Withdrawal Is Hard and Other Diet Struggles

I know I've talked about doing the Whole 30 before. I've cycled...twice? I've definitely taken "whole30 inspired" weeks to clear my head. When I get the chance, I try to stay close to a Whole 30-ish diet. Mostly - veggies, protein, healthy fats, and limited fruits. Why? It works - for me.

Everyone is different, but I can always hear my dad saying in reference to every diet fad that's ever come across the board: eat your veggies and meat. If it doesn't come in a package, it's probably good for you. Eat around your plate.

The program I'm following for these four weeks is pretty close to Whole30 with a couple of grains thrown in (oatmeal here and there, some quinoa). Something like The Zone meets Whole 30.

If you've done a Whole30 before, you may be familiar with the "What To Expect" timeline.

I was naive and thought I'd be JUST FINE this time around.

So, in case you're following a diet similar to this one, let me give you the first week days update:

Days 1: Everything is awesome. You are a superior human. Look at you, being responsible for your eating habits. Clean, good, real food! And...my gosh, there sure is a lot...of this food. Are you SURE I need all of this? Ok, well, if you insist, you say as you try to cram that last piece of sweet potato down your throat.

Day 2: I hate egg whites. And deli meat. Sure, you miss that peanut butter filled pretzel bite snack you get in the afternoon, but only for a few minutes and once you shove the remaining pieces of that bell pepper in your mouth, you're really full. This will be easy. Except for egg whites, which you have learned you hate.

Day 3: Creativity Bonus. You ace the egg white omelet and feel the need to apply for Top Chef. Pork knuckles and coco puffs? After making the egg white omelet look like something from a Michelin Star restaurant* - you'll win, hands down. Plus, that boring chicken breast - paired with avocado and salsa and some leafy greens - viva el pollo! Shaw Bijou my butt, Chez Rommel is ready for business.

Day 4: I've been hit by a truck. You sleep for nine and a half hours. You wake up and while you can't go back to sleep, why does it feel like every bone in your body weighs a million pounds. That pool workout you had planned? There's literally no way. You make it out of bed for five hours and lay down on the couch. You pray you never have to move again. Three hours later, you can move. Kind of. But going to see your favorite artist in the entire world play live with your best friend feels like you have to climb Everest. Food sounds gross.

Go to concert and rock out anyway. Sit until show starts because zzzz

Day 5: Second truck coming through. You sleep for nine hours. The world feels like it's under water when you wake up. You live through three hours of your day and fall asleep before carving pumpkins with your boyfriend. The cat thinks you are literally there for her sleeping comfort (and, let's face it, you are.) Working at the restaurant is akin to being killed slowly through rolling silverware.

You don't even care how terrible you look in this photo. How cute is that cat.

Day 6: It's not good. You're still tired and now you're sick. Please god let this end.

Day 7: Things are looking up. You wake up and man are you tired (but maybe it was 6 hours at the restaurant after a full day of work), but it's not nearly as bad as it was yesterday. In fact, you kind of happily eat your egg white omelet (avocados = bonus round) and your coffee tastes pretty good. You break the rules and step on the scale. 1.2 pounds down.

Next up - how to make your boring food not so boring.

Week Four: Food Focused

The broken workouts continue - much of the same. A lot of rowing, snatching, DB push press, and hang power cleans from my knees.

I went to the gym yesterday, hoping to modify my squats. The problem with a boot is the curved edge at the back of the boot. I’m sure it has some reasonable explanation for it’s existence, but I haven’t found it yet and it’s impossible to get full range of motion on my knee without running into it and rubbing the skin off the back of my thigh.

Coach Steve and I tried putting a target down for squats - no go, still too low. So, I was left with two options: floor press or strict press (but from the floor). While I’d immediately have chosen the floor press, my heel has been hurting a lot lately and that felt dicey.

My least favorite lift, instead: strict press. This time, from the floor. 

A video posted by Mia Rommel (@mrommel) on Oct 26, 2016 at 3:24pm PDT

As I’ve said before - if you’re getting to a 1RM in strict, you’re tempted to do a tiny little push at the end. Lifting from the bench does a lot to remove that small hip drive, but from the floor, you remove the ability to do that little kick that you’d get on the bench. I did have to sit on a plate to compensate for the lift of my boot when my legs were on the ground to remove the little back sway. 

Coach Steve is a saint. I was swearing up a storm about why everyone else got to squat and I was stuck doing strict press and blah blah blah. So I go to do RDLs (10 reps after every strict press set).

Considering I was lifting somewhere around 33% of my deadlift 1RM, you’d think this would be a walk in the park. The thing about doing 50 RDLs in increasing weight, albeit low, is that you have a sudden appreciation for how much your hamstrings want to help out. My left hammy is going I THOUGHT WE WERE STILL ON VACATION.

Pro-tip - a 10 plate is nearly equivalent to the lift in the a boot. 

On the other side of things is food. I decided to give the Four Week Challenge meal plan a go with one of my friends. It’s basically a mix of zone and paleo - but frankly, it reminds me of what my friends on the body building track eat. 

Full disclosure: I don’t like chicken. I just don’t. If I cook it, maybe we’re ok. I’ve had it prepared deliciously, but the big turn off for me is that horrible moment when you take a bite and it’s gristle, tendon or something and your entire meal is ruined. So when I looked at the menu and saw chicken and egg whites, I knew I was in for a ride.

So far, I think my desire to drop a few pounds to help my heel and eat super clean to speed up that calcium depositing has kept the cravings away. Also possible is that I've been eating so much damn volume in food that I don't care.

The hardest part has been for me, someone who cooks to relax, is to accept that sometimes food is fuel and that's that. I've been trying to "fix" a lot of the foods so that I'm not just eating lukewarm egg whites and feeling grumpy.

