Gluten is NOT nutritious

I feel a big rant coming on.  I haven't been able to run since Monday, due to a strained hamstring, and I'm seriously endorphin-deprived.  I can't get to my happy place, haven't had my moment of zen, and no longer possess inner peace. 

You have been warned.

(begin rant)

I hereby declare war on all doctors and dietitians!

No, I don't.  (They outnumber me.)  But I want to...

I just read again this morning, for the umpteenth time, a dietitian saying that following a gluten-free diet, if you don't need to, can lead to nutritional deficiencies.  I have read this (and heard this firsthand) from so many people in the medical profession over the past several years, and it boggles my mind each and every time.

Seriously, how effing stupid can they be?

Gluten is a sticky protein.  It makes breads elastic and causes things to better stick together.  Gluten is NOT necessary to human survival.  Human beings existed healthily for millions of years before wheat, barley and rye were first domesticated, and will continue to exist healthily for millions of years after the gluten industry lobby has finally been destroyed. 

If you do not eat gluten, you will not die.  You will not develop rickets, or scurvy, or shingles; beriberi, goiters, or the Heebie-Jeebies.

In fact, nothing bad will happen to you at all if you do not eat gluten.  Ever.

If you are developing nutritional deficiencies, then you are not eating foods that contain proper nutrition, regardless of their gluten content.  Period. And dietitians and doctors should know that.  Seriously, I would bet that most people who are gluten free eat far healthier than those who don't.  When you have to read every label on your food, you become much more discriminating about what you put in your body.

Frankly, if a medical professional ever tells you that eating gluten-free is bad for your health, I suggest you run away screaming.  Who knows what other falsehoods they believe?

(end rant)

By the way...

If I am wrong and gluten itself contains some nutritional substance without which the human race will not survive, please let me know.  Enlighten me!  I will happily proclaim my own ignorance and assert someone else's superiority in this very blog.

Slow is good

So I'm feeling pretty stupid today.

I think I mentioned before that I'm a slow runner.  By definition, most people refer to anyone who runs slower than 10 minute miles, or 6 miles per hour, as a slow runner.  A guy named John Bingham has capitalized on this, creating a name those of us "back of the pack" runners: penguins.

I'm proud to be a penguin!  Really, I am.

But I was hoping that someday I wouldn't be the slowest penguin out there.

This summer, with regular training and 18 months of base miles behind me, I decided to make my move.  I was going to go from the back of the back of the pack to the middle of the back of the pack.  Eventually, I would move to the front of the back of the pack.

No problem, right?  Just throw in a little speed work here and there, and start running a smidge faster.

And it worked for a couple of weeks.  I went from a 12 minute mile to an 11:45 min mile.  Then an 11:30 minute mile.  One day, on a shorter run, I pushed the whole way, and actually avereaged 10:59 minute per mile.

Oh, the joy!  I was speeding up!

And my legs were feeling it.  Did you know that going faster than you are used to, whether that means 5 min miles instead of 6 or 11:30 minute miles instead of 12, puts a lot of strain on your hamstrings?

Um, well, I didn't.  But now I know.  And I also know (now) not to run on a strained hamstring.  But I didn't know that a week ago.

So now I'm nursing an aching hammy, and am thoroughly cursing my own stupidity.  Plus, I'm in withrawal...no runner's high since Monday!  Not yesterday, not today, probably not tomorrow or Friday either.  I really need a fix...

But I also really need to heal this hammy.  I have a 9 mile run scheduled for Saturday, and my marathon training plan doesn't allow for a lot of wiggle room.  So I'm resting my leg now.  And going crazy.

Laughter helps - today someone shared this video.  What a riot!  Although, a couple of times, I wondered if someone had bugged my house.  Some of it hits a little close to home...



I am a runner!

Introducing Kismet Copywriting

Throughout the last few months I've been planning and studying and writing and practicing, and I'm finally ready to go public as a freelance writer.  It gives me great pleasure to introduce my new business, Kismet Copywriting!

I specialize in writing email autoresponders, blog articles, and social networking, as well as any other needs for web or print copy you may have.  My niche is the gluten free industry (of course!) and running/fitness.

