it ain't heavy, it's my bread

Had I known this I would have
given up gluten years ago. #cellulite

When we last left our intrepid heroine, she informed us that she had received the dual diagnosis of, "You're old, and you have arthritis."  We have been on pins and needles waiting to hear what she is going to do to combat that devastating combination!

Nora will stop referring to herself in the third person now.

A pan of what we thought was gluten free lasagna.
That was before I discovered sausage does indeed
contain gluten. Dammit - so close to being gluten free!!

After Dr. Wonderful told me I'm old and have arthritis, I asked about the possibility of a gluten sensitivity.

He said it was really not likely.

Hearing his opinion made me decide to try going gluten free for a month or so and see if there was any improvement.

I started at lunch last Saturday (had to do some shopping first!) and it really hasn't been too bad.  It's a learning curve for me, however. Things I thought were gluten free are not, and I ate them in the last week so I guess I haven't been truly gluten FREE, more like gluten frugal.

Part of my gluten-free lunch one day this week:
salad with honey-dijon dressing, and for dessert,
Annie's Vanilla & Cocoa Bunny Cookies and
chocolate covered pretzels.  The other part was
the lasagna with gluten failure.  

So I've been doing lots of research and trying to sort out what I can and can't eat.  It's been an education. Many soups have gluten in the broth. It's used a filler in all kinds of food so you really have to look at labels. I found tasty treats at Trader Joe's, and turns out there is an excellent GF store a few miles from our house. And Cub Foods has a surprisingly huge selection of GF foods!  Also surprising - the cost of GF bread products. And some of the loaves could serve as effective door stops.  Holy crap, I swear they weigh about 10 pounds, and so far, I haven't found a bread product that can be used to make a sandwich. If they're not toasted, they're pretty disgusting. I'm sure there's something out there that will work; the search will continue.  But hear this: If my GF experiment works, I'm going to learn to make my own bread. I could go broke trying to satisfy my carb whore tendencies.

Even more crushing news: I found out that envelope glue contains gluten. (Stamps too!)  Such a disappointment! First I had to come to grips with the fact that the occupation of "Hand Model" would never be listed on my resume. Now I have to give up the dream of appearing on "My Freaky/Disgusting/Attention-Seeking Habit" and showcasing my compulsion to lick 5000 envelopes a day???? This sucks!!  I'm never going to be famous.

Annnnnyyyyywhoooo.....Allow me to say goodbye to a few of my gluten-filled friends I can no longer hang with:

• Oreos
• Gorgonzola cheese
• Grey Goose Vodka
• Oreos
• Cottage cheese
• Clif bars
• Chocolate Malt-O-Meal
• Oreos
• Boca burgers
• Steel cut oatmeal
• Did I mention Oreos?

But the friend to whom I most hate to say goodbye?

DON JULIO TEQUILA.

That's going to be a tough one. (If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you know how much I adore my sippin' tequila.)

But I adore running even more so if this experiment works, it will be well worth it.

hothouse flower

Who complains about heat and humidity in March in Minnesota AND getting a PR? That would be me. 

I ran the Get Lucky 21k today and got my most unsatisfying PR ever. Definitely not my lucky day. TenacityChris gave me a goal of 2:10 which seemed doable. And it would have been achieved if I hadn't totally bonked in the middle of the race.  

I made sure I got enough sleep this week.  I hydrated like crazy because I knew it was going to be warm, and though it's a real chore for a carb whore like me to have to load up on carbs, I was a good soldier and did it.  I had my yummy Honey Stinger jots before the race and was ready to go!  The race started well and I felt GREAT for the first seven miles. During mile eight I started to feel a little dicey so I slowed down a little bit, but the crappy feeling continued so I slowed down even more in mile nine.  

And then the wheels fell completely off.  I was dying out there for a while. I ended up walking a fair amount and swearing at myself for being such a delicate flower when there's a little humidity.  And it was was SOOOOO humid! 72 degrees and 91% humidity. In Minnesota. In March. No shit. And I was completely unprepared for that. I know 72 isn't hot but it sure felt like it today. I don't remember the last time I generated this much sweat. I was a salty crusty mess.  It sucked because it wasn't the pace that was killing me, it was how my stooopid body reacts to the heat.  

