The Craziest of the Crazies

"100 mile runs — everybody should try them!"

"Yeah, only if you want to die."  Well, die a little bit inside, I suppose.  These runs are truly brutal.  100 miles running around some obscure countryside with only a few other crazy people.  Whatever food you eat tastes horrible, since it is specially concocted for your low energy.  Water does not taste like water anymore; it is more of a slime moving down the back of your throat as you gasp for air.  And your legs!  For God's sake, your legs fall off! 

Well, not entirely.  They hurt, yeah, like hell.  At least that is what everyone says.  On the other hand, ultramarathons usually take place in the world's most stunning places.  Ambling over mountaintops, slopping beside lakes, and watching the night stars twinkle in and out of existence seem to make it all worth the run.  The food isn't too bad, either, according to runner Michael Arnstein, who recently finished 16th overall in the Badwater Ultramarathon in 120 degree heat. 

And get this: all he eats is fruit.  After all, he is "The Fruitarian".

Now try running over twenty back-breaking races a year without even complaining.  That is what Michael does, and then vlogs about it.  So if you think running 100 miles is hard, it is — don't get me wrong.  But this guy does an race of some kind almost every weekend and only eats fruit.  Now this is my kind of hero.  While I really want to follow in his footsteps, baby steps are required first.  Very small, incremental miles, baby steps.

Fruit is amazing running, and all I have to say is it makes you feel 200% better physically and internally with just 0% of the processing of modern-day food.  Keep that in mind, aspiring runners.

This video is of Michael's recent Badwater ultra feat.  Bear with me on this one — I know it's a long video, but it starts to kick up at 2:54.  However, the video gets really interesting at about 7:36, when the uphill climb over two mountains in 120 degree heat really starts to mess with Michael.  Enjoy.

Have fun on your next run!  Remember: anything run is better than what this guy is doing.  I sure know I will be thinking that.

The Cross Country Conundrum

It is considered one of the hardest high school sports — by me at least.

Cross Country, XC, CC: it forces you to push yourself incredibly hard.  The races are 3.1 miles of sprinting over hills in the woods.  Practices are continuous loops of hills over, and over, and over again.  Girls are spiked during the course by other runners passing them.  Those battle scars are almost as bad as collapsing in the final stretch, and girls having to hurdle you (I had to be the hurdler last year).

Yes, courses do sometimes look like this.

In a way, I am so happy this sport is over.  I love running, and it is nice to get outside after school every day.  However, I don't like sprinting six miles for fun.  For me, running is a connection to nature.  I wake up at 5:30 in the morning of the summers, and run into the early morning mist.  Or runs at 9 at night down to the river near my house, which the moon illuminates.

In cross country, I feel like I...miss that.  It disappears somehow—poof—and now I have to spend the post-season trying to find it again.  Long runs on wooded trails and my pre/post-sun workouts are ways I try to enjoy running again.  But by looking back on what I did last year after the season, the best thing to do is...nothing.

Running is known to burn you out.  Most runners purposely take one or two months off during the year, so they don't want to punch someone whenever they run.  While that is almost impossible for me to do because of lacrosse workouts starting the week after the season ends, it doesn't mean I can't take some of the holiday season off.

I would honestly recommend trying this for all you runners out there.  People who overdo it get stress fractures, shin splints, knee and heel problems, and the list goes on.  One boy runner on my team would run 90 mile weeks — until the full-asphalt regiment he was doing gave him a stress fracture in his foot.  He has been on crutches for the past month.  So don't push yourself to that point.  I understand marathoners and ultramarathoners run ridiculously long weeks for training, but just remember to do something that makes you happy when you run.  It will make such a difference.

To Hell and Back

You'd think running a half marathon the second time around would be easier than the first, but that notion was a bit wrong.

