Well I think I may have successfully transferred my blog to a new hosting environment for way cheaper. While I am not entirely sure how all this works … I apologize for the delays in posting.
Please stay tuned while I work on setting up this new domain and figure out all the little details associated with it. I want to thank everyone who wrote to me and encouraged me to keep my blog going and who provided ideas and details on how to do that. Super excited that for at least another year, I am signed on with another domain site … hopefully this transition is seamless!
Happy Trails!
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I just received my domain renewal notice from Go Daddy. Apparently my awesome 2 year stint at having my own domain name is up and it is time to renew. When I created this site initially, I got a great deal for two years but now that renewal time is approaching, Go Daddy wants $350 from me to keep this site going for another two years! I can already hear Vans now …. “What!? Are you kidding?! Unless this site earns you money there is no point!” Sigh. Sadly he is right. I hate it when he is right.
My old blogspot site is still up over at www.trailmomma.blogspot.com however I believe I have zero (or at least very little) photo space on that site as I reached my limit a few years ago. What can I say!? I liked posting photos of all my runs.
Decisions decisions. I love my blog. I can’t really tell who even reads it other than family and maybe some close friends. It is my creative outlet but, once again I hear Vans – “you need a less expensive outlet!”
I have until June 18th to decide what to do. I could chose to “park” my domain and just not renew the other “products” … really I need a class in what kind of products I have in general as I am not tech savvy in that regard. Anyone care to explain it to me? Should I just pay $5.99 for a month until I can figure it out? Sadly, I think I will incur more fees if I do that and eventually decide to keep this site going. Right now, that price includes a “renewal discount” from Go Daddy. Gee, thanks?
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I am super happy I was able to get my last post published though. It apparently has helped quite a few people based on some comments that I have received on various social media sites and via email. If I helped just ONE person with that post, then I am content. I will be sad to see this site go along with all the photos, stories and race reports that I have posted throughout the last two years. I wish I could print them all and put them in a book for my girls to read some day. 🙁 That is what I originally envisioned, unfortunately, maintenance and web hosting was never a thought.
I really debated whether or not to write this post. Normally my blog theme consists of trail running and the occasional story about being plant-based and of course being a mama. This will definitely fall into the plant-based category.
While many who know me know that I have been plant-based for over 20 years. I definitely can say that I followed the common trend of veganism though in regards to stopping meat initially, but I did not necessarily follow a healthy diet. I would say that I have been vegan for quite a while but have only been truly plant-based within the last few years. What is the difference? Well, Oreos are vegan. Potato chips are vegan. I was consuming some oily standard American fair while thinking I was being healthy.
However, the more I read and the more I investigated, I realized the difference and I made a change. What you may not know, is that I have very low hemoglobin and ferritin levels. Particularly in regards to my ferritin levels. What is Ferritin? Ferritin is an ubiquitous intracellular protein that stores iron and releases it in a controlled fashion (thanks internet). My levels are so low because I went for 21 years with undiagnosed Celiac disease. My body just did not absorb any iron and therefore ferritin.
To put it into perspective here are my levels over the last few years (it is all that I have in terms of history) and keep in mind that a Standard Range is 22-291 ng/mL
My history:
12/2005 : 3
6/2006 : 1
6/2013 : < 5
7/2013 (had a retest to confirm) : < 5
6/2014 : 13
I am surprised no one was freaking out in 2006 and clearly I avoided the doctor after that. But somehow, I managed to give birth to two beautiful kids and survive. Obviously, I have never had normal levels yet I continued to race and run ultras (stubborn much?).
The period between 2013 and 2014 where my levels bumped up to 13 is when my doctor insisted that I take an iron supplement. I took the supplement but I didn’t enjoy it.
In January of 2014 I started taking the eCornell Plant-Based Nutrition Course where I learned a great deal about supplements and why we do not need them and how in fact, they can do more harm than good. I graduated from that class in March and in mid-June, I stopped taking my iron pills.
I started cutting out oil (we don’t need it is pure fat and has minimal nutritional value and severely damages your arteries). I cut out oil pretty easily as I rarely cooked with it. I have always cooked using vegetable broth instead of oil, but I also stopped eating other foods that contained oil.
