First 5K Race!
09 Apr 2012 2 Comments
in Fitness Tags: 5K, bike, cross training, hills, pace, running, swim, triathlon, vegetarian
MY FIRST EVER 5K (3.2 miles) on April 7, 2012 in Durham, New Hampshire! It was fun on this bright and crisp morning and I was pleased with what I did. My time was 25:22 and my average pace per mile was 8:09. I was actually surprised when I got to the first mile mark and the times were called out; the guy shouted, “8″ (minutes) and I was surprised! In training I have been running at more of a slower pace so I knew now I was running faster than usual. By mile two, they called out “16:04″ and I knew I was keeping to a similar pace despite a couple hills between. That was exciting! There were several hills added to the challenge of the course and overall, I felt that push and I kept going. Throughout it all my knees felt fine and I feel so proud I did it!
The cross training since February that I’ve been doing has been a true benefit (indoor cycling twice per week and recently outdoor cycling, the swimming at least once per week and the gradual increase in LSD running (long, slow, distance). I also joined a track group at the college at the beginning of February, doing speed work drills each Wednesday (such as 4 x 800 meter sets or various ladder drill workouts). What a great group experience this has been! It’s great to have others to run with and challenge yourself, otherwise I don’t know if I’d do such drills on my own! We did most of our sessions on the indoor track and recently have taken them outdoors with the better weather. So with this 5K race accomplishment I’m excited to keep moving forward!
I have taken the next step for my goal of completing at least 1 sprint triathlon this year by officially signing up: Saturday July 14, 2012 at the DAM Tri in Amesbury, Massachusetts: 1/2 mile Swim, 12.3 mile bike, 3.2 mile Run. So I will keep training, keep eating well (still going strong being a vegetarian for 6 months now!) and keep moving forward.
Pico de Gallo
19 Feb 2012 1 Comment
in Nutrition Tags: cooking, family, pico de gallo, quesadilla, teenager
Fresh-made Pico de Gallo
My son made my day today when, at the grocery store looking for quesadilla fixings together and after me saying, “why don’t you pick out a jar of salsa that you’d like” he says, “why don’t we just make our own pico de gallo instead?” Wow, what a great idea, and how awesome is it that he knew to think of that as an idea! I’ve been trying over the years to encourage him to be a part of making foods (one of his favorites has always been desserts) and at least showing him this by making various things from scratch for him to eat.
For example, I found a recipe for a basic pancake mix that we now put together and leave in the freezer for later use. Much better than the box mixes that can also include hydrogenated oils (unhealthy trans fat), preservatives and a bunch of other ingredients. We’ve also discovered making a birthday cake (and the frosting) from scratch is far superior in flavor. So I was delighted that he suggested we make our own pico de gallo salsa. It’s this dietitian-mom’s delight!
So we got some tomatoes, fresh cilantro, some sweet onions and some sharp cheddar cheese. Once we got home I got him on the task of grating the block cheese while I cut up the tomatoes and onions. He pulled several sprigs of cilantro and washed them and then opened a can of diced green chilis that we had and drained them. Then we combined the tomatoes, onion, cilantro, sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, some chilis and a squeeze of half a lime and let that set a bit. It was fun and quite easy to make these cheese and pico quesadillas, and the best part (in my opinion) besides the taste, was that they were so fresh-tasting with that crunch of fresh onions and the fresh cilantro. And beyond the fresh food – the ultimate best was that my teenage son was with me in the kitchen and we were spending this time together. This is wonderful.
Swim crazy
14 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
in Fitness, Perspective Tags: drills, goggles, gratitude, open water, swim, swim cap, triathlon, wet suit, workout
Swimming takes on a whole new light when you decide to train for a triathlon for the first time. Sure, I know how to swim and have fun in the water; but open water swim for 1/3 or 1/4 mile? This is something I’ve challenged myself to get ready for and do (and eventually follow that with a 15 mile bike ride then a 5K run!) So with the winter still upon us I have made good use of a Master swim class (once per week for 8 weeks). This has been an eye-opening experience thus far. It’s one thing to be breathing hard during a workout in your own living room but with your face in the water it’s a whole different experience! As I keep learning through the swim sessions I find gratitude in many things: for goggles and a swim cap (keeps all this long, curly hair in check and adds boyancy!). I’m learning proper drills to help my body flow more efficiently in the water. Wow, what a workout this swimming is; and this is just the beginning. At this point I still can’t even imagine what it will be like to swim for 1/3 mile all at once – - but it sure will be sweet when I do accomplish it. As soon as the weather allows I’ll try another new task: open water swim, and a wet suit. I love all these new things!
Amaranth
17 Jan 2012 2 Comments
in Fitness, Nutrition Tags: amaranth, essential amino acids, muscle, vegetarian, whole grain, workout recovery
Last night I cooked up some amaranth grain so I could have it on hand ready to go for morning hot cereal. It’s easy to make: 1 part grain to 3 parts water and simmer about 20 minutes. This is a very nutritious whole grain, in fact, it contains all of the essential amino acids (often lacking in most plant-based foods). It’s a great source of fiber and provides 20% or your iron needs and 8% calcium. This is a great grain to include in any dish, whether it be hot cereal or added to soups and casseroles. With a carbohydrate to protein ratio of about 4:1 (32gm carb and 7gm protein per serving) it makes a nice addition to any athlete’s post workout meal – carbs for glycogen recovery, protein towards muscle repair and synthesis. Being a vegetarian athlete myself I’ve been especially focused on protein and whole foods quality and this is a great addition. This morning I re-heated a 1/2 cup portion and added some slivered almonds, dried cranberries and a bit of soy milk. It’s a hearty, tasty and nutritious meal; and since I cooked up some extra I’ll have more on hand through the week – ready to go.
