Check!

(from Jenn)

Run?  Check.
Swim?  Check.
Make dinner for tomorrow?  ...

Well, two out of three ain't bad!

I finally did my first 1.5-mile fit test run tonight.  I had to take a few short walk breaks, but I felt o.k. with my time of 16:19 considering I don't think I've run at all since the Ironman.  Pace was 11:53 min/mi.  We'll see what I can do next week!

And after that, I went to the gym for another swim.  I did pretty much the same workout as last Wednesday, and I was a little faster.  I felt better in the water, too, so yay!

I was supposed to make tomorrow's dinner tonight as well, but it's way too late and I'm exhausted.  I'm hoping to get back to the gym for a strength training class early tomorrow morning, and I can cook after that.  Or just before work if I don't make it.  We shall see!

Inspiration

(from Jenn)

Yeah, don't really feel like talking about how the rest of the weekend went...  Choosing instead to focus on today and the rest of this journey. :-)

Found some cool images on pinterest, hoping they inspire you, too.

Epic FAIL

(from Jenn)

When we first started planning this little six-month journey, we decided we wouldn't be eating out for awhile because there are just too many temptations in restaurants.  But we didn't have a choice on this trip with my parents, so we viewed it as a kind of test.  How did we do on day one?  Well...

We were on the road most of the day, and we were doing well.  We stopped at Bob Evans for lunch, and I had a cobb salad with grilled chicken.  They brought out some hot, fresh rolls that came with it, and it was really hard to resist those (fresh-baked bread has always been a weakness of mine), but I gave them to my parents and went to the restroom while they ate them.

Derek was awesome, too.  He skipped his favorite, pancakes, in favor of an omelet.  It was supposed to come with hash browns, but he asked about other side options and eventually settled on green beans.  I was so proud of him for finding something primal, even though green beans don't typically go with eggs and even though he didn't end up eating them since they were canned and not so tasty.  When they brought out biscuits with his meal, we again gave those to my parents.

All in all, not an easy meal, but we survived!

Then came dinner...

We were in Lancaster County, PA, so my parents wanted to eat at an Amish restaurant.  Many of those are well-known for their smorgasbords and desserts, but we thought it would actually be good to have a buffet with a lot of options; we'd just choose the meats and veggies.  Haha, nice try.

I started with a salad, which was really tasty.  By the time I was done with that, though, Derek had already concluded that staying primal just wasn't going to happen, not with the mac and cheese and HUGE dessert spread calling his name.  And, I had to admit, the cheesecake looked mighty tasty!

When I went back to peruse the main course options, there wasn't much that looked appealing.  I had a slice of roast beef au jus, a slice of turkey, and a couple meatballs, but I also got some buttered noodles and a little of the aforementioned mac and cheese.  Oh, and a couple rolls since I'd missed out on those at lunch.  Nothing was truly spectacular, but it was nice to taste some things I'd been missing.

Then I sampled a few desserts.  The cheesecake was actually pretty bad.  It had looked amazing, I think because I was remembering the cheesecake Derek got when we went to Bravo Italian restaurant a couple weeks ago, which I tasted and which was AH-MAZ-ING.  This was nothing like that.  Two bites was plenty.  The apple pie a la mode and carrot cake were good, but still not fantastic.

So, yeah.  Epic fail tonight.  I ate way too much, was super uncomfortable as we left the restaurant, and my tummy didn't seem to appreciate all the crap I'd just ingested.  I'm hoping that I remember this feeling next time I'm thinking of indulging, because truly, it just wasn't worth it.

And back to primal tomorrow.

Back In the Water!

(from Jenn)

Well, Derek was still feeling pretty sore this morning from his run on Monday, so we decided to hold off on the fit test.  Instead, I went swimming!  I really think I've only been in the water two or three times since the Ironman, which was six months ago.  So, yeah.  It was a tough, and I was slow.  But it actually felt really good to be back in the water, and I'm looking forward to going again!  I only swam 1.25 miles, which took me about 50 minutes, but that's o.k.  Gotta start somewhere!

