Freezer Cooking - Menu Plan Aug 30

With the weekend fairly open, I decided to sit down with my cookbooks and favorite websites and create some menus for the upcoming weeks. I didn't have anything fancy in mind - just some meals in the fridge, some in the freezer and my mind at ease.

A few years ago I was in a freezer cooking group with some awesome cooks like Karen Riggenbach, Holly Mason and Elizabeth Baker. Karen & Holly always knew just what to do and I took advantage of the opportunity to learn how to cook under their tutelage as well as use the time to bond with some fantastic women that I love and admire. Our little group hasn't cooked together in quite some time even though I still have a tub of spices and condiments in my basement just in case the group should ever decide to cook again. Then again, maybe most of that stuff needs to be just thrown out by now.

I learned about freezer cooking when I attended Hearts at Home, a Christ-centered organization for moms. Since cooking has never been a favorite activity of mine, I decided to give it a try. I bought a book called the "Freezer Cooking Manual" from 30 day Gourmet.  I planned my first freezer cooking day and just happened to mention it to my friend, Elizabeth, who joined me on my first adventure into freezer cooking. Our group expanded to include Karen & Holly and we eventually purchased a software package from 30 day Gourmet called Advantage Cooking. The Advantage Cooking software will create various worksheets for you to use such as a grocery shopping list, recipe inventory to keep track of what you have in the freezer, and even sorts recipes by appliances used (i.e. crock pot or stove top).

On Saturday, I spent the day trolling through recipes. This is what I came up with.

Beef Entrees						Quantity			Servings
		Crock Pot Enchiladas						2	serves 8
		Make-ahead Chimichangas						2	makes 16
		Roast						2	use for French Dip Sandwiches
		Sweet & Sour Meatballs						1	serves 4-6
Breads and Breakfast						Quantity			Servings
		Breakfast Burritos						2	makes 12
		Orange Rainsin Bran Muffns						1	12
		Sausage & Cheese Breakfast Casserole						1	12
		Sweet Potato Pancakes						1	serves 4
Pork and Fish Entrees						Quantity			Servings
		English Pizzas						1	serves 6
Poultry Entrees						Quantity			Servings
		Cashew Chicken						2	serves 6
		Crockpot Sweet & Sour Chicken w/mango						2
		Grilled Sesame Chicken						2	serves 6
Sides and Salads						Quantity			Servings
		Broccoli Casserole						2	serves 4-6
		Fruit and Nut Cous Cous						1	serves 6
Snacks and Desserts						Quantity			Servings
		Good-for-You Granola						1	makes 12 cups
Soups and Sandwiches						Quantity			Servings
		Mango gazpacho w/shrimp and avocado						1	serves 2

Now, not everything got made today, but Camo-Man prepared the Sausage & Cheese Breakfast Casserole so I can just pop it in the oven in the morning. We made up 2 meals each of crock pot enchiladas, Make-ahead Chimichangas, Cashew Chicken, Grilled Sesame Chicken, and sweet & sour meatballs and proudly stored them in the freezer until they are needed. I also whipped up the Good-For-You Granola for a snack as well. Tomorrow we're going to have Crockpot Sweet & Sour Chicken with mango. I'll put one in the crock pot in the morning and one in the freezer for later. Tomorrow night and Wednesday we'll cook up the breakfast burritos (since I bought the wrong sausage anyway), orange raisin bran muffins and sweet potato pancakes.

My plan may not be perfect, but it's a start. I feel so much better knowing I have something on hand to feed my family - something nutritious and easily prepared. For some reason, I'm not one of those women who have a long list of tried and true recipe to fall back on. I rarely make the same thing twice. Why? Because I'll find some recipe, make it and then never find it again. The Advantage Cooking software has helped me plan meals and organize my recipes. I only wish I could nutritional information out of it as well, but maybe that will be in the next upgrade.

So that's my plan and I'm sticking to it. What do you have planned for dinner this week?

