A busy 2 weeks but LOTS of great things happening.

I'm alive and well! That is what my Uncle John Eiler always says and it pretty much sums things up. I've had lots going on over the last couple of weeks. Let's start with the weekend of September 7th. I raced my first "normal" triathlon in Lexington, KY. By normal I mean it was in usual order of swim, bike, run. All the tri's I have done this year have been in reverse order due to the cold temperatures. My first race was 16 degrees...you don't want to be soaking wet and riding and running outside. Anyways, this recent race was "Tri for Sight" and it was at Spindletop Country Club. I raised money for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and raced with Team in Training. This was my first experience with this group and I will say training and racing for charity takes you to another level.

Nathan went with me to cheer and support me. This was also important to me because it was my first tri coming back from several injuries that would take a normal athlete out for the entire season. NOT ME! Anyone that knows me personally knows I'm far from normal. I will post a race recap sometime soon so if you want lots of details about me race be sure to check that out. Overall, this was such a fun race and I felt great. I leaned a lot of things that will help me in future races. Not only did I have my husband there with me, but my dear BFF (best fish friend) Bill and his wife Lisa drove up just to cheer me on and take LOTS of photos. I felt like a celebrity racing from my friends taking photos to random strangers yelling "GO TEAM" since I was wearing a Team In Training kit (racing outfit). Nathan was near the finish line cheering me on and gave me that final push to the end. My Coach Mike and my friends were waiting for me at the finish line as well. It was awesome! I'm so sad that the season is coming to an end for now, but excited to prep and get ready for next year. It's going to be my year and i'll be ready. GAME ON! 

A week after the Tri for Sight was Nathan's favorite race of the year. He didn't say that, but I know it is. He's ran this road race every year for 12 years or maybe longer. It's called the Lanesville Heritage Road Race. It's a 5 mile run/walk or 8 mile run. Nathan always does the 8 mile run and I'm so proud of him. He eats hills for breakfast and they don't slow him down at all. I started off doing the 5 mi walk then over the years increased to the run. For the last 2 years I wanted to do the 8 mile run but would chicken out the week of and change my registration. NOT THIS YEAR! I took on the 8 mile run using a run/walk strategy my Coach and I worked out. I felt great and still had gas in the tank at the end. I wasn't the fastest but I'm proud of myself and happy. The last two miles I really surprised myself because I was running between a 10:20-10:40 minute mile which is fast for me at this time. This was the longest run since 3-22-14 so I was elated! It's awesome to race without something broken or torn! 

Here's a pre race picture of Nathan and me. I tell him he's a dork for wearing the sweatband, but he doesn't care. Maybe if I swipe one of his bands I will charge up those hills as well? Again I will post a race recap if you want details so stay tuned for that. 

Getting more recent and caught up (this week) big changes as well. I had a minor foot surgery so i'm home recovering today. I had a lesion removed from the ball of my foot. It was annoying over the last year and I had to keep having it trimmed down so it didn't hurt when I walked (or raced). It's small but deep so I have some sutures and need to stay off my foot a bit.  All three kitties are taking turns sitting with me and keeping me warm and cozy. This is Sir Purrs A Lot.

Lastly and probably the biggest change is I started the 21 Day Fix. It's been all over Facebook and blogs. If you haven't heard of it don't worry I will tell you all about it and review it as I go along. Basically the eating plan is a balanced diet and uses containers for portion control. You have a 30 minute workout to do everyday and it varies day to day. I didn't eat too bad before but I would eat too many carbs and fruit and not enough protein and veggies. I ate too large of a meal (usually one big meal a day) and too much sugar. I could feel my body crash and the mid day slump take over and I was so tired during workouts. I workout a lot more than some people but my body didn't show it. I was tired of looking at myself and instead of thinking "wow, you just ran 8 miles and are still smiling" I would say something about how big I looked and threatened Nathan not to post those pics online. I don't want to be skinny- there is such a thing as "skinny fat" but I want to be healthy and strong. Okay- yes I want to look good in spandex as well but not the main point. Anyways, I have my weekly meal plan on the fridge and it's going great. My first impression of the 21 day fix was "I'm gonna starve!" but that isn't the case at all...I have to force myself to eat everything. YOU WILL NOT STARVE. I don't even feel hungry or sluggish so I think I have my meal plan pretty balanced. I will give updates and more info on the 21 day Fix in another post. If you're interested in learning more right now please checkout my Beachbody website here. I know it doens't look like much below, but BIG things come in SMALL packages. Nathan is somewhat following the plan with me. We both took before photos (i'm not brave enough to post mine here yet) and took our pre weight and body measurements.  Let's see how this goes! 

