Ice, Ice ... Maybe?

Two for the price of one.  Icing the base of my right foot's big toe, while also
icing the heel of my left foot.  That takes talent, people!  (Also note the
red blotch by my knee where I had already iced.  Sad, huh?)

I am sure this is just what you want to see - my bare tootsies on ice.  Sorry, but I thought it was a funny picture.

I am one of those people who rarely ices.  I have to have a pretty serious injury to sit around icing.  It's not that I am against it; I just forget that it is out there as an option.  So, I am grateful when I somehow am reminded that that is one more tool in the toolbelt I have to fight nagging aches and pains.

That's where I am at right now.  Last week's vacation to DC and beyond was supposed to be a recovery week of sorts for me.  Down mileage, few cross-training opportunities, etc.  What I didn't take into consideration was the fact that we would be walking and standing .... a LOT.  By a lot, I mean hours upon hours: several hours one day, almost eight hours the next.  We took cross-training to the next level!  Even with all the walking, I think I would have come away from the week well rested if it hadn't been for the stairs.

In Washington DC we took the metro around town a few times - you know, to avoid the walking?  Well, unfortunately, the metro station near us had a "down" down escalator.  So, instead of being carried into the bowels of the earth in relative comfort, playing imaginary muzak in our heads (doesn't everyone do that?), we got to march down the stairs to the beat of an internal drummer.

I wish I had gotten a picture of the escalator so that my massive whine fest here would make more sense, but I didn't.  Suffice it to say that I am not talking the length of a normal flight of stairs.  I am talking hundreds upon hundreds of steps.  The type of distance where you pause at the top looking down and actually point it out to the children - look, kids, see how far down it goes!  (I think historically it might have even been intended as a bunker of sorts in the event of nuclear attack.)

In any event, we took these monster stairs not once, but twice.  I tried not to complain too much, because touchy patellar tendon twitching and groaning aside, I wasn't the one who had just done a 50-mile running event the day before.  I know Hubby was hurting way more than me.  The problem is that I tend to feel the lingering aftereffects of insults to my body far longer than Hubby does.  So, while he is back to working his way into his running routine, I am icing everything.

Oh well, ice and foam rolling.  If this is what gets me through my marathon, then I am not going to complain about it .... too much.

On another note, I have to say that I am looking forward to rowing today.  I have missed that infernal machine while on vacation.  Hotel fitness centers just don't cater to the rowing crowd.  I wonder why.

Also, in other news, inspired by a friend's homemade granola (I may have eaten about half her stash while she was out teaching a yoga class), I decided to give homemade granola a whirl.  Lucky for me, in the new cookbook I received for my birthday, Fresh from the Vegan Slow Cooker, there was just such a recipe - slow cooker granola.  It wasn't as tasty as J's granola, but it is edible and Hubby and I both enjoyed it for breakfast.  The kids opted for Cheerios.

Happy Running!

Bored kids and Running Through the Discomfort

"I'm bored."

Those have got to be the two worst words in the English language to a mother of young children.  Hearing it from your four-year-old at 7 o'clock in the morning a full two minutes after he gets out of bed is even better - just peachy.

A different day, a different boredom, but you see what I am facing here?

Bored?  I am so rarely what I would consider bored anymore that I cannot even fathom what that feels like.  Between child-rearing, house caretaking, yard cleaning, errand running, meal prepping, running, exercising to support my running, and blogging, I am pretty darn busy.  On those rare occasions I actually do have a minute to breathe, I read.  Currently, I am plowing my way through Scott Jurek's new book Eat & Run, which I am sure I'll have a lot to say about in a few days.  (I am really devouring it! Pun intended.  Seriously, though, it's good.)

Source

Okay, so granted, LG can't read yet, and that is to his disadvantage. He is only four, though, so that time will come.  In the meantime, I am starting to understand why so many moms I know who have older kids so look forward to the end of summer vacation and back-to-school time.

Anyway, even if I had time to be bored, I couldn't be right now.  I am spending WAY too much time trying to figure out why my hip/hamstring aren't getting better faster.  I wish I could figure out the whens and hows of recovery.  Since my deep tissue massage on my left hamstring and hip, I have felt seriously bruised and beat up.  Read about it here if you missed it.  That's not so bad, but I feel like I need to get past the bruised feeling to be able to assess if things are getting better.

