FIrst Tri and a drastic diet change.

I ran a leg of my first tri team this morning! It was really fun ~ and exciting ~ although I had a long long wait (like 2.5 hours) before my run. I admit to getting alternately bored, then sleepy, then hungry, before my run. I watched my teammate swim, then the handoff to the bike, then admit that my heart was thumping with nerves as he strapped our team timer on to my ankle and off I went. It was a VERY hilly course, and I gave it all I had. I felt good ~ a hard first mile but I sprinted my last 1/2 mile to the finish. I have no idea what my time was ~ anything around 24 minutes will make me really happy due to the difficulty of the hills. Next year I'd like to do the entirety of the race on my own. I have a bike I can borrow and I know I can do it. That said, it was fun being a part of a team and having people cheering for me at the finish. I will find out my/our official time later this afternoon. It was fun running a course I had never run before, I had no idea what to expect other than to have heard that it was extremely hilly. It was also an out and back race, which is slightly unusual in a 5K, but it benefited me as I love having that "You are going home, run all out" mantra in my head once I know that I am on my way to the finish line. The bizarre thing is that it was a Tri, and all done in waves, I was running totally alone. There were no spectators cheering us on until the very very end. I passed two people (totally chicking some guy about 200 yards before the finish) but other than them, I only saw runners returning on my way out, and heading out on my way in. Totally unusual and will be TOTALLY unlike Broad St next week as I will be navigating through over 30,000 runners.

In other news we have gone Gluten Free. Nates naturopath has been urging him that he is gluten intolerant and to adapt a GF diet for the past year. Its SCARY, as it literally means a radical diet overhaul, and with social events can be very marginalizing and annoying. We do a lot of socializing. That said, he has reached a point where if it would work, and make him feel better, it is 100% worth it. In researching it this past week or two as I prepared to stock us up with foods he can eat, I've decided to make the change along with him. It is AMAZING to me how many carbs and sugars I eat (even the healthy, whole grain sort!), and I simply believe that they are not the best for my particular body type. I have an appointment with our Dr on Wed to do some muscle testing and consider the benefits of eating this way for me as well. I'm a little nervous, but something in my body is telling me that the carbs I am eating and the (too much) sugar that I am eating now are not compatible with me feeling like my best self. Add in some other interesting, bizarre  things that I have going on physically, and I'm willing to give this a shot. Can't hurt.

It is amazing what an entire food overhaul this means. I spent two hours in the grocery store yesterday and feel as though I left with very little. It took me 10 minutes at the deli counter alone to find the one brand of turkey that was gluten free. I mean, ITS TURKEY?!?!? Isn't it scary that fillers are put into things as seemingly innocuous as lunchmeat?

This is going to mean a lot more meat and a lot more vegetables. This is good timing, with the farmers markets coming into full swing, and an easier way to pick up our grass fed meats and eggs.

I will say I am amazed, AMAZED at how easily and often I go to grab a pretzel, or a cracker, or how often I cook with breadcrumbs, or meat replacements like my favorite veggie black bean burgers which contain gluten, or how it is snuck into every sauce, premade salad dressing, mix, canned soup, etc etc etc. Certainly this is going to be a huge commitment to even more cooking on my part. The label reading alone took me hours yesterday. I feel confident that this is going to make both of us feel better. I will keep you posted as we plod along on this journey. This was todays post race lunch ~ mixed greens, corn, black beans, chicken, avocado, chipoltle chili flakes, fresh lime, jalapeno olive oil, and a new find courtesy of A taste of Olive ~ Serrano Chili Honey Balsamic vinegar. Delish.

Anyone else out there gluten free? Thoughts?

ETA: The results came in ~ our team placed first in the Coed division and I came in 5th amongst all women! Go team Sink or Swim!