Whole 30 - Week 2

Whole30 - Week 2

My week one ended with a bad car accident. Car totaled, pain pills for neck issues kind of bad accident. But a few things came of this:

1) I am more grateful than ever to be alive and with all functional limbs (minus the toe I bruised up pretty badly)
2) I am overwhelmed by the love of my friends. I had no less than 6 offers from people to pick me up on the side of the GW Parkway.
3) I need a new car.

Day 8 (Tuesday)

This was a ROUGH day. I woke up in a lot of pain, tired and hungover from the pain killers and muscle relaxers. As a result, I had a Lara bar for breakfast, half heartedly ate some more eggplant leftovers between what would be breakfast and lunch, and some veggies, I think. I don't actually remember and I'm writing this on Wednesday. Rough.day.

I got in bed when I got home and was like...eff it. Beer and pizza me. But I did not. Instead, I got up and made indian spiced hamburgers on portabello mushroom "buns."

Breakfast: Lara bar
Lunch: leftover eggplant, squash
Dinner: hamburger on portabello mushrooms

Day 9 (Wednesday)

Another crazy day, but this time I managed breakfast...but not lunch. I swear to you all, I never want to eat eggplant again and I can already tell the biggest problem I will face with this diet is getting sick of whatever it is that I'm eating. Note to self: make leftovers, but not THAT many leftovers.

The real challenge came when it was time for dinner. Tomorrow is a holiday. Chadd and I haven't spent a lot of time together lately, so off we went to Lauriol for dinner. Normally? Chips and salsa forever and bring on the cheese enchiladas and a margarita. Tonight? Yeah, that's not happening.

Breakfast: eggplant strata
Lunch: skipped, I know I know, though I did sneak in an apple and almond butter
Dinner: fried plantains, guacamole, chicken and steak fajita meat and grilled veggies

Day 10 (Thursday)

I feared this day. Well, feared is a strong word, but I was apprehensive about getting through the 4th easily. What is more American than a beer and a burger? Originally, Chadd's dad's family was coming in, but that changed at the last minute, so we were without plans. I am seriously burning out on food. I need to get the energy and motivation to make new foods. Not working out due to the car accident has been a real bummer, too. I just feel irritated and listless.

Chadd did drag my butt to the pool down the street and after an easy 500m, my neck felt better than it did going in, so that was a win.

Breakfast: More sleep for breakfast!
Lunch: Eggplant strata (so help me God I never want to eat this ever again)
Snack: apple and almond butter
Dinner: Stirfry with chicken and veggies and spaghetti squash

Day 11 (Friday)

Yesterday was ridiculous. I wanted to punch someone for a milk shake. I guess we're in that realm of weird cravings. I wanted everything sweet. ANYTHING. Milk. I wanted a huge glass of milk. I don't remember the last time I drank milk straight. Friday, not so bad. I had to be up early to meet with Geico to get my claim check, I still struggle with getting up early enough for breakfast.

The hardest part of today was working with Danny and not being able to test much of the food we made. I did eat a lot of steamed veggies and proscuitto.

Breakfast: Egg, leftover veggies
Lunch: leftover stir fry
Dinner: veggies, proscuitto

Day 12 (Saturday)

I made some rookie mistakes today. As in. I forgot to plan. Totally, 100% spaced out. I got up, made a late breakfast (more eggs) and then off we went to test drive cars. Out of the city. Away from anything but fast food. Cue dangerous hangry music. After fussing around at CarMax (fail), we wound up grabbing food at a place where I could, not even kidding, only order a chicken breast with tomato and lettuce. And an unsweet tea. And fruit. I was not happy. But I tried to calm the hangry monster inside and quickly ate my gross lunch. I celebrated making it through this with some cashews and sparkling water before we went and looked at more cars.

