Allen Levine's Blog, page 4

2015: A Disjointed Year in Review - top 10 lists included

As the end of 2015 nears, I find that I am reflecting less on both the past year as well as the upcoming days that will comprise 2016. The main thing I have taken from 2015 is an acquired appreciation of what is actually in front of me right now - this minute, this hour, today. As a newly-minted adherent of the 'now', I don't always succeed in the awareness that is required to live mindfully, but I do strive to do so whenever I think about it, which comes to 5-10 times each day.

So, in writing this, I'm going to take a look back at 2015, with an understanding that what is past is past. I am lucky to have been able to enjoy most the experiences I had. Below I'll look at books, movies and television, travel, and, of course, running.



Book of the year - IMHO
The best books I read in 2015:

1) Hardcore Zen - Brad Warner
2) The Portuguese: A Modern History - Barry Hatton
3) The Search for the King - Gore Vidal
4) Down and Out in Paris and London - George Orwell
5) Savage Harvest: A Tale of.... - Carl Hoffman
6) The Song of Achilles - Madeleine Miller
7) AWOL on the Appalachian Trail - David Miller
8) Jack Holmes and His Friend - Edmund White
9)The Sweet Life in Paris - David Leibovitz
10) 10% Happier - Dan Harris

Best Shows/Movies I saw this year (not in a particular order):
Note: this line is an addition to the post you are reading - added later in the day. The absolute best thing I saw in 2015 was Jimmy Chin's masterpiece of a documentary, Meru. If you haven't seen it, take any opportunity where it is available to view it. You will not regret one moment of your decision. And now onto my other favorite shows and movies of 2015:

1) Halt and Catch Fire (full season)
2) Louie - Season 4
3) The League - Season 6
4) The Way He Looks
5) Peep Show - Series 8
6) The Trip to Italy - Movie
7) Workaholics (all seasons)
8) It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (all seasons)
9) Mozart in the Jungle - Season 1
10) Boys - Movie
11) Downton Abbey (season 5)

La Sagrada Familia - BCN
Best places visited:

1) Portugal - Lisbon, Cascais, and Belem just may be 3 of my favorite places on earth.
2) Barcelona - A beautiful place that everyone in the world has discovered. Overrun by tourists, but still magnificent.
3) Leadville, CO. - Stunning - very little to add.
4) Nederland/Boulder, CO. Every time I go back to Colorado I question why I don't live there.
5) Keystone, Breck, Frisco, CO (see remarks immediately above).

Continental Divide
Best Runs:

In a year where most of my running was limited to less than 15 mi at a time (due to hamstring and ankle issues), there were still some great excursions:

1) 6 miles run/jog on the Continental Divide. Super fun, and done after spending about 5 days in the area to acclimate to the altitude.
2) 5 miles along the lake in the rain - Geneva, Switzerland
3) Sub 8 min/mi 7.5 mi run in West Lawrence in August. Probably fastest training run of 2015.
4) Vinland area run with the Trailhawks - November
5) Run along the reservoir - Nederland, CO. October
6) Multiple runs in shorts and t-shirts in December (for crying out loud!?!)

Best running discoveries/products:

Hoka One One - Odyssey
While I've always been a fan of Mizuno, I had not tried the Wave Sayonara until this year. Honestly, the pair I purchased is one of my favorite road shoes ever. My other shoe discovery of the year was the Hoka One One Odyssey. I never liked my earlier Hoka purchase (Mafate trail shoes) which were heavy and clunky. But the Odyssey model is one of the lightest and most versatile shoes I own. In fact, I like them so much that I bought a second pair (more on that later). The final running product I discovered is the FlipBelt. A running buddy (Michael Miley) was wearing one. I had a gift certificate to a running store, so I went and purchased one the next day. The belt carries a good amount of items and is so comfortable that I forget I'm wearing it.

