I moved!

My original plan was to keep a blog for my marathons and a blog that was`about primal eating.

I now know that I'm too lazy (er..I mean busy) to maintain two blogs.

I'm now only rambling at losingthewheatbelly.blogspot.com.

Another "Eating lunch in my car" photo

Grilled lamb burger with salad and a sweet potato.

I think the transition to carnivore is complete. The first couple weeks were rough, it seemed as if the meat I swallowed was doing battle in my stomach. Someone suggested taking digestive enzymes to help my body assimilate meat and poultry. My stomach had it easy the last 25 years, now it really has to work!

I'm working out of town tonight

but still managed to have a tasty lunch in my car..

Grilled chicken with pesto (no cheese) and roasted asparagus and olives.

It was so good that I'm having the same thing for dinner in my hotel room.

Grilled chicken and roasted vegetables

for lunch.

It was so good that I forgot to take a photo...

Day 2 is going well. Around 4pm I'm going on a hike. Late afternoon is my "I want non-paleo food" time. I don't want to take any chances, it will be better to be out of the house.

For dinner I'm having trout with pureed cauliflower and spinach.

What's on my nightstand

I've got lots of reading to do.

Couple eggs and some melon

That was my first meal on the Whole30 program.

This afternoon I've got a 6 mile run scheduled. After that, husband and I are going out for dinner. Burger with no bun and a small salad.

I'm finally walking the walk!

Back from my local Co-op

Here's some of what I brought home....

Vegetables, coconut milk, almond butter, grass fed beef, local chicken, smoked salmon, spices and fruit.

Now I just need to cook it all up.

Time to dust off the stove.

My Official "before" photo

Here I am at the Shiprock Marathon, on May 5,2012...

I was hoping that my shirt with the black bands would be "slimming". Sadly, this doesn't seem to be the case.

I've got marathons scattered throughout the rest of the year. I'll gauge my progress by my race photos.

My next race is the San Diego marathon on June 3. I'll be about halfway through Whole30. I may do the Seattle marathon on June 23 too. I'll have to see how my finances and my feet are holding up before I make a decision.

Whole30 begins this weekend

Yeah, I know, I said I would just eliminate grains this month.

But then I was thinking, grains will be the toughest food category to eliminate. If I'm not eating grains, I may as well jump in with both feet and complete the Whole30 program.

Tomorrow I'll do my Whole30 grocery shopping and then begin.

The next 30 days will be very busy, I'm traveling every week. I also have a marathon scheduled on June 3.

Whenever I embark on a big project, especially when it involves food, I'm better off being very busy. I once did a juice fast while traveling for work.  The only hard part was packing and unpacking my juicer! Whole30 will be much easier, I only need to bring my cooler and ensure that I have a mini fridge in my hotel rooms.

Another grain free marathon!

I did a marathon in Shiprock, NM last weekend. It's the only US marathon held exclusively was on an Indian reservation. The scenery was beautiful and since it was a small race, I ran much of the race alone. Here's a photo around mile 10..

That blip in the distance is me.

The good thing about completing marathons in over 6 hours is that you have lots of time to think. Whether you want to or not.

Somewhere around mile 15, I decided to re-commit to a primal diet. I didn't take any of the wheat laden foods at the aid stations. I only ate oranges and bananas. No pizza or bagels at the post race food tent.

Another big change is that I've begun eating meat again. I've been either a vegetarian or vegan for about 20 years. For me, the problem was that I would have a bowl of pasta instead of a steak. I was one of those vegetarians who centered their meals around carbs.

It took some mental wrestling but I finally came to the conclusion that if I'm serious about omitting wheat and grains, I had to add back meat on a regular basis. Since I've been dipping my toe into the Primal lifestyle, I've eaten a couple of meat meals but I haven't been consistent. 

I'm being picky, only eating grass fed, locally sourced meat. But still, it's still kind of weird to open my fridge and see roast beef.

I'm concentrating on eliminating wheat and grains. After that, it will be sugar.I find that if I take too much out of my diet, I'll rebel. If I stick to my plan, I'll be grain free by July 1.

Marathon time!

Tomorrow I'm doing the Shiprock marathon in New Mexico...

I think it's the only marathon held exclusively on Indian land.

As soon as I cross the finish line I'm beginning Whole30 until my next marathon in June.

Here's the real Shiprock, it does look like a ship!

Zagnuts

This is my cat Zagnuts. He is 15 years old, which in cat years is "geriatric".

A couple years ago Zagnuts began developing some problems. His liver and kidneys were acting up, he also had some arthritis and cancer.

