Gearing Up

I have to be honest...for the last few months I've felt a little beat up.  Work, home, running kids, actually running and...life.  I don't know if I could possibly do more.  I feel like the stretchy lady on the Disney movie 'The Incredibles' and I'm still working to get my arms and legs back to their natural lengths.  I did get to go to Mazatlan, Mexico for a week with my husband.  This was my "time out" in October.  No e-mail.  No phone.  No one could get ahold of me.  I drank enough to pickle my body to the point I was moderately concerned I had congestive heart failure or was in acute kidney failure.  But what I am most proud of is that I managed to get up every morning, bust out 2 miles on the treadmill and do my ab workout.  I kept to my "no red meat" nutitional lifestyle change - not a hardship at all since the shrimp there is amazing.  Small things to be happy about and certainly minimal mileage.  But it was something.  In past vacations I haven't made the effort and I come home 10 pounds heavier and feel like a slug.

Anyways - getting ready to gear up my creative writing abilities and do more posting.  I have a great tale to tell about my "Unofficial Swimmer's Itch Triathlon" I completed in September with my 15 year old daughter. 

You will be seeing more of me.  Or my words at least.

Until then - I tried a great recipe you might want to bring to your Thanksgiving dinner out of September's issue of Cooking Light.
Sweet Potato Sides:  Butter-Pecan Mashed, Maple Bacon, Chipotle-Lime, or Parmesan-Sage
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/butter-pecan-sweet-potatoes-50400000122908/
I recommend variation one - maple bacon - yum.

Peg's Personal (i)Pod

Disclaimer:  I am not an expert runner.  I am experienced though.

What this means is I do not claim to be an expert.  I don’t have all the answers and the answers I do have are typically derived from some sort of a running travesty I have lived through to tell and almost always involve a unique trauma I have made my body endure. 

That being said…

I get a lot of questions from people who are just beginning to dabble in the sport of running…or who are fairly new to it and are finding the whole concept of cadence a challenge (i.e. “How do I stay the same speed so I don’t hit the wall at the end of my run?  How do I speed train to improve my pace?  How the hell do I motivate myself to keep running once I’ve started and not turn back to go get myself a beer…which is what I really want to do?”).  I was reading a little “Q&A ask the experts” in the June 2012 Runner’s World magazine today.  One of the featured experts Beth Baker, who is a personal trainer and coach in Seattle, said creating playlists that alternate fast and slow songs will help you keep cadence while burning more calories.  It takes a lot of energy (hence the calorie burning) to continuously raise and lower your heart rate.  Beth suggests songs with 180 beats per minute (BPM) for speed work outs and 100-120 beats per minute for warm-up jogging, easy runs, and long and slow runs.  When I read her suggestions I kind of laughed a little.  I consider myself a serious runner but running an 8 minute mile which equates to about 170 beats per minute is my Helena High School “best” in Mr. LeBrun’s physical education (PE) class in 1993.  I have yet to beat that record again.  I’m what you would call a “Steady Eddy.”  I run an 11 minute mile…for 11 miles…or whatever the long run might be.  Usually, the elevation changes don’t matter.  I stay at the same pace no matter the climb or the descent.  I have and can get down to a 9 minute mile if I speed train.  Could I get faster?  Probably.  But for me I like the long run, good work out, and I don’t want to puke at the end.  If chased by a bear I feel I could beat my personal best but the end result would be the same…I’d still get eaten.  Another fun fact:  21% of runners use their tunes to help keep their speed up while the other 79% listen because it entertains them as they pound pavement (Runner’s World, 2012).  Despite my slow “clomp-clomp” I incorporate the faster songs to keep me moving and the slower ones to get going or take a break. 

So-what is on the Juke Box for Peg Leg?  To give you an idea of what I’m talking about, here are a few songs that have beats per minute (BPM) and how fast a mile you are looking at:

Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People…this is a 12 minute mile or 130 BPM.  Dog Days Are Over by Florence and the Machine.  This is a 10 minute mile or 150 BPM.  Stuck Like Glue by Sugarland is just over an 8 minute mile or roughly 168 BPM.  I imagine if I tried to actually run this fast I might vomit on my shoes…but I still run to it.  Not Afraid by Eminem is under an 8 minute mile.  I build my play list by starting out with three slow songs, get faster with four songs and then slow down again with three.  Depending on how long you are running for you can repeat the concept-or at least this is what I do.

