Kurt Zaporozan: June 2007

Sunday, June 24, 2007

A bad day for a Run

Attended a neighbourhood party last night and am feeling verrrrryyyy sloooooow today. Head is in the clouds (really high). Ran with Scott today. He hasen't run for three months so we did ten and twos. He did good. Pushed me a bit when I started to slow down.
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1078236
This is where we ran today. Cut and paste to the explorer bar.

Ran three times this week so I'm feeling better about my fitness.

Didn't get too mych done around the house today. Did some laundry, went to Lordco to get an exchanged battery. The one I bought last year (2 days short of a year so exchange was fine) died over the winter. Even charged it once a month. Will have to figure something out for this coming winter thought.

On holidays in five days. Really need the break.

Erin and Tracy were in the Scotia Bank Half Marathon today. Wonder how they did?
Will have to check the web site to find out.

Friday, June 22, 2007

Getting Better

After the week off without running, I have been out twice so far this week.
Ran with the ladies out of Hyde Creek. Short as Erin and Tracy are running the Scotia Bank Half Marathon this weekend.
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1071223
Cut and paste this address to see where we ran today.

Feeling better about my fitness.
The feelings I got when not running were not good mentally. It doesn't take long for the emotions to catch up with you when your body is used to excersize.

Will run once of the weekend.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Feeling Good to Run

Ran the short riverside route with my friend Brian, dogs April, Dodger and Kiera. I think we all enjoyed the trip. I took a tumble going through the bushes and did the old commando roll. Got up and continued to run though. A few scrapes butr nothing major.

Will be out again on Thursday night.

Monday, June 18, 2007

Empty Week

Didn't run at all last week. Life has been so busy with Emily and Riley activities and sports that there was no time to run. Sun up to sun down Cathy and I were busy.
I will run tomorrow night and then Thursday if there is nothing going on. Saturday and Sunday, Emily is in a swim meet in Burnaby so might get a run in there.

Feeling so out of shape. Will have to remedy that.

Saturday, June 9, 2007

First Run All Week

Ran with Erin this morning. This was my first run since that grueling Five Peaks race last Saturday. Had to take a couple of days off during the week as I was exhausted. Slept for a day and a half to recover. Man my life is really busy lately.

A good run this morning though. Erin paced me for the whole run. I would have slowed down at a few points but she kept me going.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1031071

View this link to see where we ran.

I have a memorial service for my Aunt Hilda and Uncle John this afternoon. They will be interned at the Coquitlam Cemetery. Hilda passed away in December, last year and John was a couple of years before that.

A lacross game in between the Memorial and then dinner at my sister Romayne's house out in Langley. I hope this train stops soon. Two weeks of holidays soon.

Sunday, June 3, 2007

Buntzen Bonk

Ran the Five Peaks Race yesterday and didn't have a very good time of it. I was very limited on my energy level for the majority of the race. I finished in only two minutes off of my estimated time of 95 minutes (97 and change was my finish time). The Run didn't feel comfortable at all. I didn't anticipate the heat. Tracey and Erin did great. They both had really good times.

A great show by Kathryn and her husband, Mark. They do a great job of organizing these events.
http://www.fivepeaks.com

Check out thier web site and the above address if you are interested in these races.

12.5 km long.

http://www.5peaks.com/maps/Map_Buntzen%20Lake-June%202007%20Enduro.pdf

Check out this map to see where I ran.

I think my body is more made for the sport courses. I will change my selections in the next few weeks.

A very busy week winding down. Busy day with Riley's party yesterday and this morning. A party for 10, 11 year olds. As well as a sleep over for three of his budies. Made them chocolate chip waffles this morning. They liked those. They stayed until about noon and I started work on the back yard. Finished what I needed to get done.
Monday morinign starts a new.

Friday, June 1, 2007

Shortie

A really short run last night. 27 minutes long. Didn't want to push at all because of the race this weekend at Buntzen Lake. We ran for only 4.3Km. A good route though. A couple hills and some not bad speed included.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1008559
Cut and paste this site to see where we ran.

Have been on the go every waking moment since Sunday. The only break I have had is last night after my run. Sat down for a brew out on my deck. Very nice. Another busy day today and all weekend long. I will be busy with runing and Riley is having his Birthday Party on saturday night. Emily has her first swim meet all weekend too. 10 X 11 year olds swimming and feasting on junk food. Good times. Three are sleeping over. Shouldn't be too bad.

I'll let all know come my next installment.

Personal Mission Statement

Defining who you are can be another powerful way to help you make the changes you desire. A personal mission statement is like a credo or motto that states what your life is about. It should reflect the values you hold about the importance of health and fitness and life in general. It can act as a guide to help you adhere to what you truly want to achieve. It can help you commit to a running (or walking) program.A personal mission statement can be anything you want – a favourite quotation, song lyrics or your own creation. It needs to inspire you and help you remember what you are all about. Take a look at the worksheet in your "Documents" section of your SportMed Community network - Develop Your Personal Mission Statement for examples and how to develop your own. Encourage your participants to do the exercise and once completed, to post it on the refrigerator or wall and review it regularly for inspiration.