The vet prescribed daily medication. We also changed his diet. His favorite foods contained lots of fillers (grains) that tasted good but were bad for him. He now eats cans of food by "Taste of the Wild". They don't contain fillers or grains.

Zagnuts is happy with his new grain free diet. He's lost some weight and his health is improving.

Now it's my turn....

Whole30

Today I'm starting the Whole30 Challenge  www.whole9life.com...

Here's a photo of my first meal...

I would have liked triple the amount of fruit. The guidelines say that fruit should only be a side dish. I want to follow the rules so I'll make sure I watch my fruit intake. At least I could have a big cup of coffee!

I'm going to blog on a daily basis during the challenge. I'm also going to try and take at least one food photo a day.

Tonight my husband and I are going out for dinner. I'm ordering a salad with grilled chicken. He's going to fall on the floor when he sees me eating meat!


UPDATE...I have a marathon this coming Saturday. The Whole30 folks recommend not doing excessive exercise in the first 2 weeks of the program. Since I'm still having nightmares of bonking from last weekend's 50, I'm pushing back my start date to next Sunday. The timing is good since I don't have another marathon until June 3.
I'll use this week to transition back to a carnivore.

I made a primal dessert today

and it's freakin' delicious!

Here it is...

-I cut up strawberries and a mango.
-Whipped up the fat in a can of coconut milk.
-Toasted coconut flakes with some cinnamon and sea salt.
-Layered all of it in a pretty parfait glass.

It's crazy good. Some variation of this will be my dessert for the next 30 days.

I've switched things up a bit, I'm starting Whole30 tomorrow instead of the Clean Program. The main reason? I can drink coffee on Whole30!

I've weaned myself down to one cup a day but I just don't want to give up coffee. I've been experimenting with herbal teas but they're just not the same. I admit it..I'm addicted to coffee and don't want to change!

Coffee, I can't quit you

The good news is that I've weaned off of sugar and grains. I've even switched my daily glass of wine ( I drink it for the antioxidants!) for sparkling water.

I think I've taken the steps needed to succeed at Whole30. My official start date is tomorrow.

For the first time in 25 years

I'll be eating meat for dinner. Here's what I'll be having...

This is a lamb patty with a salad.

The lamb is grass fed, from a local organic farm near Santa Fe.

I've been either a vegetarian or a vegan since I was in my twenties. I added fish a couple years ago. I had to give some serious thought to whether I wanted to add chicken and meat back into my diet. It's been a mental tug of war all week.

My decision boiled down to one question. How will I know if eating a primal diet will benefit me if I don't fully embrace it?

I'm also committing to this lifestyle for one year. I have usually have diet ADD, I don't stick to one plan for more than a month. This time will be different. For one year I'll follow a primal diet. My hope is that I'll be a primal marathoner beyond 365 days. I'll evaluate my progress next April.

Tomorrow I'm having a big salad with local organic chicken...

For now I'll be getting my meat meals from a local, organic restaurant. Maybe in a month or so I'll attempt to cook some in my kitchen.

This should be an interesting year....

50 Miles..done!

But it was tough.
Really, really tough.

I'm breaking my race report into The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

Let's begin with...


THE BAD STUFF


SUN! LOTS OF IT!

The sun on Saturday was very mean

The race day weather report predicted lows in the mid 40's and a high of 71. Lovell Canyon is about 40 min away from Las Vegas and about 15 degrees cooler. Perfect weather for a 50 miler.


Except it wasn't perfect weather. The tempt at 7am was in the 50's, it must have climbed to the mid 80's by noon. 


Hot sun with no shade is a bad combination. Guess what makes it worse?


I DIDN'T CARRY A WATER BOTTLE!
I'm a minimalist. I don't carry a water bottle or wear a fuel belt. Heck, I don't even have a garmin! 


Besides the 50 & 100 mile races, there was also a marathon on Saturday. Plenty of water stations.


Until the marathon was over. After that, there was an aid station every 5 miles. Plenty if you are carrying water. Not too good if you're the only one who isn't.


Hot sun/ No Shade/ Minimal water. I'm getting woozy all over again just thinking about it.


THE UGLY STUFF


SALT!
All over my face! In my hair! Between my toes! 


I was a human salt lick. I was still peeing at regular intervals so I didn't think I was getting dehydrated. I was popping electrolyte pills and had coconut water in my drop bag. I felt confident that I could avoid bonking.


I was wrong. Around 2:30 pm, around mile 30, I hit the wall. I kept hitting the wall for about 5 hours.


