the last 3 days

took a little road trip this weekend. Saturday went to NYC. Got a chance to meet our Dan the man as he was kind enough to let me store my bike at this place while I trekked around town. Super fun talking to him and nancy. The city was fun too although my foot was killing me by the end of the night from walking around on it all day. I expected this to happen although I was hoping that it wouldn't. Had some delish vegan treats during the day but had a headache at night and couldn't even eat my dinner I ordered. sad :( Ended up staying  up late driving to ct. I was of course still up early so kinda sleep deprived.  Sunday I had the honor of meeting jay and training with him for awhile. 33.64 loop in 2:39:30.  not a huge fan of the hills. Then again I already knew that going in. went to the pool and did some drill stuff to straighten out my swimming a bit. Not really sure what kind of workout we really did but it was great to have him look at my swim. Hopefully I'll start swimming better now. drive home took longer than expected and I was up late again. So sleep deprived today, need to catch up on that and somethings around my place today.  Got a crossfit wod in

 21-15-9 of

65lb push press
box jumps @ 24inches

time 7:17

really feels good to be throwing weights around again. My shoulder is actually bothering me more from adding this work back in more than my hand.

sprouted grain bagel
vega wfo w/coconut water
banana
grit tofu
broccoli
lentils in onion gravy over sprouted quinoa
morroccan carrots

Three day

Hit a triple today. Started with a swim - 100 warmup and drills then 5 x 200 with a pull buoy. rest 40,30,20,10.
1 4:10
2 4:21
3 4:20
4 4:21
5 4:25

then did a 100cooldown just to see what it felt like without the flotation device. This is the first time I have ever used a pull buoy and it was kinda weird. I expected my time to be faster because of the bouyancy but they were actually slower. That just when you think your flip turns can't get any worse. they were eventful, each and every one of them let's just leave it at that.

CF WOD - 4 rounds of 10 front squats @ 75lbs, 5 pullups, 10 pushups and 10 ring dips w/1 foot on a box for assistance. time 11:10.

then the crusher! 3 mile warmup to 5 x 1 mile hill repeats. 3 mile cooldown. thankfully my friend jeff came with me for morale support. I always hate this wod because i am not a good hill climber.  Jeff pretty much blew my ass off the map every time but it was easier to just keep going with him there. I almost wonder if the hill climbing thing is just physical with me right now or mental. I feel like I can suffer more sprinting on flats because even though my legs hurt Im getting somewhere and its fun. On the hills im hurting and it feel like im making less progress.  I suffer through it but it is definitely a weakness for me. I think I need a nap after this one.

Foot is feeling better today.  Was supposed to take a day trip tomorrow but I just don't know if im up for it yet.

did my bike commuting on troy, stefans big brother today. just to get a feel for riding him again in case i decide to use him for a race i have coming up in october.

take another shot

Swim - 100 warmup and drills then 1000yd time trial - 22.27.

9minute AMRAP of 10 American Kettlebell Swings @ 35 lbs, 15 GHD situps - 6 full rounds and through 8 ghd situps of the 7th round

Overhead Press - 45x5, 50x5, 55x5, 60x3 fail on 4th rep 2 x 55, 5 x 55 did this immediately after the amrap and didn't have time to rest much between the sets but it was still good to get something like this done.

Had another foot Doctor appointment today and I got another cortisone shot in my foot. Took more xrays to see if I have stress fractures or if the spurs are still growing (last set of xrays was from July). Might have to do another shot or two. possibly orthotics to see if they help. Curious to see if this shots does any better. I do think the first shot helped a bit but it def did not talk all of the pain away. He also gave me a prescription for celebrex. I was unable to get it filled today at the drug store because it needed some kind of special approval that is going to take a day or two. I hate taking drugs anyway so I wasn't too upset about that. He wants me to try to take the drugs in coordination with the shot treatment to try to hit this things with as much anti-inflammatories as we can at once. While I was at the pharmacy I got a flu shot.

so far the shots doesn't hurt as much this time as it did last time. If im not on my foot it is fine. but I am walking on it a little funny.  I iced it down and will try to stay off of it the rest of tonight. Hopefully Ill be back at it tomorrow.

blueberry waffler
sprouted grain bagel
vega wfo w/coconut water
grit tofu
whole wheat potato gnocchi  & broccoli & tomatoes
vega vibrnacy bar
2 burritos - tofu & veggie
tempeh bacon

playing with weights again

foot is still cracking and hurting a bit today. I got back to the foot dr. tomorrow not sure how that is going to go, I don't have a good feeling about it since my foot isn't feeling well. I can't seem to loosen it up. 10 minute warmup ride on trainer then 1 minute on 1 minute off, 1 minute on 50 off, 1 minute on 40 off, 1 minute on 30 off, 1 minute on 20 off, 1 minute on 10 off, and then back up the ladder!  Always a painful time on the trainer. CF workout was 21 - 15 - 9 of Backsquats @ 55, weighted step ups @ 55 onto 18 inch box, box jumps onto 18 inch box. time - 11:20. Those step ups were TOUGH! It feels good to be back to using weights again. Even if it is making me feel weak! Amazing how fast you lose it. Its all good for me though. Usual Bike commuting stuff.
results from my terrible tri on sunday. no timing chips so my transition times are include in the swim and run I think?

.60 swim - 23:45 - felt like i swam well some of this is t time i hope!
bike - long because i got lost - supposed to be 13.5 probably closer to 25 with my detour- 1:20:15
after bike 1:44:15
run - 37:17 - almost died when i saw this. t time plus when i had to stop to walk to catch my breathe twice for whatever was going on with me.
total - 2:21:32
so this race wasn't one for the record books for sure.

2 blueberry rice waffles
tempeh bacon
vega wfo w/coconut water
banana
tofu teriyaki, brown Rice & veggies
vega vibrancy bar
Grit Tofu
WholeWheat Potato Gnocchi with Tomatoes and Broccoli
DarkChocolate Almonds

tuesday

Slept a ton last night too. Swim - warm up and drills and 30 minutes focusing on stroke count. Got one lap at 18 but most were 19-21 range. cf wod - 15 - 9  - 7 of Thrusters @45 lbs and pushups. The thrusters were ok on my hand. my shoulder was actually feeling worse during them than my hand and even more surprising was the thursters were easier than the pushups. the pushups were killing me after not doing them for so long. time 5:03.  My foot still hurts, it is clicking a lot and hurts when I stretch it. I go back to the doctor on thursday. Did my exercises today too.

chocolate soymilk
sprouted grain bagel
vega wfo w/coconut water
banana
teriyaki tofu, veggies, brown rice
vega vibrancy bar
tempeh scramble w/red pepper and swiss chard
chocolate almonds

the 13th

Went to bed early last night and slept in a bit this morning but otherwise feeling fine after the race. foot a little sore but i expected that. Used my mountain bike to commute today because all of my road gear was still wet from yesterday. Also I was considering using my mountain bike for a few upcoming tris in october where the are paved and unpaved roads in the course. I think Im going to use my road bike because it will be faster and just hope it can handle the terrain. Did 5 rounds of 3 minutes on 1 minute off on my mountain bike. covered 5.49 miles. I did coast down some downhills on the minute off that are included in the distance

vega wfo w.coconut water
tempeh bacon
banan
potato and onion piergies broccoli and walnuts
vega vibrancy bar
zucchini and sweet potato chips with guacamole

