Random Five Friday 5-11-12

1. Busy, busy week! It started off last weekend with Liam's 2nd birthday celebration.  My parents live here in town, but Dave's family is 5 hours away, so we celebrated a few days late.  Liam's only two...he doesn't really know or care at this age.
Of course he got a whole pile of new toys.  Some of them were even on his cake!  I set the bar high with last year's cake (homemade fondant jungle animals).  This year I just wasn't sure what I was going to to do and suddenly it was the day before!  Thank goodness for Pinterest!  I didn't take me long to find inspiration and this is what Liam ended up with:

They tell me it tasted good.  I'm too new to gluten-free to try experimenting with a gluten free cake at this point.  So I just trusted Betty Crocker for the cake and I ate ice cream instead. I don't consider myself a loser in that situation.

2. I got to hang with my triathlon friends TWICE this week! First we went out for drinks after master swim Tuesday night. Wednesday night we met up again at a triathlon clinic at which our fearless leader and master swim coach Jose was one of the main speakers.

Tri clinic hosted by Fairmont Multisport Club. Speakers were nutritionist Jessi Rezac,  pro triathlete Jose Rosales-Yepes, and co-owner of Nicollet Bike Justin Rinehart.  (Photo: Mike O'Rourke)

3.  Thursday, in lieu of an organized workout, I chose to garden and take advantage of the nice weather.  Seems like it has been raining all the time here lately and it's been too wet to weed (um, yeah...see all the little teeny-tiny green things in the picture below).
I spent a little over an hour weeding with this old-style cultivator.  That really is one heck of a workout and I am totally counting it as crosstraining!
Good news is now that the plants are all up and the weeds are gone, we can mulch and I hopefully won't have this much weeding to do again this year (fingers crossed!!!)

4.  I'm going to try running again tomorrow with my Couch-to-5K group.  I took the week off again after having some pain during last week's attempt.  I sure would like to get back to running...

5. I can't think of anything for number five so instead I'm leaving you with a picture of my kid helping in the garden, tiny little garden gloves and all  :)

Have a great weekend!  Good luck to anyone who is racing!

Training Log April 30-May 6

AKA
"My First Week With A Coach"
OR
"How To Be A Bad Athlete By Not Following Directions"

Monday:  This week started off with my birthday (and my son's- we share a birthday) on Monday the 30th.  It was a rest day (thanks, Coach!)
It was an awesome unintentionally multisport-themed birthday!
Hubby hired me a coach:  Wendy Mader at T2 Coaching.
Mom & Dad got me Sparkly Soul Headbands:

and Chrissie Wellington's autobiography "A Life Without Limits"

My in-laws gave me some money which is currently being used (along with some other $) to bid on a lot of goodies Tanya at GOTRIbal is auctioning off to raise money for CAF (Challenged Athletes Foundation).  Bidding is happening here until June 1st 2012.  Go check it out and place your own bid!  

Yep, that visor and water bottle are both signed by Chrissie.  Go. Bid. Now.  Let's raise some dough for CAF!

Since we were planning Liam's big party for the following weekend, we didn't do anything big.  Instead, Liam and I enjoyed some Ben & Jerry's after supper followed by snuggling up on the couch to watch "Winnie The Pooh".  An enjoyable way to spend a birthday for both of us!  

Tuesday:  Tuesday was supposed to be a double.  P90X2 session and master swim.  Well, apparently Liam decided now that he is 2, he no longer needs regular afternoon naps (a trend that has unfortunately continued all week).  I got the master swim in because I had a sitter, but by the time I got home from that at 9:15PM, I was beat and had no energy left for the second workout.  Half successful today.  

Pre-masters warmup +masters= 1800yds

Wednesday:  Drills on the bike means a trainer workout.  Not as fun as riding outside, but it means I can do it while Liam is napping rather than having to find a sitter.  Of course, since he has decided he no longer needs naps, I had to spend the morning wearing him out with an extra large helping of outdoor play to get him to nap.

Mercifully, this session was only 51 minutes long, as it was the first workout that I have ever wanted to puke and cry within the same workout (thankfully, not at the same time!)  It was a good workout, though, and I didn't feel that bad after I was done or the next day.  I'm just not used to pushing outside my comfort zone on the bike.  

Thursday:   500yd swim time trial.  12:50.  15 seconds slower than 5 weeks ago, but different pool, different day.  That was the best I had that day.  1300yds total in the pool counting warmup and cooldown. 

