Going to the big Dance!

Pretty good week training I must say. I actually got in 3 swims this past week...ummm that's almost unheard of for me! I went 2 times before work which only allows for 30 minutes but every little bit helps and I did get in a 45 minute swim this weekend. Only two rides in but that's ok one of them was OUTSIDE! Three runs just short ones as it's my last easy week before the 1/2 marathon. However I met up with a couple of people from BT and had a really nice time meeting them. I ran on my own for the first couple miles and then was joined by one of the girls and she kept me moving right along. It's pretty obvious to me that running with other people seems to be the key to bettering my run. She kept me at a good pace and I finished up the 5 miles with an 11:30 average which is darn good for me especially considering I was holding a conversation!

Speaking of BT and meeting up. Looks like we are going to try for a meet up this Sunday on the 20th. So any of you Colorado folks that might be interested check out the link or drop me a line and I will fill you in as plans are made...just let me say that there is talk of bottomless mimosas after the run. Several of us are planning for around 10 miles.

And now I just want to share an inspirational March Madness story. If you have a few minutes go watch this video it's about 5 minutes long and tells the story of a young man who has over come many obstacles to become the Big Sky Tournament MVP as well as First Team Academic All-American. He has helped to lead the Bears on their trip to big dance and has inspired many. Not only is he an inspiration but his mom who I have worked with for about 5 years is an inspiration. They have faced some really rough times and have come out on top. So I just want to say

GO BEARS!!!

Because I'm a follower.....

and I just can't stand it any longer.


A. Age: 46
B. Bed size: King
C. Chore you dislike: pretty much all of them, that's why triathlon is so great, I have to get my training in and it's just to bad if I don't have time for the chores.

D. Dogs: One boxer Duke although sometimes the teenage boys act like dogs...no wait that's pigs.
E. Essential start to your day: Gotta have my coffee, although I think I'm about to give it up.
F. Favorite color: I don't have a favorite, but I am always drawn to pink but not light pink strong pink!
G. Gold or silver: silver or gold like them both.
H. Height: 5’7"
I. Instruments you play(ed): None
J. Job title: Accounts Payable...although I do much much more then that.
K. Kids: Two pig boys Josh 16 (17 next month) and Zach 15

L. Live: Sunny Denver Colorado
M. Mom’s name: Jeanette
N. Nicknames: Jules
O. Overnight hospital stays: Only when doing that birthing thing
P. Pet peeves: Drivers seems to be a biggie and that is mine too drivers that think "YIELD" means "MERGE"...GRRRRRRR
Q. Quote from a movie: All I can come up with are the ones from Forest Gump as my son goes around saying them all the time.
R. Righty or lefty: Right
S. Siblings: I have a younger brother
T. Time you wake up: If I workout before work 4:20 if not 5:20ish and unfortunately this means weekends it's rare to sleep past 6-6:30. But it feels like sleeping in.
U. Underwear: Yes....unless you mean under the spandex.
V. Vegetables you don't like. I like most some just have to be prepared a certain way. Peas unless fresh not a favorite, Brussel sprouts only roasted til very done, you get the idea.
W. What makes you run late: To much time. If I have extra time I start doing something and the next thing I know I will be rushing out the door. Although I'm usually pretty prompt.
X. X-rays you’ve had: MRI on shoulder, teeth, maybe some others I'm not sure.
Y. Yummy food you make: I consider myself a pretty good cook, but don't ask the boys they have not yet forgotten the meatloaf with lentils...I do know that they miss some of the food I used to make when I didn't cook quite so healthy. They are always telling me things I make are weird.
Z. Zoo animal favorites: I really like the gorillas.

Thoughts that are all over the place…

This is what my dash showed this evening when I drove into my drive. Any plans that I had for the evening went out the window as there was NO WAY I was going to pass up this opportunity to get out for a quick ride before the dark set in. It was GLORIOUS! 45 FANTASTIC minutes on my bike, not in my garage! Oh yea....

I’ve chosen a training plan. I decided on one of the BT ones. I find it quite handy to be able to load it into your calendar and use it for tracking all of your workouts. I’ve been using BT since the beginning of the year. And while there are some things I don’t like quite as much as Running Ahead where I tracked everything before, it does a much better job being able to track all 3 sports. And I probably haven’t played around in it is much since I have no old data. Now my question is this. How do you combine plans and/or train for other events along the way. My 70.3 plan is starting in the next week or so. Not much of a difference from the maintenance plan I’ve been following. What I did for the ½ mary training, was just develop a plan on Smart Coach and substitute that for the running in the maintenance program. This has worked pretty well I think. Now I’m wondering about how to put together the training for the metric century in May and the century in June. I found a “training” program for a century which really just shows how many miles you should get in for a week including how many mile your long ride should be each week. I’m thinking that I will just incorporate into my plan. I’m a little worried how this will all fall together but I think it will work well as long as I don’t burn myself out to early in the season. However since I LOVE being on my bike I don’t really think this will be a problem. And since the Oly isn’t until July and the 70.3 isn’t until August I think I will still have plenty of time to make sure I’m getting my running and swimming miles in. Wow much rambling there..I’ve not idea as usual if that made any sense.

