But I also remembered how to walk fast, hailed all my own cabs and had someone stop me on the street to ask directions. Directions I couldn’t give them, but still, I must not have looked like a total tourist.

It helps that I wore my trench coat. Which every other woman in Manhattan was wearing. Making me look even less like a tourist.

My camera stayed in my bag as did my laptop. I attended the BlogHer Writers conference, took notes by hand (GASP!) and loved every minute. I didn’t attend the main BlogHer conference this past summer (the first one I’ve not gone to since 2007) mostly because I was a little worried about feeling overwhelmed by 3000+ women. But also because I had a 4-month old at the time.

I told myself that I would seek out a niche conference…something smaller that would help me with my career focus. BlogHer Writers was exactly what I was looking for. It was amazing because there were maybe 200 people there, meaning that it was possible to go up and talk with anyone…which after remembering HOW to talk to other adults…I actually did.

I met the woman who was responsible for publishing 6 out of the 7 Harry Potter books. I met agents. I met editors. I met published authors. I met struggling writers and beginning bloggers.

That is, to borrow from Rachel Zoe, bananas.

There were old friends and many new ones. Not to mention, a heavy dose of creative inspiration…something I’ve been desperately seeking during my reinvention/postpartum rediscovery/who-the-fuck-am-I-now process.

One of the BlogHer co-founders approached me in the bathroom and asked if I was Tara from Lijit. I laughed and told her I was indeed. It’s funny how things stick sometimes.

I am a writer. I always have been. When I was working at tech startups and now that I’m working as a mom.

I thank everyone at BlogHer Writers for reminding me of that and for providing me with the tools chutzpah for taking the next step.

His expression sums it up best.

For example, this morning I deadlifted 100 lbs. Which I thought was awesome.

And then I hear a fellow athlete, Suzanne, call out her deadlift weight.

145 lbs.

Which is even more awesome.

This is Suzanne:

I wouldn't fuck with this one if I were you.

I’ve known Suzanne for almost two years now. We work out together regularly at the buttcrack of dawn and we both share a slightly sarcastic sense of humor. Meaning that if you’re in class with us at 5:30am, one of us will probably be cracking jokes. Hey, you do what you have to in order to survive these workouts.

The other thing I love about Suzanne? She’s 23 years older than me.

But the absolute BEST thing about Suzanne? She holds the world record for being the oldest woman to row across the Atlantic. Not only was she part of a team of rowers going for the trans-Atlantic speed record (they missed it due to cross-current issues), but when she was finished with the journey, she also picked up an antibiotic-resistant staph infection, MRSA.

Holy shit. As if the rowing wasn’t hard enough.

I have crazy respect for athletes like Suzanne because honestly, they are one of the main things that keep me coming back into Crossfit Roots again and again. I can only hope one day to be as accomplished.

(I’m okay without the MRSA though.)

Doesn't everyone take pictures of their new running shoes?

During and after my pregnancy, I took about seven months off from running. This qualifies as my longest break from the sport since I started running thirteen years ago. (The only other break was when I had runner’s knee. I took six weeks off that time.)

But I’m back.

In a serious way.

Like “already signed up for races and started training with a plan” serious.

But also “starting out with thirty extra pounds of baby weight” serious.

I’m doing the Muddy Buddy with a friend in three weeks. I’ve always wanted to run through a mud pit (weird desire, I know) and this event gives me the chance to do just that. Not to mention it’s a bike/run relay. With physical challenges.

In order to register for the Muddy Buddy, each team has to come up with a name. Keep an eye out for Team Dirty Moms. You can bet your sweet ass I’ll be writing up a race report for that one.

However, the Muddy Buddy is only a training run for the much larger goal: a half-marathon in September. Specifically, this half-marathon. I was four months pregnant the last half-marathon I ran, so I’m looking forward to being a bit faster this go-around.

