tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279991406711039412024-03-04T21:56:35.939-08:00Iron NourishmentSwim, Bike, Run. Sports Nutritionist. Holistic Health and Wellness.
Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458106935584331604noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727999140671103941.post-43775634273905374632014-02-12T08:52:00.000-08:002014-02-12T08:52:26.006-08:00Carrageenan: Danger in your Almond Milk?<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve been wary of the ingredient Carrageenan for a while. It
is used as a thickener and stabilizer in a lot of foods especially in the
health food industry in milk and non-dairy milks like almond milk, coconut
milk, hemp milk and non-dairy and dairy ice creams. Something about it has
always given me a bad vibe though it has been used in all these supposedly
healthy health foods. </div>
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I started reading research studies about the negative impact
on carrageenan on gut health. Alarming results showed that carrageenan has:</div>
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-<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">carcinogenic
properties</b></div>
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- <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">causes intestinal
damage</b></div>
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- <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">is pro-inflammatory</b></div>
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- <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">can cause damage to
gut health and associated with digestion and gut issues</b></div>
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There is a lot of controversy on the studies. For one, it is
hard to transfer the results from rats and mice to humans. The results on the
rodents varied from study to study. And some studies used varying forms of
carrageenan. Some used undegraded carrageenan (allowed to be used in food) and
some with degraded (not allowed in food).</div>
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A couple of months ago, I predicted that we would start
seeing “carrageenan free” labels on foods in a couple of years. Pretty soon the
health concerns would be exposed and we would start to be more cognizant of
putting this stuff in our body.</div>
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And as I was walking the aisles of Whole Foods the other
day, I saw it. I saw it way way sooner than I had predicted. But there it was
staring at me in the face “No Carrageenan” right above the “No High Fructose
Corn Syrup”. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOtSI4UVJ0qfxWZ0-_bNxbcQUIOGRs2zpuULikoRfeH464mNq_b_g9FYx0taPm_Sxl523YtaZXenXAO6jOWASTUVoVYhS-xHz8jbwQ-OgGF5jAZ1DDNJDo2xBEQ4UG2EmIspokaeq9bQ/s1600/image.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOtSI4UVJ0qfxWZ0-_bNxbcQUIOGRs2zpuULikoRfeH464mNq_b_g9FYx0taPm_Sxl523YtaZXenXAO6jOWASTUVoVYhS-xHz8jbwQ-OgGF5jAZ1DDNJDo2xBEQ4UG2EmIspokaeq9bQ/s1600/image.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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I hesitated to even blog about this, in fear of instilling
frustration. “What? I thought I have been doing the healthy thing by switching
to almond milk, by eating coconut ice cream. How do I know what to eat?” …and
as a result throw up your hands and giving up efforts to healthy eating. </div>
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That is certainly not my intention. My intention is to
encourage you to read ingredient labels. If you don’t know what an ingredient
is, decide if you want to put a foreign substance in your body. </div>
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The food companies will always come out with new ingredients
to stick in our food to make it last longer on the shelves, be more palatable,
more addictive, and more attractive etc. It is impossible to keep up and
research all of these ingredients. Stick to foods that are whole and
unprocessed then you don’t need to worry about it. </div>
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Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458106935584331604noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727999140671103941.post-26540431205483559252014-01-25T17:56:00.000-08:002014-01-25T18:07:46.870-08:00When did food become the enemy? <br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">"What if you never had to worry about food again? For many people, on many occasions, food is a hassle, especially when trying to eat well....There are problems with the current state of food." </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">This is the hook for the new product Soylent that is trying to raise capital to come to market. I saw my friend <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/YOGA-with-MINDY/126188270739747" target="_blank">Mindy </a> post an appropriate "Oh helll NO." on her </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Facebook page with the link to the site. I honestly thought it was a joke or something from The Onion when I first saw the headline "Tens of Thousands of People Want to Stop Eating Real Food."</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">When did we get to the point where food is the enemy? Have we gone so far off the deep end that we want to just drink our calories from a powder made in a factory to enable us to "function" everyday?</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">As I was writing this, I found myself criticizing the ingredients vs. the claims (Sucralose aka Splenda aka Poison, which alters gut microflora therefore not going to help you with weight loss/digestion etc... <i>Really? That is in it and they are claiming WHAT?), </i>criticizing the founders (no nutrition credentials among any of them... again <i>Really?) , </i>but then I realized that isn't the point. Many products hit the shelves everyday with junk ingredients that provide false health claims.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">The point is that food is so much more than carbohydrates, protein and fat. It is even way beyond micronutrients of vitamins, minerals, polyphenols, organic acids and phytonutrients. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"> Food is nourishment to the mind, body and soul. Food is cultural. Food is something to be savored and celebrated. Food brings people together. It is the experience. It is the people with whom you are eating, with whom you are laughing. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Savor the taste. Savor the moment. Savor the beauty. Savor the experience. And let us not forget that if we celebrate eating for all that it is, it will bring us more health, vitality and strength than any product trying to displace such a sacred thing. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNM1qx8-0W_2j23h_O32KCLMY-Rey-KTa_GN9AWf63stE-C20GdnUZi-kXZ6txPMR2x-YL-QTlX4oSoA4JZ4fPqFAErmToCNrz8NbVhFv7iibkUMphWmX0fZRX7GbGF4y_z_cYqiHVLg/s1600/IMG_3021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNM1qx8-0W_2j23h_O32KCLMY-Rey-KTa_GN9AWf63stE-C20GdnUZi-kXZ6txPMR2x-YL-QTlX4oSoA4JZ4fPqFAErmToCNrz8NbVhFv7iibkUMphWmX0fZRX7GbGF4y_z_cYqiHVLg/s1600/IMG_3021.JPG" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">A memorable meal savored with my dearest friend, Lindsey after Ironman World Championships in Kona.</span></td></tr>
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Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458106935584331604noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727999140671103941.post-79627429470320702122014-01-14T06:45:00.002-08:002014-01-14T06:45:39.313-08:00Kale. Is there really a dark side? <br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It is no secret I am a kale lover.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So when I saw the New York Times article (</span><a href="http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/01/kale-juicing-trouble-ahead/?_r=0">http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/01/kale-juicing-trouble-ahead/?_r=0</a>) <span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> and everyone posting about it on Facebook about the dark side of kale, was I surprised? No. Cruciferous vegetables (collards, cauliflower, br</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">occoli, cabbage, etc.) provide HUGE health benefits, but also can take a toll on our thyroid if not consumed properly due to </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;">goitergenic properties</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN1qI-5gDtY6o_QyloyATLUjpZUv9TXYK-eX_H4a0mUD6JU9ky_i1OnQ3QhaTC7_Pctl3rbpWTFfhk9MJQ1lvqDwoe2kTIRSR8m51faleLfr-uZmPG0F4gnwjAtJZLnb1r9uTntcp5hQ/s1600/240px-Boerenkool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN1qI-5gDtY6o_QyloyATLUjpZUv9TXYK-eX_H4a0mUD6JU9ky_i1OnQ3QhaTC7_Pctl3rbpWTFfhk9MJQ1lvqDwoe2kTIRSR8m51faleLfr-uZmPG0F4gnwjAtJZLnb1r9uTntcp5hQ/s1600/240px-Boerenkool.jpg" height="190" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Should you stop eating kale? Absolutely not. These articles are good to educate on the possible detrimental consequences of too much kale, but the last thing we want is to send people into a frenzy over eating a good thing. We have much bigger fish to fry on the nutrition scene than eating too much kale.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">However, I love when articles start nutrition conversations. In a time of nutrition information overload especially focused on cleanses, detoxing, juicing, weight loss and diets as we enter into 2014 and set New Year's resolutions, it can be confusing as to what do listen to and what to do. The last article most of us expected to read was that Kale the "Breakout vegetable of 2013" was dangerous. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Here are my 3 tips when consuming cruciferous vegetables:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1. <b>Be curious when you food shop. Variety is the Key.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> Go to the grocery store or farmers' market and take a minute to look at vegetables that you have never tried before rather than going straight to your staple vegetable. Look at what is in season, look at what has the most vibrant energy. Instead of always reaching for the kale, put dandelion greens (they are bitter, so maybe mix with a more mild green like romaine) red lettuce or swiss chard in your cart. But keep rotating these foods. Because the next article you read will be about the dangers of oxalates in your beloved swiss chard. The key here is variety. Mix it up. Don't be a creature of habit.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Eating with the seasons is a great way to mix up what you eat. You get the most bang for your nutrition buck when you eat the foods that are in season. You will live more in sync with nature's and your body's natural cycles. Your body will thank you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">2.<b> Cook your Cruciferous Vegetables</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The raw food movement instilled the thought that raw is better. To keep all of the vitamins and minerals in tact, yes raw is better. However, f you are eating a lot of cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, kale, collards, mustard greens, bok choy, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts, arugula), don't eat them all raw. Sure, you can still eat some raw, but mix it up and steam, roast, and sauté some of your servings. This will decrease the <span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">goitergenic properties that lead to thyroid issues.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">3. <b>Sprinkle with Sea Vegetables</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b> </b>Iodine deficiency can be problematic for the thyroid. Solution: eat more sea vegetables. Like seaweed? Yeah, like seaweed. The next question: how the heck am I going to eat seaweed with my meals without eating sushi everyday? My favorite way is sprinkling a dash of kelp or sea vegetables on my salads or steamed vegetables. My favorite brand is Maine Coast Sea Vegetables. My clients are all familiar with sprinkling sea vegetables on food, not just to help with the thyroid, but as a good source of iron, and trace minerals. It is good to incorporate a natural source of iodine if you make a shift away from processed food and if you switch to a non-iodized salt like pink himalayan sea salt or celtic sea salt. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So keep eating your kale. Don't get overwhelmed with all the different nutrition information out there. Eat a varied diet and stick to unprocessed food. Over doing kale is a whole heck of a lot better than eating that twinkie. </span><br />
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<br />Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458106935584331604noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727999140671103941.post-27050714329557951872013-12-30T17:19:00.000-08:002013-12-30T17:19:01.192-08:00Pecan Maca Nut Butter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There are many different nut butters on the shelves of the grocery stores, but I love making my own because you can nutritionally supercharge your nut butter.<br />
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Here is a quick and easy recipe for Pecan Maca Nut Butter:<br />
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4 cups raw pecans<br />
2 cups cashews<br />
1 tbsp maca powder<br />
1 tbsp cinnamon<br />
sea salt to taste<br />
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Combine all ingredients in a Vitamix or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.<br />
<br />
Enjoy!<br />
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<br />Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458106935584331604noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727999140671103941.post-18677525974590961662013-10-25T17:02:00.000-07:002013-10-25T17:02:54.644-07:00Homemade Coconut YogurtOn my way back from Kona, I stopped in Los Angeles to spend some more time with Lindsey and see her mom. I could never live in LA, but I absolutely love visiting and love the food. We went on a bit of a post Ironman food tour and hit up some of my favorite spots. I can't go to LA without going to <a href="http://www.erewhonmarket.com/" target="_blank">Erewhon</a>. I might be one of the only people who equates a grocery store to my mecca, but it is absolutely amazing. I got some really good stuff there, but one thing in particular I had never seen at a health store...Real Coconut Yogurt. Not the ultra processed coconut yogurt that is filled with junk that sits on the shelves around here, but real coconut yogurt. 3 ingredients. Coconut meat, coconut kefir, coconut water. I was determined to recreate this. Yogurt is great for digestive health, but dairy is very inflammatory and hard to digest. Most yogurt on the shelves aren't from grass fed cows. And most yogurts are filled with preservatives, sugars, artificial sugars and just general junk.. even the dairy-free kinds.<br />
After googling some recipes, I realized there were several different ways to make it. Kefir grains, kefir powder, probiotic capsules. By chance, I follow someone on Instagram who posted her homemade coconut yogurt that very day. I asked her what she used and she sent me this link: <a href="http://kristensraw.com/blog/2012/11/15/quickie-raw-vegan-coconut-yogurt-recipe-3-ingredients/">http://kristensraw.com/blog/2012/11/15/quickie-raw-vegan-coconut-yogurt-recipe-3-ingredients/</a><br />
So I set off to Whole Foods and bought my coconuts. My plan was to just buy some probiotic capsules as mentioned in this recipe, but while in the supplement refrigerated section, I found coconut kefir in coconut water. PERFECT!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQR0hnucnS3SMaDfyHI18V81IJB-aymJCk2nt30JBn8g0hbma2mJ-q40fRn65l8smKTpVVEplykE2aDv-QiTNR1y-QS2CnihqEsNsNufGnfQbFhrbRg728TeBt0K459-JyiSRu4RTgBQ/s1600/IMG_3045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQR0hnucnS3SMaDfyHI18V81IJB-aymJCk2nt30JBn8g0hbma2mJ-q40fRn65l8smKTpVVEplykE2aDv-QiTNR1y-QS2CnihqEsNsNufGnfQbFhrbRg728TeBt0K459-JyiSRu4RTgBQ/s320/IMG_3045.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Once I got home, getting the coconuts open was a bit of a challenge. </div>
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Hatcheting away with a cleaver finally broke the top off coconut. And yes, I still have all my fingers.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIAMZeCxcZPYYRyz5i5D1DdX0p1O-rPR1rGfrNiVY2CLxtq-lhyzdostLfY048rkxhDsXyzftMLnW2agVO0LcuSkrivDYyUNiWT0GTN4UkmDvt3zN29lGaVzbqcUGYxer6ukfrv7Yn2w/s1600/IMG_3051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIAMZeCxcZPYYRyz5i5D1DdX0p1O-rPR1rGfrNiVY2CLxtq-lhyzdostLfY048rkxhDsXyzftMLnW2agVO0LcuSkrivDYyUNiWT0GTN4UkmDvt3zN29lGaVzbqcUGYxer6ukfrv7Yn2w/s320/IMG_3051.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I drank the coconut water inside the coconut. And took a spoon and scraped out all the coconut meat. </div>
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<b>Homemade Nourishing Coconut Yogurt:</b></div>
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16 oz of young thai coconut meat (or 2 coconuts worth)</div>
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1 cup of Inner-Eco Fresh Harvested Coconut Water Dairy-Free Probiotic Kefir</div>
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(If you can't find the Inner Eco, then use 1 cup coconut water and dump the contents of 2 capsules of probiotics. You can use the coconut water from inside the coconut or a raw coconut water like Harmless Harvest). </div>
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Blend together until smooth. </div>
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Let it sit for 10-12 hours in a glass jar or bowl on a counter covered with a cheese cloth.</div>
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Makes about 2 cups. </div>
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Refrigerate and Enjoy!</div>
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I topped mine with raw cacao beans and banana. But you could top with any fruit, chia seeds, hemp seeds, cacao nibs, dried fruit, granola, nuts, etc. </div>
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I am on a mission to find frozen young thai coconut meat. I love the idea of opening and scraping a coconut for fresh meat, but the process is a bit time consuming. Having coconut yogurt on hand while training will be great, but I won't have as much time to hatchet away at coconuts once everything starts up again. I heard Exotic Superfoods has a good one, but they aren't in the Boston area. So if anyone knows where to buy Frozen Raw Young Thai Coconut meat in the Boston area, please let me know!</div>
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<br />Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458106935584331604noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727999140671103941.post-53589871177234165522013-10-23T07:51:00.002-07:002013-10-25T05:07:07.993-07:00Ironman World Championships- Kona Race Report<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzBirtJTAkdfFeRLLuOy7X-BDk3KfqBjEb6kQZ7ueltj7ZYidqG5-0Ea37tq5B2zq2jC0SYHSzqP1gfgLhOgTr7v8gifzMEYPyYuM-qMURYWVrt-NKUCRqJdFRImLlqT57kdl5ryZEXg/s1600/IMG_2925.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzBirtJTAkdfFeRLLuOy7X-BDk3KfqBjEb6kQZ7ueltj7ZYidqG5-0Ea37tq5B2zq2jC0SYHSzqP1gfgLhOgTr7v8gifzMEYPyYuM-qMURYWVrt-NKUCRqJdFRImLlqT57kdl5ryZEXg/s320/IMG_2925.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Around this time last year, a co-worker at the time and
friend Ryan hung up a piece of paper that said “Cool $hit I want to do.” He
looked at me and said “Kate, I feel like you have a lot of cool things you want
to do.” Most people were writing things like Sky Diving, traveling to cool
places, etc. I took the pen and wrote down “Run down Ali’i Drive.” “That’s it?”
“Yeah, for right now... that’s it.”</div>
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Fast forward to Mont Tremblant in August, I was given that
opportunity when I qualified and got my Kona spot. A dream that even a year ago seemed so distant. I don't have a background in any of the 3 disciplines and it has taken a lot of heart, passion and hard work to punch my ticket to the big island. The road from Ironman Mont
Tremblant to Kona was definitely not all rainbows and butterflies. It was
probably one of the most mentally challenging training blocks I have
experienced. My body was tired, mentally I was tired and most of my training
peeps were in their off-season and had dialed back the training big time. I had
a lot of solo training, though I was extremely fortunate to have several people
step up to the plate and train with me. As much as I hate to admit it, I hit
some bad mental lows. There was a 5 hour solo ride where I pulled over to pee
and just sat leaning up against a tree and cried. I had moments of crying in
the pool, crying on the trainer. As much as I absolutely love the training and
the journey, I was bound to hit some bumps in the road after a long season. Though these rough times made me mentally stronger. </div>
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As I was finishing off my final training sessions before
getting on that plane, I just felt like my legs didn’t have the snap. It was
the first time I felt like I was going into doing an Ironman not fully feeling
my best. But it was Kona and I was beyond thrilled that I was going to be
toeing the line with the best in the world. </div>
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I arrived to Kona on the Tuesday before the race. I spent
the next couple of days picking up my bike from Tribike Transport, registering,
and doing some last final training sessions with Brigitte, Tara, Steve, Joe and
Molly. I was so happy to have some QT2 people to train and hang out with. The
first practice swim was unforgettable. The whole environment was incredible.
Getting in that water and just realizing I was in Kona was so surreal.
Everything I had watched on TV for years was right in front of me. The water
was clear and gorgeous. My body was happy to be in the warm weather and warm
water. I was starting to feel like I could do this thing.<br />
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At the QT2 Breakfast, Cait Snow had warned all of us newbies
that bike check-in was quite the experience. I didn’t appreciate quite what she
meant until I got down to the pier. There were regular people just spectating
the whole event. Bike vendors had set up camp and were giving out t-shirts to
athletes who were riding their brand of bike. I walked through the crowd and arrived at check-in and it was like walking the red carpet. Journalists and vendors
were camped out with clip boards
taking counts of the brand of
bike, helmet, saddle, bike components, and wheels that the athletes were riding. People were taking pictures, and then
there were just regular people not in the industry there just to watch the whole brigade. </div>
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I
got to the pier and had my own volunteer to walk me through the whole bike check-in
and bike/run bag drop off. It was sinking in that I was going to be doing an
Ironman the next day. </div>
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The rest of the day was spent relaxing with my feet up.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYg7n5PuddJQ6Af-UqcI_shKXwwaP6qJrUB3WYGS8W1zb06zT4r1G-wQ6TsNL6Vvyle6u-tAFMcgDiuqgR5lJPgLip-2QOSrHmka4uq1VAWLIJHTwCKv1D-rsSEVH0ucMIJO_MyqOPFw/s1600/IMG_2959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYg7n5PuddJQ6Af-UqcI_shKXwwaP6qJrUB3WYGS8W1zb06zT4r1G-wQ6TsNL6Vvyle6u-tAFMcgDiuqgR5lJPgLip-2QOSrHmka4uq1VAWLIJHTwCKv1D-rsSEVH0ucMIJO_MyqOPFw/s320/IMG_2959.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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We
had an early dinner and was in bed early. Like at Mont Tremblant, I was very
grateful that I was able to sleep the whole week leading up to the race and the
night before the race. Hopefully this will be the new trend for future races. </div>
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As we were driving to drop me off, I realized I forgot my
Special Needs bags. These are the bags that are at the half way point on the
course and are filled with spare tubes, CO2, extra fuel and electrolytes. How
could I forget them?! Debating
whether or not I really needed them, I decided I was setting myself up for
disaster if I didn’t have them. We turned around and my amazing little sherpa
Lindsey ran back in to get them for me. Luckily, we had left plenty of time to
get to the start and I was doing okay with time. </div>
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I went to get body marked. They had the tattoo numbers,
which I liked, but thought it was more efficient having the numbers in our race
packet like at Tremblant, rather than having volunteers mark us in the morning.
