My friend Laurie over at “The Making of a Trophy Wife” blogged today about quitting sugar. I personally struggle with sugar and with indulgences, especially during training lulls, or stressful emotional times. When I am training extremely hard I tend to loose my appetite and don’t tend to indulge but when the volume decreases or the intensity is toned down I find myself hitting up sugar based desserts in the afternoon and evenings.

So, here it goes. Other than during training gels and bloks, no SUGAR…33 days.

I’m looking forward to the more even insulin levels, to the decrease in mood swings, and to the extra pep in my body. Not to mention the decrease in headaches that have started to become a little too common. How about you? Interested in joining me? You can do anything for 33 days right? Or…are you addicted too?

Here is a great blog about a lady who quit sugar for an entire year and blogged the entire way through called My Year Without Sugar.

Need another reason to join Laurie and I? How about here.

Last Thursday I attended a pre-screening of the soon to hit theaters “Beyond the Epic Run”. Annie had come down with the sickies, so Troy agreed to stay home with her while I went. I was calling all my friends last minute to get some company and was ecstatic when my good friend Laura agreed to ditch her hubby and her kiddo to come watch the movie with me. Totally last minute, what are good friends for?

We arrived about 15 minutes before the start of the film and were treated amazingly well by Jennings PR and Advertising. We were taken to meet Serge who completed the running in the film, and Oh my, he was quite the character. I asked him what advise he would give to anyone wanting to incorporate more adventure into their lives, he said that “You Just have to be willing to pay the price for your dream. I was willing to die for mine”. Serge didn’t die, and neither did his wife Nicole who followed him around the world for 25,000 miles on a motorcycle with all their gear.

Laura and I with Serge

After meeting Serge we ran into Simon from www.runcolo.com. I absolutely love his blog and read it religiously. He also has a super cool race forum, and his site is generally really top-notch, you should check it out. We hadn’t met in person, but we kinda know a lot about each other because we stalk each others blogs, so it was great to sit with him and chat for awhile before the movie started.

The movie was a bit late to start, and I forgot to get some popcorn, but other than that it was a pretty awesome night. The filming for the movie was done by Nicole and so it’s a bit home movieish, with a few fun shots. The editor did a good job of piecing together the clips into a story. What was caught on film that was a learning experience for me was the contrast of the different people around the world. All the shots of the couple with the children of the world were awesome. Serge, although he is an awesome and amazing athlete took care of himself a lot better than some of the other Epic running films I have seen recently. Despite a diet of pasta, coke, and his pipe, he seemed to barely fluctuate in weight, kept a very toned physique, and seemed to maintain a level of balance that I have yet to see in such Epic Adventure films. It was refreshing. Less suffering, and more travel. Less about the miles every day, and more about the total miles covered.

At one point Nicole said, “this movie is about a fast runner and a very slow motorcyclist”. I loved that. The feat Nicole completed was no small task and rather than it being a film about a supported runner, it was very much a film about a couple that traveled the world, one on foot, one on motorcycle. They both supported each other. They both got Malaria (still battle with) and they both ended up hospitalized at one point. But, they would put the motorcycle in storage, heal up, and push on. It took them 5 years to cover 25,000 miles. What an epic journey.

The audience asked Serge (pronounced “Surge”) if he still runs? He said “Just about 3 times a week for good health and good attitude, I have other things I want to do with my life”. He is an alpine guide in the Swiss Alps, and they own a Breakfast Cafe. He was also asked about his mileage during the trip and he mentioned never running over 40 in one day, and taking the 7th day to rest and let his body recuperate. He had a sustainable attitude about the whole thing. This film was all in all quite refreshing, and reminded me that I too can chase my dreams…I just have to be willing to pay the price.

Have you heard of the 100 Thing Challenge? I was reading around on one of my new favorite blogs: ZenHabits, and was clicking on tons of different posts and somewhere in there I clicked over to a different blog called guynameddave and the 100 thing Challenge.

The general concept…can you limit your personal items to 100 things? The blog post author came up with his own set of rules…he’s married and so certain things he designated as community items. I read several of the posts out loud to Troy and he was ready to go. I barely finished reading and he was in his closet tossing out all sorts of things. He’s minimalist at heart.

I LOVE the idea, and then I got into my closet and the idea got a lot harder. Spring is here and it’s time for spring cleaning, and also time to reassess all the stuff I have accumulated in the last year. But…..I just procurred two new bikes.

So, here I am throwing things outside of the closet and all along I’m asking Troy “Can I count 2 bikes, helmet, bike shoes, bike tools, aerobars, bike pumps, CO2 cartridges, and spare tubs ALL as one thing?” He just laughed.

