T.J.'s Favorite Pasta Bake

I competed in the Amica Mid Summer Olympic Tri today. I went in with a goal of finishing under 3 hours. The weather was perfect. Upper 60's and overcast. The water this time around in Blue Lake was a bit warmer than last, but still murky. I haven't been training all that hard since my last triathlon becuase I've just been putting it off. I also could not sleet last night. I ended up waking at 4am. Giving me 4 hours of sleep. Not Good.

The Swim:
Started out good except my left rotator cuff was killing me. Last Wednesday I did a workout involving the butterfly stroke which must have aggravated my shoulder. I tried to ignore it during the race and I was able to most of the time but every once in awhile, it hurt. :(
I finished the swim and came out of the water covered in marine plant life. Seriously. There was some epic plants wrapped around my arm. gross.

T1:

Didn't bother to dry off, except my feet. Decided to wear my socks and DB's sun glasses.

Bike:


The flat course was fantastic compared to last month's Hagg Lake. My legs did feel fatigued and I could tell that I had slacked on my bike workouts over the past couple of weeks.



T2:
I was able to transition quickly, again, sitting while I changed into my running shoes. No hat this time, just sunglasses.

Run:

I was the slowest in my age group! First half was super slow. Second half after I ate a electrolyte gel was a little faster. My pace was at 9m 21s. I think more towards 9:40 first half and just under 9 second half. Legs felt good. A little pain in my right knee but nothing to write home about. I have been having trouble with my left knee so the fact that it was only my right knee today, was great. Also, Hood to Coast will feel like a piece of cake since I won't be swimming and biking before my runs.

I wasn't sure my exact time overall because I didn't get a change to look at the results. I did however get an award for 3rd place in my age group. M.Y.'s dental school friend kicked my butt and got 2nd place. 1st place was from Tacoma, WA and killed it on the bike. I had the 2nd fastest bike time, 3rd fastest swim and slowest run...heh.

Once DB and i got home, I had to drive over to Ocean Park to pickup my mom (long story). I didn't get home until just after 7pm. I checked the results online and.....









My final time was 2 hours 51 minutes!!!!


I'm so happy.




DB also got 2nd in his age group for the duathalon. Way to go boyfriend! I'm excited to see how we compare at the MAC Dash Sprint tri in September. I'm going to have to get quite the head start on the swim to be any threat to DB. (his running splits are crazy fast).

DB with his Silver medal, Me with my Bronze.

The next athletic endeavor will be Hood to Coast. I got lucky number 9. aka the most difficultly ranked and longest legs. Thanks team. Did I mention that I got the SLOWEST run time in my division today?


Last night for dinner I made a pasta bake with gluten free shells:
DB told me to call it his favorite, so here it is;

T.J.'s Favorite Pasta Bake

Ingredients:

1 - 16 oz gluten free pasta shells
1 1/2 cup chopped up fresh mozzarella
3 links of Aidells Artichoke and Garlic Smoked Chicken Sausage, sliced
5 large Roma tomatoes, diced
1 large zucchini sliced
3/4 cup shredded parmigiana cheese

Cooke pasta according to package. Once cooked, drain and combine with the rest of the ingredients in a large casserole dish. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and Itallian seasoning.

Place in a 375 oven covered, for 30 minutes. Stick under the broiler with the lid removed for 10 minutes.

Gluten Free and precooked. Great for quick meals.

Okay, I have no idea why this photo is sideways. I couldn't figure out how to make it right side up either.

Do you see that stringy, cheesy, goodness?

Oh. I also discovered Nutella. You know those Ferrero Roche candies? Well I can't eat them becuase they have that shell in the middle that is made with flour. I bought Nutella and found that it was processed by the same company. Holy cow I'm going to be fat.

My waist-line will be cursing you later.

I will post pics from the tri later. They are on DB's iPhone.