Switching Training Days....

It is day 38 of 100 in my challenge. Today, I am scheduled to bike 60 minutes and swim.

I spent a week in the desert of Arizona on New Jersey time and now, I am back in New Jersey on Arizona time.... don't you just love when that happens. I woke late and have much to do with the pending school term. So.....

the plan is to switch my training schedule of tuesdays and wednesdays.

Meaning, I will swim on Wednesdays at the college and ride..... and run on tuesdays (or do a brick) or other......

So, later this afternoon, I will be running a foundation run..... and doing strides.

I feel spent and it is HOT out there. Isn't September around the corner?

Progress Update

Today, I am utterly exhausted. Part of it is recovery from the travels and re-adaptation to Eastern Standard Time; part of it is hormonal-female stuff. And for whatever reason, I am wiped.

As far as my challenge, I anticipate doing a body weight circuit later today. Otherwise, it is a rest day. It is Day 37 of my 100 days and Day 16 in my new year.

I weighed in this morning and found that I was only 1 pound heavier than I was last weigh-in.

So, i am looking forward to weighing in after this week to see what has truly transpired.

Tomorrow, I continue my preparation for the marathon, with some tri-training thrown in. This week, I commence my work at NJCU for the semester and will be participating with my students in the 'Tour de NJCU' and the 'NJCU-IronMan.' I trust these will be interesting ways of bringing together the applications of Spinning class and CardioFitness.

And for now, I am off to train a client.

Travel Food

I always travel with food, most of the time. A bar, piece of fruit, nuts, lunch, something to get me through the day. In being prepared most of the time, I have had only a few moments where I have found myself starving and reaching for anything.

I have been teased about it all my life... because miraculously, I appear with something from my bag when I am hungry.

Today, I am glad that I have adopted that habit.

Today, I am flying. From Durango, CO to Denver, CO to Louisville, KY to Newark, NJ.... and the long lay-over is in Newark, NJ. Of course, with several hours to kill in an airport, one needs to eat. I had pineapple slices on the plane from Durango to Denver, and almonds from Denver to Louisville (i also took a nap).... and now, I find myself in louisville airport in want of something. Walking the *small* airport, I stumbled across a starbucks... and it is now, that I am enjoying a cup of coffee and a bar that I had carried with me from NJ....
Of course, I need to buy water... as security prohibits carrying your own water....
and of course, water costs a small fortune!

I am looking forward to returning to my regularly scheduled training tomorrow.... and training my clients. I will weigh-in tomorrow to see what happened a week away from civilization.

Running in the Desert

I have been enjoying my week in Arizona. I cannot describe and I know my pictures will not bring justice to the beauty surrounding me.

This morning, I continued my training (as I have all week, having brought my jump rope, mini-band, hiking shoes and running shoes), and took the power walk journey to a run. I know you are probably asking why I would have spent some time doing power walking when I am a runner..... the truth has to do with the altitude change here. I am used to running at an altitude close to sea level.... here, I am in the mountains. Yes, the desert is in the mountains... there are mountains and mesas and sesas all around us.... And in that, I know there is less oxygen.

Today, I turned the power walk into a run..... and I ran out to Sesa-Ah...(pics later)... which is about a mile and a half away. (I know, I know.... I am training for a marathon, what's a mile and a half?)

This trip was run on a road of compacted red sand, with many hills and in a different altitude. The total run was 6km-- about 4miles, and it was plenty. I worked the hills.... as we know hills are speed work in disguise.... and I pushed hard, until I needed to slow the pace to recover and breath.

I now feel spent.

I am looking forward to possibly walking a gully wash later this afternoon and exploring some of the desert.

The week ahead

Tomorrow I am traveling. Tomorrow, I get on a plane and go from newark to louisville to denver to durango. I hope they don't get lost, because I did just writing that.

My final destination is Teec Nos Pos, Arizona, where Immanuel Mission is on the Navajo Reservation. I will be there a week... There I will continue my adventure, as I am packing my running shoes, my jumprope and my mini-band. I may not be able to blog.... but I will let you know when I return.

