This Runner's Fuel

I can’t believe it has been one year since my first post on this blog. I really wasn’t sure what direction I was going to go, and in may ways, I am still trying to figure that out. I just know that I have a passion for running, fitness and nutrition and love sharing what I believe to be key components to a healthy lifestyle.

205 posts, 10 races (one marathon), blood, sweat and tears have been shared on this site! I have made some friends, learned a lot, and if I’ve inspired just one person out there, it’s all been worthwhile. Thank you to all who have supported Runner’s Fuel, offered me advice, suggestions and kind words. You rock!

I wanted to share some links to some of my favorite posts of 2011.

Oh Heavenly Slumber – March 15 (forcing myself to sleep more is still a struggle for)

Scooby Snack Anyone? – April 7th (cause I still need ideas about what to tote around with me)

Achievement – April 15th (because every time I read it I cry)

My Awesome Running Partner – April 21 (Cooper, what can I say – I LOVE him!)

My Marathon – May 16 (not a very good race re-cap, but sometimes keeping certain memories to yourself can be blissful)

The Mad Scientist – June 2 (this is actually a reader favorite!)

I Finally Get It – June 27 (because running has carried me through some major life disappointments)

My “I Did it” Moment – September 19  (breaking a pace goal feels wonderful!)

Better than a PR, Medal or Trophy – October 16th (Running friends are awesome!)

So that’s the short list of some of my favorites, the one’s that really meant a lot to me. I LOVE comments, so please feel free. If you would rather e-mail me – please use thisrunnersfuel@gmail.com.

I’ve really been itching to get outside and run, especially since I successfully ran three treadmill miles earlier in the week without an issue. So this morning, I decided that I was going to head to the high school and give the track  a whirl. I was slightly concerned with the real feel at 25 degrees, not because I don’t like running in cold weather ,I actually like it, but more because I was afraid my muscles would be real cold. I started at home with a stretching session. Heating pad on both legs for 15 minutes to get the muscles pliable, followed by the foam roller and some stretching strap exercises. Shortly after that I was out the door and on the track. within the first 1/4 mile I realized that I forgot my Garmin. Now you know I am out of practice! So I had to rely on the good old iPhone stopwatch. I ran 22 laps at about a 9:00 minute pace.

I was thrilled when I was closing in 5.5 miles because I was still pain-free. I wanted to keep going, but knew that it has been a while since I have run any substantial distance, stopping while I was ahead was the smart thing to do. It was the first time I had run with my new IT compression band too. I ordered it from Running Warehouse and it seems to have really helped. If you watch the video below, it explains how this simple piece of running gear can keep that IT band in place and pain-free.

After my run, feeling pretty good about myself, I showered and fixed lunch. Lunch today consisted of my favorite kale-apple salad with homemade mustard agave dressing, topped with chia seeds. On the side, I packing in some protein and iron with a 1/2 cup of black beans.

I am feeling much more hopeful about my future in running, but still want to take it really slow. I am still nervous to take any hills at this point, so it will be flat running surfaces for a while. Enjoy your weekend!

Today’s Friday favorites is extra cool, because it was an “anything can happen day!” Rich and I took the day off from work, originally to ski, but with the relentless rain we’ve had all week, it seemed more likely that we were going to need a canoe or kayak on the mountain, neither of which we own. So, with that decision made for us, the day was wide open. Rich is always trying to make things fun, I love that about him, so when he came down for breakfast, he announced in an excited voice “anything can happen today!” It immediately set the tone for the day, like it was going to be some kind of adventure. We planned on heading to the South Side for lunch and shopping, but ran into really bad traffic, because anything can happen, so we kept it local. We ate lunch, (nothing worth mentioning) and our first stop was the liquor store for a “wine run”. You know it’s serious when Rich grabs a cart. I don’t think he is all thrilled with his debut on the blog.

After the wine run, it was off to purchase a new yoga mat. I am planning on heading back to class this weekend, so thought I should bring my own mat this time. I rented one last week and I do NOT want to do that again. Yuck! This is where things get really good…we decided on an impulse to stop into Best Buy and look at new computers. I figured that since I got an iPad for Christmas, I really didn’t have a need for a laptop, so…I bought an iMac computer today! I am so excited. It replaced an old Dell laptop with a broken screen and a REALLY old PC. I am writing this post on it right now! The screen is amazing, and we didn’t even get the enormous one. so that is why today was one of my FAVORITES! Because, anything CAN happen!

