Pedernales Falls 60k Race Report - A Lesson in Humility

"This bracelet makes me invincible to bugs." 

I looked up at the young boy standing before me. He was pointing to a yellow plastic bracelet he was wearing on his left wrist. He was maybe 4 years old and was clearly enjoying my company. This was hard for me to imagine - I was around 25 miles into a night trail race in the Texas hill country and basically felt like death warmed over. It was the middle of the night and I can't imagine what I must have looked like (much less smelled like) at that moment. I asked him which bugs.

"All of them, pretty much. Scorpions, spiders, AND snakes." He was trying to put on his father's headlamp without much success. I helped him adjust the strap so it would fit snugly against his little head. His face lit up with a smile, ear to ear. This little trooper and his family were manning an aid station out in the Pedernales Falls State Park for a group of adventurous souls who were participating in a night race there. It was around 11:30pm yet he and his two slightly older (but no less enthusiastic) sisters seemed to have the boundless energy of young children up way past bedtime while noshing on candy and soft drinks. The same could not be said for me, however. I had just decided that my foray into this dark wilderness was over. 

It turns out he was in charge of the Pringles potato chips, which I think meant he was the "quality control" supervisor. The little guy and his sisters kept my mind off of myself by sharing their thoughts about their favorite TV shows, light-up shoes, and how much they love sleeping in a tent. A few moments later their father came over and tapped me on the shoulder. 

"The car's here. There are a bunch of you guys heading back so you might have to squeeze in. And remember we've all been there. You'll bounce back, I promise." I thanked him profusely for his help, patted his son on his head, and sulked over to the car, exhausted.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I had decided a couple of weeks prior to June 28th, 2014 that it might be a good idea (not to mention fun) to add a summer race to my calendar. I was coming off the great Miwok 100k finish and was looking to give myself something to train and work toward for the next several weeks. I came across some information about a series of night-time trail races put on by the Tejas Trails group down in the Texas hill country around Austin. This seemed like a perfect opportunity to try to stay sharp and run a race in one of my favorite parts of the state. Tejas Trails always puts on top-notch events so I knew I could count on a well-marked, well-organized event. They offered a 60k, 30k, and 10k option. I would opt for the 60k.

The drive down to the park was about 4 hours from my home so I set out with plenty of time to arrive at the park, set up, and hopefully even get a short nap in before the start. I arrived at Pedernales Falls State Park (PF) at around 4:30 in the afternoon, checked in at the organizers' tent and started to set out my gear. I was excited for the event but surprisingly relaxed. I felt prepared for the task at hand and was ready to get under way.

The "staging" area for the race was what is essentially the halfway point in the race I was participating in. Our course would be made up of an 18.4-mile loop (approximately 30k). Since I had chosen the 60k race, I would be running the loop twice. The race directors were setting the stage for the evening's festivities and a few folks were milling about, setting up campsites and preparing their gear. I unloaded my car and set up my table and chairs, selecting a strategic spot in the shade. (This would not matter later but for now it certainly made life more pleasant.) I had a couple of hours before the race began so I wandered back to my car to try and catch a short nap.

Try as I might I was not able to sleep. As more runners would roll into the starting area I couldn't help but get caught up in watching the buzz of activity around the race. I continued to hydrate as well. Temperatures were in the mid-90's with a heat index of almost 100. Needless to say, these types of conditions can make racing very difficult. The margin between racing hard and doing well and blowing up completely on a day like this is very thin. (I would soon find out how true this is.) I unpacked my team gear and dressed for the race. I took an opportunity to get a few short strides in on a dirt road adjacent to the staging area to settle my nerves. Soon it was 6:30 - time to head to the starting line. 