Blueman Race report

Of course it rained for the race. the day started with a tough drive to the race site which made me later than I would have liked to be and altered my pre race setup. But I got everything I really needed to done. The swim was in a great lake called the blue marsh lake. the water is a blue-green really pretty color. It  sits on a bunch of hard rock so i sliced my toe open. But overall a great lake, water was a little choppy probably from the rain. no weeds! I felt really good on the swim. I felt like I was moving along well, got into a hard working rhythm and stayed focused. It was a two lap course. I felt like I was sighting well. I only got off course a little at the end because i didn't think about the second lap being an exit lap so i was still swimming tight to the turn instead of wider towards the shoreline. t1 - went ok. Got on the bike and thats when things got interesting. I started feeling pretty bad early on in the bike. not sure why just hurting like i couldn't breathe. it was weird becuase i didn't feel bad on the swim or t1. We were told before the race started that there would be police at every turn. This turned out not to be true. not only were there no cops. there were no volunteers at the first turn which I completely missed. I was suspicious when I wasn't seeing anyone around me for awhile. Then I rode into 2 other people that did the same thing and were riding back so I turned around and rode back with them. We got back on course but we were 13 miles deep already to a course that was only 13 miles and we still have to ride the actual course. I learned a few things. I need to learn the courses more and not rely on volunteers to tell me where to go. I also should bring enough water etc in case something like this goes wrong. At least it was cool out from the rain. I almost made the same mistake on the second loop of the bike course AGAIN! luckily there was someone turning there so I followed them as literally asked to make sure i was on course. I was in a state when I finally finished the bike course. I was actually debating not even going out on the run. I was so far behind everyone and with my foot I was thinking why put my foot through this run? But my husband encouraged me to do it while I was running into t2 so I put on my sneakers and tried to run out the bike in/out which they said was the run out at the beginning of the race but i have a feeling they changed that since it is stupid and dangerous to do that so i ran around the transition to the other side.  Thankfully some people were cheering me on as i exited because i wasn't feel like hitting the run so much. But I would get through it. Twice I had this weird feeling where I was just gasping for air. Like an asthma attack. Except I don't have asthma that I know of.  I stopped and walked and even stopped moving for a bit until I could get my breathing under control. It wasn't exercise related as I wasn't running fast enough to be out of breathe like that. It was like a restriction where I just couldn't get the air in even though I was breathing hard. I was scared the second time it happened because I am anaphylatic and i was afraid something stung me and I didn't know it.  But as fast as these came then went away too. I do have bad allergies so it is possible it is from that too I guess. The run course was hilly. Probably the hardest part of the race. Probably my last run for a really long time. My last full tri of the season. I will do some kayak tris in october as the biker on a team. no more running and i don't kayak. Wish I was able to close out the season on a better note. I felt like I was doing well until I got lost on the bike that added so much time it was pretty much impossible to make it up over a short course. But got a good workout in. Race issues I am considering emailing the race directors about. There was only 1 rowboat in the water for the swim. I think that is a safety issue. What if more than 1 person needs assistance? There were not many volunteers etc. on the race course it felt confusing instead of organized. if they don't have enough volunteers they should pay people to work the course. I understand it is the athletes responsibility to know the course but I wasn't the only person that got lost. That doesn't make for happy people. The setup was tight. The place were people parked was the same place the transition and finish line were so when people got done they were just standing around with their bikes etc while other people who are still racing are going around them. They did not use a chip timing system so people are asking you for your number so they can write it down. not a big fan of that way of doing things.


Im actually pretty tired from the race and the long day. I hope to be to bed early tonight! It wasn't a very good food day either which probably didn't help matter either.


Sprouted Grain Bagel

vega wfo w/coconut water

banana

2 slices roasted vegetable pizza

Potato & Onion Pierogies with Broccoli & Walnuts

Chocolate Soymilk

Tempeh Bacon

Blueberry Rice waffles

still on the busted wheel

Took the tape off my foot this morning. Overall I think the foot is feeling better. But when I step on it sometimes it still hurts. Icing my feet down a little while the bandages are off. Will stretch and roll them later. Rode my bike 3 miles to the pool this morning. warmup 100 then 500 of drills. Then 500 Time trial - 11:50. There may be some extra laps in there because I lost count and I felt like I was swimming faster than that. Overall the swim felt really good. Then 3 mile bike back home. Semi cleaned up my bike from riding in the rain yesterday. I didn't do the full washdown because it is supposed to rain tonight and tomorrow so I have a feeling I will just be doing this all over again after the race but I did rock and roll the chain and wipe down the tires a bit. Already got my practice ride in the rain done yesterday so Im ready for racing in the rain again tomorrow. gotta go get my hair braided up and pack my things for tomorrow. Overall feeling good going in to the race. Other than the obvious issue with my foot I have been short on rest the last few days in a row but it is only a sprint tri so hopefully that won't matter too much. Should be a fun time.

running on my flat tire

The foot felt a lot better this morning. just like walking around on a flat tire because it is still all taped up. I think being off it all night really helped. I tried to be good today but that doesn't usually work out for me. Hit crossfit this morning and did 21-15-9 of 35lb kettlebell swings and GHD Situps in 3.58. Hand help up well which is exciting. Tried to do my 7 mile bike time trial and it started pouring. so I was burning up the hills and trying to be careful on the downhills. So much for keeping my foot dry. Took m,e 32.34 to get 7.66 miles completed. my legs were cooked on the hills and really fried afterwards. Didn't know it was supposed to rain today so returning to the office afterwards was interesting. Picked up some fresh veggies from a farmer which make the commute home a circus show with me trying to balance all of my stuff. I was riding with my wet cycling shoes clipped in and my runner on my feet on top of those. wet clothes hanging off my backpack. Hilarous stuff!

tempeh bacon
vega wfo w/coconut water
pintos piccadillos brown rice
vega vibrancy bar
nectarine
thai salad
thai tofu & veggies& brown rice

a shot in the tootsy

9.9.10

Didn't get enough sleep last night. Tough getting up and getting to the pool this morning. Plan to be in bed earlier tonight. Warmup & Drills. Then 30 x 50 on 20 seconds. I forgot my watch so I don't know what my times were. I used the lap clock for the rest. I was suffering pretty bad for most of this one. Lots of gasping and bitching during the 20 second recovery. This workout is always a crusher for me because of the amount of repeats but honestly it is one of my favorites too.

Quick CF workout - 50 air squats with a 20 lb weight vest - 1.06

Went to a different foot doctor today. This appointment went better than the last one as I think we were both speaking the same language. Decided on treating this a little more aggressively as the conservative things I have been doing are not cutting it. Although I will continue to do the conservative things too. I got a cortisone shot in my foot. Right now the treatment plan is most likely a series of shots while not running to let the foot recover. We'll see how it goes. If this doesn't work surgery is a possibility. Because of the state my foot is in he thinks it is going to take awhile for it to heal up. Getting the shots didn't hurt but it was really bothering me afterwards. I could barely walk on it. He also taped it up so im not using it which I need to keep on for a few days. I am still doing my sprint tri on sunday. So we'll see how that goes. It would be sooooo nice to be able to run then instead of hobble along but with it only being a few days after one shot I am not going to set my sights too high and just try to look at the big picture. I hope this foot feels better tomorrow as it isn't the greatest right now.
 Chocolate Soymilk
sprouted grain bagel
vega wfo w/coconut water
black bean chili
vega vibrancy bar
Pintos Piccadillos w/brown rice
Roasted Asparagus

Peanut Butter

more painfilled things

bike workout from hell. 1 minute on trainer followed by 1 minute isometric squat - 10 rounds. My cadence was slowing by the end of this one!

warmup with pushups, pullups, squats, dips situps. Pullups and pushups seem hard again since i haven't been doing them!

Back Squats - 45 x 10, 95x5, 105x5, 115x5, 125x 5 - dizzy afterwards kept the weight here, 125 x 5, dizzy again. Haven't been lifting heavy in awhile either. Im feeling it all around.

Got blown around on my bike during my bike commute today. Just real windy not stormy. Surprisingly feeling good in spite of the leg day. I will probably feel it when I wake up tomorrow.

Here are a few shots of me from the half-marathon. I have a pained look on my face in each one. They are kinda funny. Although my heel is still killing me. It is ridiculous today. Decided to stop taking the nsaids they are just making me feel worse overall I think Ive had enough of them for awhile.

http://shadowcatcherltd.zenfolio.com/p397156010/e389cf923



http://shadowcatcherltd.zenfolio.com/p397156010/e15161be1


http://shadowcatcherltd.zenfolio.com/p397156010/e14f9972b


Chocolate Soymilk
Tempeh Bacon
VEGA wfo w/coconut water
Peanut Butter
Cumin Lime Tofu & ginger Broccoli
Black Bean Chili

turning

Pool workout - warmup & Drills then 25 minute swim concentrating on stroke count. I mostly fell in the 19 - 20 stroke area. I did have one lap Im super proud of where I managed 17. Unfortunately out of all of the laps I did in 25 minutes one lap isn't a very good average but it is a start. it shows me i can do it. I need to work more on my flip turns. I normally come up too soon. I think it is because I am still swimming into the wall too much and turning tightly. With all of the swimming Ill be doing this winter Im going to get those nailed down. I was doing weird things with my kick when I was focusing on the stroke half, namely forgetting to kick or intermittently kicking or 1 foot kicking. I have no idea why I do these kind of things. Overall though it felt like a great swim session. I felt fantastic when getting out of the pool. Other workout today was 50 double unders for time. I haven't been doing these much lately and it showed in my time. 2:22! And to think I used to jump rope as a warmup everyday! My heel wasn't a big fan of the double unders so my practice on these is just going to have to wait for a bit. Still stretching, rolling, icing. doing my exercises etc. It's still in my bad place from the half. Headed to a new doctor on Thursday for it.

