Turkey Day ... Atkinson style

Happy Turkey Day!

And what are we doing on this rainy turkey day? Well, the weekend involves the following activities:
- Turkey a la mountain (hiking in the rain - gotta love the rain if you live in the NW)
- Turkey a la snow (snowshoeing ... yup, we have to drive a bit but we will find snow!)
- Turkey a la bike (no comment needed ....)

OK, we actually aren't eating THAT much turkey, but you get the picture. Thanksgiving (2 days off) is an excuse to play for 2 more days!!!

The weekend got off to a nice start with a break-through ride for me (intervals ... I am becoming friends with lactic acid again ... ) and a record-setting run for Fraser! Not a bad way to start Turkey Day #1.

Saturdays mean long rides, making soup, and enjoying time with friends

I love Saturday's in the fall ... they are all about long rides, making veggie soup, and enjoying time with friends! Today was just that day ... starting out nice and early for a good 3 hour ride, clean up me and my bike and then into the kitchen for a 3 hour cook-fest (omlettes and veggie soup - no, I did not eat it all in one sitting). Gotta love fall. Don't get me wrong, I love the race season ... but I also love cooking and the fall gives me plenty of time to cook to my hearts content!

Enjoy the colors of fall ...

Yup, you heard it here first! Food, food, and more food. My new nutrition plan includes lots of color - and that is never a bad thing. How many colors can you eat in one day (and no, M&Ms do NOT count)?? Some good colorful options include:
- Veggie soup with bok choi, kidney beans, spinich, tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, black beans, collard greens, kale, and zuchinni .... yummy!
- Salads with lots of green, yellow, orange, and red veggies
- Sweet potatoes and yams (a true favorite)
- Pears, apples, kiwis, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, oranges, cranberries, clementines, and pomegranates (I had my first one the other day ... they are very delicious and fun to eat too!)
Do I need to go on?

Enjoy the colors of fall ... and not just the leaves!

Apparently my body disagrees

So my mind was totally ready to be done with 'transition' and move into training mode ... I was getting my plan figured out, had my wish list of races listed for extra motivation, and was getting ready to make the move ....

And yup, you guessed it, i got sick. Tonsillitis none the less. It's a real pain in the neck (literally and figuratively) ... I am so bad at being sick. The thing is I think even though I DNFed at Moab after 12.5 hours, I don't think my body has fully recovered from the flu/cold that I had. So, to teach me a lesson and get me to 'knock it off', well, my tonsils hurt like heck.

I even stayed home from work today. Yup, watched some bad movies, read a book, and layed around in bed feeling sorry for myself .. oh, and drove Fraser nuts. I'm sure he'll be as excited as me when I recover. it was a good call though ... I went to work Tuesday and Wednesday and was totally exhausted when I got home - could barely make myself eat. Now look at me ... I'm even blogging.

The hardest thing for me is to RECOVER and REST. But I am determined. I can do it ... more bad movies, here I come ... I want to be better FAST :)