Oh, the hills

Didn't consider all the hills when we decided to live in a place with "ridge" in the name. I ran my typical 3.5 mile run backwards today, so instead of a 10-block downhill, I did a 10-block uphill. I think I could have walked up the hill faster than I was "running," but I did manage to jog the entire thing without stopping. Good thing it was at the start of the run. Also convenient was the fact that the rest of the run was at a slight downgrade. So overall, my time was a bit better than Monday's run. Now I'm exhausted.

My next run will be in Portland! Very excited for this trip. Anyone know a good five-mile route in Portland that starts/ends downtown?

Water, anyone?

I had to report for my first day of jury duty today, where I promptly was put in a jury this morning. That meant I didn't have my regular schedule of water, water, water, water, fruit, water, water, water, lunch ... by the end of the day I had a horrible headache. I snarfed down a burrito from Taco del Mar for lunch (love that place ... if you think it's vegan, it is!), ate a granola/power bar and a handful of nuts. While that's enough calories, it wasn't nearly enough water. Funny, they supply coffee but not filtered water. (And only had Styrofoam cups, but that's a different topic ...)

By the time I was almost home on the bus I was really feeling ill. A nearly empty stomach + not enough water + public transportation = horrible car sickness. I got off early to walk in the air and by the time I got home I had convinced myself to attempt my scheduled 3.5 miles.

It was slow going, about three minutes longer than my last run on that route, but it got rid of most of my headache. I need to keep running every time I have a headache, its a lovely feeling to know I didn't just pop a pill that does who knows what to fix the problem. Go endorphins, go! We'll see how tomorrow's stint at jury duty goes, I might get an extra run in this week ...

Now I need to go chug some more water in preparation for another not-enough-water day tomorrow.

Sugar sugar

Listening to NPR the other day, I heard two stories (one and two) about the same study that was just published regarding sugar and our health. The basic finding is that people who consume the most added sugar in a day have a higher risk for cholesterol problems that can lead to heart disease. Turns out, reading a label on processed foods isn't even going to give you an accurate picture of how much sugar you're really consuming. On the label, there is no differentiation between natural sugars (like those in fruit) and added sugars. On top of that, sugar comes in many different names (one article gave the examples of evaporated cane juice and malt syrup).

So here's the thing about sugar for me: It's been the number one hardest thing to reduce in my diet. Giving up meat was easy. Giving up dairy wasn't even so bad. I even gave up drinking my beloved soda (though I do have a Sprite or 7up once in a blue moon--I used to have something every day). But sugar has been HARD. Much harder than I thought, as I just recently managed to scale back. And the kicker is that refined sugar usually isn't even vegan. They use animal bones in the processing of sugar.

This study helps me steel myself against the darn sugar cravings, though. I know if I can just get rid of most of the added sugar in my diet, fruit is actually going to taste sweet, and I can have the sweet I crave packaged in a neat little case that also has some vitamins.

I need to hire a gardener ...

I am officially over the five-mile mental hurdle! On the most hills I've run, yet, too. It is windy today, though I only went about seven blocks running straight into the wind--lucky guess on the direction to run first on my part, I guess.

Running (or walking, or probably biking) lets me see a lot more than I can in a car, including all the people in our neighborhood that have really nice lawns. Though I'm not an advocate for watering grass just to keep it looking like a golf course, it does look really nice when the lawn is thick, green grass instead of the weed/grass jumble we have. I also saw a lot of nice fences (we need a fence, so I suppose that's why I was noticing that), including one that had this intricate carved sunflower made out of different kinds of wood on the front gate. There are very few mass-manufactured lawn ornaments in Seattle. I love being able to see that.

I also spotted two beautiful, brick tudors. I love our house, but I think I'd trade in an instant for one of those brick tudors. These two also had the golf-course grass.

I need to hire a gardener.

That risotto and the number five

So the risotto was NOT as pretty as the picture in the cookbook, but it tasted fantastic! No photo: by the time I finished making it (I'd forgotten how much work risotto is) I was so hungry, and my husband was so hungry, that we ate it. I was done eating with leftovers put away before I realized I should have taken a photo.

The hubby and I both agreed that it almost tasted cheesy. That was kind of nice. Its hard to get that macaroni and cheese consistency (unless you get the Mac 'n' Yease at Plum Bistro. Awwwsome!) but this risotto had it. And it has nutritional yeast in it, so it even had that color of boxed mac and cheese.