Recipe:Garlic Pita Chips

I am constantly looking for some good recipes to replace the processed foods that my dear husband seems to think he "needs" in his lunch. I understand the desire to crunch and munch, but hate thinking about all of the unnecessary and unhealthy additives that food manufacturer's put into our food. I found a recipe for Garlic Pita Chips from MyRecipes.com. I think I might give this a try and see if my two picky eaters: Sunshine & Diva Princess will take the bait!

Belly Fat - Location, Location, Location (Pt 1)

Not all fat is created equal. Fat can be stored throughout one’s body, but the most critical factor is location, location, location. Abdominal fat, or visceral fat, lies beneath the stomach muscles and affects the body’s critical organs such as the pancreas and liver. Visceral fat is also known as toxic fat because it causes insulin, the hormone responsible for storing fat, to become less effective, making you more susceptible to diabetes.

Study after study shows that visceral fat increases your risk of many critical diseases, such as hypertension, cancer, dementia and heart disease. A waist which measures more than 32 inches increases your risk of diabetes.  Women whose waists measure more than 35 inches are twice as likely to die of heart disease as women whose midsections measure 28 inches or less.

Visceral fat also seriously affects the liver. The liver is responsible for detoxing one’s body and filtering out harmful substances. When the liver is surrounded by visceral fat, it has a harder time eliminating all of the toxins in the body. One disease associated with visceral fat around the liver is NASH (Non-Alcoholic SteatoHepatitis), or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which is basically what killed my mother.

Because of my family history of diabetes and fatty liver disease – and being a family of apples instead of pears, I am constantly fighting belly bulge. Several articles I’ve read recently state that abdominal fat is the easiest fat to lose. Statements such as these drive me crazy:

Penny Kris-Etherton, PhD, RD stated in a Web MD article, “Visceral fat, the kind tucked deep inside your waistline, is more metabolically active and easier to lose than subcutaneous fat under the skin, especially if you have plenty of it."  

Really? Cause my personal several year study says otherwise. Yes, as soon as I get back into an exercise routine, I can instantly tell a difference in the way my jeans fit around the waist, but the muffin top still remains. 

The fat keeps hanging on like a big, old smelly tire around my belly.

Recently, I read another article about belly fat which may help to explain the never ending cycle of the belly bulge

When under stress, your body releases stress hormones including cortisol. When your body remains constantly stressed and cortisol levels remain high, your body prepares for a hardship, or starvation, and begins storing fat in your body. When in this hardship mode, your body will even take fat from healthier areas, such as your butt or hips, and move the fat to your abdomen, where more cortisol receptors are located. Your body will then turn healthy peripheral fat into visceral fat, increasing inflammation and insulin resistance in your body.

As you can see, it’s a never ending cycle! And this is simply how cortisol works in a normal person's body. How does diabetes affect that never ending cycle? 


Stay tuned and we'll see. 

Call me a WHINO

Yes, the week of the guinea pig continues. In the last week, I've tried eating the following snacks before bed:

• Popcorn - My all time favorite snack. I could crunch and munch on it forever. However, it didn't really help my bs reading which 129 in the morning.
• Almonds & Oatmeal Squares - I tried a protein and carb combination wondering if the protein would help since it takes longer for your body to process Nope, BS = 127 in the morning
• Glass of red wine - I read on one of the forums at Diabetes Daily about a T2 diabetic who drank a glass of red wine before bed each night and it really helped his/her morning readings. Me? BS = 107
• Bud Light Lime - Last night after our board meeting, a few of us went to our local awesome restaurant, Perdue's Grill, and had an adult beverage. My drink of choice was Bud Light Lime. What do you think happened? BS = 102 (It is also important to note that during the meeting I tried to say no to the cookies I bought for the board members, but they were Reese's Pieces Cookies and they called out my name towards the end of the night. Who am I to deny them?)

So after a week's experiment, I've come to the conclusion that I can no longer deny my alcoholic roots. I must give in to the call of the moonshine and drink.....and drink lots of it. Or maybe, possibly a better plan would be to continue my cute little experiment and see what else comes out of all this. 

