I’m baaaaaaaaaaaack.
My fingers had such a nice break yesterday! :) I hadn’t done a Wordless Wednesday since last September.
I think it is a nice change every once and a while. I also loved seeing how your comments changed when I just posted pictures as opposed to pictures and words. Many of you commented how you enjoyed putting together a story in your mind…I thought that was kind of fun!
I am playing around with the idea of doing a daily wordless afternoon post. Right now I generally post in the morning and then again at night, but it would be fun to have a wordless lunch post just to break up the day.
By the way, inside my wrap yesterday was my Golden Sweet Potato Soup from the other night! I really do love that soup! So simple and comforting.
Swim #3 last night!
Apparently, I was so excited my left cheek started to glow uncontrollably…? ;)
Swim #3:
- 15 minute warm-up (freestyle, breaststroke, flutter board)
- 30 minute medium pace (freestyle, breaststroke)
- 10 minute fast pace (freestyle, no stopping after each length)
- 5 minute treading water to finish (I found treading water really easy! Wonder why?)
I didn’t keep track of laps because I was focusing more on technique rather than speed, but I would guess that I swam about 25 laps/1250 metres in about 55 minutes.
My goal was to start doing bilateral breathing which is when you breathe on both the left and right side, as opposed to just one side. I had only been breathing on my strong side (the right side) the last two sessions. It was tricky at first as my left side is not as strong, but after a few laps I picked it up and I am happy to say that I can now confidently breathe on both sides while doing freestyle. Eric is doing great with it too!
What I learned Day 3:
- Good swimmers are efficient and effortless swimmers (I learned this while watching swimmers in the fast lane.) They are smooth and graceful like swans.
- Seeing myself improve and Eric improve is so exciting. We were so pumped on the drive home because we were feeling proud of ourselves. It feels awesome to learn a new skill again!
- Don’t panic when the pool fills up with people and the waves start getting choppy. This is good practice for the tri! It was REALLY busy last night.
- When you go to the late night swim, kiss the sauna goodbye because the entire place shuts down and you get kicked out. Can I hear an Awwww hellll nooo?
I checked our pool for adult lessons and there is currently one going on but it is full and we can’t get in. The next one isn’t until July. The wait list for private lessons is also 17 people long. So, my next step is looking for an instructor who is not affiliated with the pool and just teaches on the side. I find I am really craving some lessons because I really want my form to be the best it can be. At first, my thoughts were along the lines of just swimming so I can finish the race, but now Eric and I are starting to enjoy it so we want to improve!
We didn’t get home from the pool until about 10:45pm. Party animals, eh?
I woke up ravenous this morning. I wanted carbs…and fast.
I made this for Eric yesterday and it was so amazingly good I decided to make it for breakfast.
Grilled Cashew Butter and Blueberry Sandwich:
Ingredients:
- 3 pieces whole wheat bread
- 2 tbsp Organic Blueberry Jam
- 1 tbsp cashew butter
- 2 tsp Earth Balance Margarine
Directions: Take 1st piece of bread and spread a layer of blueberry jam on top. Take 2nd piece of bread and place on top. Spread piece #2 with cashew butter and then add another layer of jam. Add third piece of bread and spread lightly with margarine. Place sandwich onto pre-heated frying pan (on medium heat), margarine side down. Now spread the top side of the bread with margarine. Grill on each side until golden brown and serve immediately.
This was inspired by Caitlin’s Grilled Banana Sandwich.
Blueberry jam is fun!
Intense, isn’t it? You could also use any kind of nut butter or jam too.
Onto the pan it goes…
The smell was quite amazing while cooking. Mmm.
Oh my gooooosh this was so good.
Sometimes a gal just needs bread, no?
The saltiness from the margarine played off the sweetness of the cashew butter and jam so well.
Magnifique!
Today’s question- What forms of exercise challenge you like no other, no matter how good of shape you are in?
I said to Eric last night, ‘No matter how many miles I run or how many intense cardio workouts I do, swimming is one heck of a challenging workout!’ I thought my lungs were in great shape until I started swimming. I am anxious to see if swimming improves my running endurance. Any runner/swimmers out there want to comment on this?