On today's run, which I managed to do after rolling out of bed at 5:30 a.m. (very proud of myself), I managed a decent three miles before I had to head home for Hubby's departure for work.  I was hoping to try the barefoot thing again, but time wouldn't allow it.  The run itself wasn't too bad - more difficult due to the humidity in the air than anything.  However, I did notice the injured areas flaring a bit towards the end.  Again, though, I am not sure yet how much of that can be attributed to the injury or just feeling beat up from the massage.  When I got back home, I thought I would try to stretch my mileage and get some time in on the treadmill.  I decided instead of just running like I had outside I would do a 3-1 run-walk.  In the best of worlds I would have gotten an additional three miles. As it turns out, I got about 7/10 of a mile before calling it quits.  I felt a bit of spasming discomfort deep around the sit bone a couple of times and I thought I just had better not go there.  Quit while I am ahead, right?  I am still open to the possibility of a longer run on Sunday.  I fully intend to head out and try for three hours.  With any luck, I can do it.  If not, c'est la vie.  It's about the joy, right?  A friend of mine will be joining me for the run, so I am looking forward to that change of pace.

I suppose I could view today's run in either a positive or negative light.  It didn't go exactly how I wanted; I wish I had covered more miles.  However, it wasn't miserable either and I feel I managed to get in some good miles before the real discomfort started.  And, I think I made the right move in stopping when I did - so props to me for actually listening to my body for once.  My most fervent hope - and with any luck it will happen - is that I can just keep running through this discomfort.  I am going to take some time though and just listen to my body - do what I can.  I have a half marathon in two weeks, and I really want to finish that comfortably.

Giveaways, Giveaways, Giveaways

So, have you signed up for my BODYGLIDE WarmFX Giveaway yet?  You only have until Sunday, July 15, to do so!  Enter for a chance to win a .45 oz. sample of WarmFX from BODYGLIDE.  They will even send it to you directly, so you don't have to wait for me to get to a mailbox!  Then, stay tuned for three more giveaways coming your way, including:

• A Marathon/Half Marathon Race Entry
• Compression gear
• Awesome running clothing

I'll have more details coming soon.

Happy Running!

Do you get bored?  What do you do when you are bored?  How do you distract/entertain your kids (if you have any) when they are bored?

Sometimes "pace" is not what makes you slow

"Are you done yet?" 

That's what Hubby asked me when he called my cell phone during my 16-mile long run yesterday.  Well, yes, indeed, I was almost done....a quarter-mile to go.

Me: "Why do you ask?"  Him: "Well, you realize you have been out for almost four hours, right?  Did you have to do a lot of stops?"  Me: "Um, I guess so."

Oops.  Methinks someone was a bit irritated with me.

Have you ever had one of those days where the time on your running watch just didn't jive with the time as shown on the clock in the car, at home, or,... say... on your spouse's wristwatch?  It seems to happen to me a lot, and I don't know why.  As far as yesterday is concerned, I am still trying to figure out what went wrong.

For the most part, I believe in letting my Garmin do its thing from the time I start a run to the time I stop....with a few minor exceptions.  For example, yesterday, I will admit I did stop my watch to take a picture or two.  And, one time I may have even forgotten to restart it for about a quarter mile or so after said picture taking.  Then, I guess there were the times I stopped to do the necessities: potty break, shirt change (sweated through), shoe change (moving from roads to trails), hydration refill (x2).  Then there were the five or six times I had to stop and stretch because my hamstring, glute, and hip all seemed to be unhappy with me.  Okay, now that I think about it, I guess I stopped the watch during a few walk breaks, too - like the four times I strolled along eating my Clif Blocks while taking in the local scenery.

(It was worth taking in, right?)

Hmm, okay, I guess I might have had a bit of unaccounted time in there.  Although this didn't bother me too much, I suppose it did mess with Hubby's schedule somewhat.  Considering that I came home to two kids bouncing off the walls and him all dressed up and ready to run with no place to go, I could see why he was a bit irritated.

So, why do I stop the watch so much?  Well, to me it makes sense to stop it when you are not enjoying forward progress.  Is it really fair to let time roll when I am in the outhouse?  Or changing shoes?  That wouldn't accurately reflect my running time.  Of course, I suppose if it takes me five minutes to refill a water bottle, that probably doesn't accurately reflect my efforts either.  After all, that's a nice little break for my body that it wouldn't get in a race.

I have no explanation for not recording my time while eating Clif Blocks. I hang my head in shame on that one.  Thinking back, it just feels wrong - like walking across the shallow end of the pool when you are supposed to be swimming laps (not that I have ever done that of course).  Really, and how does it help me?  In the end, I actually end up with a "faster" time, but I also end up going further than my goal distance.  Something to think about.