The one question I've begun to ponder is how am I supposed to lose weight if I can't go more than a couple of hours without eating? I've had the most success in losing weight when I go to bed slightly hungry. Do I eat more, smaller meals? Should I spread out my calories throughout the day better? Ugh, my head hurts just thinking about it. Which do I need to balance more? Calories? Carbs? Blood Sugars? OH MY!

GFTW Giveaway: $150 Athleta Giftcard!

Because I've been looking for some new workout gear, I've been salivating over the Athleta line of clothes. Their workout clothes are so cute! And to top it off, I discovered I needed a new bathing suits one day after a training workout. The chlorine had eaten its way through my training swim suit right in the middle of my butt crack! Oh my word! I was really hoping my lifeguard staff didn't see my humongo butt cheek through my nearly mesh black suit. PLEASE! So, I am hoping to win this Athleta Giftcard, but I will be nice and share and hope that if I can't win, maybe one of my friends will win instead. So, follow the link and take a chance. You just might win! Goals for the Week!: The BIG Giveaway: $150 Athleta Giftcard!

Abe's Amble Race Report

Knock this one off of the Race Bucket List

On Sunday, August 22, I returned to my hometown to run in the 2010 Abe's Amble. It's a 10k race which according to the race reviews I've read  is pretty dang hilly. I hope I don't spoil it for you when I say they weren't lying.

I'm not quite sure why this race was such a big deal for me. I guess growing up in the Springfield area I've always heard about it. Living in the land of Honest Abe, I've always had to participate or visit virtually every site which is even remotely related to our 16th President. Plus, how much better could it get? The race starts at the Illinois State Fairground out the main gates around Lincoln Park and through Oak Ridge Cemetery (Abe's final resting place) and then back to the fairgrounds. I could combine all of my passions: Genealogy, History and Physical Fitness.

Because of my newly found nutrition awareness, I arrived at the fairgrounds armed with a water bottle and a banana. In the last couple of months, I've run two different hilly races and wound up with cramps in my calves at Steamboat Classic and hamstrings at the Lakeland Bi-Tri Classic. Because I knew Abe's Amble was also a hilly race, I brought the water bottle to get nice and hydrated and banana for the nutrition - and the extra bonus of potentially controlling my blood sugar.

Awesome Cheryl & I arrived at 7 am with plenty of time to make a pit stop. We like to laugh at all of the hard core runners who are warming up jogging up and down the fairway. Us? We just walk and talk and watch people. We found ourselves a nice middle-of-the-pack starting spot and with 5 minutes before the state of the race, I ate my banana. I hoped the banana would provide enough fuel in my system and prevent my liver from doing a dump at the 30 minute mark.

Being fancy people like all people of the Land of Lincoln are, we didn't have a gun to start the race. I vaguely heard a "GO!" and the herd started moving. I set my start time as I crossed the chip timing mats and we were off.

I started the race feeling pretty good. It was pretty packed and I couldn't set my own pace. I had to let the 1,100 other runners around me set it for me. After a short while we could move a little better. The first mile to mile and a half I stayed with Awesome Cheryl. At about 1.7  miles, I started up my first hill and that's when I felt a large burn in my stomach. I've come to the conclusion that these occasional burns that I feel are when my liver does a glucose dump. I've noticed in my various triathlons that I feel a burn when I ingest a Hammer Gel. It's my theory that the sudden dump of sugar into my system creates the burning sensation. Up that hill is when I lost Awesome Cheryl.


The route went through a small portion of a Springfield neighborhood. As I was crossing the 2nd mile marker, I heard police sirens. I said a little prayer hoping everyone was ok - and then realized it was the police escort for the race leader who was heading back to the finish line. Now tell me that wasn't demoralizing? Here I have just finished my big push up this gargantuan hill trying to catch my breath when the race leader passes me. He's finished 4 miles while I have only finished 2 - in 20:08. I know I am not fast, but that really put me in my place. The gentleman behind me was kindly calling out "1st Place Awesome. 2nd Place Go Get him. 3rd Place Keep it up........1st place ladies". I wondered if he was going to continue this through the entire event. What would he be saying when he got to me? "1000th place....keep moving. Don't stop now."

