Me and Kat Donatello pre-race and looking calm!

Swim There was a little confusion as to what time the swim was starting.  At first, our wave was scheduled at 6:45, then it was pushed back to 6:30.  At 6:10, I decided to warm up.   Then the swim starts were then pushed back so I stood on shore, looking like a dork and making an effort to staying warm as I executed a series of Richard Simmons”esque” aerobic movements.   I always get a little nervous about 10 minutes before the gun goes off, but once our wave of all of the 45+ women started and we raced into the water (Kat, who was starting 15 minutes later, noted that I “won” the sprint into the water-HA), I was fine.  I swam with another women side-by-side for 500 yards. The surprising thing was that after a calm 500 yards, she decided to show her aggressive side and “swam” over me while pushing me back and under by the head and shoulders. I was so surprised and mad that I surfaced and yelled something to the effect of “you b*$#%!  Her move is usually that of one I reserve for men trying to pass women during an Ironman race-aggressive, dirty, un-sportsman-like and ultimately ineffective since I was so mad, I swam right past her and never saw her again. I did, however, get her race number (I noted that during this swim “tango”, the timing company-supplied race number sticker surprisingly stayed adhered to her cap…number noted!).  After the race, it was the consensus that the swim was long—close to two tenths of a mile long–as times were on the slow side.

Bike This was a two loop bike course heading north along the streets of Mission Bay and Pacific Beach with a two kilometer 18% grade-at-some-point climb up to Mt Soledad. Honestly, it wasn’t that bad and I kind of found it fun.  I was more worried about the turns and descent although, in hindsight, they were also fine and I actually enjoyed them.  Am I finally starting to like biking?   The roads were very bumpy and I saw lots of water bottles (including mine) get launched from people’s bikes.    I was nervous that my computer was going to get jiggled off my bike by the bumpiness on the roads, so I stripped it off the Velcro and shoved it down my bra.  During the 2^nd loop, the course became very congested and there were a number of racers walking their bikes up the hill.  After we hit the top of the 2^nd climb, my teammate, Gina, passed me.  I was determined to keep her in my sight.  She went flying down the hill and gained some time ahead of me. I bridged the gap to within about 10 seconds as we powered through the last 5 miles on the flats (thank you Kurt, the disc wheel choice was a fine selection) and we headed in to transition.  I was pleased, as she had biked about 11 minutes faster than me at the Oceanside 70.3.  Thank you Meredith and Darcy for dragging me along on all of those hilly bike rides over the last 6 weeks.  I think that my biking, while not strong, has improved.

Run The run course had the only GLARING race course set-up error of the day.  Sure we all knew that the bike course would be hilly.  Sure we all knew that the roads were bad.  Sure, we all knew that getting to and from the race site was somewhat of a logistical nightmare……but on the run course THERE WERE NO MILE MARKERS TO BE HAD. ANYWHERE. Maybe the race organizers were thinking that we all bring our GPS gadgets to race with?  I dunno.  I do own a Garmin but I don’t usually break it out for racing as it is too clumsy.  Anyway, before I started the run, I really had to pee and I made a half-hearted attempt to do so while putting on my running shoes. Transitions are what I call “free speed”, meaning that you don’t need to be genetically gifted to make them speedy-and I didn’t take advantage of that “free speed zone” entirely and lost about 30 seconds to the other racers while fumbling with my shoes and deciding if I wanted to make a run for the porta-potty. Glad that I didn’t because starting out on the run, Gina was just in front of me and another local racer, Kristin Mayer, about 20 seconds back.  About 5 minutes into the run,  I see Jodi Hayes (on my team but not racing).  I look down and there is this “box” on my chest—I still had my bike computer stuffed down my bra…..Whaaaaaaa?  I handed it off to Jodi-who took it gamely, knowing where it had come from (Jodi, I owe you….big time ).   I caught Gina and didn’t look back to see where Kristin was.  I reminding myself of a Runner’s World article I had recently read about running a fast 5 K and it had suggested repeating a mantra.  I found myself repeating in my head “relax….cadence….relax…cadence”.  I stayed ahead of Kristin; passed a couple of people who had started in my swim wave, and took in a couple of cups of Gatorade at the first two stations.  I was definitely running out of my comfort zone and thought briefly about slowing down.  But I knew that I would kick myself later if I lost a place or two by doing so.  At about mile 4.7 (my best guess), I rounded the last aid station and headed toward Mission Avenue. From there, we had another two turns to the final 500 yards.  With 300 yards left to go, I looked over my shoulder and didn’t see anyone behind me.  I ran as hard as I could run past the grandstand and through the finish line with a huge smile plastered on my face.  I had given this race everything and had dug deep to hold off getting passed during the final mile.   Redemption….finally, and a 2^nd place age group finish.  When I looked at the results later; my swimming “buddy” had finished a few places behind me.  At some point, I had passed her toward the later stage of the run but I’m not sure exactly when or where.