So, yesterday's long run was good in the sense that I got it done.  I would be lying if I said my confidence hadn't been a little shaken by my failed long run from the weekend before.  I have never had to call for a ride during a run, and I was a bit worried I would get out there yesterday and feel I had to scrap it again.  Despite a hinky hamstring, that didn't happen.  In fact, mentally I was in a much better place than I was a week ago.  Instead of looking at six miles to go and thinking Oh gawd, I'd rather just sit on this bench and stare at the river, ...

... six miles to go was rather celebratory.... Yay! just six miles.  Compared to the 10 I had just done, that seemed like nothing.

I am disappointed that my left hip/hamstring/glute (I'm having a hard time pinpointing what exactly the issue is) still seems to be irritated with me.  Given the successful speed session and hill workout on the treadmill this past week, I thought we had moved past the little irritation I had felt pop up a week and a half ago.  It was a major disappointment to find that it is still hanging in there and unhappy with me to boot.  I might actually have to scrap my track workout this week, but we'll see how things go.  One day at a time.

In the meantime, check out this amazing sorbet that Hubby whipped up with frozen strawberries (that we picked ourselves), soymilk, sugar, and vanilla.  Although looking at the picture, I think I see why one shouldn't photograph their food.  Does anyone else see a little dog in there saying Oooohhhhhh Noooooo! a la Mr. Bill?  No?  Okay, it's just me then.

Well, dog or no dog, this is still a better dessert than what I had yesterday....

This is something I normally never would eat, but Hubby bought a stack of these things in preparation for his 100-miler, and we still have a bunch sitting around the house.  Very dangerous apparently.  I am such a sucker for dark chocolate.  Oh well....

Happy Running!

What's your policy on watch stopping during training runs? Forget it? Do it all the time? Don't wear a watch?


Have you indulged in a guilty food treat recently? How did it make you feel?


How do you know when to pull the plug on a long run when feeling discomfort? Okay to keep going if you can stretch it away for a bit?

Random review of the week

Have you ever had one of those days where you wake up and wonder what have I done all week?  Then you start remembering and you realize you did quite a bit?  That's what happened to me yesterday morning, so here's my random review of the week....

Why whine when you run, when you can WINE?

Wednesday showed me once again why wine and running should always go hand-in-hand.  Run Away Shoes, a local purveyor of running shoes, puts on a once-a-month fun run called the Run 'N Wine.  This takes place at a semi shi-shi local wine shop/bar.  Although I tend to wonder every time I go what the happy hour patrons think of having a bunch of folks in workout clothes hanging out smelling up the joint, that thought became more persistent this week as the weather pushed into the 90s - and we still went running in it.  So, not only were we just mildly smelly and sweaty, we were really pushing the envelope.  Luckily, because of the warm weather, it made sense to sit outside to enjoy our free wine after the run, so the nice breeze that swept through the area no doubt cleared out any odiferous offensiveness.  Despite the temps, I enjoyed running with a couple friends at a nice, slow pace.  Now if only I could get to the other running store's Pub Run to give that a try....

Change in Training Plan

Having run two weeks now on a Wednesday after my Tuesday speed workout, I have come to the conclusion that I should stop that.  So, with next week being a down week mileage-wise, I am going to be switching to my Plan B training schedule, which will mean running Tuesdays and Thursdays mid-week, instead of Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.  It will also mean switching my long run to Saturdays instead of Sundays, and adding Sunday as a short, trail/recovery run.  This more closely mirrors my schedule from last summer and gives me that day after speed work to recover.  I am going to miss running with my friends at the Wednesday Morning Group Run, but I figure I can always join them for coffee after.  I think this is one of those cases, where I really need to think of what's better for me.

Time to Row Further Downstream

My rowing workout on Thursday was fantastic - really felt good - and made me think I should start considering upping the time I spend on the rower.  So, starting this next three week cycle, I am going to stop rowing for distance and go for time.  Since it takes me about 31 minutes to do 6K, I am going to do 35 minutes for this cycle, and then either next month or the next three week cycle, I will up my time by five minutes.  I'll do this until I get sick of rowing, which I am guessing will be somewhere around 45 minutes - although ideally I would shoot for an hour.

Karate, Dinner, and a Treehouse?

