Pace

In the running world, you hear a lot about pace. In training, they tell you to run at your 5k pace or your ½ marathon pace. In social circles, you hear, “What’s your pace?” And, on race day? Well, you can only imagine. I’m sure even the elite runners have lost sleep, and breakfast, over this word.

I’ve never really liked this word much, though I’ve focused on it plenty. My pace isn’t impressive. I’m a middle of the pack runner, if the race is really big. Any adverse weather conditions only slow me down further and don’t even get me started on humidity. And yet, I used to be so obsessed with pace that I’ve discovered I’m a minute and half faster on my mile split at 2500 feet elevation without humidity when its 50 degrees and the wind is at my back. Well, that’s great but what does that mean? It means that the weather conditions could be perfect, the elevation completely desirable and the Olympics still won’t be calling me. So I’d better be running for the fun of it, and I’d better enjoy it alone as much as with company because I won’t always have someone at my pace to run with.

And, I do enjoy it… alone as much as in a crowd. A moment to steal away with your thoughts, or your iPod, in the midst of your chaotic world is a blessing! A time to be alone with God, no matter your circumstances, is rejuvenating, life-giving. If I have someone to run with, it’s just icing on the cake.

It’s taken me a long time to be okay with who God made me to be. It’s funny to me that I can absolutely adore my God and marvel over His creations like the mountains and the ocean, flowers and rain, yet question His creativity when it comes to me! And this includes my pace as much as my hips and other things He has given me in perplexing proportion! But they are things I cannot change, so I have found embracing them only draws me closer to Him.

And isn’t that what we are after? To be closer to Him? Well run after Him then! Whether you do it at a 12 minute a mile pace or a 6 minute a mile pace, whether you are alone or in a crowd! It’s not about how fast you travel. Stay focused on the destination and enjoy the journey! Start your engine and get on the road!

Favorite, Quick Snack

This isn't really a recipe, but when I'm in a hurry and need a hearty snack, I just love a banana slathered in all natural peanut butter and drizzled with a bit of honey! Bananas that are a bit more ripe are perfect for this. What are some of your favorite, quick snacks?

Benefits of Eating God's Way

It’s been a little over a month since I committed myself to a more nutritional diet. And when I say diet, I don’t mean a crash diet to reach a number on the scale or a certain size dress or in hopes to put on a bikini this summer (my kids ensured I would never wear a bikini again!). I mean a lifestyle committed to my God and His temple that was fearfully and wonderfully made. So my general rules are to eat whole foods or minimally processed foods, as well as eliminate certain other foods as follows:

:: No red meat, pork, or shellfish
:: No hydrogenated oils
:: No gluten
:: Limited dairy
:: No white sugar (although I do put a bit of raw sugar in my coffee in the morning –does that count? I don’t know.)

So what have I noticed in the last month?

First and foremost, more energy! Before my new eating habits, I drank coffee all day long, and not because I necessarily enjoyed it but because I felt like I needed it to get through the next hour. Now I barely drink a cup in the morning.

As a direct result from more energy is more productivity. I have actually stayed caught up on household chores in the midst of a busy time of year with my side business as a CPA. The fridge has stayed stocked, menu planning has been more successful and my house is more organized… so far anyway.

I’ve noticed other things as well. Like I went out and ran a 5k without training and posted a time akin to my pre-pregnancy splits. My skin is clearer, more radiant. (This according to my husband who barely notices when I get my hair cut!) My body feels good, like it is in synch, and I’ve dropped at least a size, if not 2. I don’t feel bogged down, which I believe is a direct result of purging gluten from my diet. My head is clear, focused. My mood is more stable. I feel like I am a better wife and better mother because I’m taking care of myself which allows me to take care of my family.

But above all, I am closer to my God. I have had to rely on Him every step of this journey. There have been so many times the scent of foods I once devoured have been overwhelming and it was His strength that kept me from them. Believe you me! This post is not to boast in my own strength! This well-fed, wife of a chef, girl with southern roots is WEAK and could not under any circumstances make these sacrifices without some serious Divine Intervention!

