Moving Forward

For some reason, getting motivated to write a blog post has been like pulling teeth lately. I have had countless ideas in the past 6 months of what to write about and even have started posts 6-8 times but never finished. Now here I am almost a month after completing the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. After over a year of anticipation and preparation for what I thought was the biggest race of my life, I realized it was only the end of a chapter in my book of life.

Training

What made preparing for Ironman Hawaii especially grueling was that I qualified for the event over a year before hand. Ironman Wisconsin was the first qualifier for 2011 which proved to be satisfying in the sense of ample time to train yet having to think about this huge event for over 13 months was more difficult than I anticipated.

I started the winter with much enthusiasm and motivation to train hard and prepare to have my best race possible. With the help of tri and cycling Coach Jared Berg, I was really working on my swim and run efficiency. One of my early season events included a great spring weekend race with sponsor Native Eyewear. After completing a few running road races and racing my first handful of bike races, I transitioned to my planned events: The Mile High Duathlon Series and The Boulder Triathlon Series. I was fairly pleased with my results coming in 2nd overall Elite female in the Duathlon series and I believe I was 2nd in my age group in the tri series. Another notable finish was a 4:47 at the Boulder 70.3 in August. This was a tie for my PR in Miami, Florida back in 2007. Not too bad for altitude!

The Boulder 70.3 was my last race before Ironman Hawaii. It was in the original plan to do one more race before the big event; however I was honestly not interested in doing any more races at this point. I felt I could put in just as much effort into a hard training weekend as any race.

Any Ironman athlete or dedicated triathlete can most likely describe a point in their training where they are feeling unmotivated and questioning why they are dedicating 20+ hours a week of their life to training. That moment happened to me during an early morning long trail run in N. Boulder as I was running with fellow triathlete, turned runner, Jenni Keil. I remember not wanting to do my scheduled run and simply tired or perhaps in need of a rest day or two. About an hour into my run, I managed to find the only rock, on a predominately smooth dirt trail, to trip on. After tripping and rolling into horse shit (literally!), I felt a huge pain coming from my knee. As I pulled up my miraculously not ripped knickers and saw blood and bone it was all I needed to get queasy and almost pass out. With the wonderful assistance of Ms. Keil, she picked me up and drove me to the ER where I received 6 stitches right across the knee. Long story short, I was forced to take 2 weeks of recovery (according to the doctor), however I was back in action and swimming and running within a week. I believe this is just what I needed to recharge my motivation 6 weeks before the race!

The Week before the Race

For the individuals that know me well, they know that there is always some sort of drama that occurs the days/day leading up to my race. I sometimes wonder if my full-zip triathlon suit breaking minutes before the gun goes off at the Miami Man 70.3 or the 4-5 bike flats that I got the day before another race, is what gets my blood moving and pushes me to have a better performance. The Ironman World Championships proved to be no exception.

I was very calm and collected the weeks leading up to my race right up to my arrival at the airport. Little did I know until stepping up to bag check-in that my flight had already left due to a change that I was never notified about. I ended up having to leave the next morning which was not the end of the world; however my extended stay in Denver led to me trying a new massage therapist. The massage was so deep that there may have been some slight nerve damage that caused my right shoulder to be in a lot of pain. As if that was not enough, I received a parking ticket while getting the destructive massage due to unknowingly expired plates! I suppose most would think that a series of unfortunate events could happen to anyone, like some sort of domino effect. Well, instead of taking control and letting it not get to me, I became frustrated and let this energy follow to Hawaii….

My arrival in Hawaii was relatively smooth until bike pick-up. I had mechanical issues that caused undue stress and were not resolved until the day before the race which was the last thing I needed. It wasn't until the Friday before the race that I realized what I was letting happen to me mentally. My training was done, the hours logged, nutrition planned and the race was in less than 12 hours. I had chosen to let these negative things bother me rather than letting go, in turn creating the energy for more negativity to occur. At that point though, I decided to let it all go. I have been an endurance athlete for many years and during that time wasted countless amounts of energy being nervous and anxious on things I couldn't control leading up to the race. I had to remind myself about what I already knew; to be present and prepare to reap the benefits of what I have been working towards for the past year (and really even longer)! I knew that the work had been done, the sacrifices had been made, and it was my turn to experience my life long dream to compete in the Ironman World Championships!

Race Day

With my careful consideration to be mindful and present, I woke up race morning with a sense of peace and determination. I wasn't going to let the race morning hype get to me. As a matter of fact, I turned out to be pretty silly and exited all the way up to the swim start!

Swim

There is nothing easy about a 2.4 mile swim for me and while the swim at Ironman Wisconsin was certainly the same distance the waters in Madison seemed a bit friendlier. Positioning is everything in a mass swim start and the starting line in Hawaii is a deep water one. Mentally, this was tough for me because I had a poor start being trapped between a couple thousand of my closest friends. Every athlete has experienced this situation to some degree in the race, but I felt like I could not move forward for the first 10 minutes and the traffic jam continued for at least the first half of the swim. Once I was able to get moving, my spirits improved, the nerves eased up and exiting the first leg of the race was done with a huge sigh of relief.

