The 2011 Lead Strong Half-Marathon (Final Update)

     Half-marathon...completed! As of right now the unofficial time is around 2 hours and 8 minutes. My goal was to get as close to two hours as possible so I'm pleased with the result. I couldn't have asked for a nicer day to do this and I also couldn't have asked for a nicer group of people to share the experience with.

     My day started at 6:30 this morning. I made sure to drink as much water as possible to rehydrate myself, ate a banana, and began stretching. I met the other graduate students that were running with me and we drove to the trail head. Upon arrival we went to check-in, were greeted by event organizers, got a free t-shirt, and I began to loosen up again. The purpose of the event was to raise money for Maggie's Light, a Maryland based non-profit that helps families with special needs children and young adults. It was at the check-in that we were informed that over $5,000 was raised for the Maggie's Light charity. Not too shabby.

    At 9:30 it was race time. The group gathered and the race was on. I started off feeling great. I felt strong, hydrated, and my breathing was slow. I had to work my way through the crowd a little and then I just calmed myself, started humming the song "Grounds for Divorce" by the greatest band in the world "Elbow", and lost myself in the scenery. The trail was beautiful. The entire NCR trail is situated inside the Gunpowder Falls State Park so there were plenty of streams to admire and various forms of wildlife scurrying around.

     Honestly, I haven't felt that great while running in a few weeks so I knew right then that I was going to finish this thing. I felt well prepared. I had a comfortable pace and didn't feel tired at all until mile 9. Nine miles is the longest I had ever ran so from this point on I was trekking through new territory. At 9 miles my legs started to feel very heavy. My cardio was still strong but my legs were giving out. I decided to walk to a point in the trail up ahead and begin running again. I passed a water station where volunteers hand out water, Gatorade, and these performance jelly beans called Sports Beans. I opted for a drink of Gatorade but wouldn't you know it...it was orange flavored. Yuck! I thus spent the next quarter mile trying to get the taste of orange flavored Gatorade out of my mouth. I want to make it clear that Lemon-Lime is the only flavor of Gatorade worth drinking.

     I pass mile 10, and it was at this point that I knew I had to run/walk the rest of the way. My legs were getting way too stiff to maintain a running pace no matter how much I wanted. Run/walk, run/walk, run/walk. It was around mile 11 that I began to experience a runner's high. I've felt the runner's high before, usually after every run to some extent, but I have never felt it during an actual run. It was strange. I was running, feeling great, and I honestly didn't care about my 2 hour goal anymore. I didn't care about much of anything. I felt completely relaxed and at peace. But, I was in a race after all! I picked up my pace.

     Mile 12 went by and then just out of the blue, I saw a crowd of people. I saw the finish line. I picked up my pace and went into a full sprint. As I got closer to the finish line I saw a timer slowly ticking away with the time 2 hours, 8 minutes, and some change. I had gotten pretty close to my goal and had a huge smile on my face. There was a professional photographer at the finish line. I hope he got my picture.

     So, this is the end of a journey. I'm a little sad that it's over honestly. I worked hard for a long time. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do this. I never thought I would run in any sort of race and I've done two in less than a year. Not bad for a guy who couldn't complete the Presidential Fitness mile run in school. Now...on to the next adventure.

 

 

The 2011 Lead Strong Half-Marathon (Update)

     Race day is this Saturday and if you want the honest truth...I'm extremely nervous. My last run (this last Sunday) didn't go very well. In fact, since I began following the running plan, this is the only run that I wasn't able to complete. Now, I shouldn't be that hard on myself. The running plan called for a 10 mile run while I only ran 9 so all in all my performance wasn't that bad. Still, I started to question my ability to run a full 13.1 miles on race day and I have never questioned myself before.

     There were a few things going against me this last Sunday. The weather was absolutely fantastic and it was most likely the nicest day I've had during my runs. On the other hand, it was also the hottest day. The morning temps were already in the 80's and since I didn't plan accordingly I became extremely dehydrated, which also has never happened before. Also, since I felt nostalgic that morning for some reason, I decided to wear an old pair of running shoes and it didn't take me long to remember why I bought new shoes in the first place. I had a blister on my left foot that was so large it looked like I had a sixth toe!

