Coaching fulfilling my need to race....

Today was so rewarding on 2 front....Athlete completed her 1st 70.3 and text said "Thank you for your training plans and coaching.  I can't believe I finished this distance and felt great the whole time"  Proud coach....she worked hard and did a lot of transition runs in the sand to prep for SuperFrog.  I laid out a lot of work and she did it all!! So proud of her and sharing her success. 

I had hoped to race SuperFrog (pre-inury) but was not sad today.  Plan B was 2.4M Tiki Swim..  I rushed to Oceanside yesterday afternoon to get my cap and chip and was stuck in horrible traffic, went to the wrong spot and never found registration and came home 2.5 hours later really grumpy.  But was going to pick it up early this AM.  

Last night was my step-mom's birthday and we had a sensational dinner at my dads with so many hilarious stories...everyone from breast implants, to neck lift vs face lift to Italian Villas.... tried a new birthday pie- sauteed apples in butter, brown sugar and Cinnamon then put them in a pie crust, added cut up Rolos (yes Rolo candy), made a "pacakage' out of it and baked...it was actually quite delicious.  Not Vegan or Paleo but well...it was a birthday.  Riley drove, I had 1 too many glasses of wine and at 9:30 when we came home we watched movie

. I rolled into bed after 11, this really is the off season. Did not set my alarm and figured that if it was like most mornings I would be up at 4:30.... so no worries would wake up and drive to Oceanside. Except I woke up at 3:30 when John and Mako were wrestling over the covers and then it was 7:00.... oops.. I think my toes were to be in water at 7.


Plan C...relaxing AM with coffee, John and the dogs in our park,  10+ dogs and all the neighbors.  Riley and I went to Sculpt at Sculpt Fusion.  1:15 of hot, sweaty, cardio mess of fun.  Starbucks and bagel...( paleo starts tomorrow? )  I had my bike in the car and went for a 1:15 ride home....slow, really slow ( goals is to keep riding and not aggravate my knee)

Afternoon was at Westview Track for a run analysis with an athlete who is so visual, so teachable and so fun!  I am loving the video analysis and have it down.  Nice warm up ... 3-4 videos, we review together and see what we see, drills and a few corrections...more running and WOW improvement- that easy. Instant feedback is key.  And even though my knee is sore and I cannot run, I had a giant smile and left the track feeling good about someone else running more efficiently.  Her attitude and excitement was enough for me! 

CrossFit vs Pilates

I am on a CrossFit sabbatical and am really upset about it  because I overdid it, did not listen to that little okay screaming voice that this hurts  I am letting my body heal.  Am I too old for CrossFit- not likely. Am I too competitive for CrossFit likely but will not admit it.  Is CrossFit + endurance training at 46 risky...see sabbatical above.  

I LOVE CrossFit but there are haters

There was a recent article published Crossfit's Dirty Little Secret which I think is BS...but interesting.  CrossFit gets a bad rap...it is NOT military training with ripped people yelling at you, it is NOT kill, kill, kill. Is it a cult?  I ask you is triathlon a cult? YES...after 1 week at CrossFit I loved it for the reason I love triathlon. You have to be a bit whacked, be fun loving and willing to just go for it.  Triathletes and Cross Fitters are SO different in many ways, but so alike in their CF or Triathlete Geekdom, obsessiveness and true passion. There are a lot cool things to be passionate about.  The fact there is so much negative energy on CrossFit makes me love it more....sort of the like how much hate the Republicans can foster on the Democrats. 

As my shoulder calms down ( no heavy lifting) and I await an MRI for my knee (possible torn meniscus)  I am sidelined from CrossFit and running.  can I tell you how upsetting this is.   I can't really swim - shoulder hurts. I can ride slowly which is no fun which I am thankful for and I can do some non impact weights. 

Pilates Reformer Stations

Enter...Pilates.  I went to my first class this AM at Club Pilates - where we use the Reformer. Sort of looks like a scary bench for torture with pulleys, weights, bars, balls, matts, boxes.. I was told to do Reformer 1 so I could learn how it works- but well I started with 1.5. I am impressed I did that and did not jump to Reformer 3.  It was 50 minutes and I can tell you 11 hours later I can definitely feel it- my knee/shoulder are not in pain.  It was not boring but it was not CrossFit.  The music was nice, the instructor was nice, the other people were nice... I like the sweaty box with Deej's crappy music and the energy that CrossFit brings.  That is what make CrossFIt rock- the pure energy of the people.  The pure energy that jacked my shoulder and knee....argh! 

I am committed to staying strong so in the interim I will use my 8 Groupons and see this through.  

