Three Things Thursday ...

Update - Just about two weeks ago, I saw a nutritionist in hopes of figuring out how to stop the weight gain I have experienced (in addition to all of the other symptoms). I left the appointment feeling optimistic. She suspects Adrenal Fatigue is to blame. Apparently, your body can only take so much stress before it revolts. Who knew? OK, I did. Not the point.

Additionally, my electrolytes are crazy low and my Vitamin D levels are the opposite of good. Fortunately, she believes all of this can be corrected and once we get back the results from my Cortisol and DHEA test back, we should have a better idea of my adrenal health and what we can do to get it back on track. However, if this test comes back normal, I will likely punch a hole through a wall. The brick wall I keep hitting when it comes to getting a diagnosis. (Note: I will be seeing an endocrinologist on June 26th regardless of the results I get from this test.)

In the meantime, I have been put on an eating plan and told not to stress about the amount of calories I am taking in. And while, I have followed the plan almost perfectly (Dizzle's birthday cake aside), I still obsess. It's just part of my nature. Unfortunately, I haven't lost an ounce. But I haven't gained either, which I guess is something.

Schedule Overload - May has been a hectic month for us. Between J's travel for work (and leisure with Doodle), the girls' activities and my work with Tough Chik, there hasn't been a lot of downtime. This weekend is our last overscheduled weekend for quite some time and I am feeling anxious about getting everything done.

Tomorrow morning, I will be heading to Annapolis to run the Tough Chik booth at ZOOMA Annapolis on Friday and Saturday. J will be taking over at home, shuttling the girls to and from school and to play dates. On Saturday, he has to take Dilly to soccer and then prep the girls (i.e. hair and make-up) for their dance recital's dress rehearsal in the afternoon. I will most likely have to meet them all at the venue as soon as I get back.

a preview of their costumes ...

Thankfully, my sister is going to be here to help with their hair and make-up, but I'm mildly afraid of the logistics of it all. We are going to be there hours upon hours and it can be a lot for me to juggle and I'm used to it. J doesn't usually have to handle this sort of stuff and I am thinking it might stress him out a wee bit.

On Sunday, the girls have back to back shows to perform in and by some twist of fate, I have one child in the very first dance and one child in the very last dance. I am going to stay optimistic that everyone is going to love every second and that I won't have to deal with any meltdowns. I can dream, right?

Vacation - Last week, J and I booked a trip for all of us. We had toyed around with going to Australia next year, but when the price tag started to skyrocket, we started thinking of alternatives. We talked about visiting Europe (and I'm still hoping we can make it to France next summer), the Caribbean, and a few places scattered throughout the US.

When it came down to it, the only place we really considered at any length was Hawaii. The timing (and pricing) seemed right, so we jumped in and booked. 10 days on the island of Oahu in October, only four months and 20 days from now. Not that I'm counting ...

January Rewind ...

Miles Run: 98.91 miles. Probably should have jumped on the treadmill for a quick 1.09 miles just to round it out.

Bike Miles Rode: 126.4 miles. All on the trainer.

Swim Meters Completed: 12800 meters or 7.7 miles.

Rest Days Taken: 7. Travel kind of threw me off this month.

Highest Run Mileage Week: 1/1-1/6: 23.6 miles

Highest Bike Mileage Week: 1/21-1/27: 37.3 miles

Highest Swim Volume Week: 1/1-1/6: 3600m or 2.24 miles.

Long Runs Completed (10+ miles): 0. Third month in a row. I'm currently building my run base again and with this whole HR training, I did get to 9.9 miles. This weekend's long run should put me over 10.

Current Book: Right now, I am reading Days of Blood and Starlight by Taylor. But I also finished a few other books in January. (Note: For those of you who have asked, if it's on this or any of my lists, I would recommend the book. If I don't like the story or the book doesn't grasp my attention, I don't bother finishing it, thus it wouldn't be listed here.) 

• Matched by Condie
• Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Taylor
• The Bar Code Tattoo by Weyn

Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: Jumpin' Jack Doritos. I probably haven't eaten Doritos in 10 years, but I saw this throwback flavor (which was my favorite as a kid) at the store the other day and I had to have them.

Current Colors: Charcoal Gray, Yellow and Pink
 
Current Drink: Hot tea with a touch of sugar. It's freaking cold here right now.

Current Song: Try - Pink

Current Triumph: I ate 3,000 calories yesterday. Without splurging on cake. Be inpressed.

