After the 4 laps around the track for the warm-up, I had already made new friends, caught up with old ones, and was schooled on the ways of “Track Night” – Sprinters run counter clockwise; those cooling down run clockwise;   and I can take off solo for the 800 sprint or try to find others to join at my speed.

Running around a track is kind of like swimming in a pool.  My mind has lots of time to wander and calculate each exact move at an exact point.  I can pinpoint how I feel after 400 meters or 10 meters from the finish line. 

My first 800 was good.  I left with two girls I ran with for the first time last weekend, Patricia and Kristen.  They are a bit faster than me, but it is good for me to try to hang on.  I was just a few seconds behind them at the finish.   I was pleased with my result.   Time 3:48. 12 seconds ahead of my goal.

My second 800 was right where I needed to be at 4:00.  I was about 10-12 seconds behind the girls on this repeat, and I was perfectly okay with that.  This sprint hurt.  What got me through was having two girls to chase and knowing that I was done when I crossed that finish line! 

As I did my cool down though, my mind started to wander.  Over a year ago I could hold the exact pace that I just struggled through for 3.1 miles.  And there I was, comparing myself to myself.  

It’s bad enough when I compare myself to others, as this behavior only leads to self-doubt.  But when I start to compare current self to my former myself, self-deprecation sets in.  I had to put a stop to it. 

I am constantly changing and evolving and looking back to compare myself – whether my running times, or my weight, or my swimming times, or how much money I had, or how fun I had doing this or that – is not healthy. 

I am generally a very happy person, but when I start looking backwards instead of forward, I have to reign in my thoughts.

I keep a gratitude journal and each night I write what I’m thankful for and give myself goals and a daily mantra for the next day.

After last night’s track workout I wrote the following:

I am thankful…
… that I had a great day at work.
… that I got out of my comfort zone and did a track workout.
… that Dave’s client is very pleased with him.

Tomorrow’s goals…
…. Yoga
…. Finish lingering work tasks before the holiday weekend
…. Stop comparing myself to myself

Daily Mantra….
I am uniquely me right here, right now, constantly growing and evolving.  

Be well,
Carolyn

So for Christmas I asked Santa for an electric pressure cooker, and he delivered. I must have been good this year, well, aside from the burnt rice. I figured this one was idiot proof, and so far, so good.

One of my goals for the day, besides a 7 mile run AND relaxing, was to make something in my new pressure cooker. I foresee making that my goal more often. No, not the 7 mile run, but the relaxing and pressure cooking!

Thai Chickpea & Sweet Potato Curry
Adapted from Lorna Sass’ Thai Chickpea recipe in Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure

(Source – Since my picture isn’t quite that artful)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups dried chick-peas, picked over and rinsed, soaked overnight in ample water to cover or speed-soaked (see notes)
3 cups coconut milk (see notes)
1 teaspoon of minced garlic
1 pound sweet potatoes, peel and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste, like Thai Kitchen’s brand (see notes)
1/4 cup minced fresh basil

Notes:
- To speed-soak your chickpeas, use 3 cups of water for the first cup of beans, and 2 cups water for each cup of beans after. For chickpeas, and other larger beans, cook for 2 to 3 minutes under high pressure. Turn off the heat and allow the pressure to come down naturally for 15 minutes.

- You can make your own coconut milk. Start with 3 cups boiling water and 1 1/4 cups dried, shredded coconut. Place in a blender and let sit for 3 minutes. Blend for 1 minute, and let sit an additional 5 minutes. Blend 30 more seconds and then strain through fine-meshed strainer while pressing out all the water. Discard coconut. OR you can use canned coconut milk.

- I used 2 tsp red curry paste and the spice was mild, per my husband’s liking. If you like it quite spicy, use 3-4 tsp curry paste.

Directions:
Drain and rinse the chickpeas. In your pressure cooker, combine the chickpeas, coconut milk, garlic, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, curry paste, and fresh basil.

Lock the lid in place and over high heat, bring to high pressure for 18 minutes. Allow the pressure to come down naturally or use the quick-release method.

Remove the lid, tilting away from your face to allow for excess steam to escape. If the chickpeas are not tender, either return to high pressure for a few more minutes or simmer until the chickpeas are done.