I weighed in and then went to my bike to do some finishing touches. I made
small talk with other athletes as helicopters were hovering overhead. The chef
Gordon Ramsay walked by, but I was more star struck by Andy Potts walking by,
who had pulled out of the race that morning due to injury. </div>
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As I got in to the water, NBC cameras and crew men
surrounded us. I looked around at all of the people lined up on the pier and on
the shoreline. It was unlike anything I had ever seen. It was real, I was
beginning to live my dream. </div>
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The countdown started and I was surprisingly pretty relaxed.
I had a small pit in my stomach, but I truly was going into the day with very little
expectations other than to race smart and leave everything out on the course
and to soak up the experience. The cannon blasted and we were off. I started to
swim and felt really good in the water. I had coach Jen’s voice in my head
reminding me on good form and technique. I was able to draft and had moments of
clear water. I was knocked around very little and was very happy to actually
swim rather than battle other athletes unlike a lot of mass starts. I got excited as the big blow up power bar
perform got closer. I started to hear Mike Reilly’s voice commenting on the
race. I ran out of the water and saw a 1:07:xx. I was thrilled. I was expecting
around 5-6 minutes slower than Tremblant because it was a non-wetsuit swim, but
it was only 2.5 minutes slower. With the wave group start at Tremblant, I
really didn’t have any drafting, but here I was able to use the mass start to
my advantage. By the time I ran over the mat, the official swim time was 1:08:00. </div>
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I grabbed my bag and was off to the changing tent. I grabbed
my stuff and was off. I looked and realized I was missing my second container
of salt stick electrolytes. Shoot. I turned around and tried to find the
volunteer with my T1 bag. I couldn’t find her. I couldn’t find my bag. Maybe I had
thrown it out with the Ziploc bag that was holding my bars and electrolytes
together. I use the Ziploc to prevent exactly this from happening, but clearly it didn't work. I'm usually in the women's tent by with very few other women, but this was the World Championships, so not the case. I quickly
went through the trash. I couldn’t find it. Well, I am going to need to race
with out them. I had some in special needs, so I could get some more then. I started
to do the math and realized that I had enough in my one container to get me
through the bike. As I started to ride, my heart rate was high. I tried to get
it down and not get caught up in everyone flying by me and focused on my
hydration. I needed to make sure I didn’t get distracted by all of the surrounding
excitement and get 4 bottles down that hour. It was pretty easy as I had
decided to make the switch and race with Skratch Labs. (<a href="http://ironnourishment.blogspot.com/2013/10/my-love-for-skratch-racing-ironman-with.html" target="_blank">For more on this see this post</a>.) As I climbed up
Palani, I saw my mom, dad and
Lindsey cheering for me. It was such a great energy boost as I was about to
head out of town. I settled into riding and my heart rate finally settled in
where I wanted it. I was feeling good and riding well. All of a sudden two guys
crashed right in front of me. They both went down and were sprawled across the
road. I luckily was able to swerve around the crash. About 10 miles later, I
was riding and I had been good about avoiding all of the dropped bottles, but
missed seeing one and ran right over it. Luckily I was able to stay upright and
continued on. I swear Pele was looking over me, because I had escaped two
incidents that could have been disaster. A couple miles down the road, my wheel
started making noises and rubbing. Uh oh,
I always get nervous when things with my bike go awry. I decided to pull
over, get off my bike and try to fix it. Luckily it was just my brake that must
have been jolted from running over the water bottle. I fixed it and was on my
way. I continued to ride and was just in awe and full of gratitude that I was actually there, riding
through the lava fields. The ride out to Hawi was pretty uneventful. I took in
the gorgeous views of the ocean. Seeing the leaders of the race go by and the
tv cameras and motorcycles that followed them was a bit surreal. The return trip is where I started to
experience the heat and winds. The winds were picking up by the minute. There
were crosswinds and head winds. I was pushed across the road a couple of times,
but nothing too bad. Later after I finished, I heard the winds were pretty mild
compared to years past. I tried not to think of the wind and just continued to
pedal. My focus was getting my nutrition in, keeping my cadence, power and
heart rate where I wanted them. I was trying not to focus on pace as it was
depressing to see the average pace decrease the more the winds picked up. At
mile 94, my cadence and power went out, but by that point, I knew I just had to
keep it steady for the next 18 miles. I was so happy to start to recognize the
roads again and get back into town. I handed off my bike and was into the
changing tent for a quick transition and then was off. My legs felt ok. My pace
was slower than normal, but I expected that. I just tried to keep my heart rate
where I wanted it. I usually can push a bit higher, but was trying to be
somewhat conservative knowing that the lava fields had a tendency to cause people to blow up
especially around the energy lab. Running down Ali’i past Lava Java, I saw my
parents and Lindsey and other QT2 supporters. As I went through the aid
stations, my main objective was to get perform and water in me, take sponges and ice to
do my best to keep cool. I continued to run and was feeling the effects of
Tremblant lingering in my legs. I tried not to get caught up in my pace that
was slowing and just try to keep my heart rate steady and where I wanted it to
be. My walks through the aid station grew a bit slower and longer, but I
refused to walk other than that. I was going to just keep putting one foot in front
of the other. I started on the coke around mile 12. Nothing had tasted so good.
I was anticipating the turn to the energy lab… where was it? It felt like it
took forever to get there. I was happy to finally make the turn and even
happier to make the turn around. I was heading home. Finally. The sun sets at 6 pm in
Kona and it gets dark really quickly. They were handing out the glow sticks and I was depressed to
see them, so I refused the first time. The second hand out was mandatory. I put it
around my neck and continued on. At this point, my body was really ready to
stop. My chafing was so bad that when I peed it was burning. My feet were
hurting. But the thought of getting to Ali’i kept me going. As I counted down
the miles, I just kept telling myself I had run those amount of miles hundreds
of times before and if I could do it then, I sure as hell could do it now. I was running near a guy who lived on the island. The locals were going crazy cheering for him. I pretended like they were cheering for me. I took that energy boost and soared on. As I
took the right on Ali’i Drive, I started to tear up. This was it. This is what
I had dreamed of. The spectators were cheering, I heard Mike Reilly’s voice
grow louder. I saw Lindsey and my parents. I was determined to finally hear
Mike Reilly say “Kathryn Weiler You are an Ironman.” As I crossed the line, a
guy was wobbling and fell over into the arms of two volunteers. I was nervous he was going to fall into me. I swung around
him and saw myself cross on the big screen overhead. I saw the clock 11:45:15.
Though not even close to a PR, I was so so happy to see an 11 in that time. It
was better than I had expected going into that day. There I was, living my dream. I was officially a qualified
finisher of the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. And of course, as I later told Mike
Reilly when I happened to be sitting next to him at the bar a couple days
later, I have yet to hear him say my name as I cross the line. It is a
delusional blackout that happens every time.</div>
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The rest of the night was spent eating a great meal at Lava
Java, then hanging out watching the finishers to midnight. For years, I have
watched the Kona finish line party in the wee hours of the morning. Each year
saying that I will be there someday. It was surreal. I was actually there this time. </div>
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And let me tell you, the
fire in my belly has been ignited, I am going to do everything in my power to
get back to Kona. And where I gave everything I had on that day, I know I can do a heck of a lot better on that course. And I have a burning desire to go back and do just that.<br />
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A huge thank you to Tim Snow and QT2Systems. They have
helped me accomplish a dream that only several years ago seemed ridiculously
unrealistic for me. Thank you to
my QT2 Teammates who continually inspire me. I am so honored to be on a team of
such supportive and talented athletes. Seeing you guys absolutely crush it at
Kona inspires and motivates me even more. Thank you to everyone back home for
all the love, texts, tweets, Facebook messages and calls. The outpouring
support meant the world to me. And knowing you all were tracking me back home,
helped me battle through the lava fields.
To Jen for continually help me grow as a swimmer, to Pam for the
friendship and on going hospitality at the lake especially this time around
when I would show up at her house at off hours because I had a lot of solo
swims to do. To <a href="http://www.concordsportsmassage.com/" target="_blank">Susan at Concord Sports Massage</a> for always
believing in me and keeping my body in top condition. </div>
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To my siblings, Michael and Meghan who were sending me lots of love and positive energy from back home. And finally thank you to my Mom, Dad and Lindsey. Having you on the Big Island supporting me and helping me conquer my dream meant the world to me. I can’t thank you enough. I
love you. </div>
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Mahalo!!</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458106935584331604noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727999140671103941.post-51112129455284073772013-10-23T07:40:00.000-07:002013-10-23T07:40:04.408-07:00My love for Skratch- Racing an Ironman with Skratch Labs Hydration<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-iCTFXs3FMk2NeqErw-Ld9tFGELuQVXFwg-QmOk6IxJUHO4r3p-vaMkxEYGjcan8RAXXSTHMf7tV7Ikud5XoMWVQJGqm7K128A0otBJUyh8WLVX1YRb2Dm4wUA8o1zLWrT7xXxY8zTQ/s1600/Skratch-lemon-lime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-iCTFXs3FMk2NeqErw-Ld9tFGELuQVXFwg-QmOk6IxJUHO4r3p-vaMkxEYGjcan8RAXXSTHMf7tV7Ikud5XoMWVQJGqm7K128A0otBJUyh8WLVX1YRb2Dm4wUA8o1zLWrT7xXxY8zTQ/s320/Skratch-lemon-lime.jpg" width="319" /></a></div>
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I usually always race with Powerbar Perform. It is what is on the course and for the sake of ease, I use it. I don't love it, but I do better with it than I did with Gatorade, so I can't complain too much.<br />
I do love Skratch Labs though. I fell in love with it several years ago when it came to the market originally as "Secret Drink Mix." The history of the drink is interesting. The cyclists in the Tour de France were all getting"gut rot" from their sport drink sponsors. Sports Physiologist, Allen Lim, created an all natural, high electrolyte sports drink with lower carbohydrate percentage for optimal absorption. End result, Gut Rot problem solved.<br />
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After Ironman Mont Tremblant, I had a call with Jon from Skratch who had raced with it during an Ironman to discuss the feasibility of doing it. When I calculated my adjusted fluid intake for Kona and realized I would need to be taking in 4 bottles an hour, I decided my gut was going to be much happier with Skratch than with Perform.<br />
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Jon sent me the new Skratch Hyper that hasn't hit the market to try out as well. I tried it out while training and loved it.<br />
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Race Morning I sipped on a bottle of the Hyper. It is a lot of electrolytes and it was absolutely perfect for a hot weather race like Kona. I have a high sweat rate, so I always have to be cognizant of taking in enough fluid and electrolytes.<br />
I had a bottle of concentrated Skratch on my bike and in my aero bottle and on the hydration tail, I had regular bottles of Skratch to get me through to the first aid station.<br />
For the concentrated bottle, I had a 24 oz bottle and filled it with enough scoops for 12 bottles. And filled the rest with water. I then took a sharpie and made 2 oz marks up the bottle. At each aid station I would take a bottle of water, fill my aero bottle and squeeze 2 oz of the concentrated Skratch.<br />
As I was riding through the lava fields, I was so happy I had decided to hydrate with Skratch. It went down much easier and I was able to hit my hydration target, which I don't think I would have been able to accomplish without some sort of gut rot.<br />
<br />Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458106935584331604noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727999140671103941.post-85159344209338165072013-08-25T19:33:00.005-07:002013-08-26T05:27:08.385-07:00Ironman Mont Tremblant Race Report 2013I'm still in utter shock as I write this. I keep thinking that it was a dream. But it happened. It really happened.<br />
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The days leading up to the race were great and stress free.. for the most part. Friday I got hit dead on during our swim by another swimmer who was swimming the opposite way and it was so painful I thought I had knocked out my teeth and had a concussion. Luckily, I was surrounded by wonderful friends who all made sure I was okay. My neck continued to be sore the until Saturday, but after some arnica oil and self-massage, it wasn't anything that was going to interfere with my race. On Friday, I registered, signed away my life on multiple waivers and it was all beginning to feel real that I would be doing an Ironman in a couple of days.</div>
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Later that day, we went out for a light spin and my heart rate was extremely high for the effort I was putting out. It made me extremely nervous that it may continue to be high for a low effort on race day, but I just tried to not freak out and tried to put the negative thoughts outside my head.</div>
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Saturday was spent carbo-loading, hydrating, packing bags and checking in bikes and bags. </div>
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Everything was done pretty early, and was able to get my feet up for the rest of the day. This was after visiting Mc at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/fluidejuice" target="_blank">Fluide Bar a Jus</a> and getting some delicious, nourishing green juice. Mc has the most wonderful, infectious energy and if you visit Tremblant, you need to visit Mc and order some juice or a smoothie. Plus, I helped create some of the recipes on her menu. She cuts all the kale from a local farm and her smoothies and juices are made with a ton of love and energy that will help you go fast on race day. </span></div>
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<b>Race Day:</b></div>
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My alarm went off at 4 am. I slept surprisingly well. The first couple of Ironman races I did, I think I slept maybe an hour the night before and slept only a couple hours each night in the week leading up to it. So, I am always very grateful when I can sleep well during the nights leading up to the race. I instagramed a saying that was my mantra for the day: Be Awesome. </div>
I refused anything less.<br />
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As I stood on the beach, Oh Canada, was sung. I can't help but sing the words "hail Colby hail" whenever I hear it. My alma mater's school song was to the tune of Canada's national anthem and my years up on Mayflower hill flashed in front of me as I heard it.</div>
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U2's Beautiful Day blasted. F16s flew overheard and Mike Reilly, the voice of Ironman was pumping up the crowd. I became a bit verklempt just thinking about the day that was about to ensue. All of the hours in the pool, on the saddle, and in my running shoes were all culminating to this moment. Although the journey of Ironman is what makes it so special, so no matter what was about to happen during the day, I already had one heck of a great journey in the bank. </div>
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<b>The Swim:</b></div>
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This was the first year of wave starts. Tremblant was an age group start versus the self seeded start done at Lake Placid. I was the second to last wave and I have to say that I initially was not too pleased. I wasn't happy that they changed the mass start. I think that Ironman is meant to be hard and I think that triathletes should work to be strong swimmers before attempting an Ironman. I always loved knowing that we all started at the same time and I knew exactly where I stood out there on the course. That being said, I have had some of the scariest moments in my life during the mass start. I've come out of the water with a black eye, I have had a 250 pound man take two hands and push me under the water and swim on top of me and when I tried to get back to the surface, I struggled to get air due to all the people on top of me. So, despite liking the mass start, I completely respected WTC for making a safer swim initiative. I preferred the age group wave start over self seeded, so that I knew where I stood against my AG when racing.</div>
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The gun went off and I tried to stay on some of the girls' feet. That didn't last long as we caught up to the wave in front of us in less than 2 minutes. Soon the fast girls had disappeared in a sea of 50 + men. I just focused on my stroke and swimming strong. I had Jen, my Masters swim coach's voice in my head during the whole swim. I have to say, all my negative thoughts about the wave start disapated. It was the easiest Ironman swim start of my life. No kicks to the face, no one grabbing my ankles and pulling me backwards. I didn't even have thoughts that I might literally drown from big men being on top of me. I didn't get too much of a draft advantage besides from the overall draft of the field. I am still unsure how much of a pull I got. However, I tried to get on the feet of as many people as possible, but would just pass them quickly as I moved up through the waves. Later after the race, I heard from many people that they didn't have this experience and the water was still very crowded. </div>
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I started to hear Mike Reilly, the voice of Ironman's voice and I knew I was close to the swim exit. I saw that I had done a 1:05. I was content with that. As I ran down the red carpet, I felt like a rockstar. The crowds were cheering. I saw Mc from the juice bar and gave her a high five and was on my way into the T2 tent. </div>
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<b>The Bike:</b></div>
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The bike course is beautiful. It is freshly paved rolling hills. I am so impressed with how much Mont Tremblant has invested in repaving all of the roads. It makes a big difference to have a smooth ride. They changed the bike course this year. They paved more of Rt 117 and extended the course past last year's turn around. They cut off some of the course when you went into town. I really liked the change. </div>
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As I was riding, my heart rate was super high. It was much higher than what it should have been. I was having the same issue I had had earlier in the week. However, my power and pace were right where they should have been and my perceived effort was where I wanted it to be. I even felt like I was holding back, but my heart rate just didn't seem to want to lower. I weighed the option of over riding and running the risk of suffering on the run, or pulling back and playing it safe. I decided that I was going to go for it and ride on perceived effort and take my chances. There was a point that I literally said out loud "screw you heart rate you aren't going to mess up this race for me". I do know that I can hold a high heart rate for a long time and I was confident that I could do it again that day. I finished the first loop and was feeling good. The wind picked up on the second loop, but even with the wind, I was feeling stronger than I was on the first loop. Jen and Della and I went back and forth for a bit on the bike. It was good to see the two of them and they gave me some motivation. I ended up finishing really strong on the bike and passed a lot of people at around mile 100 that had passed me earlier in the day. I ended up riding almost an even split. I was 2 minutes slower on the second loop, but I was extremely pleased due to the wind being a huge factor. I was ecstatic to have ridden a 5:49. I wanted to break 6, so I was well under that. And I was exactly 20 minutes faster on the bike this year over last year. All those hours on the saddle paid off.</div>
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<b>The Run:</b></div>
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I had a fast T2 and was off to run the marathon. My legs felt pretty good. My heart rate was strangely fine while running and I was able to keep it right where I wanted to at the pace I wanted to run. The weather was gorgeous with the temp now being about 80 degrees, probably the coolest race I had this year. I absolutely love this run course. It has some rolling hills until you get out to a packed trail where you do an out and back. I love it because it is soft on the legs and I love the out and back because you get to see so many people. All was going well until about mile 14 where I hit a dark place. I wanted to slow down, dark thoughts of not being able to finish crept into my head, my legs wouldn't turn over at the rate I wanted. My typically permanent smile had disappeared. A distinctly remember a guy saying "Hey! You are my smiley girl- best smile out here- where did it go? Smile - it will make you feel better!" And so I did.. he was right... to a certain extent. I thought of all the 4 am training sessions, all the hours logged and knew that I would get through this rough patch. I refused to let the last 10 miles be bad. Then all of a sudden it was like someone flipped a light switch at mile 17- I was able to run again. Maybe it was the coke kicking in, maybe it was a second wind, but my legs felt great, my pace picked up and was going to finish this thing really strong. I was so happy as I entered into the finishing chute.</div>