I also started training for the Mt. Tam 50k as well as the California International Marathon. Best of all, I purchased my beloved Instant Pot and I began the habit of making sure I had home-made vegetable broth on hand and a ton of beans made from scratch that I freeze in can size portions. It effectively increases the sexual arousal in the male body encourages the viagra generika appalachianmagazine.com execution of sildenafil tablets. The treatment option includes medications, order cheap cialis appalachianmagazine.com testosterone replacements, surgical prosthesis, and also vacuum pump equipment. Add pre boiled viagra pill milk and cardamom to it and stir well. Patients can expect an effective treatment time buy cialis from canada of 4 – 6 hours but many GPs report longer times.
I started making my own hummus and dressings. I stopped buying a lot of store bought things preferring to make my own. Thanksgiving and Christmas were both plant-based oil free holidays in my house and the food was fantastic (thanks to Ann Crile Esselstyn and Jane Esselstyn and Engine 2 recipes).
As we are approaching June, I decided it was time again to get my annual blood work done. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I haven’t taken my iron pills in over a year and I’ve run more races harder and faster than I have before.
As it turns out, I was totally blown away. Not only did I lower my cholesterol to 136 (not that it was ever high it just dipped even lower), I also boosted my hemoglobin, doubled my iron AND my Ferritin is now registering at 25!! For once in my life, I have normal Ferritin levels!
Graphic from www.carlagoldenwellness.com
I 100% wholly contribute these improvements to my dietary changes over the last year. While I have made many changes to my diet, what I am about to share is not meant to be anything more than what has worked for ME. Please do not take what I am sharing as medical or nutritional advice. It is just what worked for me.
So having my Instant Pot meant that I had ready-made access to beans every single day. I’ve broadened our variety from just the usual chickpea, kidney, black beans, pinto and lentils to navy beans, pinquinto beans, red lentils, green lentils, split peas, yellow split peas, cannellini. When I see a new bean I get so excited. Per the advice of the Esselstyn family, I have mountains of leafy greens almost daily (including for breakfast sometimes). I STOPPED having smoothies. I haven’t had a green smoothie in over a year. For me, having daily smoothies just proved to be a recipe for disaster. First of all, you can’t tell how many calories you are tossing into that blender and some smoothies could easily reach the 400 calorie mark. For me, smoothies increased my appetite. I need to CHEW my food. Not drink it. In my opinion, smoothies on a daily basis teach your stomach to stop doing its job. If you give it liquefied food, it will no longer be good at doing what it is supposed to do, breaking down food. I constantly found that I had tummy troubles from smoothies. I stopped the smoothies, my tummy improved and I lost weight. Go figure.
I make sure that I have oats in some form for breakfast (whether raw, cooked or made with kale yum try it so good) every day. I bring my own food for lunch at work and usually it will consist of greens, beans and quite often potatoes (or a salad) and dinner is much of the same. We started eating a ton more potatoes in my house due to their ease of travel and the ability to batch cook them and have them throughout the week. I have lost weight, not gained. Don’t be afraid of whole food plant-based carbs!
Really, those are all the major changes I have made. I have definitely been more conscious of what I am eating and why. Basically, I add no oil to my diet, I majorly increased the beans, lentils, greens and other veggies that we eat and I have oatmeal every single morning. I’ve stopped the junk food snacking.
Currently, I am working on my racing fuel as really, if I am being honest, during a race is probably the only time I succumb and have something I would never normally touch on a day to day basis and it isn’t even that much. In training I bring my own plant-based food and I consume that but for some reason, in the heat of a race, my body is calling for that crap. I am still working on that one so stay tuned.
But overall, the purpose of this post was to share that if you are considering a plant-based diet but you are afraid you won’t reach all the nutritional values that you need (especially if you are racing in some form) that you can! It is possible with planning, work and a little education. Variety in your diet is key. You can’t just eat the same thing day in and day out. Try new things. See what is in season at your local farmers market or grocery store and then google recipes for it (omitting any added oils of course).
The experts like Dr. Esselstyn, T. Colin Campbell and the crew at Engine 2.com are right, you can thrive and succeed on a whole foods plant-based diet. I did not give up. People told me for years that I would have to eat meat to bring up my iron and ferritin levels or take an iron pill for life but I knew deep in my heart that was not the case and that a true whole food plant-based diet could help me. It did.
Of course, I am very proactive as well. I get my blood work done annually to make sure my levels are all in check. While I probably get very little sleep compared to most people (hello, I wake up at 4:30 am to run), I make sure to listen to my body and its cues. When I am tired and dragging, I bring the workout down a notch or I skip it and I stop and take a look at what is going on with myself and I make the necessary dietary changes (more kale, less spinach, more potatoes etc.).
