A Running Girl's Blog

The Kind Diet and Eating Animals author on Ellen

Keeprunningirl — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:49:42 +0000

As I’ve been blogging, a few months ago, I decided to try a vegan diet. At the time, I really thought I was going to have a hard time giving up stuff like cheese and whey protein. About a month later, I realized that the hard part wasn’t so much giving up dairy and egg items but reading labels and educating myself on what’s in all this food I’ve been eating. Since then, I veganized all my recipes, perfected a vegan hemp shake for my pre-run fuel, purchased vegan cook books and added vegan blogs to my daily reading.

Yesterday, I finally received my copy of Alicia Silverstone’s book The Kind Diet in the mail (after scouring bookstores only to come up empty handed, I ordered it online). I was intrigued with her book after watching her go on a vegan grocery shopping trip on a recent Oprah show and reading rave book reviews … reviews which I agree with. I love Silverstone’s writing style. I learned a few new things regarding the human body’s true capacity of processing meat and I have been introduced to so many new foods. I highly recommend this read!

Also just today, Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Eating Animals, made another appearance on the Ellen Show. I love Ellen Degeneres and appreciate the eloquent way in which she and Safran addressed the issue of factory farming and veganism. She also featured three guests who shared their own experiences in removing animal products from their diets.

sharing the video clip from vegan.com

common cold (sense)

Keeprunningirl — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:07:57 +0000

A couple of weeks ago, I came down with a basic cold: runny nose, slightly sore throat… run down but not so much that I wanted to skip my run. As a runner, these in-between or slight illnesses are so much harder navigate than the full blown flu. So I did what I do when making most decisions: I googled it. I think I typed in “running with a cold” or some variation and was rewarded with numerous hits included many forums filled testimonies from hardcore runners claiming they will run though anything – a cold, flu whatever. The forums were making me feel somewhat lame for even considering skipping my run, so I moved on and found several sites documenting the “neck check” rule:

“According to Women’s Running magazine, when in doubt, follow the “neck-up rule.” If your symptoms are most felt from the neck up, such as nasal congestion, headaches, sneezing, or a runny nose, and your energy levels are good, then it’s perfectly fine to do a moderate workout. On the other hand, if your symptoms are below the neck, and include achiness, chest congestion, or nausea, skip the workout. Definitely forgo the sweat session if you have a fever.”

(Resource: www.fitsugar.com: “Too Sick to Exercise? “Neck up Rule”)

At this point, I stopped googling and took a quick assessment. I seemed to fit the neck up rule I told myself. The problem is that I ignored certain words – in particular the word “moderate.” Clearly moderate will vary from person to person but for me a 10-miler at pace on a particular wintery day was not moderate. So while my cold seemed to be sticking with me, I stuck with my regular routine (adding tissues and cough drops to my fuel arsenal). Until I woke up one morning, 4 days after my original symptoms began with new ones – this time neck down symptoms including chest congestion and a fever. Long story short, I worked myself into a sinus infection, chest cold and 3 days of no workouts followed by a week of indoor workouts. Just this week I was able to lace up and get back outside.

As a runner, I don’t like to skip my regular work outs. But by ignoring some sound advice, I ended up forced out of my regular routine for a lot longer than if I’d listened to my original symptoms. Using my 20/20 hindsight, I should’ve cut back on miles, slowed down my pace – moderated my workouts – lesson learned. I am just glad to be back at it!!

Shepherd’s Pie – vegan style

Keeprunningirl — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 04:06:42 +0000

I had to share this marvelous recipe that my creative vegan friend came up with. I’ve made this twice for my family and each time they’ve gone back for seconds and even thirds. Click for the complete recipe: Vegan Shepherd’s Pie.

the "meat" replacement includes a variety of delicious vegetables. Carrots, parsnips, celery and onion are a hearty combo!

Boil the potatoes as you would for any mashed variety

the potato topping is great with a unique flavor from using dijon mustard and chipotle spice.

hot out of the oven, let it cool a bit before you cut/plate.

I served the pie with a nice green salad.

