Power Cleans & Squat Cleans

I'm definitely well overdue for a post...I've made a couple good meals and definitely some new things, but today I thought I would focus on my "cleans."

I'll admit my power clean or squat clean form isn't that great at all. I tend to have an issue of shooting my elbows out in front and being comfortable with the bar being "racked" in my shoulders instead of my hands. This is me about a couple days ago doing I think 85# (that's a 25# bar with a 25 + 5 plates)

For one, I notice my elbows had a slight delay and getting horizontal...I would get the weight up to my shoulders and think my elbows were getting through but I guess I wasn't quite landing it on my deltoids and really forcing my elbows forward.

Also, I think I'm starting my jump just a little too soon...in this pic I captured, my heels are already starting to jump off the ground and I haven't even gotten the bar up to my hips quite yet. Hence, I don't have the power from I hips that I could get.

So today, I decided to just start with 45# and do 10 hang cleans in a row to just work on my elbows and getting that power from the hips.

The first few of course I was still getting used to the movement, and I think I did best on reps 7-10. Also watching my feet, I tend to hop backwards just a little...a bit of wasted power but I guess the weight was pretty light and I was over exerting the hips just a little. But this set was really focused on getting that rack horizontal and shooting my elbows forward.

But can I do it now with a heavier weight? Here's 75#

Yeah so with just adding 30#, my elbows are still a little delayed, but it's definitely much better than my set with 85#. I definitely need to work a little on my land though...I'm definitely falling backwards on a few.

I decided to do a little work with some squat cleans as well just to get a good feel of getting under the bar. But I think it's a little funny how just the difference of thinking I'm doing squat cleans causes me to hop forward a little. Notice how the barbell travels forward a little as I'm lifting it up instead of in a strict vertical line.

I wouldn't know this without videotaping, gladly.

And lastly, a feat I am glad to finally accomplish...a clean & jerk of 105! (I wasn't able to do even 100 a few weeks ago). I stopped at 105 and didn't attempt 110, but I'm excited to try again soon.

I think if I put plenty of focus on really getting down that clean technique, I will be cleaning a lot more here pretty soon. I finished off my day with a set of thrusters: 9, 9 of 55# and 9 of 60#. Need to work on my Thrusters so when Fran ever stops by, I am ready!

Overtraining vs. Under-Recovery

A few days ago, I quickly tapped into the idea of recovery and the importance of taking a day off. I just came across a very insightful discussion someone posted on the internet about a keen difference between overtraining and under-recovering and thought this would greatly apply to my training philosophy and perhaps many of you hard-core triathletes who try to juggle as many workouts as possible.

Some weeks, we feel like superman (or superwoman). We can't go a day without at least some form of working out (even if it's a 35 minute swim), and we think we're pretty good at scheduling stuff so we're not overworking the same muscles two days in a row. We might even be working out twice a day, because we can. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about...that's exactly you. In fact, let's look at what one of my typical weeks probably looks like:

Monday: Crossfit WOD
Tuesday: Crossfit WOD + 14 Bike TT + possibly 5 mi run
Wednesday: 7-9 mi run
Thursday: Swim 1-2mi + Crossfit WOD (or weights)
Friday: Crossfit WOD + maybe some long run/bike
Saturday: Swim 1-2mi + 26mi Bike
Sunday: Bike 15mi + Track Runs + Swim 1.5mi

Some of you may look at this and think of insanity. I don't really leave any room for a "rest day." I even forgot what a "rest day" really meant. But I don't feel like I'm overtraining at all...I have the energy to be able to complete all of this believe it or not!

But...we're missing the point.

The point is, we have to realize that you and I may be actually under-recovering. You might think that all of these back-to-back training sessions might be greatly increasing our athletic abilities...but it's hard to really know when we feel like we can only give 95% effort about 6 days of the week. Although we do have the energy to train most days, we actually do go into a lot of workouts with the mindset of "ok I should try and take it a little easier today."

Without proper recovery days (where we decide we aren't going to train whatsoever and just let our muscles rest and be), our muscles will always be working at sub-optimal levels. We can never really know the true potential of what our muscles and cardiovascular ability are really able to do when we give them proper time to repair and when we aren't over-fatiguing ourselves.

You may be reading this and thinking, "well duh, isn't that what taper periods are for?" Yeah, but this applies to all training and not just tapering. "Tapering" is of course, backing off of our mileage, dropping the heavy weight-lifting days and giving our muscles the time to repair to tackle that race full-force. But we need to have smaller, shorter tapering periods within our actual training period. Our training volume/intensity doesn't gradually increase more and more over time; instead, you increase your intensity/volume for a few weeks, then take a week to back off. Then you start increasing again for a few weeks, then back off for one. This cycle of having a "recovery week" amidst your training can help your body repair a bit to tackle the next volume/intensity increase at full force.

But lastly, there are recovery days that fall within an even shorter time frame. Do you have at least one day a week where you don't even think about touching your bike, getting your running shoes on or your swim cap? I don't yet...but maybe I should. I know, you and I feel so obligated to getting a workout in because we're afraid we might gain back those extra lbs, or fall out of the groove or feel of our workouts. But we have to start realizing when the mileage we're putting in are quality miles or if they are merely junk miles. 

One (or two) rest days aren't going to destroy our fitness....fitness is a long term project, and it therefore takes a long time to really lose fitness unless you decide your career is being a couch potato. Also, you've got time. Triathlons aren't your life! Make sure you live your life as well...actually go out with some friends. Instead of being intimate with your aerobars, go out to some real bars (not the day before a race though)

Train smarter, not harder. Do the minimum you need to do to get in the best shape you can be in. Don't overtrain, of course. But make sure you aren't under-recovered.

Pork & Spiced Rhubarb Chutney

So I don't usually cook with rhubarb. It's a pretty awkward plant...those large red/green weedish stalks that sit in the corner of the produce aisles...yeah you and I pass them up all the time. But apparently they have more use than just in strawberry-rhubarb pies.