Today was another cross training day before the big run of the week. Tomorrow I'm set to run five miles. For some reason, the five mile amount in my head seems really far. It's silly because last Saturday I ran 4.41 miles, so I'm really not going that much farther (or running that much longer) but the number five just seems like a lofty goal. Maybe that's because that's my husband's average run and he's the runner out of the two of us. I jog, use it as exercise, but he runs.

With that logic, then, do I get to officially become a runner tomorrow after I finish my five miles?

Happy Earth Day!

I hope there were many trees hugged today.

Tuckered out

Did my second of the two shorter runs for the week tonight. Now these seem like no big deal. But for some reason I am TIRED tonight. That hasn't happened before, especially when its a shorter run. Maybe I need to eat some protein. While we had quinoa Sunday and Monday (an excellent source of protein, by the way, and its so much better than rice if you need that type of side), I haven't had any other big protein source in dinner the last two days. Tomorrow's dinner has nuts in it, so I'll get some protein then. We're trying another recipe from The Conscious Cook. It's a risotto, and I'll take a photo if its as pretty as the photo in the book is.

Running soundtrack

What do you listen to when you run? Any suggestions for new music? I have my favorites—I've been listening to Prodigy and the Run Lola Run soundtrack since college—and the crappy pop songs that have a good beat (Lady Gaga, here we come!) but as my runs get longer, I'm going to need some more music. I've found I need to have some kind of beat playing in my ears or I get really bored, even when I'm running outside. If I'm on a treadmill at the gym, my iPod is as loud as it'll go just to distract me from 1. the person running next to me and 2. the crap that always seems to be on the TVs (Fox News? Really?). My miles start increasing significantly starting on Saturday, so the hunt is on!

Angry running

I left work today with a terrible headache and a big dose of annoyance (from various office-related things). I really didn't want to run--in addition to the headache I was hungry. However, with 70 degree weather and a forecast of crap tomorrow, I wolfed down a slice of bread (carb addict! Whatever, it works) and went for my scheduled 3.5 miles.

Of course now I feel much better. And I shaved almost a minute off my pace! Angry running for me usually equals faster running. Full disclosure: I also had a big stretch of downhill, but since we live in Phinney Ridge, it's nearly impossible to avoid a long downhill.

The best part? I came home to some lovely flowers from my husband. (And now he's cooking dinner, a quinoa-avocado soup that is FANTASTIC. The recipe is from my friend Hope, I'll have to post it here some time.)

Sometimes running is the best medicine.

Edit: Annnndddd I just added another eight blocks to my running total, as we didn't have any salsa for the soup. Running with salsa, yup.

Love finding new (good) cookbooks

Sometimes I come across a really fantastic recipe that has all the right parts. It's not too complicated, doesn't take too long (usually less than an hour is considered quick for me) and doesn't have any ingredients that are either hard to find or hard to find quality versions of. Tonight I found one of those. It was like restaurant food from my own kitchen. LOVE it when that happens.

Six months ago I was on vacation and caught a random episode of Oprah (who I never watch, but there wasn't cable, so this was the best option). She had Tal Ronnen on, this vegan chef I had never heard of. The food he made on that show looked awesome, and I took note of his name (he was, of course, promoting his cook book). Finally about three weeks ago I bought his cookbook (The Conscious Cook), and that was the awesome recipe I made for dinner tonight. It's called Quinoa, avocado and sweet potato timbale with roasted tomatillo dressing. I did make one tweak: I couldn't find micro greens, so I used sprouts. I also didn't have a ring mold, so my presentation wasn't quite as pretty as the photo in the book, but really, it tastes the same.

Even my husband loved it (it always seems to me he isn't as crazy-in-love with the recipes I could eat on a weekly basis). Most of the recipes in that book are too complicated or time consuming to make during the week, but this was actually really quick (about 45 minutes), and pretty much everything could be done the day before and just assembled at dinner time.

The quinoa in it also hit the spot, as after a four-mile run I needed some protein. My run was also awesome today. Sometimes everything just feels right, and this was one of those days in spite of the sun, clouds, sun, clouds, wind and rain I encountered. I managed to shave time off my last four mile run, and made it back home before there was a downpour.

By the way: The photo from dinner really doesn't do it justice. Ring mold or not, it was quite pretty.

The cholesterol game

I found an interesting blog today, written by a 20-something in Texas called Happy Vegan Runner. She explains in the blog that she found out she had high cholesterol despite being a healthy eater and an active person. So, she went vegan. That's also my story, but one that I don't find much. Even doctors sometimes tend to look at us 20-somethings and assume things are fine, especially if in our medial history we indicate that we don't smoke, don't drink much, exercise and aren't eating doughnuts and fried chicken for every meal.

