RECIPE: Cinnamon Toast Chick Peas

Yum!!

I admit that I had serious doubts about this recipe.  It was posted by a friend of mine who said that it tasted like Cinnamon Toast Crunch.  I immediately called BS, but thought it was worth a try.  I will tell you that it's not perfect, but it's 95% there.  Incredible!!

So if you are looking for something sweet and crunchy, but want to stay healthy.  Here you go!

INGREDIENTS
1 15.5oz. can of Chick Peas
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp honey
Cinnamon to taste

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Drain & rinse the chickpeas.  Then dry them on a paper towel.  Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the chick peas out in a single layer.  Bake for 45 min or until crispy.

While the chick peas are still warm, toss them in a bowl with the olive oil, honey, and cinnamon.  Spread them back out on the sheet and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until caramelized.

Enjoy!


After making this recipe, I immediately had comments from friends about what they add for seasonings.  They number of combinations are endless!

It was the next morning that the magic really happened.  If a recipe was able to follow through on a promise to taste like Cinnamon Toast Crunch, I had to take one more step and eat it just like you would the cereal.

And magic it was!!  YUM!!


Enjoy!


DREAM.  BELIEVE.  ACHIEVE.

Freakin' A Friday!! 020 - Commit Me!

When did this happen to you last??

...'cause I know it did!

We are endurance athletes!

What does that mean?; one of two things.  We either have a lot of time we spend with a select few training buddies (whom we get REAL close with on many different topics) or we spend a lot of time in our own self-conscious.  Either way...

We have a lot of time to think!

Sometimes those thoughts are totally normal; mental notes of things on the To Do List.

Sometimes they are funny; remembering a joke someone said awhile back and it feels new all over again.

And sometimes I think I'd be forced to meet with a psychiatrist if the things going through my head were projected outward. 

Here are a few of my favorite more recent lines of thought during various workouts.

SWIM

I was doing a swim workout that had multiple 500 and 1000s in it.  I am bad at counting laps!  As a competitive swimmer, I used to have a friend be an unofficial counter for me during the 200 Breastroke.  Yes, I would lose count going from 1 to 4.  Anyways, I've found a variety of interesting ways to keep count - or more like keeping my interest in counting without my mind wandering off.

On this day, I decided that I could count each lap of my 500/1000s only using the word "Fifty."  Here's what I came up with for 20 laps of the pool.

1 - Fifty (it's a 50, easy)
2 - Fifty Fifty (two 50s = 50 beyond 50 = 100)
3 - Fifty ("one 50" = 150)
4 - Fifty Fifty (50 beyond "one 50" = 200)
5 - Fifty Fifty ("two 50s" = 250)
6 - Fifty Fifty Fifty (50 beyond "two 50s" = 300)
7 - Fifty Fifty Fifty (50 short of "one 50" before half way = 350)
8 - Fifty Fifty Fifty (two 50s short of half way = 400)
9 - Fifty Fifty (one 50 short of half way = 450)
10 - Fifty (half way = 500)
11 - Fifty Fifty (one 50 beyond half way = 550)
12 - Fifty Fifty Fifty (two 50s beyond half way = 600)
13 - Fifty Fifty (one 50 [150] beyond half way = 650)
14 - Fifty Fifty Fifty (two 50s [250] and a 50 to go = 700)
15 - Fifty Fifty (half way beyond half way = 750)
16 - Fifty Fifty Fifty (one 50 [150] and a fifty to go = 800)
17 - Fifty (one 50 [150] left)
18 - Fifty Fifty (two 50s left)
19 - Fifty (one 50 to go)
20 - Fifty Fifty (There's about a 50% chance I counted that correctly!)

RUN

On a long, easy run, my mind tends to wander more than any structured run.  On this particular day, I was half way through my run when I imagined myself running past my dad's house; the house I grew up in and my grand & great-grandfather built.  In my mind, the house looked just as it had before, but my dad had sold the house;  I must have been back to visit friends.

