Cool Pic




diving into Hiatt Lake, Emigrant Wilderness, California

 Without a doubt, this is the coolest picture anyone has ever made for me. Bo did it. In her spare time, on a break from being a OB/GYN in California and mother of 7 and wife, and all around Superstar.

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!)

The Morning After

It has been the most amazing, incredible, extraordinary experience being in Vancouver for the Games. I could never have imagined anything like it. The whole feeling in the city has been joy and pride and FUN. The place was painted red, with shirts and face paint and temporary tattoos. There were so few problems with violence or disrespect or vandalism, or even litter. Of course there were zillions of police...but I only saw them asking folks to dump beers, or climb down off road signs and bus shelters... lol, good ideas, really.


Last night, people wandered the streets downtown, high-fiving people. I kid you not, we spent HOURS high-fiving everyone, and seeing if we could find anyone who wouldn't give a high-five. Wasn't possible. Everyone, of every colour and religion and age, even the police, were happy to give a high five. Now THAT says something about this show we put on.

I did not know we had it in us. I really, really didn't.
Go, Canada, Go.

Driving South?

I've been having all sort of adventures of late....I've been at my parents' house in Whitehorse, Yukon for Christmas. I've been thinking of leaving for days and days, but the weather down south has been cold, so hadn't tried. Finally, on Saturday, I started driving back south. I made it 400 km, and then something funky happened to my car! It kinda lost power (intermittently though), then a puff of smoke went out the back, and the 'check engine' light came on. I stopped and had a look, but could see nothing, except a bit of smoke coming out of the tailpipe? I drove a bit more, then pulled over to talk to a big rig tow truck driver who was working on the side of the road. You see, up north there is super-patchy cell phone coverage and it was #$*%ing cold, so I had to drive my car somewhere, or else just choose to freeze.

Along the road, I had passed a little old Jetta a couple times, and he passed me again while I was stopped looking at my car. So while I was chatting with the tow truck driver, he came back. How lovely! Turned out he felt guilty after going a couple km's so thought he better come back and check on me. He checked under the hood, then followed me to the nearest community. There, he pulled out his multi-meter, and determined I had no obvious problem, except that my check engine light was still on. He was actually a mechanic, heading south for apprentice training! Siiigghhhh, my Knight in Dirty Carhartts....

I called my Subaru guy and he decided that I probably had just gotten some bad gas, and my car should be fine.

But as it was over 500 km to the next community heading south, but only 450 km back to mom's house (and the nearest Subie dealer), and it was -45 C, I decided to turn around. I mean, to head through 500 km of wilderness in frigid temps with anything other than optimum car conditions, you really deserve anything bad that might happen.... What is the Road god called? The road version of Ullr? He would be totally annoyed and smote you with any sort of misfortune.

I stopped at the Subie dealer her in Whitehorse this morning, and they confirmed that it seems to have been a one-time episode, likely bad gas, or seperated water from fuel, or possibly -45 C gremlins? Anyway, the computer said all was well, and my car runs like a top.

My plan is to try again tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

_____________________

btw, usually when I'm driving, I stop for a quick piddle in the ditch then get rolling asap, but there was too much traffic on Saturday! Ugggh, so I was forced to use a biffy. It was incredible, so I had to take a pic to show!

My Life in Pics 2009

Mom is going to carry the Torch!!

Not too much has been going on lately. I've been home in Kamloops, hanging with Mackenzie, running, doing yoga, connecting with friends....just regular, non-blogworthy stuff.

But today things changed!

Mom got word that she has been nominated by the Canadian Medical Association to participate in the Olympic Torch Relay this winter!!