Thus, breakfast has turned into:
Egg white omelet with spinach and salsa and that very excited bowl of oatmeal with blueberries (actually one of the things I look forward to most.)

Please note my favorite mug ever.

And my chicken breast with greens has a little more kick thanks to some seasoning, more salsa and the all covering taste of fatty avocado.

Morning snack is easy - almonds and carrots. Afternoon snack is admittedly my biggest hurdle:

• red peppers (easy! Love those)
• plain hummus (not my favorite, but paired with red peppers - it'll do)
• deli turkey meat (nope. nope nope nope.)

I don't know why I can't get around it, but I just....CAN'T.

Otherwise, it's been pretty easy:

Nearly 4 weeks down, two to go...I hope.

Broken Workouts: Crossfit Calling

I love Crossfit more than the next person. So, when I finally decided my foot could handle the minor limping around the gym (yesterday morning), I packed my bags and skateboard and hoped for the best.

One of the best things about my gym is how awesome my coaches are. Chris did not seem surprised to see me in the least. While we got to work taking off the stops on my skateboard, Chris preempted my question and said he'd have some options for me for the workout.

Today's [unbroken] WOD:
Met-Con
3 Rounds through of

AMRAP in 3 Minutes
5 Pull-Ups
5 Box Jump Overs

Rest 3 Minutes

AMRAP in 3 Minutes
5 DB Hang Squat Cleans
25 Double Unders

Rest 3 Minutes

My workout looked a little different:

Met-Con
3 Rounds through of

AMRAP in 3 Minutes
5 Ring Rows
5 Box Arounds

Rest 3 Minutes

AMRAP in 3 Minutes
5 DB Hang Power Cleans
Row for 5 cals

Rest 3 Minutes

The result was a workout that was just as difficult as one with two legs. Those box spin arounds are no joke. They're apparently used for VERY pregnant women, but let me tell you, I cannot imagine doing it any months pregnant. My back and arms were aching shortly after the second round.

You can see the highlights of my first Crossfit Broken Workout below.

Broken Workout 1 from Mia Rommel on Vimeo.

Still on the high of being back in the gym, I headed over to Wilson and ran into Victoria, who let me know that - aside from that it's a bye-week - Tuesday/Thursday nights are horrible for using the pool since the damn aquarobics people are back, yet again, taking the leisure side of the pool. That said, I lucked out with the bye-week and completed a 45 minute pool run following the structure below:

10 Minute Warm Up
1 Length "on"
1 Length "recovery"
2 Lengths on
1 Length recovery
3 Lengths on
1 Length recovery
4 Lengths on
1 Length recovery

And back down to 1/1.

I did a couple of ineffective 1-leg kicking drills to try and even out all the work I've been putting my right leg through, but I gave up that effort after about 5 minutes since my foot was cramping. I guess 1 leg drills on the bike are where I'm going to end up.

Regardless, the not-very-cold pool water (it was seriously warm yesterday) was still good on my foot and I'm cautiously optimistic that I can keep up a normal training load.

I'm 1 week, 3 days in.
4 weeks, 4 days to go.

Broken Workout 1: The Aquajog

Yesterday morning, my alarm went off at 5:45. Sleepy cat removed from my side and hungry cat fed, I somehow got me and my gym bag down to the car. Ragnar Rachel met me at the car to start what I'll refer to as the Broken Workouts from here on out.

Victoria shared a couple of resources with me to get me kick started in the world of aqua running, one of them being this blog.

I arrived at the pool, grabbed a belt and jumped in the "leisure" lane since, in case you weren't aware, aquajogging moves you at about the pace of a snail. An aquarobics class was in the back half of the lane, but no worries, I thought, I could just use the half of a lane.

No dice. Two lifeguards and a manager came over to tell me I needed to move. Fine, I get it. In our ridiculously litigious society, their permit wouldn't cover me if I acted like an idiot and hurt myself and decided to sue. I was offered the therapeutic pool (which is just over 3 feet deep). When I declined, to the credit of the manager, he went over to the high school girls cross country coach who was shepherding in her 20+ girls to the far lane.

And just like that, I was invited to join the Wilson High School Cross Country Aquajog workout.

Mostly, I did my own thing and let me tell you, if you want something that simulates the heart rate you can achieve running, you can find it with a water belt and a deep enough pool. Occasionally, the coach would cheer me on, give me a few pointers and tell me to just push her girls out of the way if they were being slow.

It was kind of like a bunch of bobbing snails chasing each other, but in the end, I accomplished a 30 minute "shake out" run from the race this weekend and a lot of admiration for the Wilson High School Cross Country Coach.

Two notes:

• I'm getting a lot of heat at the point of contact between my suit and belt. Victoria's suggested that the belt needs to be tighter than a weight lifting belt - hard to breathe kind of tight - prior to getting in the pool
• I need to work on loosening my arms. While you are supposed to maintain fists when running in the pool, perhaps I was a little too anxious and wound up with sore forearms from squeezing for 30 minutes

Ragnover: It's a Bone Spur (and it's BROKEN)

On Thursday morning, I arrived in Grand Rapids, Michigan along with 12 of my teammates, to start my 14th Ragnar Relay.

Over the past few weeks, Facebook has been reminding me of all of the races I've done in the past - from DC to Adirondacks to Vegas, Wasatch Back, and Great River. They've shown up in my feed. 6 years ago today, 4 years, 2 years.

Standing in my hotel room, looking around at my Ragnar family, I felt happy, warm, and entirely present. It's a beautiful thing to have for so long - people who have loved you that long. It seems like every time someone joins our team - I must have known them forever.

Lactic Acid Flashback: Ragnar DC 2010

Team Rated Ragnar: Ragnar Michigan 2016

After my first 6.3 leg, which ended with me bursting into the van screaming "HOLY SHIT I FEEL AMAZING," my left foot began to feel burning. I've had plantar fasciitis (PF here forward) nearly my entire life. I know that pain. It had been bothering me more recently, but I chalked it up to well, nothing. It just was what it was and I'd be fine.

