go with it.

thursday afternoon, i had to pick up my car from the shop ($4500 of undercarriage damage b/c i ran over a curb i didn't see. which is also why i went to get some new glasses...anyway. thank you, car insurance.) that kind of messed my schedule, but no big deal because it is a recovery week for me and i've just been cruising though workout-wise. as usual, life turns up the volume during rest weeks and i felt way more time-pressed than usual. probably becuase i try to do a lot of things i let go when i'm having bigger training weeks. anyway, after i got my car, i realized i could squeeze in a quick and easy run. but also that i had only heels for shoes and that wouldn't work (unless i wanted to practice racing for that dollar in my night job). just kidding. and i had no "running" clothes.

so i ran barefoot on the beach. in non-technical, yet still appropriate (cotton! gasp!) clothes for doing soo... and i got to see this sunset.

sometimes the best things in life aren't planned.

also, james has been a gem and posted a chicken veggie tortilla soup recipe i made over on Vo2maxxed (our healthy food blog that sometimes gathers a little dust). this was a big deal b/c i've made it many times and there is always something missing. we found that something this time: enchilada sauce in the broth.

hope you're all having a great weekend! i'm off to ride today along the coast and tomorrow is my first race of 2009- Xterra Mission Gorge 15k trail race....

25 things

this has been going around facebook and since i'm slacking on the blogfront, going to post it here too....25 random things about me...now, you go do it! i tag you!

1) my family is way cooler than i am. they are super creative, laid back, have nice taste in music, accepting, funny, believe in travel , experiences & education but not gucci, chanel & prada, are up for anything and know how to have a great dinner party (focus on the wine!). i consider myself cool by association.
2) as a child, i took lessons or played on a team in the following for at least two years each: piano lessons, horseback riding, ice skating, lacrosse, field hockey, pottery, swimming, volleyball, ballroom dancing (with white gloves!)
3) i lived in France my sophomore year of college, spoke nearly fluent French, and majored in French literature in undergrad. i can't do much french-wise anymore except say, "soopair kewl" the way they say it when they talk to americans.
4) i often shower twice a day in places that are not my house.
5) i minored in pottery and we eat and drink out of my dishes.
6) i cannot think of a food i do not like. besides chicken skin. so i don't like chicken wings.
7) i have lived on in boston, new mexico, philadelphia, san francisco, nashville, france, los angeles, and san diego.
8) i can only imagine leaving san diego to move to hawaii. i am only content when temperatures are over 70 degrees.
9) i am domestically and organizationally terrible.
10) in college i typically slept until noon (sometimes 2pm), ate some crap, squeezed in a class and went out and partied. i used to give my friends a hard time for working out, especially on the weekends. weekends were for relaxing.
11) the first time i ran more than 6 miles at one time was January 2007. In 2008 I ran almost 2000 miles including my first marathon that i ran in 3:03
12) after in depth assessmnet and diagnosis, i had to tell a parent today that her six year old daughter has mental retardation. it is the toughest part of my career. the best part is helping these parents realize what their child CAN do rather than focus on what they can't.
13) i'm getting married this year to someone i never expected to be so lucky meet. when we met, we thought we were twins. now, i think we have more differences than similarities.
14) i have held the following jobs: camp counselor, advertising traffic coordinator, one summer as a waitress on a beach deck, lifestyle marketing assistant, public relations account executive, tutoring center director, graduate assistant, autism research, school psychologist intern.
15) i would like to try an experiment where i live off of fish tacos and cereal
16) my favorite tv shows are project runway, top chef, sam the cooking guy, flight of the concords, the soup, and a classy show called girls next door :)
17) i like to call james by the following names: meatball, muffin, lolo, johnnycake, saltfish
18) i eat cottage cheese or greek yogurt every single day. often twice a day. i also eat berries broccoli and carrots at least 360 days per year i think.
19) in 2008, i spent about $100 per month on frozen yogurt. i'm cutting back. and i just received a frozen yogurt machine as a gift (thanks, steph!)
20) i am terrible about returning phone calls. and my phone is always broken or lost.currently it is lost. and i'm not lying. really. i can't find it. last night one conversation started with, "the first time i submerged my iphone..." and the response was, "first time?"...
21) this year we will be traveling (planned so far) to arizona, palm springs, palm beach, kona, chicago, cabo san lucas, colorado, vermont, and maybe philadelphia/virginia.
22) when i run down the mountain by our house by myself at sunset, i put my arms out like airplane wings and race the sun down the s-curves to the bottom. i always win.
23)....and i always also hope noone sees me. especially because i usually put on a song on the ipod that includes a cheesy chorus with lines like 'top of the world", "flying", or "free fallin'" and sing it while airplaning down.
24) i can't remember the last time i started a day without coffee.
25) i am finishing this while riding my bike on the stationary trainer and drinking diet root beer. there are many things wrong with this picture

unseasonsably easy; week 2 season 2

training in january shouldn't be this easy. heading out at 4:30 pm when it's still above 70 degrees has felt unfair. and i've been loving it. this is just what i needed to get back into the swing of things without crying. motivating to run after work when its almost dark is a pain in the arse when its cold and windy. heading out to run after work when it's 70 and you can watch the sun set over the ocean is too easy.