She will be embarrassed that I've posted the following, so that's why I'll do it:

Hello, I am nominating Dr. Nesta Leduc to participate in the Olympic Flame Relay
on behalf of the Canadian Medical association. She lives in Whitehorse,
Yukon. Phone number is xxx xxx xxxx and email is nleduc@xxxxx It
is best to reach her by email as she is often out during the day.
My name is Dr. Sherillynne Himmelsbach from Whitehorse, Yukon and phonenumber is xxx xxx xxxx

Nesta is a 76 y/o retired family doctor who has lived and worked in Whitehorse from early in her career. She has been active for years hiking,canoeing, skiing and sea
kayaking, promoting and modelling an active lifestyle for her children while
working at a busy fulltime family practice. Since her retirement she has remained
very active in the community promotingactive living for seniors through example
and through the Elder Active Association of Yukon. In 1998 she was chair of
the Strategic Committee forPhysical Activity Yukon. She is a member of the board
of the local crosscountry ski club. Nesta has now discovered an interest
in competition. She is often off to national and international senior/master
competitions in orienteering, cycling, swimming or cross-country skiing. In
fact next week she is off to Australia to compete at the international
orienteering championships. In august she won 3 gold medals at the Canadian
orienteering championships and would have won the category below. She was
33 of 90 atthe World Senior Games in Austria in 2005. Nesta has competed
and won medals at the Canada senior games in cycling and swimming and
cross-countryskiing.
I believe for these reasons Nesta Leduc would be an
excellent representative of physicians, seniors and Yukon to participate in the
Olympic Torch Relay.
Sherillynne Himmelsbach

YAY MOM!!

Peru, Day 1

Auntie and I arrived insanely early this AM in Arequipa, Peru.
We fell into bed at 6:30 AM, and the phone rang at 9:00 to invite her to her first treatment.
Adan, the doctor, is very nice, and she feels really feel confident in his skills. He has not looked at any of her Western medical records, but can tell she has cancer in her cells, and noted pain elsewhere too.
This morning, the treatment was for detoxification. It was very nice- he brewed a sort of tea made from herbs. It was warm and soothing, and smelled pleasantly grassy and herbal, and is used as a shower.
It is all very interesting, but nice.
Her review of today: "feeling great! Even better than if I'd stayed home :) no pain in my back at all, not tired."

4 Parks

I visited 4 National Parks while on my trip through the Western USA. Here's my review:

1. Yosemite National Park, California

Half Dome at Dusk

I think we've all seen pics of the main Yosemite Valley, including Half Dome, el capitan, the Sentinels, Glacier Point, etc. etc. But I'm gonna have to say that this was the highlight of the park for me. And it was awesome, especially if you are into granite walls. I had a terrific swim in the Merced River, under the Half Dome. I was very, very small on that landscape.

watch the road!! that's a couple thousand foot drop!

historically crazy ladies

But if you like anything else about the landscape, other than granite, this is not the place for you. There is not much forest here. Why? Because there's no soil. Because it's all granite. In the Yosemite Valley, it's vertical, but elsewhere, it's sorta rolling. Granite. Grey granite. A bit like a skateboard park. But granite, not concrete. Weird. Not sure really why this needed setting aside as a park, as you could make enough granite coutertops for the entire world, and Yosemite would be kinda the same. Huh.

Did I mention it's all the same colour? I drove across the park, and got excited that the colour was finally changing. WHOO-WOOO! NOT GREY! That was the park boundary. :-P

2. Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho (ok, technically, not a park)

bigger rocks and lichen on a field of pumice

This is sort of off the beaten track in Idaho, but hey, it sounded cool so I checked it out. And I really liked it! It is an area that a geologist in the 1920s or 30s said, "If you went to the surface of the moon, it would look like this." Hmmmm, maybe.

imagine that the lava was soft enough to be gently pushed into waves

It is a little outcrop of the Yellowstone formation, and there are lots of mini-volcanoes, calderas, cinder cones and lava formations. It is barren. But I happen to really, really dig lava. It blows my mind that liquid rock was ejected out of the earth, started to harden as it flew through the air, so landed in a semi-soft blob. And in other places, it slowed and hardened from the outisde, leaving hollow tubes of rock. And that sometimes the rock looks like bread dough or rope. And other times the cooled rock floated on top of liquid rock, and occasionally even really big pieces of rock floated on liquid rock. Seriously, liquid rock!!! That's so groovy.

a blob of rock that cooled as it flew through the air!

a-aa or pohoihoi? I can never remember. Rock that looks like bread dough.
a tube that formed when the outer lava cooled but the inner lava was still flowing

3. Grand Tetons National Park, Wyoming


This park is heaven on earth. My mountain friends, RUN, don't walk, to this place immediately! Well, I guess you could fly or drive, actually, but do it fast.

