Friday, March 30, 2012

Asian Sprouted Quinoa Salad


1 c of sprouted quinoa (see previous post)
1 red pepper finely diced
1 c. cabbage finely sliced
2 grated carrots
1/4 finely chopped green onions
 asian dressing (see below)
1/4 cup of toasted sliced almonds

Toss all ingredients, except almonds, together. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve, top with almonds. 
This made 2 lunch servings for me.

Asian Dressing
2 T. rice wine vinegar
2 T. sesame oil
2 T. honey
2 T. tamari or low sodium soy sauce

Mix/whisk together. 
I use a small plastic container with screw lid and shake until combined.
This dressing is quite versatile, used on salads, recipe above, marinades, etc.

Sprouting Quinoa


I had never sprouted any grains before and then I came across a recipe that called for sprouted quinoa. So I figured, why not! It was super easy and worked better than I ever thought it would, end result: yummy quinoa sprouts. So here's the directions:

Soak 2/3 cup quinoa in distilled water for 40min at room temp in glass cookware. Rinse then cover again in distilled water, cover dish leaving small opening for air and cover completely with dish towel set aside at room temperature for 8-10 hrs. Repeat 1-2 times to desire length of sprout. Shorter sprouts last longer in refrigerator. For that reason I only did it twice. I then stored quinoa in refrigerator. Not by planning but by timing I let them sit in the refrigerator for 2 more days before using them in a recipe and the quinoa continued to sprout. I used them for a Asian Sprout Recipe I had found and it was delicious. The sprouts had a nutty taste, not anything like the grassy taste of the typical sprouts one may think of that are commonly seen in grocery stores/restaurants.
Sprouts after 2 days in refrigerator.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Coconut Pancakes


1 c whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 c water
1/4 c light organic coconut milk
 (you can add more water or coconut milk for thinner pancakes) 
1/2 t cinnamon
3 T evaporated cane juice (or sugar)
2 t baking powder
1/2 c unsweetened coconut flakes
1 banana
maple syrup
peanut butter (opt)

Mix all ingredients together, except banana, syrup and peanut butter.
Heat skillet to med. 
Make pancakes to desired size.
I made 2 large pancakes from this recipe.
Top with banana, extra coconut flakes, maple syrup
and peanut butter (opt)

For a single serving I cut everything in half, except I use a whole banana. I like using peanut butter too because it adds protein and really makes this a well round meal. One pancake with toppings fills me up. This is super fast and easy to mix up and make 5-10mins.

Monday, March 26, 2012

Week in Review (3/19-3/25)

Miles: 40
Runs: 5
Yoga: 1 (yeah, finally made it back last night)

Overall I'm happy with this past week. Running is right on track and I feel like I'm falling back into a routine with my new schedule.

Goals for next week: to continue to build weekly running volume and maintain 5 runs/week. More yoga (even 2 classes is better than one) Focus on getting adequate rest. My resting heartrate was elevated Sunday morning and I had a difficult time keeping it within targeted zone on Sundays run, I took the rest of the day to relax and not do anything too physical. I also was able to get about 10hrs sleep last night. My resting heartrate this morning was down within 2 bpm of my normal. So I really want to focus on 8 hrs of quality sleep at night. As well as back off immediately if resting heartrate is elevated to prevent exhaustion, injury, and overtraining.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Gifts

Anyone notice a theme here? PURPLE

I was given a generous gift of some visa gift cards from my previous employees. I thought there's not a better way to spend it then go on a little shopping spree at my favorite endurance store Pulse Endurance Sports. And look at all the goodies I walked out with! Thanks everyone! Your gift is being put into good use with my training efforts.

I have to give a quick plug for my new Inov8 Road X 238s. LOVE THEM!!!!. First time I wore them I felt like I was running in slippers. They are the female road version of Inov8s intro to minimalist footware, with a 9mm heel to toe differential. My trail shoes Saucony Progrid Peregrine have a 4mm heel to toe differential, so I had no issues quickly adapting to my new Inov8s!