The route took us into Oak Ridge Cemetery through the main gates just off of North Grand Avenue. Entering Oak Ridge you can see Lincoln's Tomb ahead. Being a lover of history, I really enjoyed this part of the race. I had two history teachers running along side of me and they were just as in awe as I was about having our 16th President buried right there in our little home town. After passing the tomb, the hills start up again, small ones, bigger ones. Finally, at the 3 mile, the route starts to loop back to the fair as you run around the Illinois Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The route then passed directly in front of the graves of my parents, brother and nephew who are buried together not far from the war memorial.

One of my pet peeves in racing is people who walk run. Don't ask me why. Actually, I'll tell you why. Because I am competitive and in my mind I am thinking "Oh look at the walker. They must be having a tough day. They should just be happy to be out here competing in this event.".....and then about the time I catch up to them they start running and pull away from me. Grrrr. The last 2 miles I had a couple of people who were driving me crazy with this...walk, run, walk, run. Don't make me mad now. I'll have to unleash the power of my incredible legs and squash you at the finish with my faster than a jack rabbit sprint.

During the final two miles, I came back to that hill where I think my body did a liver dump - and I had to back up that mule. About half way up, I decided to walk to the top. I still had fears of cramping in my head and decided it would be worth it to not push it up the hill if I could keep my kick at the end. I set a target on where I would start running again and I was off. Before you knew it, I was back on the fairgrounds heading to the grandstand.

And wouldn't you know it.
The lady in the green shorts.
She was twice my age.
She was a walk-runner and you know I can't stand that.
AND she was about 100 yards in front of me as we hit the 6 mile mark of what turned out to be a 6.3 mile run.

That was the motivation I needed. I wasn't going to let some old hag in baggy green shorts beat me. Oh no. Not today. The final 0.3 mile went from a 10-minute mile to a 6:31 pace. Yah, I've still got it. I just need to work on the mental attitude in the middle. That is where I fall short.

I finished the race in 1:04.58, an average 10:29 pace. Considering the amount of hills, I was pretty happy with that. I finished 480 overall (HEY! I beat over half of the runners. Wow, just realized that.), 193/590 women, 24/72 in my age group.

Awesome Cheryl - being the awesome athlete that she is - finished in 57:40, an average 9:18 pace. 305 overall, 95/590, and 17/84 in her age group. See? I told you she was awesome.

After the race, we walked for a minute or two and went to buy some ice cold water. #1 Problem with Abe's Amble - the water wasn't cold, but I guess when you consider they are serving 1,100 runners I shouldn't complain, aye? We decided we didn't need to stick around for the awards and walked back to my car. When I got there, I was quite horrified to realize that my blood sugar was soaring at an awful 350! I hate half a banana and checked my blood sugars an hour later. Back down to a better range of 117.

Overall I enjoyed the Abe's Amble 10k. I would probably do it again. It's funny how an unsatisfactory run can sit with you though. I went out for a 5 mile run last night and wanted to keep my pace between 9:30-9:45 and try to finish under 48 minutes. I tested my bs before running and it was 169. I knew it was higher because I didn't have any fuel in my stomach. I ate some yogurt and a piece of toast before taking off. I even made sure I had my phone on me in case I had any problems, but I felt pretty good last night. My average pace was 9:40 and I completed the full 5 miles in 48:23. My best pace was 7:47. Hmmm, who knew I could go so fast in a training run. After the run, I took my bs again - 182. Not too bad considering the amount of exercise I had just endured. I drank a glass of red wine and went to bed. We'll see what happens in the morning.

Going to College

I know it's hard to believe, but I've really got college on the brain right now. Most of my summer staff and lifeguards are returning or going away to college for the first time. It's been an interesting week listening to parents and students who are going through this transition. Some kids seem to take it all in stride and don't skip a beat while others struggle as they go through the motions of being away from their family and friends for the 1st time.

I was trolling through some websites trying to decide how I'm going to approach my fall menu planning when I came across Teri's Blog's post about going away to college. I find it hard to believe, but my little baby Hollywood will be starting college in 3 short years. I guess it's never too early to get prepared for that day.

