A Full Week of Sweat, Food, Stress and Fun

My numbers for last week:

• 18 miles of running
• 6 hours of biking = (trainer plus outdoor)
• 8000 meters of swimming
• 1 hour TRX
• 1 hour plyo/strength
• 1 hour field hockey game = indoor hockey = lots of sprinting.
• 5 loads of laundry (this is work!!)
• 40+ hrs of work

The great part is all this awesome weather we have been having, this may be the first winter where I was actually spending 50% of my biking outside!!!  

Like my Betty Design Jersey!!

Trying to fit everything in is tough.  I had to say no to a couple things but on the weekends this is tough, you want to be somewhat social even though you are exhausted as hell.  I just started TRX and love it.  I think that and the one other plyo/strength training session I have been fitting in has actually helped me go longer with less injury (so far...I always skeptical something is going to happen.  I also think the field hockey game once a week is really helping with my training from the sprinting and with the bilateral movements.

As I get older (ahem 36) I have noticed that I need to be smarter about my training.  So I went from 4 swims a week to 3 swims so that I could fit in the plyo/strength and from 4 bikes a week to 3 to fit in the TRX.  Strength training is so important to be injury-free and even though I know that, I keep "forgetting" about it.  So I had to make room instead of creating more hours that I couldn't fit in.  There is only so many hours in a week and when you work and like to also be somewhat social you need to prioritize.

I have a pretty good disposition on life and rarely get "actually" stressed.  I complain about it a lot but when I think about it and plan my day, everything works out.  The key is prioritizing and being well-rounded.

My weekend was pretty insane.  It started Saturday morning with some straightening up of the house and then on to my run during the ridiculous 30+mph winds on Sat.  There was a point that the wind was actually stopping me from moving during an open-field area in the park.  For context, there was actually waves in the lake that is usually stagnant.  I left after mile 7 and went to the gym to get in the other 3 miles and then conveniently went into the pool to knock out 2500 meters.  I needed to also food shop for my jambalaya cook-off that Mike entered me in during NYE when he told my friend's boyfriend that I make the best jambalaya (it comes from a box of Zatarin's with some added chicken and turkey kielbasa)....sooooo I did some research, called my brother, Anthony, (check out his blog - Mr Onions Neighborhood) who lives in NOLA and made-up a recipe that I would use- praying it would come out.  So I had an hour to knock out the shopping and then had to get to Mike's gig to see Beyond Dishonor and our friends band (drummer is my competition) in Trenton.

This is actually a billboard of them in Los Angeles!  How cool is that - hubby on the right!

 I then had to get to bed to drive an hour+ to my hockey game and team breakfast.  Team did awesome winning against our other team 10-6 with no subs (meaning play entire game).  I had to promptly get back another hour drive to cut my veggies/meats and put in containers and then hop on the trainer for another 3 hour ride to nowhere.  Luckily my sister kept me company and brought me water and Lara bars while I sat like a princess on my trainer watching Clueless and episodes of Smash....

Trainer was giving me problems yet again and stopped working at 2 hours and 45 minutes.  Then it was shower and get my ass moving to partake in a jambalaya cook-off against this guy.....

Ahhh, he is like a giant teddy bear that was a professional jambalaya cooker with a giant knife.....So I used my gift that my family gave me (intuitive cooking skills) and I whipped out a just short of bad-ass jambalaya - it could have been spicier and a bit different but it was all good.  We ended up with a tie 5-5!!

Jambalaya Recipe
(Print Recipe)
Ingredients
2 green peppers diced
2 onions diced
15 cloves garlic (okay you may think this is overboard, but you can barely taste it)
6 stalks celery diced
1/4 cup butter/margarine
2 tbsp paprika
1 tspn thyme (fresh if you have it)
1 lb of chicken breast cut in cubes (add cayenne pepper and mix with chicken and let sit for at least 10 min)
2 lb shrimp
1 lb of andouille sausage sliced/cut in half
1lb ham cut in cubes
4 cans of stewed tomatoes (approximately 56 oz)
3 cups chicken broth
3 bay leaves
salt/pepper
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup hot sauce
1 bunch of green onions chopped
4 cups rice

Directions
Heat butter in an uncovered heavy-bottomed pot. Add onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic and sauté, stirring, for 5 minutes or until soft.  In a separate saucepan (I didn't have enough room in my pot to do this with first four ingredients) heat olive oil or butter and saute chicken and shrimp until chicken is white and shrimp is pink.  Add to pot with veggies along with paprika, bay leaves, thyme.  Add tomatoes, stock, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well.  Add sausage and ham. Cook over moderate heat until liquid returns to a boil. Add green onions, salt to taste and rice. Cook over low heat for 30 minutes or until rice is cooked.