Caffeine

Keeprunningirl — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 21:36:46 +0000

People sometimes die during long distances races – marathons, half marathons. It’s sad and scary. It makes headlines – validate the decision of non-runners not to run and makes runners take pause. I used to assume that these poor runners had underlying problems that put them at risk. But recently it seems like there have been more sudden deaths among otherwise healthy and young runners. These runners are in the headlines more and more… or I’ve become hyper-aware since joining the long distance running crowd – either way, the news certainly does give me (and all runners) something to ponder.

A recent review by the IMMDA (International Marathon Medical Directors) indicates there might be a culprit in our morning drinks, sports gels and energy beverages: caffeine.

The cases include the following:

A 33-year-old male running a half-marathon dropped at the 12-mile mark, at 3:10 into his race. The morning of the race, he had drunk two energy drinks and a Starbucks Grande coffee, and used two caffeinated gels. Cardiac catherization revealed a small lesion (less than 20%) but otherwise clean coronaries.

A 42-year-old woman running a marathon dropped at the 24.5-mile mark, 4:10 into her run. She had drunk two large coffees and had three caffeinated gels. Her cardiac cath also showed clean coronaries.

A 26-year-old male also running a marathon dropped at the 25.5-mile mark, 3:25 into his run. He had taken two caffeine pills plus coffee the morning of his race, and also had clean arteries on cardiac cath.

(source: Please Limit Caffeine on Race Morning!, Runner’s World, Ask the Running Doctor blog)

Interviewing and examining the habits of otherwise healthy runners who’ve collapsed and been successfully revived, seems to point to a trend in excessive caffeine consumption in many cases. The current recommendation according to the Runner’s World article is no more than 200 mg of caffeine if you’re headed out for a long run or a race. 200 mg is about 2 cups of coffee. I know energy gels, chews etc… give the caffeine amount right on the package because those are the ones I normally go for. …I have read the studies lauding the benefits of caffeine for performance athletes and have a typical Pavlovian runner’s reaction – reaching for the caffeinated gel or chew when I am refueling.

While this is not an official research study, (the IMMDA is planning one), I still took a few minutes to examine my caffeine habits. I usually have a cup of coffee in the morning. That is about it. Unless I am running a long distance or racing, in which case I grab the above mentioned caffeinated gel(s) (Clif Shot products are vegan depending on flavor)… each contain about 25 mg of caffeine. So it seems that I usually stay well under 200 mg. However, I can see how one could easily exceed this amount. The Running Doctor asked runners to get the word out, so I am. I am also going to add caffeine free fuel to my long run routines – better safe than sorry.

big burrito vegan style

Keeprunningirl — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 03:45:25 +0000

I wanted to answer the question, “you’re vegan, what do you eat?” and “aren’t you hungry?” with an example. A vegan diet does require creativity sometimes. And as I’ve mentioned, if you want something good, sometimes you just have to make it yourself. But being vegan is not about deprivation – food is good, it’s healthy and it is filling. It can be very simple. With that in mind, I made super healthy, easy and hearty burritos for my family tonight:

fresh ingredients

ingredients:

Kashi 7 Whole Grain Pilaf
1 package of corn (canned or frozen)
2 cans of organic vegetarian black beans
West Soy Seitan – 1 package
a handful of chopped cilantro
a couple of cloves of garlic
a teaspoon or so of chipotle spice (to taste)
a tablespoon of olive oil
¼ of a packet of vegan taco seasoning
giant tortillas
vegan gourmet cheese substitute (cheddar flavor).

Optional: salsa, avocado, vegan sour cream – any other stuff you want to stuff into this burrito.

again, you can add anything to this - onion, mushroom... peppers

Cook the Kashi Pilaf as per instructions. Heat the oil, cook up the minced garlic. Add the chopped seitan and about a teaspoon of chipotle spice and heat the combo for about 5 minutes. Add the black beans, corn and pilaf. Add about ¼ cup of water and the taco seasoning. Once it’s all simmering, throw the cilantro into the mix.

I like a little fresh salsa, the vegan cheese adds a gooey texture

Assemble your burrito and wrap it up.

yum

eldest son's second vegan burrito

This meal is a hit with my entire family. My eldest child gobbled one down, asked for another … this is what we eat – we are not hungry.

the elements

Keeprunningirl — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 22:32:34 +0000

I often feel like if I can run here in Colorado, I can run almost anywhere. Now I am sure there are folks in places like say Alaska or North Dakota laughing at me right now … but Colorado offers some challenging elements. For one thing, we are running at 6200 feet above sea level. The Bolder Boulder race says it best with their “Sea Level is for Sissies” gear. So naturally, traveling to a lower altitude immediately turns you into a super hero runner.