Workout Plan for week of the Guinea Pig - Aug 23

It's a busy week this week as the kids are getting into their fall activities and school schedule. Already we've had a 3rd grade meltdown, a 7th grade temper tantrum and a sophomore gloat. Yes, Hollywood thinks she's on top of the world and the most important person out there. As her mom, I can't necessarily disagree, but I don't want her head to get too big.

This week is my Great Guinea Pig week. I have just become my one science experiment. After yesterday's freaky 350 blood sugar (bs), I've decided to try some different things this week. I'm going to workout at night instead of in the morning. I've read some diabetes forums which state that evening workouts don't cause the blood sugar spikes like morning workouts do. I took today as a rest day since I'm having my cholesterol checked in the morning and need to fast tonight. I didn't want to workout this evening and then not be able to eat after I burn off all of those calories. Here is my plan for the rest of the week:

Tuesday: 5 miles easy (pm)
Wednesday: Bike ride (am) - Can't work out at night, but need to get a workout in
Thursday: 5 miles moderate (pm)
Friday: Bike ride (am) - 1st home football game Friday night and I have to watch Hollywood dance!
Saturday: May try to run 8 miles in the morning. If not, I'll plug something else in (maybe a swim?), but my first choice would be doing the 8 miles Sunday early evening. So, we'll see when the 8 miles gets done. It just need to be done.

So, there's my plan. Time to get my sweat on!

Bento Box Basics for Back-to-School | Alphamom

As school begins again, I'm constantly looking for ways to get my kids eating healthy foods. Let's face it. Eating a few carrots can be boring, but if you present them correctly, you might actually peak your kids' interest. Here is a link on Bento Boxes. I don't have one, but I think I'm going to give some of her ideas a try. The article was written by Wendolonia. Check out her blog. It's full of awesome ideas as well.

Bento Box Basics for Back-to-School | Alphamom

Becoming a D-Blogger

The title of my blog is Defying my Destiny; however, for the past year, it should have been denying my destiny. Just to give you an idea of what I've been doing this past week, read my post below on Diabetes Daily.

Triathlete & T2

This week has been an awakening for me. In May 2009, I was diagnosed as Type 2 Diabetic. I spent a day crying on the couch and then decided to step up my exercise. I've always been an athlete and love working out. I was already training for a sprint triathlon and used that as motivation to lose 15 lbs which I did over the next few months. My doctor told me at my diagnosis to check my blood sugars once a day at various times of the day before meals or when I first get up in the morning. By his method, I was normally higher in the morning (probably 115-120) and that was it.

My first A1C was in November and I was pretty happy when it was 6. My doctor gave me a pat on the back, said keep the good work and continue what I was doing. At that point, honestly I was frustrated with poking my fingers and quit daily monitoring. My rationalization was that it was only high in the morning and it was a pain to check my sugars when it always told me the same things.

Over the few months, I started training for a half marathon. I stopped losing weight by this time, but felt good about my exercise level. I had my 2nd A1C in June. It was 6.9. I was concerned about my increase but attributed it to returning to work full time (60-70 hrs/wk) and not eating as well as I should. But my rising A1C bugged me.

I read an article in Diabetic Living which said if you really wanted to pinpoint your high sugars you need to monitor before and after meals as well as exercise. So, that's what I started doing this week. As usual, my early morning readings are in the 115-120 range. After meals, still not bad 139 1 hour after meal, 111 2 hours after meal. However, exercise is throwing my body for a loop.

I normally workout in the morning. Last Tuesday I ran 6 miles and my BS was 147. OK, fine. A little high, but it made me curious. Thursday I ran 3 miles and my BS was 226. Holy Moly! Today I ran a 10k (6 mi) race. I ate a banana 5 minutes before the start hoping that would help. Ran my 6 miles - not quickly mind you. I will never be fast, but at least I'm doing it. We walked to my car about 15 minutes after the race completed and I took my bs: 350! 

I am not currently on any medications. I have not been to an endo. BUT I will be calling my doctor this week to discuss this. I'm wondering if my "endurance training" is what caused my A1C to rise last June.

