Rants, Recipes, and Running

As you know, I am training for my 1st 70.3 half Ironman in October. Looking back on my sprint triathlon I did last May, the biggest challenge for me was the open water swim. I just didn't feel like natural in the water. Which is funny. Because I am " the water girl ". I could spend all day in the water. This was the case as a child, and I never really outgrew that. I have a few friends who are on the Masters Swim team, and have brought me to a few workouts. The aquatic center is right by my house..... And let me tell you about this Aquatic Center. It is the " Taj Mahal " of swimming pools. Our city spent big bucks to have the best aquatic center in the city (it's one of the best in the state). The water is perfect. Best part? -- surrounded by mountains!   And it's only 4 miles from my house!   So after trying out a few practices, I am hooked! So Monday is my 1st official practice on the Oro Valley Masters' Team: " The Flying...

Our kitchen has been active lately with several new recipes. My favorite thing that is a'brewin' is our prickly pear infused liquors ! But there will be a post to come on that soon. I'm pretty stoked about it, though! We are actually harvesting plump, juicy, red prickly pears from our cactus, and infusing them in mason jars w/ vodka and agave nectar..... More to come that! Over the weekend, I tried to make comfort food for my husband who went on night shift starting the 4th of July. Right now our schedule couldn't be more opposite. He wakes up as I go to bed. But that's okay - we still live in the same household, and this schedule is temporary! A few of my comfort creations were: Salted Puppy Chow (sea salt, pretzels, puppy chow, #crack) - I made 2 big batches of this. One which I brought to the 4th of July party I went to, the other I sent with Ryan to work. Crockpot lasagna - super easy, super delicious! Why have I never tried making lasagna in a cro...

I've owned my bike for about 1.5 years. I have avoided learning how to change a tire like the plague. My strategy has been, "If I get a flat, I'll just call a friend." or "If I get a flat, I'll just run home (barefoot?)" The idea of changing the inner tube of a tire just seemed like this impossible feat - and a skill I am not interested in learning. It all kind of relates to my disdain for the sport of "road biking". In order to go road biking, my routine is: check tires air up tires to 90 psi get my helmet out get my cycling shoes out (which you can only wear cycling - they have funny clips on the bottoms) make sure my "bike bag" is all set with the appropriate tools, tubes, drivers license (in case I get hit by a car and end up in the trauma center & need to be identified.....Just kidding, Mom!) Then I have to load it onto my bike rack. Make sure it's bungee corded down. Drive it to a meeting spot, unload, ...

Another week of training is in the books! My training posts may bore some...so my apologies in advance. This week was a good reality check for me. Tuesday morning I had the most obstacle-filled run ever. It was almost like one of those "obstacle races". Minus the mud. But it reminded me that I am not some natural born, iron-woman. It reminded me that I need to take things in stride, and listen to my body. 5 am - 82 degrees F Mile 2 - Intense cramping in my stomach that almost had me in fetal position on the side of the road. Mile 2-3 - Desperately trying to catch back up with the group. Mile 3 - Wheezing. Didn't take my inhaler. Cannot get air. Keep pushing. Cursing at the palo verde trees I'm allergic to. Mile 6 - Raw, rubbing, pain in my foot. Blister. Mile 6-8 - Hobbling with an ugly gait, almost in tears because blister is so bad. Mile 8 - Finished! Shoe full of blood. Ran it in a sub 8 min/mile pace, miraculously! 2 hours later - Nauseated, ...

There's a special season in the Sonoran Desert each year called "The Monsoon". It's a portion of the summer where it rains for about 20 minutes around 4 pm every day (hopefully). People get a little crazy in the time preceding "the monsoon". There is worry it will never rain, that the earth will dry up, the animals will die, and we will be forced to eat cactus forever (until they dry up, too). We are in quite a horrible drought over the past few years, and it's getting concerning. A lot of people from other parts of the country find this statement silly. They say, "Well, don't you live in a desert? Isn't it supposed to never rain?" This is not true. Deserts can go a long while without water, but it still needs it. Without water, there is no life. ( Duh ). Yes, there are desert regions where it is all sand. But Tucson is not like that. We actually have a great deal of vegetation, gardening, and there are even farmers in Arizona! An...

Since I started doing the 3 sports that make up a triathlon last year in April, I immediately jumped to the goal of doing a Half Ironman. A Sprint tri just didn't do it for me. I finished feeling like I could've done more miles on each! But then we moved to San Antonio for the summer, came back & got acclimated to like at home, marathon training started...and pretty soon I lost the bike & swim. But I've decided I really want to go for it this October! The only limiting factor is the price. It's a $200 race entry. Plus $15 USAT fee. Plus a hotel for the night. Plus I assume there will be bike repairs that come along the way. And I'll probably need to get a tri-suit. And, well, money doesn't grow on trees. For the time being, I'm going to try. I mean Tri ! I also have to put weight lifting on the back-burner for this, as there just aren't enough hours/days in the week! The hardest part for me is the bike. I will really struggle having my but...

Happy Saturday! Here are my "current" currently's. Current Book : "If I Stay". It's an easy summer read...which I'm in dire need of, with my poor reading skills lately. It's about the outer-body experience of a teenager who got in a tragic car accident. She's watching her body in the ICU, and trying to decide whether to stay or go. It's really interesting to the nurse in me. Current Excitement :  It is looking like the next guarenteed weekend Ryan & I will have together is in August when we go to Minnesota for a week @ the lakes w/ family! Lame that he works so much during July, but I'm focusing on the positive!! Cannot wait to see family and meet my niece/God-daughter Evelyn! Current Fashion : I'm really loving the maxi dresses. Only for evenings out. It's too damn hot to wear a maxi dress during the day in Tucson (for this girl, anyhow). Current Drink : Iced Green tea with Raspberry @ Starbucks. I've sipping ...