Inspiring the next Generation of Trail Runners ... maybe

My daughter is in 4th grade in elementary school. Her teacher stumbled across this blog and asked me if I would like to come to school and share my passion for trail running with the class and maybe take them out for a little dash through the forest. I happily agreed and then it dawned on me that I should probably be able to share some of the reasons why trail running is awesome and why the children should get into it. The more I thought about my presentation the more I came to realize that the children's reasons for running are vastly different from my own. I personally didn't get seriously into trail running until a few years ago.The kids don't look at running as exercise. It's part of their everyday play along with doing monkey bars, squatting, hiding, bushwhacking, scooting and biking. Too often our adult exercise is highly structured, scheduled and more often then not measured and analyzed. It's the exact opposite of what kids do. Once you take the playful nature of their pursuit out of the equation and turn the run or hike into a structured activity the child's motivation will usually flat line. That's the thing though. If done right trail running can induce the feeling of freedom and playfulness. In essence it should feel like recess. Trail running is my moving meditation at times or my exploration at other times. It's my time to be with myself and work through my everyday issues or just to find the perspective to let go of them. Sometimes it's my time to socialize with friends, explore the mountains or push myself in a competition.

While looking for ways to communicate these feelings I remembered this video featuring Adam Campbell and it really sums up everything I could possibly try to explain to the kids. So I decided to share it along with some personal pictures to hopefully motivate the children to give exercising in nature a second look.

The kids were awesome actually and they were very involved in sharing stories about their favourite places in nature and we found out together that humans are pretty well equipped to run long distances due to the fact that we can cool off by sweating and we have big butts (glutes) to power our strides while running, although these muscles are pretty useless for walking. I would like to tell you that I converted the whole class into nature lovers and explorers, but I am not sure if I managed to reach that lofty goal. That's just the thing with parenting. You never know what will inspire your children and what's essentially just a waste of your time and effort. In the end the best I think I can do is to just keep exposing them to the things I think are worth pursuing and hope some of it sticks with them.

Here are a few of the pictures I shared with the kids with the subtitles indicating the comments to go with them:

I run because I am not very good at other sports.

I will visit the classroom one more time to actually take the children for a run or hike. Maybe that'll inspire a few more of them to choose spending time in nature over spending time in front of the TV or with other electronics.

And if all of this doesn't get them on board maybe the fact that burping and snot rockets are perfectly acceptable during trail runs will. You just never know.

No Ironman - overcoming iron deficiency

Recently I went to the lab to get my blood work done. I figured it would be good to see if I checked all the boxes. The thought was that after about two years on a plant-based diet and with a significant amount of physical activity each week, I should make sure I am not falling short in the nutrition department.

I claim for myself to eat a healthy and balanced diet, but you never know right? Quite frankly I thought all my markers would be stellar and I could just walk around secretly feeling awesome and self righteous for a few days.

The only supplements I take are vitamin D and B12 about 2 or 3 times a week. I pretty much have a big smoothie and a salad everyday and try my best to make them even "awesomerer" by adding some of them highly touted super foods like hemp and chia seeds, ground flax and spirulina algae powder. You get the picture. So I was surprised when my superfoods didn't yield all but super results. My test came back showing an iron deficiency. I was scoring a 5 with the normal range being 15 to something outrageous like 300 ug/l. The blood test showed that all other markers were in a healthy range though including my hemoglobin which is dependent on iron stores. So this was cause for caution not panic.

I am currently trying to get my iron values back to an optimal range with nutrition rather than supplementation, since there are some known issues with digesting iron supplements for many people. In order to make sure I get enough iron from food, I started to investigate good plant sources of iron and factors that influence its absorption. In my case I am afraid the consumption of green tea at or right around meal time is one of the culprits for my deficiency. I found different recommendations for the consumption of coffee and tea around meal time. Some sources recommend as much as avoiding tea or coffee from one hour before until two hours after an iron rich meal in order not to interfere with iron absorption. Since we are generally encouraged to eat smaller meals more frequently, this would make it very difficult for me to continue my green tea drinking habit, which replaced my coffee drinking habit back in the day. Apparently it is the tannic acid in these drinks that is responsible for the inhibition of the iron absorption.  Vitamin C on the other hand makes iron absorption more efficient, so combining Vitamin C rich foods with iron rich foods is highly recommended.

As with everything else there are other factors and more information (some controversial or contradictory) on the things that help or hinder the absorption of plant or non-heme iron. Spinach is a great source of iron for example, but it has oxalic acid which some sources claim hinders its absorption.

Using a cast iron skillet is another way to increase the iron content of the food prepared in it and I have since heard an account of a significant improvement in blood iron levels after starting to use cast iron cookware. What I didn't know when I bought the skillet was the fact that it will need to be seasoned with oil before it is ready to use or else it will start to rust. Here is how it works.

I feel good now, but maybe I can feel better
and stronger with higher iron stores. Intriguing thought.

