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Hello!!!  I’m still here I promise!  Before I recap my long and freakin’ fantastic bike ride, I want to pick up with the end of the week . . .

I’m finally done with my semester and I did well on my stats final, yay!!  I’m planning on getting my last class credits done with another stats class over the summer; then it will be two semesters of thesis and I’ll have an MS in Exercise Physiology!  After the final, my classmates and I had lunch at a Mexican Restaurant called Cozymel’s since it was also Cinco de Mayo.  It was so nice to just sit, hang out and not have to worry about being anywhere.  I didn’t have anything alcoholic, but there were quite a few pitchers of margarita going around 🙂  I had two chicken and beef soft tacos that came with a side of rice and beans.  

After chatting it up for awhile, a fellow classmate had the wonderful idea of going to a place here in Vegas called Serendipity . . . um good but bad idea!!  They feature monsterous sundaes and decadent desserts, and they even have a $1,000 sundae if that suits your fancy.

Boy oh boy talk about carb coma!!  There were three of us that shared the fried oreo sundae, yes fried oreos!!! omg am I really posting this? lol  Look at this thing!

I also wanted to order the peanut butter frozen hot chocolate and how could I resist?  That is my favorite combo of all time and it sure was good.  Well, I’ve got my fill of rich desserts for awhile and it was worth every bite 🙂

That’s Jen the crazy cyclist, remember when I did a guest post with her?  Yep, she just finished her second full IronMan in St. George this past weekend!!  Go Jen!  I guess she earned this?  (p.s. She’s also going to try and start up her own blog soon, I’ll keep you posted)  I think she’s doing a double century this weekend too.  Yea, she’s just crazy, but such a great friend!

In the spirit of Cinco de Mayo, when I got home Chris was whipping up some Carne Asada from TJ’s.

I also made some frozen bell peppers and onions from TJs which are awesome.

The meat was really tender and turned out perfectly.  Chris broiled it in the oven and made sure it got to at least 135 F + some carryover cooking.  I’m sure you could also grill it, but we weren’t sure if we had enough propane.  The fire alarm went off a few times since we don’t really have a hood 🙂

I wasn’t too hungry from all that sundae business, but I had a small plate with about 1/2 the meat + all the veggies and Greek yogurt for dipping.

I’m definitely going to be getting these again for a convenient and tasty meal.

I’ve also been trying a few new products that I’d like to share and review with y’all.

Zing Bars sent me some samples in the mail to try for free.  I wanted to try these because they were developed by dietitians and also are free of many allergens like wheat, soy protein and gluten.  They also have some pretty great nutritionals.

I first tried the chocolate peanut butter flavor because, well, if you haven’t guessed by now, I’m a pb freakazoid 🙂  I really liked it!  It has a slightly chewy flavor from the protein with a nice dark chocolate hum, and it doesn’t have a weird after taste like a lot of higher protein bars.

This bar contains:

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Ok, now on to the epic bike ride!!! I’m running on a bikers high or something right now because, although I’m tired and my legs cursed me at the end, I’m feeling great and happy that I was able to get a long ride in finally!!

Last night I made a nice bowl of pasta and Chris went out with some friends.  I just looove pasta!  This one had about 1 cup pasta, 1/2 cup sauce + 1 laughing cow and sauteed kale, tofu, asparagus and mushrooms.  I also micro’ed some egg whites on the side.

I especially like the curly cue shape 🙂

For breakfast I had a bowl of cereal with 1/2 naner and started out really early at 5:30am.  I knew that the winds were going to be picking up later on today starting at noon, so I didn’t want any excuses!  Starting out is always actually the hardest part for me; it always takes me at least 20 miles or so to get in a groove.

It sure was nice because the sun was just coming up and there was no one else to be found.  It’s funny to think that most people are still sleeping 🙂  (Sorry in advance for the crappy iPhone pictures).

Hello Sun!

I really really like the Speedfil Hydration System.  Although it’s a pain in the butt to clean and get together, it’s very convenient for longer rides.  All I have to do is bend down slightly and bam! I’ve got hydration and fuel 🙂  I have yet to order an Infinit Nutrition formula, but should be getting a call on Monday to set one up.  Today I had about 40 ounces of Gatorade in there that I sipped throughout the ride.

I also put my Garmin 305 on backwards when I got my new bike by mistake, but I actually kind of like it because it keeps me from always looking down and seeing the times and such.  I think I’m going to keep it that way.  It’s nice not too focus too much on speed/time/miles because it can psyche me out sometimes.

Chris mapped out a nice route for me, and in order to get in the required mileage, I had to at least get in 30 miles before I met up with the Green Valley Cyclists for a group ride.  I went for a nice loop around Boulder City and headed down to the group ride start at Starbucks.

When I got to Starbucks I had about 20 minutes before the ride was to start so I whipped out my first snack and took a quick potty break.

• 2 cups H20 + Rice Krispie Treat — 90 kcals — I actually really like these for rides because they sit really light on the stomach and are nice and carby (17g) but not overly sweet.

The ride was scheduled to be about 34 miles and we stopped half way for a break, so I had my second snack.

• 2 cups H2O + Honey Stingers — 160 kcals — I usually always like the gummies because I can’t stomach the goos.  These aren’t the best flavor, but aren’t too sticky which is nice.

I LOVE group rides!!!  I tried to keep up with the front of the pack as best I could and I think I didn’t do too bad!  It’s just so empowering and you can go so much faster.  If you are considering biking, I would highly recommend finding a local group near you.  Plus you get to meet some pretty amazing people who also enjoy biking 🙂

After this ride I was on a freakin’ high from the group, but took another snack break and potty pit stop before heading home.

• 2 cups H2O + 1.5 plain bagel — 200 kcals — Plain bagels are not usually on the menu in our house, but for endurance rides, they are just the thing because they aren’t too heavy and have more carbs! (43g for 1.5)

Boy oh boy I was sure happy to finally make it back home!!!  I ended up having a couple pretty good climbs on the way back and my legs were feeling it.  I pushed through and kept thinking positive thoughts!  It really does make such a difference.

Here are my stats:

• 77 miles  (longest ride for me!)
• 4:36 (riding time) total it took me from 5:30am – 12 noon
• Avg: 16.5 mph (even with some good hills!!!)  Max: 34 mph

When I got home I whipped up a recovery smoothie which always hits the spot:

• 1 cup 1% organic milk
• 1/2 cup plain Wallaby yogurt
• big handful of spinach
• 1 scoop Recoverite (strawberry)
• 1/2 scoop BSN chocolate fudge pudding whey
• 1 cup frozen strawberries/blueberries
• 1/2 frozen naner
• 1 tsp peanut butter
• 1 tbsp hemp seed

It was overflowing!

I also grabbed a small chicken fajita that Chris saved for me when he went out to eat last night, thanks Chris!

So far today I’ve got in 2,000 kcals, and I’ve probably burned at least 1,800.  I’ve got some catching up to do, but will aim for at least an additional 700-900 for the rest of today.  I’m still working off that sundae remember? lol 😉

I’m so excited and happy that I got a ride in.  The winds are supposed to pick up this afternoon and all throughout Sunday.  Hopefully I’ll get another good one next weekend, and then the following weekend is the LiveStrong Century, eeee!  I can’t believe it!

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Hope you all are having a nice weekend & a Happy Mom’s Day!  I think I’m going to shower and then take a little power nap 🙂

What are you working towards right now, fitness or otherwise?