More Passover Dishes

The recipe is called Mrs. Feinberg's Kugel. I have no idea who Mrs. Feinberg is, but her kugel is fabulous! The recipe includes 1 cup grated apple, 1 cup grated sweet potato, and 1 cup of grated carrots, and one cup of matzah meal. Then add 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp of baking soda. The recipe also calls for 1/2 cup of margarine -- I only used 1/4 cup, but probably could have gotten away with even less than that. There is also an optional addition of nutmeg and sugar, but honestly, the dish is sweet enough that it doesn't need added sugar. Bake for 45 minutes at 325 degrees.

Mushroom and potato casserole. Boil redskin potatoes, mash, and put them at the bottom of the dish. Then saute sliced mushrooms and onion, just until the mushrooms give up their juice. Pour the mushroom and onion mixture on top of the potato layer. Top with almond slivers and raisins. The dish calls for 2 tablespoons of margarine, which I omitted.

Matza Farfel Pasta

Tonight is the first night of Passover. Passover is a Jewish holiday on which we do not eat leavened bread, nor do we eat items that may resemble leavened bread. This includes soy, lentils, and peanuts, all of which are normally staples of my diet as a vegan.

I enjoy the holiday because it challenges me to prepare food that I would not normally make.
This is whole wheat matzah farfel with baby bella mushrooms, pasta sauce, and carrots. I sauteed the sliced mushrooms in 1/2 cup of pasta sauce, then added sliced carrots, and last 1/2 cup of matzah farfel. 320 calories.

Triathlon and Risk of Sudden Death

Research presented at the American College of Cardiology 2009 Scientific Sessions demonstrates that the risk of sudden death is higher during a triathlon than during a marathon. Most deaths occur during the swim portion of the race and the average age of those who died was 42 years old.

I think that the take-home message here is that athletes, particularly those who do not compete regularly in races or those who have cardiovascular risk factors, should be screened by their physicians before racing.

They're Not Mashed Potatoes....

but they're healthier and still really tasty!
I made mashed cauliflower. I boiled 12 oz of cauliflower for about 20 minutes, poured it through a drainer, and then mashed it. I added just one teaspoon of Earth Balance margarine, salt, and pepper.

Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie

1 banana, 1 cup soy milk, 1 tablespoon peanut butter, and 1/2 scoop of vanilla soy protein powder. It's 17 ounces of smoothie, 370 calories, 11 grams of fat, 20 grams of protein. For a thicker shake, try using half a cup of soy milk. For a lower calorie shake, cut everything in half.

Destination: Wildflower Long Course

My next big race is the Wildflower Long Course Triathlon on May 2, 2009. It is known as the second toughest half-Ironman distance course in North America. This will be my toughest race yet.

Last weekend, I went up to Lake San Antonio for a long weekend training camp. We swam, biked, and ran on the terrain that we will be racing on. The training was great, but it was a huge wake-up call to me that I need to improve my cycling skills.

This would be me riding the 56-mile hilly course. I'm smiling because I know I'm almost done. Whew!






















The 56-mile bike course has lots of rolling hills at the beginning, then levels off for several miles. Around mile 43, there's a hill called "Nasty Grade". It can best be compared to "Heartbreak Hill" in the Boston Marathon -- when you're done with much of the course and a bit tired out, up ahead is a long hill to conquer. Nasty Grade is several miles of climbing. It levels off and you think you're done, but then there's more climbing to do. At the top, some joker spraypainted on the road, "What hill?". I laughed so hard when I saw that, after sweating through that long climb.

Swimming is.... swimming. I don't really love to swim. I am tall and have broad shoulders, so I'm not too terrible. My attitude, or perhaps attitude problem, toward swimming in triathlons is that it's so low yield -- even with tons of practice, a swimmer will only shave a minute or two off her race time. However, with running and cycling, many minutes can be saved. I attend an hourlong coached swim session once a week, but soon I'll be doing an open water swim also.

Running.... I love to run. I could run all day. Like Forest Gump. Except I like my music and can't live without my Garmin 305 GPS to tell me how far and how fast I am running.

The next few weeks will be some tough training.

The Art of the Tofu Scramble

Craving scrambled eggs? Try this healthy alternative:

Saute chopped onions in a frying pan with a little bit of water or Bragg's liquid amino acids (but go easy if you're watching your salt consumption!). No need for oil or margarine. Then add garlic.