Up on the podium after getting a kiss and a hug from Greg Welch

Now the food part.  Which I love love love to talk and write about.   The first breakfast at 3:30 a.m. was 2 slices of GF brown rice toast slathered with Artisana Coconut Butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon. People, if you want a healthier version of cinnamon toast, this is it.  Coconut butter is easily converted to energy; brown rice bread becomes a crunchy-soft treat when transformed in to toast; and I love anything flavored with cinnamon.   I also had 10 ounces of green juice, a big green tea with steamed almond milk and an Immodium.  Immodium basically (and this only my opinion, not fact) counters all of the potential GI distress(es) that can happen during a race usually because of  1) the ingestion of more sugar than you are used to and 2) the stress of racing. One Immodium = No Intestinal Strife!  Yippee!   Breakfast #2 was at 5:30 am was a baked potato—I baked a large russet potato when I first woke up; stuffed it in to a portable container; split it open and doused it with lotsa salt and Earth Balance.  I ate that in transition area and that was, by far, the BEST mini meal that I have ever had before a race.  I’m going to continue with this potato streak for my next races.  I also ate two the day before.  Breakfast #3 was at 6:00 a.m. and consisted of a Peanut Butter and Jelly Bonk Breaker bar.  I got turned on to these bars at the Oceanside 70.3.  Apparently WTC has switched from Powerbars  to Bonk Breaker Bars as the official bar of Ironman and it is a welcome change.  They are vegan—awesome—and unlike Powerbars, you can quickly pronounce all ingredients.

Artisana Coconut Butter-Can't get enought of it

Cool things about this race:

Race number tattoos-way cool!

• Temporary tattoo race numbers I almost forgot to put mine on before I headed out the door-these were cool
• Racking We were assigned individual spaces on the bike racks as opposed to first come first serve general racking areas. Good call
• Handwashing stations next to porta-potties….’nuf said (and all the while wondering if anyone actually dropped their Iphone into the toilet-ugh, can you imagine?)
• Awards Up on a ginormous podium complete with hugs and kisses from Greg Welsh and USAT big wigs handing out awards.  Jeff Donatello was quick to point out that 4 out of the top place finishers OVERALL were men in the 45-49 age group. Now that is IMPRESSIVE
• Men’s and Women’s ITU pro race on either side of Age Group Race This was great and amazing to be so close to who’s who of Olympic distance triathletes

Things Race Committee should change for next year:

• Race Shirts Light blue for ladies is not the most flattering color (I’m biased given my coloring-maybe that isn’t totally fair); and the main logo was placed on the back by nape of the neck.  Any women wearing it with medium to long hair will cover it; thus defeating the point of having a race shirt at all….a shirt advertising your race that a racer might actually wear
• Race Information Website was devoid of things like description of awards and placing for regular people (is there a master’s division? are awards three or five deep? are there “overall” awards?); a line-by-line description, in addition to, the course maps for the bike and run (particularly for the bike as there were so many turns and roads)
• Swim Course Long (was it measured in nautical miles?)
• Run Course MUST HAVE MILE MARKERS
• Results Since most of us couldn’t get to our phones/lifelines for information and communication quickly post race (due to fact that the transition area and finish area were in two different places), the timing company needs to be more expedient about posting these. I think that I didn’t see any until after 2 hours after I had finished.

