The road ahead.

Well, I think it's time I set some goals, and then get a game plan.  We all know the full Ironman is the ultimate, but that's not for nearly a year, and so actual training for the Big One shall not commence until the six month mark.  Then it's full GAME ON.

In the meantime, I've decided to do a trail marathon (Catalina Eco Marathon) in November, as I've never done a full marathon, and trail marathons are super badass hardcore, and I enjoy doing all things to the limit.  And they are also way cheaper than tris, so it's about all I can afford presently.  Actors are poor, as a rule.  Until they are successful, which is possibly never.

Anywho, it's a baby GAME ON with training for the marathon for the time being.  This will give me a good opportunity to hone in some good habits and maybe eliminate the bad ones.  I'm being good in actually doing weight training this time around, as I don't want to atrophy into a creepy looking Holocausty spectre like so many marathon runners I've seen.  But have you seen me lately?  I'm quite a hunk of woman.  Still, I don't relish the idea of my muscles EATING themselves, so I'm into it.  Also still swimming, and doing some biking for cross training, and of course, my dearly beloved yoga's in the mix.  Finding the time (and still practicing the uke and recording silly raps and flip cam-ing music videos) is always a challenge, but I've been waking early.  So far, not so bad.

Except.....  Worst habit: BAD NUTRITION.

Yeah, what can I say... today I basically ate a bag of Peanut M&Ms and then a fat free chocolate frozen yogurt (with chocolate sprinkles, an homage to my favorite childhood treat at Carvel back in NY) for dinner.  Not really the dinner of champions.  But when you're sitting, waiting for your Five Hour Energy audition with this incredibly wordy piece of copy to remember and you feel yourself waning, sometimes the only thing that can get you through is-- no, not Five Hour Energy-- but Peanut M&Ms.  And then, as you make the trek through nasty Westside traffic back to Hollywood and pass the Big Chill, well, how often are you near that yogurt store with the incredible Ghiardelli fat free chocolate yogurt that tastes so much like your favorite Carvel soft serve?  And hence, the poor dinner.

I did still do a Runyon run up the hill-- albeit in near darkness, as it was late once I got back, and then over an hour of weights and abs.  Talk about a GI nightmare-- good thing my roomie's out of town at a wedding.  (Read: ab work + gas = very audible gastrointestinal action.)  I have no problem in making myself be active.  I can say yes to almost anything.  And therefore, I suppose, the problem with diet.  Diet means saying no.  I love saying yes to food.  It's such a lovely thing.

I do admit that I have a very bad relationship with impulsive eating, portion control, and sugar.  Give me a box of cookies and that box is effed, because I will eat the whole thing, like a horse and a big vat of oats.  I can sometimes hang on to some modicum of self-control if I FORCE myself to use my iPod app, "Lose It", where you can track all the calories you intake and expend by logging your food and exercise.  Swell little thing, super convenient, and I became a slave to it for some time.  It's good for parties, when you go on autopilot and start Hoovering the Doritos.  Fessing up to your iPod of that is quite the Mea Culpa moment, and gives you pause next time you reach chipward.

But I love being able to eat without feeling stereotypically female and anal retentive.  (I go through love hate relationships with that app for that reason... what a loser, having to log all my food.  Can't I just eat what I want and be healthy?  But no, the answer is no.  I invariably go back to the overeating habit if I part with the pod.  I blame weed, too.)  Part of the reason I became interested in endurance sports was that, beside the fact that I found I could do cardiovascular activity for ages and not fatigue, I also super dug the multi thousand calorie burn and the fact that I could totally, what, eat frozen yogurt for dinner and not have to beat myself up too much, as my calorie deficit was already so great.  But that's no good... I want to be a respectable-like triathlete, and be nice to my body.  It's already getting punished enough, is it not?

I considered cutting out sugar altogether, because clearly I'm an addict, and I think I'll still go for it... at least refined sugar... but it's in too many of the quick fuel items I like to train with, so I don't know if that will ruin my good intentions.  My hope is that by keeping track of my training and habits and the like on this here blog, and next time I reach for that bag of Peanut M&Ms I'll think, "what would the VAST audience of Hollywood Triathlete readers think??"  (Because I'm sure you are a vast, vast audience.)  I'm stealing this idea from "Fat Biker", who I heard about on NPR.  But he's way more noble than I.  I just want to do endurance sports and write funny ukulele songs.  And fit into the very pretty but very petite dress I am to wear at my sister's wedding come October 23.

I think taking on the mindset of nutrition as an aid to my training is the best way to go.  That way I am simply saying yes to becoming a better triathlete instead of saying no to delicious cheese (oh, cheese!)  I'll keep ya posted on what works and where I fail as I give it the old college tri (haha.)  There are a few nutrition books I'm gonna look into, once I have the expendible income of 30 bucks to get them.  (Not kidding about the budget here, folks.)

One awesome recipe that I gleaned from a woman I babysit/tutor for is for Kale Chips.  I adore roasted seaweed: it's packed with vitamins and satisfies the same salty craving without the terrible guilt potato chips would engender.  And so I try to have a crapload on hand in case of emergency crave.  [Trader Joe's has em for a dollar a pack, but you can get them in three packs for under two bucks from Asian Grocery stores... check out HK Market on Western in Ktown, if you live in LA, of course.]  Kale is another fabulous leafy green with all them good minerals, and it turns out, it can make a totally kickass ersatz potato chip similar to the seaweed.  Crunchy, flaky, and not bad for you.  Hooray!

Here's what you do:

Kale Chips
Ingredients:
A big buncha Kale
Olive Oil
Salt
(I added a squish of garlic for flavor)

Preheat oven to 250F.  Pick kale leaves off of the rough stem, toss them in olive oil and salt.  Spread them evenly on baking sheets lined with parchment paper and bake for 30 minutes until completely crisp and dry.

A-mazing.  J'adore.  Special thanks to Randi for revolutionizing my kale worldview.  (I do have some other Kale recipes I may share later.  We shall see.)

Bed is calling, and I've yet to decide how to fit in whatever workout I'll do tomorrow... am getting tazered for Tosh.0 in the afternoon and then picking up my grad school friend from LAX, so it'll have to be a morning workout.  Bah!  Oh the life.

Your Hollywood Triathlete,
Nik