Run DMZ

During my blog hiatus I did a 30-day elimination diet.   “We should both do Whole30 ,” my friend suggested one Friday night as we wolfed down chips and dip to counter the quick effects of her lemon martinis.  I’d done only one true elimination diet, back in 1988. It didn’t go well, in part because it called for fancy food, and I lived on an Alaskan island where six red plums cost me $12. The second attempt was about 15 years ago, and I quit after I could only eat the garnish at an office birthday party spread. It wouldn’t have been noticeable were I not among the honored guests.  I also should mention this friend did 50 pushups in pumps and a mini skirt in front of everyone at her 50th birthday party. She’s incredibly athletic [read: disciplined], and I knew she’d hold me accountable.  We talked for all of two minutes, with mouthfuls of Doritos, about the logistics and likelihood we could do this. I declared: “I’m in.”  What is Whole30?  I knew nothing...

I’ll be honest: I’m not a fan of the winter holidays. I tend to see them as just more work, only unpaid. I wish I wasn’t such a Scrooge, but it takes a lot for me to get in the mood to buy and wrap and ship presents. To bake sugary treats and not give in to sampling. To sit through a sensory-friendly showing of   How The Grinch Stole Christmas at The Old Globe and not cry. To deal with indoor and outdoor lights. Babysit more than usual. To make one more library-book run to stock up for an anticipated work lull that somehow rarely happens. To find everything on grocery lists for special brunches and dinners. And, of course, nail all of my many work deadlines.       Not to mention, even with early morning temps finally requiring heavier jackets and sweaters, it doesn’t feel like Christmas. Never does here in San Diego.   But this is a great time to reflect on what worked and what didn’t this year, especially in keeping with this year’s theme:  Clean . In some...

This fall I became one of the first people to sign up for a brand-new venture that combines my long-time love of writing and renewed interest in meditation. I’d earlier attended a much longer workshop led by one of the co-founders and saw my own work immediately improve.   During one group meditation in mid-November, our guide said something that stuck with me, both then and now. It was about accepting a situation for what it is and, with that acceptance, being released from some of the associated discomfort. In the days prior to that moment, I had been struggling mightily both at home and at work. An uneven work-life integration continued to take its toll on me and those around me.   Are you the same person you were at the beginning of the year? Think hard. If your answer is still yes, then please tell us what you’re taking and if you brought enough for the rest of the class. I mean, seriously. This was a very hard year, no matter if you made a lot of money off it or lost fa...

I’ve written numerous times about bathroom issues common among runners and probably anyone whose repetitive movements impact their  gastrointestinal organs ,  kidneys  and  bladder . Pre-exercise nutrition is a key factor; you need to make sure you eat foods and drink liquids that help prevent things like diarrhea and dehydration. But there’s another important factor that isn’t always within the runner’s control. I’m talking about restrooms. If you run or even walk long and far enough, especially if you pre-hydrate to ward off other dangers due to hot-weather workouts, then at some point you’ll need to make a pitstop. This typically isn’t an issue and may even predetermine a select route. But these are still not typical times, despite the relaxing of rules that now allow for more public interaction. Depending on where you work out outdoors, you may need to go and find a public restroom near a still-shuttered state or local park is closed. It’s also not as ea...

I have to admit I've never fully bought the "addictive nature" of junk food, even as I was engrossed in a bag of Ruffles that disappeared in minutes without me even realizing it. We all have a weakness and some of us are able to manage our cravings better than others. Real food is also more expensive than the fake stuff, which we can buy on sale and with coupons. But I highly recommend you read The New York Times feature on " The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food ." It's based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning author's upcoming book on the same subject, which is already cued up on my Kindle Fire. The piece opens with one of those secret meetings in 1999 in which big CEOs behave just as we expect them to behave: without any scruples, ethics or morality. Here's the crux: The public and the food companies have known for decades now — or at the very least since this meeting — that sugary, salty, fatty foods are not good for us in the quan...

At 7 Saturday morning, my friend called to let me know that their 2-year-old had just come home from the ER. I was due to babysit her and her 3-year-old sister for the weekend while her moms went to Las Vegas to celebrate a birthday. The toddler had a stomach bug, and even though the worse had passed, my friend was willing to stay home. I knew how long they had planned this trip and agreed to stick with the plan. Which is how I ended up dehydrated and delirious with fever the past 24 hours. Fortunately, the illness didn't strike until Sunday night after everyone was home and I was able to get sick in my own home. But here it is Tuesday and I still lack an appetite and have trouble moving around, mainly because my body's sore from six hours of straight retching followed by 18 hours of shaking under the sheets. Tylenol doesn't work to reduce a fever if you can't keep it down. I feel like I did after undergoing a colonoscopy several years ago. I feel "clean....

