Some essentials

So this season I've the great pleasure to deal with the joy of an Achilles tendon injury. It was brought upon by a number of things like tight calves, increased mileage, improper running form and the desire to push through pain led to my injury. Here's a pair of things that I found useful on the road to recovery.

The Stick

According to the website, The Stick provides the following benefits:
"
- Prevent & Predict Muscle Injuries
- Dramatically improve strength, flexibility and endurance
- Rapidly prepare muscles for physical activity
- Disperse the effects of lactic acid following activity
- Accelerate muscle recovery"

I found The Stick to be a better investment over the foam roller. Since The Stick is smaller, I can bring it to work or before going out for a ride or run. With the foam roller, you're pretty limited to where you can use it. In the future, I'll probably upgrade to the longer stick so I can get more of my back.

RockTape 

 Closer view of RockTape

 

For me, having an AT injury really sucked. I went from running 8min miles down to not being able to walk more than 10ft without stopping to rest. So I was willing to try anything that made it feel better. One of my co-workers suggested I give RockTape a try since she was a frequent user. 

According to the website, 

"Rocktape is a kinesiology tape and is fantastic for treating common sports injuries like shin splints, plantars and runner’s knee. Rocktape also can increase endurance by promoting blood flow during an athletic event. When applied properly, ROCKTAPE lifts the skin away from the muscle, which promotes blood flow. Faster blood flow means more oxygen and more lymph drainage, which helps remove Lactic Acid."

 In my opinion, I felt that the RockTape did make things feel a little better. Might be a mind over matter issue but hey, if it makes it feel better, why not? I didn't have any major issues with the RockTape, however I did find it a little irritating after swimming in the pool and after showering since the tape did hold a little water.

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Green Velvet Cake

Sometimes I miss my unemployment days. My usual day would consist of swimming, biking, bodyboarding or running in the morning, eat breakfast, nap and look for jobs. After lunch, I'd work on small projects or bake something if I was in the mood. Good times. Anyways, I was off for a few days and decided to try this Red Velvet Cake I saw on Foodjimoto. 

So why green instead of red? Well, it's because I ran out of red, didn't want to pay $7 for 24oz and green was one of the colors I had left in the 4 color pack. According to some friends it looks like "Oscar the Grouch" or like x-mas trees with snow on top.

Green Velvet Cake 

1. 1c shorting

2. 1 3/4c sugar

3. 2 1/2c sifted flour

4. 1 1/4t salt

5. 2 eggs

6. 1c buttermilk (substituted with 1T vinegar added 1c of milk)

7. 1t baking soda

8. 1 1/2t vinegar

8. 1t vanilla extract

9. 1/4oz green food coloring

10. 1 1/2t coco powder

In a using a mixer combine 1 and 2 till mixed well. 

In another bowl, combine 3 and 4. Set aside. 

Mix 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 together. Add to the shorting mixture 1c at a time alternating with the flour/salt mix.

In a small bowl, mix 9 and 10. Add to batter and mix till combined. 

Line the bottom of two round cake pans with parchment or wax paper. 

Divide the batter between the two cake pans. 

Bake at 350deg for 25min or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Icing

1. 1 1/2oz cream cheese (I used 1 block)

2. 3/4c softened butter

3. 1 1/2lb powdered sugar 

4. 1/4t salt

5. 2t vanilla extract

Combine well. 

Enjoy! 

Would I make this again? Sure. I might cut the amount of sugar needed in the icing since I thought it was a little sweet.

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Previews

Been a little busy lately but fear not, I am working on it. 

It's like winter green velvet cake

Cute Chinese masseuse alternative

Never to old for stickers

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Tomato Corn Chowder

So I was feeling a little sick the other day and didn't feel like chicken noodle soup. Since the slumlords made their monthly collection, I needed to make do with what I hand. After seeing this recipe for Tomato Corn Chowder on Foodjimoto, I decided to give it a shot. 