On the fun side, on the way back into the city, we stopped at Whole Foods and I spent an obscene amount of time with the butcher playing "what is in that sausage." #TWSS

Breakfast: Eggs, veggies
Lunch: grilled chicken, lettuce, tomato, fruit cup
Dinner: grilled salmon with green beans and spaghetti squash

Day 13 (Sunday)

Brunch brunch brunch. Every self respecting DC girl enjoys a good brunch. I happen to love brunch, but really hate that it can lend itself to wasting the day with day drinking. I decided it was wise to try brunch at a location that would probably accomodate my odd needs. Chef Geoff's, it was.

I warned the waiter in advance, who very nicely, asked if I had allergies or was just special. Just special, I assured him, as I took out my ziplock container of whipped coconut milk that I spooned into my coffee. Very special.

Brunch: Just egg omelet (really more like a flat mix of egg and egg) over oil sauteed onions, peppers, and spinach. Fruit plate, avocado, and sweet potato. Plus more fruit. Bless our waiter.
Dinner: Chicken with artichoke hearts, capers and lemon, broccoli, and spaghetti squash

Day 14 (Monday)

Today felt like a normal day. I got up, had a left over burger thing and portabello mushroom. This did not seem odd to me. Lunch was normal. I found myself distinctly NOT thinking about the Whole30. Breaking news: I have learned to enjoy black coffee. Old news: I'm addicted to Whole Foods. It's blissful picking up produce and meat there.

Breakfast: Leftover indian burger
Lunch: Lamb meatballs in sauce, spaghetti squash, peach, nuts
Dinner: Grilled flank steak, asparagus, onions and mushrooms, sweet potato, berries with whipped coconut cream

Week Wrap Up:

After the first week, I knew this week (and next) would be the hardest, simply because the excitement would have worn off and it would be harder to avoid "normal" life with the 4th, friends in town, etc. But the week went better than expected. By the end of it, Whole30 felt very doable and I'm pretty certain we'll be sticking to a modified version of it (read: I won't freak out when there is sugar in my bacon).

Positives:
- I feel good. Even post accident, I feel GOOD
- The sleep is black and dreamless and I don't have insomnia or wake up unable to sleep again
- I've never trimmed down this fast - ever. Ever ever.
- Saving money. I know that a lot of people disagree and say they spent MORE going paleo. Maybe we just ate out a lot...

Negatives:
- I can't measure my athletic performance since I can't do anything aerobic
- When you have unexpected plans and you must.eat.right.now.
- Sorry, there is SUGAR in bacon?? Surely you jest.
- The whole foods employees are about to restrict me from accessing the building
- Sometimes, the idea of having to cook for a half day to prep for the week is overwhelming, but once I get started, it's pretty nice and relaxing

Half way!

The Whole30 - Week 1

If you follow me on Twitter, you've heard about my insomnia and probably gotten the idea that I'm constantly in hyper-drive. Correct. Never before have I had an issue sleeping though, so when my inability to sleep began to collide with my hyper-drive, I did some serious thinking about what may cause it all. I'm sure you all have your theories (you do too much! you're over involved! you need to learn to rest!) and frankly, you may be right - but it's never affected my sleep before. Your opinions are now invalid.

I also know that my eating/drinking has been decidedly "off season." Victoria had recently completed the Whole30 and had positive things to say about it. I did some googling and some contemplating, and decided that when I got home from Ragnar Wasatch Back, I would dedicate myself to being all about what I eat.

Here is Week 1, brought to you by snark and sugar cravings:

Day 0:
Any type of elimination/restrictive diet really does require some research and planning. I'd spent the week or two before reading It Starts With Food, which is basically a much more in-depth Practical Paleo (another of my favorite resources). I also bought the Well Fed cookbook, which is right beside some of my other favorite cookbooks...and that's saying something. I made a quick outline of what I'd be eating for the week and made a grocery list.

Liz and I met up at Safeway and stocked up to cook. That night, I tripled up on the Italian sausage/spinach and pepper and started brining chicken breasts for Tuesday night. I went to be apprehensive, but excited.

Day 1 (Tuesday):
This day was pretty easy.

