Warm! Sort of...!

I was up the stairs and prepping myself to bear against the cold for my morning run, dreading the icy sting at 6 am, when.... the icy sting wasn't there. It was 38 degrees. 38 DEGREES! I never thought I would get so excited by anything so ridiculous (though I'm sure I must have, and sort of vaguely remember doing so, when I lived here before...but that's what cold-climate-living-induced Post Traumatic Stress Disorder does: it blots out the past, and rather effectively at that. No need to remember such things as blue toes and 9 months of winter and endlessly scraping windshields and endlessly shoveling off driveways.... ). I joyfully BOUNDED through my run (the most variable striding and non-gingerly-marathon-shuffling in at least 2 weeks...), opened all the windows, walked around outside downtown as much as possible in California-worthy clothes while still getting lots of productive work done at my favorite organic tea spot, as all the warmth and humidity (it actually rained) did absolute double-take wonders for my energy level and attention span...

This confirms it: I do NOT belong here. All the local-yokels were bitching all day about how it was "damp" and "slushy" and "awful" and the cause of their "ruined skiing plans"... Well, this former local-yokel will personally take comfortable temps and breathable humidity levels over freezing herself over anything so inconsiderate as to think of involving snow any day of the year -- and most importantly, even if it was just for one day, it has sure made the prospect of making it through to Christma-Chanu-Kwanza-Ramadani-Solsti-Festivus-ica Break in California a lot more something like doable.

Wonders Really Will Never Cease...

Well, the impossible (at least one of them, anyway) has happened: the 45-75F gypsy vegan runner has become an often-sub-zero Montana-winter gypsy vegan runner, and still a night-runner at that (have to keep earning the rights to my other trailnames, Jerry!). I'd counted on the indoor track at MSU getting me through this reverse-migration stint in Bozeman, but, alas (read: BUGGER-BLAST-BOLLOCKS), they do their renovation projects backwards here and are working on the indoor track in the winter so that it can be open by summer. Right...

After the 24-hour run, I had tendinitis in one foot and a flare-up of a old left-knee ITBS that I've been playing tag with for the last few years, and so between PT and rehabbing hadn't really been running enough (or at all, at times) to really notice the coming potential dead-stop with the change in weather on the way. Then it hit like a ton of bricks (or a #*@$load of snow and negative temps) just as I was ready to start testing out some real distance... and not only could I "not run", I didn't want to leave the indoors at all. But it wasn't too long before I was going nuts and needing to run or completely lose any marbles still left upstairs, so thanks to about 20 lbs of polar fleece, my trusty running buddy Kermit the Second, and -- the real star and savior of this story -- the YakTrax PRO I found via my favorite Zombies Don and Gillian before leaving dear California that seemed like they might come in handy sometime down the road, I am, indeed, back on it (and yes, beloved trailrunning friends, off it too :).

I've run every evening and/or night this past week and a few the week before, and and even taken to my old Bay Area practice of run-commuting to and from errands, appointments, etc in the past few days (ran through the drive-up ATM at the bank last night!). Getting my mileage back up looking toward running with Catra and Jerry over Christmas and Franklin's Fat Ass 50K back up here in January... and in the meantime am getting to know the whole part and parcel of this running-in-winter mess, like eye-cicles (icicles that form, after about 3 minutes some nights, in the corners of my eyes) , the need to keep fingers moving (and the yowl-producing consequences if I forget), what happens if I forget to "clear" my YakTrax whenever I get the pavement to do it and then run onto a shitload of ice...only made that mistake once so far with nothing more detrimental than me looking a twit trying to stay upright. And yes, I hate it, I dread going outside before every run and have to talk myself into it and psych myself up for it and put really, really good music on Kermit the Second... but as much as I absolutely hate the cold, and as much as I ABSOLUTELY hate snow, I simply love running more. And as long as I have a say, nothing -- not even Kelvin -- will get between me and all those miles (or kilometers) still left to cover.

