Running on empty

All the research shows that regular exercise is one of the keys to living a long and healthy life. A recent CDC study found that people who practice four behaviors: eating healthy, maintaining healthy BMI, exercising regularly, and not smoking were 80% less likely to have any major chronic disease. 80% less chance of having diabetes or heart disease.  Exercise is found to have mental health benefits, too, fighting depression and stress.

Our first half - Missoula 2007

Being one of the least coordinated people I know, I find walking and running* to be my exercise of choice.  No complicated or expensive equipment, other than good athletic shoes, and the instructions are simple:  right…left…repeat until you can’t breathe any more. Of course, this simplicity also means running is boring. Unless you are a Zen master or Secretariat, the monotony will eventually win.  A good way to overcome the repetitiousness of running is to have a partner or group to run with.  Having a goals also helps maintain motivation.  I frequently run with friends, and we participate in a variety of runs:  Bloomsday, the Hot Chocolate Run, Color Runs, and half marathons.  There really is nothing like having a 13.1 mile race on your calendar to motivate you to get out and run 2-3 times a   week.  

At the trade show for our most recent half, the Disneyland Half marathon, one speaker said “you run the first 5 miles of a half marathon with your head, you run the second 5 miles with your legs, and you run the last 3 miles with your heart.”  Personally, I find a running a half marathon is more like Kubler-Ross’s stages of grief and loss:

This year's runs - Missoula and Disneyland

1.  Denial – My first thoughts are “this isn’t really that bad.  It’s less than two Bloomsdays, and I’ve run about twenty of them– just not back to back.”  Also, I notice all the people around me who seem (to me) to be less fit than I am.  “If they can do this, so can I! “
2.   Anger – this is the stage when I blame my running partners for getting me into this mess.  I also spend a considerable amount of this stage mentally kicking myself for not training more, not losing those 10 pounds, and not treating my body like the temple I now wish it was. This starts about mile 4, when I remember how hard and sucky this is going to be.
3. Bargaining – at this point, I start to revise my expectations – I just want to finish, not PR.  If I can just beat that one chubby person ahead of me, I will be happy.  Next week, I’ll start eating right and training more.
4.  Depression – About mile 6 – 7.  I realize that the only way to get to the end is by continuing.  It’s now just as far to turn around and go back, so that’s not an option.  This is the point where I wish I’d worn the T-shirt that says “If found on the ground, please drag across the finish line.”
5.   Acceptance – Now I remember that I could walk 13.1 miles if I had to. I’ve done this before.  Also, after mile 7, I count backwards so that after each mile marker, the distance is shorter.  It’s a mind game, but oddly, it helps.

At the finish line, there’s always people cheering and yelling.  Some of them are my faster (now former) friends.  We celebrate together with Poweraid, trail mix, bananas and watermelon, whatever refueling snacks are provided.  Later there will be beer and more food – and no one will feel guilty about what they’re eating.

At the end of the day, it’s about going after a challenge and achieving it…and the friends….and the food. Oh yeah, and the medal.

All the bling - 11 half-marathons

*To be clear, I use the term “running” very loosely here –my running pace is nearly a shuffle and I alternate with frequent brisk walk breaks. I know people who walk faster than I “run”.

I know...it's a dry heat...

…and yes, I’ll take that over your East Coast humidity – the kind that feels like stepping out of a nice refreshing shower and wrapping yourself in a hot, wet wool blanket or crawling inside a dog.  Still, we’ve had the highest high temps in 5 years and the second hottest July on record. And August has been following suit. My tomatoes are loving it, but I’m wilting. 

I just read some research done on major league baseball pitchers that showed they were more likely to retaliate nastily for their teammates being hit when the temperatures were higher.  In other words, hot weather makes people cranky, so you climate change deny-ers are going to be double pissed-off when it turns out you were wrong. (I'm just sayin'.)

When it’s extra toasty outside, I like to stay cool inside – say, “cool as a cucumber”?  I’m starting to get a few cukes in the garden, and I found a nice salad that is incredibly easy and tasty at allrecipes.com.  Even the preschool grandkids liked it – much to my dismay!  They ate all of it, so I had to make more when the next cucumbers were ready.

Cucumber Sunomono

Yield:  5 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 large cucumbers, peeled
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 4 teaspoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root

Instructions:

1. Cut cucumbers in half lengthwise and scoop out any large seeds. Slice crosswise into very thin slices.
2. In a small bowl combine vinegar, sugar, salt and ginger. Mix well. Place cucumbers inside of the bowl, stir so that cucumbers are coated with the mixture. Refrigerate the bowl of cucumbers for at least 1 hour before serving.

 This salad reminds me of the veggie salad that the Mustard Seed Restaurant serves with their rice bowls, so I’m also giving you our copy-cat Osaka sauce recipe.  You have to use real, fresh-squeezed lemon juice in this to get the taste right. It’s great on grilled or sautéed shrimp, chicken, or tofu...or you could just drink it!
 

Osaka Sauce

• 3 T. soy sauce
• 1/2 c. fresh lemon juice (3 lemons)
• 2 tsp. Coleman's mustard
• 3 T. sugar
• 2 T. sesame oil
• 2 T. rice vinegar
• 1/3 c. vegetable oil

Whip all ingredients together in blender until well mixed.

