Actually, I’m really just going on the Paleo Diet! No sugar, no gluten, no dairy, no processed foods…lots of lean meats, seafood, veggies, fruits and nuts :) The main reason behind doing this is because I truly feel my energy levels spike and diminish like crazy throughout the day. Without added sugar or caffeine, I’m really hoping to be more consistent with my training and moods on a daily basis.

I have done a lot of prep getting vegetables cut, meat baked and recipes lined up and lots of grocery shopping. My first attempt at cooking was making these delicious Carrot Banana Muffins above. I have such a sweet tooth and thought that without cookies and baked goods I’d be dying but these definitely do the trick. Check out the recipe below and let me know what you think!

2 cups blanched almond flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon celtic sea salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup dates, pitted
3 ripe bananas
3 eggs
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
¼ cup coconut oil, melted
1 ½ cups carrots, shredded
¾ cup walnuts, finely chopped

1. In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon
2. In a food processor, mix dates, bananas, eggs, vinegar and oil
3. Transfer mixture to a large bowl
4. Blend dry mixture into wet until thoroughly combined
5. Fold in carrots and walnuts
6. Spoon mixture into paper lined muffin tins
7. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes

Makes 18 muffins

… since I played any lateral-movement sports. Played football at Timex camp!
I won’t experience the NFL draft personally in this lifetime and they probably don’t allow pink visors and skirts, but alas…. pure joy.

… since I raced my bike. Raced in Lago Vista!
Yep, threw in a bunch of “Triathlon Attacks” which are basically surges (I can’t actually credit myself with attacking), but I didn’t get away. So, it was Jen taking the sprint while I cheered from the back (”No Crashing!” — each IM race I’ve done to date was preceeded by either or both an ankle sprain or/and bike crash). Jen McRae has a very retro new “Chann McRae” kit. Check her out. Yes, she’s faster than you.

Celebrating the bionic ankle, the joy, and the journey.

P.S.:
Photo 1
I have horrid tan lines from the slightly pulled down arm warmers.
Photo 2
Jen tucks in; she looks like (and is) the real deal.

Returning from any trip without the family, regardless of duration, requires a process I’ve named “re-entry”.

Introduced to this in 2003 when I returned from winning my first-ever Half Ironman event (don’t think I have a big ego here, it was a small race in Lake Geneva), I heard, “Will you swing me or jump with me? What’s for dinner?” Gone one day or one week, re-entry required.

Obviously, leaving entails substantial shopping, cooking, organizing, labeling – the folks at Whole Foods ask me if I’m having a party. Returning challenges used to surprise me. So, my head swimming with fun memories of playing football, staying out late, drinking wine, shooting fun video clips, talking about training, learning more about Timex – re-entry is akin to falling off a cliff.

I flew back to Austin, arriving around 9:00pm. Phone call: “She’s waiting up for you.” My thoughts: “Oh, it will feel great to hug Autumn” competing with “OMG, I’m going to be up all night and I’m under-trained, over-tired, and still fantasizing about an alternative life.” What counts, however, isn’t what I think, it’s what I do next, so I breathe and say, “I’m looking forward to seeing y’all.” The rest of the night I have recorded in my memory if I ever feel alone or unwanted: the bed was packed with Autumn, the 2 dogs, and the 2 cats, and me (Michael gets last dibs and his own bed). Autumn snagged my new blue Timex tap watch.
Day 0: check.

Day 1 of re-entry included what had to happen: Autumn to/from school, essential groceries (where I lost my cart because I was over-tired and under-trained and letting my mind float), working, bike maintenance (in my haste to get out of there I couldn’t cope with the bike - I can’t shift out of my big ring and my front was flat), homework, planning, cooking, more working, reading and bedtime process. No training. Always smiling, letting the no training and no unpacking just float there.
Day 1: check.

Day 2 of re-entry hit the next level of priorities. Pick up the dog poop, train!, unpack, clean up, open mail, put bills in the “needs to be dealt with” basket (now overflowing), call parents.
Day 2: check.

Day 3 of re-entry, snow in Austin. Prioritizing and planning only goes so far without flexibility. Worked, trained, and picked up Autumn from school. Played wildly in the snow… in Austin, Texas.
Happiness on the journey. Check.