I was looking for a recipe to use for my pork tenderloin cuts I got from my CSA with Pat's Pastured. One of my favorite recipe database sites, Epicurious, had a recipe for Pork Tenderloin with a Spiced Rhubarb Chutney. I liked the idea of creating some sweet, sour and spicy chutney! But alas, the first ingredient called for on the list was....sugaring

Well, instead of completely ditching this recipe since it had a ton of great reviews, I decided to make a few "paleo friendly" modifications...after all, when you cook and eat paleo for so long, you start to learn some pretty creative substitutions. After looking through the recipe and noticing the selection of fruits near the end (dried cherries), I decided that I would substitute the "sugar" portion with a cup of pitted cherries instead. Still some sweetness, but a lot more "caveman approved"

Pork Tenderloin with Spiced Cherry & Rhubarb Chutney


Ingredients:
- 1 cup pitted, chopped cherries (don't ask me the right way to pit these cherries...I ended up biting them in half and eating the pulp stuck to the pits before I threw them out...a great pre-dinner snack!
- 1/3 cup cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp minced fresh peeled ginger
- 1 tbsp ground garlic (or I just minced a few garlic cloves)
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon (I went pretty liberal on this :-D )
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp dried crushed red pepper (I just used a few sprinkles of cayenne)

- 4 cups fresh rhubarb, ends chopped up and stalks diced into 1/2 inch cubes. (It took me about 3-4 average sized stalks)
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 1/2 cup dried tart cherries or golden raisins (I actually used dried cranberries since I was too lazy to buy dried cherries)


- pork tenderloins steaks (any # is fine, you will have lots of chutney)
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp cooking oil (I like bacon grease, you could use butter, avocado or coconut oil)

this chutney is amazing!

Combine the first 8 ingredients in a decent sized pot (it's gotta fit all that rhubarb!) and bring it to a simmer on low-medium heat. After a couple minutes simmering, add the rhubarb, onion and dried cherries/cranberries/raisins. Increase the heat to about medium high and keep it cooking until the rhubarb turns tender and the mixture thickens. Takes about 5-10 minutes depending on your stove. I personally preferred the rhubarb to be broken down a little instead of left in chunks so I went with 10 minutes. Take it off the heat and start cooling it down in the fridge!

The original recipe said to cool it down completely...I was fine just using it warm in the next step with the pork.

Love that T-Bone in there 

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Next, sprinkle plenty of cumin, salt and pepper on your pork steaks. Add your cooking fat to your skillet, turn it on high and add the pork steaks, browning them on both sides (without cooking them completely). Takes about 1-2 minutes per side. Then, transfer the pork to a roasting dish and brush it a few times with the chutney. Place it in the oven for about 7-10 minutes. 7 if you tend to like your pork a little on the pinker side, or 10-12 if you like it fairly well done. You can always check with a meat thermometer as well: When it reads 155F, it's done. 

I decided to add some caramelized broccoli rabe to my plate as well...a nice simple green, slightly sweet and bitter, to complement the pork. To make the broccoli rabe, just add it back to the skillet you were using to brown the pork, add a couple tbsp of water, cover with a lid and let simmer for about 4 minutes. Then lift the lid and continue cooking until the sides of the broccoli rabe start to turn golden brown.

Oh this looks delish!

Lastly, top your pork with the glorious chutney! I have to say, without using "sugar" and substituting the cherries, the chutney still grabs a nice sweetness but a tartness as well. The pork was absolutely succulent (I'm never disappointed with the meats I get from Pat's Pastured).

Hope you can enjoy this dish! I think I'll be using this chutney with lots of different meats in the next few days...

Take a Day Off and eat some Fish "Un" Tacos!

-

My Lovely Ingredients

I was feeling a little mexican food withdrawal since I know a lot of taco & burrito staples are all beans, rice and corn. But who says you need any of that to have a yummy (Paleo-approved) latin inspired meal? I came across a recipe for regular fish tacos in my Food & Wine cookbook, but decided I would make my own spin on this classic dish. I didn't use a set recipe at all, just put a bunch of stuff together that I thought would be tasty in my fish taco...err "Un"-taco! Add it all with some avocado, macadamia nuts and a lovely tropical mango salsa:

My ingredients (makes about 4-5 tacos, enough for 2 servings or one HUNGRY caveman):

Mango Salsa:
- 1 tomato, diced
- 1 mango, peeled, seed removed, diced
- 1 poblano pepper, diced
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/2 medium red onion, diced
- a few cloves of garlic, minced
- Juice of 1 lime

Seasoned Cod:
- 1 lb fresh Cod (you could probably use any thick yet flaky fish like Mahi Mahi or Flounder)
- Liberal amounts of cumin & coriander
- Freshly ground pepper, salt

"Un-Taco" Shell:
1 head of cabbage, with 4-5 full large leaves carefully broken off.

Extra Ingredients:
- 1 sliced avocado (my faux guacamole)
- 1/4 chopped macadamia nuts (for a bit of texture & crunch!)
- extra lime juice for flavor

***note, this recipe is pretty "mild" on the spicy scale. You can always add in a few hot chile peppers into the salsa, or sprinkle on some cayenne pepper to the fish to add a little extra heat for you iron-tongue folks!***

I must have gotten elephant garlic, this clove was massive! And all I needed.

Here are my lovely chopped ingredients for my salsa!

Mango is seriously the most awkward fruit to chop, no? Honestly, that seed is so awkwardly placed in the mango I feel like I don't get any of the pulp at all when I slice it without hitting a hard edge. After much chopping of the mango salsa ingredients, I combine them all together and add the lime juice!

This lime juice is MAGIC! The acidity balances the cod nicely.

Phew! That was easy....now onto the cod. I like to start in a large sautee pan with some leftover bacon grease from my morning breakfast (though I bet coconut oil would add a lovely tropical flair). Add the cod, then sprinkle liberally with cumin, coriander, pepper and a little salt on both sides.

The piece I got was a long awkward shape but thick and yummy

It only takes about 5 minutes total to get that fish tender and flaky. Mmmm I love the smell of cumin! There's also something about getting fresh, local caught fish at the Farmers Market (from The Local Catch) that makes the fish taste so awesome.

Now after we chop up the avocado and the macadamia nuts (for our healthy fats), and get our cabbage leaves in place, lets assemble! Almost kinda resembles lettuce wraps in a way, but I thought the cabbage would add a nice refreshing sweetness as the shell.

YUMMY! Now that wasn't hard, was it?