24 Hours All Over Again

I am doing the San Francisco One Day 24-Hour Race again this year... and THIS year, I plan to RUN, not let my knee get some weird idea of it's own to have some problem that makes me walk for 51 miles and end up with tendinitis in my right shin. Sounds like a good plan, ja?!? An even better plan: this year I'm not just running for myself. I am asking for sponsors-per-mile to raise funds for my friend Jenny, who became a quadriplegic in a bicycle accident in July... and someone who was there for me, many times, gunning for me and showing me that I could do and be more than I thought. Now it is her turn to receive that support from her friends and extended family... and bolstering the Fund will help her continue her critical therapies uninterrupted when she leaves Craig Hospital at the end of this month. If you can swing a few cents (or even a penny, everything helps!) per mile, send me an email here at gypsyvegan@gmail.com; for more information or if you need more convincing, check out the post at the Jenny's Twenty blog for more details and information.

Pickle Dilled

Perfect socks found: the Asics Kayano Low Cut Foot-Specific socks. Tested on road and trail, short distance, long distance and ultra, dry and soaked, powdered and un-powdered, BodyGlided and un-BodyGlided feet. Ultra thin most everywhere, thicker in the places that keep them from sheering through on long runs and where a little extra padding helps, no blisters so far, zero heel slippage, and totally 100% cruelty free -- Asics is even certified free from sweatshop labor. And the added bonus of the socks making my feet look like bumble-bees. Brilliant.

Eating for Peace

In looking back through John Robbins' website for his brilliant article on the slave labor ubiquitous in the chocolate industry, I found a talk he had posted some time ago by the Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh on Mindful Consumption entitled "Eating for Peace". He is an eloquent speaker, and it is a beautiful talk, well worth reading.

It is easy, for many of us, to look upon our fellow beings with the level of compassion that says: you are worthy of life, and I will not eat you. It is also a relatively easy deduction that in this critical time of impendingly-irreversible climate change, making dietary choices that promote rather than prohibit the health of the environment is a pretty good idea. And to those for whom both of these concepts seem difficult or inconvenient, and to all of us, here is the point:
It is a moral outrage that ANYONE, ANYWHERE should have to suffer the pain and despair of malnutrition and death due to starvation when there is a simply ridiculous amount of food on this planet. Yes, there are political and social-instability factors that play into the distribution of global food resources -- but when the largest nations on Earth transform unthinkably vast amounts of inexpensive nutrition into comparatively little product that is not necessary for human health and out of reach financially to all but the top 5% of the world's population simply because of a preference for the taste of animal flesh, then something is terribly wrong. Isn't it?

Racing for Jenny

On July 5th, Jenny McCune, a friend of mine from Bozeman and someone very dear to me, sustained a serious spinal injury in a cycling accident during a training ride; she is currently paralyzed from the shoulders down, and is undergoing treatment at the Craig Hospital for Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation and Research. Jenny is a very large part of why I am where I am today with athletics; she coached and cheered me through my very first competitive event when I was anything but fit, encouraged me through low times to take advantage of the power of the great outdoors and physical activity, hiked and biked with me at speeds I hope I never consider to be my "most difficult" again... and, most importantly, believed when I didn't that I had the inner strength and the courage to push my limits, find my mojo, and cross as many finish lines as I choose to cross -- in athletics as well as in life. And I am hardly the only one who has benefited from knowing this extraordinary soul; her fellow team-mates, other state and local athletes, women in the community whom she inspired to get out and get fit with Team Women in Sports, the Montana and Bay Area Buddhist communities, her family, and numerous other avenue-connections of friends and those grateful for her encouragement, example, enthusiasm, energy, or all of the above... and so, not surprisingly, a very large web of a community has exploded with love and support for Jenny who, in the midst of something so profound and difficult, is facing her condition head on and finding the blessings in the hand she has been dealt. In other words, she continues to teach me.

My travels to Bozeman were to have included plenty of visits with Jenny and her husband/my yoga teacher/also soul family Ed, and I was sure she'd be training with me for the triathlon and ultramarathon I have planned during my time there... but as this event itself shows, life is what happens when you're busy making other plans. Still, the races remain. And so does the fact that someone I love very much will now be working very hard for a long time to regain her ability to do the outdoor activities that she loves, that we used to do together, that I was unable to do when I was so sick this past year... that I am able to do now.