Mizuno - Wave Sayonara
2016:
I have no resolutions, just plans. In April, I am entered to run in the Rockin' K Marathon. It is supposed to be a tough little trail race. My plan is to keep long runs in the 15-20 ish mile range in Jan-Feb, then have a couple of longer runs in March before the race in the first week of April. I'll have a quick trip to the EU, but plan to increase my mileage in the second week of April before a taper prior to the Heartland 50K at the end of the month. I love the Heartland course, and am looking forward to getting to run on it again. I'm not keen that two major races occur in the same month, but if my training is on track, they should be doable (if not PR-able). While not trail shoes, I plan to run at least the second of the two races in the newest pair of Odysseys. They should be broken in and ready to go by that time (I'm only wearing the new pair 1-2 times /month in order not to tear up their soles on trails).
I plan to continue to keep my annual mileage in the 1,500 range. I also plan to take 20-40 minutes each day to sit and be mindful/meditate. Meditation coupled with daily workouts - running/biking/swimming - seems to positively affect my outlook and performance throughout the day. 
And, while I may have another post before the year end. This has been a decent (albeit brief) look back at 2015. 
Keep running.

SLT Paths Back Open For Business

The South Lawrence Trafficway path between Sixth Street and Clinton Parkway are now open and better than ever. The reopened section has three additional entrances. Going south from Sixth Street, the first appears to the west of Langston Hughes elementary school. The second entrance is where 15th St. and the SLT intersect. Continuing on the pathway and not cutting off on 15th St., runners and bikers will find themselves going under the street through a very nice long tunnel - the reverberations are fantastic should one choose to sing while running or biking through the tunnel as I did this morning. The final turn off comes at an unmarked, yet wide and paved street about a quarter-mile to the south of the 15th St. exit. Users of the pathway will recall that the street used to be a gravel road. It now runs from the South Lawrence Trafficway to George Williams Way behind Corpus Christi church. I hope to go back and take pictures for people to see sometime soon. This morning I took a lovely 9 mile run incorporating most of what I just wrote about. The new and improved paths are well worth checking out.

When One Accepts The Zone

This is been a tremendous week. I'm glad I have been able to recognize and experience it. 
I threw my best rounds of disc golf ever. -5 and -6 back to back rounds. Even though the rounds were done as running rounds, with quite a bit of wind, I was able to concentrate and found myself in something that I would describe as the zone. The picture above is of a friend, Philip. On that day he also threw his best round. So maybe there was something in the air or the water.
AM mist above the water on the river
I spent the last two days doing the 10 1/2 or 11 mile runs on the river trails. Since my hamstring and ankle injuries, I have not run good distances back to back. Everything went as well or slightly better than I would've expected. Again, I felt in the zone, and lucky to be able to experience the ever-changing beauty of these trails. I rarely really run with the camera. For once, I took some time and stopped to take photos and smell the proverbial roses.

Rehabbing and Recharging the Body and Mind

I have slowly but surely been adding miles over the past few weeks. Spending most of the summer months hanging out in the 20-25 mi range coupled with a lot of swimming and some biking, seems to have given my hamstrings and ankles some of the relief they needed. The cross training, particularly swimming combined with a things like front and side planks, crunches, and stretching also has strengthened my core. I can see it and feel it. Last week, after returning from Colorado, I ran the fastest 7 miles I've run in a couple of years. It felt great. I finished feeling as if could've done more.


Great hike last week in Colorado with Mark Robison, the editor of RUN, pictured. 
But even now, ramping up, I still am very cautious bout re-injury. Yesterday, for instance, I stopped twice in the middle of a 11-ish mi trail run. I took a couple of minutes to actually lie down and do a series of stretches designed to alleviate tightness in the hamstring. Both times the stretching worked and I felt quick relief. On today's 7 mile run on roads, I felt no such need and simply cruised through a reverse split, with miles completed from 9:30 at the beginning down to 8:10 by mi 7. Still, at the end of the run I immediately did my core routine and then spent a full 5 min just stretching hamstrings and glutes. I do a type of slow pulse stretching that I learned in PT. It really seems to work when I do it on a regular basis.

Cross training - biking atop a Mtn near Nederland, CO.

Self-satisfied in the middle of a hike above Boulder, CO
Something else that has seemingly helped my training is meditation. I've tried to do it more and more. I may miss a day here and there. But if I'm ever sitting around and realize I have 10-30 min, I simply put on a guided meditation and try to really focus on the experience. My main go-to site for guided mediation is free app - Insight Timer. It has hundreds of meditation from which to choose. Another couple of meditations I have used recently come from Sam Harris' podcast site and are 9 and 26 minutes long, respectively.

