Doesn't get easier. Just get stronger.

Despite the continued adversity and extreme circumstances, IRONMAN?training continues and it has been a big week of gains!

Highlights this week include:

Thanks to my minimally processed diet, my weight has stayed steady at around 133lbs for over a year despite efforts to sabotage it. The secret to sustainable weight loss is to cook your own food with minimally processed foods. Throw out enriched flour products, table sugar, corn syrup, modified food starch. Embrace food that is born and grown. Embrace raw honey and 100% pure maple syrup as sweeteners of choice. Carbs are great if you cook them yourself. Your body knows what to do with real food.

I have also learned that eating whole foods is actually LESS expensive than buying ultra-processed foods in the stores. For example, this week, a 5lb bag of potatoes was on sale for $2.47. I used half the bag to make Sheppard's pie and the other half for baked potatoes for quick snacks. I also love oatmeal banana pancakes. Inexpensive but quality meal - if you shop at Costco, you can purchase 10lbs of oatmeal for under $9.00, organic maple syrup for $11 for 1L, 3lbs of organic bananas for less than $2.00, and 24 eggs for less than $4.00. I cook my pancakes in organic unrefined coconut oil, also bulk size at Costco for under $12.00. You can't even compare the price or nutrients of a cereal bar for breakfast to oatmeal pancakes. Yes, it takes effort to cook and to meal plan, but it is so worth it. I can make salmon bowls with rice and veggies for less money than a happy meal.

I kicked my coffee habit to the curb. Haven't touched it since Thursday and have since migrated to Yerba maté and a rotation of green, black, white, oolong, and Darjeeling teas. While all of the above have caffeine, the caffeine from tea hits the body differently, with an added bonus of antioxidants known to reduce inflammation, lower blood pressure, protect against cancer while promoting a healthy gut. I am having a moment with Tea Forte. They are in process of becoming 100% certified organic (many flavors already are) with packaging that is 100% recyclable. All the flavors I have tried so far are fantastic, and I am particularly obsessed with the smell of the Belgian Mint tea (literally organic mint and cocoa) as well as the Lemon Sorbetti. Loving the Oolong as well. I have asked them to consider creating a recycle program where we as consumers send back our containers for x % discount on our next order.

I hit 100+ running miles thus far for February with a week to go. On target to crush 2021 numbers... and I also learned to never eat nuts right before I run. My advice to others is to learn from my mistakes and stick to easily digestible foods like oatmeal, bananas, rice, toast, pancakes before you hit the pavement. YTD I have run 250+ miles!

I have cycled 367+ miles in February with a week to go, crushing my 2021 numbers - in February 2021 I cycled 315 for the entire month. And YTD I have cycled 801+ miles!

I have swum 17,250 yards so far this month with a week to go. In February 2021, I swam a total of 7,655 yards. YTD I have swum 37,000+ yards.

I crushed the Strava February 50?km walking challenge thanks to my foster pup, Mr. Mico. We have walked 36+ miles with a week to go!

My ROUVY Ambassador page is up and running!

Thanks to my NASM Personal Training and IRONMAN certification, I am beyond excited to now receive a 30% discount with Sweaty Betty! I am in the process of completing my Wellness and Group Fitness certification as well. I absolutely love what Sweaty Betty stands for: " A community that believes fitness is a flip-the-switch trigger for becoming the woman you want to be. Leggings and sports bras won’t change the world on their own. But with a grab-my-hand, let’s-go-for-it-now spirit, the women who wear them can."

Thanks to LinkedIn, I connected with fellow Zwifters and joined two group rides this past week. Shout out to Bev Pangilinan for organizing a group ride this past Friday. Thank you and I appreciate you inviting me. And thank you to The BMTR Fundo for organizing endurance rides on Zwift like my 52+ miler this morning, my long ride of the week! I am thrilled to learn that the BMTR Fundo group has a weekly century ride (100 miles) with a similar course to Sacramento on Zwift... flat.

I also spent some time on ROUVY this week, completing a ride in New Zealand.

And this week on ROUVY, I am going to ride the Tour de France 2014 Stage 1, pt 4. It is a 24.33-mile ride with an elevation climb of 1,742 feet. If anyone is interested, I will be on ROUVY tomorrow morning (Monday, February 21) at 11:00 AM ET. My user ID is IFkearns. Join me!

I departed iOS this week and moved back to Android and PC, trading in my former phone for a Google Pixel 5 with a 5G network and sold off my old laptop for a beautiful blue Microsoft Laptop 3 which I scored on eBay, and now running Windows 11 on.

And the long rides are hard on a trainer as I build up to 112 miles. So I purchased a Wahoo Fitness desk which I will park in front of my bike so I can entertain myself with something on TV while keeping my phone or computer connected for training. Come spring, I will resume outdoor training rides.

W/C February 14 Training Summary

18+ hours of training with a focus on cycling and running this week. I cycled 139.5 miles, ran 35+ miles, and swam 4,500+ yards. I scheduled myself to swim today, but the weather was so nice I swapped out my swim for a five-mile run.

Long ride of the week was 52 miles with a 6-mile warm-up.

Long run of the week was 11 miles.

Long swim of the week was 2,500 yards. I don't take breaks either to continue to practice breathing in the water for very long periods of time. IRONMAN distance in yards is approximately 4,000 yards. Leg strength as I demonstrated in Augusta 70.3 this past fall comes from cycling and running. So I focus heavily on breathing and upper body when I swim.

12+ miles of walking Mr. Mico. Walking is a great tool for active recovery.

And you are never too old to start IRONMAN training. Just check out this story on Roger Little who will be 82 years old when he competes for his 20th IRONMAN World Championship this October!

IRONMAN Foundation

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