I know why many people don’t like running…it seems that almost without fail that the first mile, mile and half always just sucks..so you need to be able to stick that out and then your golden. Or maybe that’s just me but it seems almost always I spend the first mile of any run thinking there is no way I’m going to be able to do __Insert any number here___ miles. But soon I’m just moving along and feeling good. I’m sure it’s all about just getting warmed up.

Heart rate training…how many of you use it? Or do you use it but only as a point of reference?

I confess that I’m somewhat addicted to blogs. I read several different types, but most are similar, food, training, diet, and some photography. Sometimes if I’m bored I find myself going through the random blogs from the dashboard. It’s like this little glimpse into other peoples worlds. So I’m wondering what are your favorite blogs either tri related or anything else that I might be missing. Please help feed my addiction by posting one or more of your fav's. :)

What's for Dinner? Cajun Chicken Pasta

Laissez les bon temps rouler! Well in honor of Mardi Gras I thought it appropriate to give you a little bit of Cajun goodness! And this was good, got a thumbs up from both the boys with a "you could make this one again." I got the original recipe from Pioneer Woman who's blog is just fantastic. She has the most georgeous food pics as well as some fabulous pics from the the farm. I'm always sucked into her blog for long periods when I go there. Of course in order to make this recipe a little healthier and lighter I did make some changes. Enjoy!

Cajun Chicken Pasta
Pioneer Woman

Ingredients
3 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Cut Into Cubes (24 oz of chicken)
3 teaspoons Cajun Spice Mix, More To Taste
1 pound Fettuccine (I used whole wheat)
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil (I only used one Talbespoon)
2 Tablespoons Butter (I only used one Talbespoon Smart Balance)
1 whole Green Bell Pepper, Seeded And Sliced
1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Seeded And Sliced
½ whole Large Red Onion, Sliced
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
4 whole Roma Tomatoes, Diced
2 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
½ cups White Wine (I didn't have wine so just used extra broth)
1 cup Heavy Cream (I used fat free evaporated milk)
Cayenne Pepper To Taste
Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
Salt To Taste
Preparation Instructions
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain when pasta is still al dente; do not overcook!

Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun spice over chicken pieces. Toss around to coat. Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy skillet over high heat. Add half the chicken in a single layer; do not stir. Allow chicken to brown on one side, about 1 minute. Flip to the other side and cook an additional minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a clean plate.

Repeat with remaining chicken. Remove chicken, leaving pan on high heat.

Add remaining olive oil and butter. When heated, add peppers, onions, and garlic. Sprinkle on remaining Cajun spice, and add salt if needed. Cook over very high heat for 1 minute, stirring gently and trying to get the vegetables as dark/black as possible. Add tomatoes and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Remove all vegetables from the pan.

With the pan over high heat, pour in the wine and chicken broth. Cook on high for 3 to 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Reduce heat to medium-low and pour in cream, stirring/whisking constantly. Cook sauce over medium-low heat for a few minutes, until cream starts to thicken the mixture. Taste and add freshly ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, and/or salt to taste. Sauce should be spicy!


Finally, add chicken and vegetables to sauce, making sure to include all the juices that have drained onto the plate. Stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until mixture is bubbly and hot. Add drained fettuccine and toss to combine.






Let the good times roll!

Who wouldn't run for cupcakes!?!?!?

Jason over at Cook Train Eat Race along with Christel at Silly Girl Running are hosting a virtual race. There will be drawings for cupcakes....you must check it out! I plan on doing the full as it will help keep me on track with my 1/2 training.

Let's see in another news training this week has gone pretty good. I got in 3 bikes and 3 runs but only one swim. Always a challenge to get those in.

Running- did speedwork on Wednesday 3 x 1600 @ 10:20 (I thought it said 10:15)
10:09
10:12
10:13
Nailed it and remember I'm slow so that is blazin' for me! It was good. Long run this week 9 miles felt a little rough in spots, I'll blame the hills that were at the start, but I got it done and am glad that this next week is a rest week on my 1/2 marathon plan.

Bike-all trainer miles..I was hoping for nicer weather this weekend as I wanted to get out and ride. Oh who am I kidding, it was in the 40's and dry I could have done it I just have this block when it comes to riding outside under 60 degrees. Maybe because I don't really have the necessary gear for riding in the cold although I know I could make do with what I have.