And here it is in it's paleo-friendly "taco" shell

I will say that as lovely as this looks, the cabbage leaves may become a little messy after awhile so have plenty of napkins ready. But all in all, it's definitely super refreshing! The pungency of the mango salsa, sharpness of the lime, the creaminess of the avocado and the super tender, smoky fish (with the crunch of the macadamia nuts and cabbage) definitely made me wish I was lounging on the beach sipping paleo-friendly margaritas (do those exist, without the sugary margarita mix? If not I'll settle for some pinot grigio) The best part is, this meal literally took about 30 minutes in total to make! A nice, light meal for my day off today. 

**************************************************************************

That's right, an actual "day off" with no gym, running or working out whatsoever. I didn't even tough my workout clothes once today. I sometimes forget that I really need these recover days to let my muscles regenerate and build up. Although I am pretty good at working different muscles on different days and think I am super woman, I forget what a good recovery day can do to help my workouts. 

I'm about to reach the peak of my triathlon training for the Olympic Distance Cranberry Tri-Fest on August 28th, but I am highly considering the FIRM Half Ironman Triathlon in Narragansett on Sept. 11th. (For those who don't know the distance, the Olympic-Distance Tri is .9mi swim, 26mi. bike, 10k run, whereas the Half Ironman is 1.2mi swim, 56mi bike, and 13.1mi run). Yeah I would almost literally be doing TWICE the distance in only two weeks after the Olympic. We'll see...I just have to make sure I get these taper weeks and recovery periods in. I know I can go the distance, (I've mastered the swim and run, gotta get some 50 miler bike rides in)...but I definitely want to finish strong and not feel like I'm stumbling my way to the finish line.

You never realize when you workout hard everyday and forget to take "easy" days that you never are really working at 100% of your true potential. You may think you're giving your all and you might get a PR every now and then, but really you're working at sub-optimal levels. Just even a day or two to let your muscles rest can prep them for that next long 15 mile run, that 50 mile bike ride, or that "Shots of Awful" WOD you're about to try and complete 2 rounds of. When it gets to the point where you feel "ugh, I need to back off this workout!" every day instead of "wow I feel awesome, let's kick it up a notch!"...take a rest day. 

New Aerobars & A Dinner Straight from the Farmers

Yay! I finally decided to chip in the money to become Aero. As you can see the two black parallel bars added onto my bike to allow me to be in an aero position if I would like. I got these bars at my local Providence Bicycle bike shop, which as an awesome section in their store dedicated just to triathletes.

I still have issues just being balanced on my road bike, but getting used to the aero position wasn't bad at all! The first couple of times I felt completely off balance, only moving my left arm to the bar while keeping my right on the hood, and slowly tried to bring my right hand to the other bar. It feels like you might not be able to steer at first. But really if you commit to the aero position, the steering will come naturally and I was flying away on some of the flats. Well, really not THAT fast since I was swerving in and out of people on the bike path. Not sure if I'm confident to use them on a good downhill yet.

The one downside of the bars is just the added weight to the bike, but I feel that the aero position will make up those couple extra mph in the long run. Regular Tri-bikes just naturally come with aero bars and bullhorn bars built into the handlebar system...no drop bars and really no hoods. The other downside is if I wanted to switch gears, I would have to move my hand around and that can get a little tricky sometimes.

*******************************************************************

Tonight's dinner comes straight from the farmers...everything on my plate I got either at the Farmer's Market, or from a garden. Pardon the blurry cell-phone pics, but I was making a fast dinner tonight.

I am absolutely in love with all the meat from Pat's Pastured. I have come back countless times for this sweet italian sausage:

I know it looks funny coming out of the bag...

Still haven't quite figured out how to properly cooked sausage that has a casing. I've been just chopping it into small rounds but I guess you should just cut a large chunk and slab it on the grill? Or maybe cut the casing off? Either way, it's ballin' sausage.

I also still have some fresh herbs from my boyfriend's garden, which I hoisted back with me on the plane from St. Louis almost a month ago. Can't believe these herbs are still green and fresh! (The oregano hit its last days but the thyme looks amazing). I love throwing some fresh herbs onto sauteed vegetables, particularly zucchini and squash, also which I purchased from Wishing Stone Farms at the Lippitt Park Farmers Market.

Here's the final dinner, after I ravenously dug into a few bites.

Tastes fresh, wholesome and awesome! Oh and the red onions from Wishing Stone Farms as well...love sauteed red onions! I missed my usual Saturday morning excursion at the farmers market but Wednesday evening...here I come for some more awesome meat and veggies!

RIP Vibrams - Time for a replacement?

Looks like they've developed some holes

Alas, I think it's time to say adieu to my first ever pair of Vibram Five Fingers. I purchased these (the Bikila model) back in September last year in hopes of correcting a shin splint I had, and to totally reconstruct the way that I ran (since I think I would be running for awhile). These shoes were probably the most valuable purchase I have ever made towards my fitness goals, and I am proud to say I have put many hundreds (maybe a thousand) miles in these, many including a couple half marathons, a full marathon and all the supplemental training.

Unfortunately, even minimalist shoes have an end to them. You would think even if minimalist shoes fall apart...hey it's more minimal and even close to being barefoot! Well, eventually my shoes developed a series of holes around the toes and odd formations in the seams and it produced some annoying rubs and attacks on my toes. Thus, I must move on to a shoe that still maintains the comfort of my feet as I run. If my feet don't feel good after 1 mile, I couldn't imagine how they would treat me after 20!

Luckily, I still have my trusty purple Vibram Komodosports to get me around. I don't particularly enjoy them as much as the Bikilas for long-distance running because they're a little thicker and stiffer on the feet (I love them for Crossfit) but they do a good job for now. Because they're thicker, my feet muscles work a little more and I tend to have a mild top-of-the-foot pain with these versus the Bikilas, so I can't run too many miles.

I went to CitySports (my favorite athletic store!) today to try out some of the other models. I've been particular interested in the Bikila LS model (mainly because the laces will be more forgiving to my wider-than-normal feet), and the Speeds (also with laces). They apparently also launched new Komodosport LS models in some neat purple and pink colors...but I already own Komodosport and am looking for a model to really mimic the thin feeling of the Bikilas.

