Spicy Asian Stir-Fry with Whole-Wheat Linguine

This recipe is a good way to make the switch from white pasta to whole-grain varieties that offer more fiber and protein.  If your diet requires additional protein you can add chicken or salmon.  The dish also tastes great as a cold noodle salad which you can easily transport to work.  If you do not have hoisin or garlic-chile sauce just substitute another sweet and spicy combo. Serves 4 (2 cups/serving) Cook time: 35 minutes

Ingredients: 8 oz whole-wheat linguine noodles 1 Tbs. peanut oil 1 small onion, thinly sliced (about 1 cup) 2 garlic cloves, minced (2 tsp) 1 small head bok choy, chopped into 2-inch pieces (1 1/2 cups) 1 1/2 cups broccoli floret 1/2 cup frozen or fresh snow peas (thawed) 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced 2 Tbs hoisin sauce 1 Tbs garlic-chili sauce 1/4 cup chopped peanuts

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking water, and set pasta aside.

Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet or wok over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic, and saute 5 to 7 minutes, or until onion is golden.

Add bok choy, broccoli, snow peas, and bell pepper.  Stir continuously for 5 minutes.  Add a 1/2 cup of water, cover, and simmer 5 minutes.  Stir in hoisin and garlic-chili sauces.  Stir in noodles, adding 1/2 cup reserved cooking water.  Add more water if mixture seems too dry.  Garnish each serving with 1 Tbs. chopped peanuts.

Per 2-cup serving: 330 calories; 19g protein; 9g fat (1g saturated); 55g carb; 10g fiber; 205mg sodium; 7g sugars

compliments of vegetarian times magazine

Sustainable Meals: 4 Energy Boosters

When you are planning your midday meal, make sure it includes these nutrients for sustained energy throughout the afternoon. Complex Carbohydrates: Think of them as superpremium fuel for you body.  Complex carbs deliver more energy per bite than processed carbs or sugary sweets because they are digested more slowly and prevent spikes and subsequent dips in blood sugar.  A few good lunch sources include brown rice, bulgur, wheat berries, millet, hulled barley, whole grain pasta, beans, artichokes, pea pods, broccoli, carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, asparagus, spinach, sweet potatoes, and zucchini.

Iron: This essential mineral helps the body produce hemoglobin, which transports oxygen to the muscles and brain.  Combine iron-rich foods with foods high in vitamin C for increased absorption.  Try watercress, arugula, spinach, collard greens, kale, chard, mustard greens, kidney beans, wheat bran, raisins, and blackstrap molasses.

Protein: Feel fuller longer!  Protein fulfills this promise by slowing digestion of other foods and regulating the energy release they provide.  Aside from lean meats try adding nuts, seeds, legumes, tofu, tempeh, and eggs.

Good Fats: A little goes a long way when using these concentrated sources of energy that add flavor and make food more satisfying.  Use olive, coconut, flax and other plant-based oils, walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, avocado, and natural nut butters.

Going Green: B.Y.O.Bag

For one week, count how many disposable bags you get.  Make a couple of trips to the grocery store, grab lunch from your favorite sandwich ship, pick up a prescription at the pharmacy- it seriously adds up.  In the United States alone, we go through 100 billion plastic bags per year, less than 1 percent of which gets recycled. Bringing a sturdy tote wherever you go is one of the easiest earth-friendly changes you can make.  When I'm not toting a back pack I carry a few big totes with handles which I can sit on my shoulders.  I prefer this method over being loaded down with a bunch of small bags that I have to carry by hand.  Make a commitment in January to reduce your use of disposable bags.  If you live in the city and have a dog, I understand your objection, but you can still cut down.

Paris Marathon- Week 1 of Sharpening Phase

Now that Base training is over i am adding some changes to the program to increase intensity and improve recovery.  My Long runs will be between 18 and 24 miles throughout.  I will incorporate an easy day of indoor cycling instead of running.  I'm continuing to swim one night a week which I will try to plan for my so-called "off day".  Weight training for strength, stability and some power will remain for 2-3 hours per week.  To improve on speed I will incorporate one of two workouts. Tempo runs of mid length (10-12 miles total) where 6-10 miles of the run are at or just below MP 7:56.

