Honu 70.3 Lessons Learnt

It's been more than 24 hours since I crossed the finish line at the Rohto Ironman 70.3 Hawaii triathlon and I want to record the lessons learnt from the race for future reference.

Pre-race:

1. Two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, one orange, and 8-10 oz of water 1.5-2 hours before the race starts is fine for pre-race nutrition.
2. Use sunscreen lotion not spray.

Swim:

1. To save about 30 seconds to a minute, start near the front with the faster swimmers. I am a better swimmer and can handle swimming in the bunch.
2. While 2 min 2 seconds/100m is not too shabby, I can do better than that. My splits while training at the pool prove that I can go faster than 2 min/100m. How do I translate my faster pool times to the open water? Not sure, but I can start by training at race pace for extended distances.
3. The Orca RS1 Killa Race Suit is an awesome one-piece suit for non-Wetsuit swims. So too is the Kiwami Amphibian.

T1:

1. Ask for sunscreen from the volunteers.
2. Need to cut down transition time by keeping the transition bag free of clutter.

Bike:

1. Secure individual Powergels (not the whole bunch) to the bike using black tape. I lost two Powergels during the bike because of that oversight.
2. Don't bring my own bottles on the bike. If necessary, pay for a bottle of Perform and/or water for nutrition on the bike.
3. It is possible to secure the C02 cartridge and inflater to the race belt . No need to get a rear saddle storage system.
4. Even though the bike course is only 56 miles, always use chamois cream. Even though I did not experience any significant chafing, I was still fairly uncomfortable during the latter half of the bike.
5. Consider using the Kurt Kinetic stationary trainer to build strength. Despite the undulating course, I can do a better job of smoothing out my power output and staying in the aero position by using the trainer.

T2:

1. Ask for sunscreen from the volunteers.
2. Need to cut down transition time.

Run:

1. Consider using a visor or hat during the run. My scalp and forehead actually hurt from being sun burnt.
2. At mile 0, take two Powergels plus a few sips of water for post-bike refueling.
3. From mile 1 to 7, take one Powergel (for refueling) plus a few sips of water and a sip of Perform (for electrolytes to prevent cramps) at every aid station.
4. From mile 8-12, take a sip of Perform and/or a sip of Coke (for a quick shot of sugar) at every aid station.
5. From mile 12, run through the aid stations. It's less than 2 miles to the finish line. Any Perform or Coke will do little for my body at this time.
6. For races with temperatures higher than 80 degrees Fahrenheit, grab two cups of water and two cups of water at each aid station and pour the water and ice inside the front and back of the tri suit to lower the core temperature and keep one cool until the next aid station.

Overall:

Negatively splitting the swim, bike, and run segments respectively is an effective strategy for finishing strong.

I'll follow up on the lessons learnt with an official race report.

ELC Pictures

Chocolate Kiss Cookies

This week's is Chocolate Kiss Cookies.
I saw this recipe online and I wanted to try it since I see these cookies everywhere and I was just curious how to make them. So, this was my first attempt and it turned out great! (thanks to the recipe).

The original recipe asked for kisses, but I think it will go well with Reseese's Peanut Butter cups, too. I used Cherry Kisses and Kisses Meltaways for these cookies. (can't tell the difference since the outside is brown.)

Here's the recipe!

Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
* 1 1/4 cups butter (softened)
* 2 cups white sugar
* 2 egg (room temperature)
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
* 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt

* 54 milk chocolate candy kisses, unwrapped
* 1/3 cup granulated sugar for decoration

1. Mix all wet ingredients. It's better if you mix butter and sugar first until fluffy. Then add eggs (leave the eggs out for about 30 minutes to an hour before using). After butter, sugar and eggs are mixed, add in vanilla extract.

2. On a separate bowl, mix in all the dry ingredients.

3. 1/2 cup at a time, add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Continue until all the dry ingredients are gone. I used the hand mixture speed 1 and slowly mixed them.

4. Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour (longer the better - half a day or one day)

5. Take out the dough and make 1-inch diameter ball. Roll on sugar. Bake for 8-10 minutes (8 minutes = chewey cookie, 10 minutes = more crunchy).

6. Take out the cookies when it's done, cool for a minute then put unwrapped kisses whiles it's still warm (but not immediately after you take out).

7. Cool & Enjoy! It yields about 4 dozen cookies.

bobby pins VS. butterfly pins

VS.


recently I remembered an experience I had in high school and it's pretty funny. So I thought I should write it down before I forget.

I used to play basketball in high school. I was in the international school so we usually played against other international schools. But during my senior year, my coach decided to join Chinese schools basketball tournament. They play basketball so differently (with elbows and nails) that I kept getting fouled out because they said my defense was too 'rough'.