Sadly, they only had a size 40 in the Bikila LS model, and the speeds weren't even in stock. I'm debating purchasing a Bikila LS model online....the new color for the season is Red/Gray (which isn't quite my cup of tea but will do) or waiting a couple weeks before they come into stores and hopefully City Sports will have a double-point purchase special by then.

While I couldn't try on the new vibrams, I did take the liberty to try on a new minimalist shoe that caught my eye: The Saucony Hattori. Normally when I see a lot of minimalist shoes...I think "What minimal? Really?" the soles are almost way too thick most of the time. This Hattori model was actually pretty light and flat...and really felt like a thin stretchy sock with a thin rubber sole. I tried on a 6.5, the smallest size they had and it surprisingly fit really well! Normally close-toed shoes are too narrow for my feet but I felt like my feet could breathe! It's a different feeling moving in shoes that are close-toed after having my toes feel so loose in Vibrams for so long, but I think I really enjoyed them. Not sure if I would use them for running long distances since my toes still felt a little captive, and after awhile they would need room to move from their cages or go crazy. They're also about $20 cheaper than the Vibrams.

Maybe if they were about $40-50 I would consider them as just a casual shoe (where I could drop my things and run off if I needed to at any moment). I also need to try the Merrell Trail Glove which I've heard also has the same glove-like feel.

What are your thoughts on minimalist shoes...do you like them? Too afraid to jump right into the Vibrams? I know they are still a growing phenomenon. You should at least make your way to a shoe store and try some on just for the experience of seeing how these feel. I could talk on and on about the benefits they bring to your running form (or posture overall compared to those "sketchers shape ups"...please! But I'll let you do some research (as I had to do).

Amazing Paleo Chili

I have to say my most favorite part of chili is definitely the ground meat. In other words, forget the beans, let's make some Paleo chili! I saw a few recipes (from Mark's Daily Apple, etc) for Paleo chili, but they all included giant chunks of meat. I really love the ground texture, so I had to modify an existing recipe. The original is "Ryder's Turkey Chili" by Guy Fieri off of www.foodnetwork.com...but here's my version:

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons bacon grease or butter
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 carrot, diced
1-2 tomatoes, diced
1 1/2 jalapeno peppers, minced, seeds removed
several cloves garlic, minced
2 small red onions, diced
2 1/2 pounds ground turkey/beef/pork
2 hotdog franks, sliced into small rounds
1 small can tomato paste
1 16oz can tomato sauce
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (this really gives a kick!)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Shredded cheddar cheese or sliced avocado, for garnish

yeah I probably could have kept the franks intact to make
"chili dogs" but I decided to include them.

Alright, I've got everything chopped up...let's begin!

Warm the grease/butter in a large pot over high heat. Add the bell peppers, jalapenos, garlic, onions and carrots, and cook until caramelized, about 8 minutes.

Mmm that's right...caramelize!

Next, all of the meat and gently stir, trying not to break up the meat too much but getting it to cook; cook until the ground meat is just no longer pink, about 5 minutes depending on the size of the pot.

simmering chili...looks so yummy! Will definitely have
leftovers for a few days...

Add the tomato paste and sauce and chopped tomatoes. Stir for 4 minutes, then add the chicken broth. Now add all your spices: chili powder, paprika, cumin, cayenne, *cinnamon* and a few cranks of the pepper mill. Let it simmer for about another 5-10 minutes to really let the flavors and spices soak in.

I love the texture of cool avocado with a warm chili

I really think this chili tastes its best as leftovers...after it's been sitting in the fridge overnight and all the flavors have melded together. But nevertheless it also tastes amazing right after it's done as well! Just make sure you cool it enough so you don't burn your tongue.

This isn't the pool anymore...

I'm totally psyched about recently joining the Triathlon Club of New England (TriNE) since now I won't need to bike or swim alone anymore! It's great to have a community of people to go to who schedule open-water swim sessions or bike time-trials where I can start getting used to each aspect of the triathlon (aside from running which I think I have down).

Today, I met up at Georgiaville Pond for my first ever long open-water swim with others. The longest I had swam in open water was actually 1/4 mile at the Goddard Sprint Triathlon (that I got 3rd in!), so it was definitely a new experience to see how I could sustain myself over a longer distance. I had swam totals of over 1.5 miles before...just in a pool where I would be kicking off a wall or stopping at the edge every now-and then. And the water would only be standing height.

Let's look at the vast differences of an open water swim:

1. The water is not crystal clear...you will not see ANYTHING except brown murkiness below.
Yeah, the water will get a bit deep and you won't be able to stand. I'm so used to the clear blue-ness of a pool, it's a bit intimidating at first to jump into a pond where you can't see anything in the water with your goggles.

2. Navigating is SO important
It's incredibly easy to just start swimming and be totally going in the wrong direction unless you up every few strokes to see where you're heading. Luckily the two people I was swimming with had bright orange and yellow caps, so I just glanced around to find them after every 10 strokes. It's definitely a skill to break out of your pool-swimming technique/rhythm, and be able to lift your head forward to look ahead of you to find your direction.

3. Just find an easy rhythm and pace.
It's tough starting right off the bat without a warmup to find the right pace. I always feel like I head out much faster than I need to and end up slowing down to a good rhythm later. But then again, it's a good feeling to get used to since I'll probably act that way in most triathlons.

4. Compared to running and cycling...swimming is S-L-O-W
I can't remember how many times today I stared ahead at the upcoming island or the beach and thought "hey, I'm not that far away!" Actually, I am and it does take a few minutes and patience to swim that distance. I would swim for a bit and realize I was almost as far away as I was before. Swimming only 1/2 mile is almost equivalent to running 2 miles and it's tough to think in those terms.

All in all, I was so excited I got a great swim in. I had to drag myself out of bed this morning because I was definitely not bouncing awake at 6:00am, or even 6:30. (I think I finally left by 6:45 thinking it would only take 13 minutes to get there, and I ended up getting lost and arriving at 7:15. But it was still a 20 minute drive...sheesh!). The temperature of the water was actually pretty nice (maybe around 70?) even though it was 65 degrees outside. The other two I swam with had wetsuits, but honestly I didn't think that was needed. I am totally buoyant enough. Perhaps next season, or in the fall when the temperature gets cooler, I'll look into getting a wet-suit.