Foam rolling, icing, bracing, KT tape, all those things - I'd done and had alleviated symptoms.

Before my second leg, I got out of the van, visibly limping, and dragged myself to the exchange point. It was raining and in the dark hours of the night.

"I can do this, I do not feel pain, I am fine, don't bitch out." I said to myself as I walked to that start line.

For 8 miles, my heart took over. If I stopped to see my team, my heel started to hurt, but I remained focused: my legs didn't hurt. My heart rate was resting at an active, sustainable pace. I was going to crush this one, too.

I racked up a few kills and felt the great peace of running fast as I crested a hill with a mile to go. This is the most beautiful moment in a runner's life - when you see your team, when you hear their voices, when your body supports those dreams you have to run like a mother fucker for what could be eons.

I handed off to Morgan and walked around, cooling off. I called Chadd to tell him how right he was - that the distance was nothing, that I felt great, that Crossfit was paying off in spades. My legs felt good. I could go on forever.

I jumped in the van and 10 minutes later, when ready to jump out and cheer for our runner, pain shot through my left leg. I know the drill of getting out of bed with PF. I tried to tenderly get myself to walk, shake it out. I just needed to warm up, right? RIGHT?

I took the entirety of Morgan's run to compress my legs.

Elevated Legs - Have Compression, Will Travel

I iced. I taped. I took ibuprofen. I stretched and rolled.

Teammate Stretching. That gorgeous wolf is my best friend.

By the time I'd woken up from my very brief nap, my team had decided how to split up my remaining 6.3 miles. If you aren't a runner, you can't understand what that heartbreak feels like. If you are a runner, then you'll understand why I was in the portapotty 10 minutes later crying hot tears.

The reality was that I couldn't walk more than 2 steps. 

Sometimes, you carry your team. Sometimes, they carry you

Without crutches, I couldn't even cheer for my teammates. I couldn't get out of the van. I couldn't experience those last few moments of Ragnar, running around the finish line area. When you're surrounded by people who are literally there to run, it's maddening. 

Crossing the finish line was made possible by one of my dear teammates, Simon.

Have teammate, will ride. 

With crutches, it was easier to spend time with my team. The next morning, with inflammation down, I could walk a little, but the pain was localized and still excruciating.

I tried some natural healing.

Very cold, very clear lake water.

I took the first appointment my podiatrist had. I expected a lecture about bad shoes, flip flops, appropriate stretching, and maybe some orthotics, a prescription for PT and some advice about taking time off.

Boy was I wrong.

Technology is cool, even when it's telling you bad news.

That, my friends, is an x-ray of my left foot. If you zoom in, you'll see that little sharp point at the bottom of my heel - that is a bone spur - made possible by years of PF. If you were to zoom in closer, you'd see a small grey line, indicating where I've fractured that. 

The good news is that it isn't separated, which would likely require surgery.

The bad news is that I have literally fractured a piece of my bone that isn't supposed to be there. 

The diagnosis is 6-8 weeks of recovery. At least 2 on crutches to ensure my bone doesn't separate. 2 more weeks of transition time off crutches. Then 4 weeks still in the boot to finish healing.

Things I'm missing:

- Crossfit DC Smackdown

- Petersburg Half Marathon

- Spook Hill 4 Miler

- Norfolk Nauti 5k and Half Marathon

I'm giving myself 24 hours to feel like shit over all of this, then I'm getting down to business. 

Unsponsored Product Review - Vega Sport Protein Powder

Disclosure: no one paid me anything, gave me any discounts, or encouraged me to try any of the below products for any type of anything. I have my own opinions and, even if they did, I promise my review would be about as honest as it gets. I'm opinionated. But, if you want me to try something, by all means, send me something free. If I love it, I'm an instant brand ambassador. If I hate it...good luck.

Vega Protein Powder.

I am "sensitive" to most ingredients in protein powder. Soy - no thanks. Whey? Nope. Dairy? Pass. My last remaining option was to go vegan. Normally, this would be horrible, except that this wound up being phenomenal. Christine sent me to Whole Foods with the task of finding a few powders and giving them a shot. I tried Vega and since it didn't taste awful (in fact, it's quite good), it won. Here is the ingredient list:

I don't know much about any of that, but when I sent the link to Christine she said "that's about as good as it's going to get." Cool, my health counselor is happy, and it tastes good, and I won't throw it up. Winner.

It's great with coconut milk (see also: lactose intolerance) and even better in a shake with frozen fruit and coconut milk.

Downsides:
- It kinda turns green in a shake - at least, the vanilla does. It is made from pea protein, afterall. Just close your eyes.
- It doesn't blend very well outside of a blender. I tried to just shake it into coconut milk and still wound up with a bunch of clumps of powder. Definitely use the blender or be prepared to invest the time to smush out all the clumps. Or, drink clumpy powder shake.

Upside:
- None of the stuff makes me sick
- No artificial sweeteners or additives (stevia is the sweetening ingredient)
- This ad from them:

via Ayla

Victory! Or, the week I started training (in earnest) again

2013 started out, in a word, crappy.

Early January, my foot was swelling at the end of long runs. I'd had ankle issues for a while now, but I mostly ignored them...until January. By early February, my entire ankle was made of #RAGE. It got to the point where running was totally out of the picture. Soon, cycling was too much, and swimming wasn't doing anyone any favors. I could literally hear grinding in my ankle and the back of my heel was turning shades of purple unknown in nature.

No one knows what caused it. No one had any perfect solutions. By mid-March, I was apoplectic every time I saw someone running (which, in DC, is frequently). But I still did my best to support runners at the RnR Half.

