Things I'm Thinking about on Thursday

1. Yesterday I completed my longest (distance wise) physical activity ever- a 22 mile bike ride! It was fantastic and I felt great and can't wait to push myself even further (especially since I would like to RUN 26.2 miles in October...eek)

2. During said bike ride I saw not one, not two, but THREE separate men ...relieving themselves.. to the side of this beautiful trail. Not athletes, just every day dudes. Really?? 

3. I'm trying to use Twitter. I don't get it. I may only be in my mid late twenties but when it comes to technology I might as well be 65. I'm just getting a grasp on Facebook. Someone teach me the ways! And follow me, or whatever you say in twitter-talk, @cardiocatscook, I think. Instagram is next, ooph. #nottechsaavy (something like that?)

4. While I wouldn't quite call what I've got going on a tan just yet, I certainly have some crazy tan lines starting since all my time outside has been during runs and rides. Lots of different sports bra/tank top/sock lines going on. Super sexy.

5. I rode my bike to work today (good golly my butt was sore) and felt like a total bad ass. I don't even know why- my commute is seriously not even 2 miles- but whatever, it was a big deal for me.

6. Dessert last night was a medium twist cone from the very conveniently located Dairy Queen (at the end of my street). I am going to need to show some serious restraint or I may end up there every single night this summer and that can't be good for the waistline.

7. I've been spending some time trying to fancify (that's a word, I swear) my blog and any input would be appreciated! I've added pages for my favorite blogs + fitness gear and plan to do a longer "about me" page as well as a recipe page. It's taking me some time but I'll get the hang of this blogging thing soon.

8. It is almost Friday, yay!

Dirty Duathlon (finally)

Hey guys, remember when I ran that duathlon over two weeks ago? I'm sad to report that no pictures were posted (really really sad) so I'm finally ready to post my recap. Enjoy!


I'll be honest- I had no idea what I was getting myself into with this duathlon. I don't even remember how I stumbled upon it in the first place. But I can truly say I am oh so happy that I did.

Let's start at the beginning.

After a long day on Saturday, I got home from work later than I wanted to and feeling less than swell. The changing weather was making all my injuries act up and my stomach had been bothering me. All the confidence I had built up with my first and only Brick the previous weekend had gone out the window. I found myself hoping for terrible weather so the event could just be cancelled. Certainly not the best pre-race attitude.

Luckily I slept pretty well and woke up easily at the crazy time of 5a on Sunday morning. The weather forecast looked superb (clear and upper 60s) and I knew I had no excuse. My stomach was still grumbling but I stuck with what I knew and ate my typical toast+PB2+banana but skipped the coffee and drank watered down vitamin water instead. K. promised that a B vitamin supplement would give me a little extra oomph so I took one of those too- any little bit would help!

We arrived at the trail head just after 7a and I was quick to notice just how small the race was, 80 people max, which was a huge change of pace from every other race I've done. My friend H. and I checked in and were assigned our transition spots (which were right next to each other) so we went to get settled in. Our transition prep was literally just racking our bikes and setting our helmets on the seat, nice and easy. We hung out and tried to quell our nerves while we waited to start. We decided to walk the start of the trail to get an idea of what we were about to face and this is where the fear set in. About a tenth of a mile in there was a STEEP decline that was basically a mudslide. I instantly dropped any goals I had for the race and made a new one: don't get hurt! This was going to be interesting.

The race director gathered us all together and gave us a run down of how things would go. The 15 or so long course athletes would head in first, one runner at a time, 8 seconds between runners. We were to self seed ourselves based on how we were viewing the race (competitive folks up front, leisurely people in the back, others in the middle). He really emphasized that the course was hard, the hills were slick and safety should be everyone's first priority. He reminded us that saving a few seconds or minutes isn't worth the risk. Go out, have fun and stay safe. I liked his approach but now I was more scared than ever! I settled in about half way through the short course group and nervously awaited my turn...

