Monthly Archives: November 2010

A few years ago, Steve and I decided to start a Thanksgiving tradition of running a turkey trot the morning before the feast. We have yet to run the same race twice. But now that we know how much fun the Alexandria Turkey Trot is, that might change.

The race starts at 10 a.m., which gives it an instant advantage over races requiring an alarm clock. More importantly, it’s billed as being flat, fast and fun, and it delivers on all three promises. The five-mile course takes runners through the lovely (and flat!) Del Ray neighborhood, with its charming bungalows and rows of quirky small businesses. Crowd support is incredible for such a small race (about 3,000 runners)—residents set up tables with water and treats, including a full plate of bacon.

The race is also extremely well-organized, from the flow of foot traffic within the pre-race registration area to the thoughtful placement of portable toilets.

Stay tuned later this week for post-race analysis and lessons learned from my own performance. I covered the five miles in 44:43, which is basically a slow training pace for me, despite my best efforts to shift into a higher gear. Stay tuned for details about the real victory—not falling apart mentally when things didn’t quite go my way.

Check out my review of last year’s Bethesda Chevy-Chase Turkey Chase 10K here. Did you run a turkey trot this year? If so, let me know how it went by posting a comment below.

With ingredients like heavy cream and marshmallow fluff, there’s nothing intrinsically runner-friendly about homemade Hostess cupcakes. Still, I feel compelled to share the ones I made this week, since they’re celebrating something significant: Everyone in my Outdoor Emergency Care (ski-patrol medical) class passed the written OEC exam with flying colors on Tuesday!

The recipe comes from the cooking blog Bake at 350, which shows the cupcakes decorated with warm, fuzzy messages like “love,” “hope,” and “faith.” Mine bear some oft-repeated phrases from class, such as “This is gonna hurt” (which we’re instructed to tell patients before we do something that will hurt), and “Suck it up, cupcake,” which the instructors tell us when we’re being sissies.

The class isn’t done yet. We still have our practical exam to study for and pass. But I feel confident we’ll be celebrating that milestone with “suck it up, cupcakes” soon enough.

Speaking of cupcakes, Steve and I are skipping last year’s hilly, challenging Bethesda Chevy-Chase Turkey Chase 10K and are instead running the Alexandria Turkey Trot, which promises to be a flat, fast five-miler. Stay tuned for a review next week!

My homemade pumkin pie

After the race, we’ll be meeting with friends for a Thanksgiving feast that includes many of the same runner-friendly recipes I shared last year, including homemade cranberry sauce and roasted butternut squash, not to mention a homemade pumpkin pie.

A few years ago, I read an Outside Magazine profile of Danielle Fisher, the youngest person ever to climb the Seven Summits, the highest peak on each continent. In the profile, Fisher talks about how mountaineering has helped hone her focus and lessen the effects of her attention-deficit disorder.

“Increasingly, who I am on the mountain is who I am in the rest of my life,” she told Outside.

A Washington Post story last week about group exercise instructors who have high-powered day jobs, from a lawyer who teaches spin classes to a Zumba teacher who also serves as executive director of a business improvement district, drove the same point home: The skills and confidence you gain during your workouts can translate to improvements in every area of your life.

Running, swimming, skiing and lifting all remind me that I can be fierce and strong, and sharpen my own focus in a way that improves my writing and other daily interactions (thanks to Haruki Murakami for this revelation!). Like Fisher, increasingly, who I am on the trails, in the pool or on the slopes is who I am in the rest of my life, which is reason enough to motivate me to get out the door most days.

Who are you on the mountain—or in a marathon, or in an open-water swim? How does that translate to the rest of your life?

This week marked the last pickup of the year for my weekly CSA (community supported agriculture) share from Norman’s Farm Market. In honor of the bevy of winter squashes that now call my kitchen counter home, I’d like to present my second-favorite use for fall squash: pumpkin oatmeal.

Fall squash from my CSA.

This is my no means a unique idea; all sorts of health and fitness enthusiasts advocate mixing half a cup of canned pumpkin into a serving of oatmeal. Still, I think it’s worth highlighting this easy and delicious use for any fall squash—I actually added roasted, pureed butternut squash to my oatmeal at breakfast this morning.

This big, beautiful butternut squash gave its life for my breakfast.

Here’s how to make it happen:

Cook (microwave or stove will do) 1/2 cup oatmeal with 1 cup water, and 1 tsp each of vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and your sweetener of choice.

Add 1/2 cup pureed winter squash and 2 tbsp ground flaxseed meal. Cook until warmed through. Add a splash of milk, if desired. Garnish with an additional sprinkle of cinnamon and a swirl of maple syrup. Devour, preferably with a latte.