As I run down the street, I stopped on the side of the road to take in the memories of my childhood.  As I stood there, a couple came out of the house.  They saw me and asked if they could help at all.  I told them that I had grown up in the house.  "You must have been here when they built it" they told me.  No, that was a generation before me. 

The conversation immediately went into details about the house.

• The house was built in the mid to late 1960s.
• The porch was an addition, originally intended as a garage.
• The trees were planted when the house was built, but half of them torn down later.

Turns out, this couple was not those that my dad sold the house to.  That couple had turned around and sold the house quickly to the current residents with very misleading information.  They were told the house was built in the late 1980s and they paid a significant amount more than it may have sold for otherwise. 

Before I left, I gave them my dad's number so that they could get more accurate information.  They were incredibly thankful and I headed back out to finish my run.

As I made it back home (to my real apartment), I was amazed at the amount of info I recalled about the house. 

BIKE

Have you ever wanted to redesign your room, apartment, house, or office?  One of my favorite stations (when I'm somewhere that has cable), is HGTV.

While on my bike, all of my thoughts came to mind.

• My bed takes up a lot of space in my room. A futon would make more sense.
• I could use that extra space for workout gear and storing my bikes.
• When I moved in to my apartment, I loved the idea of using part of my long closet as a reading nook.  I should try that out.
• If I find the closet comfortable for reading, I bet I could sleep in there - save a LOT of room!
• If I sleep in the closet, I could get an oversized chair to read in.
• My desk has always felt insufficient for studying and projects.  I'd like to have a corner desk.
• I've always wanted to have a large white board - or better yet a large glass panel just like college study sessions on windows.

I spent a good portion of that ride rethinking how I would rearrange my room.  After I got off the bike, I followed up with a few items.

• I measured the closet width.  27.2" wide.
• I found a company that makes 26.5" wide beds.  Surprisingly cheap too.
• I checked craigslist for futons and an oversized chair (I'm a craigslist addict!)
• I started designing a corner standing desk.  I might be able to get my dad to help me build one to my specifications.

This is what goes through my head!  And that's just scratching the surface.  Go ahead - commit me!!


Freakin' Hilarious!!

RACE REPORT: 2016 Colchester Half Marathon

The 24th Annual

"Tough as Nails"

Colchester Half Marathon

When you find a good quality race, it is hard to say "no."

That is so incredibly true of this race!  Welcome to year #4 of my attendance of this race.  Why do I race here so consistently?

• It's hard to find a half marathon in February!  It's cold here in the northeast!  
• 40 minutes from home.
• $14 for a half marathon??  Yes and Thank You!
• This is up there for the best post-race food!  I would pay more than $14 for the meal alone.
• The race director is AMAZING towards each and every racer.

If you're interested, here are my previous race reports.

• 2015 Colchester Half Marathon
• Huge surprise PR!
• 2014 Colchester Half Marathon
• I was sick, but ran anyways!
• 2013 Colchester Half Marathon
• I ran this first time on a last minute whim, the day before a marathon.

Ok!  Here we go.  What happened at the Colchester Half Marathon in 2016?!

The race starts at 10am.  Gotta' love early season races that are restricted by sunlight!  So I was up at 5:30a as usual, waited to have breakfast until 7a (2 eggs, banana, applesauce, toast), and headed to the race about 8:15a.

The race is centered at Bacon Academy High School in Colchester, CT and the parking lot looks like this as soon as you get there.  It is packed!!  And I typically arrive early for races, but I tend to get one of the last parking spots at this one.

Bacon Academy High! 

Inside, it is a swarming mass of runners chatting, getting ready, and all around shaking the nerves out.  Upstairs, downstairs - all runners!

Registration and bib pick up are completely volunteer.  This race would not go on without the incredible help of volunteers year in and year out.  Thank you!!!  If I didn't love this race so much, I would volunteer in a heartbeat!

