Race Calendar Edits

Sometimes a series of events occurs that requires a major course correction.

Thankfully, it's not an injury or other training mishap.  It's not even an equipment issue.  Without going into a lot of detail, let's just say that sometimes you have to make the RIGHT decision even if it isn't the FUN decision.  That said, I have to take the South Maui Triathlon off my race calendar, which is only a few weeks away.

Even though it saddens me to do it, it is the right thing to do.  The flipside is that I will be concentrating on getting stronger and faster in off-road racing for the summer and grabbing that Xterra AG spot in August.

I am optimistic that things will even out over the summer.  The off-road running will be very good for me and the strength I gain over the summer and into fall will be a great base to start training for Honu in 2012.

What's in YOUR cabinet?

The title of this post makes me think of that credit card commercial, "What's in your wallet?"

This is my nutrition cabinet.  A tiny corner cabinet in the kitchen where I store all my healthly stuff.  When I open the door I often think, "I wonder what other triathletes' cabinets/drawers/boxes/etc. look like."  And I'm also thankful that my stash seems simple (at least to me), compared to some other nutrition plans I've read elsewhere.

Here's a quick rundown:

• EmergenC - taken daily, one of the few types of Vitamin C that don't upset my stomach;
• MRM Vanilla egg white protein powder (acceptable protein on the Paleo diet - however, this particular brand/flavor has additives that are not  acceptable, so I will be changing next time);
• Bob's Red Mill golden flaxseed meal;
• Vitamin E;
• Calcium with Vitamin D;
• Fish oil capsules;
• HEED - melon flavor, which I bought by accident, but turns out is AWESOME - tastes like the essence of a watermelon Jolly Rancher;
• In the back - Recoverite, Clif Shot Bloks in cherry, and espresso flavored Hammer Gel packets.
• Not pictured - the four extra water bottles that are in the dishwasher.

I like having everything in one place so it's easy to prepare for rides, workouts, or the day ahead. 

How about you?

Cheating and the Consequences

No, I did not cheat on a race, test or my husband. I'm not talking about the "bad" kind of cheating (and,yes, there are two kinds).  I'm talking about the "not as bad" kind of cheating that doesn't hurt anyone but yourself.  You know the kind...when you eat something you really, really shouldn't.

Well, the Paleo spirits must have been really pissed off at me this weekend.  You see, I cheated on them and they kicked up a real fuss.  I ate pancakes at IHOP.

I know, you are probably thinking, "Really?  How bad could that be?  You ate PANCAKES?!?"  Since I've been eating Paleo, I've touched very little non-Paleo food.  No bread.  No oatmeal.  Not even a granola bar or bowl of cereal.  And certainly NOT pancakes.

This past Saturday I ran a 5K with some of my friends from work.  I was pretty proud of myself, as I finished in under 30 minutes and shaved 2 minutes off my time from last year.  (Remember, I'm not fast, just consistent!)  After the race we decided to go have breakfast, which is difficult for me because there are not a lot of options for a restaurant paleo breakfast around here (or a healthy breakfast of any kind!), but I really wanted to go and thought that some eggs and a couple of pancakes wouldn't kill me.  We had a great time, I had eggs, ham and nearly half a stack of pancakes.  It seemed like a good idea at the time. 

But I was punished...my stomach does not like this Sam I Am...and I was sick later that afternoon and most of the next day with lower GI issues.  Not conducive to a Sunday long run, so I missed my workout.  And learned a lesson. 

I can't say definitively if it was the pancakes or something else that set me off, but I sure felt better when I returned to my standard paleo eating plan.

I'll know better next time!

Beer, bacon and bananas...

...these are actually things on my shopping list. Scribbled on a post-it and stuck to the back of my phone to remind me what to pick up when I get to the market. The list struck me funny, especially since the beer and bacon weren't for me, illustrating the challenge of eating on a particular nutrition plan when no one else in your household will follow.

I am the only athlete in my house. My husband is a carpenter who has kept in shape over the years through a physically demanding job and a love for water sports; my mother-in-law is 75, has had bi-lateral hip replacement, and gets around pretty well on a regimen of yoga and an occasional water aerobics class.

This diet (I really don't like that word since I've been eating so well!) has everyone especially freaked out.

My husband sort of gets it, since he's seen me radically change my eating habits over the past couple of years; but he's stunned that I've foregone dairy and grains since those were staples of my regular nutrition plan.  My mother-in-law is another story altogether...a lover of all things food and a depression-era child who was taught to clean everything on her plate...worries that I am depriving myself and "is sad that you can't eat this delicious XYZ..."  I keep kindly reminding her that I am happy with my meals and that it is a personal choice for me.  I choose not to eat certain things and to that end am happier and healthier for it!

I've been eating probably 98% paleo since March 12.  I can count on one hand how many times I've had non-paleo food: two pieces of See's candy this past weekend - a nod to Easter and in appreciation of a gift from a family friend; one strip of bacon (that actually didn't taste as good as I remembered); and cocktail sauce I dipped my shrimp into (will someone PLEASE find or recommend a brand of cocktail sauce that doesn't have sugar or vinegar in it!).  And, OK, my egg white protein is vanilla flavored and has small amounts of sorbitol in it, but that's all I could find on this island (I have since found it on the internet without, but it is so expensive I will buy the other stuff when I run out).

