Loriana’s Inspiration Miles… And A Call For A Marrow Match!

My friend Loriana Hernandez began an aggressive dual chemotherapy protocol yesterday that will last 72 solid hours.  Being the warrior that she is, she immediately set a goal to walk the halls of her floor at John Hopkins 26 times each day.  0.04 miles in each lap.  26 laps in a mile.  I know that mile is 100 times more difficult than any distance race I’ve ever run- without question.

Think running a marathon is tough?  Walking a mile through the hospital ward while toting the machine that is obliterating your immune system is more extreme than any ultra marathon on my bucket list.  Yet Loriana remains dedicated to seeing this goal through, and in the past two days she has fallen only 6 combined laps behind her mile a day goal.

Just .25 miles short.

I think we can make up the deficit for her!

On my running plan this weekend is just six little miles, but I told Loriana that each mile would be filled with positive and intentional thoughts for her victory:

• Mile One is for HOPE
• Mile Two is for STRENGTH
• Mile Three is for RESILIENCE
• Mile Four is for PATIENCE
• Mile Five is for TENACITY
• Mile Six is for ENDURANCE
• + another .25 miles for good measure

As you strike out on you weekend long run, keep Loriana in mind.  Donate a mile (or six) of your mental miles during your run to intentional throughs for her victory and healing.  Run an extra quarter mile to help her close the goal in her gap.  Or heck, log a PR with her in your heart…. and then take a moment to let her know via social media (see below) that we’ve got her covered.

We have the great privilege of being the running legs for a true warrior right now; don’t take a footfall of your run for granted!

How can you help Loriana’s battle?

• Got positive thoughts, meditations, or prayers?  Harness that positivity for Loriana during and after your runs.
• Got social media?  Let Loriana know that you are fighting for her and here to encourage her via twitter (@lorianahernande, #lorianaswin, #26laps), facebook, or comment on her blog.
• Got spare change?  Donate to help fund Loriana’s fight!
• Got marrow? Loriana is looking for a bone marrow donor.  The doctors are particularly interested in females of Cuban or Italian heritage as they might field a successful match.

I’ll Be Your Strong

There is a story I’ve never told, and honestly I never intended to tell it.  It was just going to be one of those little things I kept inside to call upon in the moments I needed it.  It’s a story of struggle and strength.  It’s a story that simultaneously breaks me down and builds me up.  But it’s a story that I was satisfied to keep inside until this weekend.

But now it needs to be told.

I ran my first marathon in October of 2012- Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco.  When I registered, I only had one half under my belt at which I had scored a pretty severe IT band injury, but I told myself I could do it.  I could do anything because I’d made it through the bumps and challenges of conception, pregnancy, and childbirth and beyond as a mother.  26.2 miles of hilly terrain would be a worthy celebration of all the peaks and valleys I had triumphed through on the road to motherhood.

As I trained, I steeled myself with those thoughts.  I was powerful, determined and equipped with the greatness of unconditional love for a tiny little being.

That was enough.  That got me through.

I could do this.

When The Hubs and I made it San Francisco for the race, he had to go into the office to do some work so I ventured over to the expo myself.  I was immediately overwhelmed.  I was there alone… doing this big thing…  all for me?  Up until that moment, every step I had run was about me- which was fine- but it just didn’t seem like enough anymore.  And though I was venturing into my first marathon with my Team Victorious sisters, that suddenly didn’t seem like enough either.  It wasn’t a feeling I could understand or explain- but later I would understand it as my inspiration paradigm shift.  An understanding that my moments within my miles were far bigger than myself and my little world.

On race morning I dressed methodically, carefully adjusting each item.  When I reached my bib I paused, overwhelmed.  Without much thought or understanding of what I was doing I took  pen out of my bag and scrawled one word on the back before pinning it on my shirt.

One word.

A name.

Carter.

Carter was the husband of a mama acquaintance of mine.  We weren’t exceptionally close, but our children were in the same play co-op and she and I had run together several times with a mutual friend.  Over these runs, I learned a lot about her, her family, and her astounding love for her husband.  We had connected through facebook after that and in the two months leading up to my race I gained miles of hope- and shed buckets of tears- over the raw beauty in her status update about Carter’s battle with stage IV metastatic sarcoma.

For a moment I considered snapping a picture of the back of my bib to send to my friend one day but I quickly shook off the thought feeling simultaneously self conscious and confused- I hadn’t really even fully considered why I had so unconsciously written Carter’s name inside my bib.  After all, I had never even met the man.

I didn’t give it much thought for most of the morning.

At mile 21 I discovered why it was there.

The half marathon runners had peeled off 7 miles before and the course was quite lonely, greatly compounded by the solitary trek around Lake Merced with no spectator encouragement.  The air was heavy with chilly fog, my legs ached, and I had already exhausted all of my “I’m a mom and I’ve done things much harder than this” pick-me-ups because at 21 miles into my phenomenally hilly first marathon I hadn’t done anything harder than that.  And when you’re by yourself and in pain by a drab lake in dense fog you realize really quickly that you aren’t enjoying yourself anymore and you just might start to doubt that you even had the strength to complete such a silly task.

And that’s when I thought of Carter.  Carter was fighting a battle that was far more physically strenuous on a daily basis.  And regardless of his prognosis, he was winning.  He was winning because he kept fighting.  He was winning because his fight gave those he loved hope.  He was winning because that hope inspired the most transparent love and devotion in his family.  He was winning because that transparent love allowed his wife to share her soul with the world in a way that sent this inspired spirit into the world like a floodlight.

It was certainly bright enough to cut through the fog on a desolate stretch of road beside the Pacific Ocean.

And that got me around Lake Merced back to the Great Highway where The Hubs- glowing with encouragement and his own transparent love- waited to help pace me to the finish.

