Race Recap: My first sprint triathlon!!

Yesterday I achieved one of my lifelong goals and completed my first sprint triathlon!  I swam, biked, and ran in the Fronhofer's Tool Triathlon in Cambridge, NY.  It was a really fun day and I feel quite proud of myself for this accomplishment and for reaching out and tackling this goal.  I was warned that triathlons are "addicting" and I might find myself hooked after this one.  And although I wouldn't quite go as far as saying I'm "addicted" -- I would like to do another!

I started prepping for the race months ago and building a training workout.  I wasn't as disciplined as I would have liked to be over the past couple months but it was a motivating factor in getting in some tough workouts and practicing exercise transitions.  The week before the race I started to get focused on really eating healthy, fueling foods for my body, drinking lots of water, and making sure to get a lot of sleep.  I wanted to have no excuses come race day!

I'm a lucky girl and my mom was nice enough to come out to NY from Rhode Island to come with me to the race (and see my new apartment!)  Being an avid exerciser, I know it was tough for her to watch me in a race and not be able to compete herself (we've done a number of races together) so I really, really appreciated her cheering me on!

The race was a little unique as the sprint triathlon started at 2:00 p.m.  The Olympic distance of this race started in the early morning, and since they have some [crazy] competitors who compete in both Olympic and Sprint, they hold the Sprint later on.  This meant that when we arrived at Lake Lauderdale in Cambridge, NY at around 12:30 p.m. there was already a bustling crowd and high energy.

I checked in for the race, got marked with my bib number, and was even able to get an incredibly helpful tune up for my bike from the people at Saratoga's Blue Sky bike shop who were on site.  The Blue Sky staff were so kind and so willing to help out -- completely for free for race participants!!  I wanted to be sure to call them out here, because they were so so wonderful!

Once my bike was all set, we set up my stuff at the transition area.  It was really organized, by bib numbers.  I didn't really know what I was doing so I just copied what everybody else was doing, lay out my sneakers, socks, some Powerade, a protein bar in case I needed it, a towel, helmet, sunglasses, etc.

We then found a little place to hang out where I could stretch, rest up for the swim, and flex my muscles for you all :)

At 1:45 we gathered for a pre-race meeting where they explained the rules to us.  Perhaps it is the same at every triathlon, but as they were explaining the many "rules" my pre-race jitters went into full force at this point.  I was already nervous but all of a sudden I felt like there was so much to remember! What if I messed something up?  I was so amped up for the day, I would have been so bummed if I had been disqualified for breaking some weird rule or something!

Don't laugh! I am sharing this picture because I love you.

The race went in two waves, men first and then women.  I had heard stories of getting kicked in the face and random stuff like that during tris and I wanted NO part in that so I decided to go to the front of the pack for the swim.  Why the heck not, right?

The race started well and I felt good in the water.  I tried to just keep my head down, pretend I was in a pool, count my breathing, and just get comfortable in the water.  I had to poke my head up a few times to make sure I was headed in the right direction and to navigate around people but for the most part, I just swam.  I also was thinking to use my arms as much as possible to save my legs a bit for the rest of the race.  Generally when I swim, I have to remind myself to use my legs, so it was a nice change of pace to feel comfortable really just focusing on my pulls.

During the swim I had no idea how I was doing in comparison to everyone else and really just tried to pave my own way and focus on feeling strong in the water.  However, when I started catching up to some of the male swimmers (who had started 4 minutes before the women) it gave me some confidence.

When I finished the .5 mile triangle-shaped lake swim and ran to the shore, I felt good.  I left the water and with my mom cheering for me I headed to the first transition area.  I threw on my shoes, bib number, sunglasses, helmet, grabbed some water, and headed out on my bike.

Now, the bike portion is what I trained for the least.  I anticipated the ride would be about an hour and I didn't really prepare for the race well in terms of gear... I realized once I was on my bike I had no way to gauge how far I'd gone, what time it was, or really anything at all.  It was just me and my bike.

