Help w/a Question

Sorry for this short post but I need help.  Does anyone know why I can't post comments on other blogs?  It asks me what ID I want to sign in with and when I pick Google I end up on this loop of it asking for my login info then taking me back to my comment but never actually letting me post it!  Ahhhh.... Sorry everyone I wanted to catch up this weekend and can't!

I'm baaaack!!!

Sad, sad day having to come back!  But I have ignored e-mails and voice mails long enough back to reality it is!  I do have some tidbits to share that are unrelated to the main theme of this blog but I'm sure I can find a way to tie it all back to being active!

1st My Vacation - Awesome time with lots of action.  Day 1 was Magic Mountain or I have now come to call it Puke Mountain!  A camera was lost (was hoping to post a video of some roller coaster action but the bf lost it on the 1st ride) booo!  It was a hilly park and walking (or running was the bf's preference) from ride to ride after being nauseous was not that much fun!  I still toughed it out and let them have some fun.  Is that part of getting older also not being able to handle roller coasters as well?  :-(  Day 2 LA Getty Center awesome architecture and gardens oh yeah and art work.  Quick stop in Hollywood and then the an awesome hike at the Griffith Observatory.  Day 3 beach day where the water was 63 and my teeny bathing suite ( I had promised I wouldn't wear my trisuite on this vacation) wasn't enough to keep me warm but I braved it!  Day 4 and 5 Was Santa Barbara beaches and wine tour.  Oh yeah and in the middle of the wine tour (where we saw the must sees of Sideways movie) the bf was upgraded to f, he proposed so I'm officially engaged now.  He says he didn't know that Santa Barbara was where my parents met in college and got married but makes it even more special!  Visited his family who were such gracious hosts the whole time we were there!  So sad to be back and we totally needed a vacation.  I didn't fit in any "structured" workouts but we did a lot of walking, some hiking, kayaking and fun!

2nd My Dad - My dad is the whole reason I got into triathlons, he was doing them before they were popular or any one even knew what they were, when the sponsors included the likes of Bud Light :-)  Well recently he has been working sooooo hard to get back into shape and I am so proud of him.  Well yesterday he had a bit of a set back!  The horrible irony of it all is that my brother was over having dinner with me and the f and I was telling a story about how he use to torture me with the Best of Queen CD.  We all began to sing their song Bicycle, more like yell it!  Right then the phone rang and I could immediately tell something was wrong.  My mom was calling to tell us my dad had just been in a bicycle accident.  He was going down a curvy hill with about 8-9% grade at about 30-40 mph when he wrecked.  He is in the hospital but the good news is right now it's looking like it's just 4 broken ribs.  His helmet cracked but it probably saved him, wear your helmet!!!  They are keeping an eye on him because of his past history with pneumonia they are concerned about the ribs.  But he laughed when I told him the Queen story and is being a trooper.  Get well soon dad!  I am planning on doing an interview series for my blog and he was the first one I wanted to interview!

So now I'm back and will be back on track with training this weekend because I plan on signing up for an Olympic tri in a couple of months.  How was everyone else's week?  I felt a little disconnected without regular internet access but I think it was a good thing!

The winner is....

Sunscreen, check
bathing suite, check

running shoes, check

Out of Office messages, check

Blog giveaway, oh oh   last thing to take care of before I'm off!

The winner is (drum roll please) 

Cortney at Nerd on the Run!!

E-mail me your address and I will get the ring you picked, enjoy!

Hello to my new followers I look forward to all our new adventures.  Big thanks to PrimBeads and the lovely jewelry that was part of the giveaway, good luck with your online shop!  Don't forget to check it out frequently as she is always adding new items.

Now the real question is how much running will I actually get in on my vacation?!?!  So I had some good and bad news with my foot.  The Dr. says there is no stress fracture YAY!!!  I overpronate and am flatfooted so the joint (I can't remember the name he spoke way over my head) is taking more of a beating then it needs to.  He told me all I needed was some over the counter orthotics that he sent me to go get.  The bad news is the only Dr. in town that sells them knows she's the only Dr. in town that sells them and because of that will force you to set up an appointment with her before she will sell you these OVER THE COUNTER orthotics but I already saw a Dr. that told me exactly which ones I needed and he's covered under my insurance she's not.  So that's a battle I will have to fight when I return.  Until then I'm going to leave my worries behind and enjoy what will hopefully be good weather.  Wait for the post vaca report to see if there will be pics of beach and fun or if there will actually be some pavement and trails with miles.  :-)

8k Run With the Kenyans Race Report

New running buddies, yay!