Studies abound showing that how much we sleep impacts how many calories we consume on average, with those short on sleep compensating during the day by eating more calories, especially empty calories. But a study in today's Time.com also proves the reverse, that how much we eat helps determine how much sleep we get. And, no surprise, short sleepers tend to overeat, which just causes disruptive sleep patterns to continue. Short sleepers are defined by those who get 5 or less hours a night; standard sleepers get up to 8 hours; and long sleepers somehow manage to stay asleep 9 or more hours. This is daily, not just when you're under the weather or overstressed. Among the UPenn researchers' findings: Short sleepers consumed the most calories, followed by normal sleepers, then very short sleepers. Long sleepers consumed the least calories. Normal sleepers actually show the highest food variety in their diets; very short sleepers, the least. A varied diet with a balance of ...

I'm a huge tea drinker. I have, like, at least 5 cups a day. And although tea is very subjective, I've become pretty good at distinguishing good teas from not-so-good ones. Lately, I've been consuming oolong tea as much for the taste as for the potential health benefits. Those benefits include: Reduced cholesterol in the bloodstream Weight loss Improved digestion Stronger bones Reduced tooth decay I'm not sure how many, if any, have been scientifically proven to do any or all of that, but I do notice that when I have a couple of cups, I'm less hungry and more awake. This is no surprise since oolong combines some of the best benefits of black tea and green tea. I personally think it tastes more like green tea, which is mild. Some people claim oolong tea helps improve their skin. And reduce their stress. Where you buy your tea counts. If you don't know already, the stuff you buy in most supermarkets is the lowest grade, the dregs of earlier harves...

  This is a news anchor's response to a critical email.

Shorter workouts may help you lose more weight than longer ones, according to an article in yesterday's New York Times. A Danish research group took three groups of sedentary, overweight men in their 20s and 30s and assigned each a level of structured exercise to perform for 13 weeks. They also were required to keep detailed food logs. The group that didn't add exercise to their regime, didn't lose any weight. No surprise there. The group that worked out daily for 60 minutes lost an aveage of 5 pounds. But the group that worked out 30 minutes daily (burning 300 calories jogging, compared to 600) actually lost more weight, an average of 7 pounds. Researchers think the 60-minutes group actually ate more and were less active other hours of the day to compensate for the fatigue from running or cycling for an hour that day. So if weight loss is your goal with running or cycling or swimming ... or whatever aerobic activity you choose, shorter workouts may be the way to go...

Back before I started blogging, I kept an online weekly diary for my track club's marathon training program. The first few months, I never received feedback. Then I wrote the following post and everything changed. People started commenting - praising me, even - on a very active message board. After having a conversation this weekend with a friend who maintains you aren't a real runner until you pee or poop on yourself, I decided to rummage up that 9-year-old piece to repost here. File This One Under TMI (Too Much Information) Way back when my sister and I were planning our first marathon, we relied primarily on word of mouth for training tips. With each new piece of information, we’d mull over the possibility -- falling behind pace; overdosing on Gatorade; running in rain -- and adjust our expectations accordingly. (We would also, unfortunately, encounter all of these situations and then some that October morning.) About three weeks before the big day, my sister called. ...

Every once in awhile I read a blog post and someone will have used Ambien or Lunesta to get a good night's sleep before a big race. Others take these prescription drugs occasionally - hopefully, not routinely - when sleep eludes them for too long. A new study suggests these sleeping pills may have some serious side effects, like upping your chances of developing certain cancers or shortening your life by years. Sleeping Pills Linked to Raised Risk of Death, Cancer Insomnia is a serious issue. I've written often here about both the reprecussions from chronic sleep depravation and some possible solutions. If you are prescribed a pill to help you sleep, be careful. And if you take over the counter meds, like Advil PM or Tylenol PM, as a routine course, try to find the root cause of your sleeplessness. It may be another medication's side effects or it may be chronic stress. It could even be you are nodding off during the day more than you think or that your body can no longer t...

My friend Tracy was the first to introduce me to an app called MyFitnessPal . It's a free calorie counter, diet and exercise tool to help you lose, maintain or gain weight. Since the start of the year, I've kept a relatively accurate account of how many calories I take in and expend. I say relatively accurate because, like most online calorie counters, the database is primarily self-reported foods and meals with caloric calculations all over the place. A piece of specialty brand sourdough bread, for instance, registers as 110 calories on the package but 300 on MyFitnessPal. And I'm having a hard time believing a couple handfuls of my beloved kumquats cost me as much as a chai tea latte with whole milk. We also tend to cook from scratch at my house, so trying to align our homemade veggie pizza with one in the database produces dubious results. Ditto restaurants. I'm more of a fine dining than fast food consumer, so I have to wing it when I enter those dishes. But MyFitne...

Now that I've raised everyone's social conscience about the true cost of our fresh food and other goods , I thought I'd focus on some of the benefits of those fruits, vegetables and another natural ingredient: the sun. A couple of weeks ago I attended a health conference and one session focused on treating the whole person through diet and exercise. Many of our "lifestyle diseases" such as type 2 diabetes come from poor choices and bad habits. I thought I knew it all, but here are some things I learned that surprised me. Vitamin D - Not as Easy to Get as You Think We all know that vitamin D is a key component of our everyday health, and that the best way to get it is from direct sun. (Vitamin D deficiencies have been linked to depression.) What you may not know is that if you wear sunscreen, you not only block potentially harmful rays but also the beneficial ones. Similarly, once you ingest vitamin D through the skin or the stomach (in food or pill form), you must...

