First or last?

My Tri top!

2 different feelings today on racing. This weekend's race I am pumped about, so excited to get out there. To top it off, the triathlon top I bought last year fits a little better and I think I'm going to wear it Sunday! I guess I got all worked up over a red top for nothing. While boosting my confidence looking at last years race results, I went to check out last year's results for the tri I was planning on in June. I am pretty sure I may come in last place! How depressing! They have a super sprint category as well, but I/m kinda bummed out now. I certainly don't want to finish a race in last place!

This morning I headed over to my alma matter to help with student practical exams, before they all head out on their PT affiliations. I had been creeping on the local triathlon club's website, and saw that one of the PT professors leads the Monday night ride. I have been super anxious about joining the club, because I hate meeting new people (anxiety about being liked), and I have no idea how to ride with a group. She assured me that it wasn't a tough ride, and that they could probably teach me a lot. So I think I'm gonna go for it!

I also have a patient who is a cyclist. So in exchange for my fabulous treatment skills, he is giving me cycling advice. Today we were talking about cadence. I recently got a cadence sensor to go with my garmin, so he told me after my ride last night, to check what my cadence was and we'd talk. I was at an average of 70ish, which I had no idea was good or bad. I was always under the assumption that you wanted to have a good amount of resistance as you pedal because it would take you further. He explained to me that actually increasing my cadence at a lower resistance will keep my legs from tiring and help me go faster. Add it to the list of things I don't know, since I taught myself! I'm always looking to learn...

What's the best cycling advice you have for me?

(or running or swimming)

This morning I slept through the alarm & missed my workout, and again today I am feeling drained by afternoon. What is my deal lately. Off to lounge and do a little stretching!!

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This is it!!

It's here! Race weekend!

I can't believe that this time has flown by so quickly. Not only does it seem like not that long ago that I had my bunion surgery (a little more than 5 months!), but it feels like yesterday that I decided to train for this race. Now after all those hours of training, and money spent on equipment, I am getting ready for an extremely "big" moment in my life. I can't wait to call myself a triathlete!

The race is Sunday morning. We decided to stay overnight nearby since we have to be out there for race packet pick up on saturday, and my friend debbie and I want to try and get a swim in at the lake the race is  at. We are leaving tomorrow morning around 10, will get there around 11/11:30 to get race packets and go to the seminars they are having on what to expect, etc. Then we will try to get in a swim before heading to the hotel. Haven't thought about dinner, maybe I should google healthy places to eat nearby.

Tonight, Kevin dragged me out to Oktoberfest in Springfield for an hour or so, and now we're back home so I can pack & get a good nights sleep. Check out my gear all laid out to pack, so I don't forget anything!

Now I haven't worked out since my double session on tuesday (AM run, PM outdoor ride), I've been reallly tired & busy. Hopefully its not too much of a taper? I'm sure it will all work out fine.

I will be back on either sunday night or monday to post results, pictures, race recap & announce the fabulous giveaway to celebrate my achievement! Wish me luck!

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11 days left until it counts!

Skipped my morning workout today. Yesterday I hurt my back at work lifting a patient, and I was hoping  that with a little ice & sleep it would feel better in the morning. No such luck, and since I didn't want to completely throw my back out with 11 days until race day, I slept in. Luckily at work, said patient moved a little better and one of my coworkers was able to put me back into alignment. Tomorrow I am planning on a swim and a little strength training.

Lucky for me after all the wetsuit drama, I got my shipping confirmation emails from both companies with the estimated arrival for both on friday. Just in time for my wetsuit trial! Now, we are trying to figure out where to do our trial. Originally, we were going to swim at a pond in Ludlow, but they aren't letting swimmers in since a boy drowned there. We're still looking for a new place to go.

I stepped on the scale today for a peek (I know I shouldn't but I can't help it!), and I was happy to still see the 185 from last week. Now, I still have a few days to drop it lower for a loss on weigh in day. I feel like nutrition wise I have been doing pretty well, I need to keep up on the exercise and stay focused on my training.

On that note, I made a yummy dinner tonight. Eggplant Parm with eggplant & basil from my backyard garden!

Delicious dinner!