Hello fellow weekend warriors!  Did you get down and dirty this weekend?  Any fun and exciting races?  I am happy about a race I was convinced to sign up for this weekend, it was the 2nd annual Run with the Kenyans 8k.  There are several elite athletes that train in this area due to the fact that the altitude here is ideal for training 5,400 feet or another mile high city.  A group of these athletes are from Kenya and have put this race on to raise money to buy an ambulance for their hometown in Kenya.
I liked the 8k distance and the wind was only bad for the last 1.5 miles.  This did slow me down but not as much as my weird upset stomach.  I think I tried to push too hard through the wind but out of no where I felt sick to my stomach.  At the end of the race I had to find a tree to hide behind cause the I absolutely hate getting sick in front of people, it has happened to me before at triathlons.  Then just as quickly as it came it went I was fine about 5 minutes after the race. 

Post race Kenyan food, they still had the usual oranges & bananas too!

My first couple of mile splits were at 8 minutes which is a little fast for me then I had an 8:30 then the last mile was like 10!!!  Let's just say that is the first and hopefully the last time I had to sprint to the finish just to try not to be passed by a 10 year old! :-)  After the race there was a poolside picnic with Kenyan food.  I had never tried any so I had what they were calling a Kenyan doughnut and a Kenyan tortilla.  I was surprised that all their food was fried.  There were also items being sold to help women in Uganda, very pretty baskets and table decorations.  The coolest was the trophies for both OA & AG were hand carved items from Kenya.  Here are some pics from the event:

Leader Board, wow they're fast!

Lightning fast Kelly with her cool medal!

Hand Made Baskets.

Last couple of days before My 1st Giveaway ends!

Just for fun!

Ok Ok now that we are all over the shock of being without our blogs we can get back to normal life!  My training this week has been mediocre but it always picks up for me on the weekend.  I got peer pressured into doing an 8k this Saturday but after visiting their website I'm glad I did (thanx Gwen and Kelly!).  It is the 2nd Annual Run with Kenyans for Global Health.  After I will be hitting the pool for what will hopefully be a sunny NON WINDY DAY!!!!

This week I had 12" chopped off my hair!  I do this about every 2 years or so and donate it to Locks Of Love   I think it made me lighter so maybe I will also be faster now?

The Before Shot



After



After #2 Sorry this one is blurry b/c of cell phone

Lastly I have been having so much fun this week at work getting to do something that is so far from my normal work.  I was tasked as part of the team to help redecorate our office and they let me walk around campus and take pictures.  We were on a small budget so I volunteered to attempt to take some shots to see if they liked them.  It turns out they did and we will be having fun new pictures on canvas!  Here are just a few:

Happy Friday and don't forget only my giveaway ends this coming Wed!

Cautiously Audacious

cautious [ˈkɔːʃəs]

adj

showing or having caution; wary; prudent

au·da·cious  (ô-dshs)

adj.

1. Fearlessly, often recklessly daring; bold. See Synonyms at adventurous, brave.

2. Unrestrained by convention or propriety; insolent.

3. Spirited and original: an audacious interpretation of two Jacobean dramas.

I hadn't told anyone that knew me personally for quite a while that I had a blog.  There is something freeing about knowing that you can be anonymous or more so I liked the idea that people reading my blog wouldn't have any predisposed biases towards me so their advise would almost be truer (assuming I'm honest in my posts).  So I've slowly let it leak out and the other day the bf saw my blog up and said:

"Who's Cautiously Audacious?"

"That's me!" 

"How did you come up with that?"

 "Just came to me!"

"What does it mean?"

So that got the wheels turning.  In my head when I came up with that 1st I thought it sounded cool, 2nd it seemed ironic to be cautiously audacious and I like finding irony in things!  It's kind of like if you went sky diving with a big huge net under you to catch you.  You want to be daring, fearless, and reckless but you want to know in the end you will be safe and there won't be any consequences.  Another example is I entered an Ironman but then I decided I'd only train enough to finish.  I could appear crazy by just entering but I would be safe from failing by just finishing instead of trying to train enough to get a good finish time (hmmmm).  Or how about hiking up a steep hill with your friends, skis on your back, getting to the top of  scariest looking drop off, peering over the edge while they take a picture, then decide to take the next shoot over that you know is still daring and gets your heart racing but you are 99% sure you will make it to the bottom in one piece instead of the 1st one that you were only 90% sure.

