Tofu is cheap, 14 oz. for $1.99 (even cheaper in an Asian supermarket), and contains antioxidant to help fight cancer. Ever since watching Mark Bittman’s video on our problematic diet habit, eating too much meat, I have tried to cut back my meat consumption and eat more plants. I am neither looking to become a vegetarian (never ever) nor trying to lose weight. I, the Sweaty Guinea Pig, am just doing my job, guinea-pigging a new diet!

Here are the pictures taken over the weekend:

Packing list, to keep myself organized.

Besides a detailed packing list, a short itinerary helped me plan a stress-free trip.

Two of my favorite books to read when going away for a race. Triathlon Training helped me review some important steps, such as arriving early, setting up transition area, and checking tire pressure, before the race. Best Food Writing kept me relaxed before going to bed.

Lunch - steel cut oats, arugula, nuts, and dried fruits. Eating light and healthy made me feel good before the race.

Ready to hit the road!

Most dreaded moment…filling up gas. That is NOT cheap.

One of the rare good shots that I took while driving. Since I was by myself, I had one hand on the steering wheel and the other one holding the camera. Do Not Guinea-Pig This at Home!

Here I am!


Sea Isle City.

Entrance to the beach, where my swim would start.

Scouting out the transition area the day before - a crucial step that could determine the outcome of the race.

The Memorial Post for the soldiers served in Iraq.

5:30 AM…get pumped!

Bike’s ready…and I was ready.

Water was freezing! Low 60’s.

My station. Check out the better looking bike next to mine. The owner of the bike actually won the race. An amazing bike makes that much of a difference (plus adequate amount of training; he bikes 2 hours, runs an hour, and swims 45 minutes a day and 6 times a week).

People getting ready in the last minute.

Finish line.

All of our timing-chips. The result was posted within two hours after we finished the race. I love technology!

Next and the final stop: New York City Triathlon, July 20th, 2008.

I had a great race over the weekend at Sea Isle City, New Jersey. I placed 85th out of 350.

Swim route - approximately 400 meters (1/4 mile). The water was chilly but calm. I have improved swimming since the last race. Although my face was kicked a few times while swimming with the big crowd, I managed to swim back to the shore safely. My swim time was 11:35.

Bike route, 3 laps - approximately 13 miles. Going down south, towards 79th street, was nice and easy because of the tailwind. However, going back north was tough; I had to pedal twice as hard going against the headwind. My bike time was 41:24.


Run route - approximately 3 miles. Running on the beach was challenging; running either on soft or hard sand, I had to used extra effort to pick up my feet. My time was 22:22.

For the first time, I neither crashed nor had equipment malfunction. My confidence was boosted by my improved results. I am more motivated than ever to train and get ready for New York City Triathlon.

*Pictures will be posted soon.

With less than 24 hours until my race, I needed a last minute brick session to ease myself into biking-to-running. I did a short brick session (bike to run) this morning before hitting the road.

Bike route, approximately 3.5 miles.

Run route, approximately 2.5 miles.

I am off to Sea Isle City!

I wouldn’t call this a pre-race meal, but eating light and healthy makes me feel great before racing. (I actually have never eaten “load carb” meals, a popular pre-race diet, before competing.)

I caramelized half of a red onion with low heat for 10 minutes before adding French breakfast radish, then I let the onion and radish cooked for 15 more minutes before plating them on sautéed radish leaves. Caramelized onion tasted sweet and braised radish was tender and light in flavor (braising radish gets rid of the earthy and spicy taste).

And yes, that was not enough for dinner. I also had some roasted chicken and champ.

I will be heading down to Sea Isle City, NJ this Memorial Weekend to compete in Tri-4-Vets. I look forward to improve my swim and bike time from the last race.

Before heading down to the Jersey shore, I swam in my wetsuit to get ready for ocean water swim on Saturday. My workout was short but efficient; I aimed to stay loose while keeping my competitive juice flowing.

Warm-up:
400 meters freestyle
200 meters kicks

Main sets:
3 x 50 meters freestyle: sprinting 25 and E.Z. 25 coming back.
3 x 100 meters freestyle: same as above, but 4 laps each set.
3 x 200 meters freestyle: cruising speed and paying attention to the techniques.

Warm down:
Wetsuit’s off…and dove into the water to cool off!

Total: 1650 meters.

Time to pack…have a great Memorial Weekend!

Every weekend, I will be visiting the green market and buying fresh groceries. I will share my shopping list and the cost with my readers. I hope to promote eating locally and bring back the enthusiasm of hands-on cooking.

Vegetables:
1 handful of bok choy: $1.50
1 bunch of arugula: $3.00
1 Bunch of French breakfast radish: $2.50
1 carrot, 1 bag of red onions: $2.00

Fruits:
6 apples: $3.45

Dairy:
32 oz. goat milk yogurt: $7.00 (more liquid than cow milk. expansive…yes, worth of a try…definitely!)
1 quart of skim milk: $3.00

Meat & Proteins:
1 whole chicken: $8.70
1 dozen eggs: $3.50

Bread/Flour/Grains:
Honey almond granola: $2.45 ($4.75/lb.)

Total: $37.10

With one last bit of fresh and organic lamb meat, the belly, left in the fridge, I braised it last night for 3 hours and made a delicious frittata with organic goat cheese and spinach for breakfast.

Braised lamb belly - surprisingly lean.

Lamb belly frittata with goat cheese and spinach.

I highly recommend cooking lamb and goat cheese together; they may be hands-down the best meat-n-cheese combo, in my opinion.

As gas price increases ridiculously almost everyday, I wince every time when I step on the gas pedal. Therefore, I decided to find out if it’s feasible for me to ride bike to school, from Edison to Piscataway. The route to school is safe. Jersey roads, at least around my vicinity, are wide and flat. With occasional bumps and holes, I made it to Rutgers University in 40 minutes. Now…I just need to figure out how to fit my books, gym clothes, and food into my Skareb 55.

Total distance: 19 miles (round trip)
Total time: 1 hr. 20 mins.

A short workout before the meet on last Sunday.

Warm-up:

• 600 meters freestyle

Pre-sets:

• 300 meters pull buoy
• 400 kicks

Main sets:

• 9 x 50 meters freestyle; broken down to 3 sets of 3, going from easy to medium to hard.
• 200 meters E.Z. freestyle

Pre-race drill:

• 5 starts

Warm-down:

•  100 meter E.Z.

Total: 2050 meters