Happy Anniversary, John!

I have a cute story for you guys. Its romantic, but don't worry, its about triathlon. Just trust me.

Two years ago I had been "seeing" John for a few months. I was fighting the use of the "girlfriend" label because only a year earlier I had an 8 year relationship end and I was a bit gun shy about taking anyone seriously. But my dearest friends knew and loved John, plus he was (is) dreamy, so my walls were starting to crumble. He invited me along to races and I started crushing, hard. In August of 2009, he invited me to Block Island for a weekend to do a sprint race where his family lives. I was all, "MEET YOUR FAMILY?!?! Woah." So I agreed to go, secretly giddy that he liked me that much.

Now I wasn't registered for the race and it was closed. John's sister was registered and just got news that she was pregnant, so the hope was to ask for a favor from the RD and let us switch. On the way to the race, John said "I'm going to ask the RD to let you race but he's not going to say yes for a friend. I need to tell him you're my girlfriend" So I was all "okay, whatever" And John said "so if I tell him that you HAVE to be my girlfriend". I laughed. Everything worked out and I got to race.
It was an AWESOME race. A sprint with a 5 mile beach run in the sand. BLISS. John won and I won my AG!!! At the awards ceremony, when they were giving awards to my AG, the RD didn't have my name so he called out "first place, John Hirsch's girlfriend!" I looked at John like "what do I do?" He said "go up and get it, but if you do that you're my girlfriend officially. That guy is an official." So I went up and got my award and claimed my title as John Hirsch's girlfriend.

Also, his family loved me!

This weekend is our 3rd trip to Block Island for the sprint tri, in the most magical place in the world. I feel like the luckiest girl in the universe.
Sent via hovercraft

Figure Out How to Fuel Your Body to Train and Race at Your Maximum Potential, NOW!

(Me, Anna, John and Grant at IMLP - the guys both had awesome results and they eat what I tell 'em... coincidence? I think not)

Holistic Nutrition Discount: *FoR OnE WEEK ONLY* $25 off initial consults and $50 off for monthly programs (per month!)

In the last couple of weeks I've had a few clients finish their 6-month programs with me. I want to replace them right away, especially with "A" fast approachging, people need to focus on FOOD FOR FUEL. Meanwhile, it is always a good time to make nutrition changes and to focus on health goals. With triathletes and runners in particular, the pressure of the looming race brings buckets full of motivation. You can tap into that motivational fear and squeeze all of your athletic potential out of it. Making healthy changes with your nutrition RIGHT NOW is perfect for a few reasons:

* Your body should be begging you to eat a healthier diet to support the work it does for you
* You'll learn how to eat according to your needs based on your bio-individuality, training volume, specific race goals and lifestyle
* You'll know HOW MUCH protein, carbs and fat to eat (and when to eat them) so that you feel awesomely fueled
* You'll learn the exact what/when/ how of racing nutrition for YOUR body
* You'll learn how to incorporate "nutrition simulators" into your training plan

And that's just what you'll improve related to your athletic goals. We will also focus on your other health goals and concerns (healthy weight, learning to cook, day-to-day nutrition, increased energy, etc). I've successfully helped so many people get healthier, without even turning their lives upside down to do it. Just ask around! You can start here.

You've thought about it... now DO IT. You can contact me at: christine@liveandeatbetter.com OR through my website contact form.

*Offer good through August 5th.

Evil Racing Cult Bikes

A few people emailed me asking for details about the new ERC bikes in the photos on my blog. With all the hype, the Evil Cult Leader of ERC is extending the test pilot program for a bit longer. I'm gonna name mine "MagicStarSprinkleRainbowDeathKillerMachine".

Here is the info:

EVIL RACING CULT TEST PILOT PROGRAM EXTENDED!

PEEPS!

After what was a HUGELY successful first round of bikes we now have the machine built to bring Evil Racing Cult bikes into this world and in 2012 we plan to launch a full assault on Earth.

But before we do that we are allowing people one final chance to join us as Test Pilots. This sharply reduced pricing is for early adopters of our bikes. Get in before everyone else and get sweet hook ups before we go big.

Here is what we are offering:

The TT BIKE (shown below):

Razor thin, insanely aero and light as hell. This bike was just ridden by Test Pilot Grant Aidner to a PR and by me to a top 10 finish among the pro men at Ironman Lake Placid. Stiff, responsive and sick on the downhills, as well as a climbers dream TT bike, this combo is legit.

