San Fran Last day

Really busy today. All conference all day and just got back from dinner. It was great, but I'm looking forward to not eating like a total pig. My morning is going to be crazy so I have to get packing. I'm meeting my boss for a 45 minute run at 5am then my airport transport picks me up at 6:20. Sheesh. Somehow in the next 15 minutes I need to figure out how to get all of my crap packed away so I can NOT miss my plane tomorrow. And then I need to get to sleep. It's still going to be a very long and eventful weekend so I need my rest.

:)

See all the CTC peeps on Sunday at the picnic I hope!

San Fran Day3

I can't even begin to explain how tired I am today! The Bossman met me at my hotel lobby at 5:30 am Sharp for a morning run. We ran from Union square to Market to the Embarcadero to At&T park and back to my hotel. The Bay bridge looked absolutely beautiful this morning (because it was still dark). The bummer of the whole deal is that my knee is KILLING me right now. I took some Aleve, but I think that I have a triad of things going on:

1. chondromalacia patella. I can handle this
2. I think I might have a Baker's cyst
3. The combination of my PT band for the patella and the cyst has flared my IT band like crazy. I can't win!

I didn't take any pics today because it was all conference all day. But we did have a very nice dinner tonight at Annabelle's Bistro. My 3rd night of salmon in a row. Delicious. Last night it was Puccini and Panetti. I love that place.

I wanted to put up at least one pic per day, so here is a blast from the past. It's my roommate Matt's favorite pic of me because he thinks my best friends from Oz, Matt and Till look totally awesome. We had a lot of fun together. I miss my Aussie buds!

San Fran Day 2

Or... How did I manage to embarrass myself at this huge international meeting.

My first meeting ever: 14,000 attendees, Washington DC 2005. I had a "late breaker" abstract poster presentation (a big deal). I was wearing wool pants that were a trifle too big in the waist. So I had on a belt to keep them up. Unfortunately there weren't many belt-loops in the pants. Just one on each side. At the end of the 2 hour posted session, where almost no one came to my poster I realized why I had been chastized. My belt had scooted up my back, the pants scooted down my backside, and my underwear was hanging out for all to see. I wanted to die.

Second international meeting. San Francisco, 2006. Maybe 15,000 attendees. I spent my 2 hour poster session with my zipper undone. Priceless.

So this year I thought I had it covered. I just bought this super cute outfit that looked great. In a separate shopping expedition I bought these great clogs that are so super comfy to wear that I think they may never come off my feet until I graduate medical school. Since I couldn't walk by the end of this conference last year because me feet hurt so bad from my old shoes I was thrilled to be comfy this year. "Don't worry about these shoes- they work with any outfit" my roommate said. Yeah, well that was before the "skinny pant" came back. When I put on my super cute outfit this morning and then slipped on the clogs I wanted to die. The shoes are absolutely hideous with super cute outfit. Hideous. I look like Ronald McDonald. So here is super cute outfit:




And here is how I ruined it. This pic doesn't even do it justice. People spent all day staring at my feet. Good stuff

And here is a pic of my happy lab, trying to pretend they aren't looking at my feet.

The only thing that saved me was that I was showing enough cleavage that most men didn't notice the fashion disaster I really am.

Pics!

Gratuitous Sea Lion pic

It took every ounce of willpower in my body not to get a crepe avec Nutella at this Crepery. So I had to take a picture

Pic on my walk to the Wharf. I love this city. It's so pretty!

Me (middle) with one of the Professors I work with (left) and my coworker and roommate for the night (right)
Look at the view behind me! Awesome...

San Fran Day 1

Man I am exhausted!

Quick summary of my day:

Got in early and checked in. Went to Wolfgang Puck's in Macy's for yummy butternut squash soup. It was awesome! Then I meandered over to the convention center to register for the conference and the rest of the day was mine.

Wanted to get some walking in, so I went from our Union Square hotel down to Fisherman's Warf to buy some presents for my favorite people, my roommates. They have sacrificed themselves to take care of Maddie so that I can go on vacation worry free. Oh, my gosh I almost cried when I left home this morning. My poor dog was DISTRAUGHT! I had to leave her for 5 months to go overseas when she was young and now she gets so upset when I leave her with suitcases. She was scratching at the door and barking. And I saw her little face looking at me leave through the window... poor pup

I digress... I walked home from the Warf to drop off my things. Then went out for a couple more quick presents in Union Square then off to dinner. We went to the top of the Mark and it was beautiful! 360 degree views of the entire bay. Except the fog had rolled in so it wasn't so clear. Oh, well. Now I'm sleepy but I'll post some pics before I head to dreamland...

