Results: One Year of Bike Commuting

I live in the D.C. area, which arguably is one of the most bike-friendly cities in America. When I started my new job last year, a full 4.5 miles away, it only made sense to start biking to work. Driving into the city is out of the question and taking the metro is either slow or life-threatening. Overall, bike commuting has been life-changing for me.

Homemade Keto Fat Bombs!

 

If you eat a keto diet and haven’t tried fat bombs yet, you are missing out!

I finally bought coconut flakes at the grocery store, and naturally decided to experiment and make my own fat bombs! These fat bombs taste just like the Samoa Girl Scout cookies. You know, the ones with the caramel, covered with toasted coconut and chocolate drizzled on top? Those incredible carb-filled beauties. 

Climbing to Swim

Over the last eight months I’ve circled back to one of my earliest passions, rock climbing. My dad taught me to rock climb when I was in first grade, and I loved every moment of it. Rock climbing as a hobby for me fluctuated over the years, and as I took up other sports more earnestly, it faded to a fond memory.

How Biking to Work is Changing My Life

I started my new job in February, and thought I had my daily commute down pat. But, it was taking approx. 40 mins each way to only travel 5 miles. And that’s when the metro runs smoothly. For those who don’t live in the DC area, the metro RARELY runs smoothly. If it’s not literally on fire, some random drunk is on the tracks, or they’re doing much needed repair work on the tracks. Either way, the trains are frequently delayed.

(This is an actual website)

A lot of people bike to work in DC and I realized that the obstacles to biking to work (shower, gear, weather) weren’t really that difficult to surmount.

Run, Sweat, Smile

I know I haven’t exactly kept it a secret here, but I seriously dislike running. I’d much rather feel the wind in my face from going 20+ miles an hour on the bike. But, I drug myself out for my run last night and purposefully forced myself to smile during it. I probably looked like an idiot, grinning and running and huffing and puffing, but it felt amazing. It was an instant mood lifter. Hey, it might have looked more like a grimace and I might have scared some small children, but I felt great! Happy, energetic, fast. I really could have kept running but didn’t want to go too crazy and ruin a good thing.

I really needed that positive run; the happiness has yet to abate and it’s 18 hours later. So, next time your run starts to suck, you lose motivation, you hit that hill – just smile!

I Cleaned For Once!

No, mom, this isn’t a joke – I cleaned! But actually, I’m talking about the olympic lift, not cleaning my apartment. (Aha, misleading title!) This type of cleaning is one I can definitely get behind; the apartment cleaning, not so much.

Forget the Metrics

As triathletes, we get so caught up in metrics. Heartrate zones, lactate threshold work, power output, cadence, distance, pace, etc, etc, etc. It’s enough to make anyone mad!

Off-Season Motivation and Weightlifting

To be honest, I have fully embraced the triathlon “off-season” and have probably taken it a bit too far. As in, I run max 10 miles a week, I loathe my indoor trainer, and haven’t stepped foot in a pool for a couple months. I know this is going to make starting the new season even more difficult, but I honestly saw no other way to deal with my post-marathon struggles.

7 Week Marathon Training Plan: Marathon Week!

The prep for this marathon has been so short, I feel like I’ve barely had time to get all antsy and excited for it. But here it is; it snuck up on me and now I’m only a few days away from the Marine Corps Marathon. Part of me is so thrilled for my first marathon, and part of me is dreading the 4+ hours of pain it’s going to take to finish it.

7 Week Marathon Training Plan: Week 6

I realize it’s Wednesday, and I’m just now getting around to posting my week 6 workouts for my marathon training plan. Work has been pretty busy lately, and I’ve unfortunately been neglecting training somewhat. At this point though, I won’t gain any fitness in the next two weeks that will positively influence my marathon performance at all.