Friday, November 30, 2018

“The Best of the Best” Final Triathlon of the 2018 Season


The Best of the Best Triathlon has finally arrived, I qualified for this race 6 weeks ago and I’m so excited.  This is the first race I have ever qualified so it really means a lot to me in so many ways.  I have taken the last few weeks to really step up my training and push myself even harder to get to this point, my last race I wanted to just finish but this race I wanted to kill it and be on that podium as #1 for Athena 39 and Under to end my 2018 triathlon racing season.

It was a rather calm and strange taper week leading up to Sunday’s race, now don’t get me wrong that’s what it’s suppose to feel like but I always seem to stress myself out and worry...did I do enough, did I work hard enough or long enough on my training workouts, did I follow my nutrition plan like I was suppose to, did I drink enough water...the list goes on and on.  However after getting my race bib with all the goodies and laying all my stuff out the night before I was still feeling really good with no anxiety or stress, it helped staying busy that weekend so I didn’t have too much time to think about it.  I kept telling myself I was ready and at this point there was nothing else I could do, I put in all the hard work and did everything I wanted to do to get myself here.  I went to bed at a reasonable time to make sure I got some enough sleep as I usually don’t get much the night before any race.
Race morning arrived...my alarm went off around 7am which was so nice, since the race was starting later than normal races due to the time of year and weather I didn’t have to get up at the crack of dawn to get myself ready.  I woke up feeling great, not only did I sleep 9 hours it was a good solid 9 hours I have not felt this good on race day I think ever in the last 4 years I have been doing this.  That was a sign to me that it was going to an amazing day.  After getting ready I had some down time to gather my thoughts before leaving the house and that’s when the nerves kicked in.  My husband and coach talked with me and reminded me why I was doing this and that both him and my kids were proud of me no matter what and then he told me that I had this and to kick some butt on the course today.  Just hearing those words and having that support meant the world to me as that is exactly what I needed to hear.  I loaded my bike and my Tri bag and headed out the door around 7:50am, I drove on my own as my family was going to leave a little later so that way they didn’t have to wait around all morning.  I cranked up the music in my truck and sang the whole way to my event, this kept me calm yet focused for the day.


Once I arrived I went into transition set up my bike and all my gear for the race.  It was rather chilly in the morning as it was the beginning of November, I questioned myself a few times wondering what I was doing racing in this cold weather but I don’t back down from a challenge especially when it involves racing.  I went inside to pick up my tracker for my ankle and check out the pool as this was my first time racing at an indoor pool, I think that is partly why I felt a little calmer as the swim is always the toughest thing for me and since I had been training in a pool I felt pretty good.  It’s the open water swims that make me crazy and nervous as you just don’t know the water conditions but in a pool it’s easy as it’s always the same.  After getting everything set up my family arrived to greet me and cheer me on, it was so awesome to see them and have them come out on this cold morning.  My husband Rich talked me through my set up in transition to make sure I was set and ready, then we all walked into the pool area where I was able to go and warm up before just jumping in and starting.  I felt good getting in and doing a few laps and making sure my cap and goggles were good.  Since it was an indoor pool swim everyone had to stand in one long line based on your bib number as not everyone starts at the same time.  They had one person go at a time with 10 seconds in between, the swim start was based on previous swim times from the race that you qualified for to get here.  After asking the lady in front of me and behind me on their swim times I was in the perfect place to start. 

Once it came to my turn, I sat on the edge of the pool until I was told to go, once he said go I started my watch and away I went in the pool.  It was a 250 yard swim which was 10 laps of the pool, now the fun part was turning at the wall under the buoys as I don’t flip turn so I had to figure out how to go under the water and not hit my head when turning to go to the next lane.  The first few times I think I swam too deep which messed me up and I was losing my breath which is not good when your racing and trying to get through it.  So I calmed myself down and pushed through each lap, the final two laps were the toughest as I knew I was almost over and had to go out into the cold next.  I jumped out the water in 5:16.6 which was a good time I wanted to be under 5 mins but I was very happy with that time. Once I hit the door to run outside I felt the cold kick in but I was thankful for the sun and ready to go and dry off a bit to get my long shirt on.  I saw my girls and my husband cheering me on while I ran into transition to get myself ready for my 16.5 mile bike ride.  I was in and out of transition in 2:31.1 and off I was on my bike ready to kick some butt.