The race began at 7pm. I was going to roll with 2 handhelds - a 16oz bottle and a 12oz bottle, both filled with water and electrolyte tabs. I felt great, my legs were light and loose, and I was itching to get going. Given that the race hadn't started yet and I was already sweating profusely I decided to leave my camera phone behind; besides, since most of this race would be run in the dark, there wasn't much point to trying to take pictures. I noticed a couple familiar faces at the starting line with me but no one that I would say I knew particularly well. I felt confident as the race director counted down to the start of the race. It looked like there were a couple of strong runners in the front, but it was going to be a long day, and I felt good.

Feeling good at the start line.

At the sound of the horn at 7pm sharp, we were off. I settled into a comfortable pace behind the leaders. The first few miles were down a grassy and wooded stretch of trail that would open up into stunning views of endless tree-covered hills in every direction. One of the joys of trail running is the experience of being out in creation, in what may not always be pristine wilderness, but which is certainly a welcome escape from the "boxes" in which we so often find ourselves passing our days. The trail itself was a mix of technical rocks, long stretches of soft, runnable dirt, and occasional (but not too severe) hills and rollers. I didn't find it that difficult and the first few miles passed without incident. I was taking care to drink but the amount of water I had with me allowed me to bypass the first couple aid stations. I felt strong, relaxed, and very confident.

I was also drenched. I was soaked to the bone with sweat. I recognized early on that this could be an issue later in the race but given that I was drinking to thirst, that I had my electrolytes, and that the sun was quickly going down, I didn't worry too much. I maintained my pace, passed a few of the runners that had started out ahead of me, and noticed my heart rate had actually settled down even though I had picked up the pace. I passed the 9 mile mark in 1:09, right on schedule. I slowed briefly for a snack, downed some water, and trucked along. 

Soon thereafter I came to a long stretch of a straight, undulating road that allowed me to see a couple of miles ahead. I noticed a familiar form cresting a hill about a mile and a half away - Sabrina Little, whom I was accustomed to seeing from behind after unsuccessfully giving chase at Grasslands a few months ago. I felt that if I gently increased my current pace I could catch up to her - if for no other reason than to offer a belated congratulations for her win at that race. 

A stretch of the trail ran along the rocks on the left along the river. (http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/pedernales-falls)

With the exception of a couple miles that I had run with Paul, someone I had met at Possum Kingdom, I was running this race largely alone. I rarely saw anyone else out there. Seeing Sabrina up ahead gave me a mental boost that powered me through the next 3-4 miles. When I finally caught up with her around mile 14 I offered my much-overdue congratulations. We had around 4 miles to go to get to the end of this first "loop" of the course and I enjoyed our conversation the rest of the way in. We were running relaxed and comfortable, exchanging stories, and even though the terrain got a little dicey as we navigated the river bottom stretch of the trail, we were making great time. As we entered the aid station at the halfway point I thought things could not be going any better. I made the turn in 2:49, 11 minutes ahead of schedule. I had a great running partner to help me stay on track. And although I had run harder than planned, I still felt that my goal was attainable. 

They say that in Texas, if you don't like the weather, wait a minute. Things can change very quickly and in my case the good feelings I had upon entering the aid station at the halfway mark tuned out to be very short-lived. Sabrina had a crew awaiting her, and after a quick water bottle exchange, she was off. She had her race to run and is a tough competitor as well. In all my preparations, I managed to overlook having water bottles made and ready for this point in the race. I had to fill the bottles, add my electrolytes, and fumble around for something to eat. I was having some problems with the strap on my headlamp as well which served to only further aggravate and delay me. To top it off, all of a sudden I felt very weak, as if all my energy had been drained (like the air from a balloon). I made a brief bathroom stop to discover, much to my chagrin, that things were not the "proper color" (I will not go into detail here but suffice it to say that all systems were not functioning as they should). Despite my attempts to stay on top of it, I was dehydrated. After what seemed like an eternity I shuffled out of the aid station hopeful that I could regain my prior form and catch back up with Sabrina. 