Annnd I pretty much hated almost the whole ride.  The first five miles were incredibly hilly!  One hill was so steep that people were actually off their bikes and walking up.  As well, people just kept passing me and passing me and passing me.  I literally felt like I must be in last place at this point because EVERYONE was passing me.  I did realize I probably had a stronger swim than some of these people who were stronger bikers (most triathletes I know have the hardest part with the swim, whereas that is probably where I feel strongest) but it was still depressing to be pedaling up at a hill in my lowest gear hating my life and having people fly past me!

When I saw a marker for five miles in I thought to myself, "Are you kidding me? That's all we've done so far?!?!"  Ugh.  I was already drained.

And then, it started to rain.  Light at first so it almost felt good, but then harder and harder.  The sky got darker and big pelts of rain that HURT when they hit me started to fall.  Then the thunder and lightning started.

For anybody that knows me, I am terrified of thunder and lightning.  I hate it.  It scares the crap out of me and I'm always convinced that I, or whatever building or car I am in, is going to get hit.  And here I was on a bike, on the side of some road, with corn fields all around me, with nowhere to go and no clue what to do.  So I just kept riding.  Through the pouring rain and thunder and lightning.  I started to imagine the headlines of "Albany Girl Dies During Triathlon When Struck By Lightning" and the irony akin to what Alanis Morissette sings about.  Getting struck by lightning trying to accomplish one of my lifelong goals.  Lovely.

This part of the race truly SUCKED and I just was hoping around every corner to see the turn that brought us back to the transition areas and meant the bike portion of the race was almost over.  This marks the only time in my life where the thought has ever been in my mind of, "I just wish it was time to run right now.  I just really, really want to be running right now!"

Eventually, the bike portion came to an end -- and at that same time, the thunder, lightning and rain let up as well.  The bike to run transition was pretty easy.  I dropped my helmet and bike, grabbed some water, and headed out to run (of course, fixing my hair first as you can see in the picture below.)

Off I go!

My legs felt like lead.  I had practiced this transition and I knew I just needed to get into a groove but I just felt so heavy, my legs did not want to move.  And it didn't help that my shoes were filled with water and squashing around.

I had a few goals going into the race.  One was simple -- to finish.  The other was to finish in under 2 hours.  And one I ended up giving up .75 miles into the run -- which was to finish the run without walking.  During the first uphill section of the run, I had to walk.  I finished the rest of the 5K running mostly, but with a few walks here and there to rest a little.  I was determined to finish strong and ran the last .75 miles repeating the mantra "Just keep going. Just keep going. Just keep going and then it's done," over and over in my head!


It was amazing to see the finish line ahead and know how close I was.  It was comforting and exciting to hear my mom cheering for me at the end.  And it STILL feels so good to know that I accomplished something I've always, always wanted to do, finishing a sprint triathlon!

Smiling at the finish :)

The clock said 2:03 when I crossed the line so I was a little bummed to think I was so close to my goal, but missed it.  However, when I said this to my mom, she reminded me that the clock started 4 minutes before when I actually started because of the men's swim heat.  And sure enough -- my official time was 1:59:43!!!!  Not too bad for not having a CLUE where or what my time was like throughout the entire race :)

Immediately after the race.  All smiles!

I, of course, celebrated the only way I know how -- eating.  And eating enough that the entire race was irrelevant in terms of calories burned.  But oh well, whatever.

Thanks Mom, for the lovely picture :)

This morning, the race results were posted online.  It turns out, I did really, really well in the swim portion of the race.  I finished the swim first in my age group, and 31st overall out of the 173 people who competed.  I swam a faster time than more than half of the top 10 men and top 10 women in the race.  And two minutes faster than the woman who won!  I guess that really was why SO MANY people were passing me during the bike portion :)

I also finished the run in about 34 minutes -- which is faster than my 5K time from about a year ago and still about an 11 minute mile, even after having swam and biked and walking some of the run!

So, all in all.  I feel great about how I did.  And I know I will have to do at least one more so I can tackle that run without having to walk.  My first 5K and my first 10K I ever did I had to walk a portion of them and have since gone back and beaten those goals.  So with more training and experience, I know I can do this too :)

Happy Sunday everyone!