Intervals on a mid length run (8-11 miles total) where I warm up 1-2 miles and then complete repeats of 100 meters and 200 meters.  After the intervals I will finish the rest of the run at or just below MP 7:56.

Monday- I'm starting my week out well.  I'm organized and have been on the Isagenix cleanse program for a week now so my energy is good.  Feel pretty rested too.  Between clients in my basement I worked on shoulders, back and chest.  Fairly light weights, free weights and cables, working in tri sets.  Exhausted my shoulders, back was light and chest was moderate.  Had a shake as well and some stretching.  After clients i prepared for my 12 mile tempo run.  It's brisk but not very windy.  New program for this week which includes one day at moderate length with the middle miles at Marathon Pace.  I took the first three miles real easy over the brooklyn bridge to the west side.  Once I hit the flat hudson river park I picked up my pace and planned for a 7:55mm for 6 miles.  I didn't expect to hit that pace, simply wanted to get my HR into threshold and hold it for the 6 miles.  Holding my HR above 171bpm was not a problem, but my legs were a bit slow.  After 3 miles I needed a gel, so walked 2 minutes and turned around.  Was able to pick up my pace by about 10 sec per mile for the last 3 miles.  Once i hit Chambers I stopped the set, slowed down, took the hills back home easy for the last 3 miles.  The MP set of 6 miles was Av HR 174 and Av pace 8:16.  Not bad for my first tempo run in months, but expect to improve with distance and pace on my next one, probably in 2 weeks.

Tuesday.  I had a bit of time today between clients so will run and weight train a bit.  The run is an easy 6 mile recovery run.  I didn't need to carry water and wore less clothing today and that felt really good.  Enjoyed the freedom of movement.  Was a nice flat run from John street around battery park and up the hudson river park a bit. Felt easy, although I found myself running a bit fast at times, so slowed it down.  Average pace, not including .5 mile warm up was 9:05 and AV HR 164.  After the run I had my first meal of the day and did 30 minutes of leg training.  BB deadlift, BB squat, Leg extensions, and cable rotation with lateral lunge.  Reps 10-15.  sets 3-4.  l like doing weights right after a run.

Wednesday. I have been so good this week about stretching and fitting in yoga and i can feel the difference. After my morning clients I had a shake and then went out for a run in prospect park. Ran up side streets for some variety and warmed up for one mile. I just want to run an easy 9:20 pace average and have an average hr below 160. During my run I thought about a lot of work tasks and not so much about the run which was nice. Turned around at 4.5 mile mark and returned home again through park slope side streets. Average pace was 9:16 and AV Hr 158 for the 6 mile set. I jogged easy for the last mile and did some yoga after my shower. Didn't have any gels during the run, just a little want more energy in my water pack.

Thursday- I really wanted to weight train again today bu had absolutely no time and its my day off from running. Only plan is to go to the pool and swim with my tri team. I ate just before I left and felt really good and energized getting into the pool, which is rare for me for an evening training session. We had a thorough warm up followed by drills. Then we did work sets of 200 and 100 yards set at threshold pace. Don't really know my threshold pace, but will be testing that in two weeks. Today my best 200 was just under 4 min which is pretty good for me. Les wants me to work on the finish of my stroke. I tend to have good pull all the way past my hip, but need to work on exiting the water with my elbow, not my hand. We also worked on back stroke a bit. Nice 1 1/2 hour workout. Next morning noticed my left shoulder was sore. Don't know if it was the stress of swimming, not enough weight training this week or what, but i'm disappointed that it is bothering me.