Enjoy with brown rice (1 cup brown rice, 1 1/4 cup water, 22 minutes high pressure, quick release method).

Happy New Year!

Be well,
Carolyn

Apparently Lucky caught one of Santa’s elves last night.

xx

Last year we had a little bit of a snafu with the wish lists. I made the mistake of sending my complete wish list to both my mom and sister. My sister made the mistake of sending her boyfriend’s wish list (or my sister’s wish list for her boyfriend) to my mom and I. Since the McGee girls are very quick and efficient, the second we got the list, we turned to Amazon to nail out our Christmas shopping with a few clicks of the mouse.

Turns out, many duplicate gifts were purchased. Returning an electric pressure cooker to Amazon costs more than the gift itself. Not to mention, this year the same exact pressure cooker is on my list. Well, one of my lists anyways. Don’t tell my sister! I don’t need two of these bad boys.

Moleskin Wellness Journal

Wellness Journal

I’m a journal junkie. I guess there are worse addictions. But I plan on tracking my 2012 exercise journey in this sucker, along with my other 10 journals and two online spreadsheet. If only I was as efficient in my journaling department as I was with my Christmas shopping.

Cusinart Electric Pressure Cooker

Cooking black beans from scratch no longer means soaking beans overnight and overflowing pots. Now if only Santa will bring me more cabinet space to store this boat in.

Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure

With every new toy comes a book to show you the way.

University of Texas LS Shirt x 2

In the land of Florida Gators, I have to represent the Texas Longhorns.

Shiva Rea Vinyasa Flow DVD & Shiva Rea Fluid Power DVD

Shiva Rea videos are the best yoga DVDs. And the only ones I’ve ever tried. Her yoga voice is better than the most annoying yoga teacher you’ve ever had. She will take you on a magical journey. Buckle up.

Drymax Socks

Since strangers are beginning to point out that I’m wearing one grey sock and one orange sock, I guess it’s time to get new ones.

Roku

Santa already delivered this. And let me tell you, watching old episodes of MadMen just got easier. I no longer have to spend 2 days downloading it illegally from some Japanese website. Or watching it from an 8 in. computer screen. With my headphones on.

Michael Kors Watch

Because I occasionally try to be stylish.

So there you have it folks. If you wanted to get me a present, don’t buy off this list.

Unless, it’s another Roku for the guest bedroom.

Merry Christmas!
Carolyn

Anyways, this list of items works whether you are trying to avoid pissing off your boss, you want a long lasting relationship with your husband/wife, you are trying to avoid drama with a member of your tri team, or you don’t want to blow a gasket at the annoying girl in your spin class who always has to have the same bike. 

I’m just passing this information along.  It came from a friend who gives me sage advice that mainly applies to business, but that can also be spun in a way to help a broader audience. 

How to Avoid Pissing [Insert Person Here] Off

1.  Identify the problem.  Give a solution. 

Bad:   “Coach, 100×100 yard butterfly is the worst main set known to man.  Besides my shoulder has been hurting me lately. ”
Good:  “Coach, my shoulder has really been giving me some issues lately, can I do these 100’s freestyle swim/kick/drill/swim by 25 instead?”

2.  Don’t shop Mom and Dad.

Bad: “Immediate Boss, what do you think of the app that I designed?’” “Second boss, oh you think it needs x, y, and z?  Well, I.B. said that it was perfect.” 
Good: “Immediate Boss, I’m asking the key stake holders to review this new app.  Can you give me some feedback on what could make this app better?” 
“Second Boss, I’ve spoken with I.B. earlier who gave me x, y, and z feedback on my new app.  Would you have some time to review it and offer some additional  suggestions for improvement?”

3. Don’t go around those in charge*.

Bad: “Husband, Don’t freak out when you see the huge credit card bill this month.  I am racing two Ironman this year – New Zealand and Cancun, and I treated us to the Ritz Carlton, already booked our couple’s massage with the best masseuse at the spa post race, oh and did I mention, we are confirmed first class.”
Good: “Husband, I am planning my 2012 racing season, and I’d really like to race Ironman New Zealand.  Plus my best friend AND your college buddy lives there.  We could probably crash at their place after the race to save some bucks and I have some FF miles so at least one of our tickets would be free.  Can we sit down and see if these plans align with our vacation schedule and budget for next year?”