There is a flat, open, grassy plain with buffalo and elk, some sparkling lakes, and then there are giant, jagged mountains that verily shriek,

"ACK! LOOK AT US!!! WE
ARE SO BEEEYOOOTEEEFULLLL WE
WILL POKE YOUR EYE OUT WITH
OUR LOVELINESS
AND SHARP
ROCKINESSSSS!!!!"

And of course there is Jackson Hole just outside the boundary. Hello, Powder Hounds, we're talking serious dumps here!! I would have thought it might be all snooty like Whistler, but hell no, Jackson Hole was fabulous! Every single person I met in Wyoming (who were mainly in Jackson) was absolutely friendly and hysterically funny. And the Snake River brewpub has delicious brews, fyi.

The park has 250 miles of day-hiking trails. I went into the Ranger Centre (ooops, it's America, I mean Ranger Center) and asked about a trail of, say, 10 to 13 miles. So she recommended a loop at 19 miles, with elev change of 4500 feet, with top elevation of over 10 000. YIKES! I wound up going in and back out, for a total of 15 miles and elev change of 2500 ft. But this hike was AMAZING!! Jagged rocks, narrow valley, raging streams and more species of woldflowers than I've ever seen on a single hike. I'd estimate probably 30 species, and what was particularly cool was they were flowers I've seen many times, but slightly different. eg. white columbines; teeny lupines; different saxifrages. This was a fantastic hike (although I will admit that Blue Lakes between Smithers and Hazelton was both more gorgeous and more easy....but I quibble on this)

I didn't have time for a river float, and you could do that for whitewater or for for scenery.


I will absolutely come back to this part of the world, both for summer hiking and winter skiing. Absolutely. Gar-on-teed.

marmot saying, "Y'all come back to Wyoming soon, ya hear?!"

another smiling face in Wyoming

4. Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming and Montana and Idaho

Right on time - Old Faithful only made me wait 3 minutes!

This park is all about geysers. Did you know that over half the world's geysers are in Yellowstone? (most of the rest are in Iceland.) The geysers are kind of cool, in and of themselves, the colours of the tufa are awesome, and it's amazing that Old faithful can be accurately predicted to erupt/explode/shoot off. colours of chromatic pools: blue hot to red cool


I only drove through part of the park, and I will say it was not that beautiful, although of course I prefer to be poked in the eye by mountains. But I read an article in National Geographic, which explained that Yellowstone is on a big hot blob of magma which is welling and swelling and squishing and squashing. (please excuse the high tech lingo!) In fact, parts of Yellowstone have increased in elevation by several inches a year. It's as if a balloon is being squeezed at one end, so deforming at the other. But we're talking about molten rock here, pushing up the surface of the earth. OK, that is really, really cool. And this squishing hot liquid rock is heating water that has trickled down from the surface. The water is heating to super-steaming, the steam is stuck under the cooler water above and in cracks, so finally shoots out as a geyser of hot water. Seriously, that is really cool. Earth science - you gotta dig it. ;)

New Car?

Well, I have to admit, it's about time for me to get a new car. The Lesbaru has been a great car, but she's got over 230 ooo km's on her, and she's jinxed anyway. http://cartwheelingtara.blogspot.com/2008/09/topsy-turvy-day.html


Andie in LA helpfully sent me the following email:

Tara, got this car for you so you can have wheels AND spending money! It's ready right now. I'll pick you up at the airport on Sunday! Xxxme

And she sent a closeup too "...just so you can see that it's an angry chicken!"