Then add mashed or cubed extra-firm tofu. Mix in the vegetables of your choice -- I like spinach, peas, carrots, or sweet potatoes.

Add some spices for flavor -- I like coriander. oregano, black pepper, turmeric, and chili powder.

Saute for another 5-6 minutes and enjoy!

Heart Healthy Guide

For a long time, I've wanted a good, concise sheet to give to patients on lifestyle and heart disease. I haven't found any publication that is concise and hits upon all of the main points of diet, exercise, weight loss, and smoking cessation.

I put this together on my own. Read it and feel free to share your thoughts.

Exercise and Mood

I know that exercise improves my overall well-being.

Running helps me problem solve. It also boosts my mood when I'm feeling less than chipper.

Swimming, though it's not my favorite, destresses me. Perhaps it's the calming effect of the water, but when I get in the pool, I feel like the weight of my life is lifted from me.

Biking gives me a sense of accomplishment. With what other sport can you tell people, "I did 50 miles today"?

Yet another reason why exercise and triathlon are such a big part of my life.

Injury

If I've learned anything in my 30's as an athlete, it is to take injuries seriously. If you push through an injury now, it'll only make the recovery and time off from running longer.

A couple of weeks ago at my track workout, I tripped on a shoelace and fell flat on my face. I brushed myself off, tried not to look completely embarrassed, and kept running. My hands were a bit raw from scraping the track, but otherwise I felt great.

When I got home, my left adductor thigh muscles were sore. I iced them, and the soreness went away.

Four days later, I ran my marathon. Around mile six, I started feeling that soreness again. It was a mild nagging pain that went away by mile 10, and caused me no trouble thereafter.

Then, with each successive run, it's nagging me even more. I ran 8 miles on Sunday with it sore most of the run, then took three days off and on Wednesday it was back again with a vengeance.

Now I am taking a week off. I'll be doing lots of biking and swimming, and maybe a couple of power hill walks (though I'll be tempted to run... but I won't). I'll also be icing twice a day and taking my ibuprofen.

Image from marathonracerunning.com

Comeback Marathon

It probably wasn't the most sane idea to sign up to run another marathon two weeks after dropping out of a marathon. But, I wanted to see how my training would stack up and I hoped my nerves wouldn't get the best of me.

I ran the IMS Arizona Marathon this weekend. This time I finished, though I still landed at the port-o-potties three times and had stomach cramps that caused me to walk intermittently, especially at the end.

It was a somewhat tough, point-to-point, mostly uphill course with a net elevation gain of just under 400 feet. And it was the smallest race that I've ever run, with only 99 marathon finishers.

I am so grateful for my friend who ran with me. He hadn't run in over a month, yet braved the race with me. For the 15 miles that we ran together, he kept me entertained and motivated, though I wasn't the greatest most friendly running partner that day.

My time was 4:34:09. That's third place in my age group (out of five -- yes that's intentionally in small print). That's a personal record by over 23 minutes. Minus the gastrointestinal issues, I could have easily taken ten minutes off that time.

Now I just need to figure out what to eat and what not to eat. Pre-race dinner was pasta with marinara and some faux burger crumbles. Perhaps it was the soy? Or maybe I'll just pop some Immodium before my longer runs??

Losing Weight

Obesity contributes greatly to heart disease. When people don't exercise and carry too much weight, they put themselves at risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, and elevated cholesterol.

I tell a lot of people to lose weight in order to reduce their risk. Here are some weight loss tips that I've seen work:

- Use a nutritionist. That's someone who can tell you exactly how many calories your body needs and what foods you should and should not be eating with any particular medical problem.

- Write down everything you eat and the approximate number of calories. Share that diet diary with someone, such as a nutritionist, your doctor, or a personal trainer. It keeps you accountable. If you have to write down that handful of M&M's that you're thinking of eating, are you really going to eat them?

- Weigh yourself daily. That way you see trends of weight gain before your weight gets out of control.

- Follow a vegan diet, or at the very least, cut back on the quantity of animal products that you consume. Vegan diets have been shown to aid in weight loss, help control blood sugar in diabetics, and lower cholesterol.

