Product Review: Larabar

The kind people at Larabar sent me a few samples to test and review…so let's get to it!

First off, I adore this product.  Larabar is all about pure, simple, and delicious bars that are made of unsweetened fruits, nuts, and spices.  In my opinion, they provide a healthy balance of fats, carbs, and protein for just about any time of day.  They sent me THE most amazing flavors as well.

As any coffee junkie would do, I tried the Cappuccino bar the morning after I received these samples.  I had a short run followed by an hour indoor bike ride, and needed something small and quick to have in between the two.  Keep in mind that I was up around 5am that morning, so the extra jolt of caffeine was a big bonus to keep my energy up.  The bar was SO good and had a really nice coffee flavor to it.  This will definitely become a staple in my early morning training sessions.

Moving on to the next flavor, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough…this is hands down my FAVORITE of the 4 flavors I tried.  I had this bar right after an Indoor Cycling Time Trial along with a protein shake for recovery.  This bar literally tastes like a chocolate chip cookie…stupid good.  There are a ton of chocolate chips in it and it's made with cashews!  I have a gluten allergy, so this is a major treat.  I love this bar so much that I have since bought boxes (I'm not kidding).  They make for real good desserts ;)

The next afternoon I found myself STARVING at work and I had a 90 minute masters swim before I was going to be home for dinner.  Time to eat me some Coconut Cream Pie.  I'm obsessed with coconut, you really can't go wrong with it in my opinion.  They definitely didn't go anything wrong when creating this bar.  It has the yummy texture of unsweetened coconut flakes AND is contains extra virgin coconut oil.  No doubt one of the healthiest oils around, can't say I've found another bar that has this ingredient.

Last but not least…Cashew Cookie.  Honestly, who doesn't love cashews?  I could eat jars of them, but they are even better mixed with dates.  That's it, 2 ingredients…bomb.  This was another mid afternoon snack for me.  Kept me full until dinner (this doesn't happen often). #ieatlikeaboy

Overall, I LOVE these bars.  They give me really good and consistent energy, sit well when I eat them before and during training sessions, and they taste SO good.  Larabars will continue to be a "go to" for me whenever I need something quick, nutritious, and really yummy.

One last thing…there are seasonal flavors!  Snickerdoodle and Pumpkin Pie.  Do yourself a favor and try them.

Why are you just sitting there??  Go out and buy some :)

A New Year

I'm not into New Year's Resolutions, I think they are great for some people, just not for me.  If I decide I want to do something I just do it, doesn't matter what day it is or time of the year.  To be real honest about it...once I make my mind up about something it's more of a get out of my way because it's happening.  This girl don't have time to wait until Monday morning to start something ;)

What I actually like to do at the beginning of a year is set an intention.  This isn't "I want to lose 5 pounds" or "go to the gym more", this is a frame of mind.  How do I want to feel?  What do I need/want to do to feel that way?  What is holding me back?  You get the point, it's bigger picture stuff and takes a lot more work.  #itsworthit

For me, 2014 is all about challenging myself, getting out of my comfort zone, my own way, and working towards my goals and dreams no matter how scary or big they may be (because they are).  I know what I want out of life and I'm not settling.  Don't get me wrong, my life is pretty great.  I wake up everyday knowing how lucky I am to have everything that have, but I know there are a few missing pieces.  This means some things in my life will have to change, something that's always been hard for me.  I'm finally learning how to embrace everything that life is giving me.

To be honest, the end of last year and beginning of this year has already had some big ups and downs.  From a training standpoint, I've had some incredible opportunities in the triathlon and fitness community that I'm beyond excited about, more on this below.  On a personal level, I've had a few important relationships in my life shift in ways I had never planned.  No matter how hard this has been, I know I'm moving forward and in the right direction.

On to the exciting stuff…I was picked to be a member of Team Zoot Great Lakes for 2014!  SO excited for this opportunity!  On top of that, GU Energy and Therawheel have sponsored me for 2014 as well.  I still have to pinch myself to make sure this isn't all a dream.

And somehow I wound up in the Fitness Formula Clubs marketing campaign for 2014, so I am now in newspaper ads, a TV and radio commercial, and a 30ft billboard in Chicago…

No clue how this happened.