Finally, things started to change. My podiatrist re-fit my orthotics with a higher arch. I started seeing Erin twice a week for active release therapy, I continued to foam roll and use the stick like my life depended on it...and...I bit the bullet and took up yoga. I know, I know. But, much like my experience with Crossfit, yoga wound up surprising me. I used to be a mix of "this isn't making me sweat" and "w.t.f."

I signed up for a 6:30am flow yoga class with Yoga District in Dupont. I should say, up front, that Kat is a GREAT instructor. I'm not flexible and I'm really impatient, but class flows (ha) at a pace that keeps me moving, engaged, and focused. I loved starting my day SO much with yoga that I went ahead and signed up for Tuesday morning...and then Friday morning. Yoga feels a lot more like this:

aka: badass.

Ayla, if you want to gchat me with "I TOLD YOU SO" ^ infinitum, go for it.

A brief #miacooks interlude: my new favorite breakfast is a very simple protein shake. I use Vega protein powder at the recommendation of Christine. I do a banana, frozen strawberries, heaping tablespoon of greek yogurt from the market (no, do not buy that from the grocery), a scoop of Vega, and some almond milk. Boom. Awesome post morning workout breakfast.

I also went back to Crossfit this week. Since CFDupont is no longer (unicorn tears), I went ahead and gave Crossfit DC a shot. I got back from my first workout and talked Chadd's ear off. I said I might look around at other boxes, but I knew I'd already made up my mind.

So, come to Crossfit DC. Best box in DC. Chris and Tom know their stuff. They care about everyone there. The equipment is great. The space is epic. The vibe is like coming home. Or maybe I just missed Crossfit. Or both, who knows, but I'll go with it.

Better yet - Lindsey came to town! I was healed up in time to workout with her before she moves back to California.

This was for a photo opp. Let's not judge my form more harshly than I have.

On Wednesday, I was allowed to run precisely 1 mile at track. I'm sure my time was shameful, but my ankle didn't swell. I woke up Thursday feeling NORMAL (hence: all systems go for Crossfit).

This weekend is my first brick since...a long time. Wish me luck and enjoy the weather this weekend!

Mia Cooks - Pork Tenderloin, Green Beans, Scalloped Potatoes, and Gravy!

Alright! I'm injured. Still injured. My ankle was swollen to the size of my biceps Saturday night (only slight exaggeration). Until my health insurance kicks in...Coach has mandated (wisely) that I am NOT allowed to run or do anything resembling impact. Blah blah blah, Coach is right, blah blah. Running resumes March 1.

In the mean time, I figured it was time to dedicate myself to some time in the kitchen! One of my goals for these two weeks with Christine has been to make a food plan at the beginning of the week and cook more of my meals. Normally, I'm really good at this, but probably one week a month, I fall totally off the wagon. We'll be out of food, I'll be too tired to go to the grocery, and face it, tomato soup from Cosi sounds SO good right now...

But this weekend, we hit up Costco and Safeway and Washington's Green Grocer delivered an abundance of beautiful produce. The freezer and fridge are PACKED, and mostly with produce!

And so, in the frustration of being off my ankle, I decided to cook! This episode of Mia Cooks focuses on how to cook a pork tenderloin. The best think about this dish is that the meat is craycray cheap. You can get a two pack at Costco for pennies.

Below, I've got my recipes and step by step for pork tenderloin, green beans, scalloped potatoes, and gravy. If you decide to make everything, here is a list of what you'll need in total:

Tenderloin:
- Pork tenderloin(s)
- soy sauce
- sherry cooking wine
- rice wine vinegar
- vegetable oil
- orange juice
- shallot
- fresh or ground ginger
- rosemary
- italian seasoning
- butter
- salt, pepper, garlic salt, seasoned salt
- garlic cloves

Green Beans:
- green beans
- onion
- powdered chicken bouillon

Scalloped Potatoes:
- 5-8 small potatoes (enough for 2-3 c. sliced)
- chives, bacon, cheese (optional)
- powdered mustard, paprika, salt
- 1 1/4 c. milk and cream

Gravy:
- broth (optional)
- flour
- left over juice from cooking tenderloins

1) Optional Trimming I thawed the tenderloin out over night and then, mid afternoon, I trimmed up the tenderloins. This is optional. I recently had the opportunity to observe an incredible chef cook - during this time, he demo'ed how to trim a tenderloin. I will admit, I am not nearly as adept at it, but here is the general gist, via video:
 (video coming shortly)

Basically, take off the fat and the tendons (anything white). You can do this with a sharp knife and some patience. If you're lazy/time crunched, don't bother...though I REALLY do recommend doing this.

2) Marinade. Then, I marinaded the meat for a couple hours. My marinade recipe is:
- 1/4 c. soy sauce
- 1/4 c. sherry
- 1/8 c. rice wine vinegar
- 1/8 c. veg oil
1 tbsp orange juice (or just a splash)
A couple dashes of rosemary
1 chopped shallot
Dash of powdered ginger (it's preferable to have about a tablespoon of chopped fresh ginger, but use what you've got.)

You can put this in a big bowl or dish, but I prefer the "no clean" option of a plastic ziplock. Easier to move the meat around the marinade this way.

3. Wait. Let it sit in the fridge for however long, but 2+ hours is preferable. Overnight is even fine.

4. Crust. (ps. now is the time to preheat your oven to 400). I like seasoning the outside of the tenderloins in addition to the marinade. Here's the "no clean" way to do it. Pull out foil and grind a good layer of salt, pepper, seasoned salt, herbs (italian blend works fine), and garlic salt. Then roll your tenderloins over it (that's what she said). Then, I have slices of garlic cloves (thin) and put small knife cuts into the tenderloins and insert the garlic slices.

5. Sear. I like to sear the outside of the tenderloin to lock in the flavor. There are more technical terms for why this is a good idea, but I don't know enough to tell you why. Go with me, here.

