What's your favorite junkfood?

With Halloween having came and went, it really got me thinking about the refined sugar I sometimes indulge in. Being gluten free, I often get a craving that a salad just won't satisfy. I get a hankering for something crispy and salty, washed down with something fizzy and sugary, and followed up with something chewy and gooey and nougaty.

Take today, for example. I had a noon-o'clock meeting with a faculty member in the chemistry department, and afterward, I sat at my desk and fixed up a document to send to my advisor. Before I knew it, my computer clock down in the lower right hand corner said "2:14pm." Shoot. I missed the salad bar at the MUB. I didn't pack a lunch. That doesn't leave me many options. So I ordered a large fry. Loaded it up with salt. Lots'a ketchup. Sometimes you just need it. Of course, I needed something to wash it down, so I grabbed a 20ounce Coke. Perfect lunch? No way. But what are you gonna do?

With a gluten free diet, it's sometimes hard to get the right things in my diet. It takes a lot of planning. If I don't pack a lunch, it's kind of like playing Russian roulette on whether I will get a decent meal, or whether that meal will really be gluten free. I get questioned when I turn down the breadstick at the salad bar, and I've been yelled at for asking for "a sandwich without the bread." As if I were ripping them off...

So being gluten free and eating healthy requires time. Effort. I've picked up a good habit of packing last night's leftovers for lunch. My favorite lunch isn't peanut butter and jelly on bread; it's peanut butter and jelly in rice. Trust me, it's good.

So here is my tribute to the french fry. It's my favorite junk food. Snickers takes a close second. What's yours?

Good news all around

How excited am I?
Pretty damn excited.

I just found out that I made the teamnuun elite squad for 2010. Woowoo! I got bumped up from the grassroots level I received in 2009, and I am so pumped. Nuun has been such an awesome company, and their product is amazing; it is a standby in my training and racing. Plus, it just tastes good. I share it with M (my Little Sister) and for a 6-yr-old, she certainly approves. I got my local bike shop to carry the stuff, too. If you haven't tried it yet, you should...

The Kuparisaari Triathlon registration is underway. The website should be up soon. I made a facebook page for it and got them going on twitter, too (copperislandtri, if you aren't already following!). Man, this is going to be a fun event to plan. One last little hill to climb, and then it should be fairly smooth sailing. If you are interested in doing the half ironman, registration is extra-reduced until Nov 31st if you use a mail-in form. It's only $70! Stay tuned for more info about the website launch, discounts on entry fees, and other cool stuff about the first and ONLY half iron distance triathlon in Michigan's Upper Peninsula :-D

Busy, busy

The last few weeks have been pretty hectic.

Research: I have been working on two manuscripts (one was rejected! ouch.. and the other hasn't yet been submitted) and I started yesterday on a review paper. I am going to approach the review paper differently than the previous five papers I've put together: I am going to use an outline! Should take the stress away and help me target my topic sentences, anyway.

Opportunities are opening up for me, though. I turned down a job in Royal Oak recently because I want to focus on finishing my degree sooner than later, and Tammy is convinced that by Sept 2010, I will be graduated. I don't know about that though. Anyway, we are going to be designing a unique drug-delivery device, and I start working on that on Wednesday. Pretty sweet, I say.

Race team: I applied last month to be a member of Team Trakkers, a GPS-based company who are in their pre-release stages of product development. They haven't released their product to the open market yet, so as an athlete I'd be able to use state-of-the-art devices that track where I am in realtime along the course, no matter what race. I am one of fifty finalists in the running for their team, which is really exciting. They will only be selecting 10 or so athletes, though, so my chances are still pretty tough. Regardless, I think it would be really cool to share the real-time data-logging experience with my family, especially when they can't travel with me to all my races. I would likely have one already if the product was on the market. I have a wristwatch GPS but no one can see my data until after I upload it, and sometimes that can take a while... So, here's to hoping that I make the team! To be able to have a tracking tool on my first ultra marathon would be really interesting... my teammates could share in the experience!

Team Mega Tough: Speaking of teammates... I've also been tackling the feat of approaching potential sponsors for support during the 2010 season for Team Mega Tough. It was fun to see how everyone did in the last year or racing by compiling it all in one single document! And, it was really motivating to see what each of our goals are for 2010. I hope that we will be able to do some really fun events together. Right now, we're really hoping to get sponsors to help us with having uniforms and gear, like headlamps, water-bottle carriers, and nutrition. I also had an idea of forming an "ultra-relay" event up here in the Keweenaw as a type of reunion for previous Michigan Tech runners, and people could do the relay in teams of 12 or less. I approached Ragnar about it but haven't heard back, so we might just try it without advertising too much, get some local teams involved, and see what happens. How cool would that be? I have a few routes in mind.

