FOLLOW THE PACE RABBIT... OR ELSE!!!

Sometimes, the Rabbit becomes the Wolf if you put him in the right race....

That's right folks, just follow the pace rabbit... OR WE WILL FIND YOU!!!

#FBF: TriathlEATing

You know those internet memes showing the old-fashioned lady eating a cookie saying something like, "There is a skinny girl inside me, trying to get out, but I can usually shut her up with cookies.."? Well, my internet meme would say, "There is a fat kid inside me, trying to get out, but I can always shut him up with 3 hour bike rides and 18 mile runs."

If you can relate to this, then you are a triathlEATer. I like to think I coined this term myself, but really anybody could combine the words "athlete" and "eat," so I probably wasn't the first. On that note, this phenomenon is not exclusive to triathletes. Any athlete who has a large workload (except wrestlers... or as I call them, "anorextlers") and needs to eat a lot can probably feel my pain here.

The bottom line is, I train a lot, so I have to eat A LOT! Believe it or not, this is not as cool as it sounds. In fact, it can be annoying sometimes. The following is a list of signs that you have experienced "triathleating." Again, keep in mind this is exclusive to athletes with a heavy training load; if you just eat a lot and don't work out (I'll try not to call you "gentiles") you have clearly let the fat kid out of his cage.

1. You have experienced great dismay at the portion sizes in a restaurant. There really is nothing worse than that realization of, "ugh... this is just not enough food..." While most people complain about huge portions, you are already finished and your stomach is still rumbling... but never fear...there is peanut butter, jelly, and bread at home!
2. You get irrationally angry with picky eaters. ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? YOU THREW AWAY HALF YOUR SALAD! The simple fact that people actually have a choice in what they eat sparks rage and jealousy. We should all be so lucky... some of us just have to eat, regardless of the taste.
3. You get two mints at drive throughs... when ordering for yourself... Places like Sonic and Amigos always give you an extra mint. Because there is no way all that food is for only one person... right?
4. You've gotten to the last bite of something before realizing it doesn't taste all that good. At this point, there is a moment of self-loathing... before you get over it and make another snack. 
5. When cooking for friends, you forget that they didn't ride 65 miles that morning. This goes back to different portion sizing by non-triathleats (again, I didn't want to use the word "gentiles" here). Sorry I poured a half a pound of pasta on your plate... and two chicken breasts...
6. Going to the grocery store requires eating beforehand. You already spend half your paycheck on groceries as it is. Let's make sure we go with a full tummy so we don't get 3 different varieties of Oreos... and beef jerky... cuz its Paleo, right?
7. There is a post-workout-pre-meal snack. Meal preparation takes energy, and energy takes food. Yes, I will eat a turkey sandwich... so that I have enough energy to make another turkey sandwich. 
8. You go by the Hobbit eating schedule. Before and after every workout there is a meal, along with all the other meals in the day. We're gonna have to make time for second breakfast, eleventies, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, and supper. 
9. "Hungry" is a relative term. It is a constant state. If someone asks, "Are you hungry?" The answer is always "yes," but there are varying degrees of "yes." There is I-Just-Ate hungry, I'm-about-to-go-workout hungry, I-just-finished-a-workout hungry, I'm STARVING, I-will-literally-eat-a-baby hungry, and Hangry. 
10. You get irrationally angry when people call you "lucky." Yes, there is a lot of irrational anger in triathleating that gentiles (I mean, non-triathletes... sorry) do not understand. Probably due to low blood-sugar (see #9). Sure, I'm lucky to be living my dream, but I am NOT lucky to be able to eat so much! If you'd done what I've done today, you could eat a bacon cheeseburger with Krispy Kremes as a bun too (not that I've done that...) Trust me, you don't want to do what I have to do in order to be able to eat so much. 

All in all, we just eat more, because we do more. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go make a snack. Until next time FOLLOW THE PACE RABBIT!!! 

Bandwagon Fans

Lately, with all the Bowl games, and the NFL playoffs, my social media feeds have been blowing up with people accusing one side or the other of being "Bandwagon Fans" or "Fairweather Fans." ...does that need a hyphen? I don't care... Anyway, this usually follows a loss by the poster's favorite team (any Chief's fan in my "Friends" list) or a win by a team the poster evidently dislikes (Jeff? Saints? WHO DAT??)

