Tuesday I was out of town for work, so I knew that I had to get a workout in before we left at 7:30am. I woke up at 6:09 and was out the door by 6:15. It wasn’t the best for my performance, but I just wanted to get it in. I got in a good 30 minute workout. It felt great to be out in the fresh air and I’m glad I did because the weather has taken a turn to being really wet. Wet rain and snow has been coming down since last night. I didn’t get home until 7:00 last night, so I was way too tired and hungry to do a workout before the 10:00 bedtime I’ve been trying to adhere to.

Today, being Wednesday, is my day off and I’m glad. So I’m enjoying being inside, watching the wet drops come down and I can know that I’m not missing any workouts due to weather. Work is busy and I’m on out of town on Thursday and Friday. I guess my running shoes will be used while I’m away and I might be able to get in a swim on Friday afternoon somewhere. I kind of miss the pool… I never thought I’d say that!

This Saturday I did a very sprint triathlon. It was a 500m swim in the pool, 8km on the bike, and 3km on the track – no transitions. Overall it was great, but I really noticed how different it feels to do short distances as opposed to long-distance training. It’s funny because I felt like I was hitting my stride at about lap 8 of the swim, the last kilometre of the bike, and about lap 11 of the run (although I was getting tired for the last lap because I sprinted trying to keep up with the girl in front of me – thanks for the race, Chantelle!). My times were as follows:
500m swim: 9:07
8km bike: 16:44
3km run: 16:14

However, afterwards my neck was KILLING me. It created a very bad headache. So bad that I actually went and purchased some ibuprofen, which I never do. It helped a lot and the next day was not as bad. I just kept on stretching out my neck in hope that it would go away, which it mostly have. Upon doing some reading, apparently triathletes are more likely to have back and neck pain because they train a lot for this multisport.

On Saturday night, I went curling at L’s work social. It was great, but I sure haven’t used those muscles very much! So I’m a bit sore in my upper back and my hip flexors. It kind of feels good to be sore, though.

Sunday was kind of a bad day and I kept a low profile. My neck was sore and I had a headache and decided to suffer through the day. It ended not to badly and I just kept stretching it out.

This morning I decided to skip swimming because of my neck and went for a nice 5km run. I have to sign up for the marathon at the end of May, which I’m pretty stoked about. I have never run just a running race (since high school) . It will be a good experience, I think. Either that or it will scare the crap out of me for Ironman. Either way, it will probably be beneficial.

Food Diary for the Week
Monday
* run for 5km
Breakfast: Smoothie
Snack: Clif bar
Lunch: 2c. pasta with tofu and veggies (leftover)
Supper: Tempeh burgers with home fries from regular and sweet potatoes

Tuesday:
* a short 30 minute run
Breakfast: smoothie
Lunch: leftover pasta (AGAIN)
Supper: a wonderful stirfry made by my parloqual!

Wednesday:
Breakfast: smoothie
Snack: oatmeal
Lunch: leftover stirfry
Supper:

Last night I had an event for work, which included supper. The staff did “all right” accommodating for me. However, think of this scenario:
A room full of “the good ol’ boys” club of agrologists (ie. fairly conservative farms who all have trucks and absolutely LOVE their Canadian beef) mingling with alcohol and talk of the disappearing family farm. The announcer then asks the TWO people who requested vegan or vegetarian meals to please raise their hands. I am not usually meek about my diet, but I did not want to raise my hand. I’m not sure if lynching is outlawed for herbivores! So I felt a little silly after that, having had everyone judge me based on my choice of diet. However, I went on as if nothing happened and I got my food first.

The staff then brought out this TINY bit of couscous with some tofu on top of it. I have to admit the tofu was very tasty (apparently much more tasty than the salmon that everyone else ate), but there just wasn’t enough. I even loaded up on salad and veggies from the buffet. Plain and simply there was not enough protein to fuel my ever-increasing training. However, there was not much I could do about it. I got home after 9:30 from the boring-ass meeting and bedtime these days is 10:00 in order to easily facilitate the 6:00 wake-up time.

So I went to bed hungry and got up hungry. I didn’t eat until after swimming, which is probably why I felt so sluggish in the pool. Actually, sluggish doesn’t quite describe it. It was more like I felt completely unmotivated to keep up with my lane-mates. So I lagged behind and barely pushed hard enough to breathe hard at the end of a lap. I did slug out about 2900m, but I didn’t even feel like I had worked out by the end of it. It could also be that my muscles just aren’t where my lungs are, in terms of endurance.

Tomorrow is my first race of the season – a short indoor triathlon. The weather is supposed to be beautiful so I can’t help but feel tempted to just skip it and do my own duathlon outside, but I helped to organize it so I can’t really bail even if I wanted to. It should be fun anyway. It’s always a nice reunion of the triathlon community. I am going to eat so much food tonight! Here I come with carbo-loading and lots of protein!

This morning I went for a good half hour run along the river. It felt great, like I hadn’t missed 3 weeks! My base must be really great for me to just be able to do 3 km in half an hour. My lungs now feel completely oxygenated and my mind is completely clear. I’m ready to get working!

