After the Wednesday Kit Peak Climb, I think we were all ready for a more relaxed day.  Personally, I was ready for a “real food” fueled day.  The OSMO and Honey Stinger products certainly kept me in gear for hard days, but my body needed a small break. On that note, Nicholas Sterghos and I decided we would break in our new bikes, spend a little time away from the cycling group and take a break from hard riding (sort of).  The “triathlon” program at the US Military Endurance Sports Team is still developing so time trial bikes weren’t really allowed unless you were on the elite team, plus I needed it for Sundays race. That meant we had to venture out on our own, no big deal.  I definitely see a large future within this program, especially since our Triathlon Elite Team director Kathy Rakel has already started plans motion to tailor a camp for triathletes.   

My new whip, the Scott Plasma Premium, rode very smooth and despite riding it only once before camp, I was definitely comfortable.  Joel at Flying Fish Bikes has taken care of me for about 3 solid years now and the bike fit is always legit!  It’s one of the better-looking bikes out there too, so it’s nice to ride an “eye catcher”.  It’s like having a supermodel around…everyone is interested in it…and I get to say “yea, that’s mine”.  We headed to a nice park with an 8 mile loop, pretty technical with fast corners.  It’s definitely a rush to bank a corner at 28 mph, feeling the wheels grip, the wind blasting through the carbon.  All of the road cycling has totally boosted my bike handling skills on the Tri-Bike.  I TOTALLY recommend you get on a road machine and get comfortable with it.  Nicholas Sterghos was also able to break in his new Scott Foil 10.  Finally a bike that fits him!

Friday was the big one…a 26+ mile climb up Mt. Lemmon, a 100+ mile journey overall.  This was another reason we decided to chill out on Thursday.  With all the (earned) breaks, it ended up being an 8 hour day with about 5+ hours of riding.  The breaks were spent eating a cookie the size of my face and two pieces of normally “illegal” pizza.  The climb to the top was astonishing.  It was freaking snowing up there….SOO glad I brought my warm hat, gloves and leg warmers for the descent….which lasted about an hour.  So anyway, the climb definitely put a hurting on me, especially since I tried to hang with some of the Pro Cyclists.  After about 12 miles, I backed it off a bit.  I was later caught by a group of 3 studs so I hung in with them until about 4 miles from the top when I was able to break away.  I climbed for a total of 2 hours and 25 minutes.  There was an additional area on the mountain that was opened which took us to the absolute top.  Totally, regrettable decision since the grade drastically increased and the temperature dropped even more.  Either way, the cookie, pizza, awesome descent, stellar company and delicious lunch at LE BUZZ and the bottom totally made the day unforgettable. 

Saturday was a travel day, 6+ hours to Coronado, California….a stones throw away from Mexico.  The drive there was mainly dessert until we climbed over the last mountain range.  Then I finally saw some green trees and the beautiful Pacific Ocean!  The weather was back to being humid, breezy and …PERFECT.  After the long car ride and lack of activity, I felt pretty flat, so the race “prep” was a nice wake up.  I felt like 10 pounds of poo in a 5 pound bag, like a piece of burnt toast, like Frodo felt after walking up Mt Doom.  I’d already completed 24.8 hours of swim, bike and run training…most note-ably I’d ridden 465+ miles.  I totally expected to feel this way, so no stress.  This race was the icing on the cake.  If I could get through with decent result and attitude, it would be a victory.  The weather was perfect, water temp a solid 64 and a light breeze filled your ears.  Again, perfect.  Naturally, the top end swim speed was all but gone after the first 4 strokes, so I held on for dear life…getting beat by most of my wave.  The last half of the bike left me reaching for my “goal” power numbers and then the run was pretty much a  “tempo” effort. A low energy level wasn’t really an issue since I fueled pretty well.  Honestly, I couldn’t be happier with how things went.  My Team Director WON the Pro Female category so it was remarkable to be part of that event.  I ended up 10th so I was glad too.  I may have ALMOST been the last pro, but I didn’t get chicked or beat by an age group athlete.  This race actually brought out a serious Pro field, no doubt they humbly kicked my butt!  

Bonus! It was awesome to connect with the XTERRA CEO since they are our wetsuit sponsors!  He informed us they have some seriously awesome wetsuits coming in the near future.  Can’t wait to get my hands on it!  

What do I do every time I come to California? Eat In and Out!  I do have to say, I got a double double, animal style….IN A LETTUCE WRAP…BOOM.  No idea why I still try to “church” up the fast food…but oh well, it was seriously tasty!  I still held back a little for my next trip, opting out of the chocolate shake.

