Change in Karma: I Saved a Cat from a Tree and a River

Tonight I was lucky to check off another Life Goal from my Things to Do in Life list:

Save a Cat from a Tree. ... And / or River

[HERE is an article the local newspaper wrote up on it.]

Now that item/goal did not actually exist on my list- which also mainly exists in my head, sometimes forming itself on paper. However, after the experience, it seemed appropriate to add it retrospectively.

Here's the process of events that lead to perfect timing of the universe, the cat, and myself:

- I finish work in the kitchen at CHI and go for an 8 mi run.

- I return from the run, grab water from the kitchen and prepare to make a massive amount of granola for Friday breakfast.

- A volunteer enters the kitchen and invites me to the banya (sauna).

- I put on my bathing suit and head to the banya, putting off the granola for later.

- It's now night time and very dark in the country.

- 2 of the interns are near the banya and river and tell me they hear a crying cat and they intend to save it.

- The other interns shine the flashlight and we deduce that the cat is on the other side of the river but still can't see where its cries are coming from.

- I say, "Well, I'm gonna do the banya and then shower and if it's still there, I'll put on my pants and boots and hike over there to find it."

- I come out of the banya and the interns have found the cat: It's at the very top of the trees hanging over the river, approximately 50+ feet in the air!

- We decide there's no way to climb the tree that high, especially at night.

- The cat starts to move more in the tree as we shine a light on it.

- We think it may try to jump.

- I walk to the end of the dock with some anticipation of the cat falling. I worry about the current and if I'd actually be able to see the cat in the river at dark.

- Cat falls or makes a leap of faith from the tree.

- I immediately jump in the river as cat falls 50+ feet.

- I see the splash and I search for the cat.

- I'm able to catch a glimpse of the cat from the interns flashlight.

- The current brings the cat towards me, I make a clean grab and pull it out of the water.

- I hurry to the dock where the cat jumps from my hands and scurries off into the night.

- No bites or scratches.

- I return to the banya.

Cat Lives = (9 - X) - 1 [X = Lives previously lost]

Lazer's Karma Points = X + 1 [X = Previous karma points. Exact number of points unknown.]

Boom!

Change in Running: My 1st Half Marathon on Raw Food

Look for me with the headband, green tank, and yellow shorts!

I finished the Dexter-Ann Arbor Half Marathon Run this past Sunday, June 5th, 2011!  And I did quite well for my own expectations.

My breathing and body felt great for the entire 13.1 miles and I did it in 1 hour 42 minutes and 18 seconds with an average 7:49 per mile pace.  I only trained for about 2 weeks too!  I attribute a majority of my performance to the excellent diet of 100% raw living foods I've been eating as an intern at CHI.

My results:

Chip Time = 1:42:18

Clock Time = 1:43:34

Pace = 7:49

Overall Place = 375 out of 3137 finishers (Top 12%)

Sex Place = 319 out of 1679 male finishers (Top 19%)

Division Place = 40 out of 100 male, age 20-24 finishers (Top 40%)

Now, I don't really consider myself a runner.  At least yet.  This was my 1st race and I didn't have much time to train or learn about the sport in general.  This was mainly a quick mile marker for me to achieve my goal of finishing a full marathon.  I'll be running the Detroit Marathon October 16th and I'll definitely be training for it.

The goal of a finishing a marathon is important to me because it represents both physical and mental possibilities and restrictions.  There was a time when I thought the idea of running 26 miles was crazy and something I was incapable of.  I still think it's far... But now, I think it is possible.  As I continue to run, I grow stronger physically and mentally.  Those original ideas of restrictions are now changing to possibilities.  And it feels great!

This was my training schedule and some of my diet and prep for the 1/2 marathon:

5/4: 2.5 mi

5/5: 2.5 mi

5/6-5/15:  10 Day Raw Detox at CHI.  Transitioning to Raw diet.  No running, but some Yoga and Rebounding.

5/16-5/22:  Busy as CHI intern in the kitchen.  No running, little exercise.

5/23:  3.5 mi.  I begin to notice a sharp increase in energy for the first time since coming off the raw detox.

5/24:  5.6 mi

5/25:  6.5 mi

5/26:  Some weight lifting and stretching.

5/27:  9.5 mi

5/28:  Rest

5/29:  11 mi.  (My feet were sore, but breathing and muscles felt good.)

5/30:  Some weight lifting and stretching.

5/31:  5 mi.  I notice my left calve is really tight and bothering me a bit.

6/1:  5 mi.  Epsom salt bath in the evening.

6/2:  2.5 mi.  Epsom salt bath in the evening.

Dinner:  I had like 6 fresh garden burgers in lettuce wraps.  (My appetite has definitely increased with all the running.)

6/3 (2 days before race):  Rest.  I had my first colonic.  It was awesome and I felt great and much lighter afterwards.  Epsom salt bath in the evening.  My left calve is feeling better.

Breakfast:  Extra large bowl muesli (chopped almonds, pecans, walnuts, raisins, coconut...) with almond milk.  Banana, blueberries, strawberries, glass of orange juice.

Lunch:  Green energy soup smoothie.

Dinner:  Green energy soup smoothies and salad with sprouts.

6/4 (Day before Race):  Rest.

Breakfast:  Oatmeal, banana, blueberries.

Lunch: Chocolate banana smoothie with raw cacoa, maca, and hemp seed.