NAUSEA!
My stomach began doing flip flops around mile 35. People were scattered along the course vomiting, in the bushes. One guy said he threw up 5 times!


One lady at an aid station recommended sticking a finger down my throat. She said I'd feel  much better. I'm not a vomit type of gal so I lived with nausea for about 10 miles.


Enough with the bad and ugly. Let's move on..


THE GOOD STUFF


SCENERY!
Lovell Canyon is gorgeous.

The 50 mile course was an 11 mile out and back, done 2 times. The last 6 miles was a 3 mile out and back. 


KIND VOLUNTEERS!
Around mile 30, I was ready to settle for a DNF. I was a salty, nauseous mess. If a car had passed me, I would have stuck my thumb out. 


At mile 33, I arrived at one of the aid stations. The volunteers sat me in a chair and made me a cheese sandwich. 


I petted Lumpy the dog. He elevated my mood and made me laugh.

A dog that looked like Lumpy.

When I arrived at the aid station, I would have paid $5 to have someone drive me to the finish line. After about 30 min of relaxing and regenerating, I was ready to continue.


KIND PASSERBYS!
Around mile 25, a car pulled up next to me. The driver said he noticed I didn't have a water bottle (I'll never make this mistake again). He didn't have any water but he did have some ice. He gave me a handful of ice to carry in my hands. I also put some under my hat. It cooled me down for a couple miles.


Another random driver handed me a warm bottle of water. I wanted to give him a big salty hug.


KIND ULTRA-MARATHONERS!
I've read that the ultra community is very supportive, now I know it's true.


Every 100 and 50miler I passed asked how I was doing and encouraged me to continue. Ultra marathoners rock!


Here's a photo of Yolanda Holder...

Thanks Yolanda!

Yolanda is in the Guinness Book of world records. Her record is the most marathons for a female in one year. She completed 106 of them! And she's in her mid 50's!


Yolanda shared her flashlight with me until I could get mine from my drop bag. Without her I would have walked off the road. 


SALTY SNACKS! 


Around mile 46 I was out of energy. I was walking for 5 minutes, then stopping for 1 minute. I wanted to finish but it seemed improbable.


Then I came upon a table with packs of pretzels and chips. My stomach was still rolling, I almost didn't take anything. But I figured "What the heck" and took a bag of potato chips...

Thanks Fito Lay!

Wow! Within 3 minutes I felt almost normal! This non-primal bag of junk food gave me enough energy to get to the finish line.


and last but not least...


MY HUSBAND! 
He was at my side for the first 22 miles. Then he returned to finish the last 6 with me.


At mile 45 I laid down on the road for a couple minutes. He was my lookout for cars and wild animals.


He elevated my attitude when it kept dropping.


He didn't make fun of my salty, splotchy face. I'm sure I didn't smell too good either.


I need to dust off the pots and pans and cook him a big meal.




Despite being a day chocked full of ups and downs, around 11:30pm, I finally made it to the finish line. Originally I thought I would finish under 15 hours, it took me about an hour and a half longer.


And here's the kicker....I was the last 50 miler to finish. But I was 1st in my age group! I received a decorative cactus!


I'm happy I did it but even happier that it's over. I would like to earn a 100 mile belt buckle. I'll have to get it by doing a 48 or better yet, a 72 hour event. 


In the meantime, I'm working on my primal transition. More to come... 

In less than 48 hours

I'll be beginning my 50 mile race in Las Vegas.

ACK!!!

Back next week with a report.

One more thing...I'm continuing to transition off of sugar. My sugar window is open from 2-7pm. Tomorrow I begin an hour later, from 3-7pm.

Next week I'll begin transitioning off of coffee.

ACK!!!

Transition week #1...weaning off sugar

In 2 weeks I begin the 21 day Clean program, followed by Whole30.

I've got 14 days to get the sugar/caffeine monkey off my back.

You're not the boss of me!

One bad habit at a time.

This week I'm reducing sugar. I won't go into the gory (or should I say,sugary) details. Let's just say I'm a sugar junkie.

But not for long.

I'm reducing my sugar eating window one hour at a time. Today I gave myself permission to have sugar from 1pm -7pm. Tomorrow I reduce it to 2pm-7pm. By next Monday I'll be reduced to 1 hour of sugar. On Tuesday I'll be down to none.

Then I tackle caffeine...

I watched some interesting videos on You Tube

They're called My Big Fat Diet. Here's the information off their website...www.mybigfatdiet.net

MY BIG, FAT DIET

Supersize Me meets Northern Exposure in My Big Fat Diet when the Namgis First Nation of Alert Bay gives up sugar and junk food, returning to a traditional style of eating for a year to fight obesity and diabetes.