Am I perfect? No, of course not. No one is. I just try my hardest to feed my body fuel, not necessarily food. Luckily for me, it is pretty darn tasty fuel at that and I enjoy following recipes and experimenting in the kitchen. It can be fun! Try it!
This past Saturday was my favorite day of the year. Day one of the Western States Training weekend. More than any race, I love this day. 32 miles on a beautiful amazing course with a couple hundred of the coolest people on Earth.
This year, the price rose significantly but if some of the money goes towards trail maintenance, I am okay with that. This trail has it all: huge climbs, massive descents, water crossings, breath taking views and apparently weather patterns that will totally surprise you.
As is tradition, Pigeon and I signed up and planned our day together. I think we have mastered some parts of this run but I still think the day can unfold entirely different than you may have visioned. This trail can do that to you.
I, for one, didn’t know quite what to expect. Let’s be honest, since AR50 I have not been running very much. I had one 14 miler in Auburn about two or three weeks ago and that’s been about it in terms of “long” distance running. To say I went into this completely untrained is an understatement. Yes I have some miles under my belt, but AR50 was early in April and it is now late May. Luckily my body remembers what to do AND even more important, Pigeon was just off her 100K at Quicksilver two weeks prior and was running on some tired legs (though she still rocked it).
As the week wore on, I was slowly getting excited and very nervous. Pigeon knows that I love this day and she was trying to be super excited for me but I think she could tell via my texts that my mind has been elsewhere lately.
2010 Selfie – hahaha2014 – getting better at the selfie!2015 Selfie
Just like last year, Pigeon and I met in Forresthill and checked in for the run. We then got a ride to Robinson Flat where we quickly realized the fog was making things really difficult to see and the rain was starting to come down pretty hard. Oh yea, and it was 40 degrees.
I had not planned on rain. The forecast that I saw didn’t say a thing about rain so I was wearing a tank top and shorts and brought no form of long sleeves what so ever. Thankfully, Pigeon had an extra pair of arm sleeves with her so she wore those and she gave me her long sleeve shirt. I would have been fine running in the 40 degree rain without anything but I was DEFINITELY more comfortable with a shirt.
We used the restrooms at the start and then quickly started running. Running = warmth so we ran. It was hard at first as this section is pretty rocky and your body is still trying to figure out what it is you want it to do.
I did not take many photos in the beginning of the run as I only had my phone and I wasn’t about to pull my phone out in the rain.
Pigeon and I had a lot to catch up on. She told me all about her 100k. I am so proud of her. She worked really hard for that race and I feel like now, she can go into Tahoe with a weight off her back (more or less) and perhaps enjoy the day a little bit more.
We were not the only ones who ditched the bus option and caught rides to Robinson Flat. What is cool about that is you get to see some awesome runners fly by you. Somewhere in these early miles Stephanie Howe ran by us. She won The Western States 100 Mile race last year. They look so effortless when they run but at the same time, they are super nice and say “hi” as they pass.
So it pretty much rained for four hours straight. It would lighten up at times and then come down hard again. My tummy needed some adjustment so unfortunately I had to stop once or twice but the fog makes for great camouflage! 🙂
When we hit the first aid-station, the rain was just sprinkling. Some awesome volunteers where manning the station and had huge smiles on their faces. These people are great. Pigeon came right in and asked for duct tape?! I had no clue what she needed it for but apparently her head had shrunk okay, maybe her visor got stretched out, so she used duct tape to try and make it fit a little better on her head. 🙂
I checked out what was on the table. My tummy was still uneasy. We chatted with the volunteers for a bit while Pigeon was adjusting her visor and then we were off and running.
Crazy thick fog
The wet conditions and fog made the trail seem different to me so it was kind of like seeing things for the first time. Most of the time, this run is on the warmer side which can be a recipe for disaster later in the day. Not today, today it was cool and damp.
We played tag with a group of other women who were running either before us or after us all day long. For the most part, we were always ahead of them.
Soon we were starting to descend down to Swinging Bridge. This is a long brutal descent that really makes you start begging for an uphill but never fear as Devil’s Thumb is what you have to climb in order to get out and that is a doozy but I secretly love Devil’s Thumb. 🙂
We crossed swinging bridge and downed some calories for our climb. Last year the bridge had been burned in a fire and so we had to cross through the river in order to get across which meant we were soaking wet on a very hot and brutal climb. In fact, this was the first time ever that I have climbed Devil’s Thumb and not had it be scorching hot the whole way.