Colorado is cold. I know we boast something like 300+ days of sun but when it is 15 degrees outside with some unfathomable wind chill, it’s just cold! Now granted most days aren’t that cold but temps in the 30s are common during the winter. Most of us have an array of gloves, hats, jackets, vests, pants in our winter running arsenal. There is nothing like chilly sweat icicles or trying to suck water out of a frozen water bottle …

And about that sun – it can be intense at this altitude. I always slather on the SPF 50+ , dependent on that UVA and UVB protection, trying in vain not to end up looking like a sun weather, high altitude Coloradoan runner – you’ve all seen them, you know what I am talking about.

Snow is another fun one. Just start training for a marathon and it will suddenly start snowing every single weekend. I am not lying. This happened to me last spring when I was training for the Colorado Marathon. I ran many long runs while it was snowing, on snow packed trails/roads, over snow drifts – you know, snow. I have since made peace with the snow – at least the snow that comes in peace and not with my #1 nemesis – the wind.

In my opinion, the wind is the worst weather enemy for a runner. There have been a few particularly windy when I’ve really questioned my sanity. The feeling of being forced back while trying to move forward, gasping to catch your breath during a particularly powerful gust running backwards for a moment of relief… I hate it.

Of course there are other elements we enjoy as well including icy roads and magnificent thunder/lightening and hail storms – these are the ones that definitely keep me indoors. The rest of the elements I battle as the mood strikes – more often taking the challenge but also relying on the treadmill when my weather battling mojo is low.

January running and veg-evangelism

Keeprunningirl — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 22:00:14 +0000

While I am kind of just running right now with no near term race goal, my running strategy loosely follows a typical training plan for a half marathon – about 4 days of running including a long weekend run of 8-12 miles, an interval run and a couple of tempo/easy runs. I don’t have a race scheduled but I am sure I will find something that I want to run soon – at least I will be ready for anything up to a half marathon distance, right? I am relatively injury – free (knock on wood) with the exception of some pain in my hip – particularly on downhills. I’ve logged about 30 miles on my new pink kicks that I got just last week

The Seattle Rock n’ Roll Marathon is on June 26, 2010 and I’ve been debating the full vs. the half. I ran the half marathon last year. This debate is a blog post in and of itself…

(concerns: several out and backs and hills in the 2^nd half)

On the food front, veganism gets easier and easier especially with articles like these popping up in the news regularly:

Meat Safety: How Well Done? Chicago Tribune , January 21, 2010
California Firm Recalls Beef Products Due to Possible E. coli O157:H7 Contamination, USDA website, January 18, 2010
Safety of Beef Processing Method Is Questioned, New York Times, December 29, 2009

I do have to remind myself that there is a fine line between being a vegan and an activist. I think many veg/vegans want to share what they learn about the meat industry, the factory farming abuses, the health issues, the humanity issues etc.. etc… easily becoming an activist or vegevangelist as I’ve come to identify myself on occasion. But many people simple don’t want to know: “don’t tell me, “I don’t want to know…” And on some level, I guess I can relate to the sentiment. After all, didn’t I run around as a cheese loving vegetarian for the last 20 years – living happily in the dark about the realities of the quality and health risks of milk/dairy and horrific abuses of dairy cows and their little babies?

It’s hard, however, to “not know” these days. The media reports, bloggers like Erik Marcus with his popular and informative blog: http://www.vegan.com/, best selling books like Jonathan Safran Foer’s “Eating Animals” all report the realities of the meat, dairy and egg industries and all through mainstream media outlets. These are the pros, the people I will quote or point to their links for all things vegan…. and that will be the extent of my vege- evangelism. Unless of course, you do want to know – then I would love to share thoughts, ideas, concerns and recipes!

To be honest, evangelism in general has never been a favorite thing of mine and despite my passionate views on animal factory farming methods, if you dont’ want to know, then you don’t want to know and it makes me uncomfortable to be the one that others might point at and whisper “why that sanctimonious vegan __________!”