If you’ve read some of my previous posts, you know that my dog Cooper is really my “baby doggie”. I love him so much and want him to be a happy pooch. This week, since we had so much rain, the yard is quite muddy and it’s hard to let the dog out for long periods of time. He gets caked in mud and practically needs a full bath every time he comes in. He gets a little cabin fever and depressed. Awe… So yesterday, knowing I was off today, I made a reservation for him at the Cozi Inn Spa and Resort. He absolutely loves the place and gets so excited when you mention the it. This facility really is top notch and the people there are true dog lovers. I always feel completely comfortable leaving him there and trust that he is in good hands. He has the opportunity to get outside, make friends and play until he is completely spent. Technically, it might be one of Cooper’s favorite places rather than mine.

Lastly, I made a really cool purchase this week, that anyone who spends time outdoors in the winter will appreciate. I got a pair of glove liners that are touch screen friendly. You know how annoying that is when it’s freezing out and you have to take your gloves off to answer your iPhone? Well, these liners eliminate that problem. They have this cool little metal-looking thingy on the index finger and thumb that allow you to maneuver around your iPhone without removing your gloves. This is fantastic for skiing and running, so this is my favorite new piece of gear for the week.

Wow, this almost became Saturday favorites. Have a great weekend. Thanks for reading!

I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this dinner. I wanted to turn around and make it the next night, super tasty. I found this recipe in the least likely of places, Food Network Magazine. I really enjoy that magazine, but a lot of the recipes in it are not all that healthy. (Right, Paula Deen?) It is what it is. They do have a select few that fit the bill though, and this one was wonderful. Rich ate it as well and really liked it too, and he’s not as big a tofu fan as I am.

The recipe a calls for extra firm plain tofu, but I used a package of Savory Tofu from Trader Joes. The reason I like this stuff is that I hate pressing regular packaged tofu. I never invested in the $40 tofu press, please! Instead, I roll the tofu in a tea towel, pace it between two plates and stack books on top of it. Ridiculous itself, yes, but it does do the job. If you never worked with tofu, the importance of pressing, is huge. It determined whether or not your tofu has a pleasing consistency rather than slimy and mushy.

The combination of peppers and Yukon potatoes, on the tortilla, just made this a tasty and filling meal, not to mention colorful and pretty.

Ingredients

• 1 Large Yukon gold potato , peeled, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 bell peppers (one green, one any other color)
• 1 package Trader Joe’s Savory tofu or firm tofu, drained and pressed (crumbled or diced)
• Whole-wheat tortillas
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup arugula

Directions

Put potato pieces in a large skillet and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer about 3 minutes. Drain all water out, except for about a tablespoon.

Add oil, garlic, chili powder and scallions to the skillet and cook stirring, about 2 minutes. Add peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes and peppers are tender, about 5 minutes. Add tofu and 2 tablespoons of water and cook until tofu is heated through.

Warm tortilla(s) in the oven or microwave. Top tortilla with the tofu, pepper scramble. add arugula and tomatoes.

Enjoy!

Fast food, I suspect (well, I know) originated  in part from the ever-increasing fast pace we Americans live our lives. Running from work to evening activities with kids, personal commitments, the gym, and who knows where else. Depends on the day right? One thing I hear from people regularly is that they just don’t have the time to eat a healthy dinner so, it’s through the drive-thru they go.

I may not have the most stellar diet, I too fall prey to temptation here and there. One thing I absolutely NEVER, EVER do is eat fast food. No McDonalds, Arby’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, and absolutely no Taco Bell. I don’t feel superior to those who do, to each their own. It’s not even matter of fat and calories keeping me away, it’s just that I don’t consider what those places serve “food”.

With that said, tonight was a perfect example of a “meal-on-the-run” night. I drove straight from work to my hair appointment, which will end at close to 8:00pm and I would never be able to make it that long without dinner. With a little planning, I was able to fit a healthy meal in, no problem.

While in the car, I snacked on a container of cucumbers that I had cut and packed the evening before, grabbed a handful of almonds, which are sadly stored all over my car, as well as in my purse. I have mentioned that I have a bit of a problem with almonds, haven’t I? When I arrived at the salon, it was a cup of soy yogurt with 1/4 cup of granola and 1 tablespoon of flax seed. Sorry I ate the cucumbers and almonds before I could photograph them.