So I am honored, now, to be racing for Jenny -- the Treasure State Triathlon in Bozeman on the 19th and the 1st Annual Lubrecht 50k ultramarathon on the 26th of August. I have competed in many races before where the fees or donations have raised money for a disease or a cause or a patient -- it is such a great privilege to race towards the goal of helping a friend. The costs involved for Jenny and Ed are of course substantial, and I am hoping to help defray any fraction of that by asking for your sponsorship of me for these events, in whatever denomination you are willing and able to give. If you know what a powerful and healing force training and competition have been in my life, if you know and love Jenny and have not yet had the opportunity to give to the fund, or if you simply feel touched by her story, I ask you to please join me in honoring her with these two races as a celebration of all that she has done for me and others and all that she is only beginning to accomplish for herself.

Donations may be sent to:
the Jenny McCune Benefit Fund
First Security Bank
206 East Main Street
Bozeman, MT 59715

Donors: to be included in updates about the race outcomes and Jenny's progress, please post a comment or send me an email.

Running Sock Pickle

Help request--> Any vegan runners out there have any micro-runner sock recommendations? I am trying to find an animal-free replacement for what I consider to be the Perfect Sock: the SmartWool Micro Crew Runners. I blew through a pair of Balega micros in the race today, which was no loss as they had no cushioning and slid down my heels after the first mile and a half. Thorlos don't fit the shape of my feet.... and I haven't had much luck with anything that has an "ankle", though most things without one tend to work their way off my heels as the Balegas did...! Who knew socks could get so complicated? All I want is an ultra-microthin running sock with a crew ankle that doesn't move, that hugs my foot and has some cushion without adding any bulk or layers, and breathes completely (ie retains no or little moisture) and prevents chafing and blisters -- is that so hard to ask? SmartWool should just start making all their socks out of hemp or bamboo or flax or soy or all of the above and leave the sheep of the world alone (which, hey, would really BE "Smart"!), and then I wouldn't have to stop buying the Perfect Sock...! Alternative suggestions, anyone?

Pacifica Goes Long(ish)

So I'd been thinking this past week that I could more than likely run past the 21k PCTR race in Pacifica I'd signed up for today, and that I would aim for completing the 30k course (an extra loop of the 9k portion of the 21k course). Well, when I turned up at registration this morning, turns out I must have been thinking along those lines a few months ago when I registered -- I was already on the 30k list! Which was great, absolutely no wiggle room to back out after that!

It was a glorious run on an amazingly beautiful course; I had no idea the area around Pacifica looks like that back in the hills. Most of the trails were lush with ferns, berry thickets, forget-me-nots, eucalyptus groves, and many varieties of thick, broad-leafed jungley-type plants. The weather was perfect; coastal fog and mist, cool and a bit breezy but not chilly. It was like running in Hawai'i with air conditioning. Plenty of elevation (that I may be fondly remembering in detail tomorrow) which made for some fun climbs and even better speedy descents -- love running downhill!

I run alone pretty much any other time but racing so it was such a wonderful change to hear the conversations and footfalls and passings of other runners. Between the sanctuary of the open space and the companionability of fellow trail-heads, I had no desire to break out music of any kind as I now usually do when I run. By the last 9k lap, though, with a slight twinge in my knee and my feet balking at the latest sock trial (see 2nd post for today), I was ready to let little Kermit pace me to the finish... and I have to say as awesome as it was to commune with the sounds of nature and of conversation with fellow runners for the first 2/3rds of the race, it was an equally incredible if different experience to be moving through such stunningly beautiful surroundings listening to music of peace, social justice, and human potential.

I felt on top of it with minimal training, did not need any "sugar boost" from gels or sports drinks to make it through as I used to, and I bounced back more quickly afterwards; ever since I went completely raw I have found that my body is more resilient in every direction, it's just too cool. The power lifting at the gym and all the deeper work and inversions we've been doing in yoga lately can't have hurt either...! And it finally happened, I ate my first trail -- every trail runner I know has taken a tumble at some point, I've been wondering when my time would come and now I can safely say it's over and done with. Happened about halfway through the course, and I must say I'm proud of the fall: with all the core-stength training I've been doing, I was strong and stable enough to save it from being a bad one, and was able to pick right up, laugh it off and keep on tearing madly down the hill. All in all, it was a great start to the running season as my first run-event of the year. Thanks Wendell and Sarah for another great personal-achievement race in a beautiful place :)

>> update 7/4: results. as usual, smack in the middle, not stellar but not too bad, especially since i haven't been training on trails much. ah well, maybe that 7 minute mile will come around next year...