Maybe some day I will let go of the "cautiously" parachute and just jump but for now I'm enjoying being a mix!  How did you come up with your blog name or a screen name that you use?  How do you practice cautious audacity?

Jay Benson Race Report

I'm about 3 back middle with a pink tank

Going into this I wasn't very optimistic, I fretted over how under trained I was, that I wasn't at my race weight, that my foot was still in pain, whine, whine whine...  Race morning I was a nervous wreck!  I hadn't competed in a triathlon in 2 years, since IM AZ.  I had been doing running races but that's it.  The bf decided to take me to the race because it was on base so he figured with his military ID we could go in through another gate and avoid the long lines to get in.  WRONG!  The guy said that if I was a racer we had to go to the main gate so they could check me off the list.  It took forever to get in and I was freaking out, it turns out there was no need for us to do that.  So I rushed to set up my transition area before they closed it off.  It was so crowded that on either side of my bike I had to lay my stuff out in front of someone else's.  When the girl showed up I apologized and explained my situation.  She kindly moved her stuff to the other side of her bike.  Rushed over to the track to do a half mile warm up then off to find my wave start position.

Then as I started the run I noticed the weather was perfect not hot yet but not windy or cold either.  Then a little bit further I noticed hey I actually feel really good!  Then I thought my foot in uncomfortable but not in pain, I can pick up the pace!  I ran a slow 5k when compared to the other racers but for me this was a breakthrough I ran the 5k in 25 minutes which I hadn't seen anything below 27 in a while!  I was so stoked.

I jumped on my bike and thought to myself this is an easy 12 mile ride with two very small hills.  As the bf had reminded me the night before there is no possible way I could push myself to exhaustion on such a short ride so I pushed myself as hard as I could, just picking one person off at a time.  It felt so good.  At my bike to swim transition the bf was there yelling 1:07 you got this!  I yelled back I know I don't know what's happening ( I had expected to be so out of shape that it would take me an extra 20 - 30 minutes over my normal time).

Lastly the swim (oh yeah this was a reverse tri due to the fact that the swim had to be in a pool NM doesn't have very many lakes) which ironically was what I had trained the most on but I felt the worst.  The pool was so crowded it was like a war zone elbows flying, feet slapping, I couldn't even push off the wall on most of the turns for fear I'd kick someone right in the gut!  So this was a very slow swim time for me.

I finished 4th in my age group out of 24, 175 overall out of 475, 50 female overall out of 259.  My splits were 25:27 run (8:13 pace), 1:47 T1, 37:49 bike (19.67mph), 1:46 T2, 9:41 swim (400 m), total time 1:16:30.  So even though I have a long way to go before I can place in my age group (those girls can fly!)  this race really gave me the confidence boost I needed to get my booty in gear and work hard for my next race!  As my dad has always reminded me I could read a book during my transitions so I could work on that.  My bike will improve naturally as long as I get outside( I had only trained once outside the rest was either spin class or indoor trainer) and my swim I'll still have to figure out what happened.  I'm so happy to be back in the tri scene and love the feeling of meeting and surpassing my own expectations.  Now I am excited for all the hard work I have ahead of me and will actually have a training plan in place by next week!

Overall Winner Trophy, how cool are those!

How did your races go this weekend?

Don't forget to enter: Giveaway

Go Green

So I've noticed a few races are advertising they are going "green".  Haven't quite figured out how they are doing that yet since it seems hard to get away from all the dispensable cups etc.  It seems now everywhere you look "green" is the new black but sometimes I have to wander how much of that is just "greenwashing".  It just means I have to do extra research when picking products.  With bike to work month and earth day I got to thinking am I doing enough?  Well 1st things 1st I need to get myself on my bike for a work commute at least 2 x a week that will be my goal in the next month!  My brother does it everyday so why can't I 2x a week right?  Sometimes I'm a little intimidated by the traffic and crazy drivers!