I have also finally decided on my race calendar for the year.  My "A" races are Duathlon Worlds in Spain, IM 70.3 Syracuse, and IM 70.3 Muncie.  I'm motivated and training hard now, hopefully they will pay off the way hope come race day.

Looking forward to a big, exciting, and life changing 2014 :)

Rest & Recovery

Duathlon Nationals was the end of my 2013 racing season, I was SO ready for some time off!  Coach Jen and I decided that I would take off the month of November from training and get back into it in December.  The past 2 years I've taken longer than that, but I don't feel the need for it this year, plus it's just too much time for me.

What have I been up to for the last few weeks??  I've slept a lot, eaten even more (I've gone hard on some chocolate), stayed relatively active with some easy workouts to keep me moving, and just embraced the offseason.  I know I've done the offseason right when I was excited to get back at it this morning and feeling a little "clunky." ;)

Here are some highlights of the last few weeks…

Pedicures with my niece...

NEVER enough time with this girl <3

Some really good food…

Chili with a side of meat…don't you judge me ;)

Do yourself a favor and try one.  Thank me later.

Some self care in the form of Gua Sha, cupping, and acupuncture…

Marks are from Gua Sha and cupping, not acupuncture.  And yeah, I know it looks awful but it feels AMAZING!  Google it.  Go see Kyla Boles at Urban Acupuncture, she's crazy good.

http://www.urbanacupuncturechicago.com

A Turkey Day 5k…

5ks always hurt, but when you're not in your best shape they hurt REAL bad.  Truth.

And last but not least, my new toy…

A Trek 2014 Crockett!  I need to get back into training if for no other reason than it stops me from shopping.  But, I LOVE IT!!  Cross is on my 2014 racing schedule anyway, so why not get some time on it this winter?  Yep, that's my reason and I'm sticking to it ;)

There you have it, my offseason.  It is honestly just as important as key training months in my opinion.  It was fun, relaxing, and just what I needed to fuel me for 2014…time to get moving!

Duathlon National Championship Race Recap

My original race plan for 2013 was to end my season with Ironman Wisconsin in early September.  After I did the Galena Duathlon in May, I received an email from USAT letting me know of my qualification for Duathlon Nationals, which was going to be held in the end of October in Tucson, Arizona.  At that point I honestly wasn't really even aware that this race existed or what exactly qualified me for Nationals from my results in Galena.  After doing some research and talking to Coach Jen I was sold on doing this event!

I knew this race was going to hurt…I was 6 weeks off Ironman Wisconsin, I had a trip to Hawaii planned mid-October which meant no bike for a week, and it's short course so it ALWAYS hurts.  It also meant I was going to be flying with my bike for the first time.  This is all very challenging for me (I'm SUPER Type A), but I wanted to see how I would handle it.

After Ironman Wisconsin I took about a week and a half off, then Coach Jen slowly got me back into training.  Luckily I wasn't injured, and honestly didn't feel too bad coming off an Ironman, but I didn't feel good.  That feeling lasted the entire time between Wisconsin and Nationals.  I just didn't have an extra gear, but I expected it and hoped that I could just muscle through it on race day.

The day before I left for Tucson was the bike breakdown.  Thankfully I have a good friend at Element Multisport in Chicago (the Ed with lots of tattoos, go see him, he rocks) that walked me through it step by step so I could actually build it back up…

Luckily the bike made it safely to Arizona, and it was time to put it back together…

After about 45 minutes it was "almost" done!  I just had to make a quick trip to bike tech when it opened in the morning to tighten up the headset.  Words can't describe how relieved I was to have this done and how proud I was that I could actually do this.  Not gonna lie, I had some help, BUT still proud of myself.  I was ready to go on my shake out ride…

Race morning arrived early the next day and I was SO excited to race!  Tucson is gorgeous and I couldn't wait to try out a new course.  My race plan was pretty simple…"embrace the suck" and "suffer" as Coach Jen always tells me to do at short course.  She also specifically mentioned that it would be a fast start and not to go out running 6:50s in the first 5k.  I laughed when she said that because I in no way thought I was capable of that pace given how I felt after Wisconsin and that I've never run a 5k at that pace.  

Number tattoos look cool, not cool to get off.