The first few miles were cold as I was still wet but once again I calmed myself down, got comfortable in aero with my arms in front and stayed focused.  I kept an eye on my time as I wanted to make sure I was following my nutrition plan and hydration every 15 mins I knew this would make a difference as I struggled with that in my last race so it was very important this time around.  When I approached my first hill I backed off my hard gear sat up and pushed hard up the hill, I couldn’t believe how calm I was and how great I felt.  I was passing people while go up hills, I have never done that ever so that was a huge victory to me and I didn’t stop there I stayed focused and continued to push through the hills while enjoying the downhills.  I got to the half way turnaround point in 28 minutes which is where I needed to be in order to have any shot for the podium, with that being said I knew I would have to work hard and really pump on my way back to get under 1 hour for my bike but I knew it was definitely achievable.  Heading back we had some strong head winds which is never fun so now I had to dig deep and really use my legs, which made me nervous as I was afraid if I used my legs too much I would not have anything on my run but at that moment I knew I just had to give it all I had and not leave anything out there.  I would figure out my run when I got to that point, so I pushed and pushed and turned the corner to head to transition in which I looked at my watch and saw how close I was to getting under the one hour mark, then I saw Rich and the girls waiting for me and once I looked at my watch I saw 59.46.2 minutes I was so happy I couldn’t believe it.  Rich kept telling me nice ride and said okay this is when it really counts is on the run.  I switched from my bike gear to my running gear and off I went on my run.

Rich began my run with me and helped me stay focus on where I was and what I needed to do to keep myself on this momentum.  I looked down at my watch at one point as saw a 8:30 pace which was insane and had to back off a bit as I didn’t want to go too fast and burn myself out.  I felt really good the first mile but then I started to get hot as I forgot to take off my long sleeve shirt so I rolled it up and kept running.  I did keep checking my watch to make sure I was on pace to what my A goal was which was to be under 30 minutes for my 5K, once I rounded that second loop I knew I would have to kick into high gear to keep up my pace to once again have a shot for that podium...oh yes that podium was on my mind the whole day that is what I trained for and that is why I was hear today so there was no way I was going to forgot about that.  I saw Rich and the girls a few times on the course but this was my last time seeing them as I was on my way to the finish line and I was killing it at this point, the look on Rich’s face and all the excitement made me so happy as I knew I was going to have a great time for my run and overall time.  I pushed around that last corner and headed for the inside of the football stadium, one final corner and there it was the finish line I gave it all I had by passing a lady and finishing strong.  It was the perfect ending to the perfect day as I saw my girls and husband waiting for me at the finish line with hugs and tears of joy as I just killed that course!

After stopping my watch and crying I couldn’t believe how well I did and how amazing this day was for me.  I worked really, really hard for this race and everything clicked for me from the very beginning to when I hit that finish line.  Now it was time for the results to see how I stacked up with the other athletes.  I couldn’t go and look at the sheet so Rich went over for me to take a picture...as he was walking back I literally felt like I was going to fall over as I was so nervous on how I placed then he showed me his phone and I placed 1st in Athena 39 and Under, not only did I place first in my age group but first overall with the best time of all Athena’s.  I was so happy and excited I could have yelled from the roof tops at this point.  Then Rich looked at me and said "Are you really that surprised???, I’m not as you killed it out there today!”.  This moment was huge for me in so many ways, from beginning my weight loss journey back in March to training and qualifying for a local race and getting myself back to being healthy and happy again.  This validated everything I had worked so hard for.  I finished with a final time of 1:40:04.0 which is my new Personal Record for a Sprint distance triathlon.  This has really put a fire under me for next year and reminded me how much I missed competing and racing.  Training hard and following a Paleo lifestyle really changed how I race and how fast my body recovered, I’m very excited for next year as I think I’m finally onto something great.

Thank you to all those who have supported me this year with my weight loss and training journey, there were ups and downs but overall it has been a great eye opening experience for me.  I’m so close to a big mile marker of losing 50 lbs its within arms reach so I will be updating you all once I hit that goal which will be soon.  Now it’s bring on the holiday’s and some much needed rest and downtime!


Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Disco Triathlon Race - Olympic Distance Complete






Sunday September 23rd, 2018

11 weeks of training and my race is finally here, I can't believe how fast it has gone by.  I started my weight loss journey back in March when I began my first round of Whole30 and I have not looked back since.  I knew I needed to sign up for a race to keep me on my journey and I was ready to put myself back out there again.  It's been over 3 years since I have competed in a triathlon and now that I'm gaining my confidence back I wanted to really push myself again.  I looked at a few different races and found the Disco triathlon, it looked like so much fun and was rated one of their top races of the year but I couldn't get myself to sign up right away.  It took me a good week to make the decision as I was so nervous, I first thought about signing up for the sprint distance but I really wanted to challenge myself and with all that I have learned from my new nutritional plan I decided to sign up for the Olympic distance which would consist of a 1 mile open water swim at Lake Ray Roberts, 23 mile bike ride and then a 10K (6.2) mile run.  After I signed up for it I thought what the heck did I just do and did I take on too much???  

