Food Rules Friday

Michael Pollan is an acclaimed author and whole food/heathy eating advocate. He is the author of the best selling "In Defense of Food" and "The Omnivore's Dillemma."


Rule #26: "Drink the Spinach Water."


"Another bit of traditional wisdom with good science behind it.  The water in which vegetables are cooked is rich in vitamins and other plant chemicals. Save it for the soup or add it to the sauces."

Of course, in other methods of cooking vegetables, such as roasting or sauteeing, the vitamins are not leached into water.

Training Tip Thursday

"Hill training is a form of speedwork, a way to build strength and speed. You can do hill training in two ways: 1) Run some runs on hilly courses, essential if your goal race will be hilly, also valuable for quad strength and speed, or 2) Run repeats over a single hill. It matters little how long the hill... or how steep the hill or what you do between. Make up your own workout."

Hal Higdon's Tip of the Day, December 27, 2010, http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1352143337#!/halhigdon

Tuesday Quote of the Week

“The beauty of a lake reflects the beauty around it. When the mind is still, the beauty of the Self is seen reflected in it.”

~B.K.S. Iyengar

Meatless Monday

Running Green supports Meatless Monday, an initiative associated with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The goal of Meatless Monday is to help reduce meat consumption in order to improve public health and the health of the planet.


These delicious-looking recipes are published by the Meatless Monday initiative, and may be found at http://www.meatlessmonday.com/category/this-mondays-menu/.

Weekly Training: December 20 - 26

(The graphic is from my page at dailymile.com.)

A mixed bag this week, some great stuff and some not so great.

Monday - Rested the legs.  Weights and Yoga.
Tuesday - Running,  6.12 mi 00:59 09:34 pace.  A comfortable run, followed by a short yoga practice.
Wednesday - Running, 8.1 mi 01:26 10:35 pace  Ugly run.  Struggled all the way.  Weights and yoga.
Thursday - Hill Repeats, 6.37 mi 01:05 10:07 pace - Struggling in the recent hilly half marathon told me I need hills in my otherwise flat terrain training.  There are no hills in my area.  Ran about a mile from my home to the nearest rail overpass, over and back seven times for about four miles of hill simulations, fourteen uphills and fourteen downhills, and back home again.  Followed with a short yoga practice.
Friday: Rested the legs. Weights and Yoga.
Saturday - Running, 8.42 mi 01:19 09:22 pace.  A nice Christmas morning run.   Ran from home to the Gulf Terrace Hike & Bike Trail, 2 laps on the trail, and back home. Followed with a short yoga practice.
Sunday - Long run, 16.3 mi 02:44 10:03 pace.  Ran a long tour of the city's west end (http://connect.garmin.com/activity/60675196).  Tired at the end, but recovered quickly. Followed with a short yoga practice.

Running Miles - YTD: 1,882.3; Month: 144.0, Week: 45.3.  Personal daily yoga practice now at 121 consecutive days.

Food Rules Friday

Michael Pollan is an acclaimed author and whole food/heathy eating advocate. He is the author of the best selling "In Defense of Food" and "The Omnivore's Dillemma."

Rule #25: "Eat your colors."

"The colors of many vegetables reflect the different antioxidant phytochemicals they contain... so the best protection comes from a diet containing as many different phytochemicals as possible."

Training Tips Thursday

"Stepback weeks are essential if you want to progress in your training without injury or the dead feeling that comes with overtraining. In my marathon programs I train runners hard for two weeks, then allow them to step back for the next push upward. This works at shorter distances too. Once offered a brief respite, you can push to the next level. The effect is as much psychological as physical."

From Hal Higdon's Tip of the Day yesterday on his Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1352143337#!/

Tuesday Quote of the Week

"Travel light, live light, spread the light, be the light."

~Yogi Bhajan

Meatless Monday

Running Green supports Meatless Monday, an initiative associated with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The goal of Meatless Monday is to help reduce meat consumption in order to improve public health and the health of the planet.

These delicious-looking recipes are published by the Meatless Monday initiative, and may be found at http://www.meatlessmonday.com/category/this-mondays-menu/.  As I publish this post, I see that this link still leads to last week's recipes. Hopefully, the link will be updated soon, as I'm intrigued by the photo of the Mushroom Pie!

In our personal vegetarian adventures, we recently tried seitan for the first time. It's widely used in vegetarian recipes in place of meat. Seitan is wheat protein, and not a good choice for anyone with celiac condition or a gluten allergy. We don't have any of those issues, and found seitan to be quite good in two recipes that we liked in our pre-vegetarian days. We used it in place of beef in our Chinese Pepper Steak recipe, and used it in place of chicken in our pot pie recipe. Nice to make a new discovery!

Weekly Training: December 13 - 19

(The graphic is from my page at dailymile.com.)

This week started poorly and ended well.  After resting Monday, I struggled through my midweek runs, experiencing lingering soreness from the December 11 half marathon.

I'm totally accustomed to the half marathon distance.  I run a similar distance almost every week in training, and it doesn't faze me.  However, after the half marathon race, I had considerable soreness deep in the lower abdominal muscles.  I attribute the difference to the hills on the half marathon route; I train in an area that is almost completely flat.  Because of the soreness, I ran Tuesday, Wedesday and Thursday comparatively slowly and never found a smooth running rhythm. Finally, after after another rest day Friday, I had a great 10+ miler Saturday, pushing the pace, calling it my "long-ish" pace run.  Sunday, I ran the same distance and route more slowly, calling it my weekly "long" run.

I had my fun.  I ran two races in the last three weeks.  In the process of extra pre-race rest and post-race recovery, my weekly mileage slipped from the 50 mile range into the 30s for four weeks.   Now, it's time to get in serious training mode, build miles, and get ready for my March 12 marathon race.

This marathon training cycle "officially" started in early November, with a modification of the same 18-week training plan I used for this year's marathon.  To date, I have not paid much attention to the schedule, because my routine runs follow the same general pattern, and my routine mileage has been higher than that in the first 6 or 7 weeks of the training plan.  The training plan builds mileage from week to week, so I intended to just pick it up when the plan's mileage caught up with my current in the 6 to 8 week range.