Looking salty and celebrating my PR

There were only 4 water stops on the course (not enough in my oh so humble opinion) and they ran out of cups for the last one. I almost cried when the volunteers said they didn't have any more cups so they couldn't give us water. WTF??  A fellow runner (savior) shouted, "Does anyone want to share my cup?  I only drank out of one side!" I was all over that and said I'd share.  No cooties worries here!  I think she saved my life! Ok, maybe I'm being a tad dramatic (moi??), but this was one of my toughest runs ever and I needed some water in a big, big way.  Bless you, woman in green.  You are wonderful.

Anywhoo, I was seriously wondering if I was going to be able to finish.  It was that bad.  But you know how I am about the bling.  It would take more than THIS to keep me from getting that damn medal. After two incredibly slow miles, I decided I was going to frickin' RUN the last couple of miles. NO walking.  Time to put the big girl pants back on.  

Racing side note: The Minneapolis and St. Paul Police officers who work all these races are usually very stoic and silent.  I always toss out something along the lines of "Thanks for being here!" because I do appreciate them keeping us runners safe during these races. Usually I get a head nod in return, or the more extraverted ones might go so far as to give a little wave.  I must have looked pretty rough today, because the cop at mile 12 looked at me and said, "You can do this! Stay strong!" That made me laugh out loud, and it did give me a little extra boost.  A little later a volunteer yelled to me, "This is STILL a good idea!"  Another laugh to keep me going.  

Here are my splits.  See if you can tell where the wheels fell off.

Split	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
Summary	2:15:01.7	13.19	10:14
1	9:48.4	1.00	9:48
2	9:44.0	1.00	9:44
3	9:42.8	1.00	9:43
4	9:39.6	1.00	9:40
5	9:55.4	1.00	9:55
6	9:47.8	1.00	9:48
7	9:45.7	1.00	9:46
8	10:27.8	1.00	10:28
9	10:32.3	1.00	10:32
10	11:41.8	1.00	11:42
11	11:44.6	1.00	11:45
12	10:07.0	1.00	10:07
13	10:19.1	1.00	10:19
14	1:45.3	0.19	9:20

So though it was a swing and a miss for my 2:10 goal, I still managed to finish with a pretty decent PR (exactly 8 minutes!), and I got my f-ing medal. That makes it all worth it! 

are you there carbs? it's me, nora

Hopefully, there is hope for my kind....

They say that admitting you have a problem is the first step.

I have a problem with carbohydrates.

I love carbohydrates. LOVE them.  Left to my own devices, I don't know that I could be trusted to include other forms of  organic compounds in my diet. And yes, I know that there are different kinds of carbs.  Unfortunately, when it comes to craving carbs, I lean towards the white trash persuasion. When I was a kid, I would make a mush of saltine crackers and water.  Loved it!  I also was a huge fan of bread balls. What are bread balls you ask? Well, that's when you take a slice (or 10) of a soft white bread (Wonder Bread was the best) and you peel the crusts off, then wad the bread up until it becomes a grey ball of yuck and pop it in your mouth. Sometimes I would sprinkle the bread with garlic powder before smushing it up. So yummy! My mom was soooo disgusted by my bread ball habit, especially when I would feast on the garlic version right before a junior high band concert.  I played the clarinet.  You know, a wind instrument.  The kind you have to blow into with your nasty garlic/bread ball breath. She encouraged me to think about my fellow bandmates.  But I digress...

What was my point?  Oh yeah, carbs and my unhealthy love of them.

Ok, so I figured it's time to really start understanding my carboholic nature and try to find ways to satisfy those cravings in a healthier fashion.  So I bought a few books to jumpstart the process.  As a wanna-be long distance runner, I'm not interested a low-carb diet, rather, I want a GOOD carb diet. Also, if you recall, I'm trying to do a better job of "eating clean." My definition of eating clean is: trying to eat more whole, natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and complex carbohydrates. It also means making an effort to greatly reduce the crap that I so love to eat: things like chips..... french fries (especially McDonald's)........ I want to do a better job of avoiding preservatives...... if it's full of fat and simple carbs, I'm probably gonna love it....  Did I mention that I love sugar, too?  Ahhhh, Oreos!  My goal here is not to become a crazy-ass food nazi, I just want to do a better job of fueling the machine.  Remember, I have two marathons coming up, folks!

