Really Old Pic

one of the fun things about going home is seeing really, REALLY old pictures

This one is a doozy!

Halloween 1973:  Karen (age 6), Alan (age 3) and me (age 4 3/4)

hahahahahh, not very politically correct, right?

Hole E. Coyote!

I went out for a run with the doggies tonight. No big deal....until the dogs found some coyotes. The dogs kept disappearing into the bush, then I heard some strange barking, and then they came back....followed by a  coyote! The coyote was definitely afraid of me. But he kept circling around us, through the bush. And the dogs kept running back into the bush to challenge (or maybe play?).

Eventually, there were 3 coyotes, and I started to get nervous. We were heading back to the car, but a long way into the forest. I picked up 2 really big sticks, and ran along the path like a Masai Warrior!

I kept stopping to look (with my 2 big sticks in hand!), and the 3 coyotes were clearly sticking with us. They stopped for a long group howl at one point, which was totally creepy. They kept crossing the path behind us when I wasn't looking. And the dogs kept heading into the bush! I don't know if they were trying to challenge the coyotes, or play with them, as 1 of the coyotes would always follow them back toward me. But as soon as the coyote saw me, it would turn back. That one followed us right to the edge of the forest, near where I was parked.

Anyway, it all ended fine. Thanks coyotes, for my unplanned speed workout!

5 Smoothie Recipes That Sound Weird But Are Tasty and Healthy

This post is being written because Amanda at http://runtothefinish.blogspot.com/ is heading to do the Seattle RnR Marathon this weekend, so she needs some guest bloggers. And I offered to write this for her to help out.

Good luck Amanda! Have a great run! (You can look at my posts from June/July '09 to see how my Seattle RnR Marathon went. It was my first too.)

_____
OK, there are a few reasons that I now make a lot of smoothies.

1. they are easy, and a fun way for me to experiment
2. my stomach likes them, even before a long run, and definitely after
3. I have finally figured out how to pack plenty of calories/energy in them so I can manage a big workout, although I only "drank my breakfast"  (this used to be a problem)
4. my naturopath has recommended that I go on a vegetarian or vegan diet, with way more greens, as this raises the pH of my body. Why? The theory is that cancerous tumours thrive and grow in an acidic pH environment. So, to discourage the growth of cancerous tumours in the body, you should raise this pH, as well as reduce other sources of stress/inflammation for the body.

I really, really like to experiment, and am totally horrible at following a recipe, or doing anything the same way twice...so making the following recipes was a small challenge for me. But I have done it, and I hope you try them all. Enjoy!

My general guidelines for a smoothie are that I try to use vegan ingredients with organic fruit & veggies and no added sugars. I like some texture, I like it thick, and I don't mind if it's cold or not. Throw everything into the blender and push MIX. Add a bit more liquid if it's too thick. Add ice if it's too warm. Add an extra scoop of protein powder if you have a huge workout planned.
I welcome you to try these recipes and modify any way you like!

Sweet Tart Greenie
banana - 1 whole
vanilla soy protein powder - 1 scoop
avocado - 1/2 a large one
broccoli - a generous spring (about 4 inches high and 2 inches at the top). Break or chop it into smaller pieces
lime juice - roll it on the counter, chop it in half, and squeeze in juice of 1 entire lime
long English cucumber - about 5-6 inches, chopped coarsely
orange juice - about 1/2 cup. I just add enough so it tastes a bit sweeter and my blender doesn't burn out.

This smoothie is pale green, with a grainy texture, and tastes both tart and sweet. It is very fresh, and will wake you up, but in a nice way.


Chocolate For Breakfast
kids and husbands like this one

vanilla soy powder - 1 scoop
baking cocoa - about 2/3 of a scoop (I used the scoop from the protein powder)
long English cucumber - about 6-7", chopped coarsely
banana - 1 whole
vanilla soy milk - add enough to prevent blender burnout (maybe 1/2 or 3/4 cup)
cinnamon - about 1/3 to 1/2 tsp

The cinnamon adds a sweetness without sugar, and it's a natural anti-inflammatory. The cocoa has all the goodness of chocolate, without the fat or sugar. So my mouth loves this chocolatey taste, my heart loves the antioxidants, and my knees love the anti-inflammatories. Consider switching banana for raspberries or pie cherries...or any fruit that tastes divine with chocolate. It's a winnah!