My plan will be a modified version of Hal Higdon's Intermediate 2 program.  I plan to add a few miles to it, to raise the peak weeks from 50 miles to about 55 miles, and to build to the 20-mile runs earlier, allowing me to put four 20 milers in the schedule instead of three.

Running miles- YTD: 1,836.9; Month: 98.7; Week: 40.4.

Yoga Journal - "21-Day Yoga Challenge"

I just signed up for Yoga Journal's "21-Day Yoga Challenge," intended to help one start a home practice and stick with it. It runs from January 10 through January 31, 2011. I'm taking it to help reinforce my current daily practice, and for the additional instructional resources. Any of my yogi friends want to join me?

Details at: http://21daychallenge.yogajournal.com/.

Summary Description:
"Each day, we'll present original videos of yoga sequences. There are 15-minute videos for morning and night; 30-minute videos to help refine your poses, work your core, and develop strength; and a super fun 45-minute flow sequence that'll have you moving all around your mat and getting a great workout in the process. By the end of the challenge, you'll have an arsenal of practices at your disposal to use whenever and however you want."

Training Tip Thursday

Running form: Can you change it? Yes, but maybe you should not. We run the way we run because we run that way. Particularly for new runners, as you continue to train your form will continue to improve, particularly as the muscles that propel you get stronger. Relax, and let running come to you rather than you going to it.

A Hal Higdon "Tip of the Day" from his Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/halhigdon

Tuesday Quote of the Week - In Honor Of B.K.S. Iyengar's 92nd Birthday

"The rhythm of the body
the melody of the mind
and the harmony of the soul
create the symphony of life."

~B.K.S. Iyengar

Reposting this, one of my favorite quotes ever, to honor this day, the 92nd birthday of B.K.S. Iyengar, regarded as the world’s greatest living yoga master. Happy Birthday, Guruji!

I love how the triple metaphors of rhythm, melody and harmony so well fit the unique essence of body, mind and soul. Also how the three become as one in the activity of life. Namaste. :)

Meatless Monday

Running Green supports Meatless Monday, an initiative associated with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The goal of Meatless Monday is to help reduce meat consumption in order to improve public health and the health of the planet.


These delicious-looking recipes are published by the Meatless Monday initiative, and may be found at http://www.meatlessmonday.com/category/this-mondays-menu/. 

Weekly Training: December 6 - 12

(The graphic is from my page at dailymile.com.)

This was intended to be an easy week, to taper into Saturday's half marathon race.  Weekday runs were short.  I pushed on Monday's run, with four miles at tempo pace, then ran five, three and three at easy pace and a day off before the race.  The race went pretty well, considering we had another unseasonably warm day on race day.  Details are contained in a separate post.  On Sunday following the race, I met up with a local road running group for their weekly group run.

Running miles - YTD: 1.796.5; Month: 58.3; Week: 34.7.

Race Review - Swamp Stomp Half Marathon, Lake Charles, LA

Swamp Stomp Half Marathon - 13.1 miles - 2:04:19 (9:29 pace)

This was a tough run. I didn't quite make my sub-2 hour goal, but it was still an official PR. Slightly disappointing, considering I ran four trial halfs in training between 1:52 and 1:58, but the trials were all in 30 to 50 degree temps, and today's weather brought unseasonably warm and humid mid 70 temps with gusty south winds.


I actually feel pretty good about the results, probably the best this day could yield for me. Unlike Thanksgiving Day’s 10K fiasco when I went out way too fast and crashed early, I think I had a reasonable pace strategy. I wanted to ease into it it, find a good rhythm and build gradually, averaging about 9:00 pace. My plan was to run the first mile at 9:30, the second mile at 9:15, the third at 9:00, and cruise the rest of the way between 8:50 and 9:00. I stuck to the plan fairly well through 8 miles, but could never quite find that sub-9:00 cruising zone. Splits through 8 were 9:28, 9:16, 9:02, 9:04, 8:57, 9:04, 9:05, 9:07. From there, it got ugly. and my goal became just holding on enough to finish without walking. Miles 9 through 12 were: 9:32, 10:06, 10:59, and 10:50. I tried to pull together what I had left at the beginning of 13, but my left calf cramped when I pushed too much, and all I could manage was 9:32 the rest of the way.

Overall, it was a good event in a beautiful setting. I met up with local dailymilers Tammy H, Shauna A, Jeremy F, and WiIlliam F.

Food Rules Friday

Michael Pollan is an acclaimed author and whole food/heathy eating advocate. He is the author of the best selling "In Defense of Food" and "The Omnivore's Dillemma."


Rule #23: "Eating what stands on one leg (mushrooms and plant foods) is better than eating what stands on two legs (fowl) which is better than eating what stands on four legs (cows, pigs and other mammals)."

"This Chinese proverb offers a good summary of traditional wisdom regarding the relative healthfulness of different kinds of food, though it inexplicably leaves out the very healthful and very legless fish."

A good point on the relative healthfulness of fish.  Perhaps it isn't in the proverb because fish would presumably be inserted between plants and fowl, putting a zero between one and two, and disrupting the illustrative numerical progression.

Training Tips Thursday - Marathon Success

From a Hal Higdon "Tip of the day:

"Building mileage is essential for success as a runner regardless of racing distance. Gradually increasing mileage loads over three or four months seems to work best. But how many miles a week? A high of about 35 seems adequate to finish a marathon, 55 miles to finish well."

http://www.facebook.com/halhigdon

This kind of defines the difference in how I look at my upcoming second marathon, compared to my first.  On my first, my focus was on finishing.  I finished, and finished respectably, for a first effort.  I took quite a few short walk breaks between 20 and 26.  For my second, I want to finish well.  I'd like to complete the whole distance on the run.  I want to finish feeling strong instead of struggling to survive.