   Eggplant Parmigiana 

from weight watchers

4 servings, 3 points a serving (I had 2 tonight!)

what you need

1/3 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

1 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese

1 tsp italian seasoning (I also added fresh basil)

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 medium raw eggplant

2 large egg whites, lightly beaten

1 cup canned tomato sauce (I used homemade organic)

1/2 cup part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

How to make it

1. preheat oven to 350 deg, coat 8x8 baking dish & cookie sheet with cooking spray & set aside.

2. Combine bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, italian seasoning, and garlic powder in a medium bowl & set aside. Remove skin from eggplant and trim off ends. Slice eggplant into 1/2 inch thick slices.

3. Dip eggplant first into egg whites and then into bread crumb mixture. Bake eggplant on cookie sheet until lightly browned, about 20 minutes.

4. Place a layer of eggplant on bottom of baking dish, then add 1/3 of tomato sauce & 1/3 of mozzarella cheese. repeat with 2 layers in same order. Bake until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling, about 10 minutes more. Slice into 4 pieces and serve!

Now, I'm sitting back, enjoying a glass of wine, DVR of bachelor pad & dating in the dark & planning my weekend. Have a good night!

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Wetsuit Anxiety....

Today began like any other monday. Scratch that, like a monday should be since I actually made it to the gym this morning. I got in a great 20 min speedwork run, working on intervals of 7.0 with recovery at 5.5. Did the elliptical a little after since I had more time for a total of 500 calorie burn. Had a good breakfast, packed a good lunch and everything was going ok......

 That is until my friend Debbie who is doing the triathlon with me (not the preggers one), informed me that the wetsuit rental was really $40/weekend & not $30/weekend, as we were originally told. Since we were planning on a run-through this weekend with wetsuits, that would be an $80 total. She told me she looked online & ended up buying one for about the same price. I started to panic! I've already bought so much for this one race. I do plan on doing more Triathlons in the future, but I really did not want to add any more expenses. But paying $80 for something you don't even get to keep seems, well kind of stupid to me. So I came home & panicked. Luckily my friend Amanda(triathlete) & Brian(Ironman) were online, and helped me narrow the field down to 2 wetsuits.

Xterra Volt

                                        Orca Wetsuit

I was in a panic from 5:30pm when I got home from work, until 7:45pm when I actually placed my order. A good chunk of that time was asking my friend Amanda more general Triathlon questions since she has completed the same course I'm about to do. Which one did I order? I ended up ordering both, then I will return the one I don't like or doesn't fit. The trouble is, since I decided so late in the game to buy one, I had to pay LOTs extra to ship the Xterra, The Orca did ship for free. I need them by friday to decide which I want to use for the practice run on saturday. I still feel slightly panicky... did I make the right decision? I'm worried about fit for a chubby girl like me, and the pink one is super cute, they ended up being around the same price after adding on the Xterra shipping fees. wish me luck!

I didn't even eat dinner until 7:45pm, after the orders were placed. I'm probably under points, even though I chowed some Popchips Barbeque Potato Chips, but I didn't bother to count, & now I'm too stressed to bother. I need to unwind so I can sleep tonight and get to the gym for another run in the morning. Hill workout tomorrow!

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New Tri wear?

I decided that after my post on exercise yesterday, I HAD to get up and fit in a good workout today. I decided to do an outdoor bike-run brick since I haven't done one outside yet, and it is a beautiful day (the downside of training at 5am is indoor training). I laid out my running shoes & fuel belt by my front door. I put on my tri suit (long sleeve over top for the bike), got my racing shades, helmet, shoes, bike & water bottle, and headed out for a ride. I did 10.36 miles, slower paced because I hit a TON of stop signs/lights, and there was a lot of traffic. I came home, stashed the bike in the garage, changed my shoes, put on my fuel belt, and off I went. Even though I huffed & puffed through my run, I came home to map it out and was pleasantly surprised to see I went almost 2 miles at a 10:17 pace, which is pretty quick for me. I'm glad I did the bike-run outdoors, it was good to practice that transition. My legs felt great, just the endurance that is still working its way back.

getting ready to head out

Came home and made myself a Banana Almond Smoothie from Jillian's Master Your Metabolism Cookbook which I love. Banana, milk, almond butter, flax feed, vanilla & ice. delish.