     Additionally, I've been having pain in my left foot since the last run ended. I've been icing it down in the evening and I'm happy to say that as of right now I am pain free. I believe the foot pain was preventable. I haven't been stretching as much as I should. I've learned my lesson now.

All of these are excuses....I know.

     But, I just went for a short run and I feel great....again. I feel ready for the race. I've mentioned before that I plan to cut back to three days of running once the race is over and I will pick up another day of lifting weights. Until then...my next running related blog post will be this Saturday after the race. See you then.

Take care of yourself and each other...

  

Tasty Tuesday!

Curried Chickpeas and Quinoa

     Wow, two Tasty Tuesday blog posts in a row...I've been lazy. My list of things I need to blog about is getting longer by the day but my actual posts are getting fewer and fewer. That will have change soon. Anyway, this week I bring you an easy, quick, and healthy recipe courtesy of the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen, one of the bazillion food blogs that I normally follow.

     While I haven't made the jump to vegan I did switch to being a vegetarian without even realizing it. If that is a permanent switch remains to be seen but vegetarian food is all I have been consuming lately. Vegetarian/vegan cooking is on the increasingly long "to blog about" list so I think I will save those details for a later date but in the meantime enjoy this recipe. I was really surprised how great it turned out.

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas
• 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder (or adjust to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• salt to taste

1. Heat a medium-sized sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and season with salt and cook, stirring, until onions soften. Add garlic and ginger and cook for another minute.
2. Add the chickpeas, curry powder, and red pepper, and stir briefly. Add the tomatoes and cooked quinoa (for a recipe on how to cook quinoa properly click here), reduce heat to low, and cover. Simmer for about 10 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Add salt to taste.
3. Serve in wraps, pita bread, lettuce leaves or with naan. I chose whole wheat tortillas because I had those handy. I also added fresh spinach I picked that day from the Towson University Urban Farm.

Add 1 1/4 cups of water to 1 cup of quinoa. Cook on the lowest setting possible until the liquid is absorbed.

Sautee the diced onion in a little olive oil

Add the garlic and ginger.

Add the chickpeas, curry powder, and cayenne.

Add the cooked quinoa and tomatoes!

Take care of yourself and each other...

Tasty Tuesday!

Spicy Black Bean Soup with Lime and Cilantro

     Spring weather is sort of coming to Maryland. There is some confusion though. One day will be in the 70's or 80's and then the next day it will be 50 degrees! I'm tired of waiting. Since the weather is still cold I was craving soup (which is typically a cold weather dish) but we are supposedly knee deep in spring so I also wanted a few tastes of warm weather at the same time. Enter the Spicy Black Bean Soup with Lime and Cilantro. Black beans, lime, cilantro, all warm weather type foods....in soup form! The best of both screwed up weather pattern worlds.

     This is a really quick soup. One you can make in about 15 minutes or less. This is also a really light soup with a small serving suggestion so it isn't really something you would want to serve at a pot luck. Oh, and don't be fooled by the name. It really isn't that spicy. Plus, the spice and yogurt compliment each other nicely so don't be a wimp and leave the jalapeño out. Enjoy!

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped rough
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped rough
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 cups cooked black beans (roughly 1 can plus a little extra for garnish)
• 2 cups fat free low sodium chicken stock
• Lime juice, to taste
• 1/4 cup plain non-fat Greek-style yogurt
• 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro

1. Heat a large pot over medium high heat. Add the oil and sweat the onion for 1 minute.

        

    2.  Add the garlic, jalapeño, and cumin and continue cooking for 1 minute.

                          

  3. Add the beans, chicken stock, and cream and bring to the simmer. Let simmer for 5 minutes and transfer soup to a blender. Working in batches, puree the soup until you reach the desired consistency. I kept mine slightly chunky with the beans still relatively intact. Return to a medium saucepot on medium heat.