Try as I might, I could not seem to get "restarted". Each time I would start to run, I would get dizzy and have to slow down and walk again. I was beyond frustrated as the first couple of miles out of the aid station clocked by and my watch would display my pace per mile - 13:00, then 14:00.....at around 3 miles out of the aid station (mile 21 overall) the organizers had set out a water table with some gels and a couple chairs. I had to sit down for a minute and collect my thoughts. "OK," I assured myself. "One aid station at a time. I've been through this before. I'll feel better. Just keep shuffling." I stumbled off again into the inky blackness hopeful that a turnaround would come at any moment.

Sadly this was not to be. My pattern of hike/jog/dizzy/stop/repeat continued over the next couple miles. Yet I remained optimistic. I had never dropped out of a race before and I certainly wasn't going to do so after THIS distance. I repeated the mantra of the ultrarunner in my mind - Relentless Forward Progress. I needed to toughen up, dig deep, and keep moving. I glanced at my watch to check my heart rate. 120. Good. And as I looked up at the trail again, it became evident to me that this wasn't simply going to be a case of toughing it out. The trail seemed to darken from the edges, as if I was entering a tunnel. I assumed it must have been an issue with my headlamp but after a short stumble in my step and a moment to collect myself I realized this was not the case. I had a difficult time walking a straight line on the trail and was overtaken by exhaustion. My race day was done.

I had about a mile and a half of slow hiking to the next aid station. I expected to be overtaken by a number of other runners, but surprisingly, this was not the case. I was passed by my friend from earlier in the race Paul, whose stride and pace at mile 23 was no different from what it had been at mile 3. Steady and smooth. I was impressed and took note of his patience and discipline. (Paul ended up taking 5th overall.)

As I crested a small hill and looked down at the aid station I had no remorse for my decision not to continue. Had my issue been as simple as cramping, I would have waited it out and continued. In my condition I was not in the mental place to try and gut out a finish over the gnarly terrain in the darkness that awaited me over the next 11-12 miles. I stumbled in, sat down on a cooler, and took off my headlamp. Dave, the aid station director and head of the household running it, came over to offer me some food and drink. And a little boy came over to talk to me about bugs.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

It happens, man.

And so ended my day at Pedernales Falls. I have always been acutely aware that when racing, one must always respect the distance. Whether a 5k, half marathon, marathon, or 100 miler, each race presents its own set of unique challenges. On this day, I chose to push the envelope harder than I should have given the environmental conditions. I could not keep up with my body's needs for food and fluids fast enough, and much like a car's engine that overheats when pushed too hard for too long, I gave out. I read once that until one DNF's they don't really know what their limits are. I am not sure I have answered that question yet but I am certainly aware of what led to my meltdown in a central Texas forest in the middle of the night. It has given me much to ponder, but in the end I am grateful that I was able to safely end my race on my terms and make it back to the starting line in one piece.

As an epilogue, I had the chance to speak for a few minutes with co-RD back in the "command center". I talked about my experiences on the trail and my unexpected departure from the race at mile 25. He asked if I picked up my medal. I was confused and asked why I would get a medal. I will always remember his response - "Man, you ran the 30k! AND the 10k! You deserve it. A lot of folks backed down to the 30k, it's nothing to be bummed about. You had a great race!" That kind of glass-is-half-full optimism is one of the reasons I love ultrarunning. No whining. Get over yourself. Look at the bright side. Learn from it, move on. When put in that light, I proudly picked up my 30k finisher's medal. I wasn't exactly hanging the "Mission Accomplished" banner on this race but, all in all, there was still a lot of good that could be taken from it.

Namely that there's a magical bracelet out there that keeps away all manner of bugs and snakes....

    

Aches n' Pains

I am dealing with a little bit of frustration on a couple of fronts today - both as a result of some (hopefully) minor physical infirmities. I somehow managed to twist my right leg yesterday that caused a sharp pain in my right knee. I was able to walk it off, but the pain came back again today when I was getting up from the floor at the gym after completing a set of core exercises. I am in hopes that I will not lose any time on the running circuit this weekend as a result. I have had similar issues with my knees before and it does not usually inhibit my running. So I will remain optimistic.