P.S.  Thank you to the many people who "Liked" and commented on this picture on Facebook.  As always, your support and encouragement means so much to me!!

My Olympics update -- Go USA!

FYI-- I have not watched or seen the results of Thursday's competition yet. However, I must offer some Olympics updates because one of my major points from a few days ago has been quickly changing tempo. And there has just been some crazy-awesome Olympics-ness going on. But let’s start here:

1.)  Team Lochte vs. Team Phelps? Yeah, so, call me a fair weather fan if you wish, but I’m back with Phelpsy. He has redeemed himself with me over the past few days with his heartbreaking finish in the 200M Butterfly and win in the 800 M Men’s relay. And as for Lochte… well, he just needs to stop.talking.always. And if he could go back in time and not talk, ever. That would be awesome too.

2.)  Fab Five, how are you so amazing!?!? I don’t think you are can be human and not have fallen in love with the tiny pocket-sized girls on the women’s gymnastics team (who, by the way, could still probably beat me in an arm-wrestling contest and then flip, tumble, and twist their way out of the room.) I love these girls so much and they seriously just KILLED it in the team competition. Gabby’s routine on the uneven bars? Amazing. Mikayla on the vault? Insane. And all those floor routines? So incredibly fun to watch. I’m obsessed with these cuties and so happy for their accomplishments. I did feel a little bad for the blubbering Russian chicks, but what are you gonna do? Someone has to lose.

3.)  Speaking of losing, Kerri & Misty lost their first set in the past, like, one million Olympic sets they’ve ever competed in. I mean, that sucks and all, but ladies, you are still freaking amazing. Hopefully that took a little pressure off, maybe? I love watching these two compete. They have some sort of insane instinct when it comes to volleyball and work together so seamlessly. It amazes and impresses me to watch.

4.)  Did you guys hear about the Chinese diver whose family didn’t want to distract her from training? So after she won the gold medal they told her that both her grandparents had passed away and that her mom had breast cancer. I mean, what?!? 

5.)  Am I the only one who thinks that archery shouldn’t reallllly be considered an Olympic sport? Archery is essentially glorified darts. Which is a bar game. Is there really skill involved in archery? Or is it just the person who has the most amount of time to just shoot arrows at a target over and over and over? Maybe they could be like the skeet shooters and have to shoot at things flying in the air? That would make it legit. But just shooting at a target I think is a bit underwhelming. Just sayin’.

6.)  How freaking cute was Nathan Adrian after he won last night? So cute, right?

7.)  I saw this little feature on how the horses for the equestrian events get to London. It was really pretty cool. I saw a preview for, but haven’t seen, another one on how the pole vaulter’s poles get there. I never realized the poles were specialized. And the horses! Do they get medals too? Things you never think about…

Pulling out the old tricks.

Ladies & gentlemen, I am happy to be able to announce that despite last night's overeating, I had a successful weigh in this week at Weight Watchers.  I still have a good number of pounds to shed until I am back at my lowest weight (which I had hit in March) but I am happy to be back on the right track!

I am reverting back to some of the things that worked for me well when I was "in the zone" and that I realized have slipped out of my habits now.  Some of those things are:

Tracking every single thing I eat!  Yup, I will wear out that iPhone application if I need to.

Attending the meetings.  Since I started at my new meeting location, I have been weighing in and leaving.  I didn't think I needed them anymore, but it turns out, I think I do.

Being vocal!! When I started my new job I very much got into the mindset that I was "starting a new life" in a sense.  Everyone I was meeting and interacting with at my new job didn't know me before I'd lost 60 lbs.  They didn't know the journey that I've been on to get healthy and they just saw me as a fit and healthy woman (side note: I initially wrote "young girl" and then changed it to "woman haha.)  So I stopped talking about Weight Watchers.  I stopped discussing Points and the work I've been doing.

