Leadman Race

ok ok. So I am not the best or most timely blogger but it is getting done.  I'm sure you were on the edge of your seat just dying to read another chapter in my life adventure!!! Well I have a ton to fill you in on.
Leadman Marquee

Don't look too excited Coach!!

My first race of the season. Sooooo much fun!! This race was long, hard, and hot(far different from my love life;)) 125 kilometers was definitely farther than I had originally thought.  This is the main reason they need to teach the metric system in schools I think.  The swim was the longest swim I have ever done in a race(1.7 miles) and I came out of the water in 2nd place for my wave which was all of the age group women age 0-39.  It was just me and one other girl out on the bike and I was excited and having fun when 30 minutes into the bike I heard the "thud thud thud" sound of my borrowed carbon wheels (thanks Tim!) against the asphalt.   Bummer huh? Good thing I have actually practiced for this scenario and am a decent tube changer.  This little hiccup in my race probably cost 5-10 minutes and a sweet sweet guy gave me some CO2.  By this time 8-10 girls had passed me and I could see them all during the entire bike portion because the 4 loops on the bike were so loopy you could see exactly were you were placed. I knew I didn't have a chance of winning but I could see I was keeping a steady pace and gaining on them a bit but I just couldn't catch them dang it!!! It was super hot and I was kind of getting a heat headache but all in all I felt great. I was so confident and happy just to be out there racing and having fun.  I always feel like the run is the happiest part of the race because it means you are almost done and are going to make it!!! I was able to catch a lot of people on the run and probably 8 or 9 were women but it was impossible to tell where I was with all of the different waves of people.  I didn't even care at this point what place I got.  It has been a long winter and it was so great to dust off the race gear and shake out my race legs and go to beautiful warm Arizona with friends and teammates.  


Special note to Steve Alschuler- you got chicked!!!!!!!!! Can't wait for our rematch at Deuces!!!! Bring it!!!!!

yummy!!!!

If I am going to be the number one Paleo Princess in this universe I have got to stop eating ice cream cones.  Seriously.  Walking around my apartment in my underwear and eating Nutella with my fingers is not Paleo Princess behavior and it must be stopped!!   I can give up cheese, bread, beans, or potatoes for the rest of my life and not care one bit but I just cannot live without at least one sweet a day.  In order to fix this I am trying to be better and have paleo sweets on hand just in case my sweet tooth kicks in.  So this is a recipe for paleo "granola" bars that is delish and has chocolate chips so it can satisfy a sweet craving.  enjoy:) 

yummy yummy!!! this batch has chopped dates and a chai tea bag

1.5 cups sliced almonds
2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
1/3 cup pepitas chopped
1/2 cup almond flour
3 tbsp chia seeds
3/4 cup mini choc chips
1/3 cup chopped nuts (any kind)
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup almond butter
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup water
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Add water to chia seeds and let sit 5 minutes or so. Add other wet ingredients to this and mix well.
Then add all dry ingredients making sure it is evenly mixed. I like to add a handful of cranberries to mine and you can add whatever just make sure that the wet to dry ratio stays about like this. I worked hard to perfect this dang recipe!! Next spread on a cookie sheet over foil and bake for 20 minutes at 325. When you take them out of the oven squish them flat with a spatula and put in the fridge to cool. Cut into bars and enjoy:)

what motivates me?? (besides wine and candy)

This doesn't pertain to the blog but it's Gus with his head
stuck in an ice cream container lol

Last year around this time I went to the Marquee Triathlon in Tempe, Az with some of my Black Dog teammates.  Marcos, Bryan, and Noelle are all amazing people as well as badass Ironman finishers but I had no idea just how badass they really were until after a 6 hour car ride and a few laps around the Dairy Queen in Winslow.  What is so amazing about Bryan and Marcos both is that they lost a ton of weight and are now top in their age groups and continue to inspire others everyday.  Bryan is a coach for Team in Training and is always either donating his time and abilities to them or his Black Dog Teammates.  Listening to Marcos tell his incredible life change/weightloss story is also super motivating.  The dynamic between us was fun and light and we joked around and talked crap to each other pretty much the whole way there but when I expressed that I was nervous to race especially because I was coming off an injury the whole mood in the car changed.  Both guys got serious on me and told me "Lauren, you can do it."  Man, these guys got deep on me!!! They told me I was young and had talent and could do whatever I wanted.  What fabulous compliments!!!!!  Noelle is another Black Dog teammate of mine who is an all around bad ass.  She is a mother, grandmother, occupational therapist, and Ironman triathlete who is probably the sweetest lady I have ever met.  I am always happy to see her and she is always too kind and offering to help with anything she can.  These guys are awesome and hilarious and I don't think they have any idea how much they affected me and really lit a fire under me for the season during this trip with their words of encouragement.