This way of eating is agreeing with me! I feel great, sleep better than I ever have before, and have tons of energy for training and everyday living.  I LOVE to cook, so I've been challenging myself to find new ways to cook old favorites and I've been trying a lot of new things, too.  The photo above has become one of my favorite meals: poached eggs on a bed of sauteed cherry tomatoes, grilled onions and bell peppers, and wilted spinach, with a handful of strawberries on the side.  I eat more fruits and vegetables, don't think anything about having chicken, beef or fish for breakfast, and have been challenging myself to try a wider variety of vegetables (eggplant, kale, broccoli rabe).  Dessert is fresh or dried fruit or a couple of dates if I want something sweet.  I don't miss dairy and grains as much as I thought. 

I started this eating plan as an experiment because I could not seem to drop my post-holiday/post-injury weight and it has paid off in such a way that I am committing to this way of eating for a year to see what the continuing benefits will be.  Over the past 7 weeks I have lost 13 pounds - I now weigh 4 pounds lighter than I did at my pre-race weight last June - and am 5 pounds lighter than I ever thought possible.  I am carefully watching my nutrition, especially pre- and post-workout, to ensure I am consuming enough to properly fuel my workouts.

Right now I am supplementing my training with HEED, Hammer Gels and Recoverite because they agree with me and I feel they are the best quality products for my needs.  I know Recoverite contains whey protein, which is non-paleo, but until I become more comfortable with creating my own recovery drinks and obtaining the necessary ingredients without breaking the bank (have I mentioned that living on an island is a lesson in tenacity?), I am going to stick with Hammer.

So, paleo is working for me, I am happier and healthier, and don't feel the least bit deprived.  And my experience is showing me that I can do this even if my family can't quite jump on the bandwagon right now.

Stay tuned!

On Making More of An Effort

Friday morning as I got out of the pool shortly after 7:00 my coach says, "That all you got?"  I paused for one second then said that that was all I had time for, but still had plenty left in the tank and could swim another 500 easily.

My comments weighed heavily on me for a better part of the morning.  I realized that if I still had that much energy left after swimming 2100y, then maybe I wasn't pushing myself hard enough.  And yet another comment from another swimmer (who was also a long-time coach and whose wife is a former Olympic-caliber swimmer) on the same morning stayed with me.  He said my swimming looks a LOT better and I am evening out my stroke and cadence, but he said, "Pick up the pace - you need to stop swimming the same lazy speed."

OK - I get it!  I realize that I need to push myself harder in workouts.  I have much more to give and should lay it all out there when it makes sense.  I think I even finished my race last year with some left, even though my run was slow.

Time to kick it up a notch!

Paleo and Liking It!

It's Day 5 of my Paleo experiment and can I say, "I'm impressed!"

So far I have not experienced any of the side effects (major cravings, withdrawal, fatigue) that many others have reported on various forums. I feel great, energy is high, and my mood is quite good. I've already lost 2lbs in these first few days.

There is going to taking some tweaking and creativity on the menu planning to keep it interesting and not fall into eating the same proteins all the time, but I like to cook so I don't think that will be too much of a problem.

I had a great smoothie this morning, post workout: 1C green ginger tea, 1 orange, 1 frozen banana, 1T walnuts, 1T flaxseed meal. I love my VitaMix blender!! The smoothie powered me through a crazy work morning...I didn't even realize I missed my snack until it was lunch time!

Going Paleo

I've been intrigued with the Paleo Diet concept since I read The Paleo Diet for Athletes last summer, but never really worked up the courage to put it in motion.

The time has come.

Although reasonably happy with my pre-injury weight at the end summer, I could never get past a certain point even though I was eating clean and still training six days a week. I was still carrying around a higher percentage of body fat than I really wanted. Perhaps it was the diet fairly high in lowfat dairy (cottage cheese, greek yogurt, 1% milk) and grains (oatmeal, brown rice, kashi cereal) - mainstays of the athlete's diet, or so I thought.

Now that I am post-injury and back on a regular training schedule (12-week Oly plan starts in two weeks), I thought I would have lost some of the injury/holiday weight I put on (about 8 lbs), but the regular plan is not working and my body is stubbornly clinging to the fat. Keep in mind that I wasn't looking for miracles either; one to two pounds a week would have suited me just fine. Grrr.

Just around Christmastime I received my copy of The Paleo Diet Cookbook. It was languishing on my nightstand as I pursued the tried-and-true (or so I thought) eating plan these past few weeks. What was the push? I just came out of a two-day migraine bender, usually triggered by food. I picked up the book, read through it, and decided it was time to try something different.

I'm starting a two-week test period on Saturday and trying to go cold-turkey. I don't know how my family is going to react, since all dinners will be Paleo dinners, but I am confident that I will be able to make something everyone is going to like. I "test-drove" the recipe pictured above, Chili Lime Shrimp, which everyone liked.

I'll talk about the process here. The recipes, preparation, ups and downs, and the "how am I going to possibly do without oatmeal, bread, cereal, milk, cheese, yogurt" dilemmas I face along the way.

Oh, and I'm leaving for a business/family visit trip to the mainland after the first two weeks, so I'll talk about how THAT is going to work with this new plan too.

I'm excited!