When the air horn signaled my start I darted into the woods. I tried to settle into a comfortable pace but as soon as I saw that decline again I slowed myself and eased my way down. By a quarter of a mile I was seriously huffing and puffing and it really hit me just how hard trail running is. After a few ups and downs there was a nice straight stretch (on the edge of what felt like a mountain!) so I picked up some speed and started chasing down some folks. I expected my bike time to be slower and even though I wasn't really trail trained I knew I could make up some speed with the run. The long course athletes were on their way back as I was hitting the half way mark. Every single person who passed me offered up words of encouragement- even the athletes who were out there REALLY trying to win. "Keep it up!", "Great job!", "Half way there, good work". It was all so genuine and made me fall in love with the small race atmosphere. For most of the run I was just a few steps behind a guy and when we came to an abrupt slippery incline he stopped and reached out his hand to help me. Amazing! Without all those words of encouragement I would have been done for- I was already fighting thoughts of pulling out of the rest of it because I felt so unprepared.

Despite how hard it was the run went by pretty quickly. I made the decision to race without music and I'm so glad I did. The trail was beautiful and I was happy to cheer on the people I passed by just as others had done for me. There was a volunteer with water at the turn around mark and I was happy to see him. I stopped and downed a cup of water before processing the fact that I had to run back the way I came (and then do it all again after a bike ride...). On the way back I nearly lost a shoe is a mud pit but overall I came out of the woods unscathed and excited to ride.

Run 1: 21:50 (24th overall)

Transition was a breeze. The biggest dilemma I had was what to do with my hair because my on-top-of-my-head ponytail wouldn't work with my helmet. I moved my ponytail down as I was coming out of the trail and was helmet ready. Helmet on head, bike in hands, run to mounting area, ride away! My only failure was not switching my Garmin to cycling mode :-(

T1 0:21 (fastest non-relay transition time, go me!)

I was so happy to be on the bike, which is something I never thought would happen. The breeze felt awesome and the area we were in was so serene. The 12 mile ride was a big rectangle with right turns only which made it nice and easy. While on the bike I focused on my cadence. K. had hooked up a little computer to show me my current pace and cadence. I was aiming for 85 to 90 rotations and it was so helpful to see it and shift my gears accordingly. I felt like I was flying on the bike! My max speed was 24.9mph (on a downhill, obviously) which is CRAZY fast for me. Prior to this my max was 18, just for reference. Thanks to staggered starts I was pretty much alone out there on the ride, I think I only came across maybe a dozen riders the entire time I was out. The second half of the ride was hilly and my speedy first half pace was starting to catch up with me, but just like on the run anyone who passed me by was nothing but supportive. I powered through and was very proud of my bike performance overall.

12 mile ride: 49:20 (31st overall)

Transition 2 was a bit rough on the legs. When I dismounted I nearly collapsed, my spaghetti legs didn't know what to do but I just kept moving. 

T2: 0:21, because I'm consistent like that. (2nd fastest non-relay)

As soon as I got onto the trail I hit a water stop and took a few seconds to shake out my legs and drink some water. At this point I felt pretty destroyed and knew that run #2 would be a lot more walking that running. As soon as I saw the state of the trail I was even more certain about that. What had been just slightly muddy before was now pretty out of control. The smaller pits looked big enough to host mud wrestling matches. They had added more volunteers for the second run who were equipped with water and stationed at the more treacherous parts of the course to give you a bit of warning. Run two was honestly a huge blur. I knew that my tired legs only made the course more dangerous so I was extra cautious, I was so close to being done that I didn't want twist an ankle now. I tried to give it a little extra at the finish line but there was very little to give, haha. It felt so amazing to cross that finish line.

Run 2: 23:55, blah. (29th overall)

Total Time: 1:35:46, 26th place non-relay. 2nd place F 20-29 (out of only 5, but it still counts, right?. I think so :-) )

My super secret goal was a 1:30, but that was before I understood trail running. I was nothing but pleased with my finish time. 

Despite the fact that I wanted to collapse I stayed upright and moving. My calves + achilles were KILLING me so there was lots of stretching. Greenswell did an AMAZING job with the post-race amenities. Bottles of water, tons of bananas, boxes full of Cliff bars, a giant pitcher of Gatorade! One of the sponsors was there with free sunglasses. Anything you could need! I had done a terrible job of fueling (one shot blok and a bottle of water made with Skratch ) and needed food in me instantly and a Cliff bar really hit the spot. The medal was also quite neat- simple but a nice touch with the bike chain. 