Chocolate Soymilk
Blueberry Waffles
VEGA WFO w/coconut water
Black Bean Burger
Waldorf Salad
Roasted Potatoes
Corn
Peanut Butter
Banana
Cumin Lime Tofu
Ginger Broccoli

Putting the Hand back to work

Only had a Crossfit Wod to do today. Took some extra time at the gym to see what I can start doing with my hand and it looks like I can start working things back into my program. The finger is still really stiff and doesn't have the same range of motion of the other one but I think working it will help it. Calves/lower legs are still sore from the half even though I have been rolling and stretching them.

4 rounds for time of -
Row 400 meters
25 abmat situps
15 box jumps @ 24 inches
Time 15:43

Vega wfo w/coconut water
Tempeh Bacon
Blueberry Waffles
Hummus & pita
Sprouted grain bagel
Vega Vibrancy Bar
Chocolate Soymilk
Black Bean Burgers
Wheat Berry Waldorf Salad
Roasted Potatoes
Corn

DarkMexican Chocolate

Here is a picture from the finish of the Half0 Marathon. I have no idea why that kid is giving me that look but I think it is hysterical.

recovery ride

45- 50 minute recovery ride. 12 - 13 miles. My heel is really painful today. Not surprised at all although this is the worst it has felt in awhile. Icing, stretching, rolling. Legs are a little sore today from yesterdays race mostly calves. Slept in this morning.

sprouted grain bagel
vega wfo w.coconut water
tempeh bacon
Hummus with zucchini chips
Lentils & Brown Rice

Wilkes-Barre Half-Marathon Race Report

The race today went well. So thankful about that as I knew I would make it through but I didn't know how bad I would feel. I ran the half-marathon in 2:09. Considering my foot injury I'm happy with it. I made it through ok. Foot hurt from mile 1 but by mile 12 it was really an issue but I knew I could push through the extra mile. Feet are sore but otherwise feel pretty good afterwards although kinda tired. I took a salt tablet about an hour in and i felt much better afterwards. unfortunately I dropped my other one of the ground.  Hit one gel about 90 minutes in and that made me feel much better too. Decided not to take the other gel I had with me as I was almost done. I felt like I had sand all over me.  Someone suggested it was salt from sweating. Not sure. I was really thirsty after the race. I did stop at all of the water stations but maybe it wasn't enough. It wasn't really warm. It was a well run race. I loved the course and will def do it again hopefully on a healed foot next time.

pre-race
vega sport w/coconut water
sprouted grain bagel
Orange Juice
Banana
Tofu, Brown Rice,Broccoli, Carrots, Onions, Mushrooms
VEGA wfo w/coconut water
 Lentils & brown rice

here is a pic of some of the crossfitters from my box getting ready to line up.  sadly not everyone from the box is in this one that did the race.

Half Marathon

Pre-race icing, stretching, rolling then time to Derek Redmond up. It's Half Marathon time in the city.

fearing up

Easy 35 minutes on the bike this morning.  A little over 8 miles.  Then about 18 miles of commuting. numerous 3 mile trips.  Picked up my packet for the half-mary tomorrow. There are a lot of people doing it and a bunch that I know so I think I will be able to trudge through it. It's gonna take me awhile but hopefully it will be more fun than I am expecting and not any more pain than I expect. Im stocking the freezer with ice already! Time to get my race face on. I wish I could swim or bike some of the distance! :P

chocolate soymilk
banana
roasted vegetable pizza
vega wfo w/coconut water
roasted vegetable pizza
Grit Tofu
Sprouted Grain Bagel

just not really hungry today. had to force most of this down.

1way or another

Swim workout today. Went to bed on time again last night! Actually still felt a little tired today which is weird because i've def got enough sleep the last couple of nights. warmup 100,300 drills then a 50. 8 x 200s on 1 minute rest - 70rpe. Wasn't my greatest pool session. Intervals were around 4:00 - 4:08.  I think becuase I wasn't going as hard as I could I was just focusing on all of the dumb little things I do when I swim.  Where do they come from? Like kicking with one foot? why one? I have no idea. Ive never noticed it before so hopefully it was just something weird i was doing this morning.  Did my bike commute again.  Need to go pick up my stuff for the half marathon tomorrow. Doing an easy bike ride tomorrow morning.

Banana
Sprouted Grain Bagel
Chocolate Soymilk
VEGA WFO w/coconut water
Peanut Butter
Tempeh, Peppers, Onions, Tomatoes, Black Beans with Pita
Grit Tofu with Gingered Broccoli

mary time

I was in bed by 830 last night I was so wrecked. Slept really well. Did a short amrap on tv this morning promoting the cf box i train at and the half-marathon im running this weekend.  box jumps, lunges, squats, pushups and running. helped to get some of the soreness out of my legs. I knew i was going to be feeling those lunges, they never let me down. I did a rowing workout today of 8 x 200 meters on 2 minutes rest. Wrote down my times but accidently left them somewhere. I know they ranged from 46-49 seconds. I also did my commuting on my bike which i just enjoy so much more than the car.  Swimming tomorrow. my training schedule is really light heading into my half-marathon this weekend which is kinda depressing because I know the half-mary is not going to go well with the foot but I'll finish it. the time is going to be horrible. Almost feel like I am wasting training time. It's only a few days, ill try to behave myself for that long, im not good at behaving though.


vega wfo w/coconut
tempeh bacon
peanut butter
veggie/tofu enchildas
vega vibrancy bar
banana & almonds
Eggplant, red pepper, chickpeas, mango curry over brown rice

I take that back

Woke up early this morning and did all of my footwork exercises while waiting for the sun to come up so I could go ride my 10 Mile TT. My husband decided to join me for the ride. We did a 3 mile warmup and then rode 10 miles in 34.58.  Had some traffic issues but overall we were hitting it. Slow cooldown ride back home. I also started using my bike to commute again now that I can use my hand better on it. Didn't feel too bad after the ride but crushed myself doing 4 rounds of 100 meters walking lunges and 25 situps with a 20 lb weight vest. time  = 23.06. I was tired after that and I have a feeling I will be feeling that tomorrow. Actually tired so headed to bed early tonight.  I registered for a sprint tri in sept. Excited to get another race in before the season is over.

Chocolate Soymilk
Banana
sprouted GrainBagel
VEGA WFO w/coconut water
Tofu Teriyaki, Brown Rice & veggies
DarkChocolate peanut butter
Tempeh w/onions, peppers, tomatoes, black beans & lime corn crackers

really good

that's how I am feeling. Really good. Not tired or sore today. I am kinda surprised by that but I am not at all complaining. I love it! I really didn;t sleep well last night so I expected to be tired today but it wasn't the case. I don't know if it is because I did so much better pre-race wise or maybe I am getting stronger at this stuff? or maybe I just didn't go hard enough.

Hit the pool this morning. 100 warmup and 500 of drills. another 100. Then 2 x 200 all out.

1 - 3.47 - missed the wall on all but 1 flip turn. they were ugly.
2 - 4.51 - thinking so much about my turns not thinking enough about how many laps I was doing. There were some extra.

