trail running – Making The Effort…

Making the effort ……to use fear as a motivator!

October 14, 2019October 15, 2019msdesertwellness

Fear can be a tremendous motivator, and for me that is definitely the truth. Whether it is fear of regret, fear of the unknown, fear of failure or success, you have to admit we spend a ton of time with our fears. But if you look to find the positive those fears can drive you to results. At pivotal points in my life, when I am tired of being afraid, I have had to face my fears.

Facing fears can be addictive once you start and you have success. For me facing my fears even if I fail feels as if I have somehow conquered it just a little bit, taken some of the bite out of it. Now that doesn’t mean that fear can’t rear it’s ugly head again at the craziest of moments but if you look at the fact that you have already addressed it, again it just doesn’t have the same weight. I can remember being so very afraid leading up to my first running race. I came there alone, not knowing where the registration table was and not wanting to look stupid in front of the runners that were there (I didn’t consider myself a runner..). Nothing is better than that feeling of setting out to do something and knowing that I did it. Now at the next race I still felt uncomfortable but I knew what to look for and the more races I did the more comfortable I felt.

Have you heard of FOMO? I did chuckle a bit when I heard this but do recognize the truth in it. I do fear missing out the older I get or maybe I should say my wanting to ” live more”. I will be 53 yrs old in a couple of weeks and I would be lying if I didn’t say that I look to the future and try to see all the things I still want to still do. One thing I always see is a runner, running a comfortable pace down a tree lined trail with the sun not too high in the sky with a smile on her face.

Fear

“One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn’t do.”

Henry Ford

“Do the thing that you fear and the death of fear is certain.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold.”

Helen Keller

So speaking of facing fears… some very exciting things happened this weekend. Kipchogeeluid broke the men’s WR and the 2 hour mark for the marathon- 1:59:40 and Brigid Kosgei also broke the women’s marathon WR and came in at 2:14:04.

Exercise- Another good week of training. 25 miles total including a weight day, hill workout, speed workout, a trail and a long run

4 week hill workout- each week add another hill

Meal Prep- Cherry & Blueberry Cashew Yogurt Parfait, Broccoli Soup, Roasted Broccoli and Zucchini, baked Chicken Breasts and Sweet Potatoes. Also made some Black Beans to use later in the week for Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas.

Yummy Broccoli Soup recipe- Steam broccoli and put in a blender with bone broth and salt to taste. Blend until smooth and add water for desired consistency.

Have a Happy and Healthy Week!!!

Making the effort… to commit to change!

September 30, 2019msdesertwellness

Headed up for more Blue & Green ..and cooler temps!

What a beautiful week! I was able to get my training in and feel good. Weather still too hot for comfortable running at normal hours but that just means you need to be creative. Runs were done on treadmill, very early mornings, or up to a cooler location. The hill workout challenge is on week two so that means two hills, had never used this type of workout before and having fun with it. Next week three , yikes!

The Morning Light in the Desert. The Boohoff Trail run is getting more comfortable and I really trying to push it.

Well Crap… say Goodbye to dairy! Received my results of the Food Sensitivity Blood Panel, this one measures the food specific IgA and IgG antibodies that are present after eating a food. The reaction and symptoms may vary by individual. I went into this thinking that maybe I was sensitive to Gluten but never even gave a thought about dairy;(

So to read the results take any food item that is a II or above as negatively reactive by your body. I had also been told that I had an allergy to egg when I was born but brushed that off as not valid. Guess I was wrong! So am I grateful to have this information? Absolutely but I am also disappointed that I have a whole food group that I will have to eliminate from my diet. I choose to take this test with the hope of gaining information that will improve my health and my next step needs to be to incorporate what I have learned into my diet. I am only looking at the results I will be getting and not feeling regretful of what I cannot have because in this day and age there are so many vegan sub items I am confident that I will be able to find what I want. Other interesting findings.. Bananas, Lamb, Tuna and Beef. Good thing I have given up beef or over 27 years.

I spent time investigating stores that I will be able to get the items I want to try and have a feeling this will be an ongoing project. I was impressed with Trader Joes. I went in and after a few attempts of walking in circles I asked for assistance and was surprised when I was given a print out, a list with all of the vegan items that they carry. I purchased a few different milks (coconut and rice) to try and was very impressed with the coconut yogurt. I also expected to have to pay more for these items but did not. One huge take away.. I wish I would have done this 20 years ago.

To make Cauliflower Mash- 1 head of cauliflower steamed, blend in a food processor salt to taste, 1 teaspoon of Parmesan ( or plant based vegan option) and 1 teaspoon of soy creamer.

Exercise- 25 miles, hill workout, pick ups, trail run and long easy run. 1 day of weights.

Meal Prep- Chicken Salad for lunches, Salmon with blistered tomatoes, Cauliflower mash, Chocolate Nut & Coconut drops.

Have a Happy and Healthy Week!

Making the effort ..to use our time wisely!