Just melt about 2-3 tbsp butter in a skillet that can go into the oven (which should be preheated before you sear the meat.) Make sure the butter is hot enough that when you put the meat in, you hear a sizzle, but not too hot that the butter browns before you put the meat in. On my electric stove, this is a 5-6 on a scale of 1-10. You can test the butter by dripping a tiny bit of (like, a drop or two) of water or marinade.

Cook each side of the tenderloins for 1 minute - just enough to sear the outside.

Don't worry if some of the red at the ends isn't gone. It's thinner and will cook just fine in the oven.

6. Cook. This is a tricky one. If you get the normal sized tenderloins at costco or wherever, then this is a decent cooking time: 

• 8 minutes - mostly raw
• 6 minutes more - smaller tenderloin is done
• 3 more minutes - larger tenderloin is ready

These cooking times are for a "pink" tenderloin. If you prefer yours well done (???) or have family members or small children who can only eat well done meat, I would add another 3 minutes to these times. The key, really, is to have an instant read thermometer. I've seen a range of temperatures, so I may be wrong, but 155-160 appears to be the right internal temp. 

The biggest mistake I made when I was learning to cook was taking the meat off when it was exactly where I wanted it to be. WRONG. Meat doesn't stop cooking the second it is out of the heat, so make sure you take it off a few minutes before it appears "done" (whatever that "done-ness is to you.)

Here is what "done" is for me:

7. Rest. Yes, rest. Rest, for meat, is just as important as rest is for athletes. Take the meat out of the skillet (watch the handle, it IS hot and will sear your flesh off). For the no-clean method, put each tenderloin on it's own sheet of foil and loosely wrap the foil around it. This will keep it warm and allow the meat to cool, finish cooking, and have the juices set. This will keep the juices from spilling out all over everything (and drying your meat) when you cut it. I let this happen for about 10 minutes (or while I'm finishing making dinner.)

Sides

Yes, I know we can all live on meat alone, but it's SO much better with some sides. Normally, I'd make something a lot more healthy, but I was feeling indulgent. I added scalloped potatoes, green beans, and gravy.

Scalloped Potatoes

Recipe adapted from Joy of Cooking

I tend to make these when we have some potatoes have seen better days - usually, smaller potatoes. Some of them are starting to sprout and all that. No matter. Take enough to fill two cups with slices (this will be between 5-8 smaller potatoes).

1. Peel them. You can do this with a knife a little more effectively and easily than with a peeler, but it's chef's choice.

2. Slice them. The more thinly and evenly you slice them, the prettier and more evenly cooked your dish will be. I recommend going for something around an 1/8th of an inch.

3. Prep your secondary ingredients. And preheat your oven to 350. Chop up about 1-2 tbsp butter. You want smaller pieces you can "dot" around the layers of the potatoes. Grab about a 1/3 cup of flour and have that on the side. If you want to add some new flavors, grab some chives, a half an onion, or some bacon (or all of them!) Some people also use cheese. 

4. Layer. Cover the bottom of the pan with one layer of potatoes. Dust with flour and with a few pieces of butter and whatever extras you'd like to add. Keep layering until you're out of potatoes, but don't dust the top with flour or any extras. 

5. Mix liquid. Depending on your level of decadence, heat up a mixture of 1 1/4 c. milk and cream so that it's about bathwater temperature. Sometimes, I add more milk or more water to have more liquid. No more than an extra 1/4 cup, though. 

Mix in 1/2 tsp. of paprika and another of powdered mustard. I add salt in at this point (about a teaspoon). Make sure it's really mixed up or you just get a lump of seasonings in the bottom of the pan.

6. Pour liquid over the potatoes. 

7. Bake. Cover this bad boy with foil and pop it into the oven. In about a half hour, take off the foil. Cooking it with foil for the first half hour keeps it from drying out or burning on the top. Let it bake for another 45 minutes to an hour - but check it at a half hour. I just told Chadd to take it out after an hour while I was at a meeting, so ours came out a bit more "done" than normal. 

Green Beans

I assume most people know how to make green beans, but if you don't - or you want a new twist - here's how we make them in our house.

1. Heat water. Put about an inch and a half of water into the bottom of a larger pot. Add two heaping tablespoons of chicken bouillon and half of an onion, cut into large sections.   

2. Clean the green beans. Rise, then chop off the ends of each green bean. I'm not meticulous about it, don't let yourself spend way too much time doing this.

3. Cook. With about 6-8 minutes left on the rest of your meal, throw in the green beans and just keep an eye on them. Take them out when you can pierce them with a knife, but before they turn brown. They will look vibrantly green when they're done. If you like your green beans soggy - don't come over for dinner. 

Gravy

Recipe non existant, but mad props to my dad for teaching me how to make gravy.

When you took the tenderloins out of the oven and moved them to foil, I'm sure you noticed that you had a lot of extra juice and stuff floating around in the bottom of the pan. This is good. 

1. Thicken. Toss a tablespoon or so of flour into the juice in the pan on medium low heat. If this makes paste, add some water, broth (any kind, really), or left over marinade. Your choice. If you use the left over marinade - match that 1 for 1 with water since the marinade will be very strong in flavor. Don't over do it.

2. Simmer. Bring gravy to a simmer. Too thin? Add flour a spoonful at a time to avoid lumps. Too thick? Add water, marinade, or broth. Stir continuously so you don't burn the gravy.

3. Repeat. Until you have the consistency you like. A word on using the marinade - that has raw stuff floating around in it. Make sure your gravy simmers (bubbles) for a bit if you've decided to use that as a loosening agent. 

Timing

I think timing is probably the hardest thing for people to master as they are learning to cook. Here is my cheat sheet to make everything above and have it all finish at roughly the same time.