As I packed to fly back to Austin after the race, I kept my number with the intention of sending it to my friend after sharing how her family so inspired me from afar.

I never really got the chance.

Carter passed away on November 10, 2012.

Then it seemed strange to send such an insignificant thing to her so the bib found a place on my desk and it became my own private story of inner strength derived from the most graceful pain I’d ever witnessed from afar.

How do you tell someone “I didn’t know your husband but your authentic, beautiful expression of his strength has inspired me to keep moving when things are difficult”?

Maybe you say it just like that.

Or maybe you just keep it to yourself until someone needs you to help be their strong.

This weekend, I was visiting my parents when Baby Bird spiked a high fever that we couldn’t control.   As a child with a history of febrile seizure, it meant a trip to Children’s Medical Center and- as is always the way in motherhood- my phone was near the end of its battery life and I had no car charger.  As we checked in at the hospital and I went to switch off my phone, the screen opened up to display my facebook feed topped by a post from my friend Loriana Hernandez.

Loriana and I became friends when I brought Bump Club and Beyond to Austin in 2011.  She did a segment for the news called “Get Fit for Free” in which she connected the community with complimentary opportunities to stay fit and, since she was pregnant at the time, she did a segment about BCB’s monthly Beautiful Bellies and Beyond the Belly fitness classes at lululemon.  As likeminded, healthy mamas we hit it off and became friends.  I even invited her over to my house so she could see me do a load of cloth diapers and learn the in’s and out’s- that’s committed green mama bonding!

Loriana, Jamie Grayson, and me at a Bump Club Austin event

Loriana recently left her position as a news anchor for Austin’s Fox News station to finally join her husband on the east coast, and I knew she was thrilled to soon get on a plane to permanently have her family in one place so I grazed her post quickly expecting a little pick-me-up of happiness as I situated Baby Bird for what could be a long night at Children’s.

The news was very much the opposite.  From a blood test for an embryo transfer surgery, Loriana received the news that she has acute leukemia.  And she had to start treatment immediately.

Instead of getting on a plane with her son to join her husband in her new home, she now found herself scrambling to book a solo flight to check into Johns Hopkins in 48 hours time.

The news sat like a rock in my stomach.

Shit.

I texted Loriana to see what I could do.  I may have limited funds, but there is no limit to my positive intentions.  And, as I’m continually discovering, there aren’t many limits on the miles in my legs so I asked if I could run my races during her treatment in her honor.

OMG Yes.  Please help me.

I was choking back huge sobs from a 5 word text.

While Loriana is in chemo, I’m going to wake up everyday knowing that I’m keeping myself moving in honor of an active woman who is currently out of commission.  I’ll gladly be her legs.  I’ll run with joy for her.

I’ll harness all of the Carter strong I’ve saved in my heart and share it with her.  I know she will replace it tenfold with her own brand of tenacity that will help to fuel me for my next thousand miles and beyond.

Regardless of the work I might put in in her name, I know that she is fighting a battle that is far more physically strenuous on a daily basis.  And she is going to win.

Loriana, I’ll be your strong.  Just like everyone else who loves you and is championing your cause.  Because your strength and humanity are already giving us more than we could ever repay in any other way.

Friends, cancer is expensive.  Beyond treatment itself, Loriana is fighting for her life in a city with no friends or loved ones and her family will incur considerable expenses as her husband joins her as her support.  If you are able, please consider donating to help fund her treatment.  If you are unable to donate, please share Loriana’s story through your blog or social media.  If you’re a runner, please consider running a race in her honor.

Following the Leader

Sunday I’ll run my first race for the year- 13.1 miles through the flat streets of Houston.  In my short time as a runner, this is the longest I’ve gone without running an organized race.  It’s also the least I’ve ever trained for a race.  It’s incredibly disappointing.

It’s disappointing because I’ve basically nullified all of my progress from last year.  It’s even more disappointing because I know that, despite all the challenges, I could have just gotten up one day and said “screw it, I’m doing this for me again.  Now.” But I didn’t.  It’s most disappointing because I encouraged two of my good friends- Rachel and Casey- to run this one with me, confidently assuring them that I would get them through the entire race.

When we put our names in the lottery for Houston in May, I was on a major training binge and doing fabulously.  They both expressed concern that they would hold me back on such a flat, fast course.  Over and over I heard “just run ahead if you need to” and over and over I assured my friends that I would run with them and encourage them the entire way.  That I would sing songs or tell jokes.  That I would keep a slower pace if needed.  That I would pee my pants instead of stopping at a porta potty so that we didn’t run a step apart.

Each time they said it, I know they knew it was pointless.  I would never take off on my own.  I wanted to be there for Rachel’s inevitable PR and the first time Casey crossed the finish line of a half.  But they would say it anyways.  And I knew that they meant it just as much as they knew I would never do it.

Here we are two days before the race and it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that they are both now better trained for this race than me.

I’m pretty sure I’ll be the one holding everybody back.

And that feeling sucks.

Rachel has drastically improved as a runner and ran her second half in December pacing a friend at a much slower pace.  I know she would like to put her training to good use at this race.

Casey, despite her insistence that she is slow and undertrained, paced the end of my PR half last year like it was no biggie after running a 5k… and is “undertrained” enough that she ran 10 miles last weekend (which I’m pretty sure is a reverse taper)… and, oh yeah, holds arguably the fastest 100 meter time for a white American female ever (thank you, internets).  So no big deal at all there.

So on Sunday I’ll tell them to just run ahead of me if they need to.

And I’ll mean it too.  But I already know that those words will be wasted words.

They aren’t going to leave me.

They are going to run with me and encourage me the entire way.

They are going to sing songs or tell jokes.

They are going to run a slower pace for me.

And they’ll probably pee their pants with me just so we don’t have to stop running.

