Eats: Minnesota Winter Chili

My in-laws bought me the book Eat and Run by Scott Jurek. I finished before the end of Christmas break. I loved every word of it. Scott details his journey from being a child raised in rural Minnesota whose food consisted of what they could hunt, fish, and grow to becoming a bad ass Ultra-Marathoner who also happens to be a vegan. Each chapter ends with a vegan recipe as well as running/ultra-marathon tips. One of these recipes is the Minnesota Winter Chili which he in turn got from the Moosewood Cook book (which I subsequently bought). Its delicious and an easy vegan recipe that will appeal to the masses. I've made it twice and have single portions frozen for a quick weeknight dinner or weekend lunch. I've tweeked the recipe simply because I can never manage to actually buy all of the ingredients required for a recipe. I guess this is making me a better home cook. Usually, I solve my missing ingredient problem my sniffing spices until one smells somewhat similar, pick a spice that begins with the same letter, or make up some logical substitution. This usually works, although my first batch was very spicy since I used Red Cayenne Pepper in lieu of Chili Powder.

Minnesota Winter Chili

Ingredients (lots of veggies):

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil or olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 8–10 medium mushrooms, finely chopped (I bought a giant jar of dehydrated mushrooms from Costco)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped green bell pepper (Yellow also works)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup finely chopped carrots
• 1 jalapeño pepper or other hot pepper, seeded and minced (optional)
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 2 tablespoons chili powder, or to taste (I used Cayenne Pepper and last time Turmeric which I really liked)
• 2 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 15-ounce can tomato purée (I sub'ed 1 tbsp of Tomato Paste and a little can of sauce. I imagine that's how you get puree)
• 1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained
• 1 15-ounce can red beans, drained (Pinto beans for us)
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup dry bulgur wheat
• Hot sauce or cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro, for garnish

Directions:

1. Add oil to pot. Saute all veggies and spices through the Black pepper over Medium to Medium-High heat for about 10 minutes or until tender. Add water if veggies start to stick.
2. Add remaining ingredients except cilantro. Simmer over Med-Low heat covered for 30 minutes. Uncover and stir. Recover and continue to simmer for an additional 20-30 minutes until veggies are cooked through.
3. Serve with cilantro and other spices if you like. Jon always add Frank's. He puts that shit on everything. Freeze left overs.

Bon Apetit!

TOD 1/29/2013

Morning: 3.4 mile glorious trail run. Seriously, this morning's run was amazing. Perfect weather and perfect trail conditions. Day dreamed about it all day.

Evening: Go Native Fit

Stoned at High Noon

Today was our first Spartan Training Sunday Funday. The idea came from a fellow Spartan who posted a WOD event. I took his layout and added an uphill sprint to make things a bit more interesting. The best part of this work out is that you can do it without expensive equipment. Find a rock or a cinder block or a log or make a brick out of sand, garbage bags, and duct tape. The only time I really use my scale is to weigh my equipment. Simply step on scale and then step on scale with your friend.

 

The TOD is as follows:

Clean, Press, Slam x 15

Uphill sprint, jog/walk down

20 Burpees

Uphill sprint, jog/walk down

15 Chest Throws

 

Repeat 3-5 times

 

That's it. Pretty easy. Sike. Not pretty easy at all. Actually, pretty grueling especially with the work we did at Go Native yesterday morning. However, it was lots of fun. And it turns out, I'm not the only person who can't count. All three of us couldn't keep track of our reps. I'm sure it had nothing to do with all of the chatting.

 

 

 

Saturday TOD:

Go Native Fit

3.5 mile evening road run

 

Sunday TOD:

1 hour of cleaning with weight vest

Stoned at High Noon

1.5 hours of more cleaning with weight vest on

3.5 mile cold, rainy evening road run

 

Definitely earned tomorrow's rest day.

 

If you would like to join us for a Sunday Funday, hit me up on Facebook. I can add you to the Team Shut It Down group page where I will orchestrate all of the events. Next week we're going to Nippert Stadium in lieu of Super Bowl Sunday.