And notice something? I haven’t even integrated a real exercise routine yet! That’s when the real toxin flushing begins! This was just about prepping my body to start training for the Bolder Boulder again. Oh, have I learned the importance of nutrition! Even when I ran 30+ miles a week, I figured I could eat whatever I wanted because I was working out so much. But does that amount of exercise make a body healthier? Not necessarily. You can run until Jesus returns, but if you are putting garbage in, you will eventually get garbage out – cancer, heart disease, diabetes. Oh, the hours I wasted at the gym and on the trails because I didn’t start with the proper nutrition!

Lord, please help us all choose the right foods for Your temple. Please give us the wisdom and discernment to know what is from You and what has been altered by man. Our heart’s desire is to glorify You in all we do, starting with Your temple. May you grant us a willing spirit to sustain us and a will power to say no to what we once could only say yes to! It is in the precious and powerful name of Jesus Christ we ask these things. Amen.

Dear Diary...

So for about the last month, I have been keeping a daily diary,… or more like a log. In it, I write any exercise I did that day and what I ate at each meal. And I have found that over the last week, I haven’t been writing it down and… you guessed it! I haven’t been as good at sticking to my guns! Accountability is one of the most effective ways to stay on course for me. The other most effective way for me to stay on course is to be prepared. It’s easy to desire to eat well but much more difficult to put it into action when the hunger monster attacks with chocolate in the pantry, leftover pasta in the fridge and an otherwise low food supply.

When I started this blog, I thought it would be much more about exercise than nutrition, and perhaps as the Bolder Boulder approaches and the warmer months grace us with their presence it will be. But right now, God is showing me the importance of what goes in His temple, the importance of preparation. After all, we eat 3 or more times a day and only exercise 3 or so times a week. So focusing on exercise before nutrition is like putting the cart before the horse. Nutrition will carry us through all of our daily demands. I'm a different mother entirely when my blood sugar is low!

So, this week, I am going to spend some considerable effort making sure I am prepped up in the kitchen. Keeping in mind that I would love to keep my weekly grocery bill under $125, I menu plan and shop to TRY to fit this budget. Places like Sprouts give me a tremendous bang for my buck and a little elbow grease saves more than a few pennies as well. Here is my plan for the week:

1. Fruit, veggies and more fruit and veggies: I read an article that suggests having a fruit bowl or tray on the counter filled with enough servings of fruit for the week for each person in the family, to the extent it will keep. Good idea! It all starts with having the right food in the house. For our family (me, 2 kids and a husband that barely eats fruit), our list of fruits and veggies for the week include:
:: 5-7 mangoes
:: 2 bunches of bananas
:: 4-6 kiwi
:: 7 avocadoes
:: 3 lbs. apples
:: Bag of Clementine oranges
:: Bag of red grapes
:: 2 lbs. strawberries, 1 lb blueberries
:: Broccoli (fresh) – 2 dinners
:: Asparagus (fresh) – 2 dinners
:: Edamame (frozen) – 2 dinners
:: Spaghetti squash – 2 dinners (I eat this instead of spaghetti noodles on spaghetti night, then serve also as veggie for 1 family dinner)
:: 3-5 sweet potatoes
:: Bag of onions
:: 1 lb. package whole mushrooms
:: 3 medium jicama
:: 2 – 3 lbs spinach, 2 heads lettuce, 2-3 bunches romaine
:: 3 cucumbers
:: Carrots, radishes, green onions
:: I’ve probably missed something… I always do!

2. Keep tossed salad ready to go in the fridge. I can chop up 3 bunches of romaine with about 3 cucumbers, some carrots and some radishes and pack in a Ziploc bag with a wet paper towel, and it will keep for about 5 days. It’s a quick, easy base to build on for a salad meal or simple enough for a quick, green side.

3. Make a batch of Cilantro dressing for salads and for 4 below.

4. Make a batch of Mango-Jicama Salad.

5. Hard boil ½ dozen eggs to keep as quick protein snacks in the fridge.

6. Cook off about 4-6 cups of brown rice, packaged in one portion servings. Then all I have to do is sauté my veggies (spinach, mushroom, onion, peppers, broccoli, snow peas, etc.), microwave the rice and mix together.

