Change of Shoes: 488 Miles and a Marathon Later

I'm now a marathon runner! Last Sunday I ran to Canada and back at the Detroit Free Press Marathon- pretty cool! I ran 26.2 miles and felt pretty good throughout the whole race. And I met my personal goal to finish within 4 hrs! My final chip time was 3:57:22.  Boom!

That night, I rode around Meijer in the electric shopping cart to purchase some epsom salt while wearing my medal: proof that my legs were sore and I'm not goofing off... Well, I still did a lil' obstacle course through the women's clothes section!

I ran 488 miles in the past 5 months- crazy!  I'm gonna retire my current pair of running shoes now.  And I'm gonna retire to the couch because my right foot hurts...  

Change in Distance: Going for 26.2 miles

It's less than a week before I run my first marathon at the Detroit Free Press Talmer Bank Marathon. It's kind of a big deal for me. I started this running earlier this summer after adventuring towards a raw vegan living foods diet that heightened my energy level. My training has been DIY: I started researching a lot about running, reading forums, watching Youtube videos, and changing my running form from a heal strike to a toe strike- all in effort to get myself to a 26.2 mi race without injury. 

If you don't have Sunday plans yet, I'd def appreciate any support on the course and/or at the finish line- I'm also looking for some photos/video at the finish line if you can help. When I ran the Dexter/A2 1/2 marathon it was pretty awesome to pick out Brad's and my family's cheers near the finish line. 

The marathon race starts @ 7am - Sunday Oct. 16th @ Fort/Cass Downtown Detroit.

My real goal is to finish. But, my estimate/goal is that I'll finish in approx. 4 hours. Since there's about 4,400 participants (in the marathon alone, not to mention the 1/2, 5k, and relay) I may not cross the starting line until about 7:30am. So, I'm guessing I'll be at the finish line around 11:30am, possibly 11am possible 12pm. This guess may not be accurate as I haven't ever trained with a watch.  The overall race ends at 2pm. 

YOU CAN TRACK ME, VERY COOL.

Thanks to technology, you can track my progress during the race (whether you're there or not) with the free Detroit Free Press Marathon app available for iPhone and Android. You'll need my bib number which is 5866. My bib has a little computer chip that tracks with a sensor at each mile marker- crazy! You can search for the app or go to the website to download. 

If you will be there, please send me an email and I will write your name on my arm and run a mile for you. Last time I ran 20 miles, my feet became very sore around mile 19 and I just started yelling while running down the road looking like a lunatic. Who knows, if you come to the race, I could be screaming your name and cheering you on too! 

To help spot me: I'll probably be wearing all bright blue with headband, tank top, and shorts if the weather's good. 

Okay! Lemme know if you'll make it out. Thanks! See ya!

http://www.freepmarathon.com

Change in Taste + Health: I'm a Certified Raw Living Foods Chef!

Citrus Mint Gazpacho.  My own recipe.  Delicious for that hot summer day!

Last weekend I completed my internship at the Creative Health Institute in Union City, MI where I have been transitioning to a raw living foods diet.  I spent 3 months of the summer here and several hours in the kitchen preparing delicious healthy gourmet raw meals, snacks, and desserts.  I've felt a great transformation in my health and energy as a result of this diet, including: increased physical performance with my running, a boosted sex drive, mental clarity, general happiness and more!  I'm now a firm believer that a balanced high raw diet is a critical component for a healthy life.

Receiving my certifications from Master Chef Na Young Anderson.  Na began her journey to raw living foods when she first came to CHI with ovarian cancer in 2009.  Since then, she has healed herself and continues to teach at CHI.

One of my most rewarding experiences in the kitchen was the development of my palette:  My first day, I tried a salad dressing that was prepared and the chef asked me, "What does it need?"  At that time I was pretty clueless. The majority of my food preparation in the past was simple and singular: SPICY.  I still love spicy food, but now I understand the complexity of all the flavors much more: spicy, sweet, bitter, sour, etc. and how different ingredients, herbs, and spices will affect that.  I can now taste a recipe and figure out what it may need to improve itself.  It's so rewarding to add that pinch of this or that from your intuition, taste it, and say, "Much better!"  Since then, I've created several meals just from intuition and taste and people will say, "That was fantastic!  I must have the recipe," and I smile, point to my head and say, "It's up there!"