I decided something about my outfit. I LOVE my TYR compression shorts. But the top, I just don't feel comfortable in. I was running and I felt like all my fat was just pouring over the top of my fuel belt. I know the tank is meant to be tight, and I am working on losing the weight, but I just felt disgusting. Now that I am swimming in a wetsuit, I think underneath it I will wear a sports bra & the compression shorts, then put on a tank or tee for the bike/run after. Any suggestions? My coworker has Women's UA HeatGear® Tank Tops by Under Armour  & they are cute, so I'm thinking of checking those out. Maybe a field trip to Dicks Sporting Goods is on my agenda today. Also wondering what people wear for underwear during the race? do they go without? Since I'll be swimming are there kinds that dry quickly? advice appreciated.

Last night I went to Brewfest with Kevin & our friend Evan. $30 admission for all you can drink samplings of over 20 microbrews. I told Kevin I would be the responsible one and drive. I probably had 4-6 samples, and Evan made us these fabulous "pretzel necklaces", which people kept trying to buy off us. Afterwards I drove them to taco bell (don't worry I didn't get anything, YUCK!), and we went to Evan's house for a quick dip in his hot tub before heading home.

Beer & Pretzels 

Tonight I have nothing extravagant planned. Maybe we can get some takeout sushi or something and relax. You may have noticed a couple changes on my blog. The first is, since I've been browsing through other blogs of other inspiring people, I have found a few that do giveaways for fitness & running equipment. I want to share those with you, since everyone loves free stuff, so check them out on the right side of the page. The other part is, that I want to be a blog that does giveaways too! Maybe thats a lofty goal, but I want to share some of the fabulous products that are out there with you guys. You may see some advertising on my site now, pretty much I have signed up for this as a way to make some money to begin funding giveaways. So when you click on a advertisement in my blog, it helps me earn money to pass along goodies to you guys. Also, having more followers, or visitors will entice people or companies I am hoping to supply us with some fun stuff. Don't be concerned, I'll still be blogging about all the same things, but isn't a freebie every now & then awesome? Have a fabulous saturday!

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Lighting stikes? & sock review!

This morning I set my alarm to get in a swim, but as I got up to get dressed I could hear thunder in the distance, and see flashes of lightening behind my window shade. I decided to go do a workout on the elliptical & treadmill, I just wasn't in the mood to do strength training.  I saw some wild strikes of lightening on my way out of the gym! Tomorrow I have a bike-run brick scheduled, I'll do it at the gym in the morning. I did manage to call this weekend and book a hotel room for the night before the race. They ran out of room blocks, but the AAA price was only $20 more. I need to call tomorrow to reserve my wetsuit for rental for my trial run & for race weekend!

Now, last week I mentioned how much I loved my new socks, the Pearl Izumi Elite LTD Low sock (in pink of course!). They come in 3 sizes, and clearly with my ridiculously large feet I went with a large. The specifications read as the following:

 1. Elite transfer yarns provide superior moisture transfer
 2. Ultra-Smooth toe design provides superior comfort
 3. Anatomic arch compression for a performance fit
 4. Left and right specific ventilation chambers
 5. Low cuff height

The socks are thin, which I loved, because I hate too much fabric in my shoe bunching up around my toes. I loved the arch compression since sometimes with cotton (yuck!) socks I've gotten blisters there. I loved that they are low enough so they are not sticking up over my shoe looking funny. And I loved that my feet were clean, dry & felt fabulous afterwards. I may have to have a giveaway so one of you can experience them!

Tomorrow is WI day! I *promise* that I will WI, and I will also post my online tracker, even though there were many days I really didn't track. Still thinking of tomorrow's meeting topic to discuss, any suggestions? have a good night!

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Take that, online tracker!

Today is Thursday, WI day. I am happy to report I am down 2 pounds to 186.5! I did as I pledged to do and tracked every bite, and even though I was not as diligent with my workouts as I would have liked, I was still able to come out on top after 2 parties & a weekend without much sleep. I reallllly want to post a copy of my tracker, but for some reason my Mac does not want to help me with that endeavor. If I figure it out, well I guess I'll post it then!

