Enchilada Bake

I decided to make something special/out-of-the-norm for New Year's Eve, especially since it's the year I'm going/went vegan. I cut the recipe in half and used a smaller pan since it's just me eating it. The guys are doing chicken. Pity for them. This is really yummy! And super easy to make. Will do again, for sure. Happy New Year!

Enchilada Bake: 12 oz. vegetarian burger crumbles 1 packet taco seasoning 2 15.5-oz. cans enchilada sauce 18 corn tortillas 2 15.5-oz. cans pinto beans, drained 2 green…

2011: The Highs, Lows & What I’ve Got Planned for 2012

Kris Carr -- I just discovered her and might I say, I love her. I hope you do too.

2011: The Highs, Lows & What I’ve Got Planned for 2012

Thai Coconut Milk Soup

Thai Coconut Milk Soup: 1 Tbsp. olive oil 1/2 onion, sliced 2 carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1–2 red…

Shepherd’s Pie

Shepherd’s Pie: 4 medium potatoes, diced 2 Tbsp. margarine 1/4 cup soy milk or liquid nondairy creamer Salt and pepper, to taste 1 medium onion, finely chopped…

Potato Leek Soup

Potato Leek Soup: 4 leeks (white part only), sliced 6 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, diced 3 vegetable bouillon cubes 2 spring (green) onions, chopped, for garnish • Place…

David loves potato leek soup. I didn't think I could pull off a vegan version that he'd go for -- "I'm not eating twigs and berries!" -- but this simple recipe held its own. I used homemade vegetable broth instead of water, so it's especially flavorful. No cream, but so hearty. Really nice starter. I think you'll enjoy it. Thanks Peta!

Creative Leftovers

Breakfast: I wasn't hungry this morning for whatever reason. I have delicious leftover tofu scramble in the fridge that I was really looking forward to, but eh. Not today. So I made a piece of toast before my run. This is my favorite bread, especially for toast. I've seen it in the frozen section, but am just trying it now. My mom told me about it after a recent visit to see my Aunt Liz, who eats it "religiously". I also heard Rip Esselstyn (of the E2 Diet) recommend it. I really love it and am amazed at how healthy it is! Plus, only 80 calories per slice, not that I'm counting calories anymore.

From the package: 

Ezekiel 4:9 Sesame Sprouted Grain Bread

The Original - Flourless - Complete Protein

Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread is inspired by the Holy Scripture verse: "Take also unto thee Wheat, and Barley and Beans and Lentils, and Millet, and Spelt, and put them in one vessel, and make bread of it...." We discovered when these six grains and legumes are sprouted and combined, amazing things happen. A complete protein is created that closely parallels the protein found in milk and eggs. In fact, the protein quality is so high that it is 84.3% as efficient as the highest recognized source of protein, containing all 9 essential amino acids. There are 18 amino acids present in this unique bread -- from all vegetable sources -- naturally balanced in nature.

Ezekiel 4:9 Bread, made from freshly sprouted organically grown gains, is naturally flavorful and bursting with nutrients. Rich in protein, vitamins, minerals and natural fiber with no added fat. Try it served warm to release it exceptionally rich natural sesame taste. 

I toast mine from frozen. It's simply outstanding! And very filling. I only made one piece today with a little Earth Balance margarine (vegan) and a smear of raspberry jam.

Lunch: Post toast, I ran 5 easy miles on the treadmill. I ate a pre-peeled Clementine during my run, mostly because it was in a baggie in the fridge from my run the other day and I wanted to get rid of it. In retrospect, I should've peeled a fresh one, but in eco-reflection, I'm happy I didn't waste. 


Since my workout was short and none-too-intense, I guess there is no dire need to refuel. Still, I figured I'd eat some vegetables to take advantage of the muscle glycogen refuel window that exists in the first 45 mins after a workout. How I understand it, the more often you make a point to refuel, the better able your body is to pull its energy from your fat stores in the future. This helps you not completely tank during a long, intense workouts, a like marathon.


The text below is from hammernutrition.com. I heard Steve Born on a podcast (Marathon Training Academy) and thought it was a good summary of the benefits of post-workout fueling. They sell products I've probably tried in the past, but am not sure how vegan they are, so need to look more into it. Funnily enough, I've always heard about "carbs" before a workout and "protein" for recovery, but I never bought into it. Now that I'm doing some research on the topic, seems there is some science to this recommendation. 

