FancyPants Group, Part 2- The Ladies Are FULL! (Page 5)

Ali, remember this is an endurance/distance sport. Your time will go down over time, and yes, weight loss will help with that. You can do speed focused workouts (intervals) to get your time down. I understand your frustration- but give it time. Focus on running the whole mileage, no matter what the time. Speed is not going to help you 2 miles into your run during a triathlon, but endurance and determination and the time you put in MAKING yourself push through and run will help you finish a tri.

It's FRIDAY- I'm off to check logs. I hope everyone is feeling well and had a good week of training. Today is a ride for me, and the weather looks nice and warm (30's) for my two runs this weekend. Lovey, thanks for the tips on not running alone. Unfortunately for me, I have to run when I have a window of time and a new baby is not predictable enough to schedule time with other runners. I do encourage everyone, though, to be safe and run with someone if you can- and make sure you wear all of the reflective clothing so you are easily spotted by motorists.

CHALLENGE REMINDER-

I challenged our group to turn 4 days this week peach or pink....you can do it! For several of you, today is day 4, so GREAT JOB! The rest of us have this weekend to catch up- let's do it!

Ali- same advice.  Try not to get anxious about your time by thinking about how much you've accomplished distance-wise.  Now you can run a full two miles without stopping!  Awesome! 

I started running again in grad school and my times were super slow.  It took me a while to get down to a consistent 9/9:30 min mile.  And to be honest, I do the same thing.  I think- I can be faster and am envious of my best friend who can do 7 min/mile pace.  But you know what?  It's what my body can handle and I'm doing tris and that's MY accomplishment. 

Maybe right now you use building distance as your goal.  The speed will come.  Also- in Runner's World (RW) this month they noted that for every pound you lose, you run about 2 seconds faster per mile.  Now if that's not motivation- I don't know what is!

Hope everyone has a good weekend! For some of us it's a long weekend....enjoy.

Great workouts this week- hope everyone is staying motivated. Great work to all of you who fit in 4 days of workouts, or 4 or more workouts. I realize that schedule conflicts often mean you have to fit in several workouts in a day, so kudos to those of you who are able to do that.

Check in tomorrow (Sunday) for next week's challenge/group goal.

Next challenge starts tomorrow- Monday. This week it's more of a "show and tell" instead of a challenge. Everyone keep moving and training, though!

Last week the goal was to get four days Peach or Pink. The thought process was to get everyone moving and logging their workouts, and it seems like everyone did a great job meeting that goal.

Either research and post one healthy recipe (it can be a meal, or a snack, or a sweet treat)- or post a recipe for something you already make that is a healthy version (for example, we LOVE buffalo wings, but don't eat them- instead we make a buffalo chicken breast recipe with homemade reduced fat blue cheese sauce). Last week I tried making a no-sugar banana oatmeal cookie recipe. I liked it- it was pretty dense though and my husband did NOT like it (it wasn't similar enough to a real cookie).

I love this challenge!  Here's my recipe.  Instead of a bolognese you can put a yummy twist on it. 

Get a medium sized spaghetti squash.  Scoop out seeds and wrap each half in plastic wrap.  Microwave on high for 7 min. I do one half at a time. 

While squash is cooking, take 1lb. of ground turkey meat and saute it until browned.  Add your favorite jar of marinara sauce.  Add spices like oregano, basil, or red pepper flakes to taste. 

With a fork, scoop out spaghetti squash into individual bowls to make look like spaghetti- about 1c. of sqaush. Spoon turkey and sauce mixture over each serving of squash.  Add a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese on top.  Add a small side salad of greens and your fave dressing.

Notes: If you are only serving two people, you can easily cut everything in half.  Often, we only cook one half of the squash, do the turkey mixture one night and then do a pesto with it on another night. 

The best part about the recipe is that the squash will take on whatever flavor you give it so you can use it as a pasta substitute pretty often.  ENJOY!

THat sounds great! I think I'll try it and see if anyone notices the squash difference. My kids and husband are big fans of plain whole grain or whole wheat spaghetti with parmesan on top. They would eat it every day if I let them. So I'm interested to see what they think of this recipe. I know I will eat it!

Well, I'm not much of a cook. I am self employed as a chiropractor, and by the time I get home there is not much time so I do a lot of roasts in the crock pot and chili in the crock pot...you get the picture. I do, however, try to focus on QUALITY of food. We get a whole grass fed beef from a friend, eat only the organic omega 3 eggs and sneak in spinach with the scrambled eggs, there is always a ton of fruit in the house, and when I shop we stick to the outside of the grocery store (not much packaged or canned foods).