I have to say, the recipes in the CarbLovers cookbook look fantastic! Chefs such as Wolfgang Puck and Michael Chiarello have contributed recipes.  Even Guy Fieri (I'm not sure he qualifies as a chef) is in there.  I'm excited to try some new things!

I'll keep you posted on how it all goes.

could this be love?

How could I NOT have known that something
so wondrous exists????

Oh my, I have found a cookbook that warms the cockles of my carb whore heart!!


I saw this on Facebook and couldn't believe my eyes.  Just look at what Barnes & Noble has to say about this little treasure:


Enjoy the delicious carbs you love - and still lose all the weight you want...and keep it off! The CarbLovers Diet Cookbook features 150 brand new, quick, easy and totally yummy carb-filled recipes that will fill you up and melt off pounds. In addition to more delicious recipes, this cookbook includes over 300 CarbLovers-approved food items to grab-and-go, 10 special menus that help you prepare amazing CarbLovers meals for the holidays or gameday, PLUS exclusive recipes by carb-loving celebrity chefs like Guy Fieri, Cat Cora, Gail Simmons and Wolfgang Puck! No need to count calories or ever feel hungry: all CarbLover recipes are packed with Resistant Starch, the wonder carb that increases fat-burning while keeping you feeling full all day long. Our recipes are dietitian-approved and good for your heart as well as your hips. Enjoy comfort foods like pasta primavera, cheesy stuffed potatoes and the amazing CarbLovers Club Sandwich! The CarbLovers Diet is the only plan you'll ever need to help keep the pounds off - and The CarbLovers Diet Cookbook is the recipe collection that will keep you full and satisfied for life!


It ALMOST sounds too good to be true, but because it's on the internet (the source of all that is reliable, genuine and good), I'm a believer.  I'm going to order it.  Does this fly in the face of my "clean eating" goal??? 

Oh how I love my free stuff!  And check out the cool metal
box it arrived in!

Another thing I love: my RoadID wrist band.  I have a red velcro Wrist ID Sport version that I'm pretty good about wearing (on my long runs especially); I just think it's such a good idea to have some type of ID on you "just in case."  When the Wrist ID Slim came out,  I thought about ordering one because it looks more comfortable and has some fun colors, but because I already owned one (and I'm cheap frugal), I never did.


So anywhoo, I signed up for the Explore Minnesota Challenge, and as part of my goodie bag for registering, I got a coupon for a free RoadID!  You know how much I love my freebies!  I went online the day I got that coupon and ordered the Wrist ID slim in pink.  And because it was free, I paid the extra $1.00 each for two more bands - purple and green.  It's alway nice to have options, ya know?


Back to training - so far, I have kept up with my "run at least a mile every day" AND my 30 minutes of movement per day.  Clean eating.... better over the last couple of days but still not 100%.  I think I'm going to look at what might constitute an "appropriate" percentage for me to shoot for...  
Anyone have thoughts on that?  
Bueller?  
Anyone??


Happy Sunday, all!

post-thanksgiving thanks

Serving appetizers before dinner means I get to break
out the holiday cocktail napkin collection!

Thanksgiving is hands-down my favorite holiday - it's all about family, gathering and food!  Yesterday did not disappoint.

One of the things for which I was most thankful yesterday?  The husband knows how much I need to get out and get my run on, so he told me to go out for a few miles and he would stay home and make the pecan and pumpkin pies. <happy sigh> He rocks.

So Jane and I went out for a run.  I kept it short (3.5 miles) and it was a glorious morning for a run! All went well until we came upon a neighborhood Turkey Trot of some sort.  Jane was pretty sure that one of the families was going to break rank and murder us.  The ones with the strollers were most suspect... she kept turning around to look at them.  Yeah, that didn't get annoying or mess with my running rhythm at all.  Just for fun, I ran with both GarminElectra and my iPhone using iSmoothRun so I could compare and contrast....