Replenish your body with carbohydrates and protein as soon as possible after each exercise session.

“When you’re done training, you’re not done training, at least not until you’ve put some fuel back into the body.” Equally important as your workout (muscle exhaustion and nutrient depletion) is what you do immediately following your workout (muscle repair and nutrient replenishment). If you neglect to refill the tank, you’ll never get the full value out of all the work you just put in… and what a waste that would be.

Increased fitness simply won’t happen, at least not efficiently or effectively, if you ignore your body’s cries for fuel replenishment. Give your body what it needs immediately after exercise, when it’s most receptive to replenishment, and it will respond wonderfully—recovering faster, efficiently adapting to physical stress, and “learning” how to store more and more readily available fuel in the muscles.

An ideal and easy–to–use post–workout fuel is Recoverite, with its 3:1 ratio of complex carbohydrates and protein. Mix a couple of scoops with water, drink, you’re done… simple. You’ve just put the best “finishing touches” on your workout that you possibly could, and you’ve given your body a great head start on tomorrow’s workout.

I'm going to try to adopt Brendan Brazier's approach (45 min "snack" followed by protein "meal" an hour or so after that) because it feels more nutritionally targeted.

Since I don't have a recovery potion lying around, I figured I'd nosh on a few sprouted almonds (which I sprouted myself, very easy) and reheat the last of my asparagus soup. I mashed some cauliflower my husband made last night with a potato masher and added a little batch of amaranth to it. Amaranth is a superfood that even Dr. Oz recommends as any everyday staple. I'm just discovering it. It's good; pretty tiny. I can't really see it as a stand-alone side. It'd be like eating a spoonful of sand. But it's good mixed in stuff. Here's my creation:

I thought amaranth was a protein, but I guess it's a pseudograin more known for calcium benefits.

Amaranth: with two times the calcium of milk, three times the fiber and five times the iron of wheat flour, amaranth is also quite high in potassium, phosphorous and vitamins A, E and C. Particularly rich in lysine—an essential amino acid very difficult to find in plant-based sources—amaranth is a calcium-delivery powerhouse (lysine helps your body absorb calcium in the digestive tract, so in addition to being calcium-rich as a food, amaranth’s super-power is making sure its calcium is highly bio-available). It’s also 90% digestible, giving amaranth star-status as a high net-gain food. (Brendan Brazier, Thrive in 30, Lesson 6)


Not too long afterwards, I was in the mood for something a little more substantial so I made this pizza:

I found this brand of flatbread the other day called "Flatout". It's much flimsier than the pizza I made last week (which was awesome, see my first blog post), but flimsy in a good way. I rolled this one into the God's-honest most fabulous pizza wrap and really loved it. I made a similar pizza the other day with the leftover insides of my Subway veggie sandwich since I could only eat 6 inches worth -- hey, it's $5, so I ordered the full foot, what the heck?


I'm new to Daiya cheese, but COME ON! This stuff rules! Where've you been all my life you fake melty cheese? Buy a few cheddar and mozzarella flavors and freeze them. An open package will last up to 7 days. This picture is of the pre-cooked pizza, but trust me, the cheese melts great!


INSIDE STORY: My mom makes pizza for my three nephews and niece every Friday night when they stay over. My 11-year old nephew Matt said that she was so rushed a few weeks ago (or quite possibly flying on wine) that she put the frozen pizza in the oven cheese-size down. In her defense, it was barely recognizable as pizza except for its shape, there was so much frost on it. They only learned she did this after the oven started smoking. Lesson: Take time to create your food with love and intention, and always, always, go cheese-side-up. It only takes an extra 10 mins. P.S., Mom, of course you always do that. I just wanted to share this story and come up with a moral. Too funny! 