Let's leave on a more positive note.

Feeling better today despite not sleeping well. I took a nap yesterday afternoon and that threw off my sleeping schedule. Anyway, I am very excited to release my 06/07 racing schedule!

10.8.06 Akron Towpath Marathon Relay

I get to be the anchor (what was my team thinking!!?). 5.5 miles This will be my first race after my run hiatus. I did a 5 miler in July in 39 minutes, so we'll so how much my time off has hurt me. Should be a lot of fun. My team is run by Jen , a fellow first time IMer in 2007. I am so excited to have her as a training buddy this year. It should be a great trip!

October/ November CTC duathlon seies

3 races 2 different lengths. Pure torture to those of us who love to swim and hate to run. But whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger, huh?

December 10, 2006 Las Vegas Half Marathon

Vegas baby, Vegas

This was supposed to be with my dad who is nursing a broken leg. But both parents will be there for support. Who am I kidding, they're just going out there to gamble. But I think they'll get a kick out of the atmosphere. And there are some CTC folks headed out there too.

Any of my blog's lurkers going out for this one? Email me!

March 31, 2007 California 70.3

Finally I am going to do a half! Unfortunately I had to choose just about the most expensive option. Well, there weren't many good options for super early season halfs. I need plenty of recovery time for the full. Thankfully I, and my roommate Matt who I am trying to convince to do it with me, have family in San Diego, so housing won't be an issue. Just that pesky flight and bike shipping.

And Finally, the moment we've all been waiting for.....

June 24th 2007 Ironman Coeur d' Alene!

Need I say more?

So now I'm off to pack. I'm starting to get excited for the conference. It's my favorite of the conferences I go to. It attracts mostly MDs, so it is a highly clinical ordeal. Being stuck in the throngs of science nerdery it's nice to duck out of the laboratory and see what happens to our drugs once they leave our hands. Unfortunately, working with antibiotics we get to hear all about how quickly bugs become resistant to the drugs we test. But that's our expertise, so it's all good. I'm just excited for all the shwag I can get at the expo. If I get there early enough I might be able to finally get the customized laser pointer with my name on it! It's the little things that excite me...

In a rut

I apologize in advance for the un-training related rant that I am about to throw down.

Ugh. I feel like I'm in a rut the size of a VW bus. I've just been feeling really down. I was planning to do a lot of cycling this weekend but I had absolutely no interest in it. And the weather ended up being quite nice. But still I slogged out 2 hours on the trainer instead. I think I'm still really bummed about the break-up. The older I get, the harder it is to let relationships go. The change of seasons is getting to me too. The unpredictability of the weather, the thought that winter is quickly approaching and I'll be staring at a wall for my workouts for months, another year older but still single and still in school. It's weird to see everyone's life around me moving so quickly. It's the shitty thing about the MD PhD program if you ask me. My entire medical school moved on. They are all doctors now, most of them married, making real money. Someday...

I think the San Fran thing is bothering me a bit too. You see, the last time I was there I was with my ex (not Brooks). We had a great time, checked out UCSF, a hospital we had both been eyeing for residency. And then a week later my life turned into the twilight zone. We had been best friends for 4 years, dating for 1.5. We knew everything about each other, spent every night together cooking dinner, drinking wine. Out of nowhere he broke up with me right when we returned from SF. Turns out he had been cheating on me the entire time we dated with at least 2 different women. On one hand, it made it much easier to get over him (I would have to be retarded to want him back), but on the other hand that experience left wounds that still haven't healed and I don't quite know when they will. It's so hard to really and completely trust someone after your best friend turns on you like that. He had been the one person in the world I trusted most.

So then my inability to trust people bombed my last relationship. It's not that I think people will cheat on me (I'm not the jealous type), I just have a really hard time trusting that I am not going to be hurt again. It's really a vicious cycle. I don't trust someone because I'm afraid of getting hurt, in turn I get hurt because they don't understand why I can't trust them... cycle repeats.