But they wont leave me.  No matter how many times I say it.

All three of us are teachers, moms, and runners- it’s a trifecta of humanity that breeds a Soldier’s Creed mentality.  No one is getting left behind.

Until the final stretch that is.

Because Casey is going to smoke us on that last 100 meters.

I’m looking forward to it.

2013: The Rundown

Even though I didn’t have this platform at the beginning of 2013 to share my goals, I thought it would be fun to look back at the year to see the pluses and deltas (the former inner city educator in me still rules my assessment technique vocabulary).  Reflection is a handy tool when setting yourself up for success in the future.

Resolutions

Running/Fitness

• 2 Hour Half–  I was thrilled to complete a sub-2 hour marathon in March (at Zooma Texas which gave out PR medals last year… totally sweet perk!), which meant I quickly reloaded this goal to a 4 hour marathon.  Leah (my coach) and I set my training sights on a 4 hour finish at the BCS Marathon in December… which didn’t happen.  The 4 hour marathon goal will show up once again in 2014.

• 25 Miles a Week– I was hoping to put in enough mileage over the year to average at least 25 miles for the year.  My actualization? 623.71 miles for the year which averaged out to 11.9 miles a week.  Weak.  464 of those miles were January-May.

• Take Class–  In 2013, I wanted to commit more to taking dance classes instead of just teaching.  I did a great job during the summer when my training was stalled, but I didn’t come close to the diligence I was hoping for… probably because I didn’t really establish a measurable goal.

Personal

• Personal Blog– I enjoy sharing my thoughts with the interwebs, but before when I was blogging for other people’s sites I really only got to share on a limited scope.  I wanted a platform to simply do my own thing on whatever topics and whatever pace seemed natural.  After I had surgery in June, I found the time to start this blog.  Hooray!

• Artisan Bread Baking– I wanted to greatly improve my artisan bread baking skills and push myself to try a new type of bread baking each month.  I had visions of bigas, starters, and soakers. Empty visions.  In reality, I greatly improved my bread baking prowess on my go to bread recipe and did a great job at adapting that recipe to high altitude baking, but I didn’t really push myself out of my comfort zone.

• Learn Basic French– Knowing that Baby Bird will start French school Fall of 2014 made me keen to start learning basic French in 2013.  We started working with a French tutor weekly in August and my comprehension has greatly improved, but I frequently defer to The Hubs to speak for me… even in a lesson.  I need to get braver.  I’m a big girl.

Parenting

• French Vocabulary– So that Baby Bird doesn’t feel overwhelmed by the dual changes of starting school and learning a new language in Fall of 2014, I wanted to help her to learn French in 2013.  She loves her French tutor, sings French nursery songs, and surprises us frequently by incorporating terms into her daily speech so this one feels like a victory!

• Number Sense– When I was a teacher, I was shocked by the number of students I would see in middle school who didn’t have a basic understanding of what numbers represented.  It was my goal for 2013 to help Baby Bird develop a basic understanding of numbers and number concepts through play and manipulatives.  I feel that she has an appropriate understanding of numbers for someone with her cognitive development level which she has demonstrated through her basic usage and actions.  Awesome!

• Social Skills– More easily put, 2013 was the year of establishing “Don’t be an a-hole” social basics and empathy training.  Obviously, I’m not using the term “a-hole” with my toddler but when we boil it down, that’s what this goal represents.  We worked on empathy, affirmations, and managing and respecting big emotions.  In the end, I have a toddler who can identify and acknowledge many of her emotions, verbalize them, and let me know when she needs a quite time or to have a conversation… most of the time.  And some of the time she still melts down.  Because she is two.  All in all, she is better emotionally equipped for life than I was at 25.  Win.

Race Recap

The first quarter of 2013 was packed with races.  We kicked things off with a bang at the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend at which my husband ran the half marathon as an easy training run (1:25:42) and I ran The Goofy Challenge- a back to back half (2:33:01) and full marathon (5:23:57).  They certainly weren’t my fastest finish times, but the name of the game was completing each day’s race with enough remaining energy to enjoy the rest of the at the parks with Baby Bird.

If you’ve never run a Disney race, I highly recommend it.  Disney puts just as much attention to detail into their race courses as they into everything else- fabulous scenery in and out of the parks, character stops (not my thing when I’m running, but a fun break for many), ample aid and restroom stations, great entertainment and music, fantastic crowd support, and tons of little magical surprises.  Once your running, it’s easy to ignore the fact that you had to get up at 2:30 am to ride the monorail to EPCOT to make your corral call time of 5 am or some such nonsense.

The Goofy was my first back to back race and marked my highest mileage week ever.  And it was HOT for a January race- thankfully I’ve trained through an Austin summer.  I was a little tired and a LOT nervous on marathon day, especially since I realized that the only way I would be able to run comfortably would be in my sports bra since I’d packed running gear for a colder temperature.  That was a big move for a woman who had a baby less than two years prior and a major “shirtless” victory for a lady with some lingering post-partum body image issues.

Additionally, I was corralled back further than I should have been and I didn’t want to wait in the corrections line at the expo because we might have missed our dinner reservations with Mickey so I decided to simply run with the corral I was assigned.  This turned out to be a blessing in disguise- since my assigned corral’s start was so delayed I was able to see The Hubs in his final miles as I was within my first five, and two days of having to run around slower people who started ahead of me provided enough of a push to buckle down in my training to start running the paces I was capable of (at least for a good six months).  All in all it was a fabulous experience that I will definitely repeat (next time with a better corral), even if I spent a good portion of down time chilling in Baby Bird’s stroller following the marathon.