Well I made it to RACE DAY!!!  It's been a long 11 weeks of training but I'm so proud of myself for giving it all I had to get me to this point.  I had good and bad training day's but I never gave up and kept reminding myself why I was doing this.  I packed all my stuff in my tri bag the night before and set up my breakfast before going to bed as I knew I probably wouldn't get much sleep.  I went to bed around 9:30pm, it as a long night as I tossed and turned most of the night.  Only getting about 2 hours of sleep my alarm went off at 4:40am which I hit snooze one time as I was feeling pretty exhausted.  I finally got up just before 5am gathered myself and got ready, it was a little chilly out and drizzling which was expected.  I knew it was going to be a tough day with the weather as it's been raining for a few days now and today was no different, I was extremely nervous the whole morning getting ready as I have never raced in any other weather but sunshine or wind.  Rich and the girls all got up around the same time as me and go ready for the day, my bike was put in the back of our truck covered with a trash bag to help from getting too wet and we all piled into our truck and left the house around 5:25am.  I tried to stay calm on the way as Rich drove but as usual I stressed myself out and started to panic as if I had anything to worry about.  The hardest part for me on any race is the "unknown" factor the things I don't have control over it's also the scariest thing for me.  It's always very emotional before I start as I work so hard to get to this point and I want to leave it all out on the course that's the competitiveness in me.

We arrived at Lake Ray Roberts around 6:20am found a parking spot close to transition which was nice, once we parked we all got out of the truck and felt the cold and rain that is when I began to shake from being cold and wondering what the heck was I about to do and was this going to safe.  Then I looked around and saw all these other athletes who parked and piled out of their vehicles to do the same thing I was doing....so I wasn't the only crazy one then.  Before entering into the transition area to get my stuff set up I had to get body marked which was fun as me and every other person were all doing this at the same time you can imagine how fun that was..hahaha.  Once I entered I found a spot that was as close to the spectators as possible so Rich and the girls could help me find my bike and running stuff.  I set up my (Rich's) good luck blue towel along with all my bike stuff and running stuff as I wanted to be ready.  The weather was just not cooperating that is when the race director announced that the water was not safe for the longer swim distances and that they would need to shorten the swim for those racing the Olympic distance and X-50 distance.  Instead of us swimming 1 mile they reduced it to a sprint distance of 500 meters, I was so happy when I heard that announcement as that was the scariest part for me even though I have done a few open water races I still was very nervous.  This also pushed our start times back which meant instead of me going into the water at around 7:45am I would enter around 8:15am or 8:20am which was not fun considering I was shivering from the cold but there was nothing I could do about that.


Once transition closed we all headed down to the water to prepare the wave starts, that is when my friends showed up with awesome signs and lots of hugs and encouragement.  I could not tell you how excited I was to have such amazing people in my life who came to support me in the rain on a rather chilly day.  Once I got to the starting line my stomach sank and the nerves set in once again, I got in the water to test out my goggles and I surprised how warm the temperature of the water really was someone said it was above 80's which was so wonderful.  I spent several minutes just hanging out in the water to stay warm before my wave went off.  After watching everyone go off in their wave it was finally my turn and I was so ready to get this race going.  We all walked to our starting position which was standing on the beach ready to run into the water and start swimming, the best part is my daughter Lindsey was the one who got to blow the horn for our wave since I was racing that made me so proud and lucky to see that.  Once she blew that horn we were all off and running like crazy people into the lake and off we went for the swim.  It was horrible as the waves were so high and hard to get into a grove, then I swallowed a bunch of water which made me almost throw up 2 times on top of getting kicked in the face and tugging on my arms and legs.  Oh yes it was so much fun..lol.  I really struggled getting into a grove all I kept doing was looking for points like the buoys to get me through.  Once I turned to head to land I felt so much better and mentally pushed my self to just finish up strong.  I came out of the water around 12 mins
which was not a good time for me but considering the water conditions and 3 year gap of racing I was glad to have just finished that swim.  My support crew was standing by the water cheering me on as I came out and began to run up the hill to transition, I found my bike put on my socks, bike shoes, helmet and glasses and away I went for a 23 mile bike ride.  Rich was running all over the place coaching me of what to do next and what I needed to do to get my self on that podium, to some people it seemed like he was crazy and who was this guy yelling at me but to me it my motivation and encouragement to push myself to my goal.  

Once on the bike I was off and going, I felt cold for most of the ride and the weather was horrible.  The clouds were thick which made it that much harder to see, I had my dark lenses on which is good for riding with the sun but not when it's cloudy out, I should have changed them out to my yellow or clear lenses.  I needed to wear them due to the rain and avoid getting bugs or rocks in my eyes...note to self for next rainy race change out lenses.  I felt good on the bike but I did ride more cautiously due to the weather, I also saw many people with flats on the side of the road which scared me as I didn't want to have to change a flat in these conditions.  I kept myself calm and just kept riding, it was an up and down
course which is what I was use to training on so that was no surprise.  At one point I hit a hill and looked down thinking I just need to hold on for dear life and hope I don't crash or die I hit 29 mph going down that hill and I made it safe and sound.  It was so scary but so much fun, Rich always told me to leave everything I have on the course well I sure did that.  As I came around my last corner I saw my support crew holding their signs and screaming my name as I finished up my bike and headed to transition.  It made me feel so good and really helped push me for my run.  I found my stuff racked my bike took off my helmet, changed shoes put on my visor, grabbed my water bottle and away I went for my next sport.