I'd love to here feedback from anyone. I am going to continue to monitor my bs better. I'm also going to try and exercise at night since I was another posting about how changing to evening workouts helped. I'm just aggravated. I feel like my body is betraying me. I'm working out very hard to keep weight off and be healthy, but it seems to be backfiring.

Thanks -
Carla

Run like a Gazelle

After a day of rest on Friday, I thought I was ready to hit the pavement for 8 glorious miles; however, my husband had other ideas. He went for a bike ride Saturday morning which left me at home with Diva Princess and her overnight guest. I finally hit the Morton Bike Trail at 11:30 am Saturday. No problem, I thought. The heat is down 10 degrees. Humidity is much better.

Hmmmpf. What was I thinking?

Lessons to learn when running on a hot Saturday afternoon:
1) Bring a towel - I wasn't 15 minutes into my run and I was drenched. I didn't have a dry corner of my shirt to wipe my face with. Sweat dripping into your eyes and down your face can be rather distracting when you are trying to focus on 8 long, hot miles.
2) Make sure your path is shaded. My poor memory didn't recall the lack of shade on my chosen running path. On top of it, there wasn't much of a breeze, only still air, which made the heat seem that much worse.
3) You may want to invest in a fuel belt so you can have water on hand at all times. No water + No Shade = A way too hot body.
4) Pack a cooler in your car which would provide you with fresh, ice cold water as well as fruit for the quick carbs that you need after a nice run.
5) Don't answer your phone no matter who is calling. It's always work and you don't want to hear from them after you've just completed a less than stellar training run.

Following my catastrophic run, I became the Wicked Witch of the West. I fought with Camo-Man. I was aggravated with one of my employees and I turned into a morose, grumpy crab at a friend's going away party when I should have been enjoying the last moments I was going to have with a dear friend for a while. I hit the sack about 9:30 pm that night and didn't get up until 8:30 the next morning. Do you think I needed some sleep? Yes, sleep is required for my body and I apparently wasn't getting enough of it.

Unfortunately, Sunday was barely any better. I don't know why I was in this funk, but thankfully Camo-Man and I went for a late night swim. There's something about the stillness of the water with the stars blinking above you to relax your mind and body and take all of your cares away. I swam 1200 yards and felt relaxed and ready for sleep as soon as my wet head hit my pillow.

And so it's time once again to say good night. Another day completed. Due to some other commitments, I took today as a rest day. I'm planning on getting up and running 6 miles to start my day tomorrow.

Swim like a fish

The last 48 hours have been pretty good for my body. Wednesday night I did 5 miles of intervals through town. Yes, at 9:30 pm and no, I did not fall like Sunday night. The humidity was tough though. So I decided to implement some lessons learned from Run Less Run Faster and work on some speedwork. Call me wimpy, but it certainly helped the 5 miles go by a little easier.

Thursday morning I decided it was time to re-bond with Dolce and set out on a longer bike ride. 23 miles in the humid morning and my legs were tired for the rest of the day. That night Camo-Man and I decided to head up to the pool and do some lap swimming. I can't wait for that pool to close, except that I like taking advantage of it when I need to get some laps in. So maybe a small part of me will be sad when it shuts down. I really wasn't in the mood to swim. I was in the mood to sit on my butt and snuggle with my kiddos, but Camo-Man wanted to exercise. I got into the pool and just thought I'd do a few laps. I put my head down and didn't come out until I had finished 1000 yards! That was a miracle for me! Usually, I'd do a 50 and then stop to catch my breath and go again. Now, I definitely took some deep breaths before turning around heading back, but I was constantly in movement and FELT AWESOME. It made me think I actually could swim!

Today is a rest day for me. I wanted to get into work early so I could spend the afternoon in a lounge chair by the pool. Sometime over the weekend I need to run 8 miles and it sounds like Sunday might be the better day considering the cool front which is supposed to come in Saturday night. So maybe tomorrow will be a bike ride with my Camo-Man and Sunday will be 8 miles before church and swimming that night. Who knows? I just feel very accomplished right now and very happy with my workouts this week. Yay me!

So, what are you doing to move your body this weekend?