- Do some form of exercise most days of the week. Long-term registries of people who have lost weight and kept it off for several years show that the vast majority of successful "losers" excercise almost every day.

- Remember that weight loss and weight maintenance is about lifestyle change. These are not changes that you are to make for a couple of weeks and then revert to previous poor habits.

Getting Ready for a Comeback

It's been a tough week emotionally. I keep thinking back to my marathon mishap from last Sunday, and I think it all comes down to my chronic stomach issues.

I do fine on any workout under two hours. However, anything longer than that, and I've had stomach issues. First I chalked it up to the protein in the Clif Bars that I would consume during a race. Then, one particularly bad day occurred the day after chewing four pieces of sugarless gum (sorbitol increases intestinal motility). I think I just have a sensitive stomach and need to stick to basic pasta and marinara the night before a long workout.

I felt sick all day on Sunday and much of Monday. But, I forced myself to drink water and juice to rehydrate. And, I wasn't sore, at all! I think that's because while I dropped out around mile 21, I had been essentially walking from mile 15. On Tuesday, I did a relatively easy workout at the gym, and on Wednesday I was back to my usual workout with my personal trainer in the morning and a track workout in the evening.

Since I can't have a DNF hanging over my head, I've decided to race the Arizona Marathon on Sunday, February 15. My coach had me ramp up this week, run 9 miles today, and then next week I'll taper my exercise in preparation for the marathon.

Having to drop out of the marathon last weekend was a tough blow, but I'm learning from the experience and moving on.

DNF

DNF stands for "Did Not Finish". Today is my first DNF, at the Surf City Marathon. Marathoners like Paula Radcliffe and Deena Kastor, and triathletes Chris "Macca"McCormack and Norman Stadtler have DNF'ed at big races. So I suppose that middle-of-the-pack athlete me can have a bad day too.

I've done marathons and half-ironman distance races. I trained harder for this marathon than for any other marathon that I've done. I did a 22-miler with solid 10-minute splits. I ran an 18-miler in negative splits just three weeks ago. And, two weeks ago, I finished a half marathon in 2:03. I was hoping to not only do well, but to have a personal record by several minutes. So what happened today? I'm not sure.

Dinner last night was at a Mexican restaurant, with pinto beans, rice, and some veggies and fried bananas. It wasn't anything too unusual, other than that I probably ate more than I usually do. But my stomach was fine in the morning. My pre-race fuel was my usual raisin bran with soy milk, yogurt, and a piece of fruit. I felt strong at the start. My strategy was 9:45/mile splits. I was hitting those consistently, maybe a little faster on a couple miles with a downhill. I was fueling with Gu, and with the Sharkies on the course which I specifically tried out on my own last weekend because I knew they'd be at the race and wanted to make sure I'd digest them okay. And I felt great -- that is, until about mile 13, when I slowed down a bit. I had a little bit of stomach cramping. Maybe I was dehydrated, I thought, so at the mile 14 water station, I walked through, drinking a cup of electrolyte drink plus two cups of water. I felt better for a little bit.

Then came worse stomach cramping and the urgent need to stop at a port-o-potty. And again, I felt a little better after that. I passed another water stop, but took nothing because I just felt I couldn't keep it down. At the next water stop I grabbed a Larabar, which I knew from past experience that I could digest while working out. But again the Larabar sat in my stomach like a rock. I had to walk a lot because running would induce cramping. Then I became lightheaded. I walked through several water stops without taking any drink or food because I couldn't keep them down. I passed the first aid tent at mile 18, thinking about stopping, but still, I wanted to see if I could feel better. I knew my goal time of 4:15 was in the toilet, but maybe 4:30? 4:40?

No such luck. I just felt worse and worse. A lot of people that I knew passed me, asked if I was okay. I appreciated their enthusiasm, but I was so embarrassed. Here I am, having trained so hard for this race, and I'm walking the last half of a marathon.

By mile 19, I resigned myself to the fact that I would not be finishing. Running just wasn't a possibility at this point, because I was even more lightheaded. I hadn't had any fluid since mile 14, which was well over an hour ago and I had no way of keeping any fluid or nutrition down. I had yet another emergent port-o-potty stop at mile 20. I couldn't feel my radial pulse, which is an indication of hypotension or low blood pressure. And finally I saw the first aid tent at mile 21.

