a race and scones

It's here, the week of my big race! I've put in the hours training and continue to mentally sharpen, focusing on the positive, knowing that I am ready, can do this and will be great. I am surrounded by friends and a family who believe in me and will travel with friends who I will race alongside. Each person I will be with has finished either or both and some multiple IM 70.3 or IM 140.6. I'm the newbie, but only for 1 more week.

I get to taper this week. Pops, my taper doesn't include a cherry pie, but many 2 day workouts. Like today, I get to ride my bike for 50 minutes at an easy zone 2 pace and run for 35, with small pushes to zone 3. I kinda feel like it's my first week of training all over again, but I know it's not. (That zone talk, is still kinda foreign to me, but refers to my heart rate. Triathlon coach speak.)

I know that I set a goal when I was 20 and on Sunday, I'll achieve it. There is no maybe, but will. Yes, things can happen, but my mind will not go there. It can't. I have a plan, I have solutions to problems that could occur, but I am choosing to focus on the positive.

I have a short, but loaded mantra for the race. It's focus is first on my Creator, second on me and third on the race. It will transform from the swim to the bike to the run and across the finish. I have butterflies as I think about it. Ahhhh! It's here.

Jonathan and my boys have been so supportive in my training. On Saturday as I was doing a multi-brick (bike then run) workout and they were playing outside, they cheered me on as I ran laps up and down our street. I'm excited to share with them about my race when it's finished and tell them all that training was totally worth it. I know it will be.

I have a busy week ahead, soccer practices, early mornings at the pool with the boys, a swim session with my coach, I need to get a massage, play dates , -- wait, can I still call them that or are my boys past that stage? -- recipes to cook, race plans to review, meals to share, bags to pack*, miles to drive, laughs to happen and memories to make. This is my seventy point three week!

That was the race part, now onto the scone part...mmmm!
I made these last week and will make them again for sure--

Basil-Parmesan Scones                            
Mix together and set aside:
1 Egg
3/4 C Sour Cream (or plain yogurt)

Whisk together:
1 1/4 C Sorghum flour
1/2 C Tapioca flour
1/2 t Salt
3/4 t Baking Soda
1 1/2 t Cream of Tarter
1 T Xanthan Gum

Have ready:
5 T cold butter, not margarine, never margarine, and a cheese grater.

Method:
After dry ingredients are whisked, add in 1/4 (or more if you wish) grated Parmesan cheese and 16 fresh chopped Basil leaves. I just picked the number 16 out of the air, really, it depends on the size of your basil leaves and how much you wish to have in the scones. So, pick some basil leaves, chop them and add them to the mix.
Next grate cold butter to the dry mix and smash it together with your hands. After that is finished and you have a nice dry, sorta clumpy mix, make a well in the center for the egg/sour cream mix.
Add the wet to the dry, using a spoon at first mix the two together. As it becomes more difficult to use the spoon, use your hands, forming a ball of scones.
On a floured surface, pat our the scones to form a 3/4 inch thick circle, sprinkle it with Parmesan, cut into 8 pie piece shapes and bake at 400 until golden, 15 minutes or a little more.

Serve with THIS and call it a meal.


*I will begin my packing today. I'm not sure about it, I most often pack in the 2-12 hours prior to leaving and pack light. I do not think that is the best option with this trip. So many things I must remember. Thankful for a checklist.