As Coach Jen said, the first run (5k) went out FAST!  I had on my watch but didn't look down until the first mile ticked off…6:47.  Oops, pretty much exactly what I wasn't supposed to do.  Did I slow down?  No.  Duh.  There were some fast girls in front of me that I wanted to keep my eye on.  SO...I kept right on running as fast as I could and finished up the first 5k in 21:10…vomit.  I didn't, but I wanted to, almost the entire time.  I was never so happy to be on my bike.  Especially because the last 1/2 mile into transition is uphill.  Duathlons hurt so bad, why do I do these??

I was out of T1 in under a minute and off to the bike course.  This is traditionally my weakest sport, but I was determined to push it on the bike.  The course was pretty crowded on the first loop, and I was trying to ride my own race and stay away from other athletes.  At one point a guy passed me (what else is new?) and I noticed he didn't get too far ahead of me.  I started to slow down to get out of his "draft zone" and saw the USAT Officials on their motorcycle watching me.  I literally stopped pedaling and was sure I made it out within 15 seconds.  On with the bike…I felt much better than I expected but was feeling pressure in my legs.  I knew I would have them once I got off the bike, but how fast could I run that last 5k?  I wound up averaging just over 20mph which I was SUPER happy to see.  There were some good rollers and turns to deal with.

Again, out of T2 in under a minute - not messing around in there - then back out on that same 5k course.  I just put my head down and ran as fast as I possibly could.  I couldn't even muster up a smile when I saw Matt or the JHC athletes cheering for me.  I knew I was holding my place with the girls, but was SO ready for it to be over.  I wound up finishing the last 5k up in 23:09.  SO happy!

After I was done and checked out how I finished I noticed that I was given a 2 minute penalty from the bike course.  I spoke with the official who gave it to me and he said I missed getting out of the draft zone by 2 seconds…yes he timed me at 17 seconds from the pass.  Lesson learned.  It dropped me one place in my age group, but I was still really happy with my day.

Overall…I finished 9th in my age group.  What does that mean??  I get to race in Pontevedra, Spain in 2014 representing Team USA at ITU Standard Duathlon World Championships!!!!  I. Can't. Wait!!!!

For now…time to enjoy the offseason and celebrate a successful year of racing.  Lots of sleep, rest, and chocolate for me :)

Product Review: Therawheel

Two weeks before I raced Ironman Wisconsin I was down at Ironman Louisville spectating and supporting Matt for his big race.  I was a week into my taper and just off my huge build in July and August.  My body wasn't feeling the greatest.  Tired, tight, full of knots, niggles…you get the point.  The drive from Chicago to Louisville didn't do ANYTHING to help that either.  So when we went to athlete check in I decided to see if there were any massage therapists with an opening while I waited for him.  No luck.  That left me with some free time to look around the expo...dangerous.  I promised myself that I wouldn't buy anything...

As soon as I walked into the expo a nice young girl asked me if she could use her product to "roll" out my shoulders…um YEAH!  I was DYING and this seemed like the next best thing to a massage that I couldn't get.  I soon learned her name was Kilee, she was a Personal Trainer, and the product she was using is a Therawheel…

http://therawheel.com

It also didn't take long to realize how much I loved this new "torture" tool (I say that with love).  You see, I have them all…foam roller, rumble roller, the stick, lacrosse balls, I even throw a broom stick in there from time to time.  Obviously I'm huge on self care and believe it's a critical part of maintenance and injury prevention, especially with endurance sports, and thought I had tried it all.  This Therawheel was a game changer.

After Kilee used the taper and rounded tip portion on my neck, shoulders, and upper back I mentioned that I was having some issues with my hamstrings and hip flexors.  Without hesitation she started to work on both areas and offered some suggestions at reducing muscle soreness.  I immediately noticed a difference in how I was feeling.  I loved how the product was so versatile and could be used all over my body with the circular taper, rounded, or flat tip.  What really sold me on it was how the taper could access different angles and go deeper into muscles than the other products I use just can't.

It didn't stop there.  After Kilee finished up she introduced me to Tom Jennings who is the founder of Therawheel.  He's an Athletic Trainer who has worked with the Indiana Pacers.  She explained to him what she felt in my legs and he took several minutes to find out more about me, checked out my hip flexors, worked on me for a few minutes, and just as Kilee did offered some suggestions for self care.  Amazing service, awesome product, and they weren't even pushing me into buying one…I had to have it!