Once again Rich was coaching me as I left transition to my run of a 10K the last leg of my race.  I had been working so hard on my running so I was hoping for a good run, well I'm sad to say that's not what happen.  I messed up my nutrition on my bike due to the weather so I ended up playing catch up which was not a smart thing to do and that really affected me on my run.  I got around mile 2 and started to feel sick so I kept drinking water as I wasn't sure what was wrong, at this point the rain had stopped and the humidity set in so now I was wet and sweaty with
stomach issues....perfect!  This is when I had to mentally push and coach my way through this, I started to come around to the half way point for my second loop and heard my crew cheering people on until they saw me and started to scream and jump up and down and told me to keep going and that I was doing such a great job....that meant the world to me and it was exactly what I needed to hear at that time.  Rich also told me I was about 3 minutes behind from the possible leader and that I needed to step it up if I wanted to get on that podium.  The next 3 miles I struggled more than I should have, I wanted so bad to go faster I just could not breath and my stomach was still not right at that point I was doing a walk/jog just to keep me going.  I did a lot of those on the up hills and then ran on the down hills.  I came around the same last corner and heard my crew cheering me on, that is when I saw my girls waiting for me to help run with me down to the final stretch to the finish line.  I finished the race and I was so proud of myself, I worked 11 hard weeks to get me here and the joy of sharing that finish with my daughters and husband meant everything to me.  My total over all time was 3 hours and 1 minute, I was extremely proud of my time and finishing that race I just wasn't sure if it was enough to place me in the top 3 for Athena 39 and Under.


After the race I went and gave Rich a big hug and cried it out for a minute and thanked him for all his support along with my kids.  I then found my friends who came over and gave me lots of hugs and congratulated me for finishing.  I thanked them a million times for all their support and cheering that is what truly made me finish today.  Now it was time to wait and see the final results of where I placed, when they announced Athena 39 and Under they called my name as second place...I was shocked and yet so happy that I did it.  I stood on that podium as a very proud and accomplished person it reminded me of why I worked so hard and how bad I wanted it.  Not only did I get a
finishers medal for the race but also go a trophy for 2nd place, it was a tough day with crazy conditions but I made it through by pushing myself and concorded what I set out to do and that was finish an Olympic triathlon after not racing for over 3 years.  I set out on this journey to get myself back into shape and do what I love doing which is competing and I got so much more out of it.  I got my confidence back, my drive to work hard and my will to push myself, including losing weight and getting healthy.  I now have the triathlon racing bug again and it feels amazing, since this season is almost over its time to step up my off season training so I'm ready for next year.  I have 6 races already picked out that I'm so excited for...let the off season training begin!!!





MY FAMILY AND SUPPORT CREW! 
GO TEAM WEISS!







Tuesday, September 25, 2018

Qualified for the "Best of the Best" Triathlon Championship...


After competing in this past weekends race, I woke up yesterday morning wondering what was next.  I have been on such an amazing journey that I don't want it to stop, I have come too far to stop now or even think about slowing down.  Since the triathlon season is coming to an end I was looking at two different half marathons coming up and then I received an email last night from Dallas Athletes Racing company which is the group that hosted this past weekends race, that had a subject line of "You Qualified" as I opened the email it said Congratulations....based on my 2nd place finish from the Disco Triathlon I qualified for the Best of the Best Championship Triathlon which is local end of the year race in November.  This race is an invite only for those who qualify throughout the year at certain races based on placement in age groups and I made it!  I could not believe it when I saw this email, I worked so hard for my last race and really wanted to be in the top 3 for the Athena group 39 and Under.  I knew I would have a shot if I worked hard and gave it all I got but I never knew that would lead me to qualifying for a bigger local event.  I was so excited I told my husband and asked him if I should do it?  He looked at me without hesitation and said what are you waiting for you better get signed up and get back to training tomorrow...hahahah the best part is that's what I was hoping to hear from him.  He has been my coach and rock through all of this training so having him believe in me means the world.  

Last night I signed up and received my confirmation that I was registered and I'm ready to go in the Athena 39 and Under age group for November 4th.  That means that my husband is back to the drawing board to create my new training schedule for the next 6 weeks, it's going to be tough with lots of hard work but I'm so ready to do this once again and compete.  While my husband works on my training schedule I will be working on my next set of personal goals, nutrition plan and menu and completing a daily journal.  

The nice part is that this race is in 6 weeks out and is a sprint distance so I will be doing a 250 yard swim at an indoor pool, then riding my bike for 12.5 miles and finishing with a 5K run.  I'm going to continue training for a longer distance so I'm more than ready for the shorter race.  I'm so excited to compete as I want to place in the top 3 again for this championship race, this will give me the drive to work even harder and the confidence to get me back into the triathlon racing world.  Let the countdown begin.....1 month, 9 days and 23 hours to go....Go Team Weiss!!!


