Monday, April 5, 2010

Weekend Update


Last weekend @ Mission Trails, riding with Tim & Sarah from AZ

What an interesting weekend....kicked Friday off with the disheartening news that our good friend Justin had a pretty bad road bike accident. He survived, though with some broken bits, and will be back on the bike after he heals. San Diego sends its love, J!
Dan & Justin, the Mann

Also headed up to Rehab United in Carmel Valley to meet some new folks and hear about Team EXCEL. Awesome to finally meet Beth, catch up with James, hear Lesley Paterson give a few words (my new Xterra inspiration) and meet some other awesome folks.

Saturday, Dan and I thought it wise to practice transitions since we hadn't done them, well, ever. Spent the afternoon down at Glorietta Bay with our mountain bikes, timing and video-taping and self-evaluating. It's somewhat easy to remember the first two or three things you want to do but beyond that...got a little fuzzy. I know it'll come in time. We had a nice swim out to the buoy and back (3x) and got to watch Catherine, Victor, Lulu, and Marilee from the Pulse crew hit the one mile swim.
Gear, gear, and more gear

Sunday we had planned on a Tour de Noble with Darryl and some of the STR crew. Since it was Easter, we knew the trail would be fairly empty and the ride group small. We started off with a 30 min trail run (which was great except today I can feel the 15 min rocky descent).
Dan & Darryl descend Extra Credit

It was quite cold at the start but warmed up nicely. Met the ride crew back at the car and got geared up for a long day in the saddle. Liz, Jeneine, Kay, Greg and Scott all came out to sample SD's finest. I will say...Noble kicked my ass today. Every climb felt awkward and the descents were, well...okay. I survived Barney Rubble on the Era and actually had not too many dabs (other than my normal tough spots)...oh, except my walk down Stairway to Hell. Another day...

On regen this week...hope to rest up and recharge.

On the new-product front...scored some half-price Zoot compression socks from Pulse's sale bin :) I've worn them a few times, and I have no complaints so far. We'll see long term what happens. Also, changed over my laces to Yankz...LOVE them!!
Key for easy in/out in transitions. Finally, we picked up Zoot race belts @ REI today....just in time to come home and get our USAT licenses in the mail. Only a few more days until Renegade!

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Banana-Coconut Pancakes (Paleo Eats)

Allison shared a Paleo banana pancake recipe with me a few months back, and it's become a staple in our weekly breakfasts (especially on the morning of a big ride). It's super healthy and easy to make. I promise you won't miss the flour. I modified* it a bit from Allison's and added unsweetened coconut to change things up a bit. If you HATE coconut, just omit and double the amount of ground flaxseed.

(*I really don't measure when I'm cooking these, so I'll give you rough equivalents. Honestly, I usually toss in ingredients based on experience and adjust if the batter looks too runny or too thick.)
Ingredients:

4 large ripe bananas
2 eggs + 1 egg white
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
2-3 tbsp ground flaxseed
2-3 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tbsp cinnamon

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl...

1. Peel the bananas and break into large chunks. Mash banana into a pulp. I use my hands...you can use a masher if you like.

2. Add eggs, protein powder, and cinnamon. Mix thoroughly.

3. Add in flax and coconut. Usually, I'll start with less and add more if the batter is still too runny. You want a fairly thick batter but not so much that it won't spread on the pan (just like regular pancakes).

4. Meanwhile, heat skillet on medium heat. When warm enough, grease with cooking spray, butter, coconut oil, etc (your choice).
6. I use a 1/4 c. measuring cup to portion out the batter. Cook for a few minutes on one side until you see bubbles forming. Flip and cook a few minutes more.

7. Top with your favorite goodies (we like cashew butter and pumpkin butter). Nom nom nom.

Yields ~20 pancakes.