Friday- today was a light day for clients and I had hoped to do some weight training but other things got in the way of that. Have not done weights since Tuesday and that's not good. I set up my indoor trainer and decided I was recovered enough since I didn't run yesterday to do and interval set. The set was only a little over 30 minutes but was done on the large ring at a slow cadence. I warmed up for 15 minutes and then did 4 sets of 5 min low cadencee (about 55-65rpm) with goal to be just below my race HR (sub-threshold), followed by 4 min at a higher cadence recovery of about 10-15 beats perm minute slower than the work set. So not full recovery. The sets were an average of 153-155bpm (low end of my range) and recovery was betw 141-144bpm. Felt good, not easy but could have done another set but don't want to push it considering my 20 mile run for tomorrow.

Saturday- Woke up feeling really good. Rested, but a little tight in my back. Had a shake about 1/2 hour before heading out to prospect park for 20 mile run. Warmed up the first mile and feeling really good. The sun is out and I'm over dressed. Ended up taking my fleece off and just wore a long sleeve shirt. Took the park loop counter clockwise for 10 miles and then turned around. My pace was really fast for along run, just felt really good and my HR was averaging 157 so I kept a faster pace than the planned 9:48. I'm using a new gel today (honey stinger) and had one at 5,10,15 miles. Walked only to take the gels and had a bathroom stop, otherwise kept a pretty consistent effort throughout. Took the hills harder than I normally would for a long run, got HR up to 170 or higher on numerous occasions. Even with this my legs did not feel fatigued and energy was really good. By the end of the run I felt like i had only run about 14-16 miles, not 20 which is a really good sign. Think i'm really recovered because Friday i rode my bike instead of running, and Thursday was off day from running but did swim, so I had 2 days of no running before this long 20 miler. Will keep this in mind as i move forward with my training schedule. Main set of 18 mile was 9:11 pace (about 45 sec faster per mile than planned) and HR 156, WOOHOO.

Sunday. Started my day with a hot blend of ionix and cleanse for life and then went for my easy 6 mile run. Warmed up 1 mile to the brooklyn bridge and feeling pretty good. Did my Brookly bridge to city hall route at 8:52 pace (goal was 9:00) and ave HR of 158. That was a good HR average considering I took the hills pretty hard getting up to HR 174bpm. I'm happy with all of that. Good way to finish off the weeks training. About 2 hours following my run I went to my basement gym and did legs and shoulders strength workout. I did supersets for legs and shoulder for 35 minutes. progressed with either weight or reps for each set. Shoulder feels about 85%. It was a good program so made note to use with clients. Finished with 10 min abs on the bosu and stretching.

Totals for the Week:  12 hrs 18 minutes.  Bike: 1hr, Swim 1:30, Weight train 1:40, Run 8:08 for 53 miles.  Aside from my Race Pace run on monday I was really happy with my training for the week.

Loose Weight by Writing

Now that the New Year is here, how about jump-starting those stalled weight-loss plans?  To help make extra pounds of fat history, try this proven strategy: track you food intake in a diary.  Applying this strategy can double your weight loss success. I've begun a food log for myself.  Yes, I did succumb to too many sweets and excess food between vacation and the holidays.  I'm using a on-line program that allows me to log my daily food intake and in return I receive a interactive report card indicating whether I am taking in the correct amount of carbs, fats and proteins, as well as essential vitamins and minerals based upon the goal of loosing 1-2 pounds per week.  It even offers suggestions of foods that I should consume in order to bring my daily nutrient intake to FDA guidelines.

The "My Body" meal planner is so comprehensive that I'm using it with all my clients to assist them with making healthier meal and snack choices.  If you are interested in learning more about it click here and go to the tab "meal planner".  If you would like me to provide you with a sample report card for a typical daily meal plan for yourself make an appointment by clicking here. Now, keeping a diary does not have to be a formal thing to be beneficial.  Just the act of scribbling down what you eat on a post-it-note, sending yourself e-mails tallying each meal, or sending yourself a text message will help you be more aware of your consumption patterns.