Here are a few of my favorite reusables:

I love that these now come with a sports top!  I even use this while out on for a bike ride, the only downside there is that they can rattle a little in the cage.  Please excuse the blurry pics I had to use my cell phone and couldn't get my hand to stay still enough...

Sandwich and snack bags I got these off the reuseit website and LOVE them!  Not only do they save you money but they are good for portion control and hey they come in cool designs!  Yes, even the bf has been convinced to use them so of course they are manly too right!?

I made this one myself and use it to dry the plastic bags that do happen to make their way into the house.

Sweet Basil!!  This counts right?  I usually kill every plant I've ever had but I'm trying really hard to keep this one alive.  I've already used some of it to cook with and it was delicious.  It takes more watering then other plants and needs sunlight but seems to wilt if I actually put it outside.  Keeping my fingers crossed it will last cause sooo much cheaper this way.
What are some of your favorite ways to recycle, reuse or be earth friendly?  And no sniffing your own farts doesn't count :-)  (BloodHound Gang song)

P.S. Don't forget about the giveaway!

My 1st GIVEAWAY!

Good morning!  I'm super excited to announce my very first giveaway!  Just in time for Mother's Day but really who needs an excuse for cool jewelry.  Here are just a few of my favorites:

Prim Beads Beaded Creations by PrimBeads

So here is how it's going to work: 

1 entry for each:

• Become a follower (a must, but I ask kindly)
• Go to Prim Beads Beaded Creations by PrimBeads   come back here and tell me which ring is your favorite (or your special gals favorite)
• Share this giveaway on Twitter, blog, Facebook etc. (1 entry for each)

Good point Kiley the giveaway ends in 2 weeks so Wed. May 18th.

So did any of you hear the news story this morning about the Triathlete that stopped in the middle of her bike leg to give CPR to someone having a heart attack, called the police over with a defibrillator, then once he was resuscitated and safely in the ambulance she jumped back on her bike and finished the triathlon?!!  That was pretty awesome.  Can't have a DNF next to your name right!

As Promised.....

I don't think I've said this yet but I REALLY do appreciate the followers I have and the encouraging, kind, and sometimes funny words you all have to say!  I have had a couple of requests and sorry if it took me a while to get it up.  1st a while back I mentioned a funny picture about certain someone possibly being a drama queen when participating in the Ironkids Nationals and I had a request from KC for the pic well, here it is:    

Please don't laugh too hard!

Next request from more than one person was the coconut lime cupcake recipe 1st of all I want to give full credit to Post Punk Kitchen I got the book Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World and everything I've  made from there has been awesome even if you aren't vegan they are yummy.  The bf approved (he did say they weren't as pourus or fluffy as other cupcakes) but that he still liked them.

Cupcake

• 1/3c coconut oil (it's a little expensive but you can use it for other cooking not just baking these)
• 3/4c granulated sugar
• 1c coconut milk
• 1/4c soy milk
• 2t vanilla
• 1T lime zest
• 1c all purpose flour
• 1/2t baking soda
• 1/2t baking powder
• 1/4t salt
• 1c dried coconut, plus extra for topping the cupcakes

Frosting

• 1/2c nonhydrogenated shortening (I actually just doubled up on the earth balance below and didn't use this)
• 1/2c nonhydrogenated fake butter (I used Earth Balance you can use Smart Balance too)
• 3½c POWDERED (confectioners) sugar
• 1t vanilla
• 1/4c lime juice
• 1t lime zest
  ______________________________

1. preheat your oven to 350° and line cupcake tins
2. for cupcake: melt coconut oil in a small pan over low heat
3. mix together coconut oil and sugar
4. add coconut milk, soy milk, vanilla, and lime zest and mix well
5. mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt
6. once smooth, add dried coconut and pour into cupcake pan
7. cook for 25 minutes and allow to cool completely before icing
8. for the frosting, beat the shortening and fake butter together until fluffy
9. add the sugar and beat 3 minutes
10. put vanilla and lime juice in, and mix 5-7 minutes more
11. add the lime zest and frost the cupcakes
12. Roll the frosted cupcakes in remaining coconut flakes and if you want top with lime slices to make pretty (Or just dig in and forget about formality)

Final announcement!!!! My 1st giveaway coming soon!!! I'm super excited about this stay tuned...