Since I stopped attending the meetings in person, I also stopped being vocal IN the meetings.  In my old  Weight Watchers group, I had been notoriously vocal (shocking, I know.)  I always had something to say, suggest, complain about, or ask -- and it was nice!  As lame as this sounds, it really was a support group!  People got to know me, and I got to know them.  And it worked for me.  Today in my meeting, I spoke more than I probably had in the past 4 months combined.  I warned the class too, they are going to be hearing a lot more of me :)

Chatting about my progress also dropped off with my friends a bit.  I used to text 2-3 friends right from the meetings and tell them my progress.  And then I would return from the meeting and have one of my closest friends in the office across the hall asking how I did, and friends I would instant message to let them know too!  And if I didn't send a message to let them know how the weigh in went, they would reach out and ask, "How did it go?!"  Or even before the meetings they'd ask, "Ready for your weigh in?"  Some people may find that distracting or frustrating, but it helped me to stay on track and helped me to be accountable if I had that support.  And I've mentioned before that being held accountable by friends is really important and helpful for me.

I told my old support network that I am going to go back to text/checking in with them and was looking for their support again and it was SO NICE to get a message this morning asking how I felt going into the weigh in today (except for this friend clearly doesn't read my blog regularly or else she'd known how I was feeling haha.)

- Cooking.  Because of the summer and because I've been busy and because I no longer have roommates... blah blah... I've had a million excuses as to why I've been cooking less.  But I am throwing them all out the window and getting back in the kitchen.  This week was a great start and I'm looking forward to having more fun cooking.  I miss it!!

So, with that being said.  I am feeling good about the week ahead and hoping to keep the needle moving in the right direction :)  Happy Hump Day everyone!

Tuesday night in my mind.

The life of a single, working, twenty-something. Chaotic. Unpredictable even when you plan.  But fun, so you don't want to say no!  My life.

Today a situation came up that was one of the exact scenarios that caused me to start this blog in the first place.  I know it happens, so in a way I should be better prepared, but it still happens.

This Sunday I cooked and prepped my meals for the week.  Salads, healthy veggie dishes, roasted sweet potatoes, turkey sandwiches.  Lots of variety. Lots of yummy things to choose from.

This week was my first week returning to Weight Watchers after a couple months of being... well.. negligent with counting my points.  I mean, let's be honest, I wasn't doing it.

I made the decision last week to return to Weight Watchers.  Seriously. And I felt like I was doing well all week.  As per usual, by the time it the seventh day of the week, I had used every single one of my extra points and my exercise points.  I still felt on track though.  I had my meals for the week prepared and was feeling good.

But today I found out about a work dinner that I couldn't miss.  The night before my Weight Watchers weigh in.  With no points to spare.  So, obviously I thought in advance, Salad with grilled chicken.  Water to drink.  No appetizers, no bread. You can do this.

But then everyone was ordering drinks and I had had a really stressful day.  So I ordered a beer as well.  And then out of nowhere plates of appetizers arrived.  I skipped the clam cakes & calamari, but bruschetta! My favorite!  Or, one of my favorites at least...

So I ate a couple pieces of bruschetta... topped with lots of tomatoes!  Those are zero points, so that's okay, right?!

And then we ordered meals and I ordered first.  "Salad with grilled chicken, please!"

But around the table the waitress continued and EVERYONE ELSE got either a soup or a salad as a starter.  And that french onion soup sounded SO GOOD.  So, "Excuse me, miss?  Could I start with the french onion soup as well?"  and I told myself, I'll only have a few bites.

The soup came and it was delicious.  I had more than just a few bites.

Salad came, not much damage that can be done there.  Well, except for the walnuts in the salad... and the cheese... and the dried cranberries... I did get the dressing on the side though!  That counts for something, no?

And because none of this food was enough... a round of desserts was brought out.  Cut into small pieces, enough for everyone to try almost everything if we wanted.  There was chocolate layer cake.  And peanut butter pie.  And fresh whipped cream.

I'll just have the strawberries that came on top of the whipped cream.  And maybe a bite of the peanut butter pie.  And the chocolate layer cake.  And, okay, one more of the peanut butter pie...

And now here I am.

The night before my Weight Watchers weigh in.  The week that I was supposed to be "back on track." And I'm not feeling so hot about myself.  But I guess this is how life goes for the single, working, twenty-something, who is incredibly addicted to delicious food.  

