Jigsaw Falling Into Place

Recovery

Sunday was the last day of off-season for me (finally). I really missed having the routine of training and I also noticed it was MUCH harder to make healthy eating choices while I was less active. It was also harder to motivate to do anything because I got stuck in lazy mode. I tend to be very Vata, so without routine I can become imbalanced and spin a little out of control. Because of this, taking a break really makes me appreciate my very active lifestyle. I had visions of days filled with working, hiking, rollerblading, yoga and crazy amounts of cooking. Instead I played with a puppy, twittered, played with a puppy, slept, hiked with a puppy and caught up with non-triathlete friends. Believe me, it was far from terrible.



Training

And I have a new coach! I’m really excited about this because I have this friend Phil and I pretty much think whatever he does (triathlon) is what I should do. He used this very same coach for kicking ass at IMLP this year and now that I’m in for next year it’s clear that I should just do whatever Phil did. You can check him out at www.johnhirsch.org.

Monday - was day #1 of my new training plan. It was a rest day. Boy did I feel rested by Tuesday.

Tuesday - ran easy for 45 mins.

Wednesday - went to the pool in my bikini and swam 2500 yds.

Thursday – should have been on my bike for an hour but my bike gears are broken so I spent the bike hour wishing REALLY HARD for a shiny new bike.

Friday – did the famed ZenTriathon Mega Swim Workout. Swam 3000 yds in an hour with rest intervals. I started doing this workout in the summer and it helped make me faster but my arms started to get really buff. I had to cut back on it because boys were afraid to talk to me. It’s like aqua-steroids.

Diet

During my “off-season” (it was 4 weeks), I gained a little bit of weight. If you know me in person you know that this is NOT a bad thing at all. I’m not underweight and I’m within a healthy range, but I need to work at my diet to keep weight on when I train a lot. So for 4 weeks I stuck with a healthy diet but it was a very relaxed healthy diet. I had treats, I paid less attention to increasing protein and I obviously didn’t eat any training foods. I was still eating gluten-free and mostly vegetarian (more on that later). I noticed that the less active I was, the more food I ate AND the more junk I craved. This is a perfect example of the Primary and Secondary Food theory that I teach to my clients. Anyway, I don’t have “skinny” jeans and “fat” jeans but I do apparently have “off-season” and “on-season” jeans. I made the switch and appreciated my new WOMANLY figure (boobs and butt). Normally I look more like a tall little boy :)

So now that I’m back on with my training I’m also back on with my training diet. I already notice the difference in my cravings and hunger level. My on-season plan is simple:

- start my day with my Nutiva Hemp Shake
- plan my meals around vegetables then add protein and carbs/grains
- continue keeping my diet free of wheat (because I have a wheat sensitivity)
- consume minimal amounts of caffeine, alcohol, dairy (yogurt is an exception), sugar and processed foods



I have to say that this healthy eating and awesome training has both improved and become easier because I have so much support from my boyfriend. I’m so grateful and feel very lucky to have him in my life… which is not to say that I would discredit past relationships, every one has been valuable and beautiful in its own way. I’ve always been a lucky girl.