Our Deepest Fear

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” by Marianne Williamson

Training Tips

IS CHOCOLATE REALLY GOOD FOR YOU?
By Amby Burfoot

In January 2006, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) published the most convincing study yet linking flavanol-rich cocoa to improved blood-vessel health. A month later, the Archives of Internal Medicine reported that Dutch men who ate the most chocolate had a 47 percent lower mortality rate over 15 years than a similar group that consumed little chocolate. In June, the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology published a special supplement on cocoa flavanols, with 17 articles about chocolate's health benefits, ranging from lower blood pressure to increased brain blood flow to better skin health. In November, independent researchers at Johns Hopkins announced a study that showed a small amount of chocolate slowed platelet clumping. Also in November, a new chocolate called CocoaVia got a lift from the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, which reported that two (small) bars a day lowered LDL cholesterol in a high-cholesterol subject group by 6.7 percent. This likely resulted from the addition of plant sterol esters (like those found in some margarines) to the CocoaVia. It's enough to make you look for Willy Wonka's nearest factory. Only one problem: Much of the research has been sponsored by Mars, the folks who brought us M&Ms, Snickers, and now CocoaVia. Almost any time you speak to a chocolate "expert," you're talking with someone who has cashed a few checks from Mars. Sweet Science Mary Engler is an exception. A cardiovascular physiologist at the University of California at San Francisco, Engler, along with her twin sister and fellow Ph.D., Marguerite, has spent the last 15 years researching the connection between diet and blood-vessel health. In 2004, the Englers published the first independent study, in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, to show that a dark-chocolate bar enhanced artery dilation. A chocolate bar with most of its healthy flavanols stripped away had no such effect. Flavanols are plant micronutrients, such as those found in tea, purple grapes, and apple skins, that can have a powerful effect on cell health. A particular cocoa flavanol, epicatechin, triggers blood vessels to release nitric oxide, which relaxes nearby muscle fibers, allowing the arteries to expand and carry more blood. "The evidence is absolutely compelling," Engler says, "and I believe the field is going to grow rapidly, just as we saw with the omega-3 fatty acids and their connection to heart health."Carl Keen lives and works just 70 miles from Engler at the same university, only he's at the branch in Davis, and his research has been funded by Mars. When I reach Keen, a Ph.D. professor of nutrition and internal medicine, we have a wide-ranging conversation. "Our research has found that cocoa flavanols from dark chocolate help keep the blood vessels expanded and flexible," he says. "This is a profound and exciting effect." This leads unexpectedly to the question of superfoods. What Keen tells me is that industry-sponsored chocolate research may help unlock the phytochemical secrets behind, say, blueberries and red peppers. After all, blueberries don't have a multibillion-dollar lobby. "Fruits and vegetables are all good for you," he says, "but some are better than others. And I hope that the next wave of discovery will enable us to say which are the really good ones."About the ProcessKeen has been doing a lot of his recent work with chocolate produced by Mars's private, patented Cocoapro process. The Mars people talk about the gentle, nutrient-retaining Cocoapro method the way some young parents describe their infant's bedroom, outfitted with a swaddling crib and speakers that waft Mozart through the air. CocoaVia products are made from Cocoapro, and are guaranteed to provide 100 milligrams of cocoa flavanols per serving, no matter how dark or light the chocolate. The people at Hershey's have been slow to jump on the dark-chocolate bandwagon, but they're not dumb-not with dark chocolate sales increasing 30 percent per year. Last May, Hershey's announced that it was forming a new Hershey Center for Health and Nutrition, and that a Yale University study of Hershey's Natural Cocoa showed that the drink improved the blood flow of those who consumed it. Last fall, Hershey's began selling a premium dark chocolate named Hershey's Cacao Reserve, and also bought Dagoba, an organic dark-chocolate company that produces an adorable "Tao of Cacao" newsletter. Okay, I'm being sarcastic there. But let's give Hershey's credit for its 30-year support of youth track and field in the United States.The Hershey's people are also waging a quiet war against the Cocoapro process. Last May, they published a study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry that compared the antioxidant and polyphenol activities of chocolate products from a variety of leading manufacturers. Basically, they found no differences among manufacturers, only among product types (like dark chocolates versus milk chocolates). "Regardless of where the chocolate comes from, we found-as did a USDA article in the same issue-that the antioxidant and polyphenol values tracked very closely to the amount of nonfat cocoa solids in each product," says Dave Stewart, a plant biochemistry Ph.D. and Hershey's director of nutrition and natural product sciences. The chocolates that have the highest percentage of cocoa in them, information typically available on labels, probably have the most flavanols. Just a TasteI can't tell for sure who's making the healthiest chocolate, but here's my advice: Remember that chocolate is a plant food, so choose the most natural, least processed chocolate you can find. That means avoiding chocolate with milk solids, emulsifiers, and heaps of added sugar. Also, skip chocolates with any mention of alkali or "Dutching," which are known to reduce nutrients.And of course, don't be misled into thinking that chocolate is a health food. It's not. Chocolate, brimming with fat, is something you should learn to savor in small pieces. "No one should add calories to their diet by eating more chocolate," says longtime Runner's World nutrition editor Liz Applegate, Ph.D., a confirmed chocoholic herself. "You have to substitute it for something else, hopefully something less nutritious."For Valentine's Day, I've settled on the perfect menu. We'll start with a cup of black-bean soup, then have a kale salad with orange segments and sliced almonds, organic, long-grain brown rice with steamed broccoli and herbed tofu, and a nice glass of red wine, known for its heart-healthy attributes. After dinner, I'll pour another glass of wine and reach for a box of rich, dark, sinfully delicious chocolates, knowing that dark chocolate boosts blood flow. That's got to be a good thing. Especially on Valentine's Day.

Kurt Zaporozan