Truth be told…I’m looking to be quite a bit faster. Instead of simply aiming to finish the race (which has been my goal many times before), I’m going to attempt to do it in under two hours. Considering my fastest half-marathon time currently stands at 2 hours, 11 minutes, I have some serious work to do.

Which is why I’ve decided to follow a training plan for this race.

Crazy, I know.

It’s been years since I put together an official plan but so far, it’s been working out really well. I like knowing what I need to do every day and not having to think much about it. This plan was inspired by my friend Roni and someone named Hal Higdon. He looks nice enough.

Here is what my training entails…

I’m in week 3 of my 11 week training program and can honestly say that intervals suck.

You know what doesn’t suck?

My new running partner.

Except that he's always falling asleep...

Don’t worry, it’s not contagious.

Fortunately, when this happens, I know exactly what I need to do.

Sign up for a physical adventure that costs money.

Why? Well, because once you pay for something, it becomes real. I’ve said that about every race I’ve ever entered. You can talk about training all you want but if you haven’t actually paid money for a race entrance fee, then you’re not really doing the race.

Because you don’t have anything on the line.

Even if you tell yourself differently.

So here I am, in fantastic shape due to CrossFit three times a week, training for a half-marathon at altitude (Aspen, I’m looking at you) and STILL looking to try something new. Because I’m crazy like that. There’s just something in me that longs for the taste of something different.

And that, my friends, is why I’m going to give cyclocross a try.

(Breathe Mom…it’s not motorcross. You don’t have to pray that hard while I do it.)

What is cyclocross?

It’s kinda similar to mountain biking and done on a bike somewhat similar to a road bike, with an obstacle course thrown in for fun.  And some mud.

The Rumblings

I started hearing about the Boulder cyclocross scene when I worked with one of the sport’s *loudest*  and most enthusiastic evangelists, Greg Keller. His blog about cyclocross, Mud and Cowbells, does a great job of capturing and expressing his passion for the sport. I began to follow his blog, reading about the local cyclocross courses and checking out a few videos.

The sport certainly looked fun. That mud! Those cowbells! And, of course, all that “Hup Hup Buttercup”-hollering and noise-making, which certainly didn’t detract from the good times.

He also goes by Muddy Cowgirl.

But I wasn’t ready to buy a new bike.

Until I got my tax return from Uncle Sam…and heard news that my old friends had just bought a bike shop. Turns out I was ready to invest in a new bike.

The History

My old buddy Dewey hooked me up with a sweet cyclocross setup and it’s wonderful how things come full circle. Honestly, although Greg got me turned on to cyclocross in Boulder, Dewey was the first person to tell me about the sport way back when…in 1996. We used to live in the same neighborhood in Laramie and would ride bikes around town together.

One day, we were tooling around the university when we came to a huge concrete set of steps. Dewey hopped off his bike and gave me my first introduction to cyclocross. He showed me how to throw the bike over my shoulder and then instructed me to run up the steps. I thought he was crazy but I did it. Although slightly painful with my heavy mountain bike frame from the early 90’s, I definitely saw the potential in the sport.

After that little lesson, Dewey taught me how to do the cyclocross dismount. It’s a little more complicated than simply getting off your bike because you want to keep moving and not come to a standstill. Fortunately, I’ve had that move down pat for the past ten years or so. Even in cute flats.

Now what?

I’ve got my cyclocross bike, I’ve got my in-town coach (Thanks Greg!) and my out-of-state coach ready to help. This past Saturday, I made the challenge a reality, paid my dues and signed up with a local team. The team is affiliated with the Boulder Cycle Sport shop and comes highly recommended. (Thanks Greg!) One of the perks of the team is that they have a tent at local Boulder races where you can get your bike worked on before/after the race. For someone like me, that itself is worth the price of the team.

They mean the royal We, right?

Not to mention there are training rides, weekly coaching clinics and many muscular men in Spandex like-minded athletes. If nothing else, I’ll be motivated to cheer my teammates on (because I love obnoxious yelling more than the next person!) and will have the resources necessary to set myself up for success my first season of cyclocross.