For me:
- Stair walking/running (I used to do 28 floors of stairs in my condo everyday)
- Swimming
- Yoga
- Running, esp. hill or trail running
See you later alligator!
Wow, that sandwich looks delicious!
No matter what shape I’m in, I think running will always be challenging for me. But I love it!
I have never tried cashew butter before, but that sandwich looks SO good!!
Last night I did Bikram yoga for the first time ever. It was actually my first time ever doing yoga outside of my living room in “public.” It was SO challenging but felt amazing and I cannot wait to go back. I also find the stairclimber and running uphill to be always challenging.
That breakfast looks delicious! Gotta keep it in mind for a day I wake up craving bread (yep that happens!).
For me it’s running that challenges me the most. Some people can take long breaks and still maintain their running mojo, for me, I take a 3 day break and I’m back at… well not square one but similar. But you know what? That is exactly why I like running so much. I know I’m challenging myself and my body to do something that doesn’t come easy.
Swimming is right up there on the challenging side for me. I can run for 21 km and still want to go for a bit. Put me in the pool for to practice and I have to really work to keep up. I really have enjoyed watching my own progress from having a hard time swimming one length to building up to swimming laps in a Masters class.
Sandwhich looks delicious!! The In a Jiffy Spelt Burgers are amazing!! I made a batch on Tuesday and they will be gone today after lunch!! Thank you so much for sharing so freely your delcious recipes!! i have to stop running to the grocery store everyday after school!!!
Glad you liked the recipe! :) Congrats on your swimming progress too…I hope that is me some day!
Plyos and functional training! It kills me everytime.
That sandwich looks to dieeeee for.
I’ve been a swimmer all my life (lifeguard, swim team, etc.) so swimming isn’t a challenge but it doesn’t mean it’s not a workout.
Running is definitely my biggest challenge right now as I’ve never been a runner. I’m at the stage of 5 minutes running and that’s an incredible accomplishment for me! Swimming comes easily to me but running is so hard on my body and mind.
Weightlifting for sure.
Tabata.
Swimming too because my breathing sucks.
When freestyle starts to feel comfortable and like you could swim for hours it’s really great! Until you can get lessons, there is some great information on www.swimsmooth.com which I have found really helpful. You can download an animation of “Mr Smooth” swimming too.
We checked that website out last night actually- it’s great!
Ha ha! Great minds…
Having learnt to swim properly myself recently I thought it might help to share 3 things that have really helped me:
1 – make sure you breathe out the whole time your face is under water, no holding your breath!
2 – ‘catch up’ rather than windmilling the arms – don’t start pulling the left hand through the water until the right hand is about to enter
3 – body roll! You slip through the water better on your side than flat, and you can practice the right position by doing the kick lengths lying on your side with one arm outstretched superman style (the other by your side)
great tips!! I was trying the body roll last night, but I determined that I need to get my bilateral breathing down a bit more before I start focusing on the body roll. I can totally see how it will help streamline the stroke.
I’m not an expert by any means, but I think you’ll find the body roll will help with the breathing on the trickier side – you don’t need to turn your head as much if you are already on your side!
Great idea on the sandwich!!! YUM!
I find any sort of stair climbing and my spin class to be challenging! I hate stair climbing but I do spin every week!
May I come over for one of those sandwiches? I’ll bring blondies to exchange! :-D
I’m a yoga girl – it always challenges me.
The sandwich looks amazing! Great pictures!
Looks good–I like the idea of putting it on the stovetop vs just toasting each piece of bread. Totally trying that!
That is a late night swim indeed! I bet you slept great!
yess I slept like a log. A peaceful log. ;)
Anything with running in it. I have never been a runner so at 41 it is challenging for me.
That sandwich looks amaaaaaaaaaaaaazing Angela. Oh my god. I love bread so much. ahaha
I started swimming a few weeks ago, in preparation for my first tri on July 18th (!) and I couldn’t believe what a cardio workout it was! I could barely swim 25 meters without having to stop and gasp for breath. I’ve improved a lot since then AND I’ve noticed that I’m also running faster than ever before. Cross training works! I am a believer!
Also, that sandwich looks delicious.
Hands down it is running. I have always struggled with it and at the same time keep doing it because I want to be good at it. :)
BTW my mom use to make me griled peanut butter sandwichs all the time growing up. Now I make them with almond butter and they are just as good. It is a comfort food for me.
