Three Things Thursday

1. We did a lot of jump rope work in boot camp class today. When was the last time you did that? Jump Rope for Heart in elementary school? In case you’ve forgotten, it’s hard work, both from a cardio and a coordination standpoint. Especially when you have to jump side to side, front to back and forward with your non-dominant foot.

2. I’ve always had a not-so-secret desire to go to culinary school. I’ve been baking/cooking for the majority of my short life — some of my favorite memories are making chocolate pudding with my grandmother and learning the secrets of our family pound cake recipe — and I’ve done some pretty serious research at several points on possible options. In college I explored food journalism and actually interviewed for a year-long chef apprentice program. If I could afford it, I’d drop everything and head to Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. A slightly less crazy option would be a program located right in the DC area (Gaithersburg). In any case, it’s a dream I’ll keep going back to, and it absolutely drives my love of all things made from scratch (over takeout and boxed mixes) and my patience with preparing meals despite my busy schedule. I may regret writing this, but if you ever want a home-cooked dinner or a batch of cookies, I’m happy to share!

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3. I think I’ve answered the coaching question. The Dream Team does in fact have a coach (our very own AJ) and while she won’t be doing plans tailored to each individual — rather, we’ll get standard plans worked around our key races — it’s better than doing it on my own. And my understanding of the DC Tri program is that it also isn’t individualized unless you pay extra $$$. And coaches cost $150 or more per month for that type of attention. I think free and minor tailoring is preferable to all my other options. Along those lines, I created a Training Peaks account last night. More on that later, but bring on those daily “kick-in-the-pants” reminder emails!