Race Calendar

I've added a calendar of my upcoming races to the right-hand column of the blog. Aside from letting you friends and extended family know what I'm up to, this can also be seen as a suggestion: come out and join me on a course! For those of you who run, many of the races on the calendar are with Pacific Coast Trail Runners, whose "races" are non-competitive and held in some of the greatest spots around central California. Most of their events have a range of distances, my calendar only lists the one I've signed up for so if those aren't your speed, follow the links to learn more and get the full list of course options for each event. For those who tri or want to, I plan to add more Sprints to my roster for the fall, a great way to get into the sport or take a breather from longer races.

On the calendar for October is PCTR's 24-hour race in San Francisco. Unlike last year, I plan to keep all body parts functioning optimally so that I can actually run the whole thing this year! I'll be shooting for 100k...did I just say that out loud....? To all friends who live in or around the Bay Area (or friends visiting from afar), if any of you would be up for coming out and doing a few laps (or more) with me, I would be most grateful for the company and the pacing!

Three Jennys, One Voice

I migrated up to my second living room tonight, the ever-wonderful Freight & Salvage, to hear the the most excellent melodically vocal and multi-disciplined female folk group The Wailin' Jennys. From Winipeg, Manitoba, they're not often in the States and rarely venture south, so to have them so close and in such an intimate, accessible venue as the Freight was simply awesome. Their harmonies are unlike anything I've ever heard before; their voices blend together into a liquid, flowing and perfect expression of complementary notes. To hear them live was a great gift, and what makes them all the more incredible is how deeply and completely they enjoy what they do -- they love music, they love to sing, and they do it from their hearts and completely pour their souls into it. Gorgeous. And then I got to chat with them afterwards -- more Freight magic. It was great to hear more from Nicky about songcrafting, touring, and we digressed into discussions of the geography of Montana, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba... Yay for venues that allow you to connect with the artists who share their craft! Anyway, I highly recommend seeing them perform, and becoming acquainted with their music if you're not already.

Summer School

The anthropology course I'll be taking has me doing backflips for summer quarter to hurry up and start: Foothiil's Anth 50:'Medical Anthropology', taught by the same stellar professor as I studied under for 'Peoples of Africa'. Here's the course description:

"This course is an introduction to medical anthropology, the study of health and disease within the context of culture. Students will learn about the various research interests of medical anthropologists through readings, lectures, discussions, assignments, and a term paper. Specific topics will include: medical systems found in different cultures; defining health and disease; defining "normal" and "abnormal;" cultural beliefs and practices regarding the life cycle; cultural beliefs and practices influencing nutrition; the health consequences of cultural contact, development, and particular political, economic, and social systems; Western biomedicine as an ethnomedicine; and finally the meaning and experience of illness including patient-healer interactions."

Superb. And utterly fascinating. Far more thought about medicine than goes into most science-based medical classes, and as an added bonus I knock off another GE credit towards my transfer to nursing school. Brilliant!

Here's the reading list for anyone interested in the subject:

Death Without Weeping by Scheper-Hughes, Nancy.
1992. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN: 9780520075374

Elusive Embryo.by Becker, Gay.
2000. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN: 9780520224310

Endangered Species by Harper, Janice
2002.Carolina Academic Press. ISBN: 0890892385

Medicine and Culture by Payer, Lynn
1996. Owl Books. ISBN: 9780805048030

Pathologies of Power by Farmer, Paul
2003 University of California Press. ISBN: 9780520243269

Culture of Our Discontent by Small, Meredith F.
2006 Joseph Henry Press. ISBN: 9780309100663

Good Illustration

back-blogging

... so after over a year of being relatively invisible, i will be starting to do a bit of posting again. things have changed and my path deviated in all sorts of unforseeable ways; my health is still up and down, and so, therefore, is the rest of life as i know it. in an amoungst having to take three steps back, i have been using the two-step-forward days to begin to piece together all the bits i've been missing or not keeping up with. like, say, communication. i've given up on getting email to everyone, especially in catching 200+ people up on the happenings of this last 18 months... so i will be back-blogging when i can, posting events in "hindsight" to appropriate dates... in answer to those who have been asking, a bit of (the lighter side of) what's been up with me lately. stay tuned.