Thursday is also the kids' karate class day.  There is nothing like going to a karate class and listening to the instructors drill the kids on how they are NOT supposed to use karate on their siblings or friends, and then go outside after class and have them immediately start pretending to karate chop one another.  Something is not getting through.  Of course, I guess LG feels a bit bad about this, because he had no sooner gotten into class this week than he raised his hand and confessed to the instructors that he had kicked his sister in the eye a couple of days ago.  Now, that had actually been an accident...a case of wrong place at the wrong time, but it was nice that he felt some guilt about it.  After karate, we got invited to friends' house for a super, yummy Egyptian vegetarian feast (the kids had noodles with pesto sauce).  It was so tasty, I may have made a pig of myself by having three helpings.  Despite their green noodles, the kids barely ate as they were too enthralled with the treehouse being built in the backyard that was almost complete and certainly playable.  It actually made me feel a twinge of backyard envy that they have something so cool.  I mean, I wanted to play on it.  Given the size of our trees, we have a ways to go before we could do something similar.  I don't know....what do you think?

First Hill Hike Workout

My hill workout on Friday consisted of a two-mile running warmup, followed by "power hiking" at a 10 percent grade for 40 minutes.  Unfortunately, that only got me two miles, so clearly more work needs to be done here.  Hubby has this little power hike shoehorned into my schedule every three weeks.  Additionally, he wants me to substitute one or two long runs for this, as he thinks I need to work up to being able to do this for two hours.  Ugh.  I guess he thinks getting up the side of the Jungfrau will be tough.  Who'da thunk?

We Braved Brave on Opening Day

Yesterday, the kids and I also went to see the movie Brave. I can't remember the last time I went to a movie on opening day...in fact, I am hard pressed to remember the last time I went to see a movie.  While the movie was okay, it seemed a little too adult for my young crew, and while funny in spots, it lacked the constant humor of Cars or some of the other princess movies I have seen recently.  The kids swear up and down they LOVED it, though, so I guess that's good.  I don't know if it is just an opening day thing or what, but the movie theater handed out Brave coloring books and crayons to the kids.  It made me feel marginally better about spending our life savings to pay for the film and popcorn.  We may not be able to eat for a while, but at least they'll be able to color.  One little annoying development in my movie watching world is LG.  This is a kid who since his eyes could first track to a screen has been mesmerized by what he saw.  If nothing else, I could always count on him to sit in a screen-induced stupor when a movie was playing.  Well, no more.  The whole movie was spent with him leaning over to me, saying, "Mom, why did she do ....?," "Mom, why is the bear there?" or - my favorite - "Mom, look there's snow."  Since when did he become such a movie talker?  Clearly, we have a little etiquette to work on.

Happy running!

Kids admiring person in chicken suit at
random weekend festival we found.

The heat wave that wasn't and my training plan revisited

This past Memorial Day weekend, I had my first good, post-race long run, and that made me happy.  This was shoehorned into the middle of a very busy, albeit nothing-special sort of weekend. Oh, we packed a lot in: a race, runs (of course), yardwork, house work, lots of games played, a cookout and visit with the GPs, and even a couple of short bike rides.  But we didn't have any big, huge thing we did for the holiday weekend.  The weather for two of the days could easily be classified as stinking hot, and that - combined with the threat of storms (that never really materialized) - seemed to put the kibosh on any fancy plans.  Anyway, it was good.

As to the long run...

I woke up bright and early Sunday morning with the hopes of at least partially beating the heat.  After all, it was supposed to reach 90 degrees and they had canceled Sunday's Madison Marathon prior because of the forecast.  I thought I was in for a load of hurt.  

I filled up my water bottles, got my Gatorade squared away in little baggies, grabbed my Clif Blocks and a cooling neck thingy that I got for free at the Kazoo expo and had yet to try, and headed out to High Cliff State Park to run a mix of road and trails - hoping once again to maximize the shade potential of the wooded park.

Well, I got to the parking area, got myself ready as best I could before leaving the car, stepped out, and ....  brrrr..... It was CHILLY!  What the ...?  So, in a slightly confused state, I began my thirteen-mile long run.  In the end, I don't know what happened with the weather.  It was never that bad.  Although warm towards the end, the bulk of the run was pleasant with a cooling breeze sweeping through the area.  The shade, of course, helped, but I was out in the open a fair amount, too, trying to add miles by taking advantage of the park's bridle trails, but it never got that bad.  In fact, I never even got the chance to try out that cooling neck thingy.  I guess that will have to wait until later in the summer.

The run itself was great.  It was the first long run I have had since Kalamazoo that actually felt good.  I was a little worried about my achilles, but that hung in there just fine.  In fact, I probably overstressed about it a little too much.  Overall, though, I felt refreshed and ready to run, and that was a good feeling.  So, I am curious what that means.  Does it take me three weeks to really recover from a race, or should I not draw any conclusions from that?  I'll be interested to see exactly how the the next race recovery goes.

