The journey to be a triathlete.
This is my fastest time yet. In the span of about a month, I’ve decreased my time from 33:36 to 31:47. At this pace it’s going to take me 5 months to hit my 20min 5k goal. That’s not acceptable to me. There has to be a way to accelerate my conditioning.
Start time: 5:44pm
Temp: 68
Conditions: Sunny, windy
Gear used:
The Camp Pendleton Mud Run happened to be mentioned on a show we were watching tonight so I went to the website to see when the next event would be. It turns out that there are 3 Mud Runs planned in July, but all 3 have been sold out since January. What I didn’t realize is that the Marines host a series of events including bike races, duathlons, 10k, half marathons, sprint triathlons and triathlons. There’s even a high-altitude 10k event held at the Mountain Warfare Training Center in the Toiyabe National Forest.
I’d love to compete in every event of the entire series but I’m not ready yet. But I will be.
My summary from “The Six Habits for a Six-Pack” in this month’s Men’s Health:
A study done by San Diego State scientists states that eating raisins before training enhanced cardio performance similarly to cardio gels plus provided antioxidants, fiber and vitamins. Time to stock up on raisins.
I also found this great article on nutrition for triathletes on race day.
According to this month’s Men’s Health, shirataki noodles are loaded with a highly soluble fiber called glucomannan. Researchers recently found that 1 gram of this fiber significantly slows the absorption of sugar into your bloodstream. A single serving of shirataki noodles contains up to 3 grams of glucomannan. You can get your fix of noodles at miraclenoodle.com
30 seconds slower than my last run, but it’s the second time I’ve completed the entire 5k without walking.
Gear Used:
According to iPodNN, a patent has been filed which expands Nike+ functionality to include monitors for many different factors, including EKG, heart rate, body temperature and even hydration. GPS data may also be present, enabling users to track exactly which routes they have taken.
I’m currently watching ABC Nightline which is running a story on the Marathon Des Sables - a 6 day/151 mile run through the Sahara desert. I’m very intrigued!!! Sounds insane and fun!
I just saw these two recipes in Men’s Health and they sounded really good…
Penne Bolognese
2 Tbsp olive oil
¼ cup diced smoked turkey
1 diced carrot
1 diced celery stalk
1 diced onion
1lb ground sirloin
2 cloves garlic
¾ cup red wine
¾ cup chicken broth
1 14oz can of diced tomatoes
¼ cup milk
4oz Barilla Plus penne pasta
4 tbsp grated mozzarella
per serving
485 calories
35g protein
32g carbs
4g fiber
Blue Cheese Salad
2½ cups mixed greens
½ cup berries
1 tbsp chopped onion
1 tbsp crumbled blue cheese
1 tbsp chopped walnuts
1 tsp ground flaxseed
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
per serving
235 calories
6g protein
24g carbs
7g fiber
Last night while watching Workout (not by choice), they happened to mention a food delivery service called Sunfare. H and I hadn’t heard of that service before so we decided to Google it. From what we could find, there was no mention of organic ingredients, but the few reviews we found about the service gave it really positive reviews. Ultimately it was way too expensive for us to do on a daily basis ($52/day for 5 meals for 1 person), but the idea was appealing. So we we decided to do a little research online for organic food delivery services in LA. What we found were a couple of places that delivered organic prepared meals intended to help with fitness, health and weight-loss, but we also found a couple of places that delivered fresh organic produce on a weekly basis. I don’t think we’re going to try the prepared food delivery services, but we may try the organic produce delivery. Let me know if you’ve had any experience with the following companies. I’d love to hear more reviews!
Nutritious prepared meals:
Organic produce delivery:
We also found a site called Local Harvest which shows locally grown food closest to you.