Breakfast: 2 eggs, spinach, raspberries, almonds
Lunch: Leftover spinach/sausage/peppers, spaghetti squash, apple, nuts
Dinner: Chicken breasts with a Moroccan dipping sauce, spaghetti squash

I did really want a beer when I finished teaching, and the thought of making it 30 days without having a glass of wine after a rough day suddenly felt reallllly overwhelming (yikes.) I considered looking up AA (mostly joking).

Day 2 (Wednesday):
Still easy...in some cases. Chadd and I had a lunch snafu which wound up leaving me with the same thing for lunch and dinner on Wednesday. I had to work after track practice, so I brought my food. Let me tell you, when I was still dragging ass from Ragnar last weekend, this was a challenge - to not grab a diet coke or dress my coffee up in a manner that doesn't suck.

Breakfast: 2 eggs, green beans, strawberries, almonds
Lunch: Leftovers from Monday (sausage mix), apple, nuts
Pre workout meal: Lara bar (carefully checked to be whole30 compliant - the blueberry bars are fine!)
Dinner: Leftovers from Monday

Day 3 (Thursday):
The first shock of today was that I woke up HUNGRY. I NEEDED breakfast and RIGHT NOW. Once I ate, the other hard parts of the day included avoiding an ice cream party at the office (right around 3:30 - when my sugar cravings have been hitting, curse you, goodbye parties) and watching a friend drink a beer over dinner (I swear, sparkling water is the exact same!)

I do continue to love cooking and pushing myself to try new flavors. It's a welcome relief that these new recipes are healthy and delicious. I don't feel stifled cooking.

Breakfast: 2 eggs, raw spinach
Lunch: Leftovers from Tuesday night
Dinner: Olives, almonds, moroccan lamb meatballs, spaghetti squash, cocoa roasted cauliflower
Dessert: berries with coconut milk "whipped cream" (highly recommend)

Day 4 (Friday):
Highs and lows.

Highs - I found out that if you over sleep and are running late, you can definitely microwave fried eggs, smother them in hot sauce, and put beside tomatoes and avocados and be the envy of the office. Leftover meatballs are also amazing after sitting in their sauce all night.

Lows - The office ice cream surfaced again, as did peanut m&m's, right about the time my sugar cravings hit (which are, apparently, getting stronger). I still hate black coffee. And the office broke out champagne at the end of the day to celebrate a big contract win. I find myself really battling sugar cravings - I've tried to get myself to cheat at least once a day "it's only 1 m&m...." but it isn't. So far, I've stayed strong. Planning things blows. I'm already worried about going to a wedding in two weeks out of town...and I know I'm going to be the biggest party pooper for the next month while I avoid bars, etc.

Breakfast: 2 eggs, avocado, tomatoes
Lunch: left over thursday dinner, strawberries, almonds
Dinner: shepherds' pie, olives, nuts

Day 5 (Saturday):
Another mixed bag, but generally looking up.

This was a bizarre day because it was my first brick workout on this diet. I wasn't meeting up with anyone, so even though I hit snooze a time or two longer than I should have, I made time to eat breakfast. I also packed two lara bars with me for nutrition on the bike, since I can't rely on gu packs or nuun. I decided to do 11 (yes, ELEVEN) loops of Hains Point instead of an out and back, in case there were terrible issues during my ride. Thankfully, no issues. In fact, after my first warm up loop, I felt great. My speed was a little slower than usual, but I expected to be missing some power. The run in the heat was no problem, minus some ankle twinges that required stretching around mile 2.5.

The hardest part of today was actually later when I went to a golf match up at Congressional. By the time the rounds finished, I was starving and there wasn't much I could do about it. It was VERY difficult to not swing by somewhere and pick up dinner. Thankfully, I'd thought about marinading shrimp and doing a quick grill for them and heating up left over veggies. Dinner in 10 minutes. While I was doing my best to keep my hangry under control, I had a handful of nuts and some olives with a bottle of sparkling water and I leveled out.