The Sam Harris meditations as well as a lot of other recorded material from him can be found here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/waking-up-with-sam-harris/id733163012?mt=2 . Harris has also become my main source for running podcast material. When I run and listen to him, I feel as if I am improving my mind as well as my body. Harris addresses many of the great issues we face using nuance and careful consideration that is often so lacking in other examinations of the material. I do not always agree with his positions, but I do agree with his methodology and his desire to examine issues from all sides. Harris also looks, not to debate, but instead to have a conversation with thoughtful people who hold opposing views. His own thoughts, in some cases, are as likely to change as those of the people with whom he is conversing.  I cannot recommend a podcast more highly than his Waking Up With Sam Harris (the link is the same as above).  His podcasts will be the best things you listen to this year.

As we move toward winter, I also have tried to stay cool. And by that, I mean literally. I continue to swim and take cold showers. I have also tried to undertake my runs on cold mornings in my normal summer running gear - shorts and short sleeve wicking shirt. This morning, at 39F, I acquiesced, and put on a long sleeve wicking shirt. But I was able to stay cool to cold for most of the run. The thermogenics coupled with a majority raw foods diet still has me feeling fantastic after more than 4 months. If anyone would like more info, you can see previous blog posts or simply write to me and I'll get you the info. The diet and the thermogenic inclusion is something that is free. You can throw all kinds of money at diet plans and workout, or you can simply check out a book at the library and listen to a free podcast about how being cold (in a sane/safe manner) can improve your life.

So enough of me sounding like a life-coach or a self-help guru. I'm neither of these things. I am simply undertaking things like multiple daily workouts, a better diet, mental challenges, and thermogenics for myself. I realize not everyone has the time or inclination to do this. And that is fine. But if you want to start, I am happy to help in my limited (yet enthusiastic) way.

Impermanence and Acceptance

I owned a beautiful (at least to me) ceramic cup. It had been given to me as a gift by one of my parents' friends when I was thirteen years old. For thirty-six years I treated the cup as special. I never washed it in the dishwasher. It never saw the inside of a microwave. And it was only used occasionally. I never grew tired of the cup because it fit my hand perfectly and it also had been made specifically for me - and if you think about it, there aren't too many things that a person owns that are actually created with that specific individual in mind.

So, yesterday when I picked up the cup and the handle broke into three pieces, I felt a real sense of loss. But I only felt it for a few minutes. As I stood in my kitchen thinking about the loss of this very personal item, I also thought about impermanence. Nothing will last for ever. From the greatest masterpieces and monuments on earth, to our planet itself. All will be gone at some point in the future. The trick is to appreciate what we have while we have it, but not to be overcome with emotion that arises from loss. Because ultimately, everything will be lost.

I thought about the monks who would come to the Spencer Museum at KU every couple of years. In the central hall they would create a beautiful and unique mandala over the course of weeks - sitting and carefully placing each grain of colored sand in a specific spot. And, once the piece was created, it would be uncreated - taken apart. Beauty is fleeting. The mandalas were perfect examples of the monks' vision and acceptance of impermanence.

So, from the destruction of my favorite cup, I was able to relearn a valuable lesson. The only real certainty is that change will happen. As we move through our lives, some things will grow while others diminish, some will be created and others destroyed, some will be born and some will die. The only thing that is a permanent feature in our lives is impermanence. And that realization may be the best aspect of being given the cup that was specifically made for me thirty-six years ago.

Take the boredom out of cross training

I bought this waterproof case for my iPod shuffle for just under $10 on Amazon. It came with a couple of different straps as well as waterproof earbuds. The deal seemed too good to be true. However after using the device, I was shocked at how well it actually worked. I was able to do my cross training and listen to a podcast while I swam. I have ordered another set of more comfortable earbuds for future use, but these do work well. 
If you are bored when you swim laps, and own a shuffle, this is a good, inexpensive way to have something to listen to underwater while cross training. Everything you see in the photo is included except the iPod and the goggles.

Hawk 100

The Hawk 100 weekend is over. The races were a huge success made possible by the two fantastic RDs, wonderful volunteers, and of course, dedicated super athletes. It is always a special time of year that makes me appreciate the sport and the people I have met because of it. 
Course map for the 100 mi, 50 mi, andMarathon. 
Altra Running Stand

50mi finisher custom hand-made mugs. 

100 mi finisher belt buckles and custom mugs. 