Razzmatazz
Amber's favourite - very raspberry-ey!

frozen raspberries - 1 to 1 1/2 cups
broccoli - a sprig (about 4 inches high and 2 inches at the top). Break or chop it into smaller pieces
vanilla protein powder - 1 scoop
vanilla soy milk - 3/4 cup (I really never measure...I just make sure the blender does not make horrible noises. And sometimes I eat my smoothie with a spoon)
orange juice - a good splash (about 2 tbl)

The strong raspberry flavour and grainy raspberry seeds hide the broccoli in this one, although it does smell slightly grassy. If raspberries weren't so dang expensive, I'd make this one all the time.

Melon Delight
vanilla protein powder - 1 scoop
avocado - 1/2 a large one
peaches - 1/2 pint of home canned peaches (feel free to use 1 whole fresh peach, or a half can of no-sugar-added store-bought peaches)
melon - 1/4 of a medium-sized melon. I happened to find a Casaba melon in my local grocery, which was a bit like a honeydew. Cantaloupe would be good too.

smells nice, pale yellow-green colour, sweet and tasty
This was a big hit with my friend's husband and 12 y/o son.

"Oh Hello! That's Delicious!"
that's what I said when I tasted this one  :)

vanilla soy milk - about 1/3 cup
vanilla protein powder - 1 scoop
orange juice - 1/4 cup
peaches - 1/2 pint of home canned peaches (feel free to use 1 whole fresh peach, or a half can of no-sugar-added store-bought peaches)
long English cucumber - about 6", chopped coarsely

my friend's husband said:  "What did you put in this? Malibu Rum? It's really good."  Nope. No coconut or alcohol, although that might be a great idea... post-workout  ;)


Notes on ingredients
protein powder - Be careful with the ingredients in your protein powder. Look for NO fake sugars, non-GMO, organic, no weird fillers, or anything that seems like a bad idea to eat. I get whey protein. I prefer vanilla flavour, as that always seems to add a nice taste to a smoothie and make it more of a treat. Get a recommended brand in a health food store, then see if you can find it for less $ online or at the grocery store.

avocado -  my naturopath is crazy about avocado! The fat is a "good fat", the pH is quite high, and it adds a lovely creaminess to a smoothie. Buy them in season if possible. In Canada, they are usually cheaper to buy in a bag of 3 or 5. A smoothie is the perfect way to use the one you forgot on the counter, and it's a bit too soft for putting in guac. Or that second half that's gone a bit brown in the fridge since yesterday.

cucumber - I know lots of people do not like cukes. I find their flavour disappears in a smoothie, but might add a freshness. Also, they are so wet, they add lots of water to a smoothie. The little bits of green skin add a nice dab of colour. And their pH is really high, so that's great.
 
broccoli - this was a pure fun experiment one day, and it worked! As long as you don't add too much, no one will know it's in there, except there are small green bits. Bioflavenoids, fibre, high pH....these little trees are so good for you!
 
Thanks very much to my testing team: Amber, Karen, Allan, Spenser and Keltie the dog (She is normally a picky eater, but she LOVED the Sweet Tart Greenie!)

Race Report: Mayo Midnight (Half) Marathon

It all started 18 months ago, when Amber figured, "If Tara can run, so could I."
And then 6 months ago, when I said, "You bet Amber, of course you can run a half marathon. If you train for it, I'll come run with you, wherever you are."
So on June 19, Amber and I ran the Mayo Midnight Marathon together.

So I drove from Kamloops, BC to Whitehorse, Yukon to Mayo, Yukon. And back south, eventually. All for a total of nearly 6000 km in 2 weeks (ok, yuck...but totally worth it)

insect carnage - vegans and Buddhists avert your eyes

The run was TOUGH. Poor Amber was nervous and didn't really understand how concerned with FOOD I was.... so she was really nauseous for the entire race. Poor thing! She thanked me a zillion times for blabbing nearly non-stop. She figures there is no way she'd have finished without me. :) She told me a couple times that I could go on my own pace if I wanted, but I was like, "You are not getting rid of me with an effing crow bar, lady. I came to run with you, and that's what I'm doing."

 

pre-race:  dinner by the fire, and then...2 minutes to start!!