Race Report: Lakelane Bi-Tri Classic 2010

Imagine you are swimming, gliding through the water. Nothing can hold you back. You run to your bike, slip on your shoes, and you are off hammering a way to a PR bike ride. You head back to rack your bike and take off on a run which makes you feel like you are running on clouds.

Well, that wasn't me today. I swam like a rock. Biked like a ninny on the hills. AND cramped during my run. I definitely did not get the improvement that I wanted to see. But let's start this again with the real race report.

My road crew (Camo-Man) and I packed up the car the night before. So I all I had to do was get dressed, eat, brush my teeth and walk out the door at 6:15. Like I said, nothing went according to plan. Leaving the house at 6:30 started my day off with some unnecessary anxiety about having enough time to set up my transition paraphernalia. We arrived in Canton about 7:20 and Camo-Man being the excellent road crew that he is dropped me off so I could get registered and body marking while he checked my tires and made sure my bike was all set.

As I walked back to the transition area, my road crew pulled up with Dolce - all shiny and prepped for the race. I set up my transition area and made my way to the port-a-potty lines....made it through the line before the race, much to my bladder's relief. We made our way down to the beach where my tri photographer (again, AKA Camo-Man) took a pre-race picture of me with Gene and Glen who all signed up for the 3rd wave of swimmers. Don't we look like we are ready to rock Lakeland Park?

Gene, Glen and me...being a non-conformist and not
wearing my T3 gear

We put on our red condom caps pulling them down over my ears to keep out the water. I hate those things. They definitely remind me of condoms with their thin lycra material and while I'm sure they offer some protection, it certainly isn't a 100% guarantee that they won't rip. And the following statement is an example of when I say shocking things at inappropriate moments. I turned to Gene - with my husband standing right there mind you - and say, "You sure do look good in a condom."

Condom Caps - not a pretty sight

The race director started the 1st wave. I went into panic mode. Again, I asked the age old question of "Why do we do this to ourselves?" I really do think I am an idiot at this point to even think about doing these types of events. Who would want to do this?

I think I am actually praying in this picture.

Finally, it's time for our wave to begin. All that's left are red (3rd wave) and yellow caps (4th wave). Like Gene said when he looked at our pictures later, "Carla, you can't walk on water."  Well, why not? I think I should have tried.

Walk on water? Sure, why not?

I followed the novice triathletes sage advice for the open water swim - stay at the back of the pack, stay on the outside and relax. I let everyone else take off in front of me. I went to the outside and I felt good for about the first 100 yards. I got into my groove and had my freestyle going.....until I ran into my first swimmer. I've discovered that anything which disturbs my mojo really disturbs my confidence. Now not only do I have to site the buoy, but I also have to watch the swimmer I just ran into. I put my head down and start swimming again...oops...I found another swimmer. As I popped my head out of the water, I realize that every sound is magnified. WTF? Why am I hearing my breathing so clearly - so loudly and itensely? Why do I hear every slap of the water against my head? I tried to ignore the magnified sounds, but this issue really started to freak me out. I wanted to keep the water out of my ears, but decided the magnification was not worth it. I pulled the cap above my ears on both sides and start swimming again. After rounding the first buoy, I can't seem to calm myself down. I flip over on my back...ggrrrrr....I did not want to spend time staring at the sky. I wanted to improve my swim time 1st and foremost. Finally, I decided to site my line again...and discovered that I am a horrible back stroker. I was falling way off course, swerving to the outside away from all of the other swimmers. At least I wouldn't run into anyone, right???? After a few flip flops between my freestyle and backstroke, I finally round the final buoy. Unfortunately, you can tell from this picture that I definitely at the back of the pack. I was NOT the last red cap out of the water (by about 3 others), but I did have some yellow caps pass me...which was discouraging enough.

No, I haven't caught up to the wave in front of me.
I'm way back in the pack.

I make my way out of the water and I think this picture says it all. Even Camo-Man said it looked like something was bothering me when I came out of the water. I felt very discouraged with my swim and could feel my PR slipping through my fingers like the sand from the beach slipped between my toes.