This was definitely my favorite race of all time and I am totally hooked on multi-sport events. I feel like I really fell in love with cycling when I was just out there on the open road alone (yes, I realize how corny that sounds). I'm more motivated than ever to start swimming and get myself into triathlons in the near future. I also can't say enough good things about Greenswell. I definitely plan on keeping an eye on their race calendar and joining in on some of their training rides/runs and clinics.

I could get used to days like this

Today has been a good day. And I've come to realize that I have the power to make all my days good days. 

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and the better the breakfast the better the day, right? 

TJ's vanilla bean Greek yogurt pancakes kicked up a notch (ha) with shredded coconut and fresh strawberries. Delicious.

This breakfast was so satisfying, I forgot about my beloved Greek yogurt pancakes for awhile and I'm so glad I made them this morning. 

Work was work. It went by quickly and I was daydreaming of adult beverages on a patio but I knew I had Jillian planned for the evening. When my friend texted to say she couldn't make it I was so tempted to ask everyone I knew to meet me for a margarita but I stayed strong. I got home, changed and was out the door for a run within 5 minutes. I'm experimenting with using my heart rate monitor to train in different zones (more on that in another post) so I did a super easy 5 miles. I've been slacking on strength and I knew some quality time with Jillian would only make my good day better so I stuck with my plan and followed the run up with NMTZ. Doing it with my friend each week is so nice but something about doing it alone made me feel so accomplished. And hungry!

As I mentioned last post I've been spending a lot of time in the kitchen and to be honest I feel like for every successful experiment I have at least 3 failures. The failures aren't so fun- especially when I need to eat them anyways because I'm trying not to be wasteful. Luckily tonight was nothing but success!

I knew I wanted something quick and easy. I chopped up some tofu and threw it into a pan with some curry powder,  soy sauce and red onion.

I spread some plain hummus and mashed butternut squash (both from TJs, the precut butternut squash is awesome) on a Flatout flax seed wrap.

Topped it off with the tofu & onions, mixed greens and broccoli slaw.

Wrapped, sliced and devoured.

I always forget how convenient wraps are, a nice little package of everything I needed. I'm still feeling pretty snacky so I foresee popcorn and something dessert-like. I earned it, right?

72 Hours

So glad to be back! The past few days have finally felt normal, if not a bit busy. I feel like I've spent most of my (limited) free time in the kitchen and that makes me so happy.

chickpeas + tahini + parsley + dill + paprika, oh my!

These patties fall somewhere in between hummus + falafel, if that seems possible. They were a little dry so I have some tweaking to do before I share the recipe.

This was my grab-and-go "linner" between jobs on Friday. Our grocery situation was grim so packing food was out of the question, but a quick stop at the local co-op was just what I needed. Del's Favorite Tofu Wrap is also one of my favorites- black bean hummus, baked tofu, fresh greens and a mustard dressing all wrapped up in lavash. So good. And I couldn't resist the cookie by the checkout (vegan, gluten free and totally delicious!)

A little Saturday afternoon experimentation. I'm still working on a good homemade Larabar-type snack and I've come to the conclusion that I just don't like dates. This batch was made using dried apricots, raw almonds + cashews, chia seeds and a little sweetened coconut. Pretty good, but not yet perfect. Soon, I swear.

Yesterday was a pretty fantastic day. I woke up with the sun and got a nice 6 mile run in before it got too hot and sunny (though the last mile wasn't super fun). Came home and instantly took an ice cold shower which is my new favorite post run activity. I had about 2 minutes to throw together breakfast before I needed to be on my way to yoga.

Trader Joe's 0% vanilla Greek yogurt + raw oats + chia seeds + almonds + strawberries to go! 

I really enjoyed this week's practice. It was challenging but in a good way. My muscles were definitely a bit shaky from the 6 miles but it was a nice deep stretch.

The rest of Sunday was spent in the kitchen AGAIN. 

Cupcake test kitchen! I'm perfecting recipes for a shindig next week- better photos + more details will be shared then  :-)

Hope everyone's weekend was as good as mine!

The Heart of it All

Thanks to everyone for hanging in here! It seems like my blog world has recently been overrun with people dealing with family stresses and losses- my thoughts are with all of you going through that.