Sites of the Week for May 21-27

Message Products
Support environmental, animal rights, social justice and other ethics-based organizations by ordering your checks, address labels, business cards, stamps, stationary and more through this site; a percentage of each sale goes directly to the organization whose items you choose, and their message is spread when you use the products.

'The Green', presented by Robert Redford
A site simply stuffed with information, ideas, news, interviews, resources, and support on and for greening your life and our world. "Big Ideas for a Small Planet" is an excellent weekly series that tracks down the latest concepts and developments in the environmental movement across all sectors, and the video clips on this site are worth catching (especially the episode on all the new and in-development green cars). Learn your local green resources and network with other green-minded folks through the eco-mmunity forum, follow the eco-blog, take the green quiz, and find out a million more things than you ever new before about all you can do to help save the planet.

The Inconvenient Truth for Al Gore
Even some hardcore right-wingers are switching out their incandecent lightbulbs for compact flourecents and even buying Priuses based on the science and research on global warming presented in "An Inconvenient Truth". But the simple truth is that the single industry most responsible for global warming is the animal agriculture industry -- in a study conducted at the University of Chicago and supported by UN and WorldWatch research, it has been determined that:

The standard American diet, about 28% of which comes from animal
sources, generates the equivalent of nearly 1.5 tons more carbon
dioxide per person per year than a vegan diet with the same number
of calories. By comparison, an average driver switching from a typical American car to one of the more fuel-efficient hybrids would save 1 ton of carbon dioxide per year -- making the switch to a vegan diet a more effective way of reducing one's contribution to climate change.

Curious, then, that there was no mention in "An Inconvenient Truth" of this connection between animal product consumption and environmental impact... or perhaps not so curious, given Al Gore's connection to the animal agriculture industry...? Let's hope that it was for the sake of accessibility (goodness knows that Americans would hardly have been as amenable to see a 'vegan' movie on global warming) and not self-preservation that inspired Mr. Gore to leave out this critical and planet-saving information.

Eating Outside the 'Self' Bubble
E Magazine's cover story from January/February 2002 was an excellent exploration of the ramifications of our food choices, pell personified by the subtitle:

Evidence Shows that Our Meat-Based Diet is Bad for the Environment, Aggravates Global Hunger, Brutalizes Animals and Compromizes Our Health

This article is an amazing and well-written example of what consequences our eating habits (and they are "habits", which means they are optional) have outside of our own preferences or desires, and the accompanying links provide great info on the evolutionary science behind vegetarianism as well as advice and support for those considering shifts in their dietary patterns.

Compassion Action of the Week: Hug to End Cancer
A group in Toronto that gathers downtown periodically to raise money for cancer research by "giving away" hugs for 25 cents apiece -- I just find this such a simple, beautiful idea that I had to post it. Check in with your arms and see how many hugs you've got to spare; if you've got a surplus, consider setting out a 25-cent Hugs for Cancer coffee can on your desk or counter or wherever it is you work and seeing how much you come up with. A few places to consider send your proceeds:

Lucile Packard Children's Hospital - Pediatric Research
The Cancer Project of the Physicians Committee for Responisble Medicine

and, finally, the best for last....

Recipe of the Week: Baked Seasoned Yam Fries from the Post Punk Kitchen
Get your Vitamin A fix and knock the fat out of any standard recipe... plus get a dose of Isa and Terry, which makes just about any recipe worth making.

Inspiration

The amazing Catra is beginning her latest adventure today: a fastpack for time of the 2,666-mile Pacific Crest Trail, out to beat the current record. The depth of her strength, determination and beauty of spirit are simply awesome. Follow her PCT journey, and let it expand your goals, inspire your dreams, and remind you as it does me that we are the only ones who can push our own limits.