One month later, I ran the Austin Half Marathon (2:24:59) pacing my dear friend Rachel through her first race ever (That’s EVER y’all… no 5k or middle school track meet to speak of in her past!).  Her goal was to finish in 2:30 or better, so 2:24 was an awesome result.  I hadn’t had much time since WDW to make any real progress which was fine since that race was about Rachel and not me.  Even better than sharing a personal victory with one of my closest friends was the fact that The Hubs finished the marathon in 3:00:07, securing his BQ for 2014.

Once Austin was over, my amazing coach Leah helped me buckle down and make some serious progress.  My goal was to run a sub 2 hour marathon the next month.  A PR by 23 minutes is totally reasonable, right?  When I joined my girlfriends for Zooma Half Marathon (1:58:34) in March is was ready to make the most of any improvement that could be made from a month of hard work.  My mama friends and I stayed at the Hyatt Lost Pines the night before the race and had a wonderful, relaxing girls’ night out before race morning.  With the support of my good friend Casey who met me on the golf course and paced my last few miles after her 5k, I managed a sub 2 hour finish followed a lot of happy tear and hugs with Casey and a fabulous brunch with the ladies.

After my Zooma success, I buckled down ready to try my hand at some night trail races during the summer to vary my training before my fall race schedule, but that didn’t really end up working out as planned.

Bumps in the Road

Once I’d really built up some great training momentum in June, I had a brush with melanoma and had to have surgery.  Total bummer!  My incision was on my abdomen, right where my running shorts rubbed which further delayed my training.  When I could finally start running again it was in the dead heat of Austin summer… pretty oppressive.

In September I was diagnosed with mono and a severe Vitamin D deficiency which once again stopped me in my tracks.  Fall races? Cancelled.

In November, Baby Bird got pretty sick and our family was introduced to febrile seizures.  As every mama knows, the health of your family trumps all “me” time activities so there was no time for stress reliving activities but plenty of stress… which led to some time at the cardiologist for me.  Makes total sense for a marathon running, health conscious (moderately) young woman.

It’s all made it interesting and made us really flexible.  And compared to the hardships faced by multitudes of families these were infinitesimally small challenges.  And they will make the high points of 2014 even sweeter!

Top 13 in 2013

This blog has been a new adventure for me and, even though it only covered the second half of the year, I thought it would be interesting to take a look back at my 13 most popular posts of 2013.

It’s been a lot of fun sharing, and I’m excited about another year with y’all!

13. Exhaustion, Smoothie Pick Me Ups, and a Virtual Half Marathon Comedy of Errors (September)- Forgetting water during a high altitude half marathon, finding out I had mono, and the smoothies that got me through the ordeal!

12. Carrot Top Tacos (July)- Spiced carrots and beans with carrot top chimichurri.  Never, ever waste your carrot tops again.

11. Maple Bacon Biscuits (September)-  Maple.  Bacon. Biscuit.  Trifecta.

10. Gifts from the Heart: Apple Cinnamon Ornaments (December)- An ultra non-toxic clay that makes heavenly scented ornaments or an amazing material for sensory play.

9.  #FirstontheFirst Spiced Pumpkin Cake with Penuche Frosting (October)- We were supposed to make candy, but I cheated and frosted a very yummy cake with this praline-esque frosting.

8. #FirstontheFirst Gateau Larsson (September)- My Scandinavian twist on a traditional Basque dessert.

7.  Gifts from the Heart: Baking Soda Clay Ornaments (December)- These smooth ornaments are an inexpensive (and toddler friendly) alternative to a trip to a ceramics studio.

6. Creamy Garlic Kefir Pasta (July)- A probiotic packed easy meal.

5. Cinnamon Quinoa Lunchbox Bars (August)- Lunchbox snacks don’t get much healthier.

4. Meeska… Mooska… Mouseka Cakes: Zucchini Quinoa Lunchbox Patties (August)- Healthy food tastes even better in Mickey Mouse form.

3. #FirstontheFirst Candy Canes for Cheaters (December)- Once again, we were supposed to make candy.  And I didn’t.  But I think you’ll forgive me when you taste these cookies.

2. Frosty the Cheese Man: Snowman Cheese Ball with Hand Cut Tortilla Chips (December)- The most adorable, toddler friendly appetizer you’ll ever bring to a gathering.

1. Gifts from the Heart: Homemade Ornaments– Salt dough ornaments are a classic go-to holiday activity.

Looking for even more fun?  Here are my five favorite posts you may have missed this year…

• Relax, Mama: Sun, Run, Fun (July)
• Baked “Fried” Red Tomatoes (July)
• Roasted Green Pepper Harissa (July)
• Calm Down Cookies: Chamomile Shortbread Cookies with Orange Blossom Glaze (August)
• Roasted Tomato and Corn Shortcakes (August)

Long Run Breakfast: Maple Walnut Kefir Biscuits and Fruit Salad

Hey, Jenn… remember when you stated a blog and called it ‘Go Running, Mama!’ because you spent all of your ‘me’ time running?  Remember that? Do you think you should… I don’t know… actually talk about running again sometime soon!?

Fair point, Inner Dialogue. Very fair point.

Except I haven’t been running consistently since the summer because the second half of 2013 has been a bit of a comedy of errors for me.

So what’s a mother runner on hiatus to do?  Post about my husband’s runs.  Obviously.  It’s smoke and mirrors, y’all… just enough to get myself back into training mode (which is happening TODAY) so that you forget that you read the last 10 posts and thought “She should have called this blog ‘Go Make Ornaments and Cookies, Mama!'”  It’s all a clever ruse.

This weekend The Hubs had his first long run with the Team Rogue Sisson crew.  We’ve both been working with an amazing coach, Leah Soro at Enlightened Performance, for a almost two years (I like to describe myself very officially as the most infuriating runner Leah has ever had to coach) and she has pushed The Hubs to a level of excellence… not to mention the miracles she always works with me in the inevitably short period in which I focus before each race and claim I’m going to be consistently dedicated forever and ever from that point on (Spoiler Alert: I never follow through on that promise).