Birthday Present!!!!!!!!!!!!
Another gift!!! My birthday was in February and look what I got from my family. I've been using it for about 3 weeks now and love it. I have never trained with a Garmin or heart rate monitor, so it is also entertaining for me to play with it on my runs. I've used it on all my runs since I've gotten it. I've been so busy with work I haven't even been able to download any of my data yet, so I'm sure there's much more fun stuff to see when I do that.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Treadmill Tuesday (3/20)

Back on the treadmill...so I did 7 miles total, 60min at 12% incline. I've been trying a little experiment with my training...(more about that later) but today was a slow day on the treadmill. I've been training by heart rate so today my 12% incline was putting me at an average between 2.9-3.1 mph. I TOLD YOU IT WAS SLOW. The rest was running slower then usual too, between 10:30-11:00 min mile. I don't like slow. That's me being impatient. But lets be realistic, I'm not a fast runner, just average, so why not change things up a little. It just scares me to go slow...with a 100 miles in front of me...I'm afraid I'm going to run out of time. :)

Monday, March 19, 2012

Week in Review (3/12-3/18)

Nothing noteworthy here, work and the weekend rain got the best of me. Guess we'll call this a recovery week.

Runs: 3
Miles: 16 (ewwwwwwwwwww, horrible I know)
Yoga: 0

Goals for the week, back at it: lets shoot for 40 miles some yoga classes and 5 runs.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Mesquite Canyon 30k race report (3/11/12)


Mesquite Canyon 1/2 Marathon was my 1st trail race last year, so I was super excited to go back this year for my 1 year anniversary of trail running. I also was thrilled that they added a 30k, which fit into my training plan quite nicely. So I packed up the car, downloaded some podcasts and new music for the drive, Izzy was at my side the whole time so I decided to bring her as well, since she did go last year, too. She must have been reminding me it was her race too.

I have to say it was a very relaxing drive and I was looking forward to the very mini vaca I had created for myself (and Izzy). The original plan was to camp at the race start, my Rogue is big enough if you put the seats down and keep the hatch open its like a mini bed. But my Rogue was still at the dealership and I had this tiny Versa. I didn't really have a plan but about an hour outside of Phoenix, I decided to get a hotel room for the night and I'm glad I did because I got a somewhat decent night of sleep.

Got to the race start about 45min before the start, found a decent place to set up camp for Izzy. Temp in morning was perfect. 60ish.

I decided to squeeze one last bathroom stop before the race start, I really wasn't paying much attention to time but noticed I was the only 30k runner in the bathroom. I quickly discovered why, as I was getting out of the restroom the race started. I jogged to the start and off I went. I have to say this is not an untypical start for me. Last year at Cuyamaca 50k, I was in the restroom when the race started too. The best thing about starting in the back, is you only have people to pass and no one to pass you.

The 1st 5 miles were relatively flat with some rolling hills. It was a great warm up for the real stuff, the rest was climbing and technical terrain. I loved the course, I have to say this is so far my favorite trail race. Next year I'll have to come back for the 50k. Things went really well. Took it nice and steady the whole time without pushing too hard. I was right on for nutrition (~200cal/hr) the temp was 75ish with some cool winds, went through 1.5L water with ultima for the whole race. No physical issues whatsoever, which is my whole goal of training and these prep races to get me to through to the 100 without major issues.

Finishing up around mile 18.

Here are the results:

 Sara Malm San Diego, CA  933 F4:13:4271.93 %


I was 9th out of 18 females (I'll take the top 1/2) and 5th out of 6th in my age group which I was completely fine with that because the female that finished 1 place ahead of me finished 45min before me and that wasn't in my ability, guess that's a competitive group. So I walked away pleased with my performance.

Got back to the car and as always Izzy had made friends and was in good company.

Izzy chilling after the race.


Monday, March 12, 2012

Week in Review (3/5-3/11)

Wow what a crazy busy week! Transitioning to my new job, finishing up some responsibilities at my previous position, and dealing with issues with my Nissan and the dealership. Needless to say I made running my priority and ended up where I had hoped to be. I'm hoping this week will be a little calmer and next week will be even better once I switch my hours.

Runs: 4 (not 5, but considering the week i'm happy with that)
Yoga classes: 0 :(
Miles: 36.5
Nutrition: right on track, despite being busy, happy with my nutrition

Goals for next week: increase mileage ~40, make at least 2 yoga classes, and that's about it: keeping it simple.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

White Bean Salad (another new creation)


1 1/2 c. dry navy beans

1 pint grape tomatoes

1 zucchini, quartered and sliced

1/2 cup finely diced red onion

1/2 cup black olives pitted and cut into large pieced (not canned)

1/2 c. fresh chopped parsley

juice of 1 lemon

2 T. red wine vinegar

1 T. olive oil

salt and pepper to taste


1.  soak navy beans overnight (8hrs), rinse, add to saucepan with water, 
bring to boil, then cover and simmer until beans cooked ~45min, 
rinse with cool water, add to large bowl