Here are some good sources of information I found on the subject:

Good overview on the subject
http://veganhealth.org/articles/iron

Good, easy digestible (pun intended) article on iron for vegetarians
http://www.nomeatathlete.com/iron-for-vegetarians/

Good info plus tables with iron and vitamin c rich plants
http://www.bcguidelines.ca/guideline_iron_deficiency.html

I am not a medical professional and this blog entry is no substitute for medical advice.

Does anybody have experience dealing with iron deficiency with or without supplements?

What worked? What didn't?

Running Free-ish

I just finished reading Running Free by Richard Askwith. The author references the ages of running repeatedly throughout the book. Essentially these ages are tied to your motivation to run or exercise. Are you in it to stay healthy, shrink your butt, become faster or to enjoy the sheer joy of running and the connection with nature (the one outside the door as well as human nature). As I was reading the book I had to ask myself what motivates me and I have to say it has to be a combination of the above mentioned factors. There are usually a couple of races a year that I really train for in earnest. I like to pick a target race in spring, because it keeps me honest and focused through the rainy and dark month when hibernating seems oh so tempting. These are the times when training principles like specificity (tailor your training to the demands of the event you are training for) or the 10% rule (don't increase your weekly mileage by more than 10% over the previous week) are somewhere in the back of my head. I might not have a written training schedule, but I do try to follow some cycles of progressively increasing mileage week over week with easier weeks roughly every four weeks. I also want to believe that I have a chance of bettering some of my past race results before focusing entirely on other sources of motivation.

Through much of the summer my focus shifts. Between work, the kids being home from school and holidays I am happy to keep some kind of weekly regimen going. Often times the majority of my workouts will consist of running or biking to and from work. Whenever I do have more than just the odd hour for playing outside I will try and bag some peaks or have some adventures. I love these activities as they motivate me to go out and explore places that I otherwise might not try to get to. These outings offer a welcome change from my regular running routine. The terrain usually requires me to hop, pull, bushwhack, scramble my way to my destination. Split times and pace are pretty useless indicators of performance on those occasions and more often than not I end up with my upper body being sore the next day rather than my legs. The change of scenery and general spirit of adventure of these outing help to keep things fresh and interesting. I am signed up for my third consecutive Frosty Mountain Ultramarathon this September and I intend to keep up that streak. For me it's a great indicator of what kind of fitness my random long run adventure summer routine has left me with.

Another big motivator for me is to meet and share the trails with like-minded people. Especially those long and wet workouts seem to go by a lot faster if you have someone to share them with.

Coming back to the book, the author seems to have the ability to find beauty and joy in each and any of his runs and rambles around his home regardless how grey, cold or wet the conditions. This is one of the things I aim to get better at myself. I'd like to tell you that my regular weekday runs involve gliding along in a meditative state while being totally present and alert to my surroundings. More often than not I start my workout -which I have been looking forward to- just to then be preoccupied with chores, blogging, my next workout or a million other things that pop into my head.

I really want to work on being more in the moment on and off the trail. How so? For starters I will ditch my GPS watch whenever I can (unless I am training of course). I will also incorporate some conscious breathing into my day (you can call it meditation if you like, but for now that's too big of a word for me). Whenever I notice my attention wandering to all the wrong places during a workout I will acknowledge the thought and try to let it go. Now that sounds relatively easy. I don't know if you ever tried though. It sure doesn't come easy to me. The best starting point I can think of is actively focusing on my surroundings rather than the incessant stream of thoughts in my head.

What motivates you and how do you manage to stay present or get in the flow as they say?

Now if you would excuse me, I shall attempt to bag a peak before going to work.
Have fun out there,

Marc

Vegan Secret Supper

With my wife out of town last weekend Daniel was my date for the night and we met at the not so secret location at six o'clock ready for the feast to begin.

This was to be my first secret supper. What is a secret supper you`re asking? It`s an underground restaurant or supper club, which is hosted at somebodies home.

The Vegan Secret Supper used to be a regular occurrence in Vancouver. That was before chef Mérida moved out of the city though. It was also before vegan cuisine and her book were on my radar, so I never made it out to any of the events before.

Daniel and I welcomed ourselves into a nice home already filled with plenty of friendly and hungry people. Although our seats were right next to a huge french patio door it was almost unbearably hot. Thankfully the evening kicked off with a cold watermelon and red pepper gazpacho which was really delicious and refreshing.

I will not go into dissecting the food in detail in this post. I will however say that we enjoyed three more wonderful courses and some good company. My wife and I are proud owners of the Vegan Secret Supper cookbook and we love most of the recipes we have tried so far. Many of them are quite complex though and I can only imagine how long it must have taken to prepare the 4 course dinner for the 25-ish attendees. Especially since everything (including the pasta) was home-made from scratch with seasonal, organic ingredients.

All I have to do now is wait for the email announcement for the next event and hope that my wife and I manage to get two spots for ourselves. And maybe I`ll manage to work on my food photography skills until then too.

Bon Appetit,

Marc

My family went for a trip without me on the weekend and all I did was getting high ...