So now I'm going back to San Fran. The last place that I was when I thought all was right with the world. I'm staying in a hotel a block from where I was last time. At a meeting in the exact same convention center as last time. I'll probably duck out of the meeting to catch a movie at the same movie theater as last time. But I'm not the same person as last time. I don't want to be that person. I realize that I have grown so much since April. I am a stronger person. Believe it or not, I'm a happier person. I'm more in shape. I have dozens of new, wonderful friends. There is a mountain of acheivements I have my eyes set on for 2007. Professionally my life couldn't be better. I'm getting my PhD in February, and I'll be graduating with my name on more than 12 publications. I go back to medical school in July, which is my real passion. I have a real date when I will be able to move out of this city- May 2009.

So I guess my life really is moving forward even though I feel like I'm standing still. I'll climb my butt out of this rut soon and be back to my normal self. In a way, maybe this trip will be good for me. Give me some closure. Maybe I'll finally come out of the cocoon I've been in since April. I hope so.

Want to hear something I find really funny? My roommate Matt, who knows all about all the crap I've been through in my personal life (he works with the ex from hell) looked at me when I got home from work one day. He said: "Jodi, I was thinking about you a lot today and I came to a decision.... God hates you. What did you do to piss him off?"

I have no idea!

Weekend cycling :(

Hey peeps.

I know I said I was going to be all about the cycling this weekend.

Unfortunately, with the unpredictable (and crappy) weather, and the work that has popped up that I have to do before I leave for the Bay area Tuesday I won't be able to organize anything this weekend.

Boo!

I'm still going to try to make it out, but I have no idea what time or place it will be. The weather looks SO sketchy this weekend. Since this is a big time recovery week I'm not interested in toughing it through another 70 miles in the cold and rain. There will be plenty of time for that in the next 9 months I'm sure!

On a positive note, I met with Coach Angela this week and I am SOOOOO excited to start my training. I'm officially starting on Oct 1. I need to give my knees some more time to heal. I did a trial 2 miles on the treadmill and it wasn't good. (another reason I'm not excited about the cycling. It can aggravate the patella too). So for this week I am going to focus on the elliptical trainer and weight training. I think that my hotel should be able to accomodate that.

Before I leave I have one task for the bloggers of the word:

NAME MY BIKE:

The Cervelo (Dual, 06 silver with black and white decals) needs a name. I have decided a couple things about personality:

She is one high maintenance bitch

So my ideas so far:

J. Lo
Prima (as for Prima donna)

Help me out people!

Randomness

Random thought #1:

Swimming and the crazy uncontrollable hunger that accompanies it

I'm sure that all my tri buddies can attest to the fact that swimming makes you hungry. Not- I just ran for 2 hours- hungry. Not- I just biked 100 miles- hungry. You swim 4000 meters and get- I can't remember when I ate last, if I don't get food now I just might die, I think my stomach is eating itself- hungry. And this lasts at least 24 hours. Ever wonder why this happens? Well so have researchers:

While the old myth goes that you should wait two hours after swimming before hopping in the pool, apparently no one ever had such a policy against eating after swimming. And many find that their stomach begins to rumble soon after a session in the pool. While researchers aren't sure what causes these hunger pains, it has been shown that swimming is not as effective for weight loss as other forms of aerobic exercise.

"Many people who do a lot of exercise have recognized that when they swim, they're not able to lose as much weight as when they run or when they ride," says Dr. White.

In fact, a study published in February in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, Dr. White shows that exercising in cold water may cause you to eat even more afterwards then exercising in warmer water.

In the study, two groups of students rode a stationary bike underwater for 45 minutes. One group was in 68 degree Fahrenheit water, while the other group rode in 91 degree Fahrenheit water. After the exercise, both groups were led to a waiting room for one hour, with food available. After the session, those who exercised in cold water ate an average of 877 calories afterwards, while those who exercised in the warm water only ate 608 calories. Considering that both groups only burned a little over 500 calories exercising, these extra bites can make a big difference.

"When people are exposed to different temperatures, there are a lot of things that change, including blood-flow characteristics, the hormones that are secreted during exercise and the body temperature during and after exercise," says Dr. White, "Collectively, some of these changes may certainly have an effect on appetite."

Random thought #2

I am weight training retarded

I have come to the point in my season where I want to start from scratch, build up my fitness and tone up my body. However, I couldn't be more clueless about how to go about that. So I have taken to my gym, twice a week to look like an idiot navigating my way through the endless rows of weight benches. My current genious plan just has me spending 30 minutes in the back row, doing one complete body circuit of 3 X 10 reps. No particular order, no particular goal. I am so excited to get started with the coach to work on this.

