Recovery

Now that the excitment of the weekend and my big race have worn off, I am in the recovery phase. This is a new area for me because I need to figure out how to balance recovery, but also still be able to train. The Arizona IM is just a little under 4 months away and I have a big weekend coming up at the end of August. I will be doing my first century ride for Pelotonia followed by a 1/2 marathon the next day. See these two websites for more info on these events:
1) http://www.pelotonia.org/ride/riders_profile.jsp?MemberID=4370&RiderName=Ann%20Kurtenbach
2)http://www.spiritofcolumbushalf.com/

So, I have backed off on the miles this week and trying to do all "easy" workouts. It is frustrating though - how come "easy" always ends up being slow? Here is a summary of my week thus far:

Sunday: Rest day - consisted of sleeping in late, going to the beach and jumping waves for about 25 minutes, laying out for a bit, long lazy lunch, then a 5 hour car ride home.
Monday: Slept in, easy 45 minute bike ride, easy 35 minute swim, 60 minute massage, celebration meal - went to Whole Foods and had good salad, pasta dish, bread/dipping oil, and few glasses of good wine. Followed this with freshly baked cookies and peanutbutter choc. ice cream once I got home.
Tuesday: I started off the morning with an easy 2500 swim with the masters group followed by an easy 30 minute run. Legs still sore, so I didn't push it anymore today.

One other thing I am trying to balance with training is eating well. This is difficult because I love sweets! I have never met a cookie or brownie that I could turn down. Problem is that so many of these have simple carbs, bad-for-you fat, etc. So I have been trying to cut back and searching for recipes that are at least a little healthier. So I was very happy when I found these little gems. . .

Nutty for Oats Cookies:
2/3 cup smooth peanut butter
4 TBS unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 large eggs
1 cup oldfashioned rolled oats, ground for 30 sec. in food processor
1 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1-2 cups chocolate chips (giradelli brand 60% bittersweet make all the difference)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, lightly grease 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Cream together the peanut butter, butter, sugar, vanill, salt, and the baking soda in a medium bowl. Beat in the eggs, scraping the bowl once incorporated, then the ground oats, old-fashioned oats, and chocolate chips. Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake cookies, reversing the pans midway through, until they're barely set and beginning to brown around the edges, 11 to 13 minutes.
Last, but not least, enjoy with your favorite beverage!