*********************************************************************

Ah, salads! I have found salads to be my fall-back dinner option whenever I am out to dinner and I can't particularly have a meal consisting of only meat and veggies. I am usually a sucker for any salad made elsewhere since I never feel like my own salads have a cohesive quality to them...they always feel plain. I've been super obsessed with Chop Salads lately, which consist of:

Lettuce, chopped tomatoes, bleu cheese, bacon, chicken, hard-boiled egg and avocado slices (if it's a good chopped salad). Usually any creamy dressing works well, though I've been staying on the more paleo end and using a thick balsamic vinegar I got at Sabatino & Co. in Boston...a nice specialty condiments store that has lots of yummy truffle oils, honeys, vinegars and dips of all kinds. Even some nice soaps. 

Here's a pick of my lovely salad compilation. The bowl isn't quite big enough to see the pile of mixed lettuce underneath, but all the ingredients are there.

Making one of these salads does take a lot of work! I had to cook the chicken, bacon and hard-boiled eggs in advance so I can just chop the veggies fresh when I need the salad. It takes about 10 minutes to get everything out and chop stuff to create my salad. (Those restaurants already have everything prepped and chopped out to make tons of salads, so no wonder it takes them a mere few minutes! Unfortunately I'm just making one salad, not mass producing 50 a day.) I did pre-cook about 3 servings worth of meat though so I saved some time.

With exception to the bleu cheese, this salad is definitely super Paleo and filled with plenty of protein  (chicken, eggs, bacon) and some healthy fats from the avocado. Pair with a nice glass of iced water to combat the summer heat and I'm all set! Now time to experiment with a different type of salad with comparable protein in it. Do you have any other salad ideas?

The Ups and Downs of days off, and JUICY PRIME RIB

This past week I've been traveling a bit and because of that, I haven't been able to keep up my normal gym schedule at all. Of course, I always try to stay as active as I can (walking around everywhere, getting in that morning jog even if it's only a couple miles, and renting some bikes), but really, my calorie burnage has been a little lacking lately.

Well, I finally got to the gym a couple days ago (luckily I was persuasive enough to get a free 7-day pass at Fitness Factory), and it felt AMAZING to be back into the weights...instead of feeling all down and out of shape, I really pushed some great maxes and definitely moved up a couple levels in my weight training. I'm almost a solid 135# on my working squat sets now, and I think I've graduated from the 85# bench to almost two 25lb plates...almost. Still hanging onto 90#. However, there is one slight downside after not working out for several days....

I Feel SO SORE. not THAT sore, but my quads were definitely feeling it (and they never do?!). After a couple runs and some lighter squats I am feeling pretty could though.

**********************************************************************************


Now onto todays amazing paleo-errific experience:









GIANT 32 OZ STEAK. But not just any steak.


This steak was melt-in-your-mouth medium rare, juicy, flavorful, best bloody steak I have ever had in my life (yes that was a bit English of me). Oh my god what a paleo eater's dream.

My boyfriend decided to surprise me as his belated anniversary present (mine being overloading him with wine, and his, overloading me with steak.) I could not have been happier. Kreis Steakhouse...definitely making another stop there when I have the money. Well, give me a year. You can only really have steak this amazing once in a long, long time.

I ended up only eating half of it....




what can I say...it's 32 oz of steak! Eating just half of it meant I gained a lb already...not including the extra wine, water and calamari appetizer. P.S. The Maitre 'D garlic butter sauce with it was spectacular.

Soreness & Body Fat %

Let me just say, workouts that seem innocently easy or not as straining to do will come back and bite you. I'll admit, I was feeling quite ok after yesterday's WOD, and maybe my arms were a little jelly.

It only takes several hours and a long period of sitting down before BAM:
- hamstrings
- lower back
- abs, abs, abs
- still the pecs and side of my chest
- maybe the side of my neck?
- anything else I'm missing?!

I can walk, but it definitely is a chore to be able to go anywhere. I think I'll take yoga tonight and stretch out...

I also got a body fat % hand-held caliper! It's called the Omron Fat Loss Monitor
I realized I would probably benefit the best from getting it a few months ago and seeing my overall progress, but it's cool to test it out and see if I'm fluctuating a lot over a span of a week or a few months.

I took 4 readings, 2 last night and 2 this morning just to see the differences it has. It's pretty simple...after putting in your height and weight, body composition and activity level (athlete or normal), you just hold it out in front of you and it sends very weak electrical signals to determine your fat content versus lean mass, water, etc. It's pretty simple and just shows a number.

Last night I got (1 hour after dinner) 18.7%; 18.5%
and this morning at 5am I got 17.6%, then 17.5% just after breakfast. This actually makes me surprisingly happy! I'm pretty sure I could have been around 24-25% last year, and looking at some comparison pictures I'd have to say I'm pretty well pleased and the reading looks about right. I look forward to seeing the trends over the next month or so and comparing it to my weight.

My Arms are Jelly

Clearly my bottleneck in every Crossfit WOD is anything having to do with a pull-up bar. Must get more arm strength!

Today's WOD was called Stephen:

30-25-20-15-10-5 reps of:

GHD sit-ups
GHD back extensions
Knees to Elbows (on bar)
65# stiff-leg deadlifts

deadlifts were EASY. And the sit-ups and back extensions. But those knee-to-elbows...I probably did 8 REAL ones and the rest were me struggling to get my knees any bit in the air. Just 5 at a time....

Finished in 23:20. Pathetic, but basically almost Rx.
Time for golf!

Pull-ups Galore. Open Swim & Blueberry Monster

Today's Crossfit WOD was entitled "Cindy" which consists of only three things:

5 pullups

10 pushups

15 air squats.

Doesn't seem hard, right? Now do this AMRAP for TWENTY MINUTES

I did about 4 rounds and the clock only said 6:00 and I was already pooped. Not only that, but the pullups were tiring my arms out like crazy. I still don't think I have the kipping pull-up down at all. I don't have the momentum going up so I end up doing a hybrid of a kipping pullup and a real pullup. I ended finishing 12 rounds and 2 pullups I believe, but about 70% of that time was just waiting for my arms to regain strength for the next 1-2 pullups.