... to high places that is. Well if you happen to live in Colorado or some other place above the clouds then my high places still seem quite low by comparison, but for a sea level dweller like myself they are the spots that rise above most of the surrounding landscape.

 I summited 9 peaks and worked my way up Helm pass north of Squamish in the light of a full moon in the last 3 days. In my books that's a pretty good weekend of being outdoors.

From Sea to Sky. Peaks as far as the eye can see.

Mountain peaks seen from a distance often seem ginormous, massive and inaccessible, but when you commit yourself to the process of climbing to the top you become aware that they are being conquered like everything else. One step at a time. Now I am not talking about Mt. Everest-esque climbs here. I am no technical climber nor do I aspire to become one. I find it's a good metaphor for life though. I tend to be intimidated by certain projects or events in real life too and if I could just remind myself to break it down to one step at a time, I will be just fine.

Happy Trails,

Marc

10 Reasons to love the Frosty Mountain Ultra

Everybody has their favourite event on the calendar each year and for me that is the  Frosty Mountain Ultra trail race, which has been  held in Manning Park BC since 2008. I will be going back for the 3rd consecutive year this September.

Here are the top ten reasons why I love the Frosty Mountain Ultra (and you can too):

1. Frosty is one of the most scenic courses you'll ever find anywhere with seemingly endless Mountain views. It's wonderful to be in a wild place like this.
2. The location is perfect for either driving in from Vancouver for the day or spending the whole weekend in beautiful Manning Park. The 8 am start time helps with that too.
3. The event has a great grass-root feel about it which I love. It's actually quite amazing how the race director Gottfried and a couple of dozen volunteers are able to pull off a quality event like this.
4. There is absolutely no cell reception in the area, so you will not be able to check your tweets, texts or Facebook as you make your way across the course or reach the finish. Nothing could be more relaxing.
5. My schedule allows me to do a lot of my training during school hours. It's tough for me however to do any kind of structured training in the lead up to the Frosty Mountain race due to the fact that my kids are off school throughout the summer. So there is very little pressure for me to do my best. I just show up and do the best I can with some run commuting, random long runs and peak bagging missions for preparation.
6. Making it to the finish before the veggie burgers run out is a good motivator (legend has it that this has happenend in the past).
7. Any race distance can be humbling, but there is also a realistic chance that you bump into somebody who just completed the Pacific Crest Trail which is a 4270 km trek from Mexico to British Columbia with the northern terminus close to the race start at 20 Minute Lake. Now that really takes self propelled long distance travel to the next level.
8. It's a "Goldilocks" course in terms of technicality. Not too easy, but no crazy ankle eating terrain either. Make no mistake though. There is lots of climbing and descending to be done.
9. It's a great value with the ultra distance costing $ 60 for the early bird registration.
10. There is a challenge for every ability level with a flat and fast 13 km, a one mountain 27 km option and a 50 km two mountain ultra distance.

Don't take my word for it. Check out the Frosty Mountain Ultra homepage and register for this awesome trail race.

See you in September in Manning Park.

Marc

The Workout You'll Love To Hate

I did quite well on my inaugural improvement of the month in May. I learned a lot about creating delicious smoothies in the process  and I have the recipes to prove it.

This month I set out to incorporate more strength and stretching exercises into my routine.
I vowed to strength train at least 2 times a week for a total of at least 90 min per week and stretch at least 3 times a week for a total of at least 60 min per week . I aim to implement this change permanently. So far I have managed to complete 2 strength and 3 stretch sessions per week, I am however not meeting my goal for the total weekly duration of the workouts. It's never easy to implement a new habit and make it stick, but I will keep working at it and maybe make myself a schedule to help me be more consistent.

I have however manged to design a little benchmark workout for myself and I would like to share it with you today. When I used to teach fitness classes a couple of years ago, many of the participants really hated a similar workout that I subjected them to once a month. Others loved to hate it. The reason for that is that it is quite hard, because it falls into the "get it done and get out" category.

So here is my little body weight pyramid workout that I designed:

Aim to complete the entire workout in the least amount of time possible without compromising form and execution of the exercises. Don't worry if you need to rest between exercises or even in the middle of a set at first. Push yourself, but respect where you are at. Remember: You are only competing with yourself. Note or remember which progressions of each exercise you are using and take down your times, so you can gauge your progress over time. As your fitness increases you might come to a point where you are unable to significantly better your time without compromising form and execution of the exercises. If that happens, pick harder progressions of the exercises where available.

• 10 Burpees   harder
• 20 Back Rows    easier: bend your legs   This exercise can be done on most playgrounds, with a sturdy stick between 2 chairs, on a sturdy railing or even using your dinner table
• 30 Push Ups   easier / harder
• 40 Side Bridge (20 on each side) easier / harder
• 50 Single Leg Split Squat (25 on each side)  easier / harder
• 50 Squats harder (forget about the flag - just do squat jumps and try to reach high with both hands)
• 40 Arm Reaches in Plank position (fully extend your arm above your head before returning to plank position - repeat 20 times with each hand) 
• 30 Close Grip Push Ups  easier / harder
• 20 Back Rows with underhand Grip   easier: bend your legs (Palms are facing up / you are pulling the bar towards your abdomen rather than your chest)
• 10 Burpees   harder

I always welcome new ideas for home or outdoor based core and strength workouts or stretching routines. What is your routine? What motivates you?