A great day and solid race in the books. Thank you to Darcy, owner of HERevolution and awesome triathlete, for sponsoring a team this year and providing me with an awesome kit—it was great to see the other members out there racing in such fine apparel. I can’t tell you how many times I heard some variation of “OMG, I love your race kit”.   Thank you to coach Kurt Perham for sticking with me over the last few years.  I also got to hang out some great people; including Kat and Jeff Donatello who flew all the way from Maine and provided humor and camaraderie before, during and after the race (and a place to take a much needed hot shower after the race).  When Geoff finally joined me at the end of the day, we capped off their stay with a drink at George’s on the Cove followed by a tapas fest at Roppongi in La Jolla.  A shout out goes to Meredith Stumpo for volunteering for 14 hours for both the age group and ITU race. And to Tri Club San Diego, for winning the large Tri Club challenge.  Finally, it was great to see all of the HERevolution gals rocking it on the course.

A post-race tapas fest with Kat and Jeff Donatello and Geoff

As for the professional racers; Laura Bennett persevered on the run and held on for third place overall and 1^st American for the final women’s team spot. On the men’s side; Hunter Kemper and Manny Huerta finished in the top 9 and punched there ticket to the Olympics.   Manny had the most emotional finish as he wasn’t sure until he counted the racers who finished ahead of him that he secured a spot on the team.  He broke down in tears.  Both were phenomenal races to watch.

When I grow up, I want to race like them.

It is hard to believe that my big race of the season, the Lake Placid Ironman, is less than 11 weeks away.  As my training is ramping up, I’m finding myself on a major quest to eat as cleanly as possible.  After all, I CAN’T control how fit other people are, how much natural ability I have (or don’t have) or who shows up on race day; but I CAN control what I eat (most of the time-LOL).

I’m finding that on the longer training stints (mainly biking, but some running), I tend to take in a lot of sweet food-dates, bars, performance drinks, etc.  After 4 or 5 hours of that sugar intake, I am ready for something salty and crunchy.  I’ve even been know to eat a few olives just before a long workout in an effort to keep that craving for salt at bay.  My day-to-day diet consists of mostly of salads, green juice, roasted vegetables, sweet potatoes, fruit, avocados, Daiya,  GT Kombucha, chocolate-chia-buckwheat cereal (my latest find), coconuts and nuts, green tea and some red wine. I’d be lying if I didn’t throw the wine thing in—you would think I was some sort of holier-than-thou food saint. I stay mostly gluten-free and vegan but I hesitate to call myself either of those.

Last Sunday, I was biking with my friend, Meredith.  We had hit the 3.5 hour mark and starting talking about food—mostly what we would like to eat (I think that was about the time we rode past Pizza Port in Solana Beach and took a huge whiff of that cheesy dough/oregano/garlic/hoppy goodness that was permeating the air…..I almost stopped my bike).  I had eaten 6 dates and a Lara bar and was ready for something salty.

100% Sprouted Pumpkin Seed from GO RAW--yeehah!

I’ve come across a couple of snacks that I have found satisfy that urge.  For all of you corn free/Paleo diet athletes out there, Go Raw has a line of raw, sprouted, dehydrated and Celtic sea salt-seasoned seeds that are terrific on there own or on top of a salad.   Because they are raw; 100% of the vitamins, minerals and  enzymes are still intact.  Because they are soaked and sprouted, the enzyme inhibitors are removed and the toxins released.  This process increases the life and vitality connected with them.   Because they are dehydrated; they are super crunchy.  And because I don’t always have the time to soak, sprout and dehydrate my seeds and nuts, I purchase them in a convenient one pound bag which will last me a couple of weeks.   As of late, I’ve been munching on the pumpkin seeds-one serving has 7 grams of protein plus a boatload of amino acids, zinc and iron.  Hard to believe that it was 8 years ago while racing in Kona that I was loading up on lowfat Cheez-ITS because I thought that they were good for me.  HA!