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">It is a feeling like no other to be running down the chute in the middle of Mont Tremblant's pedestrian village with the crowds screaming. I was so so happy to be crossing that line. </span></div>
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<b>Post Race:</b></div>
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I hung out for a while and saw some friends who had finished, ate some food. I went to go collect my bags and change into dry clothes. I got my bike and started heading back to the hotel with a stop along the way to get some juice from Mc. Celery, Kale, Carrot and Lemon. It was just what my body wanted after taking in sugars all day. I checked my race results and was thrilled with my 10:47. I was not so thrilled when I saw 7th place. I didn't have too many expectations, but I did have a secret, ok not so secret goal of getting to the podium and was hoping for a 5th. But I had one hell of a day and if a 10:47 got me a 7th place, well then 7th was what it was. I couldn't control who showed up. </div>
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I found <a href="https://twitter.com/ThePlateCoach" target="_blank">Tara</a> and Stan who had come to cheer me on. It was so wonderful to see them and I was so grateful that they made the trek to cheer me on. I have a great video of Stan telling me exactly what he thought of the drive to Tremblant, but it isn't exactly appropriate for the blog, although hilarious. Let's just say, don't try to get into Tremblant on the day of the race. </div>
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<b>Monday:</b></div>
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With my 7th place, I decided to go to the Kona Slot roll down. Chances were slim, but you never know. They plowed through the younger age groups, all the slots had been taken. They got to my age group... there were slots. They called the first girl and she was crying she was so happy. Shoot. Ok. I needed one person to to show or to pass. They called the next girl. Annie Jean. Silence. "Annie Jean??" Silence. The french translator started calling her name. I'm thinking <i>you know your name no matter what language. </i> This was all of a sudden getting very real. I was in shock. The girl didn't show up. I was getting a slot. Holy goodness. I was going to Kona. Mike Reilly called my name and I was in disbelief. A life long dream accomplished.</div>
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A huge thank you to everyone for all the texts, Facebook messages and the love. I have a ton of people to thank who have helped me a long this journey. By no means did I get my ticket to the Big Island alone. First off to Tim Snow and QT2Systems, I can't believe how much QT2 has helped me get to the next level. I wouldn't be performing anywhere close to where I am if it weren't for them. And to my QT2 teammates, I am continually inspired by the dedication and passion for this sport. </div>
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To my whole crew of training peeps, but especially Jeff, Demello and Jimmy Lew. Words can't express how appreciative I am of you guys. Not only pushing me physically, but always being there through the ups and the downs of the journey. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. To Jen for believing in the girl who couldn't swim and taking my swim to a whole new level. To Pam- I can't thank you enough for your friendship and hospitality of Pam's Pond and the rest of the lakers for making swimming fun. To my lululemon family- words can't express how grateful I am to be part of such an inspiring, understanding, loving, supportive group of people. To <a href="http://www.concordsportsmassage.com/" target="_blank">Susan</a> for keeping my body in top condition and always believing in me. </div>
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And finally to my family: Mom, Dad, Michael and Meghan for always believing in me, supporting me, and inspiring me. I'm so grateful and feel so lucky to have you all as my family. I can't find the words to give enough justice to how grateful I am to you four. i love you. </div>
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ALOHA!!!</div>
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Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458106935584331604noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727999140671103941.post-49717455794828973372013-07-08T15:42:00.000-07:002013-07-08T15:54:41.397-07:00Syracuse 70.3 Race ReportWhen I originally sat down to write this race recap, the first line read:<br />
"One word describes Syracuse 70.3: Hellish." But in reality, I love racing, I love the atmosphere, I love the camaraderie, and I love the pain, even if the day is more like a battlefield than a triathlon. So no matter how "hellish", I'm always grateful to be able to race.<br />
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Maybe it was course, maybe it was the heat, or maybe it was Harpoon B2B still lingering in my legs, but the day was pretty brutal.</div>
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I was obsessing with Instavid race morning (ok maybe I should have been focusing a wee bit more on preparing for the race, but it was a good way to keep things light and calm any pre-race jitters).<br />
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Ok clearly I was having issues with video:<br />
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The water temperature was 70 degrees, so I decided to wear a full length wetsuit because I am always cold. However, half way through the swim, I was thinking I should have opted for the sleeveless as I was heating up a bit. My swim was solid. I latched onto the feet of some girls, but quickly gained some confidence and decided to pass them and bridge up and see if I could stay on the feet of some girls who were faster. Before the race I had decided that I was going to try not to swim as conservatively. This was a success and felt good when I finished the swim. Thirty-five minutes for a wetsuit swim is on the slower side, but after hearing many people including Pros were slower than normal and heard rumbles that the course was longer than 1.2, I was fine with 35 minutes.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.dede-griesbauer.com/blog/view/177-can-t-sleep-on-planes" target="_blank">Dede Griesbauer's</a> blog sums up the rest of course pretty well in a couple succinct lines. My favorite line is how she describes the bike course: y<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;">ou climb for the first 15 miles or so, and according to WTC’s “Mickey Mouse topography map”, it’s all downhill from there. Sorry I didn't see it like that." My second favorite line: </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;">"If the bike course in Syracuse was challenging, the run was derived from the mind of Satan himself."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 16px;">It wasn't the hardest 70.3 I have done, but close. The heat made it rough. I was cursing B2B during the race, knowing that it wasn't doing me any favors at that moment, but in the long run and for the larger goal, it was making me stronger. I just felt like I didn't have any snap in my legs. I was racing as fast as I possibly could, but I just didn't feel like I could hammer through like I normally can. Looking at my run splits, I had to check my ego at the door and just be comfortable with the splits I was running, because any faster was going to lead to blowing up later on. Besides 2 men and 3 Pro women, no one was passing me, so I should have known everyone else was struggling too, but in my head, I thought I was the only one having a rough day. When I got to the aid stations I was grabbing everything. Pouring water, grabbing sponges, taking as much Perform as my body would handle- taking everything and anything. Even coke sounded good to me. That coke at mile 8 was nectar of the gods. And once you get on the coke, you stay on the coke, so I was welcoming it at every aid station. </span><br />
<span style="line-height: 16px;">This was a QT2 Key race, so it was so great to have so many teammates racing out there on the course with me. Cheering from Tim Snow always give me a huge energy surge, and Matt Curbeau was out there too at one of the turn arounds on the second loop, which was huge. </span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 16px;">I was very happy to cross the line. I ended up with a 5:24:xx with a :35 swim, 2:54 bike and 1:49 run. They were my slowest splits this season, but given the conditions and the course, I'll take it. I was 9th out of the water in my AG, biked my way to 6th then ran my way to the podium to finish in 5th. </span><br />
<span style="line-height: 16px;">Torrential downpours and thunderstorms led them to cancel the awards ceremony, but here is a glamour shot of my hardware in my kitchen:</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 16px;">Overall, I would do Syracuse again. Nothing like a good challenging course to keep you honest. </span><br />
<span style="line-height: 16px;">Next Up: Mass State Olympic this weekend. </span><br />
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Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458106935584331604noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727999140671103941.post-57171642290553462902013-04-14T18:07:00.000-07:002013-04-14T18:07:43.565-07:00Texas 70.3 Race Report<br />
I was so excited to kick off the 2013 season last weekend in Galveston, Texas.<br />
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Texas wasn't originally in
the plan, but after a long winter in the pain cave, my mind and body was in
desperate need of some sunshine. And if you spent any time with me over the
past couple of months, I'm sure you heard me say I was craving vitamin D more
than once! <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-AaYaqgSbcw-meNC5Xz7vtfJsoOgJfLrNnczAE1C2Nvl996jYEBnzo-o0iqMC5GYderLhJ_9O_1BfBXA643dgf0aHTM1fG6VXpjlWTLGyRCO92zCgtiAP1GXHKlChv0v9Yg4nAu_bSw/s1600/IMG_1758.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-AaYaqgSbcw-meNC5Xz7vtfJsoOgJfLrNnczAE1C2Nvl996jYEBnzo-o0iqMC5GYderLhJ_9O_1BfBXA643dgf0aHTM1fG6VXpjlWTLGyRCO92zCgtiAP1GXHKlChv0v9Yg4nAu_bSw/s200/IMG_1758.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">MANY hours spent in the Pain Cave</span></td></tr>
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I backed out of doing
Hyannis marathon and did the half instead back in February. I was sick the week
before the race. Backing out was very hard for me to do, but I actually
listened to my body and decided it was best to try to spare my immune
system from getting a royal beating especially with temps in the 30s and
pouring rain race conditions. It just wasn't worth it. That being said, I
was itching to race. I had an extremely solid winter of training and felt ready
to do an early season 70.3.<o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We flew into Houston on Friday and stocked up at Whole Foods. There were about 5 Whole Foods in the Houston area, but naturally, when we saw the name of one of them, we had to go there. Kirby is my middle name and since I get way too excited about small things like that, they gave me a free reusable bag with the name. </div>
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Friday and Saturday were
spent doing some light workouts, registering, racking bikes, resting and
relaxing. With 34 QT2 team members racing, it was really great to meet some new
people at the team breakfast on Saturday. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Sunday morning came fast.
As I put on my new kit, I couldn't believe I was racing this early in the
season. I had a healthy dose of pre-race jitters, and was excited to kick off
the race season.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>The Swim 1.2 miles:</b></div>
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My wave didn't start until
8:25 am, so I had A LOT of time to wait as I watched wave after wave start the
day. The swim was a treading water start. All the 30-34 year old women
were jamming out to Carly Rae Jepson and Beyonce as we waited to jump in the
water. The predicted water temp was 72 degrees, however, on race morning, the
race announcer said it was 65 degrees. SIXTY-FIVE?! I am a big baby with cold
water, and anyone who has seen me get into an 80 degree pool or the lake knows
that it is not a quick process. I was freaking out a bit about having to jump
into 65 degree water rather than my typical routine. I waited until about 1.5
minutes before the start and took the plunge. It wasn't nearly as bad as I
thought and felt much warmer than 65 degrees. Maybe I am just getting tougher?
ha.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The cannon went off and I
saw the front girls take off. I tried to find someone's feet to latch onto and
draft, but I wasn't having too much luck. I swam alone for a while. At the
first turn, I was able to get onto a girl's feet and I stayed with her as she
plowed through the stragglers from the waves ahead of us. I channeled my inner
Pam and made sure I stayed with this girl. I felt like I wasn't working hard
because of the draft, so I questioned whether I should break lose and go. I
decided to stick with her, because I would be fighting through the crowd if I
didn't. At the final turn, I decided to go for it and dropped the girl. I
started to think I hung on to her too long. I came out of the water feeling
great. I wanted to do 32 minutes, so when I saw I had done 33 minutes, I was a
bit disappointed, but knew that 1 minute wasn't a huge deal. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>The Bike 56 miles:</b></div>
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The bike course was an
extremely flat out and back with sun beating down and the winds blowing. My
heart rate wasn't picking up, so I started to ride based on watts, pace and perceived
effort. I was a little nervous that I wasn't riding where I was supposed to be
with out being able to use heart rate as a gauge, but there was nothing I could
do about it, so I trusted I was where I was supposed to be. I got passed by two
girls in my age group on the bike, both of whom were QT2 teammates. I was
tempted to pick up the pace to try keep them in sight, but reminded myself to
ride within my limits and ride my own race. My bike has always been my glaring
weakness, so when I started to pass a couple of people in my age group I was
shocked. The rest of the bike was pretty uneventful besides 2 aid stations not
handing out perform when I went through. I tried to grab the water, when I
realized there wasn't any perform, but when I had yelled out perform, the
volunteer took a step back. I rode for the next 15 miles without fluid. I
knew this could be extremely detrimental, but all I could do at that point was
to make sure I was dead on with hydrating for the rest of the race. At the turn
around, I was expecting we would get a tail wind. But no, the wind was worse on
the way back. What I had thought was a head wind, was really a cross wind, so
we didn't get any help on the way home. Everyone was fighting the same wind I
was, so I just stayed in aero and tried to ride strong back to transition. I
finished the bike at 2:44, which was a bike PR for me. I was extremely thrilled
as I rolled into transition.<o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />
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<br /></div>
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<b>The Run 13.1 miles:</b></div>
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The run was a 3 loop
course with 3 out and backs in each loop. It was flat and went all through the
Moody Gardens Hotel and Convention center. There were some parts that went to
the road, but they removed the airport section that was part of the course in past
years. Once again, my heart rate still wasn't picking up, so I started to
run on perceived effort. I feel much more comfortable with my run, so I wasn't
too concerned about not having heart rate. I know my edge on the run. I was so
happy to be off the bike and running. I was even more thrilled to be running in
the Texas sunshine. I was feeling strong and good as I started to pick people
off. The texas sun was hot, but with the temps in the high 70s, it could have
been way worse. I tend to run better in the heat anyway. The highlight of the
run was the cheering from Tim Snow, Cait Snow, Chrissie Kropelnicki and the
QT2ers that had already finished. Their screams and motivation were HUGE.. and
the best part was I got to absorb the energy 3 times.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I finished the run with a run PR of 1:36. I was extremely happy. I
didn't know my overall time until I had walked over to where the QT2 crew was
cheering and Kaitlin Anelauskas looked up my time for me. I was over the moon
thrilled when I heard 4:59. I had a pipe dream of breaking 5 hours, but I knew
the stars would need to be aligned for me to do that. I placed fourth in my age
group and qualified for Vegas 70.3 World Championships for the first time.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Overall, the race and
weekend was just what I needed. I couldn't have asked for a better way to start
the 2013 season. I am so grateful to be part of such an incredible team full of
extremely talented, dedicated yet down to earth athletes. <o:p></o:p></div>
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#whatup2013</div>
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Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458106935584331604noreply@blogger.com2Galveston Island, Texas, USA29.247749 -94.88318500000002629.025997999999998 -95.205908500000021 29.4695 -94.560461500000031tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727999140671103941.post-22977246177242997692012-08-23T09:59:00.001-07:002012-08-25T18:42:16.601-07:00Ironman Mont Tremblant Race Report 2012We arrived up in Mont-Tremblant on Thursday and the town was buzzing with triathletes. You could feel the excitement from the whole community about Ironman week.<br />
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I was feeling great about my training and nutrition and was arriving with no regrets or thoughts of " I should have done more/should have done things differently". It was my first year using <a href="http://www.qt2systems.com/">QT2 Systems</a> for an Ironman training plan and it was just what I needed to take me to the next level.<br />
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We spent the next couple of days prepping for the race. The days prior to Ironman are filled with registration, prepping transition bags, checking in our bikes, grocery shopping and most importantly- resting, hydrating and nourishing our bodies.<br />
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We brought most of our food from home (yes, it is not a problem bringing perishable food across the border), but from the recommendation of MC who owns <a href="http://www.facebook.com/fluidejuice">Fluide Bar a Jus</a>- the local Juice Bar in the village, we did find a local farm for local vegetables. A wonderful spot for local organic meat raised right on the farm was Picardier. 27, route 323, Brebeuf, J0T 1B0 819-425-8922 <a href="http://www.picardier.com/">www.picardier.com </a>. We didn't make it to Rachelle-Bery, but it is the local health food store and good alternative to the IGA grocery store.<br />
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/fluidejuice">Fluide Bar a Jus</a> is right in the heart of the village and is a great place to stop for green juices or healthy smoothies. And the owner, MC, is so sweet and knowledgeable!<br />
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We faced race week with the attitude that "things happen for me, not to me." When things didn't go exactly as planned, instead of getting worked up about it, I viewed it as a blessing in disguise. It was a small shift in thinking, but helped me stay even during the days leading up to the race and during the race itself. <br />
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When the alarm went off before dawn on Sunday morning, I was ready to get this party started. We headed to transition and did final prep for the day. I still get intimidated by all of the fast looking bikes, wheels, and triathletes. I still need to reassure myself that I am a strong athlete and I have come a long way from being the girl who couldn't swim 50 yds without stopping, who would fall over in my driveway on my bike with my feet still attached to my pedals (ok sometimes even on my trainer) and who thought running 8 miles was a triumphant feat. </div>
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My dad met us so we could hand off our bike pump before we headed down to the water.<br />
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The start is always emotional. The music is blasting, the announcer is psyching up the crowd and 2300 people are anxiously awaiting the start of a long day. The swim was a beach start. I had never done a sand start for Ironman before and I was a bit nervous. But decided I was going to just go and get right in the mix of it and see what would happen. </div>
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Here is a video clip of the swim start:</div>
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwRWJjUqRfs&feature=youtu.be&noredirect=1">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwRWJjUqRfs&feature=youtu.be&noredirect=1</a></div>
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When you are in the water with 2300 other people, there is chaos. I did get hit a lot, </div>
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kicked in the eyes a couple of times really hard, but I only had an incidence of true panic once while struggling to get a breath when there were so many people (majority of whom were strong men) around me and on top of me. Somehow someone managed to pull my cap off half way off my head. I still don't really understand how that happens, but I fixed it and was on my way. I was able to get some clear water for most of the swim and was latching on to toes and drafting as much as I could without being overly committed to one set of feet. As I swam, I thought of all of those mornings of getting into a cold pool at 6 am Masters. I thought of swim coach Jen and how much she has helped me improve my swim. I thought of my lane mates Pam, Cynde and Linda and how I just had to stay focused since I knew they would all be checking my swim time. My goal for the swim was to come out the water feeling strong, not overly exerted and ready to tackle the bike- and if I could do that in 1:06/1:07- then I would be even more happy. When I saw 1:04 on the clock I was thrilled. I didn't feel like I had just swam a 1:04- but swimming with a wetsuit and with a draft certainly does help mitigate perceived effort. </div>