New Year, New me

Keeprunningirl — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 20:32:18 +0000

We are well into January and I have finally stopped dating things with ’09 and started using ’10 consistently. I didn’t make any big resolutions for the New Year but I did decide to go vegan about a month ago and so far, so good. The things that I thought were going to be hard haven’t really proven to be a problem at all – namely giving up cheese. I don’t miss it. Every once in a while I miss pizza but Amy’s makes a great vegan frozen pizza that hits the spot when I have the craving.

The more difficult part of this journey has been the realization that so many of our foods have dairy, milk byproduct, egg or egg byproduct in them – even many of the vegetarian convenience foods that Morning Star and Boca offer in the frozen food aisle. So I have become an obsessive nutrition label reader. I have learned to look for the “vegan” label. And I have really reduced my consumption of convenience foods. More often than not, as a vegan, if I want something good, I have to make it myself.

One big example: my favorite Mix 1 drinks contain whey, a milk byproduct from the cheese making process – this was a big blow initially but I did my research and discovered that hemp is a more perfect protein than whey and hemp powder is readily available locally. There aren’t any ready made hemp shakes that I can grab while running out the door, but I can make a delicious soy/hemp shake with just a little bit of planning. Plus all the predictable hemp jokes are fun. So going vegan hasn’t been difficult in terms of any feeling of deprivation… it’s just a more thought out diet, one that requires a bit more planning.

(hemp protein you drink it, not smoke it )

One byproduct of my vegan journey is that my kids have decided to be vegheads. Not big meat eaters to begin with, they have decided to become vegetarian (not vegan). I was rather disheartened the other day though when my high school son came home to tell me he skipped lunch because there were simply no vegetarian options available at school– the situation in our school cafeterias is unbelievable. He normally packs a lunch – but the option to buy was a nice convenience … again, the veg diet is not always a convenient one.

One more new thing for 2010 – in 2009, I ran in Asics Gel Kayano 15s… I went thru 3 baby blue pairs… the last ones just hitting 400+ miles at the end of the year. So last weekend, I went to the shoe store and the Gel Kayano 15s are marked down since the 16s are out now. As I was getting ready to buy my fourth pair of these baby blue shoes, I eyed the Kayano 16s… the shoe guy was explaining all the new features to me. I wasn’t really listening though – I was pretty much sold when I saw they are pink with a groovy disco pattern in the background. After all it’s a new year, right?

2009

Keeprunningirl — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 20:45:30 +0000

As I begin 2010 with a sore hip (compliments of running an icy race in Washington Park in some ragged out shoes), I am reflecting on 2009. I am going to borrow my friend Julie’s format to reminisce on a few of my 2009 milestones, memories and runs.

January

began another year, my first full year as a stay-at-home mom to my three kids and our brand new puppy
completed Sophia’s choice application for 4^th grade at School in the Woods, submitted with fingers crossed
decided to start keeping a log of my running miles

race: Chevron Houston Half Marathon, result: 1:58:36 date: 01/18/2009

February

eagerly began training for my first full marathon…running all the time

March

celebrated my 39^th birthday in Las Vegas with my husband
Enjoyed a relaxing spring break stay-cation with the kids
Daniel begins track season
Began to have first doubts about running a full marathon

race: Runnin’ of the Green, Denver, CO (7 km) , result: 36:01 date: 3/15/2009

April

my daughter celebrated her 9^th birthday and her choice application for SITW was selected
I refocused, continued training through regular weekend snow storms

May

completed my first marathon, the Colorado Marathon. The 42K was not all I hoped but I finished.
Andrew celebrates his 12^th birthday and we all look forward to summer break

race: Colorado Marathon, Ft Collins, CO (26.2 mi) , result: 4:30:25 date: 5/03/2009

race: Bolder Boulder, Boulder, CO (10 km) , result: 54:36 date: 5/25/2009

June

started this blog
all three kids began swim season – swimming through some cold mornings
my parents came to visit from Houston, TX
headed out to Seattle at the end of the month for a half marathon and vacation.