Because come on people. You know why we really do triathlons: to look good naked. Don't deny it!

:)

Random thought # 3

Rain Sucks and it ruins nice weekend cycling plans

nuff said

Random thought # 4

I apologize to anyone out there going to the west coast next week

Because the weather will most definitely suck big time. Why? Because I'm going there. Want to hear my travel history?

-I think my first run-in with the weather was my brother's wedding. Supposed to be in Antigua- October 1996. At time of planned wedding the island was underwater after being hit head on by a hurricaine.

-My first trip to Cali, New Year 2000 for the Rose Bowl. Coldest new year on record. Happy 21st birthday, Jodi. Here's some pneumonia (no exaggeration)

-My first (and only) trip to Bermuda, May 2001. Coldest and wettest memorial day ever. Happy graduation.

- My first trip to San Fran, April 2006. Wettest spring ever.

Cross your fingers the "Big One" doesn't hit Sep 26-30. That would be just about right for my trip

Random thought #5

I eat far too much fruit

So I have been trying to clean up my diet lately. I have gone as "whole foods" as I can possibly manage. The only "processed" foods I've kept in my diet are whole wheat pasta, workout foods (Cliff, Gu, and Powerbar) and organic bread. This is very difficult. I mean, I'm sure I will figure out a way to do this better eventually, but eating 5 pieces a fruit a day is a little bit obnoxious. I think I am going to make my own granola for a snack and bring some carrots for variety. It's not like I'm trying to win the crown of Miss Regular. But on a positive note I feel pretty great and I'm sleeping like a baby. Oh, yeah- I'm also slowly cutting out my coffee. Don't worry, the Blue Moon in my beer fridge is not in any imminent danger. Well, only of me drinking it.

Random thought #6

I love fall a lot more when I have time to enjoy it

I mean, I haven't even watched one entire flippin football game on TV! That is just pure insanity. I am the girl that derives scorn from her roommates for monopolizing the couch all day and night on Saturday. The one who the roommates huddle around and laugh at as she plays her "On Wisconsin" bobblehead and dances at every touchdown. Oh, how I miss football... Maybe in October.

Random thought #7

Joining the triathlon club was the best move I've ever made. Ever.

How awesome are my teammates? So amazingly awesome and inspiring, and nice, and funny, and driven, and FUN! They introduced me to Blogger. Which has introduced me to more awesome and inspiring and nice and funny and driven and FUN people. I am so thankful for all my new friends in Cleveland and the blogosphere. I feel so lucky.

Upcoming Events: My life gets busy...

I feel like it's October already. Why? Because I have so much crap going on these next few weeks! Let's recap:

This Saturday: All day "retreat" for my department. Ugh

Sunday: Team Triathlon. I'm the bike leg. I've always wanted to be able to hammer on the bike and not worry about what's to come! Should be fun!

Sun-Wed I have to work my butt off. I have so much going on with work and I need to get some publications out ASAP so I can defend the Ole thesis in February

Thurs: Meet the new coach for lunch. Yay! Then another afternoon with my department- special seminar in the afternoon

Next Fri-Sun I am going to try to have a monster cycling weekend. Let me know if anyone wants to join me. If its nice I'd like to get in at least 100 miles over the weekend. Part will probably be hill repeats. What fun!

Then Tuesday the 26th I'm off to San Fran for the week for a conference. If anyone has any good restaurant or activity suggestions let me know! I was just there in April so I did most of the touristy stuff. But some good, healthy restaurant suggestions in the Union Square or SoMa area would be great!

Then right when I land I should have my first workout plan from the new boss, my coach Angela. I'm excited to see what she has in store for me! Ironman is only 9 months away. Yikes.

So if you don't hear from me much in the next couple of weeks, I apologize. But I'll be back. Of course, sometimes when I'm busy I need to get away and write, so you may be hearing more from me than you want. You never can tell.

What Scares Me

This week has really been a great learning experience.

Why?

IMMoo was the first Ironman in the US since the dream became real for me. I have been scouring the internet for race reports of the coldest and harshest IM ever. Some of my favorites so far:

TriSaratops of course. She has the most amazing way with words. I feel like I'm living the race with her.

Turkey from Slowtwitch had a great, excellently written report

IronWill has an amazing story going of a heartbreaking DNF. She is taking it in such graceful stride, though. I am in awe.