Reality Check

(from Jenn)

Well, we got up a little late, so we didn't do our Fit Test Tuesday run or other exercises.  (We plan to do them tomorrow now.)  But I did go to my time trial for the first time of the year tonight, which will be another good way to gauge how I'm doing over the next few months.

Five pounds down from a week ago, I was feeling pretty good as I put my jersey on, and I started wondering how I'd do.  I didn't expect a PR or anything (my current PR is 28:14 for the 10.25-mile course); I just wanted to be under 30:00.

I rode the course backwards as a warm-up, and I was feeling a little sluggish.  I didn't push too hard, just kind of took it easy, and it took me about 32 minutes.  I figured that I should be able to take a couple minutes off that time when I was actually going all out.

I was feeling really nervous as they called out the starting order, especially because I was number 14; I expected to be maybe 6 or 7 (they have you start according to your time, slowest riders first).  I was dreading getting passed by a bunch of people...  And, sure enough, it wasn't long before the first rider passed me.  And then another.  And another...  I usually keep track of how many people pass me versus how many I pass, and I hope the two numbers are pretty even.  To me, it seems like a good measure that I started where I should have in the line-up if I pass the same number of riders as pass me.  Today, I think I passed 2 or 3, but I lost count of how many passed me.  So I knew I wasn't doing very well.

I glanced at my watch as I crossed the finish line, and it was over 31:00.  31:27 to be exact, after they read off the times.  Seriously?!?  More than 3 minutes slower than I'd been last year?  I know I'm heavier than I should be, but I'm no heavier than I was last year.  And I know I haven't ridden that much lately, but I haven't been completely lazy either.  And how could it be right that I only took 30 seconds or so off my warm-up even though I was pushing myself as hard as I could?  Wow, that was BAAAAAD...

I tried to figure out what had happened, but I still don't really understand it.  Have I really lost that much fitness since the Ironman?  Or could it possibly have something to do with not eating carbs?  Either way, it was an eye opener: I have a LOT of work to do!  But hey, at least it can only get better from here, right? :-)

Inspiration

(from Jenn)

I just saw this story through my weekly USAT email, and I have to say, I'm inspired!  This lady went from 285 pounds to 125 in less than two years and began competing in triathlons.  She's now on Team USA.

A lot of triathletes (myself included) enter the sport after making huge life changes, losing weight, etc.  I always assumed that most of us could become better athletes by getting in better shape, but I never would have imagined that anyone 150+ pounds overweight could go on to become an Olympic-caliber or professional athlete!

Earlier today, I canceled our Tempe, AZ, hotel reservations and requested a withdrawal and partial refund for our IM entries.  But I'm pretty sure I'll be back - maybe not to Arizona, but somewhere - because I really want to see how much better I can do when I lose the extra weight.

Just the encouragement I needed today!

Not Myself

(from Jenn)

Speaking of normal...  I'm not feeling it!

Not sure why, but I just haven't felt like myself for awhile.  I'm riding, but I haven't been very good about running and/or walking, and I can't remember the last time I swam.  I just have absolutely no desire or motivation to get in the pool, and I don't know why...

Actually, I feel a bit like I did after my Ironman.  Once it was over, I got a little depressed, because the goal I'd been working toward for a year had come and gone, and there was nothing on the horizon to look forward to.  Of course, two weeks later we signed up for IMAZ, and that helped a little, but now we've accepted that that's not going to happen and I think I'm grieving the loss.

Only I don't think I really have accepted it...  I think in the back of my mind I'm still dreaming of it, visualizing it, holding out hope that maybe, just maybe...

But Derek still doesn't know how to swim.  Neither of us has made much progress toward our weight loss goals (though we're on the right track with this challenge!).  We really don't have the money to get him all the gear he'd need, or pay for our travel expenses out there.  And now we're going on vacation with my family earlier in November, so Derek won't be able to take any more time off from student teaching.