Bike

When people ask me which part of the triathlon is my strong suit, I usually say it's a toss up between my bike and run. Getting on the bike after the first transition was a smooth process and I flew through the first 15 miles with ease and a smile on my face. As I was warned, the Queen K Highway, where the majority of the race took pace, was undoubtedly the most mental part of the race for the bike (along with the run as part of the run segment was here too). The infamous winds started to show up around mile 40 where it was a struggle to even take a hand off my bars to grab some water. I believed that I was greatly prepared for these expected winds after bearing the winter and spring winds and gusts along Route 36 in Boulder where I believed their intensity would be hard to beat. Looking back, I think the winds almost got the best of me and going into the run I knew I had to let it all go before gearing up for the 26.2 ahead. My stance switched again- back to the mindset of being present and taking one step at a time, literally.

Run

Similar to Ironman Wisconsin, getting off the bike proved to be less relief than expected due to the extreme tightness in my quads and gluts. It was so bad I couldn't even sit down for the volunteers to help me get my running shoes on. Instead of panicking though, I started repeating to myself; the longer I kept running, the more my muscles would relax and that good, "zone like" feeling would happen. Looking back, I think I had to repeat that belief to myself for the first 30 minutes before I found my grove and let my race really begin!

Just like the bike course, the run winded its way to the Queen K Highway and at this point, the pain started to set in. I managed to keep going, blocking the pain out, by focusing on the white line in front of me and knowing the ends was near. Mile after mile, aid station after aid station, I got closer to the finish, to my dream, that was a long time in the making. One aspect of the race that is commonly overlooked is nutrition while racing. There are a myriad of options and this can sometimes be confusing as to which which product to use. I have personally tried just about everything on the market. However, I have gone back to what I think of as the original sports nutrition product- PowerBar. During my training and the entire Ironman I used only Ironman Preform, Power Gels, and the original PowerBars. PowerBar keeps up with the latest in Sports Nutrition and uses the best ingredients to keep me fueled for the long haul! When there was about 2 miles left, I was back in town and could hear the roar of the crowds, the announcer and for the first time on the run took a sigh of relief and began to smile. That smile continued until I crossed the finish line of this epic race, completing my dream, and able to say, I AM an Ironman(woman)!!

Boom- Done! Now this era of my life is done and I am ready to move forward....

Just a quick note on the post-race. I had a wonderful vacation- a much needed and deserved week to relax and reflect on all of the hard work that went in to the past year preparing for this race. I also want to thank my boyfriend, Jeff, and Kay Stolsis for being there to support me on this big day. Jeff was there on the bike and run course cheering me on while putting in over 60 miles on a beach cruiser! My dad, brother, aunts, and uncles also were there in spirit cheering me on and I am grateful for their financial support for this expensive trip. Last, I want to thank Jenni and Jeff Keil who are amazing friends and coaches. They have taken this journey many times and provided me with invaluable tips and advice

Moving Forward

Even before my race started, thoughts of "now what?" went through my head while I already began to plan the next stage of my life. I certainly don't have it all figured out nor do I expect to. However, I do know that I am ready to put out energy specifically into 2 areas of my life, my career and ultra running. My love of art and cakes is driving me to one day soon open a cupcake bakery. I plan to keep updates on this new adventure. To fill my need for endurance exercise, I am striving to compete in 5-6 ultra trail marathons with the possibility of a 100K foot race in August. I can't wait to see what the year the will bring for me!!

As an artist, I truly appreciate beauty when I see it. For me, creating something is very therapeutic and I manifest my art though my cakes, mosaics, and various pieces of art. It is how I express my myself and give affection to others.

Most women know that when they move to a new area, one of the hardest things to do is find a good hair stylist-especially when you have highlights or color treated hair. I found Mary Cahill-owner of Form and Function Salon and Industrie after admiring some of my student's hair. The concept of Form and Function is to offer high quality haircare at an affordable price.

I can't say enough about Mary and her wonderful team of stylists! She is an artist and has the talent of making people look and feel great- or as she says, "creating beauty from the inside out". Thank You Form and Function for being one of my awesome 2010 sponsors!!

More Gluten Free Goodies...

Testing recipes can be a challange-especially when you are working gluten and perhaps dairy free. I personally find it to be a fun challenge when I'm able to make a food taste good when using non-traditional ingredients. Even if you are not a accustomed to using gluten free ingredients, I can guarantee these 2 recipes will appease all palates alike. If you are not motivated to buy the 3 different flours I mention below, feel free to purchase commercial gluten free flour blends such as Pamela's gluten free baking mix, or Bob's Red Mill all purpose mix. Enjoy!