Sort of how I am feeling these days

I am so grumpy  happy I can ride like a 12 yo girl, do Pilates with pregnant women,  and walk not run  my dogs  

Tempeh Tacos ( and chicken too)

Dinner with Vegan Riley, Vegetarian sister, carnivore Mom....so made Tempeh Tacos
Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 package tempeh, sliced into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
• other taco fillings such as lettuce, tomatoes, or sour cream (optional)
• flour tortillas or taco shells

Preparation:

Saute the onion in olive oil for 3 to 5 minutes, or until onion is soft.

Add tempeh, soy sauce and cumin. Allow to cook for about five more minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro.

Fill your taco shells or tortillas with the tempeh mixture and top with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, salsa or sour cream if desired.

But I also slow cooked organic chicken with onions, garlic, peppers, adobe chili's and I have to say- I preferred the chicken.  The tempeh was good, the chicken was better.

Added a Kale salad with cucumbers....crunched the kale with EVO and lime juice, added salt and pepper and some Braggs Liquid Amino Acid and well I loved it- everyone else pushed it around their plates :)  

Post Dog Beach this AM John and I went to Juice Nation and I had the Green Supreme: Cucumber, Celery, Kale, Broccoli, Spinach, Cilantro, Lemon and a Hint of Apple  which was delirious ...but 2 hours later at Core Power Sculpt- 105 degrees of cardo yoga + weights I was NOT liking the reminder of the drink!  I LOVE Juice Nation (post exercise NOT pre) 

End of CrossFit.....no just a break

If you have read my blog or if you know me....I feel in love, hard, with Crossfit last April. I met so many other committed, crazed CrossFitters and love the cult.  But for every "lover" I met, I heard from others "just don't get hurt"  - either they were hurt or knew at least 5 people who got hurt doing CrossFit.

I was careful, listened to my coaches and my body.... I backed way off triathlon training as I integrated into CrossFit, I even started Yoga ( and manged to fall in love with that too)  I got stronger (and bigger- not so sure I liked that) and with time build up triathlon training.  I pulled off a great race at Vineman and was sure I had this all figured out.

Somewhere post Vineman something changed.... either I got more aggressive, stopped really listening or just.....but I noticed my shoulder was a bit sore (the one with a torn labrum),  my right ITB was not loosening up, my left calf was wicked sore.... but I was rolling, massaging and manging.  Then my life got really stressful and I stopped sleeping, eating was awesome at times and then I would realize dinner the night before was Angry Orchard Cider(s),  an avocado with lime and lots of dark chocolate almonds (really not eating to win)  The more stress I had going on the harder I pushed at CrossFit. It was easy, rewarding and so fun.

I woke up one day sore as hell, left plantar fired off, right ITB so sore it was not mobile, visibly swollen knee with a cyst bulging out the back and a shoulder  that hurt to wash my hair.  Wow....what happened.   The "un"perfect storm.  Crap!!!

So... no running (argh), no swimming (yeah excuse to not swim) and easy cycling.  If I ride hard the cyst fills and it hurts.  No CrossFit :( and no fun.... okay that is an exaggeration.   It is the off season in a big way and time to get whole again.   I have a big year (hopefully) next year and come December, I may be fat and out of shape, but I will be injury free.

My Planar is nearly pain free, my shoulder is 80% ( I can swim a bit without pain) just no lifting, my ITB is much better but the cyst is not.  So more rest for the injuries to ease up and more Dr's for the cyst.  Worst case is a relatively easy ( or so I have read) surgical procedure to remove it and 2 weeks later I can be running.  So we will see what the Dr says next week.

I am doing a LOT of yoga and with back to back Sculpt classes am thoroughly thrashed...so sore  it hurts to sit (lunges) and my back and arms are killing me too.  I am a glutton...I know, I know but trying to stay sane here.   Went to a 30 min core class this week and sneezing and coughing are currently not an option. Ouch!!!  So we shall see...

I  am not giving up on CrossFit!  The challenge is that it is all about muscle confusion and so you are always sore....so its not like you "adapt" and then are okay.  That's what makes CrossFit awesome....but now long runs on the trails sounds awesome.   

Selling the story....

My day could be recapped..... less than 5 hours sleep, unable to run and cranky about it, struggled through a bike ride that should not have been that hard, challenging work situation, tough afternoon with personal issues, faced a difficult conversation this evening, smelly dog with an infection that needed to have is privates flushed and a belly ache ....