7. Make a batch of Quinoa and Black Beans as another whole grain option. I top with avocado for lunch or serve as a side for dinner with salmon or diced chicken.

8. Make a batch of steel cut oats with fruit for breakfast during the week. Still searching recipes.

I’ll let you know how I did next week… I’d love to hear some of your tricks in the kitchen to save time, keep within your budget and stay healthy!

Playlists

I've mentioned before that it is hard for me to run alone in silence. I just need music. God uses music based in His word to reach my heart more than anything else. Here are a couple of playlists I've put together for my workouts using songs that have contained truths I have absolutely needed in my life...

Playlist 1 (approx. 25 minutes)
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus..." - Romans 8:1

:: Forgiven and Loved – Jimmy Needham
:: You Lifted Me Out – Chris Tomlin
:: Free to Be Me – Francesca Battistelli
:: More Beautiful You – Jonny Diaz
:: Perfect People – Natalie Grant
:: Lost Get Found – Britt Nicole

Playlist 2 (approx. 26 minutes)
"If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." - John 15:7-8

:: City on Our Knees – Toby Mac
:: Until the Whole World Hears – Casting Crowns
:: My Soul Magnifies the Lord – Chris Tomlin
:: Sing, Sing, Sing – Chris Tomlin
:: Let God Arise – Chris Tomlin

Ok, so you can probably tell I’m a Chris Tomlin fan, and perhaps it’s because he is such a huge fan of God’s Word! I love discovering the scripture that is the basis of his worship songs!

What songs get you moving, get you worshipping, get your hands in the air?

Mango-Jicama Salad with Cilantro Dressing

I found this recipe in a Williams-Sonoma cookbook. It is SO delicious! I hope you enjoy it! The cilantro dressing is good on any salad!

½ C. minced red onion (soaked in cold water for 15 minutes and drained)
6 C. mango, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice (about 5 mangoes)
4 C. jicama, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice (1 small jicama)
½ t. sea salt
¼ t. ground black pepper (optional)

Combine ingredients in large bowl. When ready to serve, toss well with dressing as desired. Garnish with light dusting of chili powder.

Dressing:
6 T. fresh cilantro, chopped
¼ C. plus 2 t. extra-virgin olive oil
3 T. fresh lime juice
3 T. fresh orange juice
4 t. honey (1 T. plus 1 t.)
¼ t. chili powder
½ t. sea salt

Combine in food processor or blender and process until a smooth dressing forms, about 15 seconds.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Valentine 5K in Parker

Parker Rec Center is hosting the Love Em or Leave Em Valentine Day Dash on Saturday, February 13 at 10:30 AM. To register or for more information, check here.

First of all, no race I've ever been in started this late so I highly recommend it just for that! :) I'll be there and I know a few other gals plan on running, so come join us! If you are interested, please email me at mikelisafischer@msn.com and we can coordinate transportation and/or meeting. I've heard this is on a packed gravel trail as opposed to a concrete trail which is SOOOOO beneficial!

Hope to see you out there!

Recipe Wednesday

It’s easy to talk about what foods are good for you, but how do you translate that into meals on the table? Well, here are some of my new, favorite recipes. They may not be perfect, but it’s a start!

Dinner stuff:
:: Quinoa and Black Beans (see recipe here)

:: Brown rice with sautéed veggies (spinach, garlic, red peppers, mushrooms or any of your favorite combos sautéed in olive oil and garlic) served with a salmon filet

:: Spaghetti squash topped with organic marinara and free range chicken breast (There’s more than one way to cook spaghetti squash – here’s what I do: split lengthwise, deseed, place on lipped baking sheet face up, coat with olive oil or low-fat butter, season with sea salt and ground black pepper and bake for about 1 hour at 350° to 375°. Scoop out flesh to act as “noodles” for spaghetti dish.)