I was going through some old photos the other night and happened to find this…

Sorry Tingle, I had to…At any rate, I then started going through all my old Timex Team camp photos beginning in 2007. I cannot even begin to express how far this team has come and how many incredible memories I have from the great times and amazing people I’ve been so fortunate to have in my life over the past years. Check out the team photos from the prior years and look how unbelievably studly the 2010 team looks!!!! Whooooohoooo :)

2007

2008

2009

2010

Last week the athletes and staff of the 2010 TIMEX Multisports team had a very unique opportunity to train at the TIMEX Performance Center in New Jersey. This facility is the home of the NY Football Giants organization and is the most state of the art facility in all of the NFL. Needless to say, I was like a kid in a candy store.

I flew in from San Diego on Thursday evening and Tom Shuler was there waiting to pick many of us up from the airport. We have quite the team this season . . . Forty-seven athletes in all, with nearly a third of the team comprised of international athletes. It was nearly a miracle that everyone arrived on time, but in happened. A great start to team camp!

After a quick check-in at the hotel, we headed over to the TIMEX Performance Center (TPC) to meet up with all the other team members that had flown in on earlier flights. It was a massive reunion for most of the team and I could immediately tell this was the exact atmosphere I was looking for when I applied for the team. After a great dinner covering about every food you could think of, we headed to the auditorium for a presentation by Keith Meyer and Tristan Brown. The team was introduced to members of the NY Giants medical staff (Ronnie Barnes – legend in his field), the President of Timex Business Group, Adam Gurian, and many other professionals that work very hard to keep the TIMEX Multisport team a very well oiled machine. Right before the meetings ended we were even given the new TIMEX Global Trainer that had been rush delivered to members of the team specifically for the camp (these will not be available to the public until late May at REI). All I can say is the watch system is amazing and will definitely be on my wrist for training and racing this season.

Friday morning came very early (still on West Coast time), but I was eager to see what the first day of camp was going to bring. The team headed over to the TPC for breakfast to fuel up for a long day of clinics and seminars. We were given an assignment to create short videos with FLips to embody the collaborative efforts of TIMEX and the NY Football Giants. We shot footage most of the morning before we headed in to some “round robin” clinics in the afternoon. After learning about the awesome TIMEX products, we were given the opportunity to play some football on the indoor turf field. It is amazing the quality of the field and overall facilities the Giants players utilize on a daily basis. Our team ended up with a sub par record (probably due to my multiple interceptions), but fun was had by the entire Multisports team and TIMEX staff. However, the biggest surprise was yet to come.

For those who have never been to Medieval Times . . . wow. This is where we went Friday night for dinner and it was quite the show. The entire team walked down the road to the restaurant where we were given cardboard head crowns to wear for our dining festivities. We were to cheer for the RED Knight, who fought a gallant battle, but ended up losing to the black/white knight in the finale. It is amazing how the spectators get so in to it, me included. I thought for sure our knight would have won on sheer enthusiasm alone. The entire TIMEX team was doing the wave and making sure EVERYONE in that place knew who we were. Oh well, can’t win them all.

Saturday was the dawn of a new day and a day in which our videos would be finalized. The NY Giants editing staff did an amazing job of putting our videos together and they all turned out very well. The legendary Giant Carl Banks was our guest judge and I really forget which team won the competition (I know, but I am not giving them an opportunity to rub it in even more). In addition to the FLip competition, we had various other clinics focusing on functional movement and a presentation of MELT, a series of myofascial release exercises in the arms and feet to loosen the muscle of the entire body. Cool stuff I will be using down the road to help with injury prevention. After a long, but great day at the TPC, we all went our own ways for dinner. I ended up visiting two of my childhood friends in the East Village that I rarely see anymore. It was great catching up with them both and we are really coming up with some great fundraising ideas for the DA Taylor Foundation. I am really hoping to meet my monetary goal for Kona with the help of the Janus Charity Foundation.

The last day of camp was very sad, but we did get to take some team pics and play the championship football game. The red team won in penalty kicks (that’s what you get when triathletes play football). After packing up the massive amounts of TIMEX product we were given to test, I headed to the airport to begin my long journey back to San Diego.

Last weekend made me realize how lucky I am to be chosen for this team. Every member of the team truly cares about the success and happiness of others. Results will surely come when you are surrounded by fellow competitors out there cheering and supporting you on the course. I am already looking forward to team camp next year!

Many thanks to the TIMEX corporation and the NY Football Giants organization.

Pics of weekend below:

Giants welcoming the team!

Giants have won three Superbowls!

Amazing weight room

Global Trainer - thing is dope

V02 Max testing

Starting RB Brandon Jacobs

Underwater treadmill to take the load off the lower extremeties

Bruce doing functional movement analysis

Final day of camp, it had to be done Keith! Sorry

I have also attached a short video clip below (Click link and 2/22 - Timex greets Giants)

http://www.giants.com/multimedia/