It's 19 outside....That sucks.

Here is a pic from after the race. My mom was so excited to meet Chris and startd acting like a Cougar around him LOL..It's funny how you can't tell in this pic that the three of us are completely WASTED! The pic was also taken several hours before I was brutally attacked by Dennis Meeker!!!!

I'm finally back in Boulder and I am trying to get my barrings with this new weather thing. I keep forgetting to put a jacket on because it feels so warm and toasty inside, yet on the outside I end up freezing my tits off! Only one month of this so I should be okay haha.

The first thing I did when I got here was get my butt over to Flatiron Gym and get a nice swim in with Jane. It was good to see some of the crew and be back in a group workout. I am supposed to go swim today too as I build into my "massive" swim month but it is sooooo cold out!!!! I feel bad for Lindsay my roommate because I am notorious for ripping up the bathroom and you can't open the freaking window. Good thing I brought back some of that Trader Joe's Citrus Spray. COLORADO NEEDS TRADER JOE'S!!!!! I am soooo shipping myself food from TJ's to New Zealand.

Speaking of food, here is my new diet:

-NO Wheat

-NO Dairy

-NO Soy

-NO Sugar (refined)

What's left to eat? Yeah well I am still going through that stage myself. Cicely did the new plan with me when I was in LA and really helped out with finding stuff to eat. Our new favorite thing is Spaghetti Squash! Man that is tasty stuff. And really easy to cook too. Anyway, it really isn't as hard as it seems. Last night I went out with "The Good Guys" and was able to find a nice meal at an Italian restaurant (of all places). Nice Spinach salad with Ahi ( I know, that is such a bitch plate of food). Then I had some fries a bit later at Mountain Sun Brewery.

Part of this is also "food combining". There is a whole list of rules regarding what you can eat with what. For example, no meat with starchy foods. Fruits are only supposed to be eaten by themselves etc.....Why in god's name would I do this????

Well, someone like me who is notorious for killing bathrooms is also notorious for a gas problem that could most likely solve the crisis in Iraq. Send me over there with a loaf of bread and a gallon of milk and you have a new definition of terrorism.

Basically I was so bloated on Thanksgiving that I knew this had to end. Being able to fart on command is not a valued virtue unless you are 11. Luckily Jessica's sisters Karyn and Cynthia were over and they are huge exercise and nutrition guru's in LA. Cynthia has had many of the same issues with her stomach as I do and did years of research on it and finally figured out what worked and what didn't. She told me to cut out all of the above things and then follow her food combining plan. So I said I would give it a try and see what happens.

It has only been a week but I am now proud to say that I am gas free. (tear, tear) The whole thing still kinda sucks because I am a BIG emotional eater and so many of my fun foods are gone. I made the pact with myself that I will keep this up until IM NZ to give it a full chance to work. Maybe by then I won't have some of the cravings I do. I got up this AM and wanted a bagel sooooo bad!!! But no dice on that.....I'll keep you posted on how it goes and some of the creative things I am doing in the cooking department.

In the training department things got derailed once again. Of course it has to do with my foot. I just got back from a PT appointment with Bob Cranny and he wants me to take another week of running off. We discussed what the real issue is and how to handle it over time. Basically my left foot is crap and I have to come to the realization that it isn't going to change. The structure of my foot is ruined most likely from a few twisted ankles that happened in NZ two years ago. The ligaments got stretched out and now the foot is floopy with a fallen arch and won't ever return to the way it was.

It sounds depressing but Bob put a really good perspective on it. First, it can be managed and I should be able to reach all my goals that involve running. I need to learn what I can do and what I cannot. I took a month off after Kona and then started running. I did a few "stupid" runs and set myself back. It wasn't just plantar fasciitis this time. The tissue in between the metatarsals got sore and I thought I had a stress fracture. Basically because the foot is structurally weak I am going to be prone to other areas around the foot to become "injured".

How do you put a good spin on this situation? Bob said that because this issue is permanent, I have to look at it as my "gage". My foot will now be the thing that tells me when I am doing too much and when I need to rest. It will also force me to build into training rather than go smack it from the start like so many people do. I did build up to some really good running this last season so it will be possible to do again. I just need to be cautious with it. But now I need to get the foot back to zero. So rest it is. I want to improve my swimming and biking anyway.....(that was my effort to pretend I don't mind not running LOL)

Time to go finish unpacking and then go swim my 6K!

Tomorrow the Kona report is going up and I will write my five things. Getting me to tag 5 other people is going to be tough.

Cheers,

bdc