I was lucky, and had a really good nurse practitioner as my primary care person years ago who saw my family history and decided I needed to have a cholesterol check. And it came back high. So, even healthier eating, courtesy of the American Heart Association cookbooks, and more working out followed. Not much changed over the years, and I finally decided that all the exercise in the world wasn't going to be enough, nor was I going to start taking pills in my mid-20s. Enter veganism. For me, it worked. Last time I had my cholesterol checked (this time it was a new doctor who wasn't going to do it, and didn't understand why I wanted to have my cholesterol checked) my numbers were much better.

So, in an effort to have a healthy life despite my genes, I continue to do cardio, strength train, do yoga and stick to my vegan diet.

Veganize!

Today I attempted to veganize traditional recipes for the first time. I can follow a recipe and things turn out, but I have problems creating my own food and having it taste good. My dear husband has that talent. But I needed to create something to take to a book club meeting this weekend, and the theme is Hawaiian Brunch. So out comes a cookbook we bought in Maui four years ago and haven't touched. In it, I found a mango breakfast cake (like coffee cake) and some pineapple bran muffins. Traditional, of course. Out comes egg replacers and soy-based sour cream (for the mango cake). Both are currently cooling on the stove, ready to be tried tonight to make sure they're good before I serve them to people outside the immediate family. They smell good and look good, so hope is there.

Today was a 3 mile run, though I only went 2.8 because I also took a kickboxing class over my lunch. The kickboxing class left me cranky, but the run was wonderful! It was around 65 degrees so I could run in a tank top (this small thing has a big impact on my mental state), and it was sunny. That also means Green Lake was completely nutty and I probably ran more than 2.8 miles due to dodging people and dogs, but its nice to see all the people out and about. Plus, there was a young corgi out for a walk with it's people. Those dogs are so cute.

Tomorrow is the spinning, strength training, yoga combo class. I have a feeling after all this exercise I'm going to be ravenous this weekend. For tonight, at least, I have breakfast food to sample.

Barefoot running?

No running today, though I wish I could have, it was so beautiful out. I think when I left work around 2:30, it was 63 degrees or something. C'mon Seattle, let's keep spring around now! I'm tired of the cold, wet weather.

I found an interesting blog yesterday called Walk Slowly, Live Wildly. It's about a family of four that lives in their RV, traveling around the country. The whole concept is extremely interesting to me, though I'm not sure my mildly type-A personality would let me live like that. But I digress ...

The woman who writes the blog, in one entry, was walking about wanting to get back into running after a few years off, but when she tried, her knees were bothering her. Damn knees. So she tried these Vibram FiveFinger shoes--basically a way to run barefoot while not running barefoot. My husband had mentioned these sometime months ago (last year, even), but now I'm starting to see them around. I think one of the trainers at work has them, and there is also a thread about it on Daily Mile. I'm very intrigued, and think I need to check them out at REI. I'm certainly not going to run 13.1 miles practically barefoot, but it would be nice to try it out with a small percentage of my training and see how I feel. I know from all the yoga I do that my balance is significantly improved when I don't have shoes on. (Ever try eagle pose in tennis shoes? Not a simple thing to do. Even lunges are harder for me in shoes.) If running in these Vibram shoes could help strengthen my feet and ankles and be easier on my joints, I'm willing to look a bit silly when I run. I probably do anyway.

Anyone have any experience with these shoes? My hesitation is that they are kind of expensive for something I might not like. Of course, I've purchased other shoes that were just as expensive that I hardly wear ...

Meh, what's an extra half mile?

So I thought I had to run 3.5 miles today. So I did. Then I got home and checked my training schedule. I only needed to go 3 miles. Does that extra half mile mean I can eat some popcorn?

The run felt good today. I was really not liking the idea of a run the last half of the work day, but like a trooper (and because I knew I'd feel guilty later) I changed into my workout clothes before leaving so I could stop at Green Lake for my run. Then I left work and the sun was shining! While I only live about 15 miles from where I work, the weather can change dramatically. So my entire drive was spent hoping the sun would stay out. And it did. I think that saved my run. If it had been raining, I doubt I could have found the motivation.

The sun at Green Lake brings out all kinds of Seattlites that you don't normally see around the lake, and I love it. Its one of the best things about the city. Everyone is out enjoying the sun. Some are probably not wearing enough clothes, but if they want to be cold, go right ahead. (Hey Seattlites, sun does not equal warm. Sun equals sunglass, maybe a hat, not flip flops, shorts and possibly no shirt.) The city gets a lot friendlier when we see some light.