LOVE MY SUPPORT CREW...GO TEAM WEISS!

Saturday, July 7, 2018

New Recipe - Post Workout Coconut Water Smoothie (Paleo, Vegan and Whole30)

Post Workout Coconut Water Smoothie 

Ingredients 
1/4 to 1/2 cup Frozen Strawberries or a small handful 
1/4 to 1/2 cup Frozen Pineapple or a small handful 
Handful of Raw Spinach
3 tbsp. Hemp Seeds
8 to 10 oz Vita Coco Coconut Water (make sure there is no sugar added)

Directions
  1. Place all the ingredients into a blender or bullet and blend for about 30 seconds to 1 minute or until everything mixed well.  Grab a straw and enjoy!
This is a perfect smoothie for after a good workout as it will give you the carbs from the fruit, greens from the spinach, protein from the hemp seeds and natural electrolytes from the Coconut Water.  I'm not a huge Coconut water person but when it's mixed in with a smoothie I can't even taste it. 






Wednesday, July 4, 2018

New Recipe - Paleo Banana Chocolate Chip Ice Cream (Paleo and Vegan)

Paleo Banana Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Ingredients:
3 to 4 Bananas - Sliced and Frozen***
1 tsp Simply Organic Vanilla Extract
2 to 3 tbsp. Nutpod Vanilla Non-Dairy Creamer or Unsweetened Full Fat Coconut Milk
1/4 to 1/2 cup Non-Dairy Mini Chocolate Chips (I use Enjoy Life)

Directions:
  1. Place the frozen bananas, vanilla extract and nutpod creamer in a food processor, blend on low or under "puree" if that option is available.  After about a minute or so open the top and scrape down the sides and blend again, this may need to be done a few times until it's well blended and looks like soft serve ice cream. 
  2. Once it's blended add the mini chocolate chips by mixing it in with the banana "ice cream" don't blend just stir it in.  You can always add more or less depending on how much chocolate chips you like. 
  3. It can be eaten right away or placed in a freezer safe container and placed back in the freezer until ready to eat.  If stored in the freezer overnight take it out and place on the counter for about 10 to 15 minutes before eating to help thaw it out as it will be easier to dish out of the container. Enjoy!
***Slice old brown bananas, place in a zip lock bag and put in the freezer over night before using.



New Recipe - Paleo Banana Vanilla Ice Cream (Paloe and Vegan Friendly)

Paleo Banana Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients:
3 to 4 Bananas - Sliced and Frozen***
1 tsp Simply Organic Vanilla Extract
2 to 3 tbsp. Nutpod Vanilla Non-Dairy Creamer or Unsweetened Full Fat Coconut Milk

Directions:
  1. Place the frozen bananas, vanilla extract and nutpod creamer in a food processor, blend on low or under "puree" if that option is available.  After about a minute or so open the top and scrape down the sides and blend again, this may need to be done a few times until it's well blended and looks like soft serve ice cream. 
  2. It can be eaten right away or placed in a freezer safe container and placed back in the freezer until ready to eat.  If stored in the freezer overnight take it out and place on the counter for about 10 to 15 minutes before eating to help thaw it out as it will be easier to dish out of the container. Enjoy!
***Slice old brown bananas, place in a zip lock bag and put in the freezer over night before using.



Friday, June 22, 2018

Whole30 Round 2 - Results are in....


Well yesterday completed my second round of Whole30, I can't believe I made it through another round.  This time around was so much easier to me than the first round and I will admit I was a little nervous as I had read many posts from people that said the second time around is much harder than the first.  I think because I was so focused on stepping up my workouts that I was actually pretty excited to see how this round would go.  Since dealing with my planters fasciitis from my race back in April I took most of May off to get it healed and started slowly getting back into running, by the end of May I was given the green light to go back and start running like normal so I thought it was the perfect time to go back on Whole30.  I really wanted to put my good eating habits along with working out to the test and see what kind of results I would get this time around.  My goal for this time was to do 30 workouts, I didn't have to do one workout each day although that would have been great but I didn't want to over do it and cause my self to stress out so some day's I did double workouts to help with the day's I missed.  I used a different journal that I found at Target (www.getfitbook.com) I had bought it a while ago used it here and there when I was on Paleo but thought it would be perfect to use this second round.  The book has space to set daily goals for personal and fitness, an area to journal which I used to log and tract my meals and then a section for your daily workouts and overall mood.  It was perfect for what I was doing and allowed me to still track my daily progression.  I would do it every morning with my cup of coffee and that would help me get through the day as I had to keep my self accountable.  The front of my book states "No Goal was met without a little sweat" which is perfect for me as I love to sweat it out during my workouts.  After my full 30 day's I managed to get in 22 workouts which I'm so proud of considering I had food poisoning one day, several BBQ's, Memorial Day and Father's day during the last four weeks.  I really got back into swimming, cycling and weight training this past month and absolutely loved it.  I slowly got back into my running too but the other cross training really helped as I'm still recovering from my planters fasciitis which can be a rather long process to fully heal.  