And when I say success, I’m not talking podium success…simply surviving-the-season success.

(I leave the podiums to my friend Ingrid.)

Back to that whole jumping-in thing

Starting soon, I’ll be learning a new sport and it may end up being something else that I suck at. But it’s time to find out and to see how my core strength holds up on a cyclocross course, how I hold up on my bike and how my clavicle holds up during a race.

(I haven’t broken a bone yet and would hate to start with my first season of cyclocross…*cough* Greg Keller *cough*…)

And you know what, cyclocross might also turn out to be a sport and physical activity that I totally love. I mean, we are talking about a combination of bikes, running and mud here.

Yes, I’m scared. Yes, I’m a little nervous.

But what’s not to love about that?

Since I don’t run that many races anymore, I’ve decided that when I do, I’m going to take them a bit more seriously. Not that much more seriously, because let’s remember it is me, after all…

But enough about my serious running goals, let’s talk about the Bolder Boulder as it happened almost a week ago…

–It was the first race that no carb-loading took place the night before…maybe ever? The hubby made me spaghetti squash and fried eggplant, with plantains and a salad fresh out of garden. I wasn’t missing carbs one bit and didn’t have that heavy feeling the night before the race.

–Race morning: Got up early to stretch, drink coffee and eat a banana w/ almond butter. Felt like a champ.

–Ended up in same wave as a friend and had someone to chat with for the first mile. Before I dropped her. Although, in her defense, she was suffering through a sinus infection. (Hi  Robin!)

–After parting ways with Robin, I ran the race by myself. Well, me and my watch. It’s the first time in three years that I haven’t had my husband running the race with me. I think the solo effort helped me to keep an eye on my mile splits and to push myself harder than usual. Not that he slows me down or anything, but without my husband there, I was able to fully focus on my performance. And it showed in my time.

–No water until mile 5. It felt good to keep running through the early water stations and since I rarely train with much water, I was okay not getting any until later in the race.

–After I got home and checked my results online, I realized I pulled off a negative split. Meaning that I ran the second half of the race faster than the first. This has been a goal of mine for a long time and it’s the first time I’ve actually pulled it off.

–Shaved three minutes off last year’s time, which was the very public goal that I made sure to tell everyone about. Also? I was *this close* to coming in under an hour. Like 21 seconds close. Can you guess what my goal is going to be for next year?

–Felt strong the entire time. I was passing people in the last couple of miles and that’s something I really enjoy doing. Because in years past, it wasn’t something I was doing much of.

–I did the whole thing with a busted lip. It’s a long story but suffice it to say, I’ve had prettier years running this race. (You can see a little something on my chin in the first picture and yes, it’s a big gnarly scab.)

–I honestly think that CrossFit had a lot to do with my success in this run. I didn’t do that many training runs before the race but because my core is just generally stronger, I had more power overall, less soreness in my legs and the ability to push myself when necessary. Not to mention the fact that I’ve done way more sprinting with CrossFit than ever before by myself. Sometimes I just need someone yelling at me to insure that I run short distances.

This race just gets better by the year and is the perfect start to my summer racing season. I plan to continue running this one for as long as I live in Boulder.

And because it’s apparent that I stole borrowed the photos above from Brightroom event photography, let me just say thank you to Brightroom event photography for capturing this year’s race.

(Maybe next year I’ll actually buy one? But only if you get pics of me looking good. Deal?)

Due to the fact that my husband worked late four nights this past week, I was forced to cook by, and for, myself. I rose to the occasion and rocked out my first roasted chicken. My husband did not disappoint either with Paleo versions of two of our favorite dishes.

Some culinary highlights from last week:

The shinier the bird, the more delicious.

–My motherf’n roasted chicken. As I mentioned above, this was a first for me. I took the guts out (fortunately, they were already bagged up for me), shoved a half-onion and a few garlic cloves up in there, and basted every twenty minutes. The husband said that I shouldn’t expect all chickens to turn out this well. I owe it all to the Savory Spice Shop. We got a kit of Colorado spices as a wedding gift (thanks Jacq!) and I swear that those spices help get me through the Paleo challenge by making everything taste better.