I just wanted to pop in quickly to shed a little light on what's been going on in our world. During what should have been a routine appointment last week, K.'s dad was informed that he would be needing a triple bypass- and while it wasn't exactly an emergency situation they did recommend that he do it as soon as possible, which ended up being the very next day. Although they aren't biologically my family, I am certainly close to them and I wanted to be present as much as I could throughout the whole ordeal. It was a very hectic and stressful 24 hours- the hardest part for me was watching K. try to deal with it all. He was out on a stress-reducing bike ride when his mom texted to say that his dad had come out of surgery and everything had gone smoothly. When I told K. that things were looking good it was as if every emotion he had been ignoring just washed over him, it was so good to see relief finally settle in. We learned shortly after the procedure that they ended up doing a QUADRUPLE bypass and that his dad's heart had essentially been a ticking time bomb.

Everyone is feeling quite thankful- he could have had a heart attack while he was out riding his bike, working in the yard or even just during a stressful drive to work. That would have damaged the heart muscle so that it wouldn't be recovering so fast (or even worse, which I don't think I need to say). His dad is home now, coming around quite quickly, but still has a long road ahead. 

What this experience shows me is that diet and exercise aren't just about vanity or stress relief, it's first and foremost about our health. And while I still strongly believe that we can enjoy all things in moderation, it does make me look closely at the occasional questionable food choices we make (lazy nights of ordering in pizza, post-bar stops at Taco Bell, etc.) and really want to limit them even further going forward.

As I dive back into regular blogging there will be a heavy focus on meal planning as we are going to be preparing lots of food for his parents. Just like everything else in life there are always ways to improve. Although I know that generally speaking I sit on the healthier end of the spectrum I have a few changes to my diet that I want to make as well. I also want to be sure that exercise for health is something that I achieve daily- just because I miss a planned workout doesn't mean I can't take a 30 minute stroll to enjoy the sunset. I'm feeling a renewed sense of gratitude for my body and what it allows me to do and I want to repay it for all I put it through.

I plan to return with regularity (and pictures and recipes and workouts, oh my!) on Monday. 

Enjoy the weekend!

Family First

Just popping in to say that I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth! There was a family medical emergency last week and I've just been caught up in that. Things are, thankfully, going even better than expected but it's still a bit overwhelming. I hope to return to my normal routine in a few days and that routine will include regular posts! Hopefully there will be still be a handful of readers left by then :-)

Hope everyone had a safe and fun Memorial day weekend!

One of those weeks

I don't know what it is but I just haven't been able to wrap my head around this week. I feel like I've spent most of it not knowing what day it is! Yesterday after a marathon day at work I came home and immediately crashed in my bed, when I finally woke up I was SO confused! I remember thinking it was Saturday morning and I felt like I had to be somewhere. Needless to say I'm more than thankful that today is almost Friday.

Let's rewind and see where my time has gone.

As soon as I got home from work on Tuesday, I whipped up this banana bread from Christina @ Hungry Meets Healthy, subbing blueberry Chobani for the banana (because that's what I had on hand). The smell of the bread baking was pretty much all that could get me through my workout. NMTZ was seriously tough. My still sore muscles were rebelling against me but I powered through the best I could. It was certainly not the greatest of workouts but I was happy to be doing it. Dinner was my standard mixing bowl full of salad, this time pumped up with a black bean burger buried somewhere in there. 

Dessert was (unpictured) banana bread and it.was.heavenly! Follow that link and make it right now. I whipped it up in minutes and barely made a mess (which is a HUGE accomplishment for me!). DO IT.

I crashed hard on Tuesday and knew that Wednesday had to be a rest day. Work was kind of blur, things have been hard and hectic at work and my days there just feel so long. I took my random nap last night and raided the refrigerator for anything that could resemble dinner. What I came up with is too embarrassing to admit. Popcorn + banana bread were also enjoyed.

I'm still (impatiently) waiting for photos, but may just end up posting my Dirty Du recap tomorrow anyways, without them :-/. I'll be so disappointed if there are none because there were also ZERO official race photos of me at Cap City. How does that even happen?!?

Memorial Day is coming up and I barely even realized! A 3 day weekend COULD sound awesome except I'm working second job Fri-Sun. That would bum me out more if I wasn't desperately trying to save up for a new bike thanks to my reignited love of cycling. If I keep getting all these extra hours I'll be riding this baby (in charcoal/teal) in no time! Memorial Day also means that it's just about time to get back into my training plan, where did my freedom go?!? At least I have Monday off to do absolutely nothing, so thankful for that.

Any big Memorial weekend plans?