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The run from the swim exit to transition was somewhat far, however, this was one of the highlights of the day. The red carpet was lined with screaming fans. You just feel like such a rockstar. I took it all in and before I knew it, I was in the changing tent getting ready to ride. As I ascended on the course, I heard Tim Snow's voice in my head- "have the courage to let people pass you on the first part of the bike. You will see them later". It is no secret that riding is not my strength, but it is still hard to have all these people flying by you. I just kept my focus, stayed in my zone and tried to ignore what the people around me were doing. The first loop of the bike felt good and I was ready for loop number two. All was good until the turnaround on Rt 117. The wind had picked up big time. I kept cranking away. There were a couple gusts that gave me a scare and pushed me across the road. Several packs of people went flying by me. It was frustrating to see such blatant drafting, but I told myself that the day was long and if Karma didn't catch up with them on the ride, it would on the run. Sure enough, 2 minutes as I was telling myself this, I saw the marshall give penalties to a whole pack of riders. I was happy I resisted the urge to hang onto their wheels. </div>
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The rest of the bike was uneventful, though as I approached the end, I was so happy to be getting off my bike on my two feet. A guy riding next to me looked at me at mile 106 and said " I want to get off my bike, but I don't want to run". Yes, I wanted to get off my bike too. The good news was- unlike that guy- I was looking forward to the run. I started to psych myself up and reassuring myself that "I know how to run, I feel comfortable running- I got this."<br />
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As I approached transition, I dismounted, did a quick bike hand off to a volunteer and ran into the transition tent to change into my running shoes and I was off. I had wanted to do 6 hrs on the bike and my bike split was 6:09. I rode smart and steady and set myself up for a good run. It was still a 30 minute bike PR for me and I knew that if I had pushed it on the bike to hit that desired 6 hr split, it may have cost me a lot more time later in the run, so quite frankly I wasn't too concerned and was content with that 6:09, It is still such a surreal feeling to be in that tent as you are prepping your body to run and telling your mind that you just have to run a marathon and you are done. Just a marathon?? I don't think I have ever let my mind fully comprehend what I was physically about to do, or I might not ever head out on the course. As simple as it is, I just try to focus on staying in my zone, keeping my pace and getting to the first aid station. Mentally, it was so great to have QT2 teammates and Minuteman Road Club and Nantucket Triathlon Club teammates out there on the course with me. It was such an energy high every time I saw someone I knew. I was running steady and strong and was just hoping I could hold on. There were plenty of aid stations, the volunteers were awesome and the course was great. As I ran back into town and ran through the village, the course was filled with spectators. It was such a high to run through there- feeling like a rockstar again. I didn't even care that I had to go out and do the loop again. I saw my parents jumping up and down cheering. It means so much and helps so much mentally to have them there. I can't imagine spectating an Ironman, it is a very long, draining day for spectators. The pugs wouldn't move by the end of the day. The put out there legs in resistance to boycott any type of movement in fear that they would have to go back out on the course. They were quite the hit though with the fans. Even Iron Fan himself wanted a picture with them:<br />
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I saw Paula, Walter and Deb Pickett in the crowd and gave them a high five for a final energy boost as I headed out to the second loop. I was still running even splits and can typically keep an even pace for run races, I was just hoping this would be the case today as well. There were times when I would look at my Garmin and my heart rate was creeping up higher than I wanted to be, so I would back off a little. The last thing I wanted was to blow up. My average pace stayed consistent for the full time. It was so encouraging not to see that pace slip. I continued to see teammates on this out and back course. On my way back into town, my smile was getting bigger, I knew I was almost there. I was passing a lot of people at this point and passed several in my age group at mile 25. I ran right through the last aid station, not grabbing anything because I knew at this point it wouldn't do anything- I was going to be done in a matter of minutes. There was a final hill climb back into town. As I started to ascend, I heard "Katie Weiler! Katie Weiler!" being chanted. A guy with a bull horn and Tim Snow were at the crest of the hill cheering like crazy. That gave me all the energy I needed to go up that hill, I felt like I was floating, though I am sure I looked like I was trudging. It was so awesome to have Tim out there on the course throughout the day. His simple, yet powerful advice at the QT2 breakfast on Saturday kept my mental game in check during the whole race. As I descended into the finishing chute, people were screaming. I was loving the down hill finish and was giving it all I had. I saw my parents jumping up and down and cheering, which brought a bigger smile to my face. I couldn't wait to cross that line and give them a huge hug. I crossed the line, I vaguely remember Mike Reilly, the voice of Ironman saying my name. I couldn't believe I had just run a 3:51. That was what I had wanted to run, but breaking 4 hours in an Ironman marathon just seemed like a stretch. 11:13 (1:04 swim, 6:09 bike, 3:51 run + transitions)- a 59 minute PR and a 2 hour 25 minute improvement since my first one. Going into this season, I wanted to do an 11:30. Going into race week, 11:15 was my goal. Ideally. if stars were aligned, I would have liked to go closer to 11:00. Being closer to 11:00 just wasn't in the cards on Sunday. I nailed my nutrition, I paced a really smart race, but I left everything I had out on the course and that gave me a 11:13. I was 12th in my AG, 48th woman overall and 480th out of 2542 including the Pros. I had hoped to have placed higher up in my age group, but all I had control over was my own race execution, which I couldn't be happier with. But boy- those Canadians can race!<br />
The next couple of hours were filled with a trip to medical (don't worry I am fine), an extensive search for my parents and by extensive I mean staring out the window of the conference center sitting on a set of stairs wrapped in a mylar blanket and hoping I would see them walk by. The skies had opened up with torrential rain and I knew I would be much better staying inside. I finally reconnected with my dad and we went out in time to watch Joe run down the finishing chute. I was filled with joy when I saw the bright green shirt come flying around the corner. People laugh when I tell them that 3 years ago he couldn't run a mile. But I am not kidding and I am not being hyperbolic- I am serious- he couldn't run a mile. And not only could he not run a mile, he couldn't swim 25 yards or bike more than 5 miles. So to come across that line in 13:08 was even more incredible. To say I am proud is an understatement. And the best part- he loved every step.<br />
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Overall, this is a must-do Ironman. The picturesque scenery, the gorgeous lake swim, the beautiful bike course and run combined with the excitement and passion from community made this one special Ironman. The athletes felt so welcomed and the whole village was focused on making the event special.<br />
There are way too many people to thank for helping along the Ironman Mont Tremblant journey that officially started back in January. Getting to the start line of an Ironman ready to race is not easy and takes a whole slew of people to support you. A special shout out to <a href="http://www.qt2systems.com/">QT2 Systems</a> and <a href="http://pat-wheeler.com/">Pat Wheeler</a> whose coaching and training plan have taken my racing to a new level. Running 12 minute miles back in January took a lot of trust and discipline, but let me tell you- it worked. Thank you to Michael Oxman, Susan Feist, Ride Studio Cafe and the lululemon crew. To coach Jen Dutton who has taken my swim to a new level and to Pam, Cynde and Linda for making this triathlete feel welcomed and make swimming fun. I love the pool now and don't dread it. To all of my <a href="http://www.qt2systems.com/">QT2 Teammates</a>, <a href="http://www.minutemanroadclub.com/">MRC teammates</a>, <a href="http://www.nantuckettriathlonclub.org/">Nantucket Tri Club</a> peeps, and the HTH Southboro crew it was such a a fun journey training with you. From 6 am cold winter morning basement spins at Ted and Pattie's house and Ian's house to the long hot summer workouts out of Concord Center, I look back at this Ironman knowing that the training, the training partners and the relationships formed along the journey are unlike anything else. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.<br />
And most of all, thank you to my family- Mom, Dad, Michael and Meghan- thank you for your unconditional love and support. To my parents who still show up to these things with bells on and stand on the side of a road for hours anxiously waiting to see me fly by for a total of 10 seconds, then do it all over again on repeat for 11 hours. I can't even begin to describe how much helps to have you on the side of the road and to have you there to greet me and hug me at the finish. To Joe- words can't express how grateful I am that we were able to share this journey together. You are my rock and keep my balanced every step of the way. <br />
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Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458106935584331604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727999140671103941.post-67283032777728341262012-05-30T18:10:00.002-07:002012-05-30T18:10:50.889-07:00Ironman Mont Tremblant Training Weekend Part 2- Run Course<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We got a taste of the Ironman Mont Tremblant run course on day 2 of our training weekend. Overall it is a great course that is going to be a lot of fun to run.<br />
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There are some hills, but nothing too major. The run starts out of the transition area in the pedestrian village and you run on sidewalks and bike paths to the old village of Mont Tremblant. The section out to the old village is 3 miles and has some hills. Some people might be really feeling these hills on the second loop.<br />
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Like on the bike course, there are signs along the run course with arrows, so it is fairly easy to follow them if you go up early to train on the course.</div>
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Once you get to the Old Village, you run on a packed sand path. It is a 6 mile out and back (3 miles each way) in one direction and 1 mile out and back (1/2 mile each way) in another direction. This part of the course was along a stream and was very flat. I really liked the packed sand- it was soft on the legs, but not too soft like loose sand. Everyone I was training with really liked it, but I chatted with some other people training for the Ironman in my hotel lobby later that day. They said that they didn't like the packed sand and thought it was hard to transition from pavement to the sand then back to the pavement. I didn't feel like this was the case at all.<br />
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The run course is somewhat shaded, which will be nice for those who will be running during the day. </div>
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The run is a two loop course, so it will be nice to run through the crowds and spectators of the pedestrian village and transition area. I can only imagine that the out and back on the run path is going to be rather quiet with very few spectators. </div>
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After Sunday's training session, Joe and I blended up some recovery smoothies. Yes, I did travel with my Vitamix.<br />
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<b><u>Makes 1 Cherry Cacao Recovery Smoothie:</u></b><br />
Measurements are approximate and can be changed based on taste. I never measure- I just throw everything in.<br />
- 1 banana<br />
-2 tablespoons hemp protein powder<br />
- 1 tsp maca<br />
-1/2 cup frozen cherries<br />
-1/4 cup raw cacao powder<br />
-1/4 cup black cherry juice<br />
-1/2 cup ice<br />
-1/4 cup water or non-dairy milk (adjust depending on desired thickness)<br />
-dash of sea salt<br />
-dash of tumeric (this is optional-for anti-inflammatory properties)<br />
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Blend and Enjoy!<br />
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If you have anymore questions regarding the run course, please post below!</div>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458106935584331604noreply@blogger.com2Mont-Tremblant, QC, Canada46.155525 -74.6008245.979539499999994 -74.916676999999993 46.3315105 -74.284963tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727999140671103941.post-49963754761182524012012-05-27T05:46:00.003-07:002012-05-27T05:46:41.686-07:00Ironman Mont Tremblant Training Weekend Part 1- Bike Course<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Joe and I headed up to Mont Tremblant for a training weekend on Friday afternoon. The car ride took just about 6.5 hours. It only took about 5 minutes to get through Customs. There was a line of only 2 cars ahead of us. I saw different reports on what food we could bring across the border especially regarding fresh fruit and fresh vegetables, but all food is allowed (with limits far greater than I could ever exceed). We packed a cooler filled with our food for the weekend.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting in line at Customs</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eating food I had packed</td></tr>
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Saturday morning we met Ted, Pattie, Della, Mark, Lynn, Jen, Jimmy, Jimmy's wife Lisa, to ride the bike course.<br />
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I was excited to see what this course was like, how it compared to the Ironman Lake Placid course. People have been posting reports on slowtwitch and various forums and a lot of people were reporting a HILLY course. I had read a couple of reports, but I really haven't been paying too much attention to what people have been saying. In a nut shell, let me say that I really love this course. It is not as bad as I was expecting at all. The hills are extremely manageable. I was in aero position for most of the course- and that is very atypical for me. It is not technical at all with very few turns. There are small signs with the M-Dot icon along the course with arrows as to which way to go, but not enough to solely follow these signs. It was good that Ted had printed out cue sheets for the few turns we did need to make. Very little bike handling skills are needed, which is good for us triathletes- well at least me! The consensus among the group was that this course is easier than the Lake Placid bike course.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ironmanmonttremblant.com/course/bike/">Bike Course Map</a></td></tr>
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There course is essentially broken up into two out and backs. You start off going north on Route 117. This is a two lane highway with a shoulder large enough to ride 2 abreast. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Parts of the road were just freshly paved, and they are actively working on finishing the rest. I would imagine they are aiming to have this all done by the 70.3 at the end of June. The road will be closed during the race. </div>
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Route 117 has some gradual rolling hills. There is nothing very steep and you can really get into a rhythm. I felt very comfortable riding this road. The speed limit is 90km (about 57 mph), so the cars flying by were a bit nerve racking at certain sections. By race day, when all the paving is done, this part of the course is going to be great.<br />
You go back past the transition area (which is currently a dirt/gravel parking lot). They are working on this right now as well. This aspect will make it very spectator friendly since friends and family will be able to see riders 4 times on the bike course.<br />
The second out and back is completely different. It is on just a regular road. It is very nicely paved and smooth. The climbs are steeper, but they are shorter, and there is nothing too hard. I was up out of my saddle more on this out and back than I was on 117. There road has some more twists and turns than 117, but nothing crazy.<br />
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My Garmin reported 5148 ft of climbing. All in all it is a great course.<br />
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We are staying at the Marriott Residences Inn, which is right in the middle of the action. It is right near the finish line and transition area. Race week, we have a condo, but this hotel was a perfect choice for the weekend. We have a full kitchen and a sitting area with a lot of space. When we checked in the receptionist told us that bikes weren't allowed in the room, but when she realized we were training for the Ironman she said "Oh they must be expensive. For Ironman athletes, you are allowed to bring in the bikes." She gave us old sheets for us to keep our bikes on in the room. We had a dinner inspired from Allen Lim and Chef Biju's book <a href="http://feedzonecookbook.com/">"The Feed Zone"</a>. It was quick, easy and great for after a long training day. I didn't have the energy to even look at the recipe and measure anything, so I created the meal based on the crispy chicken dish I had made before. Here is a quick recap:<br />
<b>Ingredients (approx measurements):</b><br />
Coconut oil for cooking<br />
1/2 cup Millet<br />
2 Organic Chicken Breasts<br />
1/2 cup raisins<br />
1 jalapeno or other hot pepper<br />
1 onion<br />
4 cloves garlic<br />
3 stalks Kale (any kind is fine, though I used red)<br />
1/2- 1 cup Cilantro<br />
Sea Salt to taste<br />
Cumin to taste<br />
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Dinner sides:<br />
1 sweet potato<br />
Arugula<br />
Dressing (Olive oil, Sea salt, Lemon juice from 1/2 lemon)<br />
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I brought my rice cooker and made millet:<br />
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I roasted 2 chicken breasts for 40 minutes at 400 degrees. I also put in a sweet potato in the oven as well. While everything was in the oven, I chopped 4 cloves of garlic, one onion, 1 hot (ish) pepper (Joe was supposed to get a jalapeno, but supposedly Whole Foods was out of them. I can't even tell you what kind of pepper he got- but it worked!!). I cooked in pan for about 5 minutes. I then added about 1/2 cup of raisins (two handfuls) and added some red kale because I like to add kale to everything! I added 3 stalks of kale, shredded and ripped off the stems. I stirred in some salt, pepper and about 2 tsp of cumin. Season based on your taste.<br />
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Once the chicken was done, I shredded the chicken and added it to the pan with the kale, onions, garlic, peppers and raisins.<br />
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I cooked for about 5 minutes, then stirred in some cilantro (about a 1/2 cup- one large handful).<br />
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I placed the cooked millet on a plate and topped it with the chicken mixture.<br />
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To complete the dinner, we split the sweet potato and salad. I made a simple arugula salad and topped it with a simple dressing of olive oil, lemon juice and sea salt.<br />
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It was a delicious post training day dinner. Now we are ready for another training day. I'm excited to get a better look at the run course. I will post a run course report after today!<br />
<br /></div>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458106935584331604noreply@blogger.com6Mont-Tremblant, QC, Canada46.155525 -74.6008245.980487499999995 -74.9153035 46.3305625 -74.2863365tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727999140671103941.post-39738107840569684582012-05-22T05:23:00.001-07:002012-05-22T05:26:55.527-07:00Team NRG Bar: Reach the Beach MA RecapWait, so you are going to run a 200 mile relay race, sleep in a van, eat in a van, change your clothes in a van, run through the night and not shower? And this is what you call Fun?!<br />
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To runners in New England, it doesn't seem too odd since the Reach the Beach relay has been around for years. However, to many others, it seems a bit ludicrous. Ok, I exaggerated a bit- I didn't sleep in the van, I slept on a tennis court, oh and I slept on wet grass... and we all took baby wipe showers- that counts as a shower, doesn't it?</div>
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I was excited to be running with Team <a href="http://www.nrg-bar.com/">NRG Bar</a> again- a great group of fast runners and fun people! </div>
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A few of us started our Reach the Beach journey by riding from our houses out to the start at Wachusett Mountain. </div>
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After a great ride with some great climbing to the summit, I recharged with a recovery drink and we loaded the bikes on the <a href="http://www.nrg-bar.com/">NRG Bar</a> Land Rover. We were ready to spend the next 26 hours relay running 200 miles from Wachusett Mountain to Horseneck Beach.</div>
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The teams all had staggered starts. We were in the 12:30 pm wave. I was in Van 2 and runner #12, meaning I would run the last leg of each section. We all ran 3 legs of the race, but our total mileage was all slightly different. My three legs totaled just under 17 miles. Which doesn't seem too bad, but when you are running race pace, it fatigues the legs more than you would think. I started my first leg just after 8 pm. The section was 6.1 miles. I was antsy to run after sitting around all afternoon and was pleased with how strong and good I felt. When I finished, it was Van 1's turn to take over the running. We went to the Van Transition area where we were going to meet them to take over. Some of us stayed in and slept in the van and some of us pulled out the sleeping bags and slept for about an hour and a half on wet grass. At 12:30 am, it was our time to run again. It is a bit surreal to be running in the wee hours of the morning, however it is not as difficult as I initially expected. It is rather serene and spiritual to be running in solitude in the dark, nothing quite like it. I had my second leg at about 4 am. I did need a little caffeine kick, so I sipped on some green iced tea that I had packed. </div>