I also continue to struggle with the residual aches and pains in my right rib cage. My attempts to do a full upper body and core strength workout today were unsuccessful, as the muscles are not yet ready to respond to the demands of such a routine. I am more than a little disappointed as it has now been 3 weeks since I have been able to get any quality strength training in. 

My schedule over the next few weeks is quite robust. I am going to remain optimistic that I will be able to heal and recover while still maintaining my mileage, and I will have to hope that my lack of strength work will not prove to be detrimental to the tasks at hand. The thought has crossed my mind that perhaps I am pushing too hard - that even though I do not feel like the schedule and the events on my calendar are more than I can handle, there may yet be a need to allow myself more rest than what I have allowed in the last month since Miwok. I don't plan to make any changes at this point but it is certainly something to consider. 

Telluride, Colorado, where I will be recharging my batteries next month. (www.nowmontrose.com)

   

Adam's Story

Here is a very inspiring story from a plant-based athlete who wasn't expected to live past 40. Now he finishes Ironman Triathlons. Incredible. 

Adam Chaim. (www.planttrainers.com)

I grew up in Montreal, Canada. I currently live in Toronto, Canada and lived for two years in Hong Kong. I have two amazing kids and a beautiful and supportive wife (we’ve been married for 11 years).

I have been teaching high school health and physical education for the past 15 years. I am the athletic director in the school managing over 25 teams and currently coach hockey and flag football. I am a personal trainer and a plant-based athlete.
Here is more background on my recent journey that brought me to where I am today:

My journey began just over 3 years ago when I had a sharp pain running down my left side of my upper body. I went to emergency and they did an ultrasound. They didn’t find anything. About a week later I got a call from my Dr and he told me they found a tumor on my kidney. He said I had a few options as far as surgeons. I was not pleased and not ready to get cut open. I contacted a friend of mine who had a connection to the best Cancer Hospital in Toronto and I was set up to see one of the top Drs and surgeons around. We did a biopsy and turned out it was benign. About a week later, I got a call from that same “top” Dr, he told me the biopsy also showed I likely have a disease called Von-Hippel Landau (a very rare genetic disease). Don’t look it up…it isn’t good stuff. He told me my chances of living past 40 are next to none (good bedside manner). At the time my son was 2 and I just learned my wife was pregnant. Needless to say I was devastated. Every time I looked at my son, I cried. I just kept thinking that I didn’t want him growing up without his father.

Around that same time, I was reading “Thrive” by Brendan Brazier and I was intrigued by the plant-based lifestyle. I began to run…run a lot. Half-marathons, Marathons and I signed myself up for The Ride To Conquer Cancer (a 200km bike ride from Toronto to Niagara Falls). At the same time I also decided the start going plant-based. Everyone thought I was crazy. I then decided I would get into triathlons (only problem…I didn’t know how to swim – at all). I survived my first triathlon and am now signed up for my first Ironman in Texas May 2014.

I had been going for routine follow-ups every 3 months. There was no change to the tumor. I spoke with a neurologist friend who said I should have my eyes checked as they’d know if that disease existed in me. I went and had a detailed retinal exam. She told me all was ok. I felt a bit better and decided my oncologist was wrong.

My 3 month check-ups turned into 6 months and then 1 year and currently he doesn’t want to see me for 2 years. All good! What I forgot to mention is that the last time I went for my check-up, the tumor had actually decreased in size. I also went back to my optometrist and after a year my arteries were much clearer. Both Drs couldn’t understand how my eyes were getting better and my tumor was getting smaller. The only explanation I can give was the change in my lifestyle. The whole food plant-based lifestyle that I adopted has made a huge difference for me!

I am a healthy athlete, my family is healthy…we are all plant-based.