Road Running and Road Shoes - Ponderings of a Trail Runner

This summer (and the spring that preceded it) has been one of the wettest on record. The area trails that I normally run have been impassible or otherwise restricted for running on more days than any year since I started running. And, when not soaked, the combo of seed ticks, oak mites, poison ivy, rattlers and copperheads has left me a little bit trepidatious. I'm a trail guy, but I'm also a bit of a wimp when it comes to too much of the hard stuff that nature can throw at me. So left with no trails except the perennially passible trails behind the Sports Pavilion Lawrence, there has been little choice other than to hit the pavement or treadmill.

Due to my ongoing hamstring injury, I've mainly been running 3-6 ish routes near my home. My preferred route takes me through the southern half of Fred Devictor Linear Park (which sort of has a trail) before depositing me back on asphalt. A second course takes me on 2 mi each way, out and back, from my house to the start of the Pavilion trails. I then run the 2 mile outer circuit of the trails before returning home for a total of 6 miles.

With all of the road miles, my trail shoes have gotten only a few workouts. For trails, I've rotated between 2 pairs of Salomon Speedcross and a pair of Hoka One One Mafates. The Speedcross always feel much lighter and less clunky than the Hokas. But on occasion, I like to change up and run with the extra cushioning that the Hokas provide. When I hit the high mountains in Colorado last month, the Hokas stayed home, and the Salomons rocked the trails with their absolute sure grip and perfect fit.

That being said, other than an ancient pair of Mizuno Wave Inspire 8s and a newish pair of Mizuno Wave Rider 17s, I did not have any shoes to rotate for road runs. As of last week, I had finally worn large holes in the Inspire 8s (which had outlasted a pair of Inspire 10s by 2 years). And due to heavier use, my Wave Riders were also starting to develop holes near the first MP joint (the joint at the base of the big toe). Mizunos, in my experience, are particularly susceptible to tearing at that spot - considering the fact that it has happened in 100% of the 7 pairs I have owned. Still, though, as you will note, even with the tendency to tear, I have never found running shoes that I like more than Mizuno. Most of my trail races have been run in Mizunos. My first ultra was actually run in Inspire 8s (not trail shoes). I have only done one ultra distance in anything other than Mizunos (Salomons were used in that instance). Shoes and fit are very subjective, whatever 'the experts' will tell you. And for me, Mizuno is my go-to shoe.

So, last week, instead of making my semi annual purchase of more trail shoes, I opted for road purchases. First to arrive were Mizuno Wave Sayonaras. The pair I got is a model from either 2013 or 2014. I have already done a couple of runs in them, and they fit like all Mizunos do for me - perfectly.  The feel is much more like the lighter and firmer Wave Inspire 10s than either the Inspires that preceded it or even the Wave Rider. The shoes give great ground feel paired with a comfortable level of shock absorption. Will they last? I'm betting they'll give about 300 miles before ripping out in the normal place. But they will certainly be 300 miles of solid performance.

Mizuno Wave Sayonara
To get a real rotation from the Mizunos, I also ordered a pair of Hoka One One Odysseys.  The maximal shoes came with very mixed reviews on the Running Warehouse site, but I figured I would give them a shot anyway. The Odysseys are supposed to be extremely light weight. I am hoping that they will be less clunky than the Mafates, which are not at all light (but in fairness, trail shoes almost always carry a bit of extra weight for added protection). I will give an update on the Odysseys as soon as I have done a couple of solid runs in them.
Finally, one of the most fun events I have run in the past couple of years (Trail Hawk events excluded), was the Defend Lawrence Run - which takes place at 5:05 AM each August 21st. The little 5K fun run includes a jaunt up the 12th street hill to the KU campus - not the type of hill one encounters every day in Kansas. Last Friday, 189 people (many of them Trail Hawks) showed up and knocked out the course in anywhere from 20-45 minutes. It was great fun to run with friends down the middle of many of Lawrence's major streets (which were deserted at that hour). Mimosas (real mimosas) and other less inebriating refreshments were served at the run's conclusion by owners and staff of Ad Astra Running, Lawrence's soon-to-open locally-owned running store. I plan to do my next shoe purchases there. I hope they plan to carry some great trail shoes...
 Runners starting to show up at 4:30 AM for the annual Defend Lawrence Run outside of the soon to be open Ad Astra Running.