Congrats on the great swim! I am currently waiting for the summer swim lessons at my gym to start. I took lessons over a year ago for total immersion swimming, but I could never get the whole breathing while swimming concept. After much frustration I quit trying, but I’m ready to give it another shot. Congrats again! Thanks for the inspiration!
Running and Hiking
I find I can cycle or swim forever but because of my back after a mile or two of running or five miles of hiking I’m done….
Yoga on the other hand is hard for different reasons; more to do with the mind than the body!
I can run with no problems, but when it comes to stairs, I’m huffing and puffing by the 8th flight! I feel like I’m in great shape, but maybe those stairs are proving me wrong. ;)
oh yes . . . sometimes a girl does just need bread!
in my experience as a swimer,swimming never made running any easier for me. I actually dreaded run days becuase they were so hard. I would always say to my swim coach “If I wanted to run I would have joined the track team. Now can we get back in the pool?!”
I think the transition from runner to swimmer is easier than swimmer to runner. When I first started running I actually caught myself holding my breath because that’s what I was used to doing for swimming.
Stairs are my kryptonite. I can run miles, but stairs have my gasping and panting.
I used to swim in college. Great exercise but I think hard core swimmers are suseptible to shoulder problems later in life. Try treading water with your arms in the air, in other words, just use your legs to keep you afloat, that’s a really great workout.
looking at that sandwich is making me so hungry!
for some reason hiking ALWAYS kicks my butt, no matter how good of shape i’m in. same goes for ballet, i’ve been dancing since i was three and i always get winded by the end of routines.
congrats on the swimming improvement!
I love reading your lessons learned from swimming. My parents have a pretty big pool in their backyard…it makes me want to get over there and swim some laps this summer!
That sandwich looks heavenly!
I think swimming is definitely one of the toughest workouts out there. I really should do more of it, but I’m such a slow swimmer (and don’t belong to a pool). One of my goals is to do a triathlon someday, so I’ve REALLY been enjoying following your progress in your training. Since I’ve totally related to how nervous you were about swimming, it’s super encouraging to see how quickly you feel like you’ve improved!
Besides swimming, the other type of cardio that I always find to be wicked tough is the stairmaster at the gym. No matter how good of shape I think I’m in, that thing makes me sweat like no other!
OH my goodness… that sandwich looks seriously AMAZING!!!!
Swimming is crazy hard!!! No matter how in shape you are.
That looks amazing. I think I might have to try that.
The hardest exercise for me is indoor cycling and kickboxing (I have a tough instructor that changes it every class and works us REALLY hard)
love that this sandwich is double-stacked – you don’t mess around! my kinda girl ;)
That sandwich looks amazing, and I will seriously be trying it someday soon.
I feel like no matter how long I run, it’s always hard. I like to hope that some day it will feel just like walking, but I have a feeling I wouldn’t even want to do it anymore if it got that easy. A good challenge is fun!
I danced for the last 6 years and found that my running made me so much more able to get the most out of my ‘boot camp’ style classes. I’ve taken a break in the last year (save some $$, focus on running), but might get back into now that I’m freezing out my gym membership for the summer.
I never really got the whole “PB & J” concept – and then I started putting it on toast for pre-run eats and found it’s not as gross as . . say, donuts for breakfast :) PB and . . what do you call? That marshmallow stuff? That’s weird!! :) Yours looks very yummy!
Oh my gosh–I’m a cyclist (obviously, heh), but I took several months off over the winter because our weather was so bad. I was just doing 45 minute swim workouts twice a week and an hour of Pilates 3 times per week. When I got back on the bike to do my 27 mile loop, I took 10 MINUTES off of my time. Then I went out again and took another 5 off! I was blown away! I went from that loop taking me an hour and 55 minute to an hour and 40 minutes, just by swimming and doing Pilates!
And to answer your question–all workouts still challenge me hugely! As I like to say, “with cycling, it doesn’t get easier, you just get faster.” And with Pilates, there’s always another level, another small tweak to perfect the movement. Love it!
That sandwich looks delicious!!