I am very excited for 2014 and honored to be a part of the Amrita family.

Adam Chaim

~ Plant Trainers

http://planttrainers.com/wordpress/im-sponsored-athlete/

So after a week and a half of no meat I have begun the questioning process of whether this program is actually the best thing for me long-term. Having suffered from anemia in the past, and the accompanying exhaustion that goes with it, I am extremely sensitive to my body's needs for protein, iron, and the amino acids that form the building blocks of healthy immune system function and muscle recovery. Having said that I am also aware of the questionable sources from which most of our typical meat products originate.

I am inclined to deduce at this point that I am over-thinking this. The simple fact is that my body needs protein. At this point I am not convinced that I have the requisite knowledge to get that protein from only plant-based sources. So my journey continues. I have much to learn.

As far as training goes, it hit me today that I only have a couple of weeks until my next ultra. I charted 12 miles today and should get in a solid 18-20 tomorrow. I have a 3-day running weekend ahead of me as well that should get me to around 80 for the week. We'll see how the mileage adds up but outside of a trail marathon I will run on Sunday my training will be on relatively flat or rolling roads with little or no technical terrain to navigate. I am hoping that the speed that I'm able to maintain on these runs will carry over to the 60k at the end of the month. 

Weekly Summary

"Athletes don't diet and exercise. They eat and train." 

I don't remember where I read this quote. I believe I saw it on Twitter. The first time I read it it made quite an impression on me. It's such a simple idea. Eat clean. Train well. Recover. Repeat. One of the reasons why I have decided to take the next step in eating a lean, clean diet is to try to further this idea that if we eat well, we train well, we recover well, and (we hope) race well. 

Week one of the vegetarian diet wasn't really that different from what I had been eating before. I made a conscious effort to try and keep my sugar intake to a minimum and not go crazy on grains either. On both of those counts I did OK, but I think that there is going to have to be some concession made for the occasional pasta dish (whole wheat pasta or an equivalent). I had a delicious vegetarian sub sandwich on Friday that was packed with avocado, sprouts, tomato, spinach, and black olives but it was served on homemade Italian bread. The bread was delicious but there was a lot of it. (But it was delicious...) I added a new mix of nuts into my daily diet as well, a blend that included walnuts, pistachios, pecans, cashews and almonds. I decided to eliminate my previous trail mix that had included cranberries (that had been soaked in sugar) and plentiful helping of small squares of chocolate. I am still leaning on eggs and whey as my primary source of protein as I try to figure out how best to approach the protein/amino acid issue. So I guess I would say, all in all, it's off to a good start. 

The ultimate question though is how did it affect my training. This was a recovery week for me, meaning lower mileage (albeit with a couple of higher intensity runs on Tuesday and Thursday). I only ran 43 miles total but I felt very good every time out. I am not sure yet how much of an impact the diet has had or is having because becoming a vegetarian really is not much of a change. It's really more just a "tweak" to some things I was already doing with an effort to eliminate some things I had come to regard as staples that could be better. 

With that in mind, I am going to continue this little project up to my next race, the Kapt'n Karl's 60k near Austin at the end of the month. The only change is that I am going to add fresh fish into my diet once or twice per week. The benefits of fish oil in the diet are well-documented and I would rather consume it in its proper form than in supplement form. Other than that, it'll be straight veg. I'll likely have a couple of high mileage weeks ahead that will offer me a chance to continue to expand my vegetarian horizons and test the theory that fruit and veg-intensive diets promote muscle recovery and are, by nature, anti-inflammatory. I'll continue to try to keep the grains and sugars to a minimum and stay away from processed carbohydrates altogether. 

On a side note (pun intended) I took a couple of hard falls on a trail run last weekend with a friend of mine. I left a good deal of the skin from of my right leg on the trail. After my last fall, a particularly hard crash (I was not having a good day), I apparently did a bang-up job on the ribs on my right side. I've been fighting a good deal of pain in that area all week. It did not affect my running but I was not able to get any strength or core work in because of the pain. I'll stay off the technical trails for another week or so just to make sure everything is healed before the next race - just a few weeks away!