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In addition to the green tea, I had packed some other goodies to keep me fueled and strong while on the quest of reaching the beach. Some of my snacks included apple sauce. I mixed in some chia seeds for some an extra nutritional punch: </div>
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Banana chips I had dehydrated in my dehydrator:</div>
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Roasted purple potatoes with salt, pepper and herbs de provence:</div>
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Roasted sweet potatoes, celery sticks and sunflower seed butter, and homemade "trail mix" of cacao nibs, dried cherries and goji berries were among the other things in my cooler. </div>
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We had a bit of a transition SNAFU before I started my second leg. After Ian had worked so hard and ran his butt off to have a fast leg, I wasn't there when he arrived to hand off the baton. I was walking down and heard volunteers calling my name. I dropped my sweatshirt and started sprinting. We had had a bit of a time calculation miss. I grabbed the baton from him and took off. And I took off the wrong way. Ooops. I realized the dirt path I was running down, wasn't the proper trail. In my haste to make up for lost time, I missed the sign with the arrow. I quickly turned around, found the trail and proceeded to run my little tail off to make up for lost time. It was a nice trail in a state park (it is all a blur, I couldn't even tell you what town I was in), but the trail was packed dirt rather than jagged roots and so it was easy to run through the night with a headlamp as my guiding light. I arrived at the next transition area realizing the same thing that had just happened was repeating itself... Charlene wasn't there. It was only about a minute later when I saw her fast little legs sprinting to take the baton, and she was gone in a flash.</div>
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We went to the next transition area where we were meeting Van 1 for our final leg in about 3 hours. It was 5 am and the sun was coming up, but a couple of us spread out our sleeping bags on a tennis court and I got a couple of hours of surprisingly great sleep. At around 9:45 am, our van took over to run our last legs. Everyone was running strong. The temperature was rising and the sun was beating down on us and our fatigued bodies, but our paces slowed down very minimally. I wasn't feeling great going into my last leg and knew I needed to dig deep to finish strong. The second part of my run was a gorgeous run along the water. As I got closer to the beach, there were trailers lining the road where I was running. My mind envisioned that I was running the Ironman Mont Tremblant course and the trailers were really flags and banners along the finishing chute... haha my imagination was definitely going wild as I was digging deep to keep the pace up and to keep on picking off teams. There was one guy pretty far ahead that I was slowing reeling in. About a mile out from the finish, people were cheering me on to pass him and shouting things like "<i>Road kill ahead! Go catch him!</i>".I wasn't going to let him get away, so I picked up the pace. The whole team was waiting at the finish and we were able to pass him and run across the finish line together. </div>
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Team NRG Bar ended up winning our division and getting 14th/175 teams. </div>
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A huge thanks to Dan O'Rourke and <a href="http://www.nrg-bar.com/">NRG Bar</a> for sponsoring such a great team. Thank you to Charlene Nassa, our fearless captain. It takes a lot of work to organize all of this and even more work to keep all of us in line! And thank you to Jo, Tracey, Chad, Mark, Gregg, Kyle, Ardria, Jen and Ian for the fun, hard work, laughter and good times. To Jo and Jen for letting us trash your Mini Vans and to Timmy Glickman for taking great care of our bikes!</div>
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Don't forget to stock up on some healthy, delicious "Naturally Really Good" NRG Bars. They are great to fuel your workout or as a snack. Check out where you can find them at a store near you using the<a href="http://www.nrg-bar.com/find/index.html"> store locator</a>. Follow <a href="http://www.facebook.com/NRGBAR">NRG Bar on Facebook</a> and on <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/nrgbar">Twitter @NRGbar</a> </div>
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<br /></div>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458106935584331604noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727999140671103941.post-41554529995691372872012-04-10T10:03:00.000-07:002012-04-10T10:03:21.274-07:00Before you pour the coffee, pour some water and squeeze a lemon!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"></span><br />
<div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: small;">With the change of seasons and transition into spring, I have been waking up feeling my body's need for cleanse and transition. Every yoga class I have done in the past week or so, I have set the intention of moving stuck energy through my body as we transition to spring. Some of it seems to be from all the training, but some of it is from winter stiffness that has accumulated. Each morning I have been craving drinking water with lemon in it. I have known the benefits of drinking lemon water for quite some time now, but I have rarely practiced it. Until now. I have been waking up every morning and squeezing 1/2 lemon into a room temperature glass of water. It has been an easy and great way to start the morning feeling cleansed and energized.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIB_OzpNfcohaCTZEJ0iq719xFkVtVnJE0LoKKHfSoWsLkS3gwkT9LGoaSJQ4-C1vMJe7uiFu0rMfIEBGq0nsqMLCQMa78m4Gkfvps-iG-mszhyphenhyphenVuRipt3zJ5ZMOQzU8nKkOrSVdpz5Q/s1600/IMG_1071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIB_OzpNfcohaCTZEJ0iq719xFkVtVnJE0LoKKHfSoWsLkS3gwkT9LGoaSJQ4-C1vMJe7uiFu0rMfIEBGq0nsqMLCQMa78m4Gkfvps-iG-mszhyphenhyphenVuRipt3zJ5ZMOQzU8nKkOrSVdpz5Q/s200/IMG_1071.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11px;"></div><div style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><b>Benefits of lemon water:</b></i></div><div style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">-stimulate the liver, loosen toxins in the body and cleanse the body of impurities</div><div style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">-helps dissolve uric acid which can be cause of pain and inflammation in joints</div><div style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">-assists in digestion and elimination by stimulating the GI tract</div><div style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">-balances the body's pH- it is an alkalizing food that balances out an acidic environment creating a strong, healthy body more resistant to disease, flu, sickness, viruses and bacteria</div><div style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">-antibacterial properties which control unhealthy bacteria</div><div style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">For a quick, easy way to improve your health and energy, start your day by drinking a fresh squeezed glass of lemon water. Then reach for the cup of coffee... if you must :). </div><div><br />
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</div>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458106935584331604noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727999140671103941.post-67352093555315953602012-04-02T20:11:00.001-07:002012-04-03T05:18:27.059-07:00French Lentils with Beets and Beet Greens<div>I Instagram-ed a picture of my french lentils with beets and beet greens last week, so I thought I would post the easy recipe! It is a great way to use the whole beet to get the full powerful nutrient content of the vegetable. It is also an easy way to incorporate a different leafy green into your diet, that you might not typically eat. <i>Don't throw out those beet greens and all their wonderful nutrients- eat them!</i></div><div><br />
</div><div><u><b>French Lentils with Beets and Beet Greens</b></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEindsQucMa9x8gtVrKGxQBK4J_bEySQCasE8ljhaxrmQI9j2sWPhJq0mKdC7dPC5Dw2kAbuDdV-qSQ9BVdJOq85tl6dqt75ghL6n5NXK3lDTrVVs6nTOwNNxZdUR_PDveVrYz4lGavcmA/s1600/IMG_1042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEindsQucMa9x8gtVrKGxQBK4J_bEySQCasE8ljhaxrmQI9j2sWPhJq0mKdC7dPC5Dw2kAbuDdV-qSQ9BVdJOq85tl6dqt75ghL6n5NXK3lDTrVVs6nTOwNNxZdUR_PDveVrYz4lGavcmA/s200/IMG_1042.jpg" width="149" /></a></div><div><u><br />
</u></div><div>Ingredients:</div><div>1 cup French Lentils</div><div>3 large beets or 4 small-medium beets (I used golden beets, but red beets would be great too!)</div><div>3 cloves garlic</div><div>1 yellow onion</div><div>1/2 lemon </div><div>2 tbsp olive oil</div><div>Sea Salt to taste</div><div><br />
</div><div>1. Soak the lentils in water for 8 hours. If you don't have the time to soak for that long, soak for as long as possible since you will greatly increase the nutrient benefits. Soaking lentils increases the digestibility and increases the absorption of the vitamins and minerals. The soaking deactivates the enzyme inhibitors and the phytic acid found in the lentils. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCulfM1mnoYOiuD4mP4Lpwi29F9Bmeq7IVLIifJ4zcPaMRQiRIJQvhfXKO9xT6dQazpZGNruxXWuz52BtyoEYocduVdKRML58m9BWMKLAElopIGaFd4WQiEmBd9I2Iexd6P-R11kUnGw/s1600/IMG_1040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCulfM1mnoYOiuD4mP4Lpwi29F9Bmeq7IVLIifJ4zcPaMRQiRIJQvhfXKO9xT6dQazpZGNruxXWuz52BtyoEYocduVdKRML58m9BWMKLAElopIGaFd4WQiEmBd9I2Iexd6P-R11kUnGw/s200/IMG_1040.jpg" width="149" /></a></div><div><br />
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</div><div>2. Cut off the beet greens and add the beets to a large pot. Fill the pot with enough water to cover the beets. Add some lemon juice to the water to prevent the beets from bleeding. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 40- 45 minutes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOteSxu1IkRV-ImxplqR2_pXE_UkoMHwjCtzwTZKlluxTAzxqX_qZXzBZ-Fcd2xK2ubYEGPz996h1x1KSeeSTwV4h0oS1TY6ubt_DW_XNZwr4TbQNv5RnBsrENxqDRTr1-BOaKDt7VSQ/s1600/IMG_1043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOteSxu1IkRV-ImxplqR2_pXE_UkoMHwjCtzwTZKlluxTAzxqX_qZXzBZ-Fcd2xK2ubYEGPz996h1x1KSeeSTwV4h0oS1TY6ubt_DW_XNZwr4TbQNv5RnBsrENxqDRTr1-BOaKDt7VSQ/s200/IMG_1043.jpg" width="149" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>3. Fill another saucepan with 2 cups of water and 1 cup of the drained and rinsed lentils. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and let simmer until tender, but not too soft. This is about 20 minutes.</div><div>4. In a skillet, add a tbsp of olive oil and sautee the chopped onion and garlic on medium heat until soft- bout 3 minutes. </div><div>5. Chop the beet greens and add to the skillet with the onion and garlic. Cook for a about 2 minutes. </div><div>6. Drain the lentils and add to the skillet with the onion, garlic and beet greens. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook on a low heat stirring occasionally. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirja9o50JHFd2wzx8LU2qw5jIlwXAf8V0J1tEvGHvXG7l7hO1GSXFn5H_1HtSRJ3R3gn-GseUCKMw076vXn-z01OXFB_bOfFYeRTSJ3G8aJHursNqx5-f3KeXrV_Hj4O0E-puCslN-gg/s1600/IMG_1044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirja9o50JHFd2wzx8LU2qw5jIlwXAf8V0J1tEvGHvXG7l7hO1GSXFn5H_1HtSRJ3R3gn-GseUCKMw076vXn-z01OXFB_bOfFYeRTSJ3G8aJHursNqx5-f3KeXrV_Hj4O0E-puCslN-gg/s200/IMG_1044.jpg" width="149" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>7. Drain beets and rinse with cold water. Use your hands to peel the skin off. It should come off pretty easily.</div><div>8. Chop beets and serve on top of lentil mixture. Stir in the other tbsp of olive oil and taste to see if more salt or pepper is needed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiP6UOA2cXdKiJZ6daCbVTH7L7LsFP-RuH9AsiZwOVavYBngyMRYt3an5xpS-XOwqXJsPx28_sSDv_qUtGzsusHdjS25r08q3wQJ-ZwGxNR1AjoFEF5YTESfg-84hDcUiKX2A_4lSk6g/s1600/IMG_1048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiP6UOA2cXdKiJZ6daCbVTH7L7LsFP-RuH9AsiZwOVavYBngyMRYt3an5xpS-XOwqXJsPx28_sSDv_qUtGzsusHdjS25r08q3wQJ-ZwGxNR1AjoFEF5YTESfg-84hDcUiKX2A_4lSk6g/s200/IMG_1048.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div><br />
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</div><div>If using golden beets, they will absorb the brown color of the french lentils if they sit too long, so serve immediately.<br />
However, if you use red beets or don't mind the color change- this dish was fabulous left overs. I put some in my salad for lunch the next day.</div><div><br />
</div><div><i><u>Nutritional Benefits of Beets and Beet Greens:</u></i></div><div><br />
</div><div>I'm a full believer that foods work synergistically and the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts. So together the beets and the beet greens are a powerhouse that fully nourishes your body. </div><div><br />
</div><div>-The beet root is rich in Betalains that have shown to have very powerful <b>antioxidant</b>, <b>anti-inflammatory</b> and <b>detoxification</b> properties. Betalains trigger activity of the enzymes that hook toxins up with the compound that neutralizes them and excretes them from the body, thus aiding in the body's detox process. </div><div>-High in Vitamin A and C: Both these vitamins are important for a <b>healthy immune system</b>. This is especially important to bolster up that immune system as your training volume and intensity increases this spring.</div><div>-Rich in: </div><div> -Folate</div><div> -Iron</div><div> -Calcium</div><div> -Manganese</div><div></div><div><br />
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</u></div>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458106935584331604noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727999140671103941.post-29230257682036275742012-01-14T19:01:00.000-08:002012-01-14T19:01:23.989-08:00Disney Marathon Race RecapI'm I flew down to Florida on Thursday night. I spent a couple of days resting and relaxing with the feet up as the family played golf and enjoyed the Florida sun.<br />
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</div><div>I went for a 2 mile tune-up run on Friday, which felt like 10 miles. My mind wouldn't stop- Can I really do this? What was I thinking? Was my training enough? If 2 miles feels long how am I ever going to run 26.2 in a couple of days? I reassured myself that I felt this way on my last run before Boston last year and I PR-ed there. As I mentioned in an<a href="http://ironnourishment.blogspot.com/2012/01/salmon-with-dijon-lentils-and-kale.html"> earlier post,</a> when I decided to run Disney, I only had enough time for an 8 week training plan. Doable, but I would have felt more confident with a typical 16 week plan. I was lucky enough to have running partners who were running Mississippi Blues Marathon on the same day, so I had company on all of those long runs through the holiday season. I had always envisioned that I would run Disney when I was older with kids. It wasn't one of the top races on my bucket list, but due to timing, location and the flat course, I embarked on the Wonderful World of Disney sooner than anticipated. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLD2FloqX3OWtQeqUDh4UnXIVwVTZz0UrZvVfaQy-1K1JidnvY0W77BEOI8sMXX9fUJR68toB0wQPJUCfejNjfYuTtXfqAm2IUjLRCjQ04HafIHKrEykcuxToMG3ZUjJOacvgpLRGd5A/s1600/378767_714117894888_3700095_35095378_674962086_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLD2FloqX3OWtQeqUDh4UnXIVwVTZz0UrZvVfaQy-1K1JidnvY0W77BEOI8sMXX9fUJR68toB0wQPJUCfejNjfYuTtXfqAm2IUjLRCjQ04HafIHKrEykcuxToMG3ZUjJOacvgpLRGd5A/s320/378767_714117894888_3700095_35095378_674962086_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>As my brother Michael, sister Meghan and her boyfriend Ian tackled the parks, I headed to the expo with my parents and Joe to pick up my race packet and number. </div><div><br />
</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1MB7XSZwIyLx2_I-Q6rSY1Dd2n4nSQfapE91Cv0dKK70OUd5zAQfxWS5ApxVDWdsVPvLK61oCPWRN4w6M_i488STB-jybQQnJDfRc9Zzekn8FjEponQYBV4PnjdIPLp_7uy3jVDavQQ/s1600/IMG_0917.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1MB7XSZwIyLx2_I-Q6rSY1Dd2n4nSQfapE91Cv0dKK70OUd5zAQfxWS5ApxVDWdsVPvLK61oCPWRN4w6M_i488STB-jybQQnJDfRc9Zzekn8FjEponQYBV4PnjdIPLp_7uy3jVDavQQ/s200/IMG_0917.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1yKd2x-aGs1YTc3nmZvenVegvUuzJgjAQ6mfXtCd6xQ5M8RJQlBIBTWfIKn6bBOIWkH6PZDCHXz6x91BIs_afHazLDvvrnnrdnAs2W7ci8YebklQsFJidr7tJx-Jx_vNiCWxe82IFKA/s1600/AiksKw-CQAA2BV4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1yKd2x-aGs1YTc3nmZvenVegvUuzJgjAQ6mfXtCd6xQ5M8RJQlBIBTWfIKn6bBOIWkH6PZDCHXz6x91BIs_afHazLDvvrnnrdnAs2W7ci8YebklQsFJidr7tJx-Jx_vNiCWxe82IFKA/s200/AiksKw-CQAA2BV4.jpg" width="200" /></a> </td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">We had an early dinner at Shula's Steakhouse located at the hotel. There weren't too many marathoners there- I assumed most were at the Italian restaurant carb-ing up on pasta. A bit weird to be eating at a steakhouse, but since I don't eat gluten, this seemed to be the best option for everyone. The family was happy since they were able to eat a nice hearty meal with steak and chocolate lava cakes and souffles and I was able to have a simple dinner of a baked potato sprinkled with some salt. I topped it off with some hemp seeds that smuggled into the restaurant in my bag. </div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiboNEkrcTWSWzzdf1gAo47ViHAkyB2u2XFv4UQDz8sfFhjeBppWGLmOgUKJSkSRyn_ouGyd-8Ki63IXVWVVj7fiyyOldrRKATG13hMZSRvI41EqHKt4OWez-cG_k-_yAp6SGO3_luESg/s1600/391912_3012694761493_1386260051_3090574_1696710994_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiboNEkrcTWSWzzdf1gAo47ViHAkyB2u2XFv4UQDz8sfFhjeBppWGLmOgUKJSkSRyn_ouGyd-8Ki63IXVWVVj7fiyyOldrRKATG13hMZSRvI41EqHKt4OWez-cG_k-_yAp6SGO3_luESg/s200/391912_3012694761493_1386260051_3090574_1696710994_n.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<div><br />
</div><div>Sunday morning came early- the alarm went off at 3 am. Joe was wonderful enough to take the shuttle at 3:30 am with me. My parents were able to"sleep in" and took the 4:30 shuttle. So early! Seriously, spectating is tiring. Spectators had to leave that early if they wanted to watch anywhere but the finish if their marathon ran under a 4 hour marathon.</div><div> I was so happy I had packed sufficient "throw away clothes" and a trash bag to wear over my clothes since it was a chilly morning.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjUz7IEy66tWmshNRFU5LvXvmDmf2NfHfN4duKlZPaOsq5gAs1Eb_nehNUw4z7OLrVax74LQCGyTbs79oQ1fbUEr39itdtXQspoqwT57o4ae8QxyYmlfycEwPDYBzlDlopyOXxE1zuPw/s1600/IMG_0918.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjUz7IEy66tWmshNRFU5LvXvmDmf2NfHfN4duKlZPaOsq5gAs1Eb_nehNUw4z7OLrVax74LQCGyTbs79oQ1fbUEr39itdtXQspoqwT57o4ae8QxyYmlfycEwPDYBzlDlopyOXxE1zuPw/s320/IMG_0918.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Staying warm and getting amped to run- sipping on some Mate tea pre race.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I couldn't believe some of the people were in shorts and a tank top. After I checked my bag, gave my goodbye hugs and kisses, the walk to the start line was about 15-20 minutes and only participants were allowed beyond that point. I was rushing to get to my corral and realized that I had completely missed the last set of port-a-potties. I spotted a good stretch of woods where many other people were peeing, so I quickly jumped out of my corral and went in the woods. Mickey, Donald Duck and Goofy all came to say hello and the announcer babbled on. I don't remember too much from that point on. I stripped my clothes with about 4 minutes before the start. I had to go again. shoot. ok well at least it is dark, but I was wishing I was standing in the water for the start of a triathlon rather than just standing on land in wet shorts. Oh well, I was on a mission. I had to run a PR to qualify for Boston 2013 since qualification times decreased by 5 minutes (note for non runners- that is a lot!!). Fireworks went off from the start line and we were off. I was able to run right from the start, the crowds were fine, but maybe that is because I was near the front of the corral. It was pitch black, so looking at my pace on the garmin was not too easy. I wanted to run 8:20s at the beginning. I know that I blow up if I go too fast. The problem was that 8:20s felt fast- how was I ever going to hold an 8:08 pace later on in the race? The first two miles went by slowly. I was having trouble settling into a steady pace. We ran through a toll booth, which was weird. I saw my family at what I think was mile 2.5. The course wasn't too spectator friendly, there were only certain spots where spectators could watch. The next couple of miles were all a blur. We ran through some parks, it was still dark out. Runners stopped to take pictures with Disney characters on the side of the course. I couldn't even tell you which characters I saw- I didn't see many though I know they were located throughout the whole course. I saw a 3:35 pace group ahead. The website only listed a 3:30 and 3:40 pace groups. I had no idea I could have started myself with the 3:35 group. Oh well, it was probably for the best, so that I would go out slowly and run my own race. Ok I will run with them for a while, I thought to myself. I saw my family at Magic Kingdom round mile 10- I was so impressed they spotted me twice now before I spotted them. Usually it is the other way around. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqw1qoge3rBLIz8pILzhyTqozw4aFLRN3XAVpNFxtmDYuTz-HHWp8ZXdcwTDEd_IajILkv106GMz4N17tI2Mq1E9z-VdtpxJdkU62UtvMDPGZSItMqj1Bbg3fc5YyW3osHCWOWuZ1FMA/s1600/Aio7UXaCMAEdGbv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqw1qoge3rBLIz8pILzhyTqozw4aFLRN3XAVpNFxtmDYuTz-HHWp8ZXdcwTDEd_IajILkv106GMz4N17tI2Mq1E9z-VdtpxJdkU62UtvMDPGZSItMqj1Bbg3fc5YyW3osHCWOWuZ1FMA/s200/Aio7UXaCMAEdGbv.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Depicts the race for me- most of it was a blur. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><br />
</div><div>I knew I wasn't going to see them again to the finish. Whenever I see them I instantly get a rush of adrenaline, renewed energy to keep me going strong. I was hoping that surge of energy could last me to the end. I had settled into my pace running about 50 yards back from the 3:35 pace leaders. Running with the group definitely helped, and kept me on pace. I didn't feel so alone and the miles started to fly by. Those pace leaders were my carrot. </div><div><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 150px;"><colgroup><col span="2" width="75"></col> </colgroup><tbody>