My question is, what is a bandwagon fan, or a fairweather fan? Now, being from Nebraska, I understand fairweather fans well enough. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, come look at my Facebook news feed after a Husker win vs. a Husker loss...) And I tend to share most posters' disdain for fairweather fans. You can't cheer for your team one weekend and bash them the next.

However, I agree with a certain amount of fairweathering/bandwagoning. For instance, if you've got a local hockey team, that perennially sucks, you probably don't go to a lot of games if you're the average joe, or my friend Hogan, right? But, say they all of a sudden put together a 20 game winning streak and make the playoffs. You're probably going to buy a ticket and a couple 9 dollar beers and watch some hockey with the mullets and the flannel.

Does this make you a fairweather fan? Or a bandwagon fan? Or just a good old fashioned sports fan and local supporter? I'm in Florida right now, so do I have to cheer for Florida State in the National Championship, or on the contrary would that make me a bandwagon fan?

Personally, I think it doesn't matter. We should cheer for teams that do well (Unless they're the Dallas Cowboys or CU football... but that'll probably never happen anyway) and we certainly don't have to cheer for teams that do badly (unless its the Huskers and you're a Nebraskan.)

Besides, we're all a bit of a bandwagon/fairweather fan for some sports... That's right, I'm talkin' about the Olympics. Oh, you're cheering for USA downhill skiing now? When was the last time you supported them? Oh, 4 years ago... FAIRWEATHER! Cheering for Estonian biathlon, just because its cool to watch skinny dudes shoot guns and ski, and they happen to be doing well? BANDWAGON!

My point here, (if I actually do have one) is that all this accusing is pointless and it really doesn't matter. If you get that worked up about it, you probably need to find a hobby. Try playing sports instead of watching them. And, above all else, JUMP ON THE PACERABBIT BANDWAGON!!! But not just for fairweather...

#FBF: New Year's Resolutions

What's up guys?? It's been way too long, the holidays were a bit crazy. To be honest, I don't really want to talk about food today since its been so long. I feel like I need to update everybody! However, because its Friday, I will talk about food a little bit.

To begin, I am currently in Key West, Florida for my winter training camp. I have had a great system of support to get me here, and I am very grateful. I want to set this next season off right, and this is the place to do it. I've got some big plans for the year and I know what I need to work on... I'd share all my resolutions with you, but why give away my secrets??

New Year's Resolutions are a tricky thing. How many of you can honestly say you kept all of yours from last year? Or any of yours, ever, for that matter? Well, a lot of them concern fitness/food/diet, so there is my tie-in and here is your Food Blog Friday!

...See what I did there? That's how I write what I want to write!

Given that I am a foodie, and a triathlete and a personal trainer, I have some legit expertise with this topic. As such, here are a few guidelines to help you with your New Year's Resolutions.

1. Set Process-Oriented Goals: Rather than saying, "I want to lose X number of pounds," you should say, "I want to exercise and eat better." That way, the only way you can "fail" is if you quit exercising and eating right. Its better to focus on the process rather than the outcome, because outcomes can change. 
2. Goals Should be Measurable and Specific: Don't make vague goals (much like the ones I posted above!) but rather make goals that you will know for a fact whether or not you are meeting. Rather than saying "I will exercise more," say "I will exercise X number of times a week for X number of minutes." 
3. Change Your Scorecard: This is a big one for me. Sometimes we get so caught up in the general idea of things that we miss the main point. Rather than looking to exercise for 20 minutes, why not set certain exercises that you want to get done no matter what. If it only takes 15 minutes, then that is a win! 15 good minutes is astronomically better than 20 minutes of milling around aimlessly.
4. Be Gritty: I've said it before. Someday, there will come a day that you do not want to do whatever it is that you have to do. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT DAY TO DO IT!!! Once you've done it on the shitty days, you've set a great precedent for yourself. You'll know how easy it is once you start. 
5. Be Lenient... Especially with food!: Food and diets are particularly tricky. It is important to have a good relationship with your food, and not make things too taboo. You ever seen Dodgeball? Remember the part when Ben Stiller's character shocks his own nipples while eating a donut? That's not what we want. If you want to quit eating meat, but your best friend is having a bacon cookoff, first of all invite me and second of all have a slice... just don't let your occasional become regular. 
6. FOLLOW THE PACE RABBIT!!!: 'Nuff said. 

#TriathlonThursday: True Grit

What's up friends? Hope everyone's post-Thanksgiving diets are going well. Mine recovered nicely in time for a couple holiday parties this weekend.... Dammit....