 

 

 

 



 

 

A Woman and her Weight

This morning was the first time I can honestly say my teeth were cold. The temperature was 22 degrees plus it was windy with flurries. My nasal passage was frozen. My counting pennies were sticking to my bumper. But I couldn't resist getting out on my hill with my new weight vest. (Yeah, not a post about a woman obsessing over the scale. That's just silly).

Finally, I found a 30lb vest for women. Its small and doesn't squish the little bit of boobs that I have. It fits my torso and I have mobility in my shoulders. Best of all, its snug. My men's vest is way too big and is only good for running up hills. Not good for squats, burpees, push ups, and all that other good stuff. I fully anticipate a long, lasting relationship with my new vest. We'll clean the house together. Maybe even do some shopping? I can only imagine the stares I would get cruising through Costco outfitted in my weight vest. I'd probably get tackled by security as a matter of national security. Actually, now that I think about it, pushing a loaded cart with my weight vest on dodging security sounds like great Spartan training. Hmmm.....

So its a V-Max Women's 30lb vest. The individual weights are 2.5 lbs and can be removed. If your goal is to eventually tote around an extra 30 lbs without eating McDonalds everyday, you should get the 30lber. You can remove the weights to adjust to a lighter vest, and add them back as you build strength. I bought my vest from APT-Pro Lifting Gear. I found a discount code for 15% off which basically covered the cost of shipping. I also added the heavy duty hanger to store it. Of course, once it delivered I realized I'm going to have to find a place to actually hang a 30lb vest. Jon says I should be able to hang it in my closet near the wall support, but I'm scared to death of my closet falling apart. In the mean time, its being stored on the backseat of my car ready for action at any moment.

For reference: I am 5'8" and about 138 lbs.

The Men's vest

TOD:
8 hill sprints with snazzy, new vest
1/2 trail loop with Roclite 275 GTX including product testing (right foot remained dry despite going through the ice in the creek bed)

Total Distance: 2.6 miles
Total Time: 45 minutes

Trailroc'in in the House Tonight

This song has been stuck in my head since this morning's test drive of my Inov8 Trailroc 245's. I mean they are pretty sweet looking and definitely dope enough for some serious partying or running on the trails.

After failing with the Inov8 X-Talon's 190's and Inov8 Roclite 268's, and emailing Inov8 with my concern over their selection of trail shoes for folks with wide feet, I thought I'd try out the Trailroc 245's. I originally did not order them because of the description of the terrain they are good for: 'Loose, rugged, eroded trails.' Nothing like the soft dirt of the Midwest. I also ordered the Terrafly 277's which I will write about at a later date. They fit, but I need to get one size smaller. I made a chart of the different Inov8's I have tried highlighting key features and differences that I found. Why a chart? Because I'm an Excel junkie. You should have seen my wedding planning worksheets. I'll break down each category and my madness.

Shoe	Fit	Upper construction	Differential	Terrain
Roclite 275 GTX (8)*	Comfort, Womens	Mesh	9MM	Wet Trail
Roclite 268	Comfort, Womens	Synthetic	9MM	Trail
X-Talon 190	Performance	Mesh	3MM	OCR
Trailroc 245 (8.5)*	Anatomic, Womens	Mesh	3MM	OCR
Terrafly 277 (8)*	Anatomic, Womens	Mesh	6MM	Road/Trail

* - Winning!

Fit (links to Inov8's fit chart):

Don't even waste your time on anything Performance if you have wide feet. Its not going to happen. The mesh of the X-talon allowed my foot to expand, but the sides of my feet were hanging too far over the soles. The widest fit is the Comfort, however, that fit is extremely limited to only the Roclites. That left me with the Anatomic fit. I will say, it is a wide fit. My feet fit very nicely inside without any pressure on my pinkie toes. The women's fit has a narrower heel. The Trailroc's are unisex but I can heel lock lace my shoes to keep them from slipping.