Chocolate Soymilk
Banana
Chocolate Chip Pancake
VEGA WFO w/coconut water & ground flax
Pad Thai w/roasted asparagus, corn & broccoli
Chocolate Almonds
Tempeh Scrambled with red bell peppers, onions & spinach

Riverstock Tri Race Report

fun day today! I got third in my age group although I didn't have that great of a race but things to learn from for sure. This Tri was much more laid back compared to the others ive been too. It was a blast. It was wetsuit legal which was good because this is the coldest water i've swam in yet I think. They did 2 waves. I was in the second. Took some shots at the start. At least 2 really good elbows to the face. Didn't drink any river water with them which was good because it was kinda scary looking. The water was rough for a couple of reasons. It was an in water start and as soon as we got in to tread water everyone just started drifting down the river. It was really hard to try to maintain a position. The beginning of the loop course swim was down river but that didn't really help because we were too busy crashing into each other until the first turn. I think there was so much contact because it was just really hard to see. Mostly because it was cold last night and it was foggy on the river so sighting was hard. I actually had a really hard time doing it there were times where I was just following people in front of me because I had no idea where the buoys were. After the first turn we had to cross the river with the current still dragging us down river. I definitely swam extra yardage here just trying to get myself back to the next turn buoy. I just don't know enough about how to open water swim yet to try to prevent that from happening. Then the longest part of the swim course was swimming against the current upstream into the swim with fog. Sighting disaster for me. swam extra yardage again. Just following people trying to get my bearings. Thinking it couldn't get worse. Then i made the turn to cross back against the river again and I realized how wrong I was. For some reason they put this turn right after a bridge. so now the river current is pushing me downstream directly into the bridge. I almost hit every concrete pillar of the bridge. I had to swim out from under the bridge everytime and it was tough trying to fight the current. I was coming up with some interesting swimming, breast stroke/side stroke hybrid to try to keep my face out of the water so i wouldn't hit the bridge.  i survived without hitting any of the concrete and was finally going to swim for the finish downstream but my heart was thumping after having to fight so hard against the current around the bridge. I did pick up the pace but overall I was a little stressed by the swim. Everyone's swim times were slow though. T1 - had trouble getting my cycling shoes on but ready to hit the bike. This was another challenge because the flat sections of the course were on a street with road construction. Apparently there was some kind of bad accident so they were re routing traffic to this area so it was shoulder riding in the traffic heading out and then the hills started. there was a big climb around mile 5. After getting up the downhill was on a farm road which was paved but had a bunch of gravel/dirt on it so i was using my brakes. I got a front tire flat coming down it so i couldn't fly as i didn't have the best control over my bike. I didn't stop to change it because I wasn't completely sure what happened to it until I got off the bike and it would have taken me forever so I actually made it through the whole bike course on it. I didn't see any bike support or marshalls the whole ride. Mostly the course was rolling hills country roads. The national guard was doing the traffic control and they were great fun to the have on the course. I've never received such official cheers before. Or been called Ma'am so many times. The last couple miles of the course were tough with the traffic again because we had to cross it and ride in the center of the road to get back to the park. Yes someone actually got hit by a car on the course. Scary stuff. I did well with my gels on the bike. ok with the salt. But I didn't drink enough. I only got through one bottle and i was feeling that later on the run. T2 - troubles getting my socks on don't really want to wear them.  My bike fell off the rack while i was getting my sneakers on. Headed out on the run. Legs hurt for the first part. They hurt a bunch on the bike too. But I felt like I was moving at a decent clip. Then the heel started hurting. It just feels so bad I will be incredibly surprised if it doesn't require surgery. I keep moving through the run but it was really starting to break me down. Then my good foot started really hurting too. But i knew I didn't have much to go by that point. I was thirtsy on the run. They only had water at miles 3 and 5. By the time I got to the run it was sunny and warm out so I was hoping for more water but I survived without it. although I did drink one right at the finish straight down.  I took a gel on the run and did fine with it but I didn't have any salt. forgot to grab it off my bike. I was feeling a little crappy in the last mile not sure if it was from the heel pain or what but I knew I was almost done. I don't have an official time yet and i forgot to stop my watch but I believe I did it in 3:27.  I am curious to see the splits. I think the swim was around 39 minutes (ouch!).  I think the bike was 1:40.  The transitions I think were faster. I hope so or jay is gonna yell. I think the run was around an hour but my husband said it was less. With the shape my foot is in ill take that. I felt good afterwards mostly thirsty not tired or sore. They had vegan friendly post race food so I even got to chow done. I am honestly surprised with how well I feel afterwards. I am not tired and my legs feel like they did some work for sure but they are not overly sore. jay puts worse beatings on me than this with walking lunges. Overall it was a great time. I need to work on my open water swimming so it isn't so much of a challenge. And I really need to learn how to ride a bike better. I was so happy to be able to use my drops again. ive been off of them for about 6 weeks while the splint was on and it just felt good to be over the bike again.  Although my lower back was hurting a bit during the ride put probably because i haven't been doing that. Run wise I need to get the foot fixed.

pre-race
sprouted grain bagel
vega sport optimizer with coconut water

post race
banana
Brown Rice, Cuban Black Beans with Salsa & romaine in a tortilla
carob mint recovery drink with dates, agave, coconut water, coconut oil, salt
chocolate chip pancakes

carrot cake rice dream

Pictures are uploaded to facebook.

Ready 2 Rock Riverstock!

the preparations are done. time to rest and rock the riverstock tri tomorrow. This is the best I've done so far with getting myself ready to roll. Did my carb loading and hydration.  Took a 30 minute easy ride today with 3 - 20 second pickups. Washed Stefan and got him race ready. Hair is braided and tri stuff is packed. Car is loaded and I love it! It was a long day getting it all ready but this is the earliest Ive ever been ready for a race so that is a good sign! The weather looks great for riverstock tomorrow. This is going so well I am almost waiting for something to go wrong. Like what did I forgot, etc. That's the main difference between things going well or not. When things are going wrong your so busy dealing with what went wrong you don't have time to think. When things go right it's much easier to obsess.

Chocolate Chip Spelt Pancakes
Garlic Roasted Potatoes
Pad Thai (Rice Noodles with Tofu & broccoli in peanut sauce)
Ginger Ale (Coconut water, ginger, agave)

Even got a lesson on some bike things today.  Learned how to change a tube. Hope I never have to do it in a race! Thanks Jeff! You make stefan and I safer!

Free to do what I want anyone old time

Went back to the ortho this morning and got more xrays. Hand looks good enough to not have to wear the splint anymore!! whoo hoo! I am free! I love it! My hand is still sore but most likely it is from it being in the splint and It should go away when I start using it again and loosen it up a bit. Hopefully I will be able to go back to weights, pullups, pushups etc. soon. I am going to test it out and see how it feels.

Had a swim workout this morning. It was hard getting up to go I was tired and crabby when I got up. Did 100 warmup and 100 of each drill then 3 x 200 meters on 1 minute.

1 - 3.34
2 - 3.35
3 - 3.31

then a 150 cooldown.

Chocolate Soymilk
Sprouted Grain Bagel
VEGA WFO w/coconut water
Banana
Teriyaki Tofu, Brown Rice & veggies
Carmalized Onion Hummus with/ Steamed Broccoli
Roasted Asparagus & Corn
Peanut BUtter
Almonds


I gotta be all over the race prep tomorrow!

Step ups

slept in again this morning! went to bed on time. slept 9 hours! I never get sleep like this. I almost wonder if it isn't the NSAIDS that are making me so tired. Hopefully all of this extra sleep will translate well for the race this weekend. Did 100 Steps up for time (50 each leg) time - 4.48.

Chocolate Soymilk
Tempeh Bacon
VEGA WFO w.coconut water
Grit Tofu
Zucchini Chips
Peanut Butter
Bell Pepper stuff with Brown Rice, Black Beans, Mango, Coconut, Cashews

I schedule an appointment with a different podatrist for about my half-marathon. Hopefully I will like this one better and finally get this heel situation under control. Ive been all over it today trying to get it race ready or as race ready as I can get it at this point.  So far the weather is looking nice for this sunday. That will be sweet!

Sufferfest Part Deux

thanks lobster! I am using that race as motivation for my next race. Everything that went wrong I am thinking about to work on for next time. I have to stay focused on the swim! I need to book it on the transitions! I have to push it more on the run! I need to sleep well this week. I must eat properly the day before the race! Im on it. Been taking care of my feet as much as possible. Stretching, icing, exercises, rolling. Went to bed on time last night and was just tired this morning. Didn't get up to workout, spent some extra time sleeping. Then had to do sufferfest part 2 with my husband which involved me riding bike tabata on my trainer while my husband was supposed to yell out the time for me so i didn't have to pay attention to the watch. He took it upon himself to keep yelling faster! faster! 8 rounds of 20 on 10 off.