Anyway, in one of the games against one Chinese school, before the game a referee came up to me and said, "you.. no... this [pointing at the bobby pin]" And I said, "oh... ok... but I only have one." But he said, "no" so I took it off, wondering how one bobby pin can hurt anyone. Then during the game, I was guarding this girl and I looked at her hair and oh my goodness! - She had [at least] 30 butterfly pins on her head and the wings on that butterflies were sharp!

The whole time, I was just thinking... why butterfly pins are okay and not bobby pins. But our team had a great laugh about that, so it was ok. We decided to wear butterfly pins instead of bobby pins [for our next game].

Go, Cougars!

I've been in Provo for six years now and I have never been to any football games. So we decided to attend a football game for the first time since this year's the last football season. We bought the tickets and I was bundled up with 5 layers of clothes, 2 layers of pants, 2 pairs of socks, a hat, gloves, a scarf and a blanket. And yet I was freezing towards the end... but the game was good. We won, so that's good.

But most of all, from this experience, I felt how amazing BYU is. I think I've taken things for granted like great football team, great education, clean campus, amazing library, loads of activities (and free stuff) and other things that make us unique and 'blue'. I will miss BYU and Provo, even though I always say I want to leave... When I graduate next year for the 3rd time, I'm sure it'll be hard to say good bye.

Well, until then (and probably after grad also) -- "Go, Cougars!"

BTS cake

Nat & I love this cake because it has all the good stuff inside.
Nat always say, if you want to eat dessert, it has to be fat and high in calories. For example, he doesn't like eating low-fat ice cream or sugar substitutes (or anything that says 'no sugar added'). he loves the 'real' stuff.

Anyway, we make this cake for anniversaries or when we had bad days (we call it "pity-party days" or when we deserve it after a long day of work/school.

Here's the recipe.


Ingredients
1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix
1/2 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
6 ounces caramel ice cream topping
5 or more bars of your favorite chocolate bars (can be different types), chopped
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions:
1. Bake cake according to package directions for a 9x13 inch pan; cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Make slits with knife across the top of the cake, making sure not to go through to the bottom (you can also use the end of spatula to make holes).

2. In a saucepan over low heat, combine sweetened condensed milk and caramel topping, stirring until smooth and blended. Slowly pour the warm topping mixture over the top of the warm cake, letting it sink into the slits; then sprinkle the crushed chocolate toffee bars liberally across the entire cake while still warm.

3. Let cake cool completely, then top with whipped topping. Decorate the top of the cake with some more chocolate bars chunks and swirls of caramel topping. Refrigerate and serve right from the pan!


p.s. if you want to know what BTS stands for, well, we might tell you.

Autumn Pumpkin

It's Autumn (or people call it Fall here in the States). And it's pumpkin time!
Autumn makes me think of pumpkins. maybe it's because of the colors of the leaves outside... or maybe because of the Halloween. But, in Woo's house, we have a tradition to make pumpkin rolls every Autumn/Fall.

So, this week's recipe is Pumpkin Roll.
I wanted to take a picture of it, but by the time I got around to it, it was all gone. So, pictures have to wait a little while (until the next pumpkin roll comes around), but here's the recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

* 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 2 teaspoons cinnamon powder
* 1 cup pumpkin puree
* 3 eggs
* 1 teaspoon lemon juice

* 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
* 1/4 cup butter
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 cup confectioners' sugar

How to make:


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch jelly roll pan. Line the greased pan with a parchment paper and grease and flour the top.

2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, and cinnamon. Set aside. In another bowl, mix pumpkin puree, eggs, and lemon juice until creamy (the more you mix it, the fluffier the cake. If you don't want too fluffy, don't mix too much). Combine flour mixture into pumpkin mixture. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Spread the mixture evenly.

3. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 15 minutes or until it's fluffy .

4. (while baking) Lay a damp linen towel on the counter, line with wax paper or parchment paper and sprinkle it with confectioner's sugar, and when the cake is done, turn the cake onto the towel (upside down). Peel the parchment paper from the cake and carefully roll the towel up (lengthwise) with the cake in it. Place the cake-in-towel on a cooling rack and let it cool for 20 minutes. (it'll help if you open your window a bit and cool it right by it)

5. While waiting, make the icing: In a medium bowl, blend cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and sugar with an electric mixer.

6. When the cake has cooled 20 minutes, unroll it and spread icing onto it. Immediately re-roll (not in the towel this time), and wrap it with plastic wrap. Keep the cake in freezer for 45 minutes and transfer to the fridge for at least 1 hour. Cut the cake in slices just before serving and sprinkle on powdered sugar.

Comment: If the cake is still warm, it might still be sticking to the paper. Let it cool more and it should be fine. Also, the cake might break so be gentle while you unroll the cake.

Our family loves it and hope you like it, too!