*Strategically let your husband think he is in charge when necessary.

4.  Bad news should always travel faster than good news.

Bad: I’m quitting my tri team, didn’t tell my coach, who also happens to be my friend, and am joining another team. 
Good: I’ve decided another tri team fits my training needs and schedule better, so I had a conversation with my coach to let her know my plans for next racing season. 

5.  Keep people informed.

Bad: You show up for swim practice and the pool is closed down.  Why didn’t the Team’s caption send an email?
Good: The pool is closed down this week.  I’ve already received 4 emails from the Team’s caption with options for dryland, three other pools to train at, and sample workouts. 

6.  Don’t lie intentionally.

Bad: I run a sub 5 marathon. 
Good: I once ran a marathon and I’m not telling you my time.  It doesn’t count, since it was really at a power walking pace.  I seek justice on this distance again.  This time moving a little quicker. 

Be well,
Carolyn

Lots of pigeon and stretching ensued for a solid week before I felt any relief.  This move worked wonders.

The tight IT band was causing symptoms of my previous injury to emerge.  And I got scared.  So I’ve stopped my CrossFit adventure for the time being.  I’m really worried about all the squats, ball to wall, etc. as I’m convinced all the leg work and heavy lifting I was doing  in the past is what caused my injury (even though the doctors tell me it’s all the football and gymnastics I played as a child!?!).  Luckily, I have no pain today. 

I really enjoy lifting, but I also want to be able to say, “Nope.  I’m not doing that exercise”  and I don’t feel comfortable doing it in the Box since the workout is essentially a race, in a group environment, and sometimes with partners.  CrossFitters, can I ask for modifications? 

Anyways, I’ve been doing my own thang as the usual – a little bit of running, a little bit of spinning, a little bit of riding, a little bit of yoga, a little bit of swimming, a little bit of lifting.  I’m kinda wandering aimlessly without a big race I’m training for.    But…

I did run a 5k on Saturday – the Palm Beach Turkey Trot.   I didn’t PR, but it felt good to get out there.  Actually, it hurt like hell.  It was in Palm Beach, so the run was beautiful.  We passed beautiful mansions, manicured lawns, and yachts galore.  It’s fun to see how the 1% live.  I could get used to that lifestyle.

Honestly.   I couldn’t even look around much because I was so concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other and thinking, “where the hell is that f-ing finish line?”

14/66 in Age Group.  8:33m pace.   26:29. 

Not my best, but I got out there and did it.   And it was good to judge where I’m at in my running game.   And I also had to check myself against an article I recently read in the Health-e-Times magazine that I picked up as a freebie from the health food store.  Read on.

Heart Health by the Mile

How fast can you run a mile?  New findings in Texas may make you want to hop on the treadmill.  In two separate studies, researchers analyzed fitness levels of more than 66,000 people and found that, for middle-aged adults, how quickly they could run a mile was a strong predicator of long-term health.  “In both these studies, how fast you can run in midlife is very strongly associated with heart disease risk when you’re old,”  says Dr. Jarret D. Berry, coauthor of both studies. 

Dr. Berry calculated that a man in his 50s who can run a mile in 8-minutes or less or a woman who can do it in 9-minutes or less shows a high level of fitness.  Moderate fitness is represented  by a 9-minute mile for a man or a 10:30 for a woman, and men who can’t run faster than a 10-minute mile and women slower than 12-minutes fall into the low-fitness group.  The small difference in speed made a big difference in heart disease risk- participants in the high-fitness group had a 10 percent lifetime risk, while those in the low-fitness group had a 30 percent risk.  “If we’re trying to boil this down into practical implications, it’s the speed at which you can run,”  says Dr. Berry.  “Heart disease risk increases markedly for every minute longer it takes you to run a mile.” 

Okay, so I’m not a middle-aged adult, but I thought these findings were interesting.  I guess I’ll have to do a time trial in 20 years and see where I fall. 

Do you think a timed mile is an indication of your fitness level? 