* Complete with ERC Carbon Wheels (choice of 50mm or 80mm front and rear or a combo of 50 mm front and 80mm rear at the same price. Also same price for tubular or carbon rim clincher)

*ERC all carbon handlebar wing and areo bars.

* Integrated carbon mast.

* SRAM Force. grouppo $3250

*Frame/Fork $975

(foto: the ERC TT bike going up famed Papa Bear en route to a top 10 finish at Ironman)

(foto: cleaned and ready for the day, sporting its bib number. Please note, this is the proto type and all future ERC Bikes will come with sick graphics.)

THE ROAD FRAME: EL MAL NEGRO

Named in Spanish because it was tested at Stronglikebulltraining.com in the highest mountains of Spain, the Mal Negro (black evil) is an amazing ride and is evil light.

* 1350 gram frame frame. Lighter than your mom.

* Wheel choice of the 20mm, 50mm, or 80mm rims. Carbon rim clincher or tubular. 1250 grams. If you get dropped on the climb its not this bikes fault!

* Compact gearing available.

* SRAM Force, grouppo.

* All carbon handlebars.

* Frame/Fork set $975

* Complete Bike 2850.

(foto: the first round of ERC bikes en route to to their owners. Please note they are all black but had white protective padding on.)

(foto: the Evil Racing Cult Bike is fueled by angry music, angry legs, and as shown here, coffee)

WHAT ELSE DO WE GOT:

* wheel sets of 20mm, 50mm, 80mm Carbon Rim or all carbon tubulars are $985.

* ERC Handle TT Cockpit of Wing and TT bars $350

* ERC Cross Frame (not shown) $950.

* ERC Cross Wheels (same as our road/TT wheels but extra strong) $975

READY TO PULL THE TRIGGER? EMAIL US: INFO [AT] EVILRACINGCULT [DOT] COM

**please note: NY Residents must fork over tax to the man (a bit over 8%). Also please note while we don’t jerk you for “handling”, you might have to pay shipping).

Lake Placid Sprint

(Mirror Lake - so pretty)

My ironmen needed an activity for last night, so I did them a solid and jumped into a local sprint tri to entertain them. It was an incredibly selfless act on my part. I'm good people.

It all happened so fast. I was dressed in my kit and being body marked within an hour of discovering that there was a race being held. I decided to go wetsuitless for the 400 yd swim because Anna went wetsuitless in her recovery swim an hour earlier. I was standing in the water, ready for the ready-set-go, when I looked back at John. He looked at me and said "WIN". And we were off!!! I wanted to see what would happen if I pretended I wasn't a little scared of swimming and I went out, balls to the wall, all out. That lasted for about 2 minutes until I was ready to drown. Once I collected myself, I settled into my usual leisurely pace and came out of the water somewhere in the middle of the crowd. It was a learning experience.

(As I come out of the water, a woman points and says "OMG! Check out those guns!")

My cheering squad was taking video of me and commentating and cracking me up through t1. In a Phil Liggett voice, John was saying "and here comes Christine Lynch, this is her first race in her new big girl shoes" because I now have REAL cycling shoes and pedals rather than my original mountain bike shoes and pedals. I'm not used to clipping in with them yet, and it was rainy, so to my opponents it looked like I didn't know how to ride a bike. I almost fell over trying to get going.

(This is a pro style flying cyclocross mount)

Well... they must have been surprised when I FLEW PASSED THEM once I got myself situated! Suckaaaazzzz!!! I got to ride the bike course backwards until we got to River Rd, then turned right, then right into town and back to Mirror Lake.


I made up for my wimpy swim and got to t2 in 3rd. My CREW was cheering and yelling my place. It was still raining but I hardly noticed. I threw on my running sneakers, Grant reminded me to take off my helmet (thanks Grant - you'd think I'd never done this) and I was off, on a mission to catch the 2 girls in front of me. Well, I didn't. I caught one guy and I considered staying behind him because that would put me in 10th overall and I thought that would be cute because John went 10th the day before at IMLP. Then I realized, if John went 10th I should go 9th. My finishing time was 1:10 for the 400 yd swim, 12 mile bike, 5k run. I'd say that's a pretty nice accomplishment.

(I had the loudest cheering section, YAY!)

(Recovery dinner - A CREW group effort)

And lastly, a few more photos of my ironmen as they recover from the big day! It was a day of eating, napping, strolling and Harry Potter watching. It was a PERFECT day.

(CREW porch breakfast picnic)

(then I found this)

(and these - Grant and Anna)

Thank you for making me race, CREW! And thank you for taking photos, John! I love you guys!