Other great songs I am running to now?  Remember the Name by Fort Minor, Seven Nation Army by White Stripes, All of the Lights by Kanye West, Cinderella Man by Eminem, Bleed It Out by Linkin Park...I am all over the place.

I have a Metallica list, a Nickelback list, an “I’m a girl and I hate men” list filled with lots of angry female artists…sky is the limit, folks.  If you would like to create a playlist and check out beats per minute, go to http://jog.fm/.  It is a great resource.

For now, I would like you all to know I am now a Master of Science in Nursing (finally finished with school)!  And…I have journeyed over to the dark side…I learned how to swim in May and I am training for my first triathlon:  http://www.mtcompact.org/GCT.htm.

Happy Trails!

I'm Just Lumpy

I would like to start out with a disclaimer before I dive into my story.  Please be advised this is my own story I am sharing when I underwent “further evaluation” for a breast lump.  While it will be seemingly entertaining for you to read, please understand breast cancer affects several women and men and it is something I don’t mess with.  It is the most common cancer for women and is the second leading cause of cancer death for us too…over 40,000 women die yearly from it.

MID-LIFE CRISIS:

I had just turned the ripe old age of 30 and found myself rapidly falling apart.  You could say maybe I was going through a midlife crisis because my young adult life was over.  On the day of my birth, 30 years weighed heavily on my shoulders.  I had just started running again, wasn’t eating well, and at the time was stressed over the fact that my life flashing before my eyes.  I came down with a cold.  Looking the polar opposite of “the picture of health” I sat in my doctor’s office.  The nurse called me back and weighed me.  Awesome.  Let the humiliation begin.  She escorts me to a room, takes my vitals, and asks me why I’m there.  Then he leaves me to feel and look like death warmed over. 

SURPRISE ATTACK:

I had thought I had an understanding with my doctor.  I don’t get in his way.  He doesn’t get in mine.  I tell him what is going on.  “I have a cold.  Maybe cough too.  I’ve had it for a few weeks-maybe six.  I’m training for a marathon and I can’t run ‘cause I’m having a hard time breathing.  What do you think about a Z-Pack and a rescue inhaler?”  His reply:  “Huh.  Well let’s take a listen to you.”  At this point I whine to him about not needing to…blah blah blah…and like a good doctor he tells me I have no choice and to get up on the table.  While he’s listening to my lungs he says, “When was your last breast exam?  Do you do self-exams?”  Hmmm.  Not sure where he was going with this…I replied, “I’ve calved out four kids.  My last breast exam was the last time I had a baby.  A few years ago.  I’ve felt some lumps but I think their just fibrous.”  He removes his stethoscope from his ears, pauses for effect, then hands me a gown to put on and leaves the room.  Oh no…

                          

“I’M JUST LUMPY”:

After the mortifying experience of a breast exam filled with blushing, holding my breath, and gritting my teeth while I answered more of his questions, he suggests I have a mammogram.  Oh.  And he’ll give me the z-pack but I’m banned from running for 10 days to give my lungs a rest.  “A what?!?!?  I’m 30 years old!  I’m just lumpy!  And I can’t run?!  Who are you?!  The Grim Reaper?”  Chuckling at my obvious dismay, he tells me there are two areas that don’t “feel normal.”  While it could be nothing it could also be something.  And he needed to know for sure.  And he told me I needed to know. 

    

THE SKIN SCRAPER:

With a sickly feeling in my stomach I arrived at the hospital for my mammogram.  What was going to happen?  I may have had four kids but I have “little going on up top” if you catch my drift.  How were the jaws of life going to produce any discernible images of cancer when I had little to offer to the machine?  After much manipulation and stellar range of motion on my part, I felt as though any excess skin starting at my wrists was scraped up toward my breasts.  Excess skin under my chin was scraped down.  Concerned my nose would be included in the image because I didn’t realize EXACTLY what was considered breast tissue at this point, I relayed my concerns to the tech and nurse.   They were wonderful, got my humor, and assured me only my ears would be included in the films and not my nose.

WAKE-UP CALL:

I ended up having a normal mammogram.  During the whole experience I began to reflect on what I had done and what I still needed to do…as a mom, as a daughter, as a sister, as a wife, and as a nurse.  Scares like a lump, a bump, a bleed, or an abnormal lab value really put life in perspective for us.  This is good-the silver lining.  The normal mammogram for me was a get out of jail for free card.  The event wasn’t to be ignored-I considered it a wake-up call. 