Chocolate Soymilk
Tempeh Bacon
Peanut Butter
VEGA WFO w/coconut water
Grit Tofu
Black Eyed Peas, Swiss Chard, Carrots, Soba Noodles

Sufferfest

tuesday 8.24.10

I did not want to get up this morning when the alarm went off. I actually reset it to go off later and I wanted to go back to bed but I knew I needed to get up to get my workouts done for today so I dragged myself to the crossfit gym while it was still dark out. I am not happy about this change of season thing already. Warmup & foot drills then

3 rounds of
Row 500 meters
20 box jumps @ 24 inches
20 GHD situps

Time

Really hungry again today!

Chocolate Soymilk
Sprouted Grain Bagel
VEGA WFO w/coconut water
Banana
Thai Tofu, Veggies & Brown Rice
Grit Tofu
Roasted Eggplant Dip

Recruited my husband to go on Sufferfest with me. That would be the 5 x 1 mile bike hill repeats. Warmup 3 mile ride then started suffering! Recovered on the downhill. Did 3 hills then he started finding ways to make the hill worse but turning off the hill to find even more hill climbing to do! why did i bring him again?? But I hung in there. cooldown 3 mile ride.

Wilkes-Barre Tri Race Report

oops! been awhile since I updated. Saturday 8.21 - I did a 30 minute easy bike ride with 3 - 20 second pickups. Then the rest of the day just got taken up by things and then it was time to do the pre-race stuff. I need to get more efficient and spend less time the night before a race packing etc. I have another oly distance tri coming up this weekend so hopefully I will be more focused on the race this time around on the day before not just on raceday. I just did not feel well on either saturday or sunday and I think it played out in my race. Didn't eat well enough on saturday, Ate breakfast and then at night had more leftover breakfast, no lunch. didn't sleep well enough, went to bed late and kept waking up ready to go to the race and just didn't have my usual excitement going into the race on sunday. It probably didn't help that it rained saturday night and the entire time on sunday. But that is an excuse it rained for everyone there, we all had to deal with the same conditions. Good news is I wasn't nervous for the race but I wasn't really excited for it either. Which is kinda sad because I was looking forward to it earlier in the week. But another race this weekend that I AM excited for!!

WB TRI - Oly Distance - Race Report
Swim - 36.20 - Didn't feel good on the swim and not happy with the time. It was wave starts and mine was the last group to go before the relays. I have to mention I am not a big fan of this lake. It smells like fuel from all the boats on it, you can't see in the water (probably dont want to) and the weeds are ridiculous. I thought I was going to look like a sea monster. They were sticking to my face, wrapping around my neck, hands, feet. Again, it was like this for everybody. I just need to get over it and not let it affect me. Got a warmup beating from the people in my wave. Then when the relay wave went off behind me the real beating began. Lots of contact on this race. Nothing seemed to go right for me on the swim. It was raining and foggy and I was having a hard time sighting. I was wearing dark metallic goggles which probably didn't help. Need to pick up a clear pair just in case. I stuck to it but  I just never felt like i got into a good swimming pace, just always was dealing with something like people hitting me, or weeds or trying to figure out where i was going etc. I know I can swim much better than this.I was swimming distracted by all of these things instead of with focus. this was a point to point race which I also didn't really love so in T1 - i had to strip off my wetsuit etc, and stuff all of my things into a plastic bag for volunteers to pick up and bring back to the finish. So my T1 time was high at 2:52. I also was taking the plastic off my bike, trying to keep it somewhat dry for the ride, next time I will do this before the race since it is just going to get wet anyway on the ride. Bike - 1:42 - Kinda bummed about the rain because I think I could have done much better on the bike course if it werent pouring. 2.8 inches of rain came down. of course not all of during the race. Anyway, I kept my HR in the zone and fueled well while on the bike. So no issues there. I like the bento box better than the taping method. Just easier. The hardest thing was it was so dark I didn't wear my riding glasses and it was hard to keep your eyes open with rain hitting you. It was also windy so my bike was blowing across the road. There were a ton of race marshalls out on the course the entire time so at least people were not riding stupid around me. It is actually a nice bike course I jsut didn't get to take advantage of that. I am going to work on my biking a lot so that things like rain don't have such an effect on my race. I didn't dump the bike which was a good thing. T2 - 1:44 - Im hoping a lot of this slow transition has to do with my hand injury and that I can start making up time here. I decided not to grab gels because I thought there was soda on the course. No such luck so I did the entire run with just salt tabs. I did fine that way. There was water at every mile. Run 1:12 - it is actually a 7.2 mile course so it is about a mile longer than a normal oly distance but not a big deal. rolling hills the entire time including a downned tree crossing. only the start/finish is flat, but they were smaller hills, not major climbing. I need to try to run harder next time. My heel is honestly killing me and I can't want to get this fixed so I can run hard again. I knew I would make it through the run but I kinda knew it wasn't going to be a great run for me either. Finished in 3:35. I know I can do better. I was disappointed afterwards. I am happy I did the race even with the injuries as it was still fun and I gained experience and practice. I look forward to doing my next one but I don't think I will ever look back at this as a race to remember. Came home and ate the rest of the day. Tired but not really sore.

monday - Didn't sleep all that well even though I was tired. a little sore in the morning but not anything more serious than I would be from a CF workout. My upper back/neck was tight but I know it was from the bike and the way I was riding it in the rain. Did a swim - 100 warmup and drills then a 30 minute time trial. That started off as a time trial but I think I was still tired from the race becuase I was swimming well but I wasn't killing it. I went with it and really focused on my form a lot. Pretty hungry again! Actually went to bed on time as I was tired and slept until the alarm went off.

almost here!

went to bed at a reasonable time last night. Slept well. Good energy when I got up and most of the day. Hit the pool 100 warmup and 300 of drills Then 8 x 100 on 4 minutes rest. My best swim times yet!

1 - 1.46 - first one always ends up being the worst - maybe I don't warmup hard enough?
2 - 1.38
3 - 1.36
4 - 1.38
5 - 1.39 - water in goggles yuck! but suffered through as I didn't want to stop to clear it out
6 - 1.35
7 - 1.37
8 - 1.37

chocolate soymilk
grit tofu
sprouted grain bagel
vega wfo w/coconut water & ground flax
jerk tempeh

corn

swiss chard fritata

Oven roasted Potatoes

shins still sore but heel is pretty decent.

taper time

shins sore from yesterdays box jumps. Good thing I wasn't running but rowing today. Did my stretching and exercises and then a 200 meter warmup row followed by 2 x 400 meters approx 80 percent RPE
1 - 1:50
2- 1:46

Did another set of stretching and exercises in the evening. Slept well last night and woke up with good energy but tired during the day again. I really hope it is the nsaids that are making so tired all day. I don't really feel bad I just feel like I could take a nap which is something i almost never feel like doing. doing as much icing as possible and the heel actually feels kinda decent today. Probably because I haven't run on it in a few days.

vega sport performance protein with oj
tempeh bacon
vega wfo w.coconut water and ground flax
guacamole with steamed broccoli and lime corn crackers
grit tofu
bell peppers stuff with mango salsa, Kidney Beans & brown Rice
Peanut Butter

last ones

got my pre-race massage this morning. I find out how really sore I am in places when I get worked on. I was tired today. Too many night of not enough sleep. I have to shut it down and get back on schedule starting tonight. Im sure the anti inflammatories are making me tired too. I try to avoid drugs as much as possible because they always make me feel so bad.

last couple of workouts before the big taper
stretches and exercises for the heel.
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Standing Broad Jumps
Abmat Situps
Time

5 minute warmup on trainer then
9 minutes on, 3 minutes off, 6 minutes on, 2 minutes off, 3 minutes on. Really worked hard trying to train my legs to just keep pushing the hard gears.
stretches and exercises for the heel

tempeh bacon
vega wfo w/coconut water
peanut butter
teriyaki tofu, brown rice, veggies
guacamole with lime corn crackers
slice of vegan pizza
vega performance protein w.orange juice

my hand feels much better today. although my heel still hurts. actually both of my lower legs, feet hurt today.

