On the Run: Allen Park 10K 2011

I lived in Allen Park for 13 years and this was the first time I ran in the Allen Park 5K/10K.  In fact, on Saturday I ran more miles in Allen Park than I did in all the time I lived there!  Anyway, I felt the time had come and sort of at the last minute Katie and I decided to do this race.  It had been a while since our last race so we felt ready to take on another.  Plus, Allen Park is so close and we could park at my mom and dad's, use their bathroom instead of gross Port-a-Potties, and walk three blocks to the starting line.  It was also a small race so there wouldn't be any hassle with crowds.  And it was only a 10K.  Easy, right?

Wrong.  I mean, we were right about all the logistics of the race but one thing we failed to take into consideration was the weather.  Specifically the heat.  More specifically the humidity.  Remember the horror that was the Dexter-Ann Arbor 1/2 Marathon?  Yeah, it was that all over again but thankfully this was only 6.2 miles.  Only 6.2 miles, however, was still about 3.2 miles more than I was comfortable with.  But let's start at the beginning.

The weather seemed nice when I first went outside.  A little warm but not too bad.  By the time the race started at 9:00, however, the temperature was definitely starting to creep up.  I planned to start out slow so I didn't overexert myself too early and had a playlist designed to set that beginning pace and slowly build as I ran.  And then I realized that I didn't properly sync my iPod so I didn't have that playlist.  I wasn't in the mood for one of my others so I did something I've never done at a race: I hit "shuffle."  Fortunately, this is my old Nano and because I use it exclusively for working out, everything on there is fine for running.  Except that some are slower warm-up songs, some are faster mid-run songs, and some are those power-pumping, drag-your-butt to the finish line songs when all you want to do is flag down the nearest emergency vehicle for a ride to Starbucks.  I like being able to plan out at which point in the race certain songs come on but I decided to take my chances.  

Anyway, the playlist wasn't the problem.  If only.  I started out a little faster than I should have but not by much.  Under normal circumstances that wouldn't have been a big deal.  But back to that humidity. All too soon I realized that I should have worn a tank top instead of the tee shirt I chose at the last minute.  Mistake #1.  I also should have stopped for a drink sooner than I did.  Mistake #2.  When I stopped for a drink, I should have made sure it was water and not Gatorade.  Mistake #3.  I only had a sip or two and when I got to what I knew was definitely a water station (manned by a cute little old couple), I made sure to stop.  It was too late, though.  The Gatorade on a nearly empty stomach just made me want to throw up.  Plus my heart rate was at a steady 200, which is way too high.  

A rare moment of running near the end.

So I did what I hate to do the most.  I walked.  I had no other choice.  So from mile 4.5 to the end, I alternated between running and walking; running til I couldn't stand it anymore, then walking til my heart rate dropped to 190, then running again.  At this point I didn't care about my time or pace.  I just wanted to get to the end without collapsing on the streets of Allen Park.  Somehow I managed to keep going and Katie finished just after me.  

Photo finish:

What is UP with that weird leaning-back stride thing I've got going on?

 And after the race - a photo I'm particularly proud to show you:

Look to the finish line - it's Katie!

So, I think I've learned my lesson about running in the humidity.  I shouldn't do it!  Well, for races, at least.  Until I do a better job acclimating, my body clearly won't be able to handle it.  

All in all, though, it wasn't the worst race.  (That prize goes to Dexter-Ann Arbor.)  As I mentioned, it was close, easy to get to, and not crowded.  The course was through residential neighborhoods with plenty of shade and lots of people out to show support.  A 9:00 start time is a little late for an August 10K, though, and the goodie bag, tee shirt, and post-race food wasn't much to speak of.  (Though you'd think an event sponsored by the Detroit Lions might have a little more to offer than a plastic key chain, a pen, and a pencil.)

The best part of the race?  (Yes - surprise! - there was something good about it.)  The best part was having my mom and dad there to cheer me on.  This was the first time they'd seen me in a race and I was really proud to be able to run past them and see them clapping and waving.  They were stationed about half a mile before the finish and they stayed out until Katie and I had passed them both times (for the 10K you had to do the same loop twice - another downside).  Brian was with them the first time and then moved to the end to see us finish.