Today I want to talk about grit. What is grit, you ask? Well, not only was it a movie (I personally prefer the John Wayne original version... Don't get me wrong, I love Jeff Bridges, but if you're going up against The Duke, you're gonna lose) but it is also a quality to look for in anyone who wants to be successful at anything.

The point is, no matter what you do, there is going to come a day when you don't want to do whatever it is you do, for whatever reason. That's when grit comes in.

Grit, in a word, is toughness, resiliency, and will power. It is a willingness to suffer. It is what gets you out of bed in the morning before the sun, and what gets you to the pool, even though its 19 degrees outside. When the wind grows teeth, your grit grows claws and makes you take that first step of your run. And when the sun packs a punch, your grit hits back and gets you home. As a triathlete, grit does many things, but in a nutshell it makes us train hungover, hungry, stressed, tired, before work, after work, before sunrise, after sunset, etc. A talentless, injury-prone athlete can get far on grit alone.

I've recently re-read a book called The Little Book of Talent by Daniel Coyle, and in it Coyle explores what makes "talent" as we know it. He breaks the book into 52 tips that will help us all create our own "talent." Essentially, Coyle discovers that "talent" has little to do with birth, but it has much more to do with things like attention to detail, and perhaps most importantly, GRIT!

One of my favorite tips from The Little Book of Talent was "Cultivate your Grit!" This chapter (each of which is about 3 pages long) talks about embracing the sucky days and learning how to thrive on them. In short, motivation is for amateurs. If you want to be any good at anything, you need grit, so start practicing it! (Seriously, go to Amazon and order this book. You can read it in an afternoon, and it has some great insights.)

This begs the question though: Is it more important as a triathlete to be gritty on race day, or on a training day? Does grit lift the tape in victory, or pick you up off the track to try another 800m repeat? If you ask me, it takes both. Racing is always going to be gritty, but how can you suddenly be Rooster Cogburn on the last 5k of your run if you haven't been in training for the past month? Just like anything else, grit takes practice.

Whatever it is that you're chasing, it won't always be easy. Its going to be hard sometimes. There will be days when you're tired, or hungry, or hungover, or want to do something else. One way or another, you won't want to do what you have to do. But, ultimately, that is why you have to do it, or someone else will.

So get out there, and be gritty, my friends! Don't stop writing just because you're not feeling "inspired." Don't half-ass at work because you're hungover. Don't ease up on the toughest part of your workout, but rather pin your ears back, bear your teeth and hit it harder than anything else that day. If you practice that, day in and day out, and when the time comes that you really need it, it will be there.

Oh, you're too tired to go to morning practice from staying up late on #TriathlonThursday to read Sam's new release? Well here's a straw so you can SUCK IT UP!! Until Food Blog Friday, FOLLOW THE PACE RABBIT!!

#FBF: After Turkey Day

Well, most of us survived Thanksgiving, although our nutrition plans probably did not... Yes, Black Friday is not only a day for all of us to spend a bunch of money and get in fist fights with other moms over a Nintendo Wii U, but its also the day of regret for eating the caloric equivalent of a third trimester fetus. (Did I just say that?) However, a long weekend from work, time with friends and family and Rachel, and some seriously good food made it all worth while. I had a great weekend myself, and I hope you all did too.

Its OK to eat like crap every once in a while, as long as we don't do it all the time. Thanksgiving is one such occasion, in my opinion! Everything in moderation, including moderation!

Here are some Thanksgiving fun facts for y'all concerning our eating habits as a culture;
1) The average American consumed around 7000 calories on Thanksgiving day. Only about half of this was from the dinner itself, the other half was from dessert, leftovers, and drinks the rest of the day.

2) Thanksgiving day is first on the calendar for caloric intake by Americans. Second place? Not Christmas, not Easter, but SuperBowl Sunday! Wings, beer, and nachos? Why not!

The important thing to remember is that now that Thanksgiving is over, we can all get back to eating like we normally do. Too often, people have the tendency to throw away their goals and eating plans after one day of bingeing. Just like I always tell my clients, one day of bad eating will not make you fat any more than one day of exercising will not make you skinny. Its what we do on a regular basis that defines who we are. So get back on that wagon!

OK, so you got back to the gym, and are feeling a little better about yourself. However, what are you gonna do with all those leftovers?? My personal opinion? Repurpose them, and eat 'em!