My other excitement for the day: I found a new Web site, dailymile.com. See my widget on the right? I'm going to start tracking my training on there. If you're a runner, check it out! And add me as a friend. I've entered my half marathon goal there, too, for everyone to see, so now I really feel committed.

Tomorrow is an easier day: Yoga! Sometimes the Wednesday classes can be a challenge, but I'll need the stretching. Plus, I can usually managed to fall asleep in Savasana for at least a minute or two. Sometimes, that's all a girl needs.

Does gardening count as strength training?

If it does, then I've accomplished my training for the day. If not, let's call this my day off.

Things I learned on my run this morning

1. Once you have been running for awhile, 38 degrees isn't THAT cold.
2. Eighth Avenue Northwest is really dirty.
3. Eighth Avenue Northwest is a wind tunnel.
4. Third is much better than Eighth.
5. People do not like picking up their dog poo.
6. People will bag their dog poo, then leave it on the sidewalk.
7. There is a really creepy GIANT King Kong head coming out of the side of the house at Eighth and 50th in Ballard.
8. The light at Eighth and 65th is really fast: Be ready.
9. After running up the long uphill that is Eighth, running up the steep, short uphill to Greenwood is nothing.
10. When your watch breaks, your iPod playlist works wonders for determining how long the run took.

Ow, ow, ow ...

Bit sore from kickboxing yesterday, plus I did another spin/strength/yoga class today, so hopefully I can walk tomorrow, as I need to get my four mile run in. At least it isn't so far. Every Saturday the runs increase by a mile for the most part. There are two weeks in there where it's a little less: the 5k race and the 10k race. (The 10k, according to the schedule, lands on the same day there is a big fair at work and a wedding in the evening. Not sure how I'm going to work that out yet ...)

The two classes caught up to me today in the food department. By the time I got home, I could have eaten enough food for two people. We had tacos. Easy Friday night dinner to throw together, plus I can make them vegan while my husband has more traditional tacos. The best substitute for cheese cravings? Guacamole. Yum! I don't miss the cheese anymore, but at first I needed something creamy. Now, I just love avocados. Also, the Mexican-style TVP (textured vegetable protein) they sell at PCC is wonderful, and heats up really fast if there isn't time or energy to marinate tofu or portobellos, and you're tired of beans.

Tomorrow night we're going to check out Plum Bistro, a vegan restaurant in Seattle, for my birthday. So excited!

Thursdays

Thursdays are kickboxing day. That means I do more squats than I can count, as they're a favorite activity of the instructor (although today was her last day, so we'll see if the new instructor does all the squats). It also means when I wake up in the morning, my shoulders, quads, hamstrings and triceps are going to hurt.

I love it. It does make me hungry. Dinner tonight was stuffed bell peppers and some Rosemary Diamante bread from The Essential Baking Company (best bread ever, by the way). The bell peppers are stuffed with a mixture of black beans, quinoa, onions, mushrooms, garlic, tomato sauce, a little olive oil, chili powder and a little salt. Topped with cilantro. The recipe is from Vegan with a Vengeance, and is a favorite.

One more cross-training workout before my long run on Saturday. The first long run? Four whole miles. I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

Proving myself to be a worrywart

So after my run on Monday and during the day yesterday my right knee was bothering me, causing a bit of stress, as I had another run today. I've already registered for my race, and can't get my money back, so what happens if I can't race?

I don't think I would care if I was running in a nonprofit race, but the Rock n Roll races, as far as I can tell, are for profit. So why'd I choose this race? Because there is a band every mile on the course. As a person that always runs with headphones, this will be a huge motivator. And for my first race, I'll need it.

So anyway, I was worried all day about my damn knee and whether it was going to hurt like it did on Monday and what I was going to do if it did hurt again. And if I should think about going to the doctor, or if I should ignore it, and what if I cause permanent damage ... you can see where this is going. (Let me add here that never at any point could I not walk because of pain.)

Then, I went to my noon yoga class. I wish I could link to a Web page for the instructor, because she is so wonderful, but I don't think she has one. We did a whole class of twists to detox, and when I left, I felt more clearheaded (and like a wrung-out sponge) than I have in awhile. I decided on Monday I probably didn't have my "head in the game," as real athletes say (right?), and today I was going to concentrate on my running and my form, and when I was done with my run, my knee wasn't going to hurt.

And ... it didn't! And doesn't! Yay! I am honestly so relieved. For as crappy as the weather was (raining, 45 degrees or something) it was a great run, in spite of the fact that I managed to run through a puddle and soak my toes a quarter mile into the run.