See how excited I was to see Brian and my parents?  [Note: This was during the first loop so I was still in good shape.]

So, would I do this race again?  My first thought was "Never again!"; however, a small-town race with a great friend and my family on the sidelines definitely has appeal.  I'll just be sure to check the weather forecast before signing up for it next year.  

Time

 55:03

Pace

8:53/mile

Fuel

Toasted Nuts and Cranberry Luna Bar, banana

Tunes

iPod set to "shuffle"

Beat the Heat: Mediterranean Crunch Salad

A few weeks ago The Detroit Free Press had an article about how you can make delicious and flavorful "pasta-less" summer salads.  The following one caught my eye because of it's fresh ingredients and for the simplicity of the salad.  I happened to have almost all of the ingredients one day last week so after a quick trip to the store for broccoli and thyme, I was ready to go.  

In the article I noticed that this recipe is actually from Whole Foods so you can find their original recipe here.  (It's one of their "Health Starts Here" recipes.)  I'm going to go ahead and post it anyway because I've made a few slight variations.  Hopefully Whole Foods won't mind.

 

Mediterranean Crunch Salad

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

1 15-oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained 
1 cup chopped cucumber
1 cup small broccoli florets
1 cup Roma tomatoes, sliced
1 cup finely sliced kale, tough stems removed
10 Kalamata olives, cut in half
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

Fresh roasted beets, sliced (may sub canned but fresh are best)

Crumbled tofu “feta" (plus a few tbsp marinade, if desired)
Fresh ground pepper

Directions:

In a large bowl combine all ingredients through the thyme.  Cover and chill at least 1 hour before serving.  Before serving, top with roasted beet slices and tofu feta.  Sprinkle with a generous portion of black pepper and drizzle with a few tbsp of the tofu marinade.  Serve immediately.

Makes 2 large or 4 small servings.

Farmer's Market Fridays - 8/5/11

Happy Friday, everyone!  It's a gorgeous day in Dearborn and the weather was perfect for my weekly trip to the farmer's market with my mom.  First was yoga, as usual.  We did standing poses almost the entire class - something that made me very happy since I have zero flexibility when it comes to seated forward bends.  (Remember the "sit and reach" test in elementary school gym class?  I always had a negative score and I doubt I'd do any better on it today.)  

Next I ate what was possibly the world's most perfect banana.  It was too good to not mention!

When we got to the market I was relieved to see see that Avalon was back after not being there last week.  My mom and I had a long chat with the our Avalon friend, who (after 2 years of farmer's markets) I now know is named Mike.  Our conversation started when we noticed this snazzy new display case on the table:

Nice, huh?  Mike started to tell us about how well the company is doing, especially since being picked up by Whole Foods (5 locations, with a new Detroit location just announced).  The stores carry an extensive line of Avalon vegan goodies and will be expanding into other products, as well.  Because of the high demand for their products, Avalon is going to start doing high-volume baking in a nearby building.  It sounds like there are big, big plans for the company, which I think is so exciting.  We talked about the steps they take to reduce waste through composting and recycling, something that unfortunately is not a common practice in Detroit (and even in Michigan, sadly).  The hope is that Avalon will serve as a model for other businesses in the Midtown area in terms of community and sustainability.  It was a really interesting conversation. 

Finally I bought my date bar and we moved on to pick up our Living Stones CSA shares.  It was another good haul this week:

broccoli, pea shoots, beets, kale (curly and dinosaur), rainbow chard, cabbage, squash (yellow and patty pan), 6 cucumbers, 5 onions, 2 tomatoes

We got flowers from Living Stones, too!

Our last stop was to visit Farmer Glen.  I promised myself I wouldn't buy anything this week because I still have a few potatoes and carrots left from last week (plus all the above items from our share) but when I saw that he had kohlrabi, I couldn't resist.  There were some gigantic ones but I went with some that were a little more reasonably sized.  I can't wait to put some in my salad tonight!

kohlrabi

After the market we went over to Panera.  I had my date bar with a cup of coffee and both were delicious, as usual.