Dinner I'm not sure that there is any one item of food that my husband and I enjoy in common. We like the same categories of food, but there are too many differences within that for us ever to make and share a proper meal together. I'm red wine. He's white. He's white bread. I'm whole grain. I'm Vegan (newly, vegetarian for 20+). He's meat. Our salads -- from the type of lettuce to their fixings are at complete odds as well. It's extremely annoying. It works because we live in Manhattan and we can get by because it's a takeout city. Although now, I'm temporarily living in Myrtle Beach to provide assisted-living care for my step son till March. Since hubby is down here as well visiting Xmas thru New Years and we're not in a takeout city, there's some mealtime friction. Yesterday he made a ham. Today, he bought a chicken and made a side of Mac and Cheese for himself and my stepson. The other day he insisted on sauteing mushrooms in Smart Balance vs. Earth Balance margarine. OK, now you're just being an ass. I'm pretty much on my own.

So, in the theme of this post, I'm getting creative. To start, here's a recipe for Mushroom Gravy from "The 30-Day Vegan Challenge" by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau that can make everything underneath it feel like comfort food, so I made a batch.

Mushroom Gravy

Perfect for mashed potatoes, stuffed squash, or biscuits and gravy. Puree it to make a smooth, creamy concoction, or leave it chunky. As the latter, this gravy is fantastic as a side dish, served over quinoa, or as a topping for Salisbury tofu or tempeh.

• 2 tsp non-hydrogenated, nondairy butter such as Earth Balance
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 lb cremini mushrooms (about 20) thinly sliced
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 3 tablespoons flour or thickener (e.g., cornstarch or arrowroot)
• 2-3 tablespoons tamari soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• Freshly ground black pepper

Heat the butter in a large skillet and saute the onion over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until the onions begin to turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 5 mins more, until they soften and turn golden brown.

Meantime, in a separate bowl, whisk the flour/thickener into the stock along with the tamari, thyme and black pepper. When there appear to be no lumps, add it to the onion mixture and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until thickened, 5-10 minutes.

For smooth gravy, puree it in a blender or food processor. You may want to play a little with the flavor and add more tamari or pepper to taste. Reheat the mixture if necessary on low heat in a saucepan.

Wheat-free, if using cornstarch as thickener

I sauteed a bunch of spinach and baked a sweet potato in the oven (400 degrees, one hour) to add some color to my other leftovers (roasted cauliflower, potato and side of millet) for a nice African feel.

Pour some gravy on that. Glass of wine (or three). All is right in the world. 

Tomorrow provides another day to figure things out. 

Treadmill Conversions

Yesterday I ran my 20 mile long run at 5.2 on the treadmill. I never train for speed, but this feels a little slow to me compared to how I used to train.

I used to do slow runs at 6.0 (10 min/mi) and shorter runs at 6.5+, but these days I'm finding my shins ache too much very early on in these runs. If I only have to knock out 5 miles, this is fine, but anything longer my legs just aren't having it.

It's possible that I started training for a marathon without enough base miles under my belt. This happened to me once at the New York City Half Marathon -- my worst race ever. I walked a good deal of it in horrible pain. Both of my feet felt broken and I couldn't walk (or even stand) on them for a couple weeks afterwards without experiencing extreme pain.

So, I'm not embarrassed to say that I'm taking it a little slower for the time being till I can get my readiness back up to snuff. You can really hurt yourself if you let your ego call the shots.

Running and Recovery

All the nutrition info and much of the text in this post comes from Brendan Brazier's 'Thrive in 30' emails, which you can get for free at thrivein30.com. He explains:

Your body’s ability to recover from the stresses of exercise makes the biggest difference to achieving your fitness goals. Two athletes using the same training plan will see very different results if one focuses on improving recovery while the other does not. How you nourish your body after you exercise is key to speeding recovery and gives you a real edge over time.

There are two windows for post-exercise nutrition: the 45 minutes immediately following activity and the hour after the snack in the first window. Here’s how to use each window to your body’s advantage:

Within the first 45 minutes post-workout, feed your body an easily digestible snack consisting mostly of simple carbohydrates. After you’ve pushed yourself, your body is too tired to work at heavy digestion—refuel it with liquid or near-liquid snacks, like whole food puddings or a recovery drink (see recipes below for starters). Ideally, this snack should contain minimal fat and be fiber-free so your body can get these simple carbohydrates into the bloodstream immediately. A small amount of protein (no more than 25%) will help speed glycogen synthesis, the rate at which your muscles absorb carbohydrates.