It's also hard to be unable to *really* go out on the weekends. I'm sure I *could* go out for dinner, but frankly, after a billion special requests, I'd be better off in my own kitchen, making a final product I know I'll enjoy.

That said...oysters are on the table 100%.

Breakfast: 2 eggs, broccoli, tomatoes
Lunch: leftover meatballs, spinach, strawberries
Snack: olives and nuts
Dinner: Grilled lime/ginger/garlic/pepper shrimp, broccoli

Day 6 (Sunday):

BUY ALL OF THE VEGGIES, SPICES AND MEATS.

The best part of living in Dupont may be the Sunday farmer's market. Amanda and I got together to scour the market for veggies for the week. I picked up some fruit, as well, since the peaches and sour cherries were too good to pass up.

This was the first time I actually found myself getting emotional, though. In the evening, I was ALL tears. Everything set me off. Trying to chalk this up to the diet and not stress going into the week.

Breakfast: Sleep (yes, sleep for breakfast)
Lunch: Sour cherries, peach, eggplant strata
Dinner: pork tenderloin, broccoli, half a sweet potato
Post dinner "desert": apple with almond butter

The better part of today was that I woke up, looked in the mirror and saw myself in "fighting condition" staring back at me. Not poofy, not in off season. That was the best reward yet.

Day 7 (Monday):

Well shit. What do I say about today. Things started off fine with a normal breakfast and then I got into a bad car accident. Still waiting on the assessment, but likely, I'm in the market for a new car. Danny was my super hero today and came to pick me up on the side of the GW Parkway...and offered me a brownie. Y'all. Danny's brownies are legendary. And boy, if seeing my beat up car spewing out radiator fluid didn't make me want one with my coffee (which survived impact!) But I said no.

I resisted eating a pizza for dinner, grabbing a bottle of wine, and planning my imminent move to a remote part of the country where all I have to do is feed a chicken once a day. I did get in bed at 8:30 and read Texas Monthly while I cried, however.

Breakfast: 2 eggs, spinach, raspberries
Lunch: Eggplant strata, nuts, peach
Dinner: shepherds pie, squash

Week 2 starts today

#EnduranceFoodies: Grilled Baby Bok Choy with Italian Sausage

Welcome back to #miacooks. I've been busy a lot and so #miacooks has gotten tired - not because I haven't been cooking, but because I've been repeating a lot of my favorite recipes. When the Endurance Foodie Challenge group invited me to participate, I was stoked. Time to try something new!

This is baby bok choy!

And it is the key ingredient of the Endurance Foodie Challenge this month! I haven't cooked with bok choy so I was looking for an excuse to give it a shot. Our famers market had it in spades about a month ago, so picking them up was no big deal.

I decided to avoid the asian flavors that people usually use bok choy for, and went for a grilled hearty salad of sorts. It doesn't hurt that the second challenge ingredient was fennel seeds.

I love a good grilled salad, so I chopped the bok choy in half and coated with some olive oil and seasoned with garlic powder, seasoned salt, pepper, and paprika.

We don't have a grill beyond the George Foreman in our tiny condo, so I fired that up and did about 3 minutes on each side (I know you don't have to flip anything in the foreman, but I do anyway.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I grabbed some pork sausage from the market (no additives! free range! no hormones!), diced up some bell peppers and onions and sauteed all of it. I prefer to saute the veggies first in a tiny bit of olive oil, put those aside, then cook the sausage and drain the excess fat from it, then combine until fully cooked.

To hit the fennel seed requirement, I added my favorite spice blend from Practical Paleo, which is the following:

1 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp ground sage
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1/4 tsp white pepper or 1 tsp black pepper
2 tsps dried parsley

I actually have all of the practical paleo spice blends pre-made in little tupperware containers. They're great for adding a kick of flavor to whatever you're making.

I love me some greens and try to shove them into anything I'm making, so I took some spinach that was beginning to peak, chopped it up, did a quick saute/wilt and threw that into the mix.

Here's the final "stuffing" for the bok choy:

Now, all you have to do is throw that over the bok choy and boom. Summer dinner!