August 19, 2019msdesertwellness

Big Bear Lake-Weekend of the Kodiak 100
yes I make a “to do list” on vacation

What a crazy busy week and fun packed weekend! And how did I get it all in? My answer is.. By Planning and Making the Time. I had decided this year that I wanted to actually see some of these Ultra Races I have been a fan of in person. I had participated in the Antelope Canyon Half Marathon this spring and got up super early before my race to cheer the 100 mile race participants at their start. My other excuse was to get the lay of the land for next year’s 50K I hope to do (I have signed up). I had also heard about the AC100 (Angeles National Forest) and the Kodiak 100 (Big Bear) which are literally in my backyard and I have no excuse not to make time for, so when I was looking at this summer I knew I had to block off time for these events. The AC 100 I ended up volunteering at and the Kodiak 100 I was able to watch this weekend in person up at Big Bear Lake.

Perfect segue into … Time Blocking. Have you heard of it?

Time Blocking is a methodology which can help you become Ultra Productive ( wink wink 🙂

Time Blocking is a type of scheduling that can help you manage your time better. Instead of working with the clock, you can focus on finishing tasks one at a time. This will help you limit distractions, and not put such an emphasis on when you will do something but that you will complete within a time frame such as a day or week. It never fails that when I try to stick to a hourly schedule I get interrupted and end up having to push back tasks anyways. This type of plan to me is more realistic and less self sabotaging.

Now all the reading I have done on this subject has mainly been about Time Blocking for Work/Personal, but it got me thinking. What if it was just for our Healthy Habits? I remember the blackberry and the leather covered organizer I use to carry with me everywhere and I do miss it. I think we have to gotten away from this style of organization over the last ten, fifteen years or so and it sounds like “Time Blocking” is a cry from those of us that crave order and need help to keep focused, to bring back something more updated.

So to get started, in your calendar simply block off a specific or generous amount of time to preform your healthy habit ( running, meditation, biking, massage, swimming…), a healthy “To Do List”. By scheduling a block you are prioritizing the healthy habit, giving it as much weight as a project at work or an appointment with the dentist (boy I am just cracking myself up over here). Here are some tips:

Get tools- There are a ton of Apps that you can use – such as TimeCamp, ToDoist, and Wunderlist…
Prioritize- For the day or week, list in order of importance and block the time of day when you know you are the most productive.
Be able to adjust. We cannot predict our day so we need to be able to be flexible and know that as long as we get the task done that day or week that is good.

Now back to my beautiful weekend. What a race! I was lucky enough to see the some of the elite finishers for the Kodiak 100 and was humbled and definitely geeked out a little. There is a new course record for the 100 mile set by Rod Farvard in 19:31 and it was his first attempt at this distance. For the 50 mile race the first female finisher, Katie Asmuth just happened to be the 2nd place finisher for the 50 mile race overall… that was Crazy Good!!

His pacer was so proud he lifted him up!
Katie Asmuth ..you are amazing!

Needless to say I am so happy I made time for this getaway weekend. I plan on planning more of these…lol! okay enough already!

Exercise- I had a minor shoulder twinge in the start of the week that left me waiting until the weekend to do any major exercising. I was able to get in 16 altitude miles- 8 trail miles with elevation and 8 road miles. & 1 day of weights.

Meal Prep – Grilled Turkey Burgers w/ rice, Shrimp, and roasted broccoli. At my time share where I stayed there was a nice big grill so I brought some items to meal prep for the week.

Have a Happy and Healthy Week!!

Making the Effort to take advantage of destination runs …and seasonal fruits/ veggies!!

July 8, 2019msdesertwellness

What a way to celebrate the July 4th Holiday but to …explore! Decided to take advantage of an extra day off this week by driving to a new location to run a trail. I have definitely been craving to see water and I am lucky that if I head the car west I will eventually run into it.

Living in the desert has made me appreciate different terrains. Sometimes I literally stop, take a minute and look around at the neutral colors of the desert in amazement. It also makes the green pines I see greener and blue water even bluer.

I am a huge fan of State Parks and Crystal Cove did not disappoint. I chose a tough but scenic trail, about a 10 mile loop that would give me some views of the blue and green. Now there was one thing I did not anticipate.. humidity (ugh!). It turns out when I left Palm Springs it was about 15% humidity and after wringing out my shirt after my run I checked the weather app for Laguna that morning and it said 79% humidity. Well, we will call that added training:) The trail really pushed me and I got more training being comfortable with elevation, sand, technical parts, and single track. I had packed a lunch and after my run I sat myself down at a picnic table and smiled while I ate.

Training for this week turned out to be pretty good. I ended up with 25 miles (quality) and was able to get one day of weights in. Still need to incorporate more yoga/stretching. So how are your weekly workouts going? If you are in a rut I recommend you get out of your ordinary, it will ignite your enthusiasm.

Now let’s talk Seasonal Fruits and Veggies- I think it is obvious that the benefits of seasonal produce are huge. The benefits are not only the taste and convenience but the high quality. “Knee high by the fourth of July…” that is a Midwestern saying about Corn and who doesn’t love Corn. Also Figs are in season so that has been on my mind this week. FYI- You probably won’t find a better plant source of calcium than Figs. Remember to freeze left over produce to use later when season is past.