Ugh.  I guess there is always tomorrow...

Save me, San Francisco!

As I mentioned, I wanted to do a solo post on my trip to San Francisco.  It was a really great combination of a great work experience and some fun I was able to fit in seeing family and friends.  And of course, contributing to my recent weight gain, there was some delicious food!

I wanted to check out the Mission while in San Francisco and get some tacos.  We went to a little hole in the wall looking place called La Taqueria.  I chose one beef taco and one chicken taco and they were both equally amazing.  The fresh salsa was the perfect touch.

Tacos from La Taqueria

Of course, I had to try the chips and salsa as well!

We also tried a restaurant called the American Grilled Cheese Kitchen.  I got the tomato soup and a friend of mine and I split two sandwiches.  We ordered a Mousetrap and a Mac n Cheese Grilled Cheese (we just had to!) and each ate half of each.  We both agreed that just the plain Mousetrap was the better of the two.  Both were cheesy and gooey and delicious though!

I mean, come on? Look at that cheese!

There are so many delicious food options in San Francisco it is hard to even write about them all.  Next to my event venue for work there were a number of great lunch options, such as a delicious shwarma place where I got a falafel wrap one day and a great Vietnamese place where you could get rolls, noodle bowls, or pho.  I chose the wraps, stuffed with veggies and chicken and there were three delicious sauces you could eat with your wraps.  I put a combination of the peanut sauce and the sweet and sour sauce on mine!  YUM!

The meal was big and filling (which you know I love) but didn't leave you feeling too heavy or weighed down.  A perfect lunch option on a busy day!

Finally, I wanted to share with you an "outfit post" as I'm trying to do every once in a while to get me out of my comfort zone.

Shoes & scarf: H&M; Pants: Gap; Shirt: Banana Republic; Sweater: Urban Outfitters

Hope you enjoyed my San Fran post!  Looking forward to writing more from the couch this week.

The Olympics are CONSUMING my life.

I have spent the vast majority of the weekend on the couch, in front of the TV, consumed by the summer Olympics.  I know I'm not the only one out there that has this addiction/compulsion every few years.  I just absolutely love the competition, the glory, the defeat, the incredible displays of strength, dedication and endurance.  And, I should mention, the summer Olympics are by far my favorite.

As I wrote about before, I recently went to Atlanta for work.  On that trip we walked through the Olympics park on the way to our event venue and it reminded me that my Olympics obsession started early.  Like most young girls in the 90s, I was MESMERIZED by the 1996 women's gymnastics team. I remember watching Kerri Strug on the vault like it was yesterday.  I used to pretend to be her and recreate that moment in the pool using the black lines at the bottom of the pool as my "vault."  I requested, and received, the 1996 "Best Of" VHS tape for my birthday that year and watched it over and over and over.

Since moving into my new apartment, I haven't had any cable television.  It was a bit of a pain for Syracuse basketball games, the Superbowl, some awards ceremonies, etc. but I have made do.  However, I had Time Warner Cable at my apartment Friday morning setting up cable TV because I did not want to miss this!

So, with all that being said, here are a few things on my mind:

1.  Team Lochte all the way!  I have a giant crush on Ryan Lochte and am excited to see him compete. I was screaming at my TV last night during the 400M IM!  Although I am impressed and awed by what  Michael Phelps has accomplished in his career, I am excited to see other deserving American athletes get some glory.  What about you?  Team Lochte or Team Phelps?

2.  Can we talk about this video from the U.S. Swimming team?  Love.



I love people that don't take themselves TOO seriously and I love seeing that the athletes are really enjoying their time at the Olympics and the experience itself.  So fun.  Also, I may be a little biased as well since my family just did our own rendition :)



 3.  Why do all of the gymnasts have their number bibs safety pinned to the back of their uniforms?  These outfits are specially designed for the teams every year and they can't figure a better way to handle numbering the athletes?  These uniforms I'm sure are ridiculously expensive and are designed for technical perfection for the athletes.  Yet they have to deal with having a number pinned on?  That is the same process used for the rinky-dink 5Ks I run in.  And I find the safety pinned numbers annoying! I can't imagine being in a competition like the Olympics and having to deal with this.  I don't know why I find this so unbelievable but it baffles me every time I see them.