                       

  4. Season the soup to taste with salt, pepper, and lime juice.                        

  5. Ladle the soup into serving bowls, drizzle some yogurt over the soup and garnish with the chopped cilantro and remaining black beans.

Cut the onion into small chunks. You don't have to finely dice it. It's eventually going into a blender.

Chop the jalapeño and garlic using your sweet Santoku knife

The mighty jalapeño...I'm unfazed.

Add the chicken stock to the pot

Add the beans.

Add the soup to the blender and pulse until the mixture reaches the desired consistency

Take care of yourself and each other.

The 2011 Lead Strong Half-Marathon (Update)

     Just a quick update! I completed 9 miles yesterday. 9 miles!!! I'm not going to lie though. This was a really tough 9 miles for me. My energy wasn't as high as in previous runs, I had trouble relaxing and putting my mind at ease, and to add to my problems I wore the wrong socks and ended up with a bloody ankle. You would think that after all these runs I would know the proper socks to wear running but...nope. Lesson learned.

     I'm beginning to think that I need to make some changes to my diet. I have a fairly healthy diet as it is but I'm not sure if I have the "runners diet". Maybe I should start looking into more carbohydrate rich but still healthy meals for the next week. The race is in less than 2 weeks. I have a 10 mile run scheduled for next Saturday and the Saturday after that is race day. I'm looking forward to it. I've trained for a long time and I'm ready to cut back on the amount of days I run. I definitely want to keep doing the long distance weekend runs but maybe only run 3 days a week instead of 4. We'll see. Be well everybody!

Take care of yourself and each other...

Activity Hour at the Ronald McDonald House of Baltimore

     This is a re-post from my other blog, The Towson University Urban Farm. Volunteering at the Ronald McDonald house was a rewarding experience, as most volunteering opportunities usually are. I hope you like the post and I hope you feel inspired to help those who are experiencing trying times. I hope you also appreciate your good health (both physically and emotionally). Don't take it for granted. It could be here today and literally gone tomorrow. Lastly, I hope you use your time wisely. Is today the day you are going to write about in your memoir? Cliche, I know. But, think about it.

     The Towson University Urban Farm isn’t all about growing vegetables. One of our main purposes is community service and this last Friday we spent some time with the kids at the local Ronald McDonald house. The Ronald McDonald House Charity provides access to health care for children and their families. They also provide housing for families who are seeking medical care away from home. The charity largely operates on donations and from the hard work of volunteers.

     Every evening groups of volunteers cook meals for the families residing at the Ronald McDonald house and then afterward there is an activity hour. Members of the Towson University Urban Farm volunteered to orchestrate Friday’s activity hour and provide a few hours of fun activities. The main project of the night was painting flower pots and planting sunflowers for the children to keep or to give as gifts. We also made flowers using colorful sheets of paper and pipe cleaners as stems.

     The activities went over very well but it was also evident that the children and families currently staying at the Ronald McDonald house appreciated having someone to talk to. At times the best gift one can give is a listening ear. If you would like to learn more about the Ronald McDonald House Charity or volunteer in your area please visit the Ronald McDonald House Charity Website.   

Tasty Tuesday!

Hummus

     One of my favorite things to eat is hummus but my hummus habit was costing me big time! It is so expensive for some reason. I can never figure out why. Hummus has only few inexpensive ingredients and is also really simple to make your own. I usually have some on hand at all times and there is no end to the different varieties you can make or recipes you can use it in. So stop wasting your money and make your own. This recipe won't cost you $6.99 for a 10 oz. container.

     The most expensive and perhaps hard to find item required for this recipe is Tahini. Tahini is basically a sesame paste that will give the hummus a nutty flavor. I buy mine at the local Indian market for $5.99 a jar. When you only use 2 tablespoons every time you make hummus it lasts a long time. If you can't find it just go without it. The flavor will be a little different but it will still be worth it. I promise. There really is no limit to how many varieties of hummus you can make. I've made hummus using sun dried tomatoes, jalapeños, cilantro, roast garlic, etc. This is just a basic recipe so find what you like and start experimenting. Enjoy!

• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of tahini 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• garlic (I used 3 cloves but is there such a thing as too much?)
• 1 15 oz. can of chick peas (garbanzo beans) drained with liquid reserved
• spices (your choice) For this recipe I used cumin, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes

1. Add all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. You may need to add a little of the reserved liquid to attain the proper smoothness. Not too much though. You don't want runny hummus!

2. Refrigerate for at least an hour afterward. The longer you wait the more the flavors will stand out. To serve, drizzle with a little olive oil if desired. It's that easy!

Assemble the ingredients! 

Putting the garlic in the blender using my sweet Santoku knife

Add a little of the reserved liquid to make the hummus smooth

Take care of yourself and each other.

Earthworm Assisted Composting (a.k.a. Vermaculture)

     So I've been saying for years that I wanted to start composting. A few weeks ago a friend of mine told me about the wonderful world of vermaculture or earthworm assisted composting. Using earthworms to help with composting seems to expedite the process of breaking down food and provides you with a high grade compost to use in your garden.

     With the additional help of a few internet videos I made it my mission to get a vermaculture bin started and I would like to share it with you. If you have a garden or potted plants this is a great way to dispose of food scraps and in turn obtain highly nutritious plant food. Additionally, as the worms begin to break down the food, liquid called "worm tea" will build up and collect in your bin. This liquid is a fantastic fertilizer and can be used in your garden as well. Most sources say that it is also "very powerful" and should be diluted with water before you use it.

     For this project you will need two sturdy plastic bins (I used two 10 gallon bins but a smaller size will do just as well), old newspaper with soy based ink, a drill or other device to create air holes, approximately 60 earthworms (two containers), and water. Certain species of earthworm work better than others. Most sites suggest the red wiggler worms and recommend against night crawlers but I am using trout worms which seem to fair very well. Worms are usually sold at sports supply stores or even farmer's markets. As for the newspaper make sure you find some with soy based ink. Most national newspapers use soy based inks so that shouldn't be hard to find. In total I only spent about $15 to create my bin. Happy composting!

     Biologists note: When you decide to use the compost produced by your vermaculture bin in your garden it will probably be best to keep all worms in your bin and out of the garden. The earthworm species sold at your local bait store may be non-native and shouldn't be introduced into the environment.

Step 1: Stack your two plastic bins inside of one another and use a drill to poke air holes in the top bin. You also need to drill holes in the bottom of the top bin so the "worm tea" can drain through and collect in the bottom bin.

Step 2: Tear your newspaper into strips. You want to use enough paper to create a bed for your earthworms.

Step 3: Using a watering jug dampen the newspaper. It is important to only dampen the paper slightly. You don't want to have puddles.

Step 4: Add your food scraps. I have a couple of organic banana peels, some greens, bits of carrot, and some old bread. As with regular composting, you DO NOT want to add any dairy or meat to your composting bin. This could introduce unwanted bacteria to your compost.

Step 5: Add the earthworms right onto the food scraps and damp newspaper.

Step 6: Using a whole sheet of newspaper, cover your worms and food scraps. Dampen the top layer of newspaper. Remember: you want moist paper, no puddles. When it comes time to add more food scraps just lift one side of the paper, deposit the scraps, lift the other side of the paper, and deposit scraps on the opposite side. That's it!

 Just for reference this is the brand of worms I used.

Take care of yourself and each other.

The 2011 Lead Strong Half-Marathon (Update)

     8 miles....no problem! When I was little I remember seeing a commercial on television about insurance of some kind. I don't remember many of the details but one part of the commercial has remained in my memory. This scene was of an insurance agent carrying a microphone interviewing different people and he begins to interview an older smiling couple who are energetically jogging on a city street. He's running along, slightly winded, probably asking them if they were happy with their current insurance plans. He then asks them how far they are planning to run that day, as if to hint at the fact that he won't be able to keep up. "8 miles!", they say. The insurance agent begins to slow, doubles over, and with hands on his knees and gasping for breath he says, "Yeah, uh....yeah, I'll just meet you back here."
  