what's making training even better these days is my new addiction to yoga tropics hot yoga. wood floors, bamboo, beachy, ceiling fans, nice, non-critical instructors, HOT and a major workout. i've been reading all these articles on core strength and strength exercises for runners and they basically include all of the poses in this yoga (planks, push ups, one-legged business, lunges...just yogified). i made it 4 times last week. i've been having trouble counting it in my training log- becuase it is an hour and it is HARD strength and core training (and stretching). but i think it counts for 30 maybe 45 minutes of strength training. so that's how i count it. i mean its not fair to leave it out of my training hours since it IS training, but i don't think it earns full credit, right? is yoga training?


here's how the week broke down (with sliding-scale yoga discount):
total training hours : 17.2
swim yds: 8850 (3 sessions/ 2.9 hours)
run miles: 35.8 (5 hrs 5 min, more on this below)
bike miles: 89 miles (1 long ride, 1 after work ride, 1 trainer session)
strength training : 4 hot yoga sessions, 1 gym rat session

i fell a little short on my swim goal (NEED to get to 9000yds, but also NEED to get to work on time so this is tricky. I tried to make it up in my swim after my 2 hour run on sunday, but felt like jelly and told myself 3100 that day was good enough).

I also should have biked one more time and i need to get on my mountain bike. oh well. i'm still in the "close supervision" phase of mountainbiking and james and i didn't have time together for it this week. next week will be bigger on the bike. over 100 miles for sure (i know this becuase i rode 45 today) and some definite time on the mountain bike. i really want to do an xterra this year.

running was pretty great this week. i only ran 4 times, but each run was solid and fit in towards (re: climb climb climb) the xterra 15k trail race (mission gorge) i have planned for february 1st . i got in two great medium-long (1:15 mountain/trail runs on my own after work. one on our "king of the mountain" course by our house and one out in Daley Ranch with a ton of climbing and the added bonus of being scared to be eaten by a mountain lion on deserted trails.
i also ran with the wednesday night lululemon run group that i help lead. we did a nice 5.6 mile loop with a bunch of hills. we have had a great crew out there- over 20 people each wednesday (6 pm at lululemon carlsbad if you want to join us!- bring a healdlamp).

then there was the awesome sunday run. i started on my own in solana beach and ran 2 miles to meet laura and tim in del mar. ran 10 with them and finished the last two back to the car on my own to round out at 14miles/1:53.
we ran trails along the coast through del mar and up into torrey pines reserve. beach, trails, sun. so good that laura called home about it.
not really. she was just being super-mom and checking in with her daughter while clicking off the miles.



today was a day off (from work not training :) )and james and i rode for three hours together. we reminded ourselves why it is in the best interest of our life-long relationship that he tire himself out before we attempt to ride together becase today he didn't. it wasn't pretty. no need for details, just picture some pouting and choice remarks. nice. but it is monday so that counts towards next week, so maybe details then. just kidding, james. there i go again, spreading our private life over the internet. whoops.

i love lululemon & week one season 2

if you've been reading my blog at all since the carlsbad lululemon athletica store opened last year, you may have noticed that i have a minor obsession with all things lululemon. before last year, i always saw the lululemon logo on girls with bendy yogi-bodies and a certain om about them, and felt like a bit of an imposter squeezing my impossibly tight hamstrings into their clothes. but, i did fake it becuase their yoga clothes (meaning my lounge-wear) is sooo comfortable and flattering. and pretty much the only sweats around decent enough to wear anywhere. even out at night. i've done it (seen all those pictures where i am wearing the black pinstripe "coat"? its a sweathsirt. they help me get inventive in my interpretation of dressing up).

last summer, i discovered that lululemon made actual kick-butt running clothes too, including my now-favorite run shorts (i have 5 pairs) and lots of cute tops with little built in bras that help out those in the little boobie club like me. i began to feel more like i belonged in the lululemon club even though i am the girl in yoga class that needs to use the block, strap, ball or any apparatus for the flexibly challenged. they made run clothes, so i was in.

over the past six months, i've been so fortunate to meet (stalk? just kidding :) )and get to know the lululemon team. they are all fired up for 2009 and the goals they are going to accomplish- especially in the running and triathlon world. i'm lucky to be invovled with such an ambitious crew. i am SO into the company focus on goal setting becuase i really believe in setting goals that you or others aren't quite sure you can acheieve. why not? i always set 'em big. go big or go home. oh, and gotta love the lululemon athletica manifesto:

last week, i found out that i am going to be able to represent luluemon athletica as an ambassador for 2009. this means being highly involved (having fun!) with the store, working to inspire and help those in the community reach their goals, and the opportunity to sport their impossibly cute and functional clothing and accessories (have you seen those gym bags?).

another thing invovled with the lululemon ambassadorship is a photo shoot.. this is bittersweet as it is JANUARY! better known as pale-5-extra-pounds-just-off-the-off-season-January! ruh roh! better get back into shape fast.

speaking of getting back in shape. i made it through my week 1 of 2009 training. gasping for air at time, but made it.