Because of the travels tomorrow, I weighed in today.

I am down 1.8# for the week, leaving 69.4# to go!!! woo-hoo-- below 70#!

and

I have lost another .6% body fat.

I will take it... because each day, I am learning something about me.

I am learning I am stronger and faster and will be leaner than I ever was.

Have a super week!

Woo-Hoo....

I must be doing something right!!!

I am nearly completely recovered from yesterday's bike-- went for a walk with my mom, and I felt great! I also jumped on the scale this am.... and I am down .6# from sunday (I will take it!!!)

I will probably get on the scale on sunday for a baseline for the week, as I head out to Arizona and will be off the radar for a week.

I am looking forward to doing roadwork.... probably 5 miles this evening, and 7 tomorrow.

I have milwaukee in October after all.

I am enjoying the fruits and veggies all day long and a cooked meal in the evening. It seems natural as I am an adventurer by day, and I rest by night. I am planning on bringing cherries and salad and nuts for my travels on sunday. Not impossible; just requires planning.

Muscle Maker Grill

Call me a skeptic, but when they first advertised they were coming to town.... I was like, wow.... just what we need, more processed food.

Today, I decided to eat from their menu.

ON the menu, it boasts, 'Call ahead-- We're always busy'.... someone didn't get the memo, as I was the only one in the shop, besides the employees. Maybe because it was after lunch rush...

I was greeted by shelves that were loaded with protein in a bottle... in various forms and designs... the stuff that only 50% is absorbed if you are lucky... stuff I would never use... and in the coolers all kinds of 'muscle drinks' from muscle milk, to isopure, to shockingly water....

I had the Godfather.... described from the menu as 'Low Carb Solution' -- grilled chicken breast, portabella mushrooms, red roasted peppers, reduced fat mozzarella cheese and fat-free balsamic vinaigrette, on a bed of broccoli.

Ok... it was good. It wasn't amazing! It wasn't to die for...... I had just finished my ride and I was hungry. (They looked at me funny, b/c I came in just after my ride... bandana on, sweaty, muddy, camelback and a bottle of water.... the look spoke volumes.) But I was hungry, and the drama is theirs..... Period. End of story.....

It is clear they have bought the myths that are being sold to the american public that protein means meat..... my piece of chicken breast was actually three servings.... as a serving should fit in the palm of your hand, or the size of a deck of cards.

And there were a total of four pieces of broccoli... lots of florets, little to no stalk... they got that right....

BUT, I WISH the quantity of the chicken and the broccoli were reversed. Per calorie there is more protein in broccoli than chicken, and the other things that broccoli provides esp for me in recovery would have been nice. (I got home and steamed some broccoli to augment the lacking). The broccoli they served wasn't overcooked; it was just right.....again, there wasn't enough of it.

The rest of the dish was ok.... the combination of the peppers and mushrooms with the balsamic vinaigrette was an interesting texture and taste, and not over bearing.... the cheese tasted funny to me...

As an endurance athlete, when I eat fats.... I eat whole fats, I need these, and so, if I eat cheese that is low-fat, it tastes funny..... and I always ask myself, what did they put in the cheese to make it low-fat.... and as of my paleo journey, I am eating little to no cheese, (being scandinavian, that is a challenge).

Scouring over the rest of the menu.... they have lots of 'protein crap'.... shakes, etc, frozen yogurt, and dishes that either are a wrap, or have pasta, and the quantity of meat on the plate is ridiculous.... even the vegetarian choices are surrounded by those grains....

So, it seems since I don't eat grains.... I will not be frequenting their shop.

I got the impression that it is run by individuals with a 'meat-head' gym mentality....

who have bought into the whole body-builder fitness garbage....

sorry, body-builders, many of you are not healthy.....

And I was not impressed.

I would rather have steamed beef with broccoli with the sauce on the side from my local chinese restaurant.