     The reason this particular commercial has stuck with me this long is because I remember thinking, why in the hell would anyone want or need to run 8 miles??? Now I've done it. I obviously know that the "couple" may not have been a couple at all and probably only ran a few feet in order to film the commercial but I can't help but compare myself to them in some way. Since I began running seriously I too have felt more energetic and happier. Funny how that happens.

I only have 2 more weeks of training until race day. I'm running 9 miles next Saturday and 10 miles the following Saturday. I feel like I'm ready...

Take care of yourself and each other.

Towson University Urban Farm

    I'm pulling double blogging duty now! A few posts back I mentioned that I am a member of the urban farm/community garden at my University. The experience has been incredibly rewarding so far and has increased my agricultural knowledge.While my own seedlings continue to grow in the University greenhouse the seedlings for the Urban Farm are growing only a few feet away. Soon, my seedlings will go into the ground of my front yard (hopefully this weekend) and the community garden seedlings will live out the rest of their ephemeral lives soaking up water and sunshine on the campus farm.

     In an effort to promote the latest events taking place in the Towson University Urban Farm a blog was created during last year's growing season and I have just posted my first blog entry. Check it out here: Towson University Urban Farm. Read all about our new Rainwater Catchment System (pictured above) that was recently constructed by a crew of very enthusiastic urban farmers (including myself: pictured on the right). We at the Farm hope to continue our mission of growing healthy food for the community in a sustainable way.

Take care of yourself and each other!
  

Tasty Tuesday! Dining Out Edition!

     Unfortunately being a poor grad student doesn't allow for much opportunity for fine dining or eating at restaurants. However, when I do get the chance I always try to enjoy the experience with a few friends. This past Thursday I went to eat at one of my favorite area restaurants, Zaytoun Bistro, with my two friends John and Khal. Zaytoun Bistro (or Zaytoun's for short) is a local family owned and operated Middle Eastern restaurant located in the corner of a very unassuming office building. Sure the location isn't great but the food more than makes up for that. If you aren't familiar with Middle Eastern food all I can say is....that's a shame. Find an authentic restaurant in your area ASAP.   

     Middle Eastern food is quite diverse but relies on very similar regional staples, olives, olive oil, grains, tahini, and beans such as the chick pea. The diet itself is known to be very healthy, rich in good mono and polyunsaturated fats which are proven to reduce heart disease. The foods can be a little heavy on the carbohydrates though so if you're trying to lose weight try to enjoy them in moderation.

     Hummus with Pita. One of my favorite dishes, Dolma, in the background

Fuul (or Fūl) fava bean, olive oil, parsley, garlic, and lemon juice and Labneh (a yogurt dish) in the background

One of the best falafel sandwiches I've ever had.

Eat up everyone!

Take care of yourself and each other!

The 2011 Lead Strong Half-Marathon (Update)

     7 miles.....demolished! It's only a few weeks before my half-marathon on April 30th so my practice runs are getting longer and longer. This week, I completed 7 miles without stopping! The weather wasn't ideal, high 30's, overcast, and light rain at times, but that wasn't going to hold me back. I was joined this week by two friends and also half-marathon participants. All those weeks of running alone were great. It was a perfect time to clear my head and focus on the important things in life but having others to share the experience of distance running with was a welcome change. 

     I've faltered a little the past week when it comes to my training. I only had the chance to run 2 out of the 4 days but luckily my endurance hasn't suffered. The training schedule is demanding more of my time with these longer runs but I'll just have to make the time! No excuses! It is always possible to find at least 1 hour out of the day to be active or complete a run.

Me, John, and Khal post-run

Take care of yourself and each other.