News Flash - Bad Blogger Vows to Do Better

I got way behind on blogging over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.  I haven't posted any original content since just before Thanksgiving.  During that time, there have been several noteworthy items.  I ran a 10K race on Thanksgiving morning.  I hoped to beat my last year's 10K record. but didn't run nearly as well as I hoped.  I missed a new PR by around 2 1/2 minutes.  My running in general is much stronger than last year, but last year's race was on a cool crisp morning, and it was warm and humid this year.  I also made tactical mistakes, but we all live and learn.  I've also been preparing for a half-marathon race this Saturday.  Longer-term, I'm training for my second marathon on March 12.  And my daily yoga practice reached 100 consecutive days last Sunday! 

Today, I resolve to get back on track with regular blog updates!

Weekly Training: November 29 - December 5

(The graphic is from my page at dailymile.com.)

This was a transitional week.  I ran one last half-marathon tune-up  Tuesday, running under my 2 hour race target at 1:58:56.  Following this, I let myself take extra leg rest logging sixes and a five at easy pace.
Running miles - YTD: 1,761.9; Month: 23.6; Week: 36.7.

Silent Saturday

Weekly Training: November 22 - 28

(The graphic is from my page at dailymile.com.)

Thanksgiving week, my focus was the Turkey Trot 10K race on Thursday morning.  I rested my legs Monday as usual, ran one last speed tuneup Tuesday, 4 miles at 8:18 pace.  This was pretty close to my target pace for the race, a target that I didn't maintain on race day.  I rested my legs an extra day Wednesday to be fresh for Thursday.  Thursday, I ran a warmup mile before the race, and Raced 6.2  miles (see separate race report).
After the race, I ran four, six, and eight on Friday, Saturday and Sunday to transition back into a more normal following training week.

Running miles - YTD: 1,725.2; Month: 163.0; Week: 29.3.

Saturday Inspiration - The Earthmark

Race Report - Turkey Trot 10K Race

(Early in the race.  I'm just over the left shoulder of #469)

20th Annual Turkey Trot 10K at Tyrell Park - 6.2 miles, 56:53, 09:10 minutes/mile pace

I had high hopes for setting a new 10K PR at this year's Turkey Trot.  My best existing official 10K time was 54:29 (8:47 pace), at this event in 2009.  In general, my running is stronger and quicker than last year.  Based on my October and November training runs, I really expected to be able to finish at around 52 minutes, or 8:20 pace.

No PR was to be had on this day.   Firstly, I do not run my best in warm weather.  The average temperature for all of my runs in November was about 53 degrees (F).  However, temperature for this race was unseasonably warm, in the mid-70s, very humid, and windy. When I ran well in this race in 2009, it was 39 degrees.  Huge difference. By mid way, I'd even pulled my shirt of to try to stay cooler.

I can't blame the results entirely on the weather, either.  I didn't run a smart race tactically.  As my longer runs have increased in length, 6.2 miles feels like a fairly short run.  I went into this race overconfident, and didn't respect the distance or the weather.  I didn't employ a pace strategy at all, went out WAY too fast for the weather, and burned out early.  My mile splits were: 7:44, 8:17, 9:15, 10:14, 10:07, 9:31, 1:43 (0.2).

This was still a great local event, with over 850 runners this year, a record turnout. I got to meet up with local dailymilers Jeremy F, William F, Tammy H, Evan A, Tara C, Daniel F. And still much to be grateful for on this day.

Tuesday Quote of the Week - The Sense of "I am" (Consciousness)

"The Sense of 'I am' (Consciousness)"


"When I met my Guru, he told me: 'You are not what you take yourself  to be. Find out what you are. Watch the sense "I am," find your real Self.' I obeyed him, because I trusted him. I did as he told me. All my spare time I would spend looking at myself in silence. And what a difference it made, and how soon!

My teacher told me to hold on to the sense 'I am' tenaciously and not to swerve from it even for a moment. I did my best to follow his advice and in a comparatively short time I realized within myself the truth of his teaching. All I did was to remember his teaching, his face, his words constantly. This brought an end to the mind; in the stillness of the mind I saw myself as I am -- unbound.


I simply followed (my teacher's) instruction which was to focus the mind on pure being 'I am', and stay in it. I used to sit for hours together, with nothing but the 'I am' in my mind and soon peace and
joy and a deep all-embracing love became my normal state. In it all disappeared -- myself, my Guru, the life I lived, the world around me. Only peace remained and unfathomable silence."

~Nisargadatta Maharaj

(Thanks to fellow runner, yogi and blogger Muriel at http://runnersmur.blogspot.com/ for posting this on her blog for me to find, borrow and pass on.)

Meatless Monday

Running Green supports Meatless Monday, an initiative associated with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The goal of Meatless Monday is to help reduce meat consumption in order to improve public health and the health of the planet.

These delicious-looking recipes are published by the Meatless Monday initiative, and may be found at http://www.meatlessmonday.com/category/this-mondays-menu/

Monday Morsels (Source: http://www.meatlessmonday.com/):
Elle South Africa has embraced the global movement… The Johns Hopkins Newsletter announces MM in the school’s food court and café… The Massachusetts Telegram offers weekly meal ideas, complete with a MM… Capitol Hill Seattle announces two new MM restaurants, Oddfellows and Smith… Snack Girl Lisa Cain asks us “Why Monday?”

Weekly Training: November 15 - 21, A Recovery Week

(The graphic is from my page at dailymile.com.)

This week was all about recovery.  After six consecutive weeks of increasing mileage, fatigue became a factor, and I planned a lighter week this week.

I kept the runs pretty easy all week, shortening the distances and reducing the intensity.  I skipped the mile intervals, and a run at tempo pace Thursday was the only quicker-paced run all week.

I thought I could cut back from the 50's to about 40 miles, but late in the week, it became apparent that 40 was too much.  I struggled Saturday, and cut an intended 13 miler back to 8.  By Sunday morning, I started feeling some energy in my legs again, but instead of running long, I opted to keep it light another day.  This turned out to be just what I needed.  I had a good 7.5 miles at a comfortable pace, and finally feel 100% again.  Now, I should be in good shape to run the 10K Turkey Trot race on Thanksgiving morning.