Happy Ironman Day!

(Coffee taper is OVER)

I've been traveling to Lake Placid for IMLP for four years straight now. I'm already planning to be back next year. My heart, of this sport, lives in this town. It beats through the buzz and the love travels through the course and the athletes I meet. There truly is nothing like being here for this event. I'm a better and happier person for finding myself here, falling for triathlon.

(Yesterday's pro swim start)

Race day charges through my emotions like lightening. In 2008, I stood in the pouring rain and admired the people around me. I didn't understand how 140.6 could be possible. In 2009, I watched several friends go the distance for the first time. I watched with my friend Kate as her ironhubby (and a dear friend of mine) Phil finished his first ironman. I cried like a baby with that one, after having put in hours and hours of training with Phil for his big day. And then, in 2010, I became an ironman... YAY!

(Anna and Grant getting suited up)

IMLP 2011 was a a big day for me, though I wasn't racing. I was "staffing" John. Armed with a media pass, pen, notepad and stopwatch... I was nervous and excited! I even called John's dad the day before the race to go over any tips he would have for me. Poppa Hirsch is a badass spectator with a serious job to help John dominate. As it turns out, I'm damn good at it too!

(Cheering at Papa Bear!)

It was a hot day in the sun. I made friends with other spectators and had a blast. I was well prepared with everything I needed because I checked in with TheyTri before the race. The hours flew by and so did John! I'm so proud of him for his top 10 finish and I was honored to play a very important role for him. I'm also very proud of Grant with his 12:29 finish and Anna for her FOURTEENTH ironman!

(My very own MPRO)

(Grant on his new ERC bike, just out of t1)

Congrats to all of the IMLP 2011 athletes! I can't wait for next year!

Lake Placid: Day 3 - Sh*t's Gettin' Real

This morning was the first day off the taper diet for the boys! I woke up and they were making gluten free pancakes and eggs. Still no coffee, though.


Not the greatest photo from my blackberry, but while we waited for breakfast, Grant gave me an airplane ride! No hands!

And here are the PERFECT pancakes. We got to enjoy these babies outside overlooking the view of the mountains! Pretty, right?

And here is the ERC bike that John will be kicking ass on tomorrow. This bike is going to blow you all away. It's DREAMY and FAST and I want one.

Pre-race dinner! I always keep it super simple. Brown rice pasta, tomato sauce, spinach and vegetarian "meat"balls. It was fabulous.

And here are my ironmen watching Versus commercials. You can feel this place vibrating with nerves and excitement. These three are my ironman heroes, along with everyone else I'll be seeing out there tomorrow.

Grant - I KNOW you're going to have the race you want tomorrow. It's the race you deserve. You've worked hard for this and your CREW family will be sending fierce vibes of love and support to you. When you feel the despair start to set in, picture us. We'll be there with you... hitting you with sparkly, inspirational shovels and making you punch your own face.

Anna - You're the most badass ironmangirl I've ever known. I'm gratefu to have your footsteps to follow and admire. I would never have advice to offer for someone who has your experience but I do have tons of CREW love. You'll race your race, like you race the rest, and we'll see you out there and think "that's our Miss Murder".

John - First, I love you. Second, you're SO READY for this race. I've watched you earn this with hours and hours of dedicated training. I'll be out there for you... supporting you with all of my heart, soul and might. Third, you're the BEST and I'm the LUCKIEST.

Tomorrow is your moment. "And that moment is a crossroads where everything you want will collide with everything standing in your way" -Versus Commercial

Lake Placid: Day 2 in Photos

The day started with a CREW breakfast picnic on the porch. The ironmen are still on their taper diets so they enjoyed some fruit with nut butter. Here is Grant. Grant has a banana.

After a swim, we were off to ironmanland to get my media pass and John had the pro meeting. Here's a CREW boy band photo. We love each other.

Healthy snack! Grant and I are way into "ants on a log" these days. How could you not want to munch on this? Preschool teachers are genius. If you end up making this I want to hear about it. Tweet a photo with #i8this!

DO NOT be deceived by this photo. It's not entirely a "happy hat" photo. This is actually a photo that was taken between gangsta faces. This is my "wasn't-that-a-killer-gangsta-face-wait-till-you-see-my-next-gangsta-face" face.

And the boy band photos happen day and night. This is after the WILDLY INSPIRATIONAL athlete welcome dinner. God, we were so pumped after that! It's totally worth going to this event. You'll NEVER be too cool, or too fast, or too experienced for it. YAY! RACING!