Alert Bay, B.C.

If you visit Alert Bay off the coast of Vancouver Island, you'll find a picturesque fishing village inhabited by two cultures, the Namgis First Nation and their non-native neighbours. Here an epidemic is undermining the health and vitality of community. Like most aboriginal communities across North America, the rates of obesity, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes here are up to five times the national average.

No one's life is untouched by this problem, everyone is related to someone who is either at risk, or coping with one of these health issues. Mainstream medical professionals cite sedentary lifestyles and a diet rich in fat as the underlying reason for the growing epidemic.

Making new food choices at the local grocery store.

But after two decades of service in public health and a distinguished career, Métis physician, Dr. Jay Wortman, believes that the western diet which replaced the traditional diet is the primary cause of the epidemic. "Obesity, diabetes and heart disease were unknown in these populations until very recently. No aboriginal language has a word for diabetes."

Wortman's conviction comes from personal experience. Four years ago, he discovered that he had type 2 diabetes. "My immediate instinctive response was to stop eating any food that caused my blood sugar to rise. So I eliminated carbohydrates from my diet. Within four weeks, my blood sugar and blood pressure had normalized and I began to feel much better."

Dr. Jay Wortman with one of the diet particpants.

Directed by Mary Bissell, My Big Fat Diet chronicles how the Namgis First Nation goes cold turkey and gives up sugar and junk food for a year in a diet study sponsored by Health Canada and the University of British Columbia. Through the stories of six people, it documents a medical and cultural experiment that may be the first of its kind in North America.

The Just Races ultra training plan

Next Saturday I'll be doing my first 50 miler in Las Vegas.

I completed 50 miles at Across The Years in Phoenix, over New Years  weekend. I completed 35 miles, then went back to my hotel for 6 hours. I returned at 4am to complete the last 15.

I've wanted to do a 50 miler for a couple years. I just didn't want to do the required training runs. I googled "minimal ultra training", even those plans seemed to take too much time.

I wanted to do ultras but I don't want to do the training runs. Hmmmm... looks like I'll have to come up with my own plan.

As much as I dislike training runs, I love the actual races. I love running in new places.

I'm also obsessed with shiny marathon medals. Here's some of my collection...

An idea began to form in 2011.

At that point, the only marathon I completed in 2011 was in February, in New Orleans. Since that time, I was doing half marathons, about one a month.

What if I used races as training for my 50 miler? I get the mileage and shiny medals! It's so crazy that it might work!

That's been my plan since last October.

I began with a half marathon in Denver, I added distance to get in about 16 miles.

In November I did the St Louis marathon. I ran/walked up to 18 miles, then just walked to the finish.
I also did San Antonio in November, increasing my run/walks distance to 20 miles.

December was crazy, I had already signed up for the half marathon in Las Vegas. It was held at night and the course was on the Strip. I wanted to get at least 22 miles in so I did about 10 miles before the start of the race. I was weaving in and out of casinos and dodging drunk tourists.

At the end of December I did my first timed event, a 24 hour race in Phoenix. I completed my goal of 50 miles, with a 6 hour nap after about 35 miles.

This year I've completed a marathon a month. January was Phoenix, February was Austin and March was Las Vegas. I topped it off with a 12 hour, 40 mile event in Boise, a couple weeks ago.

All my long distance training was in races. I think the longest I did at home was about 6 miles.

Next weekend I'll find out if this was a good plan or I was out of my mind.

Here's the plan Stan...

Here's what I'm going to be doing...

Once upon a time I wanted to be a raw vegan. In an effort to make it stick, I was going to do the 21 day Clean program. One year later, the kit is still in my pantry. The primary reason I didn't begin is....coffee. For 21 days I would have to eliminate my beloved morning coffee. Wine, dairy, sugar and gluten containing grains are also eliminated. I can deal with that but....coffee. How can I not drink my big mug of black, dark roasted coffee. It's my reason for getting up every morning!

If I wasn't willing to give up caffeine for 21 days, I wasn't going to start the program. I shoved the box into my pantry and it's been collecting dust for a year.

Time to get out the feather duster and begin the program on April 24.

For the first 5 days, I'll be weaning off of coffee. I'll start the 21 day program on Sunday, April 29.

After 21 days? Then I'll begin this program....

The Whole 30 program seems to be a favorite among the primal community. They also have a list of foods to eliminate, since I'll be coming off the Clean Program, I'm hoping for an easy transition.