Happy Fall Y'All!! 

What are your favorite things about the Fall? 

Recovery- a hidden discipline

Sometimes we spend so much time and effort on what we're doing that we forget to sit back and relax. You don't have to be an athlete to be guilty of that. Recovery is so important yet it is overlooked. I go thru spells where my insomnia is terrible and will sleep less than 12 over 4 or 5 days then try to catch up on the weekend. I know those weeks my body simply cannot heal itself and i'm prone to more injuries. Once I went to the YMCA to run the path after work. I opened my car door and placed one foot on the ground while I fumbled with my spare key and getting my headphones untangled. I think there is a ghost that goes around and ties knots in headphones because no matter how carefully I coil them they're in a knotted mess. Anyways, I was exhausted and decided to close my eyes for just a moment and visualize how great my run will be. I woke up OVER AN HOUR LATER with my car door still open and one leg hanging out of my car!! Nobody came over to check my pulse?? It was almost dark and past time for dinner so I ended up leaving and not running.

  How much recovery time you need is varied person to person and if your prone to injury or not. Some people can sleep very little and function "normal" where some pro triathletes sleep 10-12 hours a day- no joke! I know some people can put in 15-20 hours of training in a week or more and feel fine where some of us need time more time to heal and recover. You have to learn what works for YOU! Listen to your body and train smarter not harder.  I am trying to make a comeback in the triathlon world and i'm doing everything I can to prevent injury. It's been a tough year for me, but i've learned so much and i'm coming back stronger than I was before. I have my first "normal" triathlon this weekend. I've completed several tri's but they were in reverse order where the swim (indoors) was last...and it was 16 degrees outside! I've been trying to squeeze in an extra run and swim in this week just to prepare myself for this race. I've put in the training and I just need to trust myself and RELAX. Life is hectic and we go go go all the time. You need to set aside some time for yourself to relax...get a massage or pedicure if you enjoy that, check out a yoga class,  or maybe just watch your favorite movie and enjoy some popcorn with a loved one. Whatever you do just RELAX and enjoy. I planned to run with my running pal, Carrie, tomorrow but my coach told me to stay off my legs to prepare for Sunday's race. I will listen to him and go for an easy swim tomorrow and maybe splurge for a pedicure to match either my racing outfit (Purple for Team In Training) or my bike!

     I have been using some really great products over the last few months and especially this week to help me with my recovery. Some of this stuff is geared mostly towards athletes, but anyone can use and benefit from the products below. I am not paid or sponsored by any of these companies so the following reviews are my own personal thoughts and two cents. You will be able to click on the name of each product to visit their website for more information. If you have a question about a product, chances are i've tried it over the last year or so, comment below and I will give you a review if I can. 

110% Shin/calf sleeves with ice

 

These are double lined compression sleeves (not shown) that you can put ice packs in. They're used to prevent swelling and reduce inflammation. 110% also has compression shorts and sleeves for elbows, knees, quads/hamstrings, and other great products. The bag you see is a insulated bag that I put my ice packs in for travel so you can ice your muscles right after a race. Again, these are geared towards athletes but someone that is on their feet all day would benefit from this. Depending on what you order you measure yourself (in my case my calves) and order the appropriate size suggested. The compression alone feels good on my legs and you can run/bike in these. The ice feels great and stays right where I want it. The double lined sleeve is a barrier so the ice pack isn't against bare skin (I gave myself a frostbite back in March with a GEL pack) so it's safe to wear for longer periods. They stay pretty cold for awhile unless you have a cat resting on your shins. I've used these many many times and I haven't had to replace the ice packs yet. You simply soak them in water, wipe off, then freeze until ready to use. You don't have to soak them every time, but when they seem to "deflate" it's time to soak. It came with 2 small and 2 large packs to use. To save money you could just ice yourself down good then wear some less expensive compression sleeves, but these are handy and I would purchase them again. They cost around $75 the website but look for coupon codes to save.  I will probably stick to laying on my family size bag of frozen peas for the other areas I need to ice instead of ordering the shorts or thigh sleeves. I just have to tell hubby to stop eating my therapy peas! 