There were a few people climbing the thumb at the same time. Pigeon was in front. I tend to not like people on my heels so I usually step aside and let them pass even if it means I may catch them later, I just prefer not to have someone right behind me.
Eventually, Pigeon pulled off to the side too to adjust her arm sleeves I think and I just went in front of her. There were a couple of crazy athletes who RAN up the thumb. Man, that just blows me away. One foot in front of the other I just climbed strong and steady. I turned around to say something to Pigeon and realized she was no where behind me.
I kept climbing knowing that there was a switchback turn coming up and that I could maybe see her better. Sure enough, the switch back came and I stopped to see if I could see her. I did. I called down “Are you alright?” “I’m good!” she said. So I followed with “Do you have enough water?” 🙂 Pigeon has been known to run out of water on this climb from time to time. “Yes,” she called and apparently the guy behind me laughed at us. Just looking out for my runner.
Onward I went. Joe McCladdie was at the top taking photos. He always makes me laugh. He is always in a spot that is notoriously difficult but since he is there you HAVE to smile and there is no better way to climb a beast than with a smile. Thanks Joe!
I finally reached the top of Devil’s Thumb and I waited for Pigeon. I downed some of the Oatmeal Banana Cookies that I made while waiting. That climb really gave me an appetite and also evened out the stomach issues I had been having.
Finally Pigeon reached the top and we took off running except that while I had been standing there I had become really cold from the damp weather. I had put my long sleeve back on but my legs were stiff as boards when we started running. I must have looked hilarious.
We reached the aid-station that was at the water pump and this is where I had my first potato chip. Not sure why I grabbed one. My hand sort of gravitated to the bowl but oh my word if that wasn’t the most amazing thing ever at that moment. I had only a few and then I tried to have some of the fuel that I brought with me. Funny how I don’t eat potato chips regularly but out in the woods in the middle of no where, they looked divine.
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After that aid-station you descend down into El Dorado Canyon which is a pretty steep down as well. It was here that my right knee started to yell at me a bit. Okay, maybe yell is too mild, scream bloody murder might be better. My knees just cannot handle downhills, steep downs and this one is notorious for making my knee hurt.
There were times when I had to hobble a bit near the bottom but I finally made it. I need to work on my hip flexors and IT band a bit more – oh and not jump into a 32 mile run on a whim. 🙂
Next up is the climb to Michigan Bluff. This is a good 2.5 mile climb and again, I have only ever done this climb in brutally hot weather. Today it was cool and there was as light breeze. Wow does that make a difference.
Pigeon had to use nature’s restroom so I told her I would start off walking up the hill a bit. Not wanting to get too far in front of her I stopped and took some photos.
No where to go but up
Trail Selfie – I look all alone but there were lots of people out there
Once Pigeon caught up to me I saw she had found a bunch of friends that we know. So we all hiked the climb together just chatting and catching up on some things. Eventually though, we all spread out again.
I had some people on my heels and I was feeling too crowded so I let them pass. It was here that I saw a woman behind me further down on the switchback. I looked and thought to myself, “I know her!” But I wasn’t 100% sure.
Finally at one point, she was close enough for me to get a good look and sure enough, my suspicions were confirmed. It was Pam Smith, 2013 Western States winner and one of my favorite bloggers. I adore Pam not only because she is a kick butt runner, but also because she is a full time working mom of two kids and has an active spouse to boot. I can totally relate to that. While her kids are quite a few years older than mine, she gets it and understand the hardship of being a mom and wanting/needing that time to run crazy races.
I turned and asked her if her name was Pam and she said yes and that started what was to be one of my favorite highlights on this years Western States Training Run day. We chatted the whole way up to Michigan Bluff. She was pretty honest with me. She asked me if I was running states and I said no and that I was pacing a friend at TRT100 and that I have two young kids so I can’t really envision WS100 in my near future … Pam said, “Well I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it only gets harder as they get older. I thought it would be easier but it isn’t.” HA! While I kind of knew that, it was funny to hear it from another hard working running mom.
Pam gets it. She wakes at an ungodly hour to get speed workouts and runs in as do I. She has to split her weekends with her husband so he can get runs in while simultaneously tackling kids sporting activities.
She was so nice, so down to earth. I really enjoyed our little chat while we were climbing up to Michigan Bluff.