Whoops! Forgot to mention...if you're interested in more recipes (and blogs much better than mine) check out the following:

Jason: cooktraineatrace.com

Donna: beatinglimitations.com

Victoria: obligatorytriblog.blogspot.com

Amanda: runtothefinish.com

Lindsay: cottercrunch.com

Courtenay (Will be posting on cooktraineatrace.com)

Adrienne: sixkickswitch.blogspot.com

Joanna: everydaynutrition.wordpress.com

How to Get a Sportz Job

So. You want a sportz job.

Most you probably don't know this, but I didn't. 

I grew up wanting to be many things, the list is painfully bizarre, ranging from writer to actor to publisher to stock broker to archeologist to accountant to god knows what else. But one thing I never mentioned was working in sportz.

When I was in middle school, I started a baking "company." I  baked a variety of goods, then dragged them around my neighborhood. I took cookie orders around holidays. I had honest to goodness business cards, care of my dad (they were seriously awesome, thanks again, Dad!)

The boring story of my life is how I wound up in communications and marketing strategy. The more interesting one is how I wound up working in in sportz.

After several years of teaching a variety of fitness classes, I wound up in love with running, but burning out in teaching and being a trainer. I theorized on new gyms - what that would look like - where fitness was the focus - not money. But, I knew I didn't have the capital for the overhead and I knew no savvy investor would trust a young 20 something with little to no gym management experience. Then, I built a race, down to the logo, obstacle design, and began on the cost analysis. That one is still simmering on the back burner of my mind, but I'm off track.

So you want a sportz job. Here are a few things you should know:

1) Work for free.

I know a couple people who have stumbled into a job with a major race organization literally by accident, but most people with sportz jobs have worked their tails (and fingernails) off to get them, and here's the important part: they worked for free.

If you really believe in what a race is selling, volunteer for them. There are only three things that can come of that:

a) You will appreciate the race and it's core team

b) You will decide that this is not a job you want

c) You will have a better candidate to work with the organization

1b) Work for free - happily.

God help you if you complain about the work you're volunteering to do with the same mouth you're professing to love the organization. Seen it.

I'll humble brag and use myself as an example: when I worked as a major exchange manager for Ragnar DC, I had the mud pit field. Our generators were delivered to the wrong field (several miles away) and it was about 11pm when we started work. By the time the first 50 teams showed up, we were already losing shoes in the mud, and my tutu was dirty. I pushed 11 (ELEVEN!!!) vans out of the mud. We had to call AAA for a tow truck for another one. The coffee percolators stopped working, everything started to stink the way a bog does after a rain...But you know what? I was all smiles. You know why? Because I was working for my dream company. I was a part of the most amazing race experience and if I was a raving bitch, how would that affect people who were tired, muddy, and exhausted and PAYING for the experience?

I went home after our shift ended. Thanked each of my volunteers profusely. Then I cleaned myself up and went to the finish line to see where I could help out. Which leads me to...

1c) Work for free [happily] and add value.

Anyone can stuff flyers into a bag. My relationship with Ragnar started not when I became an Ambassador, but before, when I needed to find a way to fulfill our volunteer requirement for DC. I helped stuff all the goodie bags for DC before I'd even done the Ragnar. I saw a better way to get the bags done faster. I redirected other volunteers and Kent, the then-race director, now good friend, saw it.

The next year, I worked SWAT (muddy story above) and when I went to the finish line, I saw that things were getting hectic, so I jumped in where I could and made a better system for getting runners their gear, checking in safety flags, and cleaning the finish line. I proved I could add value, even when no one asked me to. 

2) Networking isn't just for corporate America

While volunteering at an expo for Ragnar one weekend, I struck up a conversation with some of the staff who was in town from race HQ. I didn't even drop hints. After having proven that I could work hard and happily (for free), I told him that I was willing to do anything to work for Ragnar, even learn to drive a truck, would he keep me in mind if something opened up in his department? Could I have his email address?