Week 13 Paris Marathon- Last Week of Base training

The week started out pretty lousy training wise.  After the holidays, being away for 12 days, arriving home and running a rough 18 miler in the wind, I felt a bit wasted starting out the week.  As I got my nutrition plan organized and started a new 30 day cleanse, I felt a lot better by Wednesday.  I was able to get to the pool one day, got on my trainer instead of running on Friday, and finally had a renewed energy for weight training and put in 4 days of weight training. Monday was another really cold day but not terribly windy.  I had difficulty getting out for this run, feeling pretty tired from yesterday's 18 miler but felt confident the run would go well if I stuck to a consistent 9:20 pace for the 12 miles.  Was running in prospect park and took all hills easy.  It wasn't a bad run, but definitely need a recovery day tomorrow.  I ran the main set of 10 miles at 9:23 pace and HR 157bpm.  This was a bit slower than the same run last week in Chicago, but I just ran 30 miles in just over 24 hours, so it's all good.

Monday afternoon I felt like a light weight training session in the basement. Circuit of trx, light shoulder work and tri and bicep. Total body but very light. Finished with TRX abs.

Tuesday was no running but I did some weight training.  35 min of weights and 15 min of abs and low back. Heavy 8-10 reps legs, back, shoulders. No pool tonight, not feeling up to it.

Wednesday I did another 12 miles, but with some intervals.  I ran over the brooklyn bridge and up the west side.  Warmed up for 3 miles then did 1 mi hard and 4 in easy fartlek intervals.  Was running a bit slower than the same workout last week.  My legs feel heavy, maybe from the weights yesterday, but I feel it's more due to the fact tha I ate like crap last week and I've cut down on calories a bit this week.  Maybe mentally I'm also saving some energy for the 22 miler run this weekend.  For the 7 miles of fartlek, 5 miles was flat and 2 miles were up hill, I averaged HR at 159 and pace 9:25.  Most of the 1 minute tempo portions were between 7:30 and 8mm, again slower than last week in Chicago.  I finished with 2 miles of cool down.  Will not do any other work today except abs and yoga.

Thursday morning I had two ounces of cleanse and then had a client. When finished I went for an easy 6 mile run (around 8:30) across chambers street and up the west side. It's warmer today and less windy, but i was running into the wind about 2.5 miles of the run. My Garmin did not pick up satellite right away, and had problems with it not pausing when I had stopped so data isn't terribly accurate. Was supposed to be 9:00 pace and HR about 161. Feel recovered today and my energy is better than it has been for the last two days. Seems to help if i don't eat before a short run. I think I ran a bit further than 6 miles and av pace was pretty much on target at 9:00 HR ave 159bpm.

After the run and a quick shower I had my shake pudding for breakfast with a banana then got in a quick 30 min weight training session. Did stabilization work, cables for back and a leg back combo. Single leg press. Rocker board squats + DB OHP. Back extensions with bd shoulder flexion. Would say put in moderate effort. Leg work seemed the hardest although none of it was with much load. Rep range 10-15.  Did abs and yoga later at home and went to the Roosevelt pool in the evening with my tri team.

I have not swam in about 4 weeks and am glad I had the time to finally go to the pool.  Big group today. 6x50yard warm up and then ladders 50-100-150-100-50 with 20 sec rest. Then 100-200-300-200-100 with 20-30sec rest. Felt pretty good. Worked on keeping my hand higher in the water during the hold as per Claudia's recommendation. Need to do lat stretches before swimming from now on. Shoulder felt fine during and after workout. Note once home took about 1.5 hours to relax and go to bed. Was lucky to not have a 5:30 am client tomorrow.

Friday I thought about today's planned 6 mile run last night coming home from the pool and decided my body is feeling like it needs more cross traiing. So I opted out on the run and got on the indoor trainer for 40 minutes. Also did weights today right before so didn't need a warm up. Took it pretty easy and adjusted cadence to my music. Average cadence was 75 and ave HR was 144. Also did yoga earlier today for 20 minutes.