Banana's hipper and healthier cousin.

–Plantains. Sigh. Once I confirmed they were Paleo, I cooked them up in some coconut oil and longed for the Tropics. Plantains are really good, give me a bit of sweet and are currently the closest thing to a comfort food I have these days.

–Coconut cream. You read that right. Last challenge I was all about the coconut milk. After a trip to Pacific Ocean Marketplace, an Asian grocery store in Broomfield, I discovered my latest obsession. Coconut cream. And yes, it’s just as delicious as it sounds. Fluffier and fattier than coconut milk, coconut cream is the Holy Grail of Paleo desserts. Easily worth the trip back to the Asian grocery. And the weird smells you encounter while there.

The slaw is overshadowed by the burger. Again.

–Paleo coleslaw. This stuff is super easy to make, good for at least two meals and just one of those classic side dishes. I use Lemonaise in my slaw and this last batch even received a compliment from a co-worker. Pictured above with one of my other most favorite Paleo meals: a burger topped with a fried egg, avocado and salsa verde. Oh my.

–Justin’s Nut Butter. I want to marry almond butter. And ever since the last Paleo challenge, I’ve been doing a little almond butter research, comparing and contrasting different brands. What I’ve discovered is that Justin’s Nut Butter really is better. (Duh.)  It’s also more expensive. But since I have to enjoy the little treats during this challenge, a spoonful of almond butter is worth every penny.

Extreme closeup. Which makes me hungry.

–Chili verde con pollo. In other words, a chicken green chili stew. My husband scored big with this one, putting avocado and fresh cilantro on top. I didn’t miss the cheese, sour cream or tortillas. Much. And the best part is that we made a big batch and had enough for lunch the next day. Double score.

–Paleo quiche. You read that correctly. By laying prosciutto down in a basket-like weave around the bottom of a foil pie pan, adding sesame seeds and baking the whole thing for a bit, we effectively created a crust substitute. Then, he poured the egg, sausage and broccoli mixture on top and baked like a normal quiche. It worked, proving that you really don’t *need* crust.

(The cheating incident I refer to in the title involved a wood-burning pizza oven from Italy, good friends, threats of violence and perhaps a bit of peer pressure. Let’s leave it at that.)

To make Paleo matters worse, my partner in this challenge keeps sending me direct messages telling me how much weight he’s lost. With two cheats under my belt, I’m starting to feel a little like the weak link. So I’m publicly apologizing to Andrew and promising him that I’ll be better in the second half of the challenge.

(Although, in my defense, I didn’t have nearly the same kind of weight to lose as he did. See that? Right after the public apology, I publicly call him a porker. )

To sum up week two, as I’m apt to say around the office…fuck sugar.** Halfway there, kiddo. You can do it.

**Although a beer sounds really good.

We kicked off the first day of Paleo with a Middle Eastern feast consisting of lamb kabobs, veggie kabobs and baba ghanoush. Since this dish always gets so many rave reviews (even without the pita bread, hummus, and feta cheese), I thought I would share how to make this very easy and complete dinner. Paleo peeps, you’re welcome. Everyone else, you are too.

Lamb (or other protein) Kabobs

3/4 C  raw pistachios

1 lb. ground lamb

1 t cumin

1/4 C  diced onion

salt

pepper

1-2 cloves of garlic

fresh herbs (parsley/oregano/whatever you got)

1. In food processor, mix pistachios, cumin, onion, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper. When thoroughly chopped together, transfer the mixture into a large bowl, add in lamb and mix.

2. Shape into kabobs around a grilling skewer, throw on the grill and enjoy.

Chop up some vegetables for veggie skewers and you’ve got an easy and delicious side dish. After you’ve made the kabobs, rinse out the food processor and then make some baba ghanoush.

