What’s your favorite Smoothie?

Much like coffee I also like smoothie’s. The real fruit kind, like the ones from Jamba Juice. I added a new breakfast smoothie to my meal plan this offseason. Looking for more energy, good protein and no added sugar, I decided I better make my own at home. That way I know exactly what I’m getting and it’s cheaper. I start my smoothie off with a few ounces of Acai berry juice, a banana, a cup off frozen blueberries, a serving of greek yogurt and a few frozen strawberries. It taste so refreshing, I love it.

I have to warn you when making smoothies at home you need a good blender to get all the fruit chunks. I would love one of the fancy blenders they have at starbucks or jamba juice. Those high powered blenders look like they can blend anything.

One of my favorite smoothies from Jamba Juice is the Banna Berry and a shot of wheat grass on the side. What’s your favorite smoothie? Check out some more Smoothie recipes

2010 USA Indoor Championships

 This was my 1st trip to a USA indoor championships and it was awesome.  The meet is being held in Albuquerque, NM this weekend, and will be on ESPN 2 today 2/28 7 to 9pm EST.  Being a discus thrower which is an outdoor event sometimes thrown indoors for fun, it’s not part of our indoor championship program.  So I hadn’t made it to an indoor champs until yesterday.  As one of the athletes on our USATF Board of Directors I was in town for a board meeting.  The meeting was productive and after I was able to watch some track and field which is really exciting.  I missed my training partner Cory Martin throwing the weight but I got to see him after and congratulate him on his personal record….Yeah Cory!!!!!  It was exciting to see our medical group from St Vincent’s, great group!!  I was able to get a couple of videos of the lady weight throwers, check them out.For results and more info on the meet visit, http://www.usatf.org/events/2010/USAIndoorTFChampionships/

What’s your favorite Coffee Drink?

A few of my fans have been asking me what I have been up to this off season and to share that on my website.  So I’ve been thinking about it and for this week let’s discuss coffee. As a Seattle native I have been around coffee my whole life.  There is a Starbucks on every corner a Seattle’s Best on every other corner and a Tully’s coffee with a 5 mile radius of Starbucks or Seattle Best, not to mention the Famous Coffee stand in front of the downtown Nordstrom’s on 5th and Pine.  And through out the Northwest you’ll find local coffee places as well as an abundance of drive thru only coffee stops.   But despite that influence I did not become a regular coffee drinker until I started travelling the world. I would get to an international competition and be so jet lagged by all the time change that coffee really grew on me plus it was served at every meal.  Now I own a coffee maker and an espresso machine and have become sort of a coffee connoisseur.  One of the best countries I have had coffee in thus far is Brazil.  They serve every hot pot of coffee with a hot pot of cream, so delicious.Now one of the changes I made this offseason in pursuing a healthier lifestyle is taking the sugar out of my coffee.  When I have a cup of brewed coffee I only add a splash of half n half or if I have a latte, it’s just 2% milk and coffee.  Occasionally I will reward myself with a treat and have my favorite coffee drink a Caramel Macchiato. What’s your favorite drink? Please leave a comment and share your favorite coffee spot as well as your favorite drink!! Coffee Defnition Coffee and Health Coffee 101

Husky Alumni Needs Your Support!!!!

Hello Family and Friends, A good friend of mine Will Conwell, recent graduate of University of Washington is in pursuit of his Olympic Dreams and needs some help. He and his wife Kate Conwell (Former Husky Polevaulter, NCAA Champion) moved to Auburn, AL so he can train with my coach and our training group. Will is working part time at Starbucks. Kate is working hard to rebuild her personal training business that she built in Seattle. But Will needs some help with his fundraising. I told him I would try to find 5 people to join his team of monthly supporters. He is asking for $25 a month and it’s tax deductible. Everything is online on his website, http://www.willconwell.com/ I have been blessed by your support in my pursuit of the Olympics and I want to help pass on a great support team. Thanks, Aretha Please Join Team Conwell today!!!!

Check out my Upcoming Online Seminar

   Most of you know that I have a passion for throwing but you may not know that I have a huge passion for health.  I have partnered with United HealthCare to help spread this passion through the source4women online seminars.  I have one coming up next week, December 15th at 12:30pm EST.  Please join us next week.  Here is the link for more information, http://www.uhc.com/source4women/online_seminars_events.htm

2009 World Championships Picture Day

   The World Championships will start in a few days, August 15th is the 1st day, we had our annual team picture today.  We had a great team meeting, that included some of the funniest athlete introductions I have ever heard.  We all had the responsibility of introducing a team mate and tell something about them that others may not know.  And most people just made stuff up despite what they were told and it was hilarious.  I was introduced by Sanya Richards I won’t say how she introduced me, just know that I turned red and the whole room was in laughter, probably still laughing.  Kristin Heaston is mad she didn’t get it on video, it would have been on youtube for sure.  We definitely have a diverse and talented team from a variety of backgrounds.  Here a a few pictures from todays events.Remember the meet will be televised, so tune in.  For tv and internet schedule, http://www.usatf.org/events/2009/IAAFWorldOutdoorChampionships/mediacoverage.aspOfficial meet website, http://berlin.iaaf.org/index.html