The Fine Print:

 I strongly recommend that you consult with your physician before beginning any exercise program.
You should be in good physical condition and be able to participate in the exercises described.
I am not a licensed medical care provider and have no expertise in diagnosing, examining, or treating medical conditions of any kind, or in determining the effect of any specific exercise on a medical condition.
You should understand that when participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the possibility of physical injury. If you engage in this exercise or exercise program, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury to yourself, and agree to release and discharge me from any and all claims or causes of action, known or unknown, arising out of performing this exercise program.

In July I will aim to be an UltraVeggie activist.
I will take action by signing petitions, inquiring at companies and in stores about vegan friendly products and choices and generally promote a plant-based conscious lifestyle. I will take action a total of 31 times during July or on average once a day.

Ready, Set, Go!

Marc Schmitz

UltraVeggie Smoothie Awards

For my inaugural improvement of the month I decided to challenge myself with manufacturing 20 new to me smoothie recipes throughout the month of May. I am always interested in improving my nutrition and I reckoned being well versed in the preparation of smoothies is a step in the right direction. Am I a master smoothie maker now? Hardly, but I did learn a lot and have a solid idea of what else I want to try in the future to adapt some of the current recipes to my taste preferences.

Among other things my self imposed smoothie ninja apprenticeship taught me that smoothies are meals. I always kind of scoffed at that idea, but many of the recipes I tried had plenty of wholesome ingredients and made me feel satiated for hours.

I was also quite impressed how many ingredients such as greens, ground flaxseeds or avocado,  you can "hide" in any given recipe without it being too dominant in taste.

I did use some recipes from the internet, borrowed books from the library, followed 2 different smoothie formulas and made some recipes up myself. Some recipes were simple, some more complex, but there are many different ways to end up with a tasty healthy smoothie.

High speed blenders seem to be the talk of the town right now. Throughout this project however my $ 50 department store blender impressed me time and time again. Would a $ 600 machine have produced smoother smoothies? Probably, but as I said I was thoroughly pleased with the results of my entry level machine.

I rated the taste and nutritional value of each smoothie I made on a scale from 1-5 with 5 being the best possible rating. I furthermore decided to double the taste score, because regardless how good the finished product might be for your overall well-being you want it first and foremost to taste good. Therefore the best possible score is 15 points (5 points for taste times 2 plus 5 points for nutritional value). I realize that both values are very individual since everybody's taste, nutritional needs and the perception of the nutritional value of the ingredients will vary.

For an extra boost of protein I used hemp seeds rather than an isolated protein powder. It's up to you to omit this ingredient or substitute your personal favourite protein instead.

Add captionRoad trip without my blender. I had to outsource the smoothie making.Shamrock smoothie at the Glover Street Market in Twisp.

The Awards

Best Smoothie Formula

I found 2 smoothie formulas for my recipes. The formulas are great starting point if you like to experiment, but you are not ready to work without any kind of guidelines.

The winner for this category is the Green Smoothie 101 from simplegreensmoothies.com. It is the more foolproof of the two formulas I used.

At it`s heart is the combination of 2 cups of greens, 2 cups of liquid and 3 cups of fruit, plus added ingredients to supercharge the smoothie.

The best result I achieved so far with the simple green smoothie formula is this:

Green Smoothie 101 Sample

Taste: 3.75 Nutritional Value: 4.5 Total Score: 12

2cups of greens:

1 cup kale
1 cup spinach

2 cups of liquid:
1 cup water
1 cup coconut water

3 cups of fruit:
1/2 avocado
1 kiwi
1 medium sized apple of your choice (I like gala or ambrosia)
1 banana
3/4 cup blueberries

Boost it with:
3 tbsp hemp seeds
1 tbsp ground flax seeds

Start by blending the liquid and the greens, before adding the remaining ingredients.

No Meat Athlete Smoothie Formula Sample

Taste: 4 Nutritional Value: 3.75 Total Score: 11.75

1 soft fruit:
1 banana

2 handfuls of frozen fruit:
2 handfuls of frozen blueberries

2-4 tbsp of protein powder:
3 tbsp of hemp seeds

2 tbsp of binder:
2 tbsp of almond butter

1.5 tbsp of oil:
1.5 tbsp of coconut oil

1.5 cups of liquid:
1.5 cups of almond milk

1 tbsp of sweetener (optional):
1 tbsp of agave syrup

Superfoods , greens and other ingredients:
2 tbsp of cacao nibs
1 tsp of cinnamon

6 ice cubes (optional)

I suggest you use either formula as a guideline until you become confident enough to create your own recipes.

Best 30 Second blenderless Smoothie

Taste: 3 Nutritional Value: 5 Total Score: 11

1 pouch of baby food (banana, blueberry is my favourite, but pick whatever flavor you like)

1 cup of water

1 scoop of Vega One berry flavor

Mix all ingredients in a glass or a shaker bottle.