The HEAT crew pre-race

I chatted with some friends, hit the long bathroom line a couple times, changed into thermal shorts because of the temperature drop, and then headed out to warm up; about 10 minutes.  It's nice to run down and back up the final hill just to get it in your head that "Hey, you just ran this earlier today.  You got this.  RUN!"

I immediately knew that my double layer mittens would be too much.  But with 4 minutes to race start (and this race is ON TIME!), I quickly asked a volunteer if she could hold them for me.  Instead, we stuffed them under a finish line cone.  Great idea!!  But trust me, I had multiple thoughts of "I wonder if they'll be there when I get back."  They were.

Kristen & I pre-race.  ...about to CRUSH IT!

Okay!  I'm ready.  Ready as I'll ever be.  I said good luck to all my friends, found my way to the front, and prepped myself.  I had a new friend running this year too - Pete.  Pete is 14 years old and has done a 1:18.  My hope was simply not to let him crush me too bad.  Man has he flourished!!  Great kid too, but MAN can he fly!

Up to the start line.  Rick, the race director, thanked the runners, the volunteers, and the weather gods.  And without much ceremony, sent us on our way!

Picture thanks to JS Photography

I'm in the blue with the party hat (it's a tradition with my birthday) and Pete is in the green.  Gotta' keep him in sights!!

Race Nerves

I will admit that on my way to the race, I had some butterfly's in my stomach.  It's the first race of the year, I've done very little high speed running, my longest "tempo" may have been 20 minutes, and I have no idea what to expect for time or performance.  Here's how I deal with that.

• I don't run with any usable metric.  I run with total ascent so that I am forced to go by feel.
• I set process goals.  For this race, it was negative split and feel strong in the back half.
• I remember that I paid $14 for this race.  My financial side can't get bent out of shape about that!
• I wear a birthday hat.  Yes, Tuesday was my birthday, but it's just FUN.  I love cracking jokes mid-race.  That's my way of lightening the mood.

So in those first 5 miles, I was worried.  I was!

Can I hold this effort?

Am I going to burn out?

Should I pull back?

How am I going to feel at mile 10 when I need to REALLY push??

That whole time, I cracked jokes - some out loud and others in my head.  And eventually my body and mind came around.

Around mile 5-6, something clicked.  I had control of the effort level, I felt the gauge on my gas tank, and my body screamed at me "We got this!"  From that point on, I was in control; not a single internal question from there to the finish.

And I don't know why, but I love this course.  It would be gorgeous with some foliage, but it's still great in the dead of winter.

The course is mostly paved roads, but there are some dirt roads we use.  At times they can be frozen over, slushy, etc.  This year, they were PERFECT!  And the farms are great to look at!  Again, in the summer, this would be even better.

A part of me just wants to come back and run this course in June for the scenery!

Rick and Andy at mile 4/5

Did I mention Rick, the race director?!  AMAZING!!  Rick makes this race so much fun for every racer!

Rick on the final hill

Without fail, he is out at mile 4-5 cheering us on and giving high-fives.  And then he stands on that last hill welcoming every single runner to the finish line.  He got there just after I finished (after he was done at mile 4/5) and was on that hill still when I left to drive home.

Thank you Rick!!

Such an amazing race and atmosphere!

And last, but certainly not least, we have the post-race food!!

We're at a high school, so they get to use the cafeteria and every year, they do not disappoint.

• Lasagna
• Soup
• Veggies
• Salad
• Bread
• Brownies the size of your fist
• Ice cream
• Drinks
• Pizza

Eat your fill!!

I will be back in 2017 for yet another running of the hills!

-------------------------------------------------------------

QUESTIONS
1.  What race do you do every year?  And why?
The Colchester Half Marathon is one because it's cheap, has great food, is the first of the year in the northeast, and never disappoints.  Rev3 Quassy is another, but this year I am actually skipping it.  *gasp*

2.  What is your first race of the year?  What is kicking off your season?


DREAM.  BELIEVE.  ACHIEVE. 

Freakin' A Friday!! 019 - SOLD OUT!

Has this ever happened to you??