2. add tomatoes, zucchini, red onion, black olives and
parsley to large bowl with beans

3. in small bowl mix lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper,
then toss salad with dressing

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Treadmill Tuesday (3/6)

Back at it again:

20min warm up at 0.5 incline to 9:22min/mile
 3min recovery walk to bring HR down
10min at 3.4, 12% incline (decided i couldn't build of that and backed down)
10min at 3.0, 12% incline
10min at 3.1 12% incline
10min at 3.2 12% incline
10min at 3.3 12% incline
 3min at 3.4 12% incline

For a total of: 76min, 5miles (ran out of time-wanted to do 7miles but had to get to work)

3lb water weight loss, 20oz water replacement during workout (this is info for me later to figure out sweat rate for electrolyte replacement)

Monday, March 5, 2012

Leadville 100 Trail Run

The Race Across the Sky
View From the Top of Hope's Pass 12,600  feet

I was waiting until my countdown started until I made an official post of my announcement that I have registered for a 100 mile trail run, Leadville 100 in Leadville, CO. Today marks the start of 24 week training plan to get me to the starting line at 4:00am on August 18th, 2012. 

A 50mile out and back, elevation varies between 9,200 and 12,600. With a total elevation gain of 16,000 ft. Must finish in under 30hrs.

This year Leadville sold out in January to a field of somewhere between 750-800, would be my guess. Last year 600+ runners started the race and 347 runners crossed the finish line by the 30hr cutoff, that's less then a 57% finish rate. A mere 53 of them women, that's only 15% of the finishers were women.

Why you ask? The challenge. And I love Leadville for the past 2 years I have been out there during the run, 2010 only coincidentally on family vacation. We stopped in Leadville while passing through, my dad has pictures of me standing on the red carpet under the finish line. And last year I paced and crewed for someone near and dear to my heart and much crazier then me. I was able to pace over Hope Pass between miles 50 and 60. I remember thinking, you have to do this twice and start after already running 40 miles, that's insane. One time is hard enough starting with no miles. 

I remember being home for Christmas and saw posts that it was almost sold out. Something was pulling on the threads of my heart. I didn't really plan on registering for a 100 ever, but my gut was telling me to do so. So here I am. For me it's the story of how I get to that starting line on August 18th. I have no prediction of what can happen in 100 miles and 30 hours. But I will tell you one thing, I will do everything in my power to do what it takes to finish. And these next 24 weeks outside of work are focused on getting me there physically and mentally.

Sweet potato, Avocado, Apple Salad


One thing I am always looking for is healthy salads that I can make ahead on Sunday/Monday morning and have ready for lunches for the week. One website that I frequent for recipe searches is Vegetarian Times often times I find ideas for recipes and tweek them just a bit to adjust to my liking. This is a great one for on-the-go lunch.

Sweet Potato, Avocado, Apple Salad

2 yams (not sweet potatoes but used interchangeably in recipes for some reason, yams are dark and orange, sweet potatoes are lighter in color and resemble more of a potato) peeled and cut into 1in cubes

1 1/2 c. frozen corn

1/4 cup hulled pumpkin seeds/pepitas

2 red apples diced

1/2 red onion finely chopped

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1/3 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

1 TBS olive oil

Sea salt and pepper to taste

1-2 avocado

1. Cover yams with water in large saucepan and bring to boil for 3 minutes, add corn and cook until yams are tender, drain, and rinse under cold water.

2. Toast pumpkin seeds in dry skillet, med-high heat, careful not to burn, cool, set aside.

3.  Combine apple, onion, cilantro, yam, and corn in large bowl.

4.  Mix lime juice, olive oil and salt and pepper in small bowl, toss salad with dressing once combined, portion into serving size dishes and refrigerate.

5.  Add 1/2 diced avocado and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds, before serving (or in the morning of if you are taking your lunch with you).


Week in review (2/27-3/4)

Runs: 3
Miles: 20
Yoga Classes: 1
NonVegan meals: 0, I did however use Parmesan cheese on a pasta dish and eat some homemade brownies, other then that I did great, probably helped that I haven't been hungry all week.

Goals: rest, rest, rest, get my body back to normal health. Since I had 2 recovery weeks now, time to build. Also I want to start looking at my nutrition and look at my ideal body weight for running and see how I can plan to get there.