Saturday's forecast was for low temps and brutal wind but it really wasn't that bad.  It's about 20 degrees out and the wind was reasonable so i went over the Brooklyn bridge and ran up the Hudson river park for my 22 miler. Longest run so far and it felt really good, surprisingly good. Think i made the right choice getting on my bike yesterday. Stopped for bathroom and a gel around 6 mile, continued at an easy HR of 155bpm and pace 9:24 along the river. Once I hit the upper west side I diverted to the sidewalk along Riverside drive for a change of scenery. There the terrain changed with cobble stone sidewalks and some rolling hills. Stopoped at 11 mile mark, almost all the way to Riverbank park, and had another gel. On the return the wind was at my back for the most part, so although my pace should have been around 9:40 for this long run, i decided as long as my HR was well below 160 I would modify my pace and see how it felt to run a little faster. On the return I ran 9:13 pace (about 10sec faster than on the way out) and kept my HR the same av at 155. There is a bit more climbing on the way back, so was really happy to see that my energy was good (not great) and could pick up the pace and hold an easy HR. Will try to do some AB work and Yoga a bit later today. Did stretch out for about 15 minutes. body does not feel as tight as it did after last weeks long run.

Sunday I stuck around the house and did all my training in the basement.  Feel remarkable considering I ran 22 miles yesterday. Went to basement and did two sets of 3 miles on the treadmill with weights and core work in between the running sets. HR stayed really low at 154 average and pace was pretty fast at 8:38mm. Did not include the warm ups and cool downs in the data.  Weight training was light.  Abs, low back, shoulder ext rotation and easy lower body workout focusing on stability and abductors. Bosu lunges with rotation and Sa KB OH Squat.

I've put together my next 10 weeks of training.  Base is over and now will focus on tempo training, speed workouts at the track, and maintaining my long runs o 18-24 miles on weekends.  At this point, I feel my 3:30 goal is well within reach.

Stop Super-Sizing Your Workout Routine!

Click Here to find out how you can get an amazing workout in just 30 minutes.  Clear descriptions of cardio and weight training exercises you can do even in a home gym. via Stop Super-Sizing Your Workout Routine!.

Stay Safe this Winter with Yaktrax

I have been fortunate to never fall during a winter run but I see so many people slipping and sliding around that I think this product is worth mentioning for everyone who wants to get around more safely in the winter.  And if your are the type who makes excuses about exercising in the winter because the conditions aren't ideal, i've got a solution for you. Yaktrax are a product designed to fit over any type of shoe and they provide stability on slippery, snowy surfaces.  When I go for runs in the snow I hardly see anyone out running with me.  Everyone is affraid of injury, and for good reason.  This product really works.  I used them for the first time last weekend the morning following 12 inches of snow.

They are really easy to put on and remove from your shoes.  They are made of rubber and the part that covers the bottom of your shoe consists of cross sections of rubber and metal coiling.  On a dry surface they are kind of springy, but on snow, (whether light or packed) and ice they grip.  I did notice that they made running a bit slower and harder on surfaces that were not snow covered.

On my first use i ran to prospect park.  The first 2 miles were all up hill, almost all the sidewalks were completely snow covered and my footing was very secure.  In the park the drive had been plowed, but not salted, or at least most portions were not salted.  Again, whether the surface was flat or hilly the yaktrax really gripped.  As with any unsure footing, you want to be careful, but i'm really happy with this investment and will use them anytime following snowfall.

I wore them the following day when most of the snow had been removed, but small stretches of sidewalk were still covered.  I would advise against wearing them in these conditions.  In areas where there is no snow it's more difficult to run, and on the wood planks of the brooklyn bridge it was actually slippery.

Yaktrax come in two models, one for outdoor adventurers like myself and are the "pro" model, and a less hefty version is made for people who simply want to walk more safely in snow.  Check out www.yaktrax.com for more info.