You've spent a lot of time (maybe hours, weeks, months, or even years!) putting together your race calendar for the upcoming season.

You crossed checked reviews on the race, hotel prices, your vacation days with HR, coordinated the race timings, and maybe even joined a group to train together.

Then when it comes time to sign up for the race, you see these dreaded words...

It is in this moment that you begin to review the 7 stages of grief.

Step 1: Shock

You immediately (internally or out loud) shout "WHAT?!"  Somehow the meaning didn't sink in as you read it twice, three, four....seven times.

Step 2:  Denial

You quickly refresh the page, close down and reopen the browser, restart your computer, or even call a friend to have them check it for you on their computer.

Step 3: Anger

At this point it's someone else's fault.  This completely ruined your season and the whole reasoning behind your other race choices, which of course you can't get out of now.  Everything is wrong!  Why didn't the race company inform you?  You get emails from them all the time!  Someone should have alerted you!  You would have signed up if you had only known!!

Step 4: Bargaining

Okay...  So maybe there's someone I can contact; wiggle a way in.  I'll just email EVERYONE.

Step 5: Guilt

You've proven to yourself that it's true.  Now it's time to beat yourself up over waiting that extra day, week, or month to fork over the entry fee. 

Step 6: Depression

Forget today's workout.  I'm just going to eat ice cream and watch a movie! Or five.

Step 7:  Acceptance

Beaten, battered, and bruised, you found your way back to your desk, pull up the race calendar spreadsheet (because you're obviously a type A), gave into reality and decided to head back to the drawing board in order to reconfigure the year.  With this recent catastrophe fresh in your mind, you quickly sign up for anything and everything left on your list!!

-----------------------------------------------------------

This happened to me recently with the new IM 70.3 North Carolina.  I didn't expect it to fill up as quick as it did.  I raced it as Beach 2 Battleship in 2012 and expected registration to be about the same.  I was wrong!  Sad day.  But onward we move!



Freakin' A!!!

Freakin' A Friday!! 018 - STOP!

Has this happened to you?!

Technology is great!  As triathletes, we use so many forms of new designs, electronics, and gadgets.  Heck, we could be called the 'Sport of Gadgets.'  But every so often it's the gadget that ruins the workout.  Just when we thought we had it all going for us, BAM!  Nothing you can do.

Here's one of my pet peeves - Treadmills.

If you've followed me for awhile, you know that I dislike treadmills altogether.  I've run in just about any weather there is in the north east in order to avoid treadmills.  Well, surprise!  I've been using the treadmill more than the outdoors so far this winter.  I know!  Crazy!!  And we're having an incredibly mild winter.  It's all for the sake of heat and mental training.  But anyways...  One thing I really dislike on cardio equipment is the time limitation.  As endurance athletes, we are the unfortunate exception when it comes to most gym workouts.

Who says my workout can only be 60 minutes?!

When I first joined a gym back in 2010, the treadmills used to stop on me after 20 minutes.  Dead Stop!  I ran straight into the display of so many treadmills at that gym!  I no longer go there.  I "put them down" if you know what I mean.

Fast forward to today...  Now that I WORK at a gym, I have made sure that all cardio equipment is set for an unlimited length of time for workouts.  They will not stop on you until you tell it to or your self-selected program does.  

However, the gym that I frequent for my own workouts doesn't feel the same. 

Running on a treadmill at most gyms

is like Treadmill Russian Roulette.

You never know which one is going to be loaded.

I have learned of two at this gym that are programmed not to stop at 60 minutes.  If my run has me going longer, I preferentially chose one of those two; even if it means I'm getting onto a treadmill right next to someone else and there are a long string of open ones down the aisle.  Sorry buddy - it's your lucky day!

I had to learn this the hard way though.  And what do you do??  Some will restart quickly and you can keep going.  Some have shut down for multiple minutes forcing me to jump onto the treadmill next to it.  Some stop suddently!  Thankfully these ones go into a Cool Down mode so it's a slower process.  Either way, it's annoying!