Next...I finally went on my first open water swim! It was a random decision to go ahead and do so, and I'm actually surprised the water wasn't as cold as I thought it was for 68 degree weather! The only thing was that being at the pond/mini beach alone, I literally had to play it super safe and not go out too far (I'm afraid there's alligators lurking, but maybe not). I made sure I could see the ground underwater as I swam...out by the buoys the water got a little murky and tough to see and so I freaked out a little. I did get to feel how it was to not have to push off a wall and just keep swimming. Actually felt really nice but I knew I shouldn't be out there much longer in the evening. Swam for 20 and called it a day. Probably went 1/2 mile or more.

Lastly.....

omg what is this purple madness?!

It'a a...BLUEBERRY shake of course. Blueberries, Almond Milk, 1/2 tsp of CINNAMON (totally does the trick) and about 1/2 cup of thick, creamy fage yogurt for a little tart. AMAZING and light too! Not to mention the blueberries were on sale at Whole Foods today for $1.99 per pint! Usually they are $4! I grabbed a pint and ran with it! Actually not literally since there was still a mountain of blueberries left. Seriously, with a sale that awesome, why wouldn't all the blueberries be gone?

New semi-power shake. Will be a real power shake once my unflavored whey protein powder arrives from Amazon...apparently it already shipped today, within a couple hours of ordering it.

YUM PROTEIN! Now if I can just stop eating all those extra carbs...

Some mornings, just gotta get up and work out

Awful headache. My shoulders were so stiff. It was definitely one of the more uncomfortable runs I've had in a long while and by no means a PR run. I'm pretty sure my diet was sufficient enough and I was well hydrated, but I bet it was the quality of sleep I get. I'm still struggling to complete 8 hours of sleep a night where I'm not waking up in the middle of the night or waking up unreasonably early (or staying up unreasonably late).

I haven't ran for a couple days, but I did some weight-lifting on Monday so that might slightly affect my muscles not being completely charged for a fast run.

Sheesh, I just realized to top my PR run of 7:57 for 13.1 miles will be TOUGH...even my 11 mile run the other day didn't reach that! Also, I forgot my heart rate monitor this morning...the perils of waking up at 6:45am and needing to get my workout overwith in an hour.

Swimming in the Zone

Sometimes instead of trying to memorize one of Lisa's crazy 1700yd+ swim workouts with sprints and rests, it's just easiest to jump in and start swimming laps. I thought I would begin with just a 4 lap warmup, but I decided...hey why not turn it into 1/4 mile (9 laps)? But then...actually, I'm at lap 8, why not swim 1/2 mile anyways and do another 9 laps. And later...actually, if I'm this far, I might as well swim 36 laps and finish the whole mile. I did, and swam a couple cool down laps and called it a good workout.


It's crazy the mindset that I get once I'm in the water and I begin zoning out. The first 8-9 laps are always the toughest since my body is still warming up and getting used to breathing just a little heavier. But by lap 20 or so, I feel like I'm in a state of bliss - as if nothing else in the world really matters much anymore but just counting the laps one by one as they go by and hearing the bubbles stream from my nostrils and my mouth once my faces hits the water after each breath looking towards the ceiling.


I hit a constant rhythm, counting strokes in groups of 3, and usually aiming for 8 sets of 3 strokes for length of the pool. I try to gauge my speed by the number of strokes it takes me as long as I feel I keep up the same rhythm.


I finished my mile in about 34 minutes. I forgot to properly set my watch to Chrono stop-watch mode so I didn't get an exact, but I remember seeing my watch at 8:06 when I started and finishing at 8:40. I feel like I could have swam faster, if I was really doing a TT. It's hard to gauge how fast to go and how much energy you can really use per each lap without burning out too early or leaving all the sprints to the last 3-4 laps.


Anyways, it's nice to actually have a swim workout where you just swim nonstop for a certain distance, just so you can really feel that you've accomplished that distance. I'm pretty sure stopping to cling onto the wall for a rest break isn't going to happen out in the open waters...

Bench - Squat - Deadlift 135 club

Proud to say that I have now accomplished 2 of the BSDL135# club (I think I'll refer to it that way from now on):

I can easily deadlift 135, but today for the first time I squatted 5 reps of 135#, and then did it again for 3 more reps! HURRAY!

Sadly, I have no pictures or video to document my progress :( But just wanted to rant! I think it'll definitely take awhile to get my bench up to 135#...I'm only hitting 90-95# at the moment :-/ And when I did try #135 the other day, I couldn't even push the bar off the rack! Give me a year....

I think I'll go do some overhead presses and either Power Cleans or deadlifts later tonight.

Why Try at Y-Tri? and a Farmers Market meal to die for

This morning was the worst morning at Y-Tri for me...I felt like I was just eking by each of the three workouts and managed to make it through. Usually every other week, the first few minutes of warming up are the toughest, and then I slide into turbo gear and have the  mental and physical energy to get through.


Today, my body was both depleted in both physical and mental energy. I think I overdid it running 11 miles yesterday at my half-marathon pace, and then doing a weight lifting session that afternoon. It was like I spent all the energy Ia stored up from Thursday and Friday for yesterday...and I somehow believed I would have a ridiculous amount for Sunday Morning.


Apparently that isn't the case, especially since I let myself at a calorie deficit yesterday since I overate the last couple days. BAD IDEA. 


When you feel your body physically isn't able to keep up with the assigned regimen (your quads feel fatigued, you can't find a comfortable arm position, you're sweating like mad), then you are mentally affected as well - you think you don't have the physical energy to do well and thus you settle for the minimum effort you can do to pass by.


That's how I felt today...doing the minimum I could. On a normal day, I would push to my max, knowing that each bit above my threshold I can push past, the better at the sport I'll be. Either today, my threshold was much lower, or I just didn't have the mental motivation to really work harder.


Running is always my break point that comes a little easier and I know how it feels to push myself when running. When it comes to swimming, I have no idea and I feel I am still swimming to be comfortable breathing in water rather than to gain much more speed.


Today's swim workout was about 2100yds in total, and during the whole thing I felt like I just needed to get back in the water and just keep swimming. Don't take longer breaks and fall into a bad habit, just force myself to get back in and do laps. I did end up finishing the whole workout with a pathetic time of over 48 minutes or so, but at least I swam over a mile today.