Be well,
Carolyn

My friend Jenny has raved about CrossFit for months now, and I’ve seen her grow incredibly strong in that time.  Not only that, but she credits CrossFit for  great improvement in her running game.  If that isn’t enough, she even thinks this torture is fun. 

So after months of saying, “I gotta try this CrossFit thing,”  I finally bit the bullet. 

Here is what went down on Day 1 of this adventure.

Warm-Up
Lateral Side Push-Ups:  We did lateral side pushups from wall to wall (maybe 30 or 40?). That’s a push up – going to stomach on the ground- and then moving over one arm/leg to get across the floor.   My arms were on fire!  Since my description is so awesome, here is a video. 

These people are obviously moving WAY faster than I did.

Junk Yard Dogs: Next we partnered up and did JYD. You jump with knees to chest over your partner’s arms.  What?  You have no clue what I’m talking about?  Here’s a video. 

The jumps were hard. I don’t think I’ve jumped like that since I was 10.  My partner, who was also a newb, kept saying, “I feel so heavy,”  and she was a little thang.

Technique
After warm-up, I worked on push press lifting form, while the others did split jerks. Mike, the trainer at BNI CrossFit, helped me proper form using a PVC pipe.  I then used a bar and weights to practice.  This is definitely going to be a humbling journey.  Just holding the bar in a resting position was hard. 

We then did 3-3-3 which were an exercise to practice jumping form. Who thought jumping was so hard? Well, it was!

Work-out of the Day (WOD)
Next was time for the WOD. This high intensity workout changes daily, hence the name, and the diversity is why many people really like CrossFit.   There was an “A” advanced side and a “B” beginners side.  I wasn’t trying to fool anyone, so I stuck with the “B.”  It looks like I’ll be hanging out there for awhile.

10 burpees over ab mat ( push up then jump with knees to chest over a mat)
5 push press (I did 35 lbs but recommended was 55lbs)
10 back squats (35lbs but recommended was 55lbs)
20 wall balls (squat, then throw medicine ball up HIGH – 8lbs)
300m run
4x through

The Aftermath
It doesn’t seem like much on paper, but this workout was intense. Two days and 6 Tylenol later, I’m finally back to normal.  Well, almost. 

As my legs were on fire from the wall balls ->300 meter runs, I was thinking about transitions in triathlons.   Or that point during a 5k when you’re looking up at a big hill (or bridge in my case), and you are really questing if you can move any more (and also why you signed up for a 5k that goes there and back over a bridge).  I felt like these drills, over time, would condition my muscles to quickly react to change. These thoughts felt profound at the time.  Let’s roll with it. 

So this little adventure is all worth a shot.  In the past year while recovering from an injury, I’ve really wavered about training for anything.  I am taking this opportunity to try something new and get reinvigorated with exercise.  Plus, let’s face it.  I would love to be ripped and see improvement in my overall fitness, especially in swimming, biking, and running. 

The only thing that could stop me would be a flare up of my injury.  I hope it doesn’t, but one week after my first session all the soreness has gone away except I’m left with a tight left IT band.  I’ve foamed rolled and been hitting yoga good, but if the tightness triggers back/leg pain, I’d have to stop this experiment.  I have to be really careful that I keep my legs stretched out to avoid a repeat of last year. 

So why am I making such a big deal about this? 
In my research, CrossFitters are meat-eaters who follow the Paleo diet.  I am a vegan who hasn’t eaten meat in 7 years.  I know nothing of the Paleo diet except they don’t believe in a vegan diet.  So, I thought this would be a great experiment to hopefully debunk some myths about this lifestyle. 

In the coming days, if I grow some balls, I might post some before photos, take some measurements, and post about my current fitness level…. and then we shall see where this adventure takes me. 

What I’m Committing To…
Along with running, cycling, and swimming, I hope to get in CrossFit 2x per week. 

Things will something like this on the weeks where I’m not traveling for work.

Sunday – 15 to 20 mile road ride
Monday – CrossFit
Tuesday – AM: Run – Intervals / PM: Master’s Swim Practice
Wednesday – Yoga / PM: CrossFit
Thursday – AM: Warm-up Run & Spin Class / PM: Master’s Swim Practice
Friday – REST or Active Recovery Yoga
Saturday – 2 hour Master’s Swim Practice

Let the vegan CrossFit adventure begin!

