October 2010

A Change of Pace – Philly RW Challenge Run

by Monica on October 25, 2010

When the alarm went off this morning at 5:45, I was on the fence about getting up for a run with strangers. I could easily have slept in. If it wasn’t for the fact that I thought they might be waiting for me, or that I had just had a conversation the night before with my teen about branching out, and oh yes…and that new refrigerator magnet (“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone”), I would have pressed snooze. I was resorting to tough love already and I had not even left my bed–just (frigging) do it! I could surely use a change of pace (is there a card in that?). I made it out the door and to Philly in record time. It was a beautiful morning. The crisp, fresh air settled among the colorful backdrop of leaves was enough to make me glad I made this trek. I had joined the Runner’s World Challenge for the San Francisco race–I never got to run–but editor Jen had e-mailed me to invite me along for this Philly reunion/run anyway. Jen is warm. Her nurturing manner fuels the runners around her. I met some great people. Fun and interesting conversation made the 11 miles fly by. It really made me wish I had gone to San Fran with this group. I am now considering the RW Challenge for a future marathon.

It felt so good to be running just to run. I don’t fair well without a goal for too long but this race-free reprieve was energizing. It was fun to run with strangers who also love to run. I loved the stories about their runs, lives and questions. Although we had never met before, they just felt familiar. I especially liked hearing about Jen’s attitude toward the many races she now runs with Runner’s World. She doesn’t race them all (although she threw in that she qualified for Boston in Chicago)…I liked that. Her input was comforting. Meeting these runners today renewed this tired running soul…(and as usual) so glad I got up!

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Hey Runners, Food Matters: Mark Bittman’s Newest Cook Book

by Monica on October 21, 2010

My 17 year old daughter and I are making a conscious effort to eat better. It’s not that our diet is poor…challenged is more accurate. Her life as a high school junior is filled with a challenging academic schedule, tennis team, studying for the SAT, college considerations, and most importantly, fun with friends. My concerns are more about my training, nutrition for my children, increased energy and offsetting my aging body in any way possible. We therefore decided to go see the bestselling “How to Cook Everything” author Mark Bittman speak about his newest addition The Food Matters Cook Book at the Free Library of Philadelphia. This new book offers recipes that are both good for you AND the environment. As a widely admired columnist for the NY Times (with great instructional videos, named after his food column “The Minimalist”, like this one making Apricot No-bake Granola bars–yum), he is committed to eating healthy and good tasting food. He preaches “less meat and more plants” in our diets. It’s a familiar message that we took away from the compelling documentary Food, INC. There were some political overtones in his talk (an effort to address child obesity and lobby for a soda tax that might deter its mass consumption by young people), but he is mostly about how fresh ingredients equals good healthy food. It all makes so much sense. And if you are like me and not sure how to translate this into delicious meals, this book (or any one of his cookbooks) is a great resource. Mark Bittman is a runner and now a blogger for Runners World where he recently reported on running the Mohawk Hudson River Marathon. Last year he partnered with Marathoner Deena Kastor to talk about eating on the run:

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