Since then I've been using my Therawheel daily.  I used it a TON leading into Ironman Wisconsin.  It helped me stay loose, ready to race, and achieve my hour and eighteen minute PR.  I kept on it after Ironman to recover and get ready for the Duathlon National Championship that was held in Tucson, Arizona in late October…again I believe this was key in getting me to the start line healthy and ready to race just 6 weeks post Ironman and qualify for Worlds next year.  I literally can't go a day without my Therawheel…I even traveled to Hawaii with it mid-October!

Do yourself a favor and check it out :)

My Week in Kona

I've always wanted to go to Hawaii...I mean who doesn't, for real?  In all honestly, I thought that might be where I would get married, or maybe go to for my honeymoon.  There is still time for that, but I found an even better reason to go there NOW...

Let's go back a few months.  It was sometime in April when I caught myself obsessing over the USAT website about their Level 1 Coaching Clinic/Certification.  This had been going on for awhile.  Anyone who knows me is well aware that when I decide I want to do something it's going to happen, simple as that.  Once I realized there was a Level 1 Clinic in Kona the SAME week as the Ironman World Championships...done.  This also gave me something to look forward to (or distract me) post Ironman Wisconsin - perfect - I didn't want to go through the post Ironman depression of 2011.

So how did the week go?

First of all, when I say week I actually mean closer to 5 days...this girl only gets so much time off from work every year SO I made the best of it.  Although I must say next time I visit Hawaii it will require a longer stay.

Once we got to Hawaii we quickly got settled into our "cottage."  It was about 15 minutes above the town of Kona and was gorgeous!!  Check this place out...

http://www.konaviewestate.com/kope-cottage/

It was also hilly, quite dark, and housed what seemed like several thousand roosters which we quickly found out during our early morning runs haha!!  Luckily we had headlamps and night gear...and boy did we get in some hill work.  I thought Kona was supposed to be windy ;)

Anyway...the first 2 days in Kona were full days at the USAT Clinic.  I LOVED every minute of them.  We had some really amazing presenters and I learned so much...both on coaching and how to personally be a better athlete.  Exactly what I wanted.  I met some awesome people in the clinic, and it solidified for me just how much I love this sport.  

This is where we got to each lunch on clinic days, I could get used to this.

While I loved the clinic, I was excited when we finished up...it was time to enjoy Kona!  It was raining a bit that afternoon, but it had cleared up just as we were leaving.  We saw a rainbow on the way out which I'll take as a good sign :)

It was off to a great dinner with Jeff and Maxine (we got to sit right on the ocean) to celebrate!  Friday started out with a run on Ali'i drive where we got to see all the athletes doing their pre-race workouts...it was awesome.  Everything I wanted it to be.  Everyone was so fit, and it was just fun to be around it.  Am I really here????  We spent most of Friday at the expo, did some shopping (obvi), and just had a great time hanging out in Kona.

These were unfortunately not one of my purchases.

Before we knew it Saturday came and it was race day.  After our last dark and hilly run we were down at the swim start just as the pros were taking off.  We were really excited to see the event, watch the pros, AND see our coach race as well.  After we had signed up for the clinic our coach Jen Harrison (www.jenharrison.com) qualified for Hawaii...frickin awesome.  So we spent our entire day spectating, cheering, and chasing around everyone we wanted to see.

I have always been inspired by Ironman events...volunteering, spectating, and racing them...but this was different.  I've always thought Kona would be an awesome race to do, but it's always scared me to admit how badly I want to race there.  Being there has only made me want it more.  That isn't a short term goal for me (I live in reality), it will take years and lots of hard and consistent effort...but I'm up for it.  It may be decades from now (seriously), but I will race there.  

This was one of the coolest experiences I've had in my life.  I feel beyond grateful that I had the opportunity to be a part of everything that Kona had to offer last week, life changing no doubt.  The Big Island is filled with some of the nicest people I've met, amazing terrain to train on, and an insane amount of inspiration.  

Mahalo :)

Summer Racing

I had really good intentions to recap each of my races this year...then that little thing called Ironman training vs. life kinda got in the way ;)  Oops...