What do you need to do?  Lucky for us women, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have a list of risk factors we can review while we assess our individual health, and make informed health choices starting with talking to your provider about what your risks are. 

A few risk factors include (see CDC website for complete list): 

·         Getting older-I know….as if we don’t have enough problems with what age does to us…now this.  Damn it.

·         Being younger when you first had your menstrual period-was anyone like me….12 years old, Mrs. Anderson’s 6^th grade class, and white jeans (yes-it was late 80’s).

·         Starting menopause at a later age-really, after reading the above factor, it doesn’t seem like we can win…does it?

·         Being older at the birth of your first child or never giving birth.  And throw in not breastfeeding with that.

·         Personal history of breast cancer or some non-cancerous breast diseases or how ‘bout a family history of breast cancer (mother, sister, daughter).

·         Drinking alcohol (more than one drink a day).  Again.  Damn it.

·         Not getting regular exercise.

So now that you have made a doctor’s appointment what can you do today?

How about walk or run for the upcoming Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure?  While I realize there is a lot of “unrest” related to funding and allocation of funds, this is an event that does more to raise awareness to the disease than any other that I know of.  Montana’s race is set for this Saturday, May 19, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. at the State Capitol.  Check out http://www.komenmontana.org/komen-race-for-the-cure/race-information/ for more information!  In a different state?  Google your state for dates, times, and locations!

Have a good one!

SLOW DOWN, TURBO

I am always game to deem someone a “nutter” when he or she touts cockamamie antics for weight loss.  With all the fad diets and exercise equipment that can just “jiggle” my fat away…I make it my mission to find practical and healthy solutions for weight loss.  I came across a Men’s Health Blog on Seven Simple Ways to Cut Calories “without even trying” as the post declares (Mohr, 2012).  It proved to be pretty good advice and thought I would share my findings.  The first simple way is to eat with your non-dominant hand.  Have you ever tried this?  Being a clumsy person lacking any dexterity whatsoever, I did.  I may have ended up with more food in my lap than actually in my mouth but the process certainly did slow me down.  There was no way I could shovel the food in fast without the possibility of stabbing myself in the eye with my fork.  Don’t let your foods touch on your plate…for those of you who have or have not been diagnosed with OCD-you will love this trick.  When you do this, you cut down on the amount of food you are eating-essentially a portion control strategy.  Put your fork down between every bite…this encourages you to slow down while eating.  Did you know it takes 15-20 minutes for your brain to sense that you are full?  Don’t wait for your stomach to tell you it’s going to be sick.  Slow down.  Another way to decrease calorie intake is to chew your food rather than inhale it.  While this seemingly passes the common sense test, most of us inhale rather than chew our food.  Remember Grandma telling you to chew your bite of food 50 times?  Well…Grandma knew what she was talking about.  Forego the phone:  If you don’t pay attention to how much you are eating, you will consume more.  Whether it is a phone or book or the T.V., take a break and "unplug."  Talk to the person (or people) around you without distraction-we all know this gives us more benefits than cutting calories.  Start with a salad!  While you can load up with cheese and creamy dressings (and my favorite-bacon) swap bread for salad at the restaurant and let the veggies take up the room in your stomach to help you eat less of the “heavier” calories during the main course.  Last but not least, make veggies and/or fruit the biggest part of your meal!  How to do this?  For example, those of you that love oatmeal in the morning fill you bowl with berries first, then add the oatmeal.  Just some helpful strategies when battling the forces of evil in the weight world...try these out and let me know how it goes. 

But try not to poke your eyeball out.

BACON IN MODERATION

My dad and I have an agreement.  I tell him what to do and he doesn’t listen.  He tells me he’s just paying me back for my bad behavior as a child,  the tables have turned, and it will only get worse.  One of the things I harp on him about is his cholesterol.  What is cholesterol?  Globs of fat.  Cholesterol is a fat-like substance made in the liver and is found in certain foods-such as from animals (dairy products, eggs, and meats).  With his nutritious diet of buttermilk, tubs of butter, whole milk, bacon, roast beast, pork rinds, cottage cheese, and bar-b-que potato chips (he likes the marshmallow sugar coated peeps as well) you can imagine these healthy food choices go a long way to reducing his cholesterol and overall risk for heart disease.