Tip:

Add the Vega One after the water or else you will have trouble getting the powder on the bottom of your glass to dissolve.

Best Own Creation

UltraVeggie Delight

Taste: 3.75 Nutritional Value: 4.5 Total Score: 12

1 banana

1 medium sized apple of your choice (I like gala or ambrosia)
1 mango
1/2 cup of blueberries
2 tbsp of flax oil
6 ice cubes
3 tbsp of hemp seeds
3 leaves of black kale
1/2 avocado

Just blend and enjoy.

Best Smoothie for Junior UltraVeggies

Taste: 3.75 Nutritional Value: 3.75 Total Score: 11.25

1 1/2 cup strawberries

1 mango

1 banana

3/4 cup of coconut water

6 ice cubes

1 tsp of maple syrup (optional)

Out of the more than 20 smoothie recipes which I tried throughout the month of May this is pretty much the only one that both my kids liked. If you are feeling adventurous try to sneak some ground flax seeds - or other ingredients that boost the nutritional value - into the drink and see if they will still like it.

Bonus Recipe

Angie's Carrot Creation

Taste: 3.75 Nutritional Value: 3.75 Total Score: 11.25

1/2 cup packed shredded carrots

1 mango (we really like mangoes it seems like, we usually use Ataulfo mangoes)

3/4 cup of coconut water

1/2 cup of orange juice
1 tbsp of lemon juice

Just blend and enjoy.

Links to more great Smoothies

Nice Chocolate Avocado Recovery Smoothie
Taste: 4 Nutritional Value: 3.75 (Maybe higher if you have it post workout) Total Score: 11.75

Oh She Glows Green Warrior Protein Smoothie
Taste: 3.75 Nutritional Value: 5 Total Score: 12.5

Oh my Veggies Pineapple Coconut Vitamin C Smootie
Taste: 3.75 Nutritional Value: 4 Total Score: 11.5

Healthy Blender Recipes Vegan Chocolate Spinach Shake
Taste: 4 Nutritional Value: 3.75 Total Score: 11.75

One Green Planet Strawberry Rhubarb Smoothie
Taste: 3.75 Nutritional Value: 4.25 Total Score: 11.75
I used soy milk and a little extra maple syrup.

Here is the look ahead at my upcoming Improvement of the Month projects. I would be thrilled if you felt compelled to join me in my quest for more strength and flexibility staring on June 1st. If you do, let me know about your progress and challenges throughout the month, so we can commiserate ... I mean encourage each other.

June:

I will finally be more consistent about incorporating strength and stretching exercises into my routine.
I vow to strength train at least 2 times a week for a total of at least 90 min per week and stretch at least 3 times a week for a total of at least 60 min per week . Not huge numbers, but I am shooting for consistency here rather than a one time effort. This change shall be implemented permanently. I will share some of the exercises I subject myself to with you on my blog, but I always welcome new ideas for home or outdoor based core and strength workouts or stretching routines.

July:

I will be an UltraVeggie activist this month.
In the month of July I will take action by signing petitions, inquiring at companies and in stores about vegan friendly products and choices and generally promote a plant-based conscious lifestyle. I will take action a total of 31 times during July or on average once a day.

Happy Trails,

Marc Schmitz

UltraVeggie Exchange May 2014 - Recipes

The first UltraVeggie Exchange is in the books. There were 4 of us out for a great 2 hour evening trail run with a recovery smoothie and samples of Andy's coconut butter based endurance fuel waiting for us at the finish line. If you need packable energy for your long runs, this is a great recipe for some homemade fuel. Thanks for sharing, Andy.

Andy's Powerful Coconut Butter Recipe of Ultimate Power

Ingredients

• One 400g bag of unsweetened shredded coconut
• 8-10 pitted dates
• About 3 tbsp coconut oil

Preparation

Turning the shredded coconut into coconut butter is quick and easy. Dump the coconut into your blender (I think you'll need a high powered blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec although I've heard of some food processors working as well.) and blast it on the highest setting for about one minute. First the coconut turns into a thick, dry looking substance but then soon transforms into a nice smooth liquid. You might want to add the coconut oil as it blends to help it along into the liquid stage. Once you've got coconut butter attained, drop in the dates. The amount of date blending is personal preference. Sometimes I like the dates to be a bit chunky and sometimes I like them to be part of the liquid.

In cool weather, coconut butter will solidify so I like to pour it into an ice cube tray. Once it sets I have single serve Coconut Cubes of Power to take with me on my run. Or sometimes I pour it onto a cookie sheet covered in wax paper. Once it sets you can bust it up and have bite sized Coconut Power Wafers. When the weather is hot, the cubes and/or wafers tend to melt in my pocket so I mash a couple up and jam them in a gel flask with a wide mouth (I've had success with a 3oz. GoToob from MEC)... Voila! Coconut Power Gel!