Current Goal: Be a better me. Each and every day. And tackle my 2013 To Do List head on.

Current Blessing: Health, happiness and love. I've got all three.

Current Excitement: I'm still riding high from making (and subsequently meeting) Team Rev3 Tri. I registered for my first 140.6 this week. And my birthday is in 6 days. It's like a giant freaking party over here right now.

2013 To Do List:

Fitness:

• 140.6. That is all. - Registered.
• Make time for strength training. Don't let training loads eliminate strength workouts completely. And stick to strength training in a group, it keeps you accountable. - CrossFit membership ended today, so I'm gonna need to motivate myself to keep up the strength training this month.
• Switch to time-based/HR training. Despite my knowledge of training paces, I have a hard time sticking to them. I'm hoping this will help me train more effectively. - 32 days in and adjusting quite well.
• Log 4,500 cumulative run, bike and swim miles. Up 485 from 2012. - As of February 1st, 233.01 miles logged.
• Race a 10K with a finish time much faster than your very dated current PR of 53:17. I never managed to register for a 10K in 2012 and I'm not sure where it will fit in this year, but it's on my radar. - No progress on this one.
• Set a new PR in the Half Marathon, currently 1:57:06. I totally blew this one in 2012 and will likely only have one good shot at it in 2013.- Registered for Flying Pirate Half in April.
• Run a 5K with Dizzle and Doodle, even if that means tricking them into it. - The kids have been running quite a bit recently. Probably going to aim for the fall.

Nutrition:

• Eat like a gluten-free athlete. After struggling with health issues much of 2012, removing the gluten has been key in alleviating the symptoms. Don't be swayed by the lure of wheat. Or cake.- On point, like usual.
• Find the race day (and training) nutrition plan that works for me.- Eventually ...
• Consume no more than 18 desserts from Shyndigz. This number worked well in 2012 and helped me cut back on my serious cake addiction. Plus, their gluten-free menu is limited, so I shouldn't be tempted as often. - As of February 1st, 2 desserts consumed. Both from Dilly's birthday cake.
• Drink at least 100oz of water per day.- Oh, heck yeah!

Personal:

• Only say yes to the projects you REALLY want to work on. An honest no is much better than a halfhearted yes. - Check.
• Stick to our budget. We've lived credit card (and credit card debt) free for three months. No reason to go back now. - Double Check.
• Ignore your impulses. Take time to process the true value of the things you are filling your space/life with. - Yes and no. Although TigerBlood rocks my socks, I might just be in the market for a sweet Quintana Roo ...
• Figure out what to do with my hair. Keep the mohawk or grow it out. I'm taking opinions on this one.- I'm growing it out. For real this time.
• Continue to balance family life, training and now, work.- Check.
• Prioritize and be a good example for the people in your life. - Like quadruple check!
• Help and support J and the kids in reaching their goals. We are a team and that must always be the primary focus of our lives. No one should have to sacrifice so that someone else can reach their goal. If a balance can't be found, it's not worth pursuing.- I would never waiver on this one!

Kona Kase review ...

Recently, I was given the opportunity to try out Kona Kase.

Never heard of it before? I'm not shocked. I hadn't either. But, after checking out the Kona Kase website, I was intrigued.

Kona Kase, established in 2012, allows monthly subscribers to receive Kona Kases filled with 8-10 endurance nutrition samples for just $15 a month.

opening this was like Christmas morning ...

Since the box varies from month to month, subscribers are treated to a vast variety of products (some full sized, like the bars), allowing you to see what products work (and taste) best without having to commit to purchasing, and possibly wasting, a full-sized container. It's kind of a brilliant idea.

But, is it worth your $15?

Yes and No. And here's why ...

Yes:

• If you are on a budget and don't know what endurance nutrition products you like, then Kona Kase is a great choice. You get quite a bit for your money and you will eventually find your perfect nutrition products.
• If you are like to try new things and like variety, the Kona Kase would be a monthly bundle of happiness. Personally, I had heard of, but never tried anything in my Kona Kase. Some of it, I hadn't even heard of.
• If you are interested, but not ready to commit. This goes for both Kona Kase and the samples in the box. You can cancel your Kona Kase subscription at any time, with no penalty. And since you are only getting samples of the products, you won't be left with unfinished containers sitting in your pantry. It's really a win-win.
• You really like getting mail. If you love getting packages and are willing to spend $15 a month to do so, then Kona Kase would be an awesome surprise each month.