Mine is on the right, Andy's also had chiorzo and crawfish yum!

In the meantime, other festivities were the King Cake competition where Laura and Janine also ended up in a tie...

 In other news, Mike and I finished our first fermentation.  We just put the Maker's Mark soaked oak chips and some cherry puree  in the carboy and racked our beer for the second fermentation.  Cherry Bourbon Stout...hoping for awesomeness...

Willpower

By definition willpower means self-control.  So during Lent, I usually give up something, versus doing something.  I feel that I should be "doing something" all the time...like being nice, not gossiping, giving to the poor.  No worries, I am not turning this into some kind of religious post.

One year it was meat, which ended up being too easy....so I contemplated what indulgences/loves I have...

Triathlons - can't this actually helps my well-being and physical health
Wine/Beer - ah, I can do a detox at any point in time for a couple weeks to a month

 SHOPPING - I did this two years ago and it was the hardest 6 weeks.

The feeling I get when I go shopping is something very similar to an exert of Sophia Kinsella's Confession of a Shopaholic. I probably could write my own book.

“That moment. That instant when your fingers curl round the handles of a shiny, uncreased bag—and all the gorgeous new things inside it become yours. What’s it like? It’s like going hungry for days, then cramming your mouth full of warm buttered toast. It’s like waking up and realizing it’s the weekend. It’s like the better moments of sex. Everything else is blocked out of your mind. It’s pure, selfish pleasure.”-  Sophie Kinsella, Confessions of a Shopaholic


So I decided this would be very appropriate again, especially as I was reviewing the latest Nordstroms book that came in the mail, putting sticky notes in my latest Lucky magazine and closed two windows on my computer with full carts at Shopbop and TeamEstrogen.  This was all by 7:30am.

In light of all this, I decided I should post some of my recent tri-purchases (things I ABSOLUTELY needed)....I'm actually serious on that note.

Biking:
Betty Designs Pink Cycling Jersey and Bib Shorts.  My purple one was destroyed in the bike accident.  I wasn't sure about the bib shorts, I never had a pair but I love the color too much to discriminate!

Running:
Brooks Pure Cadence - needed another pair, treads were low...check out the review on these shoes here

Swimming:
This suit is great, I bought this Betty Design suit a month ago and have been loving it, not only the style which is totally me, but the comfort of this suit is spot on.  Ran true to size.

So until April 10th....


And finally, I promised to post my fantastic recipe I whipped up last night!

Miso Tofu and Edamame Black Bean Quinoa

Print recipe here

Tofu and Marinade
2 tbspn mellow white miso
2 tbspn tamari (or soy)
2 tbspn brown rice vinegar
2 tbspn maple syrup or rice syrup
2 tspn garlic hummus
1 block of tofu chopped into small squares

Mix marinade together in small bowl and put tofu in bowl, let sit for 20 min.

Bake tofu on baking sheet for total 30 min at 400 degrees.  At 15 minutes, turn tofu over add more marinade, and put back in oven.

Edamame Black Bean Quinoa
1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water
1 yellow bell pepper diced
1/2 red onion diced
3 spring onions diced
1 handful of cilantro chopped
1 avocado chopped
1/2 cup edamame
1/2 cup black beans (rinsed)

Rinse quinoa, add to water, and bring to a boil.  Simmer until done (about 20 min).  Add the next 7 ingredients to cooked quinoa. 

I use Trader Joe's Sesame Ginger Vinagrette (it has no fat) or I use tamari, rice vinegar, little olive oil, and sesame seeds.  I also like using Sirachi on top.

Eat together!

Mexican Comfort Foods

Training is going great, except the little set back of an ear infection and then getting sick over the weekend.  Although, I knew that meant my body was telling me to take a break!  My life lately has been go, go, go....you know the thing when you think you are Superwoman and can do everything?  When you say yes to EVERYONE!  It made me re-think some things when I was at dinner and didn't feel well and kind of almost passed out at the restaurant that I had to slow down and maybe NOT say yes to every one of my friends and family when they ask me to go somewhere or do something.  I needed to prioritize and cleanse.  So this weekend, Mike and I cleaned the house and I have to say this made me feel soooo much better :)

Anyway, I tweeted and facebooked all these great foods I was having over the last couple weeks so I thought I would share a couple of them.  They both just happen to be Mexican-like dishes.  I am obsessed with anything Mexican.  Both of these dishes were great and can be used for multiple meals so it's perfect to prep on a Sunday and gives you less time to make your lunch or think about what to have for dinner when you are strapped for time!