On my run, I realized how wonderful it is to run in the light. Dawn was just breaking when I headed out and the sun was fully out by the time I got home. How wonderful!!! As I was 3/4 done my run, I saw a little bunny skirt out from the bushes it had been hiding in. It came out, hopped around, and went back in. I stopped in my tracks to watch the animal. She looked at me, I looked at her. We stood there for what felt like an hour, just checking each other out. This is the first time, in all of my years of running by the river that I had ever seen a bunny. I felt lucky. The bunny decided it had had enough of my staring and hopped to a spot where I couldn’t see her. So I kept on my way and hoped that I wouldn’t forget to write about it. It felt really special. How often do you get to see such a creature in a city? Not often enough!

The roads are clearing up and I biked to work this morning. It was a great ride in the sunshine. I am so happy to be back on the bike! I could feel my lower back protesting this morning as I periodically stretched it out on the ride. The chiropractor will get much use in the next few weeks, I’m sure.

Yesterday I got my road pedals put on my bike. I purchased triathlon shoes, which have road pedals. They’re pretty crazy! Very different from SPDs and my touring shoes that I have been using. I’ll have to give it a try tonight on my trainer. This weekend is supposed to be very nice, so I would love to get on the highway with my bike. Wow… what a great day! This weekend is also the Indoorman race, which should be a good time. I love this sport!

Getting back into training is really hard on my body. I never really realized it before. I guess it’s because I don’t usually stop training once I start, but two colds in the last 3 months have really kicked my butt. So I’m really trying to get back into biking to work everyday, training on top of that, working hard at work, and having an active social life. I have come to realize that I may just burn out and that is exactly why it is important that I have days off like today.

Wednesdays are mixed for me. I am up at 5am (or 5:09 after I press snooze on my alarm clock) to do my radio show at 6. It’s a lot of work and dedication, but I love it. It energizes me, at least for the morning. I have been driving to my show, which makes the whole thing more enjoyable because then I don’t have to worry about clothing to wear while I’m biking, music that I want to play, and anything I need to take to the office. This way I load my car and away I go. It also saves me a lot of energy, which is what Wednesdays are all about for me right now. I get to catch up on my protein and iron.

Yesterday I felt extremely weak after biking home from work and this is what I’ve been experiencing for the past few days. I was craving greens and made a huge salad. I couldn’t help but wonder if I’m getting enough iron these days or if my body is just in a period of adjustment to new schedules and immense, intense exercising. I’m going to give my body until the end of next week and if nothing happens, I’m going to go get my vitamin and mineral levels tested, go to the naturopath, and see if there’s something else I can do.

Basically, I’m really happy for my day off today.

Another recipe to try:

Sweet Potato and Kale soup

4 oz. fresh kale – cut out and discard thick veins, coarsely chop leaves.
1 Lg. onion, chopped
3 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning (oregano, basil, thyme)
2 tsp. olive oil
3 14 1/2 oz cans of veg broth (or 1 1/2 quarts)
2 15 oz cans of white kidney or cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
1 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced (the printed recipe called for 12 cloves, and I think that’s a misprint. That’s too much garlic for this amount of soup–and I like garlic.)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

In a dutch oven, saute onion and italian seasoning in oil until onion is tender.
Add broth, beans, sweet potatoes, and kale. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, salt, and pepper. Simmer 15 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender.

BLACKENED TOFU
Yields 4 to 6 servings

Cut the tofu into slabs about ½ inch thick and set them on paper towels to drain for at least 30 minutes, preferably with a weight on top. They need to be very dry. Mix 2½ tsp. salt and the spices and herbs in a bowl. Brush each piece of tofu with melted butter, then dredge with the spice mixture, patting it firmly into the tofu. This can be done ahead of time.

Preheat the over to 250° and have a platter and spatula at hand. Heat a cast-iron skillet on the stove or covered gas grill until it’s white-hot, about 15 minutes. Pour a teaspoon of melted butter onto each piece of tofu, then place it, butter side down, into the hot skillet and step back. Wait 2 minutes, then turn it over and repeat on the second side. Remove to a platter and keep in the oven until all are cooked.

I’ve recently gotten back into cooking new and exciting vegan recipes. I’m thinking that it will inspire me to resurrect this blog. On top of that, I have been reading some vegan blogs and looking at pictures of vegan cooking and am becoming more and more inspired! Seriously, how could one NOT be inspired by this:

Stuffed Bell Peppers from Celine, who I became familiar with from the Vegan Food Pics LiveJournal blog.