I ran five miles on road in my Cortanas, then I switched to the New Balance 101s to run the last eight miles on trail.  I know I am supposed to be wearing mild support, and the NB shoes offer none.  I also know I am supposed to be getting used to lower heel stack height and the NB shoes offer some (14 mm, I think), but they just feel right to me.  The 101s are over a year old, but I love that I can feel the trails under my feet when I run in them.  I probably do need some new trail shoes, but I dread starting the whole shoe buying process again.  Ugh.

My average pace for the run turned out to be 10:50, which I think was just where I needed to be.  I walked the hills for the most part in deference to my achilles, but mostly I felt good.  Around mile 11, I noticed I was getting a little tired, but that's okay.  It was mile 11, after all.  If I can run 11 miles before feeling pooped, I consider that a good thing.  My plan was to eat 3 Cliff Blocks every three miles, and that worked out well.  I don't know if I need that many that often, but it gave me something to do/look forward to.  

A training plan revisited...

As promised, I ran my training plan by Hubby, and I got the seal of approval from him with a couple of tweaks here and there. I am really happy with how this plan looks, so we'll see how it goes.  Generally speaking, I am starting at this point with a long-run base of 13 miles.  I will now start building up two weeks, then step it back one week for the long runs...So:

Week 1 - 13 miles

Week 2 - 14 miles

Week 3 - 7 miles

Week 4 - 15 miles

Week 5 - 16 miles

Week 6 - 8 miles

And so on.  Based on this schedule, I will fit in two 20-mile training runs before the Jungfrau Marathon.  I like this for two reasons: one, it is more advanced than any other schedule I have done, but more importantly it allows me some wiggle room.  If for any reason, things don't go as planned (and that NEVER happens, right?), I can drop one 20 miler and buy myself two weeks of time.

During the week, the schedule will look like this for the most part:

Monday: 6K row

Tuesday: track workout (a class I signed up for)

Wednesday: 4-6 mile group run

Thursday: 6K row

Friday: 6-mile run

Saturday: REST

Sunday: long run

Now, every third week (when I drop the long run mileage in half), I also drop the mid-week workouts to about 70 percent, so hopefully I will get a bit of a break there.  Also, the Friday before my longest long run in any three-week cycle, I will be doing a 3-4 mile walk on the treadmill at incline instead of a run.  These will probably be done at 12-15 percent incline.  Finally, the Fridays before my shortest long run in any three-week cycle will be at an increased mileage - to match the long run.  So, for example, in Week 6 when I run only eight miles on Sunday, I will be running eight miles on Friday, too (instead of the scaled back 4.5).  This is to give me some longer tempo runs, which Hubby deems important.  Yeah, we'll see how that works out for me.  

Changes may come, of course.  Hubby was a little concerned about the track workout Tuesday evenings, followed by a group run Wednesday mornings, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't worried about that a bit, too.  Speed work - after all - seems to be my achilles heel (pun totally intended).  But, I am hoping, that if I take the Wednesday run slowly and not really worry about keeping up with the group - and drop the mileage if I need to - then maybe I'll be able to pull it off.  We'll see. I am ready to ditch this plan for something else at the first sign it isn't working.

Anyway, I am very excited about the training plan, and I hope it goes well.  Don't ask me where the training plan is from, because it is sort of a mix of what our running club does for its summer training runs, what has worked for me in the past, as well as what has worked for Hubby.  

So, that's about it for now.  Beyond my own running, Hubby is about to enter an unknown world as he attempts to run his first 100-mile race event this weekend.  We have a lot of excitement in our household because of that, and I can't wait to see where this adventure leads.    

Some random pix for you to enjoy...

What my kids did over the weekend...

What my feet did over the weekend...gives new meaning to cooling your heels.

What my tummy did for lunch,....the best black bean, corn, sweet potato, kale burrito ever!

Happy Running!

By the way, had to edit this to tell you about a giveaway by Yo Momma, ..... well, not YO momma .... Yo Momma Runs actually.  Check it out for a chance to win a pair of Aspaeris Compression Shorts! I am shouting this out far and wide, because I really want to win.  :)

Finally, a training plan?

Source - This is how I know I am at least partially
crazy. I see pix like this and still think it's a
 good idea to sign up  for the event.

Well, I did it.... I finally came up with a training plan for the Jungfrau Marathon, which I'll be running at the end of the summer.  It was a bit hard coming up with something for a race of this nature, seeing as the first half will be on roads with a slight uphill grade and the second half will be on trails on a significant "upmountain" grade, but I did it.  I won't go into details yet, because I plan on running this by Distance Dude to get his take.

