Racing season has begun....

First race of the season is done. Well, I only relayed both days (Rumpass in Bumpass International and Sprint) but it felt great to get into race mode. Posted my best 10k time yet! The first open water swim of the season was a bit rough (literally it was wavy as all get up) and I was disappointed with my time, but I'm glad I did it. First full race is this weekend - St. Anthony's Olympic Distance Triathlon in St. Petersburg Florida. Denise (and her puppies) and I leave Wed for a 15 hour drive. It will be great to have company on that drive, even though Denise insists we stop at South of the Border and take a picture with the big sombrero. HAHA

I need to get to CFW more. I plan to hit Crossfit St. Pete while I am down there - I'll be sure to wear my CFW shirt!

It seems the only time I get to update this blog is when I am traveling. I am currently sitting at the airport waiting for my flight to Columbus. If only this trip could have happened in 3 weeks I could have gone to see Dan at Regionals!!

Time to get serious!

OK, serious training has officially started. So far it's gone good. Didn't get my run in yesterday but worked hard at XFit!! I swam this morning and biked this afternoon. I plan to go to CFW in the morning cause I have to fly to Dallas tomorrow. Not sure I'll get my scheduled run in tomorrow but I'm certainly going to try.

Rumpass weekend is coming up and I'm relaying both days - swim for the Oly and run for the Sprint. Excited to start racing.

Transition Week

This week is transition so things are pretty chill. I did a swim workout this morning but that was it for the day. I feel guilty when I only do one workout a day, but I also know my body needs the recovery time. I'm doing relays both days for Rumpass in Bumpass next month - swimming one day and running the other. Then it's time for my first Oly for the season- St. Anthony's Triathlon in Florida. Doing it with 3 of my lady soccer friends.

Thinking I'll go to Crossfit in the morning, and really hoping there are some other people there!

Today.....I ran......

Today I ran the National Half Marathon in DC. Yesterday I sat on an airplane pondering if I should really do the race, due to my lack of training because of work. Then I opened my Runner's World magazine and read the article about Kara Goucher and the self-doubt she has had to learn to overcome. It was perfect timing. I knew I could finish the 13.1 miles, but I was equally sure I couldn't do it in the time I was hoping for. But instead of avoiding what I was knew was going to be a lot of disappointment in myself, I decided that I would run the race and I would run as hard as I could, on that given day, under the given circumstances and I would see what happened. No, I didn't get the time that I was hoping for but I also knew that was an unrealistic hope. But what I did get was a PR and the self-satisfaction that I ran my best.

It's been a long day and I am ready for bed!!

Paleo Challenge is done....

But Paleo eating as a way of life is not! My goal is to stay away from processed food as much as possible. Nutrition is going to be HUGE for me as I prepare for my first Ironman. Finding the right things to eat and drink before, during and after my long workouts is going to be key. And I feel that natural (Paleo) foods will be a much better option. I will have to throw in some non-Paleo stuff, like gels, mainly because they are easy to carry on the bike and run.

As for IM - I am excited and terrified all at the same time. Right now I feel like I can't do it, but I'm hoping that as the time gets closer and I have done my workouts I will feel ready for the race and that the excitement will override the fear. Right now, if I even think about the race while I am running I hyperventilate. My weakest event is the bike, so I'll be spending many, many hours in the saddle this summer. I know I can do the swim, but can I do it fast enough? Same with the run, I can do it but can I do it in the alloted time?

Race goal - FINISH, preferably BEFORE they take the finish line down. Time limit - 17 hours!

Work is.....

BUSY!! Travel has picked up again so I have to make sure I am prepared with the right foods that I can take with me. This past weekend was rough, between kid issues and having to put a dog down and being disappointed in my Paleo results, I really "fell off the wagon". I had several meals that were well outside the scope of Paleo. I am starting to get back on track thought. Sunday's Crossfit Total was better than Cindy. I managed to go up 40 pounds total - 30 in the back squat and 10 in dead lift. No improvement in the Press.

Disappointed...

I am very disappointed in my results from the Paleo Challenge. I lost 4 pounds, but 3 of them were muscle and only 1 was fat. Shelby says it's because I'm not getting enough protein. I really thought I was getting enough, but I guess I need to add in another protein shake during the day. I'm still going to make life-long changes based on this challenge and I know in the long run I'll be better for it. I just wish I knew where I went wrong. But as we discussed this morning - no excuses. Time to suck it up and drive on! Crossfit total tomorrow, and hopefully some improvements there!

Traveling Circus...

I've been on the road again. Last Thurs-Fri it was Texas and then Sun-Tues was Boston. I have been really struggling since the mid-way point. I was so good the first half of this challenge, never cheating and only having one planned open meal a week. But now I seem to cheat a little each day. I'm not sure what is going on but I really hope I can get back on track.