Onto my next find: Glad Corn’s amazing corn snacks.  These are a WAY better version than the corn nuts I ate as a kid. I know that there is much debate about consumption of corn (hello Paleo peeps……) and its healthy benefits (like some of you, I got a good dose of the intricacies of the corn industry when reading Michael Pollan’s “The Omnivore’s Dilemma”.  If that won’t scare you out of eating corn, then I don’t know what will).  I found these at Jimbo’s-our local whole-foods market that has taken a strong stance against any and all genetically modified products (GMO products).  I figure that anything that I buy in Jimbo’s is safe. I don’t consume a lot of corn-as a matter a fact, I tend to go more on soy binges than anything (my 3-a-day green tea soy lattes have been a bit much as of late).  But because I eat only a handful or two of this wonderful salty-crunchy snack, I feel okay about my corn consumption.

Better than corn nuts........

My guilty pleasure has been the Salt and Vinegar Pop Chips. Their saving grace(s) is that they are low in calories (1 bag has about 360!) and gluten-free. But I know that they lean toward the junky side.  However, nothing tastes better during (yes, really….) or after a long run than half a bag of these along side a recovery drink.  Thank you Jessica and Chris Cover for introducing me to these last December.

So there you have it:  Several options to satisfy your salty cravings.  Good luck to all with your training, racing and eating.  Does anyone else have any suggestions?

Cheers!

Del Mar Dog Beach is truly a special place; it reminds me of a west coast town’s version of a New England General store—daily there is a core cast of characters (dogs and people alike) and others who phase in and out through the weeks or months.  We shoot the breeze with each other; comment on the weather, sports and our beloved canines and more often than not we will learn the dogs’ names well before those of the owners.  If we ever learn the owners’ at all.

One of my friends—a regular who I refer to as one of the “tribal elders” at the early dog beach shift has been showing up this week with a can of Kern’s Nectar in hand in place of his usual cup of coffee.  The conversation this morning went something like this:

Darren are you really drinking this for breakfast?

Darren: “Les, is this healthy?”

Me: “Dunno, let me see the can.”

Me: *GASP* NO DARREN THIS ISN’T HEALTHY

Darren: But it says so right here (points to front label with enticing picture of fresh fruit and the word)“Nectar”.

Nectar.   Hmmm.  That’s a good one. What marketing genius came up with that one?  When I think of nectar, I think of the sweet drops that come out of the stamen of a flower. Well, in this particular nectar, the first ingredient is WATER and the second is (you guessed it) HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP. AHHHHHHH.  Run away, Run away!!!  But there is my friend Darren, chug-a-lugging this “nectar” under the guise that he kicking off his day with a can of good health.  May I also add that there are over a dozen ingredients in this “nectar” (food hypocrisy at its finest); many of which are too long to pronounce.

When did we all succumb to clever marketing in making the decisions for us in our food choices?

Me: Your best bet is to drink freshly squeezed juice. Unpasteurized. You know, the stuff you squeeze at home

Darren: But buying freshly squeeze juice is so expensive. I bought one of those teddy bear shaped glass bottles of pomegranate juice and it was, like, 6 dollars!

Me: Darren, that isn’t even fresh. All store bought juices have been pasteurized—which is a sanitation method that kills pathogens but also kills enzymes and vital nutrients.

Me: And you can make your own 12 ounce glass of OJ or Grapefruit juice for about 70 cents.  And there is no packaging to add to our growing landfill!

Me: Did you see all of the CRAP and the sugar content of that? Darren, this 12 ounce can has 44 grams of sugar.

Darren: Yeah? (Puzzled)

Me: (quickly calculating the math) that is the equivalent of 11 teaspoons of sugar. Which equals almost 3 Tablespoons. Which is close to a quarter cup. In 12 ounces of your so-called “Nectar” you are drinking almost a quarter cup of sugar. Or in this case, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP!  You might as well show up to the beach with a can of Pepsi.

Darren: Well Pepsi contains caffeine.

Me: *Sigh*

In my mind, “Nectar” is in the same category as “Muffin” or “Smoothie” or “Pad Thai” (the latter deemed healthy while hiding behind the cloak of ethnicity).  When you look closely at the standard ingredients in Pad Thai, you realize that what you are getting is a pile of white rice noodles (white rice flour) smothered in ketchup and oil with a very small nod to vegetables (maybe a couple of bean sprouts and a few slices of green onion if you are lucky).  Don’t get me wrong, I love the stuff. But wouldn’t exactly call it a healthy eat!