I've really learned this week about how important journaling is. Many times when we're busy, or embarrassed by the amount of points we must have consumed, or just too darn lazy, or some other lame excuse we ease up on tracking. We just say "Oh I didn't have that much," and go about our daily business.   The bad news is, that every little time adds up, and sooner or later we're a few weeks out wondering why we haven't lost any weight since we've been so good, or worked out so hard! In reality we've probably been slacking nutrition wise, but don't have the evidence written down to support it. This week I learned a few things:

• The after dinner points add up quick! (and you usually don't have many left from the day) Typically I would come home from work and after dinner maybe have a glass of wine and a snack like popcorn, gorgonzola or popchips. I learned to go easy on the after dinner snacks.
• The activity points help a ton. Not only do I feel so much better when I work out (and of course get ready for my big race), but I'm burning off maybe some of those extra points I had at some point throughout the day.
• Count the little points during the day. I always have a handful of chocolate goldfish at some point throughout the day that my coworkers and I share. my serving is about 1.5 points or 4.5 a week at least (more on a stressful day).
• Tracking helps you prioritize your splurges. I went to party on saturday & knew I didn't want to spend TONS of points on Sangria. I brought a cooler bag with my MDG64 inside (1 point a bottle), and was able to enjoy 7 throughout the course of the party and enjoy a little dessert instead.

Now, I won't say I'm a tracking pro, or it's made me into a perfect weight watcher. I am definitely more self aware. Like self aware that I overindulged a little today on over a cup of low fat cookie dough frozen yogurt and red wine. Those kinds of days happen, but I am learning to track and move on. What have you guys learned from tracking? Do you feel more in control and have better losses? I hope that I can keep it up again this week!

My favorite running shoe ever!

I did a 55 min bike-run brick this morning & managed to do my run at 5.5mph (I have been at 5.0 since surgery). I did have to take a couple walking rest breaks, but it felt good to get back to my old speed! Tomorrow is supposed to be a rest day, but I'm going to hit the gym for a 20 min swim in the morning since I won't be able to fit it in saturday after work. It is supposed to be a beautiful weekend so my goal is to do my outdoor run on saturday and a ride with my new bike shoes on sunday. I may have to change my bike route though to exclude the long downward hill with a stop sign directly at the bottom so I can avoid falling off when I most likely fail to get my shoes out of the clipless pedals. Tomorrow is bike fit day! I'm excited to get the pedals put on & get my bike adjusted so my back stops killing me when I ride. I also got a beautiful new pair of Asic GT-2150s. My favorite shoe ever if you recall. I ordered another pair after hating the Brooks shoes that I tried. I also happened to be slightly drunk when I placed my order, so they came with 2 new sports bras I've been wanting, but my willpower had been preventing until then. My credit card isn't too happy (especially with the new cycling purchases), but no big deal, I guess thats why I'm working this weekend!

So off I go to work towards another successful week of tracking, training, and having fun!

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3rd times a charm!

My new cycling shoes finally! Mens 42 lol

Good news! I got my camera in the mail today, and my cycling shoes yesterday. Was all set to bring my new shoes to spin class tuesday night, but the guy at the bike shop said that the spin bikes would wear down my shoes & I could slip on the road and hurt myself. Yikes, I'm glad I told him about my intentions! I scheduled a bike fitting on friday afternoon and I'll buy by pedals and whatnot then, maybe some gloves too since my hands tend to ache when I ride. Still haven't figured out anything on the wetsuit situation, but some helpful girls (thanks Lindsey & Jamie!) told me I should look into renting. I've googled with no luck, I'll have to ask around or see if I can borrow from someone I know. They posted a little information today on the course & packet pick up expo on the website today. They're having a couple different little seminars I think I'll make sure to attend since I want to learn everything I can!

Oh that tuesday evening spinning class? I didn't make it there, my foot has been getting really tired lately and I don't want to overdo it & have the surgeon yell at me when I go to see him in October. I did get in my scheduled run in the morning, and went tonight to do some strength training. I did miss my scheduled swim, and I haven't been lately, but I feel like swimming is my strongest event at the moment.

Tomorrow is WI and I'm thinking it will be a success, cross your fingers with me! One things I do miss a lot about meetings is the weekly topic and sharing between members. I always loved how the leader would come up with something for us to think about, discuss, learn about that made us grow on our weight loss journey. Doing the plan with online e-tools only I do miss a lot of the support I had at meetings. I'm glad to have the lovely ladies on the WW boards, my blog followers, and other blogs to follow to help keep me motivated and on track. I think what I would like to start doing is on thursdays (my WI day), talk about a WW related topic and hope to get some response from all you readers, almost like a mini meeting. Good idea? bad? Whatever you think, I appreciate that you all are joining me in my journey and would love for you to share my blog with people you know to help me stay accountable and on track. Thanks!!