Mexican Quinoa
Print Recipe Here

Ingredients

2 cups water
1 cup quinoa (I used a red/white mix)
2 handfuls of baby spinach
1 bell pepper (any color)
1/2 cucumber
1 jalepeno
1/2 red onion
2 limes
1 tbspn olive oil
salt/pepper

Directions

small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Simmer and cover until quinoa is done.

Make a salad with spinach, chopped veggies (cucumber, pepper, jalepeno, red onion), and juice of 2 limes and olive oil and toss.Add in quinoa and salt and pepper. I also add chopped avocado and roasted chicken.  Enjoy!




Blood Orange Pork Tacos
Print Recipe Here

Ingredients

2 blood oranges (quartered)
1 jar of salsa (I like roasted tomato salsa)
1 cup chicken broth
1 onion (chopped)
4 cloves garlic (chopped)
2 bell peppers (chopped)
1 pork tenderloin
tortillas
Toppings (jalepeno, cilantro, fresh salsa)

Directions

Add the first 7 ingredients to a crock pot and cook for 6 hours on low. 
 
You should be able to fork the tenderloin into pieces.  Serve as tacos including toppings and with black beans and cornbread (I use TJ cornbread mix with 1/4 jar of their corn salsa in addition to eggs and milk).
 
Have a Happy and Healthy Week!!

The Word of the Year - FOCUS

This past week and half has been awesome on the training and life front.  I started my 20 week plan for the HIM, I bumped it up a couple levels, and I had to incorporate my two half-marathons in so it has been a little harder than normal.  This isn't always fun in the winter months in NJ but the weather has been okay with the exception of this weekend and my indoor workouts.

This is just a snapshot of Week 1.

Week 1 started about 5 days earlier when I got back from Iowa for work and was able to get focused.  That is also a big part of the New Years Resolution - BEING FOCUSED, in work, nutrition, training and play.  I have felt all over the place last year.

Usually, I am flying solo in some of these workouts with a handful with friends.  I started indoor field hockey two weeks ago (every Sunday) and figured this would have to be one of my "track" or "speed" workouts.  I also had to revise my calendar so that a long run and swim falls on a Saturday and a long ride comes after my game on Sun.  As much as I wanted to put a long run in the middle of the week based on some recent articles I have been reading (more on that in later post), I don't have the time with work to incorporate that especially since it gets dark earlier.  So last week, I wanted to test this Sat/Sun before starting my plan.

Last sat I ran alone on the canal in a super muddy run that I swear prepared me for either a tough mudder event or maybe the Olympic long jump.  Sunday I had a game at 11am and then was off to Christine's to do a Spinerval workout with one of her new tapes so I got the bike, the trainer, my stick, my gear and was off in the morning.

looks awesome huh

First observation, my legs felt really good at the game, I was rarely tired, but had a slight quad cramp that 5 min out and stretching fixed.  My half hour drive in the car didn't help my nagging pains in the legs but as soon as I set up the bike and spun it out for about 5 min that passed and 1 hour and 45 min later we accomplished that goal, and had our good friend Quan make us some yummy food and a black and tan.....

Princesses being able to workout while a man cooks and provides beer

Korean marinated chicken

Over a raw veggie salad

This week, with training, I fixed a number of good eats, which I will get to on next post (too many new recipes), and got in all my key workouts, although strength training had to go by the wayside (I was able to fit in 2 short workouts). My work schedule has been relentless with a report and project managing a 8 country project and January's Brewtal beer meeting....but with my new organization skills, I was able to make everything work.
I got through my bike to nowhere by watching Star Wars while it snowed and sleeted on Sat....

The perfect set-up - iPad, movie and bike

 following that with Allagash Curieux - an awesome present from the hubby.

On Sunday, the dreaded treadmill run for 9 miles was on the books (too icy out) so I was able to go with Nicole and run next to each other and then hop off and get into the pool for a super relaxing 1900 meter swim.

I was pooped but what really got me through was being able to hang while training with friends, team mates and music!
I leave you with the latest playlist that displays my ADD (you will see from the vast diversity of songs) for  my long treadmill run (little less than 2 hours)...
please note some of my songs are not included because I could not find them on Playlist.com

2011 - A Year in Review

As you may have noticed, I kind of took December off from blogging...not purposely, but I was in a whirlwind with everything and didn't have the time, or every time I thought of a post, I thought of something else instead. In all honesty, I probably had a case of writer's block, well, I mean, IF I was a writer, that would be what it was called, but we all know I write like a 5th grader.