I am eating a recovery meal after another run today consisting of an apple, a Zoe's brand omega 3 bar (1300 mg omega 3 from flax..www.zoefoods.com) and a chocolate rice protein/vitamin powder with rice milk and some coffee. I buy the very dark chocolate to have as a snack as it is good for you--lots of magnesium and antioxidants. I buy the high fructose free breads and try to limit consumption of glutens entirely. (still have to have a bagel now and then). I only use butter, olive oil or coconut oil. When we eat out, I hit the salad bar and order the salmon.

I find I get anemic with running and need more magnesium, MSM, glutamine and fish oil/omega 3's. We also take a lot of vitamin C fizzy drinks and vitamin D3 in the winter. Milk makes me have a ton of mucus so I tend to eat cheese and go for the rice milk or even hemp milk.

My favorite "diet" is the Paleo diet for triathletes. Not easy for me to stick to, because like the majority of folks today, I'm a carb junkie.

As far as running slow---I was told that you must "build your engine"--in other words, you can't push your body faster than it is geared to go. If you do, you are running anaerobically and not getting any oxygen to your muscles. To lose weight, you are supposed to run at a level where you can comfortably talk. For me, this is about a snail's pace and most walkers can go faster than I can run. But, as long as I am sweating up a storm and pushing my heart and lungs, I know I am slowly tuning up my old engine and one day, this 43 year old mom of four will be a little red corvette

We discovered that we qualify for financial aid from the YMCA near us--40% of the family membership!! My husband has been one of the many laid off people and now qualifies through the TAA act to go back to college for free. He starts tomorrow. One of my goals has been to get back into a pool somewhere, but we didn't know if we could swing this, and it looks like the universe has smiled upon us, so if any of you are facing similar issues, you might check into the financial aid aspect of a Y membership.

I'm also back on my bike, but I have to admit, not as often as I'd like. It is really hard to get back my fitness and I find I walk around tired all the time. Waaa, poor me When I add the swim, I might be too pooped to post! Either that, or I'll sit and post all day about fitness stuff and not actually do any fitness stuff....

Yummy eating!!

We subscribe to a CSA and that makes veggie eating easy/mandatory--but we decided to take the winter off and shopping for veggies is hard after not doing it for 3 years; I look forward to spring!  We also have a freezer full of grassfed beef. For those who don't know, grassfed is leaner than corn/lot fed so the fat worries of beef are not there AND grassfed beef is full of Omegas and other more healthful bits.  And it just tastes better.

I've just put a shoulder of pork in the crock pot to make a batch of carnitas.  yummmmmy.

here's a great recipe, I've used canned tomatoes when needed, dried onion, more/less carrots/spinach but do not skip the feta!  and I've always used balsamic, not lemon: http://www.recipe.com/greek-lamb-stir-fry

I wish I had the money, and the time, to make wonderful nutritious food every night. I also shop the outside of the store, and buy local when possible. But we live in OHIO, and there is no local produce in the winter. And produce is what we eat the most of, and spend most of our cash on...

I eat differently than my family- I have kids, they want hot dogs, these things happen. I also sneak in healthy recipes and just don't tell them it's good for them. Then I have days where I make something I can eat, and think they can eat, like these sugar-free banana oatmeal cookies. No one ate them but me, and my husband whined so much I gave in and made his FAVORITE chocolate chip cookies. Horrible, migraine-inducing cookies...

Okay. MORE RECIPES PLEASE.

What is on everyone's training plan for today? I took my day off yesterday, so I'm dragging kids to get groceries this morning, napping this afternoon with both tired children, and then fitting in a run when Mike gets home this evening.

I am not much of a cook either...and I really am not known for my recipes.  But I would like to have your recipe for the homemade low fat blue cheese Anne...and the buffalo chicken.  That sounds wonderful. 

The one I do sometimes make is put chicken breast in a skillet and brown with a little olive oil, add some basil, some chopped onion and then open a can of diced tomatoes and cook over top.  Sometimes I'll buy the tomatoes with jalapeno's or some other type of pepper to give it a little more spice.  When I serve it I will put either plain lowfat yogurt on top or sometimes lowfat crumbled feta cheese or something similiar.    (I'm thinking the homemade low fat blue cheese you mention might be really good here Anne)

Hello, its been nice to scroll over everyone's posts and the recipe sharing this week is excellent.  I am not much of a cook, at all.  Most people won't even try what I do cook.  I eat a lot of pre-cooked, store bought food... its usually cheaper, and less time consuming.  I do however, read labels and watch what I put into my mouth.  I'll try and research a recipe this week, and try it out and get back to you.

Running outdoors has completely changed my attitude toward running.  I have started running around the park, which is about a mile loop and the other day was able to run 3 miles in just over 30 minutes, which made me extremely happy.  I have decided to enter into the Charleston 5k Challenge Mid-Winter Classic on February 6th.  Its coming right up!  I'm getting excited, and that has helped motivate my running as well.