The only thing that is lacking with one-to-one coaching is teammates.  For me, this is is fine- I need someone who is going to help me work around toddler illness and playdates, late nights and nap boycotts, and who understands that workouts change based on whether or not I might need to push a stroller that day (Hill repeats?  During a week filled with freezing rain? With a toddler in a jogger?  It’s great to be able to send a text to Leah and get some different direction); when I need a running buddy I toss mine in the stroller; and there are no shortage of ladies I know willing to run my pace during a race.  I need the world’s most flexible way to be a coached runner- which Leah has patiently and graciously provided for me.

The man of the house is different.  If it’s on his plan, he will do it.  If there is a blizzard he will still do it, and he will probably do it better and faster than you asked him to perform.  And then he will come home and do double the conditioning exercises you asked him to do, a focused yin yoga series and foam rolling, and commence to quiz me on his appropriate nutrient intake based on that specific workout given our current elevation and a slight fluctuation in his temperature and heart rate.  And then he’ll do 100 burpees because he’s been standing still for too long.  So he’s a little serious.

In his less than three years as a runner he has made major strides, much of that with Leah’s guidance.  Joining Team Rogue is going to give him a new edge- the ability to push himself to the performance level of even faster athletes.  Peer pressure at its finest.  I don’t know if you can tell, but he’s not the kind of guy who likes to be left behind.

The Team Rogue Sisson crew was scheduled to run 20 miles on Saturday.  The Hubs is coming back from a calf injury so he said he thought he’d run 15 or 16.  I know him, so I figured that meant he would run a 10 mile warm up at 4:30 am and then decide to run the full 20 with Rogue as well.  Judging by his extreme focus and determination when laying out his gear on Friday night, the odds seemed in my favor.  30 miler, anyone?

Big training events are celebration points at our house, so Baby Bird and I decided to make a big breakfast for Daddy.  After a long run, he needs around 20 grams of protein and ideally we aim for around a 3:1 carb to protein ratio for his meal 30 minutes after his run.  Though I knew he would come home and immediately ask for bacon and eggs, I wanted to back off of the cholesterol and rely on healthier fats.  I decided on scrambled eggs, fruit salad,and maple walnut kefir biscuits.

Our scrambled eggs are eggs with just a pinch or salt, butcher cut pepper, with a little olive or grapeseed oil in the pan- no extra daily mixed in.  (Last year we did an elimination diet in which we discovered The Hubs performs better when he avoids uncultured dairy) We mixed up a fruit salad with berries (high in antioxidants), bananas (potassium), mint (abundant in nutrients such as vitamin A and iron), and avocado.  In addition to the abundance of healthy monounsaturated fats contained in avocados, they also help to slow down the flow of glucose to your cells so they provide a bit of a balance to the high sugar content in fruit salads (especially if they contain high glucose fruits like grapes, date, bananas, or oranges).

Maple Walnut Kefir Biscuits were born of my love for all things drop-biscuit married to the prolific use of walnuts, grade B maple syrup, and kefir in my kitchen.  We are seriously obsessed with kefir.  I often use it as a substitute for sour cream, creme fraiche, or yogurt when cooking.  It’s a great probiotic addition to smoothies and make a really simple pasta sauce.  Plus, it’s about as toddler friendly as probiotics get.  Lifeway Probugs have been a game changer for us, Baby Bird thinks they are the greatest dessert in the world.  When she saw that Lifeway had a booth at ACL Kiddie Limits this year and were giving away free Probugs push pops, she declared it the coolest event in the universe.  She is still talking about how much she loves ACL.

A maple walnut biscuit should clearly be a sweet biscuit.  Using maple syrup in the biscuits lets me cut down considerably on the sugar content, and using grade b maple syrup lets me use even less maple syrup in the sugar’s place without sacrificing sweetness or mapleyness.  Glazing the biscuits with grade B maple syrup packs an extra punch of manganese and zinc for a guy who is sufficiently sweating out huge quantities of salts and minerals on a daily basis.  Walnuts are high in omega-3s but, more importantly, research shows they may have significant cardiovascular benefits.  And a healthy heart is a very good thing for an endurance athlete.

When The Hubs returned home from his run (20 miles… underachiever) he was in great spirits and very much in need of a post run meal.  Once he hit the entryway, I heard the expected question… “Can we have some bacon?”

The answer was yes… a little… spread sparingly on a walnut kefir biscuit (in the form of bacon beer jam) and enjoyed with fruit and eggs.

That was an acceptable compromise.

We all sat down to enjoy a recap of that morning’s run over a fabulous breakfast.  And admire the sweet new Adidas Glide Boosts he purchased at Rogue after his run.

And, of course, to enjoy a little family core work and yin yoga.  And to discuss the carb to protein ratio in the exact breakfast portions The Hubs had just consumed.

Some things never change.

Maple Walnut Kefir Biscuits

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup unsalted cultured butter (slightly softened)
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tbs grade B maple syrup + more for glazing biscuits
• 1/4 cup plain kefir
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• generous 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine butter, sugar and egg in the bowl of a stand mixer and cream.  Add the maple syrup and kefir and mix well.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking soda and whisk well to incorporate.

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing until just combined.  Gently stir in the walnuts.

Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto a baking sheet lined in parchment paper.  Bake for 12 minutes until biscuits are beginning to brown slightly.

Remove to a cooling rack and brush biscuits with maple syrup to glaze.

Make 12-14 biscuits.

Exhaustion, Smoothie Pick-Me-Ups, and a Virtual Half Marathon Comedy of Errors

I count myself to be a pretty lucky girl- things, for the most part, are normally going my way. I’ve got a fabulous family, I get to stay home with my daughter, and despite minor bumps or buggies we are all in great health and spirits! No real complaints… but his summer has done it’s part to throw me a few curveballs.