I have so many hobbies. I do triathlon, which is like 6 hobbies all in one: running, swimming, biking, ultra running, winter running, weight lifting. Then there is the skiing, the camping, the hiking, the rock climbing. I have a set of AT ski gear, two pairs of mountaineering boots, 3 pairs of gaiters, and 4 ice tools (ice ax for climbers). “TROY, can all these count as one item?”

Don’t forget the crafts…I sew, I crochet, I knit, I’ve dabbled in needlepoint and hemstitcing. From that comes copious amounts of yarn, fabric, batting, stuffing, thread, notions, and patterns. “Ahh, Troy, we have a problem”.

Books? Ekk. DVDs, and CDs, rah-roh.

BUT, thank goodness we are a low tech family. We don’t even have a TV. HAH!! I have not one, but TWO iPods, THREE if you count the iPhone. I’ve got 2 digital cameras, a broken GPS, and a SPOT transmitter, and an iMac, complete with a printer and all that comes with that. Oh yea, and Troy and I both have Nintendo Gameboys. Ooh, and don’t forget the portable DVD player. Yea, we are soooo low tech.

Man, I really want to do this 100 Thing Challenge. I just need to come up with the right rules so that I can keep all the stuff I want to keep. Well, I figured I had to start and maybe it would all just come together.

So, I started spewing stuff out of my closet. 4 hours later…

Our spare room is FULL of stuff that I am done with!

Suddenly, our house looks VERY clean (minus the spare room). My closet? Immaculate!

Did I get down to 100 things? Um no, did I get down to 500 things? Maybe. 1000? Definitely. I still have to do my final itemized list.

However, if you are looking for clothes, or craft supplies, or some electronics, It’s time to come over for tea. You can visit the spare room and go yard sale-ing…for free. In fact, need something? There is so much stuff I wanted to get rid of, but would rather give it to a good home, rather than just Goodwill it. So, if you’re in need, let me know!

Did Troy hit 100 things? With a few rules (clothes counts as 1, books count as 1, and collections count as 1), he hit it easy. Stinker.

Does this sound crazy to you? Could you do it? Would it make you feel relieved? Sad? Broke? Rich?

It just so happens that the same day I received my most recent Core Concepts order, they issued a fancy email with a 40% off sale on base layers. the coupon code for their online store is: BASE0209

I ordered the Firefly Long Sleeve in blue and it’s super cute.

I have been drooling over the Full Tilt Zip Neck for some time, so I ordered myself up one in Plum. I love love love the off center zippered neck. It’s cute zipped up or down. The fit is really similar to the Cadence Hoodie.

Lastly, I thought their Bamboo shirts were super adorable, so I grabbed the one with the fancy little bike on it.

Interested in some Core layers for yourself? 40% off is pretty sweet, the online store is here, the coupon code is: BASE0209

Saturday night troy was up in Breck partying so Annie and I headed to dinner with friends Hillary, Ben, little Tana, and “the grandmas”. Hillary’s due date was the day before and we were trying to get her relaxed enough to bring on labor. We all had a margarita in her honor and laughed and talked while enjoying great food at Tahona. Hil is a rock star, you see, she is no ordinary mom. She had decided to have her second baby at home. She’s one of those women who doesn’t make things harder than they need to be. She’s the type of friend that someone like me needs, she keeps me balanced.

I had a snowshoe race on Sunday, and Hil knew that because I had a race, and because I wanted to help in any way I could with the birth, that of COURSE, the baby would decide to come on Sunday. Sure enough Tyler, Paul and I had just rolled into Beaver Creek when I get the text that “Hil is in labor”. It’s 9am. Race is at 11. I call Hil and ask “Want me to turn around and come over right away”. Her response “No, go win your race and then get over here”.

I was so excited. I used my energy to score another dash for cash win. When I started the actual 10K, I felt really crappy. Like “Oh yea, maybe I feel crappy because I got my wings ripped off yesterday”. My quads had no go in them, they lost their MoJo. I kept thinking about Hil, and that she was working hard, so I should be too. At about the 3 mile mark I got into my groove and steadily passed people the rest of the race. All I could think about was the fact that this little baby was coming into the world soon.

After the race I checked my phone and saw “Healthy Baby Girl”.

Yes, little miss Brenna Claire was born at 10:40am, 9 pounds 8 oz, at home, in her mommy and daddys bed, in the most peaceful and relaxing way a child can enter this world.

I grabbed my stuff, I grabbed m $100 check, I grabbed my dad and Troy, and we took off. I wanted to see that baby ASAP. And sure enough. Here she is:

So yes, there are race results, and there are pleanty of things I could write about the race, about the day, but really none of it matters much. This little girl is here now, and that, my friends is what happened yesterday.

Miss Hil, you rock the house. I am so in awe of you and what you did yesterday. Love you!