Sunday's run was a nice change of pace.  Instead of my usual long, solitary run, I met up with the local Exygon Fitness Center's Road Runner group for their weekly group run.  I actually started a little earlier, running to a local park, and then to the gym where the group meets.  I've run with the group on a couple of occasions, and know several members.  They run an out-and-back route that totals eight miles.  Runners turn around and return from different points along the way, depending on their intended distance.  The runners tend to fall into groups of similar pace.  There was no way I could keep up with the lead group and paced with Brad, a runner I hadn't met before, slightly behind the lead group.  Brad turned around at the midway point for a four mile run, and I continued solo, catching up to the lead group as they rested a few moments before turning around at the midway point for 6 miles.  They ran a little easier on the way back, and I managed to keep up without pushing too hard. 

They had a very good turnout of runners Sunday, as a local magazine was there to do a feature on local runners.  Our local marathon's site had posted this in advance, encouraging a good showing of local runners for the feature.  The group runs this route near my neighborhood  every Sunday morning.  Most weeks I pass them goiing the opposite direction on my route.  so this was a good opportunity to meet a few of the runners that I wave to on the way by every week.  I met one runner, Celeste, who visits my blog.  Thanks, Celeste!   It's always nice to know that there are people out there reading it!

Running miles - YTD:  1,695.9; November: 133.7; Week: 29.5.
Daily yoga streak still going at 86 days!

Food Rules Friday

Michael Pollan is an acclaimed author and whole food/heathy eating advocate. He is the author of the best selling "In Defense of Food" and "The Omnivore's Dillemma."



Rule #22: "Treat meat as a flavoring or special occasion food."

Calming & Grounding Breath

Breath is the essense of life.  Here's a good calming breathing practice that may be of benefit for a runner as well as for a pratitioner of yoga. 

Breath control is so important to the running process.  During the run itself, runners are typically trained to use a 3:2 breathing technique for efficient oxygenation while running.  In other words, the inhale lasts for three steps and the exhale lasts for two steps.  Developing an efficient breathing rhythm helps develop efficient running technique.  Relaxation is also important for a runner.  A runner that approaches a race in a relaxed state will run more efficiently and use less energy.

Breath is an integral part of the practice of yoga. Every movement is coordinated with an inhalation  or exhalation.  Pranayama, or breath control, is a separate practice that is effective for clearing and focusing the mind and setting up a calm relaxed state for meditation.

"When the Breath wanders, the mind is unsteady, but when the Breath is still, so is the mind still."
~Hatha Yoga Pradipika

The Bhagavad Gita - In Discussion

The Bhagavad Gita is really essential reading for aspiring yogis.  This "New Translation" was recommended highly by the Elephant Journal, one of my favorite yoga places to visit.  I picked up this version a few months ago, read it, and I'm now reading it again.  There is endless nuance in the text that is likely to continue to unfold in reading after reading.  I like to sit in bed and read a passage from the book every night just before I go to sleep.  The stillness of this quiet part of the evening seems perfect to reflect on the timeless words therein.  I'll probably re-read it many times.

A reason I bought this version of the Gita at the time was because of the formation of an online discussion group at the Elephant Journal to read and comment on the passages.  I got a late start, bought the book after the discussion had already begun, and never quite caught up.   It was also my first reading of the Gita.  I read most of the discussions, but with my newness to the text, wasn't really comfortable with full participation.

Last week, a second discussion group began.  I intend to follow it and try to participate to some extent.  They really welcome newcomers and readers of all levels.  There's an interesting difference in the current format.  The first discussion group followed the text from beginning to end.  The current discussion reviews the text thematically.  For each weekly discussion, sections from the entire book that speak to a thematic concept are subject for discussion.  For example, last week's topic followed the theme of "Live and Act with Love and Purpose."  The stanzas that spoke to the week's theme were published online for viewers' reading and comments.  So, the current discussions don't even require one to have a copy of the book!  What could be easier? 

The second weekly topic was just published today, "Experience the Infinite Wonder of All Things and of Everyday Life."

Intrigued?  It's not too late for any of my readers who are interested in yoga or yogic philosophy to join in! 

Tuesday Quote of the Week - What is Meditation?

“When the past thought has ceased, and a future thought has not yet risen, isn’t there a gap? Well, prolong it. That’s meditation.”
  ~Jamyang Khyentse
    (Quoted in Elephant Journal)

Do you have a personal definition for meditation?

Meatless Monday

Running Green supports Meatless Monday, an initiative associated with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The goal of Meatless Monday is to help reduce meat consumption in order to improve public health and the health of the planet.

These delicious-looking recipes are published by the Meatless Monday initiative, and may be found at http://www.meatlessmonday.com/category/this-mondays-menu/

Monday Morsels (Source: http://www.meatlessmonday.com/):
The New Haven Independent reports that the town’s elementary and high schools now go MM… Dr. Mary Clifton makes an appeal to Traverse City to pass MM resolution… St. Louis’ Riverfront Times reports that “Meatless Mondays have become a boon to restaurants”… Sean S. Miller, education director at the Earth Day Network endorses MM… popular advice column Earth Talk discussing the history of the MM movement.

Weekly Training: November 8 - 14, Another Record Week!

Graphic is from my page at dailymile.com.


One more record week - 53.1 running miles, beating my previous best week of 51.1 miles last week.  This week's highlights included a third half marathon trial Saturday, and an 20-mile long run Sunday.  I struggled toward the end of this week.  I had to push harder than I should have to maintain pace on the Thursday, Saturday and Sunday runs.

Today was my weekly long run.  I hadn't run twenty or more since May, and I'd been wanting get back to that level. This may not have been the best day for it, since I struggled a little on Thursday's and Saturday's runs.  It wasn't pretty, but it's done. The first fourteen were OK, but the last six got pretty tough. Good training on the mental game.  Easy pace that went downhill toward the end: 10:24, 10:00, 10:14, 10:00, 10:14, 10:06, 10:15, 9:56, 10:02, 9:27, 10:17, 10:04, 10:16, 9:46, 10:15, 10:26, 10:47, 10:48, 10:48, 10:57.   I felt much better at the end of last Sunday's 18-miler than I did at 18 today.