Arctic Ease Cold Wraps vs Gel Packs

This can be purchased at CVS. I have mixed feelings about this product. The first time I tried this I disliked it strongly because it wasn't that much of a cooling effect (I opened it up in the parking lot), it was slimy, and I couldn't get it to stay around my hips to help my lower back. I rolled it up, added water, and tossed it in my fridge and forgot about it over the last couple of months. I knew I dug this out again this week to give it another try. It felt much better being chilled in fridge, but it was still somewhat slimy. I wrapped it tightly around my right leg to get the compression benefits and tucked the corner in at the top. It stayed in place fine and the cold felt good. They're not as cold as ice but lasted longer than the gel packs and stayed cold over an hour..??? It dries out and feels like you're unwrapping a mummy but you just roll it back up on the little plastic rod and add a little bit of water to the bottle. Place it back in the fridge and it will be ready to use again. I've used this one twice now so we will see how long it lasts. I have a $2 off coupon so I will eventually purchase another one. They price range is between $11-16 depending on where you shop, coupons, rewards, etc. I could use my regular gel packs but this is nice to get compression AND 360 degrees of cold therapy AND be able to move around. 

Primal Sport Mud

This stuff is awesome. I copied the information below because I couldn't explain what it is or how it works any simpler. You apply a thin layer to the sore area then apply heat. I wrap my legs in cheap saran wrap so my towel doesn't get stained, then place either a heating pad on the area or wrap my legs in a heated blanket. My cat, Sir Purrs A Lot, loves to help me apply heat and heal my legs- such a good boy! It is very messy as you can see and can stain clothing so watch. Another option is getting into a hot bath to soak with or without the saran wrap. After about 15-20 minutes just wash it away. It stained my skin somewhat since i'm fair complected, but it just looked like self tanner gone wrong and wore off within a day. I think I left it on longer than 20 minutes now that I think about it. Ha! It didn't have a smell to it really- yes I sniffed my hands after rubbing it on my legs.

If you have see a chiropractor or physical therapist and have access to an ultrasound device you can use this Primal Mud in place of the contact gel they usually use because the heat . I have been using this product since March trying to heal a partially torn Achilles tendon along with some other injuries. It does help the soreness greatly so I keep using it. I bought a huge bottle, but you can get a small one because it lasts longer than you would think. You can purchase this at Fleet Feet if you're local. I'm  thinking Pacer's and Racer's may carry this as well now if you're on the Indiana side. I will find out for you and how much (I'm thinking around $25)!  If not check online for retailers near you. I found it cheaper to purchase in store than to use an online coupon code due to the cost of shipping. It's a mess but worth the hassle and I plan to be using it more often and take it with me to doctor appointments.  I will purchase another bottle once I run out of this. 

What is it?

Go Natural

Primal Sport Mud is a natural alternative for quick recovery. It contains no artificial ingredients, preservatives, scents or stimulants - just extracts from ancient plant matter. This primal organic matter is naturally powerful: it provides a stabilized source of electrolytes and antioxidants that neutralize free radicals. This helps the human body get back into fighting shape, naturally. There's simply nothing else like it on the market!

How does it work?

When heat is applied to Primal Sport Mud, its jet black color and molecular structure absorb and convert the heat into beneficial infrared energy - which stimulates micro circulation. Improved circulation removes toxins and speeds up recovery so you can spend less time being sore and more time doing what moves you! Primal Sport Mud is all-natural, raw and exactly what your body needs.

Several options here for you to try out but a good ol ice bath or massage can help those tired achy muscles feel refreshed as well. Ice baths can be brutal but so can my pal Sara when I tell her "you can't hurt me" as she's getting a trigger point to release! I hope you find something above useful in your recovery and you take time to rest and relax as well. Happy Friday!! 

What do you use for recovery? Do you like pedicures?