I am writing about this in my blog because this past week a friend who I have known a long time came into the salon to get her hair done.  She has been training to do some local sprint triathlons and is really enjoying it.  She seriously almost made me cry when she told me she read my blog and had it saved in her favorites on her iphone.  She told me she really enjoyed reading it and requested that I put a little more about what really motivates me in here.  Shoot, she just motivated the heck out of me!!!!!! But after thinking on it what really motivates me is hearing everyone else's stories.  I love hearing about everyone else's training and life goals and how they do what they do because the road is different for everybody and it is so fun hearing about other people's adventures!!

Spring Break with Coach Jaime and Sue Alschuler at Seven Falls

This past Spring break I spent in Tucson with awesome people and my coach Jaime training in the sunshine and relaxing by the pool!! Life. is. good.  It was the best week of 2013 yet!!! No distractions or school or work or horrible Spring winds and freezing Albuquerque weather.   I stayed with my girl Sue who can really cook too! You guys know how I love food and wine and we definitely put a dent into that wine stash! When I returned home I felt refreshed and excited to train by myself and get the ball rolling on this season already.  Marquee was my first race of last year and will be my first race for this year too.  I feel I have come a long way as an athlete since last Marquee and cant wait to race again. (19 days but who is counting) I have been feeling great and loving the speed workout and hill repeats that I missed so much over the Winter months.  Sorry this blog post was kinda sappy but sometimes you just gotta share the love. Next blog post will be more exciting I promise! More recipes and hopefully a stellar race report coming soon!!!!! any suggestions send me my way k:) happy training!

Chlorine Dreams and Another Paleo Recipe

swim/class/work/workout/class/sleep then do it all again the next day.   I am seriously so busy I leave my house at 5:00 am and don't get home until 9:00pm. No wonder I am super sick right now and didn't get to train all weekend:( ugh!!!! I really really hate missing my long bike ride and run and feel like it derails my workouts for the whole week!!! stress stress stress making my face look like a pizza!!!! ok. enough of that i just had to get it all out before I switched to positive thinking for the week.   After spending more than 36 hours sleeping from Friday night through Sunday and getting through the complete second season of Game of Thrones I am going to have a positive attitude about this and consider my body "rested and recovered".  ON ON!!!!

thought his was cute and had to share;)

After hours this winter in the pool I finally feel like I am actually breaking through and becoming a better swimmer!  If you would have told me 2 years ago that I would be waking up at 5:00am most mornings to  jump into a cold pool I would have told ya that you are ca-razzzyyy!!  Well I am just loving the water and am thinking that I am now officially a morning person.  Here's why- I have chemistry class immediately after masters practice and I am fairly sure that the chlorine in the pool seeps through my ears and into my brain and makes me better at chemistry.  I count and sing songs simultaneously and somehow the answers to chemistry problems just come to me! I call these chlorine dreams.  Life's answers immediately coming to you while swimming at zerodark:thirty.  This is probably due to the fact that I drink smart water and it is finally making me smarter!!! yay!!

Now, one more thing- another paleo recipe!! I got such great feedback from the first one and requests for another so here it is.  This paleo princess has been just wrecking it in the kitchen. So here is my version of Sweet Potato Hash which is foolproof and really anything can be substituted or added to. 
Ingredients:
2 regular sweet potatoes peeled and cubed
1 package of breakfast sausage (I used Trader Joes turkey breakfast sausage)
half onion chopped
1 jar roasted red pepper chopped (again I used Trader Joe's brand)
5 mushrooms chopped
eggs
salt and pepper to taste
Valentina Hot Sauce
eggs

Big Brecky time!!

First, in a large heated skillet cook the breakfast sausage until cooked well throughout and remove the sausage from the pan leaving enough oil to cook the rest of the ingredients.  Next, throw in the sweet potatoes, onions, and mushrooms and cook until the potatoes are soft and a bit browned and the onions are clear. Then add the Sausage and peppers and mix it all up! Season with salt and pepper and hot sauce to taste and top with some over easy eggs.  The best part about this dish is that the egg yolks and hot sauce make the most delicious gravy for the hash:) mmmm mmm fuel for the whole week!!!!

COOLEST CAMP EVER!!

The whole crew!

 I really have no idea where to even start about the past week I spent in Tucson for the SWtri winter camp.  This is partly because the 5 days I spent in Tucson went by lightning fast and partly because I am still letting everything completely soak in.  I am just in total awe of my BlackDog team mates and everything they have already accomplished and also their dreams they are working toward.  Over and over again I was inspired by the level of kindness, passion, and friendship I witnessed. 

Spin+run clinic with a view- Thanks for the dope pic Troy;)

This was a great opportunity to get to know my teammates a bit better.  Over the past year our team has grown so much that I didn't even know everyone's name at races and was just cheering every time I saw our kit.  Now I not only know everyone's name but also their quirky personalities to go along with them.  I could not think of a better way to start the season off.  I am in full on training mode for Leadman Tempe on April 14th where I know I will be seeing a number of the Black Doggies on the course.  It is great to know that If you doubt your self for just one second there is a Black Dog friend to lift you up and assure you that you can do anything you put your heart into.  Now, out to brave this cold weather! Happy training!!!!!

first sunburn of the year:( great.