Her recipe for the stuffed peppers is as such:
Ingredients:
3 large bell peppers
1 package firm OR extra firm OR super firm tofu, drained
1 medium sized onion
3 garlic cloves [or less if you're not a fan. I happen to be!]
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
2 T tomato paste
herbs, your choice
salt, pepper, to taste
Bragg’s liquid aminos OR soy sauce
1 cup breadcrumbs [I used panko style whole wheat breadcrumbs] OR cooked rice OR any other grain
1/2 cup cooked black beans, rinsed
1 T olive oil or other oil
6 slices tofutti cheese or other vegan cheese [optional]

Instructions:
* cut peppers in half, remove seeds and clean. boil water in a large pot, place clean peppers in them and boil for 5 minutes. remove peppers and let drain well. [do not put away the pot, or clean it, you will need it later!]
* preheat oven to 350F.
* in a food processor, crumble tofu, place in large bowl. in same food processor, chop onions and garlic. add to tofu in large bowl.
* pour out some of the liquid from diced tomatoes can, add to tofu mixture. add all the herbs you want [I used all purpose seasoning from mccormack's, it's salt free], some salt, some pepper, a teaspoon Bragg’s liquid aminos or soy sauce if you prefer, breadcrumbs, black beans, mix well.
* place oil in reserved pot, put tofu mixture in, cook for a few minutes. remove from heat.
* place bell pepper halves in a baking pan [no need to spray it or butter it], fill them up with tofu mixture. there might be leftover stuffing, but you can freeze it and use it again at a later time, that’s what I did. or you could simply get more bell peppers to feed more people that very same day.
* place a slice of tofutti cheese on each bell pepper.
* put in oven and let bake for 20-25 minutes. serve hot and enjoy!

Last night I biked a good 45 minutes after work on my way home in a round-about way. It was good, but I was exhausted by the time we got home. This boded well for L and my new leaf of going to bed early. Sure enough, I was sleeping by about 9:30!

This morning I did some VO2 Max testing at the University. I signed up to be part of a study of female vegetarians, partially so that I could help out and partially so that I could get some testing done of my body for my training. Two birds, one stone… or the vegan version would be feeding two birds with one scone! So I was there at 7am at the very dead and eerily quiet university campus. Today is supposed to be a nice day and I do not want to spend another nice day that could be spent riding, in a car. So I biked to the test, warmed up a bit, and then strapped on the head-gear involved in the test. Basically, there is a mouth piece like a snorkel (not that I’ve ever snorkeled) that is held on by what looks like a 1980s night-retainer headset. The nose gets plugged and the person starts running on the treadmill with a heart-rate monitor. The speed is decided beforehand by the speed that one could run for 20 minutes without stopping. At that speed, at 2-minute increments the incline increases 2% and the test must go at least 8 minutes. I went for over 10.

VO2 Max, according to Brian Mac:
Fitness can be measured by the volume of oxygen you can consume while exercising at your maximum capacity. VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen in milliliters, one can use in one minute per kilogram of body weight. Those who are fit have higher VO2 max values and can exercise more intensely than those who are not as well conditioned. Numerous studies show that you can increase your VO2 max by working out at an intensity that raises your heart rate to between 65 and 85% of its maximum for at least 20 minutes three to five times a week. A mean value of VO2 max for male athletes is about 3.5 litres/minute and for female athletes it is about 2.7 litres/minute.

• the chemical ability of the muscular cellular tissue system to use oxygen in breaking down fuels
• the combined ability of cardiovascular and pulmonary systems to transport the oxygen to the muscular tissue system

At my VO2 Max, these were my results:
Time: 10:20
Heart Rate: 179
VE (BTPS) (L/min): 106.5
VCO2 (L/min): 2.980
VO2 (L/min): 2.727
VO2/kg (mL/kg/min): 45.5
RQ: 1.09
FEO2: 17.47%
FECO2: 3.54%

Apparently the ideal VO2 Max for endurance runners and cyclists is over 75mL/kg/min and is much lower for other sports like volleyball (50mL/kg/min). So I obviously have a much lower VO2 Max than a pro runner and cyclist, but according to this particular website, I am “superior” in my age range:

Normative data for VO2max
Female (values in ml/kg/min):

This doesn’t really come a surprise and I think it is similar to my VO2 Max that I had tested a couple of years ago. I am going to get tested again in a couple of weeks. I find all of this stuff very fascinating because it is so scientific for something that is so hard to measure.

After my test, I biked to work and I’m going to do some time on the trainer tonight. I’m loving the Vega protein powder these days! L and I drink it in the morning.

Here is my racing schedule for the 2007 summer (italics mean “tentative,” bold means “confirmed”):
March 24 – Indoorman in Saskatoon, U of S Tri Club
May 13 – Regina Beach MTB race in Regina
May 27 – Saskatoon Marathon in Saskatoon, Saskatoon Road Runners
June 3 – Moe’s Triathlon in Saskatoon, Bike Doctor
June 10 – Prince Albert MTB race in Prince Albert, Fresh Air Experience
June 17 – Spin Off Spadina in Saskatoon, Saskatoon Triathlon Club
June 24 – Mountain bike race in Saskatoon (Blackstrap), NBR
July 1 – Great White North Triathlon (Half Ironman) in Stony Plain, AB
July 21-22 – Prince Albert road race in PA
August 12 – Frank Dunn Triathlon in Waskesiu
August 26 – Ironman Canada in Penticton, BC

Last year I did less races than this, but I have a big goal at the end of it. I always feel great after a good race and I figure that I’ll use the bike races as training days. The triathlons will be for practice because I’ll need it! It is going to be a busy summer… I may just burn out at this race.