Dinner:  Snacked on apples, bananas, strawberries throughout the evening

Evening enema to clean me out so I won't have to take a crap during the race- and it worked :)

6/5:  HALF MARATHON RACE DAY.

Breakfast:  Smoothie (1 banana, 1 carton blueberries, 2 cups goji berries, 2 cups rejuvelac).

Drank 20 oz of rejuvelac prior to race (a fermented sprouted seed drink, high in probiotics).

Bathroom right before race started.  Didn't have to take a bathroom stop during the entire race- my plan worked out!

A few things I learned during the race as a newbie from either my experience or others:

-I shouldn't have worn a 100% cotton tank during the race.  From sweat and the t-shirt rubbing for 13 miles, my nipples were sore afterwards.
-Trim or shave armpit hair more.  13 miles of sweating and arms moving resulted in a bit of underarm rash burn.

-I didn't wear a watch or have a pace watch.  I did the math at each mile marker clock and realized I was keeping a consistent 8:00 pace.

-I would watch people who looked like pretty good runners and keep pace with them for a while.  Sometimes I would notice my breathing was better, or I felt better, so I'd move up.  Continued this throughout the race.

-I didn't know when to pick up my pace... I started speeding up my pace after mile 11.  The end of the race was uphill so I was worried about when to give my full energy.

-I say or think positive affirmations when I run and I repeat them.  Especially during spells when I may feel fatigue.  My favorite one that I learned at CHI and I continue to use is:  "Everyday in Every Way, I'm getting Better, Better, Better, and Better.  Physically, Mentally, Emotionally, and Spiritually."  For running, I sometimes like to switch "Better" to "Stronger."

-I did this race without headphones because they discourage their use on the race website.  I normally run with headphones as it helps me pass the time...  However, there was a lot of stimulation during the race and lack of headphones was no problem.
-I especially enjoy when neighbors are at the street cheering runners on.  I also got a few free high fives from little kids which helped.

-It was great to here family and friends cheer you on near the finish line!

-It was really gross to see that they were serving greasy pizza at the finish line... and that a lot of the runners were eating it... blah!  I went out to lunch with family and had a fruit salad and veggie salad. 

Thanks to my family and friends who were able to support me at the finish line!  It helped a lot!  Also thanks to my sister and brother-in-law for the photos!

I'll keep ya updated on my training and diet for the Detroit marathon.  Raw living foods baby!

The Creative Health Institute (CHI): What is it?

Creative Health Institute, 112 W. Union City Rd, Union City, MI 49094

What is this Creative Health Institute (CHI) place that I've been interning at for a month now?

Well first, our mission statement:

Our commitment is to inspire every participant in our program to live a transformed life of superb health and well-being and to enroll others in sharing our vision.

CHI teaches health and wellness through the raw living foods philosophy as originated by the late Dr. Ann Wigmore.  The core ingredients to the lifestyle are super nutritious young organic greens, fruits, sprouted nuts and seeds, fermented foods, and dehydrated foods.  The importance of living foods lies in the enzymes that assist in digestion so that the body can properly absorb the nutritious foods it takes in.  When food is cooked above 110 degrees, those enzymes start to break down and we lose a majority of the food's nutritional value.  The three most important foods of the Wigmore program are rejuvelac (a fermented sprouted seed drink), energy soup, and wheat grass juice.

Along with nutrition, the Wigmore program believes in proper digestion, assimilation, elimination.  At CHI, we eat a lot of pre-digestive foods such as blended foods and we take the time to chew our food well to aid digestion and assimilation.  We practice proper food combining and we eat foods like sprouts that are rich in enzymes to support digestion.  We do lymphatic exercises, skin brushing, and enemas for elimination of toxins that are absorbed by the body via food, air, skin (soaps, detergents, etc.)

[Yes, you heard me right: I do enemas now.  Yikes!  I was nervous at first, but they're easy and you feel great after them.  Enemas we're historically the natural way to aid digestive problems and support a healthy colon... then I don't know what happened... people became uncomfortable talking about poop and thought it's better to take digestive drugs.  More on this some other time.]

CHI offers several programs:

-10 Day Detox/Rebuild Program

-10 Day Detox/Rebuild Program - Weight Loss

-5 Day Detox/Rebuild Program

-5 Day Detox/Rebuild Program - Weight Loss

-Juice Fast

-Raw Chef 1, 2, 3

At CHI, we believe the body is wonderful and self-healing.  By eating nutritious raw living foods, you support and build your immune system to fight disease.  Participants young and old come to CHI to heal health conditions such as diabetes, cancer, obesity, and more... While some attend to continue to maintain their health with the self-healing tools we teach.  Many of the guest teachers here are passionate volunteers who attended CHI in the past and healed themselves of major health issues like cancer.  A lot of miracles happen in the world of living foods!

As an intern, I've taken the 10 Day Detox program.  Afterwards, I've been working in the kitchen and juicing wheatgrass.  I'll be working in the grow room soon enough too.  It's a lot of work, so it's sometimes tough to keep up with posts.  I'm still really new to the raw living foods lifestyle so I'll be posting information as I learn it.  Feel free to comment if I say something inaccurate.

Here are some photos of the lovely environment surrounded by farm country:

Russian Banya (Sauna) on left.  You can jump in the river after, only 10 ft away.

Future garden.

The grow room.  Lots of wheatgrass!

The intern house.