Friday, April 17, 2009

Cha-ching!



How often do you feel like this with racing? I swear triathlons are cash cows. I know it takes money for liability, security, blocking off roads, but some are super expensive. So I guess in this economy, you have to be selective about what you enter.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Observations

My neck pain is getting better. I saw Aaron at Massage Envy last evening and he has magical hands with a golden touch. I don't have full range of motion yet, but it is much better. I think he will be the new guy I'm seeing--unfortunately he charges by the hour ;) I haven't had a massage since May 2008 in Las Vegas, so it's long overdue. I usually don't spend money on such luxuries. I'd rather spend money on an iPod or a trip, but sometimes a little relaxation is a few dollars well spent.

I went out for lunch yesterday because what I brought was stolen at work. I swear it's like junior high all over again. Anyway, while I was sitting waiting for my food, this lady at the next table over had me oddly fascinated. She was taking a toothpick, dipping it into mayonnaise and swirling circles around her plate. Anyone who does that is either bored or has something on the mind. Since I had to wait an absurdly long time for my order, I began to study this woman. I looked at her eyes and they were full of sadness. You know when someone's eyes speak volumes and you can just feel in your heart how they are feeling. I was mesmerized by her and just wanted to reach over and give her a hug. She was older with a flushed face that was significantly chapped, like she had been outside for about 2 years too long. She then laid her toothpick down gently on her plate, grabbed her napkin and held it over her face. What was she thinking? What was her story? I'll never know, but my heart goes out to this random lady doodling with condiments at Wildflower Bread Company yesterday.

I had to take the day off from working out because of my neck, but hopefully will be able to run tonight. We'll see! Hope my races go okay this weekend. Kind of nervous already. Want it to be Sunday afternoon when I can relax.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Pain, Pain Go Away Don't Ever Come Any Other Day

I am having neck pain for the first time since I was 14. I think it is biking too much or running too much and hunching my shoulders...I don't know. It was difficult to sleep last night and driving to work was tough, as I couldn't turn my head to check for cars when switching lanes.

Might be time for my first trip to a chiro since I was 14 when I sprained my neck.

Yesterday I did a bike ride and a short 3 mile run. Today I am scheduled to bike and swim, but we'll see how that goes. My range of motion in my neck is very limited, so I can probably bike, but turning my head to breathe when swimming may not be very comfortable or even doable.

I have a triathlon on Sunday and a running race on Saturday. Not sure how that will go. I am worried about my triathlon. I haven't been biking much and there will be a very heavily populated bike course. Ick. I really need to be biking much more than I have been...it's just so much easier to run than all that gear I need for biking. We'll see how my neck feels through all of this. It's not looking good. But trying to stay positive. Don't want my registration fee to go to waste and it is for a good cause. The race is for breast cancer. It will be very early mornings however. Have to be up at 5am for the races. I am not a morning person.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Snack Right

Healthy snacks are easy. You don’t need to do a lot of planning and it sure beats hitting the vending machine for the 3 p.m. pick-me-up. Here are a few twists on snack foods that pack a nutritional punch:

Gourmet peanut butter. The good old stand-by of PB&J just got a little fancier. Next time you are out at the mall, stop in to some fancy foods and gift stores. They are sure to carry peanut butter in original flavors such as banana, white chocolate, and milk chocolate, to name a few. Spread this delicious concoction of protein heaven on whole wheat toast to curb a sweet craving and surprise your taste buds.

Low sodium crackers. They may not sound particularly appetizing, but paired with a cured meat, you won’t be disappointed in flavor. Try layering the crackers with low fat ham and low fat cheese for protein and you won’t even notice the lack of salt on the crackers—the ham will add plenty of seasoning and the cheese just adds to the protein count. Just make sure they are low fat.

Flavored water. Various companies now offer 5-10 calorie packs of flavoring for water. You just add the small packet of powder to a bottle of water, shake and enjoy. If you find it hard to get your recommended 8 cups of water per day, this may help. It tastes great; the water helps control your appetite and the sweetened powder will assist in curbing your sweet tooth.

If you often find yourself hunting for change at the bottom of your purse or pocket for a fattening vending machine treat, try stocking up on these items and eating them instead.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday was spent with a large group of people consuming excessive amounts of food--just the way Easter should be spent. I started the day with a trip to the park to see all the children dressed in their Easter best--hoards of families picnicing, bbqing, playing football, and children feeding the ducks. One gentleman put a smile on my face. He was a rather alternative fellow dressed in black with long hair riding a dirt bike, but on his arm was a traditional picnic basket with red and white cloth hanging out from it. He looked a bit emasculated if I do say so myself.

After the trip to the park, I met a big group for a delicious dinner of all the trimmings and ate myself silly.

I am training for an upcoming marathon soon. I just decided at the last minute to do a marathon next month, so not much time to train. Crazy? I definitely think so. I also watched the Ironman 70.3 Championships on television yesterday and it was so inspirational. I saw a man carry his disabled son throughout the race. They swam together, the dad carried him on his bike for all 56 miles, then pushed him as he ran the half marathon. They finished in over 8 hours, but what an accomplishment. The show also listed all those who won the lottery for the Ford Ironman Championships in Hawaii and my old coach in Utah was selected. Congrats Dave! Good luck to you.

I was biking on my trainer when I watched the show and it made me feel really lazy :(