Here's what GarminElectra said about the run:

Split	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
Summary	35:56.8	3.47	10:22.2
1	10:37.5	1.00	10:37.5
2	10:22.5	1.00	10:22.5
3	10:07.4	1.00	10:07.4
4	4:49.2	0.47	10:20.7

And here's what my phone said:
Running Time 00:36:35
Total Time 00:36:35
Total Distance 3.51 miles
Average Pace 10:25 /mile
Average Speed 5.76 mph
Total Calories Burned 431
Average Cadence 83
Ascend 633 ft
Descend -650 ft
Weather 39 °F, WC: 32 °F, 11mph S, 87%
Track Points 377

What did I learn in the comparison?  Not a lot.  But I like seeing the weather info.  Oh, and GarminElectra said I only burned 408 calories so I'm going with the phone info on that one - even though it doesn't matter on Thanksgiving (see below for my philosophy on that one.)

Anywhoo, back to dinner.  The husband and I typically host Thanksgiving dinner.  The number of folks attending can range anywhere from 14 to I think the most we've had about 32.  That year we had four tables set up.  This year we only had 16 so we were able to get everyone in the dining room.  A little sardine-like, but it was fun! I LOVE being with my family.

These cranberries are the shit.  In a good way.

And Thanksgiving is definitely a family affair.  If I had to cook ALL the food myself, I think I might not like the holiday so much.  But I don't have to cook it all - it's really more like a potluck - so that makes it much more relaxing.  The husband and I make one of the two (yes, our family has TWO) turkeys, mashed potatoes, scalloped oysters, pecan pies..... and my cranberry relish.  The relish is amazing.  I was pushing it on people waaaaayyyy before dinner, ("Come try the relish, it's my best one yet!") like it was the best drug on the market or something. So pathetic. But I digress.

I found the recipe in the paper.  It's super easy and only has a few ingredients.  As for nutritional value, it's better than most of what we serve on turkey day.  And besides, I've managed to delude myself into believing that on Thanksgiving, all calories null and void, and all foods are heart healthy and highly nutritious.  Right?  Am I right?? Yes, I believe I am.

So, back to yesterday. A smaller gathering because not everyone could make the trip this year, but that's ok.  And everyone is healthy this year.  HUGE bonus.  And the food was fantastic.  Friends showed up after dinner for pie (and a second dinner!)  I think everyone felt comfortable (until after eating too much, anyway) and welcome and that's what we shoot for each year.  So yesterday was a great day!

Oh, and the recipe!  Try it.  You won't regret it.  <psssst, the first one's free!>

Cranberry Apricot Relish
1 (12 oz.) package fresh or frozen cranberries, about 3 cups
¾ cup water
¾ cup sugar (or to taste) or mild clover honey
¼ cup finely chopped fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup dried apricots, quartered or coarsely chopped
¼ cup dark Bacardi rum
Pick over the cranberries, discarding shriveled berries and stems. Rinse well and drain. Combine the water, sugar, ginger and cinnamon or allspice in a medium-size saucepan. Place the pan on the heat and bring to a boil. Cook over high heat for about 5 minutes, or just until the syrup thickens and the ginger is tender. Stir in the cranberries and the apricots and cook, stirring, until the berries begin to pop. Immediately reduce heat to low, add the rum, and simmer the sauce about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until most of the berries have popped but the fruit is still firm and has texture. Don't cook the sauce into a mush.
Remove the sauce from the heat and cool to room temperature. Keeps at least two weeks in airtight containers, preferably glass jars.
Serve at room temperature.

According to the paper, here's the goodness breakdown per ¼ cup serving:
Calories: 104
Fat: 0 g
Saturated fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 3mg
Calcium: 12 mg
Dietary fiber: 2g
Carbohydrates: wait for it..... wait for it..... 24 g (no wonder I love this stuff!)

What were you most thankful for this year?  And what's your philosophy about holiday calorie consumption? 

grandma's recap ad nauseum, part 1

A little bling for the town

Ok, here goes!  I'm going to break this into a couple of posts because I just know you want ALL the details of my FIRST EVER marathon week-end.  Self-indulgent? Moi??  Yeah, ok, I know. Allow me to apologize in advance.