Side note:  If anyone heard my interview at Jay Benson this last year; I caught a little flack for my beer drinking comment.  Well, I don't rescind that comment. It is also great to know that if you are in need of a drinking buddy there is a Blackdog teammate there to join you and show you how it's done;)

New Shoes!!!!!

January is over?!?!?! Are you kidding me? Man that month really blew by.  I have been completely consumed with studying, work, and training and I feel like I haven’t even had even one minute to chill out and just do nothing. On the positive side of being so busy I have gotten a ton accomplished.  I have been training extra hard, my house doesn't look like an episode of Hoarders for once, I have turned in all my homework on time, plus I had the opportunity to do a great yoga workshop. Who is this new Lauren and why is she so organized?  I even have time to make another blog entry and this bad boy has had 19 views!! wahoo!! ha! Way more than I thought it would.

            I don’t know about you guys but nothing gets me motivated to go running like a pair of new running shoes!  I have been excited to try the Saucony Kinvara3’s and after beating down my old ones I decided to finally upgrade.  I went running in them yesterday for the first time to do some fun-ervals on the bosque with my running friends.  These running friends are ride-or-die chicks who are training for the Boston Marathon and kick my butt every time we meet and I just love them;) So, maybe it wasn’t the best idea to do some fun-ervals in them the first time I wore them but they were just too damn cute I couldn’t help it!!!!! Today I am feeling a little regret as my shin and ankle area is a bit sore but I love the cushion and lightweight feel of these shoes so much I will have to update you later on these as I beat the crap out of them more. My favorite shoes so far are the Newton Distance U's so we shall see if these can match them...

Thanks ABQ Running Shop! Can't wait to put some miles on these:)

          Another thing I have just been loving in this life. PALEO DIET!!!!! I never ever ever thought I could love a diet where there wasn’t ice cream and bread but I was wrong and I love the heck outta this diet and I actually feel more energized than I did eating the seefood diet (I see it=I eat it).  I read a great book called Paleo diet for Athletes before I went full-blown paleo and I haven’t looked back it has been almost a year since I started(obviously a slight break over the holiday season;)) and I am so thankful I tried this because there are plenty of yummy foods you can still eat with in the paleo parameters so you are never hungry. So I am going to attach a yummy high protein, easy to make banana bread recipe to the bottom of this and encourage you to try it because you will not look back! 

        

Yummy Paleo Banana Bread 

3 ripe bananas mashed (about 1.5 cups)

3 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/2 teaspoon seasalt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups almond flour 

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• mix together bananas, eggs, coconut oil, and vanilla extract together in a food processor.
• pulse in almond flour and dry ingredients
• bake in a greased bread pan at 350 degrees for 55-65 minutes and Voila!!

 -I like to put chopped walnuts and chia seeds in mine. I have also done chocolate chips which is delicious too but not so paleo.

Money in the pain bank!!!!

            I am totally channeling Carrie Bradshaw right now!!!!  I am at my laptop in my single-girl apartment with my glasses on drinking a glass of wine and trying to figure out how to make my usually offensive and vulgar language acceptable to put in a blog that will be on my coach’s website.  Well, I couldn’t think of a better way to kick off this blog and the year 2013 than with recounting a trip I recently got back from to Tucson where I trained with my coach Jaime and also had the opportunity to attend an elite development camp.

My week in Tucson was super challenging but a really fun and positive learning experience. My 2 days spent with my coach and his family were awesome.  We got to swim, bike, run, and plan out my entire season.  I just turned 26 but as it turns out I still belong at the kids table which is fine with me. The best part about hanging out with my coach was also hanging out with his 2 super cool daughters who are 10 and 6.  We jumped on the trampoline, played kitchen beautician and dyed purple streaks in our hair and gossiped about Taylor Swift and One Direction.  It was really fun to be away from work and school and just have fun and be goofy with these girls in between workouts.  The next 4 days spent at the camp were very demanding and humbling.  We trained hard 5-6 hours a day which was a wake up call for me! I must admit that I am the first one to slack on workouts once it starts getting cold outside so I needed a good kick in the pants to get the 2013 triathlon ball rolling. 

After planning out my entire season with Jaime and getting back into training I realize that I have a lot to work on.  I’ve got some lofty goals to reach!  Learning more about the sport and also about myself I feel more confident and better prepared to conquer this triathlon season. 

So next on the calendar is the Black Dog Tri camp in Tucson in February and I cant wait!! I have even been stepping outside into the cold weather for a little more training.  I just keep telling myself that much like my days at the camp in Tucson, my miserable arctic bike rides are just money in the pain bank.