When I have a 75 minute, 90 minutes, or 2 hour run, I don't want to have to stop part way in just because of the technology being limiting!  I've already kept myself from taking a bathroom break! 

Just let me RUN!

Freakin' A!!!

Freakin' A Friday!! 017 - Marketing

Has this happened to you?!

How many times have you walked past a sign, driven past a billboard, listened to a radio ad, or watched a commercial and thought "...wait.  Really?!  How can they say that??"  It baffles me how much misdirected information or just blatantly wrong information is out there.

These are based on actual ads I have seen.

The tv tells you they have the workout product that will bust through those extra 50 pounds you're carrying around in just 14 minutes a day!  Have we become THAT lazy??  Fourteen minutes a day is still 52 minutes short of the recommended weekly activity for adults. 

The radio has sponsored ads from companies that sell fiber pills which fill you up so that you don't have to worry about WHAT you eat because the pills take care of HOW MUCH you eat.  Of course all the DJs swear by it.  I turn the station every time I hear it come on.  Eat a real piece of food.  Fiber! 

And the most recent that I've seen is the sign below posted near the entrance of a gym that I frequent.

I acknowledge that I am biased in multiple ways.  I am an endurance triathlete and a personal trainer/endurance coach.  However, part of that bias is based on real scientific research.  Granted, I'm not jumping at the gun to go into marketing because that is one department I don't care to take part in, but come on.  Really?!  Do we need to give people false information in order to convince them to do something they don't need, but you make money at?  Can't we just tell people the truth and be done?!

Thankfully, a few days later, the sign got switched to this.

I could still argue it, but at least it initiates a logical discussion.  Good job gym!



Freakin' A!!!

Freakin' A Friday!! 016 - Baby, It's Cold Outside

Has this ever happened to you?

Thanks to the affects of last week's off-label use of chlorine, I was in desperate need of a haircut.  If I left my hair as is, it got tough or brittle.  If I used gel to try and fake it looking alive, it was BAD!  My only other option was to try and cut the dead hair off.

See the difference in color?!  It's so dead, brittle, soft, and... DEAD!

It really HAD started to turn grey.  But it was grey tipped!  And if I went much longer, I'm sure that might have started turning green.  Ugh!!

So one morning I woke up early and chopped it off.  And then immediately regretted it (in part).

IT'S COLD!

You know that new haircut feeling.  It feels like you've been outside for hours with a nice warm hat on and then someone comes by and takes it away as the wind starts to pick up.  BRRRRRRRRR!!!!  Girls, I'm sure there's some similar feeling you have, right?  If not, then consider yourself lucky.

This is why I prefer longer hair in the winter.

Freakin' A!!!

Freakin' A Friday!! 015 - Off Label Use of Chlorine

Has this ever happened to you?!

I recently did a three week swim focus in my training.  I was in the pool 6-7 times a week.  Below are some actual questions I got - and some others that I've heard of before.


Hair Lightening

This is what Chlorine does!

Q:  Your hair is lighter.  Did you get it dyed?

A:  No.  I've been swimming a lot.  It's the chlorine.


Going Grey

Q:  Did you dye your hair?  That is a really good slate color!

A:  Umm...  No.  That's just the chlorine.

** This person knows I've done crazy things with my hair in the past. 


Tanning

Q:  Have you been tanning?  You look darker.

A:  No.  My hair is lighter, so it makes my skin look darker.


Faking a Pool Installation

Q:  Are you guys getting a pool?  I smell chlorine.

A:  No.  That's just me.  It won't come off my skin. 


No Moisturizer?  No problem.

Q:  Your skin is so soft.  What moisturizer do you use?

A:  I don't.  The hair on my arm is so dead that it feels super smooth.


No razor?  No problem.

Q:  Have you been shaving your body already?

A:  No.  My leg/arm hair has become so brittle and thin that it has either broken off or is transparent.


Freakin' A!!!

Freakin' A Friday!! 014 - Carbo-Loading for the Couch

 Has this happened to you?!