Udi’s Granola Banana Bread

2 cups very ripe mashed bananas

½ butter or Earth Balance Buttery Spread

½ cup honey

2 eggs

½ yogurt or coconut milk yogurt

3/4 cup gluten free flour blend*

1 ½ t. xanthum gum

1 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

¾ t. salt

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

Oil 4 mini loaf pans

Mash bananas well

Cream together butter and sweetener

Add eggs and beat until mixed

Add yogurt, vanilla, and bananas. Mix well.

Stir in Udi’s granola

In a separate bowl mix all other dry ingredients.

Combine and mix well.

Bake for 25-35 minutes or when a tooth pick comes out clean.

Raspberry Filled Granola Bars

¾ cup butter or Earth Balance Buttery Spread, softened

¼ cup sugar

1 ½ cups gluten free flour blend*

1 ½ t. xantham gum

½ t. baking powder

1 ½ cups Udi’s granola

1 t. Almond or vanilla extract

1 cup raspberry preserves

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream together butter and sugar

In a separate bowl, premix flour and baking powder.

Add granola and mix.

Add dry mixture to butter and sugar, mixing together to form a crumbly mixture

Pat 2/3 of mixture into a baking pan (13x9 lined with parchment paper)

Spread preserves on top

Sprinkle remaining granola mixture evenly on pan

Bake for 20-25 minutes

Cool pan completely and cut into squares.

*Gluten Free Blend: 1.5 cup brown rice flour, 1.5 cup potato Flour, and one cup Tapioca starch.

You can also use other already mixed GF flour blends.

Choco-Banana Bread Pudding

The first time that I tried bread pudding was about 6 years ago at a Mongolian barbecue of all places. I remember it having dark chocolate, bananas, and caramel- perhaps the best thing I have ever tasted. About a year ago, I had some allergy testing done and one of things that I am slightly sensitive to is gluten. Not to the point where I get sick or can label myself a Celiac, but enough to cause a lethargic response that is less than ideal for my active lifestyle. Having confirmation, I try to avoid wheat and gluten as much as possible. Admittedly though, I do enjoy an occasional beer or two.

This recipe was a creation stemming from my love for the rich and comforting taste of bread pudding- made gluten free. Udi's bread Company and Gluten Freeville are running a recipe contest using their products. Developing this bread pudding came right to mind. What's nice is that is can be made dairy free if necessary. I am super excited about Udi's new breads because as us "wheat-tards" know, most commercial gluten free breads are not very tasty.

Give this decadent bread pudding a try- evn if you are not avoiding wheat. Although not tested, I am sure a firm regular bread can be used to.

Udi's Granola Banana Bread and Raspberry-Filled Granola Bars to come soon!

Gluten Free Choco-Banana Bread Pudding

4 eggs

2 cup whole cows milk or alternative (recipe tested with rice milk)

1/2 natural sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 Loaf Udi’s Gluten Free bread, cut in ½ inch pieces

2 very ripe banana, diced

1 60% good quality dark chocolate bar broken into pieces

2 teaspoons of good vanilla

1 teaspoon rum or extract

Prepare an 8-inch square baking dish by spraying the sides and bottom of the pan.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar, rum, and vanilla,

Mix the bread, banana, and chocolate chips and arrange in the prepared pan.

Pour the milk mixture over the top of the bread and let stand for five or ten minutes pressing any dry bread on the top gently down into the custard mixture.

Refrigerate the mixture for several hours or until ready to bake.

Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 50 minutes, or until pudding is puffy and golden.

Remove from the oven and cool slightly.

Serve warm topped with caramel or chocolate sauce and your favorite ice cream or non-dairy alternative

And the winner is ........Sloppy Joes!

I would be lying if I said that I am not a competitive person. A couple months ago, The School Food Project, a contracted group of chefs that have come to Boulder Valley Schools in order to "better" the nutrition and do a complete over haul on the school food service program, announced that they were going to have an Iron Chef competition between all of the district High School culinary programs. Immediately I thought this sounded like it would be a great opportunity for my students and a great way to represent my program so I agreed to enter the contest.
Part of the contest was that it had to meet the USDA standards for school nutrition and be under $1.30/serving. Many people have seen the show Iron Chef on the Food Network. The chefs on this show create impeccable dishes using only the finest ingredients. We however had to make sure that our "gourmet" creations were coming in under our dollar and change budget. Having a background in nutrition and Dietetics, I began to think about what food schools were subsidized with and types of dishes were conducive to the palate of a the k-12 lunch line participant. With the help of my catering class we came up with a dish that represented the comforting, nostalgic, nutritious, yet ecstatically pleasing with an array of color and texture.



Full Article



Here is the winning dish that will be served at all schools in Boulder Valley School District next year. I suggest making this recipe for an eclectic representation of your past and and a healthy alterative to comfort food!

