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Great Desserts for off-season!

desserts-2Question: As a triathlete trying to stay “lean in the off-season,” am I allowed to have desserts, and if so, do you have any acceptable options? I’m going to go crazy if I have to spend one more night watching my husband eat ice cream while I sit there sipping water!

Answer: We’ve all been there. You want to cheat, but sometimes a Dairy Queen Blizzard or a slice of cheesecake with chocolate just does too much damage. Here’s a few creative options that I recommend to some of the athletes I coach:

Fruit Parfait: Stir 1 Handful Frozen Fruit into 1/2 cup Plain Yogurt with 1 tablespoon raw honey (Plain, Low-Fat Greek Yogurt tastes even better!)

Dipped Chocolate: 150-200 calories worth of a Dark Chocolate Bar dipped in 1 teaspoon Almond Butter

Almond Butter/Chocolate Banana Protein Shake: 1 tablespoon Almond or Cashew Butter + 1 scoop protein powder (I prefer Mt. Capra’s Organic Double-Bonded Whey Protein) + 1 tablespoon Hershey’s chocolate or Ovaltine + 1/2 banana (optional), and ice/water to taste. If it’s after a workout, you can use yogurt instead of water.

Warm Salted Nuts: Handful Almonds or Walnuts drizzled with Honey ­ saute nuts in 1 teaspoon olive oil for 5-10 minutes, lightly add sea salt, and
drizzle with 1 tablespoon raw honey.

Ben’s Reese’s Cup: Use 1/2 cup of plain, fat-free yogurt. Add 1 tablespoon nut butter and 1 tablespoon dark chocolate pieces or cocoa mix. Stir together, close your eyes and imagine you just took it out of that little orange wrapper. Freeze for added effect.

Enjoy!

RAAM and CAF
Last Saturday I got to do a pretty cool thing through the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF). A group of 4 guys paralyzed from the chest down are doing Race Across America (RAAM). The rules do not allow a follow vehicle for the first 60 miles. I was lucky enough to be able to ride behind them ( to make sure they were seen) until Lake Henshaw.   At the checkpoint in Lake Henshaw, an official came over to thank me for following the team through the busy roads.  She has been officiating RAAM for 25 years and was a little worried about that first stretch with no follow vehicles behind the hand cycles. She was grateful and excited for them!

The team is 2 Germans and 2 Americans. It was really amazing to meet their entire support team and to see the dedication and determination with the guys.  They even dropped me on the downhills. I thought nobody could drop me on a downhill!!!

These guys are trying to finish in the able bodied time limit of 9 days. Can you imagine climbing all those hills with only your arms? They are my heroes!

Check them out www.teamcanbeventure.com
 
The team has high morale, were having a great time and ready for their adventure. Truly an amazing and unforgettable day with an incredible group of people!
Lisa and Hannes
Lisa and Hannes at the offical RAAM 2009 start
Lisa and Vico
Lisa chasing Vico down the hill at RAAM 2009 into Valley Center.
 
Lisa - Laird Hamilton Team Surf

The guy on the left is Laird Hamilton. He is a big wave surfer married to Gabriella Reese (volleyball player/model). Team Surfing USA is raising money for Cystic Fibrosis  - they left Malibu on June 18 to stand-up paddle more than 110 miles to Oceanside with each team member taking rotating shifts. Then on Saturday, June 20 the team left Oceanside for Annapolis, MD in an effort to beat the cross-country bicycling record in the Race Across America. The day after Team Surfing USA arrives in Annapolis, they will begin a stand-up paddle journey to New York City, adding another 300 miles to their journey.

Mountain Biking Fun

Friday night is a great night for a mountain bike clinic. Every gal overcame big challenges and reached deep to learn a little more about and what they can achieve. Riding a mountain bike is total freedom. Beautiful scenery, wildlife and the best part – no cars. It can be a little scary, but once you have mastered some of the basic skills, every ride just gets better and better. There are trails for all types of riders and everybody has a great time.

We met in Penasquitos Canyon, made sure bikes were ready, riders ready and off we went. Most riders were fairly new to cycling and a little overwhelmed at first. We started with an overall explanation of basic bike handling, then we rode a little, and talk a little then ride some more. Providing instruction and demonstration where we worked on correct body positioning, climbing, descending and cornering. We learned how to ride over rocks, loose gravel, sand, of course some really fun singletrack. Some of the riding was a little more technical than the girls were used to, but they all gave it a try. There is never any shame in walking a section when you are unsure. Much better to be safe and build your confidence until you have mastered the correct skills. The support they gave each other was amazing.

We headed up the hill called “cobbles” to see the goats and chickens. Not just any chickens, but the craziest looking chickens you’ve ever seen. We fed the goats some avocado leaves and proceeded down the fire road. After regrouping at the bottom we headed back to the cars at sunset. Each girl successfully completed the class and received their certificates. We had some drinks, shared some more laughs and gave each other hugs before leaving the parking lot with big smiles on every face J.

Velodrome Fun
On a Sunday afternoon, VeloBetty made fifteen women very happy when they each learned to ride a track bike on the velodrome. A track bike has no shifting and no brakes. This type of bike is also referred to as “direct drive” or “fixed gear” with only one gear and when the wheels are moving, the pedals are moving. A velodrome is a banked track that varies is size and banking steepness. The San Diego Velodrome is located in Balboa Park Morley Field Sports Complex. Even the chilly weather couldn’t put a damper on this fabulous crowd.

Riding on a velodrome looks intimidating and learning something new is always a little scary. I love to teach these classes and watch the incredible transformation from adult to fun-loving kid J We start off fitting each rider to the correct size track bike. All you need is tennis shoes, a helmet and comfortable clothes. I see some nervous facing looking at the bikes and the velodrome.

It’s quiet as everybody heads to the infield with their bikes. We make our introductions and Pam begins the class just as she has for twenty-four years. She is relaxed and explains what we will be doing in simple, easy to understand steps. We are ready to give this thing a try. The girls grab their bikes and practice riding around, putting both feet in the toe-straps and stopping. Remember, there are no brakes, so stopping is done with leg power. Now they are ready ride on the track, first riding low around the bottom, then as their confidence grows, they venture up to the top where the banking is the steepest. Smiles and laughs are starting to appear. Each rider begins going a little faster. Bigger smiles. Back to the infield where we explain the next drill. As they come off the track and hang up their bikes, the chatter level goes up. “What were we so afraid of? This is so much easier than it looks and so much fun!”

Now we learn to start and stop on the fence. The riders are becoming more comfortable on their bikes, riding on the track and riding next to each other. Now we follow the leader and learn to do a snaking pace line. Excitement really grows as they master this essential skill. Next we learn how to stand up and accelerate, then to sit down and relax. It feels a little strange at first, and with a few attempts, everybody has it, piece of cake. In less than ninety minutes we are ready for our first race which is a 200 meter individual time-trial. One at a time, each rider starts from the fence and rides up high on the banking, building up speed on a warm up lap, then on the next lap they dive down to the bottom of the track at the 200 meter line and ride as fast as they can to the finish line. The cheers are loud, their smiles are huge and the excitement is unbelievable. These ladies had no idea how to operate a track bike when they arrived and completed their first race in one class. The skills they learned will transfer to the road and improved their bike handling ability all around. Another successful day at the office. - I love my job!