Tickets purchased, entry confirmed.

I finally committed and purchased two tickets down to New Zealand to compete in Ironman New Zealand. It was a big move for me because normally I would have never spent what I spent to get down to this race. So I head down to my old home land on the 20th of Feb.


Training Week of 12/22-12/28
Swimming- 15,200km
Biking- 10 hours
Running- 40 miles

I have been sleeping much better which has been huge in my recovery. I have never felt so fresh, and I owe it all to sleep....and a little to training smarter. It is very easy for me to go hard all the time thinking it will make me faster. Bottom line is, if I don't rest and recover, I'm absorbing very little from key sessions. Easy days for me are now VERY easy.

Hope every is enjoying the holidays. My favorite thing about Christmas...the Cadbury Creme Eggs on sale for 25 cents the day after! I ate 5 in one sitting. Did i feel sick, yes. Would I do it again, in a heart beat.



JC

A Cotter Style Christmas

Sleep in, eat, Run the lake, eat, hike the trails with dog, eat, crash by 9pm! Heck YA!!!




Now normally my whole family goes up to the parents house in Dallas for a huge Christmas Eve Bash with 50 of my relatives and then spends Christmas day lounging around until brunch time with 20 or so of more family members! Don't get me wrong, we love it but this year we decided that the parents would come down Christmas weekend and we all could get together for a little Christmas BBQ (low key). So what did the Cotters do on Christmas Day! It was definitely not boring! Christmas Eve was awesome as we attended the Austin Stone Candlelight Service (me, James, and Andrew), followed up by some good grub at Whole Foods! Then Christmas day we slept in (for me that 7am), ran town lake in 65 degree weather, came home rested had lunch then back out for a fun hike with the dog on the Steiner ranch trails in the sunshine! Dinner was of course followed up by more Feliz Navidad breakfast tacos. Now to make it an official Cotter tradition, I added in Quinoa to mix of taco batter. I cooked quinoa for James on our first Christmas together in Hawaii and its been a must have every year, no matter what the entree is!


The yummy quinoa!





We filled our bellies, watched home alone, and crashed early! What a great day! We hope your Christmas was filled with love, joy, peace, and good grub!!!

P.S. James is training to eat 8 grande breakfast burritos at Juan in Million here in Austin. Last night was just another practice round, haha! More on that challenge later!

The Cotters

Local Flavor

Our Organic Neighborhood Cafe ROCKS!!




James and I are big fans of Java Dive Cafe located about 1 mile down the road from us! We stop in there often to buy organic coffee, gluten free foods and goodies on their AWESOME menu slection, and then even have a small store section where you can buy organic produce, food (including gluten free), fresh coffee beans, and other drinks. But I think our favorite thing about Java Dive Cafe is being able to support our local grocer! The people there are amazing! The staff is very genuine, kind, and knowledgeable about all food allergies & organic foods. Plus they know how to make some pretty sweet breakfast tacos and my favorite GF Hummus wrap, with homemade hummus and guacamole of course! They also have very yummy desserts, ice cream, and gelato. They have it all! Its the kind of place where you can swing in and grab a bite to eat or drink, relax and enjoy coffee and play on your computer with free Wi Fi, or sit and enjoy a dessert with your favorite person (my hubby of course)! I highly recommend it if your out here near Lakeway or make a pit stop if your riding your bike and refuel with good nutrition.

Here are some of their daily lunch specials that change every week -this will make you hungry!


Chef specials are all Organic
GF= Gluten Free

Mon 12/15 Mediterranean chicken in a savory broth of tomatoes onion garlic olives and herbs served over couscous with side salad

Tues 12/16 red curry with beef and veggies served over brown rice (GF)

Wed 12/17 chicken enchiladas with red chili sauce and brown rice and pico de gallo (GF)

Thurs 12/18 vegetarian zucchini torta with side salad (GF)

Fri 12/19 chicken and dumplings with brown rice

Soups: Minestrone, tomatoe basil, greek chicken and rice with artichokes and lemon

These soups will also be in the freezer section!

Have a safe and healthy Christmas!

LC

The Coconut Cure

Since going off gluten and dairy I've had to get more creative on where to find key nutrients. Well, coconut oil, light coconut milk, and coconut yogurt have been a win/win for me this area! What you may have not known about coconut is that its a actually a GOOD BAD fat. Yes that sounds like an oxymoron but its true. Its rich saturated fat is actually made up of Middle Chain Fatty Acids (MCFA's- also known as Lauric Acid). This fatty acid chain is highly metabolized and easy to digest because of its characteristics- sorry for getting into the biochemistry nerd voice but here goes!

- MCFAs are smaller chains. They permeate cell membranes easily, and do not require lipoproteins or special enzymes to be utilized effectively by your body.