So, second run of training, a whopping 3 miles, was successful.

Now I'm going to fill up on Thai food my dear husband so kindly ordered for us to eat for dinner. I need the tofu, anyway, for protein. Since Thai food is one of the easiest things to eat out as a vegan, we eat it all the time. The Thai restaurant by our house must really love us. (And we love them—they deliver!)

Rest day

So today is supposed to be my rest day. The schedule says it should be Thursday, but my dear husband pointed out to me that its probably more important to get in the cross training I like to do than exercise exactly to the schedule. Since I love the kickboxing class I go to on Thursdays, and also love the class I take on Fridays, that left Tuesday for a rest day. So, I rested.

Sort of.

I usually run on Tuesdays, but am now running Monday and Wednesday. So not running during my lunch break was strange. And by the time I got home after work, what with the not sweating and sitting at a computer all day, I felt tired, cranky, fat ... Yes, there is probably something wrong with my mental state. After dinner, my husband and I went on a walk. We walked to the library (.8 miles) then to the tattoo shop close to our house (1.2 miles) and then back home (.3 miles). So my rest day involved a long walk, but I feel a bit better.

Maybe my rest days should only mean a rest from running or other intense cardio. I might go crazy--or drive my husband nuts with my crankiness--otherwise.

Beating the rain

Today was my first run of the 12 weeks of training I have. My previous workout schedule included runs on Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Now, I need to run Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. I take a yoga class Mondays and Wednesdays, so that means running after work.

The only problem with this is timing my eating correctly, since I tend to be rather hungry by the time I get home from work.

Today, it wasn't such a problem. My employees brought in cinnamon rolls (vegan, from this book), fruit and POG juice (pineapple, orange, guava, which I came to love in Hawaii a few weeks ago). Two cinnamon rolls later, I was through my noon yoga class and still wasn't hungry for a real lunch. I did eat one "burger"--the best non-meat burgers we've found from this book--and a small salad. I can't live on sugar and refined flour (just because its vegan doesn't mean its healthy).

When it finally came time to run around 5:20 this afternoon, I was feeling pretty good, and I only had to go three miles. I managed to make it around Greenlake and then some to make three miles before it started to rain again. Woot! Beat the rain!

By the time I got home, I was finally hungry. My husband and I had one of our favorite recipes, the Pineapple-Cashew-Quinoa from Veganomicon. Oh--and another slice of my birthday cheesecake. The healthy food diet is kind of dead in the water this week.

My time on the run? About 36 minutes, a 12 minute mile. So slow! I'd love to run the half-marathon at a 10-minute-mile pace, and am hoping all this running in preparation for the race helps me speed up. If not, that's my goal for my second half-marathon.

Day one

Today was my birthday, though the celebration started last night, so needless to say it was a rough morning. Luckily, my workout schedule calls for "stretching & strengthening" today, which I finally got to at around 8 p.m.—after starting the day with Mighty-O Donuts (the best doughnuts in Seattle also happen to be vegan!) and ending it with vegan cheesecake (recipe in this book) as part of dinner.

Five-pound weights, some chair dips, an exercise band and a yoga mat and I feel stronger and longer. Or at least like I did something other than sit on the couch all day.

As a side note, I finally watched Food, Inc. today. If you haven't watched it yet, please do. It makes you think about your food choices, and how backward the system is in America.

The plan

So a kind personal trainer at work gave me Hal Higdon's training guide for the novice. It's pretty simple: Strengthen, stretch, run, cross train, run some more. I'm switching a few things around to match up with current exercise classes I take that I love, so for me, training starts tomorrow. No running, though, its a stretch and strengthen day. I can do that.

The program is 12 weeks, with my final long run 10 miles. His view is that the energy around the race will carry me though the full half marathon. I would guess he's probably right, even if I'm crawling across the finish line. My first long run is one week from today, and at only 4 miles, seems easy enough. (And with that, I've probably just jinxed myself.)

Why the blog?

First, the V stands for veggie. I've been vegan for 17 months now. Even though I live in the Northwest, home of all kinds of diets and lifestyles, there are still people who don't understand exactly what is vegan. And when I return home to the midwest? Trying to explain it to some is nearly impossible.

That said, it follows that I've found some of those people don't think you can be a runner while eating this way. That got me thinking that as I'm about to start training for my first half-marathon, it would be interesting to chronicle my experience as a vegan runner. Well, jogger. I was not an athlete as a teenager, and am still not an athlete--or at least what I picture in my head as an athlete. I don't run very fast, but my goal for this race is not to run fast, its to finish.