I did prepare my weekly food menu's each week which really helped keep me on track, but I did eat a lot of the same things as I had a very busy last few weeks and didn't have too much time to cook, so I would make lots of chicken for at least 3 or 4 day's and use that for salads, snacks and quick easy dinners.  I was very happy with making it through all the BBQ's we attended and hosted, I would make marinated chicken thighs with Whole30 approved marinade along with mixed green salads with lots of veggies and a big fruit bowl.  That meal was my saving grace for sure and it became very popular with all the events we attended.  The hardest part for me was the alcohol as summer time is here and as much as I love my water, I was so ready for a nice refreshing adult beverage by the pool but I had to wait and count down my days, the nice part is that all my friends were so supportive of me for not cheating or slipping as I was very tempted for sure.  I hung in there and did what I needed to do to get through and the best part is I woke up with no hang overs or dehydrated like many others.  I'm not a huge drinker at all but for some reason I was really craving a summer drink especially by the pool.  I did eat a little more on the day's I worked out as I needed more food, I was starving after most of my workouts but I made sure they were all Whole30 compliment snacks and even got into drinking coconut water with unsweetened passion tea as "natural" electrolytes to help replenish all the sweat coming out of my body during workouts.  I made it through the whole month without any cheats or slips and I'm very proud of my self.  I have learned a lot again through this second journey and because I didn't have too much sugar while doing Paleo I didn't have the same sugar detox like I did the first round which was life saving for me.  It has taught me how much sugar is a drug and how addicting it really is, I realized I didn't miss it and either did my body.  As I transition from my second round back into "normal" life I have decided I want to continue following the Paleo Lifestyle as that has worked the best for me and I love how flexible it is.  I will be bring Maple Syrup, Honey and Coconut Palm Sugar back into my eating plan it wont be everyday but I want to be able to use it when and if I need it.   I'm still going to cut out dairy, legumes, grains, and processed foods.  I'm also going to be very careful with what sugars I'm in taking and how much as I will need "natural" sugars during my long training workouts.  

Okay I have talked enough about my workouts and nutrition now it's time to get into my overall results which I'm so excited to share.  Since I wasn't sure how this round would go I didn't have very high expectations with my results especially that I was disappointed with my first round results but I made sure to take measurements this time around. Unfortunately I didn't do measurements the first round which was a huge bummer so I didn't want to make the same mistake this time.  I took my beginning weight, chest, arms, waist, hips and thigh measurements and of course before pictures, I did the same yesterday after my program was complete.  Here is a picture of my measurement tracker that I used

I had a total weight lose of 7 lbs this round which was two pounds more than I had my first round, I also lost a total of 9 inches all over my whole body which is amazing.  In looking at my numbers I noticed that I had lost inches in my arms, waist, hips and thighs, my chest remained the same which was totally fine.  Weight training I think really helped with that, along with swimming and the extra cardio I got it.  I am extremely happy with my overall results, since starting my weight loss journey I started at a weight of 230 lbs and now down to 203 lbs, 27 lbs down with lots of inches gone.  I started my first Whole30 journey in March and have not looked back since, doing this second round has really boosted my confidence and showed me how hard work and dedication can really pay off.  I still have a long way to go but I'm on such a high right now that I need to ride this and keep going in the right direction.  Here are pictures of my before and after for round two and then here are pictures of me from when I was my heaviest to today.  Wow what a difference in my face and whole body, I'm so proud of what I have accomplished so far and can't wait for this journey to continue.  


Thank you to all those who have followed me on Facebook, Instagram and my blog and who has cheered me on along the way.  I have been very lucky to have such a supportive family and group of friends to help me through this crazy journey, I could not have gotten through it without all of you.  I really want to put a special shout out to my wonderful and amazing husband who has been by my side the whole way.  He has kept me in check and focused but also very supportive with my workouts and daily nutritional choices.  He is my rock and someone I look up too, he pushes me out of my comfort zone to be a better person for our family.  I'm a very lucky women to have such an amazing family who is my side each and every day!  Until my next round which I'm hoping will be in the fall, please continue to read my blog and posts and see my up coming challenges, training schedules and races that I have coming up in the next few months as this is my journey worth sharing!



WHOLE30 ROUND 2 COMPLETE!
I'M A WHOLE30ER ONCE AGAIN!!!