"Come-back Kids"

Growing up in a small farm town gave me a rather utilitarian approach to plants – if you’re going to plant it, water it, and weed it, you’d darn well better be able to eat it! The flower beds of my childhood were filled with perennials that were permanent fixtures: peonies, bleeding-hearts, violets, daffodils, and tulips.  The idea of buying and planting flowers that only last a summer seemed like extravagant self-indulgence.

When I had my own place, and started perusing home-and-garden magazines and noticing other people’s yards that I found attractive and might want to imitate, I especially noticed the stand-alone pots of colorful blooms grouped on porches and decks. They always looked welcoming and showed the care that the residents took to add a little beauty to their surroundings.

So, I found myself scouring the garden shops to find the right shade of petunias and complimentary blooms, plus the trailing vines, spiky leaves and colorful foliage that filled my pots with vibrant summer color. 

A couple of years ago, I evidently strayed into perennial-land and picked up some foliage plants.  This one is lamium or “spotted henbit”.  (I’d love to know how it got that name.) I love its cool-looking green and white foliage.  This variety produces small purple flowers. I also got some variegated ornamental grass. These two have survived our recent mild winters, so I now just poke in the petunias and alyssum around them, saving a little bit of time and money.   All the enjoyment with less extravagance!

 

I still love annuals for their recklessly exuberant colors; they are the floral demonstration of the philosophy of carpe diem (seize the day, for tomorrow may bring locusts or frost).  I always plant marigolds around my raised beds to discourage bugs.  This year I added alyssum after reading that aphids don’t like it.  Last year my pots of broccoli and kale were infested, but so far, this year it seems to be working.  I’ve stayed true to my roots by making these annuals work for their keep.

A lot of gardening success is caused by the random alignment of timing and weather.  I’ve never had any success with beets, for example.  I don’t know if it’s my timing or if the birds in our yard consider the sprouting leaves their own personal salad bar.  I love beets, but I don’t think of cooking them often enough. I love that in their fresh, natural state, they’re a two-part edible – greens to sauté or steam and the ruby roots to roast.  I found them at the farmers’ market last week and “cooked up” this easy summer recipe that was a big hit at my house!

Roasted Almost-Pickled Beets

4 medium-sized beets

1/3 c. light Raspberry –Walnut Vinaigrette

¼ c. crumbled feta cheese

Scrub the beets and cut off the green tops. Wrap each beet in aluminum foil and roast in a 350-degree oven until tender when pierced with a fork, 45 – 60 minutes. Cool, peel and cut into ½ inch chunks. Toss with dressing and chill. Top with crumbled feta cheese right before serving.   You could also toss this with baby greens and chopped walnuts for a roasted beet salad.

I’m going back to the farmers’ market for more beets!

The Popeye Effect

Remember how Mom used to say to always start the day with a good breakfast?  Well, being the compliant child, I always have.  It helps that I wake up hungry.  Jim, on the other hand, wakes up with no interest in food.  Coffee is the most he can manage in the morning.  A couple of years ago, his blood sugar started to rise, and one of the things the dietitian recommended was that he eat breakfast to keep his blood sugar more even throughout the day.  I found a “green smoothie” recipe in a magazine, and we both found that it worked well for us as a way to start the day.  I like that it’s simple, but includes lots of nutritious ingredients.  I think of it as nutrition insurance for the day.   Here’s the recipe:

GREEN SMOOTHIE                                                               
1 c. soy milk

2 c. baby spinach, kale, or other mild greens

1 banana, in chunks

1 c. frozen blueberries or other fruit

1 scoop protein powder

2 Tbsp. cinnamon

2 Tbsp. flaxseed meal

Start by blending the soy milk and the spinach.  The original recipe called for almond milk, but soy milk has quite a bit more protein, which is something I try to pay attention to.  Once the spinach and soy milk are well blended, add the rest of the ingredients and blend like crazy. This helps keep you from finding those embarrassing bits of green in your smile later.  You can freeze the banana ahead of time for a more milkshake-like taste.  Over time, I’ve reduced the sugar in this by switching to unsweetened soy milk and choosing a protein powder with less added sugar.  The cinnamon adds some sweetness and you can add vanilla or your choice of sweeteners.

Makes two servings.

A friend told me you really don’t taste the greens in a smoothie, and I was doubtful, but it’s true if you use spinach or baby kale.    Sometimes I like something a little different. This spring I grew a pot of spinach and arugula mixed together. The arugula has a kind of spicy bite that makes a nice change, although I wouldn’t want it every day.  It’s kind of an acquired taste, but the key is that dark green leafy vegetables are not your enemy, they are your friend.  It turns out that Popeye was right, but I still won’t eat the slimy stuff that comes in a can.

The greens provide a lot of vitamins, and blueberries are good sources of antioxidants.  Flaxseed provides fiber, lignin and omega-3 fatty acids.  The cinnamon helps regulate blood sugar, and also enhances the sweetness of the fruit.  Getting a serving of fruit and a half serving of leafy greens makes me feel like I’ve started off the day on the right foot. I also like that the smoothie has 13 grams of protein – especially important now that we are focusing on a more plant-based diet.