He spells it out here, but it's still sort of confusing. I never know what to make. Yesterday after a fairly low intensity 5 mile run, I made this smoothie. Basically, just hemp powder w/blueberries and soy milk. It was really good. 

An hour after you’ve had your post-exercise snack, eat a complete, nutrient-rich meal. Make sure this meal includes some of the high-quality proteins from earlier lessons (like hemp), a good blend of essential fatty acids and lots of vitamins and minerals. If your workout was very intense, a liquid meal is your best option (such as a smoothie, soup or a serving ofVega Whole Food Health Optimizer), so your body can put its remaining energy toward recovery.

So, this is where I get confused. I just ate hemp in my snack. What quality protein should I eat as a meal? I don't want another smoothie, so I just ate a regular vegan dinner with an alkaline-forming pseudograin on the side like millet or amaranth.

In Lesson 3 he explains: There are several complete plant protein sources, most notably hemp and chlorella. Quality plant-based proteins include:

• Hemp protein (one of the most complete amino acid profiles of any plant-based protein)
• Yellow pea protein
• Brown rice protein
• Flaxseed (also high in Omega-3s)
• Chlorella (a microscopic, freshwater green algae from Japan - my favourite is Chloressence)
• Almonds, other nuts and seeds (preferably sprouted, since sprouting pre-digests the proteins in seeds, making the amino acids more available to your body)
• Legumes
• Pseudograins (including quinoa and buckwheat)

Foods for Recovery:

Your body’s ability to recover from the stresses of exercise are as important—if not more so—than the actual training you do, in terms of achieving your fitness goals. These two foods (both detailed in Lesson 6 as superfoods) contribute significantly to your rate of recovery:

Chlorella

The most compelling benefit of chlorella specifically targeted to helping your body recover from exercise is its ability to stimulate cellular regeneration. Chlorella’s extremely rapid growth rate is made possible by the Chlorella Growth Factor and its high nucleic acid content (DNA and RNA—both nucleic acids—are the building blocks of cells).

Since training and intense exercise damage muscle tissue (the healing of that damaged tissue is what causes increased strength and muscle bulk over time), chlorella’s unique ability to stimulate cellular regeneration makes it an ideal food to include in your training nutrition.

Additionally, chlorella is highly alkaline-forming and also detoxifying. Since your body functions best in an alkaline state—and the stress of high-intensity exercise can contribute to acidity—including a strong alkalizer in your recovery nutrition can speed recovery. The detoxifying effects of chlorella are helpful in clearing the lactic acid that can build up in your muscles after exertion.

I bought this bottle of Green Lightning at the health food store last year. The guy told me it's the best green drink - very healthy - and I see it has chlorella (bulgarian chlorella vulgaris) (broken cell) in it as one of the first ingredients of its 6000 mg proprietary blend. I think it tastes terrible, so I'm reluctant to buy another bottle of green powder till it's gone. ChlorEssence, the brand he recommends contains 18-25% Chlorella Growth Factor (CGF), but given mine is part of a blend, I'm not sure how to compare. Still, I plan to finish it before buying more.

I added two tablespoons (the daily recco'd amt.) to my smoothie once I was halfway done with it. It instantly became less enjoyable, but nothing I couldn't deal with. 

Maca

The ability to help your body cope with stress, balance hormones and support your adrenal gland makes maca a powerful nutritional tool for post-training recovery. As you learned in detail in Lesson 6, you’ll want to take it regularly to prepare your body for the stresses of intense activity; if you’re training or challenging yourself, I recommend taking a little more than your day-to-day dose to speed recovery and keep you energized.

In addition to maca’s contribution to recovery, it can also be used as an energy-booster. While most of maca’s benefit is built up over long-term use, you it can be quite energizing when used prior to training.

Note to self: get some Maca!

20-MILE LONG RUN

So, today is Christmas and I got these cool new runners: Nike Pegasus 27 GTX. Not sure if they're vegan. They're GOR-TEX, but I'm really new to vegan things and am mostly focused on food right now. I had a 20 mile run today and was really excited to try them. I also got two "Energy Bras" from Lululemon, which had good reviews for their cool-max material. My running bras always get soaked and then my skin gets really irritated, so I'm eager to find a solution. 