Kar-ming has some interesting things to say about hypothermia and diuresis

Chivalry has another wonderful report that I came across on Slowtwitch. And whose picture did I see on his page? Sara! The girl is a friggin celebrity! :)

So reading all of these grueling reports of fabulous people who have put their lives on hold for a year to train for something they never thought possible really started to get me nervous.

So what am I nervous about?

Am I worried that my IM will be wrought with the terrible weather that the MOOers had to battle?

No

Am I worried that I won't be able to finish

No, not yet.

Am I worried that training is going to be too hard?

Nope

What worries me most is the Monday after my IM.

Reading these reports makes me afraid of the hole that will be in my life on June 25, 2007. I will train for 9 months day in and day out. I will put my heart and soul into my bike, onto my legs, and through the water. I'll live and sleep nutrition, strategy, and training periodization. I will form bonds with my training buddies that I never thought possible because we are all in this huge monumental battle together.

And then on June 25th it will be over.

July 1st I will start my first day on the wards in my training to become a doctor. My life will officially change, as I start 5 years of intense medical training, 60-80 hours per week. Will I ever get to exercise? Will I ever see my friends? Will my tri-life that I have grown to love and cherish just disappear in a puff of smoke?

That is what scares me.

Recovery day, sort of

Oh, man. Remember what I said about my knee not being that bad. Scratch that! I've been in some significant pain today, with an ice pack on my knee as we speak. Not one to miss swim practice I decided I would go, just as a recovery swim. I'd get out after 2000 meters. No problem.

So I get there and ask the coach if there was going to be a lot of kicking today.

chuckle, chuckle. No I don't think so.

Great! I said. My knee is trashed so I'll be pulling the kick sets

So here is how it went

Warm up:

400 swim
400 (100 stroke, 100 kick (pull for me))
200 kick (pull for me)
200 IM

First set
12 X 50 pull (2 free on 1:00 , one stroke on 1:15) X 4

Sweet I'm at 1800 meters. I'll just do a little bit more.

Then the next set made it to the board:

3 X 300 pull (on 5:30)
6 X 50 kick (1:40)
3 X 200 pull (on 3:20)
6X 50 kick (1:40)
3 X 100 pull (on 1:40)
6 X 50 kick (1:40)

Oh, what the hell. I got up early for this, might as well finish out!

Well I did the first two kick sets and realized that the third was a bad idea. My knee was screaming. So I ended out the day with the pulling for a total yardage of 4200 meters. whew!

In other news, I started day one of my "whole foods" diet. It's going well. I swear I about went into fructose shock after my 2 bananas, 1 nectarine and 1 orange during the day. No problems getting my 5 servings of fruits and veggies today!

Tomorrow will probably be a true rest day. My body is hurting. But if my gym calls my name in the morning I might go do some strength training.

I escaped! errrr... kind of

The sea was angry today, my friends

20-40 mile per hour nor’easterly winds caused 4-6 foot waves in Lake Erie and a small craft advisory. Which subsequently turned my “A” race- can’t wait to kick this swim’s ass-coolest tri start ever-triathlon into a duathlon of survival. See, I’m a swimmer. I can probably swim a mile in open water faster than I can run a 5k on land. I also have had no end to my knee problems this year, so the addition of 3.1 miles of running to my day was not a delightful thought. And have I mentioned that this run is 80% on sand? Other bad omens for this race

- My Wednesday run was cut short by a huge cramp behind my knee which led to my IT band flaring (I already have chondromalacia in that knee) and an inability to walk for the rest of the night

- When I went to load up my brand new Cervelo Dual into my car the back tire was pancake flat. With only 100 miles on the tires, I was stumped. When I changed the tube it all became clear. I had asked my LBS to put rim tape on the tires- which they kindly did for me. However, they didn’t cut a large enough hole in the tape to get the valve through easily. When they muscled it through the hole they must have stressed the valve/tire joint and it was totally torn. So now I’m wondering when the front one will flat… but don’t have an extra 650 to change it out (it’s a 48 cm bike).

- In my hurry to get out (I was now late) I took a quick shower. As I put on my jeans I noticed that I only shaved my right leg (I am such an idiot).

- When I got up to the race I realized I only had $10 in cash and my ATM was MIA.

On to the race:

They called the swim at 6am and decided to have us do a 5k run instead, and to start 45 minutes early. It was cold, so the early start was a good thing.