Wild times here at the Wieck house! So, the big news here is that we are DEBT free. We worked our tails off these last months in order to make it by the end of the year, and after counting every nickel, dime and quarter in the house, along with some serious pantry consumption, we don’t owe anyone, anything! Now we can continue to give back to all of you with a clean conscious! How may I be of service? Need someone to look at your running form, or to acompany you to a swim workout?? You found your girl!!

Triathlon, Skiing, Snowshoeing, Running, Ultras…they are expensive, especially when you are have some great success with them. I could break any households budget just attending “National Championships” in the sports I frequent. Troy and I knew that in order for me to continue to live my dreams in this sport we had to be debt free. We had to learn to budget, we had to be frugal with all other aspects of our lives. 2008 was the year we set out to learn how to do just that. The frugal living will continue for life, but because of that I will have the luxury of chasing my dreams outdoors, training and racing with you all, and (my favorite) staying home with Annie!

Being that it’s NEGATIVE degrees out today, and in celebration of our debt free-ness, here are my top 5 ways to stay warm for CHEEP! Don’t turn up the thermostat, heat the person, not the room:

Number 5 – Take a Bath: Better yet, take a bath with someone you love. I always hop in Annie’s bath when the water is filling the tub for a quick warm-up.

Number 4 – Do the Dishes: By hand! At least do the big pots and pans. You have no idea how warm you get by putting your hands in warm water for 10 minutes.

Number 3 – Wheat Bags: I spoke of these earlier in my blog. Take some wheat berries from Whole Foods (bulk section) or rice and make a heavy pillow with them using an old piece of clothing. Put it in the microwave 3-5 minutes at a time. Put it in your bed a couple minutes before you crawl in or stash it in your lap while hanging out. If you need more detailed instructions email me.

Number 2 – Sit Ups: Okay, this is an age-old mountaineering trick. It’s the “cheep mountaineers sleeping bag heater”. When you are laying awake and cold in your tent at 16,000 feet, you do sit ups. Try them at home when you are cold, 20-30 should suffice and the side effects are quite desirable.

Number 1 – Dancing: Yup, when you get desperate, close the blinds, turn up the tunes, and dance like it’s your freshman year of college. Dance with a kid, dance with your “other”, dance with your dog, doesn’t matter, just shake it like a Polaroid picture!

It’s December 2nd, the year has flown by, and Christmas is upon us. Wondering what to get the rock star athlete in your family? Here are my top picks for this holiday season…with a few perks along the way.

Core Concepts Clothing: Cadence Hoodie, Midtown, Carve, you name it and I love it. If fashion+function is a must have, these clothes hit the mark. AND, if some of your friends, or family members are a little TOO outdoorsy and a little LESS fashionista, then this is the perfect “hint hint”. Friends of my blog receive 20% off!!! Use coupon code at the online store: FF20OFF (that’s “20″ as in the number, and “OFF” as in how much your saving)

Beyond Technical Shells: Not everyone fits in normal sizes, especially lean and long (and hot) climber dudes (uhhh, and dudettes??). If you have an odd sized duck in your family, or need superb 100% guaranteed perfect fit, travel over to Beyond Clothing and design something for that odd duck…or duckette.

SIGG Bottles: Now-a-days you gotta be using reusable water bottles and SIGG’s are the way to go. Especially for those kiddo hikers in your family, SIGG makes great children’s sippies. Right now they have free shipping on orders over $30, and they make the perfect stocking stuffer.

Luna Moons: These are really what every kick butt outdoor diva wants to train with. But, sometimes we just can’t rationalize blowing through 6 bags of them in a workout. So what do we do? We settle. We settle for other products, wishing all along that we had moons in our pocket. If you have a dirt diva on your shopping list, grab some moons for her stocking. She will smile, and you will see a little glint in her eye as she envisions her next trail run. Beware: do not stick Luna moons in your favorite dudes stocking unless you are the practical joking type, or your trying to hit on his girlfriend.

Zingermans Fantastic Bread: Mmmm. Bread! I was given a loaf of this YEARS ago as a Christmas gift and to this day it’s the most memorable gift I have ever received. They will actually ship a loaf of the most awesome bread to anywhere you need it to go. The Parmesan Pepper Bread is my favorite! Can anyone say “Carb-loading”?

Tufo Tubular Clincher Tires: They fit your normal clincher rims, you can stop dealing with the whole tire tube thing, and they are so stinkin’ resilient. I rode twenty miles on a MTB fire road on my road bike in these things. Say goodbye to flats, and build some muscle while you stretch these onto your rim for the first time. These tires are Ggrrreat!

Zensah Pink Compression Legs: The recovery benefits of compression attire are proven. BUT, has it ever been this cute? These pink compression socks will make the endurance athlete that you snuggle up at night squeal with delight. Because seriously folks, the white medical ones you get from Rite Aid, well, they just don’t cut it.