Better Sloppy Joes

8 servings, generous 1/2 cup filling each

Ingredients

• 12 ounces 90%-lean ground beef
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 2 cups finely chopped mushrooms, (about 4 ounces)
• 5 plum tomatoes, diced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 T. cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup chili sauce
• 1/4 cup natural ketchup
• 8 whole-wheat hamburger buns
  
  Preparation
  Crumble beef into a large nonstick skillet; cook over medium heat until it starts to sizzle, about 1 minute. Add onion and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the vegetables are soft and the moisture has evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes.
  Add tomatoes and flour; stir to combine. Stir in water, vinegar, chili sauce and ketchup and bring to a simmer, stirring often. Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and the onion is very tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve warm on buns

Jicama-Apple Slaw

4 servings, about 1 cup each

Ingredients
· 2 cloves garlic, unpeeled
· 1/ 8 cup agave nectar or honey
· 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
· 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
· 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
· Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
· 2 cups grated ji­cama
· 1 cup shredded carrots
· 1 cup grated Granny Smith apple

Preparation
Heat a dry, heavy skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium heat. Add garlic, and roast, turning occasionally with tongs, until blackened in spots and soft, about 10 minutes. Peel, removing tough ends.
Combine the roasted garlic, apple cider, oil, vinegar and mustard in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Combine jicama, carrots and apple in a salad bowl. Add dressing and toss to coat. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone

Ever Since I moved to Colorado I have been wanting to do a bike race. Last spring it was my intention to do so but I got wrapped up in ultra running and felt like every time I got on my bike, it turned out to be a recovery spin because I was tired from running so much. So I never ended up racing and basically just participated in the social events. This year, however, I was determined to not let any distractions take precedence over my years of desire. The team's main sponsor last year was Boulder Performance Network and due to numerous reasons for stepping down, our new main Sponsor is Big Ring Cycles. Besides the fact that they are an amazing shop and have great service, they also are my sponsor as a triathlete. Some of the team that lives in Boulder sees a bit of frustration that the shop located in Golden, Colorado. However, I see it as well worth the commute with all they have done for me and the team.

There is a nice little mixed dirt road/paved loop that is about a 15 minute run from the High School I teach at is located. I used to run there from my classroom after school quite frequently because it was a nice little 90 minute workout that included an off road/paved mix. To give the non-Coloradians an idea of what it was be like out here on the front range of the Rockies, here is a picture of me after a trail run last April after running the Koppenburg Bike course loop.

This is what it looks like to get caught in a freak front range snowstorm where heavy wet snow starts blowing with wind gusts of 50+ mph. Now that you get the idea of the freakish weather that can occur out here in spring, I would like to talk a bit more about my first bike race ever-Koppenburg.

This circuit style course starts on road and turns to dirt for a couple miles. The hardest part about this particular race were 2 things: the really steep hill at a 16% grade and the wind gusts at 50 mph.

With Ironman Hawaii less than 6 months away, I am trying to have fun with my first experience of being on a team and not taking as serious as I sometimes find myself doing with triathlon. Having my first race as an off road race with a steep incline was definitely putting me out of my comfort zone. I am very used to riding for hours on mostly smooth roads and not having to worry too much about strategy, drafting, and tactics.

Basically, I got off on the wrong foot before this race even started. During my arrival to the race, I realized that the weather was much cooler than I had contemplated- about 38 degrees. The wind was picking up and there was only 30 minutes to the Cat 4 women's start. Being the sometimes absent minded individual that I am, (and the previous night wine indulgence) I had also forgotten my watch. I decided to ride the multi-loop course in the 30 minutes that I had. It shouldn't of taken more than 15 minutes and was a great warm-up. When I got to the hill I had a good start and felt fairly confident climbing up it.

However, the brand spanking new shorts I was wearing had a mind of their own and made it very hard for me to stay steady when I returned to a seated climb when the incline became sandy about halfway up to the top. As a result, I slipped and fell of my bike. My first reaction was that it was no big deal. I felt pretty sore in my girly area but got back on and finished the loop.

Once I came back to the registration area and hit the bathroom, I realized that I hurt myself worse than I had thought. On top of that, I also realized the race was starting about .25 miles away in 2 minutes. I jetted over to the start where I was greeted by my coach. I told him "I cut myself" and I wasn't so sure he got what I was talking about. The race started, and I stood there debating whether I should attempt the race with my "injury".

I had this moment of flight or fight. A myriad of thought started going through my head- flashes of my past like when I didn't start XC races in High School because of anxiety and hating and worries of failure. Then came to mind not starting Ironman Lake Placid 5 years ago because of immense pressure and my fear of the swim.

Not willing to pay the consequences of the decision not to race, I choose fight! 30 seconds after the pack of riders went off, I started.

I caught the pack in about 10 minutes and had a back in forth the whole race. The decision to run the bike up the hill after my injury made me loose a bit of time but I was able to catch up on later parts of the loops. In the end I placed 4th. I have some skill to learn in bike racing and not let everyone draft off me most of the race and try to take advantage of working off other cyclists.