Looking for other uses for butternut squash? Check out my No. 1 favorite fall recipe, roasted butternut squash and whole-wheat penne.

Disclaimer: My training plan is not based on any sort of science, or on advice from any kind of professional coach, but instead on conversations with veteran open-water swimmers and my own experience. It is also based on a conversation with the guy who sold me my wetsuit a few years ago, who says as long as you get in a decent amount of yards/meters every week, it doesn’t matter how many days you swim.

Goal: To finish the 4.4-mile Great Chesapeake Bay Bridge Swim on June 12, 2011. The operative word here is “finish.” I’m not looking to win here, just complete the distance.

Plan: Right now, I’m swimming two to three days a week, 3,000 meters per workout. I’ll maintain that schedule, making sure I’m swimming three days per week as the race gets closer. Starting sometime around March, at least one of these days will be a long swim.

Long swims: 4.4 miles is roughly seven kilometers, so I’ll make my longest swim 7,000 meters, and aim to complete it sometime between May 29 or June 5. I *have* to start working up to that distance with increasingly longer weekly swims in early May, but I’ll likely start adding a weekly 5,000-meter swim long before that.

Fuel: I swim roughly 30-minute miles in open water, so I’m hoping to finish the swim somewhere around two and a half hours. That’s almost long enough to think about refueling mid-swim, which is something I’ve never, ever messed with. If you have, please share advice on the topic: Do you stash a gel in your wetsuit? Or … what?

After I first swam the 1-mile Bay Bridge Challenge in 2008—the first open-water swim of my adult life—I was immediately curious about the 4.4-miler, which crosses the entire Bay from shore to shore as the 1-miler weaves around a few buoys close to the finish. I asked a swimmer-friend who had done the 1-miler several times whether she recommended the longer distance.

My favorite A. Aubrey Bodine photo of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, which I'll be swimming beside in June.

“The water’s different out there,” she said, with the suspense and mystique usually reserved for describing something much sexier than a swim race.

She’s right: There are currents and waves out there you just don’t see closer to shore. A 1992 Baltimore Sun story details safety concerns that led the U.S. Coast Guard to consider not sponsoring the event, thanks to an abnormally strong current in the shipping channel under the bridge during one race in 1991 that led to a massive rescue operation in which 720 of the 884 starters were pulled from the water.

Am I the only one who’s more intrigued than frightened?

In October, I registered for the lottery for this year’s Bay Bridge Swim, and I spent all of last week waiting for the confirmation e-mail that I’d be among the lucky 700 swimmers to get a spot. The e-mail came on Thursday, and as of this morning, my name appears among the list of entrants.

Gaah!

Over the coming months, there will be long swims on the weekends, and weekday swims I need to force myself to complete. There will be experimentation with re-fueling mid-swim (ugh), and trial swims in the Gulf of Mexico on visits to Florida (not so ugh). For today, there’s only excitement (and slight trepidation) about the challenge ahead.

For an idea of what the 4.4-miler is like, check out this great video, or this race review from a past participant.

Have you finished the 4.4-mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge Swim? If so, tell me everything: training, refueling on the swim, post-race impressions, etc.

Coming on Wednesday: How an exciting purchase at a ski-patrol training weekend at Whitetail has me thinking snow. A hint: I think I’m in K2 True Luv …

First, let me be clear: We’re talking post-run for this one. I’m well aware that chili isn’t the ideal pre-race dinner, and won’t elaborate on the reasons why.

That said, aren’t you finding that colder weather leaves you hungry for hearty, stick-to-your-ribs meals, like stew and chili? Sure you are. You know a salad isn’t going to sustain you all afternoon the ski slopes, or fulfill the crazy, superhuman hunger you feel after a long run on a brisk November evening. Still, you want food that sticks to your ribs, not your butt, right?

This turkey chili is not only wonderfully healthy; it’s the best meal in the history of meals after a fall or winter run. I handed Steve a bowl after a tough Wednesday-night speed workout a few weeks ago, and it transformed him from a shivering, exhausted mess into a warm, well-fed human being. Just imagine the effect it could have on you!

Turkey chili

1 tsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 lb ground turkey breast
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans V8
2 cans dark red kidney beans
2 tbsp each of onion powder, cumin, chili powder, oregano
2 Tbs brown sugar
1 Tbs honey
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
Healthy splash of whatever beer you’ve got in the fridge

Simmer garlic and diced pepper and spices in olive oil on medium-high heat until lightly browned. Add ground turkey, and stir until lightly browned. Add V8, tomatoes and beans; stir and simmer until combined. Add brown sugar, honey, Worcestershire sauce and beer; simmer until combined.