Organizing a Triathlon: I'm also really getting the ball rolling on the Kuparisaari Triathlon. The registration site is up, but our website isn't yet. I meet today with our logo/web designer. We are hopefully going to have some big sponsors. We already have Hammer Nutrition on board... I need to talk to the local community more to figure out course logistics (there will be some major construction going on where we wanted to have the swim start, so now we have to find a different place...). It'll work out, though.

So that's that.

Be Safe Out There

While training this summer for triathlon, I was out on the road a lot by myself. I couldn't always keep up with the guys, and I wouldn't always call a friend to go for ride right after work. When I'd have Women's Cycling Nights in Lake Linden, I'd ride the ten miles or so up to the Rehab center on the crazy-scary-sketchy highway with gravel shoulders and angry drivers.

Anyway, it really got me thinking about my own safety. So Adam and I forked over 30 bucks each and got a RoadID.

What is it?
Road ID is a band you wear around your wrist or ankle. Road ID also make tags you can put on your shoe.

Why do I need this?
So if something happens to you out on the road, you'll be identifiable.

I always run/bike/ski with my phone. Why would I get one of these?
Because it's strapped to your body. When I bike, I put my phone in my jersey pocket. If I get hit by a car, my phone can easily get knocked out. Plus, if I were to crash on my bike and land on my phone, it might break- and then what? Even if you always bike with your driver's license, that can fall out of your pocket, too. Also, your RoadID can display any information on it you deem as important. Got asthma? Have it typed on there. Have an allergy to bee stings? That can be on there, too. You get to type on there whatever you want!

What if I get one of these and then move? The info isn't valid anymore.
Replacement IDs are nearly half the cost of getting an entirely new ID.

Adam and I have the Elite bands, which have a metal clasp and a rubbery band. Super comfy, and I barely notice it when I am out running and riding. I almost got the ankle ID because it has reflective banding on it, but since I wear pants all winter (and winter is 6+ months of the year...), I thought the wrist ID would be a better go.

Now that the season is changing, the snow will soon fly (well, I guess it already has), and the days are getting shorter and shorter, the importance of this little tool has really been underlined.

So, I just ordered a few gift cards and hats for giveaways at this year's New Year's Eve Fun Run and Walk in Hancock. With my order, I got a coupon for $1 off orders. It can be used up to 20 times in the next 30 days, so if you were thinking about getting one of these, now is the time.

You can also use the code: PCLEVI for an additional discount and 100% of the sale's profit go to Levi Leipheimer's charities. I don't know how long this discount will last! Click here to order!

My code for $1 off is: ThanksMegan558805

Who's Your Favorite Female Athlete?

Here's the results of my "poll"- more like survey, since no two people had the same favorite female athlete!!

Kerryn McCann (Australia)-Dual Gold Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist, 11th place in 2000 Olympics, a Marathoner, a Mum, a wife, an inspiration who sadly lost her battle with cancer in 2008." -blogger from WTS

Paula Radcliffe - less than 10 months after giving birth to her first child, she won the New York Marathon. This was controversial for some, but very empowering for many others. She is a World Champ in half marathon and full marathon, and has won NYC marathon 3 times.

Kathrine Switzer - A pioneer to women's marathon running, she was the first woman to officially enter the Boston Marathon.

Grete Waitz- Won 9 NYC marathons, more than any other woman in history. World champ, Olympic medalist. She also does charity work for Special Olympics and CARE. Thanks for telling me about her, Tom!

Chrissie Wellington - making the boys out in the triathlon world look over their shoulders... or straight ahead, because she's passed most of them.

Beckie Scott- not a runner, but one helluva good XC skier! And she's super-involved as a humanitarian as well as keeping dopers out of the sport.

Dara Torres- Incredible swimmer who has competed in 5 Olympics, got silver in three events at the age of 41.

Nancy Lieberman - "simply due to her dedication to her sport and its athletes long after she's done playing. What a role model." - Megan from WTS

Michelle Timms - elected to Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008 and won gold at 1996 Olympics!

Tanisha Wright - This girl is younger than me! She's a professional WNBA player in Seattle.

Michelle Akers - Michelle was a member of the famous 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup team after being a 4-time All American in college.

Who is my favorite female athlete? Perhaps I have too many to name. I really look up to my friend Karin, who is shooting for a spot in the 2010 Winter Olympics for Nordic skiing. I've met some really awesome women who do outstanding things, like Devon Crosby-Helms (ultrarunner) and Linsey Corbin (Ironman). Additionally, Chrissie Wellington is a role model for any young girl that is interested in endurance sports, and she's always got a smile on her face! I also look up to all the women that follow their dream to do big things.