Not happy with that swim

My transition felt like it took forever. I poured some water over my toes to make sure I cleaned all of the sand off of my feet. I put on my socks and bike shoes, clipped on my race belt and helmet, put on my bike gloves and sunglasses....and 3 minutes and 11 seconds later (grrrr)...I was off.

Me and Dolce off for a ride!

At the lake swim last week, I told a fellow novice triathlete that the bike course was pretty flat....boy do I have a poor memory. The first half of the loop out has long sloping hills which makes for a bad ride for me since every time I shifted into uphill mode I felt a gust of wind as someone passed me! The second half of the loop is much flatter. I felt much stronger during this portion of the ride and even chatted with a few volunteers at the turned around. Once on my way back, I tried to keep up with "the purple bra" lady ahead of me. I slowly picked up steam on the flats and came within probably 75 yards of her....until we hit the second half of the loop back....the hills. She left me in her dust. Amazingly, I still look like I am smiling when I come back in for T2.

When I hit T2, I realized I had made a horrible mistake. I left my running shoes double knotted and had to take the time to untie them before slipping them on....grrrr......I made my way out of the bike area and out on the run course. I had a woman ahead of me and passed in pretty quickly. I passed a few people on the run which made me feel better because even though I don't have one strong leg of the triathlon I do feel the running portion is probably my strongest.....even though I am still slow. My legs felt pretty good transitioning from the bike to the run, or at least better than they did in the Tremont Triathlon. I got to the 2 mile marker and started feeling my hamstrings tighten up. Oh crap. A couple of times in the run I had to stop and stretch my hamstrings which were starting to cramp on all of the hills. To add to my aggravation, I had a gentleman in front of me, who I passed while he walked and I thought I was putting distance between us until he started to run again just as my hamstrings cramped.

Yes, this is him, my nemesis. The interval runner.

If I had strong legs, my plan was to pass and kick his ass at the end; however, my legs had an idea of their own. Let's loaf and let the fat guy beat us. Great plan! Yah, great plan.

I finished my run as stopped to stretch my hamstrings immediately. Once I felt I could move without cramping, I made my way to the refreshments and grabbed two bananas. Apparently, I need to work on my hydration and intake of potassium and magnesium especially when I am doing a hilly race.

I finished the race and waited for my time to be posted. Unfortunately, I was not going to be happy. I didn't improve on the swim. My bike was basically the same and my run was SLOWER! Tell me how that happened? Oh wait. Oh yah. Cramps. Grrr. I didn't feel the need to stick around for the awards. I've never received an individual AG bling bling. After dropping Dolce off at Little Ade's in Pekin, I dove into my bed as soon as I got home with a slight headache which is another sign of dehydration. When I woke up, I checked the triathlon website and discovered I actually finished 3rd in my age group.

Female 40 to 44

Overall

------- Swim -------

------- T1 -------

------- Bike -------

------- T2 -------

------- Run -------

Total

Place

Place

Name

Age

Rnk

Time

Pace

Rnk

Time

Pace

Rnk

Time

Rate

Rnk

Time

Pace

Rnk

Time

Pace

Time

1

81

Lyn Bergman

40

4

12:50.75

45:50

2

01:46.55

1

41:23.55

17.4

1

00:40.05

1

24:08.00

8:03

1:20:48.90

2

116

Kristen Coultas

40

1

11:09.35

39:49

3

01:51.05

2

43:53.00

16.4

3

01:37.65

2

29:02.40

9:41

1:27:33.45

3

146

Carla Leber

41

5

13:29.95

48:09

5

03:11.00

3

47:35.20

15.1

4

01:42.70

3

29:56.90

9:59

1:35:55.75

4

149

Susan Szalczynski

41

3

12:31.75

44:42

1

01:24.80

5

48:42.45

14.8

2

00:59.45

5

32:58.50

10:59

1:36:36.95

5

151

Shelli Miles

42

2

12:01.85

42:55

4

02:33.55

4

47:47.65

15.1

5

02:21.20

4

32:39.70

10:53

1:37:23.95

My first award and I didn't stick around to receive it. Like I said, today was a day when nothing was going to go right.