6-28-14!

Monday Menu

I had planned out a relatively simple fall-back meal plan for today. Breakfast consisted of a couple of egg/spinach/feta cheese burritos wrapped in spinach tortillas. It was delicious and quite filling, but I admit I whiffed on the tortilla selection. I didn't have the best selection in the world from which to choose so I selected what I thought was the best of several poor options. The laundry list of unpronounceable chemical compounds should have been my first red flag:

What IS this stuff?

Anyway I will do some homework and seek out a better option next time. I think the breakfast burrito is going to become a regular part of the breakfast rotation. It was very tasty, clean, and kept me satisfied for most of the morning. A mid-morning snack today consisted of a mixed bag of cashews, pistachios, walnuts, pecans, and raisins. So far, so good.

I had been looking forward to trying out a new sushi place that had several vegetarian friendly options for lunch. Today I would try the summer vegetable roll, a mixture of asparagus, seaweed, carrots, tomatoes, mango, cucumber and mixed greens wrapped in rice paper with a bowl of miso soup. The sushi was OK, but I was not keen on the flavor profile. Perhaps sushi just seems to taste better with a protein. I don't think I will be going for this one again. I'll try a different roll next time, possibly including a tuna or salmon option. A mid afternoon snack today was oatmeal with bananas, raisins, almond butter and a little honey. That helped ward off the hunger brought about by a light lunch. Dinner tonight was a homemade "burrito bowl" - brown rice, boiled sweet potato chunks, avocado, and a blend of black beans, chickpeas, and onion with a touch of salsa. I roasted some corn on the side as well.

As time goes on I'll have to look to vary the menu up a bit. I have a few things that I can fall back on but since the point of this exercise is to broaden my culinary horizons a little bit, and hopefully to support better and healthier running in the process, I can't keep going to the same stand-bys!   

Worthy Read

Zach Bitter at the 2013 Desert Solstice 100

"The problem, in my humble opinion, is how we currently fuel and study ourselves. Most, if not all, of studies that I have seen that show the detrimental effects of "chronic cardio" have been performed on individuals following a diet that I would argue is more at fault than the actual activity of running (processed foods void of any real nutrients or, just as bad, "fake" foods pumped with synthetic nutrients). I agree that training at levels as high as I do is probably above that of what would be considered necessary for general survival in our early existence, and that I am fighting an uphill battle in terms of recovery. However, I think it can be a battle that is ultimately won if nutrition is a key aspect of the training program. I also believe that doing what you truely love is equally as important as trying to live as long as your body will physically let you. Personally, I'd rather live to be 70 and enjoy every minute of it doing what I am passionate about, than live to be 90 having led a life that didn't allow me to realize my passions. What about you?"

Excerpt taken from a great post by Zach Bitter, elite ultrarunner, on his blog (found here). Zach holds the US record in the 100 mile with an amazing 11:47:21. When guys like him speak, I tend to listen. I am glad that many of my own philosophies about fueling, nutrition, and training happen to align with his. I hope that means that we're doing something right here...

Day One

One of the things I have discovered about vegetarian diets is that they do allow for the consumption of some animal products, specifically eggs and dairy. I was quite glad to discover this, as eggs (brown, grass fed, free range) are an excellent source of protein, healthy fats and essential amino acids. I also use supplemental whey protein for muscle recovery after more difficult runs. The fact that I can still include these things in my diet this week has eased my mind a little about maintaining the levels of protein that my body will need to recover from training sessions. I do not consume a lot of dairy, but at least I can have cream in my coffee and occasionally enjoy some feta or goat cheese crumbles in my salads.