The top of Michigan Bluff
When you get to the top of Michigan Bluff you have to walk down a fire road to get to the aid-station. Pam kept walking and while I wanted to keep chatting with her, I didn’t want to ditch Pigeon either so I stopped to wait for her.
When she got to the top, she had made a friend too. Her friend is doing her first Western States this year. I told Pigeon about my little hike with Pam Smith and Pigeon had no clue who Pam was but her friend did and was like, “Oh my gosh! I saw that! That’s so cool!” 🙂
We made it the aid-station and again, those darn potato chips really looked amazing. I saw Pam talking to some people and grabbing some fuel and then she was off. I never saw her again.
Pigeon and I ate and walked out of the aid-station happy. We were joking about all sorts of things. There were a lot of funny incidents on this run that I can’t remember. This is what happens when I don’t blog for a while and then have multiple posts to catch up on, I forget things. 🙂
I do know that before we started the run, Pigeon sprayed my legs with bug spray as we had remembered that last year the mosquitoes were relentless. Well, as it turns out, we forgot to spray our arms. My arms and back (remember I was wearing a tank top) are covered in about 20 mosquito bites! Grrrrr the ones on the back are the worst. Next year I am wearing one of those repellent bracelets.
There is one more descent after Michigan Bluff before you climb the paved road to Forresthill. That down hill trail again aggravated my knee something terrible but the minute we hit an uphill, all the pain goes away.
Pigeon and I hiked the hill back to Forresthill Road and then ran the road to the school. We had the wrist bands cut off made our way to my car to change before BOOM thunder was heard off in the distance and some rain started sprinkling again. Whew, we made it out of there just in time. I would not want to be out running in a thunder storm.
Once again, this run proved to be the highlight of my year. Yes I could have gone into it a little more prepared but I’ve been traveling quite a bit lately and have not had any time to get long runs in. That will change as I have a marathon coming up as well as pacing duties at Tahoe Rim Trail in July. It is good to know what my body can handle though.
Next year’s WS Training Run may be a whole different kind of run. Quite a few people that we know have qualified for the 2016 Western States so I foresee a big run next year hopefully filled with a lot of locals (lottery permitting).
For more of our WS Training Run stories go to the following links:
The week after the girls and I returned from our trip to NJ, the Peanut’s swim team decided to have their Mock Meet. Basically Mock Meet is a dress rehearsal swim meet including timing clocks, stroke and turn judges … everything. It gives everyone a chance to work out the kinks basically and prepare for the long swim season ahead.
The Peanut wasn’t feeling super great but she managed to swim in four different events. She swam in the 25 yard freestyle, the 25 yard backstroke, the 50 yard freestyle and the 25 yard butterfly (she opted out of the 25 yard breast stroke). She did okay. The 50 yard freestyle was a major step up for her and is pretty challenging and competitive. She ended up getting disqualified in the butterfly because her legs came apart (they are super strict).
Her first real meet is this up coming weekend. We are all a bit excited and nervous. Our weekends are no longer ours as swimming will consume a lot of our time.
Getting ready for her freestyle.Watching some of her friends swim.My superstar
I was super proud of her for trying her best. She wasn’t feeling well as she as been battling some stuff lately. She definitely loves the water though.
After the mock meet, we unloaded one car and packed up another car and headed to Tahoe for a nice little getaway. We had some days left at our timeshare and the plan was for the four of us to head up in two separate cars and then the Peanut and I would leave after one night as we had work and school to attend to.
In our Happy Place
We basically walked around and visited the lake which is really really low and kind of sad. The fresh air was crisp and amazing. Tahoe really is my reset button sometimes.
Tahoe Girls
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Exploring…
Squeaker is into finding (and throwing) really cool rocks. We spent quite a bit of time just wandering this rocky dried up part of the lake.
Walking – see the docks? Sad.
The play ground was also fun. The Peanut is such a monkey lately between the monkey bars and climbing rocks and stuff.
I climbed up here and she followed.
Sadly, the Peanut and I had to leave Sunday afternoon to unpack and get ready for the work week ahead. Vans and Squeaker were going to stay another two nights. They had a great time bonding together. It was super sweet and we both enjoyed the bonding time with each kid.
My two Tahoe cuties
I hadn’t been to Tahoe since September so this was way over due for me. It really just fills my heart and resets my brain. Luckily, it won’t be so long before I am up there again.
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