<tr height="13"> <td align="right" height="13" width="75" x:num="1.0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">1</span></td> <td align="right" class="xl24" width="75" x:num="0.344444444444444"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">8:16</span></td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td align="right" height="13" x:num="2.0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">2</span></td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.347916666666667"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">8:21</span></td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td align="right" height="13" x:num="3.0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">3</span></td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.344444444444444"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">8:16</span></td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td align="right" height="13" x:num="4.0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">4</span></td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.348611111111111"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">8:22</span></td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td align="right" height="13" x:num="5.0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">5</span></td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.353472222222222"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">8:29</span></td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td align="right" height="13" x:num="6.0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">6</span></td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.339583333333333"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">8:09</span></td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td align="right" height="13" x:num="7.0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">7</span></td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.329861111111111"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">7:55</span></td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td align="right" height="13" x:num="8.0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">8</span></td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.334027777777778"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">8:01</span></td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td align="right" height="13" x:num="9.0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">9</span></td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.327083333333333"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">7:51</span></td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td align="right" height="13" x:num="10.0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">10</span></td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.336111111111111"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">8:04</span></td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td align="right" height="13" x:num="11.0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">11</span></td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.334722222222222"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">8:02</span></td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td align="right" height="13" x:num="12.0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">12</span></td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.333333333333333"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">8:00</span></td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td align="right" height="13" x:num="13.0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">13</span></td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.334027777777778"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">8:01</span></td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td align="right" height="13" x:num="14.0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">14</span></td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.327777777777778"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">7:52</span></td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td align="right" height="13" x:num="15.0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">15</span></td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.328472222222222"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">7:53</span></td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td align="right" height="13" x:num="16.0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">16</span></td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.329861111111111"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">7:55</span></td> </tr>
</tbody></table></div><div><br />
</div><div>Then around miles 16/17 I felt like I was pushing too hard. My heart rate was creeping up and knew that if it got any higher, I would be flirting with a blow up. It is about balancing on that fine line of pushing hard, but not pushing beyond your limits. Those 4 seconds gained per mile now could turn into 13 minute miles later on in the race. And yes, that has happened to me before. not fun. not pretty. I decided to pull back and let the pace group go ahead. I was able to stay calm and do my thing since the last couple of miles I ran with them were sub 8:00- too fast, I just needed to run my own race. I backed off. Around mile 21 I realized I needed to step it up just a little bit. 5 miles left of pain. "Sweet Caroline" was playing on repeat as I passed the 21 mile mark. Was that intentional? I don't know, but I took it as a sign to pick it up because nothing was going to stop me from getting to Boston. The pace group was completely out of sight. I started to pick up the pace and reel in the 3:35 group that had severely dwindled to about 4 runners. I caught up to them and passed them. My legs hurt. My body hurt. I was nervous about cramping. I tried not to let my mind wander about the effects of drinking the on course Powerade with limited sodium and artificial sweeteners. I just took some more of my electrolytes and kept going. I knew if I kept this pace I was golden. Just hold on body, hold on. I had run behind a guy wearing a shirt that said "You vs. You" for pretty much the whole race. It was all up to me. It didn't matter who else was on the course, I didn't have to beat anyone else, all I had to do was keep my legs moving and shut down any negative thoughts that my mind conjured up about slowing down. Keep my mind going and body going that is it. You vs. You. I passed mile 26 and rounded the corner and saw my family in the crowd. They started cheering "PUSH IT KATE PUSH IT- GOOO!!" - the anxiety in their voices made me nervous that I wasn't going to make it. It wasn't a normal cheer, it was a very anxious cheer. I looked at the finish line clock and realized I had 30 seconds to make it. I ran as fast as I possibly could. </div><div><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 150px;"><colgroup><col span="2" width="75"></col> </colgroup><tbody>
<tr height="13"> <td align="right" height="13" width="75" x:num="17.0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">17</span></td> <td align="right" class="xl24" width="75" x:num="0.333333333333333"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">8:00</span></td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td align="right" height="13" x:num="18.0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">18</span></td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.336805555555556"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">8:05</span></td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td align="right" height="13" x:num="19.0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">19</span></td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.335416666666667"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">8:03</span></td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td align="right" height="13" x:num="20.0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">20</span></td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.343055555555555"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">8:14</span></td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td align="right" height="13" x:num="21.0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">21</span></td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.346527777777778"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">8:19</span></td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td align="right" height="13" x:num="22.0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">22</span></td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.338888888888889"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">8:08</span></td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td align="right" height="13" x:num="23.0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">23</span></td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.333333333333333"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">8:00</span></td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td align="right" height="13" x:num="24.0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">24</span></td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.325694444444444"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">7:49</span></td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td align="right" height="13" x:num="25.0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">25</span></td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.344444444444444"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">8:16</span></td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td align="right" height="13" x:num="26.0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">26</span></td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.3375"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">8:06</span></td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td align="right" height="13" x:num="27.0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">27</span></td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.309722222222222"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">7:26</span></td> </tr>
</tbody></table></div><div>3:34:42. I made it. Mission Accomplished. Qualified for Boston again and ran a Personal Best. One hour and 2 minutes faster than my first marathon 6 years ago. Thank you Disney.</div><div><div align="center" id="prp_clock" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; background-color: black; display: block; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 30px; padding-right: 30px; padding-top: 10px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><img alt="3" src="http://results.active.com/images/a2/clock/digit_3.gif" /><img alt=":" src="http://results.active.com/images/a2/clock/digit_58.gif" /><img alt="3" src="http://results.active.com/images/a2/clock/digit_3.gif" /><img alt="4" src="http://results.active.com/images/a2/clock/digit_4.gif" /><img alt=":" src="http://results.active.com/images/a2/clock/digit_58.gif" /><img alt="4" src="http://results.active.com/images/a2/clock/digit_4.gif" /><img alt="2" src="http://results.active.com/images/a2/clock/digit_2.gif" /></span></div><table cellspacing="0" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 10px; width: 328px;" summary="Race Results for KATHRYN WEILER"><tbody>
<tr><td class="title" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; padding-bottom: 0.2em; padding-left: 0.5em; padding-right: 0.5em; padding-top: 0.2em; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 152px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; padding-bottom: 0.2em; padding-left: 0.5em; padding-right: 0.5em; padding-top: 0.2em; vertical-align: top; width: 152px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="title" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; padding-bottom: 0.2em; padding-left: 0.5em; padding-right: 0.5em; padding-top: 0.2em; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 152px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Chip Time</span></td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; padding-bottom: 0.2em; padding-left: 0.5em; padding-right: 0.5em; padding-top: 0.2em; vertical-align: top; width: 152px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">3:34:42</span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="title" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; padding-bottom: 0.2em; padding-left: 0.5em; padding-right: 0.5em; padding-top: 0.2em; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 152px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Overall Place</span></td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; padding-bottom: 0.2em; padding-left: 0.5em; padding-right: 0.5em; padding-top: 0.2em; vertical-align: top; width: 152px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">674 / 13478</span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="title" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; padding-bottom: 0.2em; padding-left: 0.5em; padding-right: 0.5em; padding-top: 0.2em; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 152px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Gender Place</span></td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; padding-bottom: 0.2em; padding-left: 0.5em; padding-right: 0.5em; padding-top: 0.2em; vertical-align: top; width: 152px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">113 / 6315</span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="title" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; padding-bottom: 0.2em; padding-left: 0.5em; padding-right: 0.5em; padding-top: 0.2em; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 152px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Division Place</span></td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; padding-bottom: 0.2em; padding-left: 0.5em; padding-right: 0.5em; padding-top: 0.2em; vertical-align: top; width: 152px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">23 / 1114</span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="title" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; padding-bottom: 0.2em; padding-left: 0.5em; padding-right: 0.5em; padding-top: 0.2em; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; width: 152px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; padding-bottom: 0.2em; padding-left: 0.5em; padding-right: 0.5em; padding-top: 0.2em; vertical-align: top; width: 152px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>You can watch the video of me finishing <a href="http://www2.brightroom.com/89678/923">here</a>. I am in the green tank top and finish right near the end of the video clip under the clock on the left. </div><div><br />
</div><div>To top it all off, nothing was better than to cross the line and see my beautiful family. Nothing is better than to be surrounded by the people that you love most in this world. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAA6p-IETR5w4iFDhH84kW3AnMtU_622C27p23U0Mxx3AOvQe3X9oAILUAGl2KwYRf4oHU5Q30lbDaLEgYLHo20iMPzCAHEttz_liww1Mnh3aREeOh96iovX85P0vhT_1EhH7wVFpTIg/s1600/IMG_0915.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAA6p-IETR5w4iFDhH84kW3AnMtU_622C27p23U0Mxx3AOvQe3X9oAILUAGl2KwYRf4oHU5Q30lbDaLEgYLHo20iMPzCAHEttz_liww1Mnh3aREeOh96iovX85P0vhT_1EhH7wVFpTIg/s320/IMG_0915.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post race (and post comfy t-shirt change) with my parents. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Z0G_Wst3YGRDm2XJnLYOFg2Oodxi9FdBMzKCGKwcHawQxhW3UPDpRhT61K1AoBdYuyPA56rTuFY9BrlCXS639aF6-OFYGgMnwVAblc0uvRHI0QOBnooYndSXxcK0yExwsAJiam48Iw/s1600/IMG_0906.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Z0G_Wst3YGRDm2XJnLYOFg2Oodxi9FdBMzKCGKwcHawQxhW3UPDpRhT61K1AoBdYuyPA56rTuFY9BrlCXS639aF6-OFYGgMnwVAblc0uvRHI0QOBnooYndSXxcK0yExwsAJiam48Iw/s320/IMG_0906.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The whole support crew sleeping post race. Spectating is hard work!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>I've been enjoying some recovery time, sleeping a lot and resting. I've done some swimming and some yoga, but I have been respecting the recovery and don't intend on running for another week.</div><div>Onwards and upwards- I'm so excited for Ironman Mont Tremblant training to start in a little over a week! </div><div></div></div>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458106935584331604noreply@blogger.com6Orlando, FL, USA28.5383355 -81.3792364999999928.4051525 -81.5182165 28.671518499999998 -81.240256499999987tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727999140671103941.post-41008184416585833812012-01-06T13:46:00.000-08:002012-01-06T13:46:30.522-08:00Hearty Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash, Kale and Red Rice/Lou Ristaino Workout<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As I sit here in the Florida sun with my feet up and resting up for Disney marathon on Sunday, it is hard to imagine that just 3 days ago I was running around a track in the cold, windy, frigid Boston weather. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha3iWwsP9zFLU8z0I8cedNHnwXfqlbz1pLG6y25mVCQ-8aTGp08eR4i7dLM_q1tyluGAm0etuLVPVQR3AxOq1WrJkEOCOwh5a3T6nSGniL6pKUAe-24C0U0E47D3N-tZBcW-gwbmGKqw/s1600/402009_2420376028835_1234440157_31994833_529323142_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha3iWwsP9zFLU8z0I8cedNHnwXfqlbz1pLG6y25mVCQ-8aTGp08eR4i7dLM_q1tyluGAm0etuLVPVQR3AxOq1WrJkEOCOwh5a3T6nSGniL6pKUAe-24C0U0E47D3N-tZBcW-gwbmGKqw/s320/402009_2420376028835_1234440157_31994833_529323142_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">The 3 lil pugs sunbathing</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Somerville Road Runners are quite familiar with the "Lou Ristaino workout" that is traditionally run the tuesday before a marathon. It consists of a continuous 4800 on the track running the first 800 at your goal marathon pace. Each successive 800 is run 4 seconds faster than the previous one. The start should feel very easy and by the end you should be working somewhat hard. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Since I was the only one running a marathon this weekend (at least in my pace group), I would be all alone doing the workout. I decided to stay home and go to my town's high school track and be done with the workout 2 hours earlier than if I would have waited to go to SRR. I am so grateful that my sister Meghan was willing to do the workout with me, it made it so much easier to get through. The workout wasn't bad, but the howling wind, the creaking trees, the pitch dark track and my completely numb feet made me grateful that I was hopping on a plane to run in warmer weather this weekend. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Meghan and I cooked up this delicious <a href="http://www.cookincanuck.com/2011/11/hearty-chicken-stew-with-butternut-squash-quinoa-recipe/">Hearty Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash and Quinoa</a> from <a href="http://www.cookincanuck.com/">Cookin Canuck's blog</a> when we got home. Let me tell you it tasted so good on a cold night.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-9ArSWt0bCa1GPEFIelruQwXfz6j2Q3OH83A891wpPegUKQS2mbqz_mb962BBrM25Q6S-Rh6dcrjnKcmIdiCx1WyVO29XOAwoFwJzeJgEmR7yT1Ry-IbGTUHGZR48rxk43UgOmx3sZA/s1600/a8594a74367111e180c9123138016265_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-9ArSWt0bCa1GPEFIelruQwXfz6j2Q3OH83A891wpPegUKQS2mbqz_mb962BBrM25Q6S-Rh6dcrjnKcmIdiCx1WyVO29XOAwoFwJzeJgEmR7yT1Ry-IbGTUHGZR48rxk43UgOmx3sZA/s200/a8594a74367111e180c9123138016265_7.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I made some slight adjustments:</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">-I cooked the onions and garlic in a separate pan while the chicken was cooking to speed up the prep time. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">-I added Kale for some extra greens: I used 4 large kale leaves, stripped them from the stem and into the stew at the same time as when I added the shredded chicken</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">-Substituted Red Rice for the Quinoa. I really only did this because I had just bought this Heirloom Bhutan Red Rice at Whole Foods and wanted to try it.</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlcxy6nehf71EkbjcDw8y7D-qI2msOo3G5eUe5Y3mtG4o4YRU72gLIuxRidysLONrZd04pQ_0LaEOozrxXR656883hZZtmTmC-fBFFVmSpwOz4peBvG_T_LAGS-x0JGQoApyI6i8KVGQ/s1600/708953001609.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlcxy6nehf71EkbjcDw8y7D-qI2msOo3G5eUe5Y3mtG4o4YRU72gLIuxRidysLONrZd04pQ_0LaEOozrxXR656883hZZtmTmC-fBFFVmSpwOz4peBvG_T_LAGS-x0JGQoApyI6i8KVGQ/s200/708953001609.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Verdict on the Bhutan Red Rice: Delicious! Very quick cooking- only 20 minutes! Nutritious and mineral rich. The anthocyanins present in the rice are antioxidant nutrients and give the rice its deep color and support health. I will add red rice to my list of great gluten-free whole grains and definitely </span>make it again! </span>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458106935584331604noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727999140671103941.post-82033229358268096012012-01-02T18:39:00.000-08:002012-01-02T18:43:04.273-08:00Salmon with Dijon Lentils and Kale and Seeking the Magic of DisneyHappy New Year! I like to think of each day as an opportunity to start fresh, set goals and set intentions. But there is nothing like the new year to reflect on what progress has been made in the past year and what has and has not been accomplished. The new year marks a great time to revisit your goals and intentions. I have been inspired and excited these past couple of days by the conversations I have had with people about their goals and by reading all the 2012 goals on twitter and FB.<br />
I am excited about 2012 and all the opportunities that lie ahead. My first immediate goal of 2012 is on Sunday. I made somewhat of a haste decision about 8 weeks ago to not run Boston even though I was extremely excited to qualify and register with the more selective qualifying requirements this year. My decision was made when I realized that my goal "A" race this year is Ironman Mont Tremblant (I will write more on my race schedule soon) and I would be taking away too much precious training time if I were to run Boston. I would be doing 2 things poorly instead of one thing well. Not to mention that I would probably have a slim to none chance of qualifying for 2013 without a proper taper with the 5 minutes faster requirement this year. Without running Boston, I needed another marathon to run to qualify for Boston 2013 before Ironman training starts. Within a day of ruminating about the different options, I had signed up for Disney Marathon based on the date of the race, the flat course and the opportunity to visit my mama in FLO- RIDA! :)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRa5ICqw2beSE-lcMia4bOXeP3ceDv3hu8bJ6Mvyt4536qmzOVwjKRV8jc-SLKEyhWgplRqhM1kaa16clAp0MemiXbedcag69G9Acczv03HDM1BKzwil4wdHBMSktBmYYbOtQmJWSvFA/s1600/thumb.php.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRa5ICqw2beSE-lcMia4bOXeP3ceDv3hu8bJ6Mvyt4536qmzOVwjKRV8jc-SLKEyhWgplRqhM1kaa16clAp0MemiXbedcag69G9Acczv03HDM1BKzwil4wdHBMSktBmYYbOtQmJWSvFA/s200/thumb.php.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<br />