Wow, and I could have instant employment too! Awesome.

The Magic Pants (Too Detailed for Non-Runners)

Wow, yesterday I ran 20 MILES (32 km), and it was EASY. (ok, as easy as I could possibly imagine it could be!!!!) I ran 10 km close to the house (dead flat, mostly gravel) then came home, ate, drank water, then drove 20 mins to meet the gals. We drove 21 KILOMETRES away from where I parked, and started running. It was a mix of up and down, first 7 km on pavement, then 12 km gravel, final 2 km on pavement. Overall, it was downhill, which (trust me!) is pretty dang hard.
It took a really long time, as we had to yell at cows, stop for oranges and other snacks and drinks, get stones out of shoes, etc. etc. And we finished with a picnic of smoothies, oranges and almonds. Perfect!!!
But I'll tell you what I think made this week so successful:
1. melting down physically** the other week, then taking last week off from a long run, I rested my body. It was obviously needed.
2. at least twice this week, I ate until I was really uncomfortable. The steak I had Thurs was embarrassing, actually, as it was grotesquely large. Bigger than my face. And LOTS of potatoes. I find them to be the best pre-workout carb for me.
3. I tried new technology. A guy recommended compression tights to me a few months ago. He'd been powder skiing 6 straight days in Fernie, and said he was never tired nor sore. And I met him on a trans-atlantic flight the day after all this skiing. And he was fine. He should have been crippled! So...... I went to the local running store Saturday, tried on about 10 pairs, and dropped a hideous amount of cash for some full-length tights. They look really cool - I dress like a super hero with cool stripes and stitching all over my legs!
http://www.cw-x.com/ExploreProducts.aspx?gender=womens&product=tights&by=activity&sub=run
The girls kept asking me if the tights were making any difference, and after 10 miles, I still wasn't sure. But after 15 miles, I KNEW they were magic! I won't lie - I was sore. But maybe 30% as sore as I would have expected. And I was able to lengthen my stride at that point. I could go fast; I could "sprint" up hills (after 15 miles, a sprint is only perceptible in comparison to snails and tortoises, but I could tell!) By 19 miles, I felt so good, I knew I could finish the full 26 that day, if I wanted.

Last Friday, I saw my acupuncturist/Doctor TCM, and she was really worried about how run down I was. She advised me to stick to a half marathon, as she worried that my body would not be able to cure my cancer recurrence if I got more exhausted. This morning, I saw her again, told her about my MAGIC PANTS and how great my training run was. She checked my pulses and tongue, and she concurred that I am indeed FAR stronger than she would have expected! I'm better than before the longest run of my life!

P.S. 2259 calories burned in yesterday's workout!! Aiiy yai yai! Hoping I'll hit 3000 in the race :)

**see next post

American Beauty

Here's a few pics from the trip I did to Alaska this week.

Windy Arm, Tagish Lake, BC
Only in the north do people sunbathe with sleeping bags!

Mom's coffee companion

Super handy in Haines. (Liquor store and acupuncture, all in 1 stop!)

Beach in Haines, AK

And you can view the rest of the photo highlights here:

http://picasaweb.google.ca/lh/sredir?uname=teleduc101&target=ALBUM&id=5330984309691950161&authkey=Gv1sRgCOeDse_Zj7HSWQ&authkey=Gv1sRgCOeDse_Zj7HSWQ&feat=email

Spring Silliness

I'm staying at my aunt's apartment in Wales again, living it up with the over80 set.
Today is the first day of spring, or so it seems, with gorgeous weather, blooming hyacinths, and an air of fun. After lunch today, I went outside to enjoy a cup of coffee with one of my fave ladies here. Not long passed before we had another couple ladies. And that of course attracted Norbert, the local 80+ Don Juan, with a bottle of wine and a fistful of glasses. Nothing makes Norbert happier than sitting and chatting with a bunch of gals!