No:

• If you have food allergies or intolerances, then skip Kona Kase for now. Currently, you can not customize your box in any way, which means that there is the possibility that you could get a Kona Kase filled with products you can't try. However, check back in the future as the company is hoping to offer customization a few months down the line.
• If you know what you like and what works for you. If you have your nutrition plan set, you probably don't need a subscription. I mean, it's likely that you've tried pretty much everything out there anyway.

Disclaimer: I received Kona Kase free of charge. However, the opinions stated here are entirely my own.

March Rewind ...

Run Miles Ran: 82.17 miles

Bike Miles Rode: 381.3 miles

Swim Meters Completed: 16650 meters or 10.35 miles

Rest Days Taken: 8

Highest Run Mileage Week: 3/19-3/25: 25 miles

Highest Bike Mileage Week: 3/12-3/18: 124.1 miles

Highest Swim Volume Week: 3/5-3/11: 6250 meters

Long Runs Completed (10+ miles): 3

Current Book: If I stack all my fitness magazines in a pile and read them all at once, does that count as a book?

Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: Didn't you hear that 16 and Pregnant, The Secret Life of the American Teenager and Make It or Break It have all come back with new episodes? Obviously, my evenings are rather productive.

Current Colors: Tough Chik Aqua and Purple

Current Drink: I'm on a rotation of water, Nuun and Dunkin Donuts coffee.

Current Song: Glad You Came - The Wanted

Current Triumph: Pretty sure I am going to be riding high from Ironman 70.3 Texas for a while.

Current Goal: Become a triathlon machine.

Current Blessing: I survived my 70.3 debut. Isn't that enough? OK. Joking aside, I feel like my whole life is one big blessing and I am entirely grateful.

Current Excitement: Today is J's 32nd birthday, which means CAKE! In less than a week, my little sister and I are registering for the Walt Disney World Half Marathon. And once I can walk normally again, I'm going to start my training for the Patriots Sprint Tri, which I am planning on crushing.

2012 To Do List Update:

Fitness:

• Take 70.3 training day by day. Don't get caught up in what is coming, but rather focus on what is. Trust that it will get you where you want to be. - CHECK
• Find the strength to NOT add races to your schedule during 70.3 training. That is your focus, don't screw with that because of FOMO (fear of missing out). - CHECK
• Cross the finish line of your first 70.3 in less than 6:57:59. - CHECK. Goal crushed. 6:39:39.
• Maintain at least one day of cycling and one day of swimming per week, post 70.3. Give J some proof that a new road bike would be a good investment.
• Log 4,000 miles, swim, bike and run combined. - As of April 4, 1359.88 miles completed
• Race a 10K with a finish time much faster than your very dated current PR of 53:17.
• Set a new PR in the Half Marathon, currently 1:57:06 (or 1:56:18, if the half split from the NYC Marathon counts).
• Race a Fall Sprint Triathlon. Actually train for the event, unlike in years past.
• Add strength training to the routine.

Nutrition:

• Eat like an athlete. Be mindful of the nutritional value of your food. - Working on it. Slowly.
• Consume no more than 18 desserts from either Shyndigz or Two Sweet Cupcakes (approximately 1 dessert/3 weeks) - As of April 4, 8 desserts consumed.
• Cut out snacking on the girl's leftovers. Just because they don't eat it, doesn't mean you have to. - Half Fail

Personal:

• Only say yes to the projects you REALLY want to work on. - CHECK
• Throw away the credit cards. Stop repeating history. - CHECK
• Ignore your impulses. Take time to process the true value of the things you are filling your space/life with. - CHECK
• Declutter and Organize using this calendar. - CHECK
• Continue to balance family life, training and now, work. - CHECK
• Prioritize and be a good example for the people in your life. - CHECK
• Help and support J and the kids in reaching their goals. We are a team and that must always be the primary focus of our lives. - CHECK

Ironman 70.3 Texas Recap ...

Location: Galveston, TX
Date: 4/1/12
Temperature: mid 70's @ start, 80 degrees @ finish
Official Time: 6:39:39
Swim Time: 48:55 (2:31/100m)
T1: 4:21
Bike Time: 3:17:31 (17.01 mph)
T2: 3:07
Run Time: 2:25:45 (11:07 pace)
Place in Age Group (30-34): 73/112
Place in Gender: 414/760
Overall Place: 1699/2670

The Good:

Racing with a Friend: When I first decided to race a 70.3, I knew I needed support. My solution - get a friend to race with me. Thankfully, I was able to convince one of my best friends, Heidi, to come along for the ride.