The whole magilla, 5 days of eliminating coffee + 21 days of the Clean Program + 30 days of Whole 30 will get me to June 19.

May is the perfect month to do all this. I'll begin after my 50 mile race, my next scheduled event is the San Diego marathon on June 3.

When I start the Clean program on April 24, I'll update my blog on a daily basis.

This should be interesting...

I'm a work in progress

Since my ultra race in Boise, I've taken a bit of a "detour".

I'm not discouraged, I'm just figuring out what I'll be eating when I make the switch to real deal primal.

I've been a vegetarian/vegan for about 20 years. In the last year or so, I added fish into my diet. I also eat eggs and dairy.

I don't think I can do meat yet. Maybe in a couple months. Maybe never. I'm not concerning myself with this issue yet. My biggest challenge is what I need to eliminate, grains and sugar.

I may be wishy washy today. But one thing I know for sure....

On April 23 I turn 55 years old. On my birthday I will be fully switched to a primal diet. I'm hopeful that this will be my diet for the next 55 years ( I plan on living to 110). At the minimum, it will be my diet for the next 12 months. I will be a primal marathoner for at least 1 year.

I keep my promises. Last year on my birthday I committed to training for a 50 mile race. Next weekend I'll be completing it in Las Vegas. Compared to that challenge, eating a primal diet for a year might not be too hard!

My first grain free ultra

12 hours, 40 miles
No grains
Done!

I completed the Pickled Feet 12 hour race last Saturday in Boise. This race was my last one before my 50 miler in April. One of my goals was to stay on my feet for the entire 12 hours. The other goal was to stay away from all the processed carbs that are offered at these events.

Holy cow, there were lots of carby treats. The food tent was full of pizza, muffins and bagels. Luckily I came prepared with my own food bag. I brought bananas, apples, a grain free protein bar and a baked yam.

I'll be back later with a full report..

Primal habits

I'm developing a taste for eggs in the morning. This is a big step, for years I've had an english muffin for breakfast. I still have a lingering craving for them but I've been able to resist their buttery, toasty call.

I've also replaced my mid afternoon snack. I liked to have a couple cookies. I was (still am) a hardcore carb junkie. Now I'm having 1 oz (yes I'm measuring) of mixed nuts. Nuts pair better with a glass of wine (I drink it for the antioxidants!).

My tasty afternoon snack

I'm also liberally indulging in dark chocolate. I know I'll have to begin reining in the snacks. I'll give myself a break while I transition to a primal life.

Paleo eating is the new hot thing

There are lots of different books and eating plans.

This is the one I'm using...

The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson.

I've been doing my research and reading lots of info on the Paleo/Primal lifestyle. I think Mark's approach seems like a good fit for my life. His list of recommended foods aren't as stringent as some of the other paleo authors. He includes dairy, dark chocolate and even an occasional glass of wine. He also has an 80/20 rule. I won't feel like a failure if (when) I have a non-primal meal.

My exercise will need a bit of tweaking. He's against any type of "chronic cardio". He is in favor of an hour or two of hiking but when it comes to marathons, it's a no go. He thinks too much inflammation and stress occurs with excessive exercise. What's a Primal Marathoner to do? I'm too addicted to my shiny finisher medals to quit.

Luckily for me, I'm a back of the pack marathoner. Way, way, way in the back, sometimes last. For the past couple years I've favored a 3min walk/1 min run ratio. I'm rarely sore so I think I have minimal inflammation.

This Saturday I'll be in Boise for the Pickled Feet 12 hour event. I was planning on mostly walking. Now that I'm learning about all the bad stuff that happens with chronic cardio, I'll make sure I do.

My first Primal Day (in photos)

Eggs and Fruit salad for breakfast

Late morning hike

Blueberry protein shake

Afternoon grocery shopping..not a grain in sight

Thank God wine is primal

Sablefish/Salad and Dark chocolate for dinner


Bring on day 2!

I hate change

but something needs to be done.

I've completed 39 marathons.

I'm still chunky.

Here is the proof...

San Diego marathon

I'm the one in front, eat my dust, girl behind me!

But still...

I'll never look like the Kenyans that train here in Albuquerque. But is it too much too ask to just look kind of fit? That's all I want.

After 15 years and 39 marathons, it's time to shake things up. I'm ditching the pre-race bagels and well, post race bagels. See ya pasta dinners and sourdough bread and brownies.

Get off my back!

It's time for this carb loving marathoner to become primal.

This should be interesting...