I did my run on the treadmill so I could mentally break it up into 5-mile segments. The first segment I listened to a running podcast to motivate. Steve Runner of the podcast Phedippidations mentioned that the specific training plan I was working (Hal Higdon) is not ideal. "Don't get "hinjured". Beware of "hinjuries" type thing. He didn't say why but I believe that the folks on another podcast by Marathon Training Academy were saying something to the effect that some plans run you too hard six days a week and a popular program (which they did not name) was notorious for injury. I think it may be the one I'm doing, like I say, so I was left feeling a de-motivated by mile 2 of my long run. 

At mile 5, I hit pause on the treadmill and ate a 1/4 of a banana and drank some of the energy drink I prepared the night before (see previous post). I do not recco this energy drink as a "drink". The dates never broke down all the way and I was choking on them as I tried to run. Again, I think I need a Vitamix to make some of these recipes work. 

I downloaded Planet of the Apes onto my iPad from iTunes the night before ($3.99 rental) so figured I'd watch that on the next leg of my run.

At mile 10, I was drenched. My new Cool-Max Energy Bra was soaked through and my shirt was pasted to my body. I expected as much and prepared for this with a change of clothes. I finished my banana on this quick break and was back on the treadmill feeling mostly dry. 

At mile 15, my movie ended and I felt wet again so I treated myself to another quick change of clothes. I came upstairs (the workout room is in my building) and made a fast swap. It was really hard to motivate to go back down. But I did. I listened to another free podcast encouraging me to push through adversity. My feet were really starting to hurt. I felt like I needed a nap.

I finished and walked a 1/4 mile to bring my heart rate down, then I did a little stretching. I realized that I don't even know how to stretch. Did I do enough? Did I get all the right muscles? I made a note to myself to research proper technique for next time.

Last night I figured I'd make Brazier's "Recovery Pudding" to eat within 45 minutes after completing my run, so here's the recipe for that:

Recovery Pudding

I got this from the Thrive book. I cut the recipe in half since the original makes two servings.

• 1 banana

• 1/2 cup blueberries

• 1/4 cup soaked almonds (you have to soak them overnight/24hrs in water yourself)

• 1/8 cup ground flaxseeds (I grind mine in coffee grinder)

• 1/8 cup hemp protein

• 1/8 cup roasted carob powder
• 1 tsp ground rooibos (lady at health food store said I could just open a teabag)
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice

• 1/8 tsp sea salt

Combine all ingredients in food processor till smooth. 

This pudding will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator, but is best when eaten fresh.

It's tastes good enough. Not particularly craveable, but the medicine goes down. Maybe add a few fresh strawberries on top to bump up the sweetness.

Fuel Your Workouts (Brendan Brazier)

I don't keep a pace and I've never trained for time. However, if I'm going to run a marathon for a new PR, I know I've got to do some things differently. For starts, I'm going to work on my fueling strategy. I ran the NYC marathon in 2003. Around mile 12, a woman running next to me shat herself. God as my judge. The back of her shorts filled up like a diaper. I tried to run faster to get away from her, but she only ran faster. I tried to slow down, but she slowed down. I heard that this sometimes happens to the professionals, which I can forgive since they're giving it their physical all. But us? We were/are clearly amateurs. I ran an 11:49 pace and finished in 5:09:39. I'm not sure if my smelly running buddy made it or not. Probably. Didn't seem like she was going to let anything stop her. And seriously, good for her.

But why did this happen? Had she even considered the possibility when she pulled on those yellow shorts that morning? What do I have to do, Dear God, to ensure this will never happen to me? I kid you not, to this day it is still my biggest marathon fear. I'd rather break my ankle. And yet, it's still a mystery to me how exactly to balance getting enough energy from your food without wrecking yourself during the run.

I ran my next marathon in 2005 in New Orleans. I decided to sleep in as late as possible so I'd be fully rested. Of course, I left no time to eat, but I had a plan for that too. I pulled a whole bagel out of my pocket at the start of the race and figured I'd dine on it for the first mile or so. I remember a guy pointing at me from the crowd, "Look! She's eating a bagel!" I guess I was the only one doing that. All I knew at the time was that carbs give you energy and you should eat them before a run. I ran an 11:35 pace and completed in 5:03:35. Not bad, considering. And I didn't sh*t myself, which was marvelous. 