Tomato Corn Chowder 

Peeled Tomatoes

Minced Garlic (she used roasted garlic, I didn't have or was in the mood to make any)

1 Can of unsalted non-creamed corn (She used fresh)

2 slices bacon

1 small red potato

1 can chicken or vegetable broth

1 small onion, diced

Salt, Pepper and Tabasco for taste 

Chop and crush tomatoes and set aside. 

Slice and fry bacon in a pot till crisp. Drain fat. Add in onions and cook till soft. Add in garlic and potato. Saute for a few minutes. Add in tomatoes, corn and broth. Let simmer till potatoes are soft. Season with salt and pepper. It came out pretty good despite having no roasted garlic or fresh corn. I'm sure it would taste even better with those.

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New hydration/gear setup

So I've been thinking about changing my setup for sprint and Olympic distance races my current setup isn't very aerodynamic. Currently, I have one water bottle on the frame, a tool kit bag under the seat and a bento box. After reading a few articles on ST, I've decided to give the horizontal mounted and under the seat mounted styles a try.

Chris McCormack rocking the horizontal setup in the 2010 Kona Ironman.

Chris Lieto with the under seat setup.

The setup:

Apparently I didn't have zip ties long enough to work with my HED basebar, I used the a Profile Design aerodrink bracket instead. I attached the top of the cage to the bracket while the bottom was attached to the basebar. Since I'm on a budget, I had to use what was available. 

With water bottle. Computer is mounted right behind bottle, somewhat blocking it from the wind. 

 Front view. Computer is blocked by the bottle. 

For the rear setup, I used the Minoura cage holder which can be found on eBay for under $12.

Depending on seat construction, this may or may not work for you. 

The cage can be bent to insure a tighter fit.

 Front view of rear cage. Pretty minimal.

With this rear setup, I can place my flat kit, tools, tube and cell phone all in a water bottle.

The whole setup. 

I'm sure you're wondering why I don't use the PD aerodrink. Well, since my front end is really low, there isn't much space between the basebar and the front wheel. Because of this small space, the aerodrink rests upon the front tire, thus making it useless for me. Here's a good review by Tom D from Trisports.com Aerobar Drink Systems Review.

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2011 Cholo's Waimea Bay 1.2 mile Swim

 Waimea Bay

I know it's a little late. Anyways, on with the report. 

Never deprive yourself of sleep. Listen to your body if it's tired. Rest and do it another day. I however, didn't listen and paid the price. Since Mondays are my sort of recovery days from working late on Sunday nights, I had every intention to be out cold by 8:30. So after a great 2K open water swim in my new SLS3 Fobic Speed suit. Little did I know, my post-workout high would be short lived. Two frantic voicemails, 3 call backs and a very quick drive home I found myself in the ER. Six hours later, starving and really grouchy, we finally got to go home. Times like this, I really wish I had a smart phone. Oh, I'm alright, it wasn't me that needed to go to the ER. The rest of the week was pretty rough. Slum lords upstairs had a visitor that would not STFU. So a good sleep was out of the question. So I woke up on Saturday morning, feeling tired as hell but decided to go do the swim. 

Stars and numbers indicate order and buoy placement.

Found parking a 1/4mile away (I'm too cheap to pay for parking) and walked to the bay. So for this race, females were to start first while males go second. I'm not sure on the whole reasoning behind this but it wasn't fun. Our wave starts and I'm feeling alright, got a good draft and started to get into a good rhythm. So somewhere between points 1 and 2,  somehow got stuck behind a slow female and blocked in by two slow guys on both sides and then it hit me. I felt really really exhausted. Almost to the point where I was having trouble breathing. I had to stop. Yes, that's right, I stopped. I dunno how long I was there trying to get my act together but it must have been a while. Anyways, got my act together and managed to finish in 37:32.9 for 20th in my AG. It's a far cry from the week before where I finished 8th. On another note, it was my second time wearing the SLS3 suit. All I can say is "Amazing". Don't forget that I stopped, I was tired and my previous time for 1.2 mile swim was a 38.04.

 

The guy in the back had a ridiculously strong kick which equaled great draft

For those who aren't familiar with Waimea Bay, some vids on how it looks during the winter. 

It's pretty crazy to see this in real life.

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