Upper Construction:

All of them except the Roclite 268 have a meshy top. This is important for two reasons. First, it allows wide feet room to expand. Second, it drains water well. Of course, the Roclite GTX is made from Gortex and is mesh, so the draining rule does not apply. It kept water in. The problem I had with the Roclite 268 is they were too tight because they had synthetic material along the top which kept the shoe narrower. Plus, I was concerned about its performance in mud and water.

Differential:

This is the amount the heel drops to the toes. Think of your standard gym shoe as a high heel. The smaller the differential the more the gym shoe resembles a pair of flats. Inov8 uses an arrow system. Three arrows are 9mm, 2 are 6mm, 1is 3mm, and 0 is 0. The importance of the differential in OCR is the weight of the shoe. The less cushion, the less weight to carry when your tromping around with shoes caked in mud. Its also just a personal preference. The one arrow is as far as I will go on my trail shoes. I am sticking to cushioned shoes for the road since concrete was not around when man first popped on the scene.

Terrain:

I wore the Roclite 275 GTX's for the TX Beast simply because my other option was the shoes that caused me foot pain and shin splints. Shoes made of Gortex are perfect for winter running. I have worn them doing hill sprints in dewey grass and on snowy trail runs. My feet always stay dry. The reason the X-talons and Trailroc's are good OCR shoes is that they are trail shoes and have the mesh upper that will drain quickly. Also, the bottoms do not absorb water. I ran in Brooks Cascadia 7's for the MS Muckruckus which added an additional 5 lbs. per foot once submerged. No bueno. The Terrafly's I will not use in OCR because of the tread. Since they are for road and trail, I'm afraid the tread will not be good enough to climb up a steep, muddy ravine.

Well, that concludes my little comparison. I hope it helps. I know finding the perfect shoe has been a struggle for me over the past year.

Like I said in my intro, I test drove my Trailroc's this morning. I wore my gaiters over to keep the dew and cold out since they are mesh. From one run, I really like them. The tread is really good. Perhaps even too good. I hit an area that was semi-frozen, stiff mud. My shoe got a little stuck which sent me flying over a log and face first on the ground. After slowly getting up and limping it off, I continued with my run. "The only way out, is through." I now have a wonderful knot and gash on my shin and a scraped hand, but I'm not holding it against the Trailroc's. Looking forward to putting them to the test this season.

Riley Kitties will keep your feet warm but not recommended for training.

FYI: Gaiters go on before your shoes.

I've been asked several times what to wear for both OCR's and in the winter. I know I was once someone who thought running outdoors in the winter was just plain nuts. Now I can't get enough. Keep in mind it was 18 degrees when I left the house. I usually don't wear a fleece. Also, dress as if its 10 degrees warmer which will account for your body warming up. And if your core is warm, everywhere else will remain warm hence all of the layers on my torso.

Top to Bottom:
Black Diamond Storm Headlamp
Alpaca beanie
Saucony Weather Proof soft shell jacket
Lole Fleece
Nike Combat Pro Therma Fit
Under Armour Compression Mock
Fleece Gloves
Hind Running tights with fuzzy material inside
Smart Wool socks (will seriously keep your feet warm and dry
Inov8 Gaiters
Inov8 Trailroc 245's
 



Go Native Fit

I've been twice, and came home both times ecstatic recounting to Jon all of the things we did and I learned.

Ryan Gettys, owner and trainer at Go Native Fit, reached out to me via Facebook offering to help Team Shut It Down train for our upcoming IN Spartan Sprint. How could I refuse our team the opportunity to learn more and shake up our routines? Unless you've been living under a rock, you've heard of CrossFit. Go Native Fit is very similiar to CrossFit, but without the cult-like atomosphere. Work outs are done for a length of time, a count, or to a max. And they're not wimpy classes. We work with real weights (not 3lb weights meant for dodge ball, Andrea). Weights that are heavy enough to bring about muscle exhaustion and changes. Last night after class, I struggled with smashing black beans. So, it works. Not too mention its fun. We do all of the work together encouraging one another as we go. And he puts together events from time to time. One such event was an all night Ruck through the city of Cincinnati which included watching the sunrise over the river from Eden Park. Now, that's my kind of work out/crazy.