Malibu Creek 25k Race Report




I had signed up for Malibu Creek 25K just a couple weeks ago and was excited to have my 1st long event of the year. Luck be it, that I was sick all week, sick enough that I was home from work Monday and Tuesday. Since I was already registered I was still going to go and see what my body could handle. Keep in mind I tried running on Thursday evening and made it a not so far 2miles before calling it quits, because there was nothing in me. "oh well if nothing else this will be another great training run."

Left San Diego after 10pm on Friday night and crashed at Elan's place in Santa Monica for the night, Eric and Elan, were up in Mammoth skiing for the weekend. By the time I was in bed asleep it was after 1am, my alarm was set for 7am, so I was fine with a good 6 hours of sleep. Ha, jokes on me, I woke up wide awake at 5:20am, tried to go to go back to sleep but it never happened. Sweet, a 15mile trail run, with a sick body and 4 hours of sleep.

Stopped at Starbucks for some much need coffee and headed to Malibu Creek State Park. Got there right at 8 as planned. Grabbed my bib and finished getting ready in the warmth of my car. The sun was already shining and not a cloud in the sky...it's going to be a beautiful day! Turned on my new toy (Garmin 910X-more about that later) and discovered my heartrate was 116bpm, agh, not good and I had only drank 1/4 cup coffee. I should have realized that was a sign as to what was to come.

The 50k and 25k started together at 8:30, one loop for 25k and 2 loops for 50k. There were about 120 runners or so. My goal for the first 3 miles, take it real easy, no faster then 10min/mile, knowing the climbing would start soon after mile 2 and continue until mile 9ish. That was about where I was I think. The first 2 miles were super fun some rolling hills and a creek crossing. At 2.5 miles or so is when the real stuff started. Immediately I lost my energy around mile 3, the climbing started and I felt like I was breathing at 10,000 feet. So I just pretended this congestion/illness I had was like pseudo elevation training and went with it.

By mile 3 everyone had spread out already, so it was just me and the trails. It was gorgeous out there. I felt like there wasn't a soul around. Eventually I caught up to a small group of 3 runners and a few others passed from behind and reminded me I wasn't alone at all. Sometimes you wonder what happened to everyone...at least I do.

Mile 4.9 almost stepped on a baby rattlesnake. He was blended right in with the dirt and so small i didn't see him, but I did see him stick his tongue out at me. That woke me up and kept me on alert for a while.

On mile 5 I met Kang from Lake Tahoe. He was very energetic and picked me up a bit. He said "Today is my birthday I am 59. I am from Lake Tahoe. I started a running club there with 300 members now, I brought 11 with me" and the conversation continued. Kang was running the 50k and shortly took off up the hill. I was hoping to catch him later to take a picture with him, but didn't see him again. Sorry no pic of Kang.

Its all uphill!!! Look there's Kang, in the rear, guess I did get a pic of him, well his back at least.
Shortly after that, Kate, caught up with me. We chatted for a bit and exchanged names so we could look each other up on facebook later. Kate wanted to hook me up with some of her running friends and coach from the So Cal Coyotes. Kate was also running the 50k and after about 20 minutes of chatting she went on as I was slowly moving along. I wish I would have had it in me to stay with Kate, we would have made the time go by quickly. I did find Kate on facebook later and guess what? We have the same birthday!!!!!!! So cool.

Then it was time to bring the camara out and take some pics of the wonderful view
Breathtaking!!!
And then some rock climbing
That's Kate right in front of me, I asked her: Are we going over that? Yep we are!
Eventually the uphill became downhill, but my legs were so shot I couldn't even run downhill at a decent speed.

The course ran through the area where the TV series M.A.S.H. was filmed. Here's a shot of one of the medic trucks.

The last 2 miles were pretty difficult for me but: I MADE IT!!! Eventually. 15miles 3:24:59. I am not going to be hard on myself so I will say nothing of my performance. But I will say, I got a lot of work to do.
This is what the course elevation looked like. 3212ft of elevation gain.
Nutriton notes:
prerace: berrie smoothie 300 cal
              mojo bar 150cal
       450cal

race: 3 larabars (1/2 bar 100cal every 30-40min)
        1/2 cup coke
         1.5L grape ultima
      700ish cal

I have to say there is nothing better then warm coke on a trail run. My tummy did make a funny slushing sound for about 15min after drinking the coke though. But nutrition wise I stayed on track, ate all my nutrition and drank all my fluid. No GI issues.

Yummy post race nutrition:
Warm coke and pickles.
I also drank about 5 cupfuls of pickle juice too...gotta replenish my salt somehow.

Overall beautiful, challanging course. Well organized and ran event. Would definately come out again. Thanks PCTR.