I can already see that he'll spot one element that is missing - the treadmill hill work, but I'll let him figure out where to shoehorn that into the schedule.  (I have an idea of where I would put it, but I want to see if he thinks that makes sense.)  In the meantime, I am pretty pleased with how I managed to fit in all the key elements I need, including allowing for a couple of mid-summer races,  all while having the kids off of school.  It ain't easy being a running mom....

My high-tech training plan in progress...

In fact, the only blips on the horizon that I can see have to do with how to fit in long runs on those few occasions we go out of town, but I guess I'll cross those bridges when I come to them.

The Week So Far

Workouts this week have started out well enough.  I am back to full distance/workout time, after two weeks of taking it relatively easy after the Half Marathon.  Both yoga classes have been great, and I've managed to ramp back up to six miles for my mid-week runs and 6K for my mid-week rows.  Tomorrow I am scheduled for another six-mile run, so we'll see how that goes... With the Little Guy's pre-school year coming to an end, I've had to get up early to fit in my workouts, and it is starting to take a toll.  Tomorrow's 5 a.m. wake-up call will not be easy.  At least living in the North, the sun rises before any sane person would be out of bed.  That makes the early reveille easier to take.

Totally Random - Food for Thought

Reading through a Facebook posting by Stern Magazine, I found this blog called Never Seconds that I think is brilliant.  It's so simple but really very intriguing to read through.  A primary school student in the UK is documenting her school lunch.  Simple, right?  I think I like it because it brings up all sorts of thoughts I have on the situation, especially now that E. has started grade school.  The cafeteria lunches leave something to be desired, and I am appalled by how "healthy food" looks a lot like the crap I "treat" my family to once in a while.  (Corn dogs? Really?) Anyway, E. has packed a lunch for all but one or two days all year.  Mostly, I think she is worried that on those rare occasions that they do offer a vegetarian option that they'll run out and she'd have to take the meat option.  To play it safe, she'd rather pack lunch in.  That's a far cry from LG who vacillates between announcing to anyone who will listen in restaurants, "Yuck, that's meat!" and bemoaning the fact that he can't try ham.  Why he's picked ham, I don't know.  Anyway, check it out if you are interested.

Running dates (and no I don't mean going on a date date)

Have you signed up for the Bondi Band Giveaway yet?  Just a reminder that this is the last day to sign up.  I'll be randomly picking two lucky winners tomorrow!  Go to my Bondi Band Review and Giveaway page for details.

Have you ever wondered what fifteen pounds of dates look like? Wonder no more!  Yesterday, I was very excited to get this ginormous box of gorgeous dates in the mail.

Why so many dates, you ask?  Well, because Distance Dude and I actually find them pretty good food to eat while running.  I don't even know how we first stumbled upon the idea a year or so ago.  I know after ODing on GUs in a long run a few years ago, I am no longer a huge fan of them.  I can tolerate one or two, but the longer I run the more I need to eat.  And, once I get past three during a run, my stomach starts to rebel.  Somehow they are just too sweet for me.  Switching to Margarita Clif Shot Bloks  seemed to be the solution to the GU dilemma, but they get old after a while as well.  So I was looking for something that could replace your typical GU but still be useful for running.  At the same time, Hubby was also looking for foods that he could carry on his long runs to offset some of the GUs that he was taking in, especially as his mileage got longer and longer.  I guess you could say that the idea of eating real foods while running was just plain more appealing.  After experimenting a bit with dates, we both found that they do seem to do the trick.

And, we're not the only ones who think so.  According to Brian Willett's article What Fruits are High in Carbohydrates, on Livestrong.com, "The high calorie density of dates may make them a good choice for endurance athletes or those engaged in intense workouts." 

Ten dried dates contain 61 grams of carbohydrates and 228 calories (Food sources high in carbohydrates, Time-to-Run.com), so the ratio is not too different than, say, a Vanilla Bean GU (which has 25 grams of carbs per 100 calories).  Dates are high in potassium and purportedly have many additional health benefits.  According to the article The health benefits of eating dates on the site Frederic Petenaude: Common Sense Advice on the Raw Food Diet, dates can do everything from helping with intestinal disturbances and heart problems to cutting your risk of stroke and lowering LDL cholesterol.  Of particular interest to endurance athletes, however, may be that dates are digested very easily and therefore are good for supplying quick energy.  Also, dates are rich in iron and can be beneficial to those who suffer from anemia. (http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/)

What makes dates great for the average runner, though, is that they carry really well and, at least for me, are easy on the tummy.   I have experimented with them on my two-hour exercise days, where I will run an hour, eat some dates, and then hop on the elliptical for an hour.  I find they don't upset my tummy, they get rid of any hungry feeling I have, and I definitely have energy to continue my exercise.  Dates seem to store forever in the freezer, and they can in fact be eaten straight out of the freezer.