So, in the words of my sister, I am heading to "Mickey Mouse's House" to attempt a 2013 BQ of 3:34 this weekend. My PR is a 3:36, so I am a bit apprehensive about hitting a 3:34 with such a short training plan. Hopefully the magic of Disney will bring me some good luck.<br />
<br />
On the food front, I made this dish last week. It is a quick and easy meal. The lentil portion can be easily doubled to eat for leftovers.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Salmon with Dijon Lentils and Kale</u></b><br />
Serves 4<br />
4 pieces of wild caught salmon<br />
1 yellow onion<br />
1 shallot<br />
2 cups of lentils (french, green or a trio blend is fine. Buy sprouted or soak before cooking)<br />
1 bunch of kale (I used curly green kale, but lacinato or red kale is fine too)<br />
2 TBSP olive oil<br />
3 TBSP dijon mustard (if eating gluten-free, make sure you buy a gluten-free brand)*<br />
salt and pepper to taste<br />
<br />
Soak lentils in water for about 8 hours**. If you buy sprouted lentils, this step is unnecessary. Rinse lentils and cook the 2 cups of lentils according to package in 3 cups of water or broth in sauce pan. After cooking, drain any extra liquid. <br />
Heat olive oil in large skillet. Cook chopped onion and shallot in pan (about 5 minutes). Strip washed kale off stems and rip into small pieces. Add to skillet. After about 2 minutes, stir in lentils to skillet and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Stir in salt, pepper and dijon mustard. You can add more or less mustard depending on taste.<br />
Add olive oil to another large skillet and sear salmon in pan for about 4 minutes per side on medium high heat. Serve the salmon over lentils.<br />
<br />
Enjoy!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcr2-mksgJlnCSqFuWMHW3dMmhHD_IE4BsPVwkbpImEloWERawUO6VNRbvsi-WqVw1Ja1zMxwYd2mXiVVR2H02PYG_a_l8ypb9cfLPNgx4XEp_5v05Ue6mGnvxPsSGNDrkePgYnhEy4g/s1600/IMG_0886.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcr2-mksgJlnCSqFuWMHW3dMmhHD_IE4BsPVwkbpImEloWERawUO6VNRbvsi-WqVw1Ja1zMxwYd2mXiVVR2H02PYG_a_l8ypb9cfLPNgx4XEp_5v05Ue6mGnvxPsSGNDrkePgYnhEy4g/s200/IMG_0886.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
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*Many mustards contain gluten because of the vinegar used, so if you are eating gluten-free, make sure you chose a mustard that is certified GF. I use Organicville Dijon Mustard.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoi55BLj4K5wjko9t9ngl0fTm29cyhmt0X7jn92rWNGL19uF-UDuI9TQ5yYxNZPQ2cQSdmEQo28ZPAFV0Sb6oG9757SFMiUncu7_D1mDgcRvOm_NcBvlg3y5jGQJ_tuL6814Ap4YIvpA/s1600/mustard-dijon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoi55BLj4K5wjko9t9ngl0fTm29cyhmt0X7jn92rWNGL19uF-UDuI9TQ5yYxNZPQ2cQSdmEQo28ZPAFV0Sb6oG9757SFMiUncu7_D1mDgcRvOm_NcBvlg3y5jGQJ_tuL6814Ap4YIvpA/s200/mustard-dijon.jpg" width="86" /></a></div><br />
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***Why soak the lentils? Soaking the lentils will remove enzyme inhibitors and provide better digestion of the lentils and better absorption of the vitamins and minerals present in the lentils. If you don't plan the the lentil soaking beforehand, you can soak for even a short amount of time for some of the benefit. You also can also buy already sprouted lentils for a bit more money:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtrd41rzp_groeXfID0BZeXnryvtEzFZPPKRVr-t2lINa0oMswbKHmG4r0djgr6Amlc4KXHlJJ13U08Po6qhyphenhyphenX3knoI4VOGlJDUkOd6X51GGdhqrM3r-jeZoO-lUBF-vVXfBqcaQcYhw/s1600/TruRoots-Organic-Accents-Sprouted-Lentil-Trio-185814000627.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtrd41rzp_groeXfID0BZeXnryvtEzFZPPKRVr-t2lINa0oMswbKHmG4r0djgr6Amlc4KXHlJJ13U08Po6qhyphenhyphenX3knoI4VOGlJDUkOd6X51GGdhqrM3r-jeZoO-lUBF-vVXfBqcaQcYhw/s200/TruRoots-Organic-Accents-Sprouted-Lentil-Trio-185814000627.jpg" width="140" /></a></div>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458106935584331604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727999140671103941.post-92101086097481807052011-11-10T07:30:00.000-08:002011-11-10T07:30:31.655-08:00Meghan's Morgan Hill Marathon and Sunflower Seed and Pumpkin Butter Brown Rice Tortilla wraps<div style="text-align: left;">3 weeks ago, my parents, Joe and I headed out to California to watch my sister Meghan run her first <a href="http://www.mhmarathon.com/">marathon</a>. We stayed in Palo Alto, but the marathon was in Morgan Hill, which is located about 40 minutes south. The morning started off cool and in the 50s. Meghan was cold when she took off her jacket, so it was good we brought a trash bag to keep her warm until the 7:30am start.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuzW2oQV2xYFo-yEFG3Vm6IDGZg-IAVuUAsY4DHly20irvmeKASfhbuXxSEY4gPofqynMtgk4-xqp1QtqO4v0I7KKJLQbPxBvnup02paG-RpV02RopAZfb5Rnin7PXat3h0HBfy56gFw/s1600/312122_10150377421048701_724813700_8259693_165745956_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuzW2oQV2xYFo-yEFG3Vm6IDGZg-IAVuUAsY4DHly20irvmeKASfhbuXxSEY4gPofqynMtgk4-xqp1QtqO4v0I7KKJLQbPxBvnup02paG-RpV02RopAZfb5Rnin7PXat3h0HBfy56gFw/s320/312122_10150377421048701_724813700_8259693_165745956_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div>We left Meghan at the start and drove out to Mile 3 to cheer her on as she passed. Our company included a dead deer on the side of the road and some very loud turkeys. I couldn't believe how desolate it was and that was the moment I realized it was going to be a quiet, lonely marathon for all the runners.</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtXKbfUbCIjC178aKXWYl2dsjTcR1yKafJI3G9HgPU3pZoc5SNQDawEDSr-QhejJqXcHiHY7vOEAhjxTAY3pDoM8Bw7-PAmTqqHOwSNGm7I3UXy0Lt6ZBZTsA0J731MPyNaeS0IKRihg/s1600/303162_10150377421543701_724813700_8259698_1699424426_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtXKbfUbCIjC178aKXWYl2dsjTcR1yKafJI3G9HgPU3pZoc5SNQDawEDSr-QhejJqXcHiHY7vOEAhjxTAY3pDoM8Bw7-PAmTqqHOwSNGm7I3UXy0Lt6ZBZTsA0J731MPyNaeS0IKRihg/s320/303162_10150377421543701_724813700_8259698_1699424426_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When we cheered, the turkeys squabbled loudly!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgchBWz1CRHFMJlZ0A4XT6Eey-FdXqDpLmwZPYREdRPfq0QsSYW67B8WxWK6lyXIEKV4Jhk8FRLJCOg2kRTMGD4wb82756UQ2gJ9jUowLH9FpkhN5MKJ512mebdNtbrrkgUKbhlFrXDDA/s1600/321293_10150377422003701_724813700_8259705_733530879_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgchBWz1CRHFMJlZ0A4XT6Eey-FdXqDpLmwZPYREdRPfq0QsSYW67B8WxWK6lyXIEKV4Jhk8FRLJCOg2kRTMGD4wb82756UQ2gJ9jUowLH9FpkhN5MKJ512mebdNtbrrkgUKbhlFrXDDA/s320/321293_10150377422003701_724813700_8259705_733530879_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meghan is in the purple tank top (for lululemon fans- Run:Swiftly in Royalty). Note the dead deer!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We had a couple of hours to kill before meeting Meghan at miles 18-19. We had quite an interesting breakfast experience to say the least, which left me with nothing to eat and starving. Let's just say Morgan Hill is not the place to go if you have food allergies or sensitivities. I fortunately found a Trader Joe's and was able to make a great on the go breakfast. I picked up bananas, brown rice tortillas, sunflower seed butter and pumpkin butter. I spread the sunflower seed butter and the pumpkin butter on the brown rice tortilla, topped with sliced banana and rolled it up and made a delicious wrap!<br />
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</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was a great on the go breakfast, but it would be perfect for a recovery snack after a long ride or run. The pumpkin butter is a great seasonal treat that comes out in the fall. To be honest, I really bought it since I can't seem to get enough pumpkin in the fall and I was reminded by <a href="http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2011/10/butter-me-up.html">Averie's post at Love Veggies and Yoga</a> that pumpkin butter was back. Any other time of year, you can leave it out or substitute with jam or raw honey.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Why I love <b><i>Sunflower Seed Butter:</i></b></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One of the main reasons I love sunflower seed butter is that I can digest it much better than nut butters. It is also full of nutritional benefits.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">-Excellent source of <b>Vitamin E </b>- anti-inflammatory antioxidant that protects the body against free radicals</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">-Great source of <b>Phytosterols</b>- you know those labels on fake butter/margarine that claim to "lower cholesterol"? That is because the food manufacturers extract these phytosterols and insert in the processed foods. Sunflower seeds contain phytosterols in their natural state, which is more powerful since the whole food is working synergistically to provide your body with the cholesterol lowering benefits.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">-Good source of <b>Magnesium</b>- lowers severity of asthma, migraine headaches. Magnesium counterbalances calcium and relaxes nerves and muscles. It is important to get a healthy balance of the both. Deficiency in magnesium can lead to muscle spasms, high blood pressure, muscle soreness and fatigue. </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And of course, I had to get my greens in, so I found Trader Joe's Essential Greens Juice which consisted of celery, spinach, parsley, kale, romaine and sprouts. It was a great convenient on the go green juice.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwc0FSuR185mk_Wi7r3BJj30SPbFvQFDOVIU6PkH0eczjcKNNAMxFLc_14t5dK-brtNx1INjrVrff1M4FidiFyoQ_k12IQ57-x6libzapHdbm1eOsmNzS1h2Ov4XJkB7bEULuYIT93pQ/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwc0FSuR185mk_Wi7r3BJj30SPbFvQFDOVIU6PkH0eczjcKNNAMxFLc_14t5dK-brtNx1INjrVrff1M4FidiFyoQ_k12IQ57-x6libzapHdbm1eOsmNzS1h2Ov4XJkB7bEULuYIT93pQ/s200/images.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After the power breakfast, we parked ourselves between mile 18 and 19 and cheered for all the runners. It was so much fun cheering since we could see it in the runners' faces that they truly appreciated it especially since we were some of the only people out on the course supporting the runners. Meghan came by and Joe and I jumped in to run with her. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9KJmqRhk4zqURyxJSzIBsdXVOD-kMYXhdzBLhUT75Np91umeS-2wF_tuEyPzy66vOjnSYi0NF0EnKjsdujp_UWX0NJ8ZS_1axG-H5bXwPlb_8t6eo1WZz3IlbrvAbKy4pOp3EAadH-g/s1600/313461_10150377424583701_724813700_8259733_1929451620_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9KJmqRhk4zqURyxJSzIBsdXVOD-kMYXhdzBLhUT75Np91umeS-2wF_tuEyPzy66vOjnSYi0NF0EnKjsdujp_UWX0NJ8ZS_1axG-H5bXwPlb_8t6eo1WZz3IlbrvAbKy4pOp3EAadH-g/s320/313461_10150377424583701_724813700_8259733_1929451620_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1JkeKkls8F-DdqA_KsBrQIQl3E2ZYB62FiKSgeMXsBmV4QYJzsL9iXQ2gt7pS0l6uIf0UvjywVnjpYi5RS_12RkudaDDbnM5OxQeb9_W5sYsF9yTnG1lCPDmUPze79s2Zsv7hxbH3OQ/s1600/388402_2143783314190_1234440157_31878420_1564931509_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1JkeKkls8F-DdqA_KsBrQIQl3E2ZYB62FiKSgeMXsBmV4QYJzsL9iXQ2gt7pS0l6uIf0UvjywVnjpYi5RS_12RkudaDDbnM5OxQeb9_W5sYsF9yTnG1lCPDmUPze79s2Zsv7hxbH3OQ/s1600/388402_2143783314190_1234440157_31878420_1564931509_n.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">She was looking strong and ready at a steady pace. We were running with the 4:00 pacer for a while who didn't have any runners with him. We chatted with him for a bit and then at mile 23 he stopped running all together! We kept going at a steady pace, the sun was beating down, the temperature was now in the 80s and Meghan was doing a great job battling the hills that kept coming up on us. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was weird to be the one not running the full distance. I have never jumped in as support for anyone and it was hard to know just what to do to be the best companion possible as you battle through the most grueling miles of your life. Even though she continued to look strong and run strong, I could just feel her pain as we ran miles 24-26. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCee2MmayFYvSMqyDzNf9QWFqNKSdiGxPnRTd_mcUpHzl3XyFxeDJRHSNEpn5B16SpRYcYaYub11z1PgDy6-hVnMOxghRKlqEKt85RTWD9RY9Q33eRJzWLC0HYMAg3DTurGTMmoF85Ng/s1600/300386_2114271496413_1234440157_31855977_1437367106_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCee2MmayFYvSMqyDzNf9QWFqNKSdiGxPnRTd_mcUpHzl3XyFxeDJRHSNEpn5B16SpRYcYaYub11z1PgDy6-hVnMOxghRKlqEKt85RTWD9RY9Q33eRJzWLC0HYMAg3DTurGTMmoF85Ng/s400/300386_2114271496413_1234440157_31855977_1437367106_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mile 26! Meghan finishing strong as I amp up the crowd and get them cheering!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Meghan crossed the line with a time of 4:03. I am so happy for her and proud of her for finishing with not only a great time, but doing it on a desolate, lonely, hot and hilly course. I'm impressed she made it through the training which she did all by herself and while in college with all the studying (and partying!) pressures. To top things off, we found out a couple of days ago that she placed 2nd in her age group. Congratulations Meghan! We love you!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAfZSaod2XYdjPlw5YRnj1mZ4ZZyMVHPP-a3qw8SNAoGP-UsTGmnIpKptngyzmj_3L13SThWtLSKmEfmBWl2hcjZv2uIgSO6sHFd2bS-dpXu5gD38BIoo1DpHTbAnluIGrv5dHQkKIyg/s1600/300624_10150377429298701_724813700_8259783_754917563_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAfZSaod2XYdjPlw5YRnj1mZ4ZZyMVHPP-a3qw8SNAoGP-UsTGmnIpKptngyzmj_3L13SThWtLSKmEfmBWl2hcjZv2uIgSO6sHFd2bS-dpXu5gD38BIoo1DpHTbAnluIGrv5dHQkKIyg/s400/300624_10150377429298701_724813700_8259783_754917563_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458106935584331604noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727999140671103941.post-48861182740447535252011-10-22T21:17:00.000-07:002011-10-22T21:17:37.060-07:00Butternut Squash and Rosemary Leek SoupI love autumn. I love the cool crisp air, the vibrant colors of leaves changing, and most of all- the food that comes with the season. I love all of the apples, pumpkin and winter squashes. I was honored when I was contacted about creating a recipe for the Home Grown Challenge 2.0. I was especially thrilled that I was going to get to be able to create it with local autumn ingredients. The Home Grown Challenge 2.0 is something that Luke from <a href="http://www.antleragency.com/">Antler Agency</a> set out to do for the second year in a row. He is only eating food that he grew on his farm in Western Massachusetts for the month of October. To learn more about Luke's challenge, you can visit <a href="http://www.antleragency.com/home-grown-food-challenge-2-0/">here</a>.<br />
As I looked over the list of food that Luke grew on his farm, I immediately knew that I had to create something with butternut squash. With the fall in full swing, I wanted to create something warm and with a creamy texture, but without using dairy. This soup satisfied that need! Check out Luke's write up on my recipe and other local food bloggers' recipes-<a href="http://sweetlocalfarm.com/2011/10/10/butternut-squash-and-rosemary-leek-soup-recipe/"> here</a>.<br />
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<b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Butternut Squash and Rosemary Leek Soup:</span></u></b><br />
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</style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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</style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">1 generous serving- or 2 appetizer sized servings (you can easily double if you want more)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>INGREDIENTS:</b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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</style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">3 Cups <span style="color: #222222;">Butternut</span> Squash<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">1/3 Cup Leeks<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">1 tsp Fresh Rosemary (extra sprig for garnish)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">2/3 Cup Water<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">1/2 tsp Sea Salt (optional since not harvested from the farm!)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>METHOD:</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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</style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Preheat 425 degrees. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Peel and roughly chop <span style="color: #222222;">butternut</span> squash. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Chop Leek<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Place <span style="color: #222222;">butternut</span> squash and leek on cookie sheet and roast for 30 minutes.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">After roasted, place roasted <span style="color: #222222;">butternut</span> squash, leek and rosemary (and optional salt) in blender. If using a Vitamix, the 2/3 Cup water can be warm water, (if regular blender, use boiling water). For Vitamix, blend on "hot soup" setting. For other blenders, blend for about 2 minutes. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Pour out of blender (should be creamy consistency), garnish with extra rosemary sprig and ENJOY!!</span></div><br />
</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeBPlFDzvwRylRRDg59fbJKjqgIDafPkp5HEvJue_qwyAxiIRWdLFK4ZWw2SLAaVIB0Emfg6ynyJ20lR__5mTjCMLLpv3Gs_1aE09kzt9k5tCCvRO4WYJ0ZkO6z3wBr4UaDTBZjXpOJA/s1600/IMG_0730.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeBPlFDzvwRylRRDg59fbJKjqgIDafPkp5HEvJue_qwyAxiIRWdLFK4ZWw2SLAaVIB0Emfg6ynyJ20lR__5mTjCMLLpv3Gs_1aE09kzt9k5tCCvRO4WYJ0ZkO6z3wBr4UaDTBZjXpOJA/s320/IMG_0730.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><b><u><br />
</u></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Nutritional Benefits:</span></b><br />
<i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Butternut Squash:</span></b></i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaUj1hAu2HzMRCK7aIb0ZvX9ocrSk3O-uDNepq84Ekve9YHvq7Oitto8Oj4Xd-q0WY6uSp1aiPR110I-4rGlkWwp-tOUpwaz01x0cRMeYC_9bWuK5DVCtJGILk_BXbiIQr8GHvTvBJbA/s1600/butternut-pumpkin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaUj1hAu2HzMRCK7aIb0ZvX9ocrSk3O-uDNepq84Ekve9YHvq7Oitto8Oj4Xd-q0WY6uSp1aiPR110I-4rGlkWwp-tOUpwaz01x0cRMeYC_9bWuK5DVCtJGILk_BXbiIQr8GHvTvBJbA/s200/butternut-pumpkin.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">-High in Vitamin <b>B6: </b>important for protein, fat and carbohydrate metabolism. Important for manufacturing muscle and hemoglobin- both critical for improved athletic performance.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">-high fiber</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">-Great source of <b>folate.</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">-abundance of carotenoids</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">-<b>antioxidant </b>rich</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">-boosts the immune system</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- high in vitamin C</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">-studies show it is <b>anti-inflammatory</b> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">-source of omega 3s (though not as high as fish/flax or walnuts- it is a decent source)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">-high in potassium</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">-insulin regulating properties that help <b>control blood sugar</b></span><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<b><i>Leeks:</i></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-wDauDLvlGxUn5C1gObZuCUIzgwEFltTvW2PE9GHltmCdCKqaXSPuY7Y4MpEydYu-QfEnwba7Gj0v7P7EJT_6B2bQUeBM7dDSG0bYz6ex8dYxNaG9UBmTsiX4Q4ymlZUEhwSHn7yAw/s1600/leeks01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-wDauDLvlGxUn5C1gObZuCUIzgwEFltTvW2PE9GHltmCdCKqaXSPuY7Y4MpEydYu-QfEnwba7Gj0v7P7EJT_6B2bQUeBM7dDSG0bYz6ex8dYxNaG9UBmTsiX4Q4ymlZUEhwSHn7yAw/s200/leeks01.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><i style="font-weight: bold;">-</i>Part of the Allium family. Contains many of the same potent benefits as onions and garlic<br />
-High concentration of <b>folate</b>- very important for cardiovascular health, for DNA synthesis and cell division. Important for everyone, but especially for athletes who have rapid cell turnover due to the intense work and pounding that they body goes through.<br />
-<b>Anti-oxidant</b> rich- protect body against pro-inflammatory free radicals<br />
-Contains compounds that convert to allicin which has been shown to <b>lower cholesterol, reduce blood pressure</b> as well as protects the body against blood clot formation.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><i>Rosemary:</i></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-FlNJC24zrHs924G-4-KgRBn7riIsGczTyosPnoAZjiTx0ttMfQFiSDUPMg8Q4U4UZk_LAu2J9UPSFjLxJDUTcPJ16j2pzE-9yvn4uyJw9s_SrHcdEqkD2nQghJmyV_XbbwxpxP4qgg/s1600/Rosemary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-FlNJC24zrHs924G-4-KgRBn7riIsGczTyosPnoAZjiTx0ttMfQFiSDUPMg8Q4U4UZk_LAu2J9UPSFjLxJDUTcPJ16j2pzE-9yvn4uyJw9s_SrHcdEqkD2nQghJmyV_XbbwxpxP4qgg/s200/Rosemary.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b><i><br />