This triathlon was put on by Florida Race Place Magazine who also is responsible for Escape from Ft. DeSoto and Top Gun triathlons at the same location.  Additionally, they put on road races and other triathlons around the state. 

I have raced all three triathlons put on by FRP at Ft. DeSoto in the past (last year’s Suncoast recap here), and I feel very comfortable at any of them.  They are great for both first time triathletes and seasoned veterans, and while each event is very similar, they each are marked by something distinctly different – the weather. 

For Suncoast, the late October date always makes things iffy.  It could be a balmy, muggy day or a windy, chilly morning.  This year it was on the verge of a blizzard.  Temperatures were in the 50’s before sunrise with a high in the low 70’s.  The water was around 71 degrees making this a wetsuit legal race.  

Packet pickup takes place at Bill Jackson’s in Pinellas Park on Thursday and Friday afternoon prior to the race.  While I think Bill Jackson’s is a very cool adventure store, getting there after work during rush hour traffic isn’t very fun.  For the first time for this triathlon series, I opted to pick up my packet on the morning of the race.  This meant I had a 4 am wakeup call. 

I was one of the first people to arrive at Ft. DeSoto so the line for packet pickup was non-existent, I could zip in and out of the bathroom instead of using a port-o-potty, and I could get first dibs on the bike rack.  

Set-Up
After picking up my packet, I headed back to my car to get organized and grab my gear.  After getting body marked, I headed into transition which was nicely lit, contained many friendly volunteers, and numerous port-o-potties.  I found my rack and was the second bike there.  After looking around to see the coveted spot all the other early birds took, I opted for the very first spot closest to the “aisle.”  After quickly racking my bike with my helmet on the handle bars, I laid down down a towel with my socks, cycling shoes, running shoes, sunglasses, race belt, and hat.  I did a quick mental check of what gear I put on during transition, and I was out of there.  

Phew, I totally escaped the crowds, and I could even hit up the real bathroom again without waiting in line. 

The Wait
Back to the car I went to stay warm, jam out, and read the paper.  I had nearly 1.5 hours to kill.  The wait is by far the worst part of triathlons.  Luckily I was in one of the first waves, or I could have easily had an extra hour of sitting around. 

With T-minus 30 minutes until the start of the race, I headed back to the bathroom (which had now formed into a gigantic line) and walked the short distance along the beach to the start. 

It was a beautiful morning, and I was ready for whatever was to come.  Well, maybe.

Swim
When racing in the summer months, I play the waiting game in my race outfit (TYR tri shorts and a Nike dri-fit top), but when it’s cold out, I stay fully clothed (long pants, fleece, and ski hat) until the start. I take off my clothes minutes before my wave is set to go, and I fetch them after the race! I ran into a few friends who asked if my wetsuit was on under my clothes.  I opted not to wear a wetsuit though. I’m a strong enough swimmer where I would lose more time trying to get the damn thing off than I would gain on the swim.

During the national anthem, I stood in the water which was warmer than the air, with my hands around my body, shivering.  I’m a wuss. 

When the pink caps were called to toe the line, I stepped up to the front ready to roll.  The announcer said 2 minutes until our start, so I pulled down my goggles. 

SNAP!  The strap on my Swedish goggles popped.  Shit.  

The blue goggles below are assembled with the string and nose bumper-thingy that come with the goggles; however, the metallic goggles are shown with an elastic nose strap that is cut from one of the longer straps when assembled.  I put mine together like the metallic pair because I like to be able to adjust the strap based on what I’m doing – training v. racing.  However, the elastic nose strap has a short life and can snap easily.  Today was one of those days. 

Luckily, I was prepared.  I asked a volunteer to borrow scissors when I was headed to the start and I took a little extra strap and cut a new nose piece to stuff in my bra (classy!).  What can I say?  I’ve been in these types of situations a time or two in my life.

So when my goggles snapped with less than 2 minutes till my start, I quickly reassembled the nose piece.  The only problem was that THAT nose strap snapped again.  I seriously was thinking, “Holy shit.  I’m not going to make this start.  I can’t swim without goggles.”  Luckily, I was able to bite the strap with my raptor like teeth at a decent enough angle to thread it back in, and with 20 seconds to go, I was ready for the race. 