Baba Ganoush (spelled with or without the second ‘h’ it turns out)

eggplant

tahini

salt

pepper

lemon juice

olive oil

garlic

1. cut eggplant in half and cook on a baking sheet for an hour at 350 degrees. After cooling, skin the eggplant, putting the guts inside the food processor.

2. Add in tahini, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste while processing eggplant. You want the baba ganoush to be slightly on the thicker side. When done mixing, let baba ganoush chill for a bit before serving.

That was Monday. Unfortunately, it all goes downhill from there.

Tuesday…I met an old blogging friend who was stopping in Denver for the night. Had a glass of wine and dinner at the bar. Dinner consisted of olives. Fought the urge to stop by my favorite burrito place on the way home and ended up eating a hardboiled egg before bed.

Wednesday…I hosted a Blog and Beers event at the Mountain Sun Pub. Due to bad planning on my part, all I had for dinner before the event was an avocado and some radishes. I caved in to the pressure of hostessing and had 8 oz. of beer there. CHEATER. I know, I know.

Thursday… BBQ lunch at Trada for Startup Week, burger–no cheese or bun please. Then, Ignite Boulder. Enough said. We snuck out at intermission, ran to Falafel King and had a Paleo-friendly dinner there. You guessed it…more lamb and baba ganoush. Of course, not as good as my husband’s but not bad in a pinch. Was tempted by the free beer at Trada and had a glass of wine at Ignite.

Friday…turned down beer at yet another Startup Week event, had a glass of wine with the ladies for happy hour (also? beets sans cheese on the happy hour app menu at Salt FTW!), awesome dinner of coconut shrimp satay, sauteed Chinese broccoli and mushrooms, with fried plantains. Thai-like Paleo. Frozen strawberries and coconut milk finished things off right.

Graduated week one of Paleo...but not flawlessly.

Saturday…attended the graduation BBQ of a dear friend, was happily able to eat some of the food at this graduation celebration and also drank a glass of wine. I did not celebrate with the above cupcake, although my husband did. We baked chicken, had acorn squash and leftover Chinese broccoli.

Sunday…Paleo brunch and sunshine. A five mile run, some yard work and time to plan out what to eat for the upcoming week.

Who says you need cheese?

With a first week like this, my Paleo challenge can only get better from here on out. So far on the menu for next week, we have a whole chicken, hamburgers, fish and sausage. I’m going to take it easy on the social events, spend more time in the kitchen and quit that skipping dinner nonsense.

Here’s to a much more successful second week of Paleo!

Why would I ever do such a thing? Oh, you mean besides this?

“Research has strongly associated the modern Western diet with the current epidemic levels of obesity, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and cancer.”

Well, one reason is that after the last Paleo experiment, I saw the results.

And it turns out I really like the mindfulness and challenge that go into adhering to a strict diet.

Of course, I picked a helluva week to start this thing. I know, I know…that almost sounds like a lame excuse. But with Boulder Startup Week taking place this week and a little event called Beer and Blogs that I’m helping to facilitate, I have a schedule packed with events featuring alcohol.

(Too bad I won’t be able to drink a beer. In a microbrewery. With a bunch of strangers. Talking about blogs.)

Reason #3? I’m running the Bolder Boulder in four weeks and would love to carve just a few minutes off my time. Totally doable.

Reason #4? I want to do an unassisted pullup. Or loosely translated, I want to get stronger.

And finally…this Paleo challenge, I’m in it for the metrics. Last time, we just had pictures to document our changes. This time, we’ve weighed in, taken measurements, and done two different benchmark workouts. Can you say science experiment?

(We did take more pictures, but this time, the picture is solely used in the case of a tie.)

In case you have no idea what Paleo is, here’s an easy list of what I can and cannot eat.