Colorado - Summer

I drove out to Colorado last week. My friends Adrian and Tara had rented a place in Frisco with other friends. And, since their friends were leaving a couple of days early, they suggested I come out and take the vacant room. Since I had planned to head to CO at some point this summer, I took it as a sign and packed my bags. I also rented a place in Keystone for two days after I leaving the condo in Frisco.

The trip was to be the first long drive for the new (to me) Honda Ridgeline. Even though it is a seriously new vehicle (2013), I didn't really trust it until it performed perfectly on the trip.

The drive across Kansas was as uneventful as you would imagine a drive across Kansas to be. Still, though, I found a lot of beauty in the flint hills and then the plains of western Kansas. No mountains impede the view;-)

Kansas - Wide Open Spaces
Just outside of Denver, after a beautiful day of driving, I encountered one of the worst super cells I've ever experienced. Ten minutes of absolutely white knuckle driving ensued, as I-70 traffic slowed from 75mph down to about 20mph, with all cars and truck flashing hazard lights so they'd be visible.
Super Cell in the Distance
The rest of the drive was mercifully uneventful with the exception of Denver's perpetually shitty traffic. Denver's traffic is like LA's, except without any reason for it. The town doesn't have a massive population. Flow should be the city government's priority. And the traffic situation isn't new. It has been this way for years. I have driven through construction in seemingly the same places for at least three years. I can't figure out why the city doesn't seem to be able to fix the highways. Anyway... minor rant over.
The Frisco/Dillon/Silverthorne/Breckenridge/Keystone area is a fantastic place to spend time in the summer. Opportunities abound for hiking, biking, and running. The last time I had been in the area, I had my 29er mountain bike. But for this trip I brought my road bike. The area is just lousy with paved bike and running paths between the towns and resorts. I was able to do rides between Frisco and Breck, and between Keystone and Breck on several occasions with minimal exposure to any road traffic. On my second to last day in the area, I drove out to the legendary ultra-running and biking town of Leadville. I did a quick 12-ish mile ride on the beautiful circumferential (around Leadville) Mineral Belt Trail before rain started to fall (in a storm that would last the rest of the day). 
The Mineral Belt Trail goes up for about 6 miles, and then down for the same distance. If you've been in the area for a few days, it won't leave you gassed if you're biking or running it. It is at a good elevation, but the grade isn't too tough. And the scenery will pay you dividends for your efforts.

Mineral Belt Trail before the rains
Following the trail through an old mine near the top of the mountain
A great post-ride salad and coffee at the Tennessee Pass Cafe in Leadville
During my stay I also took a couple of hikes and did a little bit of trail running. The first hike was up Mt. Royal - a peak that overlooks Frisco. Three friends and I climbed it on my second day in town. While not particularly tall, Royal was certainly steep - especially near the summit. I was surprised to find myself somewhat winded during the descent - though since my buddy Adrian and I had raced full out up the steepest portion of the climb, maybe being breathless had less to do with acclimatization, and more to do with stupidity. 
The second hike I did was on the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) heading south from the Loveland Pass. I brought an apple, a Hammer Nutrition Banana gel packet, and a couple of water bottles, 1 filled with Skratch - my favorite natural energy powdered performance drink mix. I planned to hike out for 2-3 hours and then back. I made it almost to Grizzly (a near 14er) before deciding that I had started a bit too late in the day to do the climb (which would've been my third 13er of the day). I had gotten a late start because I had spent the morning biking over to Breck and wandering through a really good outside art fair that the city was hosting.
Anyway, I made my way to a pile of rocks near the summit of the second mountain I had climbed, found a spot to sit that overlooked an absolutely pristine valley - no roads, houses, power lines. I drank some water, had and apple, and watched marmots at play among the boulders and wildflowers. Throughout the hike, whenever I was on a flat or slight up or downhill, I strapped my pack tighter and did a bit of trail running. I was at a higher altitude than I had been for most of the trip, but my energy levels were great. Running felt good. It was a truly lovely experience. It was with quite a bit of regret that I finally made my way back down the slope and then another half mile walking along the highway to where I had parked the truck.
Wildflowers so pretty that they looked like bouquets along the CDT

A valley view from near the top of a peak on the CDT
As always, Colorado never seems to disappoint. Whether I'm hiking or biking, in the mountains near Frisco or the spending time in the high deserts near Grand Junction, I always leave in awe of this magnificent part of our country.