Earlier in the day: prep tenderloins and marinade them

2 hours before dinner: prep scalloped potatoes

1.5 hours before dinner: put in scalloped potatoes

1 hour before dinner: take foil off potatoes, prep green beans

30 minutes before dinner: sear tenderloins and place in oven

15 minutes before dinner: boil water for green beans

10 minutes before dinner: put on green beans, take out tenderloin and let rest

5 minutes before dinner: make gravy

And voila:

The meat is a little pink for my taste, but Chadd likes his tenderloin more rare than I do. 

Success!

Questions? Mia Cooks requests? Soup recipes coming soon!

Rest Week and BIG NEWS!

I don't know if that adage about how if sharks stop swimming they die is true or not, but let's pretend that it is.

I am so a shark in my life. I've talked over and over again about my worst habit: all or nothing, but this week is definitely right there with the NOTHING part of that all or nothing lifestyle.

I should start with a positive announcement. I'm going to Miami next week - Tuesday - Friday early morning. Why, you ask? Oh, I was missing Florida and thought some beach time would be good...and....

CHADD GOT INVITED TO NINJA WARRIOR TRIALS.

My boss very graciously gave me the time off to go watch Chadd compete. I won't be able to tell you what happens at trials until NBC says we can, but I can tell you this - I am so proud of Chadd. If you want to know what true dedication is, all you have to do is look at Chadd. After Metro Dash last May, he went all out. Working out, training, finding opportunities to practice a sport that is still rare. This isn't running, biking, swimming, aerobics, crossfit...it's a specialized practice with huge risk (see: our 6+ hours in the ER one night) and skill beyond my wildest imagination. He's spent countless hours in the gym, beating up his hands, his shoulders, everything. I thought losing toenails was awful...you should see the blood on his hands and fingers after working on the cliff hanger. And it's not just dedication, Chadd has a natural gift for this. To see him go to Miami and be given the time off to go with him is just a dream.

Wish him well next week! When we can tell you what happened, we will!

Back to rest week...

It's been a trip to have a rest week. And, even more strange, is that I think of a rest week being 5 workouts. Monday, I had a second rest day. Tuesday morning, I had to give up a morning workout (pool) because of our crazy thunderstorm. I'm not 100% certain, but at least in Florida, if there is electricity in the air, indoor or out, the pool is closed. I slept in. I had to stay crazy late at work, but I got my swim in.

PAUSE.

I swam...wait for it. 1.25 miles. Y'all, that is my long swim EVER. And it felt GREAT! I left the pool at 9:30, feeling not like I'd gotten my ass kicked, but that I'd OWNED that swim. Is it possible that I'm becoming a confident swimmer? I think so.

Resume.

Yesterday, I was going to sneak in my cycle workout, but by the time I got to my track practice happy hour, I knew it wasn't happening.

Tonight, I did get my 45 minute restorative spin in and it felt good. 45 minutes on a bike these days = nada.

I did an important thing today, though. I took my beautiful bike into a bike shop in Ellicott City - CycleSport. The shop comes recommended from one of the guys in my coach's tri programs who knows the owner. Adam did me a huge favor and reached out to Paul, the owner, and asked him to check out my bike personally.

I rolled my bike in during my lunch break and Paul came to check it out. "Wow" he said "a LaPierre, I haven't seen one of these in a while." OH? I asked if this was a good or bad thing and he said that LaPierre's are a great bike...and that buying it for $500 on Craiglist, especially for the shape it's in and the upgrades the previous owner did...I made out like a bandit.

He's putting white SPD pedals on my bike (TO MATCH) and is going to see if he can track down some pink handlebar tape for me.

If your bike needs a tune up, head out to Ellicott City and ask for Paul. I trust him, my teammates trust him, and when I get my bike back, I know it's going to be in slick shape.

This week may not be the most balls to the wall workout week, but I have my best friend ever, Katie, coming into town, Blair's wedding (!!!!) and Chadd heading to Miami on Sunday.

Unlike my last bust week, I feel good about this one. I'm still making the workouts happen, but this time, with an eye on real life getting in the way...and being ok with it.

Maybe I'm more like a dolphin. Still moving a lot, but I'm learning to not feel like I'm going to die (or slip on my training) when I have a rough week.

Four Courts Four Miler

I have a post percolating in the back of my mind, but since it's not ready yet and it's not the kind of tone to start a week, I'll tell y'all about my awesome Saturday.

I had signed up for the Pacer's Four Courts Four Miler a while back, before I lost my mind and signed up for the National Harbor 70.3. My coach rearranged my training schedule a little bit and instead of having to run 12 miles prior to this race (seriously, guys, this was my plan...and this is also while I have a coach), I ran 4 miles around my neighborhood, then popped in the car and met up with Blair and Anne at Blair's house.

We walked to Four Courts in Clarendon, dropped off our bags and took our place in the corral. Here's me in my Ragnar gear!

I was standing next to this guy:

I hope when I'm this old, I'm badass enough to run a race like this, much less do it in wind shorts and a singlet...

The gun went off and though it was a clear, cold and [very] windy day in Rosslyn, I suddenly felt warm and tingly. Running felt like it made sense again and looking down the Rosslyn hill, I felt totally effortless. 

The Four Courts Four course is very deceptive and a real test of how well runners can adequately pace themselves. The first 1.5 miles fly down the Rosslyn hill and finish the second mile out on 395. That hill is FAST. I checked my watch at mile 1:

Mile 1 Split: 6:50 - w.t.f. Y'all, I have NEVER run a sub 7, ever. This is a huge accomplishment for me and even though I knew in a horrifying mile I'd be regretting is all the way to the finish line, I didn't care. I didn't care that the downhill gave me that ability to get under 7.

I slowed down A LOT at this point because I knew that a bonk was going to come, even if it was only a 4 mile race. 

Mile 2: 8:06(ish): If only I'd kept the first mile all in the tank, I bet I could have managed this pace on the way back up.