Second session of the day was P90X2 Yoga.  After my swim, I spent all day trying to get rid of a headache.   After I finally got it down to a dull roar and Liam went to bed, I decided yoga was in order.  It was a good choice.  It got rid of my headache!  

Friday:  Coach Wendy had another trainer session scheduled for me today.  Again, Liam didn't want to nap.  Thunderstorms and lots of rain meant no outdoor play to wear out the child today, plus I was trying to get ready for a weekend of houseguests.  The rain also meant nowhere to ride my trainer.  We got enough rain that we got moisture in the basement for the weekend.  Since we have mold/mildew issues in the basement I won't spend any time down there when it's damp.  The rain meant I couldn't set up outside like I had earlier in the week.  New plan was to do Friday's workout on Saturday and Saturday's workout on Sunday.  I did a lot of housecleaning, menu-planning, and toddler-entertaining instead.  

Saturday:  It rained again all Saturday morning.  No trainer ride.  I was allowed to run/walk with my C25K group (first run in 2 weeks, yay!).  Only got drizzled on there.  Finished housecleaning, went to the grocery store in the middle of the downpour and came home looking like a drowned rat.  Shortly after that, our guests arrived and Liam's birthday festivities began.  So much for that plan adjustment.  Plan C?  

Sunday:  Sunday morning and early afternoon were gorgeous and sunny and would have been great for riding.  But we had church and potluck.  After coming home from church, we all took a walk and enjoyed the last of the sunshine before the clouds took over for the day.  Our guests left shortly thereafter.  Liam finally took a nap.  And so did I.  I hadn't done my workouts, but I'd stayed up late and woken up early cleaning and getting random things done for the past few days so I was pooped.  

Dave woke me up just before my alarm was set to go off and helped me get motivated to get moving and out the door.  It was 59 degrees, cloudy, and windy.  Not terrible conditions, but not super enjoyable either.    

I was scheduled to do 90 minutes at RPE 5-6.  Going out against the wind, I had to keep reminding myself that it was only supposed to be RPE 5-6 and dial it back a couple times.  It was tempting to try to fight the wind with all I had, especially when I would look at the speed and see how slow I was going!  

It ended up being a good ride and I was glad I went.  24 miles in 90 minutes.  

Goal for this week:

Dave has started a new position at work and will be home more!  This will hopefully make fitting in my workouts easier.  Especially now that a certain toddler has decided that naps are no longer necessary.  My goal for this week is to complete all workouts AS WRITTEN by Coach Wendy.  

Random Five Friday 4-27-12

1. The weather here has been typical Minnesota spring.  Last Saturday morning it was 40 and rainy, we had two days this week that were 80 and windy, tomorrow it might snow.  I am sick of putting the bike on the trainer and taking it back off.  Plus, after being able to ride outside, it's hard to get the motivation to be confined to the dungeon again!  Maybe someday I'll have two bikes...nah, I doubt it.

2.  I had an analysis and consult with a registered dietitian.  She told me to eat more carbs and less fat.  (I knew I ate too much cheese, but didn't realize my carb intake was so low!)  Also, my increased carbs should not add fiber because I am already approaching recommended daily limit.  More white rice and potatoes for me :)

3.  Masters swim has been extended one more month due to popular demand!  Yay!  It came down to the wire, but we were able to find enough people to fill a class for another month.  No small feat in this rural area.

4.  I have a coach!  More about this exciting news later!

5.  Week one of no running is almost over!  It wasn't hard to stay inside and not run today watching the wind whip the trees  in the front yard and listening to it howl.  One more week and then we'll see what Coach and the PT (sis) have to say.

Have a great weekend!  Good luck to everyone racing!

First outdoor ride of 2012

12 miles. Just under 45 minutes. I had forgotten how much "real" hills hurt the first time each year. Beautiful day, though, and fun to be out!

I have to walk 0.7 miles to the tar road.  I hide my  shoes by the stop sign while I ride. 

Changing my shoes on the side of the road.  

See, my aerobars are good for something, even if I am too much of a wienie to  actually get down and ride in them.  All loaded up and ready for the walk back up the gravel road to home.  

Training Log April 16-22

This week started out great! I was back, mentally and physically. Well, I guess I'll just let you see how things went.