A Very Effective Diet For Runners

Before you read this post, I want to emphatically state that anyone undertaking a new type of diet or exercise, should first consult a medical professional. Take a responsible approach to your health and wellness. 

It has been a few weeks since my last post. I wanted to wait a little while because I was trying something out, and I didn't want to give inaccurate information about progress/results until I was fully satisfied that I could actually both see results as well as have actual numerical outcomes.

A few years ago, weighing 155 lbs, I went in to have surgery on my knee. I had been running over 1,500 miles a year for several years. And, while the miles were not the proximate cause of my injury, my running was starting to be affected by painful knee issues.

Post surgery, I took two weeks off from running and then slowly came back into the sport. Over the next couple of years, my mileage was back to 1,500 +/annum, and I completed trail marathons and ultra marathons.

The one thing that didn't go back to normal was my weight. Something happened when I took the time off for the surgery and recovery. I had continued to eat quite a few calories each day, but they weren't burning off as they had before. My body seemed to find every opportunity to store and convert as many calories to fat as I could consume. My weight in the two weeks after surgery had risen by 10 lbs. In the two months following, it went up another 10. Over the next two years, nothing I seemed to do - no amount of exercise, saunas, portion control/caloric restriction, or even juice fasts - had any real, lasting effect on my weight. It went up another 20 lbs.

Now I'm 5'10" and in good shape. My frame can handle 200 or so pounds pretty well. I look like your typical beefy American. But after gaining the weight, I didn't feel as good as I did when I was 155#. My favorite clothes didn't fit (or at least not as well), my race finishing times were not as good (with my former slightly sub 8 min/mi times becoming distant memories), and, if I am to be completely honest, my self-esteem was a bit diminished. In short, I didn't feel like me.

For a while I tried upping my mileage. That aggravated a hamstring issue. And, while I could still run plenty of miles, I was always running through pain. Ultimately, after no major (but many minor) setbacks, I came to the slow, unsatisfying conclusion that I might never be as thin or as fast as I had been just a few short years ago. Or, if I were able to do it, the effort would be a drastic, and unsustainable cut in caloric intake that would have to balance out with my need for protein to sustain my workouts. While I was not clinically depressed by drawing this conclusion, I will confess that it was a downer.

One thing I have taken up over the past few years is listening to podcasts during most runs. Sometimes I prefer to hit the roads or trails with only my own voice in my head. But as the miles and years have added up, I have found taking along company in the form of podcasts to be a nice diversion to my thoughts. In the previous blog post, I listed podcasts I like. All are entertaining, but I listen to each one for slightly different things: current events (the Gist), knowledge (Lexicon Valley), interesting subject (Henry and Heidi), general chat and a little mental health (Adam Carolla and Dr. Drew), A mix of philosophy, religion/atheism, politics, and humor (Penn's Sunday School), and unexpurgated fun (Matt and Mattingly's Ice Cream Social).

A little over a month ago, I started to hear Penn Jillette talking about losing weight quickly and easily on his podcast. He talked a bit about someone named Cronise, and also about a guy named Fuhrman. I paid a bit of attention. While I have never been too fat, I do struggle with weight. I also make my living in what could be considered the health food industry. So I always like to keep up on new diets.

From what I could discern, Penn Jillette was doing a diet/lifestyle program that consisted of eating a highly-nutritious, plant-based (vegan) diet coupled with a regimen of cold stressors. The plant-based part of the program emphasized raw and unprocessed foods. The cold stress portion seemed to roughly work off of the idea that a body will burn many more calories when subjected to cold, than it will in normal or hot circumstances. I'm not explaining this very well, but if you think of the calories you would burn standing still in 80F air (which would feel warm), vs standing still in 80F pool water (which would feel cold), you'll get the idea.

I was intrigued. I looked up Ray Cronise and Dr. Joel Fuhrman on Wikipedia. Both had interesting ideas. I wasn't ready to move on them yet, but the plans they espoused did look both intriguing and doable. As a vegan, I figured I would have an easier time than most. If I decided to do a program based on Cronise and Fuhrman, I'd basically just have to cut out the processed food that is as much a part of many vegan diets as it is in conventional fare.

