Raw Foods

Ok.  Before I start talking about my raw food experience last week, I would like to share a picture of the cutest future triathlete ever - Carissa:

So if you are having a baby, you know what you are going to get in the mail from me :) Check out the TRIX website when you have the chance!  Love it! 

So I was traveling for the week in Jacksonville Beach for work.  Usually when I get home from these trips I feel like crap.  Too much eating out and wine.  But not this trip.  I was lucky enough to be invited over to my triathlete friend Doris's house for a raw dinner party.  What the heck to you bring to a raw dinner party?  I decided I would be safe with flowers and wine.  Who would refuse flowers and wine?  Anyway the food was AMAZING as well as the company:

Looks like pasta - right?  Nope!  It's all raw!

Raw keylime pie! 

Needless to say, I was totally thrown back by how wonderful this raw food was.  So I decided to keep up the 'raw' diet the best I could for the rest of the week.  Found a few good raw places to eat and pigged out on veggies and fruit as much as I could.  My runs felt awesome and my energy level was out the roof. 

I talked to Big J and he was all about slowly incorporating a raw meal every week into our diet and then going from there.  It would take a ton of time (which either of us really have right now) to be fully 'Raw' - but a meal every now and then is a good start!  Also, I'm not going to lie.  But I do like a steak and pizza every now and then :) 

Anyone else interested in being a little raw?  Anyone have any good sites or links?



Vita-Mix Receipe: Peanut butter

I was thinking about this today.  I love peanut butter and that would be killer if I could make my own at home in my Vita-Mix.  Peanut butter, almond butter, mixed nut butter, the choices are endless!  So, I goolged this question and came up with this:

Super pumped I stared to play the clip...and it's all in Korean?  I'm not sure.  Anyway - all I pulled out of the video was that yes, I can make peanut butter in my vita-mix.  Sweet. 

Has anyone else tried this?  Thoughts?  Feelings? 

I've got the feeling....

to sign up for another Ironman!  What's that you say?  There is an awesome one a few states away?  It's so awesome that superstar Heidi Austin is going to be racing it as well?  Count.  Me.  In.  Sitting here alone in my hotel room, I just took a deep breath and hit the 'accept' button for Active.com to take even more money from me so that I can race:

Pretty.  Freaking.  Excited.

Mom has her bottle of wine and cow bells ready to be super cheerleader again! 

In training news - I'm racing the 'Intimidator' which is a 70.3 in a few weeks in Clermont, Fl.  I'm not heading into this race looking for a PR because of this:

Yep - this is not a joke.  This is Sugar Loaf Mountain.  This is a hilly ass bike course. Needless to say, I've had to throw a ton of hills in my training.  So this weekend I was able to be the estrogen in this tesosterone group of killer riders:

We slayed 53ish miles under 3 hours including lots and lots and lots of hills.  But it was a great ride and felt awesome.  Can't wait to do it again next weekend :)

Ron and I

So..anyone else want to race IMTX???

And the winners are...

I just want to through out a huge thank you for everyone who entered this contest!  GOTRIbal is such an awesome community of women and all I want to do is share the love!

And the winners are!

Train -n-Tri (white shirt!)

and

JenniferLeah from Miles, Muscles & Mommyhood! (pink shirt!)

E-mail me your mailind address ladies!! 

Congrats! 

Hope everyone had a killer weekend!

XO

Pukie Award

I would like to give a big thank you to Big Daddy Diesel for the pukie award.  I was thinking of you while I was hurling in the aero position. 

Remember how I talked about Carla's family and the awesome motivation posters they had all through Gulf Coast 70.3?  Well, I would like to share a few of them.

Please note that Carla's sister looks exactly like her - because they are identical twins.  Seriously.  I used to talk to Julie and think it was Carla.  Odd...I know.  :)

So if you need ideas for signs - please, let me know!

So, today was a huge break through in my running - coach had 10 miles at an 8:15 pace on tap today.  He said 'just make it a very good run'.  Finished up with - BAM - an 8:12 avg.  Take that 10 miles!  I made you my bitch this morning!  Whoop whoop!  (sorry - kind of excited)  Everyone else I came into contact with today thought I was nuts just to run for 10 miles.  If they only knew.....

Anyway - TOMORROW IS THE LAST DAY FOR THE FIT GIRLS T-SHIRT GIVE-A-WAY!  Check it out!

Gulf Coast Triathlon Race Report

Ohh good old Gulf Coast 70.3.  Have to love a race that is in your back yard.  The course that you swim/bike/run on all of the time.  And a race where it is always 100000 degrees out. (please read into my sarcasm) But the support is awesome - and knowing about 20% of the people who are racing can not be beat - have to love Gulf Coast Triathlon.  That is why I keep on coming back every year! 

Friday Carla (remember Carla?  1/3 of the amazing crew I trained with for Ironman) went to check in our bikes.  What?  Only numbers on the racks and no specific markers for each bike?  Sweet.  We'll take the end!

(yep.  I'm rocking compression socks with a skirt...by the way- did you see page 122 of this months Triathlete??  See a comment about compression socks form someone that you know??)

Good thing we got there early!