I didn't race a ton this summer, that was by design.  I was coming off an injury early this year (actually 2), so Coach Jen and I decided best to focus on Ironman Wisconsin (being my A race) and take it easy on racing lots of hard/short stuff.  Instead I trained a TON which was a nice change up from last year.  Between Galena and Wisconsin I raced 3 times, all very different races.  Here goes the clif notes...

Lake in the Hills Sprint Tri - 6.16.13

This was my second year racing Lake in the Hills.  I fell in LOVE with it last year.  It's a small local event with a laid back feel.  No egos, no crazy rules...just a fun race.  This was also the first race that I qualified for the Elite wave from my results in 2012.  AWESOME!!!!  This meant that I was in the first wave = nobody in my way :)  There were roughly 30 athletes in the Elite wave...this also included men.  Crap.  They are SO aggressive.  I wanted to get out of the water the minute we started.  Luckily it didn't take long before they passed me, after that small chunk of time the race went GREAT!  This was a major confidence boost going into the summer.  I wasn't sure how I would do in the race since I still wasn't 100% healed, but I was able to PR by 5 minutes!!  I took a significant amount of time off my swim AND my run on such a short course.  All the work I was putting in at Smelts was paying off and somehow I was holding on to my run fitness even though I had taken off some time from running.  Overall, SUPER HAPPY with this race.

3rd Place Age Group, 8th Overall Female

Ironman Muncie 70.3 - 7.13.13

This was another repeat of 2012.  I had to do it, they cut the course short due to the extreme heat so I wanted to actually do the full race + they gave 2012 athletes a discount.  "Deal!"  This course is meant for me...it's hot, a flat bike course, and hilly run.  I'm in love.  In a nut shell this race was bomb.  Going in to the race I wanted to break 5:30, my best time at a 70.3 was 5:32.  I knew I was going to have to work hard.  I had the fitness, but could I mentally stay with it?

The swim went well, I was out of the water a few minutes ahead of schedule...sweet!  My goal was to break 2:50 on the bike...I came close but missed it by a few minutes, smh.  Why can't I get my sh** together on the bike?  Forget about it, time to do what I do best...RUN!!  That I did.  I zoned out, focused, and pulled out a run that smashed my time goal.  I ran a 1:42 half marathon...holy crap!  That beat my open half marathon PR from last year by a minute, and it was during a 70.3.  

Overall, I finished in 5:18...YEAH!!!!  Honestly, what I was most happy with was how much effort I was able to put out during the run.  Having the ability to push myself to suffer, work hard, and just go on auto pilot was such a big win for me.  Learning how to stay with it mentally at this distance was another big boost that I needed going in to my big training blocks for the summer.

5:18 with Bib #518

PRs for both of us :)

Sisters Lakes Olympic Tri - 7.20.13

Yep...second year in a row I raced Sisters Lakes ha!  I can't help it, I LOVE this race too!!  I love it for many reasons.  Just like Lake in the Hills, it has that small town, laid back feel and it's a short bike ride away from my family's lake house in Michigan.  I had to do it :)  I get to spend the weekend with my family hanging out on the lake, eating a ton of food, and racing.  Some of my favorite things in life.

Just like Muncie this is a hot, non-wetsuit race, flat bike course, and hilly run.  I had another amazing day...took time off my swim and my bike (finally!) and PR'd by 4 minutes!!!!  This one hurt, it was a week off of Muncie, but I expected it to feel that way.  What did I learn?  Again, I can race HARD.  This is something that I've been learning over the past two years from Coach Jen and it feel so good to be able to put out another strong effort with great results.  The last key race to help mentally get me ready for the Ironman Wisconsin build.

I have no pics from the race, but I do have one from the lake AFTER the race ;)

My way to recover!

So that's the short version of my summer racing.  I'm not done yet...one more to go for 2013!  This one is a little different for me though.  It's taking me out of my comfort zone in a big way.  Later this month I'll be heading down to Tucson, Arizona for Duathlon National Championships.  I'm beyond excited about it, but also really nervous.  It's the first time I'll be flying with my bike, putting it together, breaking it back down, etc.  

First things first...before Arizona comes Hawaii!!  Yep, I'm going to Kona...not to race...but to vacation and learn and watch really awesome athletes race :)  My week in Kona will start out with going through my USAT Level 1 Coaching Clinic and end with spectating Ironman World Championships. 

Love my life <3