Tuesday, June 12, 2018

Whole30 Round 2 Week 2 - Daily Journal


Wednesday 5/30/18 - Day 8 
Day 8 is here and I’m going strong so far I have done 8 workouts in 8 days...yay...go me!  It’s not easy but I’m doing my best to fit them in as much as possible.  Today was hot and muggy out but I knew I had to get my run in this morning or it wasn’t going to get done today.  I dropped the girls off at school came home and out the door I went, my goal was do about 45 to 50 mins for 3.5 to 4 miles well that didn’t happen as I was dead exhausted just over a mile in my run, my legs were killing me from yesterdays workout and I could not get my breathing down at all.  What was suppose to be a run turned into a walk/jog workout and although it wasn’t fun I did my best to push my self and complete at least 3 miles which I did.  I was sad I didn’t reach my original goal but I was happy to be done and at least got in the miles I did.  I know not every workout is going to great and that’s what training and working out is all about, the up and down struggles of trying to get my self healthy it’s all part of the process and journey.  This time I didn’t cry and get down on my self instead I gave my self a pat on the back and congratulated myself of getting it done no matter how hot and humid it was.  As my husband tells me “It will only make you stronger.”

Non-Scale Victories
  1. Not being as sore as I though I would be from yesterday’s workout.
  2. Getting my run in even through I was tired and hot.
  3. Getting laundry done as I was behind...that’s always important!
Thursday 5/31/18 - Day 9
Woke up feeling okay this morning and was excited for a new day I was pumped and ready to hit the pool for my swim but after eating breakfast I had really bad stomach pains which was so weird.  I didn’t eat anything different as I have been pretty consistent with my food but even after using the bathroom several times I could not get this thing out of my system and it hung me up for the whole day.  My mid morning it was still bothering me and I was afraid to go swimming at that point in case I needed to use the bathroom I wanted to be close by.  I ended up drinking lots of water and was very careful what I ate for the rest of the day, I didn’t want to make it worse or trigger it again.  That definitely put a damper on my whole day so I decided to take today as my rest day and just take it easy, I was bummed I couldn’t workout but I also knew it was the right thing to do and not to push my self in case I really needed to the bathroom.  So it was a very low key day with lots of rest and fluids most of the day.  I was able to eat later on in the afternoon and my stomach seemed to be okay still making funny sounds but nothing else came out.  I’m hoping to feeling better tomorrow and start off right with a new day.

Non-Scale Victories
  1. Ready for the weekend!
  2. Didn’t let this strange day throw me off, just rested with fluids.
  3. Not everyday will go as planned but learning not to stress my self out about it.  Just need to make modifications and adjustments to my schedule.
Friday 6/1/18 - Day 10
I can't believe I'm 10 day's in already on my second round, this time around feels like it's flying.  I guess keeping busy daily really helps, the best part is that it's a new month which means it's time to set new goals for June.  I started off with a swim at the pool reaching my first longest meters of 2225 since training for my Half Ironman and what a great feeling it was, my goal was to only swim for about 30 to 40 mins but once I got close to the 40 min mark and saw my total meters I decided to keep going as I was feeling good.  I was so proud of my self for pushing my self and not giving up, since I felt good I didn’t want to stop and I figured if I could make it to an hour that was huge for me. That was the only workout I got in but I have to say it wiped me out after that, swimming does that to me so it was no surprise I wanted to nap after I was done..lol.  I was put to the test again tonight as we went over to a friends house for a birthday party and once again I was tempted with lots of yummy none Whole30 foods along with summer adult beverages by the pool, I didn’t cheat or slip at all I stuck with my raw veggies, marinated W30 compliant grilled chicken, mixed green salad and fresh fruit which was amazing by the way and of course drinking my water all evening.  That was not easy by any means normally food bothers me more than having a drink as I’m a none drinker normally but the sound of a nice cold beverage by the pool other than water sounded pretty amazing to say the least.  I kept telling my friends I couldn’t drink I had 20 more day’s to go...gosh that sounded like a lot of time still.  These tests are hard but this is what makes my will power stronger, the best part is I won’t wake up dehydrated or hung over and that is a good feeling.

Non-Scale Vicotries
  1. Very tired after a long day and long night staying up late, so I’m happy to pass out and sleep.
  2. A new day, a new month, ready for new goals.
  3. Awesome swim workout at the gym new personal record in over 2 years!
Saturday 6/2/18 - Day 11
Had a late night at a friends house so woke up feeling tired and sluggish today.  It was a pretty chill day as we just ran a few errands, took my little one to a birthday party earlier this morning and then watched the hockey game later that night.  It was a very hot day, I did not want to be outside after sweating it out at the splash pad for the birthday party.  I wanted to be in a cool air conditioned place which ended up being Costco...hahaha.  The family and I had a return something and then pick up a few things for the house and pool, the only down fall is that I hate going to Costco on the weekends it's so busy and crowded I rather shop during the week when everyone is at work and the lines aren't down the aisles.  I was ready to leave when we did as I was going crazy, then my husband decided to stop at Wendy's on the way home to get the kids ice cream, he asked if he could have one as well how could I say no but I will be honest it was really hard to have everyone eating it around me.  I stuck to my guns no licks or cheats at all.  I knew I was having my famous Buffalo Wings later and that was worth it way more than ice cream as it had no sugar in the recipe.  No workout for me today as the day got away I'm okay with that as rest day's are valuable too.  Tomorrow I will need to get in a workout and hopefully kill it!