Its all about the heel

Did my exercises and stretches from the doctor for equinus this morning. then warmed up with a 5 minute ride before hitting 30 minutes of 1 minute on 1 minute off on the trainer with my bike. It hurt from rep one. I am just not used to pushing a hard gear that long. Heart racing, sweat pouring good stuff. I am impressed the trainer can hurt so much.

It's a taper week so im not going towards max loads. Did backsquats working up to 80 percent of my 1 rep max. air squats x 40, 45x10, 95 x 5, 115 x 3, then one rep each at 125 130 135 140 145 150 155.

I picked up a pair of new sneakers tonight to baby my foot in. They are asics Gel Nimbus. I know they won't solve the problem but hopefully they help the pain a little. I also grabbed a race belt.


So my results from the tri I did this weekend were posted

BARRACUDA TRI BREAKDOWN

750 SWIM TIME - 16:06
RUN FROM BEACH TIME - 1:00
T1 - 1:33
17 MILE BIKE TIME - 1:20:57 (OUCH! DAMN WET HILLS)
T2 - 1:29
5K TIME - 31:45 (OUCH! DAMN HEEL SPURS!)
TOTAL TIME 2:12:50 - 4TH IN AGE GROUP

I am happy with my swim time as it is the best Ive done yet. Which is good for my confidence in the water. I  still think I could do better I just have to be even more aggressive with it. I thought I was faster than that on the bike. Normally I can avg 20mph if im cooking it. so 3 - 4 min miles and my mile times were much higher. I am not sure if it was becuase of the hills or becuase I was riding without my splint on with a hand injury or maybe just from the rain. Hoping my biking goes better this weekend. my run time was horrible for me but I am pretty sure that is from the heel spurs. It just hurts so much to run lately I like just trot along. I still want to get through the rest of my races even if my run times are slow just for the experience and then hopefully once I heal up my running will improve. Nice sure how the T- times were. I tried to do my best on those.  


My hand has been feeling better so I started doing things with it lately (While the splint is on) and it's been kinda sore today so I need to back off of that. My heel still really hurts even with the drugs and the stretched and the ice etc.  Not getting enough sleep the last couple of nights. I need to correct this. Going for my pre-race massage tomorrow!


vega wfo w/coconut water
sprouted grain bagel
peanut butter
teriyaki tofu & veggies, brown rice
Thai Green Curry with tofu, veggies and rice

dr loveless

I didn't sleep all that well last night. i expected to be more tired. Got myself to bed on time but was up earlier than usual. A little tight when I first got up but nothing more significiant than I would get from a CF workout. Hit the pool. Did my warmup and drills. Then put a tshirt on and did a warmup 50 just to get used to the t shirt and hit a 500TT with the t-shirt on. took 10.21. This is a good improvement over last time I did this workout both timewise and in the way I felt while doing it. I didn't feel as if I was fighting as much to just keep swimming this time around.

4 rounds of
row 200 meters
20 box jumps @ 24 inches
15 ghd situps
lost the time becuase I never stopped my watch. I think it was 11 something.


I went to the foot doctor and not much to report. I've got stretched and exercises to do, more icing, an rx anti-inflmmatory drug, my night splint, gel pads. Then I think I am going to get new sneakers, and only wear them as much as possible. Of course he wants me to do no running. I am still going to do the races but not run otherwise. I go back in a week. He wouldn't even discuss surgery at this point and said a cortizone shot wouldn't help yet. That I need to work myself back to a place where it can be effective. I was really frustrated when I got out of there and not happy with the way the appt went. I am not sure if i am going to go back next week or go to another doctor. I tried to explain to him that I have already being doing these things and I think I need more aggressive treatment but he wants me to do it his way first and then we can talk about other options when he sees this doesn't work. His whole thing was that running on it stops it from ever healing up so everything that I have been doing is just keeping it somewhat manageable. He also wanted to try orthotics. Ive had them before and I swear they make my feet hurt when I run in them. I am going to take a few days to think about all of it.

chocolate soymilk
banana
sprouted grain bagel
tempeh bacon
vega wfo w/coconut water
enchiladas with tofu, black beans, veggies
peanut butter
thai salad
thai tofu and veggies over brown rice

Race Report - Barracuda Tri

Today's tri went well. I was excited to do the race this morning instead of nervous like last time. Didn't feel much like eating so I had some vega sport with coconut water and half a bagel i forced myself to eat and got out the door with all of my tri stuff. Got there with enough time to check in, setup and warmup so no issues there. It was a wetsuit legal race. I decided to go without taping my hand or wearing my splint. Yes I know Im a bad girl. It just too cumbersome so I just tried to be careful. I felt like the swim went well! It was definitely the most agressive open water swimming I did yet. The distance was a short 750 so I just went for it. I think my sighting was the best it's been yet. I caught some of the wave that went off about 6 minutes ahead of us and I think I was in the beginning of my wave getting out of the water!!!! wetsuit came off without any real problems. Headed out on the bike and it began to rain and it rained the entire rest of the day here. Some serious downpours, where when the rain hits you it feels like hail. The bike course was tough! Even though it was only a 17 mile course it was really hilly and I was hurting from the beginning. At first I thought it was because I pushed it on the swim but it was just a lot of climbing. The rain didn't help the situation because when I did get some downhills it was hard to take advantage of them especially since they were curvy winding country roads and had at least 2 - 180 degree turns as well as some other lesser turns off of them. So I put a good bike workout in! My legs were hurting, my heart was thumping, labored breathing but I pushed through. I managed not to crash my bike which was a good thing. Got back to T2 and everything was just soaked! Didn't bother to put my wet socks one just ran with my wet sneakers. Heel hurt on the run. some hills but nothing near the bike course. Both lower legs felt really tight on the run. Overall time was 2:12. Got 4th in my age group. Curious to see the breakout. legs hurt after the race and didn't have much of an appetite for awhile. But overall I feel pretty good now. I posted pix on facebook if anyone wants to check them out, just look me up.

vega sport w/coconut water
half bagel
gatorade on race course (haven't had this in a long long long time didn't feel too)
carob mint date coconut water agave sea salt dulse coconut oil recovery drink
slice-vegan pizza
vega wfo w/coconut water
2 waffles - maple syrup
tempeh bacon - not much couldn't stomach it
guacamole w/ lime corn crackers & steamed broccoli

headed to the foot dr tomorrow morning. I felt pretty good coming off this race for wilkes-barre tri next weekend. I've used that lake for open water training swims, I've biked the course and I know there are not that many serious hills and  I've done part of the run course in a race before. From the parts ive seen there are some hills to deal with but reasonable ones. The big difference I think will be the number of participants. 

getting ready to race

woke up feeling great today. Wish the race was today instead of tomorrow but I guess I can wait! I just hope I feel this good tomorrow! Went to the pool warmup and drills then 20 minutes with 3 - 25yard sprints. I decided to not tape my hand when swimming today just to see how it felt. it was ok no major issues. Came home and did a 20 minute easy ride on my bike. some of it with the splint on but most of it without it! :) just to see if I can. Good news  - it is much easier to shift and brake the bike without. Easier to ride in general. Bad news when I got done I did feel like there was some swelling etc. from it. Not sure what I am going to do tomorrow. Honestly I want to not wear it and just hope for the best. But it isn;t really healed yet so the safer thing to do might be to wear it.  I do think I could make it through the race with it on. Then again I also think I could make it through the race faster without it.  Practiced my T2 Transition 10 times. 1 time - bike fell over. 2nd time forgot  to take helmet off.  Then I did well for awhile until rep 10 when I forgot to put my helmet on to ride. Just a reminder I need to think about all of it still.  The race tomorrow is a sprint distance. 750 lake swim, 17 mile bike and a 5k. Curious to see how it's all going to shake out. Im pretty excited for it! With any luck my race report will not be as full of distaster as the anthracite one was.

sprouted grain bagel
chocolate soymilk
2 whole grain waffles
tempeh bacon
 peanut butter

friday the 13th!