We ended the day with a CREW family stroll to town. This is Mirror Lake, in all its glory, at sunset. My breath was taken away. This place is pure magic.

Lake Placid: Day 1 - Here We Go!

(Stoked to be on our way!)

After dropping the doggie with her babysitters, we loaded up the car and made our way (while sipping decaf) to Lake Placid! I helped drive and subsequently helped take an unplanned 40-minute detour. Yay!

(Pretty sky over the bike course)

John wanted to ride the descent, so I raced him in the car. I won... even though I took time to snag the photo!

(Family dinner!)

CREW IMLP headquarters are kick ass. There are lots of levels to climb, for photography purposes. We made a baked potato bar!

My baked potato, plus an arugula salad with chickpeas, feta, olives and balsamic vinegar made by Grant.


And here's Grant chillin' on the couch watching Le Tour and keeping his sexy legs up in preparation for slaying the IMLP course on Sunday!

Rev 3 Portland Half-Ironman PR!

(A celebratory brew for a Rev3 Joy Ride PR)

Portland was a kick-ass trip. We stayed with CREW's Annie and her hubby, Jimmy. They were super fun to hang with, which we already knew from hanging with Annie at SLB.

The day before the race was the usual Rev3 party time. We had lots of friends to hang with and we got to watch some of the kiddy tri. I love that Rev3 is such a family friendly event. We cheered, said goodnight to our bikes, then hit Portland for a bite to eat and some people watching. That night, Annie (she's incredibly competent) and I cooked a healthy pre-race dinner of brown rice pasta, veggie burgers and salad. Then there were surprise gluten free cupcakes, which of course, made me drop a giant F bomb.

I wasn't nervous about the race because I'm taking a "sure, why not?" approach to racing this year. I was excited to be there for Annie's FIRST HALF-IRONMAN and to see John on the new ERC bike and to check out another Rev3 race (my favorites). Just total blissful enjoyment. Yay!

(Dear ERC bike, Someday you will be MINE.)

Race morning was the usual... the cool people all forgot at least one thing. For me, it was my water bottles, for Annie it was deodorant. No big. I was VERY excited for my first race in my new Xterra wetsuit, and as Annie and I were suiting up, the announcer said "it's like suicide girls of triathlon!" Then he said, "I saw you and your Team Continuum roll in here yesterday with your tattoos and mohawks and thought 'there's my people'". So that got us pumped!

(Suicide girls in wetsuits. Sizzle.)

I got to watch the pros swim start, then my wave got in the water. There was enough time that *just before* our wave went off I got to see John exit the water. I knew he had a great swim because he came out in the top half of the pros and he tried to bite the underwater camera on his way out. DREAMY!!! And I was off! My new wetsuit felt super flexy compared to my old one, plus my new wetsuit energy (NWE) gave me confidence to stay with a big group and get beat up while I swam. I finished in 39 minutes, which is exactly 5 minutes faster than I was at Rev3 Quassy. Was it my new wetsuit or my swim training? (hint: I have swam, like once, since Quassy). Swim PR for me!

The bike was an out and back that we did twice. It was super flat, and I'm bad at courses where I can't use my ant-like strength to weight ratio for climbing. This was a test for me, to see how I could push. It was beautiful with floating houses, a lake and mountains. My favorite part was that I got to spectate WHILE I raced. I knew where John was at all times! I loved that. The course was windy, like College Station, Texas but I toughed it out for a 20 minute bike PR. I'm still weakest on the bike but I'm definitely getting stronger.

Then it was time to run! My favorite (yes, I play favorites). It was a mix of trails and road running, while still having the perfect view for spectating. I counted girls as I passed them and recognized most kits from when they passed me on the bike. Only one (count them, 1) girl passed me but I caught her in the last 1/4 mile and beat her to the finish. And wouldn't ya know it... a half-marathon PR!!! (I'm pretty sure).

(SimplyStu got to have his photo taken with me)

What a day! When I finished John was waiting for me, the girl of his dreams, at the finish. We hung out with the CREW and got ready to cheer Annie in. I knew she was having a killer race because she was all smiles out there every time I saw her!

Congratulations to Annie for an outstanding HIM debut! You can read her race report here.

(Annie's family made a super cool sign)

And now we have a giant CREW headed up to Rev3 SC. Life is the sweetest! Join us!

#i8this Summer Eating - Winner #3!

And our third #i8this photo contest winner is @gardenTRI with his Watermelon Gazpacho. I bet its the perfect dish for a super hot day and I can't wait to try it!