Athlete Check In

Trying to stay cool

At the athlete briefing

Goofing around waiting for Lance to arrive

Just before heading to the start

She trained in Texas. I trained here in Virginia. We met up for the race. And it was awesome. I can't express how grateful I am to have had her by my side (or in front of me, since she's wicked fast - she finished in 5:46). We had fun from beginning to end and despite the pain, we are already working on our future race plans.

The Bike: To be completely honest, I was a little scared that all of my miles on the trainer were not going to translate to the road and that I was going to blow up on the bike. But, fortunately, the course was so pancake flat that other than a serious headwind on the way out, this ride was just like my trainer sessions. Three hours and 15 minutes of non-stop pedaling.

Heading out from T1

After a rough start, which included that headwind and a bathroom break at mile 13, I kicked it into overdrive on the second half of the bike, negative splitting by 13 minutes in the last 28 miles. And I even rode in aero position for most of the second half. A huge deal considering I had NEVER gotten into the aero bars on the road before.

Nutrition: This is one area I feel that I really did well. Three hours prior to the race, I had a bowl of oatmeal and a banana, coffee and Nuun. 45 minutes out, I had a Luna Protein Bar. After the swim, a Honey Stinger Waffle. During the bike, four Chocolate Outrage GUs. Followed by another Honey Stinger Waffle in T2 and two more GUs during the run. It seemed to work for me and I never felt hungry or low energy. Maybe poorly hydrated, but that's a different story.

Strippers: No, not that kind of stripper. The wetsuit removal kind. Wiggle out of the top of your wetsuit, lay on the ground and two people rip it off you. Best thing ever.

The Bling: Just awesome.

The Bad:

The Swim: Prior to this race, I had never swam in open water. I had never been in a mass start. And I had never attempted to remove my wetsuit with any sort of speed. Needless to say, I was kind of freaking out at the start, even if I was doing my best to hide it.

I knew that on the perfect day, I could probably finish the swim in 45 minutes. About 30 seconds after the gun, I realized that it wasn't the perfect day. The mass start and open water kind of overwhelmed me. I was flailing. I swam with my head up. I swam backstroke. I swam breaststroke. I swam off course. I swallowed salt water.

It wasn't until 38 minutes in (I checked my watch) that I found my groove and cruised into transition. It was actually quite frustrating. Once I was swimming normally, I wanted to kick myself for getting so worked up. Later, I was shocked to learn I had only missed my "perfect day" time by about 4 minutes.

coming into T1 (Ignore the finger in the shot)

Hydration: In case you forgot, I am mildly freaked out by my bike. I am almost always certain that I am going to crash. Because of this, I was not brave enough to grab a replacement water bottle at the aid stations along the bike course. That meant I had 42 oz of water on the bike with me and once it was gone, it was gone - no matter how hot it was.

Right before I hit the mile 50 marker, I finished the last of my Nuun. 20 minutes left on the bike and nothing left to drink. Despite being very well hydrated heading into the event, those 42 oz of fluid were not enough to hydrate me during the first four hours of the race and I was so parched heading into the run. It was kind of a recipe for disaster.

The Run Course: Three 4.4ish mile loops. In direct sunlight. On an airstrip. Pure torture.

Signage: Although this was a very well run event entirely worth the $250 price tag, the pre-race (i.e. athlete check in/expo) was kind of a cluster. There was a severe lack of signage and we found ourselves wondering around quite a bit. A couple of big arrows would have been killer.

The Ugly:

The Run: Although I finished the run in 2:25:45, well within in the 2:10-2:30 window that I anticipated, it was rough. Right from the start, I knew I was dehydrated and my legs didn't have the power that I needed. So, I made a deal with myself - run one minute, walk one minute. I knew that as long as I just kept moving I'd finish. Sure, I wanted it to be over as soon as possible, but I gave it everything I had on that day.

Of course, as I sit here now, I can say, "Maybe if it wasn't so hot. Maybe if I had drank more on the bike. Maybe if I didn't push it so hard on the second half of the bike." There are a million "what ifs". But, I own that 2:25:45. I kept going when I really wanted to stop. And now, I have a mark to beat.