Saturday was a third half marathon tune-up.  On the previous Saturday, running this same course at 8:37 pace seemed almost too easy. Today was a struggle to get average pace around nine. Splits: 9:40, 9:07, 9:14, 8:49, 9:06, 8:57, 9:05, 8:54, 8:55, 8:44, 8:57, 8:49, 8:16, 0:56 (0.1).

Weekday runs were 6 mile repeats at 8:02 pace Tuesday morning, and easy 8 miles at 9:25 pace Wednesday morning, and a 6 mile tempo run at 8:37 pace Thursday morning.

Same weights schedule: chest and biceps Monday, shoulders and legs Wednesday, and back and triceps Friday.

Struggling on the last 3 runs of the week tells me that I need to cut a few miles out of next week's schedule.  My normal pattern is to run a slightly lighter week after every 2 or 3 heavy weeks, and it's been 6 weeks since I've had a lighter week.  I'm overdue.

Running miles - YTD: 1,666; November: 104.2, Week: 53.1.
My daily yoga streak is at 78 days!

Silent Saturday - Cherish our Earth

Food Rules Friday

Michael Pollan is an acclaimed author and whole food/heathy eating advocate. He is the author of the best selling "In Defense of Food" and "The Omnivore's Dillemma."



Rule #21: "Eat mostly plants, especially leaves"

Training Tips Thursday - More Hip Openers

Hip opener yoga poses are the most awesome lower body release for tight or sore legs, hips and glutes.  In the last two months, I've posted two previous videos of hip openers that I like after running.  One of them is an 18-minute sequence, the other one 11 minutes.  I run in the early morning before I go to work, and I'm always on a tight schedule, so it's good to have a variety, to be able choose a routine that fits the available time.  This one starts with sun salutations and leads into hip openers.  It's only 8 minutes, but is still enough to make the lower body feel a lot better after a hard run!

Green Choices Wednesday - Recycle your Shoes!

Recycle your shoes!

As an environmentalist, I try to minimize my unnecessary consumption of resources and minimize my contribution  to excess waste disposal.  As a runner, I'm concerned that my consumption of shoes is higher than the average person.  It's recommended that runners replace running shoes after 300 to 500 miles.  I've been sucessful in getting as much as 500 miles out of most of mine.  After that many miles, the shoes' shock-absorbing properties are compromised slightly from repeated compressions of the soles.  A runner risks injury by extending shoe use too far.  When I retire a pair of shoes from running, they are still normally in great general condition and have little sole wear.  500 miles sounds like a lot, but worn just for running, for example at 9.5 minutes per mile, they've only been worn about 80 hours.  That's like wearing them at work for two weeks, except that it is more extreme service! I do extend shoe use by wearing my running-retired best condition shoes additionally for casual use, and recently a friend reminded me about the Soles4soles organization.

Soles4soles (http://www.soles4souls.org/) is a non-profit organization that was formed after the asian tsunami several years ago.  They recycle "gently used" shoes by cleaning them and giving them to needy shoeless people around the world.  I've seen shoe collection bins at race events in the past, and recently explored their website.  I found that it's really easy to donate shoes at any time, benefitting both the Earth and people who need shoes.  Using the location finder at http://www.soles4souls.org/about/locations.html, I found that there are two locations within a mile and a half of my home where I can donate used shoes!

In the future, I'll take shoes to these locations as I retire them, rather than wait to donate them at a race event.

Tuesday Quote of the Week

"When he sees that the myriad beings
emanate from the One
and have their source as the One
that man gains absolute freedom."

~Bhagavad Gita, 13.30

Meatless Monday

Running Green supports Meatless Monday, an initiative associated with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The goal of Meatless Monday is to help reduce meat consumption in order to improve public health and the health of the planet.


These delicious-looking recipes are published by the Meatless Monday initiative, and may be found at http://www.meatlessmonday.com/category/this-mondays-menu/

Monday Morsels (Source: http://www.meatlessmonday.com/):
Nancy Lee, Food writer for Maryland’s Frederick News Post asks readers to “looks at why food is more than just the meal in front of us” with her MM article… Students and staff at The University of Florida celebrates MM on campus… Civil Eats sits down with the original MM blogger Kim O’Donnel to discuss meat’s role in our food system… Craftzine creates an inspired MM recipe for Acorn Stuffed Squash with Harvest Quinoa Salad… NYC sustainable food finder Clean Plates praises the MM campaign.

Weekly Training: November 1 - 7 & a Record Week!

Graphic is from my page at dailymile.com.

A great start to November, with a record week - 51.1 running miles.  This just barely tops my previous best week of 51.0 miles last April at the peak of marathon training.  Highlights of this week's runs were another good half marathon trial Saturday, and an 18-mile long run Sunday.

Sunday was my long run, eighteen miles at comfortable pace (9:52 minutes/mile average).  Mile splits were: 10:21, 9:58, 10:05, 9:54, 10:06, 9:49, 10:09, 10:04, 10:04, 9:53, 10:18, 9:55, 9:46, 9:27, 9:36, 9:28, 9:41, 8:56.  I thought the notable thing was that the last six miles were the quickest.  A year ago, the last miles of my long runs were the slowest, a struggle just to finish.  Now, I find myself conserving a little energy early, and finishing quicker when I get close enough to the end to not need to hold back to be sure to finish the distance.

Saturday's run was another half marathon tune-up.  Three weeks prior, after adding a December 11 half marathon to my schedule, I ran a simulated half to get a better idea of what I could currently expect for a near best effort run at this distance. Since then, I've been doing a lot of my runs near estimated half pace, to get a good feel for the pace and the distance. Saturday looked like a good time to do a second trial. On a nice cool morning, I pushed this one harder than the last one and cut off almost four minutes. Splits: 9:30, 8:48, 8:38, 8:36, 8:50, 8:33, 8:45, 8:31, 8:41, 8:23, 8:32, 8:18, 7:45, 0:58 (0.1).

Weekday runs were a 6 mile progressive tempo run @8:38 on a rainy Tuesday morning, 6 mile repeat intervals at 8:00 Wednesday morning, and 8 miles at a more comfortable 8:46 Thursday morning.