Raw Vegan Blueberry Banana Crepes with Cashew Frosting.

Aside from flavor and taste, I'm becoming more and more intuitive with the nutrients I eat.  I'll typically eat to nourish my body and not just be full.  I feel more and more connected to what my body needs.  My body has craved both nutrients and junk food during this transition.  I've found my appetite to shrink at times when I was eating nutrient dense raw living foods.  Then my appetite grew tremendously at times since I've been training for a marathon.  I would crave more carbs and fruits.  Then, there were other times when I was able to eat a GREAT amount of junk food, more than I had prior to my transitioning, and STILL not feel full.  That's usually what happens when your body is hungry for nutrients and you give it junk.  It's been a crazy fun experience as I continue to experiment both with my diet and exercise.

Staff, Volunteers, and Guests at Creative Health Institute

As I move towards the future, I'll continue to incorporate the raw living foods lifestyle and share it with those who want to learn.  I may also try working as a personal chef for a few of my family members to get greater experience. I'd also like to travel and perhaps work as a personal chef on a ship!  We'll see!

Wheatgrass Face.  Good for skin.  Taken during my 10 Day Detox.

A quiet night at CHI.

CHI grounds.  Firefly show.  The photo doesn't do justice.

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Now I'm not a nutritionist, but a few tips if you are interested in transitioning to a raw living foods diet:

-RESEARCH.  Read books, websites, watch videos, listen to podcasts on nutrition and the raw living foods lifestyle.  Everyone has a different body type, will experience the diet in their own way, and will need to develop their own personal approach to better health.

-TIME.  The transition takes time.  And unless you're extreme, it will most likely continue to be a transition for a long time.  Judgement and guilt can present itself on the day to day basis:  Say you "slip" and have X food one day and you feel like you blew it... That happens and you shouldn't have any negative feelings about it.  Just remember that you're intention is to improve your health, your working at it, and getting better each day.

-ADD FIRST.  THEN SUBTRACT.  The important thing is to add healthy raw food to your diet.  If you love a particular food, don't subtract it right away.  That approach most likely won't work for you.  As you make progress adding more and more raw, the later steps are to slowly subtract the unhealthy components, perhaps doing less and less quantities until you can do without.  Again, it's a transition.

- DETOXING.  Toxins enter the body through a variety of means: the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe.  The body naturally tries to release toxins through a variety of means: lymph fluid, excrement, urine, sweat.  However, toxins are stored in the body's cells when you consume higher levels of toxins: chemicals in processed foods, pesticides on non-organic foods, unnatural cleaning supplies, etc.  

When you start eating a high raw diet, you're body will detox.  And it will continue to detox throughout eating raw foods.  Detox symptoms can include: irritability, fatigue, headaches, and more.  If you slowly incorporate more raw, you may slowly feel detox symptoms.  

Some suggest doing a rapid detox cleanse such as the detox programs offered at the Creative Health Institute and other centers.  When I did my 10 Day Detox at CHI, I had days of irritability and fatigue.  And I came in as a young rather fit individual with no health conditions.  I did eat meat and dairy, but, I ate a good amount of raw fruits and veggies and tried to avoid processed foods.  I also exercised somewhat regularly.  It wasn't until my 3rd or 4th week on the diet when I experienced my "awakening" of energy.  And it felt great!  I started running everyday and now I'm training for a marathon.

So if you're beginning the transition at an older age, or with a poorer diet, just know that these symptoms are natural and you'll probably experience them more than I did.

Again, I just want to reiterate that I'm not a nutritionist, doctor, or expert.  I'm still transitioning, will continue to do so, while researching and learning more of what I think is a wonderful lifestyle.  I strongly advocate a well balanced raw living foods diet from both my personal experience and some of the miracles I've seen while at the Creative Health Institute, but you must be responsible for your own decisions and perhaps consult experts while doing so.

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!