</i></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">-increase <b>circulation </b>to improve <b>brain function</b> and <b>transport blood to muscles</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">-powerful stimulant for improving <b>digestion</b>, and helps to soothe upset stomachs, stomach cramps and bloating</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">-<b>anti-inflammatory</b> and been shown to reduce severity of asthma, as well as anti-cancer properties</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">-High level of <b>anti-oxidant</b> agents to reduce free radical activity</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">-stimulates the liver to work more efficiently to feel more healthy and energetic, stimulates <b>liver to flush out toxins</b>.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">-<b>anti-septic</b> and <b>anti-bacterial </b>- kills harmful bacteria without wiping out good bacteria in the gut</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">-relieves <b>aching joints</b> and overall <b>muscle pain</b>, headaches and tension in the body</span></span>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458106935584331604noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727999140671103941.post-14980153105190708712011-09-08T10:47:00.000-07:002011-09-08T10:47:05.309-07:00Figs and Honey<div class="MsoNormal">I love fig season. Until several years ago, I think the only figs I ever had or heard of were fig newtons. It wasn’t until I studied abroad (um ok 9yrs ago!) in Florence when I ate my first fresh fig. My host mother scurried outside her kitchen door and picked figs off of her tree and came back in and served them to me. I looked at her puzzled wondering what it was. She didn't speak any English and I didn't know the Italian word for fig, so it wasn't until I looked it up did I know what I was eating. Ever since then I love figs. When I came back to the states, I never bought them in the store and it wasn’t until last year that I rediscovered my love for them. They come into season in late August. Unfortunately they don’t grown local to New England and are grown in California. Whole Foods has them on sale right now though- so it is a great time to try them. I get both the Black Mission or Brown Turkey variety- both are great.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhdxCxyfARnKf3RT5plP5ns43aJ32_jwwcZhl2036SiDSbe1cpbtKYJ5DLJnw1bRsusx_mlvF5FLDiHzKzMQYAe99gvN6d7iEYoC-tKTePlw4oPGwMZt0hDOTewWbPnxWQ83onFIXleA/s1600/IMG_0692.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhdxCxyfARnKf3RT5plP5ns43aJ32_jwwcZhl2036SiDSbe1cpbtKYJ5DLJnw1bRsusx_mlvF5FLDiHzKzMQYAe99gvN6d7iEYoC-tKTePlw4oPGwMZt0hDOTewWbPnxWQ83onFIXleA/s320/IMG_0692.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="239" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga6SwSyUzeir-YXIwTHP5uDQ0Ez_1-8Qx3_W_O06OMVA_eLSHmfSicgpa_akmFlvLGdas9my-UadLbXAplJM7AZUzsjPxjJbREqaQt4dQJlJS7OzPe8gnFMTgaN8HGsChd3AKPFex23Q/s1600/IMG_0694.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga6SwSyUzeir-YXIwTHP5uDQ0Ez_1-8Qx3_W_O06OMVA_eLSHmfSicgpa_akmFlvLGdas9my-UadLbXAplJM7AZUzsjPxjJbREqaQt4dQJlJS7OzPe8gnFMTgaN8HGsChd3AKPFex23Q/s320/IMG_0694.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">My favorite way to eat them is cut in half or cut in quarters and dip them in raw honey. Simple, yet delicious. Perfect for a late summer dessert. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqnMiDmV7H3l-evqmw4nGABb3JQvwIK-5oHrcBn6p6EL24naOTudHvp0OTLzQDUr_6be3dlxRYh81LE1YFStAfZ02rs8SCWT3lVvv0Gvp3axqDwkUn7dpaWaUVnf2nVydm-m-rUdkhDA/s1600/IMG_0666.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqnMiDmV7H3l-evqmw4nGABb3JQvwIK-5oHrcBn6p6EL24naOTudHvp0OTLzQDUr_6be3dlxRYh81LE1YFStAfZ02rs8SCWT3lVvv0Gvp3axqDwkUn7dpaWaUVnf2nVydm-m-rUdkhDA/s320/IMG_0666.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The fig season is short, so ENJOY them fresh while they are around!<br />
<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Nutritional Benefits:</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Figs:</span></b></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i> -</i>rich source of<b> Potassium </b>which helps regulate blood pressure. Also great for maintaining muscle function to prevent cramps.</div><div class="MsoNormal">-great source of fiber to help with weight management and regulating digestion</div><div class="MsoNormal">-good source of<b> calcium</b> and <b>manganese</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">-one of the most <b>alkaline </b>fruits- providing balance to the body since the Standard American Diet is highly acidic.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i><br />
</i></span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>Raw Honey:</i></span></b><br />
Most honey is pasteurized and filtered. This makes it easier to handle, looks cleaner on the shelf and slows crystallization. However, when this honey is heated, all enzymes, vitamins and minerals are destroyed. Raw honey is so much more nutritious, has more health benefits and I think it tastes much better too! It is can be more of a cream or crystallized consistency and can be used as a spread or as a dip (like with the figs). Try to buy local raw honey. You can find local raw honey at farmers markets, farms and Whole Foods.<br />
-high level of <b>antioxidants</b> and phytonutrients<br />
-<b>Anti-bacterial/Anti-fungal/Anti-viral</b><br />
-<b>Ergogenic aid</b> (athletic performance enhancer) -study showed increased performance with athletes vs. when ingested sugar or maltodextrin<br />
- B vitamins <br />
-potassium, iron, magnesium, calcium<br />
-Immune system booster</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458106935584331604noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727999140671103941.post-74460822907582405872011-08-30T11:38:00.000-07:002011-08-30T11:38:21.892-07:00Timberman 70.3 Race Report<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVjau8J1CZlqlU5YPTi1VSiuNGlhTsigocDmee6Ehv8NQNStac5oqO7D7q8OHfg2MNsIvB61e_NAgeBGSMaQJmvmJASH8gZfTL36wLHTRC6MU7Br_reCLlNHkf1-p8Q4js7deknlSosA/s1600/IMG_0691.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVjau8J1CZlqlU5YPTi1VSiuNGlhTsigocDmee6Ehv8NQNStac5oqO7D7q8OHfg2MNsIvB61e_NAgeBGSMaQJmvmJASH8gZfTL36wLHTRC6MU7Br_reCLlNHkf1-p8Q4js7deknlSosA/s320/IMG_0691.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">4:30 am came quickly. We wanted to get to transition early, so that we could park right at Ellacoya state park rather than parking at Gunstock or remote lots and shuttling to the start. We did get there early and I ate breakfast and sipped on my yerba mate tea in the car before the sun came up. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpPjmzi6jXCk8b2oVgiiJZM433_V0OvMmBr4AeIcPyf6VPMP2xCqgh5UKBvqsEZ0jJuSBGMGHuEar5RkS_NiJ_iTIFzrc8_clhcwq3a5sMbiGuJ2KUrxdyOp4aAuO-jD_LTY-lZebQyw/s1600/IMG_0685.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpPjmzi6jXCk8b2oVgiiJZM433_V0OvMmBr4AeIcPyf6VPMP2xCqgh5UKBvqsEZ0jJuSBGMGHuEar5RkS_NiJ_iTIFzrc8_clhcwq3a5sMbiGuJ2KUrxdyOp4aAuO-jD_LTY-lZebQyw/s320/IMG_0685.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After prepping my transition spot, I had quite a bit of time since the pros went off at 7am and my wave went off at 8am. It was a cold morning and I was happy I had my sweats. I actually wore my hoodie and flip flops until the last moment so I wouldn’t be cold. I was lucky enough to have Joe on the beach with me, so I could hand off my clothes to him.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs7rImeikGGkwCp9iGCCzjhFIBCcfInX5gsX7v4_uLXR_UsOQIvuCPL5wKVY3ogPYaBNejIR-Ep6EYIudj0T4QQIcHDuW2Q4mie86RWAXiomgvDmFfjaiuGrec7jUpdeFqslxWbtzq1Q/s1600/IMG_0684.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs7rImeikGGkwCp9iGCCzjhFIBCcfInX5gsX7v4_uLXR_UsOQIvuCPL5wKVY3ogPYaBNejIR-Ep6EYIudj0T4QQIcHDuW2Q4mie86RWAXiomgvDmFfjaiuGrec7jUpdeFqslxWbtzq1Q/s320/IMG_0684.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">No matter how many times I have done a half ironman, I still get that feeling when reality sets in of what I am about to embark on. It is 10xs worse for ironman, but I still get it to some degree for a half. <br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">I felt great on the swim, but I was a couple minutes slow based on my goal. I swam it in 34:50. I have been working a lot on my swim and have gotten so much faster, but clearly something went awry. I guess the bigger issue is I can’t figure out what since I felt good and felt like I swam a straight course. I have a long time in the pool ahead of me with Coach Jen to figure it out before Ironman Mont Tremblant. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFnADkUUJgj-gQEvAnJA-anhEqlGB5C-awZkBPQ2iNNQ4zedMzDHxAd4OCEcdp15Uz0fvDiBzQLFVDfYicWn16RZZavva8KDWAc_vipax9vQO1usE8dfBjDwDJcNgkQoJPFkQ_vN4LhQ/s1600/IMG_4900.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFnADkUUJgj-gQEvAnJA-anhEqlGB5C-awZkBPQ2iNNQ4zedMzDHxAd4OCEcdp15Uz0fvDiBzQLFVDfYicWn16RZZavva8KDWAc_vipax9vQO1usE8dfBjDwDJcNgkQoJPFkQ_vN4LhQ/s400/IMG_4900.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The bike has always been my weakest discipline. I have been working a lot on my bike this year. The road conditions weren’t great- lots of potholes and rough areas, but it could have been worse. Since the roads weren’t closed I did find myself in a sketchy situation flying down hill and a car passed me and had to stop due to riders. There wasn’t a shoulder on the road and I had to slam on my brakes- I think my heart rate was the highest of the day at that point as it shot up in fear that I was going to slam in the back of the car. Other than that, the bike was pretty smooth.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal"> My goal was to break 3:00 hours on the bike and ended up with a 2:50- I am thrilled about that. All my hard work has paid off and I am hoping this is a good sign that my riding will just continue to get stronger. </div><div class="MsoNormal">The run was tough- even though I am smiling in almost every picture from the run. It tends to relax my body when I smile. I try to fake myself that I am not feeling uncomfortable.<br />
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I am always happy when I get on my two feet, but I didn’t feel as great as I would have liked. It ended up being quite a hot run and I am always thankful that at IM races they have the cold sponges and towels at the aid stations. They help so much to help cool the body down. And this is coming from someone who loves the heat and can handle heat much better than cold. I ended up with a 1:51 half marathon- about 5 minutes slower than I would have liked, but hey, I will take it. <br />
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Crossing the finish line was especially special since 3x Ironman World Champion Chrissie Wellington gave me my finishers medal. Not only is she an amazing athlete who keeps breaking her own world records, but she is truly a genuine person. She took the time to congratulate everyone has they came across. It was the highlight of my day.<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Overall, I am extremely thrilled with my race. I broke my personal record for my Half Ironman distance with my 5:20:19 finishing time. I placed 9<sup>th</sup> in my AG and 336th overall out of the out of 1600-something men and women, which I am extremely happy about. I had an amazing cheer crew and can’t thank Joe (@flinnj3- for doing an amazing job giving race updates via twitter even though he had never tweeted before), Andrea, Katy and Ray (follow ray! @brownie1818) enough for all their support. No one else had a better cheer squad out there. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHR5Vq5KobsyXWiL7A75IA9ZDOGUZBdF5jYVHWwnA2rwdUWt_gecJZVJIz2NKHdhxQ_Xtoh7KZWDinP2HoVyGOkvL_vdJJaztib-uuepAN0kTGcUHmPlrFSRxmtHHNJEoocOIFAp5pIA/s1600/IMG_4959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHR5Vq5KobsyXWiL7A75IA9ZDOGUZBdF5jYVHWwnA2rwdUWt_gecJZVJIz2NKHdhxQ_Xtoh7KZWDinP2HoVyGOkvL_vdJJaztib-uuepAN0kTGcUHmPlrFSRxmtHHNJEoocOIFAp5pIA/s320/IMG_4959.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Thunderstorms rolled in and they closed the course early pulling runners off the roads before they finished. We got on the road before the thunderstorms hit and I sipped on my chocolate hemp milk mixed with hemp protein on the way home to start the recovery process.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCBF6T4JIgEcwOJ6UJ57hTmPBI4xdNhezZ20QMRXGbm3TFhJpfaPNTtalOsQA9XoGWZt15b1686frzCD9GF2az37cy-lBOLla7KlOlSlSDobcbevtwRZr5D1M1_rRDbSGPcskbGbi1hA/s1600/da251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCBF6T4JIgEcwOJ6UJ57hTmPBI4xdNhezZ20QMRXGbm3TFhJpfaPNTtalOsQA9XoGWZt15b1686frzCD9GF2az37cy-lBOLla7KlOlSlSDobcbevtwRZr5D1M1_rRDbSGPcskbGbi1hA/s400/da251.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br />
Timberman wrapped up my triathlon racing of the season. I have a LOT of work to do before Ironman Mont Tremblant next year to be able to accomplish what I want to do, but I am excited for the challenge. I have a fun fall ahead of me before the IMMT journey begins...</div><div class="MsoNormal">Now onto ‘cross….</div>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458106935584331604noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727999140671103941.post-6760806459082260782011-08-29T14:21:00.000-07:002011-08-29T14:21:04.236-07:00Timberman 70.3 Pre-Race Report/Cilantro Lime Brown Rice My last triathlon of the season was this past Sunday- Timberman 70.3 (a 1.2mi swim, 56 mi bike and 13.1 mi run). <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7tIAewebhoFFvTYx4HzvK9GBD-AxIA1rxhUZA4sWsWZPTeQKxhzy0dqgonEw6FmDB_AXdrrf5pzqCWIixang4ma7V2Gpqrw0l9k_ESqCaAU5AYUBjRcKLvU4eUQCd-nHQfwKBLExoJA/s1600/timberman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7tIAewebhoFFvTYx4HzvK9GBD-AxIA1rxhUZA4sWsWZPTeQKxhzy0dqgonEw6FmDB_AXdrrf5pzqCWIixang4ma7V2Gpqrw0l9k_ESqCaAU5AYUBjRcKLvU4eUQCd-nHQfwKBLExoJA/s1600/timberman.jpg" /></a></div>No matter how many times I have done a half ironman, I always forget how much it hurts. For some reason I always tend to down play the severity of what I am about to embark on. Although I do take my eating seriously :). I started off Saturday with some pancakes that I made from scratch. I like to eat a fairly big carb loaded, easily digestible breakfast and lunch the day before the race eating most of my calories for breakfast and lunch. I cut down on heavy fiber foods or anything that could possibly cause any GI distress. I made the pancakes by throwing in some ingredients, so I don't have a proper recipe to post. I was running late on time, so I didn't take the time to write anything down. I will recreate and post the recipe soon. They were gluten free and vegan and it was a combination of millet flour, sorghum flour, hemp protein powder, baking powder, maple syrup, coconut oil and applesauce. We topped with maple syrup and blueberries- delicious!<br />
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Lunch was composed of more easily digested carbs and some fat. I made cilantro lime brown rice, roasted sweet potatoes and avocados. The lovely Sarah Cincotta (@scincotta if you want to follow her!) mentioned that she made cilantro brown rice and inspired me to make my own. I was short on time and I didn't have time to soak my rice. I recently discovered truRoots germinated brown rice. It is already soaked and sprouted, so you don't have to do it to gain all the benefits. This process helps you digest the rice more easily, removes the phytic acid in the rice that blocks the absorption of vitamins and minerals. It also increases the amount of gamma-aminobutyric acid <b>(GABA)</b> a neurotransmitter studies have shown to <b>regulate anxiety, sleep, the immune system, and fat metabolism.</b><br />
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<b><i>Cilantro Brown Rice:</i></b><br />
1 Cup Cooked Brown Rice<br />
1 Lime<br />
1 Cup Fresh Cilantro<br />
Sea salt<br />
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Cook the brown rice.<br />
Squeeze fresh lime juice (if you really like lime you can do 2 limes).<br />
Stir in fresh cilantro and sea salt. <br />
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Cut sweet potato into chunks and place on cookie sheet. Drizzle small amount of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast on 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. <br />
Cut 1/2 avocado into chunks. I didn't still all together but just lined up the rice, avocado and sweet potato next to each other. You could also add some black beans to this, but I didn't want all that fiber the day before a race. <br />
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<b>NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS:</b><br />
<i>Cilantro- a powerful herb </i><br />
-loaded with phytonutrients<br />
-aids in digestion, prevents intestinal gas and prevents nausea<br />
-Detox- removes heavy metals such as mercury, aluminum and lead from the body<br />
-antioxidant properties<br />
-anti-fungal and anti-septic properties<br />
-immune boosting properties<br />
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<i>Sweet Potatoes-</i><br />
-Rich in beta carotene/vitamin A<br />
-Rich in Vitamin C<br />
-high in potassium<br />
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To fully absorb the beta carotene, it is important to eat with some fat. The olive oil and avocados not only taste good, but add function to help with absorption. I talked about the nutrition benefits of avocados in my Cherry Chocolate Pudding Post <a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_1631543352"></span>here<span id="goog_1631543353"></span></a>.<br />
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We headed up to Gilford that afternoon and picked up my number at Gunstock. It was like a ghost town, I guess most people picked up their numbers earlier. It was weird since I am used to athlete village being buzzing. We racked my bike and headed to where we were staying. I am incredibly grateful to my friend Ray (@brownie1818 on twitter if you want to follow too!) who let us stay at his house. I packed a small bag of ingredients to make a simple dinner at his house (and try not to impose!)- brown rice pasta, olive oil, oregano, fresh basil, red pepper flakes, salt and hemp seeds (very similar- minus the kale to <a href="http://ironnourishment.blogspot.com/2011/08/brown-rice-pasta-with-kale-shallots-and.html">this post</a>). It was extremely easy to make outside my kitchen. We were very lucky to stay so close to the start especially with the 4:30 am wake up call awaiting us.<br />
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Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458106935584331604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727999140671103941.post-14917653128998789572011-08-24T19:43:00.000-07:002011-08-24T19:44:45.060-07:00Purple Cauliflower? Grilled Peach Arugula Salad/ Nantucket Triathlon RecapSorry for the late post.. didn't have the pictures and this post just wouldn't be complete with out the image of Michael's speedo!<br />
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I kicked off my week on Nantucket with the Nantucket Sprint Triathlon. We got in late off the ferry. My mom had a great dinner waiting for us. She made Pizza with fresh vegetables that she roasted (eggplant, peppers, zucchini), a pizza sauce, no cheese on Namaste Foods Gluten Free Pizza Crust (you can find it at Whole Foods). Now I think a lot of gluten free products are junk. Many are filled with corn syrup and lots of additives and chemicals that just aren't healthy. I certainly don't think gluten free equals healthy, especially when it comes to packaged products. However, there are some good ones out there and I think Namaste makes some of the better ones. The crust is very easy to make, just add oil and water. It is made of brown rice and is free of dairy, soy, yeast, gluten and nuts. It is easily digested and a great quick and easy meal. I don't have a picture of the final product since I was ravenous when we got to the house and forgot to take one, but next time we make it, I will post a picture.<br />
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The race started at 12:30 due to logistics with road closures.<br />
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It was weird being able to sleep in on race morning instead of the usual 4:30 am wake up. I raced with both my brother and sister and my parents came to watch us. The course was fast except for the slow swim. It was low tide at the start which was at Jetties Beach. We had to run in the water/dolphin dive/whatever you thought would get you to shore fastest in the last part of the swim. The bike course went out to Madaket and back and was very fast. The run was out to Steps beach and back. I had about 1/2 mile left to run and all of a sudden the skies opened and torrential downpours started. (think Ironman Lake Placid 2008 kind of rain, but with more thunder and lightning). It was crazy. The roads started to flood, people ran for shelter, some people that were on their bikes pulled over and waited for the rain to stop. As I approached the finish line the timing clock blew over and the actual finish line that was on wheels took off and almost took out several unaware spectators. The storm passed over quickly and only lasted about 20 minutes, but it sure left a big impact and added excitement to the race. <br />
I was very thankful that the roads were closed for the safety of all the athletes.I know there was controversy and some very unhappy people on the island for the road closures, but it truly did make a difference for this awesome event. I whole heartedly thank the residents and police officers for supporting such a great event.<br />
I was Very happy with my race and ended up 1st in my age group (excited to see Robyn Varney on the podium with me!) and 3rd Overall Woman (on race day I was 4th, but a couple days later the results were made official and the top woman did not really win and was 1st by error).<br />
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However, the real excitement of the day was 1st when they announced the 20-24 female winners. We are waiting around for my award and we hear "1st place 20-24 Meghan Weiler". My whole family was in shock, we were so excited- jumping up and down and cheering (probably a bit obnoxious too). Meghan hardly trained for the race and just killed it out there. I am trying to convince her to do an Ironman with me, but not having too much luck so far. <br />
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Then they were ready to announce the free pair of round trip Jet Blue tickets. Michael was gunning for these tickets and even wore his "I must be butter... because I am on a roll" Splish speedo for the whole race. <br />
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Yes, a bit ridiculous, but everyone knew who I was talking about when I was trying to track him down post race. I love the splish bathing suits.. they make getting into the cold water at 6 am workouts a little less painful by adding some fun into it. (<a href="http://www.splish.com">www.splish.com</a>) Bill Burnett the race director looked at the results and said "well this is shocking.. wow.. I dont' know if this has happened before- the winner of the Jet Blue tickets did not go to the winner of the race- I hope Michael Weiler is here". Again, the Weiler cheering and jumping and hooting and hollering resumed. As Michael said afterwards- he was more excited than any Elite or Pros would be (yes he beat out the Pros!).<br />
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All in all it was a great day and I am grateful that I was able to share it with my whole family.<br />
The rest of my week on Nantucket was full of training and eating some great dinners. One highlight was the local purple cauliflower that I found at Bartlett Farm. <br />
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I preheated the oven for 400 degrees. Broke the cauliflower into pieces (here I used the purple and an orange cauliflower), lightly drizzled olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. I roasted it for about 35-40 minutes. Delicious.<br />
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I have been loving peaches this summer. The picture above also has my peach salad. <br />
Ingredients:<br />
Arugula or Baby Spinach<br />
3 peaches<br />
1/4 cup Raw Pepitas<br />
4 Tablespoons olive oil<br />
2 tablespoons raw honey<br />
1/2 fresh squeezed lemon juice<br />
sea salt<br />
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Cut the peaches into halves and remove pit. Grill peaches face down for about 6 minutes.<br />
To make the dressing, combine the raw honey, olive oil, lemon juice and dash of salt. <br />
Once peaches are done, I like to cut into slices. Combine arugula or baby spinach, pepitas, peaches and toss with the dressing. <br />
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Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458106935584331604noreply@blogger.com0