You are walking into the grocery store fully prepared with your list of healthy foods and meals, you've avoided coming on an empty stomach because that just leads to bad things, and as soon as you walk in the door, you are greeted face first by one of these...

You literally have to do a lateral just to get around it because it is blocking your move.

Yup!  Someone at the marketing department decided you need just ONE more test of your will.  They don't care that you don't watch football or that you specifically don't eat ANY of those foods.  Well...  Actually they do.  They want to break you!!  They put all the bad, tasty, and empty calorie foods right in front of you.  "Just try to say no!" 

Long ago, you adopted the practice of only shopping on the outside of the grocery store layout, not going into the aisles so that you could avoid all the temptations of the prepackaged food varieties.  But NOOOOO!!!  That's not enough.  Now you can't walk in the door without the all might marketing dollar being flaunted in your face.

When will they start putting up signs at the door that say

"Did you get 5 servings of fruits & veggies today?

Visit our produce department!!"

"Looking for a little spice to your meals?

Visit our seafood department for our fresh catch of the day!?

No!  It'll never happen.  Marketing doesn't care about your health.  And neither do sports. 

You walk past all the displays of chips, cookies, pop (soda), pizza, an endless variety of appetizers, and who knows what else because you put on the blinders at this point because you know it's WAY before taper time when you need to think about carbo-loading.  And then it hits you...

Why are football fans carbo-loading? 

and

Why are they carbo-loading DURING the game?

All they're going to do is sit on the couch and yell at the tv!  Sure, there might be some power driven squats or jumps off the couch to the celebration of a play, or a fist pump, high five, or cheer, but their calorie expenditure will certainly be in the majority of the lower end range.  They certainly are not familiar with how sports nutrition works.  They probably even picked up some sports drinks so that they can feel like their in the game because "Who drinks water?!"

Carry on athletes!

Walk with confidence past the chips and pick up your bananas.  Steer clear of the pizza and stock that cart with items for your veggie stir fry.  Avoid the corn dog and mozzarella stick appetizers and fill up on some lean meat or seafood.  Trust me, no one else is going to be going for it, so you'll have those sections of the store all to yourself.

Training does not stop for Football!

Even if that means a 4 hour trainer ride while you watch the game.

Freakin' A!!

Freakin' A Friday!! 013 - Human Vortex Magnets

Has this happened to you?!

Have you ever been sucked into a human vortex magnet? 

No, I'm not talking about Facebook.  These are physical vortexes at specific locations that pull you down to the ground like a piece of metal coming close to a magnet and being sucked directly to it.

Yes, they exist!

In my experience, there are more that exist out in the woods.  You're running along, enjoying nature, ignoring the possibility of coming face to face with Mother Nature, and all of a sudden BAM!!  You are sucked directly to the ground, your breath is blown out of your lungs, and you're wildly trying to figure...  HUH?! 

Where am I?

I was running though the gorgeous green woods and now I'm not moving and staring at dirt.

Did someone hit me?

Is this a nightmare?

Nope!  Just another human vortex magnet trying to suck me into the deep crevices of the earth.  Gosh I hate when they do that!

I've managed to avoid being dragged into the dark depths, but not without battle wounds! 

Then again a couple months later on a sidewalk in broad daylight, it strikes again!

The battle was a win, but the war is NOT OVER!!  Bring it vortices!  You will not get me.


Freakin' A!!!

Freakin' A Friday!! 012 - Did I Do That?

Has this happened to you??

You're at the pool (or maybe on the trainer with your bike or out on a run at the track) just getting in your workout for the day.

You're just starting one of the main focus sets/intervals when the world decides that 'making this easy' is a step below you and BAM!!!!

...your Hulk strength breaks the paddle right from under your hand.  Someone up above is laughing at you, you swear it!

Gosh darnit!  

That's what I get for doing swim strength for four months straight.

(Not really.  That's what I get for gripping the paddle wrong!)