Ideally, the best dates for running would be a drier variety, so they don't stick together.  According to the good folks at Shields Date Gardens, where we ordered our dates on sale, a drier variety would be Thoory - which unfortunately had a bad year this past year - or Deglet Noors.  Since we were looking for a sale purchase, we ended up with this huge box of Khadrawi.  This is a chewier date that is a little moister than I would have liked, but they sure taste good.

If there is any downside to running with dates, it would be the pits.  You can buy pitted dates, but they are more expensive.  So, what to do with the pits?  Normally, I am very much against littering, but is it so bad to spit these out?  I mean, they are natural and will break down - eventually.  And, being in Northeast Wisconsin, I seriously doubt we're in danger of planting unwanted date palms over the countryside, thus introducing an invasive species.  Hmm, I'll have to think about that.  Also, I suppose if you don't like the idea of carrying five dates versus one GU packet, that is a problem, too.  Going on longer runs, though, with a hydration belt or other hydration carrying solution, I find I have plenty of pockets to carry the dates.  Anyway, food for thought if you are looking for another source of energy on your longer runs.

A day off from ~ everything ~

So, I am savoring my day off from running, rowing, strength, yoga, everything today.  Why Saturdays have developed into my official day off every week, I do not know, but it seems to work out great for us.

Saturdays are the days I don't have to:

• Get up early - well, until my children come bouncing into the bedroom to remind me I promised them pancakes.  
• Be anywhere - well, unless it is something we want to do as a family. 
• Feel bad about being lazy - although when I think about the fact that I have been up for hours  and this is the first chance I have to really sit down, I am reminded that the rest of the day will be much of the same.
• Move - unless you count the fact that later today I'll be either swimming or at the gymnastics center with my kids.  

But, it's all okay.  That's what Saturdays are for.  They are for resting, recovering, savoring, and just plain doing other things.  At least for me.  Tomorrow I will get back into the swing of things.  On the agenda is a nine-mile trail run with the Big Boys.  Well, sort of.  More on that tomorrow.

Last but not least, another self-portrait to end this post with.  I am really not a basketball fan, but I was very sad to see Michigan State lose in the Sweet Sixteen the other day.  As you can tell, I have been expressing my MSU pride this past week with my sweet MSU tech shirt.  Maybe next year!

Do you have a planned day off from exercise?  What do you do with it?

No-Chocolate Challenge: Day 4 - Denying the chocolate chip pancake

So, today was a little harder with the no-chocolate challenge.  I kind of shot myself in the foot by promising my kids I would make them pancakes this morning, because invariably they ask for chocolate chip pancakes.  I was kind of hoping that we wouldn't have any chocolate chips on hand, but, of course, we did - three-quarters of a bag of Ghiradelli dark chocolate chips.  So, I made the kids their pancakes and then searched for an equally good alternative for my own....  What I came up with? Date and walnut pancakes.  They were very good, and I even made myself clean the melted chocolate off of the spatula before flipping my 'jacks.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes BEFORE

Chocolate Chip Pancakes AFTER

Chocolate Chip Pancakes REALLY AFTER

Preparing the dates and walnuts

Date and walnut pancakes DONE and DELICIOUS!

Basic Vegan Pancake Recipe:

1 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup ground flax seed

1/4 cup oatmeal

1/4 cup sugar

2 TBSP baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

3 tsp Ener-G egg replacer

4 TBSP warm water

1 1/2 cups soymilk (plus some extra) - I use Silk unsweetened.

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Mix-ins of choice (have done chocolate chips, blueberries, dates, walnuts)

Stir together the first eight ingredients in large bowl.  Mix together the Ener-G and water in small bowl.  Add the soymilk and oil and stir to mix.  Add the liquid mixture to the dry and whisk together. Add enough additional soymilk to make a pourable batter.  Pour the batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a non-stick hot griddle.  Turn when bubbles form on top.  Done when both sides are golden brown.

A Veg Head, Power Food Breakfast

As the folks around me seem to be dropping like flies due to stomach flus, common cold viruses, and various other types of maladies and malaise, my fuzzy idea of healthier eating suddenly comes into sharper focus.  I don't know if I can ward off the nasty germs by exercising and eating well, but I sure am going to try.