Working with weights, olympic lifts, kettle bells, rowing machines etc, sounds intimidating. You may be thinking, "I'm not in good enough shape to do that," or "I would have no idea what I was doing," or "Everybody's going to laugh at me."  But that is not the case. Ryan scales down and modifies exercises that may be too much for someone. For example, if you're struggling with running, Ryan will stick you on the bike so you are still doing cardio. Ryan also teaches you the lifts and checks your form. Turns out I have been doing squats wrong by winking my butt (I know, kind of gross sounding), not sticking out my butt. Last night I learned how to do Hang Cleans and Power Cleans. I had never done these and am apparently uncoordinated. It came down to Ryan chanting, "Pop, pull, and roll" for me to finally figure it out. Put directions to a beat and all of a sudden I get it. Maybe its the former cheerleader in me. "Lets get fired up!" Seriously, it took me forever to figure those things out, but Ryan kept working with me until I was doing it correctly. As far as people laughing at you, not going to happen. Last Saturday, I couldn't figure out how to hold the bar correctly for squats. Everyone, not just Ryan, helped me out. So yeah, you may look like an idiot and feel like an idiot but everyone's there to support you and your idiocracy.

To give you an idea of what to expect, I'll share the two WOD's I did at GoNative Fit so far.

Saturday:

• Run to trail and back (about 400 meters)
• 5x: 1 minute Jump Rope, 30 seconds rest, 1 minute plank, 30 seconds rest.
• Run to trail and back
• 5x: 15 Kettle Bell Swings, 15 air squats
• Run to trail and back
• Max reps: Weighted squats, shoulder presses
• Run to trail and back

Wednesday

• Warm up on Concept Rower
• Squats with bar
• Practice proper form, squat to butt on medicine ball (hope you are in the landing zone)
• Learn new stretch for ankles and calves
• Squat to butt on medicine ball, flexibility greatly improved
• Roll Field Hockey Ball along Bikini line (can't remember name of muscles) to stretch hips
• Squat as low as can go, flexibility improved yet again
• Hang Cleans/Power Cleans - no idea how many, mostly me learning proper form
• 100 Kettle Bell Swings (work on grip strength by not letting it go flying over your head)
• 5 Minutes Jump Roping
• 300m Row or there abouts

Overall, I've had two great work outs at GoNativeFit. Both Sunday and today, I've been sore in new areas, meaning I worked muscles that I don't normally get to with my routines. The plan is to go to GoNativeFit at least twice a week in addition to my trail running, home routines, and general craziness.

I'll be there on Saturday. Class starts at 10am. I hope you can join me. All fitnesses levels are welcome. No excuses: Saturday morning cartoons suck these days anyways.

GoNativeFit (Cute little beach shack behind the Volley Ball courts at Hahana Beach)
7605 Wooster Pike
Cincinnati, OH 45227

https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/gonativefit?fref=ts

http://blog.ereach.com/gonativefit/contact-us/

Rules from an Evening Jogger

I went on a run this evening after work. With the unusually warm January weather and my goal to get faster, I just knocked out my 5k road loop. Based on my thoughts and experiences of this evening, here are some rules I am implementing (and fully expect no one to follow. I mean who really listens to this crazy lady)

1. Do not reject a fellow jogger's high five. You look like the idiot, not me.

2. Try as you might, but dropping down and doing crunches and side crunches will not always alleviate those pesky side cramps.

3. Traveling Mormon boys. You look very nice in your suits, but seriously, single file when a jogger is passing you. You're not going to convert me by blocking the entire sidewalk. I will go around, and shout to the heavens the fundamentals of common courtesy.

4. Hitting a pedestrian will never result in a slap on the wrist and community service. You will go to jail for vehicular assault or homicide. So don't turn left so you can beat the yellow light, cutting off a pedestrian when she has the crosswalk. If I die, you won't see your kids graduate from high school. And White Lexus, you deserved the bird I flipped you.