This short 40 minute, 3 loop course was painful but a refreshing reminder of how I have been trying to live my life in resent history: slightly out of my comfort zone.

Everyday, (and sometimes it's easy to get away from this) try and push yourself to what you want. If you don't take chances and some risk, you will never get to where you want to be. We are capable of so much and living outside of what always feels safe allows us to get closer to our true abilities.

Attracting What We Want in Our Life

For the first time in my "racing career", I have found myself with some wonderful sponsorship. This is something that I have dreamed of having for many years. It's not so much the physical product that I am receiving, but the satisfaction of knowing that someone is supporting my efforts. The first company to believe in my was Jason at Big Ring Cycles in Golden. Jason helped me with a great bike sponsorship through QR and accessories with Louis Garneau. Then came a great local sports nutrition company in Boulder called Max Muscle. Craig David, the owner, has a dynamic approach to nutrition through education. At Max Muscle, Craig and his staff believe in educating the athlete with the tools they need to maximize their performance. Excited that I was involved with so much already, even more started to happen! My father has been in the optical world for over 30 years. Through his passion for sunglasses and the industry overall, I have developed my own appreciation for quality eyewear. I was absolutely thrilled when Native Eyewear Marketing Director Jax Mariash offered for me to be part of their athlete ambassador team. It has been a while since I have had the opportunity to wear such high quality sunglasses and it is my pleasure to be able to wear Native while training and racing. Last but certainly not least came Power Bar Team Elite. Endurance athletes know that training and racing nutrition can really add up especially when training for Iron distance events. There is nothing like a chocolate Power Gel after 4 hours on the bike-YUM!

I started asking myself recently what is different in my life now that has helped me to attract all of these things. Am I that much better of an athlete than I was a couple years ago? Am I doing something different? Well, I have improved a decent amount but not anything Jurassic. Yet I am doing something different.

I believe that we are controlled and confined to our own thoughts. If one was to believe that they could only get so far in life, that would be as far as they would go. Visualization is a technique that many athletes use before their race day performance. I have known this from my years running for the great Fayetteville-Manlius High School coach, Bill Aris. The more I have used this in my own racing and life for that matter, the more success I have had. There is no doubt that one must put the time and effort into training, however, if we can simply train the mind to believe that there will be a certain turnout on an event, the probability of it happening in reality is much more great. Without going into too much detail, we can attract what ever it is we want. If we put that positive energy into the universe, it will come to us. The opposite is true as well. If you think you wake up tomorrow morning feeling like crap and upset saying to yourself that you are going to have a bad day; then you most likely will! On the other hand, if you can affirm to yourself that you have the control and opportunity to have a great day, things will get progressively better. It may be a challenge at first but think to yourself what a good day would look like and create those images in your head.

This is not a bunch of hocus pocus as it may sound. Our mind is seen in pictures and these visuals are what makes things happen. While I use this mindset in my training, it has hugely applied to my life in general. We tend to not really work toward what we want in life many times because we believe that the mechanism or resources are not there. However, if we have 100% intention to acheive something then the resources will come. This means that if we truly put our energy into a goal, the road in which we need to get to our goal will soon follow. Thinking like this can work for sports, career, as well as one's personal life.

So I ask you this: Are you attracting what you want in your life?

Banana Bliss

Banana bread is probably one of this most popular foods for the home baker to make. In fact, I can remember baking off multiple variations of this quick bread at a very young age. To achieve true banana bliss there are a few factors to take into consideration including texture, moisture level, appearance, and most importantly; taste. These critical bread traits are much easier to get when using typical ingredients such as wheat four, butter, and sea level. I know this because these things are what made my bread so delicious ( and good vanilla) when working in a bakery in Florida. Here in Boulder we have altitude as a training tool, but when it comes to baking it is definitely something that is working against us. It is certainly not the end of the world but really a matter of adjustment in leavening ingredients as well as baking time.

With out trying to sacrifice any of the desirable characteristics above, I have been trying for some time (and believe that I have achieved) a banana bread with a desirable nutrient profile for athletes, fitness enthusiastists, and overall health conscious individuals. There is nice distribution of macronutrients in this recipes which allows for a lower glycemic response. This is good for everyone and not just athletes because by eating low GI foods, we keep our insulin levels down and become more metabolically efficient. There is new research and sports nutrition coming out soon. Look for more on this topic in Dr. Krista Austin's new sports nutrition book this summer!

It may be somewhat difficult to find quinoa flakes and or flour, but it usually can be found at health food stores like Whole Foods, Trader Joes, and Sunflower Market. The higher cost of these products are worth the nutritional punch it provides. Quinoa is an ancient grain that is also a complete protein. This means that it has all of the essential amino acids and this is very unique for a grain. By using the quinoa flour, it allows for a higher good quality protein.

I was looking for this bread to be gluten free, dairy free, not to high in sugar, and relativity high in protein. quinoa flour us awesome because it yields a Here is what I came up up with. I hope you enjoy it as mush as I do!