The next time a different staff member was in town, I went out of my way to meet up with them briefly and talk shop. That was the staff member who alerted me to a posting for a position in the company.

It didn't hurt that I'd tried to meet every race director at each event I did. I thanked them, asked them questions that were on my mind, and continued to be a brand ambassador - all for free, all happily.

I went through the interview process with Ragnar for a position that wound up not working out due to some organizational changes, but I had the chance to speak with everyone from the CMO to the CEO to the founder of the race while I was out there. The CEO called me the other week just to check in. When the part time position in DC opened, I was the first person they called (at least, I hope I was!).

I will admit, I was heart broken when I didn't get the dream job with them. But I didn't send a horrible email to them. I didn't burn my bridges because even though I didn't get the job, I still believed in the race, the experience, and couldn't turn my back on the one thing I love more than anything.

2a) Networking happens all the time

So, maybe you don't volunteer with a race. Maybe you just enjoy racing and find yourself at expos and events frequently. Do you know what makes my day when I'm working an expo? When someone stops to talk to me about working for Ragnar. If you're curious, start a conversation with someone at a booth, get their information, follow up.

I wound up as an ambassador for Pearl Izumi not because I am an amazing athlete (hint: I'm not), but because I'm passionate about my sportz, passionate about the community, and because I've networked myself into becoming a connector/influencer (oh my god, I hope so, because they think so).

Talk to people. Be passionate. Ask if you can help. In an industry in constant need of a set of hands, you will be surprised how well connected you can become.

3) Dream Bigger

When I met C.J., we were both ambassadors for Ragnar. We'd talked here and there, but at some point, god knows how, we wound up talking about improving the sportz community. I should really give C.J. all the credit here - he's a man of HUGE ideas. When he approached me about a business idea (now called The FitBase), I was interested. I went to a few meetings, but when push came to shove, most of our initial interested team couldn't see the big picture. But I saw the opportunity to take over the operations side (cue being a little a lot OCD and my project managent background).

Now, a few months later, we're in the initial stages of launching FitBase. I couldn't be more proud of our team and more excited about the future of our company. At our launch party last night, all I could think about was how amazing it was that we'd gotten this far and so soon.

Sportz is an industry rife with opportunity for change. If you can dream it up, start talking to people, get advice, share ideas, then roll up your sleeves and push vans out of the mud.

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

Training Update

I'm so afraid to say that I'm officially "back" to training because it seems like every time I said "sweet! I feel great!" over the past few months, my ankle has taken that as a sign to swell up and turn purple. 

So I won't say anything.

However, week two of a normal training schedule just flew by and now that I have something to talk about, you get to see my workouts again.

Monday - Morning Yoga. (1 hour) This was a total cluster on my behalf. I did my first hot yoga session with Rachel the previous weekend and my mat was either still damp or I was just extra sweaty on Monday morning. This was technically a rest day, but my dedication to not screwing up my ankle is paramount. 

Tuesday - Spin. (1 hour) Again with the cluster. My playlist felt off, I couldn't get my groove going - the universe was not right. I was supposed to swim, but since I had to teach, I switched my workouts.

Wednesday - Morning Yoga. (1 hour) Much better this time around, but I also slipped enough that I invested in a yoga towel. 

Wednesday - Track Practice. (1 hour) This was my first track practice in months. Of course, it was just in time for the track to be occupied by the high school lacrosse team, so we took to the block around the baseball fields. I felt terrible. My warm-up, admittedly, was WAY too fast. I came in from a 1.2+ mile warm up holding under 9 minute miles. I couldn't hold the 4 loops around the block - so I cut out on the third to stretch, then joined Rachel for a tempo pace final loop. 

Total mileage: just over 4 miles. 

Ankle status: normal. 

Thursday - Friday: I blew it both of these days. I have a mind block on going to the pool. I don't know why. It's not even that I hate swimming - I just loathe getting to the pool. Maybe now that the weather is changing, I'll actually get my time in the water.