In the media today, there is much discussion about “flattening your belly”. Those google ads pop up on the right side of my computer all day.  Here is the deal:  I assure you that if you cut out cane sugar, white flour, alcohol (maybe have a glass of wine or two a week-but that is it) and eat whole, unprocessed foods you will look great on the outside and feel fantastic on the inside. And yes, your belly will probably become flatter.   People tell me that fruit contains sugar and yes, it does. But have you ever seen anyone get fat and sick on a diet that’s made up of mainly whole fruits and vegetables?

You really have to scrutinize food labels.  There are some savvy marketing snakes out there who will lead you to believe that a particular is healthful when it actually is not.  Of course, you have less to scrutinize if you just eat whole, unprocessed foods.

EAT REAL FOOD.  EAT MORE PLANTS. STAY AWAY FROM HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP. AND DON’T DRINK THE “NECTAR’

Have a great day–

Vegan Eggless "Egg" Salad-Yum!

I first read about Kala Namak when I stumbled on a blog post by two vegans who had crafted the perfect vegan deviled “egg”.  They talked about this particular salt and how it has a unique sulfuric quality that puts the egg back into“egg” salad-vegan style.  I’ve been meaning to make their deviled eggs; but I haven’t had the time. My recipe can be made in 5 minutes (after pressing the tofu for 10 minutes to release any excessive amount of water.

Make sure that you buy organic and/or non-GMO tofu.  Soy is one of the BIG BAD four on the list of genetically modified crops.  There is a lot of debate in the vegan world about eating or abstaining from soy.  I eat a conservative amount, and always organic.   I don’t recommend eating excessive amounts.   Lunch today is a scoop of this egg salad over a ginormous mountain of greens and vegetables-moderate soy amount and lotsa tasty, good-for-you raw veggies!

You can vary ingredients according to your personal taste. I added a couple of teaspoons of raw agave nectar and some extra mustard to mimic that sweet and sour flavor that you might get from adding pickle relish.  Tumeric adds a pretty pale yellow color.  If you want less of an eggy flavor, substitute a little sea salt for some of the Kala Namak.  This salad is particularly good topped with a dusting of smoked paprika!

Indian Black Salt or "Kala Namak" I ordered a pound from Amazon for under $10.00. You can also find it at Indian markets

Ingredients

• 1 each 12-14 ounce package of Extra Firm Organic Tofu
• 1/3-1/2 cup of Vegenaise  (vegan mayonnaise-buy the organic if it is available)
• 1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp Dijon Mustartd
• 2 tsp Raw Agave Nectar
• ½ tsp ground Tumeric
• ¾ tsp Kala Namak (Indian Black Salt)
• ¼ tsp. Ground Pepper
• ¼ cup finely chopped Celery
• 1 Green Onion, thinly sliced
• 1 Tbsp finely chopped Parsley

Optional Ingredients

• Chopped Red Onion
• Shredded Carrots
• Organic Pickle Relish
• Chopped Dill
• Smoked Paprika

Method

• Line a plate with a paper towel. Place tofu on top and cover with another paper towel.  Place something heavy such as a heavy-bottomed pan or grill press on top for 10 minutes to bleed out excess water
• In bowl, combine the Vegenaise, Dijon Mustard, Agave Nectar, Tumeric, Kala Namak and Pepper.
• Crumble in Tofu and mix well.
• Add Celery, Green Onion and Parsley
• You can adjust creaminess by adding more Vegenaise.  I like to sprinkle my egg salad with a little smoked paprika and parsley

And triathlon training today–trying to hone (read “develop”) my bike skills so I will be out on the roads.  Next up is the Olympic distance ITU race held right in San Diego–exciting!!