Instead I am choosing this..... long walk with the dogs on a cool, foggy morning. Enjoyed the reprieve form the heat and the chill in the air.  Zen is acclimating to the giant eCollar and rolled in the cool grass while Mako relished the cool dawn air and sprinted for 20+ minutes after his ball.  We all walked home happy.  I am able to ride without pain in my knee and while my fitness is lacking I shared 2+ hours with a good friend and appreciate my flexible work schedule.  I am employed and making money- it's not always easy but it is work so why should it be.  I work from home, set my own hours and get to ride my bike some mornings.  I am blessed with 2 kids and a supportive husband- life has ups and downs.  Relish the ups and work through the downs.  Zen smells but he is getting better and once this is over I will bleach the entire house of his infectious smell.  But his tail is wagging and he is a good dog.  My belly may ache but it is filled  with organic healthy good and I am fortunate for that....

So there you have it!  Life is good- really it it.

Regarding my Vegan diet..... I like what my sister-in-law said  "Vegan until 6:00pm" ...That I can live with. Almond milk in my coffee is okay, steel cut oats and berries for breakfast,

kale/tomatoes/avocado salad + sweet potato chips for lunch, grapes and almonds for snack....then dinner- organic tomatoes, basil, EVO, balsamic vinegar and then I fell off the vegan truck with feta cheese on the top of the salad - could not resist.... Avocado and chips for dessert + dark chocolate (vegan) and a bit of chardonnay (wine is vegan)  So vegetarian..but not vegan. 

where to begin....

I have started 3 blogs and finished zero...now I am weeks behind. So here goes the recap

Vegan or not…I feel like such a failure...but so be it 

3 weeks of plant based Vegan diet and I wish I could tell you I feel great, my body is recovering faster than ever and I am hooked.  But honestly I am tired all the time, planning can be cumbersome when I am tired and lazy,  I wasted 2 dinners out where I could have enjoyed amazing seafood and instead had 1 terrible salad and some amazing vegetables but had to come home eat.  I like beans but I love egg whites… tofu and kale scramble is not the same.  But I am stuck with all the horror from Eating Animals but I want do is eat a few animals.

To be fair this 3 weeks of testing was not good timing. I have some out of the norm stress in my life that is causing me not to sleep and miss a lot of my normal swim bike run thus I gravitate to CrossFit where I can get out my aggression.  And when I can run, I run hard trying to pound out some of my stress…so couple lack of sleep in rapid increase in strength and high intensity, frankly what diet can repair all that.  And add the fact that my shoulder (torn labrum) has flared up and swimming hurts, I have a Baker' Cyst  on the back of my knee (and have been told no running for 2 weeks) and my left heel was bothering me, does not make me feel like plants are my friends.  But to be fair neither is too much CrossFit, no sleep, probably too much wine and random hard rides and runs. Can you say perfect storm. 

I was emotionally committed to begin Vegan, I liked that it was a little bit hard…..but now I want easy.  It’s not that being a Vegan is hard – it’s just I am crabby and want a skinny mocha and a skinny mocha with soy milk is yucky  (yes I used yucky)  Petulant I know…. Honestly I want to have the option for organic, free range eggs and hope they come from chickens that aren't stacked on each other with toenails grown into the cages….and are killed humanely.  And I want the occasional seafood that is not altered, not fished to oblivion.  I have been in the habit of making informed food buying choices and think I will return to that.  I will be a Vegan with the option to deviate sometimes.  I love the tempeh and sprouted tofu but I love salmon and eggs too. Okay I can live without all cheese but I miss feta cheese.  So we will see where I go with this. Update after a week in FL at a meeting....i feel hard.  First night grilled lobster and sushi - fail I ate them both.  Next day at lunch hamburgers (no thank you) or grilled halibut- yes please.  Breakfast I was vegan, lunches 2 our of 4, dinners I had fresh seafood ever night and a fillet the last night.  oops....

ZEN

 If you are squeamish, think a pet should be put down at $1000 bill or don’t like dogs….stop reading now. Sometime last week, not sure when I heard a lot of licking by Zen.  He used to be an incessant licker but I put him on human allergy pills and his itchiness, licking stopped.  But was back…. the next day after a few shouts in the night “Zen stop”  I came in to find Zen aggressively licking his "member" and Mako standing over him looking it. If Mako had a bubble on his head with thoughts it would have said “dude, you have a major problem there.”  So I looked and OMG, 4x the size ( I am not exaggerating and I did not take pictures) but think of the STD websites that say if Syphilis goes untreated it will look like this and then make it worse.  Holy cow…off to the vet.  The entire office is in on this - they had never seen such swelling.  $500 later, sedated and flushed and call to me.  “please come in and we need to talk”  Bottom line this will not go away with antibiotics and will require surgery.  It was after hours and I left with drugs for Zen and he was crying.  I drugged him and he cried…I took him to the hospital and they agreed surgery but not until tomorrow.  More drugs and we  went home. He was in misery…. I laid on the floor with Zen and he finally started to settle and soon Mako joined the pack on the floor. Mind you we are having a heat wave and there I am snuggled with 2 dogs, 1 with a festering penis, on the hot carpet trying to sleep.  Drugs kicked in for Zen, wine kicked in for me and Mako and I went back to the bed. 