Here's an article on the benefits of coconut butter for endurance athletes and where I got the idea to try fueling with coconut butter... http://ultrapedestrian.blogspot.ca/2014/01/coconut-butter-my-secret-weapon-for.html

Andy's samples looked like white chocolate when we enjoyed them after our run and they were delicious too. The picture below displays the result I attained in my not so high powered blender and food processor. The squares still taste good they just lack a certain smoothness. Maybe I should have started with the melted coconut oil and gradually added the shredded coconut. I will keep experimenting with it. 

UltraVeggie Exchange Recovery Smoothie

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp chia seeds (soak in 1/3 cup of water for about 15 min)
• 1 cup coconut water
• 1 cup frozen pineapple
• 1/2 cup frozen mango
• 1 banana (fresh or frozen)
• 1 handful of spinach
• 2 Tbsp shredded unsulphured coconut
• 1 Tbsp ground flax seeds
• 1 cm grated ginger
• 1 Tsp vanilla extract

Preparation

• Soak the chia seeds in a bowl for about 15 min
• Cut fruit, grate ginger and grind flax seeds if necessary
• Blend all ingredients until smooth

Sun Mountain race report - My first 50 miler

So here I was at the starting line of the 2014 Sun Mountain 50 mile run. The first Rainshadow Running event I would participate in, after hearing so many great things about the organization, the different events and how they are all very awesome and unique. This was also to be my first ever 50 mile race. I wasn't going to have any excuse either if things didn't go so well. I knocked off all my long runs and training weeks as planned. I knew all my gear and had plenty of familiar race food either on me or in both my drop bags along the way. There were two things on my mind leading up to the race though. Would it be hot on race day in the Methow Valley? I hadn't trained much in the heat simply because it was much cooler at home in North Vancouver during my winter and spring training runs. Having to run longer than I ever had before by about 30 Km was also intimidating to say the least.

The morning of the event was cold enough for the water on the side of the road to have frozen over. There was not a cloud in the sky though. Racers would have a chance to experience running in the near freezing cold at the beginning of the race, scorching heat towards the end and everything in between.

If you like single track, wild flowers and wide open spaces you will looooove the Sun Mountain race. The course is advertised as fast with just over 7000 feet of climbing over the 50 mile distance. There are indeed a lot of runable sections in the course (which will leave you knackered due to a lack of change of pace). Beware the finish though. One of the toughest climbs of the race is coming in the last 10 kilometers of the course with the finish line teasingly in sight in the valley.

Events and thoughts throughout the race:

• Sharing the first half hour of the race with James
• Hearing about the lady two places in front of me who allegedly saw a bear and wondering how I could have missed it
• Arriving at the first aid station (at just under 11 kilometers) in about an hour flat and wondering if that might be too fast
• Marveling at the seemingly endless sea of wildflowers and crossing a number of cow gates
• Running by a vastly unimpressed cow in the bush and hearing a bunch more mooing just below
• Sneakily passing Michel as he steps out of line for a moment
• Arriving at the second aid station after about 2 hours and still wondering if my pace should be more conservative
• Catching up to Mike on the first bigger climb and running with him on-again off-again for the next 35 odd kilometers
• Stopping to sit down on a ledge to fix my sock and empty my shoes just as Mike catches up to me again
• Enjoying the energy and help at the 3rd aid station while sorting out the contents of my first drop bag
• Merging with the 50 k runners and being happy to have some more people around me again
• Chatting with Carlie and Mike as we gradually climb and wonder when it might get steep enough to warrant a walking break
• Having to find a bush to enjoy a few minutes of solitude and to work on my isometric squatting
• Keeping it steady until just before the 5th aid station where I run out of fluids
• Receiving an absolute rock star treatment at aid station 5, including a refill of my hydration bladder and bottle
• Realizing 3 minutes later that I was so busy stuffing my pack with the contents of my second drop bag, that I actually forgot to have any food at the aid station
• Wondering if the curled up checkered pile I nearly stepped on was one of them snakes I heard about or just a turd - deciding not to check though
• Trying to convince my stomach that continued food consumption is necessary if continued swift(-ish) forward movement is desired
• Soaking my new favourite race accessory - my arm warmers - at the fountain on sun mountain
• Also feeling smug about keeping my watch covered with the other arm warmer, only checking for time elapsed once at every aid station, at least until after the last aid station (this is a habit I will most likely continue since it keeps me from checking how much time elapsed every 5 minutes)
• Realizing after passing the last aid station that there is one more long steep climb left (should have done my homework better before the race)
• Realizing the climb is longer yet after reaching a pump which I mistook for the peak
• Still keeping it together on the way down the mountain and on the road back to the start finish area
• Coming to the trail that my kids were covering for their 1 k race the day earlier
• Starting to tear up as I realize that I am less than 1 kilometer away from finishing my first 50 mile race
• Crossing the finish line, high fiving James and spending the rest of the day (and most of this week) feeling pretty good about myself

I had the pleasure of spending three nights in Winthrop for the race with my family and friends and I loved the Methow Valley, the vibe and venue of the race, the happy volunteers, the flawless organization and my overall experience. Thank you to everybody who helped to make this event happen and congratulation to all Sun Mountain participants.