Continued with my normal cross training schedule with weights, targeting chest and biceps Monday, shoulders and legs Wednesday, and back and triceps Friday.

My daily yoga streak is still going, currently at 71 days!  I did short practice each morning after running, and additional longer sessions Tuesday and Wednesday evenings.

YTD: 1,613.3 miles running, 458.3 miles cycling, 2,071.5 miles total.

Silent Saturday

Food Rules Friday

Michael Pollan is an acclaimed author and whole food/heathy eating advocate. He is the author of the best selling "In Defense of Food" and "The Omnivore's Dillemma."


Rule #21: "It's not food if it's called by the same name in every language. (Think Big Mac, Cheetos, or Pringles.)" 




Personally, I can think of exceptions.  Pasta.  Sushi.  I'm sure there are others, but I'm not going to nit-pick him.  It seems clear to me that Pollan's trying to convey a message about mass-produced "foods," typically American, that appear everywhere in the world.  They keep the same names because they are brand names. Things that are made in big factories receive brand names.

Training Tips Thursday - Run/Walk

I just thought I'd mention the run/walk method.  It's a widely used training method, most popularized by Jeff Galloway.  I don't use it regularly, but for certain specific training, I found it to be valuable.  Here is a link to a good article on Galloway's Run Injury Free with Jeff Galloway page.  The article does a good job of explaining the details and recommending different run/walk ratios based on pace.  Galloway defines a method for running a marathon, taking scheduled walk breaks through the first 18 miles.  I didn't use the method in my first marathon, but I did take a few short unscheduled walk breaks.  Perhaps I would have run a better marathon if I'd taken scheduled breaks.  For my next marathon, my goal has been to strengthen my overall training enough that I don't have to walk at all.

However, I did find this method very useful in the distance-increasing phase of my first marathon training.  When faced with running 16, 18, and 20 miles the first time, I took scheduled walk breaks.  Here's how I did it.  For example, when I first wanted to run 16 miles, on my first attempt, I alternated two minutes of walking with every eight minutes of running.   I found that it really helped me make the distance the first time.  The second time I ran 16 miles, I reduced the walking by about half, alternating one minute of walking with every nine minutes of running.   By the third time I ran the new distance, I found that I could run the entire distance.  I repeated this as I came to each new distance milestone up to 20 miles, and it helped a lot.

Green Choices Wednesday - Cold Water Laundring

Another simple green choice-- wash clothes in cold water instead of hot water!

• Uses a fraction of the energy - 80 to 90% energy savings!  Saves $$$; saves the Earth!
• Gets most loads just as clean - you may still want to use warm for a few heavily soiled loads.
• Clothes washed in cold water last longer!  Less replacement cost for you, and less demand on resources if fewer replacements are needed.

Tuesday Quote of the Week

"The fact is that there is nothing more beautiful, more worthy or more conscious than you."

~ Yogi Bhajan

Meatless Monday

Running Green supports Meatless Monday, an initiative associated with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The goal of Meatless Monday is to help reduce meat consumption in order to improve public health and the health of the planet.


These delicious-looking recipes are published by the Meatless Monday initiative, and may be found at http://www.meatlessmonday.com/category/this-mondays-menu/

Monday Morsels (Source: http://www.meatlessmonday.com/):
San Francisco State University encourages all to visit one of the city’s MM restaurants for Sustainability Week… GreenWala offers their own MM Recipe Roundup with six dishes… Creative Loafing Atlanta writer Cliff Bostock would “love to see meatless Mondays” come to town… Community Voices of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette offers an easy, affordable MM meal… Favorite Diets blog suggests cutting back with MM.

Weekly Training: October 25 - 31 & a Record Month!

Graphic is from my page at dailymile.com.

October was an awesome month! WIth moderating temperatures, running has been great. It felt good to finish the month strong, with a 17 mile run, making October my highest mileage month ever. It just barely tops my previous best, 190.3, in April.  This 17 miler was also my longest run since my May 1 marathon.  Today's goal today was LSD pace, targeting around 10 min/miles. I tried to keep it easy early, and save a little for a quicker finish: 10:22, 9:59, 10:11, 9:57, 10:11, 10:04, 10:12, 10:04, 10:17, 9:56, 10:03, 9:54, 10:07, 9:45, 9:41, 9:28, 8:38. Perfect morning, 53 °F at 5 AM!   The full week's activities:

• Monday: Morning yoga, 22 minutes. Weights (chest and biceps), 40 minutes. Evening yoga, 53 minutes.
• Tuesday: Morning yoga, 8 minutes. Running (6 miles @8:57).
• Wednesday: Morning yoga, 11 minutes. Running (Easy pace, 6 miles @9:25). Weights (Shoulders and legs), 40 minutes.
• Thursday: Morning yoga, 10 minutes. Running (half marathon pace, 8 miles @8:51).
• Friday: Morning yoga, 25 minutes. Weights (back and triceps), 40 minutes.
• Saturday: Morning yoga, 26 minutes. Running (half marathon pace, 10 miles @8:56).
• Sunday: Morning yoga, 32 minutes. Running (easy pace, 17 miles @9:56).

Daily personal yoga streak: 65 days.

YTD: 1,562.2 miles running, 458.3 miles cycling, 2,020.4 miles total.
Running miles - Month: 190.6, Week: 47.

Silent Saturday

Food Rules Friday

Michael Pollan is an acclaimed author and whole food/heathy eating advocate. He is the author of the best selling "In Defense of Food" and "The Omnivore's Dillemma."



Rule #20: "It's not food if it arrived through the window of your car." 
 
That's an easy one for me to follow, for several reasons.  First, I don't like to use drive-through lanes.  I park and go inside.  Bad enough that I have to contribute to global pollution to drive my car to go places.  I'm not going to sit with my car running waiting in a line, burning fuel and not even moving.  It's also easy to follow this rule because I never ate fast food but very occasionally, because it's clearly not very healthy.  And since going vegetarian a year ago, I don't buy fast food at all.

