Share Some Swim...

ALOHA everybody! Today was THANKFULLY a good day on the bike. Long miles are starting to feel less taxing, my legs are adapting to the IRONMAN training fatigue, and well, I am happy to be going loooooooooooong again. Seriously in shockers that it has been this long since I've trained for an Ironman.
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I'm going to keep this short n' sweet, tonight's swim practice was beautiful. Standing on the pool edge that feeling of, "I'm exhausted" lingered over me from head to toes. Maybe it was the bike taking a lot out of me, I sure wasn't feeling swimmery. However, I dove in and all of a sudden new energy came over me and it all felt just right. Midway through the workout a very cool little set sprung up that is worth sharing, as I know heaps of you are self coached and always on the lookout for fresh motivation.
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• 6x100 (first 25 is sprint fly, 75 free hard not easy, no break after the stroke, right into free).


• 6x75 (first 25 back/50 free-all strong)


• 6x50 (first 25 breast/25 free all strong again)


• 6x25 free sprint.

Why this set rocks: The strokes are always a good idea to toss into workouts so you can work other muscles, BUT the real beauty is that they can get your HR way up in as little as a 25!! The challenge was having to push through the free after you are nearly maxed from sprinting a 25 stroke. I'll give you a little idea of how much it challenged me and pulled out some of my best swimming tonight. BACK STROKE and I are not friends. SOooooooooo, by the time I rolled over and and flipped off the wall into free the girl in front of me was nearly to the other end of the pool! The game is to catch back up swimming your fastest free! I was full blasting, as if trying to catch a pack during a swim race. On the fly and breast I had no problem staying out front BUT the challenge was still there to hold fast, strong free after maxing out a 25 stroke. And the cool part, even if you are not a strong swimmer of other strokes THIS IS ONLY A 25 at a time, anyone can handle a 25.
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AS for send offs, all the lanes tonight had various ones. The set was continuous, averaging about 10-15 seconds rest on the send off our lane was given for each. Try this set if you want to push your freestyle, it's like swimming the final 500 of an open water swim. A little pooped, a little fatigued, arms noodle-like, this set totally mimicked that. Have fun!!
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Bree

Holding Strong...

I am on 1 week and 2 days of IRONMAN training. It wasn't like I began from scratch, but it's not like I am ready to race an Ironman tomorrow. Oh, I could finish one, but race one-not yet. Sadly, REV3 Cedar Point is no longer on my race plan. I'm of course a little bummed. Not because of the roller coasters that will be missed, but the race itself. SO what's a girl to do? Go to the next race on her 2011 plan and focus on it. Ironman Florida is the next one so that is where my attention has been directed. Onward and upward, is that how the saying goes?
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"Why are you not going Bree???" Oh, a few reasons. Partly the same reason I had to skip over St. Croix 70.3 earlier this season and turn down my Vegas 70.3 slot in 2 weeks, too much money that I don't have. It's not easy to get to races you know. I seriously thought I was going to do better in the Philippines and then I'd be able to afford the trip, wishful thinking? Maybe, but I also trained pretty smart/hard for that race. HOWEVER, when you are trying to race the best of the best, (as most all the fields at all the races have quality athletes), you better be ready for your A-game to shine.
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As the truth be told, sometimes we learn more from our struggles, mess ups, and hard days, then the ones that go just right. Philippines truly was a BOOK WIDE OPEN filling me full of lessons. One of the biggest was my recovery, rest, and focus. Going from a full day of swimbikerun directly to karate practice, play grounds, packing lunch boxes, and simply spending time with my son really was the best mental recovery ever. I just never burn out or get unmotivated. However, the legs never chilled out and the feet never went up. In fact, I missed several long days to get here and there on time, for the boy I love. Nothing wrong with any of that. At all. No regrets. Life, one I love.
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SO now what?? Well, after learning my lessons on rest, recovery, repeat and HARMONIZING, it's in my head now just what needs to be done. You know, I've seriously memorized the entire "Soul Surfer" film thanks to Kainoas addiction to seeing the shark attack over & over, and one line stands out so bright. Perhaps it hit home in my heart the strongest. After Bethany loses her arm to the shark and attempts to get back to her dreams, with one arm, she says, "I don't need easy, I just need possible". WOW, that is SO TRUE and SO ME! It's not easy financially or physically but it's totally possible. We are finding a way.
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For a week and 2 days I have been training strong for Ironman Florida. FOCUSING on it alone. Yes, I did Lavaman, I'll do a half marathon, a local 5k, and a swim race before IM FL too. But those are all home in Hawaii where I won't miss a beat, spend any money, or miss training to travel. We will use each of them for training days, for focus on FL days, for tests to see where I'm at. So far it's been really good. Like today's run, smashed silly. Attached to coaches directions were the words, "Skip it if the legs are seriously done but DO it knowing that fatigue will prepare you better for the marathon". I did the run. My swim also had a day "skip card" on it. No, coach is not being soft, I'm just really that smashed and we are making sure I don't jump off the cliff as this new plan is new territory for training hard/smart/recovering.
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The surf photos are of the ocean, the swim I had a "skip card" to. You'd think having a huge South swell take up the Pacific would almost be a sign that a smashed girl should miss her swim. Well, this girl did the one thing she didn't do in her last block, "focused on finding something possible". It wasn't easy (I'm not too good in pools), but it was VERY POSSIBLE, so I swam all by myself in a pool, all of it. Folks, I AM RACING IM FLORIDA!

It feels really good to be tired at night, tired from Ironman training. Something I'm very much looking forward to is Ironman Hawaii taking over Kona soon, talk about MORE motivation to fire me up for the final push till my turn for 140.6. This is the life!!

Yes, my okole has been getting kicked. Literally. But again, I'm just hunting down all the ways to make training possible, recovery possible, refueling, resting, TRIATHLON possible. As Jacob Cumiford, Mr. 808 song writer himself sings, "It ain't always easy living where it's breesy". I can relate...

But it sure is beautiful!

Bree

Lavaman Keahou -PAU!

The day began here...

The day ended here...

Today was the easiest day of this week. Honestly. I am no stranger to go, go, going. But man this week just kept on goooooooooooing. By the time Lavaman rolled around it felt as if I'd already done a race of at least 3x the distance. However, the day went really well and somehow the body is getting really good at going with the new flow of my life as of lately...

The sun was rising up over Hualalai this morning and the air, the ocean, the race atmosphere just lingered with that happy calm that is found best at "home". I found Aimee and Karlyn, (the fish I'd been chasing a lot lately), and did warm up with them. They have been more than incredible for swim training. I've been really trying to improve my swim since getting home from the Philippines and already in the few ocean swims with them I've seen progress. Lots.

The swim started out AMAZING! I had the feet of Karlyn and Tim Marr for the first 1200, not even kidding. The entire swim I had this song (click here) playing in my head. Kainoa had been watching Soul Surfer and well, this song always inspired me. "She wants to be free...close your eyes to cry...nobody knows the price of this dream...run away...try to believe...we have just one life..." those lines kept playing over and over and I could not let go of their feet. It wasn't like they were slacking, I was just so at home in the Pacific. It was a swim I'd never raced before, ever. I seriously kept singing those lines and said to myself, "Bree you are having the best swim of your life-ever, you are going to get out with them". Then I looked at Hualalai, the sun coming up, and lost their feet. They were going that fast that a slip up cost me. I landed into a buoy, directed off by a life guard, swam out too far to the right, finally saw 2 swimmers clear to the left and tacked on to them. I'm still counting that swim as one of the best of my swim life, just a lousy mistake that cost me the opportunity to hang on the last minute of the swim with 2 swimmers I'm constantly MINUTES behind.

The bike went super too. It began with a giant climb from the ocean, across the back end of Ali'i, then all the way up Kam3. Tuesday I did hill repeats all morning on this very hill, and you better believe I felt each of them stinging my quads. Thankfully I also felt like the hill was easy from doing it so many times! So I got to the top and about spun like a crazy girl with the mini cranks on. Still have to get used to this spin thing as I really miss pushing my 70 cadence, it all worked out okay though and I know (as I've been told) that patience on the bike with the new cranks will soon pay off as my legs get stronger at spinning like this...I don't like it, yet.

Some of the keiki waiting on their parents. It really does take the entire community to put on such a great race. The volunteers were priceless and all the aunties & uncles that helped watched the children were appreciated! Giant MAHALO to each of them for making the day possible for all of us!

A couple of the relay run moms waiting on their bikers. The little sis (left) ran her heart out to hunt me down, looks like a rematch is in order! It is always one of the best parts of home town racing...FAMILY!

The run I was looking most forward to, like the swim I've really been plugging away and was looking forward to running tired so I could try out my new mental tricks for focus. Holy cow, the run was exhausting from the start! In fact, my shoe came untied and I was thankful. I wanted to stop and tie it, so I stopped and tied it. The happiness from running was there but it was a rough go and I'm not happy that I wasn't able to pull it together for such a short run. It all worked out okay though as the other girls never caught me, nor did the sister, or the handful of training partners I was trying to beat, (you know BIG bragging rights come with hometown races with training partners!!)

The most welcome sight of the day was seeing Kainoa waiting near the finish line. He gave me a lei, a kiss, and then we ran together the last part of the run. He of course, beat me through the finish line. It was such a good way to end a very long week. In fact, it was nearly perfect.

And like all races in Hawaii, the ocean calls us for a recovery float near the finish line...

The awards parties at home are always no ka oi! All the training partners, friends, and family relax under palms, or in the sun, on mats and towels. It's really what makes these events so great, a family day from start to finish. Of course this is where we all trade stories of the day too. Kainoa still not wore out, of course...

And the fish that I've been chasing, Aimee and Karlyn. If you wonder how looking up just once cost me to lose her feet check her out here!

After the race it began to rain. Kainoa played in it, of course. And since the lanai was a mess we decided to plant seeds and make a bigger mess for the rain to clean. After that he STILL wasn't pooped from the day so we painted. That boy is full on FULL OF LIFE. He just squeezes every drop of time out of the day, I love it, but I'm not 5 and I'm ready for bed!

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Sincerely, thank you Gerry Rott and the Lavaman Keahou staff and volunteers. You all were amazing and put on such a great event. Now I have to wait all the way till Ironman Florida for another triathlon, sounds like a great plan.

Oh, a high light of this week, was working on my own bike twice! It wasn't any major bike repairs, but it was enough to make me feel like I'm learning my bike better. AND the good news, no bike malfunctions during the race :) Bike Works crew, you taught me well!

Bree

Double Wee Weekend of Racing...

oooh, feet in the sand, sunset, a little prerace dinner picnic with Kainoa, PERFECT. This was quiet possibly the best way to settle down from a very full day. However, once the moonlight began to do that dancing thing it does on water it was very difficult to leave. The race tomorrow pulled me away...
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I'm very excited to race, it is one of the things I enjoy most in the world, not to mention its a "backyard race" . The race is 3 miles from home. The big hill we climb (Kam3) to kick start the ride is where Gary smashed me on hill repeats all Tuesday morning, and the run is my favorite "out of the way" run. A little hill, big hill, down hill, trail, golf course, and everything in between. AND the highlight, all the training partners are part of the race either as solo or relay.
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Speaking of relay, my sister has once again put together a relay with her as the runner, hoping to beat me to the finish. Sibling rivalry never fades. Her team name is "Three to beat Bree". WOW, got to love it! Her hubby (also known as my favorite bike tech at Bike Works) is riding, Ridge is swimming, and she will be running. I have to get to the finish line before her or I'll never hear the end of it...

The day began here. Kainoa's race check in. HE WAS FIRED UP! It is always so CALM having him at races, to him it's so pure, so simple, just something he LOVES to do and it shows. Tomorrow will be special with him waiting at the finish line and cheering...

This was his focus time. He just ate more snacks, drank some water, tied up his KSWISS-ers even tighter, and talked about everything that makes him happy, not really anything to do with the race but everything to do with having a good time. Stole a few lessons from him...

Our pre-race chat. So you might think it was me giving him a pep talk, other way around. He was telling me how to be calm, how to love what I do, and just reminding me of a few very important moments that have gotten me to this place in sport. Training day tomorrow or not, this is a race and that's what I do. A pep talk from a 5 year old, perfect!

..and the start line. Once again the karate stance comes out shining in all it's glory. He had me laughing so hard. If you have want to see children have so much fun, no matter if they are in the front or the back of the pack, check out the children's races near you! Honestly, good stuff seeing sport so thoroughly enjoyed! AND I MEAN TRULY, THOROUGHLY, ENJOYED.

The swim course (beyond the point) for the adults tomorrow and in the bay for the children today. Ah, loving Hawaii racing!

The keiki run in action! Oh I was loving this! A handful of the girls kept their swim caps on the entire race and through the run shoot! I dare some of you to try this next race! Talk about fast transitions!! And one of the girls ran in slippers!! Some boys bare feet (that includes the part over the lava path). Loved this, truly, purely, sport at it's most simplest!

Kainoa stole my job as the awards person. He loved being the one to hand out medals and I enjoyed watching him hard at work!

Okay, one Wee finished and one Wee to go on the double Wee weekend of racing. Kainoa had a nice race, next up momma has to follow his lead. GOOD night from us!!.

Looking Up...

Sometimes you just have to look up! My mother always had this saying growing up, something like, "worry looks around, regret looks back, and faith looks up". Pretty sure I never liked her telling me that in high school or college, but this week in my adult life it all made sense.

If I looked at my watch it was like looking around, I was always running out of time attempting to fit in the training load and get to Kindergarten pick up on time. However, I never looked back. There is no regret in any of this week. My volume is picking up as I'm training for my first Ironman of the season, It really will be a year since I've raced an Ironman and I "almost" forgot how much more training it is after only Olympic and half iron races so far this season. Excited is an understatment, I'm not-so-secretly THRILLED to go 140.6.

This week has truly been better views looking up, in many, many ways. From coconut palms, to sun rises over Hualalai, to 3 days in a row with rainbow filled Sky's, to sunsets surreal, and of course star lit evenings on the island.

Again we did that "Magic" Sands Beach swim today and again I had to hold on really tight. It hurt worse because of the miles in my legs but it felt better, after surviving the last few swims with this crew I had full confidence I could do it again. From there a 4hr ride that got cut short a tiny, tiny bit as motherhood called. ALMOST made all the miles and I'd like to report yesterday I made ALL of them. I'm telling you I WILL make a week sooner than later where I get in ALL the miles and arrive on time to Kindergarten...just you wait!

After a 5 day week filled with swimbikerun miles plenty and ABC's, 123's galore, Kainoa and I have found some fun to fill the weekend! Tomorrow he will race in the Lavakids and Sunday I'll race in the Lavaman. Of course we are excited about this, there is nothing he loves more than running around with all the island boys and girls and you better believe I will equally enjoy running around with all the island boys and girls on Sunday.

When I asked Kainoa, (jokingly of course), if I could have his medal tomorrow after the race, he said, "Mom, no way, you have to go get your own". You gotta be kidding me...

Good luck to all the racers all over this weekend! Keep looking up...

Bree

Today I Got a Rainbow...

Nope, I did not get in all 5hrs of my 5hr ride. I got close though, tried really hard to make it happen, but came up a tiny bit short and right on time picking Kainoa up from school. Swim practice was given the instructions, "swim how you feel, don't force it". I know exactly what that means, on the edge. The middle line between "making gains with hard work and volume OR about to fall into some trouble".
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Swim practice went amazing. It was not easy, not fun, and the entertainment to "chuck it" and swim in the back of the lane on a free ride was in the forefront of my mind. But then the energy came and with each passing lap I knew, like the Ironman, I was just one step closer to the finish line. Not to mention Kainoa was on the side of the pool deck cheering, "Mom you are winning". Little did he know the only thing I was winning was the battle in my head, I took his cheers, (and so did all the swimmers he was cheering on). Ever since Kainoa started Kindergarten it's as if he has matured into this little boy that truly has become my teammate. It's an unreal bond I never imagined to share, we just get it.
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And at the end of a day that felt as if I was searching all over the island for ways to manage training time and Kindergarten, there circled a rainbow from shoreline to sky telling me everything is working out just fine...
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What is this week 3 of Kindergarten? We so got this...
Bree

Harmony....

This was the absolute best part of the day, the ringing of the kindergarten school bell and Kainoa running as if the finish line sprint was happening! The rest of the day felt like I had been holding my breath racing from kindergarten to bike-run-swim, back to kindergarten, with not a minute to lose.
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A friend sent me a note last week that has become the theme for this week. She's a mom and totally gets where I was coming from trying to find balance in all things "Kainoa, sport, life". BUT she gets it a little better than I did and helped me make sense of it all. She told me to find harmony in it all. Knowing the love of Kainoa I have going on, she told me I'd never find a balance because balance means things are created equal, I have him at the top, weighing more on my plate. She explained how finding "harmony" would be a better solution for me and you better believe it's working out so much better.
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Today's goal in the life of this tri-momma was to harmonize Kindergarten and triathlon. On paper it looked like 7:40-1:40 Kainoa would be in school, leaving me 6 hours to tackle training. Training was 2.5 hours on the bike with hill repeats, an hour of run on the tready building into a solid pace and some strides mixed in for that added leg speed on tired legs, then 45 minutes of swim. Basically 4 hours and 15 minutes of training. Pff, that is not that much, squeeze it into 6 hours and it still looks "almost" like cake. However, today I found out what most elementary school parents never mentioned to me-6 hours is really like 5 hours because of school traffic. And those in triathlon know 4.15 hours is really like 6+ hours over time unless it's a brick, (today was not a brick). I found out after catching my breath, that finding harmony will be a work in progress over the course of this week, life perhaps.
By the time I kissed Kainoa goodbye, survived buses, children, school traffic, and got to the meeting spot for the ride it was 8:10. How in the ??? did I already use up 30 minutes of my 6hrs? Rode from 8:15-10:45 up, down, and over hills. It perhaps was my best effort on these hills. It's safe to say I was all "business" today knowing my time was valuable. Off the bike and into the truck, straight home without stopping, (only because the only light on my way home was green), instantly into run clothes, packed a bag for the swim, grabbed something quickly to recover, refuel, recharge me from the ride.
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11:55 on the treadmill and running! It took an hour and 10 minutes to get from the bike spot to home, changed/packed, eat, drive to the gym, get on the treadmill! It wasn't supposed to be a brick as the run sort of needed a little break after the ride to get A LOT out of them. Well, a break that was too short to do the post ride recovery was TOO long to squeeze into this day because I was literally running out of time!
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7 minutes after shutting off the treadmill I was at the pool, in a swim suit, and jumping in the water! Seriously it was a run/swim brick! It hurt like crazy in more ways than one but I was so determined to DO ALL MY WORK TODAY. My watch alarm was set for 1:30, leaving me exactly 10 minutes to get to Kainoa's school in time. My swim was to be 2-3k nonstop. Our masters is 3x a week 3,000 yards, coach is helping me bump up my swims on Tues/Thurs and this is the start of "becoming a better swimmer". Well as you can guess, BEEP BEEP BEEP was heard underwater mid lap of 1,000 yards. I made 1k. The girl in me that is working so hard to improve wanted to stay, the mom in me that wants to be there for her son as much as possible wanted to get out, and in the middle of HARMONIZING, I got out and discovered 1k is more than no k. And that this 1k on a Tuesday is more than most nonexistant Tuesday swims. Watch out for the day I fit in, (harmonize), ALL my swim, I might really become a mermaid!
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I did not even put on a towel, I literally got out of the pool and ran to my truck in a swimsuit, drove the 6 minutes to the school, parked, threw on a shirt and shorts, and ran to parent pick up with 18 seconds to spare. And there stood Kainoa with the biggest smile you ever saw! I smiled back the biggest smile, harmony.

Today I discovered 6hrs is really 5hrs of possible training time on the M-F that Kainoa is with me. It looks like a lot of bricks will have to happen for this harmony happening. Tuesday was a very good start, well not exactly the fact I parked my son into a tree in my mad dash to be on time, but nonetheless a very good start at harmonizing kindergarten and triathlon. I know as the weeks grow I'll discover tricks to save time, like always ride from home rather than drive to a meeting spot. If you're wondering why I didn't just do the swim later in the day, it's because later in the day was directly home from school, home work, karate, play with my son a little, make dinner, shower, bedtime story, bed, (those parts of a day make my day).

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Tomorrow though has me doing my best Math ever and still not being able to add up a way to fit a 5hr ride into a 5hr school day. OF COURSE I know 5=5 but unless I literally start the ride from his classroom door and finish it at his classroom door it's just not going to happen. You see, every Wednesday at every school on the island the day is an hour shorter thanks to budget cuts. The 6hr school day on Wednesday is always a 5hr school day. I'm wondering if I start/finish my ride from the school parking lot just how much I would embarrass Kainoa?? I'm so thankful for this life and perhaps it's not ideal when your "job" is sport but it really is the most beautiful harmony I could ever imagine having the opportunity to live.

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Oh, and I have the best ending to this story. When I picked Kainoa up from school, he said, "Mom, I tried really hard to get all my work done but I didn't finish it". If I know my son, when he said he tried, I KNOW he tried. His day sounded a lot like mine. We did the best we could and together we will only get better at getting it all done in a single day...

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Loving me some harmony in the day,

Bree

Cheese Burger in Paradise...

My lovely neighbors invited Kainoa and I to a little BBQ and the cheese burger was AWESOME! I'm not a vegan, raw foodie, or a veggie only girl, even though I like that way of eating. I just love my fish, chicken, and cow more. However, today was my first "cooked" meal since Tuesday when I jumped off the plane from the Philippines. I had to do the juice it, raw, dehydrate it, soak it, don't fry it, thing for a few days.
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For some reason most of us from Kona got a little sick on that flight home. One girl landed with an IV and some morphine, a couple others on antibiotics, one sicker than a dog, most just dizzy and some diarrhea. Not really sure what it was but I decided to FLUSH IT OUT without a doctors dose of anything...I probably needed something...just too scared of doctors giving me some kind of pill.
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MY plan of attack was to GO RAW from Wednesday through the weekend. With my training load I knew special attention to detail had be made so I wouldn't miss the calories needed to go long, the protein needed for recovery, and you get the idea.... it would mean planning. IT WENT AWESOME. The bonks didn't hit, the energy level was there to get my training done, and I feel WAY BETTER then when I jumped off the plane.
Wednesday morning began with stocking my kitchen with EVERY fruit and veggie on the island! Most were prepped for juicing, tons were frozen for smoothies, and loads were dehydrated for long bike ride fuel. It worked wonders and was a TON of fun! I managed to make new recipes, create breakfast for some friends, sneak in more vitamins and minerals than usual, and I truly felt happier about what was going in my body.

The first day of uncooked-ness was mostly smoothies. I felt like I wanted a "meal". Smoothies were way more filling than just juice. I would make them ULTRA thick and found some incredible RAW protein powder to stuff them with. My favorite was this blueberry mess I would make, gosh it was like heaven in Hawaii. I juiced a lot too. I mean A LOT. The best of the best was ginger, spinach, kiwi, and limes. Seriously I tried about 29 combinations of fruits in my juicer in all kinds of blends. Even fruits I never heard of I was buying and trying. Day one was not too hard, but it was SLOW going when I wanted to cook dinner and drank it instead.

Thursday was my most difficult day, that hilly bike ride with the boys and a run off the bike that kicked my you know what. So I hit up Da Poke Shack for raw ocean salad and poke. The boys hooked me up with "all raw", special sauce with limes and stuff to keep preservatives far, far away, and the protein saved me! It also set me up for a good day of training Friday. Yes, I was worried about the next day not running to my rice, chicken, and sandwiches with eggs. As for carbs, all carbs are not created equal you know, and the ones in dates and other such fruits DO THE TRICK that I was hoping would happen...juice 'em up baby!

More seaweed, spinach, broccoli, and other weirdo green things went in my belly than ever before. It felt like a grazing horse or cow diet.

As for breakfast. I love me some oatmeal most days of the week. Last year when I got really into soaking nuts my friend Karoline shared a great tip...soak my oats! Your raw grains can stay RAW if you don't boil water and pour it over them. The plan to keep oats raw: Before bed at night fill your bowl with oats, cover in coconut water, keep in the fridge overnight, wake up to COLD CEREAL. AMAZING. Nothing cooked and everything yummy! This with cherries and seeds on top totally fueled a long ride! I know you are wondering what I ate on my long rides?? Dehydrated stuff! Not a single gel all weekend long...

These should be called "Cliff Balls" because they are so much like a Cliff Bar, minus the preservatives and sugars. Just nuts, seeds, gojis, and a few other thingys made it through with me mile after mile on the bike.

Acai bowls were a BIG hit too. It actually felt like I was EATING real food when these wound up on my table. Nothing cooked here, nothing added to preserve anything, and well...good! My blender was working overtime to make these babies.

Watermelon cooler with beets. Seriously, it was good. After a few days a girl has to mix and mesh well or she will go CRAZY on raw-ness!

um...wheat grass anyone? Made a lot of this too.

This looks "cooked" but it's still considered raw. Some say it's raw if it's lower than 125* when heated, the RAW foodies of the world say it has to be less than 104*, all of this was made at 100* in the slow cooker. I put in a bunch of lentil, carrots, onions, and other veggies pre-workout and came home to some "Still in place nutrient rich foods". You know burnt food takes away nutrients and the enzymes needed to break down food for digestion? Well, this didn't have that problem. And the spinach salad was a hit too. Oh, the corn thing, sold at any good health food store, Ezekiel brand sprouted corn raw tortillas-yum.

And what about ceviche? The fish is soaked in LIMES, that is how it's "cooked". Oh my belly was happy with this meal too. I'll be honest, I missed egg burritos at breakfast and some baked sweet potato fries at dinner, but overall this was really good for me and it helped me avoid the doctor. Tonight's dinner of that cheese burger was really amazing... that's true. So what's a girl to do now?? I plan to add more raw food to my life, it wasn't as hard as I was thinking it would be, the proteins I can manage with my poke passion, but the grill will still be my friend!

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Happy Eating,

Bree