************************************************************************

And now...my awesome Paleo dinner of the evening: Spaghetti Squash with Olive, Basil & Almond Pesto (topped with an egg for extra protein), and Striped Bass.

I bought a huge bunch of fresh, amazing scented basil (for only $3) and almost a lb of Striped Bass from the Lippitt Park Farmers Market yesterday. I have to reiterate....fresh local food will almost always taste better. It tastes more wholesome, more savory and fresher than anything else:

This looks amazing, doesn't it? By the way, although that brown stuff looks a little gross...it's actually the best tasting olive pesto I have ever made in my life. Here's my quick recipe to mix in a blender:

• 1 cup pitted kalamata olives
• 1 (very compressed cup) of fresh basil leaves
• 2 tbsp capers
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesean cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds (or 1/4 cup freshly ground almond butter)
• 1/4 cup almond milk + 1/4 cup olive oil

It's an amazing sauce for spaghetti squash, to pair with grilled chicken or other fowl, and if you still eat pasta...with pasta. For the spaghetti squash, just cut the whole thing in half, put it cut-side down in the oven for about 45 minutes at 450 degrees, and let the squash tenderize! Then scoop out the seeds, and use a fork to pull out the "spaghetti-like" strands of the squash meat.

The striped bass....was AMAZING. just a tad overcooked but still very succulent. I can't wait for the other half in tomorrow's lunch!

Muscle Ups, Medicine Ball Bash & My New Toy!

Taking Thursday off was definitely a helper in terms of reviving a ton of energy I needed for these last couple workouts. I was hoping the Crossfit workout would be a little more challenging...

25 Bridge-Ups (These are actually HARD...even though I am really flexible and can bend my back relatively easy, it's super tough to actually lay back down and bridge up again...25 times in a row! Here's a lovely image of my back bridge:

It helps to have natural flexibility...I haven't lost too much since I took gymnastics as a youngster in 1st grade, but I obviously can't do splits or crazy back bends and flips anymore. Too lazy to restretch myself to that limit.

And then I also learned what Muscle Ups are and how in the world to do them...or at least a negative muscle up. We start from holding ourselves up while grasping a set of suspended rings, as if we're about to start a dip. Then we actually do a dip exercise as deep as we can go, and then release until we hang. Then we jump up to hold ourselves above the rings again and start another dip.

The positive ...or I guess a real muscle up is being able to transfer yourself from hanging by the rings to that low dip position, then pushing up on the dip so your arms are extended and your hands are holding on to the rings by your sides. That's 1 muscle up.

Apparently....I  can almost do one! Well, I can do dips on rings so all I need to do is kip myself up to that dip position and hopefully I will be well on my way. (It helps that I can do a few pullups now...)

And now...The Partner WOD:
20 medicine ball sit-ups, 14lbs passing it back and forth to the partner
20 medicine ball squat cleans + 10ft toss to partner, 14lbs
And then each partner runs 250m WITH the 14lb medicine ball.

I have to say, the situps and the squat cleans/tosses weren't bad at all. It helped that my partner was also awesome and we totally smashed all the mens' times. BUT THE RUN...you would think holding a 14lb ball wouldn't be too bad.

But the ball is HUGE. At least 18in in diameter and very huggable. I couldn't find the right position to hold it, and I don't think it mattered because I couldn't get the momentum from my arms. The craziest part was knowing that I used to weigh at LEAST 14lbs more than I do now, and carrying that extra 14lb ball while running was definitely not the same...I remember being able to run slightly faster. But it was definitely an eye opener to me of how much the extra weight I used to have was holding me back. I'm trying to imagine what it would feel to be carrying the 20lb ball since that would more accurately represent my starting weight last year...but I would rather not run that.

Overall I think we finished in 19:42? I don't remember, but it definitely beat out the guys.

********************************************************************************

And lastly, I finally got an opportunity to take my new toy out for a test drive...my new Garmin 305 GPS enabled watch:


Luckily Amazon was having a super sale on it...only $128! I've seen it run only as low as $170 and usually this watch has been running at over $300 (and all the other similar models that don't have as great of reviews). It is a little bulky to look at, but when running I actually don't notice it too much at all. I don't think it will necessarily make my left bicep a little bigger...but maybe by a millimeter to even it out with my right one.

Anyways, today was the perfect running day...overcast clouds, slight rain (actually pouring rain by the end) and just over 60 degrees. I was surprised that my watch held up in the rain in the end since it got pretty wet (Unfortunately I can't use this as a swim watch since it's not that waterproof...just water-resistant to a certain extent). Sorry triathlon.

Here's some awesome data that I picked up on my 11 mile run today...it was great to be able to not map out my run and to get my mileage as I ran, as well as my pacing.

Unfortunately, I forgot to wear the heart rate monitor so I didn't get that info, but hopefully I will be training with that tool in the near future...maybe tomorrow at Y-Tri!

It's cool to pair up the overall elevation with how my pace is....doesn't look like it changed too much, although the pace on my watch does tend to vary a lot. You can see some giant spikes where I had to stop for traffic and my pace just slowed way down for a few seconds. I think my average pace is probably more around 8:07 since I took a couple stops and also included a minute walk at the end, but not bad! Almost as good as my half marathon pace (7:58)

I also just realized that after that first elevation spike going up Transit street over to Governor street, my whole route was on average downhill the entire way. There were some good hills though.

Hoping this watch will motivate me to run even faster! I think it did today...I'm sort of competing against my pace now. No more junk miles for me (as in slower than 9:00 pace just because)

The attack of the 2pm daily crash!

Every day, it doesn't matter how big or small, leafy green or protein-enriched my lunch is, I always have this crash in the early afternoon between 1-3 pm. I have the least amount of energy and can barely focus...almost as if I wanted to just take a nap. What gives?

Has my 9-5:30 weekday office lifestyle led me to fall into this rut? I guess being in a habit of sitting 5 times a week for hours at a time is inhibiting me from having any energy during the middle of the day. If I were to graph a chart of my daily energy levels on a scale of 1 to 10...this is probably what it would look like:

Yeah, assuming the energy from after 11:00pm is probably on weekends where I might get a small spike of energy...i'm pretty sure this is how I feel on most days. If only I can get that sunken level of energy in the middle to even go up a few points slightly, I'd feel much better. 