Took Zen to Veterinary Specialty Medicine in Sorrento Valley and they were amazing…. Surgery, 2 incisions, massive abscess removed, catheter and 2 nights in the hospital.  I could have a new bike with electronic shifting, wait I have one of those, okay I could have another one for what is final bill was.  But what I do have is a happy 11 yo chocolate lab who always wags his tail even with rapid infection and who loves everyone.  He is now home wearing the biggest ecollar imaginable, a t–shirt to cover the drainage tube and bulb (which has to be cleared 3x a day), lots of drugs and he is hungry and happy.  We call him crash…the collar is smashing into everything.  The drain is out and the swelling is down. His eCollar is trashed and we have 3 more days and the sutures come out. 

4 days in Florida- Marco Island for my HPN Global Annual Meeting.  Meetings, training, trade show and no fun out side.  We had a team building on the beach - rained out, but not before at least 1 volleyball game. Our CEO put his arm around me after my 3rd dive into the sand and an expletive since we were losing and he said "its okay if you don't win"  What??? okay, message to settle down. The meeting was good, I was so busy that any downtime I was working and most of the nights I was dealing with issues at home. Generally when I travel I get better rest...this trip lets just say 3-4 hours a night was it. No running or training due to my knee..... ugh the off season weight is coming on.  

Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch

The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program creates science-based recommendations

that help consumers and businesses make ocean-friendly seafood choices.  

B E S T C H O I C E S Abalone Arctic Char (farmed) Bass: Striped (US hook & line, farmed) Catfish (US) Clams, Mussels, Oysters Cod: Pacific (US) Crab: Dungeness Halibut: Pacific (US) Lobster: Spiny (CA, FL & Mexico) Rockfish: Black (US hook & line) Sablefish/Black Cod (AK & Canada) Salmon (AK) Sardines: Pacific (Canada & US) Scallops (farmed) Seabass: White (US hook & line) Shrimp: Pink (OR) Tilapia (Ecuador & US)   Trout: Rainbow (US farmed) Tuna: Albacore/White canned (Canada & US troll, pole) Tuna: Skipjack/Light canned (US troll, pole) Tuna: Yellowfin (US troll, pole)

G O O D A LT E R N A T I V E S Basa/Pangasius/Swai Cod: Pacific (US trawl) Crab: King (US) Flounders, Soles (US Pacific) Halibut: California Lingcod Lobster: American Mahi Mahi (US) Pollock: Alaska (US) Prawn: Spot (US wild) Sablefish/Black Cod (CA, OR & WA) Salmon (CA, OR & WA wild) Scallops (wild) Shrimp (Canada & US wild) Squid (US) Swordfish (US) Tilapia (China & Taiwan) Tuna: Albacore/White canned (US longline) Tuna: Skipjack/Light canned (imported troll, pole and US longline) Tuna: Yellowfin (imported troll, pole and US longline)

A V O I D Abalone (China & Japan)  Caviar, Sturgeon (imported wild) Cod: Pacific (Japan & Russia) Crab: Red King (Russia)   Halibut: California (gillnet) Lobster: Spiny (Brazil) Mahi Mahi (imported) Orange Roughy Rockfish/Pacific Snapper (AK bottom trawl) Salmon: Atlantic (farmed) Sharks Shrimp (imported) Squid (imported) Swordfish (imported) Tuna: Albacore/White canned (except Canada & US troll, pole and US longline) Tuna: Bluefin Tuna: Skipjack/Light canned   (except troll, pole and US longline) Tuna: Yellowfin (except troll, pole and US longline)

This guide has a limited number of seafood items due to its size. For a full list of our recommdations please visit us online   or download the app. Check every column, your favorite seafood could be in more than one. Best Choices Well managed, caught or farmed in environmentally responsible ways. Good Alternatives Some concerns with how they are caught or farmed. Avoid Overfished, or strong concerns with how they are caught or farmed.

And life goes on.... Vegan at home, 99% of the time, I did have eggs this AM but stuck with veggies and tofu last night, but out to dinner with Mom on Friday and I had grilled shrimp salad.  Ugh I am weak.. I am straying a bit- will see about getting back on board.  I am trying to drink my first cup of coffee in AM black-  no almond milk or sweetner and doing my first workout  coffee only.  Although some days that is yoga or walking the dogs.  Between injuries and the off season I am not really training, but will see how this pans out.  For my Saturday ride I had coffee only and then 1 hour into the ride had some nutrition.