Another Journey

I've been on plenty of journey's before, and I am always up for a new challenge, so I began another one last Tuesday. August 1st I will be doing a triathlon (Tri-for-the-Cure). I used to love doing runs, but somehow got away from them and gained so much weight it was scary to even think of doing one again. So the week before last I decided it was time to get back in shape. Actually, I decided a very long time ago, but lacked the motivation to do it. Well, when the Tri came up, I grabbed on. I figured this was something that would propel me into actually getting something done. Well, 50 days from the race I realized nothing was really done; so, I asked my best friend (who is doing the tri with me) if she would do intensive training with me and she agreed. So, I've been working out 5-6 times a week doing two bricks at a time...like biking 12 miles and running/walking 3+ miles, or swimming 1/2 mile and running.... Once a week I work out at the gym to build my core, and I take Sundays off. It's been fun, but a lot of work.

I am also eating a raw diet...and absolutely loving it. In fact I spent much of the day trying out recipes...some new, some I have done before...I remember how much I love eating raw. Here's my dinner tonight: I made cheese perogies, cauliflower couscous, and a salad with mock tuna. The cheese is made with nuts, nama shoyu, and red pepper, so it's not really cheese and the outside is jicama. The mock tuna is made with soaked and ground sunflower seeds, but there is dulce in it that makes it taste sort of like tuna...it's an awesome replacement. The cauliflower is the couscous and has a yummy blend of parsley, mint, and cilantro mixed with lemon and olive oil. My fam tends to worry when I eat this way. I get questions like "how are you getting your protein" and my friend asked how I was getting carbs for energy. Well, it's all right there...nuts and seeds=protein, and probably more than most get eating a steak for dinner, tomato = fruit, veggies of course, jicama & carrots = carbs (any root veggie is a carb), only things missing are dairy & grains. We consume dairy products mainly for the calcium; but, calcium is not just milk, it is found in spinach, sesame seeds, bok choy, almonds, and many other foods. In the same way, grains are not necessarily needed because one can get all the nutrients needed from other foods. So, I'm staying healthy, and for my Friday weigh-in, I actually lost 6lbs.
Now, I'm not gung-ho on all this, I actually allow myself one meal a week to splurge; however, for the sake of recovery, I will make sure the meal is healthy...this week I had Indian food (eggplant masaala stuff over rice), and next week my sister is coming over for sushi (and I will introduce her to a couple raw dishes). :) I just want my body to feel its absolute best when I head out to participate in this triathlon.
I have a way to go, but I am back on the right track, and excited about it.