My goal: TRIATHLON
15 Jan 2012 8 Comments
in Fitness Tags: 40's, bike, challenge, Couch to 5K, courage, dad, embrace, fun, goal, grateful, honor, jog, learning, life, positive outlook, run, sports nutrition, sprint triathlon, swim, triathlon, vegetarian, Warrior Dash
So it’s 2012 – I’ve decided for my goal this year it’s going to be to train for and complete at least 1 triathlon. I’ve done the biking before, I’ve done at least some jogging, I know how to swim . . . so why not? Well, I must say this triathlon idea kind of came out of left field for me. Yes, I’ve been pretty active (doing Insanity and other home based interval conditioning programs), completed the Couch to 5K training program last spring (highly recommended!) and completed 2 Warrior Dash races. But I’ve never done everything together in one event!
Well I’m one to give myself a challenge to reach – and I love the physical ones. A couple years ago I decided to buy a road bike and get into that. I found a great group of folks locally (Gus Bike Shop) and weekly women’s group rides in the summer – I completed a 50 mile ride event and the next summer completed a 100 mile ride. So now the challenge – conditioning with swimming, group swimming, transitioning from one to the other in the same event and proper sport nutrition – vegetarian style. Since deciding to do this goal I’ve made some great connections – found a local triathlon club, met some like minded folks, signed up for some Master Swim classes, found some great vegetarian sports nutrition connections and more. I love learning all these new things!
While I’m still in my 40′s I know I’m not getting any younger! The more the years are blessed on me the more grateful I am for what I’ve had and what I still could do if I just choose to do so. I lost my Dad less than a year ago. It’s all got me thinking how important it is to embrace life and all the gifts in it; to do your best with what you have now, and to keep a positive outlook. THIS is one of the biggest reasons I’ve decided to take on this triathlon challenge, and I do this in honor of my Dad! So here goes the learning, the challenge, the courage and the fun. This is going to be awesome.
From Flab to Fab
24 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
in Fitness, Perspective Tags: exercise ball, flabby, focus, form, fun
So I fished out my exercise ball from the closet this morning (it was folded up and and deflated of course, stuffed in a corner, dust-covered). I was on a mission to pump the thing back up and do something new for myself. So here goes: unfolded the ball, inserted the hand pump and started pumping. Gosh, this is work. My arm’s getting tired and I don’t see much else happening besides hearing some air flow and a flabby pile on the floor.
So I kept going, since it won’t get filled with air without me putting it in there. Kind of reminds me of where I’m at right now lately. I’ve had a rotator cuff injury in my left shoulder for at least a month now and it all came about from lifting weights likely with the wrong posture and most likely too much weight. I’ve been dealing with a slow recovery over this month or so. Right about now I’m feeling a bit like this crumbled up form of a ball on the floor. I keep working at it, will it ever get better? It sure doesn’t look too much different! This is what I’m thinking about as I sit on the couch and continue to push and pull the hand pump to fill the ball with air. This is taking a while . . .
Kind of like the healing of my shoulder – this is taking a while. But I suppose this is also true for any worthwhile goal. Work, work, work, effort, effort, effort . . . Well look at that, some time has passed and there seems to be a better shape taking form. It’s still not the most ideal shape (yet) but it’s getting there…and if I were to quit now what would I have? A partial effort and flabby results. Oh, it’s so tempting though, to give in (too hard, too much work, etc). Gotta see the forest through the trees really if we want anything worthwhile. It takes focus, consistency and effort and it’s not always going to be pretty.
But it can be pretty. Well look at that! Isn’t that fabulous! The work and focus did pay off. What am I taking away from this? You just gotta pump through, whatever it is (exercise, eating better, finding your life purpose), use good form and focus and make it fun, gosh darn it. Be the ball.
The journey continues
23 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
in Nutrition Tags: health, meatless, new ingredients, recipes, vegan
So here I am – a couple months later and still meatless. I’m actually pretty amazed just how easy it’s been for me to not even desire eating meat – while at the same time filling that spot with plant-based protein dishes. I continue to expand my horizons for learning and cooking up some new things. Heck, even my son is enjoying some new dishes at home with me. This has been a surprise benefit for me too! Recently tried a vegan restaurant and it was tasty to try some samples of things there. One of my friends recently said, “you still doing that vegetarian thing?” to which I chuckled to myself. It’s all good. So next on my list: finding and trying some new ingredients that I see pop up in recipes here and there. Items like miso paste (yellow in particular), kelp flakes, nutritional yeast, tofu that’s silken, and some others; well they all sounds a bit foreign, and I’m guessing many of my friends would think the same! Yet one of my main goals too is to test out some new recipes (tasty and broad appeal a must and vegan) and decide which ones are keepers. And why am I doing this? I’m seeing that it’s possible to eat well this way while supporting the environment, animal welfare and the health of ourselves while expanding my learning. Sounds good to me.