I OVER TRAINED

Week 10 was my highest volume week to date and I learned some things I should have noticed about my schedule and modified it for this week.  Monday following this week I was feeling a bit off.  My running is slowing and i'm not happy about the pain in my low back.  It went away by Tuesday, but these are some of the things that I added that week and I'll suggest what I should have done differently. I ran 62 miles this week, my highest volume for the training period so far.  Two weeks prior I ran 60.  I added speed work with the fartleks and I added a race at a pace I have not been training for.  The race should have been viewed as a priority run and I shold have adjusted the schedule to allow full recover for race day.  The purpose of the rece was to gague whether I am on target for a 8:00 marathon.  But that being said I should have done one of the following: Eliminate the speed training on Monday; give myself a full day of rest on Friday and therefore cut my total miles for the week by 6miles; Skip running in the snow on Sunday (the day after a race) and run on a treadmill instead at 6 miles instead of 10: and should have skipped the indoor bike training for the week.

I mention all of this because there were too many new variables to that week.  I know I could have raced better and would not have felt any back pain ( note I've never experiend low back pain from running) the day following the race if i had modified the training to have only 2 hard training days, 3 really easy days, and only one moderate day.  Instead I had 3 hard, two moderate, and 1 easy.  The good news is that as i'm writing this on Tuesday following another fartlek run and my back pain is gone, but i'm still running about 10-20% slower than I would like.

Ted Corbit 15K Race

Its the Ted Corbit 15k race today in Central Park.  I have not done a road race since probably spring, and have not run in central park since July, so today will be interesting.  It's the last race of the year, and this is a new distance for me.  My goal is to run a 7:25 mm average pace. I slept well last night about 6.5 hours. Dinner night before was low in carbs and high in protein, red meat and fish. Had dessert before bed. Woke up feeling good. Had coffee and my typical oatmeal, yogurt, protein blend in the car on the way to pick up race number (about 1 1/2 hrs before race start). Thankfully david drove me to NYRR building to pick up my stuff. Jogged a bit (about 2 miles) and added some short pick ups. It's a cld morning in Central Park, 27 degrees ant 6mph winds. Supposed to get a big snow storm today. First mile or so was slow, wasn't placed in a good corral, but by mile 2 was feeling my pace and thought I would be able to maintain it. Ran counter clockwise, skipping Harlem hill and did a full circle of park. At mile 5 I had a gel and think I should have done this about 10 min earlier based upon how my body felt immediately after the gel. Second loop cut across 72nd street and after that there was really only one more big hill. I picked up the pace for the last 2 miles but looking at my average pace I was disappointed that I never caught up to the 7:25 pace I wanted to achieve. Based on my marathon goal of 8:00 i should be able to run a 15k at 7:25. Now Paris is flat and CP is a very challening course, so maybe i'm being to hard on myself, but disappointed that my av pace was 7:34. My HR was really high, and think that is part of the reason I had a hard time holding a faster pace. MY HR average was 180 and I maxed out on some of the hills at 189bpm. If i cut out the first mile of the race where my pace was averaging 8:14 because I had to work through the crowd, my av pace for the race would have been 7:32, not such a big deal as I thought. It was really the big hills that slowed me down. Wonder how I would have fared on a flatter course or a course I'm used to running. The official road runner results were time 1:12:06, pace 7:45, distance 9.3 miles. My Garmin said I ran 9.52 miles so I used that data as my analysis. I ran most of the race along the right side because it's less banked there and is easier to pass, but clearly this makes for a longer race than the official distance. For women 40-44 I placed 18 out of 156 which is the top 11.5%. For all women I placed 140 out of 1750 which put me at the top 8%, and overall I placed 662 out of 3467 which is top 19%. So overall I was really happy with the results. Only thing I would have done differently is run miles 2-4 a bit slower, have a gel between 3 and 4 (about 45 min in) and another at 6 to 7.  Also I used the hammer gels and i do better at high intensity races with the power bar gels.