Non-Scale Victories
  1. My family who I love with all my heart.
  2. Staying tough by not having any ice cream.
  3. Having fun eating W30 wings and watching the Stanley Cup Finals hockey game.
Sunday 6/3/18 - Day 12
Perfect Sunday morning to sleep in, my husband is so wonderful to allowing me to rest and get some extra morning sleep.  After getting up and enjoying part of my cup of coffee my husband got home from his run and told me it was the perfect overcast morning for a run and encouragement me to go and get my workout done.  I wasn't sure as tomorrow is suppose to be my run day but why put it off I would just need to change my workout for tomorrow and since I'm not actually training yet for a race I was flexible in doing that.  I went and got dressed and out the door I went, my run started off great I felt awesome and the weather was really nice at that point.  I through my first mile looked down at my watch and saw my pace of 11:10 which I have not done in a long time, I couldn't believe it I was so happy.  The sun came out just over 2.5 miles but that good part was that I was almost done and was still hanging on to a good pace, I only ran 3 miles but it was one of the best runs I have had since training for my half Ironman a few years ago.  I completed my 3 miles in 35 mins averaging 11:45 pace...under 12 min mile is a huge victory for me.  This really showed me that this time around on my Whole30 journey was really helping with my workouts and speed, I haven't done speed work this round but I shows that I should be doing it and really pushing my self. I was extremely happy with my overall results from today's run and so glad I didn't wait to do it tomorrow.  After my awesome run I made a nice breakfast for the family and we all ate the by pool and enjoyed the nice summer breeze and cooler weather it was wonderful.  I really enjoy these kind of mornings with my family!  Had an okay nutritional day as I was pressed for time again today, I didn't eat as much as I should but I made sure I had a few extra snacks stayed away from the food I couldn't eat and make good choices with the foods I could eat.  Even having friends over again I didn't have any adult beverages and ate healthy, this is all still a learning process and every meal is a choice, I choose what I put in my body and how it makes me feel.

Non-Scale Victories
  1. Had a killer morning run under 12 min miles is a big milestone for me.
  2. Not being lazy and getting my workout in even though it was not my day to run.
  3. Having a breakfast by the pool with my family was very special and meaningful. 
Monday 6/4/18 - Day 13 

It was a late night last night with having friends over but we had so much fun so today I'm definitely dragging, it's going to be a very long day for sure.  Woke up to a nice rainy morning which makes it even worse as I wish I could be home all day cuddled up on the couch with coffee and my fur baby Kona but that was not the case as my older one had her 4th grade end of the year school party so I had to have a quick breakfast and coffee and then picked up my friend and we headed to the party as it was at an indoor skating rink.  My poor baby was still fighting a cold or allergies as she was so congested but I have to say she was a trooper and really wanted to participate and be apart of all the activities.  The party was for about 3 hours but we only stayed for half of it as I really wanted her to enjoy the time with her classmates and friends.  I just wanted to go and hang out for a little bit to say hi and enjoy some one on one time with her.  It was nice to carpool with another mom as we got to catch up and have some mom time as well.  After I got home I had a quick lunch and then I was suppose to go over to a friends house to workout but I was so tired that I ended up passing out by accident on the couch and by the time I woke up my girls were home from school, that means I did not get a workout in today but I was okay with that as it was a very very long day.  I did have some awesome meals today, really enjoyed dinner as it was a new recipe and it was very tasty.

Non-Scale Victories
  1. Spending time with Lindsey at her end of the school party.
  2. Being able to take a nap after being very tired today.
  3. Waking up to a nice rainy day. 
Tuesday 6/5/18 - Day 14

Yay...it's that time of year again to get my year physical again.  Woke up this morning and was not able to have any coffee or breakfast as I had to fast for my blood work after my doctors appointment.  I was excited to see how I did compared to last year and I'm even more excited to see my numbers after my blood is taken.  I have worked really hard these past few months and I'm hoping my overall physical will show that.  My doctor was very proud to see I had lost 20 lbs since last year and my over all body checked out to be normal and healthy.  She couldn't believe all the changes I had made in just 3 months, she told me to keep up the great work and to continue staying on this path as it was working for me.  That's always a nice feeling when someone who hasn't seen you in a while can see the changes and then to have numbers back you up is even more amazing.  After my appointment I headed over to the lab to get my blood taken and now I have to wait about a week or so to get those results in, so I will be anxiously waiting for those results so I can compare my numbers from last year.  I was able to get in a bike ride on my indoor training this afternoon before the kids got home from school, I rode for 46 mins and completed 10 miles another daily goal achieved!  My food was today stayed on track with a few extra snacks as I was hungry but they were compliant to the W30 program.

Non-Scale Victory
  1. Getting my physical done today!
  2. Squeezing my workout in
  3. Making great food choices 













WHOLE30 ROUND 2 WEEK 2 COMPLETED!!!





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