3 strength sessions (1 hr of weights/ 1 hr hot yoga)

3 masters swim sessions (9000 yds/3hrs)

5 rides (99 miles: 1 spin class, 1 hill workout, 1 trainer session, 1 longer road ride, 1 mountain bike ride)

4 runs (31 miles: 1hr progression run on treadmill, 1 hilly 45 minute run, 1 moderate hour run, 1.5 hr/12 mile long run)

about 16.5 hours...pretty much what i can take while working full time. and some really fun workouts in there this weekend. saturday i did a road ride with a fun group on saturday and later on in the afternoon we got out with jen and her fiance for a mountainbike ride at lake hodges. james has been AWESOME giving me tips and helping me navigate the trails. i was a little concerned this would be like teaching a 16 year old to drive stick shift or something and we'd fight, but actually it has been awesome. he's been really patient (he always makes sure to tire himself out in the morning before getting out there with me- great strategy for any men out there) .
sunday, i had a fun chatty long run around the ranch with kristen and caroline. the weatherwas beautiful and i wanted to run longer! kristen a getting ready for the carlsbad marathon in two weeks and she's ready for sure- she is lookin' good! but i had to leave and head to masters to keep my promise to myself to make the 3rd masters session of the week. brutal. welcome to january.
i'm bummed for james that the Chargers lost this weekend, but i'm glad to have our sundays back :)...here's a cute picture from game day..unlike the awesome ones he posted of me on his blog. thanks babe! always got my back!

2008-how it went down.

well, the party is over... new year's was a blast and my off season is over. training Day 1 for 2009 started today! nothing says Day 1 like the stench of chlorine from the morning workout that revisits you during the evening sweaty bike session...but before getting into 2009, time to wrap up 2008...

this was my training....

total training time :697 hours (average=13.4 hours/week)

total bike miles: 4565 (average=88 miles/week)

total run miles: 1918 (average=37miles/week

total swim yds: 301,507 (average= 5,800 yds/week)

5 things i'm proud of on the athletic front (besides not getting injured!)...it was a good first season...

1) winning my first overall triathlon (olympic distance)

2) breaking 1:30 in my 2nd half marathon (silver strand 1:28:19)

3) running my first marathon in 3:03:19 (las vegas)

4) AG winner of the San Diego Triathlon points series and Xterra socal Trail Race points series.

5) racing well in my first year as the female team member of the Breakaway Training Elite team...i ended up in the top 2 in my age group in 13 of my 18 races (running+triathlon). Felipe and Luke totally took a chance on me and i was really happy to not let them down.. i think they're even going to let me race for them again next year! more on that later...good things to come for sure :)

SO that was the good, but i also had a couple bad races and really learned a lot from them (USATF Cross Country Nationals, racing sick at Vineman 70.3) . XC nationals was THE WORST. I think I came in like 74th out of 81 women and I've never seen so many spectators in my life "cheering" me on. I'll never forget the one who shouted, " you're a winner for just being out there!"..sweet.

5 things to work on (just the top of a long list)

1)swimming .all around. and finding the motivation to do it. 10,000 yds a week. nothing crazy but a definite increase from an average of 5,800/week

2)biking. if i want to be competitive at the half ironman distance, i need to be able to ride 10 to 15 minutes faster over 56 miles. This means holding a speed of 20mph over the distance. Seeing as how my usual bike rides are between 15 (i know, sad, isn't it?) and 17mph, once i get a base going, i need to speed up big time. i also need to RIDE MORE. my jan-march plan includes 4-5 rides per week. 2-3 are indoors because i am not tough like that.

3) a big IF i decide to run a marathon (Chicago or NYC), I want to work on my running to where i could run a sub-3 marathon. i think i can i think i can i think i can.

4) being a much better, more attentive future-wife and friend to my new and old friends. when i'm training a bunch, i tend to want to spend all my free time hanging out at home and cooking and wearing a LOT of sweatpants and getting to bed very early- this makes it tough to interact in an appropriate social manner. i need to get out more , not flake on plans (great at making them, bad at keeping them) and also get in touch with a lot of my awesome friends and family that i sometimes forget to call when i am really tired. also, i need to be nice to james. all the time...even when i am tired...which brings me to #5

5) sleep more. no one wants a sleep deprived grumper-face. especially james. i need to be in bed by 9, to fall asleep by 10 to get up before 5am everyday.

okay. done with 2008. except for these pictures from virginia:

this picture sequence is funny....james teaches Greyson a new trick with the maglite (dad- james totally gave the maglite you got him for christmas away to a baby! how rude, huh? give him coal next year)

james demonstrates...

Greyson gives it a shot....

Creepy glowing baby mouth!

so all in all, 2008 was an incredible year. quite possibly the best one yet becuase i tricked james into wanting to marry me! i really couldn't have accomplished my athletic goals without my parents, coach tim the jog doctor, felipe and everyone at breakaway training.

and of course....the one and only, love of my life, who can induce this look of pure love and bliss...

next up in 2009, the big graduation from grad school, a goal to break 5 hours in a half ironman, more fun times training with all the amazing friends (like family!) in san diego....and a WEDDING...wahooo! i can't wait.