The One with the Triathlon

Its been nearly a week since I returned from Chelan!

Life has been a bit crazy, so I apologize for lack of blogging. In the past four days I have hardly been home at all, thanks to two movie theater excursions, spending time with family in Auburn, and getting to see my baby friend Pippa. Tomorrow we are headed to Bellingham for a bike ride. Fun stuff! But CRAZY busy. Needless to say, I haven't been cooking a ton or eating all that healthy either. Oops!

Back to Chelan.

Yes, I did complete my triathlon! The bad news first....I felt sad for my poor swimming teacher who put so much time into me....I completely forgot how to swim! The morning of the race I warmed up with my cousin and could swim quite well. In fact, she said I had an excellent stroke. But as soon as the race started, I began to hyperventilate. So of course breathing under water was out of the question. I ended up doing most of the swim on my back, doing the backstroke. I also did a little breast stroke and a tiny bit of crawl when I could get my breathing under control.

When I got out of the water my adrenalin was rushing like crazy and I just BOOKED it. My transition was fast. I started out on my bike super quick and passed everyone in sight. Eventually my hand went numb (poor bike fit...I'm borrowing it) but I still pressed on. I said "passing on your left" over and over. When I got back to transition I was completely zonked. TOTALLY exhausted because I had just pretty much sprinted for 13 miles. Still, I tried to run as fast as possible. I kept telling myself that I was a runner and I sure wasn't going to lose on the run. After about half mile I felt much better and started passing people again. Eventually I finished in second place! There were a few guys ahead of me, but I was second in my age group....I think 11th overall once all the heats finished.

Needless to say, I was super excited! My first triathlon was a success! I still have lots to learn on the swim, but at least I didn't die, and I ended the race well. That's all that matters.

I just wanted to give you a little 30 before 30 update. Here is the complete blog post of all the things I wish to accomplish by the time I'm 30. I just have a little more than 3 years!

So far I have:
10) Run a Marathon
14) Mini Sprint Triathlon
19) Learn to Really Swim.

Its been a pretty active summer so far. :)

The One with the Exciting News

Okay...not that exciting. No baby is on the way or anything. :)

BUT...I learned how to swim!! Yes, I can finally do it. I swam 400 meters today in my swimming lesson, and that was after warming up with 50 and then swimming 150 meters. So...that's 600 meters total!!

I also swam around 400 meters in Green Lake yesterday.

As you may tell, I am SUPER EXCITED about my accomplishment. :)

I have been so busy with my swimming, biking and running, that I haven't had much time for cooking healthy meals. So its been all about what's quick and available. Lots of salads and quick veggies and hard boiled eggs and such things. Right now I am eating a Swordfish steak made by Matty on the BBQ.

And I am off to watch Season 4 Premier of White Collar. So excited. :)

The one with the tiny little swimming update (and lots of food photos)

For all those that are following along closely (ha!) I have now been swimming three days.

I can blow bubbles. I can actually BREATHE with my head under the water. (Not in, of course)

On Wednesday a nice gal at the gym gave me a tip to use the kickboard so that I don't have to use my arms. All I have to do is kick my feet and practice my breathing. One-Two-Three under the water and then take a breath. Repeat on each side. I am working on tipping my head to the side instead of straight up. I still have ALOT to learn. I feel like someone trying to run a marathon that can only run one mile. When it comes to swimming I am SERIOUSLY out of shape. I can swim back and forth and be completely out of breath.

Four weeks to go! Can I swim 400 meters in open water, possible sloshing and freezing? We have yet to see.

 On another note, I have been eating pretty healthy for the last couple of weeks. I have been loving my eggs, spinach and goat cheese every morning:

For lunches I usually eat salads. For dinner I try to cook lots of veggies and eat chicken or chicken sausage.

One of my favorite combinations has been brussels sprouts, broccoli, yellow squash and chicken sausage. The brussels sprouts and broccoli come in bags at Trader Joe's, so I can microwave them to speed up cooking time. (Matt likes this)

I have also been making healthier choices when I eat at other places. In this meal, at Chris and Terry's, the only "bad" thing I ate was this tiny piece of bread that was home made by Donella. She is my favorite bread maker and she tried a new recipe, so of course I had to try. :)

Here is a quick Instagram of my groceries from Trader Joes last weekend. Even the check out lady was impressed by how healthy I eat!

Thanks for reading my healthy update. I am so happy to be doing so well. :)

The One where Jenn learns to swim and promptly forgets how to run.

Yes that is right.

I had my first swim lesson today. Matty taught me how to blow bubbles and kick.

This may seem super lame-o, but before I started today I couldn't even put my head in the water without plugging my nose.

Thank you Matty for the nice lesson!!

The rest of the story is that after work today I ran around Green lake and couldn't even make it around the whole lake without stopping to take a quick walk. I blame the LACK OF CARBS!! I have been on a pretty low carb diet now for about 8 days and my running always gets affected.

So what did I do?

Ate a delicious apple and almond butter after my run. Now I feel completely better. :)

Matty says don't eat fruit, but I am sneaking in a little fruit before and after exercising. Without it, I am toast. :)

My triathlon check list is getting complete! I bought a swim suit and tri bike shorts and arranged to borrow a road bike and a wet suit. So all I need to do now is SWIM BIKE RUN! This will be my life for the next five weeks. Its coming up.....!!

:)