OH SO TIRED...

I should be in bed, but thought I would take a minute to update my blog. Travel has picked up again at work - in Texas Thurs night and Friday, leaving for Boston tomorrow - back on Tuesday. Sometimes eating while on travel is challenging, like in Midland, Texas!! The breakfast place didn't know the meaning of the word 'fruit', but I could get refried beans and flour tortillas with every meal!! Airports can be a little difficult too, but I am managing.

I was able to get in a quick 20 minute tempo run at the hotel yesterday morning. Today was an hour on the bike trainer and tomorrow will be a run outside - somewhere between 11 and 15 miles. Then it's off to Boston tomorrow night, so I'll miss Crossfit and I am bummed! :-(

Went out to eat tonight with some friends and I did not cheat at all - not even a beer! I had an unplanned cheat meal this week so I figure I better skip my open meal this weekend.

Wednesday, Feb 17th

Tonight was my first real CHEAT meal, as opposed to a planned open meal. My daughter was in town and we had a lot of running around to do - including using a metal detector while trudging thru the snow and mud to try to find my Blackberry, don't ask - long story. Anyway, I had some Chilean Sea Bass out to make for dinner but it hadn't defrosted. So low and behold we ended up going out to eat. I had the most non-Paleo foods in one sitting since this started, even including my open meals. Bread, cheese and potatoes. Guess I'll skip my open meal this weekend.

But on the up side, I went by Max Muscle today and I am down 2 pounds and 1% body fat. Nothing huge, but at least it's going in the right direction.

More travel coming up this week and next, so I'll have to be really diligent about what I eat. But I know I can do it.

Monday - Feb 15, 2010pi

Word of the day - consistency. Something I have been lacking!! My goal this week is to really nail down an eating schedule. As usual, my food choices are good it's more a matter of not eating consistently sized meals throughout the day. I've stocked up on some staple items that I think will help me do this.

So this weekend was good. I chose to have my open meal on Saturday night and hubby and I went to Glory Days. I had a few wings and ordered the chicken tender platter with cheese fries. I think I was more interested in the sauces than anything else. I am a sauce person, big time, and I really miss that. Well, I have about 5 wings and when my dinner came I ate 1 chicken tender and a little bit of the cheese fries and was FULL. Unbelievable full. I was happy that I didn't overdo it and maybe that just proves my body is not meant to have that kind of food.

Having my open meal on Saturday meant Valentine's Day needed to be Paleo. That actually turned out perfect. My husband grilled steak and cedar-plank salmon. I made mushrooms, onion and peppers to go with it. Add a sweet potato and you have a great meal. OK, the wine was a bit of a cheat, but hey it was Valentine's - HAHA.

Today I discovered that you can make Paleo friendly gravy. So dinner was roasted turkey breast with gravy and half an acorn squash. Very satisfying.

Oh, I also discovered sunbutter (sunflower seed spread) this weekend. Take some chunks of banana, throw some sunbutter on them, roll in coconut and freeze. Nice dessert.

Ok, time for bed. Gotta get up early and go swim. CONSISTENCY!! CONSISTENCY!! CONSISTENCY!!

Last of the snow??? Wed, 10 Feb

Well, no work again tomorrow.......but I'll probably still go in for a while. Then I can get a swim in too. Plus I find it harder to keep on a regular eating schedule when I don't work. I didn't do as good today about eating 5-6 MEALS as I had hoped. I did eat good Paleo foods though.

Breakfast

3 eggs scrambled with pico de gallo

Some muffins I tried to make, they weren't very good but I managed to eat a couple of them

Lunch

Leftover Paleo soup (ground beef and veggies in beef broth)

Dinner

Chicken curry (SO YUMMY) with a "bread" crisp (almond flour, egg, sesame seeds and water - poured in a thin layer onto a cookie sheet and baked - not bad)

For desert I tried to make a smoothie - ice, coconut milk and berries. Turned out more like sorbet, but it was still good.

I had a few handfuls of trail mix (almonds, pecans, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and raisins) throughout the day.

I was actually really busy today and accomplished some things around the house that REALLY needed to be done. I feel better having them done and with my training really starting to pick up I need to reduce stress in other areas - and having my closet organized is a big relief!!

Workouts today were non-existent. I had actually planned to go to CFW but got so caught up in the closet business I lost track of time. Tomorrow I am going to swim and spin and hopefully make it to CFW as well.

It's snowing AGAIN! Tuesday, 9 Feb

Alright, no excuses for not updating my blog - goodness knows I haven't been working. Actually I did go to work for a few hours today, even though Base was closed. I had 3 trips planned for this week, none of which are going to happen. Guess next week is going to be BUSY!

