Vegan Triathlete

Day 1

Crystal Clarke — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:59:24 +0000

So it is officially Day 1. I have tried really hard not to eat anything with sugar over the past couple of days, but haven’t been too strict about it. Although, I didn’t eat any of the chocolates that were passed around after last night’s bike workout that I was coaching. It was so nice [...]

Now Sugar Free!

Crystal Clarke — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:59:48 +0000

For the month of February, I am taking on a new challenge. An intense challenge. I am giving up sugar. Completely.

A few months ago I started thinking about how much sugar I was ingesting. It was probably after using My Fitness Pal for a while because there is an option to see how much [...]

Why this? Why now?

Crystal Clarke — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:58:43 +0000

MellowJohnny really hates it when I talk to people about him having cancer. I can understand that. He’s kind of a private person and he’s shy about this awful disease that took away a big chunk of his childhood.

However, the reason why I’m putting so much time and effort into this cause is not [...]

The Juggling Act featuring Moi

Crystal Clarke — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:23:32 +0000

I have a little juggling act going these days. We are really pressing forward right now on fundraising because our recommitment date for the marathon is coming up on February 1st (!!!!). We would have liked to be almost done fundraising by this time, but we are far from it. Our upcoming fundraiser will be [...]

“Vegan Fundraising for Cancer? Uhhh… why?”

Crystal Clarke — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 18:48:20 +0000

This upcoming Friday, MellowJohnny and I are holding a fundraiser for our endeavour to run a marathon for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. We have had lukewarm reception about it being completely vegan. One co-worker said that her husband would not go “unless there is going to be steak.” [...]

Back at It!

Crystal Clarke — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 05:10:03 +0000

By “it,” I mean training AND fundraising. Oh yeah, we are still fundraising for Team in Training. We did a bottle drive last weekend and we were very successful in getting donations. Thank you to everyone who has donated!

As for me, my training totally went downhill in December. I had a stomach flu for [...]

Dwight Schrute – A Great Personal Trainer?

Crystal Clarke — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 17:40:57 +0000

The latest episode of The Office (one of my favourite shows these days) shows Dwight Schrute open a gym. Don’t worry, this post will not spoil the episode for you die-hard fans out there.

It made me think of my own personal trainer and about personal trainers in general. I mean, what makes a good [...]

Counting Blessings

Crystal Clarke — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:49:07 +0000

As I was driving home from the winter biking interval session I coach, I felt so happy. It was at this moment that I realized that I had done it. Somehow I have managed to fit everything that I love and am passionate about into my life. Sure, there are times when some of my [...]

The November Blues

Crystal Clarke — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:08:07 +0000

Yes, this post does have to do with training and working out despite what the title suggests.

Sometimes November really kicks me in the ass. It’s a month of darkness (literally and figuratively) and having a mental illness makes me very sensitive to this lack of light. My theory is that because the light is [...]

Stretch & Strengthen – well, duh!

Crystal Clarke — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 17:37:12 +0000

As I have been working with my personal trainer, Amanda Stalwick from Positively Fit Personal Training, I have noticed a change in my performance in running and biking (I haven’t swum enough this year to notice). Obviously, doing strength training is going to increase strength and power, but I [...]