Banana Quinoa Bread

1.5 c. quinoa flour
1.5 c. Quinoa flakes or oatmeal
1 c. agave nectar or natural sugar
2. t. baking soda
3 t. baking powder
1.5 t. salt
3 c. very ripe mashed bananas
6 eggs, beaten


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 6-8 (depending on size) mini loaf pans. Combine all ingredients until well beaten. Fill each pan halfway full and place all pans on a baking sheet. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Carefully take out each loaf and wrap the bread in plastic wrap tightly so that it does not dry out. If you are not at higher altitudes above 6000 ft., it may not be a problem.



Nutrition
(Facts will vary slightly depending on how full you give your pans)

Serving 1/2 Mini Loaf
Calories: 240 grams
Carbs: 42 grams
Protein: 9 grams
Fat: 4.5 grams
Fiber: 10 grams

What we think, we become ~Buddha

As a teacher I am constantly trying to draw parallels to what I am talking about in class so that I can hopefully provide relevance to what the students are doing in their other core classes. When people ask me what I teach, I tell them Family and Consumer Sciences and quickly follow with " You know, Home Ec". I believe we all try to to defend and support our roles no matter what they are in life. As a life skills and culinary teacher, I believes there are many connections to what I teach and how it will matter in real life.

This semester I have intent to introduce a unique and or bizarre food for my catering students to learn about. This idea actually dawned on me when I was shopping in Whole foods and saw "Buddha Hand" on sale in the produce section. I have no idea what it was but assumed it was a some sort or citrus fruit based on the fast that it was placed near the lemons and its thick course flesh resembled that of an orange or lemon. Contrary to lemons however, this freakish fruit had finger like projections that made it look like a deformed claw. I impulsively purchased it deciding that I would figure out later how I would use it in class.

After a decent amount of research on the Internet, I found that the Buddha Hand is used as a gift in offerings during times of prayer in some Buddhist practices. Because the fruit also known as fingered citron looks like a hand with fingers closed it is symbolic for prayer In China and Japan the fruit is used as a fragrance for rooms and clothing because of it's powerful zest. It seems because this fruit is mainly just a hunk of zest, it can really only be used where is lemon zest or other citrus zest is used in recipes. More details can be found here.

I decided to candy my Buddha hand so I made a simple syrup. There are a few other recipes out there but I guess I pretty much made my own up. The candies can be eaten alone, put in desserts, or sprinkled over your favorite salad. My class consensus when mixed but I never take to heart the palate of 14-18 year old.



Candied Buddha's Hand

2 cups chopped Buddha's Hand
2 cups water
2 cups Cane Sugar
1 Cup Cane Sugar for tossing

Dice the Buddha Hand Fruit into even sized pieces. You may choose to cube the pieces or make long strips. Depending on the size of fruit you make get anywhere to 2 cups to 3 cups. My fruit yielded 2 cups so I kept the ratio of sugar and water the same. First cover the cut fruit with water and bring to a boil and then let simmer for about 1-15 minutes. Then stain fruit. Bring 2 cups of sugar and water to a boil and simmer until sugar is completely dissolved. Then add the fruit and bring back to a simmer. Allow the mixture to simmer until the liquid is almost completely absorbed. This may take 1 to 1.5 hours. It's important to stir the mix especially towards the end where the bottom of the pan could burn when the syrup get thick.

Once the fruit mixture is very thick and the liquid is almost completely absorbed pour it into a large bowl or dish that contains the remaining cup of sugar. Using a whisk mix the sugar and candied fruit until it is completely coated. Then pour it into a strainer to shake out the remaining sugar.

Store in a covered container for up to 2 weeks. Enjoy!

Gratitude

“Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.” -Margaret Cousins

It seems as though I have been struggling to get this site to look the way I want it to for quite some time. After fussing with another template, I finally gave up and found this one. It turns out I actually really like it so far and hope it works out.

Now that we are a couple weeks into 2010, I guess it's my turn to reflect at the past year and start to set some solid goals for the next.

There is one huge goal in the distance which is a successful race day at Kona in October but I believe that the true accomplishment will be the journey getting to the start line healthy and ready to have a great experience. I have really been trying to work on a lot of things in my life both in sport as well as other areas. A common practice that I follow everyday is to try and list the people and things that I am thankful for and appreciate in my life. This is a huge help during times of frustration and doubt.

As I look forward to 2010, I can't help but be thankful for so much. It has set me up for a great new year where I hope to accomplish even more goals and positive experiences. I would like to especially thank my family, my wonderful new Colorado family, and friends that check up on me from afar. I have a good job where I can encourage teens to do their best and learn life skills. It also lends me to train enough to make my body strong to compete.

2010 here I come! More to follow....