So given all of this, I guess that technically speaking today can be day 1 of my veg experiment! My early breakfast (pre-run) consisted of a banana and some coffee. I consumed a genucan superstarch prior to a 2-hour/16 mile run. Recovery was almond milk with a scoop of whey protein. Lunch was scrambled eggs with diced red bell pepper, shredded sweet potato and an avocado. Snacks during the day were fruit - apple slices and a banana and a handful of nuts (almonds/cashews/pistachios/pecans). Dinner was sauteed zucchini, onion, red pepper, onion and celery over a bed of field greens with carrots and strawberries and a side of whole wheat pasta. (The sauce was from a jar but it was organic, had no added sugar and had only 5 ingredients.) A glass of red wine topped off the meal.

Dinner tonight. I will try to dress up my pics for the rest of the week.

So away I go! I have mapped out my plan for the next 2 days. I am going to take my meal planning in small chunks, 2-3 days at a time. I don't want to try to plan too far ahead since I can't buy fresh produce this far in advance anyway. To be continued.....

Vegging Out!!

There was a time when I would have scoffed at this stuff but nowadays this looks so delicious.

I am a big believer in the idea that most fitness gains do not actually take place on the roads or in the gym. Yes, training is important, but in order to take full advantage of the gains made in intense training it's critical to make sure that we put just as much work into what we're doing in the kitchen as what we're doing in the weight room.

I will readily admit that my diet may not be the cleanest out there but I have made serious strides over the last year and a half or so. I've (mostly) eliminated dairy from my diet. I have entirely eradicated the scourge of processed carbohydrates, and while I still enjoy whole wheat bread and pasta from time to time, they're definitely on the endangered list. I've added the healthy fats like olive and coconut oil, nuts, almond butter, and fish. Fruits and vegetables are a staple at every meal now and I've begun to enjoy veggies that I had never heard of much less considered for my daily diet just a couple of years ago.

The results have exceeded my wildest expectations. PR's, a BQ, ultras, several masters and age group wins and podium finishes, you name it. Improvement across the board. A better diet combined with a better approach to training has brought me farther in less than 2 years then I was able to come in the prior 13 years that I had been running. Not only was I running faster but I was running better and that irksome pudge around my waistline that I have been unable to shake for years (and seemed to be getting bigger) was melting away. Yes I burn a lot of calories but I have always been active and burned a lot of calories and it wasn't doing me any good before. It wasn't until I cleaned it up in the kitchen that I really made progress toward becoming 'lean'. 

But with all that being said I still have work to do. I still consume way more sugar than I should. I put it in my coffee, in my daily bowl of oatmeal, and the Clif Bars I keep around the house as "healthy" snacks are loaded with it. While I have eliminated the processed flour and carbs I still eat processed meats at the various sandwich shops around my place of employment. Such meats are undoubtedly loaded with sodium and come from animals that have been shot full of steroids, hormones and antibiotics. But they're cheap and I have justified it to myself with the thought that "well at least it's lean meats (chicken, turkey) and it could be worse."

OK maybe I haven't eaten this badly but sometimes it feels like it....

Well I am not one to settle for that and I want to take the next step. After a week of generally poor dietary choices, choices that I could feel in my runs this week (strange as that may sound, I can definitely tell if I am eating light, lean foods vs heavy foods that sit in my gut) I am going to get outside the proverbial box. (For me, anyway.) So I am going to turn the tables this coming week and declare a SUGAR FREE VEGGIE WEEK!! I have never tried a vegetarian diet but I could use the change of pace. I am going to develop a plan this week for what I am going to eat. I am going to stick with the giant salads that I enjoy but I am going to supplement with some new things that I have wanted to try for a while. We'll see how I feel at the end of this week, how it affects my workouts, and where I'll go from there. It will take some work and planning but I think I am up to the task.

So let the great experiment begin! I'll be blogging this week about my progress, what I am eating, how I feel, etc. OK time to get to work on planning all of this out!