The better  (or worse, depending on how you look at this) story comes out of our dining experience Friday night (two nights before the race).  Geoff had jumped onto Yelp and researched some restaurant options.  He’s good like that.  We settled in on an Italian restaurant called La Spiga, which, despite good reviews, did not have a menu posted online.  We arrived at La Spiga dressed in our SoCal casual clothes. It was a beautiful restaurant with waiters preening around in tuxedo vests.  We decided to sit at a table in the bar.  Geoff wanted a plate of pasta and I was hankering for a salad.   A waiter nervously came over to take our order. I had to pry some answers out of him about the preparation methods, as he wasn’t completely forthcoming in explaining the menu.  I did notice in small print (like, 4 point) the disclaimer at the bottom of the menu saying that sides must be ordered with a main course.  I explained to him that while I am usually an adventurous diner and usually order a full meal, I was racing on Sunday and needed to eat lightly.  He said that it “shouldn’t be a problem”.

So the ordering process gets underway. Overall, the menu choices are safe and familiar. I didn’t see anything that was on the cutting edge of redefining Italian cuisine.

Geoff settles in on a highly recommended plate of house made papparadelle (ribbon cut pasta) with Bolognese sauce (made from ground beef and veal; a little tomato and cream) and I ask for a side of spinach but only if the kitchen can sauté it in olive oil instead of butter, and Greek-style salad of tomatoes, cucumber, olives and “but-can you-substitute-gorgonzola-for-feta-and-leave-out-the-red-onion”?   I swear that I wasn’t trying to pull a “Sally” from the movie “When Harry met Sally”.  As a professional chef and former restaurant owner, I understand what can and cannot be executed in a restaurant kitchen.

The server hesitates for a long second and finally replies, “I need to check with the chef”.  I’m thinking to myself “what could possibly be so difficult with this order”?  I am acutely aware of what a restaurant kitchen, especially one that claims to make most everything to order, CAN and CANNOT do on any given night.   I actually used to empower my service staff to say “yes” to a guest request and then only on the off chance that we couldn’t execute it (no, I can’t make a quesadilla without a tortilla) we would return immediately to that table with that news and give them other options.  In my opinion, there is no need to alarm the guest that there is a chance that you cannot honor their request with the response “I need to check with the chef”.

A longer five minutes passes and the waiter returns to inform us that he has good news and bad news. “Great” I’m thinking to myself.

“The good news”, he proudly announces “is that the kitchen is willing to cook your spinach in garlic and olive oil”

“The bad news”, he continues, “is that the kitchen will not be able to accommodate your request to change the cheese on the salad”….

My voice suddenly gets a half an octave higher and about 30 decibels louder. “Really”, I exclaim, “and why not”?  At this point the chef approaches the table and proceeds to answer my question with a very indignant “because it will compromise the integrity of the dish”.

Really?  I mean, REALLY?  It’s a f&%@ing greek salad that I am willing to pay $14 for. In this economy, buddy, WAKE the f$#@ up!

At this point, I am really insulted.  I tell him that he has to be kidding me.  He says something to me along the lines of “you really must not know food….”  Okay, that was almost laughable since I have been involved in the culinary world for close to three decades and I am one of those most passionate foodies around.  He had no idea who he was talking to.

But I was mad.  Really mad.  It wasn’t as though I had asked the chef-this old school egomaniac of a chef-to make me a soufflé without eggs.  I retorted with a couple of remarks about how unbelievable this situation was and we got up and left. But not before telling him that I would write a scathing Yelp review (which I still need to do).

The funny thing is that we ended up in this fairly new hipster sushi bar.  The owner was there and Geoff regales him with the story of the salad debacle.  He sighs says that he shouldn’t comment because he is friends with the chef and that La Spiga is very renowned for their food. A couple of guys sitting next to us overheard the story and told Geoff that the pasta is the BEST around-specifically anything with Bolognese sauce (at this point, Geoff let out a big, disappointed sigh).  The sushi place was exceptional. I had a terrific bowl of miso soup and an octopus dish.  I wish I could remember the name.

The only thing that I can thank Vince Cultraro, the arrogant chef-owner of La Spiga, for is that I have a great story for a blog post and to tell in my culinary classes.   On the restaurant’s meager website, there is a blurb about the owners: “Vince is a multiple award winning Chaine des Rotisseur chef who has cooked for prime ministers and other heads of state, ambassadors, movie and sports stars, and international business leaders. As hostess, Connie ensures each and every guest receives impeccable service.”