FRIDAY
Picked AJ up at her hotel in St. Paul and we started the trek to Duluth.  Since we had both been hydrating so well we had to make a few stops along the way.  It's only a couple of hours in the car but holy crap, we were like toddlers in the midst of potty training we had to stop so many times.

The traffic became really nasty as we got closer to Duluth - soooo glad we hit the road as early as we did.

Such dorks.  We couldn't pass up this photo-op at the Expo.
Nothing says "marathon" like a stagecoach.

The expo was something of a clusterf--k,  although we did get a parking spot right outside the door to the DECC - front row, baby!  We grabbed our packets right away and then wandered around for a bit.  We both got a Grandma's Marathon tumbler and shot glass for future use; I stopped by the Injinji booth and got two pair of striped toe socks.  Cute!  The crowds were getting thicker by the minute and things started feeling a little claustrophobic; we were both getting hungry and crabby so we headed to our hotel.  Once we got all checked in we began obsessing about the weather and what we should wear. When AJ left Washington, the weather was predicted to be sunny and in the 70's so she only had short sleeve shirts and shorts with her. The latest weather report was predicting rain and highs in the 40's.  Oh, and maybe some thunderstorms thrown in for good measure, just to make it a little more interesting!

Mommy Juice

AJ decided she needed a long sleeve shirt for the race and I wanted to get some special sauce (read: Don Julio 1942 Tequila) for a little post-race tasty treat.  So we googled "liquor store" and "running store" and found options within walking distance AND close to where we were going to have dinner.  Winners!

The euphoria was short-lived, however.  No 1942 to be found at any of the liquor stores, so we had to settle for Anejo (yes, still tasty, but not "like buttah") and no long sleeve shirts at all at the running store - they were all at the race expo. WTF?? Why wouldn't they keep at least SOME of the inventory in-store?? Anywhoo.... Not winners.

Carb whore heaven!  The nearly empty plate held proscuitto
and gorgonzola crostini with fig jam.  Unbelievably tasty!

By this point we were both starving.  We had reservations for 7:00 at Va Bene Cafe but we were so hungry we changed them to 5:30 and then just ended up walking to the restaurant at 5:00 and getting seated.  I was ready to chew my arm off - I needed FOOD!  Side note: While I've heard the Michelina's pasta feed (which is held in the convention center) is supposed to be good, just the term "pasta feed" is enough to turn me off.  Not happening. AJ and I just couldn't do it.  Va Bene Cafe was a superb choice.  The restaurant is super cute, overlooks Lake Superior and the food is amazing.  Food wasn't served on paper plates and we weren't eating in what looked like a hockey arena. Winners again!

Dinner dilemma: AJ (who was about to toe the line of her 9th marathon) was going to have wine with dinner. I was on the fence. Should I drink wine the night before my first marathon??  Would it undo all my training efforts and ruin my marathon experience?  Would I be jeopardizing my goal of being able to finish the race??

The Mattel version of Google

Remember - this was my FIRST marathon so I get a little leeway for being drama-queenesque here.  Plus, I'd pretty much given up the booze during training - made me kinda nervous to re-introduce ETOH back into the ecosystem at this crucial time.

But I also really like wine.

Oh, the inner struggle.

So I again went to the google and asked, "Drinking wine before marathon bad?" (Sometimes I treat Google like a Magic 8 Ball - I've found they have similar reliability results.) And up popped the little factoid that "Olympian Deena Kastor enjoys a glass of red the night before big races--including her bronze-medal run in Athens." What's good enough for Deena is good enough for me!  And since it's on the internet I know it's true.  The glass of Jam Jar red was a wonderful accompaniment to my angel hair pasta and crostini.  I have no regrets.

Super cute poster in the Fitger's building.

Fully stuffed - no room for dessert even, which for me is unheard of - we headed back to the hotel.  Early to bed with alarms set for 4:45.  Maybe it was the wine but we were both pretty relaxed and slept like babies all night.

Ok, I guess I slept a little better than AJ. Apparently I snored a bit a fair amount a lot.

Oops.  Sorry AJ.

Next post:  RACE DAY!!