This may not be the most traditional dinner but it served it’s purpose with a vegetable serving, healthy fat, protein and carbs. It took under 5 minutes to put together and required very little space to transport.

Hope this has inspired you to do a little planning on your own. Happy packing!

I have officially been plant-based (again) for 7 days now. Okay, I have to be honest and confess that I did have pizza on Saturday. I know, GASP! right? LOL. It that was the only moment of weakness I had in 7 days though, so, not bad

So what have I been eating? Lots of veggies (dark green leafy, broccoli, colorful), beans, flax seeds, chia seeds, almonds, whole grains, tofu, tempeh, organic soy milk and lots of fruit (primarily berries). See plant-based food pyramid below for a breakdown of suggested servings.

Foods I have avoided: all dairy (cheese, milk), eggs, all meats, white pastas, breads, and sweets. The one thing that is hard for me is sweets!  In addition, I have cut my alcohol consumption down by half.

The first thing you notice when switching over to this whole foods, plant-based diet, without getting too graphic, is that things start to “flow” very nicely through the body, if you catch my drift. Food is digested at miraculous rates, and since much of it is nutrient dense, the body absorbs what it needs quickly. Secondly, an increase in energy level is perceptible, even after one week. It’s truly amazing. Brendan Braizer explains why this occurs so clearly in his book, Thrive Foods.

“Highly processed, refined, denatured food requires that significantly more digestive energy be spent to break it down in the process of transferring its caloric energy to us. In contrast, natural, unrefined, whole food digests with a considerably lower energy requirement.”

Yesterday morning I woke up before the alarm went off at 4:45 to head to the gym. The body was well rested and ready to go.

As far as how I believe this diet will help my healing process. Brendan also explains how processed foods, or “stimulation” foods provide a short-term, temporary boost in energy prompting the production of the stress hormone cortisol. I know I have mentioned cortisol on this blog at one point or another. Cortisol, in excess, is linked to inflammation in the body, causing weaker cellular tissue, compromised immune systems, and can potentially lead to disease by causing body degeneration.

Wow, that’s a lot of words. I am not expert, by any means, but it just makes sense to me. If the body is able to focus on what’s it’s supposed to be doing rather than breaking down crappy food, much of which is loaded with preservatives designed NOT TO BREAK DOWN for longer shelf life, the body will no doubt do a better job.

Consider me your live guinea pig. I will continue to try to eat as clean as possible and well, see what happens. It’s hard for most to believe that diet can have such a profound impact on the way a person feels from day-to-day simply because it’s really not a widespread notion. If you ever get the inclination to give it a try, 10 days is really all you need, even if you consider it just a cleanse rather than a permanent lifestyle change.

More to come… Have a great day!

Procrastination. Why do we do it? I can understand why we put off doing things that we don’t want to do, but why do we hold off doing things that we do want to do? I don’t have an answer. I have been talking about taking a Yoga class for so long that I was getting tired of hearing myself say it. It’s not that I didn’t really want to go, or that I didn’t have time. There’s always time to do the things you want. I just never went. Plain and simple.

Never, until this past Sunday. Running isn’t an option for me right now. If my training had gone as planned, I would have been out doing a long, slow 8 miles. Instead of sitting home and sulking, I got out of bed and declared “Today is the day I start practicing Yoga!”. Just like my Monday Motivation Post – Just Get Up and Go. And right after I said that I got a little nervous. I know it sounds silly, but it’s like anything else you do for the first time. There are some reservations…

I don’t know what I’m doing.

What if I look stupid?

What if I get stuck in a pose?

And, of Course…

What will I wear?

On a serious note, I don’t even have a mat. I picked a beginners class at Yoga Flow in Shadyside at 11:30, where mat rentals were only a dollar. I knew this was a “hot” yoga class, but I don’t think I realized how very hot it was supposed to be. I paid for my class and stepped into the room and was sweating within minutes. For “hot” yoga, the room is typically heated to 105 degrees (ideally) with 40% humidity.  There were people of all ages there ranging from college students to people in their 60’s, which was kind of cool. After about 10 minutes, I was relaxed and comfortable and absolutely dripping with sweat. It felt like all the toxins were just running out of my body. Then there was the “opening up” of certain areas of the body, shoulders, hips, etc. It just felt so good.