I've bonked in several races since. There's nothing sadder than a disappointing finish time for a race I trained really hard for. Surprisingly, I ran my current PR in Los Angeles in 2009 in warmish weather with a slightly unsettled stomach at the start. But I ran through it and felt good. I started to feel really hungry midway through and remember the exact banana from a woman in the crowd that saved me. I ran a 10:15 pace and finished in 4:28:52.

Now with seven marathons behind me, I guess it's as good a time as any to learn a thing or two about fueling and recovery. 

I'm lifting this from Brendan Brazier's fueling strategy guidelines. (Sign up for free at thrivein30.com). He's the founder of a line of products called Vega if you don't want to bother concocting this stuff yourself. For me being so new to fueling as a strategy, I thought it'd be fun to experiment a little with these recipes. 

Each food he recommends to fuel your workout is easily digestible and has specific characteristics that deliver targeted, workout-enhancing benefits. The following is a cut-and-paste from Lesson 8: Superfoods + Fitness = Your Route to Optimum Performance.

Immediate and Timed-Release Fuels:

Dates

While fruit in general is an excellent source of simple carbohydrates—the ideal fuel for short bouts of high-intensity exercise—I recommend dates for their abundant glucose. Glucose is immediately available to your liver, providing instant energy. Your body doesn’t have to break it down or convert it to a different form to use it. 

Glucose is the best primary fuel before or during high-intensity activity, but as a stand-alone energy source, it has the trade-off of burning quickly (it needs to be replenished every 20 minutes).

Agave Nectar

Fructose (the other major simple carbohydrate in fruit) is the slow-burning complement to its sister, glucose. Fructose kicks in slower and takes longer to burn than glucose, prolonging its effectiveness as a fuel. Agave nectar, from the blue agave cactus, consists of 90% fructose, making it an exceptional, easily digestible source of this slow release carbohydrate.

Combined, dates and agave nectar are the perfect marriage of simple carbohydrates to fuel any workout.

Coconut Oil

Praised as a fatty acid superfood in Lesson 6, the medium-chain triglycerides abundant in coconut oil make it an excellent source of quick energy. Like glucose, medium-chain triglycerides go directly to your liver to deliver their energy, without having to be processed first.

Staying Hydrated: Replacing Electrolytes:

As important as the fuel your body needs for energy, proper hydration is critical to performance. When you exert yourself, you need more than just water to function—you must also replace the electrolytes lost when you sweat. Why are electrolytes important? They allow your cells to stay hydrated longer, which has a direct impact on your endurance.

Coconut Water

Also introduced in Lesson 6, coconut water is a delicious, natural source of electrolytes, making it a perfect, whole food sports drink that will keep you hydrated under the most trying conditions.

Dulse

A mineral-packed sea vegetable, dulse is the richest known source of naturally occurring electrolytes. I use it in a number of exercise-specific recipes.

Dulse is easily blended with three parts (fresh-squeezed or 100%) fruit juice and one part water to make a basic, electrolyte-replacing sports drink—use about a tablespoon (two strips) of dulse to every three cups liquid.

Energy-Boosters: Strategic Stimulants:

One of the guiding principles in my approach to nutrition is that you should get energy from nourishment—and not from stimulation. By stimulation, I’m mostly referring to caffeine and refined sugars, which give you energy today by stealing it from tomorrow (essentially, this is energy with strings attached—it leaves you with an energy debt—I speak about this at length in The Thrive Diet).

Because of this principle, I avoid caffeine and other stimulants, except under specific circumstances where I can justify sacrificing tomorrow’s energy for an energy-boost now (on race-day, for example).

I’ve recalibrated my system through many years of eating clean and avoiding stimulants. While I think it’s unhealthy to rely on these energy-boosters regularly, they do have a place and can be helpful when used strategically to give you a performance edge.

Yerba Mate

One of the healthiest and most effective stimulants before exercise is yerba mate, a South American herb. A nutritional powerhouse, yerba mate is packed with minerals, vitamins, amino acids and antioxidants. High in caffeine, yerba mate is usually brewed like tea, but can be added to sport-specific recipes as an energy-booster when ground to a fine powder.