I am in the process of fixing up my bike.  Its been over 2 years since I was last on it!  So, getting a new tire to replace the broken one and getting it checked over.  Going to the thrift store tomorrow to hopefully find a bike helmet.  Then I will be able to ride outdoors as well.  Been trying to picture riding a bike at 15 mph (as this is about what the stationary bike says I've been riding) and the thought is terrifying to me.  I am sure that I have never ridden a bike at such a high speed, and it will take some getting used to.  I'll let you know how my first bike ride goes, as soon as my bike is up and running.

Hope everyone is doing well and gets a great work out in today!

We eat most meals at home. During the week my kids make their own breakfast of cereal or frozen waffles. On the weekends I make waffles or pancakes from scratch. I don't bake from a box. I don't even use bisquick. Now when I make pancakes I substitute the flour for 1/2 whole wheat flour and 1/2 oatmeal. My family loved it.

Originally I made these egg cups to eat with fruit and coffee when I was limiting my carbs. Now I eat it with a slice of whole wheat toast, fruit and coffee. They are easy and you can just grab 2, heat it up and out the door. Your older kids can heat them up instead of trying to fry an egg and possibly burn the house down. FYI - I use egg beaters to cut calories.

Whole-Grain Oatmeal Pancakes - serves 4
1 3/4 cups skim milk
1 tbsp sugar or honey
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup whole-wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
4 large egg whites or egg beaters
1/4 cup vegetable oil
In a small bowl, mix milk and honey until honey is disolved. Add oatmeal and stir to coat evenly; set aside.
In another bowl, stir together flour and baking powder. Add oat mixture, egg whites and 3 tbsp oil. Stir just until mixed.
In a large, nonstick skillet, heat remaining tbsp of oil over medium-high heat. Pour batter, in 1/4-cup portions, into skillet.
When pancakes have a bubbly surface and have just begun to dry around the edges, turn to cook the other side.
Serve immediately.
Nutrient Analysis per serving
Calories - 132 kcal
Protein - 7 g
Fat - 1 g
Carbohydrate - 22 g
Sodium - 267 mg
Cholesterol - 64 mg

Egg cups! Those remind me of when my friends were doing south beach. 

Tonight we're having a Pork and Arugula Salad with grapes and gorgonzola.  It's super easy and you can use your Forman Grill if you don't want to break out the pans.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/grilled-pork-with-arugula-and-gr... />
Congrats on the running enkidu!  Be careful if you take your bike outside in the winter.  I'm sure you know that snow and ice will cover up a lot of dangerous holes etc. 

Keep the recipes coming!  We also did a quick chicken pasta recipe the other night.

We took left over chicken breast threw it in a pan with some green peppers, onions, roasted red pepper and sauteed it.  Then we added spicy marinara sauce and tossed it with some whole wheat spaghetti.  You can make portions according to your needs.  I'm from a family of great cooks and one very awesome professional chef so measuring is not something we always do. 

Oh- my bf also mentioned this website- www.nutritiondata.com- where you can get nutrition information on ANYTHING!  It's pretty sweet.   Keep up the good workouts all!! I'm debating about trudging to the pool tonight.  It's been snowing since Sunday here...

Looks like my husband is out for part of this season. He hurt his back towards the end of last season, and the injury progressed, and by the time I had the baby he could not stand easily. He was seeing a chiropractor, but as things got worse, he was sent for an MRI and then onto an orthopaedic surgeon. The diagnosis is a tear in the disc at L4 and a herniated disc at L5. He did 5 weeks of PT and is going to a Pain Center tomorrow for a shot in his back to hopefully help. The main issue is the pain that radiates down his legs. Anyway, I'm hoping this helps. The doctor today told him to expect, worst case, 4 months off from training except for some biking but not hardcore training like he is used to. I just want my husband back- with 3 kids and an elderly dog, I need his help, and I need him healthy and not grumpy and in pain, or being short with me because I can go running and he can't. SO- wish us luck tomorrow.

Keep the recipes coming....I'm sure we will all find something to try!

I got to break in my new runners tonight....Asics Gel Landruth, same ones I always get, but this time they are purple, navy, and silver! VERY COOL. My old ones were silver white and seafoam green. Not my favorite. Hope everyone had a good day and got some workouts in.

Anne--so sorry to hear about your husband. My 2 cents worth is this: I have best results with disc herniations using a chiropractic technique called Sacral Occipital Technique, or SOT. Wedges or blocks are used under the pelvis, usually a category III with discs, and it is incredibly gentle and noninvasive. I've had really severe cases where the patient could not get up off the floor and I had to do house calls and used the blocks and basically cured them. Usually they need once a month "tune ups" for a year or more, but they go back to regular living with no surgery. I'm in Wisconsin, or I'd be right over! But you can call all the chiro offices around and ask if the doctor uses SOT and give it a try! No side posture adjusting--not good (in my opinion) for disc patients. Not all chiros are alike, so my humble advice is to seek another chiropractic opinion.