I walked away from 2011 with a bunch of lows causing me not to meet my goals and races. 

2011 Race Schedule and Notes

2/13    NOLA 1/2 Marathon - 2:11 time even after being injured with PF and sprained ankle 4 weeks prior.

4/17    CGI Rutger's 1/2 Marathon dropped out due to death in family - Grandpop
6/5      Black Bear Olympic Triathlon - only did aqua-bike - strained flexor hallucis longis - no running

6/18    Parvin Sprint Triathlon - dropped out -too close to Vineman and still injured no running

7/17    Vineman 70.3 - 7:03 - IMPROVED SWIM TIME but had to walk/run the run course due to injury

7/25    CGI Mercer County Sprint Tri- failed attempt at racing 1 week after 70.3 but fun

8/6       Princeton Bike Tour -65 miles  - bike accident at mile 50 - fractured/bruised ribs

9/3      Marlton Lakes Sprint Tri had to call it quits after bike accident for rest of the season

9/10    Quakerman 1/2 Iron 

10/2    Bassman International Distance Tri

11/5    Bridge Run 10K -  60 minutes - 9:40 min miles after just starting to run again 3 weeks earlier!

Goals for 2011 (SET PRIOR INJURIES)

1. 1/2 marathon time should be under 2 hours and if possible crank out a 1:50.
2. Improve my swim time through 3 days a week training and coaching from Germaine.
3. 1/2 Iron time at Vineman under 6 hours.
4. Run pace in sprint distance race at 8min/mile and 8:30-8:45 for Olympic distance.

So as you can see, it didn't look good on the racing front - HOWEVER, I had a wonderful year despite those injuries,  It just means that you have to jump back up with a smile when life smacks you back down. 


Top 10 Highlights of 2011

1. Mike and I spent some time vacationing in Sonoma after Vineman 70.3.
2. Became a charter member of Brewtal Beer Club and Mike and I brewed our first beer! Brewtal Alpha Porter.
3. Met some amazing people/new friends in-person and virtually through twitter and blogging emphasizing the power of social media.
4. Was able to spend a great vacation with my brother and sister and friends in New Orleans for 1/2 marathon.
5. Vacationed with both my families - Onion's and LaCouture's in Disney!
6. Spectated races and able to cheer on my friends and teammates.
7. Joined Team Triumph - which is an amazing group of people
8. Co-hosted some fabulous parties with the better half - Christmas in July, Beerathlon and the Not so secret NYE bash.
9. My brother (@big_onion) and Kaela got engaged and bought a farm!
10. Asked to be maid (umm matron...) of honor in my best friend's wedding in May 2012!

So, all in all, I am happy and extremely excited for what 2012 brings, I have lots planned on the early side because I really wanted to start training since I had been side-lined.  I have been building my base since November and am ready to embark on my new 20 week training plan for Mooseman which includes two 1/2 marathons in March (St. Patty's Day) and April (tutus) and a possible Olympic tri in April. 

I leave you to go on my 10 mile run.....

Mooooose...man 70.3

I have been trying to figure out what race I wanted to do for next year.  I wanted something late May/early June which would allow me to start training ASAP.  I felt like 2011 was a bust, a bit of a let-down with injuries that I need something to redeem myself.  I debated over whether I really wanted to do an Ironman.  Actually, I was reading this post from Run this Amazing Day when I had my little "a-ha" moment with myself - otherwise known as "shit or get off the pot".  I really got caught in the excitement of all my blogging/twitter friends doing a full Ironman and reading race reports.  I have known I wanted to do an ironman for a long time, but it requires a commitment that I could not give this year.  I want to work out my other issues and I think there was going to be more personal things going on that I didn't know if I would have the time to give for an Ironman.  I still have the time for a half and maybe a little more than what I did last year, but I didn't know about the long haul.  I can't do it half-ass, I didn't want to feel like I felt for Vineman during the run again.

So, I looked at the 70.3 options:

• Oceanside 70.3 - this would probably be unbelievably fun to do this with so many people but it is in March and I don't know if I can properly train during the snow, maybe another year.
• NOLA 70.3 in April (this is still under my radar...) - my brother lives here, reason to visit!
• Hawaii 70.3 in June (ummm...Hawaii, duh) but it is hot and I didn't know if Mike was really into it.

