Yard work - Replanting trees

We have 2 acres of land, so lots of trees and lots of unused space. All the good trees grow in the back and we want them in the front! We have transplanted a few trees in the past years and 2 have taken well (no, the odds aren't the best). So, it was time to move a few more... We have lots to choose from. And we decided to move small trees. Too much work to move the larger trees and they have a lesser chance of making it. Got the potting soil for trees and shrubs - our dirt is not the best, so extra help is always appreciated!

Chris dug nice big holes

Then he dug up the trees we wanted to move (we picked 4)I pushed the wheel barrel (it's all I had the strength for) Digging holes is hard work!

And now we have 4 freshly planted pine trees in the side/front! We've had plenty of rain this week, so fingers crossed that they make it!!

Finally we had a couple warm days so we could

Ride our bikes outside!! We have a race coming up next month, and I'll have to ride 56 miles outside. I was getting worried I wouldn't get to practice outside & would have to deal with all indoor training - ugh! Looks like this weekend we'll be able to ride outside again!!

Eating 'Pure'

Ahh, the foods of youth!

A few of my friends are doing a cleanse diet, so I thought I would do something similar for 30 days (April 1- April 30). I'm not looking to lose weight, but I thought it would be good to clean my system from sugar, and all the other bad things that I eat & drink. I eat too many mini Twix bars; chew too much gum with Aspartame; drink too much coffee (decaf at least- so I won't be feeling the effects from caffeine withdrawal - whew); and eat too much bread & cheese. (March 31st dinner = cheese sandwich & chips - see what I mean!)

My plan (and Chris is joining as well):

Eliminate coffee, soft drinks, and alcohol

Eliminate Sugar (except in sports drinks that I drink while working out)

Eliminate dairy

Eliminate grains

So basically only eat fruit, veggies, nuts, and lean meats. Powerbars, Gels, and Cliff Shots will also be included during workouts. Got to keep training the gut with those products, so it will be primed during races!

Biggest challenges for me:

No cheese - ouch!

No candy from the payroll guy's candy dish - ouch!

No iced coffee in the afternoon - ouch!

No bread or pasta - double ouch!

Week 1 went pretty well. Not easy to start on a Friday. The weekend was a little sketchy at times. I'm eating a lot of fruit & veggies. I think I might be gaining weight b/c I'm always hungry, so I'm always eating.

I wasn't perfect by any means, but I did pretty good!

My 'uh oh's' this week were - a beer with dinner last Saturday night; a ice cream cone from DQ on Sunday (Chris twisted my arm for that one - I really didn't want one); some popcorn; a hot chocolate.

I didn't have any coffee or soft drinks/soda or cheese or bread or candy! I even passed up birthday cake! Wow!

Now it's the weekend again - not sure I'll be as good. I was so good this past week.... I might be clean enough ;)

BSTT Spin a Thon

The Sunday morning after the Foxwoods trip, we were up early and off to do a charity spin a thon with our triathlon club. A great turnout - about 80 participants. The hours were 8:30-2:30 and you could spin for the entire time or for just a few minutes. Getting set up! Ready to roll

Ready for a 4 hour spin! That was on schedule for the weekend, so it was nice to work it into a group ride.

Chris getting serious

Local pro - Cait Snow also joined in. She's awesome! 8th in at the World Championships in Hawaii & last weekend she came in 3rd place at San Juan, Puerto Rico half ironman.

Our view for 4 hours

Big screen set up with Spinervals. Music was playing & people were chatting it up. The 4 hours flew by

The gym where it was taking place:

BSTT sponsors

Cait's husband, Tim, was also on hand. He is also a pro triathlete (5th at Ironman Lake Placid last year). He is also the Q&A coach for the training plan that we use. Our coach, Pat, writes the program, but Tim is the 'go to' guy for generic training questions. He also leads a monthly online training session.

He came over to us & chatted with us for the 1st hour (while we were warming up). It's cool to get a 'pro's' perspective on races, etc. He was in a very chatty mood & told us all about his triathlon adventures. And he gave us the scoop on some of Cait's too :) Best training hour of my life!

Here we are a couple hours into the ride.

Field started dwindling. There were only a couple riders who were staying for the entire time.

Our wastes

It was a great event! I can't wait until next year. Fortunately, the weather co-operated: it was cool & windy and we were all happy to ride inside.