Awesome.  Things aren’t starting off so well. 

3-2-1… go… and off I went running into the gulf.  I had an awesome start.  No one was in front of me and only a few pesky people touching my toes.  I made it out to the buoy first and started settling in for the short swim.  I felt something “floating” by after I passed the buoy, but I thought nothing of it… until .33 miles later I was running out of the ocean and the volunteer said, “You lost your timing chip.”

Awesome.  Strike two. 

Despite these two hiccups, I still had a decent swim. The water was pretty rough out to the first buoy and to the last buoy, but when I turned to head for the shore, I caught a nice little wave into T1.

Time: 10:26 (caught by the volunteer)
Rank: 1/25 age group

T-1

I was a little miffed that I lost my timing chip.  I was racing Suncoast sans watch for the first time ever to avoid the whole “uh. Why am I not going faster?” pressure I often put on myself.  I was looking forward to checking out some splits after the race though.  Oh well.  The race goes on…

The run to transition was cold.  My feet were numb from the swim and the run in on the pavement was really painful.  I sucked it up though and made it to my bike.  I stumbled to get my socks on (should have brought a different pair) and couldn’t get my damn bike off the rack.  So much for scoring the good spot.  When trying to pull it off the rack, the pedals got stuck in the cross bar of the rack.  Live and learn -  I’ll wear my favorite orange socks next time and I’ll rack my bike in a “middle seat” close to the aisle.  (The only time I can comfortably stand a middle seat.) 

I finally got ‘ole Tino out and ran out of transition.  I had a little trouble clipping into my bike, but I think part of that was my nerves/cold feet just not cooperating.  

Time: Who knows I lost my chip on my swim
Rank: At this point I saw one girl in my AG pass me. 

The Bike
Once I was clipped in, thoughts ranged from, “damn my feet are cold” to “holy shit, I’m smoking (23mph)” to “these socks are really annoying.” 

Too bad the “holy shit, I’m smoking” didn’t last the whole bike, but I did feel much stronger than past races.  That makes sense though… I have been spending more time in the saddle. 

For once in my life, I passed people on the bike.  Of course, plenty of people passed me, but I felt strong!  And that was the whole point of this race for me.  I didn’t care about my time (at least not while I was racing), but I wanted to feel good!  And that I did.  (Don’t be jealous of the awesome look they captured.)

Time: Who knows, did I tell you I lost my timing chip?  Probably about as many times as I told the volunteers as I entered and exited each transition.
Rank:  Not sure, but I spotted a few youngins whiz by me

T-2
I thought I was going to face plant unclipping from my pedals, but I some how managed to keep it together.  Thank god.  I don’t think I could take another strike.  One more and this game would be over.

Off the bike and into transition I ran, where I quickly racked my bike, took off my helmet, changed into my running shoes and was off with my hat and race belt.

Time:  Did you hear?
Rank: Not sure.

The Run
Right out of the run I was feeling pretty good.  I passed a girl who smoked me on the bike – too bad she wasn’t in my age group – and I settled into things.  By this time it was warming up as there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.  Ed was right when I was crying about the race day temps.  This was perfect racing weather.   

I put one foot in front of the other and tried to pick targets to go after.  I’ve never actually felt this good during the run part of a triathlon.  I normally die on the run.  I was encouraging others to keep going strong, when normally it is the other way around.  Mission accomplished and I hadn’t even crossed the finish line.

Despite feeling good, I was still ready for this party to be over.  I was hoping I missed the 2 mile marker and would be pleasantly surprised when I hit 3, but I wasn’t so lucky.  That last mile I was just looking for the finish and ready to get this over with. 

Before I knew it, I was on the straight away to the finish line, and I once again was telling anyone who would listen, “I lost my timing chip.”

Time:  Not sure, did you get the news?  I lost my timing chip.
Rank:  Who knows, but some road warriors definitely ate me for dinner on this leg.