Swim-the single one I did, unless I get my butt over to the pool today, felt pretty good. It seems like just when I get in a groove though I need to turn around, I don't do flip turns and I don't think that would make much difference any way you still lose your rhythm with them. I'm really going to have to make the effort to get to the pool more often even if I only do 30 minutes as opposed to the 60 the plan calls for.

What's for Dinner? Turkey Sausage Cassoulet

This one was a bit of surprise as to how good it was. It's also another one that I did not feed the kids. They don't like the orange stuff quite as much as I do. It turned out very good. As usual my adjustment are written in.

Turkey Sausage Cassoulet from Fitness Magazine

Ingredients
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil ( I only used 1 to cook the onions)
2 shallots, minced (I didn't use these at all)
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
Pinch salt plus more to taste
4 uncooked turkey sausage links ( I used 4 servings of Hillshire Farms Lite Sausage)
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed
2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup organic low-sodium vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped (I used dried but wish I had used fresh)
1 16-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup whole-grain panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 2 (1) tablespoons of the oil and the shallots, onion and pinch of salt to the pot; sauté 5 to 10 minutes and then turn off heat.


2. In a small pan, cook the sausage until browned, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Remove from pan and set aside; once cool, slice into 1-inch pieces and add to onion mixture. (I cut mine up first and if next time I will cut it into smaller pieces I think)



3. Add the sweet potato, squash, vegetable broth, thyme, sage and beans to Dutch oven; stir. Now the recipe never said to mix in the sausage and onions...but obviously I did. :)

4. In a medium bowl, mix the panko, Parmesan and remaining olive oil;(I did not use this olive oil but did spray some on with my mister) season with salt and black pepper to taste and sprinkle over sausage mixture. Cover and bake 30 minutes. ( I think it could have baked for another maybe 5-10 minutes as some of the pieces were not quite done or maybe I need to be more careful about getting all my pieces the same size)Uncover and bake 15 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Serve.

Next time I may leave off the topping too if I'm just making it for myself. While it was good right out of the oven when reheated I really didn't notice so I could skip the extra calories.



As I said surprisingly good! I'm hoping (and don't see why it won't) that it will freeze good. I love having my freezer stocked with soups and thing I can grab easily for lunch.


Edited to add:
Michael reminded me that I actually meant to add that I thought it would be good as a side dish, or vegetarian, without the sausage.

Style X 2

Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say and not giving a damn.- Gore Vidal




And bloggers know how to say what they want!



For the 2nd time I've received the Stylish Blogger award. Thanks to Michael at Slowly Tri-ing Michael is a new blogger and has some pretty good stuff to say so make sure if you haven't checked her out yet stop by and encourage her!

Ok the rules
1. Make this a post and link back to the person who gave the award to you
2. Share 7 things about yourself
3. Award 5 great bloggers
4. Contact the bloggers and tell them they've won

Last time I followed some other bloggers by taking the award litteraly and posting some really stylish pictures, this time I'll play more by the rules and post some things about myself.

1. My dad comes from a family with 12 children 6 boys and 6 girls. They produced 24 children 12 boys and 12 girls. My mom is a twin and has twin brothers. I always thought this was a little strange.

2. I’ve only had 4 jobs and 4 cars in my 46 years. I guess I’m not big on change.

3. I seem to have a pretty high tolerance for pain. Both of my children were delivered with no pain mediation/epidurals, although to be truthful there was a time with the first one that I was ready for some but it was to late and the 2nd child came so fast that I didn't even have chance to hurt. I also have had dental work, cavities filled, yes including drilling, and deep cleanings with no Novocain. I really hate having a numb mouth.

4. I’m a Denver native which is somewhat rare…but even more rare then that may be the fact that I’ve only been skiing once.

5. I’m cheap…I don’t know if it’s because I’ve always had to watch my money or some other deep seated issue…As you may have noticed in pictures my Garmin is old, bought new but not the year it came out. And believe it or not I still have a 27” non HD TV and my cell phone is not fancy. I have a hard time buying things to replace things that still work. This may or may not apply to bikes and some other tri gear... priorities you know.

6. I have 2 tattoo’s one that I got at 18 on my shoulder and one that I got after my divorce in 2002 on my lower back. I have to admit the idea of getting a swim, bike, run tattoo when I complete the 70.3 is in the back of my mind.

7. I smoked for 20+ years much of it heavily like 2 packs a day. I quit 10 years ago. I do however on occasion do smoke, usually when drinking.



There is some pretty random stuff for you. And as for who to pass this on to I'm going to cop out and pass it on to anyone that hasn't done it yet! Or anyone who want's to do it again!



Go on be Stylish!