So be it.  Who cares whom you have cooked for in the past and obviously Vince isn’t letting Connie do her job.  You couldn’t pay me to walk in, let alone, try to eat there again.

Back to triathlon racing-I ended up with a solid race and 2nd on the podium and overall fairly happy my performance minus my transitions.  The Palm Desert triathlon is a great way to open the season; a season that I hope will be long and successful.

Ingredients

Crust

• 2 Cups Medjool Dates, pitted
• 2 Cups any combination of Raw Almonds, Pumpkin Seeds, Walnuts or Cashews (I actually used some dried buckwheat groats in my first attempt but they do soften rather quickly-thus producing a somewhat soggy crust)
• a small amount of Coconut Oil for lightly greasing the pie plate

Filling

• 6 cups thinly* sliced apples (from about 5-6 large apples such as Granny Smith)
• 12 Medjool Dates, pitted
• 1/2 Cup freshly squeezed Orange or Tangerine Juice
• ¼ Cup Real Maple Syrup (I used my friends’ organic farm in Vermont called Running Saps)
• 1/8 tsp Sea Salt
• 2 Tbsp Cinnamon
• ½ Cup Raisins

*cut as thinly as possible-between 1/16^th and 1/8^th of an inch

Method

To make crust

• Lightly grease a 9” pie plate with coconut oil
• Process Dates in food processor and pulse on and off for about a minute
• Add Nuts and process until a ball of “dough” starts to come together in the food processor
• Remove “dough” from food processor and press into greased pie plate

Mixing the Pie Crust

Pie crust ready for filling

To make filling and assemble the pie

• In a blender, puree the Dates, Orange Juice, Maple Syrup, Salt and Cinnamon
• Pour over apples and toss together
• Stir in Raisins
• Transfer apple mixture to crust-lined pie plate
• Cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill for a few hours to let the flavors meld together and the apples soften
• Serve plain, with vegan ice cream or with maple-cashew cream

Mixing the Apple Pie Filling

The delicious Raw Vegan Apple Pie

5:00 a.m. up and breakfast Green Tea and Chocolate Chia seed “Porridge” with banana and a peanut butter drizzle.  I found this “porridge” in the bulk bins at the local Whole Foods market.  It is made by Living Intentions and composed of a million (okay, like, thirty) raw “super” foods such as macca, raw chocolate, chia seeds and sprouted buckwheat. Bet you didn’t know that buckwheat is not a grain but a seed.  I’ve been eating this for about two months and LOVE LOVE LOVE it.   I turned my sis on to it.  She has been losing weight steadily since September and she incorporated this into her diet last month.  I ship her a couple of pounds every two weeks to her home in Wisconsin.

6:15 a.m. Roll out the door with a hobo pack of 8 dates, 1 Lara bar (Key Lime is my new fave) and 2 bottles of water.  I’ve been eating mostly dates for fuel but usually bring a bar for backup.

Complete the first 25 miles at a pretty good clip (while focusing on staying in the aerobars) and meet up with the San Diego Tri Club in Del Mar to finish the 2^nd half.   I’m actually surprised that I held a pretty good effort during the 2^nd half.   Over the last 15 miles, Nate rode with me while we discussed the terms of THE BET. I agreed (and now regret) to him spottting me a measly 10 minutes on the total time of the race.  Loser has to take winner and spouse to restaurant of choice and throw in esoteric bottle of wine for good measure.   I should have agreed to 15 instead of 10 minutes.   Nate is faster and younger than me.  And beat me by 11:30+ minutes last year.  And will be wearing an aero helmet this year. What was I thinking?   I’m going to work on amending the terms of the bet this week.

Ride: 52 miles. Total time: 3:15.  Ate 6 dates, 1 Lara Bar and two bottles of water. Developed a massive craving for pizza after cruising by Pizza Port  FOUR times during the ride and taking in huge wafts of garlic/oregano/cheese/baking crust/beer.  Willpower, take me away!

Popped into the house to change for a transition (I know I know, but I  really dislike doing transition runs in sweaty bike clothes) and for a quick toasted PB and J—Brown Rice Toast, Organic Peanut Butter and an extra dollop of Organic “fruit only” Strawberry Jam. I pounded down ½ of a Strawberry GT Kombucha and then I am OUT THE DOOR for a long(er) run.