I think I need to get better about having 5-6 actual MEALS, vice 3 meals and 2 or 3 snacks. I thought I was doing good eating multiple times a day but when I really thought about what I was eating each time (and looking at Elton's blog) I realized some of my "meals" were not MEALS but more like snacks. Plus I am going to try to get more protein. Goal this week is to make those changes. I did have my cheat meal during the Super Bowl and boy did I know it - my stomach really hurt and my body let me know it was not happy with what I ate. :-) Yet another lesson learned.

Last night's dinner didn't come out like I hoped, but that's ok I'll work on it and see if I can improve it. One thing I really love about this Paleo Challenge is the opportunity to create new things in the kitchen. I love to cook and experiment in the kitchen so it has been fun coming up with recipes using only Paleo ingredients. Tonight was pulled pork, cooked in the crock pot. I put it on a bed of lettuce and added some avocado, pico de gallo, and black olives. Tomorrow is chicken curry - perfect cold weather food. OH, I also made homemade beef jerky. It's not bad, but I'm going to work on it. I've also discovered that roasted pumpkin seeds are very yummy. I buy the raw organic pumpkin seeds at Wegman's and roast them in the oven.

Overall I feel really good though. Workouts are going well and aside from my hunger issue things are going great. Off to make a Paleo smoothie - ice, coconut milk and berries. I'll let you know how it comes out.

SNOW DAY - Saturday, Feb 6th

The snow is here and in a big way!! I'm not sure why everyone is so unhappy about it, I love it. Well, it did ruin my plans for my open/cheat meal today - it's our Anniversary today, 13 years, and I was going to use my open/cheat meal for a nice dinner out with hubby. But that's ok, I can adapt and overcome. We'll go out tomorrow and I'll enjoy my meal that much more.

I haven't been good about blogging and will work on being more consistent. I have, however, been really good about what I eat. I made some really nice chicken strips with garlic herb seasoning the other night. Last night we had salmon steaks with sweet potato and broccoli and peppers sauteed together. All-in-all the food hasn't been too much of an issue - I even resisted the frosted cinnamon buns my co-worker brought in yesterday. I have had a little more beer this week than I originally built into my plan, but it's a small sacrifice. HAHA

I am still having an issue with being hungry most of the time. I eat 5-6 meals a day and eat until I am comfortably full, but inevitably I am hungry an hour later. Was I really eating that much grains and fillers before and that's what kept me full? I keep Paleo snacks on hand at all times, even in my purse, so I don't feel the need to cheat. I haven't officially checked my weight but a quick step on the scale the other day did indicate I have lost some.

I am back on schedule for workouts and that feels good. OOOPS, just remembered I started my glass of wine and I didn't do my run on the treadmill. Oh well, the walk in the snow was a pretty good workout. And I will DEFINITELY get on the trainer tomorrow for a nice long ride. Gotta figure out what movie I want to watch while doing that.

OK, off to make dinner. Steak, coconut shrimp, butternut squash and veg.

Things are looking up....

Today was a good day. I started my day with a mile swim, which felt great. Work was pretty calm so that helped. I ate really well today too.

Breakfast

1 egg scrambled with ground beef, tomatoes, onions, green peppers and mushrooms

Snack

Nuts, raisins and an orange

Lunch

Leftover Paleo spaghetti - ground beef, tomatoes, onions, green peppers and mushrooms sauteed together and put over spaghetti squash

Snack

Apple, celery and some nuts

Pre-wod snack

1 egg scrambled with ground beef, tomatoes, onions, green peppers and mushrooms

Dinner

Boneless pork chops with cinnamon apples (very yummy - even my picky husband really enjoyed it), carrots and brussel sprouts

Dessert

I tried to make some chocolate nut clusters with 100% cocoa, but they aren't very good. I added coconut milk but they still are pretty bitter.

Today's WOD....

4 rounds of...

1 minute of each

sit-ups

push-ups

wall ball

box jumps

1 minute rest after each round

The first 2 rounds I did "real" push-ups - no knees. Unfortunately I had to go to my knees for the last 2 rounds - room for improvement. All said and told I came up with a total of 372.

Feeling good, but I seem to have a bit of an issue of always being hungry. I just never seem to get full. More protein maybe??? Any suggestions are welcome!

KETCHUP, wait I think I mean CATCH UP....

OK, it's time to catch up on my blogging. Last week was crazy at work and then we had the trip to South Carolina for the dog training seminar. Let's start with a list of

"The top 5 Paleo things I learned on my trip..."