Saturday - Modified Brick (2.5 hours) I had to work all day at the Cherry Blossom Expo. If you stopped at the Ragnar booth, you likely talked to me. It was a blast to talk about my passion, hear from other Ragnarians, and talk to the other vendors. I even picked up some new shoes:

Pearl Izumi EM Road N2

I got home as the sun was starting to set. I knew I was exhausted, had plans to see the Cherry Blossoms with Chadd on Sunday morning, plus a bunch of errands and FitCo work... so I did the next best thing to an actual brick. 

I went to the gym and parked my butt on the spinner for somewhere between 1:45-2 hours. Did you know that the spinner computer turns off after 90 minutes? I didn't and suddenly realized I'd been spinning around Z2 for...ever. 

I had a half hour for a run and, not wanting to risk it on the road or lose too much time in "T2", I just jumped on a treadmill. The dreadmill did not, surprisingly, suck as much as I remembered. Please recall that I haven't been on one for more than 2 years. I started slow, somewhere in the 9:30 range, ramped up to 9's, then up to 8:30s, 8:15s, then I held steady on 7:30's for a good 10 minutes. Treadmills are notoriously bad judges of speed, so I'll just say this: I felt great. I felt like I had my speed back, even if I jumped off that death machine with my chest heaving. 

Sunday - Yoga. (1 hr 15 minutes) More hot yoga with Rachel! I'm not ready to try bikram (if I will ever be ready), but I enjoy the challenge of these classes. I also really love the instructors over at The Studio DC - I've never had an instructor ACTUALLY do a hands on assist. So enlightening.

Sunday, Fun Day: 

I'm working with a cool group of people to make fitness more accessible to all types of people in the DC area. If you want to learn more about us, check us out here: www.fitdc.co 

Better yet - just search Fit DC on Facebook and friend us! We had our leadership team photographs on Sunday. Our photographer is AMAZING and better yet - most of my photos are yoga poses. I know most of you find this hilarious since I am the least yoga person ever.

Our launch party is next weekend! Come grab a free class with us out in Arlington: http://fitdclaunch.splashthat.com/

In summation, I had just under 8 hours of training last week - including a TON of yoga (which, I have learned) is actually quite the workout. And a big fat fail on Swimming.

Victory Lap

This morning, I woke up naturally around 6 am. Normally, I can go back to sleep, but this morning, I lay awake, thinking about my impending brick workout.

I got out of bed, ate a quick breakfast, put on my ridiculously uncomfortable bike pants (seriously, this padding thing is awful), took off my ridiculously uncomfortable bike pants (never, ever forget to wear bodyglide) and got the Blue Terror down to the car...and spent a good 15 minutes cursing at my bike rack.

I got to Peirce Mill a little late (sorry guys) and after some frantic tire pumping, Rachel, Victoria, and I set out on Beach Drive. It all clicked. I know I need some start/stop work, but I didn't fall over. I remembered how to clip in/out without screaming or nearly falling. We took an out and back to Connecticut Ave.

Riding a bike is, in fact, just like...riding a bike. It comes back to you pretty quickly.

I couldn't keep up with my teammates, but they're far better athletes than I am, and at the very least, I am excited to say I pulled 17.17 miles in around 1:04. I don't know what my first hour bike ride distance was, but I'm fairly certain it was many miles shorter than that. My endurance isn't entirely gone!

Rachel and Victoria had longer bricks, so I swung back by Coach, dropped off my bike, and did a very short, 15 minute victory run lap.

I nearly made it 20 because I wasn't paying attention to the time. Slow, yes, but running felt natural. My ankle didn't seize up. My arch wasn't swelling. I was simply running.

Though I am fighting off a nap before yoga with Rachel, I can only say that I feel amazing. And I am so glad to be back.

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 - Mushrooms and Broccoli

Training update: none. well. the basics. A day on my feet more than usual and my ankle is swollen and tender. Goooood stuff. The doctor basically told me that 3 ibuprofen, 3x a day and "if it hurts, don't do it." Not helpful. We'll see what happens on Tuesday when I go back.