Transition runs. Ugh. I used to detest doing these and somehow would rationalize putting 4 or 5 hours between the bike and the run on any given training day. And I would usually reverse the sequence: often doing the run (fun) in the morning and abbreviating the ride (not fun) in the afternoon/evening as the hours got away from me. Mentally I’ve turned the corner on this and I do them as my coach prescribes them. Not so bad……plus I’m so happy to be running again after last year’s dismal season.

And I’m actually starting to LIKE  (gasp!) biking.

My legs, particularly my hamstrings, were a little tight and sore but I wanted to test myself and run for an hour or so off the bike.   Luckily I had a fresh mix on the Ipod so the music (not the legs) carried me down through Del Mar and back.  8 miles….HA.

Geoff, my terrifically supportive husband, had gone to the store and got extra ice for the proverbial post long workout ice bath.   I quickly mixed a scoop of vegan Chocolate Vega recovery protein powder into 16 ounces of green juice. I grabbed a bag of Kaia kale chips—a cheesy, raw, vegan, salty, crunchy mess of goodness.  I drew my ice bath and sat in it for 10 minutes drinking recovery drink and munching on said chips.

I felt good about the workout.  I had raced last weekend in Palm Desert and a 2^nd place AG finish fueled my training fire (not the complacent training smolder, but the improvement intense one).   There is no cramming for distance racing.  You have to do the work. It isn’t always pretty nor does it always feel good. Some days you feel light and fast; other days slow and heavy.  Stay consistent and you will reap the rewards.

And embrace those fruits, seeds and vegetables!  As far as I know, no one has ever gotten a degenerative disease or severe illness from eating too much produce.    Kale chips, bananas, chia seeds, apples, dates and green juice……..they all worked for me before, during and after today’s long workout.

Our segment went well.  Tayna from GoTribal, Darcy and I goofed around a little on the set as Darcy had brought a mannequin and tons of really cute (but not TOOOOO girly) cycling and active clothes that she sells in her shop; Natalie Susi from Bare Mixers had provided us with a really cool, natural lemon-lime mixer containing only organic agave nectar and citrus that can be used for either lemon drops or margaritas. Once the tape rolled we bantered with the host and talked about our freebee happy hour event tomorrow night at HERevolution.

This is a really easy dish to make.  You can substitute Tofu for the Chicken.  Enjoy with some Brown Rice and Steamed Bok Choy or Broccoli!

5 Spice Sweet and Sour Chicken (or Tofu) and Mushrooms

in Lettuce Cups

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound thinly sliced Chicken
• 1 cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 tsp Ginger, minced
• 4-6 Shiitake Mushrooms, stems removed and finely sliced (about ¼ Cup)
• 1 T Agave Nectar or Honey
• 1 tsp 5 Spice Powder
• 1 Tbsp Cider Vinegar
• 1/8 tsp. Chili Flakes
• 1 Tbsp Tamari (wheat-free soy sauce)
• Sea Salt and Freshly ground White Pepper to taste
• 2 Tbsp each Cilantro Leaves and Sliced Green Onions
• 8 each Butter or Iceberg Lettuce Leaves
• Bean Sprouts, Shredded Carrot and additional Cilantro Leaves & Sliced Green Onions
• 1 tsp Black Sesame Seeds (optional)
• Siracha (sweet Asian chili sauce) and Chopped Peanuts (optional)

Preparation

• Saute Chicken until cooked through
• Add Garlic and Ginger.  Saute 2 minutes.
• Add Shiitake Mushrooms and cook until soft
• Add 5 spice powder, Chili flakes, Agave Nectar, Cider Vinegar and Tamari
• Cook another 1 minute or until liquid reduces slightly
• Turn off heat and fold in Green Onions and Cilantro
• Season with Salt and Pepper
• To serve, spoon some of the Chicken mixture onto each lettuce leaf
• Garnish with Bean Sprouts, Shredded Carrot, Siracha, Sesame Seeds, Peanuts additional Sliced Green Onions and Cilantro leaves

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