Just like our stubbornness, Dad and I both inherit a tendency toward high cholesterol in our family so it was only natural I had to nag him for two years to have his cholesterol checked (this blood test is called a lipid panel).  While I like to toss back the bacon once in awhile and pound down a Big Mac on occasion, it has never occurred to me to have my own lipid panel drawn.  Since he had his checked I decided I better be a good role model for him and have mine done. 

Brief explanation here.  You have two types of fat globs rolling around in your body.  High Density Lipids (HDL) which is the “good fat.”  HDL carries the “bad fat” which is Low Density Lipids (LDL) back to the liver, essentially cleaning out the pipes that carry your blood “to and fro” around in your body.  The US Department of Health and Human Services provides guidance on how much circulating buttermilk, lipids we should have in our veins:

National                                                 Dad’s Cholesterol                             Tova’s Cholesterol

Recommendations                              (on cholesterol pills)                   (not on cholesterol pills)

Total Cholesterol: (mg/dL)
Desirable:   less than 200	184
Borderline high:  200-239		211
High:  240 and above
HDL:  Needs to be above 40!!!	34	62
LDL: (mg/dL)
Optimal:  less than 100
Near Optimal:  100-129	116
Borderline High:  130-159		130
High:  160-189
Very High:  190 and above

So what does this mean?  Does my buttermilk drinkin’, bacon eatin' dad have better cholesterol than I do?  Nope!  An HDL cholesterol of less than 40 mg/dL is a major risk factor for heart disease.  And we also have to consider ratios (bad LDL versus good HDL).  I have more HDL carrying my bad fat globs to back to my liver than my dad does.  He might have less LDL fat globs than I do, but I almost double him on good cholesterol.  Plus…he has to be on medicine to keep his cholesterol where it is at!!!  I just have to increase my mileage running and keep eating rabbit food!  (FYI:  My dad consented to me making an example of him and supports the contents of this e-mail.  He also may have demanded a tub of cottage cheese and a bag of chips but I pretended to not hear him.)

What can you do to keep your total cholesterol under 200?

·      Get your cholesterol checked by your healthcare provider at least once every five years.  Start at age 20.

·       Eat less than 300mg of dietary cholesterol a day.  Low in saturated and trans fat.

·       Exercise regularly.  What does this mean?  Aim for 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity at least four times a week.

·       Quit smoking!  Check out http://tobaccofree.mt.gov/quitlinefactsheet.shtml

These strategies won’t just help with lowering your cholesterol.  They will decrease your risk for heart disease and other preventable illnesses.

This picture is my Dad and Gramma and me...all smiling because we like bacon.  And we all have high cholesterol:

Bacon and buttermilk in moderation...

Magical Powers

I talked my brother Jake into running the Snow Joke Half Marathon with me in February.  Preparation included  putting in the time for three months of training (despite freezing temperatures, snow storms and muscling through aches and pains).  I even went so far as to sacrifice myself by acting as his human shield against cars, trucks, deer, and elk.  He would show up to run with me Saturday mornings dressed out in black, two hours before the sun would show itself-with not a single thread of reflective gear on him.  He would tell you that me guarding his body made sense since I was the one that was smart enough to wear reflective gear.  “Tova.  You are the brains.  I am the beauty.  Protect me with your reflective coat so I can continue to live and raise your nephews like men and not babies.”    

Race day came.  With snow and wind whipping around us, we set out to run 13.1 miles on ice and snow packed roads.  When I was having to bribe Jake with adult beverages at the finish line by mile marker two…I knew he was going to have a tough go of things.  Naturally, I picked up the pace and left him to fend for himself but not after I encouragingly declared, “You got this.”  I almost felt guilty until I started to remember all the Saturday mornings I protected him from getting ran over.  It was broad daylight.  He had two aid stations that could take care of him.  He could survive.    

I made my way mile by mile and with relative ease until I came upon the evilness of mile 11.  Even if I am having an awesome run this mile marker plagues me.  Sometimes I get sick, sometimes I hallucinate, but usually I just cry like a baby for my mama, and beg for someone to have mercy on my soul who will carry me to the end of the run.  It’s not just 11.  Mile markers 19-21, 27, 36-38, 46, and 52-54 are all difficult to power through as well.  Overall, I had a pretty good race and totally smoked my little brother.  But the happiness from my triumph was short lived once he came through the finish line and told me he puked not just once, but three times!  Jake gutted it out, and despite all the discomfort he experienced, he continued to put one foot in front of the other until he reached the finish line.  I was so proud of him.    