Did two short but painful workouts today. Warmed up for about 10 minutes on the trainer then did bike tabata on the trainer. 20 on 10 off for 8 rounds. Painful from round 2 on! Good stuff though. Then 30 goblet sqauts with a 44 lb kettlebell. time 1:41.

banana
chocolate soymilk
vega wfo. w/coconut water
tempeh bacon
peanut butter
grit tofu
Brown Rice & vegetables
Corn
Dark Chocolate Covered Raisins

Good Feeling ( except for the heel)

It felt so good to hit the water again this morning! it seems like its been a long time. I loved being back in the pool. surprisingly my legs were sore from yesterdays endeavor but my shoulder were. Only felt the calves a little but when pushing off the wall. warmup and drills then 3 x 300 yds on 1 min rest.
1 - 5:56
2 -5:45
3 - 5:48 - clipped Jeff, who I was sharing a lane with. thankfully it was the good hand

2 rounds of
Row 500 meters
25 abmat situps

time 5:59

I loved this workout! Overall just felt really good today. Getting enough rest, eating well. Now if only my heel didn't hurt. Still hitting the ibu, icing, rolling, splinting, stretching etc.  It all helps but nothing is really making it go away. 


Banana
Chocolate Soymilk
Tempeh Bacon
Maple Peanut Butter
VEGA wfo w/coconut water
Teriyaki Tofu, Brown Rice and Veggies
Vega Vibranacy Bar
Over roasted Potatoes
Zucchini

I'm only going to the top of the hill!

Slept 9 hours last night!!!! It's been a long time since that happened. I really want to commit to getting to bed early all month since im racing every weekend. Had the Giants Despair 1 mile hillclimb run tonight. It was in the 90s and hot compared to the last time I ran this at 6am. Always a tough hill no matter the time or temp. It features over 600 feet of climbing in less than a mile with the last .25 mile being a 22% grade. as if you were not already tired from the first .75.  Anyway it is a great hill and this picture is of some people that came out from my crossfit box to hit the hill! Everyone made it up! It took me 14:03 which is 55 seconds faster than last time. Im happy but I know I can still do better. My steps get so short and choppy like i am not even running or moving for that matter. taking care of the feet all day. that climb def made the foot hurt but it was fun. Going stay on it so they are as good as possible for race day. Did a 30 minute easy spin tonight after climbing the giant!

chocolate soymilk
tempeh bacon
vega wfo w/coconut water
peanut butter
bagel
grit tofu

roasted vegetable pizza

heel spurs :(

Got a good night of sleep last night. 8ish hours. got up without an alarm, that always feels good. I need to make it happen more! Did some rolling and stretching. Warmup about 6 minutes on the bike then a 20 minute time trial. Legs were still a little sore from the work i've put in recently but this was my only workout for today so they are feeling better already.  Hitting the ice as much as possible as well as the ibu. Heel still hurts though.  Here is the xray of my heel spurs. there are two, on plantar and one dorsal. they measure 6mm each. They kinda look like little devil horns rocking my foot! going to a podatrist on monday to see what he thinks. Feel like I ate a bunch today too. Tomorrow is the giants despair hill climb race. Will def be hard, but fun too.

Chocolate Soymilk
white chocolate peanut butter
Tempeh Bacon
Teriyaki Tofu & veggies,BrownRice
VEGA WFO w.coconut water

Eagleman check

not enough sleep last night. need to get back on a good schedule. hand feels ok after the ride yesterday. legs a little tired from the cf wod yesterday. on trainer 10 minutes on 5 minutes off, 10 minutes on 4 off, 10 on 3 off, 10 on 2 off, 10 on 1 off, 10 on. Legs were feeling the pain. also backsquats 5 x 135, 5 x 145, 5 x 150, 5 x 155, 5 x 145 - dropped weight because the last rep of the last set was crap depth wise and the 4th rep was just ok. 5 x 135, dropped weight because reps 4 and 5 were rough on the last set. 3 x135 - took video to watch the depth. legs sore. on the ibu for my foot, stretching and splinting it when possible. Felt better today than it did the last couple off days. Also started trying to walk around in my sneakers more instead of barefoot or in flip flops. I think that is helping too.

ate a ton of food today

chocolate soymilk
bagel w peanut butter
vega wfo w/coconut water
banana
tofu, black bean, veggie enchiladas
white chocolate peanut butter
grit tofu and asparagus
hummus


officially registered for my first half ironman for next season. The eagleman 70.3 in maryland on june 12th. Looking for another half ironman in august most likely it's going to be timberman as i'm having issues finding another one closer to pa that works date wise for my schedule. but i do have some more time to look.

wb tri bike course

rode the wb tri bike course this morning. plus a few extra wamrup cool down miles. So glad Igot the chance to ride the course before the race. It features some nice downhill riding early on and the climbs are not too serious. It has some nice stretches where I can pick up some speed.  Tried to really work on fueling today. I consciously made an effort to eat more to feel better.  My foot has been especially sore the last two days. Not sure why As I haven't run since friday. Maybe I am not as good at ignoring the pain anymore. Really going to try to get on it this week for the upcoming races this month. I took some ibuprofen tonight to try to help with that. Of course icing and stretching. Night splinting as much as possible. Tough CF wod tonight.. 4 x 100 meters of walking lunges, 25 abmat situps and 25 squats all while wearing a 20 lb weight vest.Time 23:12 At times I thought I was going to puke. I am not sure if it was from the heat outside with the weight vest on or just hitting the legs hard. My abs are still a little sore from the ghds earlier in the week so it will be interesting to see how they feel after this. I did this at a track and I literally laid on the ground for awhile afterwards because I didn't know if i could walk to the car in the parking lot my legs were smoked! I thought my legs were recovered from the morning bike ride by the time I did this but they were not fresh for sure.

vega wfo w/ coconut water
tempeh bacon
2 waffles
sprouted grain bagel

Chocolate covered raisins
Stuffed Pepper

Chocolate Soymilk

Open Water 1 mile swim race

Open water swim race went well. Did a 1 mile swim in 35:27 which was good enough for 3rd place in my age group. Clearly the real swimmers were entered in the 2 mile race that went off at the same time for me to actually place. It was so much fun though. This was the nicest lake i've ever seen. you could see right through the water. no weeds, wasn't gross at all. you could see the fish you were swimming with. I would swim here all the time if I could. It was an in water start but because it went off with the two It was really congested. I actually got caught swimming over the swim line for the start. There was a decent amount of contact all the way through the first couple of buoys. Initially just not enough room then from people just breaking into breast stroke. I have no idea why you would need to do this that early in a race but whatever. I don't really mind getting kicked but the elbow to the face had me drinking some lake water. I definitely swam some extra yardage as my sighting wasn't that great. I felt like the buoys were so far apart and there were not many of them so I just trying to keep swimming at them. I actually had a kayaker redirect me once as I was getting offline. I need to improve my swimming so much from the sighting to the technique. I never felt tired even when I was done but I just don't feel like I swim well. I more feel like I am in good enough shape to muddle through it somehow. I took a banana and vega shape for post race food. Had a vega bar in the car but I had a headache by the time I got home. Not enough food/water. I am going to have to start bringing most food with me to this kind of stuff. I felt crappy til after I ate. Then I couldn't get my bike on my trainer tonight so I missed my bike workout. I am going to ride a tri course I have for a race in a couple of weeks early tomorrow morning.

bagel
banana
vega wfo w.coconut water
vega vibrnacy bar
dark chocolate peanut butter
corn
grit tofu
mango, pineapple, peach smoothie w vega vibrnacy bar
waffle and tempeh bacon

It's on!

got some good news on the hand today. the splint is working so I don't need a permanent cast on which is basically saving the rest of my racing season.  I have to wear it for 3 more weeks and then head back to the docs.  I will tape my hand to swim but not sure how I am going to deal with the split/bike situation yet. I have time to figure that our though. The Doc said it's ok to race as long as I wear the splint. I've taken some heat on this subject today. Why do I want to race in a comprised state? Because that's life and I can. Simple enough? It's been recommended to me to just scrap the rest of the tris for the season and start again next yet but I see no reason to do it. yes racing with the splint on isn't ideal. I completely understand that but how often in life do things go exactly as you want them to. It's easy to play with things are going your way but it's the times where it not going your way that you learn and improve. I also understand that I probably won't do as well racing this way as I would if I didn't have the injury. It's true but I don't see that as a reason to throw in the towel. I would still rather go out and get the experience and enjoy the races then sit here thinking I wonder what it would have been like? It's better to regret something you did than something you didn't do. So i've signed up for another tri this season. why? because I like to train and I want to race. The ortho referred me to a podatrist for the heel spurs. He doesn't want to treat it. I got an appointment in a week. Foot hurt on my run this morning and pretty much the rest of the day. My abs are also super sore. even to the touch. I figured out it is all of the GHD situps Ive done this week. I havent been doing them the last couple months so im back to feeling them. Ran about 10 minutes to the base of a hill. then did 3 x 4 minute hill running. Then moved to the neighboring street and ran that hill 2 x 4 minutes before running home another ten minutes. Crossfit wod was 3 rounds of row 500 meters, 30 box jumps @ 24 inches and 30 back extensions. time 18:59 Food was off a bit again today. didn't have much of an appetite until after the doctors. I was anxious about the situation.

chocolate soymilk
dark chocolate peanut butter
vega wfo w/coconut water
vega vibrnacy bar
tofu ravioli
corn
peach

early to bed tonight. Doing a 1 mile open water swim race tomorrow morning. I expect to be one of the slowest people there as it most likely will be swimmers but as long as i get a good workout ill be fine with it. Just want to get in some more open water racing experience and it will most likely be a fun time too.