When Matt and Mattingly's Ice Cream Social started covering the Cronise / Fuhrman combination a few weeks later (in the way I listen to the podcasts), I was happy to be slightly more knowledgeable about the subject. Matt Donnelly (one of the hosts) reported having great success while on the program that Ray Cronise designed for him. Matt's discussion of his health prior to starting to work with Cronise, was really touching. My favorite funny man had a very real moment as he explained to his listeners just how much the change he was undergoing had affected his life. I decided at that moment to come up with a plan based on what I could discern from all I had heard and read about Cronise and Fuhrman.

During a weekly conversation I had with my friend (and editor of RUN), Mark Robison, I mentioned the planned lifestyle change I was contemplating. He said that he and his wife, Dianne, do the Fuhrman diet on occasion if they feel they are gaining weight. He said that the diet works well, but that he and Dianne thought the allowable menu got a little old after a while. Still though, he would recommend the diet.

So, with the endorsements of podcasters and friends, three weeks ago I started my new program. In planning it, I knew it would have to by a bit of a hybridized endeavor. I have certain things I love to do. I knew what I could gladly change or give up, and I knew what I couldn't. I wasn't going to eschew hot exercises - running, tennis, biking and disc golf - and I wasn't going to give up a wine, bourbon, or beer. I also needed to keep a decent amount of salt in my diet (as every doctor I have been to in the last 10 years has emphatically stated - mainly sea salt in my case). But I was going to get rid of all the processed food that had crept into my vegan diet. And I was also going to change the way in which I worked out in order to accommodate the addition of cold stressors into my life.

First off, I made the change to unprocessed vegetables and fruits almost immediately. I slowly, little by little, ate down the processed foods in my refrigerator until there were none left. Next I cut my running miles in half (from roughly 30 to 15). I added 5-6 days a week of swimming for 45 minutes at the olympic pool that sits 100 yards from my house (I normally swam 1 day a week). I added about 20 miles of biking each week (basically and extra day + errands) to the 20 I already do. Tennis and disc gold remained the same 2-3 times each.

To crank up the thermogenic (cold) stressors, I switched all of my showers after hot workouts (running, biking, etc...) to cold water only. That took a little getting used to. I found the easiest way was to start warm and work my way down in the course of the shower. After a couple of particularly hot runs I also tried taking cold baths - those were, um, painful.  But, as with anything, over time, I have gotten used to the cold, and kind of enjoy the shock.

Three weeks into the new program, I have indeed dropped 20 lbs and lost at least an inch from my waist. The combination of diet and thermogenic stressors does seem to work. Another benefit I've noticed is that the cross-training, with the added time spent swimming and biking, has also led to better overall fitness, and an alleviation of some of my hamstring pain when I run.

There has been no calorie counting, no deprivation, no hunger. At all. Not once. I have also been able to embrace the new way of eating without any loss in energy.

I hope to stay the course on this very personalized program until my weight stabilizes somewhere 20-30lbs below where it is now. If this seems to be a very cart-before-the-horse statement, it is only because the results of this change can be quantified so quickly, that it is difficult not to be able to tell very quickly where this is leading. For me, I think the program can continue indefinitely. I really like the food I eat and the satiety I feel. I really hardly seems to constitute what I normally would think of as 'dieting'.

I don't know that I would recommend a person begin this type of diet on his/her own. As a vegan and a very active person, I felt the changes I made to undertake this new lifestyle were minor. I also took a long look at how I live, and I tailored (read 'changed') things to fit in best so that they would work for me. Most people would benefit from contacting a health professional or someone recommended by either Ray Cronise or Dr. Furhman (or their websites) prior to starting a program like this.  Here is a link to a Dr. Fuhrman website if you want to read more: https://www.drfuhrman.com/library/what-is-a-nutritarian-diet.aspx

And, since Running Conversations covers a lot of running and vegan material, I thought I would include a link to a Ray Cronise interview that appears on the No Meat Athlete blog. It is worth checking out here: http://www.nomeatathlete.com/radio-20/#comments . An interesting thing about Cronise is that he doesn't emphasize eat less, exercise more. I have continued to work out as I always do for reasons other than diet - mainly mental health/stress relief.

I do not ever want to turn this blog into an ad nauseum diet discussion. Its emphasis will always be on running. But I did want to share information about this program I am working on in the context of how it can relate to creating a healthier lifestyle (and potentially a return to faster times) for runners fighting a bit of the battle of the bulge.

I'll post what I eat daily as part of this diet in the next few days.

Until then keep running and enjoying the summer on the roads and trails.