12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics

Monte-Carlo – With just over three weeks to go until the start of the biggest global sports event of 2009, the IAAF is delighted to announce the launch of its new website for the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Berlin, Germany (15-23 Aug).There is plenty on offer to attract, inform, entertain, and illuminate the enjoyment of all the fans of our sport for what is the world’s third largest sports event after the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup.The site is already full of news and information, and when the championships begin the Broadcasting section in particular will burst into action with:VIDEO: 3-mins highlights of each SESSION; FeaturesRADIO: ‘LIVE’ commentary, comment and interviews throughout the championshipsPODCASTS: Audio interviews with the major starsIAAF Fantasy Athletics – great prizes to be wonIts game time too! With the IAAF Fantasy Athletics game which covers the one day meeting season already well underway, in the next few days a Berlin World Championships specific game will open for registration enabling fans to select a team of champion athletes from those competing in Berlin.As usual participants will score points depending on their team’s performances and be able to compare their rankings with others from all over the world. Registration is free, and there are great prizes to be won including a trip for two to an IAAF event.Regular news, information and resultsAnd of course we haven’t forgotten the core content of all previous World Championships sites:Results and Statistics,News and Features,Event Reports and Flash Interviews,“LIVE” Competition Blogs,Photo GalleryNews summary in French, German and Spanish languagesThese additional news sections as well as offering a summary of the major stories originally published in English focus on news that has a particular appeal to their specific language audience, and as such the content of each page is different.These language news summaries can be accessed from the titles situated on the top of the home page next to the SEARCH function.We very much hope you enjoy our coverage of the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Berlin, Germany (15-23 Aug). Here is the link for all the information you need about World Championships.

2009 USA Outdoor Track and FIELD Championships

   Back to Eugene, OR for the 2009 USA Championships.  This year we will be competing for spots on the USA World Championship Team that competes this summer in Berlin, Germany.   The top 3 in each event who have the world championship standards will make the team.  The women’s discus is on the 1st day, June 25 at 6:45pm so make sure you tune in.“The 2009 World Outdoor Championships will take place at the 1936 Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany, where American track & field legend Jesse Owens became a worldwide icon. The son of a sharecropper and grandson of a slave, Owens won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games, achieving what no Olympian before him had ever accomplished. A true sportsman who conducted himself with grace and dignity, Owens, who died nearly 30 years ago, remains one of the most honored and beloved athletes in Olympic history” for more information on USA Championships visit this link, http://www.usatf.org/events/2009/USAOutdoorTFChampionships/for more information on World Championships visit this link, http://www.iaaf.org/wch09/index.html

Goodbye Molly you’ll be missed

The Min Pin known as “Molly Mu” passed away on friday June 5th.  She was a great dog and part of the family for 11 years.  She loved everyone and had friends all over the states.  A lovable lap dog and very much the protector of her people.  She was a small dog but had the heart and appetite of a big dog.  She lived a long and full life and like a cat she had 9 lives.  She survived car accidents, chicken bones, chocolate and everything else a dog is not supposed to have.Molly had a lot of personality and would do a lot of weird things, at times I think, she thought she was human.  One thing she would always do is burrow herself under blankets like a kid tucking themselves in at night.  My friends, the Rudd’s in Knoxville, TN even made Molly her own blanket with her name on it.  And it was her favorite blanket and went with her everywhere.One of my funniest memories is about her big appetite.  I had baked several sweet potatoe pies for thanksgiving and I had them all cooling on the stove and counters.  I had to leave the house for an hour and when I returned home.  She had gotten one off the stove and had eaten almost the whole thing I found her laying down with her head in the pie.  She was so full that she couldn’t get up and when I tried to move the pan from under her head she tried to get in a few last bites.  She went from an 11 pound dog to a 16 pounder in an hour.  It took a month to get the weight off.If you have a funny story that you want to share leave it in the comment section.  

The famous Jesus Statue in Rio

  After the meet we took a bus load of about 40 athletes to see the statue of Christ in Rio. It was a fun adventure when we got to the bottom of the mountain the roads were to small for the bus to navigate so we had to take a small van.  After a 10 min ride up we had to switch and take a tour van to the top.  Now the last ride was the scariest part of the trip.  The drivers were flying through the tight curves and you knew that if they missed timed one we were going right off the cliff.  We made it up there and back in one piece.  The view from the mountain was spectacular, you could see all of Rio and it was breath taking.We had a good time taking pictures and helping each other find good angles for pictures.  The statue was so tall that several athletes laid on the ground so you get all the statue and  the person in the shot.  We had a mix of different countries in our group but a good time was had by all.Check out the link for more information,  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_the_Redeemer_(statue)  

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