I'm keeping up my Sunday cooking for the week; I made sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, and a few other things:

Portabella Mushrooms 

You need:
- Portabella mushrooms
- Olive Oil
- Red wine
- 2 cloves garlic
- Soy Sauce
- Balsamic Vinegar

1) Preheat oven to 400
2) Clean mushrooms (remove stems)

3) Mix. In a baking dish, mix 1/2 c. red wine, 1 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, and 2 cloves garlic, minced.
4) Marinate the portabellas in the dish, upside down for 15 minutes.

5) Cover with foil and put into the oven for 25 minutes.

These are great cold or hot - I recommend sautéing spinach or another green and putting that over the mushroom cap with some goat cheese. You can also slice these up and eat with other grilled veggies, or as a side dish for a dinner. The possibilities are endless.

Broccoli with Raisins and Bacon

Growing up, I remember this very Southern salad recipe - it's basically broccoli, mayo, raisins, and bacon. Great tasted, but I can feel myself getting fat thinking about that. Instead, I decided to roast some broccoli and try to get some of the same flavors into the recipe. I wound up with a recipe that blew my mind. I cannot recommend this enough.

You need:
- broccoli
- coconut oil
- cayenne pepper
- cinnamon
- salt
- red pepper flakes
- golden raisins
- bacon
- onion
- garlic

1) Chop broccoli
2) Toss with coconut oil, cayenne pepper, salt, and some cinnamon

3) Bake broccoli on 400 on a baking sheet for 15 minutes

4) Microwave 4-5 pieces of bacon, until crispy (6 minutes)
5) Toss some coconut oil into a skillet and melt, then add about a half cup of chopped onions, saute.
6) Once the onion is sautéed, add the raisins, 2 cloves of garlic, minced, salt, red pepper flakes

7) Add the raisin mix to the broccoli and salt/cayenne pepper as needed.

I also spent some time sauteing some greens - if you don't know how to saute greens, here's your step by step:

1) Heat up a tiny bit of olive oil
2) Add a little garlic
3) Add chopped greens and cover

4) It'll cook quickly, but stir now and then until reduced and thoroughly cooked

After all the cooking today, here's how I made out:

Mia Cooks (again) Pesto Shrimp

I'm a little (a lot) wound up over the amount of work I have to do (but thankfully, I'm actually excited about all of it) and what turned this fabulous energy from productive to #RAGE was when, as I was leaving from teaching #RAGE spin, I heard one of my participants say to the other "I'm so tired, I'm just going to go heat up a lean cuisine" and the other said "Oh that's a great idea! I love having healthy stuff in the freezer!"

Seriously. I was looking for the Punk'd crew to show up and be like LOL GOT YOU!

No such luck. So, while I went silently apoplectic in the elevator, I vowed to come home and make dinner in less than 15 minutes. I know, sorry, this is the time it takes to cook TWO lean cuisines, but it'll taste more than twice as good.

Pesto Shrimp over Spaghetti Squash

You need:

- pesto you made on Sunday

- shrimp

- grape tomatoes

- olive oil 

- 1 clove garlic

- spinach

- spaghetti squash

1) Clean shrimp.

2) Chop spaghetti squash in half, longways and clean out the crap in the middle.

3) Put spaghetti squash cut side down in a microwavable container with some water and cook in the microwave for 15-18 minutes.

4) Heat up a tiny bit of oil and some garlic on low/medium.

5) Add shrimp.

6) Add tomatoes once the shrimp is pinkish.

7) Give it another minute and add some chopped spinach.

8) Cover and steam until spinach is wilted and add a heaping tablespoon of the pesto.

9) Scoop out the spaghetti squash.

10) Mix shrimp stuff and spaghetti squash.

Stop it with the Lean Cuisine. Or at least, let's all admit that it's not healthy. It's just low calorie.

Now taking requests from the peanut gallery on what you want #miacooks to do next.