Mile 3-4: Roughly a 9 minute mile. Alas. I'm fine with the 9 minute, but it was such a wild swing back from the first mile. And I certainly felt the horrible hill coming back up, to the point where I started to wonder if I needed an inhaler - I felt like I couldn't get a deep enough breath (something I almost never ever experience).

I tried to stay with a guy who was also huffing and chugging up the mountain hill and managed it for a bit, but just couldn't get a breath deep enough to justify it.

I still finished in 33:06, 50th in my division (of 396), and did better than last year (33:32). I also beat the Leprechaun (again) - Robbie Wade is a craycray fast runner/area semi-pro triathlete. They let him go about 20 minutes after the start of the race. For every person he passes, Pacers donates a dollar to a good cause, and if you make it to the end before Robbie, you get a water bottle. Watching Robbie run is a beautiful thing. He was running just over a 5 minute mile and the sight of his fluid, effortless run was just an amazing experience.

I finished the race and waited for Blair to tackle the mountain. We tracked down the Leprechaun!

Check out those awesome hot pink compression sleeves. Love them so hard.

I was flagged down by a couple while we were waiting for Anne who saw my jacket and were interested in running Ragnar! See, guys! I am a good ambassador :)

I told them that they shouldn't "think" about running Ragnar, they should simple sign up today and do it! What was really cool was that this guy's grandfather actually had a major role in creating the state park where Ragnar DC starts! How amazing is the running community? While I was talking to this couple, I happened to see fellow Ragnar Ambassador: Amanda M.

I had an epic brunch with Anne and Blair afterwards:

French toasty goodness. You can't see the beer in that photo, too.

Saturday was a great day for a race, and an even better day for catching up with fellow crazy triathlete, Rachael.  Rachael and I met up for a quick cup of coffee then experienced what is quite possibly the most excruciatingly amazing experience ever: a pedicure with paraffin and a massage chair on crack.

We went with awesome colors:

In case you can't tell, my toes are basically Barbie Neon Pink. And amazing.

I really love spending time with Rachael because, she too, is insane and signed up for an Olympic distance triathlon, despite being a runner (and only a runner!) just like me. We've been tweeting back and forth about our successes and failures (none so far!) and the aches, pains, and bottomless pit of a stomach we seem to have as we learn how to balance three sports instead of one.

Rachael is raising money for Team in Training in memory of her mother. I didn't get the chance to meet her mother, but I can tell you this - she must have been some kind of extra amazing for raising a woman like Rachael. If you have $5, it would mean a lot to me (and to Rachael!) if you could pop over to her fundraising page and let her know you support her.

And with that, happy Monday! Hope my fellow morning workout-doers aren't suffering too much with the time change.

And then I slept for 12+ Hours

Saturday's workout(s) were AWESOME.

I'm finding it easier and easier to get up near the buttcrack of dawn. Maybe I really am a morning person - who knew!

I met up with the distrance running group that Coach T trains at Peirce Mill. I've never been there, even though it's ridiculously close to my house, and had first run nerves. One of the traps I get into is not trying new routes. It's a lot easier, mentally, to have mental landmarks. But, this whole triathlon thing is most certainly about trying new things.

When I run on my own, I usually clock around an 8:40-9 minute mile time. This is slightly deceptive since I tend to take a walk break every 2-3 miles (I chalk this up to when typical water stops show up in races). But Saturday's run was 10 miles, averaging a 9:30-9:40 pace (no faster) and with the goal of not stopping. That was a mental barrier waiting to be destroyed.

I got to meet Victoria in person, which was really cool. She's a blogger celebrity and my own personal hero (especially for her swim prowess). She very kindly offered to run with me and not let me get lost on the trails. And off we went. It was a gorgeous day for a run, especially along Rock Creek. We finished up around 1:35 (she went on to do another 2 miles): average mile time: 9:30 - bingo.

I had my first back to back workout scheduled for Saturday, so I got home, ate some pretzels (yaay salt!) and headed down to the pool. What I didn't know was that from 9-11 at the pool is basically kids-a-palooza. Incredibly frustrated, I left, intending to call my coach and ask how to fix this situation. I had plans in Baltimore, then I needed to be available all the rest of the evening to support Chadd for the Ninja Warrior stuff. Thankfully, I had my times wrong on my Baltimore plans, so I walked back over to the Y and pulled off a very bad 45 minutes in the pool. I started out frustrated. My form felt bad, I felt slow (and was certainly the slowest in the pool, save for the gentleman in lane 3 learning to swim) and it was crowded and I felt like a huge inconvenience to everyone.

Then I remembered the crucial swimming tip Victoria had given me: look down.

This sounds like an incredibly easy tip and one that I'm sure many of you have been doing without thinking. This was a huge lightbulb moment for me. My form improved dramatically. I still struggled with the endurance side of swimming, but at least my butt wasn't 6 inches lower than the rest of my body.

I guess this is the equivalent of when someone tells me they're struggling with running and I have 3 guesses on  form problems that, when fixed, dramatically improve the person's experience.

In case you were wondering, those tips are:
1. Run neutrally. I see a lot of people slumped forward, which cuts off your lung capacity. Sit up.
2. Tuck your hips under. This should take some pressure off your knees and engage your glutes. Big muscles give you a big hand.
3. Relax. Arms should swing naturally, shoulders away from the ears, look ahead.

I was surprised with how great I felt Saturday after both workouts. I jumped in the shower and felt awesome driving out to see some of my favorite Ragnarians (def: people who run Ragnar).

We gorged on wings and bbq: (seriously, do yourself a favor and go to Kloby's in Columbia)

Happy Ragnarians were we:

I jumped back in the car to Alexandria (my muscles weren't really happy with the hour plus I spent in the car). After watching Chadd do ninja stuff, we headed home. I managed to eat a little pizza (ok, a lot of pizza), and have precisely 1 beer before passing out at the amazing hour of 9:30. I had promised Chadd we'd watch more X-Files, but instead, I slept for 12 hours. Bless his heart, he didn't wake me and instead let me sleep until I woke up at 10 the next morning. Talk about starting a rest day off the right way.