Snacks:
:: Yogurt with baked bananas and cinnamon as follows:
6 – 8 oz. Greek non-fat yogurt
½ - 1 t. cinnamon
1 -2 baked bananas (peel, slice in half and bake for 15-20 minutes at 350°)

:: Cottage cheese with anything – 2 of my favorite combos:
- Pineapple, craisins, and sunflower seeds or shaved almonds
- Red peppers, green onions and radishes

:: Avocado topped with black beans

:: Organic hard boiled eggs

One of my new favorite salads thanks to a friend:
California Salad
Dressing:
1/3 C Orange Juice
1/2 C Olive Oil
2 T Red Wine Vinegar
1T Birch Sugar
1T or .07 oz pkg of Italian Salad Dressing (Good Seasoning)
1 t Salt

Salad:
Red leaf lettuce
Romaine lettuce
purple onion or green onion
11 oz. can Mandarin oranges (drained) or peeled Clementine oranges
1 small can water chestnuts
Jicama- peel and chop
Toasted almonds

Everyone has different dietary needs. Some are on whole food diets, some can’t eat dairy, others are gluten intolerant. Whatever your restrictions, take heart. Almost any recipe can be altered to fit into your diet. Don’t be discouraged, be adventurous! What are some of your favorite things to eat? Share your favorite recipes for healthy eating!

Moving through February

Hopefully you spent January working up towards running for at least 25 minutes at a time. If you are having difficulty, I suggest checking out the Couch to 5K Running Plan here.

I would highly recommend exploring cross training activities this month to see which ones you like and which ones fit your schedule and your budget. Cross training is vital to injury prevention, motivation and endurance. Muscles catch on really quick so we must keep changing up the activity if we expect changes in our physical abilities. Check out the January blog post here for some of my favorite cross training workouts. One I would add to that list is a strength training class like Body Pump or something similar. Body Pump is one hour of strength training using light weights or your own body weight at high reps. You WILL remember every single one of your muscles after this workout. I suggest a light run or yoga after you do something like this for the first time to flush your lactic acid and prevent serious soreness on the second post-workout day. Body Pump is offered at the Castle Rock rec center (check schedule here) and a similar class is offered at the Parker rec center (see link under resources).

Continue this month with maintaining or working up to running 25 minutes at a time at least 3 times a week and work in some cross training days as well. Focus on nutrition to fuel your workouts. Garbage in means garbage out. Check out Sheri Rose Shepherd's Fit for My King February Challenge here for some good nutritional guidance and encouragement in the Lord.

We’ll start meeting for group runs in March! Yeah! And remember, if you are joining in on the Bolder Boulder 10K, we would like to register as a group by February 28th! See post here for more race info.

Also, on Sunday, March 14, 2010 is the Running of the Green Lucky 7K (4 miles) in Lodo! I hear this is a blast! Join in on the fun! Register here.

Run With Endurance

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” (Hebrews 12:1)

I’m 5’2” (if you are rounding), my BMI index isn’t impressive, I’m slow as molasses and I’m just not what you imagine when you think of a runner. I obviously wasn’t a supermodel to start so 35 years and 2 kids certainly haven’t helped matters. I’ve learned over the years that there is little reward from running a race with speed while looking beautiful. But, running with endurance in the presence of God? The rewards are countless… and beautiful indeed! It’s all about focus. It’s more victorious to stand at the start of an x mile journey without fear of what lies ahead – knowing that if you have the right focus, you will make it to the end to claim the prize no matter your speed! I want to be a woman who can laugh at the days (or miles) to come (Proverbs 31:25b).

When I started running, I was a smoker who could not complete a ½ mile loop around a nearby lake without walking. My last race before I had children was a half-marathon (13.1 miles). And today, I have been smoke-free for 11 years! Our determination alone can accomplish incredible things. So what would happen if I completely surrendered to God and completely relied on His power, not my own? O yes, I think there would be laughter indeed. Every day a celebration of what lies ahead! Perfect peace, perfect love, perfect relationship with God in a house built for me where my waistline and heart condition are forgotten nuisances in the presence of the One who was and is and is to come!

Just get your toes on the starting line…. He’ll do the rest!