I was just grateful. About 10 miles in, me and my two buds (Brad and Danny) broke off and added another 8 or so miles on our own.

We hit up Potbelly's for a post workout lunch and to hang out a bit after. All and all it was a pretty great ride and workout. Brad and I are meeting tomorrow to run, and I am excited to have a new workout buddy.

Happy Saturday!

Post ride photoshoot -->

Ba ha!!

Race photos are always hysterical. Here are the low-res versions:

And the medals at the finish! Me and Chrissy:

It hurts to sneeze

On Wednesdays I like to go to this core conditioning class before I get my bike or spin in, but the past two weeks I didn't get to go because of traveling etc. I went this week, though, and OUCH! It wasn't so bad during the class, I thought I had it in the bag, but geeeeez. It hurts to sneeeeeze! And I sneeze a lot! This morning when my wife left for work I tried to sit up to say goodbye and found myself unable. I kind of had to flop over sideways like a fish and push up with my arms and...OUCH again! I've been doing extra push ups lately! Good lord! (My wife took pity on me and my pathetic fish flop dance and she came to me)

In other news, the audiobook Room was excellent for my treadmill run/elliptical ride yesterday. As my followers (HA HA HA! I HAVE NONE! maybe one?) know, I have been recovering from shin splints so as I ease back into running I am keeping my mileage down and fitness up by combining running and the elliptical on what would normally be my "RUN" days (I write it like this because in my planner at the bottom of each day it says "RUN" or "SWIM" or "BIKE" in all caps...ok anyway...). Yesterday was supposed to be a 35 min run, so I did 25 on the 'mill and 10 on the elliptical.

By the way, I would have to say that measuring my runs in minutes is my first real complaint with this new training program I've started. It's easy on the treadmill, but once I am (thankfully) hitting the streets again, it's tough to plan out a run route in minutes rather than miles. I'll likely find myself running up and down my road at the end of a run trying to get in the extra minutes, or walking the end of a route because I planned it too long. I can find routes that work, but as soon as I do I need a longer one and have to start the process over...

Alright enough ranting. The truth is I have a morning swim today and as I have explained before I hate morning workouts, so I am writing here to avoid. Also, Nike Women profile is not up yet, and neither are the race photos from the 5K last weekend. More later. Now to swim...

Compressed and Listening

Got my compression calf sleeves on. So far they've been almost equivalent to taping in their ability to prevent shin splint pain. Almost. Really the best way to prevent the pain is to take time off of running, but I've done that and I am trying to ease back in. I wore these babies in my 5K last week (see pics of dorky orange-ness in previous post) and had no pain, so they're coming with me on my run today.

Unfortunately it's raining hard today. When it's hot out or raining lightly, I don't mind hitting the streets, but when it's pouring and cold outside, I'm hitting the treadmill. Did I mention that I am not a huge fan of the treadmill? Some of my fellow runners say that they hate it. My feelings aren't that negative. The old 'mill can be useful for tempo running and intervals, but for a general timed moderate run, it can get pretty boring. So today I've decided to borrow from a trick I learned while I was training for my half marathon last year. Time to bust out the audio books!!

Tip of the day: Go to audible.com/tvoffer and you can get two free audio books as a "trial membership". Just be sure to cancel your membership after you download your books or else your credit card will be charged in a month. (Unless you want to keep the membership of course. My mom loves audible.com).

My most recent audio endeavor was The Art of Racing in the Rain. It was great and got me through several long runs at the end of November. I have just downloaded The Help, Room and The Weird Sisters. I have been wanting to read or listen to Room for quite some time now, so I am excited to get started. I don't recommend audiobooks for all workouts, since focus is key in many specific types like speed work, but on a LSD run (long, slow, distance) or on a moderate intensity treadmill run that makes you want to pull your hair out for something more entertaining to do, an audio book might do the trick!! Here's to hoping anyway...

Nike Woman Here!

Yesterday I got an email telling me that Nike Women selected me for a special profile feature on their facebook page! I'm very excited. I'll be posting my profile as soon as they publish it.

In other news, this week has been the first of my official training for the 2011 season. It's going well so far! Hopefully tomorrow I'll be meeting a new training partner. And I am going on a group ride this weekend, although I'm a bit nervous. I have had some bad experiences with group rides in the past...we'll see how it goes!

Magical Disney 5K and FUN!

To say that I am exhausted is more than an understatement. I haven't slept that well in the last week, but I did have an awesome time in Disney with my young cousins. This past week was supposed to be the start of my tri training season, but since we were in Disney my training was a bit limited. I had to use stationary bike and elliptical for the most part, and I only got one swim in. But, I did run a 5K, despite the fact that I've been recovering from shin splints for a while now. That past two weeks I put in a mile to mile and a half run at the beginning of my "run day" workouts and then I got on the elliptical for 30 or 40 minutes. The 5K on Saturday was the longest I've run since my injuries flared up again. I was surprised at how good I felt and how fast I was able to go. I ended up 11 seconds off of my PR with a time of 25:40. So even with limited run training, I feel really good about my overall cardiovascular fitness with a performance like that.

My cousin Christina ran with me. The 5K was around Hollywood Studios, so it was really fun to see everything along the way. The course was really curvy, with no straightaway at the finish. I felt like I had a bit more in the tank, but without the straight away I wasn't sure where to start my sprint and guessed too late. Still, I had a really great time and a good run.

The rest of the trip was awesome. My little cousins had the time of their lives. Now it's time to buckle down for my training (and my thesis work). Hopefully I'll be meeting my new training partner this week as well!!

Off to Disney!

My first week of the training season began with a swim day, and it felt pretty good. I know it's peanuts compared to what I'll be doing in a few short weeks...

Tomorrow I am off to Orlando and will be trying to squeeze my workouts in at Disney! Should be an interesting experiment...More to come, I'm sure.