This is 2013's official race video, which is pretty much what got me to sign up for the madness in the first place. Once you watch you`ll see why.

Sun Mountain Race from Steven Foreman on Vimeo.

Guest Post: The Value of Perspective

This is a guest post by my friend Daniel. Find him at @lonewolfdisco 

My favourite run commute home from work takes me up the Capilano River, followed by finding my way on top of Grouse Mountain via the BCMC trail. I then get to enjoy a lengthy downhill on my choice of many paths before arriving at my door. On one such run I was mesmerized by Grouse as I crossed Cleveland Dam well below, and I began to envision myself on the steep trail climbing the mountain. I thought, make sure to do the opposite. Remember exactly how magnificent this mountain is from the vantage point below, as each of the many steps up become more strenuous.

In the many areas of our of life that we commit to improve upon, or endure, we have the luxury of changing our perspective. Maybe for you this is training for your first half marathon, or maybe it is eating more vegetables. Maybe you’ve decided, like myself, that working full-time, studying, maintaining a long distance relationship, and training for a 100 mile race qualifies as “balanced”.

Why is perspective important at all? Because we can be our own biggest obstacle. We can fall prey to perfectionism, worthlessness, and feelings of insignificance.

See the forest for the trees

Sure easier said than done, but attempt to remove yourself for a moment when things get tough. Picture yourself moving through the problem from a distance, imagine how less significant it is to others, or to yourself from another angle. Remember what the mountain looked like from afar. I want to emphasize this needn't be a life shattering crisis: with the amassed stress of modern life, making small changes can be overwhelming. Go back to the excitement you felt before you started. Go back to your reason. They will pick you up, they will carry you, they are what you will find when you look within and dig deep. It won't always be easy, but it can't always be hard: every achievement builds momentum. The steps you take today will make you stronger tomorrow.

Give value to your achievements

Pull a bill out of your wallet, and consider that its value is intangible. To some the paper might be more valuable for lighting a fire, however we all agree on what it is worth, and that is what makes it useful. Every single thing you achieve in day/month/year/lifetime can seem petty if you neglect to imbue it with significance. Or you can build up a wealth of currency that is truly your own. The next time you start to come down on yourself for slipping, thank yourself for being an active participant in your life at all. No one falls down standing still. Except me that one time trying to decide which fork in a trail to take, don’t tell anyone. As you advance through each mile of your race, embrace every step it took to get there. Do you eat better than you did a year ago? Can you eat better than you did yesterday? Yes, and go for it, you certainly are able. Your energy is limited, spend it assigning worth to the things you have achieved or can, then you will have less for bemoaning the slips and falls.

Be astonished

If your ancestors could see you, could see the world you live in, they wouldn't believe their senses. Yet it fails to impress us. Perhaps the fault of our own nature for having such a short attention span. Fair enough, but there is a detour. Allow taking responsibility for your own life to blow your mind. Become fully conscious. So many never will, or never even have the chance. The rest of us have silently agreed on waiting for permission to lust for that within the reach of our lives, instead of only that beyond our grasp. Hit pause on your struggle, look up at the stars, and curse out of astonishment. Here we are. No one is going to let you, but they don't need to, and they can't stop you.

These are all steps you can take today, without having to spend a cent loading your cupboards or obtaining gear. There is no obligation. Pick something and start. It won't look as you imagined entirely along the way, but step back, praise yourself, and give in to your instinct that finds this all absolutely incredible.

I want to hear what perspective means to you. How have you adapted to overcome obstacles on the path of being your ultra-self?

-dg

Breaking habits, initiating change and creating the best version of yourself

Individual change and changing habits is highly personal and what worked for me might not necessarily work for everybody.  For full disclosure I have to mention that I am not very good at doing things halfway. Moderation often eludes me, because it opens the door for my mind to negotiate and try to nag and talk me into "just this once, because ... (enter excuse here)".  Therefore quitting something altogether seems easier to me than doing less of it. I discovered though that a few strategies are constant factors in successfully altering my ways.

Don't get cocky

The first time around I managed to quit smoking in 2001 (after having been at it for about 10 years) I lasted for roughly 17 months. My relative success the first time around was largely based on the fact that I took myself by surprise. Managing not to smoke before getting out of bed (yes, seriously), for half a day, a day, a week, a month and then a year made me feel happy and elated. I didn't actually expect myself to be able to quit. In the end I made the mistake to consider it safe to smoke just a couple of cigarettes over some beers with friends. That assumption was very wrong. The biggest take-away lesson from that attempt was to never feel like a bad habit has no power over you anymore.

My idea of a good time back in the days.