Mix1 Drinks: These have saved my life. Okay, maybe I am stretching things a little bit, but (true statement) they have saved my workout. Some of those saved workouts have been quite extreme. 41 miles running on the Colorado Trail, 34 miles running in the Moab desert, 32 miles running on an Ultra Relay Team, these are “stay strong or suffer severely” events. I am a firm believer of incorporating protein into endurance events and Mix1’s are palatable and shelf stable. Besides, a case of them comes in a box and is easy to wrap.

Take care of your loved ones this season. Remember, when you have the right tools to train, you can chase your dreams. Give someone a gift this season that will encourage them to get outside. Cool Breeze, Fresh Air, that’s a happy life!

So I’ve been having a bit of fun with our food budget lately. I’ve started a quest to eat super healthy, but to also keep our food budget as low as possible. Yesterday was payday, but I didn’t get to the bank to refresh our food money envelope and I also didn’t get to the store so come mid morning I was scrounging for something to put together for lunch. I am super impressed with myself. Check it out.

So I pulled out a recipe for “The Easiest 100% Whole Wheat Bread Ever” from the King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking Book and got that going early this afternoon. This recipe is like a quick bread, so you mix up the dough and throw it in the baking pan, let it rise and pop it in the oven.

Humm, now for the meal. Well, I checked out the pantry and noticed I had a can of garbanzo beans and a can of black beans. I also had a can of some crushed tomatoes. I looked in the fridge and pulled out some random stuff. So I got ready and just went with it.

Scrounging soup: I Sautéed a diced onion and some garlic. When it was nice and sauteed, I added some wine and let it sizzle and cook down (we keep a box of cooking wine in the fridge, I bought it a year ago and it just sits there). I added some oregano and sage that I picked last week at Delaney Farm (our CSA). More sizzle. Then I threw in the two cans of beans plus a half can of kidney beans I had in the fridge. In goes the tomatoes and a box of chicken broth. I tasted it and it was boring so I added several spoonfuls of crushed sun dried tomatoes (packed in oil kind, sits in fridge), and salt and pepper. Yummier. Still lacking. Oooh, I found a bag of spinach that I got from the CSA last week and hadn’t used, in that went, along with some handfuls of frozen corn from the freezer. Ummm, just right.

In the end I couldn’t believe what I came up with at the end of the pay period. Troy walked in the door and the house smelled like fresh baked bread. There was a sizable pot of soup ready for a post work snack, with some nice whole grain bread.

Crafty Scrounging!

Today was kick butt gardening day! Annie and I headed over to my friend Hillary’s house to garden and make up some tomato cages. The kids were so cute playing together and Hil got this great shot of them together in the wagon! How cute and opposite are they??

I was able to plant up my zuccinni plant at her house. It was so nice to have the use of a backyard for gardening, that’s the one thing I really miss about apartment living. Hillary made this great pasta for lunch that I have to get the recipe for, it had fruit in it and was totally tasty. I think her and I have similar tastes!

Patio Zucchini plant

When I got home I tried to get Annie to take a nap since she fell asleep in the car…but no go, I just ended up falling asleep while she piled stuffed animals around me. I finally decided to get up and finish my garden on the patio. The tomatoes now have cages around them, and the zucchini plant has a spot on the balcony. Here is a shot of the two tomatos and the zucchini.

And lastly a shot of my garden in a galvanized tub. There is a tomato plant in the middle, basil around the front, cucumber in the back, and green beans from seed around the back.

Happy Earth Day! I hope you are doing something friendly for our land today. Today is a great day to put some thought towards your current lifestyle. Do you do some things that you know are wasteful? What can you resolve to do this year to cut down on your energy consumption, or the waste you create?

In celebration of Earth Day I used some of Troys shirts that were headed for the Goodwill to make some reusable shopping bags. I simply cut a square out of the collar area, cut the sleeves off and sewed up all the cut edges including the bottom. I got the idea from the BaggyShirts booth at the Sustainability fair this weekend at the Denver Botanic Gardens. This would be the perfect first sewing project if you are new to the sport!

Another great idea is to plant a garden. Local homegrown produce is unbeatable in terms of taste and environmental consciousness. Even apartment living is garden-able. I currently have an herb box, a lettuce box, two tomato plants, and two snap pea plants thriving. You don’t even need a balcony, just some sunny windows! Check out my new garden pictures.

If you are in the Denver area, Tattered Cover is offering a free book bag to anyone who purchases a book at any of their locations today.

Also my friend over at Crunchy Domestic Goddess posted about a great free coloring book for you kiddos that you just have to print.

Have a wonderful Earth Day!