Then this race popped up on my radar...

Hopefully Dooner won't kill me for this (circa 1999)

 ummm not the game Moose, although I was good at it back in the day...

This...

Mooseman 70.3 which takes place in New Hampshire.  It made sense being that it is in the beginning of June so I could start base training now.  I already signed up for a half-marathon in March in DC so the timing worked perfectly.  There was some of my Team Triumph teammates and hopefully Yasi and Anabel racing this so it will be nice that I know others will be doing it.

I have also decided that I would raise money for ALS for the race.  It will make this...

all the more motivating.  My father-in-law is not only from New Hampshire but he also has ALS and every day he faces struggles that I can't even begin to imagine, but he faces us with a smile on his face.  I felt that this race embodies the disease and his struggle, it will be something that will hurt, that I am going to face obstacles and need to work my ass off to overcome them and mentally, I will need to have the perseverance to overcome the pain and get to the finish line.

I am currently looking into how to effectively do this.  I have contacted the Philadelphia chapter and couple others to find out how to go about raising money, so if you have any ideas please let me know. 

Brewtal Beer Club - It's Not Just a Club...It's a Movement - PART 3 - THE BEER

If you missed the first two episodes...

Part 1 - The Club

Part 2 - The Food

And now what you have all been waiting for...MissFancyPants Fall Beer List.  It's getting a little late in the season, so you may want to bookmark this for next year.  I had some other recommendations but I don't want to overwhelm you or muddy the waters by being all over the place so I will do an addendum to my beer list in another post (just to keep you reading)....I don't know about you but I am always hunting for the perfect pumpkin beer (secretly I want someone to do a butternut squash one but haven't heard of it).

Last year, my two favorites were Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale and Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale - HOWEVER, I have some new favorites thanks to Mike (my husband, who was in charge of the October Brewtal Beer Tasting).

#1 - Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin

This beer was actually thanks to KEVIN whom we met at the Battleship NJ beer tasting.  He works for Shipyard.  This beer will KICK your ass, and I mean it.  It's 9% ABV and very drinkable, I didn't find it overly alcohol in flavor, it's dangerous...It is a little heavy on the spice area so if you don't like a heavy spice than it may not be your favorite.  I enjoy a bit more nutmeg so this was great.  Good pumpkin taste and sweet.

 #2 - Cigar City Good Gourd Imperial Pumpkin Ale

 

Holy crap this was hands down a beer that EVERYONE at the beer club enjoyed and rated highly.  I felt like I was drinking pumpkin pie.  There was something about this beer, the spice was not overly powering, the perfect amount of sweetness.

 #3 - Heavy Seas - The Greater Pumpkin 

One word - AWESOME - this was brewed in Bourbon barrels so it is quite different than the other pumpkin beers.  The bourbon, wood, and pumpkin was a nice balance.  Highly recommend.

#4 - The Bruery - Autumn Maple

 I have to say I was a little hesitant, I don't always dig The Breury's beer, but this was delicious.  It is brewed with yams so it was a nice change from the pumpkin tasting.  It had a nice mix of spice and also a hint of vanilla.  I could see this going well with some turkey breast and maybe some glazed root vegetables.  Don't know why, but I think I will try serving that next year or if I find it in time for this Thanksgiving.

 #5 - Cape Ann Fisherman's Pumpkin Stout 

 I am only putting this on the list because of the polarity that was expressed in the group that tasted it.  I hated it the first time and it grew on me the second time.  I don't know if that had to do with too many pumpkin beers that I was taste-testing and wasn't giving this a fair shot or I like more zing to my beer and this was just too AVERAGE.  Jury is still out, I would say try it if you don't like a strong pumpkin flavor and are a stout fan.  There were a few people in the group that really liked this.

#6 - Sam Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale

I am on and off with SA.  I have had some very nice beers lately like their new Imperial Stout and their Latitude IPA.  This beer was surprisingly good.  Maybe not a Shipyard, a Weyerbacher or Smuttynose, but it was tasty.  It was not overly pumpkin-like but had a nice mix of spice and pumpkin without being overly sweet.

Hopefully, you will still have time to check things out, although, I was at the liquor store and the Christmas beers were out and there was nothing left in way of pumpkin, so like I said bookmark this for next year!  Stay tuned, I will be posting another beer post very soon that includes a few Italian micro-brews I recently tried and we will be having the November Beer Meeting this week.  I will also be posting a little about Mike and I's first homebrew which we will try on Thursday - Brewtal Alpha Porter....

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