Please feel free to check out my website at the link above, and contact me if you would like to discuss setting up an email campaign for your business. 

Quick Gluten-Free Travel Tips

(Part of an ongoing series)

We don't get out much anymore.  Has anyone else's travel been curtailed by being gluten free?

Back in the day, we used to travel a lot.  Friends joked that I started planning my next trip the day I got back from my last one.  They were wrong, by the way...I started planning the next trip during the last trip.

Not any more.  It's been years since I've been on an airplane, and I can't remember the last time I needed a passport.  There's also nothing big in the works right now.

Admittedly, some travel would have been curtailed just because of the economy.  When your fiscal circumstances are less than certain, you just don't go booking as many (or any!) trips around the world.  But I can't entirely blame the recession for my lack of wandering.  A lot of my staying home is due to celiac disease.

Those of us who are gluten free know that sometimes it's hard enough to get a safe meal in your own house.  When it comes to letting someone else cook for you, especially someone you've never met...and who doesn't have to live with you for the next three days if you get glutened...well, it can be downright terrifying.  Add in some other food intolerances (soy, nightshades, citrus, poultry, etc., etc.) and the thought of eating out can make you want to curl up in a fetal position in the hotel and whimper.

So does that mean those of us on restricted diets just have to stay home forever?

Of course not!  (You knew that was the answer, right?)

Over the last 5 years, even with my limited excursions, I have managed to put together some tried and true tips to get me through everything from an overnighter with relatives to a 7 day road trip.  I have also received quite a few pieces of advice from others, some of which I've been able to try out, and some that are yet untested by me.  My goal is to consolidate everything I know here, and solicit some advice from others.  After all, you may know something cool that I've never even thought of.  So please feel free to leave any suggestions, tips, or tricks in the comments section below.

Quick Gluten-Free Travel Tip:  Pack your own food.

Thank you, Captain Obvious!  I know, this one seems like a no-brainer, but seriously... How many times have you heard of someone getting glutened because they were starving and had to go to a restaurant that didn't understand gluten free?  I mean, I've had people tell me this happened to them because they got hungry while they were out running errands.  Really?  You don't carry food with you?  I always have something to munch on in my purse...

Okay, maybe it's different for me because I have multiple food intolerances and therefore fewer dining options to begin with, but I must implore you - always carry your own food!  Even if you don't need it, wouldn't you rather have the peace of mind that comes from knowing you won't starve?

It's pretty easy to do this.  If you are traveling by car, it's a snap.  Pack a cooler, toss in ice or some freezer packs, and stock it with your favorite goodies.  My cooler is usually loaded with bananas, grapes, yogurt, cheese sticks, rice cakes, and homemade cookies (in an airtight container).  If I'm going someplace with a microwave, I'll even pack leftovers in individual serving containers, just in case.  Don't forget utensils if you do this.  I also have a bag with non-perishables, like Larabars, Jam Frakas bars, Fritos, and some reusable water bottles.  'Cause, you know, I get thirsty...

Once you get to your destination, you either stow everything in the fridge in your room, or if you don't have one, just use the cooler with more ice from the ice machine.  Easy peasy.

Take more than you think you'll need.  Most places do have grocery stores (which you probably have researched already) so you can probably stock up if you run low on anything.  But their selection may be iffy.  It takes a lot of pressure off when you know that no matter what, you'll have something safe to eat.  And if you keep everything well iced, you'll just haul home everything you don't end up using.

So that's easy enough on a car trip.  But how about air travel?

Okay, I haven't flown much since going gluten free.  But I have flown a lot in the past, and most of those trips were after the airlines stopped feeding their passengers real food.  (Sorry, honey-roasted peanuts do not count as lunch!)  So I do feel somewhat qualified to speak about this. 