My aunt-in-law gave us some of her homemade tomato soup the other night. She used home grown tomatoes, stewed, with spices like rosemary and basil and added a can of coconut milk and a teaspoon of curry pepper sauce and it was delish!! She's a vegetarian, lactose-free, gluten-free, sugar free person so I'll ask her for more healthy recipes. I'm certainly not that strict, but she has lots of allergies.

My plan is to start building bricks. My sprint tri distance is 17 mile bike, 3mile run, so I thought I would build slowly. Tonight I did 5 mile bike and one mile run. I'll do another brick this week of 7.5 mile bike, 1.5 mile run. Next week I'll shoot for 10 mile bike, 2 mile run, etc. Sound reasonable? I still have to do a 7 mile long run this week, so I want to build slowly.

Ooh, ooh...new shoes...we love new shoes!! I added them to my equipment tracker, which is a nifty thing to let you know how many miles you put on your shoes and when you need to replace them. I bought my husband new sneakers for working out for his birthday and the place had a buy one pair get a second for half price...so of course, I bought myself 2 pairs of Asics cumulus gel shoes--one yellow and one orange! What shoes do you all find work best for you??

How's everyone doing??

Anne, we are all sending good healing thoughts your way!

It has been a long time since I've checked in with anyone, but I had to laugh when you said you would either get your work out in, or sit and log about your work out instead of actually DOING it... it's easy for me to get caught up in this!  So, if you don't hear from me, that's why!

... Actually I have been very preoccupied with what happened in Haiti.  It has weighed heavily on my heart and I find my mind wandering when I work out to all those affected.  One of my piano student's uncles was killed, and many other family members are still missing....

As far as recipes goes.... I buy what ever is on sale, and try to stick with lean cuts of chicken or pork with some red meat thrown in there for good measure.  Yummy is important, without a lot of fats, but without being paranoid either... and modest portions.  Yesterday we had meatloaf, baked potatoes, peas and green salad.  This is pretty typical for us. 

Is there any easier way to see the latest posts from everyone?  I find that I haven't quite figured out this forum yet, and it takes a long time scroll through all the posts to search for new entries I haven't yet read....and to find out what is new to interact with... I must be doing something wrong.  Perhaps it's the way I have my setting set up?  sigh.. it's humbling to be new...

When I read what you said about getting anemic it made me realize that I haven't been taking a vitamin!  Hmmmm..... guess I need to! 

I usually drink 1 cup of skim milk mixed with whey protein as my post-workout treat (love it!)

I didn't really think about vits and minerals that I might need to supplement with.  How does one know if this is needed? 

I just bought a pair of zoot running shoes!  Not even sure why I picked them, except I liked the way they looked and thats how I pick most of my shoes.  Not to mention that they match my new bathing suit and were on clearance for $60.  So, hopefully, I will get them sometime early next week.

As for the easiest way to find whats new in the forum.  Open up the last page of the forum, copy and paste the URL into your Dashboard of your training log.  That way everytime you open BT and go to your log, you can click there and it will take you directly to the our posts.  Mine always takes me to the very end of the posts so sometimes I have to work backwards to where I left off reading.  Someone suggested this earlier and it was worked well for me.

I'm getting excited and nervous about my 5k run on the 6th, it seems to be coming up sooo fast!  I've ran the distance, so I know I can do that... but I am horribly competetive and I'm afraid that this will come into play when trying to pace myself.  Running alone I don't have much trouble.... but will I be able to hold my own pace when it will be much slower than everyone elses.  I guess we'll find out on the 6th.

Hope everyone is well, and Anne my thoughts and prayers are with your family.

How is everyone doing?

I had a slow and hard 4 mile run tonight. My stomach didn't feel right, I had to take an outside potty break and my 5 miler became a 4 miler. My heart rate was was constantly climbing and I had a hard time keeping it down. Just a bad run all around.

I wear Brooks Adrenaline GTS8 (2008 model). I love them. I still have two pairs in my closet so by the time I finish those, the 2011 model should be out.

I NEED sleep. I've been having a hard time getting to bed and to sleep and still have to wake up at 5 am to go to the gym..Last night I went to bed at 2am and was up and at the pool by 6am this morning. It makes for a difficult workout. That may have contributed to my bad run tonight too.

sleep deprivation DEFINITELY affects workouts. I have the sweetest, cuddliest, freshly bathed baby in my lap cooing at me. She spent the majority of last night awake, mad, and covering us both in spit up. I did not fit my run in this evening- instead I made dinner and had a margarita.

Speaking of sleep...and the need.... I will catch up with everyone later....

Oh- VITAMINS AND SUPPLEMENTS.....everyone I'm sure has something different to say. I like to take these daily packets- they have a multivitamin, and some other things I can not remember, By Sundown (I think). Alright- sleep.