Post Ironman Sickness and The Paleo Diet

During those 4 and 5 hour bike over the course of my Ironman training; I would think of a lot of things to write about. However, most of those great ideas have been forgotten along with the many other random thoughts that go through one's head being on the bike that long. I always plan on being "stupid" during heavy training as it's hard for me to focus on a particular task or concentrate on something that requires me to stay still for very long. I had until recently attributed these "traits" of mine from working out a lot in general. An over abundance or exercise if you will. Now, I believe it was due largely to my diet.

In July, I went home to visit my family and like every time I go, it ends up being Tour De Gorge. I allow myself to eat all the crap that I normally try only to consume in extreme moderation. After feeling glutinous and lethargic by the end of the week, I decided to try the Paleo Diet. This is a program developed by CSU Professor Loren Cordain. I have known about it for years and even tried it a couple times but I just was never in the in the right place to be consistent and make the nutrition program work for me.

The basis of the diet is simple yet extremely complicated at the same time. Here are the basics:

• No grains, dairy, legumes, and refined or processed foods. Alcohol and caffeine in moderation or not at all.
• Try to consume grass-fed meat when possible.
• Eat lots of fruits vegetables
• Eat nuts, seeds in moderation
• Eat eggs, lean meat, fish, and poultry

While a very restrictive diet, there are some exceptions for times of heavy exercise. This includes higher glycemic carbs before, during, and after exercise. Good Post exercise foods are sweet potatoes, dates, and fruit juice-whey based smoothies.

Overall, this diet has allowed me to lean down somewhat, increase my energy levels, and I believe it has aided me in better race performance. However, if you do not time your eating well before during, and after exercise it can leave you with just the opposite results causing low energy and fatigue. This is due to the low to medium carbohydrate amount in the bulk of the diet.

Now that the race is over, I have tried to become creative with the diet because there is much less demand for those "better tasting" sugary drinks, and high GI carbs like sweet potatoes, dried fruit, etc. I was able to have more cheat meals training 20 plus hours a week and never had to worry about cravings which I must say have decreased a lot having a grain free diet. So, this absence of training and need for high caloric intake (as well as more time) has led me to my new hobby or experimenting with alternative "paleo friendly" flours. The two that I am currently working with are almond flour and coconut four. My inspiration solely came from stumbling across the blog Elana's Pantry. All of her recipes use almond flour in place of the typical wheat flour. While almond four is more expensive and a bit harder to find, it has many nutritive qualities that make it advantages for even the non-wheatard. For one, the glycemic load is moderate causing a small response in the amount of insulin that is released in our bloodstream. Also, it is a good source of protein. That is all I will say about that for now. My goal is to adopt and create new recipes using almond flour that can be craved and enjoyed by all.

The second flour I have tried is coconut flour. The best source on learning about and using this high fiber, low fat flour is The Coconut Flour Cookbook. It has everything from cakes to meatloaf all using coconut flour at the wheat flour replacement.

If I still have your attention after that long bout, then what I am basically trying to say is that this entry is my segway to what this blog is about. My desire to educate and introduce healthy, nutrient foods and recipes to be enjoyed by athletes and non-athletes alike. All of which are striving for optimal health!

Those wondering about the Post Ironman sickness part of the title... Well, my consolation prize for a big race was catching the worst case of the flu (perhaps swine??) and then having it turn into bronchitis. Maybe it was a blessing in disguse because it forced me not to train. Let me tell you though; it was awful to get through!!

Ironman Wisconsin

Ironman Wisconsin 2009

If someone told me a year ago this was going to be the year I did Ironman, I would not have believed it. I had just moved to Boulder last summer and didn't have a pot to piss in. I would take 2009 to do "cheap" races and check out the ultra running scene. I told myself after deciding not to compete in Clearwater 70.3 Worlds last fall and doing the less expensive Moab Ultimate XC 50k trail run instead. My plan was going well until I developed some tendonitis during a 5 hour trail run with a friend on one of the sections of the Colorado trail in late May. As much as I was liking the long distance trail running I freaked about the possibility of getting further injured if I continued to run strictly ultras. During the short amount of time that I had this injury, I began to start swimming again. After about a week I was able to bike pain free. 3 weeks later I was running again and found myself triathlon training. While out on an easy getting back into it run, the idea of Ironman popped in my head. Knowing that almost all of these races fill up in hours if not minutes, I would have to wait over a year to compete in one. I knew it would be a long shot but I was able to have a good friend pull some strings and she got me a slot to Ironman Wisconsin for 2009! A couple days later I got the word that I was able to register and pulled the trigger. From that day on, I had been training to the best of my ability with thehelp of my wonderful coach Lauren Smith. All of this prepared me to get to the starting line of my first full Ironman race.

Airport

If anyone knows my racing history, it usually involves some pre-race issues including forgeting my timing chip, ripped wetsuits, and zippers breaking off my front zip tri-suit minutes before the race start. Just like my other big races, Ironman provided to be no exception.