Between the insistent pounding my body was getting from wearing Vibram Fivefingers (those funny toe shoes so many hippies wear – not saying that I am one), and the monotonous miles that passed underfoot, the half marathon I ran in Maryland in October was fun, but just with some Hellish bits built in.  Oh – and that little fact I felt like I had been hit by a truck for having a sinus and ear infection; that one I didn't even know about.  But that's what I get, I suppose, when the stress of school catches up with the hundreds of miles cross country season demands of you.

Don't get me wrong!  I love my Fivefingers (yes, I will defend those shoes to the day I die).  I used to run with so many aches and pains, pulls and strains, that I thought nothing would help.  After reading Christopher McDougall's "Born to Run", I was convinced, converted, and completely in love with barefoot running.  I laced up my Vibram Fivefingers, and spent all summer in the US of A and Canada wandering in those shoes.

Half marathons in Fivefingers, though, are a completely different ballgame.  I would never in my life suggest to someone who runs — even serious ones like ultramarathoners — to go out and run an ultra in Fivefingers on her first day in them.  That is just a stupid, stupid idea.  Start out with walking down your driveway and back, and work up from there.  You will feel muscles you didn't even know you had.  And it will be Hell.  How about that, readers — minimalist opinion in a nutshell. Now onto the actual race:

Half marathons are the new iPhone — the thing all Americans are obsessed with, even though some of them don't know why.  For most, training takes months; others go out on a whim and just decide to run 13.1 miles (aka my brother).

During the race, however, those thousands of people running like a flowing stream towards the finish line is beyond inspiring.  Those people triumph up hills and around lakes with you, and by the end, you feel a special connection with your fellow compadres.  Now, the people on the sidelines are the ones who make the race really interesting: the candy handouts, shoutouts to random strangers, high-five lines, and math problems held high on poster boards.  It gives you something to think about during the Heaven and Hell that is a half marathon, but it is even better when Hell has food.

My suggestion on these half-crazy races are this: do it for a reason.   Whether its for a personal achievement, or for a cause, so much good can come out of this running-mania.  I find it absolutely amazing when people are running for others — thousands wearing shirts raising money for the Susan G. Komen For the Cure shirts along other organizations.  There can be an awesome cause waiting for you to raise money for, so make those miles matter.

And run for the sticker.  Cars with 13.1 stickers on them are cool.

There ya go, readers.  I'm trying to switch up this blog a bit.  And to the Canadian readers who seem to be checking in frequently – thank you.  This blog is just getting off the ground, so every bit helps!

The Veggie Cleanse

(recipe below)

From experience, I can tell you all that this is true: vegetables make you feel better.  But even I wouldn't take my word for it.  Scientifically speaking, veggies balance out your digestive, excretory and skeletal systems, your blood pressure levels, as well as many more things.  These juicy little munchers pack a powerful punch of vitamins and carotinoids, which your body needs.  On top of all of this, veggies help your body maintain a healthy weight and keeps your skin and hair healthy.

Veggies are the saving grace for all hard-core athletes.  On top of every little scientific vitamin they procure for your body, they hydrate you above all else.  The Fruitarian, as he is known on YouTube, is an ultrarunner who lives soley on fruits, and the occasional but plentiful vegitables — just take a look in his trunk!

I have eaten a mainly fruits and vegetable diet for the past year, and have lost thirty pounds.  Honestly from the experience of a young adult, veggies are an amazing go-to meal, and they are best grilled!!!



Grilled Veggies

asparagus (salt n' peppered)
peppers (cut in quarters or left whole)
eggplant (sliced very thinly and seasoned slightly)
zucchini (sliced)
sweet potato (sliced)
brussel sprouts (cut in half & salted)



Place veggies on grill and cook until grill marks appear.  Do not overcook!!!!!!  You will know this happens if you end up with a big charred mass.  Keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn!

Dishing the Dirty Deets on Grease

(recipe below)

We all know that grease is bad for you, but why???  Why can't we just enjoy hot dogs, hamburgers, and pizza without all that guilt?