We nearly missed the start of the race. Twice. I am not kidding!!!!
The first time was because maybe I was a bit slack about leaving town and getting on the road. (story of my life...) So I was then zipping along in Central Yukon, and the oncoming police car flashed and pulled me over.  Oh Boo  :(      
But let's hear it for being back in my old stomping grounds:  he took one look at my driver's license, and asked, "Did you grow up in Whitehorse?"  "Aaahh, yup."
"Did you grow up on Stewart Road?"  "Why, yes!"  
"Is your mom Nesta?"   "Yes, Officer Ben, that's right!.... ummm, do I know you?"
"Yah, I lived at 6 Stewart Road."  And I was at 18 Stewart Road. And yet I failed to LIE and say I remembered him....
So Officer Ben went back to his car, and Amber and I debated my luck. She figured my history would get me through. I guessed that he'd pull my file, see I got a speeding ticket last week too, and I didn't remember him so he'd be annoyed, and I'd be unlucky.
OK, he came back to the car, and did ask about my last ticket. Ugh. And then I set a new record for strange things to say to a cop:  "Ben, how old are you? When did you move to my street?"  And the pinnacle, "Oh, no wonder! I was in junior high when you moved, so why would I hang out with a little kid like you?"  (I am soooooo smooth.)
But all's well that ends well..... He made me promise that we would race IN Mayo, and not race TO Mayo, so he let me have a warning. It took cruise control to keep to the speed limit for the remainder of the day. And we almost missed race registration.

The second time, we were hanging out at the campsite, having a fire and  chatting, when SUDDENLY, the race was gonna start in like 10 minutes! ACK! Luckily, one of the other campers was just leaving in his pickup, so we hitched a ride on his bumper. We made it with like 3 minutes to spare  :)

But other than Amber wishing for an early death for 19 of 21 km, it was awesome!!! I high-fived EVERYONE on course. OK, truly, I missed 1 cop (as he was on the wrong side of the vehicle), 1 conservation officer (as he was on the wrong side of the vehicle), and 1 EMT (as he was on the wrong side of the vehicle). I nearly got run over by both the RCMP and ambulance, as I was attempting to high-five the occupants. Ooops. The next morning, ambulance driver apologised to me for hitting me, and hoped it wasn't too hard. haha. He actually did not hit me, but he was bored, so probably woulda liked a patient!

at a Hawaiian water station

I ran up to one lady with my arm out for a high 5, and she thought I was offering hugs, so gave me a huge hug. YAY! Then another runner hugged me. And then much later, a couple marathoners were clearly struggling and HURTING (oh crap, marathon is hard and HURTS!!), so I hugged them. YAAAYYYYY! On-course hugs are a new development for me. So great!

We watched the sunset, saw the sun dip below the mountain, and watched the dawn at 1:30 AM. But of course it never got dark at all. :)

Amber running STRONG with only 2 km left

no flash needed - it's only 1 AM in Central Yukon in June

 

And then the food!!!!!! Runners are so into food!

At the end of the race, they offered tea and coffee, bagels, fruit and home-made soup!! I'm tellin you, every time you have soup offered to you, made by a First Nations lady, TAKE IT! I swear it's in their DNA to make delicious soup.

And the race put on a HUGE breakkie the next morning. (Did I mention runners are really into food?!) MASSIVE spread: coffee, scrambled eggs, potatoes, ham, lots of sorts of bread, muffins, bagels, the FRUIT was incredible - strawberries, kiwi, bananas, and WATERMELON - YAY!! And carrot cake! And banana cream pie!!!! Oh yes! Pie for breakfast! And just when it could NOT get better, they poured champagne cocktails!!! Champagne + cranberry juice + a huge frozen strawberry!!!

And we got a great race shirt.

And all this for $45!!!!

the day after, at Pelly Crossing:  Amber learned that Cold Water Therapy is fantastic, not crazy

Plan B

I have hurt my foot again :( It's been bugging me all spring, but then I thought it was all better, and hurt it running hills yesterday. I'm taking this week to do mostly yoga and not much running. I'll go for massage (oowwwwww!!) tomorrow. And hopefully run Thurs night and next Sunday. Fingers crossed. I am planning to run Amber's FIRST HALF MARATHON with her in Mayo, Yukon on June 19, so hope all is well for that.