The Aftermath: Between the sunburn and muscle soreness, post race (and the last two days) has been ugly. I'm hobbling around. I'm short-tempered. I'm tired. But I don't really care, it was freaking awesome and I can't wait to do it again.

2012 To Do List ...

I am goal-oriented. When I decide that I want to do something, I find a way to make it happen. Yes, there are roadblocks at times. And yes, sometimes my timelines don't work out. But, it is extremely rare for me to set out to do something and NEVER accomplish it. I'm just not a quitter. It's not in my nature.

With that said, I am not feeling 100% focused right now. I feel like other than knowing that I will finish my first 70.3, the rest of the things that I'd like to tackle are kind of vague. Or maybe I'm just not sure what steps I need to take to get there. Either way, I've decided to approach my goals a little differently than I have in the past. More of a to do list. Something that I can add and subtract to as my vision changes.

So, as of today, December 30th, here is my 2012 To Do List:

Fitness:

• Take 70.3 training day by day. Don't get caught up in what is coming, but rather focus on what is. Trust that it will get you where you want to be.
• Find the strength to NOT add races to your schedule during 70.3 training. That is your focus, don't screw with that because of FOMO (fear of missing out).
• Cross the finish line of your first 70.3 in less than 6:57:59.
  
• Maintain at least one day of cycling and one day of swimming per week, post 70.3. Give J some proof that a new road bike would be a good investment.
• Run 1,500 miles.
• Race a 10K with a finish time much faster than your very dated current PR of 53:17.
• Set a new PR in the Half Marathon, currently 1:57:06 (or 1:56:18, if the half split from the NYC Marathon counts).
• Race a Fall Sprint Triathlon. Actually train for the event, unlike in years past.

Nutrition:

• Eat like an athlete. Be mindful of the nutritional value of your food.
• Consume no more than 18 desserts from either Shyndigz or Two Sweet Cupcakes (approximately 1 dessert/3 weeks)
• Cut out snacking on the girl's leftovers. Just because they don't eat it, doesn't mean you have to.

Personal:

• Only say yes to the projects you REALLY want to work on.
• Throw away the credit cards. Stop repeating history.
• Ignore your impulses. Take time to process the true value of the things you are filling your space/life with.
• Declutter and Organize using this calendar.
• Continue to balance family life, training and now, work.
• Prioritize and be a good example for the people in your life.
• Help and support J and the kids in reaching their goals. We are a team and that must always be the primary focus of our lives.

Three Things Thursday ...

1. I am a food journalist. As in, I keep a food journal and have pretty much everyday for the last decade. I feel like it has been a crucial part to my weight loss and maintenance. Over the past few months though, I have become lazy in my food journaling. I didn't monitor my calories as closely as I usually do. Instead, I attempted (rather poorly, I might add) to keep track in my head. As a result, I ended up carrying around an extra six pounds. After stepping off the scale, I immediately decided to go back to hardcore food journaling. And this time, I was going high tech.

I did a little research of online food tracking sites and decided to go with SparkPeople. And now, I am mildly obsessed. This site is fantastic. It's super easy to set up and customize to your preferences. And it does everything for you. You just type in what and how much you ate and it calculates all the nutritional data. After two weeks, I have already dropped two of those unwanted six pounds. And the best part is that there is a SparkPeople app for iPhone and BlackBerry. I am in love ...

2. And speaking of food, I have made a big change in what I am eating. Over the past four weeks, I have transitioned to a pescatarian diet (a vegetarian who eats fish and eggs.) I really wanted to improve the quality of my diet and I've never been a big fan of red meat (I have a take it or leave it attitude towards poultry), so the choice seemed kind of obvious. Plus, as a family, we were already eating several vegetarian meals a week. I'm not sure that I will ever get J to be a total convert, but that doesn't mean I won't try.

3. And on the topic of brainwashing, I'm in the process of converting my children into hardcore runners. Both Dizzle and Doodle have run races before, but they've been on a bit of a hiatus due to the freakishly cold weather. Yesterday, I asked Dizzle if she wanted to go on a run on the TREADMILL to which she replied, "Yes, but can we watch our TV shows like you?"

It seemed like a simple request. So, I dressed the girls in their running skirts, turned on the TV and sent them to run in place.

Each of them logged a half mile and were begging for more. I think I just figured out what to do with them when we are all going a little stir-crazy ...