Well, it all comes back to your heart: more grease, otherwise known as saturated fats, causes the arteries supplying blood to your heart or brain to be blocked, which causes a heart attack or stroke.  Every attack that blocks off blood to any part of these organs causes that part to die, and it can never be restored.  After too many heart attacks and strokes, the heart and brain become too weak and receive too little blood.

Where are these "saturated fats" found?  In high-fat meat, high-fat milk and cheese, butter, ice cream, and palm and coconut oils.  However, ALL HOPE IS NOT LOST!  There is a good kind of fat: unsaturated fats.  These can be found in fish, some fruits and vegetables, and cooking oils (olive and vegetable oils).  Unsaturated fats actually lower cholesterol by preventing your arteries from getting clogged.

These fats are so relevant in this recipe because it is of pizza, which usually is negatively associated with grease and unhealthy eating.  This recipe is for a jumble of vegetables over a pizza crust that tastes absolutely amazing, and if fills that "pizza craving" without all of the guilt.


Smorgasbord Pizza

Ingredients:
1 pizza crust (preferably whole wheat)
1 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons pesto
sliced olives
asparagus cut into bite-size segments
cubes of tofu
1/2 cup of cooked quinoa
sliced mushrooms
sliced bell peppers
sprinkling of low-fat mozzarella cheese

Pile on the quinoa!

Turn the oven onto 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Put breadcrumbs on a baking sheet so the pizza does not stick to it, and roll out pizza dough onto the surface.  Brush olive oil onto the rim of the pizza, covering about an inch to two inches around the circumference (or to your preference of crust).  Then, spread the pesto on the inside of the pizza, topping if off with the quinoa.  Next, spread out the olives, asparagus, tofu, mushrooms and peppers all to your liking over the quinoa-pesto base.  To finish, sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the pizza fillings, leaving it off the crust.  Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes.  If the center crust is not cooked through all the way, put it back in the oven for another 3 minutes.


Alot of these measurements depend on how much you like the ingredients.  If you don't like asparagus, don't put it on.  If too much tofu is overkill, tone it down.  These measurements are suggested, and, honestly, I don't even measure out simple toppings such as these.

The Lean Green Health Machine

Kale n' Carrot Fruit Smoothie (recipe below)

People make fun of those who eat healthy.  It's a fact.  They don't understand: "but how can you live without meat?", "doesn't grease taste sooo good though?", and "ew. veggies".  Well, that's because they've never had anything that tastes good, and is healthy.

Smoothies are the go-to feel-good-but-still-remind-you-of-a-milkshake drink.  Usually, they are horrible for you.  Tons of fruit juice with added sugar, fatty yogurt, and, of course, more sugar.

Yogurt doesn't have to be the main component of smoothies.  In fact, it doesn't have to be an ingredient at all.  Cut the yoghurt and ice, add some kale and other veggies, and what you're left with is an incredibly nutritious breakfast.  Hell, kale tastes good with everything...as long as you know what to do with it.  

Kale

You can start preparation the night before, by chopping up any fruit you want, throwing it into a bowl, putting it in the freezer.  Overnight, the water particles within the fruit will freeze, making it unnecessary to add ice in the final smoothie.  I've found that adding ice makes the consistency a lot more watery and sloshy, instead of a semi-thick consistency.


Kale n' Carrot Fruit Smoothie

Ingredients:
1.5 cups of frozen fruit
1 cup fruit juice (any no sugar added, all fruit-juice will do)
1-2 carrots (per preference)
2-3 leaves kale (per preference)
1 banana
extra fruit

Add all of the ingredients into the blender, and blend!  It's as easy as that!  If you want a more green color, add more kale.  As long as you have a good amount of fruit in the smoothie, the kale taste won't come through.  Also, if there is any other fruit you want to add in or supplement, anything will do.  My main suggestion is use frozen fruit, not ice.  It just never tastes the same.