And this is why I love the trails. Looking forward to the warmer weather when the days grow longer.

Mileage: 3.16 miles
Time: 29:51:70

2013 Goals and Improvements

I know, I'm a day late and calling them goals and improvements. I just feel like New Year's resolutions die after the third week of January once the holiday has escaped our fore thoughts and the gym membership and smoking cessation commercials have slowed. So, I have 2013 goals and improvements. The things I plan on improving will help me reach my goals.

Unless this is your first time reading this blog, you are well aware that Spartan has changed me by making fitness and health an integral component of my daily life. I transitioned from a person who wanted to work out but who also thought working out at the gym lit by florescent lights was a chore. Hence, I never had long term success. I was your typical gym member who would make make month long appearances from time to time. This did not work. Starting in April 2012, I learned a new way to work out. I learned running through the woods was a real sport. In fact, you could buy special shoes for this. As a kid my mom used to yell at me for going into the woods all summer because I'd return with poison ivy. But I loved exploring the trails with my friends and I always went back despite the threat of torturous itching. Now I can do this as an adult. Even better, after 2 doctor visits and spending a month on Predisone for my first Poison Ivy rash of the season, I found Tecnu Body Wash so no more Poison Ivy EVER. Besides running in the woods, Jon and I worked on our Gym in the basement and around the house. Over the year I slowly accumulated more equipment, by either making or buying it. I would make up routines the night before by jotting them on notepads, so I wouldn't have to waste time figuring out what to do in the morning. In fact, at one point, Jon asked me if I was following some sort of a schedule. "No, I just make this shit up." And I do. I've taken what I've learned from the Spartan WODs, Google, YouTube, Insanity Infomericals, my Spartan Chick Group, etc. and make up work outs. I also keep them all in a binder. When I first began, I would print out the Spartan WOD and put it in my binder. I've since stopped doing that, but will print my fav's or save some of the ones I create. The binder is great for when I have Training Block.

And this has worked for me. I can work out when it is convenient for me without the commute to the gym or the lines. I get to go outside before my 8+ hours at a desk in a windowless office. I train alone, which has also made me stronger mentally. I have to be the one that decides to do one more rep, that the pain is temporary, that its time to get out of bed, that I can do this. Its changed my perspective on life. I think I appreciate the simple things more. I learned the fruit of my labors. I learned the value and reward of hard work even if it takes me some time to accept it. Despite the occasional aches, pains, and soreness, I've never felt better. And, I am genuinely happy.

So,where does that leave me for 2013?

Goals:

Top 10 Female finish for any local OCR's I race. 
Top 20 Elite Female finish for IN Spartan Sprint in April. - This a doozy and will be extremely tough.

Improvements:

This is how I'm going to achieve those goals. First, I need to get faster. This means more running, more sprinting, more pacing with my running watch, and more 30 count burpees for time. Second, I need to improve my nutrition. I'll speak more to this in a later post. But basically less chocolate chip cookies, processed foods, meat, cheese and eating out, much more veggies, fruits, whole grains, and legumes. I know sounds terrible, but I'm looking forward to feeling the results. Finally, I need to improve my confidence in myself as an athlete. I've definitely gotten better through the course of the year, but there's room for improvement. I was at the front of the starting corral in the local OCR's but still mid-pack my final two Spartan Races. I'm good enough to be up front for all of the OCR races. I won a race and had a really tough time accepting my victory as an athlete. Sheesh, you would have thought that would have boosted my ego, but nope. I am too darn humble. In both the Super and Beast I found myself stuck behind walkers. I mentioned this to some of the TeamTX members at our After-Spartay and one of them told me to just shove people out of my way. Well, I can't do that. But that's the assertiveness I must apply when on the course. Let people know I'm a coming and to move over. A Ludacris song comes to mind. Probably not best to sing in order to get by, perhaps a loud, "Excuse me. Coming through" will suffice. So that's it. My Macro-Goals and Improvements.

Happy January 2!