Well hello! Its been quite around here with my focus on Christmas, family and other life changes, but we will get to all of that. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season celebrating with their families. I Had a wonderful Christmas that left my little heart bursting with joy and love.

I will admit that 2013 hasn’t been the easiest year for me . Nothing tragic or unmanageable, just more stressful than past years so I won’t shed a tear to see it go and start fresh in a week. I also have had a few significant changes in the last couple weeks, it feels like a great transition to 2014.

I haven’t really talked about it here to respect my husbands privacy but he is the most open and honest person I know so it wasn’t really necessary. Cory was laid off from the company he was with for over seven years in May and diligently searched for a job for over seven months, about two weeks ago he finally heard that he got a job that he really wanted, it was the best Christmas gift we could have asked for.

After Cory started his new job with a hellish commute to Boulder we finally decided to put our Denver house on the market so we could move out of the city. We still love our little 1928 tudor house but finally agreed that it was worth it to move to make commuting easier for Cory as well as having some more modern luxuries (AC, decent closets, master bathroom, storage, etc). The biggest reason we would like to move is lifestyle, we really like to ride our bikes out the door of our home and run on trails. This is hard to do in the heart of Denver so we are looking to move closer to Boulder back roads with great trails. I am very excited about this change but getting our house on the market and selling it will take some work. Showing a home with three dogs and a crazy schedule would just not work so we will be moving out in a week and a half.

Another big change for 2014 will be a new coach for me. I really love my former coach and will still work with him in group workouts but I missed the boat to individually train with him again this year. I gave up the expense of a coach after Ironman Lake Tahoe, but after Cory found a job and a lackluster fall of self coaching I was in the market for a coach again. Not surprisingly a lot of coaches in Colorado are full up with it being so late and so many local athletes signed up for IM Boulder. So I researched and thought a lot about my options and I think I have found the perfect fit. I am very excited and think this change will be really great for me, sometimes a change is just what I need to push me out of my comfort zone. I will let you in on who my new coach will be after we sign all the docs and get going but I am ecstatic to get to work with her.

A lot of new things coming in the next month or so, new schedule, new coach, new commute, new home, new gym, new neighborhood, the list goes on. So 2013 will end on an upswing that will hopefully propel us into a wonderful 2014.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and are enjoying some time off!

After finishing Tahoe I gave myself a full week off to do nothing but enjoy life, let my body heal and not think about training one little bit.

I felt great, I had a lot of extra time that I mostly spent relaxing, with a little holiday decorating, baking and working thrown in. THe second week after Tahoe I worked out a little but just what I wanted to do, weight training here, trail running there but not on any schedule. WHile I enjoyed the break I am starting to crave a schedule again, I take this as a good sign that I am doing a good job at the mental side of recovery. I will take one more week of working out when I want to but try to get in a little more so it won’t be too big of a shock. Then I will get back to work, because I have three big A races that I am already registered for next year.

So here’s what’s next….

First up will be my first crack at an ultra distance trail race. Cory and I signed up for Orcas Island 50k in Washington on February 1st. I am so excited to spend more time on the trails this winter with Cory.

Next up will be Ironman Los Cabos in Mexico, I was lucky enough to spectate last year and when I got 20% off for participating in Ironman Lake Tahoe the deal was sealed. On March 30th I will be toeing the line myself.

Lastly I will participate in Ironman Canada in Whistler on July 27th. After seeing all the photos and reports from this year I am excited for my turn to participate in this race.

After that I think I would like to do more trail running, maybe even a 50 miler, but I will wait until after Orcas to see how I like the distance.

So there it is, any big plans for 2014?

Earlier this month I was given the opportunity to try out Designed Whey’s newest product “Sustained Energy”.

Designer Whey describes Sustained Energy as:

Designer Whey® Sustained Energy™ is specifically formulated with our proprietary Endurance Blend™. Designed to give you balanced, stimulant-free, sustained energy through fast absorbing whey protein and slower absorbing soy and casein proteins, giving you a steady supply of essential amino acids while helping you control hunger with fiber. Packed with 16 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber and 19 Essential Vitamins & Minerals and naturally flavored and sweetened – all for only 100-good-for-you calories!

I was excited about this opportunity because I have enjoyed designer Whey’s products in the past and I use a lot of protein powder for training nutrition and recovery.

I tried vanilla bean in my protein recovery shake

The shake kept me full and tasted great! What’s in it:

• 1 banana
• a couple handfuls of spinach
• 1 cup of vanilla soy milk
• 1 scoop vanilla bean designer whey sustained protein powder

I threw thew this all in the blender and let it run for two minutes.Then I added about two cups of ice, blended for another thirty seconds.
This is a great recovery drink or breakfast. If you have a rushed morning you can pre-make this shake and store it in the freezer.

• 3/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup honey
• 3/4 cup oatmeal
• 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 chocolate designer whey sustained protein powder
• Pinch of salt optional

To make:

• heat the peanut butter in the microwave for 20-30 seconds mix well with honey
• Mix in the oatmeal, flour, salt and protein powder. Stir until well blended
• Mold into balls, bars or whatever shape you want. I like to use a mellon baller to make bite sized balls for easy eating on the bike.

These protein balls have gotten me through countless miles of training, five half ironmans, one full ironman and will help me get through Iornman Lake Tahoe.

Want to try Sustained Energy out? I have been given the opportunity to give a few tubs out. Leave a comment below with the flavor you would like to try (chocolate or vanilla bean). I will contact you for shipping information by next Monday if you are selected.

I was provided with this opportunity via my affiliation with FitFluential. I was given the products at no cost to myself, but was not compensated in any other way. All opinions are my own!