race: Seattle Rock n’ Roll Half Marathon, result: 1:53:30 date: 6/27/2009

July

Mark celebrated 44^th birthday in Seattle. Fireworks on Lake Union.
Headed home for kids to finish swim season
Maintained my mojo during a long vacation
Celebrated our 15^th wedding anniversary
PR 10K

race: Classic 10K Colorado Springs , result: 51:30 date: 7/25/2009 (PR)

August

my eldest child celebrates his 14^th birthday and begins high school. This more than any event of 2009 made me feel my age!
Sophia started her exciting year at School in the Woods
Depeche Mode – my first concert at Red Rocks
Boys begin an cross country season

September

spontaneous weekend in San Diego with my husband – a very relaxing trip to the beach
Sophia spends the night away – SITW for her first overnight, sleeping under the stars
Participated in the American Discovery Trail Marathon Relay
family runs the 4th Annual ThunderStorm 5K except Daniel who competed in a cross country meet the same morning.

race: American Discovery Trail Marathon Relay (leg 3 = 6.75 miles) , result: 59:11 date: 9/07/2009

race: Discovery Canyon Campus Thunderstorm, COS (5 km), results 25:30 date: 9/19/2009 (PR)

October

impressed to watch the boys improve their performance/times in their respective cross country meets
decided to run Vegas (the half)
Oktoberfest run

race: 10K Oktoberfest, Denver, CO, result 53:23 date 9/27/2009

November

I complete 1000 miles for the year
happy month as my sister and her family come to visit us for Thanksgiving
we all run the Briargate Turkey Trot together
ready for Vegas

race: Briargate YMCA Turkey Trot, COS, result: 26:38 date: 11/26/2009

December

PR at the Las Vegas Rock n’ Roll half marathon
Celebrate the holidays at home with my family
End my love affair with cheese and begin my journey toward becoming vegan

race: Las Vegas Rock n’ Roll Half Marathon, result: 1:51:56 date: 12/06/2009

race: 25th Anniversary Resolution, Denver, CO (5k) , result: 27:28 date 12/31/2009 (very icy conditions)

2009, almost 1200 miles, 180 + hours…

happy new year. 2010 is going to be a good one!

the end of a love affair (with cheese)

Keeprunningirl — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 20:44:24 +0000

Not too long ago, I light heartedly mentioned that I follow a vegetarian diet. For over 20 years now, I have chosen to follow a diet that excludes meat but includes dairy and eggs. It was easy. I was happy. Then I went to the bookstore and stocked up on some new reading material. It began with Born To Run, a great book about the incredible super athlete, ultra running Tarahumara Indians. I found it interesting that this tribe follows a primarily vegetarian diet and was even more intrigued by ultra-runner Scott Jurek who adopted a vegan lifestyle in the late 1990s and proceeded to win the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run seven consecutive times. But it wasn’t until I read Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer that I even contemplated personally adopting a vegan diet. I simply love(d) cheese.

My initial thought after completing Foer’s book was to seek out local, natural and more organic sources of dairy and eggs. To that end, there are several options for eggs in particular that eliminate the concerns of consuming factory farmed products. For example, Nest Fresh provides consumers with certified humane, organic eggs that are readily available in my area. Dairy proved to be a bit more of a dilemma for me. I had to acknowledge some of the harsher byproducts of the dairy industry – namely the baby calves. As a dairy consumer, I am taking the milk (and milk product) that is naturally intended for the calves. I am quite unsettled by what happens to these calves. The logical argument is that these animals are created to provide food for humans. I understand that argument – but it’s an issue that I find difficult to resolve personally.

I also found out that many of the cheeses that I have so loved over the years are processed with an enzyme called rennet. sigh. Rennet is an animal enzyme that comes from the stomach of a baby calf. Fortunately for lacto-vegetarians, there are many rennet-free cheeses that are available at most grocery stores. I didn’t even know I needed to check for rennet – hell, I didn’t even know what rennet was! This may be the end of my love affair with cheese… even though I know it will be hard to make a clean break. As a vegetarian for health and ethical reasons, I am facing the fact that my egg and dairy habits are contributing to industries that treat animals as cruelly as any meat production facility.

For myself, I am ready to try a a well intentioned vegan diet. It’s going to be hard to break up with cheese for good. For my family, I am fortunate to be able to purchase certified humane eggs and organic, rennet free cheese for my children, – I know that not everyone has these options.