Now I think it's time for a short run, followed by a Banana Chamomile Smoothie.

Have a great weekend!

My Fruit Bowl - It's Cheaper Than Yours

 

I love fruit.  I usually eat 2-3 pieces of fruit each day, plus whatever I put in my morning smoothie.  My favorite way to eat fruit, however, is all mixed together in a great big fruit salad.  Especially in the summer when temperatures creep up into the 90's.  

Buying pre-cut fruit at the store can get really expensive.  I suppose you're paying for the convenience of not having to prepare it yourself but it's really a waste of money when you can make a huge fruit salad at home that will last for days.  

Last week when I went to The Dearborn Farm Market to buy my fruit I decided to save my receipt so I can compare the amount I spent on raw materials with the cost of buying pre-made fruit salads.  If you shop at either Westborn Market or Kroger, you'll pay $4.99/lb of fruit.  At Westborn, a container holding the amount that I would eat for lunch costs $7.50!  Anyone know how much Whole Foods charges?  I'm sure it's at least this much.

Panera offers a 5 oz. mixed fruit cup for $2.59 and Einstein has an 8 oz. cup for $3.17.  Although I do occasionally buy the one from Einstein, I refuse to spend the money at Panera.  Plus I've done so in the past and ended up with moldy grapes.  yuck.

My entire fruit salad cost me $18.68*.  I got 10 huge servings out of it, with each one being well over a pound, I'm sure.  It contained the following fruits:

• 1 whole pineapple
• 3 apples
• 1 bunch of grapes
• 1 pint of blueberries
• 5 oranges (3 cut up, 2 for the juice only)
• 3 kiwis
• 3 peaches
• 5 bananas
• 1 container of strawberries (16 oz.)

*These were not organic fruits, which helped keep the price down.  Obviously you'll pay more if you want organic.

Here's the finished product:

I put the fruit in an inverted Rubbermaid Cake Keeper so, as you can see, it makes a lot of fruit salad!  (I should have weighed it but I don't - and never will - have a scale in the house.)

Okay, I can probably guess what you're thinking right now.  Who has the time to cut up all this fruit?  Isn't it a lot of work?  Well...yes, it is time-consuming but after making as many as I have, I've found little tricks and short cuts to speed up the process.  I'd say this particular salad took about an hour to make.  But what's one hour when you're saving money and ending up with a delicious fresh fruit salad that you can enjoy all week?

Tips to save time making your amazing fruit salad:

• Don't peel apples, pears, peaches, etc.  It takes way too much time and you miss out on the added fiber and nutrients from the peels.
• Use an apple corer and divider, then just cut each section into a few pieces.  I can prep an apple in one minute flat.
• Unless you're concerned about a choking hazard for small children, don't cut the grapes in half. 
• While I think that whole fresh pineapples are the most flavorful, save time by buying one that is already peeled and cored.  They're often the same price.
• Use store-bought orange juice instead of fresh-squeezed to mix in with the fruit (the juice helps keep the apples from browning).
• Alternately, use canned Dole Tropical Fruit Salad in passion fruit nectar.  The nectar will eliminate the need to add orange juice and you won't need to spend time cutting up pineapple, either.  It's not as good as fresh pineapple but if it's the only canned fruit you use, you'll hardly notice.
• Use a citrus peeler to quickly remove orange peels.  Then just divide in sections and slice.
• Use this neat trick for peeling kiwis quickly and easily.

And, as with anything new, start small.  Don't buy 3 of every fruit you see in the store.  You will be completely overwhelmed.  Choose easy fruits to start and slowly build from there.  Plus, fruit salad doesn't last forever so you want to be sure that you aren't making so much that you can't eat it all.  Not everyone's system has the same tolerance for fruit that mine does.  That, too, takes time to build!

One more thing.  I do not make a fruit salad every week.  I would get tired of making it and tired of eating it.  Yes, I'm sad when the last of it is gone and the next day I wish I had more but taking a break is a good thing. 

So there you go.  It's almost the weekend.  Spend a little bit of yours making up a fresh fruit salad.  You'll be glad you did!   