I launched into the summer feeling like I was on track to being in the best shape of my life. Sure sometimes I was tired, but I chalked that up to being a dance-teaching, marathon-training, mother of a toddler. Life is never perfect…. but it was pretty close. But the summer had a few health blips lined up for me- melanoma… surgery… recovery… and returning to training in the dead heat of a Texas summer. Yikes!

When I was able to lace up my running shoes again post surgery I was tired. Really tired. I looked forward to our trip to Breckenridge because I knew, just knew, everything would be fine when I got away from the heat. I’d been planning a 30+ mile run from Breck to Frisco and back for a good six months and I was already afraid I would have to cut the miles back just a bit since surgery had messed things up but I was sure I would still be able to pack in at least five slow pace, high mileage runs with no problem.

And despite having ease back into running for a month before our Breckenridge vacation, I still struggled through every high altitude run in the mild weather far more than I knew should be normal for me. The longest run I managed was 14 miles. That’s it. A measly 14 miles. And it was a debacle (those details are coming below, for the dedicate reader).

Something wasn’t right.

I get it kiddo. I’m tired too!

So I finally went to the doctor. He listened to me for a moment and said “You probably have mono.”

Mono? Pft… ridiculous! I’m a 33 year old mother of a toddler not a college student. He had to be wrong.

I plowed on through my additional symptoms and insisted that I had to have something to do with heat, or surgery, or anemia. Or- as I was deathly afraid in the depths of my soul- I just didn’t have enough energy naturally to handle all the things in my life that I love investing time and energy in and I just couldn’t hack it as the wonder mom I aspire to be each day. ‘Please don’t tell me that I’m just overextended and can’t handle it!’

He listened patiently and kindly and ran blood tests… including one for Epstein-Barr (mono).

Because, as it turns out, I have mono (and a severe Vitamin D deficiency which is as ironically humorous as vitamin deficiencies and skin cancer can be when paired with my Melanoma journey this summer). I’ve had it long enough that I’m no longer contagious. After careful consideration, he also decided that if maintaining activity kept me sane and didn’t make me feel worse that there was no reason for me to mope about the house waiting to feel like myself again.

Finding out I had mono had a profound effect on my well being. Finally there was a reason. I was simultaneously more tired after giving myself permission to be “sick” and unbelievably relieved and energized knowing that there was a reason for the madness. I can handle my “normal” life.

For a moment things just aren’t going to be my usual brand of “normal.”

I immediately invested myself in finding ways to up my energy nutritionally and have found two smoothies/juices that are helping me power through: mango avocado smoothie juice, and an almond cacao smoothie.

The mango avocado concoction in loaded with mangoes whose high antioxidant vitamin content help protect against oxidative cell damage and support the liver as it neutralizes and removes toxins from your body. Cucumbers contain the minerals sulfur and silicon that help support kidney and liver function as well as potassium that supports healthy fluid balance. Apples are high in pectin which binds to toxins and helps eliminate them from the body as well as provides malic acid which is used by cells for energy production. Avocados are rich in healthy fats, packed with antioxidant vitamins to guard cellular functions, and high in B vitamins that provide adrenal support during times of stress.

The Almond Cacao Smoothie is filled with raw cacao which contains higher antioxidant levels than most fruits and vegetables as well as high levels of magnesium which assists muscle function and relaxation not to mention the amino acid tryptophan which helps to improve your mood. Wheat germ provides protein, B vitamins, vitamin E, and is rich in minerals. Almond butter provides a respectable dose of zinc which is an essential nutrient for healthy immune systems along with protein. Hemp provides omega fatty acids.

I’ve been whipping up a pitcher of one or the other each morning to help pull me through while my energy level is still on the low side.

Mango Avocado Smoothie Juice

• 2 apples
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 large cucumber
• 1 mango
• 1/2 an avocado
• 1 generous tsp flaxmeal
• 1 tbs grade B maple syrup

Directions: Juice apples, celery, and cucumber.

Add juice to a blender with mango, avocado, flaxmeal, and grade B maple syrup and blend until smooth and well incorporated.

Makes four servings.

Almond Cacao Smoothie

• 2 c original hemp milk
• 2 bananas
• 2 tbs raw almond butter
• 1 tbs raw cacao powder
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbs grad B maple syrup
• 1 tsp wheat germ

Directions: Blend ingredients in a blender and serve cold.

Makes four servings.

Knowing that there as a reason for my exhaustion allowed me to finally forgive myself for the comedy of errors that was my virtual half marathon. The folks at Jost Running have been kind enough to allow me to run their virtual races complimentary for three months and I was exceptionally excited to run the August Virtual Half at high altitude while I was in Breckenridge. Truly I had wanted to do the virtual full as part of my planned 30+ miler I was so hoping to complete before my summer showed me it had other plans, but when I started to level with myself about what was physically feasible while still enjoying a relaxing vacation- the super long runs just had to go!

I’ve finally hit the point in my relationship where a 13 mile training run “isn’t a big deal” so 13.1 miles at a slow steady pace at high altitude didn’t seem like a massive undertaking in theory. It seemed routine enough in my mind that I made the simplest, yet most critical error imaginable in under-planning for my run. It was the morning that the USA Pro Cycling Challenge was set to leave Breck for Steamboat, so the hubs had left very early for a rafting trip so that he wasn’t delayed by road blockages and had taken a key to the house. Grandma and I were left with one key and a toddler who, once dressed and ready, needed to get out of the house for a walk and outdoor play IMMEDIATELY. Since I knew that I’d be gone for two hours and change- slightly longer than Baby Bird’s morning playtime- I suggested that they take the key and we all started out the door together… locking the door behind us.