Training Tip Thursday

"Gels are a compact source of calories, helpful in preserving glycogen mid-race. I don't take gels in races shorter than a half, figuring that I have enough glycogen stored in my muscles to get to the finish line without supplementation. For longer races, I space them out at even intervals, one every 5 miles. Runners need to develop their own gel strategies based on what they learn in training."


Source: Marathon training coach Hal Higdon http://www.facebook.com/halhigdon

Green Choices Wednesday

Today's Green Tip:

Cleaning your dryer's lint filter can slash its energy usage by as much as 30%!

~Source: sierraclub.org

Tuesday Quote of the Week

"Yoga is a light, which once lit, will never dim. The better your practice, the brighter the flame."


~B.K.S. Iyengar

Meatless Monday

Running Green supports Meatless Monday, an initiative associated with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The goal of Meatless Monday is to help reduce meat consumption in order to improve public health and the health of the planet.

These delicious-looking recipes are published by the Meatless Monday initiative, and may be found at http://www.meatlessmonday.com/category/this-mondays-menu/

Monday Morsels (Source: http://www.meatlessmonday.com/):
BBC radio personality Anne Diamond asks her audience to make Mondays meatless… SecondAct magazine tells readers to go MM for their health, highlighting some celebrities who have already joined the movement… Phillyist offers their MM recipe for Kale, Sweet Potato and White Bean Chili… The Toronto Vegetarian Association reports that two leading mayoral candidates -Smitherman and Pantalone- have promised to bring MM to Toronto is elected.

Weekly Training: October 18 - 24 & 1,500 Running Miles!

Graphic from my page at dailymile.com, running miles only-- I didn't do any cycling this week.

On December 20, 2009, I published 1,500 miles as my 2010 running mileage goal.  I reached the 1,500 mile point on Saturday's run!  Looks now like that goal was a little conservative; I had revised it downward a little after a minor knee injury, but that's OK.  I'll probably finish 2010 somewhere over 1,800.  What should my 2011 running goal be?  Maybe 2,011 in 2011!  I'll decide and publish by end of year.

• Monday: Morning yoga, 24 minutes.  Weights (chest and biceps), 40 minutes.
• Tuesday: Morning yoga, 24 minutes.  Running (speed training, mile repeats - 6 miles @8:10).
• Wednesday: Morning yoga, 9 minutes.  Running (easy pace, 6 miles @9:34). Weights (Shoulders and legs), 40 minutes.  Evening yoga, 51 minutes.
• Thursday: Morning yoga, 15 minutes.  Running (half marathon pace, 8 miles @9:00).
• Friday: Morning yoga, 30 minutes. Weights (back and triceps), 35 minutes.
• Saturday: Morning yoga, 27 minutes. Running (half marathon pace, 10 miles @8:56).
• Sunday: Morning yoga, 51 minutes. Running (easy pace, 12 miles @9:48).

Daily personal yoga streak: 58 days.
YTD: 1,515.2 miles running, 458.3 miles cycling, 1,973.4 miles total.

Tea Party Musings

I don't usually get into political subjects here, but I just keep wondering what the deal is with this Tea Party movement.  It grew out of opposition to federal spending, specifically the spending on economic stabilization, and the spending on healthcare reform. 

Just wondering, where were all of these people while over $700 billion was squandered on the insane war in Iraq?   So it was OK to spend hundreds of billions of dollars killing people.  But, spending to help avoid an economic collapse, or spending to actually help people is a cause for revolt! 

I don't get it.

Training Tip of the Week - A Must-See Video for Runners!

I try to watch for good information on running mechanics and form.  Like most runners, I just started out running, any way I could.  Over a period of time, watching really good runners, I've seen a lot of things that I try to emulate.  I certainly don't have anything close to great form or perfect mechanics, but I try to be conscious of it and to gradually improve.  A 26.2 mile marathon race is a real test of endurance.  It's difficult just to finish such an extreme distance.  After finishing a first marathon, a runner's goals usually focus on running the next one a little quicker.  Answers to both enduring the distance and improving speed may be found in running mechanics.  Running more efficiently uses less energy, leaving more energy for those last gruelling miles between 20 and 26.  Running more efficiently will also result in improved running pace.  Dave B., one of my friends on dailymile.com posted this video on his page, and it's worth sharing with my running friends on the blogosphere.  It contains a whole lot of good information on mechanics, more than I can absorb at once, so I'm saving it to refer to.  Enjoy!



What do you think?  Do you see some ideas that you can use?

Tuesday Quote of the Week

"The reason for self-awareness is to become self-creating."

~The Taichi Hearwork blog - http://taichiheartwork.blogspot.com/

Meatless Monday

Running Green supports Meatless Monday, an initiative associated with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The goal of Meatless Monday is to help reduce meat consumption in order to improve public health and the health of the planet.


These delicious-looking recipes are published by the Meatless Monday initiative, and may be found at http://www.meatlessmonday.com/category/this-mondays-menu/

Monday Morsels (Source: http://www.meatlessmonday.com/):
The LA Times celebrates MM with a recipe for mushroom quesadillas… Washingtonian.com welcomes Chef Glenn Babcock to the MM movement as he introduces his fall lineup of meatless dishes for D.C. restaurant Nage… The Toronto Vegetarian Society is encouraging action through eating by asking mayoral candidates if they will pass a MM resolution if elected… The blog at Eating Well includes some MM inspiration this week, including links to dozens of plant-based entrees… One student at Irvine Valley College encourages her classmates to try MM with a recent op-ed in The Lariat.

Simulated Half Marathon Race

Last week, I added two races to my schedule:
11/25/10 - Turkey Trot 10K, Beaumont TX - Goal: New PR, <54:28 (8:47 pace)

12/11/10 - Swamp Stomp Half Marathon, Lake Charles LA - Goal: <2hrs (9:09 pace).

Although I've run the marathon race, I've never raced the half-marathon.  I'd trained all around the distance many times, but didn't have a good feel for race potential.  Since I've added a December 11 half marathon to my schedule, with a goal of sub-2 hrs, I wanted to get a good assessment of how I can currently do a "near best-effort" run at this distance. Sunday morning, I went through a trial run, trying to run it fairly hard, just like I'd run a race.