Hoping that my change of schedule for RISD classes will help...hoping to get a few afternoon workouts in to help boost my mid-day energy levels and trick my body into thinking it needs to be more alert around 2:00pm.

I feel that your body maintains some sort of "energy time clock" where your body memorizes when you tend to use the most energy, then saves up your energy for those points in the day. For example, I always have workouts in the evening after 6:00pm, and have recently been doing a lot of workouts around the 7-8am time period. Also, I'm used to waking up at almost the same time everyday (6:30/7am) and getting ready for work, so my body has adapted to being away at this time.

Thus, my body has prepped itself to be full of energy at these time periods and regardless of whether or not I go to the gym or am just standing around being bored, I feel I have boundless amounts of energy or at least feel very alert. On the flip side, I'm so used to just sitting at a desk on my butt between the hours of 11:00am-5:00pm, so of course my body will adapt to not using any physical energy at these hours. Hence even on weekends where I am not sitting down half the time, I still feel the need to crash. (Yet I don't even though I feel like I should take naps...maybe I should?)

The moral of the story is, if you're feeling crashed at certain points in the day, start finding ways to trick your body into thinking it needs more energy at that point in the day. I'm trying to walk around the office more...at least once classes start my afternoons will be more varied than on my butt at the desk.

Ok so I'm eating yogurt...

I know technically yogurt is not truly "paleo" since it is Dairy, but it's probably one of the closer cheats you can do that still allows you to maintain the same type of calorie processing that your body does. A lot of paleo eaters do re-admit dairy into their diet, others have sworn it off completely either because they are lactose intolerant or just would like to stay super strict. I personally think adding just a little dairy into my diet is helping with my energy levels and at least giving me a few more choices that I can eat as far as meals go.

HURRAH! I've re-introduced a new food group! But I'm not going to go out and drink a gallon of milk everyday now...I'm still limiting my sources of dairy to low-lactose types. The only dairy I'm ingesting is cheeses (hard cheese, quality cheeses, feta and goat cheese), and greek yogurt.


I've become an incredible fan of Fage Total full fat greek yogurt. Yes, it has no sweetness or fruity flavor in it, and well I still can't bare to eat *plain* yogurt...it's just too sour tasting. But I love the thickness of it and the fattiness...it's incredibly low in carb too and a good way to get some more healthy fats and protein that I'm lacking still. I actually love hacking this yogurt by adding either:

• a tbsp of raw, local & organic honey (the local honeys are always the best tasting! Mmm)
• a tbsp of freshly ground almond butter from that crank in Whole Foods.
• a sliced up banana or fresh berries
• haven't tried pure maple syrup yet but I bet this is also a good combo

I'm surprised at how filling of a snack this is...one of the smaller snack containers of Fage Total on its own is a whooping 260 calories, and if I eat about that amount of yogurt with a drizzle of honey, some almond butter and a banana, I'm pretty sure the calories top at around 500. WHOA 500 CALORIES?! wait a minute aren't I trying to lose a couple lbs?

Actually, I only plan to eat this snack on my workout heavy days and days where my lunch just isn't living up to the protein/fat standards it needs to. I couldn't imagine scarfing this down on one of my lower 1200 calorie non-workout days where one of these yogurt treats is literally half my daily calorie intake. I could also always leave out the banana and it'll be a pretty satisfactory breakfast, if I don't break my other love of uncured whole foods maple bacon and fluffy eggs.

We'll see if this yogurt awesomeness will help me out on my 8.5 mile run tonight. That is, if my shins are feeling up to the challenge. (My shins are sore? AND my abs too? Since when does this happen...)

Rankel WOD

Today's Crossfit WOD was named after "Rankel" and consisted of doing as many rounds of:

6 x Deadlifting 155lb
7 Burpee Pullups
10 Kettlebell swings, 1.5 pood (24kg)
200m run

I'll admit, being only my second week I was afraid to do as Rx'd, so I scaled down to 135# DL and only 16kg kettlebell. STILL HARD.

I did complete 6 rounds and 6 deadlifts, so I could have done as Rx'd and gotten through maybe a couple less rounds....but not bad. I literally felt trashed during the entire workout. Will be resting most of Thursday (by resting I mean getting a darn good swim workout in) for Friday morning...whatever WOD that may be.

I can already feel the 6-pack churning...and muscles that haven't been sore in months are sore!

Take a Break?

I'll admit, the hardest part of working out and getting to the gym for me is...purposely not working out.  I've driven myself into the mindset of "Must workout everyday, need a calorie deficit, must lose those extra 3-4 lbs!" and even though my muscles are sore, I find myself out running 4-5 junk miles even after I finished an intense Crossfit session yesterday morning. I was even considering biking to work if it weren't for a coincidental flat tire I discovered right before I left (It's like the athletic gods telling me to get some rest!).


I find myself working out twice a day now at least 2-3 times a week (and maybe 3xday if you consider a bike commute to work a workout). But I also want to finish strong at the olympic-distance triathlon I'm doing at the end of August. This morning, I was debating even getting in a swim workout, biking to work and then going to the Crossfit session I already signed up for. Since it was a last minute decision, I ended up biking to the gym, jumping in the pool and swimming 25 laps non-stop, and then "transitioning" to my bike again to commute to work. Not bad...but I also want to do well with today's WOD.


I've yet to get any serious injuries...the majority of any injuries I had were from half marathon and marathon training months ago...much of that remedied from getting some proper running shoes (vibrams) and taking a whole week off running when I had some odd foot pains. I'm surprised that for how much I work my legs and quads through biking and running that my quads don't ever feel sore.


That is, until I started Crossfit and did a couple WODS...even thoughe n the whole session is over in 25-30 minutes, my muscles are aching the next day. I think I have pretty good abs, but my abs are burning after doing 50 hollow rocks and who knows how many sit-ups. Not sure how my performance will be today with some fired abs and sore shins (from box jumps?). I have high expectations for myself as a little monster.


Dinner tonight is some sauteed tilapia and spinach with garlic...nothin too special.