Here are my top-5 favorite Thanksgiving leftovers: (Note; not all are "healthy," so you might want to attend an extra hot-yoga class this week)

#5: Cranberry Sauce- How to Repurpose it: Brown an onion and some garlic in a sauce pan with some olive oil, throw in the cranberry sauce, and add a little salt and pepper. Now, you've got some delicious chutney, which is one of my favorite sweet and savory combos! Spread it on toast, meats, or a nice ham sandwich (See #1)

#4: Butternut Squash- How to Repurpose it: Again, brown an onion and some garlic in olive oil, this time in a soup pot. Add the squash, and a can or two of chicken stock. Season with curry powder, salt and pepper, and finish with a touch of cream. Garnish with sunflower seeds and parsley and you've got some curried soup, son!

#3: Pumpkin Pie- How to Repurpose it: Don't bother. Don't even heat it up. Don't even get a plate, just eat that baby like a slice of pizza. You've earned it, that soup was healthy...

#2: Turkey- How to Repurpose it: Cook some veggies of your choice in a stock pot, add garlic and salt and pepper, add the turkey, and a bunch of stock. At this point, you can add rice, noodles, or dumplings, and you've got yourself another variety of healthy soup... Hey! Easy on the pumpkin pie!

#1: Ham- How to Repurpose it: There actually should be no leftover ham, because all of the leftovers should've been consumed in the following manner over several varieties of beer and wine on Thanksgiving night. Grab a roll, slice it open, maybe put a little cheese on it, and put on a couple chunks of ham. A lot of people like to get fancy here and go and add some mashed potatoes and gravy and stuffing, but I am a purist. Maybe its the fresh dinner roll, maybe its the big chunks of real ham as opposed to thin slices of hydrolyzed pork protein and MSG, but this is one of my all time favorite sandwiches... or maybe its the beer?

Well, I hope this helped with your post-Thanksgiving blues! Hey, at least it wasn't as stressful as Christmas will be! (three weeks, people!) But then again nobody got any presents either. Until next time, FOLLOW THE PACE RABBIT!

#FBF: Changing Tastes

Its that time of the week again! I've been waiting all week for Food Blog Friday, y'all, and here we go!

Today I wanna talk about changing tastes. Not just as a person, but as a culture. When I think back to my tastes as a 3rd grader, they are drastically different from how they are now. Is that because I had different taste buds than I do now, or because we all eat differently?

Well, honestly, I say both! I read an article (now being that this is MY blog after all I don't have to cite shit! This isn't my freshman English class, this is THE PACE RABBIT! But, I swear, I did read an article about this topic at one point...) that basically says kids are picky eaters because their taste buds are still fully functional. Kids don't like healthy food because it actually does taste gross. As adults, our taste buds fade, and we come into this sort of "Emperor's New Clothes" thing where we just eat what everyone else says is good and agree that it is good.

I firmly believe that this is the case with both goat cheese and chai tea. Goat cheese actually tastes like the inside of my 9th grade hockey pads, and chai tea actually tastes like one of those old lady stores in downtown Kearney... (Has anyone else noticed that they all sell the same thing?? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!!) Anyway, I think no one actually likes goat cheese or chai tea. We just pretend to like it so we feel cool. This is a dangerous place to be. We need to eat what we like, and not pretend to like something because it is "trendy."

I remember as a kid, one of my favorite meals was called "Cowboy Food." We only got it when Mom was working nights (in other words, Dad didn't feel like cooking) and it was awesome! Basically, Dad would brown some hamburger meat, and put a can of beans in it... and that's it...

Seriously, to a 9 year old kid, it didn't get much better than beans and meat. Now, I don't know what my favorite dish would be as a 25 year old, but the list would include Pad Thai, Beef Wellington, and a nice craft burger. Is this because my taste buds are dull now, and I like stronger flavors, or because craft burgers and Thai food are trendy? What drives me nuts is that I DON'T KNOW!! I like to think that I would like craft burgers even if they weren't all over every hipster bar in every town with a college in America, but I just can't say that for sure because I'm too late! That's tragically already the case.

Food Network, celebrity chefs, and the craft beer industry could totally be behind all of this, but I can't be sure. Personally, I think its all thanks to the same people who claim that apples have an inedible "core" and who created TV shows like "Jersey Shore." Either way, don't follow the trends, FOLLOW THE PACE RABBIT!!!