As you'll recall I hurt my back BADLY last summer, just prior to the marathon. Well, it just feels weak and twitchy all the time now.

I had been dreaming of doing a full marathon each year from 40-50, but I've had to accept I just cannot do it this year. It's silly to increase my training that much when I'm already a bit injured all the time. I am pretty bummed about this.

I wish there were 20 mile races!!! It is so hard to go from 13.1 miles to 26.2 miles. I would like to do 3/4 of a marathon. Hmmmm, perhaps I need to start an event like this?

So instead, I'll run a bit and bike a bit and do lots of REHAB and core strengthening. I can always find a triathlon to do in the fall??? Maybe. Not too bad for Plan B.

paralympic BHAG

I'm gonna use my recently neglected forum to announce my BHAG (pronounced bee-hag)
I've decided to get involved with Nordic Paralympic sports.
I have a friend who is a guide for a visually impaired x-c skier, so I went to watch him race in Whistler during the Paralympics. I was wildly intrigued! There are 3 categories of skiers:

 

• standing (with arm issues, or leg issues but can stand);
• sitting (with spinal injuries or leg issues that prevent them from standing); and
• visually impaired.

 

Each athlete has individually modified equipment. All of them were really interesting, but I was most intrigued by the sit-skiers. Every one of them had a different set-up: some had their legs out in front, some had their knees folded under them, some had their knees in front. My thought in seeing all these top athletes was: "Wow, if I were an engineer, all I'd want to do is design equipment for these guys. It's challenging, unique, and every second or part of a second is important."

 

So then I had an idea: how about matching corporations with an engineering focus with ahtletes? This would be a terrific corporate citizenship project. And it would be a terrific employee perk to get some paid company time to design specialised equipment for an athlete. Challenging and beneficial - everybody wins!

 

I met with Tony and Jamie, who run the para nordic club in Van, and passed my idea past them. They are thrilled. Turns out that at the Top Level, at Paralympics and World Cup, these athletes have minimal support, and most of them have modified or built their sit skis themselves, in their garages. Another standing skier has a leg prothetic that is only made for walking, not even running, so he has struggled to get it to stick into a x-c ski binding. Crazy!!! They have no access to gait analysis or high-tech equipment or most of the standard things for other high-level athletes.

 

Then I asked Jamie and Tony if it was reasonable that terrific equipment could make the difference of a 15th place finish to, say, a 5th or 3rd place finish? "Yep. Totally reasonable."

 

In fact, it's really hard for a disabled person to TRY sit-skiing, as the equipment is barely available. The clubs have to buy sit skis themselves, at a cost of $2k each, and the sleds SUCK. They are heavy and not set up for racing at all.

 

So, overall, the goal is to get funding, expertise in sports med and engineering and technology, and get the athletes already racing to a higher level, like onto the podium. Also, we'd like to get more wheel chair athletes involved in paranordic events.

I've seen some stuff on other blogs recently about BHAG, which stands for Big Hairy Audacious Goal. And here is mine:

Make Canada the premier country in paranordic skiing. We are going to get gold medals for Canada at the Paralympic and World Cup levels by 2012.

 

Cool, right?

 

Ca Update, Spring 2010

It has been ages since I posted a cancer update:
Last fall, it was determined that I had a tiny little tumour in my neck - 3 mm by 3 mm by 3mm. I spoke to every specialist who could possibly help me, and they finally recommended that I have radioactive iodine to blast that little bugger outta there. This did not appeal to me for several reasons, but the main ones are that the tumour is tiny and slow-growing AND the more times I have radioactive iodine, the higher my risk increases to get marrow cancers. As in, I have increased risk of getting leukemia or lymphoma by doing this. Ummm, no thanks! So, I have declined treatment for now. We have decided to watch and wait. So my results are now in from blood tests and an ultrasound: the tumour was measured at 4 mm**, and my blood tests are perfect. This is not a change of any significance, so my doctor is happy to keep on watching and doing nothing. YAY!

** pretty tiny tumour. And last time, was it 3.3 mm or closer to 4 mm? And now, is it 3.8 mm? Is the view slightly different? Did the tech click on the exact same spot for measuring purposes? Aaaahhhh, no way to tell, but it didn't grow to 15 mm, and I don't have 10 new tumours. So no big deal.