It only took me a quarter mile to realize I forgot to bring water, so I quickly circled back to the house… that was locked. I did a few loops looking for Grandma and Baby Bird on their walk with no luck but didn’t want to waste too much time because I didn’t know how USA Pro Challenge closures might affect me coming back into town if I delayed my run too long. Plus, its was only 13.1 miles….

Less than two miles in my legs already felt like lead as had become the tradition in my runs over the past few weeks (Of course, I had know idea that I had mono!) which was insanely frustrating since I was maintaining a slow, even pace. Trying to focus on anything besides my heavy legs, I let my mind drift to the fact that…. I was a little thirsty.

Wait… No. Don’t think about that. Plus, the Fire Department always has a water station on the trail four miles out.

Just as I remembered, the Fire Station had water jugs set out for runners on the Summit County Rec Trail just past four miles. And they were empty. And I was tired. I assured my inner genius I should stay committed to this debacle by convincing myself that I could hold out and push slightly beyond where I had planned to turn around until mile 7 on the trail that passed by the high school athletics field- surely there would be a water fountain out there!

Mile seven was an enlightening one. I learned that, in fact, there is not a water fountain available to the public at the sports field. And I remembered that using that as my turn around point meant that the return seven would be uphill. Now, if I’d turned around half a mile early it still would have been up hill… but it would have been at least a half mile less of uphill at 9,000+ feet without any water.

I paused my watch to think.

Herein lies the true beauty of this being a virtual race- had it been a normal race this is where I would have decided to admit personal defeat for the first time and thrown in the towel (of course… they would have had water at every mile so I would have felt less defeated, but that’s beside the point) but as it was it was the only person I was currently beholden to was myself and I needed a second to think.

I paused my watch.

Time needed to stop for a moment. This run was simply me against me… me with me… and my personal course rules that day allowed me to recollect myself before pressing forward. I needed to think for a moment about why I run.

I thought about my inspiring husband, my beautiful baby girl, and the community or runners I have met. I thought about my health- beyond the exhaustion- and happiness. I looked around me at the mountains and back at the path that was appearing deceptively flat, I took a deep breathe, snapped a quick photo of the moment that kept me going, and clicked my watch back on- it was time for life to keep moving.

The beauty of my surroundings and my own internal drive kept me moving for the next three miles until reality in the form of dehydration, altitude, and undiagnosed mono kicked me in the gut and my slow pace went to sloooooow pace. I planned to ask the next cyclist who would pay attention to me on the trail if they had extra water, but everyone was in a major hurry to get into Breckenridge to watch the USA Pro cyclists head to Steamboat. I was closer to a jog by the time I passed a little furniture shop that apparently normally has water setup for runner but didn’t on that day. I must have looked pretty defeated at the time, because the sweet owner was outside and asked me if I needed to come in for a drink.

Pause.

That’s when the exhaustion really caught up with me. All I could think about was how tired I was and, as I stepped back outside, I noticed that on the main road there was a bus stop.

And I stopped my watch.

I decided to throw in the towel.

I sat down at the bus stop and waited, trying not to think about the fact that I had quit.

I waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And finally figured out that busses wouldn’t be running until USA Pro Challenge had completely exited Breck.

I was four miles from home. I couldn’t call anyone to get me because the roads were closed.

I had two choices- run or walk.

I chose run.

I looked down at my watch and noted the time but left it off. These last four miles weren’t going to be about pace… they were going to be about me and my state of mind. Despite the fact that my footwear choice for the day was road running shoes, I decided skip off the rec trail and run the path along Blue River on the was back- if it was going to just be about me, I wanted it to be as scenic as possible.

Ironically, this became the best part of my run- pace wise and peace of mind wise. Focusing on the trail took my focus off of the rest of my struggles that day. I ended on my own terms and smiling… mentally.

In the end, it took me 2 hours and 22 minutes of running time to make it from our house to the high school back to Main Street- about 14 miles in distance. I’m glad I gave myself the flexibility and freedom that day to focus on what I did instead of getting caught up in the moments where I was doing nothing.

And I learned first hand how important it is to be properly prepared for every run.

And I took a really good nap.

Something to Celebrate: My BRF’s Runiversary

I’m not a life long runner.  I didn’t start running until after I gave birth to Baby Bird and when I started I hated it.  But I saw results… and I cleared my mind… and I felt like a better person as time wore on and the miles got easier.  As I often say, running made me the person I was always meant to be- it transformed me into me.

Apparently other people could see those changes in me as well.  Over the past two years, I’ve gotten lots of questions about my “running testimonial” from people (most frequently “Why the heck would you choose running!?”) and every once and awhile someone feels moved to give running a shot themselves to see if they too can experience the near transcendence I often describe.

Exactly a year ago, while I was in the thick of training for my first full marathon I received the following text from my very good friend Rachel while she was trying to kill time during a predictably redundant teacher training session:

Over the course of the next four hours (if you are a veteran teacher who has been subjected to inservice geared towards first year educators, you can totally understand why she had so much time to kill), our text conversation transformed from the idea of Rachel beginning to run to planning to help her train for her first half marathon in six months time.  And that afternoon, Rachel went for a run.

And she hated it.

But she stuck with it.

And she saw results… and she cleared her mind… and she felt like a better mother, wife, friend, and teacher as time wore on and the miles got easier.

In February, I had the privilege of pacing her through her first half marathon.  She may have sworn at me.  I may have physically drug her up the hill affectionately termed “the big one.”  I may have sort of peed my pants so that I wouldn’t have to stop and throw off her rhythm and momentum.  And she may have finished 10 minutes ahead of her goal time… and 5 minutes faster than my first half marathon.

Because she is awesome, fierce, and powerful… as a mother, wife, friend and teacher.

As a runner.