Create a clear image of who you aspire to be

After a few failed attempts at quitting I finally managed to kick the smoking habit for good. I signed up for the Vancouver Sun Run. Exactly 3 months prior I smoked my last cigarette and from that point on I considered myself to be officially "in training". Could I have done the same run while still lighting up. Yes, I could. Maybe  a couple of minutes slower, but still. The main point was that I created an image of myself that was incompatible with being sedentary and being a smoker. I was an athlete now and that fact trumped the habit. And we're talking about a 10 km run here. Nothing crazy or extreme. It was not the goal itself, but the decision to strive to be better that helped me succeed. I had made up my mind about becoming healthier and more active.

My idea of a good time nowadays.

Identify your barriers and obstacles

Whenever possible, minimize the influence of people and circumstances that prevent you from creating the best, healthiest, happiest version of yourself. Cherish the people and situations that help you to lead a healthy and happy life. Commit to relentlessly working towards  a more positive self. Ask yourself: "What prevents me  from becoming my best version of myself?" Once you know the answer to that question, you are a big step closer to making a meaningful improvement to your life. Don't get discouraged by failed attempts. Think about what exactly prevents you from succeeding and try to eliminate this particular barrier.

Quitting smoking was the toughest habit for me to break, but there were, and still are, others to be tackled. I dramatically changed my diet and weaned myself off coffee and beer among other personal improvements.

What are the changes that you made or would like to make to your life and how did you manage to do it?

Have a happy healthy week,

Marc Schmitz

My plant powered journey into endurance - The top 5 things I have learned so far

Welcome to the new weekly UltraVeggie blog. If you just happened upon this page feel free to read up on what it's all about.

I had completed a handful of  road races in the past, but my adventure in long distance running began in earnest when I signed up for the Knee Knacker back in 2012. Here is the essence of what I learned during racing and training since then:

1. Keep your nutrition simple

There are a myriad of choices for performance nutrition out there. Many of these products taste overly sweet and artificial though and they also often contain a lot of additives and are basically high fructose corn syrup in disguise. I found that I do just as well if not better on simple plant products such as grapes, raisins, dried fruit and baby food pouches (or homemade pureed fruit or vegetables). On outings longer than 4 hours, such as peak bagging missions, I  will usually also pack a mix of raw nuts and dried fruit and maybe an apple, a banana and a wrap or a sandwich.

If you have more time and energy to invest into your endurance nutrition here are some more ideas:

Chia pudding, which contains dates and soaked cashews as a base and can be modified or amplified with blended fruit, berries, coconut water (instead of water) or even some coconut or MCT oil. There are plenty of recipes out there that can be modified to your liking. The one that I use is loosely based on Brendan Brazier's recipe from Whole Foods to Thrive.

Make your own fruit and nut bars with as much or as little liquid as you like to change the consistency.

My electrolyte drink usually contains:
1/3 water
1/3 coconut water (an excellent source of hydration and electrolytes)
1/3 apple or tart cherry juice
Electrolyte powder or lemon and lime juice and salt to taste

Overall I am trying to stick with all natural, easily digestible foods that provide me with quick energy for my endurance nutrition. At aid stations in races this means choosing fruit or potatoes and water to supplement your own food.

I was able to adhere to this strategy, during my last ultra, the 2014 Diez Vista 50k. I felt really good throughout the race and finished strong, which has traditionally not been my forté.

2. Don't leave your recovery up to chance

Since it is often tricky or even impossible to know beforehand what kind of food will be available at the finish line of a race (or even after a long workout), make sure you have some wholesome choices waiting for you to kick-start your recovery.

3. Don`t go it alone

One of the nice things about endurance sport is that it gives you a lot of freedom in terms of where or when you can practice, but training by yourself all the time can get boring and stale. Try joining a group or finding a few like minded friends to boost your motivation and enjoyment.

Easier said than done? A good place to start is your local running, bike or outdoor store. Check their message boards or website and talk to the staff. There are plenty of local clinics, group rides, runs or other outdoor activities.

In Canada MEC has extensive online event listings and so do Impact and Get Out There magazines. Many local races and events will also host free training sessions. Check what your local Rec Centre has to offer or search the web for Clubs in your area.

Joining Meet Up or Facebook groups can be another good option. Before you know it you will develop a network of workout buddies and friends to share your athletic journey with.

4. Make your post race shower a lot more pleasant by applying the personal lubricant of your choice liberally to all areas prone to chafing

Don't learn this one the hard way. Long, hot and / or rainy workouts can cause chafing in all the wrong places.

I am personally happy with good old Vaseline (although I would love an alternative from a local ethical small batch company), but there are plenty of pricier purpose-designed products available at your local running or bike store if you so desire.

I also noticed that many of my technical garments perform differently depending on conditions such as temperature, rain and humidity.

5. Race

Stay focused and motivated by challenging yourself with a specific event to train for every now and so often. You don't have to be fiercely competitive to sign up for a race. Whether it is a Gran Fondo, an orienteering challenge, a cyclocross race, a local 5k, an ultra, a triathlon or an adventure race. Every event has its unique vibe and meeting other active people and amazing volunteers who give their time to make everybody's day special never fails to make me happy. There also seems to be a special kind of supreme effort that your body reserves for the occasions when you pin on a bib. Compete or just finish, chances are you'll love it.