For me, that means breakfast is no longer boxed cereal (not even the organic, well-meaning granola I like).  Rather, it's homemade oatmeal for breakfast.  Now, I love oatmeal, and I get on kicks where I eat it for long stretches at a time.  But, the fact of the matter is that it is not without its drawbacks.  It does take a bit of preparation.  When it is all said and done, though, really, what's ten minutes out of your morning to get a good head start on the day?  Food is fuel, after all.

So, here's my recipe:

EASY PEASY BASIC OATMEAL - The Breakfast of Champions and Average Runners Alike (makes two bowls of oatmeal)

Ingredients:

1 cup oatmeal

2 cups water

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup dried cranberries

2 Tbs chia seeds

4 Tbs chopped walnuts

2 Tbs maple syrup

Soymilk

Directions:

Mix the oatmeal, water, and cinnamon in a pot and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer on med-low heat for three minutes.

Take pot off the heat, add the cranberries, cover, and let sit for two more minutes.  Stir.

Stir the chia seeds, walnuts, and maple syrup into the pot.  Basically, done!  Dish out the oatmeal, and, if desired, add soymilk to taste.

DONE!

The thing I like about this is that the recipe is really flexible as far as what to add.  Use other nuts in place of walnuts.  Add flax seed instead of chia seed.  Use agave or molasses in place of maple syrup.  Use a different type of dried fruit in place of cranberries, or use fresh fruit.  You can even cook the oats in apple juice instead of water for more of an apple-cinnamon flavor.  The possibilities are endless really.

I add to that some OJ and a cup of coffee from my favorite coffee maker, and I am good to go for the morning hours.  

Chemex coffee maker.  The best coffee maker
in the world!

 Happy eating!  Stay healthy!

What's for dinner, Veg Head?

As a vegetarian, I get a lot of questions about what I eat, how do I get protein/calcium/B12, you name it.  Now, really, I don't mind the questions at all.  I am not defensive about the way I eat, and I welcome the chance to educate people - to play ambassador, if you will.

The part I don't like about it, however, is that whenever someone asks me the question What do you eat?, I invariably draw a big, fat blank.  It's like I all of a sudden can't remember what I had for dinner the night before.  In my defense, though, how many other people actually file away their menu plans in their head, ready and willing and able to serve them up to those unexpected individuals hungering for knowledge at a moment's notice?  I would guess not too many.

Usually, my answer comes out in a stumbling, tumbling, bumbling flow starting with, Oh, you know.  The usual stuff, I guess.

The truth is that the family and I get in cooking ruts the same as anyone else.  Some weeks are more exciting than others.  And, while I could probably write a whole blog on my food choices alone, I won't bore you with the details.  Suffice it to say that we eat for health.  We're vegetarian by choice.  We are not vegan, although the Hubby and I lean that way more than the kids.  We try to make healthful meals that support our active, running lifestyles.  It's become harder with the kids, who claim their three favorite foods are shell mac and cheese, pizza, and the "other type of mac and cheese."  But, despite their preferences, I don't play short-order cook to the little people in the family; they eat what we eat.  On the other hand, I don't go out of my way to make the spice-filled, full-flavored food I used to make either.

Occasionally, I do try to make something that allows us to meet somewhere in the middle.  Last night's dinner is a good example.  So, to partially answer the question "What do you eat?," I present Last Night's Dinner.

Last night, I pulled out an old favorite that I used to make all the time.  This is adapted from the Jambalaya recipe found in a little cookbook called Good Time Eatin' in Cajun Country: Cajun Vegetarian Cooking by Donna Simón, which I picked up in New Orleans years ago - back when we were still living in the Deep South.  I love this cookbook and this recipe in particular.  I have modified it somewhat from the original over the years, so here's the gist.

To start out, I rehydrate some TVP (textured vegetable protein).  This is actually a food product that we don't use very often anymore, since we're trying to stay away from processed foods.  But, occasionally, it finds its way back into the pantry.  It's loaded with protein and fiber and is rather chewy.  It looks a bit like chicken, doesn't it?  I'd say it tastes like it, too, but it's been so long since I've had chicken, I really wouldn't know.

Add the holy trinity of vegetables to the saute.

Add some other stuff, including the secret spices.

Add brown rice, and voila!  Dinner is served.

Now, I wouldn't say this was a real crowd pleaser in our house.  Even given the dumbed down version (i.e., it wasn't spicy), the kids looked upon it with suspicion.  But, they did eat it in the end.  I am working on expanding their culinary horizons slowly, so each bite taken is considered a small victory.

At some point, I will wow the blogging world with my breakfast oatmeal recipe.  In the meantime, happy eating, happy running, and keep any questions coming!

I'm always looking for tips and new recipes, so I want to know what do you eat to support your running?  Please leave a comment!