The biggest distraction of the class was when the instructor kept telling us to find and feel our Chakra (energy centers in the body), I kept thinking of Chaka, you know, from Land of the Lost. As in the 2009 movie starring Will Ferrell, not the series from the 70′s, although I did enjoy that too.

Despite having Chaka on my mind, there were no Yoga emergencies. I didn’t end up looking like a fool or sticking out like a sore thumb like I was afraid of. I was actually surprised at how well I was able to follow along. I had to look up a few times to see what everyone else was doing and the instructor came over and adjusted my pigeon pose once, but other than that, it was easy to keep up. I did all the poses that I’ve heard about such as child’s, tree, pigeon, warrior, etc. Each pose had it’s own set of challenges,whether it’s was a matter of balance or just really getting the muscles to loosen up. To me the hardest part was breathing when I was supposed to. The breathing , from what I understand, is such and important part of the practice. When and how long it takes you to inhale and exhale apparently matters.

I plan on going back next weekend to give it another go. This time, I won’t have to worry about looking foolish, because I already know I won’t. At least I don’t think…

Is there something that you’ve been talking about doing but just haven’t taken the step to make it so? I am so glad I finally went and got to experience Yoga. I like it and will probably end up making it part of my routine.

Originally I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to come up with another installment of Friday Favorites, but it wasn’t that hard at all. This has actually been a great exercise for my mind. I am paying much closer attention to my surroundings and experiences. I am easily amused and pleased though, so…

I want to start off with my favorite day of the week! And at this moment, I am happy that Madison doesn’t read my blog because she would be mortified that I have a picture of her and her friends posted here. Maddy (in the burgundy shirt and scarf) celebrated her 14th birthday last Saturday. The years are going by so quickly and soon we will be faced with buying her a car, driving, dating, college, etc… I don’t even like to think about it. The birthday celebration consisted of a full day of shopping, and lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. I survived 6 hours in a mall with 4 teenagers and loved every minute of it! They actually allowed me, the Mom, to walk around with them. A treat all by itself. Happy Birthday Maddy!

Now, this next item may not get too many of you excited, but I really thought it was cool. I don’t know about you, but we recycle heavily in our house. Our borough just got us these enormous recycling bins and we take full advantage, filling it every week with plastic, cans, glass, magazines, boxes, junk mail, etc. You get the picture. This week, the time had come to replace our toothbrushes. I normally stand looking at all them in the store so confused by the bazillion choices and options. Can one really be that much better than the other? I spotted these, pictured left and was instantly sold. I thought it was so cool that right on the packaging it stated that these toothbrushes were powered by recycled yogurt cups! See, they actually do make stuff out of our recycled junk. It makes the little extra effort totally worth it! If you visit the Preserve website, it states that if you send the toothbrushes back to the company, through their mail-back program, they grind them up and use the remains to make a variety of items. The company is also 100% compassionate and against animal testing, if that is something important to you.

My foam roller has become my best friend over the past couple of weeks. It has been an imperative tool in my IT Band road-to-recovery plan and seems to be helping quite a bit. If used as pictured to the left, the foam roller, in addition to my body weight, simulates a deep tissue massage on the areas that need work. It massages and loosens the IT Band making is more flexible and pliable. Loosening this band will relieve the tightness and pressure the band places on the bursa sac between the band and the knee bone while running, which is what causes the pain in the knee. Love my roller!

This morning, to my delight, but slight inconvenience, we had snow on the ground. It wasn’t much, but enough to keep me confined to my neighborhood until they plowed and salted the streets. The reason this was a bit inconvenient is that I wasn’t able to make it to the gym early enough. Up at 4:45 and nowhere to go, I headed down to the basement to do some abs work, stretches and light calisthenics. Cardio is typically part of my normal gym routine, but I don’t have a treadmill at home, I don’t have a bike, or anything else like that. What I do have, is a jump rope. This $5 piece of “equipment” saved me this morning. I am not the best at jumping rope, but getting better all the time. I jumped for 10 2-minute intervals and that pretty much did the trick in the cardio area, not to mention giving my calves a good workout.

So that pretty much wraps it up for the week. The last thing I would like to share is something I read in the latest issue of Runner’s World Magazine:

“Treadmill: a torture device perfected in the 20^th century, designed to destroy one’s mind through sensory deprivation and monotony”

I could not agree more. Have a great weekend!