Were You at the Cupcake 5k Saturday 3/24?

To my readers, I left a few stickers at the registration table for my blog and I was wondering if any of you are new readers that got to my blog by finding those stickers ... So if you are send me a comment, let me know what you think of my blogs and ideas for improvements or topics you wanna read about!

A Great Day for a Run ...

Saturday saw a break in the cold rainy pattern around the Seattle area.  Since I am still recovering from Chuckanut I didn't have any grandiose running plans for Saturday, except accompanying SGF on her first ever 5k, which actually was pretty grandiose in unto itself ...  Friday night, came an email from Bob Muk (ESNW).  Bob was inviting people to support an ultra runner, Kevin D, as he runs 100 miles around Greenlake in Seattle, WA, by coming out in the eery morning hours for a lap or two with Kevin.  I figured if I woke up I would go.  And I did wake-up, at about 2:50 am ... Was a great night for run.  A little chilly, some overcast, but still the stars shined on the lake.  We met up Kevin D. as he was about 50 miles in his goal, so 16-17 laps left to go to his goal.  I was really impressed, not only the distance was challenging but running laps around Greenlake is utterly boring.  Another runner accompanying Kevin, Jesse, explained to me that there is a reason to the madness:  running laps for so long so far toughens you up mentally.  Something to consider, maybe I could run a 50k around Greenlake ...  Greenlake has a paved loop around the lake for recreational users but we followed Kevin around the outer loop which has a softer track, compact dirt and grass.   Bob and I stayed for one loop, which was about 3.3 miles ...

 I am glad I came, very impressed with Kevin D, so much so I am inspired to do my own little ultra 50k run around the lake to challenge myself now  ... A 50k would take ten laps.  Maybe make it 11 for effects?  And if I could keep that average pace of 11 min/mile, the entire run would be about 6 hours ... A great confidence builder after my 8 hr 53 min Chuckanut run .... mmm ... definitely thinking about it now ...

After our loop with Kevin D we headed back.  I met up with SGF then SGF and I headed to the Armar Road trail head of the Centennial trail to do the Cupcake cake 5k fun Run/Walk.  SGF has been training hard to walk her first 5k and I was looking forward to walk it alongside her.  She did great, I am very proud of her.  Although I figured I would just walk the 5k along side her, I made it a little more challenging for me by jogging it backward instead!!

In the end the best part could be that I won first place male in the 5k ... By virtue of being the only male in the 5k.  For a minute I though I was getting the award for finishing first backwards eh eh ... But I'll take it, this may my only first place ever ...

Actually there is a reason for the madness of the 5k backward as well [besides providing a visual carrot to SGF] ...  My physical therapist suggested simple exercises to strengthen my backside, such as: swimming on my back, going backward on the elliptical machine or running backward.  Because the field of runners is quite small at the 5k I figured, why not, let's try jogging it backward.  And so I did ... The backward jogging felt good.  I felt like it relieved some of the tightness/pressure I feel in my right buttock.  I should remember to cooldown after my runs with a five minute jog backward on a regular basis, feels great [mental note!].

For good measure I jogged down tot he main intersection at 172nd and 67th, another 1.41 miles.  When all was said and done I realized that I ran in one direction or another (pun intended) like 8.0 mile.  Although non-consecutive this was still pretty cool, but way bad by recovery standard ... Can't help it though, I am addicted to running !

Thoughts on Chuckanut - The Day After

Well it's a day after Chuckanut, starring at the computer screen wondering how to write my expeirience at Chuckanut ... Regan, a runner I was chatting with on the way to Aid Station 4 told me I should let the day sink in, and wait a couple of month before I reflect on the day's event ... This was his fourth 50k, and this his second Chuckanut.  So I think it's a good idea ... I have flashbacks from the run, bits and pieces.  Why don't I write 20 thoughts about Chuckanut instead?  In no particular order:

1 - Walking will eventually hurt more than running.

2 - After ten miles pain goes away if just ignore it long enough.

3 - Projection is a powerful thing.  While running the last few miles I projected my core was a warp drive and when I yelled "engage" out load on the trail I was propelled like 5 feet forward instantaneously!

4 - Popping my ultra cherry hurt.

5 - At mile 19 you will have to decide how committed you are to this insanity.

6 - At mile 20 you will embrace your insanity.

7 - Mud will get under your toe nails and skin if you run long enough and deep enough in it.

8 - Ponchos will make you look weak and sissy next to elite runner in short but the poncho will keep you dry and warm rain or snow!

9 - Baked over-salted potatoes is your friend.

10 - Don't swallow a wad of peanut butter at mile 13 your mouth is so dry it will stick to your throat and you will choke!