Green Tea (Matcha)

This fine, chlorophyll-rich powder has an exceptional antioxidant content. What makes matcha special compared to other green teas is the difference in its caffeine; unlike other caffeine sources, matcha delivers a slow, steady energy over the course of hours, so it doesn’t cause jitters.

Green tea is also rich in the amino acid L-theanine (gamma-ethylamino-L-glutamic acid) which is found almost exclusively in tea plants. A non-protein amino acid, L-theanine is unique in that it is neurologically-active. Studies show L-theanine has a calming, anxiety-reducing effect, leading to sharpened mental acuity and concentration—from a performance perspective, focus and calmness are key in the mental component of competition.

L-theanine is also being studied for its potential to control high blood pressure and as an anti-cancer agent.

Ginseng and Rhodiola (Russian Ginseng)

Both adaptogens like maca (which you learned about in Lesson 6), ginseng and rhodiola are not stimulants in the classic sense—though they are both renowned for their energizing effects. Ginseng and rhodiola can be used strategically to increase energy and mental clarity. In addition to this, rhodiola is shown to increases your body’s anaerobic threshold (how it performs with a lack of oxygen), which can improve endurance.

As adaptogens, both are also effective at reducing the physiological effects of stress, helping your body recover after training.

RECIPES

Making your own sports drinks and gels is really easy and gives you control so you can fuel your workout with healthy carbohydrates instead of with garbage you can’t pronounce (erm....or puffy white bagels).

Lemon-Lime Sport Drink

• Juice of ½ lemon

• Juice of ½ lime

• 3 dates

• 2 cups water

• 1 Tbsp agave nectar

• 1 tsp coconut oil

• Sea salt to taste (or ½ tsp dulse)

1. Filter out pulp from lemon and lime juice (if desired)
2. In a blender, combine all ingredients and process until smooth

Stores in the fridge for up to 2 weeks (re-blend before use as ingredients can settle)

I wonder if I need a Vitamix or something. The dates get stuck on bottom of blender. Anyway, not the most appealing looking energy drink, but tasty enough.

I'm also happy with coconut water, so, not sure if this is any better.

Carob Gel

• 4 dates

• ¼ cup agave nectar

• 2 Tbsp lemon juice

• 2 tsp roasted carob powder (or cocoa nibs)

• 2 tsp lemon zest

• Sea salt to taste

In a blender, combine all ingredients and process until blend reaches a gel-like consistency
Makes about ¾ cup, enough to fill two standard 4-oz gel flasks

Carob Gel. Hmmmm....This one don't appeal to me so much right now. I have all the ingredients. Maybe I'll make it later and report back.

Sights on Marathon, Marathon Sites

One of my 2012 New Year's goals is to PR in a marathon. PR stands for personal record. Sometimes you hear it referred to as PB for personal best.

If you've run several races and like to keep a journal of your events and pace, Athlinks.com is a great site that sources all your races in one place. If you don't find a race posted, you can shoot them a note and they'll get it uploaded PDQ. Here's a link to mine: http://athlinks.com/racer/80453665

It's pretty clear that I've never broken any ribbons. While I've run 7 marathons in the past 10 years, I've done it on my own with no strategy, my only goal being to finish. So, I thought it would be pretty cool to train for another race with the intention to PR. I'm just in the early stages of research to find that perfect plan.

Meantime, I registered for the ING Miami marathon on January 29, 2012, which will be my 44th birthday. I have no plans to PR in this one. I just needed a race to get back in the game and play around with a better training and fueling strategy.

I usually get my training program from http://www.runnersworld.com/ and customize my plan with their Smart Coach tool. The basic tool is free, which has always worked for me. For whatever reason, I couldn't access it in October when I was looking for a plan so I ended up with a standard Hal Higdon one. I trust it'll serve me just as well.

This will be my first marathon as a Vegan, which should be interesting. I read the Thrive Diet by professional triathlete Brendan Brazier and am quite inspired to experiment with nutrition as he's laid it out to aid in my training and recovery. His book is really well researched and he clearly knows what he's talking about. You can sign up for a series of free lessons at http://thrivein30.com/

I'll post his recommended fueling strategy tomorrow. I have a long run this weekend and need to whip up an Energy Pudding or maybe a Recovery Pudding. Besides, it'll be nice to have easy access to his good advice as I continue with my training.