Did I say how lucky I am?

Although running itself is a great pleasure, it is something that becomes almost exquisite when you share it with special people. Just because you are part of a running clinic does not mean you are going to find a special group of people to run with. I remember this was the case for my first running clinic. Everyone was nice, do not take me wrong, but there was not a special connection between its members. I think the first step to have a great group is to have a great leader. I have met a couple of leaders and, again, they all seem nice, but you need something more that niceness. You need to have a special charisma, you need to care about people, and you need to be lovable. We do have the best leader in the Running Room. I just don’t want people knowing about it because then everyone would like to join his clinics and we do not like sharing him! LOL! Today, my friends and I ran 18k. The weather was great, finally a long run without rain! The run was full of stories and by the time I looked at my watch it was already 15k and I, really, had not felt it at all. I love the feeling you get when you finish a long run. I feel empowerment, happiness, pride, and strength. I feel so lucky that I found my running buddies, and they should feel lucky that they found me! We are so lucky that we found each other.

My animal lover note: yesterday was the fifth annual worldwide vegan bake sale. This is a project of A Well-Fed World, a U.S.A. non-profit organization that promotes these activities to help raise funds locally for various causes. There was a vegan bake sale in Vancouver and Langley. We went to the one in Langley, which was held at the IGA market Place, and bought lots of delicious things. The funds of this bake sale were to benefit the Bandaids for Bunnies Society. They rescue rabbits from, among others, those unconscious people that buy cute, little rabbits for their kids during Easter time and once the novelty of the new pet has worn out, and the children do not care about it anymore, they just throw them away, literally! if you want to rescue a bunny or help with their cause please go to http://bandaidsforbunnies.wordpress.com/

Ron's Legs

Being part of a running clinic brings a lot of benefits to your training: you have an instructor that guides your training; you follow a program that has been designed to improve your performance, and finally, your get the benefits of the experts’ talks about topics related to running. We usually have nutritionists coming, as well as chiropractors, physiotherapists, motivational talks, yoga instructors, etc. Last Thursday we had a talk on how yoga and stretching benefits our performance. Of course I already knew this; that is why I go to yoga classes every week! But lots of the people I run with realized that it is not just about running. A good runner should do cross training to avoid injuries and enhance performance. Anyway, three weeks ago we had a very interesting talk, by a chiropractor, on injuries. To be able to show us where the most common injuries occur and their possible causes he asked for a volunteer. Of course Ron, our instructor, offered himself (I think he knew what was going to happen). The chiropractor made him stand on a bench, rolled his shorts up and started drawing on his legs. Ron was enjoying himself having a bunch of ladies looking at his legs. We could all tell by the happiness in his face. Or perhaps he thought he was doing an act of charity by letting the chiropractor use his legs for learning purposes. I could not miss the opportunity to immortalize this very important learning moment.




My animal lover note: Sometimes I really can’t believe how people keep buying certain products without ever wondering where they really come from. As a vegan, I never buy anything that has been made with animal products. Of course I have a duvet, and of course I have a very warm winter jacket, but none of those have dawn feathers. I always check the labels to make sure they are filled with synthetic fibers. I have seen these pictures, posted by PETA on facebook, on how the feathers are ripped away from the poor animal’s body. It is clear that the animal suffers. I always repost these pictures and every time I have the chance to talk about it I do it. But it always strikes me how selfish humans are. They always come up with stupid answers like: but those things are warmer if they have been made with feathers! Really? WHO CARES if it is warmer, another being is suffering for you to feel warmer! Just wear an extra layer! Simple!

Hill Training

Last Wednesday we started our hill training. Hill training lasts for 7 long weeks. We do hills every Wednesday, tempo runs every Thursday, and long runs every Sunday. We always start our hill training doing three hills. By the end of the first hill run we do around 7k: 2k going from the store to the hill and of course 2k coming back, and 3k of hills. Next week we will add one more hill, which means one more kilometer to our Wednesday night run, and we will go up to 9 hills. Sometimes we vary the hill and we do a shorter one but steeper. Hill training is something that you hate and love at the same time. I hate it because it is extremely hard and it always makes me feel as if I am out of shape (which I am not!). This feeling becomes more intense when Laura, one of my running buddies, runs up the hill as if it is the easiest thing in the world. She goes up fast and easy, while the rest of us, common humans, barely survive getting to the top. I have discovered her secret though: she has a pure, beautiful heart, which makes it lighter, so she has less weight to carry up hill. No matter how many times I have done this kind of training, it is always hard. On the other hand I love it because it helps me building my endurance, it prepares me for any kind of hill that comes across during a race, plus it gives a nice shape and tone to my legs.
My animal lover note:

Health Benefits of Coconut Water

Drinking coconut water has many benefits. Coconut Water is naturally: • Low in Carbs • 99% Fat Free • Low in sugars Coconut water contains organic compounds possessing healthy growth promoting properties that have been known to help 1. Keep the body cool and at the proper temperature. 2. Orally re-hydrate your body; it is an all-natural isotonic beverage. 3. Carry nutrients and oxygen to cells. 4. Naturally replenish your body's fluids after exercising. 5. Raise your metabolism. 6. Promote weight loss. 7. Boost your immune system. 8. Detoxify and fight viruses. 9. Cleanse your digestive tract. 10. Control diabetes. 11. Aid your body in fighting viruses that cause the flu, herpes, and AIDS. 12. Balance your PH and reduce risk of cancer. 13. Treat kidney and urethral stones. 14. Boost poor circulation. "It's a natural isotonic beverage, with the same level of electrolytic balance as we have in our blood. It's the fluid of life, so to speak." In fact, during the Pacific War of 1941-45, both sides in the conflict regularly used coconut water siphoned directly from the nut to give emergency plasma transfusions to wounded soldiers. Most coconut water is still consumed fresh in tropical coastal areas - once exposed to air, the liquid rapidly loses most of its organoleptic and nutritional characteristics, and begins to ferment. • Coconut Water is more nutritious than whole milk - Less fat and no cholesterol. • Coconut Water is healthier than orange juice - Much lower calories. • Coconut Water is better than processed baby milk - It contains lauric acid, which is present in human mother's milk. • Coconut water is naturally sterile. Water permeates though the filtering husk. • Coconut water is a universal donor. It is identical to human blood plasma. • Coconut Water is a Natural Isotonic Beverage - The same level that we have in our blood. • Coconut water has saved lives in 3rd world countries thru Coconut IV. From: http://www.knowledgebase-script.com/demo/article-320.html My Animal Lover Note: "Everyone holds the power to save a life or take a life when they choose a meal." PETA president Ingrid Newkirk

Last week I was finally able to run. I ran on the beach one day, but it was an experience that I did not enjoy a lot. The inclination did not let me keep up with the pace, plus I felt one side of my body working harder than the other one. So, for the following days I decided to take it to the treadmill. I do not like running on the treadmill, but having to choose between this and the beach, I chose the former. I ran for one hour every single day. I know this is different, and not as good as the regular running training, but at least I did something to keep up with my cardio work. I came back from my trip on Sunday. Yesterday I ran 12k with my dog and tomorrow, Wednesday, I will re-join my group again. I can’t wait to see my running bodies to tell them all the stories and experiences from my trip while we run. We have material for a while. My animal lover note: One of my biggest fears every time I go out of the country is facing the animal abuse that is seen more palpable in other places. Although Canada is far from being perfect regarding animal protection (there are lots of fur factories, they kill baby seals once a year, hunting is popular and accepted, etc.), it is way more advanced than other countries, at least regarding certain aspects. Stray dogs are rarely seen, and if you spot one, you just call the local shelter and they will take good care of it. I knew that during my trip to Colombia I was going to face two harsh realities, especially when visiting Cartagena. One was seeing stray dogs, and the other one was to see the horse-drawn carriages. As I feared, I saw several stray dogs wandering around. It is very overwhelming knowing that you can’t do anything about it. When I lived in Colombia I took them home and fostered them until I found them a family; but being a tourist I can’t do anything beyond looking at their eyes. It was also very sad to see the so popular horse-drawn carriages. These carriages take tourists around the old city. These horses work for several hours a day without rest. They are very skinny, not well fed and not well taken care of. Seeing them made me thing in how abusive our race is. We find acceptable to have fun on the expenses of other beings, in this case the horses. And it made me thought of slavery and how we have not ended it; we just shifted it from one race to another (at the end we are all beings). By looking into the eyes of those horses I realized that the fight for animals’ rights has been the biggest and hardest one, after the fight against slavery. Animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, or use for entertainment.