Fugazi

weird day. super tired when the alarm went off so I went back to bed until I had to get up and go to work. I almost never do something like that. Felt really strange all morning. I was having trouble breathing. My ribs hurt especially on the left and I had a headache. Just was tired and miserable. Went to the bike shop and picked up a CycleOps Fluid2 trainer and a black bento box. Also picked up some gels for my hopefully upcoming races. Then headed over to crossfit and did 5 rounds of 20 backsquats @95lbs and 20 GHD situps. Afterwards my left hand was numb for a really long time.I think I must have injured something and whatever was bothering me in the morning was now worse. But as the day went on I felt better. Hooked up bike to the trainer for my maiden voyage and that was a fugazi operation.I really hope the learning curve is in effect for that. Did 3 rounds of 1min on 1 min off, 2 min on 2 min off, 3 min on 3 min off. It was harder than I expected it to be. I wasn't anticipating that kind of resistance. Worked up a nice sweat. I love being able to cycle while rocking out with Fugazi. Food was kinda light today probably because I wasn't feeling well so I wasn't really hungry. looking into some races for next season.

vega wfo w/coconut water
roasted vegetable pizza
darkchocolate peanut butter
vega performance protein, banana, orange, mango and pineapple smoothie

weighted

its been a long rough day today. start with a 3 mile warmup ride to my 5 x 1 mile hill repeats. These were rough but I suffered through them. Hard on my hand, my legs and pretty much everything in between. 3 mile cooldown ride back home. then 75 squats with the lovely looking 20 lb weight vest im wearing in this picture  - 1:52

chocolate soymilk
dark chocolate peanut butter
sesame stick
tofu, brown rice and veggies  x2
thai salad

I don't care what it takes

put in some good workouts today so the darkness is going away.
swim warmup and drills then 4 x 500 on 20 seconds
1 - 10:24
2 - 10:08
3 - 9:50
4 - 9:45
kinda happy with these times. I felt really good swimming today. I was trying to push myself more even if i died in the water and I never bonked out. I actually got faster. I need to get more confident in my swimming and go for it more.

cf wod - 3 rounds of 500 meter row, 50 situps, 50 squats - 16:07 - effort felt really good on this one too!

chocolate soymilk
vegan pizza
dark chocolate almonds
dark chocolate peanut butter
vega wfo w.coconut water
sesame stick
tofu, brown rice, veggies stir fry

the only energy zapper is people telling me how I should just let these injuries heal and not train for awhile or race the rest of the season. I know they mean well but I just hate hearing it. If they choose to do that with their life that's fine for them. It isn't me though. I'm so lucky to have Jay who understands the situation and is willing to just work around it.Gotta look into a trainer for my bike.

what im up against

so ive been kinda down lately having to deal with some minor injuries. I have been really good about wearing the hand splint but I honestly hate it and I would love to not have to wear it anymore. It is just an annoyance. Im dealing the best I can since it was the least I could ask for out of my options to treat the hand. The heel spur on the other hand is just painful. It has developed into a new stage where it is throbbing occasionally now. It really has been affecting my running and therefore my mood. I hate not being able to train full throttle between the foot and hand. I know i should be happy I am training at all and most of the time I am because I am trying to do what I can do and I cant ask much more of myself but I feel so much better when I know I put forth my best effort and can I really call what I am doing right now my best effort? Ive been doing some online research about the heel spur and ive seen things saying its plantar fasciaitus and not the bone deposit that is causing the pain. Therefore surgery is not really necessary. Ive been considering getting a cortizone shot even though I am mostly against the idea because it isn't fixing anything it is just helping me to deal with the pain. I have never been a fan of treating symptoms instead of fixing the cause. so ive been in my own head about this lately trying to decide what to do. honestly I think it is draining my energy. early to bed tonight!

today's workouts

swim - 100 warmup and 100 of catchup, switch and drag
25 x 25 with mid pool start on 10 seconds. I forgot my watch so I don't know what the times were. I just used the wall clock for the rest. I think I actually did more like 30 because I was losing count of the reps so I just kept doing another one.

5 rounds of
10 back squats @ 95lbs with shoulder grip
25 abmat situps
time - 7:29

vega sport w.coconut water
banana, peach, pineapple, Orange, vega performance protein with coconut water
vega wfo w/coconut water
enchiladas with tofu, black beans, zucchini, tomatoes and peppers

hummus w. lime corn crackers
slice vegan pizza

nice jugs

I used my fuel belt for the first time today. I really didn't want to take it but it was humid here today so my husband talked me into it. His nice jugs comment just made me laugh because the fuel belt looks kinda ridiculous but he was right and i was thankful to have it when I was out running. I was hitting it about every 15 minutes and I actually ran out of water! only took 2 probably should have used all 4 bottles. So does it bounce around or do I not have it on tight enough? As I drained the water it moved less so I am assuming it was on correctly. I had a 10 mile run that took me 1:49:40 to complete. Sigh, slower than last time! I went to bed really late last night after coming home from nyc so I slept a lot later then I normally do and I went out to run much later than normal. My ankle has been feeling wrong the last two days. Almost like something is out of place. I did a good amount of stretching before I headed out. My heel hurt as soon as I started. After a mile or so I got used to it or it relaxed a bit. Around mile 4 my feet started to go numb. Not sure why this is happening.  Mile 7 started feeling like work. The last two miles I just had to gut out. My foot was killing me and I just wanted to be done with it. I just don't feel good about my running recently. The only good thing about today's workout was I got it done. 

Sprouted grain bagel

Vega wfo w/coconut water

brick

30 mile bike plus a 1 mile run - time 2.12.06. legs were a little sore when I started probably from the cf wod on friday. It felt so good to be back on my bike after not riding it for a full week! My handling is getting better even though I am still riding in weird positions because of the splint. I basically don't get down over the bike at all but at least i am on the bike. I was able to drink on the bike without stopping but I decided to stop to eat my gels and salt because I could probably manage it but at this point I just do not need any more injuries.  I only had 4 gels so i just took them with salt every 30 minutes without any issues. I was trying to drink about every 15 minutes and I still felt a little dehydrated especially when i got off the bike to run I felt a little out of  it. I only went through 1 bottle even though I had 2 on the bike. My legs hurt for the pretty much the whole mile run. I didn't really sleep well all week and with being away my diet suffered a bit too. Mostly I don;t think I was eating enough. I had a vega shake and some peanut butter for breakfast. Usually a vega bar on the beach and then tofu, veggies and brown rice for dinner. It doesn't really sound that different I just think I needed more quantity.  wasn't drinking enough for sure while I was away.  I need to get back on schedule now. Spent the day in nyc today. While I miss living there I do not miss the traffic. My legs were pretty sure on the car ride out to the city but once we got there I felt fine.

tempeh bacon
sprouted grain bagel
vega wfo w/coconut water
mexican tofu, sauteed greens, brown rice and beans wrap w/ pineapple salad (mmm candle cafe!)
2 chickpea potato pancakes (angelica's kitchen)
nectarines w/almond crema

i forgot to take a pic so here is one of me in angelica kitchen in nyc.