But what do I do now?!  I have a paddle set that I need to do.  The paddle is broken.  Do I swim with just one paddle?  Do I do the set without the paddle?  Do I go home because the world has sent me a sign that I'm done for the day?

Nope!  You grab your 2nd pair of paddles (oh-yes!  You're a Type A and have back ups [thanks to a review you're working on for additional paddles]) and say "Take That World!" as you continue on.  Of course you note in the training log that there was extra rest before that interval too.

Have you had equipment break (or not work) on you when you needed it?

What did you do?

Freakin' A!!!

Freakin' A Friday!! 011 - Rumbly in my Tumbly

Has it happened to you??

Maybe you're out on a long ride, a long morning run (without breakfast), somewhere in the middle of the open water, or just at the local gym on the other side of town lifting...

GRUMBLE!

Your body starts talking to you.  Sure, at first it's just air moving around as chyme is moving out of your stomach via the pyloric sphincter into your duodenum (can you tell I'm brushing up on A&P and nutrition?). 

You reach for a gel, bar, chew, or the like and Gosh Darnit, you're out!

It doesn't even bother you.  Totally normal.  In fact, it means you're lighter than if you had eaten that extra snack/meal you considered earlier.  That means you're faster, right?  Awesome!!

Sure, it's loud, but it'll go away.  ...right?

I'll just drink some more water; fill up that space and take care of the Ghrelin signal that I'm hungry.  I'm so smart!!

I'm just too focused on it!  That's it!  If I can distract myself, it'll go away and won't have any effect.

....

I think my stomach is starting to eat itself.  Okay buddy, speed up here and we'll get home to eat quicker before it gets any worse!

Ah Hell, I've increased my metabolism and my innards are cannibalizing my other organs.

My body is going to become a black hole of hunger, consuming everything within reach and slowly sucking the universe into it's dark depths!!  Goodbye cruel world!!

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Yup...  It's hunger.  Maybe you didn't get enough.  Maybe you didn't get the right thing.  Maybe you spilled most of it on your shirt.  However it happened, you are stranded with a constant nagging reminder of your hunger

To be honest, it always make me think of Pooh Bear and his constant search for hunny. 

Oh Bother!!

Freakin' A Friday!! 010 - "I Forgot"

Which is it?!

It's morning.  You wake up, get a quick bite to eat, and slowly get ready for your workout.  Of course there's a little procrastination in the speed of your preparations, but oh-well.  Fill a bottle, pack your bag, grab the Bodyglide, write down the workout...  You've got time.

Somewhere in the process you remember that you forgot to wash your bike shorts, left your wet swim suit at the bottom of the bag, failed to pick up the nutrition you knew you were out of, blanked on a meeting/appointment/errand that you had, or all of the above.  OMG!  What do I do?!

We've all done it!

The next five minutes (or two hours) are spent asking yourself a number of questions...

"What do I do?"

"Do I want to do it anyways?"

"Can I get away without doing it?"

"Will coach yell at me?"

"Will I feel bad if I just skip it?"

"Can I get it done LATER?"

"Maybe this is a sign"

"I'd be a badass if I do it anyways!"

"Bragging rights!!"

"...or I could take a nap!"

What to do!  What to do!  Which side will prevail?  The Type A Triathlete or the Type L (for lazy) Devil on your Shoulder?  Did you honestly forget something or was it your subconscious attempting to undermine your efforts?

"If I honestly forget it,

then my Type A side doesn't have to feel guilty!"

Nice try!


Freakin' A!!

Freakin' A Friday!! 009 - New Year, Same Old Me

Every year I hear it...

"Come out with us!"

"Stay up!  It's fun."

"Why are you in bed so early?!"

"You're no fun."

You know me!  I haven't changed.  I have work and workouts to do tomorrow. 

Early to bed = Early to Rise.

I do the same thing each of the other 364 days of the year.  Why are you surprised today?

Enjoy your New Year's Eve.  I'll enjoy my lack of a hangover on New Year's Day.


Freakin' A!!