After a second bottle and many, many giggles in the sun, I came inside and found a link emailed from a helpful friend:
http://www.go-girl.com/
It's for a female urination device, so you don't need to sit.

Here's the response I sent back to her:
very funny.... think I'll have to try one out sometime! Thing is, often if there's nowhere to sit, there may be nowhere to wash your...ummmm...cup. Dont want to drag pee-covered cup in backpack. yuck.

This inspires a haiku:
GoGirl, life's standing up
Handy Standy in a pinch
Touch nothing dirty, GoGirl

Relief! No need touch.
Alas! Where to rinse her?
Pee spilled in backpack.

Why yes, I have been drinking wine outside on the patio with the over80 set..... First day of spring!
P.S. it's my blog, and I can post bad poetry if I want to!

St David's Day

Happy St David's Day. St David is the patron saint of Wales. The daffodil is a symbol of Wales.

Pictures Posted!

I've posted pics from my trip.
Follow this link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/teleduc101/JamaicaHIghlights08?authkey=HcEXv5Kk4MI&feat=directlink

Food Stuffs

While in Jamaica, we saw some great menu items. Feast your eyes!

Self-explanatory on the beach in Oracabessa.

(Incidentally, the place where Ian Fleming wrote several James Bond novels, at his swingin' sixties pad, Goldeneye. Probably the healthy omega oils helped him write about the "best secret agent ever conceived".)

Who wouldn't want this? Pass on the curried goat. (I did try some, and it tasted like lamb, but the curry was bland...ugh). Go for the Vegetable Lunch with rice & peas and vegetables. Or .... you could order it with food.

[So if vegetables aren't food, then how do vegetarians live?]

FYI, rice and peas translates into non-Jamaican English as rice and kidney beans.

The Good Over Evil Ice Cream Delivery Motorbike

Can you read the ingredient list? Man Back Strong Back, Snake Wisp, Royal Wisp, Blood Wisp, Medina, Chainey Wisp, Chainey Root, Sarsaparilla, Iron Wood, Ramoon, and last but not least......All Man Strength Cayenne Pepper.

Yes, I drank it, and yes, it tasted pretty good!

Chicken with the pants leg rolled up.... Whose leg? The chicken's, the diner's, or the chef's? Didn't try, so couldn't tell ya.

This was the Spring Break Special Menu. Many times Juice asked for "2 platters of shaghetty, please!", but none appeared. Very sad. The only flaw we found in Jamaica was that shaghetty seemed to be only available at Spring Break. :-(

Too Fast Food.

Do you see that sign? Musta been a WHOPPER of a truck. (sorry...haha)

Finally, I was in a bar, and the menu offered a Bartender's Special that was "alcohol with liquor, plus a shot of booze." My self-preservation kicked in, so I didn't order one, but sadly, I deleted the menu photo when I was "tired" (aka hung-over).

Cheers, mon.

Musical Interlude

As you are viewing any of my Jamaica stuff, please click on this link, and play this song while you look at the pics and read the stories. It was a huge fave of everyone, and we LOVED it. You'll really get the irie vibe, mon. :-))

http://marangand.wordpress.com/taurus-riley-shes-royal-video-and-lyrics/

Surfer Duuuudes

check out the pics my Mom dug up, circa 1980

Locale: Waikiki Beach, Hawaii

Ages: me - just turned 11, brother Alan - 9 and a 1/2

NB. intense concentration on my face, as I attempt to MASTER surfing in my first 5 minutes. Typical Type A eldest child.

NB. relaxed attitude of my brother

Trip Tips

This is based on an email I wrote to a friend the other day.... I figure some of my travellin' skills should be shared. Feel free to use this info, share it with others, ask me questions, whatever.

So, when you have a cool trip coming, first thing is have you called Public Health yet, and asked about shots? Even if you're just going to the States, you should make sure your basic boosters are up-to-date. And if you're going anywhere tropical.....Discuss it with the nurse or doc, and they'll tell ya. Oh, and do this really early, like at least a couple months before you go.... You might have to get a buncha jabs, and your shoulders will be thankful if you don't do it all at once.