It is awesome that you and Eric are enjoying swimming so much! It must be fun training with your husband!
holy WOW to that sandwich! looks like a dream come true to me :)
i gotta say that hiking always ALWAYS kicks my tail! i’m lucky enough to live in Colorado where the trails are plentiful…and i know that the altitude has a lot to do with it, but it’s always fun, always different, and always challenging. gotta love a workout like that!
Oh man, delicious!
Running is always a challenge for me because once I go a certain distance I can still go faster or longer.
Yoga is challenging for me. When I run, I can just turn everything off in my head and run, but with yoga I have to focus on form, breathing and balance.
swimming has definitely improved my running endurance! especially hill workouts, which used to be really challenging. I think swimming is the greatest thing you can do to cross-train, no matter what sport :)
Running is the most challenging for me mentally. Any other exercise at the gym and I can be reading, but with running it gets a bit trickier. I have to live fully in my mind even with the music pumping. So mentally it is a huge challenge for me!
I love Caitlin’s grilled banana sandwich! I had one just yesterday with strawberries and almonds on the side.
Looks good! I love your bathing suit. I went last night to sports authority to try on suits. omfg, what a nightmare. I never have issues, but with one pieces? i don’t understand how they size these things. i wear a size small (0-3 in jeans), but for the suits, a size 8-10 fit me and it still feels tight. also, i couldn’t get any that i really liked because i have no freakin’ boobs and without the padding in the bust, i seriously looked like a 10 year old girl. waah
just to clarify, i do not care about the size/# on the label, i am just annoyed at how i don’t understand their sizing and have to try on 345345 suits lmao
I have finished my competitive swimming career, but now I like to take advantage of our on-campus pool before I head out for a run. I still stretch after my swim before lacing up, but there is nothing better than the full body workout that swimming offers! I usually exit the water feeling stretched out and refreshed. No doubt it helps my running endurance. :)
Blueberries are everywhere! Glad that there is another great recipe to try.
Rock climbing is one workout that kills me like no other. Putting your hair in a ponytail the day after climbing is damn near impossible.
Hahaha your glow comment made me crack up!
Swimming really challenges me the most since you can only breathe at certain times. That sandwich looks absolutely fantastic!
That sandwich is amazing-looking. I usually make grilled pb&j but I totally need to mix it up. That blueberry jam is calling my name!
Great job for you and Eric on your swim practices…practice…practice is exactly what will get you where you want to be as a swimmer. If you can get those lessons on technique to make you more efficient, that will help.
Yummy sandwich, is this margarine you use the good kind, I’ve always heard horror stories about margarines and how they are considered plastic.
I am a runner/cyclist/swimmer. I love to run at my own pace and in my own zone, no competition except with myself. I used to be challenged by swimming, but I became a pretty strong swimmer after doing so many masters swim classes and triathlons.
My 2 biggest challenges in workouts would have to be some of the yoga poses in my yoga practices and cycling hills. We have a street on our cycling route in Dallas by White Rock Lake called Loving Dr. (Torture hills is more like it). It is one of the steepest roads I’ve ever ridden on. My hubby can get up to the top with no issues, it takes me awhile….not sure if it is that my quads are just not strong enough, but I tackle it every single time. Believe it or not, north Texas does have some hilly areas and they are really harsh.
Angela, where do you swim at? I know that my local YMCA where I go has a fit swimmer class on tues and thurs mornings. it’s like a giant adult swim lesson :)
Lunges…especially plyo lunges ALWAYS challenge me! They are killer.
OH.MY. I HAVE to make that sandwich!
There are always yoga poses to challenge me. And I plan to start running when I’m done with my evening course in June, this has always been hard for me and I’ve always hated it, but now I want to give it a try.
Here’s my “Awww, hell no!” for you. That would make me sad :(
I never would have thought to put cashew butter & blueberries together, but it’s just like a fancy pb&j! Sounds delicious- thanks for being creative for me :)
Hi Angela, I don’t know if I’ve ever commented…but I love your blog! You got me turned onto green smoothies last year and I am completely in love with them now!!
That sandwich looks amaazing!!! I will be making it soon.
I so wish that I was a runner… I have never been able to make myself get into a routine of doing it though…my body and lungs seem to rebel. Something to strive toward, maybe!