Happy Runiversary, Rachel!  I’m looking forward to all the miles to come.

 

Getting It Back: #Rogamonth and Virtual Races

In January, when I received my bib number for the WDW Goofy Challenge I discovered I had been corralled incorrectly and was starting even further back than my modest times would normally provided.  Unfortunately, when we arrived at Disney World to pick up our bibs at the expo the line for corrections was exceptionally long and we were on the verge of missing our ADR at O’hana which would have been an unacceptable faux pas in the eyes of our exceptionally excited toddler.

Baby Bird entertains herself (and Grandma) while she waits for Mama to finish the marathon leg of Goofy- there was no way this patient kiddo should have to miss dinner at O’hana!

Oh well… having lost some training time due having the flu over the holidays I figured I would be slower than normal and I was already staring down something near eight hours of running in the two day span so what would it matter if my gun time was an hour behind others?  In truth, it didn’t matter too terribly much except that marathon day ended up being so hot once the sun was out that every extra minute made what seemed like a major difference.  Bobbing and weaving around walkers and lollygaggers was exceptionally aggravating.  Sure, I was further back than I should have been but the extra agitations magnified the situation in my mind as the miles wore on.  Being in the back was starting to suck.

After that race, I decided that I was ready to commit myself training hard enough to get out of the slow corrals.  Two months later, after lots of sweat and a few tears, I rounded a huge corner and finished 13.1 miles of rolling hills with a finish time of 1:58:34, a major feat in that it was 25 minutes faster than my previous half marathon PR.  Success!  I was rolling!

I kept the momentum going as summer approached.  I was running more, training harder, listening to my coach’s feedback and my body’s cues… and I was on cloud nine.  Even as the weather heated up, I kept seeing improvements.

And then I had surgery.  And had to stop all activity for four weeks.

When I returned to running it was in the dead heat of the summer and with stalled momentum after feeling pretty invincible.  Nothing seemed to be going right.  I was slower.  I couldn’t hit my paces.  I was out of the morning run routine.  Ick!

I was having a hard time figuring out how to look beyond my little world and become part of the larger running universe again.  I needed a nugget of the inspiration and public accountability that comes with a race.  Luckily, the month of August provided two great accountability methods for me to get back on track through virtual races and a little insta-accountability!

In an unbelievably timely way, Jost Running offered me the complimentary opportunity to participate in their virtual races for August through October.  The Nike Women’s Virtual Half Marathon was the only other virtual race I’d done and it was an amazing experience because A) it was the first time I’d ever run more than 10 miles B) it was my first race since middle school track and C) it gave birth to the amazingness that is Team Victorious!  Given my previous positive experience, it seemed like an awesome way to bump up my accountability while still training on my own terms to get back to where I knew I could be before we kick off race season here in Austin at the end of September.

A few fine ladies on instagram (Jen from Why I Run, Julia from Running on Om, Susie from Long Run Yoga, Toney from Ultra Toney Trainer, and Humble Beginnings Yoga) also started the month long #rogamonth challenge to get yogis running and runners yogi-ing(?) with the added accountability of an instagram community.  Heck, I can’t avoid it if I need to take a picture of it, can I!?

On the 5th day of Rogamonth, I did the Jost Virtual 5k benefiting ALS.  With a 30:16 finish, it certainly wasn’t my fastest but it was a great way to get myself moving again and to see my finisher stats alongside the other participants for encouragement.  If felt good to step out the door that morning knowing I was accountable for my time- whatever time my body might be ready for that day- and give ownership to my recovery training.  I’ll be doing the August Jost Half Marathon soon with the added challenge of running at high altitude, so I’m sure a hilarious recap will follow.

Additionally, I’ve been keeping up with my Rogamonth challenges.  Feel free to help keep me accountable on instagram… if for no other reason than to watch me yoga it up with my toddler or while vacuuming.  Hey, fit moms make it work!

Creamy Garlic Kefir Pasta

We are enjoying a easy-breezy, stress-free week at our house  which means easy meals that Baby Bird and I can prepare together.  It also means that several meals will be “clean out the pantry” affairs that help ensure we use up some of the ingredients we have on hand before I have to head to a market.

Monday’s lunch was a perfect example of keeping it simple a cheap by using what we had on hand- not to mention using ingredients the little one is guaranteed to gobble up at every meal. Creamy Garlic Kefir Pasta is a kitchen creation born from our family fondness for tzatziki sauce and pasta in all forms.  I serve it cold and never heat the kefir so that none of the probiotic organism bolstering the super-healthy kefir aren’t damaged.  If you chose to heat it, you would still have all of the fabulous macronutrients and polysaccarides… but it would lose it’s probiotic functionality.

Another reason I love this recipe?  Baby Bird loves to help scoop pasts, fill the pot with water, rinse the pasta with cold water, and “toss” the pasta in the sauce.  As all moms know, the more your kiddo helps with food the more likely they are to enjoy it without any hassles.

Toddler (and penguin) Friendly Meal

And did I mention it’s super easy and an ideal way to utilize pantry staples?

Bookmark this one for the days that you just can’t imagine having to run to the grocery store or the nights that you have meetings and need to leave a meal in the fridge for your family.

Creamy Garlic Kefir Pasta

• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 tsp coarse salt
• 1 lb pasta
• 2 cups plain kefir
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp parsley flakes

Directions: In a ramekin or small bowl, crush the salt into the garlic cloves to form a coarse paste.

Prepare pasta according to package instructions.  Drain and rinse with cold water.

Over medium heat, saute the garlic paste in the olive oil for several minutes to infuse oil with garlic flavor.  Whisk oil and garlic paste into kefir.  Add the parsley and mix thoroughly.

In a large bowl toss pasta with kefir sauce.  Serve immediately or further chill in refrigerator.