Brrrrrr (1.24.2009)

I did it and am finally warm enough to write about it.

Backing up a little, this morning I woke up and knew I wanted a big bowl of WARM oatmeal to start my day off right. I went with a decadent combination since I was about to jump into freezing cold water and if I didn't make it out alive, I wanted my last meal to be a good one. ;)

• 1/2 c oatmeal
• 1/2 c skim milk
• blueberries
• sprinkle of brown sugar
• white chocolate and peanut butter chips
  
• spoonful of almond butter

It was one of the best bowls of oatmeal I have had in awhile. I love when blueberries get hot in the oatmeal and they burst. mmm.

After breakfast, we headed down to pick up Kevin's sister, Molly, who was our team captain. We met up with everyone and headed over to Sandy Point State Park.Kevin's company sponsored our team, so we were lucky enough to score corporate parking passes and loaded all 16 people in 2 big cars. Our passes got us in the parking lots closest to the warming tents and the water, which was really convenient.

It has been awhile since I cracked a beer open at 10am, but it went down easily and helped build up my "liquid courage". We had a fire pit for extra warmth, but it's main purpose was to grill up hot dogs, hamburgers, bratwurst, and chicken wings. Kevin had marinated the wings overnight using two sauces:

Regular Hot Wings: Franks Hot Sauce, Garlic, and Butter
Barbecue Hot Wings: Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Barbecue with Old Bay Seasoning
All the food went fast. I downed a hot dog, a chicken wing, and some tortillas chips with homemade guacamole that I had made the night before.

I also did a shot of dutch chocolate vodka for dessert. Hey - everybody needs something sweet after a meal, right?

Time to plunge! Most of the group...Kevin and I were huddled together (temperatures in the 30s) trying to keep warm moments before we plunged into 36 degree water. Yes, you read right. 36 degrees. I was scuuurred, but excited too. I left my hat and scarf on for the plunge. The hat is my grandfather's that he gave me recently because I told him I thought it was cool. It has flaps on the sides that cover your ears. Flaps are cool.

I ran in the water until it was up above my belly button, splashed around and then ran out as fast as I could. It was a rush....a major adrenaline rush.

I forgot to take any "after" photos because I was rushing to get into the warming/changing tents. We ran into the first tent we saw. I noticed that there weren't a lot of, if any, women in there and felt proud of myself for being one of few women to get in the water. I felt hard core.

I was able to remove the layers under my towel and get changed pretty quickly. Then, I realized a lot of the men around me were naked. It was too much. Molly and I were snickering like little girls. I saw things I never wanted to see.

Some man finally came over to Kevin and said that we shouldn't have been in there. Meaning me and his sister Molly. We were in the MEN's changing tent. Oopsie. (and yeah, plenty of other women plunged - they just went to change in the WOMEN's tent like they were supposed too.)

I was also excited to tell you about my celebrity sighting. Borat! Ewww, right?! Have a great rest of your weekend!

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Friday Catchup (1.23.2009)

First off, I received an award and wanted to send a big THANK YOU to Lori over at Fake Food Free. I happen to think her blog is fabulous also. She describes herself as a "realistic nutritionist" and is all about having a healthy balance with real food. Sounds perfect to me, so I really enjoy reading her tips! She loves to travel and I think that adds a special "something, something" to her posts because you get to see all the delicious eats from different places she visits.

Food

Dinner on Tuesday night was Mediterranean Crusted Salmon with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Pine Nuts. I went the easy route on this one.

I overcooked this a tad, but it still had good flavor. I am slowly getting back into salmon since I had a bad case of food poisoning a year or so ago after eating a bad piece.

The fish was served with steamed cauliflower that I seasoned with smart balance, parsley, and fresh parmesan.

Wednesday night, we went out to dinner and I had a chicken caesar wrap with steamed veggies. No pics, but I wanted to share because I was proud of myself for saying "no" to the fries. I love fries - like really LOVE them. But I want to try and cut down to just having them as part of a splurge meal every now and then.

Last night, I cooked up a quick stir-fry using Trader Joes Beijan Style frozen veggies, thinly-sliced chicken, Soy Vay Teriyaki sauce, and brown rice.

It turned out pretty good, but I just wasn't into the chicken, so I picked around it. I decided to bake up some tofu using the Soy Vay sauce as a marinade so I could get some protein. These little cubes were caramelized and delicious.

Breakfast this morning was oatmeal. I am all out of fruit, so this combination included:

• 1/2 c oats
• 1/2 c vanilla soy milk
• sprinkle of brown sugar
• spoonful of part-skim ricotta
• spoonful almond butter
• pecans

Mmm. Mmm. Deeeelish. I ate my oatmeal while checking out some new reading material - Cooking Light. A Christmas present from my friend Carolyn that just arrived last night. There are a ton of delicious recipes, so expect to see some in the near future.

Workouts

Last week, I talked about the training program I started and am proud to say that I am keeping up with it! I put together this handy-dandy spreadsheet to help me track my progress against the plan. Here's a peek:

You may have to enlarge it to actually read it. Items highlighted in green have been completed.

I am playing indoor soccer on Wednesday nights, but last week, our team had a bye. This week the game was at 9pm and after my Tuesday run, my lower back was killing me. I ended up going to the gym earlier on Wednesday to do light cardio and a little lifting (not anywhere near my back), but didn't think playing indoor soccer would be a good idea.

Polar Bear Plunge

Tomorrow is the Polar Bear Plunge and I am still nervous. Today is a beautiful day and the temperature is up in the 50s. Why cant it be like that tomorrow?! The temperature is supposed to drop all day tomorrow.

Our plan is to get there around 10am and tailgate until the plunge at 1pm. I am going to layer up, so that I can decide what I want to wear for the actual "plunge" right before. I will probably end up wearing my triathlon outfit. Tri shorts and a wick-away tank. Oh and my scuba booties because someone told me I definitely need something on my feet.

If you have time, check out some of the pictures on the Plunge site. http://www.plungemd.com/

It looks like it is going to be a blast.

What are you all up to this weekend? After the plunge, my goal is to get warm. Then, get some housekeeping done around the blog...and my house!

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Taking the Plunge (01.14.2009)

I have officially lost my marbles. Today, I signed up to participate in the Polar Bear Plunge on January 24, 2009. What is that you ask?

It's an event that benefits the Special Olympics Maryland where people take a dip in the frigid Chesapeake Bay. My boyfriend's sister is going to be our honorary team captain for the event.

I am pretty much scared to death and have chills just thinking about it, but since it is for such a great cause - that hits close to home - I want to do it.

I was reading the first-timer tips and this one scared me:

"Do not be the first to go into the water if it is your first time. Remember there will be many people behind you and if you get in there and decide you need to get out immediately, it will be very difficult to do so quickly"

I will be at the back of the pack - no question there.

I was talking to someone at work who has done it 4 times and I innocently asked if alot of people wear wet suits. He just laughed and was like - that's not really the point. Soooo, I have to wear a bathing suit? uh oh.

What have I gotten myself into? I quickly decided that I need to figure out a costume or some other outfit that covers more skin because a bikini is just not going to happen in January. People might think I am a ghost if I do that.

So I need ideas - has anyone else done this type of thing before? What would you wear if you were jumping into freezing water?

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