Mon: planned rest day
Tues: My first two-a-day in a LONG time. It felt awesome! Workout #1 was half of "Ride Faster With Chrissie #2" (30 minutes), followed by a 2 mile run off the bike. I should run off the bike more often. I felt slow, but I ran fast! Workout #2 was 30 minutes of swim drills (mostly pulls) followed by a 15 minute run followed by master swim. 2 hours and 35 minutes total in workouts for the day and I still felt great.
Weds: After Tuesday's double, my hip flexor still felt good (even sans KT Tape) so I decided to attempt my scheduled hill workout. I did choose an easier hill than I otherwise would have, but it was still challenging after having some time off. I decided to apply KT Tape prior to the hill workout just as an extra precaution. 6 hill repeats, 3 miles total, 30:23
Thurs: unplanned rest day. Liam decided not to nap. There went my trainer ride.
Fri: 35 min easy run. It. Felt. Like. Death. The whole run. At 11:08 pace. Seriously?!? I just ran hills two days before at 10:08 pace! My hip flexor didn't really bother me during the run, but my leg started to ache later in the afternoon.
Sat: Hip flexor felt good when I woke up. It was 40 degrees and rainy for the Couch-to-5k group that I lead so I left Liam at home with Dave. I was happy to see that 13 of the 18 ladies I our group braved the rain to come work out with us! Workout for the day was a 5 minute walk for a warmup, followed by 20 minutes of alternating 90 seconds of running with 2 minutes of walking. Easy for me, but somehow I found myself limping just half an hour later! How could this easy workout be my undoing? I took the rest of the day off.
Sun: Still limping. Badly enough that people notice. The hip flexor injury is causing compensation in the surrounding muscle groups and some of them are SORE! Sunday ends up being a rest day also.

I talked to my sister, a physical therapist, and her opinion is that I need to take at least one week, maybe two off of running. I will listen to her, after all, this is how she makes a living. I don't like it. Running is easier to do with Liam. Biking and swimming require that I find someone to watch him. I also find stress relief in running. I enjoy biking and swimming, but don't find myself in these activities like I do when I run.
And that is exactly why I need to take the time to take care of this injury now. I can take two weeks now, or I can take two months (or longer) later. I'll take two weeks now.

I am in the process of hiring a coach. It was something I wanted to do next year anyway when I want to train for a full iron distance triathlon. Dave and I talked about it earlier this year and decided that when I had my dizziness issues under control I could hire a coach. I am able to run through my dizziness, and although we are still searching for a cause and remedy, my doctors have cleared me for all exercise. Now that I am having the hip flexor issue, I need the help of a coach more than ever. I know how to write a training plan for running. When it comes to swimming and biking, aside from the basic principles of training, I'm completely lost!

My biggest goal for 2012 was to get stronger and faster without  getting injured, setting myself up to train for a full iron-distance triathlon in 2013.  So much for not getting injured.  But I am staying positive, I am dealing with this injury early, and I am seeking help.  It will all work out just fine.

Happy Monday!

Random Five Friday: Food Edition

My GI issues have led me to think a lot about food lately. Especially about the foods I would most not want to give up.

1. Cheese. Any kind, really, but my favorite is Manchego.

2. Wine. If they could make a good non-alcoholic version I'd totally go for it. I've had some that were decent, but none that could quite be called good. My current favorite wine (of the regular alcoholic variety) is Evodia.  Garnacha is soooo good!

3. Hummus. I can't quite get into the veggies with hummus craze, but chips or pita and hummus? Yes, please! Guacamole is a close second.

4. Asparagus. The only veggie I truly love. And don't you dare try to dress it up with any seasoning or sauces! A little butter/olive oil and just a sprinkling of salt and pepper and it is absolute perfection! Adding anything else to it just messes it up.

5. Sylvia Bars. A delectable treat only made at Christmas in our family (both because they are putsy and because they are little calorie bombs). Why are they called "Sylvia Bars"? Apparently Grandma got the recipe from a lady named Sylvia. Currently, I am not able to eat these, they contain graham crackers (gluten, ack!). Luckily, I have all year to find an acceptable gluten-free ingredient substitution!


What are the 5 foods you wouldn't want to do without?

I think I'm back...

I've really been absent for the most part on the internet lately.  I don't really know why.  

Apparently I just needed a break.  I did get injured, but I have been doing some training here and there.  And of course, there are the posts I could write on dealing with injury, motivating yourself to cross-train, blah-blah-blah...  But I was really in a funk for a while there.  I have no better way to explain it.  I wasn't really depressed or sad, just...well...I guess un-motivated is the best word for it.  But now it's gone, so we're moving on!

I've written out my workouts for the week, cooked up a refrigerator full of healthy food, and so far have stuck to the plan.  

I'll leave you with the refrigerator wisdom for the week, a saying that has been making it's way around Pinterest, Twitter, etc...: