Beet smoothie

It was a chilly weekend here in Florida - Saturday and Sunday I woke up to low 40's but I didn't let that stop me from enjoying the beautiful "winter" weather here in Jacksonville. Not a cloud in the sky but like usual, the wind was blowing.

The workouts went well but I am exhausted. The good kind of exhausting - enough to make my eyes heavy for a great night of sleep but not too much that I can't do it all over again the next day. The perfect amount of training stress in order to adapt. 

Saturday - 3:06 ride + 36 min run
Group ride in Nocatee followed by 4 x 8 min Z4 w/ 2 min EZ (solo)
4.5 miles off the bike - comfortable perceived exertion pace.

Sunday - 2:15 ride + 6.2 mile run  (1 loop in nocatee)
Ride was solo - after warm-up, main set 3x's:
5 x 1 min on/1 min off
5 min Z3 w/ 65-70 cadence (heavy gear)
5 min EZ spin. Then repeat.
What a leg burner!

1 loop descending run - 3 miles comfortable (perceived exertion - holding around 8-8:10 min/mile pace), then 3 miles descending from 7:45- 7:25 min/mile. Took a 2 minute walk break at 3 miles to lower the heart rate and to my form back in line.

Aside from some stretching, foam rolling and computer work, I had a bit of time to relax with Karel. He was off in Lake Mary and Clermont area this weekend (drove back and forth each day) for 2 crit/circuit races each day. Masters 35+ and Pro 1,2 on each day. He really had fun although it took him 3 races this weekend to get his cycling legs to wake up from all that tri-training. I am so happy Karel is still enjoying cycling despite enjoying his "triathlete" status. I would have never imagined he would be a triathlete after knowing him for the past 7 years and knowing him only as a cyclist w/ a road bike. 

I am super excited about my new column on Ironman.com which I will let you know about when my first article is posted. I had some beets leftover from a creation I made with my article so I have been "learning to appreciate them" (my saying instead of "I don't like them") by incorporating them into my smoothies...a little at a time. I have the BEST smoothie recipe that I just created and the flavors are amazing! I hope you enjoy it...I tried out the new Hammer Vegan protein powder that was sent to me to try out and it mixed really well and it has a great taste....and packed with protein so that is great for a recovery drink. You can use whatever protein powder you want or use yogurt if making for your kiddos. This smoothie is packed with nutrients and if you add extra water it can be used as a juice. Enjoy!

(opps - forgot to take a picture after I made it - here is the smoothie in the "consuming" process)

1 scoop protein powder (20-25g protein)
1/2 cup milk (I used non fat organic cow's milk - you can use whatever kind you want for calcium)
1 celery stick - chopped
4 baby carrots
handful spinach
4 large strawberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 large banana
gloves, ginger and cinnamon to taste
5 coffee beans (Love this new addition!)
(depending on your blender you may want to chop your veggies/fruit for easy mixing. I have a Oster blender that works great!)
1/2 - 1 whole beet (pre-cooked, skin removed)

2 tbsp flax seeds
7-8 ice cubes
1/2 cup water (add more to meet your consistency needs - I like my smoothie like a milkshake and stir in cereal and eat with a spoon.)

1. Mix all ingredients in blender to make 5 cups (or 40 ounces) depending on your blender and extra water. If your blender is not big enough to hold 5 cups, I recommend cut back on ice and add water as needed. Also, if an old or not strong blender, add ingredients slowly, starting first with fruits/veggies, ice, milk and water and then add protein powder. 

Nutrition facts:
(for the entire smoothie - you do not have to drink all 40 ounces or however much "volume" you make. I recommend consume 1/2-3/4ths smoothie and combine with other foods to make it a meal so that you are getting around 30 g protein post workout with around 60-75g carbohydrates (depending on the workout). This doesn't all have to be at once as I like to have my smoothie and then a smaller "meal" soon after or a lighter smoothie and a bigger meal. I typically can only enjoy about 3 cups (in my big cup - or 24 ounces) and I freeze the rest in a cup to enjoy the next morning or later in the day as a snack. I always combine my "meal" smoothies with another ~25-30g of carbs either with the smoothie, like cereal or a piece of bread or in a meal a few hours later. I have never done the nutrition facts for my smoothie before but I wanted to provide it for you in case you were interested. I typically add anything and everything that sounds good and will help nourish my body and because of that - I don't "count" quality foods.)

Calories: 390
Fat: 8g
Carbohydrates: 45g
Fiber: 13g
Sugars: 30g (natural)
Protein: 35g