1. "Continental Breakfast" at a hotel consists of exactly ONE Paleo item - hard boiled eggs. OK, they did have apples and oranges as well.
2. Not eating during the day can turn you into a completely different person, and this is NOT a good thing. I had my snacks with me on Friday but just didn't go to the truck to get them - BIG, BIG, BIG mistake. By the time we got to eat dinner on Friday night (which took a while, first because it was Friday night and everyone was out to dinner, and second, no one in SC moves with any amount of speed) I was one nasty BIOTCH. I chose not to speak so I wouldn't unnecessarily rip my husband's head off (or try to kill the waitress when she finally came to the table and put bread rolls down). Thank goodness he is patient and let me have my space until I got some food and felt better.
3. Once you take all the non-Paleo food off your plate at a restaurant you aren't left with much. I think Paul was 2 ribs into his rack when I had polished off my entire plate.
4. YES, you CAN eat Paleo at fast food. Not the optimal choice, but what else are you going to do when you are in NC right after a snow and ice storm at 9pm and need dinner. Bojangles grilled chicken breast sandwiches, sans the bun, are mighty tasty.
5. There are NO Paleo acceptable sides at a fast food restaurant. Hence why I ate 2 chicken breasts.

All-in-all everything turned out well. The one big downside was that I did not get ANY workouts in. But I'm back on track with that as well. I did have my one open/cheat meal while we were in SC and found that I didn't really need to cheat that much. It was a group dinner at a Mexican Restaurant so I specifically saved my open meal for this. The only non-Paleo items I had were the corn chips (I mean, what is salsa without chips) and corn tortillas with my fajitas. OH and I can't forget the margarita I treated myself to. :-) I guess there was one other non-Paleo item I did have - they served chili at the seminar and it had beans in it. Since the folks that made it were there I didn't want to seem rude and pick all the beans out!!

Not a bad first week for eating, terrible week for working out. Time to get serious, race season is fast approaching and I WILL be ready. AAAAAHHH, the smell of chlorine first thing in the morning!!!

SLAMMED......

First thing Monday morning we got slammed at work with a network revamp. BUSY BUSY. So busy I didn't have time for one single workout! GRRR.... I am happy to say I stuck with my Paleo foods though. The thing I struggle with the most is breakfast - what can I eat?? I know you are supposed to limit your eggs to six a week due to cholesterol, and since I can't eat cereal, oatmeal or milk I really have a hard time. So driving home from work the other day I thought - - why not make Paleo cereal? Well, I did just that - almonds, pecans, walnuts, raisins, dried apples (made in my dehydrator), blueberries and banana with coconut milk. OMG, it was so good and very filling. This is not something I would eat every day, or every other day for that matter, as the coconut milk has a lot of fat, but once every couple of weeks will satisfy my need for a "bowl of cereal" in the morning. It was such a busy week I can hardly remember what all I ate, but I know I did well on sticking with Paleo foods. Oh, one night I took chicken breasts and coated them in almond flour and baked them. They were a little dry but still very tasty. I also made cauliflower mash and homemade jerky. The jerky came out too dry, but not bad for my first attempt. A co-worker said it tasted just like meatloaf!! OH, and for anyone missing cream in their coffee - add a dollop of coconut milk.

Tonight we are in South Carolina for the weekend, attending a dog training seminar. It's going to be long days and I will have to make a concerted effort to have appropriate foods and snacks with me. Hopefully I can get in some workouts as well.

Elton suggested I post my goals on here and I think that is a great idea. My body fat was 22% and I would love to see it below 18% by the end of the challenge, although I am not sure how realistic that is. My weight was 147lbs and losing 10 - 15 pounds would be ideal. For workouts my Cindy came in at 17 rounds - hmmmmm, is 20 rounds too hopeful?? For CF Total I came in at 215lb deadlift, 145lb back squat and 70lb press (PR) - - total of 430lbs. Not sure how much I would like to improve, but at least some in each area!!

I'll try to blog over the weekend but it's gonna be difficult with long days of dog training.

So maybe it wasn't totally the chili....

By the time I went to bed last night I ached all over and had a fever. So I'm thinking I had a little bug. Felt much better today and, therefore, ate better. Breakfast was 2 eggs (brown/organic) and half an avocado. My stomach didn't handle this great at first, but I ate a plate full of veggies from the Ruby Tuesday salad bar for lunch and felt better after that. I had tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini and broccoli with a little olive oil and black pepper. Handful of grapes for desert. Dinner was a bit more exciting. Taco salad night. Chicken sauteed in a bit of olive oil with Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle seasoning and fresh lime juice. Lettuce, fresh pico de gallo and avocado.

Day 2 of Paleo

Well, day 2 didn't go so well. Not because I strayed from the acceptable foods, in fact I barely at all. Last night (day 1 of the challenge) we had a b-day party to attend where we would eat there. I THOUGHT I chose something that would be ok - but I learned a HUGE lesson. Do NOT trust that a restaurant uses lean ground meat. I'm pretty sure the GREASY chili is what has done my stomach and intestines in today. It has NOT been a pleasant day. Food consisted of a banana and some vegetable tomato soup with yellow squash in it. Hoping that sits ok and all will be back to normal tomorrow morning.