Getting Settled

It's been a little over 2 weeks since my last post. This sounds a bit like confession. I should be careful or soon I'll start to be plagued by guilt.

I have a good excuse though.
We did it! We did it! We did it!
Tom is moved here and we are in our new home. Now if only all these boxes would unpack themselves and contents sort themselves into piles for donation/recycle/trash/keep.

Truthfully, I'm exhausted. I feel like I could sleep for about 24 hours straight. In fact that's what I should do. It might be time for a black curtain day or two.

On that note, let's keep it short and sweet.

Food tip:

Red, yellow and orange bell peppers are loaded with vitamins and antioxidants. Most bell peppers we get here in the PNW this time of year are grown in hot houses. So even if the pepper is not organic, a lot fewer chemicals are used to grow it since the environment is more controlled. I like to eat them raw in slices or cut into 1 inch cubes and sauteed with onion, garlic and sometimes mushrooms.

Fit tip:

If you live less than 5 miles from your workplace, try commuting by bike a couple of days a week. You don't have to do it every day and it's an easy way to add 30 to 45 min of exercise to your daily routine. Just make sure you're visible. Having fenders with reflective tape, a red rear blinkie light and a good commuter jacket with reflective material should do the trick.

Now get out and play.

Happy New Year!!

My food tip for the week:

Chicken wings are powerful bad for you and should not be eaten unless you've ridden your bike for at least 4 hours. Really. I put 12 wings in my food diary today and I couldn't believe the calories, more than 1200!!! Just say no.

My exercise tip for the week:

This is one of my favorite hamstring exercises. It's guaranteed to kick your bum into shape.

On a personal note:

I am very fortunate to be enveloped in love. The love of my boyfriend, my family, my friends. 2010 was a great year and I want to thank you all. Those words don't seem enough. Language is limited. I wish I could find a better way to communicate what you mean to me.

What did I do in 2010? It all seems a blur now. I know I skied... a lot. I know I rode... a lot. I loved... you get the idea. Life unfolded and shit happened. Tom, who rarely crashes on a bike, had not one but 4 significant falls. The worst resulting in rib fractures that took a couple of months to heal. Meanwhile, we got to dive into new depths of our relationship and I found a nurturing side I didn't know I had.

2010 was also the year of my fastest Ironman to date. I'm fitter now that I was 10 years ago and it feels good to have crushed my previous best IM time in my late 30s.

Beautifully, things are falling together and a new world is opening up for us in 2011. Tom should be moved here with his business in about 2 weeks. We will finally live together in our own home. We'll be returning to Portugal in the Spring with Tom racing at TransPortugal and I will be working as part of the medical team. Then there's my big goal for the year, the 100 mile mountain bike race. I must be crazy.

Looking forward to a 2011 full of promise and adventure.