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happy monday!

Sooooo I slept in. Exhausted. well, at least sleep deprived after the weekend. A couple parties/late nights left me way low on my sleep bank. Totally skipped my morning workout, and didn't go tonight since I was checking out the cycling shoes at the bike shop & making dinner with my roomie. The shoes? Well for some reason they thought I was a size 39 euro. If I had realized they were talking in euro sizes, I could have told them I wear a 42 (my Dansko's are 42). I tried a couple men's shoes, but then while the guy was in the back, I tried on some women's 41 on the display shelf. The 41s were a little short, but width wise ok. He didn't have any women's ones there in 42, but is having a couple sent over from the Hadley store in women's & men's. I went home to google the women's shoes I liked, and found them in a fabulous black/pink! Im wondering if they could order these for me if I don't like the ones they find me. I looked a lot online, and it seems that Specialized doesn't allow shipping to unauthorized (read retailers) addresses. wish me luck tomorrow!

We made fish tacos for dinner tonight, I drank a few too many skinny girl margaritas (only 200 calories for 1/2 the bottle!), and had a little frozen yogurt. YUM! tomorrow is an AM run & PM spinning. Hopefully I make it to everything!

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Let's ride it!

I think they may look like this

Today I had scheduled my rest day. However, tomorrow looks like rain as a possibility so I Kevin & I went out today for a long ride. Almost 14 miles in a little over a hour, which isn't bad, but I didn't feel like I pedaled my hardest. Sure we hit some tough hills and thought I would die at points, but Kevin wasn't really pushing himself on the flat stretches and he was in front. Sometimes I couldn't keep up with him, and sometimes I wanted to scream at him to pick up the pace. On the way home we stopped at the bike shop to look at clipless pedals & shoes. I really wanted to try some on after worrying about the width being ok with my feet. The bike guys agreed a Men's fit would be best, but the smallest they had was too big. They found a pair at the Hadley store and are having someone run them down to the East Longmeadow one early in the week so I can try them on. One of the things they told me about the Specialized brand is that the arch support is specifically designed to provide extra support (which I need!), and helps to keep knees in line with ankles to align the legs for a more effective push with cycling. I looked up more info when I go home, take a look at :   Specialized cycling shoe review.

Something else I've been thinking about lately is a wetsuit. My race is in September, the 26th to be exact. In New England it could be snowing or a heat wave. I am going crazy with all these price tags adding up in my head for what I've spent so far. $100 on race registration, $100 on my tri-outfit, possible around $350 for clipless pedals, shoes & a bike fit, well ok I guess thats it so far. I kind of want to make sure I like triathlons before investing in a wetsuit, but at the same time I think I am already loving it, hoping for more in the future & am scared the water will be freezing. Any ideas?

I foolishly realized after I paid my $20 to sign up for the SIDs 5 miler, that I am going the Sox game that day & it is a day game. At least the money is going toward a good cause. I know I'll definately do the Manchester 5 mile Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving again, but I would like to find an October race or 2 to keep my motivation going.

Last night I did pretty well nutrition wise. My friend Maureen & I stopped at the package store to pick up drinks to share (Twisted tea of the light variety), and went to a party for a little while. I had a little bit of a veggie dip & some pretzels, a few cheese and crackers, 2 chicken wings, some squash, potatoes, and one tiny little dessert. This I counted all as my dinner, and I guestimated it to be around 13 points (+9 for the twisted teas). Kevin convinced me to go out with him, his friend and my brother to a bar. I only had 1 glass of wine and we played some pool. I realized I was starving because I hadn't eaten too much for dinner, but didn't cave to eat anything. I crawled into bed, then slept until I was so hungry my stomach woke me up. I made breakfast sandwiches with maple apple turkey sausage, eggs/egg whites on whole wheat organic english muffins. Soooo yummy. I was still legitimately hungry after. Not just that I was in the mood to eat, but my stomach was still growling. I had 2 small bowls of Kashi heart to heart with skim milk (probably just should have had 1). I wasn't too hungry for lunch so I just had a snack. Tonight is a BIG party at my friend Debbie's dubbed the HOT meat party. I'm going to bring some of my MGD 64 i think and keep my eating light as I can. I know she's having chicken on the grill and making corn on the cob, ill try to stay low key for the rest. Wish me luck!

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