Other changes this time around…

• no dried fruit. I believe my coach said something to the effect of “That shit’s like candy”.
• no canola oil.
• butter is allowed. I repeat, butter is allowed. So if I get desperate at some point during the challenge, I reserve the right to eat a spoonful of butter.
• this challenge will last five weeks.
• tequila and potato vodka have been added to the list of approved alcohol; still only four drinks a week though.
• teams of two. I’ve partnered up with another finalist from the last Paleo challenge and between us, there is much potential for shit-talking and ass-kicking.
• no spousal support. My husband has decided not to join me on this adventure and knows that there will be repercussions for eating ice cream in front of me. It could get ugly.

Goodbye. For now.

That’s what my challenge looks like starting today, but what does Paleo 2.0 mean for you?

More talk about eating real food, more documenting the struggle and more sharing of recipes this go-around. According to my Lijit stats, someone keeps searching for Paleo stuffed mushrooms. Since that was one of my favorites from the last Paleo challenge, I plan on making it again AND posting the recipe here.

I have one successful Paleo challenge under my belt (top five finalist, right here)–so I know I can do it.

The question this time is can I do it without my husband. And without pissing off my new co-workers. Or killing my partner.

Stay tuned. Things are about to get interesting. At least as interesting as carb-free can get.

Day 34 of my 2008 Project 366 challenge

My birthday has come and gone. But I started this list a few weeks ago and, as a sucker for accountability, I wanted to be sure to post it. ¹

I made a similar list last year and while I didn’t complete everything on it, I learned a few lessons. Like don’t make your goals vague and unattainable. And if you do, at least call them resolutions.

In no particular order, except numerical, here are 34 things I want to do this year:

1.   see a movie at the Boulder Outdoor Cinema

2.   take the hubby to the Denver Botanic Gardens

3.   summit another 14′er

4.   learn to swim with Mimi

5.   ride the old coasters at Lakeside Amusement park

6.   visit the downtown Denver aquarium

7.   see another play at the Curious Theater

8.   start a one-sentence journal (hat-tip to Gretchen Rubin’s Happiness Project for this one)

9.   do an unassisted pull-up

10. visit a state I’ve never been to ²

11. nurture my humor writing

12. soak in the Conundrum Hot Springs

13. bag Boulder’s triple crown: summit Bear, South Boulder and Green Mountain peaks all in one trip

14. check out Mesa Verde

15. attempt to produce and edit a video

16. try gluten-free baking

17. show up ³

18. continue to say yes ⁴

19. get 8-9 hours of sleep a night ⁵

20. run a new race

21. run an old race…faster

22. declutter

23. give more clothes away to Goodwill

24. update address book (consider a digital version)

25. update RSS reader

26. write another piece for HuffPo

27. pay off another credit card

28. eat at Frasca…finally

29. open a joint banking account with the hubby

30. undertake a photography challenge

31. make some art

32. watch Lawrence of Arabia…finally

33. secret wish #1

34. secret wish #2 ⁶

Don’t worry my loveys. I shall keep you updated on the progress of my little hope-to-do list. And if any of you would like to join me in completing any of the above, please let me know. ⁷

But what it really comes down to is this…CrossFit isn’t something that you look good doing.

Because it’s hard and you’re pushing yourself and it’s difficult enough to even think about doing 100 box jumps…much less try to look cute while doing these 100 box jumps.

If you want a pretty workout, go to a big gym and check out the cardio equipment. Or stop by one of the bajillion yoga studios in town. However, if you want results AND you don’t care how you look getting them, then you should be doing CrossFit.

The other morning, my coach mentioned that she had some pictures of me from a workout. She also mentioned that they were pretty awful and she didn’t think I would appreciate her posting them on the CrossFit blog. (She’s nice like that. And totally right.)

So while I don’t want them on that blog, I’m more than happy to post awful pictures of myself here. Enjoy a candid capture of me in the midst of a CrossFit workout. You’ve been warned.

And don't tell me that any of you, after doing 100 box jumps, 100 wall balls and 5 400m sprints, would look any better.

Thank you CrossFit and especially to my coach Nicole. It may not be pretty, but it works.

And you can bet that I’m ready to carry my husband over the threshold on our honeymoon.