Next: look into travel insurance. Did you know your regular medical coverage isn't totally in place when you leave the Province? And if you're leaving the country....well, that's obvious. Worst-case scenario is being medevac'ed home, and the cost of that is equivalent to the price of a small house. Oh, and I found out that if you leave the Province for >6 months, you have a serious problem. (Again, determined that thro' tough circumstances. Ooops.)

And stuff to bring with you on your trip: I have pared down my medical kit to the essentials, and here's what I bring: gravol, imodium, ibuprofen, antibiotic cream, duct tape.

When I get sick, with some sort of tummy thing, (which is a good probability, even at an all-inclusive), I first let whatever it is leave my system. So if I'm vomiting, just giver for a while. And if it's the other end, same..... Whatever it is that made you sick, give it a chance to get out of you! Then after a while, take 1 gravol every time you puke. And 1 imodium every time you go to the toilet. (This stuff will REALLY bung you up, so be cautious.) I've been known to get hideously sick, but would never take more than 3 imodiums, as it takes a while to recover.

The most important thing is to stay hydrated, as much as possible. Be VERY careful with your water and ICE CUBE sources. If you are sick, gatorade or coke are excellent choices. Water them down if it's too much on a flippy-floppy tummy. I know lots of people who travel with rehydration salts, but I prefer just to stick to gatorade, OR get some juice, water it down, and add salt. That's basically what the rehydration salts are. You just need fluid, some sugar, and some salt.
If you do get sick while gone, especially if there is blood or scary mucus in your poo, see a doctor, either while you are there, or when you get home. Here's a great website to find a Western-trained, English-speaking doctor ANYWHERE http://www.iamat.org/

The antibiotic cream is for cuts/blisters.
The ibuprofen is for any inflammation. This includes sore muscles, hung-over headache, or FEVER if you get sick. It can be used for nasty sunburn too (your skin is swollen and inflamed). Wear lots of sunscreen, and wear a hat if you go exploring during the day....Watch out for burns AND sunstroke.

And the duct tape? Well, that's for millions of uses, from suitcase repair to blister protection to creative costume use. Maybe the guy in the seat beside you on the place is too damn chatty? Employ the duct tape solution!
Happy travels!

Royally Victorian

On Thanksgiving Sunday, I ran the Royal Victoria Half Marathon. For those paying attention, yes, that`s my second in 2 weeks! No, I haven`t gone mad. I don`t have a hopeless running addiction (there`s still hope for me). My friend Susan was doing her first Half, so I went along to support her and run with her.

The run was AWESOME. Susan thinks this must be "her distance"! She did really well: 2:38.32, which is really great for a) anyone, but especially, b) a first timer, and c) someone who's never gone farther than 15 km before. We were happy, had perfect weather, got hugs from a good friend on the course, no pain, no hard effort, AND she stopped for a beer with the Hash House Harriers on course!!!! WHAT AN ANIMAL! I would have barfed. Apparently Gatorade should come in beer flavour too...

I felt really bad though that her family were not aware what a big deal the race was, so she had no spectators. But I was so proud of her achievement, plus we had a great talk with her younger son about the great feeling of working toward, and then achieving, a goal. (I think that's a really important life lesson, myself.) And her husband did give her big hugs later, so that's great.

She was hardly stiff the next day, and biked to work on Tuesday! An overwhelming success!

Looking great at 15 km!

My next running goal: Reggae (half) Marathon on Dec 6 in Negril, JAMAICA!!!!!!!!

My acupuncturist/running partner has invited me to join her. She's staying at a yoga centre on the beach, and she'll be doing the 10 km race. It's a week before my Big 40, so my intent is to train super-hard, be very strict with diet, and be SAH-MOKIN hot!!!! Oh yes, there will be pictures to memorialise my Hotness at Forty! (The ones with the bikini will be for public consumption, but the others....by invitation only. HA!)