4.  Cycling.  Now, I never watch the Tour de France so this may be old news for some people, but the fans are in the MIDDLE OF THE ROAD!  Get out of the way!  People are riding for medals here!!  Goodness gracious, it makes me anxious just watching this on the TV.  Why are the roads not blocked off to keep the people out of the riders way??

5.  The coverage.  I've been following a lot of the #nbcfail conversation going on over Twitter and I have to admit I am disappointed in NBC as well.  I wish they had made some strides to really make these Olympic games accessible in real time.  There are a number of decisions they could have done differently and the reactions of the execs in charge have been VERY disappointing to see.  And PLEASE, can we get rid of Ryan Seacrest?!?  Please!

6.  I am getting so excited for my sprint tri!!!  It is now less than a week away.  I am nervous and excited and the Olympics are getting me even more motivated and ready to go.  Swim, bike, run, here I come!!!

Where I've been and what I've been eating -- did you miss me?!

Hi everybody!  I hope you are all enjoying the heat that has rolled into town this summer and have been spending lots of time doing the summer-y things you love.  It feels like it has been ages since I've posted here and want to get back into the groove by just doing a quick recap of where I've been and what I've been eating.  Despite not actually getting the chance to write posts, I've been snapping lots of pictures of my meals over the past few months in thoughts of sharing them with you guys.

I last wrote when I was in Germany for work.  I had just arrived and was in Germany for 10 days in both the northern part of the country and down in Bavaria, visiting friends and sightseeing in Munich.  The past few months have been exciting and busy for me as Germany (and before that, Texas) have only been the beginning of my travels.  Since Germany, I have also been to Atlanta, New York City, Boston, and San Francisco.  And everywhere I go, delicious restaurants, menus, and regional specialities have awaited me.  As I mentioned, it's been exciting, fun, and also not too good for my waistline as, much to my stress and agony, I've put on about 10 lbs over the past few months.

The next few months are going to continue to be busy for me with more fun travel coming up, and as much as I love it, I'm a little terrified as to the continued effect this will have on my body and the work that I've put in to becoming healthier over the past year.  As I work to find a balance while still exploring the world and all the food it has to offer, I hope to continue to write here and share my adventures (and struggles) with you.  But now, on to the good stuff!  What I've been eating...

First meal in Rheine, Germany.. a delicious grilled pear salad, bread, and beer of course :)

Pumpkin soup in Osnabruck, Germany

The most amazing steak and potatoes in Osnabruck, Germany

I've arrived in Bavaria! The land of large pretzels.

I was thrilled to be drinking my favorite beer in Germany :)

Mushroom pizza in Munich?  Why not.  It was as good as it looks.

You can't go to Bavaria and not have schnitzel.  Delicious, but HEAVY.

I'm addicted.  I love gelato.

Kasebretze (I think) a.k.a. a cheesy pretzel.  I used to eat these for breakfast when I lived in Munich :)

Drinking a peach bellini in Atlanta.  Made with fresh Georgia peaches!

We ate at Floataway Cafe in Atlanta.  Their fries were amazing!

My roast chicken at Floataway Cafe in Atlanta, GA.

In Atlanta we celebrated the 10 year anniversary of our business. Cake was eaten.

This meal was eaten in good ol' Schenectady, NY at Ferrari's. Portions are INSANE.

For "National Wind Day" I made cookies for my team.  Decorated with wind turbines and gusts of wind :)

I guess after looking at all of that, I should be thankful that it was only 10 lbs that I gained, right?  And this isn't even 1/2 of the delicious meals that I've eaten over the past few months.  Just the ones that I remembered to snag pictures of before stuffing my face!  I will do another post recapping my trip to San Francisco because I have to share the picture of the BEST tacos I've ever had in my life.

As always, hope you are having a great week and I will be back soon!