Watermelon Gazpacho

- 6-8 cups of thickly cut, seed free watermelon

- 1 cucumber, diced

- 1 orange bell pepper, finely diced (green or yellow will work, do not use red)

- ¼ cup Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar

- 2 TBSP Chile Infused Olive Oil ( or regular olive oil and a healthy pinch of red pepper flakes)

- Bunch of flat leaf parsley, for garnish finely diced (optional)

- Salt and Pepper to taste

1 – Place watermelon, ½ of the cucumber, ½ of the bell pepper, oil and vinegar in a large bowl.

2 – Put 2-3 cups of the mixture at a time in a food processor and pulse until smooth.

3 – Once everything has been pureed, stir in remaining cucumber and bell pepper and correct salt and pepper.

4 – If your texture is more like a paste than a soup stir in 2 TBSP of Bragg’s Cider Vinegar at a time until you reach the desired consistency.

Chill for at least 2 hours to let the flavors combine and enjoy! No need for any crunchy garnish, the bell pepper takes care of that.

#i8this Summer Eating - Winner #2!

And the second winner of the food/photo contest is @Libationguy with his Golden Beet Salad with Fennel, Celery and Citrus Marinade! I'm sure the photo doesn't do it justice, but people were asking for the recipe when it was posted. You can find the recipe here.

And @Libationguy wins a free consult with me. A prize! Yay!

Let's see more photos people! Today is the last day to win a free nutrition consult with me! (not that that would be the only reason to play along).

#i8this Summer Eating - Winner #1!

Lots of people chimed in for the #i8this challenge yesterday. I love going through all the photos because I get ideas for new things I can't wait to cook! Its also pretty cool to see which foods are trending. Yesterday everyone was using avocados!

Druuuuuum rooooollllll...

And yesterday's photo contest winner is @anniezanolli with her simple and pretty and delicious looking Herb Salad with Grilled Tofu:

Annie's Grilled Tofu Salad

Jimmy wanted burgers last night, so I threw this salad together from what I had in the fridge and pantry.

Mixed greens w/ dill and cilantro

Canned artichoke hearts

Canned chickpeas

Black Olives

Avocado

Extra firm tofu - I used italian herb flavor

Tessemae's Lemon-Garlic Dressing (http://www.tessemaes.com/) - or olive oil, lemon juice and a little crushed garlic

Press the tofu to remove as much liquid as possible. Lightly coat with oil then throw it on a hot grill. Grill ~ 5 min per side (don't move it around much so you get nice grill marks!).

Put it all in a pretty bowl, top with salad dressing and enjoy!

*****

I also have to share another awesome food photo from yesterday, Vegan Rustic Pizza by @selil:

#i8this Summer Eating Challenge! You might even win a free consult with me!

(Here's where I'm hanging this weekend. Check out that view!)

Okay you buncha show-offs!!! It's time for the next #i8this Challenge! This time we're going to be sharing photos of our Summer food. Some of us are celebrating a holiday weekend, but even if you're not, you should be celebrating life and yummy food. I don't care if you're posting photos of healthy food or junk. Just jump in and play!

#i8this Summer Food Ideas:

- Show off your grill skillz! If you're out there slaving over your hot grill anyway, we want to see what you're making. Fa shizzle!

- Set a healthy goal. Do you want to clean up your diet? Are you trying to eat less processed foods? Tell us what your focus is. *Tip: choose only 2-3 specific things to focus on so that you can keep track. I call these action steps.

- Are you tapering for a race? I will be! Share photos of what you eat during your taper.

#i8this is AWESOME because we get lots of motivation and ideas for ways to add more variety to our diet. We also get a sneak peak of what everyone else is putting in their pie holes.

How do you play?

It's easy! You're gonna eat anyway, right? So from July 2nd - July 5th just take a photo and:

a) post it on Twitter using the hashtag #i8this
b) post your photo on Facebook and link to the #i8this facebook page. Don't forget to become a fan!
c) blog! And be sure to tell us to check it out. You can use the comment section here to link to your blog
OR
d) all of the above

Click here and here for past #i8this challenges.

*** As an added bonus I'm going to choose one photo per day to share on my blog, along with the recipe, for everyone to see! That person will also get a FREE phone consultation with me. That's one person per day for 4 days, 4 people get FREE consults! Aren't I generous? To enter to win, just tweet your photo using the #i8this hashtag. If you're not using twitter and you want your photo to be considered, just comment on the blog with your link.

Who's with me???