Of course, why would one really rest on a rest day? I spent the majority of yesterday getting an unintended workout: Ikea. There's nothing like walking what feels like miles through DIY furniture and modular living land then spending 3+ hours in heavy lifting mode. But, the condo is almost re-done. Pictures when it's done, I promise!

Rest Day

I quit my job yesterday.

I wasn't blogging regularly back when I got this job, so that might not sound like as big of a deal as it is. I started with my current employer on January 11th of this year. You did the math - I've been here a little more than a month. I won't talk much more about this because I really do enjoy the people that I work with, but in the end, the opportunity I'm taking is a much better fit and I'm really excited about it.

In the short term, I'm so thankful for the mini-vacation that I get over the weekend. Instead of having to go to work on Monday, my new company takes that day off...and I also decided not to start until Wednesday. Talk about getting some rest.

Tomorrow I have my 10 mile long run (at a 9:40 pace...this is going to be interesting) followed by a 45 minute swim then I'm going up to Baltimore to see some of my Ragnarians and then I'm going to Chadd's gym to support him while he tries out for Ninja Warrior. You can imagine how Sunday will look: restful.

It's interesting what letting someone else figure out your training schedule will do. I woke up at 5 this morning because for the past few days, I have been getting up at 5 to go to the gym, put in my time, and then come back for a 30 minute nap. Today, I had the luxury of sleeping in until 7:30. Unbelievable. I don't have a workout scheduled tonight. In fact, after the goodbye happy hour I'm going to, I intend to come home, throw on a pair of yoga pants and foam roll my legs and back until all the little kinks and knots are gone. It's a struggle to tell myself to not hit the gym tonight for an hour on the bike or something...but Coach T did tell me that the biggest adjustment for me would be training LESS.

I do feel 0 guilt, though. I'm looking forward to taking care of my very tired muscles and prepping for the abuse to come tomorrow (my first back to back workout!).

----

And I'm home. After nearly strangling whichever cat peed on the freshly laundered (but not folded) clothes, I can finally grab my foam roller and get to business. Tomorrow's schedule:

- 7:30 - 9:00 - 10 mile run
- 9:45 - 10:30 - Swim
- 1pm - lunch with Ayla and Justin
- afternoon: watching Chadd try out for ninja warrior

If I get lucky, I'll have time for some active release stretching and I can already tell you that it's going to hurt so good.

Quick Schedule (with HR Targets!)

Busy day is busy...much to say, but here's the quick gym schedule of the week (reduced b/c of something I learned this weekend in cycle cert, more later...)

Monday: Running Group (heart rate max at 75%)
Tuesday: Cycle (heart rate between 65-80% 95% of time, then a push to 85% at the end)
Wednesday: Running Group (heart rate max at 75%)
Thursday: AM Weights
Friday: Off -- yaay birthday!
Saturday: Off
Sunday: 5k

Bouncing Back

Surgery was a success and even my surgeon says I'm the fastest healing person she's treated yet.  Awesome!

She said to the nurse as I was leaving "two weeks after surgery and she's comfortable walking around in stilettos. Do you believe that?" (I do, mostly because it was the first time I could wear my leopard print heels and I was stoked.)

She gave me clearance to begin walking/running as I was comfortable.  Before that, I'd been carefully walking and biking, but damn if it didn't tired me out.  As I tried to add running, I was SO tired.  You could have knocked me over with one finger.

The hardest part of surgery (aside from the very unpleasant side effects of vicodin) is the mental switch.  I ran a marathon less than a month before my surgery and suddenly, I was exhausted after walking for 20 minutes.  But, not much else I could do aside from keep on keeping on.

This weekend, I felt sluggish and unhappy, so I decided with Ragnar Keys rapidly approach (less than a month!) I needed to go and at least try to run.  I got up this morning at 6, and walked outside:

SNOW!

Winter-happy, I got to the gym and warmed up on the bike for 30 minutes, then hopped over to the treadmill.  I put on my power music (Pretty Lights: "More Important Than Michael Jordan") and started at my warm up pace of 6.5 mph.

Miraculous. I felt great.  I felt like I could breath for the first time in months.

Knocked it up to 7mph.  Even better.  I am getting such a high that I'm getting wave upon wave of chills.  I brought it up to 7.5 which I held for about 15 minutes before my allotted treadmill time was up.  I'm not even kidding, the world looked totally different.  I felt like I was on f*cking fire.  I was the phoenix.  I wanted to talk to every single person around me about how awesome today is and isn't it great that we can all work out!?  Talk about a serious runner's high.  I was giddy.

Wanna know how I got back to race pace?

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/fit-for-life

The general theory is that it's muscle memory.  Once I healed up enough, my muscles jumped back into action.  Probably looking at a 5k distance tomorrow morning.

I also lifted today for the first time in a long long time--I can only do arm weights below my shoulders for now to reduce stress on my abdominals, but that should change late this week since I'll be able to add leg work in late this week.

I also made a ton of veggie soup last night.   You need:
1-2 zucchini squash (green or yellow)
1 onion
1 c. carrots
1 c. celery
1 can diced tomatoes
1 c. peas
some mushrooms
6 c. vegetable broth
Olive Oil

In big pot, heat oil, add onion and celery, cook til onions are clear.  Add squash and carrots and stir.  A few minutes later, add the tomatoes and broth and bring to boil.  Reduce heat and add peas and mushrooms.  Simmer for a bit (15 minutes? sure).  Add salt and pepper if you want.  Makes about 8 servings of hearty soup. About 80 calories per serving.  Add hot sauce to eat it my way.

Getting back in shape post surgery begins today, especially before the holidays arrive...yikes.