The aftermath
After tracking down the timing people and making sure they got my final time, I was off to find the free massage tables.  I’m such a whore for free massages. My calves were both really tight which they worked on nicely, and I always throw in the upper shoulder/back area as a concern just for a little extra something-something.

I grabbed my clothes from the start, chatted with a nice lady on the walk back, and checked out the final stats. 

Official Time: 1:15:46
Rank: 8/25 age group 

All and all, I had fun, felt awesome, and enjoyed a beautiful Saturday morning at Ft. DeSoto park.  I can’t wait for next year’s races.  Sprint triathlons are the perfect “non-comitial, training doesn’t have to dominate your life” distance.

For now… Tri season is officially over which means I need to get myself back in the pool like yesterday and pick up my running game which I’m not taking too seriously.  That’s all fine and dandy though.  I ultimately want to have fun and feel great with whatever I strive to do. 

Oh,  I also started CrossFit for some weight training, which is kicking my ass x10.  It’s time I wrap this up because my arms are actually sore from typing this novel.  Thank you Cross Fit.  I also have to hold onto the sink when I sit to pee, and I have to fall into my car seat because my legs don’t want to hold me up.

My friends tell me it’s gets easier.  I sure hope so. 

Coming soon – Adventures of a first time CrossFitter. 

Be well,
Carolyn

After spending much of the past three months on the road for work, it feels nice to settle back into a routine.  Of course too much of a routine and I’m itching to get back on the road.  I’m confused. Not to worry though as I have one work trip coming up in November and two in December, coupled with traveling to the in-laws for Thanksgiving and to my parents for Christmas.  I guess the next few months won’t be so quiet after all. 

As I alluded to in a previous post,  I was feeling a bit out of “racing shape.”  I said the best way to get back in was to set a goal and start moving towards it. 

So that’s what I did.  The day after I wrote that post, I got out my calendar, penciled in some races and forked over my hard earned dollars. 

Here is what’s to come:

October 22nd – Suncoast Triathlon, Ft. DeSoto (Holy shit, that’s this Saturday!)  November 24th – Turkey Trot 5k, Palm Beach
December 21st – Jingle Bell Run 5k, Dallas
January 8th -  Frogman’s 5k Open Water Swim, Tampa Bay

It has been since April since I’ve raced outside of open water swimming, and I’m a bit nervous about how I will perform running.  I have a distinct memory of throwing in the towel during my last 5k and of wanting to curl over and die after running a PR last December. 

The latter feeling is how I felt this morning as I kicked some major ass on the treadmill.  Or did the treadmill majorly kick my ass? 

Here is what went down: 

6 minutes easy (5.5 mph – 11:20 pace)

3 x {3 minutes fast (7.7 mph  – 7:47 pace – 20 seconds faster than 5k PR pace.)
        {3 minutes slow (5.5 mph – 11:20 pace)

6 minutes easy (5.5 mph – 11:20 pace)

3 x {3 minutes fast (7.7 mph – 7:47 pace – 20 seconds faster than 5k PR pace.)
        {3 minutes slow (5.5 mph – 11:20 pace)

6 minutes easy (5.5 mph – 11:20 pace)

Holding a 7:47 pace for 3 minute intervals nearly killed me. But I did it.  It was a head battle that is for sure, and I thought my legs might buckle on me and I’d fall and hit my head and forget the last 10 years like Alice did in What Alice Forget, our Book Club’s October book. 

I wouldn’t remember Dave.  Lucky.  The Peace Corps.  My Wedding.  Graduating College.  Working for Granicus.  Or how good it felt to say I ran a sub 25 – 5k (in reindeer ears).

The good feelings.  Bring ‘em on.

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This year’s event will be even better than last with a bigger location, more sponsors, and a diverse group of vendors. 

Last year, Jena and I went and enjoyed snatching up copious amounts of samples, soaking up the sun, and listening to folk songs all about going veg – “I like farm animals” and “I’m made from seeds” were chart topping songs!

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I suggest you arrive early.  This not only means you have more time to meet and mingle with fellow veg-friendly folks, but it allows you to snatch up all the yummy freebies before the masses arrive. 

Check out my post from Tampa Bay’s 1st Annual Veg Fest.

Get excited!  This is a big deal for our city. 

Be well,
Carolyn