Do you make your own fruit salad?

 

Attention PB Lovers!

Christmas came early this year.  A few weeks ago my friend Katie had her mom visiting from Vegan Heaven on Earth.  (You might know it as Seattle.)  Her mom came bearing an amazing gift - PB2.  Never heard of it before?  Neither had we but now that we've tried it we are hooked! 

PB2 is an amazing product from Bell Plantation.  It's powdered peanut butter, which is made by removing all of the oil from roasted peanuts.  For those of you watching your fat intake, that means that PB2 has 85% less fat than regular peanut butter - just 1.5 grams per 2 tbsp serving!  And what's cool is that the only ingredients in PB2 are peanuts, sugar, and salt.  (And not even much sugar and salt, at that.)  No weird chemicals or ingredients you can't pronounce.  You can read the all of the nutrition information here.  (There is also a chocolate version but the plain is more versatile; plus you can add cocoa powder and voila!  Chocolate PB2.)

To use PB2, you simply add water and use it like regular peanut butter.  Or you can stir it into other liquids if you just want it as flavoring.  Now I'm sure there are some skeptics out there.  Let me address a few of your possible concerns.

1. Aren't you missing out on the health benefits of peanut butter?  Yes, nutritionally speaking, PB2 is not a replacement for peanut butter.  However, as long as you follow a healthy diet that includes adequate protein and good fats, this shouldn't be a problem. 

2. Could it really taste as good as peanut butter?  I think it entirely depends on how you're using it.  Would I whip up a batch to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?  Never!  Only homemade peanut butter will do for that.  Would I use it to replace the peanut butter in my PB Energy Bites?  Heck no.  Would I add it in small amounts to smoothies, raw ice cream, or cookie dough balls?  Most definitely!  PB2 is to peanut butter what cocoa powder is to chocolate.  It's an excellent way to add flavor to foods without the heaviness that comes from peanut butter.  

3. Is it expensive?  If you order it from Amazon for $8.49, then yes it is.  Your better bet is to order directly from Bell Plantation where you can get a 4-pack for $15.96.  So the cost is another reason I am using mine judiciously.

You can see it has a texture similar to cocoa powder.

You can find a lot of recipes on the Bell Plantation website but since PB2 seems to be viewed in large part as a diet food, many of them utilize Splenda and most are not vegan.  I haven't gone through them enough to see if some can be made vegan and Splenda-free but I'm sure it's possible.  

The main thing I've done with mine is make PB2 Balls.  It took many trials and taste tests with varying amounts of hemp protein or flour in place of some of the oats but this recipe doesn't use either and I think it's the best so far in terms of taste and texture.  If you want to up the protein, you could swap 1 tbsp of oats for 1 tbsp protein powder.  For a more chewier version, you could swap 1 tbsp of the quick-cooking oats with 1 tbsp of old-fashioned oats.  Anytime you switch something up, be aware that you might need to add more or less water than what my recipe originally calls for.

This recipe makes 3 balls.  You can double or triple the batch and store them in the refrigerator but I like to make just enough to eat that day.  These remind me of the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Larabars.  yum!

PB2 Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

5 tbsp quick-cooking oats
2 tbsp PB2*
1 tbsp vegan chocolate chips 
1 tbsp agave nectar 
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp water
 
Directions: 

Place all ingredients in a small bowl and stir to mix well.  Roll dough into three balls (I use my Pampered Chef small scoop) and place in a covered container.  If you want to eat them soon, put them in the freezer for an hour.  If you can wait longer, the refrigerator is fine.  Of course, you could also just eat it all right out of the bowl with a spoon.  Who am I to judge?

Makes 3 balls.

*If you don't have PB2 you can substitute regular peanut butter, probably 2 tbsp. but you may need to reduce the amount of water slightly.  Please leave a comment below if you make this substitution! 


**Please note that while some bloggers get free products in exchange for writing stellar reviews, I am none such blogger.  While I wouldn't refuse a free jar of PB2, I bought mine and merely want to share my new-found love with you.


What do you think about PB2?  Have you tried it?  Would you try it?