Yeah, not gonna happen.  And I'm sad.  Because I don't feel like myself.

So, what should I do?  Sign up for another race perhaps?  Hmm...

Special Days

(from Jenn)

Last week didn't start out exactly as planned, what with driving all morning on Monday, not getting into a good sleep routine, etc., and this week is going to be different with a road trip with my parents.  But we're hoping to have special tasks or activities on certain days each week:

On Measurement Monday, we'll weigh in and measure our bodies.
On Fit Test Tuesday, we'll run and do sit-ups, push-ups, etc., to evaluate our fitness progress.
On Workout Wednesday, we'll make it a priority to work out together.
On Fun Day Friday, we'll prepare a new recipe together, then do something fun like play racquetball, watch a movie, etc.

That's all we have for now, but if anyone has ideas for Thursday, Saturday or Sunday, we could use your help!

Struggles...

(from Jenn)

Overall, I've done really well this week!  I've stuck to my plan eating-wise, and I feel great.

However...  I'm struggling in two ways.  First, I've been going to bed WAY too late every night.  Like, well past midnight, when I want to be in bed by nine or ten.  So I've been really tired, naturally, and I've also missed workouts as a result.  So, since the food part seems to be easier, I'm planning to focus on getting to bed on time over the next two weeks.

The other major struggle for me so far has been fruit.  I'm craving fruit like you wouldn't believe!  Whenever we tried to eat/live primal-ly in the past, I think I relied on fruit to satisfy my desire for something sweet.  So even though fruit isn't bad in and of itself, I think it's important that I keep it out of my diet for now.  I also wouldn't trust myself to eat it in moderation at this point, but hopefully by going several months without it, I'll be able to appreciate and enjoy small amounts more easily.

Exhausted!

(from Jenn)

I was off work today, and I really enjoyed sleeping in.  But that meant that we had a late breakfast.  Which meant that we weren't ready for lunch till late afternoon.  And by late afternoon, I realized I was running out of time, because I had to lead a ride for my gym's cycle club this evening.  I had planned to grill bison burgers and balsamic-herb marinated veggies for lunch, then just have a salad later after my ride, but that didn't quite work out.  I started the grill, prepped the food, and got it on the grill, but then I had to leave before it was finished.  Which meant that I didn't have time to eat before my ride.

I wasn't really hungry since I'd snacked on some almonds and an avocado earlier, but I was a little afraid that I'd feel weak and tired during the ride.  The ride actually went well, and I felt fine, so yay!  But when I got home, I put some food in the microwave then came in to turn on my computer, and I suddenly felt really dizzy.  I had to lie down on the floor for a minute.  It passed quickly, I got up and ate my dinner (which was really tasty, by the way), but it was just a good reminder that I need to be more careful about timing and fueling properly for workouts.  And it'd be good if I had some more snack-y foods on hand that I could grab on my way out if I'm running late.

Not sure if anyone's actually reading this blog yet, but if anyone who follows a primal/paleo lifestyle is, do you have any suggestions for quick energy foods I could keep around for days like this?  I've got nuts and cut-up raw veggies, but I could use a few more ideas.  Thanks!

Sugar Addict

(from Derek)

It’s me. I’m the culprit. Jenn might tell you differently, but the reason why we’re going extreme with this is simple: I’m addicted to sugar. Even the past three days without sugar have been difficult. Seriously, it’s like crack for me mentally. I know that I’m going to have better days, but they aren’t here yet. I never want a type of food to have control over me, and that’s what sugar has been.

Thwarted By Thunderstorms

(from Jenn)

Well, the time trial was actually canceled tonight because of thunderstorms in the area.  I thought about swimming instead, but they close the pool in this weather, too.  So, maybe some strength training and a spin class?  Naw...  It was raining too hard to want to go out.

So we stayed in, had a yummy dinner of Coconut Milk and Spinach Soup with Curried Shrimp, and watched Food, Inc. together.  Awesome flick, which I'll talk more about at some point...