I stumbled over and as tears streamed down my face, I stammered out.... "lightheaded.... cramps...." Next thing I knew I was lying down in the first aid tent, in tears, covered in blankets. I'm not one to cry at the drop of a hat, but I felt sick, but worse yet I was ashamed of myself having worked so hard for months for this marathon to land on a cot in a first aid tent. There, I was able to sip a bit of water, about an ounce, but not more than that. After resting for what felt like an eternity, shivering under countless blankets, I could sit up and not feel like I was going to fall over. I rode back to the start in the "sag wagon". I could have stopped at the first aid tent to get some IV fluids, but I didn't want to be in the happy race environment any more, so again stopping at a port-o-potty twice on the way, I stumbled to my car and drove home.

On the way home, I was able to keep a fruit smoothie down, though that wasn't pleasant. I weighed myself at home and found that I'm six pounds less than when I started this morning -- clearly dehydrated. And even now, hours later, I'm not feeling that great, though I'm sitting here sipping orange juice and oatmeal.

I'm mad, but it happens. Now, I need to move on. I want to prove I can run a marathon in 4:15-4:20. Based on my previous times I can do it. I'm going to find a marathon in the next couple of months and I will do it.

The Perfect Banana Mango Smoothie

I had an awesome banana mango smoothie at a restaurant recently, and asked for the secret to how it was made. They said that the secret was frozen bananas, a little orange juice, and a little soy milk.

Here's what I came up with: 1/2 cup frozen banana, softened in the microwave, 1/2 cup frozen mango, 2 oz soy milk and 2 oz orange juice. Throw it all in the blender, and yum! 160 calories.

Rock N Roll Half Marathon

I've been working hard with my running and nutrition, and it's definitely paying off.

I traveled to Arizona this weekend for PF Chang's Rock N Roll Half Marathon. My goal was to finish in under two hours. After all, I ran the City of Angels Half Marathon in 2:06:42, and a few weeks ago, I did an 11-mile run at a 9:30 per mile pace.

Then again, things don't always go perfectly as planned on race day.

I was wearing a race bib on my back with "2:00" on it. I planned to run with the 2-hour pace group. Unfortunately, we couldn't find the start, and when we finally found it, there were just thousands upon thousands of people there. I got into the start corral, but could get nowhere near the 2-hour pace group. However, I could see their wooden stick with "2:00" on it and planned to keep it in sight and catch up in a couple of miles.

Finally, our corral is allowed through the start line. It's a mass of people, and fortunately, I was in a corral with people who run about my pace, so I didn't have to dodge around walkers or get knocked over by misplaced Kenyans aiming for a world record.

The first mile went well. I knew I had to keep a 9:10 per mile pace to finish in under 2 hours. The second went well. Right on pace. The bands were entertaining, and every so often there was a crowd cheering us on. Then during the third mile, I felt something under my feet, particularly my left foot. It was annoying, kind of burning, like a part of my sock that was bunched up. I ran through the pain. But it got worse. I gritted my teeth and kept on running.

Finally, at mile seven, I thought to myself, I need to do something about this sock! I stopped at the side of the road, pulled off my shoe, and to my dismay, my sock was perfectly stretched out over my foot. I stretched out my toes and discovered the issue: My plantar fasciitis was acting up at an inopportune moment. Was it the relatively new shoes? I had worn them for three runs, though they were all relatively short. Or could it be my forgetting to take my usual ibuprofen in the chaos of race morning?

I quickly laced up my shoe, stood up, muttered under my breath, "Go girl go!" and took off. The pain got worse as I went, and by mile eight I could feel absolute agony in the bottom of both feet. I found that by flexing my toes with each step that the pain would subside slightly.

Unfortunately, the discomfort of my feet slowed my pace to 9:30-9:40 per mile. By now I lost sight of the pink "2:00" sign. I pushed on, occasionally gritting my teeth. If this happened on marathon day (which is in two weeks), I'd have to drop out. But this is only a half marathon. And I have to push on.

Adding to the annoyance of the pain in my feet, I had the "2:00" bib on my back. Random people would ask me if I was the pace group leader (obviously not!) and if I was on pace. Finally, one girl at mile 11 inquired, and I knew that 2 hours was a lost cause. As she ran by me, I reached to my back, pulled off the safety pins, and at the next water stop wadded up the pink "2:00" bib and threw it in the trash.