- MCFAs are easily digested, thus putting less strain on your digestive system. This is especially important for those of you with digestive or metabolic concerns. LIKE ME!!!!

- MCFAs are sent directly to your liver, where they are immediately converted into energy rather than being stored as fat.

- MCFAs in coconut oil can actually help stimulate your body’s metabolism, leading to weight loss.

For more info on this wonder fruit visit. www.coconut-info.com Here's good recipe I whipped up the other day that is perfect for hot or cold weather!

PUMPKIN CURRY COCONUT SOUP


- 1 can organic pumpkin puree or chunks
- 1 can light coconut milk
- chopped bell pepper
- about 8-10oz of chicken broth
- 1 to 2 cups chopped chicken breast or shrimp
- sprinkle these seasons in for your liking.
*I don't remember how much I put in the soup.
* ground Ginger, curry, chili pepper, black pepper, salt.

Heat up liquid ingredients then add all the seasonings and meat/fish. Simmer until its just tastes good! We added tons of chili pepper because James likes everything super spicy of course. :)

In Good Health,
LCotter

Chamois Cream

With longer rides appearing in the schedule more frequently, friction is a major concern while being in tights for so long. I have become a huge fan of assos chamois cream. It keeps everything moving and cool in the tights, helps with saddles sore and elongates the life of your favorite chamois.

I might be trying a new cream this year. Enjoy David Zabriskie's new video for his new chamois cream, D-Z Nuts.

Santa's Little Helper

Please ignore my expression on my face. I didn't know the camera was that close to my face, DUH! Ha ha! We learned that Sadie is quite the helper these days! She attempted several times (succeeded once) to climb up the attic ladder and help James get the Christmas tree down. We had a good laugh! Now if only she could do the dishes and vacuum the floors!!

Happy Holidays!

JC and LC

One step forward, two steps back- AGAIN!

My welcome back party was very temporary as I was struck down again with another virus. After thinking I was back to health after two solid days of feeling well and training well, I was pushed back into bed trying to sleep and get over what ever I have. Thanksgiving was spent overdosing on all types of medication. All I remember about Thanksgiving was that I made it Mexican style, turkey wrapped in a corn tortilla (gluten free of course), and being high on Tylenol.

As you have read, my wife has celiac's and is unable to tolerate gluten anymore. I've been the best sport I possibly can be and have eliminated all gluten from my diet as well. Do I feel any better, nope! I've been too sick to see how my body will feel avoiding gluten while undergoing a heavy training load. I should be able to tell as soon as the medication wares off! But, it has not been as difficult as I thought it was going to be, making the gluten switch that is. You are able to get all the calories you need in other products that actually taste good or whatever my wife is making! I have to admit I still indulge in gluten products when out of the house (my wife says its good for my sanity, haha!).

While I'm sick I have been looking over new toy's that I want for 2009. I use to train with a heart rate monitor ALL the time back in the day and it seemed to work very well. I might invest in a new Polar as it keeps my ego in check. I have a horrible habit of treating every session like a key session, and going too hard on recovery sessions. This week I think I will go and get a new bike fit on the Retuel system. It scored Alexander the Great a victory in Kona so it must be good. I'm pretty excited because I have no idea if I have a descent position.

Also, found some more off road trails just up the road from our place. I will be heading up there today for an easy 45 minutes. I hope this sickness leaves my body soon because I have some serious training lurking around the corner.

Stay well!
JC

The Man with the Cheesy Gotie!

Never thought I'd say this but the Cheesy guy in the picture (Jay Robb) ROCKS! WHY you may ask? Because he made a decent tasting protein drink that is FREE OF:
Dairy
Casein
Lactose
Fructose
Aspartame
Acesulfame-K
Sucralose
Refined Sugar
Corn Syrup
Artificial Flavors
Artificial Sweeteners
Artificial Colors
Fat
Cholesterol
Gluten
Wheat
Chemicals


You see, since going GF (gluten free) I've also had to avoid dairy for the first 6 months in order to heal the villi in the intestines (more info than you probably wanted to know). Anyway, I've been missing my protein enriched Greek yogurt and even though we love the coconut milk yogurts, they AIN'T CHEAP and they don't provide extra protein that I'm looking for in snacks/breakfast. Now, I've never been a protein shake kinda girl but I figured now is the time to START! If you go to Jay Robb's website you'll see all kinds of other products. I haven't tried them but there is quite a variety there. WARNING- it is a super cheesy weight loss website! And just for kicks, check out his TV show trailer on the link! HAHA! You'll burn some extra calories laughing.

In Good Health!
LC

p.s.
please tell my husband its his turn to post! I really don't want to take over this blog thing. :)