Garnish with hot sauce, cheese, sour cream and more honey. Serve with cornbread. Pictures to follow.

Looking for more hearty recipes that won’t make you bust out of your running tights? Check out this list of healthy comfort foods on Badass Fitness. It includes some of my cold-weather standbys, to include sugar-free hot chocolate, pumpkin oatmeal and baked apples, and a few recipes I can’t wait to try, like the Badass Foodie’s Mac N Cheese(It uses butternut squash!).

What’s your favorite healthy, hearty meal?

An impromptu afternoon trip to Black Hill Regional Park in northern Montgomery County yesterday served as a powerful reminder of one of my most effective self-motivation techniques.

The park, located just off 270, is stunning this time of year, with the Eastern red cedar trees circling Little Seneca Lake at the peak of their fall colors. As I flew through the woods on paved trails with a view of the vivid orange sunset over the lake, with nothing but the sound of migrating geese honking overhead to break my state of meditation in motion, I knew I’d call on that moment to motivate myself to hop on the treadmill when the weather’s less friendly.

This week, I’m motivated by thinking about the loveliest places I’ve been lucky enough to swim, run, hike, bike and otherwise be active, and using those images to hype me up to work out in less exciting venues. It’s the workout equivalent of thinking about your “happy place,” and it works wonders in putting a positive spin on an otherwise routine workout.

This has been especially helpful in the swimming arena, as I’m still anxiously awaiting word about my fate in the Bay Bridge Swim lottery, which is ongoing (it closes at 700 entrants; there are 451 as of this morning). I’m not swimming today because I feel pressure to train for a 4.4-mile journey across a major body of water, but because I’m imagining myself swimming in the Gulf of Mexico …

… in the south of France, where I saw an ancient fort every time I took a breath to the right side …

… and off a beautiful beach in Barcelona, where my post-swim fuel was a glass of sangria.

Simply thinking about swimming in one of these locations transports me to a place of relaxation and peace, and makes it just a little bit easier to jump into a crowded lane at Wilson Aquatic Center.

Where’s your workout “happy place?”

In other news, my minute-by-minute journal of Ragnar, D.C. is now live on Washington Running Report’s website. Check it out, and let me know what you think!

I’m going to make a bold statement here: Arctic Ease cryotherapy wraps are the next KT Tape.

Just like KT Tape, I received a free sample of Arctic Ease cryotherapy wraps in my race packet at the Marine Corps Marathon/10K expo. Just like KT Tape, I was skeptical the high-tech, fancy-pants wrap would be any better than cheaper, more traditional treatments.

Just like KT Tape, I misjudged this incredible stuff, and am now officially in love with it.

Arctic Ease markets itself as an alternative to commercial ice packs, bags of ice or frozen peas. It works by absorbing heat energy from the body to cool the covered area, according to its website. The absorbed heat is then lost to evaporation, which makes the wrap cold.

You just wrap it around what hurts …

… and keep it on until you’re done icing. Then, you roll it back up, stick it back in the package, add a few teaspoons of water, and reuse it in two hours. You don’t freeze it, but instead just leave it on your counter to rehydrate itself. Amazing!

It’s not as cold as a bag of frozen peas, but the Arctic Ease website explains: “The optimal temperature for effective cold therapy is above 59° F (15°C). When skin temperatures go below that, tissue damage such as frostnip and frostbite can occur — it’s one of the biggest risks associated with traditional ice therapy.”

Fair enough. It also doesn’t leak a smelly green pus when it’s nearing the end of its life, which gives it a definite advantage over the peas.

I’m not sure how many times my Arctic Ease wrap can be reused. At about $13 for a 60-by-4-inch wrap, this could make a huge difference in whether I buy a replacement once my free sample is tapped out. But for the time being, I’m in love.

Have you tried Arctic Ease wraps? What did you think? What’s your favorite icing method?

We all know pizza is just about the best pre-run dinner around. But when you’ve got a nighttime training run and your office’s kitchenette doesn’t have a toaster oven, your leftover deliciousness can become a soggy, unsatisfying lunch.

I offer this easy focaccia bread recipe as a base for a sort of pizza sandwich, an alternative to the leftover as a stomach-friendly, tasty pre-run lunch. Anything you’d put on a pizza tastes great between two pieces of this bread. Recipe adapted from Fleischmann’s Yeast.

Bake this to go with dinner one night, then use the leftovers for pre-run lunches all week.

Easy foccacia bread

• 3 cups flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoon yeast, proofed (Scared of yeast, and bread-baking in general? Read this!)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 2/3 cups warm water
• 2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
• Rosemary, other herbs, to taste