This is one of those races that just wasn't fun for me because of the pain. I had to keep reminding myself, only three more miles, only two miles, only 2 kilometers, only a quarter of a mile, and so forth. As some put it, it's one of those races where we "dig deep", to find the emotional energy to just get through. I remind myself of the things I've accomplished -- and know that if I could get through those things, I can sure trudge through one more painful mile of a race.

My finishing time was 2:03:24. I didn't meet my goal, but it's a personal record for me for a half marathon. And I'm still proud of that performance, knowing that under better conditions, I can go even faster.

Crock Pot Magic

I have a new toy: a Crock Pot.

They're amazing! Basically, you add a bunch of ingredients, turn it on, go to work, and magically hours later you have a healthy, tasty meal!

I made chili by mixing tomato sauce, black beans, chick peas, and vegan burger crumbles, and setting the Crock Pot at low for eight hours. Another day, I added some frozen vegetables to a bottle of pasta sauce and cooked for four hours. The veggies added great flavor to the sauce.

This is my most recent creation. Two cans of chick peas, one pound of baby carrots, onion, veggie broth, salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary, and oregano, mixed up in the crock pot, cooked on low for seven hours. Then the mixture was poured into the food processor and voila! A healthy side dish with veggies (carrot) and protein (chick peas).

Bike Ride Calamity

Today I have decided that I need a RoadID for my bike shoes. Here is why.

My tri club had a New Years Day fun ride today. About twenty or so riders met up, including a woman who had just moved to the area and was new to the club. I introduced myself, welcomed her to the club, and we chatted for a few minutes before we headed out onto the ride.

She was about 50 feet ahead of me. About a half a mile into the ride, I saw her fly over her handlebars, flip in the air, and hit her head on the ground.

I dropped my bike and ran toward her. She was unconscious, and gasping for air. I prevented anyone from moving her, checked to make sure she had a pulse, and then very gently lifted her jaw to open her airway. There was another physician riding separately who also stopped to help. Another rider called 911.

While she lay unconscious, other people in our group searched her bike for some identification, as we had all just met her for the first time today and all we knew was her first name. Unfortunately, we could not find any ID.

It seemed like a long span of 2 or 3 minutes before she opened her eyes, and even then, all she could tell us was her name. Shortly after, she could tell us her parents' phone number, and we contacted them. The paramedics arrived and took her to the County Hospital.

She was pretty banged up, with some scrapes and bruising to her face, left shoulder and elbow. Fortunately, she was wearing a helmet -- I believe it is our club's policy that to come on a club ride that you need a helmet, but I see so many people riding without one -- and she sustained only a minor concussion. She does not remember the accident.

The lessons I've learned today are:
Carry ID when you ride.
Always wear a helmet when riding.

Image from torontoist.com

Time really flies!

I have no idea where the month of December went. But I certainly didn't spend much of it blogging!

The holidays are of course a busy time. For me, they are also a big time of transition since I will be joining a new cardiology practice in January. It's a good decision for what I want in my career, but I will miss my patients and the staff at my hospital and my office. I have posted my new office phone number in the right hand column.

I am still running and doing my best to eat healthfully at this time of the year when yummy high-calorie treats abound. This month, I ran my fastest half marathon ever in 2:06:41 and my fastest 5K ever in 25:51. To get to my goal of running faster and qualifying for the 2010 Boston Marathon, I'm running about 35-40 miles per week. That means some very early mornings sometimes -- as early as 4:30 am. To motivate myself, I think forward -- all this hard work will be well worth it when I achieve my goal of running Boston.

Have a great holiday season, and more sometime soon....

Chicken Free Chicken Stir Fry

This is tonight's stir fry: Follow Your Heart's Chicken-Free Chicken with Annie Chun's Chinese Stir Fry sauce and a bunch of frozen veggies -- carrots, okra, spinach, broccoli, and cauliflower.

I recently discovered Chicken-Free Chicken. It has great flavor and texture, has 80 calories, 2 grams of fat, and 11 grams of protein for a two-ounce serving. It is made by Follow Your Heart and is sold at their store in Canoga Park, but can also be purchased at Whole Foods Market.