I know that 9:09 is the "magic number" for two-hour half-marathon pace. I started out way slower than 9:09 on the first mile and knew I had to make it up, but my first mile is always slower. I just found a good rhythm in the upper eights and cruised. Hitting 6.5 miles in just over 58 minutes, I knew I could back off into the low nines and be OK, but I thought I'd see if I could finish out in the upper eights. Running stayed pretty comfortable through ten.  The last 3+ were a strain, but by then, I knew I had enough in the tank to make it. Mile splits were:  9:46, 8:57, 8:56, 8:46, 8:53, 8:44, 8:59, 8:46, 8:53, 8:47, 8:59, 8:42, 8:28, 1:01 (0.1). Result: 13.1 miles, 1:56:43, 8:54 pace.  An unofficial PR for me at this distance. Perfect cool clear morning for running, 53 degrees at 6 AM. This run felt great!

Weekly Training: October 11 - 17

Graphic from my page at dailymile.com. Graphic includes running and cycling miles.

Solid week, although light on cycling:  40.1 miles running, 4.25 miles cycling, 44.26 miles total.

Monday: Yoga, Weights (Chest and biceps).
Tuesday: Yoga, Running (Mile repeats - 6 miles @ 8:35).
Wednesday:  Yoga, Running (8 miles @ 9:33), Weights (Shoulders and legs), Core & Yoga.
Thursday: Yoga, Running (Tempo run - 5 miles @ 8:35).
Friday:  Yoga, Weights (Back and triceps).
Saturday:  Yoga, Running (Easy run - 8 miles @ 9:25).
Sunday:  Running, half-marathon race simulation (13.1 miles @8:54.), Yoga, Cycling (4.25 miles @8mph).

Daily personal yoga streak: 51 days.

YTD: 1,473.2 miles running, 458.3 miles cycling, 1,931.4 miles total.

Training Tips Thursday - Marathon Pacing

In a marathon race, it's suicide to start out at a pace that is way too fast!  It's a sure way to crash later, before reaching that tough 26.2 mile distance.

Every runner who runs a marathon wants to run the best race possible.  Running too fast may cause a lot of trouble making the distance.  However, running slower than necessary leaves time on the course that could have been used for a quicker finish.  A first-time marathoner often has no idea how to target a marathon race pace.  When running subsequent marathons, the runner's goal is normally to run the distance quicker than a previous race.  Either way, the runner may be trying to set a target without knowing what he ore she is really capable of.  I've found some good tools like the McMillan Running Calculator .  This tool lets the runner enter a "best time" at one distance to get an estimate of pacing at another distance.  Of course, this assumes that the runner is adequately trained to the rigors of the other distance.  A 5K race time would be a meaningless marathon predictor if the runner had never run more than 10 miles.

I recently came across an article on the Running Tips for All website that gives another method to determine possible marathon pacing, using times from interval runs of 10 800 meter repeats.  Pretty interesting.  Excerpts from the article follow:

The 10 x 800 Marathon Workout
If you think you can run a 3:30 marathon, then try running 10 repeats of 800 meters on the track. Each 800 should be 3 minutes and 30 seconds. Recover for 3 minutes and 30 seconds. And repeat. If you are shooting for a 4 hour marathon, then your 800 repeats should be 4:00 minutes (with 4 minutes recovery). It’s that simple! Yes, it also works for a 2:09 marathon, as well as a 5:30 marathon.

Determining Your Workout Pace
If you are not sure what pace you can hold, then start with your best guess and give it a try.
If you can’t do all ten at pace, your intervals need to be slower. Do all ten and still have plenty of energy? Cut the intervals down. You may have to change the workout several times over a two or three week period until you arrive at a workout pace that you can hold consistently. You should try to do your last 10 x 800 workout about two weeks prior to your marathon, but by then you should have a good idea what pace you should be running.

Green Choices Wednesday - Recycle and Reuse

Wednesday-- not only is this the day of the week for my Green Choices feature, it is also the day for weekly garbage pickup in my neighborhood.  When I go for my Wednesday morning runs, I'm usually a little disappointed by sights along the roads.  Many garbage cans are overflowing to the point that the lid won't close.  I don't make a point of looking inside people's garbage cans, but most of the overflowing ones have lots of recyclable items that are clearly visible while just running down the road.  Items like aluminum cans and plastic bottles that are so easy to recycle.  I once read that there are enough aluminum cans in circulation that if every one was recycled, no cans would have to be made from bauxite ore (a heavily polluting process).  Imagine that-- a closed loop system, a continuous cycle of use, recycling and reuse, instead of a linear system of manufacturing, use and landfill.  Seems like systems could be designed to do that with most materials we use, and that, with encouragement, everyone would to participate and make it work.  Maybe I'm naive.

One week per month, there is a pickup where residents can set out larger items.  The city does a good job in some areas.  I know they put yard waste like grass clippings and tree or bush trimmings in a separate part of the trucks and compost it.  They also pick up waste oil left in containers by the curb and send it for recycling.  Most other large items go to the landfill.  The city doesn't do a good job of recyling other items, as there is no curbside collection of cans, bottles, paper, etc.

I regret seeing useable items left by the curb for pickup, like pieces of furniture and miscellaneous household items.  There are good organizations in the area such as Goodwill Industries and the Salvation Army.  They both accept household items that are usable.  They resell them in their stores, and everyone wins.  The organization gains resources to help run their programs.  Donators are able to get rid of unwanted items.  Shoppers in their stores get good, used items at a great price.  And the items get reused.

Every week, the magnitude of waste represented by the overflowing cans makes me sad.  And the magnitude of thoughtlessness involved in generating such waste.  After composting our kitchen and yard waste, collecting all metal, plastic, glass, paper and cardboard to take to local recycling centers, and just avoiding all possible disposable products, we often have just one small bag in the bottom of the huge garbage can that the city supplies.  And I'm not bragging, because it really just isn't that hard.

Think green and live green!