Quick Recap:  This has been a huge block of training and racing, three races thus far and a training camp! It was also amazing to meet up with Samantha Morrison and Brad Williams, my hero's.  It’s scary to think I have another race at the end of this month.  Oceanside 70.3 is right around the corner and I completely made a rookie mistake.  I didn’t really take into account that “beginner” Pro’s should stick to low key Pro races…oops!  Taking a look at the start list quickly brings on the pucker factor.  I suppose I could re-arrange it but the flight and home-stay are already set up.  At the end of the day, it’ll be nice to be in California again and toe the line with some serious talent.

The United States Military Endurance Sports program is a must!  If you are a Veteran, Active Duty, Guard or Reserve member, you’re doing yourself a huge disservice by not becoming a member.  Seriously, anywhere I travel I have a free place to stay, the deals are amazing and the community is tremendously uplifting and supportive.  Please, please…take a look at the website, come out to a camp or see if someone in the program lives near you.  

After the non-existent "off season", it's time again to slim down. Ritually analyzing and planning meals is a daily routine.  Unfortunately, the mind tends to wander into the danger zone more often then not.  Is watching the food network or travel channel a  good idea (Cupcake wars/Man V Food)? Probably not but food is probably passion #2 on my list of priorities.  Anyone who spends any significant time with me will probably notice my slight food addiction and would probably enjoy telling me to "shut it" on many occasions.  Ideally, losing 5 pounds would be totally awesome, however my body seems very comfortable at 170. In fact, I'd have to agree with anyone who says I'm definitely worst than a woman when it comes to weight and image.  Even with the large amount of research and knowledge I've gained over the past few years, it's still hard to make a solid choice.  Should I eat for purpose or for pleasure?  For now, the best way to go about it is to SIMPLIFY and eat for purpose.  Once a week, I'll throw some delicious, damaging creations into my body. Current favorite meals consist of:
- Roasted root vegetables and Blackened Salmon on a bed of mixed greens
- Home Made Veggie/quinoa burgers, topped with a fried egg and a side of baked sweet potato chips
- Blackened Cod Fish tacos in a red cabbage wrap
- Slow roasted chicken in fresh salsa, corn tortilla, cilantro lime farro

Since I'm still on the subject of food, I recently started a home vegetable garden.  I mean, why not?  Let's add another aspect responsibility to my life, right? I'd really like to not kill these plants so I've been doing a lot of research.  So far they are green...which is a good start right?  In a week or so I'll be up and running with fresh beans, kale, eggplant, radish, beets, lettuce, bok choy and collards.  Odds are I'll be building an additional garden next year (if I don't totally suck at this).  I ALMOST got carried away with my urban food endeavors.  My over-zealous self thought, "why don't I get some chickens and have fresh eggs, ALL THE TIME"?  The reality is, I'll just find someone who is already taking on that task...and support them with money. 

The desire for perfect training and nutrition is very demanding but when it's dialed in properly, it can be VERY rewarding! I'll let you know if I ever get there:)

As I battle my way through injury, it's evident that my body is still adapting to all of the stress and new repetitive motions.  Whether it's a sore knee, irritated rotator cuff or tight soleus, it all adds up.  More importantly, my body is telling me "something needs to change".  I'd like to think I'm  indestructible but I've been totally humbled on a weekly basis.  Some do it for fun, others for a light challenge but a few train to get better and better and even then it's never enough.  People like me need a heavy handed coach, pulling back the reigns just enough to keep me from falling apart, riding the fine line of over-training and forward progression.  This is why I'm currently taking today off, increasing average sleep time to 9 hours AND actually tapering for a month of racing (a round of applause for me).  As my key races approach, I'm hoping to still have some pep in my step when it comes to running.  I'm sure there will be some disappointing areas, but hell...there is always another race and I would rather rest now and continue to do what I love for a long time.  Honestly, this lifestyle is truly amazing.  Normal tasks at work seem null when you have a 3 hour workout in the evening.  We ALL have addictions and I'm totally content knowing mine are Racing/Training/Coaching and Nutrition! Thanks again for reading, I'm still working on not sounding like a total dork:)

So over the past week, I've unknowingly been eating a lavash bread pizza every day.  I'll have it for either breakfast or dinner...truly amazing.  Think of any vegetable, pasta sauce or pest OR hummus for a base, slap it on some bread and get cooking.  You can throw some protein on there and perfect 4:1 carb ratio.  So there you go...Pizza is the perfect diet for a triathlete.