You can take all sorts of food on the plane with you, as long as it fits in your carry-on and it's not liquid.  I load up my carry-on with the above mentioned Larabars and Jam Frakas bars, and some well-packaged baked goods.  Biscotti hold up really well.  Plus cheese sticks, because they travel well and I love them.  Under no circumstances would I ever eat anything given to me on an airplane!  (This was my policy even in my gluten-eating days.)  And I would never count on an airplane having my special "gluten-free meal option" if/when they did feed the passengers.  I've heard many horror stories about people ordering their special meal, confirming it, and finding out 5 hours into an 11 hour flight that somehow, it either didn't make it onto the plane, or that it was given to someone else 12 rows back.  The longer the flight, the more food you should haul with you.

When I get to my destination, there is the obligatory trip to the grocery store.  If there's no fridge in your room, most larger grocery stores sell styrofoam coolers pretty cheap, so grab one, and stock up to your heart's content. 

One thing I've heard of, but never personally tried, is stowing well-frozen food in your checked luggage.  I've also heard that blue ice packs work well to keep things cold in your suitcase during a flight.  The last I heard, this was okay to do.  But you may want to check with the airline before you try this one, and like everything else when it comes to travel, your mileage may vary.

Okay, I think that covers the basics of bringing your own food on a trip.  Let me know if you have any comments, suggestions, or questions.  In future articles, I'll be talking about other tips, like picking safe restaurants in a strange city.  I'm also hoping to field-test a few things this fall, so I'll be reporting on how that goes.

Happy trails!

Heat is good for you

Running in the heat can suck.  But according to a recent Running Times article, getting acclimated to the heat can improve your performance by an average of 7%.  Sorry I don't have a link to the article, but it's so recent that it's not online yet.  If you want to look for it in print, or just make a note to check for it online later, it's called Hot Myths and it's in the July/August 2011 issue.

Anyhow, I really hope that's true, because it's beastly hot here.  Not Las Vegas hot, which is a dry blast furnace, but Florida hot, which is more like a jacuzzi without the bubbles.

Now a jacuzzi, even sans bubbles, is a pleasant thing.  In January.  But not in June.

I've been trying to combat the heat by getting out early to work out.  Before the sun comes up, it's only 80 degrees F, and not too awful bad yet.  Plus there's no sun beating down yet.

But I've been thwarted by true love.  Let me explain...

My husband has decided he wants to run a marathon with me this fall. 

Awww!  How sweet!

Since we're going to run together, it makes sense to train together.  After all, neither one of us is going to sprint off and leave the other in the dust.  This is a joint venture, we'll run the entire 26.2 miles together, and cross the finish line hand in hand.

Couldn't you just die of the cute?

Now, please let me be perfectly clear about something here: I love running with my husband.  Not only is he the love of my life, but he's also my best friend, and someone I want to spend as much time with as possible.  So I look forward to our runs together, and cherish every moment of them.

So what's the issue?  Well, my hubby is not, shall we say, a morning person.  Neither am I really, but he really fights having to do anything before a decent hour of, oh, say, ten o'clock in the morning.  So he's not crazy about running in the morning.  Period.  He'd rather run in the afternoon.

But as I mentioned previously, it's bloody hot here right now.

So we worked out a truce where we run together in the morning. However, during the week, we get out of the house as late as possible, in order to get a run in before he has to be at work.  Which is about 7:15am.  And that means the sun has been up for almost an hour, and has had a chance to start toasting things.  I haven't pushed too hard to get out earlier, because I realize I'm lucky that we're going when it's only 82 degrees and not 94 degrees or higher.

The weekends are different.  For our longer runs (which, since they are longer distances, also keep us out in the sun for a longer amount of time), he would prefer to start running around, oh, 8:30 or 9:00am.  Or later.

Holy $%^&!

I've reasoned, and explained, and cajoled, and just about begged, but I haven't been able to convince him that running from 6:30 to 8:30am will be much more comfortable than running from 9:00 to 11:00am.  It just hasn't worked.

The only hope I have is that he is starting to lose his heat tolerance while running, just like I did last summer. Long sweaty runs will do that to you.  Last weekend, we had a 90 minute run, and got out of the house around 7:30.  Which was better than usual, but I suspected it was going to be brutal.  And it was.  And for the first time ever, my hubby said maybe we should head out earlier for our long Saturday runs.

Hallelujah...