While I ran I had a few songs I kept playing over and over and over.  One was called Remember the Name and the chorus is as follows:  “It’s 10% luck, 20% skill, 15% concentrated power of will, 5% pleasure, 50% pain, and 100% reason to remember the name.” The song isn’t about running-but it is about someone who works.  Hard.  And it isn’t easy.  To others it looks like the qualities of greatness come naturally.     

Some look at me and think I am a nutter for running long distance.  Others feel I have magical powers and my ability makes me strong.  Probably a little of both…but refer to the song above-nothing is as easy as it looks.  There are things out there you all do every day that I couldn’t.  So who has magical powers?  You.  Everyone is running their own race.  Perhaps the kind of race you are in is a little different from the ones I run.   Maybe it is cancer, divorce, mental illness…maybe the race you are running involves making it through the work week while you keep it all together. 

Whatever race you are running, hang in there.  An aid station is coming up and you can get a drink of water.  Soon, the finish line will be in sight.  Keep putting one foot in front of the other...you got this.

Comparisons Between T-Rex and Tova

Today my story is one fraught with something new.  Sound scary?  You have no idea…

If I had to choose, for instance, between running and biking…I’d pick running.  Although I attribute this choice to my lack of coordination, if I’m honest with myself, I choose running because this is my “comfort zone.”  I know that after five minutes of sucking air my lungs will stop burning and I’ll reach my baseline and run with ease.  I know that at mile 5 my right knee will hurt for about 10 minutes and at mile 8 my left hip will feel like it’s locking up – but will go away by mile 9.  I know I’ll have comfortable run at a 10 minute/mile pace and if I run at a 9 minute/mile pace I’ll want to barf afterwards.  All of these things I know about my body.  My mind knows them.  When I’m not tripping over a rock and skidding on my face down a dirt road, I feel very comfortable in my body exercising.

Knowing what you are good at and where you can get the benefit of a good workout is a great thing.

My husband isn’t what you would call a runner.  Oh…the poor man loathes it.  He’ll go and squeak out two or four miles and come back purple, sweaty, and having a breathing fit.  He’ll curse at the running gods and be filled with amazement that he ended up with such a crazy woman who could actually want to run…versus being chased and made to run…one of his very endearing qualities.  He tries.  Clearly this isn’t his comfort zone.  He’s a weight lifter and loves to golf.   Heads to the gym and lifts weights every day…would golf more if he didn’t run with me.  J 

Lately, he’s been suggesting I come to the gym and pump some iron with him.  The thought is…well.  It’s plain scary.  I feel like I could crush the world with my legs but my arms have little to offer humanity.  If any of you have kids, maybe you have seen the Disney movie Meet the Robinsons?  The evil man played by the voice of Jim Carrey sets Tyrannosaurus Rex on the “good guy (or kid)” and T-Rex more or less fails because he gets stuck - his tiny little arms can’t reach the kid and his big head gets in the way.  I’ve been compared to this T-Rex, of course, very lovingly by my siblings.  Not because of the size of my head (I don’t think) but because I have little baby arms.

I’m working on the courage to make an appearance  at the gym.  Soup cans.  Small rocks.  Carrying the water in the pot I fill for pasta over to the stove.  It’s the little things, right?  As much as I hate to admit it, my arms could use some muscle.  I know it would help me run better.  Still…ugh.  But!  I am determined.  I will do this.  And you will have a detailed summary of the event…not without mishaps I’m sure.

My point today is this…when I got married, that whole something old something new saying?  I’m taking it seriously in my exercise routine.  Change is tough.  And sticking your toe out there past the comfort zone line takes some serious courage.  What if you fail?  How about this-what if you don’t try?  You don’t jump?  You might not ever find that you are pretty decent at two or three things instead of just one.  The hard part is sticking with it through that “awkward” phase.  You won’t be a pro the first time you try golfing for the first time.  I know.  I’ve done this one too.  In fact, I’m still not a pro and I’ve done it three times.  But I’m getting better each time we go. 

Take the plunge.  Pump some iron.  Put the pedal to the metal.  Hit the ground running. 

Whatever it is you’ve been thinking about trying…go for it!   And let me know how it goes!!!!As for me, I want to be a different dinosaur.  One more…proportionate…

Have a great week everyone!!!