Saturday morning - up and at it early.  Since the sun comes up at 6am here - the first wave starts at 6:15.  So it's a super early race.  Pre race - same breakfast as always.  Oatmeal with blackberries and some carbopro.  Yum.  

Headed down to transition (about a mile from my house) and got everything set up.  

Carla and I right before the Swim

Cari, Myself, and Carla - don't mess with these ladies!

6:30 our wave goes off.  Thankfully we are one of the first waves AND the gulf was somewhat calm.  The past three years they have put up the red flags after the last swimmer was out (that means the gulf was SUPER ROUGH)  So I was stoked for hopefully a PR in the swim.  Even after yet another super awesome  make out session with a jellyfish I came out of the water with a:

34:38 (last year 36:42)

Always smile for the camera - even though my face hurt like hell.  I ran into transition kind of confused - not quite feeling like myself.  I was lucky to find my bike and had issues pulling off my wetsuit and putting on my bike shoes.  Kind of odd.  But bolted out of transition at:

3:30 (last year 3:24)

The bike was hot and windy.  I was feeling ok and just got my legs pumping on the roads that I ride everyday.  Around mile 20 I tried to eat part of a Lura Bar.  And flet that funny feeling.  You know that feeling.  Like you need to let go and not hold back.  And I didn't.  Just let it all out in aero position.  Thankfully no one was behind me to get the backlash of my puke. 

Odd I thought to myself - that has NEVER happened before.  So silly me, I tried to eat again.  Same thing.  Oh no.  I have never had a major nutrition issue like that during a race.  So I just kept on drinking water and cytomax and doing what I could for calories - and not looking forward to the run.

Bike time:

2:58:01-18.9mph(last year 2:51:25 - 19.6mph)

But the highlight of the ride no doubt was seeing Carla's family on the course with AWESOME signs.  So awesome that they deserve their own post. 

T2:

1:30 - both years.  No time lost there!

Oh the run.  Man it was hot.  Flat.  And no shade.  Oh yeah - the only calories I could hold down was flat coke and oranges.  Awesome.  But other then that it was a pretty uneventful run.   I just put my head down and put one foot in front of another.  It was though and I knew I was not going to hit the numbers that I wanted - but I finished.  :) 

Run time:

2:15:40 (ouch!) (last year 2:09)

Total time:  5:53:22

Last year:  5:42:19

Kelsi and I rocking out the Trinity Tops and GOTRIbal Love!  Oh yeah - and Big J in the background!

Not my best race but not my worst race either.  But all in all it was a learning experience.  What did I learn?

#1:  jellyfish might make me puke

#2:  I can do a 70.3 on very few calories

#3:  I can puke in the aero position (skill my friends)

#4.  ALWAYS do local races.  It's so awesome to see everyone, cheering or racing, out there! 

REMINDER ON MY SWEET GIVE-A-WAY! 

SEE BELOW!!!  :)

Fit Girls Give-a-way!

Last week was a tornado of work, work, traveling and feeling like I was hit by a bus after Gulf Coast 70.3.   So now that I'm finally back home and can sit down for a few minutes - I'm SO excited to announce this sweet give-a-way:

Fit Girls Shirts!

These ladies where at the Gulf Coast 70.3 expo and I could not help but share the love.  I have two sweet Fit Girls Tech Shirts - Small White and Medium Pink! 

So, do you want one of these awesome shirts?  Well, here is how you can throw your name in the hat - show some GOTRIbal love!

Do one of these = one entry:

#1.  Go to GOTRIbal an sign up!  (it's free!)

#2.  Join a tribe in your area - or a training plan (meet awesome women!)

#3.  Like GOTRIbal on facebook (Lots of good pointers and info!)

#4.  Say you like GOTRIbal on Facebook because you read my blog!

#4.  Follow me on TWITTER - @ChloeElfrink

Leave me a comment and let me know what you have done!  I'll draw the winners a week from today! (June 20th)

Ok - Gulf Coast race report to come later on this evening :)  Need to sit down and think about this one for awhile! 

Hope everyone had a great week!

A Love Letter

Dear Vita Mix:

At first I avoided you.  I thought you where too good for me.  I even had my eye on others.  But I always knew you where the best.  After so many frustrating relationships - I would always see you in the background.  You where always there for me and let me know I could trust you.  Trust you in making wonderful smoothies filled with fresh, healthy goodness that would make my body feel awesome and full of energy.  The energy you feel when you know you are with the right blender.  You do not burn up when I decide to throw beets or other random 'unblendable' veggies into the mix.  And you do not leave random chucks.  I trust you with all of my heart and soul and looking forward to a long, wonderful, and exciting relationship. 

Love:

Chloe

Strawberries, Spinach, Chia Seeds, Protein Powder, Oats, Honey, Banana, Orange, Blackberries, Beets! 

Breakfast and mid morning snack!  Yummm!

In other news - it's race weekend in Panama City Beach!  Gulf Coast 70.3 is on Saturday!  I am so excited - the weater is suppose to be perfect and hopfully the gulf is flat.  More on that tomorrow :)  But I did check in today and run into New Tri Addict!  Small World :) 

Hope everyone is having a great week!