I just came across an app that immediately intrigued me because it brings awareness to something way too often overlooked in this country. It's called The Slavery Footprint , and I found out about it this morning courtesy of this post . Living in California, and traveling regularly through the Central Valley where a bulk of everyone's U.S.-bred fruits and nuts are produced, I became keenly aware of how poorly farmhands are treated in this country. I even blogged about it several years ago . Some of us tend to feel morally superior because of the foods and lifestyle choices we make. After taking this "test," perhaps that piety will recede a bit. After you take it, you can share your score if you wish. Personally, I'm embarrassed by mine.

For decades I went through life believing I was allergic to Novocain, a common local anesthesia. As a result, I never was numbed when I had cavities filled or even an episiotomy during childbirth. (And epidurals? Forget it!) All because when I was 5 I fell off a see-saw and was knocked out. I remember the fall and next coming to as a doctor was stitching up my forehead. I was told my heart rate wasn't right after the injection and shouldn't take Novocain. That was in the 1960s, and I stuck with that story through a lot of painful procedures. Then this summer I went to a new dental practice for my first crown. Instead of taking my word, they conducted an allergy test because the formula had changed and - lo and behold - I wasn't allergic anymore. I now wonder if I ever was. This got me thinking about the sudden surge in food allergies and this article I read earlier in our local newspaper . It seems to buck against evolution that we're becoming less tolerant of our envi...

Earlier I shared steps that I took over the summer to improve my overall health . Everyone reaches a stage in middle life where serious self-evaluation is needed. I do not begrudge my many years of running, but I do now see that my dedication has done some real damage. Here’s what I am doing now to try and make it up to me. Maybe you can learn from my mistakes. 1. Maintain a healthy weight. We all know our metabolisms slow as we age, though many don’t slow as much as we think. Instead, our appetites grow along with our income, especially once we hit our 40s. We also tend to have desk jobs by then because fieldwork is for younger folks. Now that I live in a much smaller home with very limited pantry space, it’s easier for me to not eat as much or as often. So if diets haven’t worked for you, consider the “scarcity” model and only stock, at most, a week’s worth of meals. And, of course, try not to eat too many empty calories in the name of carbo-loading. 2. Improve flexibility . ...

Last night we had the pleasure of joining friends Todd and Christine for a grand pre-opening of the newest Smashburger , now conveniently located in our suburb's "town center." Turns out Christine’s an elite Yelper and scored an invite. They had live entertainment and characteristically great food at this fast casual restaurant (now just feet away from a Golden Spoon … can it get any better? Wait, yes, it can – the food was FREE!) I highly recommend the San Diego Smash. And you must get the Smashfries too, tossed with rosemary and garlic. The grand opening reminded me I was recently introduced to a new online tool called Smashrun (no relation to the burger, I’m sure). It’s still in beta but for those seeking a “fresh start” in logging running miles, it may be just what you need. I asked someone at Smashrun to answer questions for me. Here are Jacklyn's responses as they were emailed: How does this program different from DailyMile and Athlinks, the two biggest playe...

It's been a terrible week for those of us whose commute includes the I-15 corridor. CalTrans closed the express lanes for construction, and my normally 30-minute drive home in "normal" San Diego freeway traffic grew to 90 minutes no matter which alternate route I sought. This is the problem with living around millions of people, all of whom get around by car. (And in my defense, there are no other public transportation options where I live in Carmel Valley, which is, of course, why the roads are so congested.) Sitting so long in traffic has had one advantage -- more time to catch up on news. I used to listen to NPR on my MP3 when I commuted by bike at my previous job. Then they outlawed earplugs/headphones for cyclists in California and the trips became better remembered for grinding up the 56 bikepath hills in sweltering 90-degree heat. I saw some current cycling sufferers on one ill-fated attempt to get home sooner and was wistful. One report that was particularly of in...

For the past month I’ve developed a new routine to try and overcome a major weakness in my running: overall fitness. So I’ve been running less and hitting the machines more to provide more balance and to prevent burnout. Ideally, I’d like to hit a new masters PR in the 10k this summer but a recent visit to the doctor’s office has me reconsidering. I’ve developed severe allergies that have dramatically restricted my running (and breathing) capabilities. Here are a few things I’ve learned about running with allergies: Pollen counts are highest between 5 and 10 a.m. So, if you can, avoid running during those hours. Wind is your worst enemy; sunglasses, your best friend . The wind factor is obvious, but if you are caught in a windstorm or just hit a pollen pocket being blown around, those sunglasses help protect your eyes so they itch less. It’s easier to develop allergies as you age . I rarely suffered from nasal allergies until last year, and then the case was rather mild. But as we age...