It started on Thursday on my way to the airport. I was flying out of Colorado Springs in effort to save $200.00 on a plane ticket. Thinking I was totally on top of things, I got to the counter and realized I booked my ticket for Friday the 11th instead of the 10th! I started to freak but told myself to stay calm. The woman at the desk told me there would be a $150.00 flight change and I was willing to pay it because I had to be there Thursday night! On top of that, the airline was not excepting my bike coupon for a $125.00 fee waive ( perhaps I'm sounding cheap but this stuff adds up!!) So, I did pay the stinking bike fee but the woman forgot to charge for the flight change. Hopefully, US Air will reimburse me for the bike charge. I had to tell myself to focus on the race and not let anything get in my way...

Ironman Expo and Registration

I am so glad that I decided stay away from the race hotel and expo area. I love triathlon and triahtletes but sometimes they can drive me nuts! "what's your PR? ..."how many Ironman's have you done?" blah, blah, blah!!!! After waiting in line forever to get my race packet I was sooo happy to get back to the wonderful home of Barb Karlen, my friend Casey's great aunt!

Barb Karlen

As mentioned above, Barb is my friend Casey's Aunt. She was a wonderful hostess and treated me like a family member. She even had a plethora of of fresh fruits and veggies for me which was perfectly Paleo diet friendly! I know staying there aided in great sleep and minimal pre race anxiety.

Period

Sorry to gross you out guys but ladies you can truly relate to this! I will keep this simple and brief. The night before the race I got my period. I wasn't going to let it freak me out but I did have to text my coach to get some positive reassurance that I wasn't going to have a busted race because Aunt Flow wanted to do Ironman too!

The Race (finally)

One the greatest parts (and biggest fears) for first time IM triathletes is the mass start swim with over 2200 athletes. Even more so for us mid to back packer swimmers. The biggest reason I never got to the starting line at IM Lake Placid in 2005 was the fact that I believed I couldn't do the swim. I most likely could have but I freaked the night before and had a full blown panic attack. This time however, things were different. I had a healthy amount of nerves and actually felt good to be at the start treading water along side a couple thousand swimmers. In all honesty, that swim was my longest this year. I did a few Masters workouts that were a bit over an hour but I never swam a straight 2.4 miles in my life. I guess I had the mindset that when you train for a marathon you don't have to run the full 26.2 in training. Anyway, first lap was chaotic as my pack got around the first bout to turn left it was like hundreds of cattle trying to get through a small gate. Appropriately enough, swimmers started treading water as there was a complete standstill while making a mooing noise... Now I know why they call it Ironman Moo!!!
The second lap was decent and I feel that the joy and encouragement of getting that far pushed me through the second and out of the water.
Swim time: 1:15:25 This is decent for me....

The first transition was lengthy because it involved running and twisting up a parking garage and in to the changing room. Despite the time involved it was sort of a fun process.

There's not too much to say about the bike. When I was living in Florida my bike was a lot stronger but spending so much time running this year has taken away from it. My main goal was to be super conservative on he first loop. It's always so hard when people start passing you that you know you can hang with. It payed off though, the second loop felt relatively easy on this super duper rolley hill course.

Hitting T2 was nice and all I could think about was eating my chocolate Power Bar on the last ten miles of the bike. Funny how something so icky can be ultra appealing after 7 hours. As I started my run I noticed that my glutes were so tight that it felt as though someone had wrapped duct tape around my ass. I had a similar experience to this back in 2007 when I did Musselman in Geneva, NY where the bike course was also rolling hills. At this point I had to give myself a little pep talk that the gluts and hammys would stretch out the more I ran and especially when I hit some of the uphills. Sure enough, they started to loosen up but only after about 45 minutes of pain. At about mile 2 I attempted to reach down to tighten my way too tight running shoes and almost fell over because I couldn't stretch down that far!

After getting through the pain of my ass, ( literally) and accepting the fact that I was going to have lost a toe nail and wicked blisters; my stride picked up. I dealt with the discomfort that I feel I am fairly good at doing and ran my marathon. Passing one person after another, I knew that I could keep this up. I felt great until about mile 23 when Aunt Flow and her baggage caught me ( cramps). Knowing there was only 3 miles left I was really using all my mental energy not to slow down too much. Playing off as a purist, I did not race with a watch and had to ask a few people about the total time (OK, I forgot my watch at home). Therefore, I knew I. Those last few miles that I was in the high 10:30's range.

It has been my dream to get to Kona since I was a kid. I even named my dog Kona who I had to put to sleep this summer! Running with all this pain I looked over around mile 24 and saw a golden Retriever that looked identical to Kona!! Red hair, a bit bulky and the same face. At the expense of sounding cheesy, I knew it was a sign! I stopped my bitchin and finished strong. Taking that turn to the final stretch was one of the greatest moments of my life!!! Christi was there to give me my metal. What a great friend!
I did it! Now I can fill in my damn tattoo and head to Kona next year!!!

Cheers.

Bike 5:41:19
Run 3:30 :25

Total time 10:39:49