Run Summary: passed some people, got passed by some people, time 26:32 (8:34/mile)

Details:

- run was in sand/trails, piers.
- They time-trialed the start because much of the course was unpassable, single lane. My luck they had lost my registration and I was about the 5th from last runner. It didn’t hold me up too much, but there were definitely times where I wanted to pass people but couldn’t
- I felt good coming into T1. Grabbed Gatorade for my transition area to drink before the second run. No knee issues- yes!

Bike Summary: passed some people, got passed by some people, time 1:20.15 (18.5mph)

Details:

-dropped my chain at mile 0.2. I knew I should have had my 100 mile tune-up before the race!
- ran over a spider the size of a small child
- It was so friggin windy that for about 5 miles I had to lean my body towards the lake to keep from getting blown over.
- I drank next to nothing, but had a Gu at mile 20. Mmmmm chocolate

Run 2 summary: Passed a couple people, got passed by a couple people: time 59:50 (9:39/mile)

Details:

- knees were starting to hurt, but never got excruciating, like I had imagined
- running into 20-40mph winds sucks. But not as bad as biking into them
- for a total of about 1-1.5 miles we weren’t just running through soft sand- we were running through quicksand I’m pretty sure
- The run that was by the lake was actually awesome. Hard packed sand is very easy on the knees
-It was a slow run, but I ran the entire thing. Given my knee issues I was so happy with this!

The finish:

I was so happy to see the finish line. I sprinted in (well, it was a sprint for me), got my chip removed, stretched, and laughed at my hairy left leg.

Total time for 5k run 40k bike 10k run: 2:49.11

Side note- I had a great time with DaisyDuc and her husband Joey. They were so generous to let me crash at their family vacation spot, which was about ½ mile from the race. They are the greatest!

I am going to escape (wish me luck!)

Okay, so my "A" race is finally here. But the thing is, it stopped being my A race the day I pressed submit for the Ironman. So I have been training more for a good base than for this race in particular. Oh, and there is that pesky knee injury that I possibly made 10 times worse on Wednesday.

But...

I am not going to let that stop me from having the best race of my year on Sunday. I mean- I get to jump off a friggin boat and swim a mile to shore. If that isn't awesome I don't know what is. And then a flat fast 24 mile bike ride...

Oh, yeah. Did I tell you guys about the run?

Hmmm.... Maybe that's because it is going to suck. big time. 6.2 miles, half in sand, half on trails. I don't think that you could make a worse run course for A) speed and B) Chondromalacia Patella

Now A) has never been a problem for me. Because I suck. My run splits don't really get me all anxious because it is just a death trudge anyway. But I just hope that I don't do damage to my knee. I'd rather not have to take a month off of running (because I just love it so much, can you tell?).

Well, darn it the experience of jumping off a boat will overshadow it all. Plus, I'm going up with DaisyDuc and that will be a ton of fun in itself. We will have the Red Menace out in force, too. We must have 20 people going up to the race. And there is nothing quite like cheering for teammates throughout an entire race. It is so motivating.

So I'm off to Sandusky tomorrow and will hurry back to watch Sara (TriSaraTops), Alan (TriAl), Rob(Triing without limits), and the rest of the IMMOO CTC crew finish on my computer. Send them positive vibes!

Obligatory training/diet note: swam 3500 meters this morning and I am DEAD tired tonight. I have been treating myself to a few treats here and there in anticipation of the new diet starting on Monday. Today I was very good until Coldstone called tonight. Goodbye Ice Cream. I will miss you (sniff).

Nutrition

I have been inspired to get serious about nutrition from my new friends at Slowtwitch (Thanks Lauren!). To understand my reasons for getting crazy about my food intake let's review my nutrition history:

College- Ate like crap. Exercised little. Gained 15 pounds
Med School- Studied for boards. Ate to stay awake. gained 15 more pounds
College/Med school- Very high cholesterol
Beginning of grad school- went on the Zone diet for a year. Lost 35 pounds, felt fabulous, cut out caffeine, cholesterol went WAY down. Life was good. I could run forever without knee pain. Not sure if I want to get that skinny again (108 pounds), but I certainly was healthy.
Past 2 years:

Dated someone who loved to cook. Started eating less great. Gained 10-15 pounds
Found out said person had been cheating on me. Didn't eat for 2 weeks. Lost 10 pounds

Joined the Tri-club, got my fitness in order, but my diet has been less than desirable. I want to feel great again. It is going to take some discipline, but at Slowtwitch we are doing a weight loss challenge. I am using it as more of a Healthy Living challenge, because I only have 5-10 pounds I want to take off (my knees will thank me, but I am a healthy weight now, so I'm not obsessing about it). So my new checklist:

1) Cut out processed or refined foods: whole foods only: Fruits, veggies, meats (if you eat meats), fish, eggs, etc.
2) 1x or less alcohol per WEEK
3) Ate 5-6 'meals' a day
4) Ate no processed sugar products, added sweetners, or sugar-sourced condiments (including honey, molasses, etc) as 'food'. (Your sugars can only be during your training - see #9). CHECKED ALL LABELS FOR 'High fructose corn syrup', sugar, etc.
5) Treat meal 1-2x week - (or not!)
6) Portion size no bigger than the palm (approx 1/2 c). (This doesn't count with salads).
7) RECORDED ALL FOOD for at least 5-14 days to see eating patterns.
8) Drank water as main liquid source
9) Maintained proper training/race nourishment and hydration, including broad-spectrum electrolytes according to sweat rate needs. Did not skimp on necessary carbs, gels, sports drinks during the important times before, during, after training.
10) Trained as normal - or better than normal. Checked my calorie expendature on http://www.stevenscreek.com/goodies/jcalories.html for enough calories to train and live.

I signed up with www.joesgoals.com It is a great tracking website that you can put in any goals you want and it will keep track of them for you.

If anyone wants to join us:
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_flat;post=961116;page=5;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;mh=25;

Time to drink my water :)

Training note: had a great time at Master's swimming this morning with IronSteve. Then the dreaded thing happened at the run tonight... a whole new knee pain. AARRRGGGHHH. Same darn knee. I think the PT strap was not positioned correctly and something behind my knee cramped hard. Now my IT band hurts really bad. Can't I get a break with these stupid joints?

You know you're distracted when...

It's 12:30pm and you just realized that you are wearing your underwear inside-out and sideways.

I'm going to look to the Ironman motto to explain this one:
Anything is possible

Big Weekend

Fri-Monday long weekend stats

Bike: 102 miles
Run: 11.42 miles
Swim: 3200 meters

Lessons learned: Don't do a 70 mile ride 24 hours after a kick-heavy master's practice (>1000 meters of kick sets) and 12 hours after your long run

Just because a jacket is labeled as "waterproof" doesn't mean it will keep you dry for a 70 mile ride in the rain of a tropical storm.

Never underestimate the power of friends. They can make a 70 mile ride in 55 degree pouring rain fun!

Having your mom in town is very therapeutic.

Never underestimate the power of laughter. It heals all wounds

You know that your seats are close to the band when the director hands you ear plugs

Little Miss Sunshine is the best movie of the year. You have to see it. If you can find a theater that serves wine, I would highly recommend it.

I love making and eating chili in the fall

Doing hill repeats on your tri-bike is a challenge. But doing it by yourself and pushing through 4000 feet of elevation is priceless.

I need to get my butt on the bike more often

My hunger is insatiable

Feeling wiped

Ugh. I forgot about the only part about fall that I don't like. HayFever. At least that's what I think my problem is right now. It is possible that I have a cold, but whatever it is I feel like crud. It doesn't help that I spent my day blowing my nose with KimWipes (scratchy) and once I got home when I was cleaning I used paper towels (more scratchy). So my Wed- Fri training in a nutshell:

Wed: 3600 meters in the water, 4.75 miles pounding the pavement

Thursday: Much needed stomach expansion training. Big bowl of jumbalaya, bread, then ice cream and cake covered with Magic Shell. I was exhausted from the strenuous workout

Today: 3200 meters in the pool. Then cleaned, took Allegra, passed out for an hour and went to the gym.

At the gym I did a feat of mental strength. 92 minutes on a treadmill. Really the only hard part is the first 30, then it's all downhill. But it was 9.2 miles. That also made the run kind of tough. Left up to my own pacing I would have pushed it a bit faster. But I know that long runs should be slow and steady, so I'm working on it.

Tomorrow: STOMP (Summit Tour of Metro Parks) 62 mile bike ride. In the rain of a tropical storm. Sounds like tons of fun to me.

Then my mom comes to town! I am going to pick her up, take her to my favorite bar for dinner and then we are off to watch my own Wisconsin Badgers beat up on Bowling Green at Brown's stadium. I am so excited!

Catch up with ya'll Monday. Have a great long weekend. Get lots of quality training and fun time in.