11 - Thanks a friendly volunteer!  It was harder for them to hike to and setup the aid station than it was for you to run to it!

12 - Rule #1: don't slip over rocks next to a huge 150 ft drop ... If you slip, refer to rule #1!

13 - If you though you don't do ankle deep mud ... you do now.

14 - Who the hell is Dan?

15 - Who would had though: tumbling several miles downhill never felt so great than tumbling down Claytor road and the Lost Lake trail directly following hiking up Chinscrapper.

16 - There are two reasons why the Chinscrapper is called the Chinscrapper.

17 - If you can still think you have nothing left inside you, there is still plenty more to go (or else you wouldn't be there to begin with)

18 - Movie quotes work best out on the trail ... The cheesier the better !

19 - There is no comparison to the feeling of ecstasy you get crossing that finish line at mile 31.  You will be high on endorphin and will laugh uncontrollably for hours on after the end of the race.

20 - With every high comes a low.

Thoughs on Chuckanut ... The Day Before

Chuckanut is fast approaching … less than 24 hours.  I have been preparing the last couple of days mentally for the toughest challenge yet in my life by visualizing passing the major points in the race that I feel the most anxious about … This is mental …. I have shifted from apprehension to a belief that it will be extreme but that I CAN do it.  If I am in shape physically doesn’t mean that I will be finishing, because finishing will be depending how tough I am in my head … mind over matter. 

This is my second consecutive day of rest and little aches and pains in my legs have subsided quite a bit.  On a typical marathon I would go for 2-3 miles run the day before to “loosen” my legs up but I won’t today.  Stretching has helped tremendously in that area so I don’t feel the need to loosen up really.  I am anxious to hit the trail tomorrow so I expect I will be jumpy all day today lol … As a matter of fact I am jumpy as I write this.

I have also loaded the aid stations in the Garmin for the race.  Took me a while to figure that out ...  My first approach was to load the GPS tracks from a 2011 course I found on the net in Google Earth.  Since there are changes from the 2011 course for 2012 in order to reflect the changes I needed first to draw the route from the tracks then modify the route to reflect the changes … But I found this just wasn’t practical because of the length of the course and also because some of the route trails are no coming up on Google Earth.  I figured a day later (Thursday) why not just load the important waypoints ...  I experimented with placing the aid stations.  It looked good when I overlaid the waypoints on the 2011 GPS tracks too.  So the location will likely be off but al least I expect I have them on the actual trails.  If time allows I will go over the course description again tonight and see if there are important waypoints (like forks) I should add.   Anyway, with the aid stations loaded on the Foretrex I will be able to “navigate” to them during the race.  I think this will help me mentally to get a mile countdown to the next waypoints as I make my way to the toughest areas.  Without a route defined I am not sure I will be able to get an elevation profile reading like I did when I experimented with the Tolt Pipeline trail … But if nothing else it’s more experimenting.  I don’t need the elevation profile … I already know it’s f*&cked !!

Talking of experimenting … Still not quite sure what’s going to be the best running strategy.  Recalling the ladies that I met on the course of Birch Bay marathon they were running on a 8 min run/2 min walk schedule (they had ran a 50k the day before so were taking the half “slow”) … And I have been wondering if that would work better to run/walk the first 7 miles for energy conservation rather than run the whole 7 miles at a slow pace.  If I run at a slow pace then I figured 12 min/mile would be good … I am at a point where I wish I had a GPS watch with the ForeTrex (that means I wish I had both gadgets not that I regret getting the Foretrex ah ah.)  The Foretrex wasn’t design with trail runners in mind.  No min/mile pace.  If I go by speed then 10 min/mile (too fast for Chuckanut) should be 6 mph.   12 min/mile is 5 mph.  So I guess I’ll watch my speed to be less than 5 mph for the level sections.  That said I recall that on Tolt the Foretrex reported my average speed the entire time as 3.0 mph … but my actual average was more like 5.6 mph so what gives ???  Maybe I need to load a different screen?   Like current speed instead.   There is a shadowy timer function I need to figure out.  From what I read so far it is possible to schedule intervals on it, but on any device designed for the runner in mind the timer function would be pro-eminent.

I have been nursing some type of a cold all week too.  I was hoping that it would be gone by now but it seems to want to linger there.  Everyone around my cubicle has got a turn to a pretty bad sore throat with some the guys being out for a few days at the time the last weeks and mine has just bothered me at night mostly so far and slightly in the throat so I should be happy in terms of intensity mine has been pretty mellow.  I hope that a few miles into Chuckanut I will have got rid all the crap in my lungs 

Strength is wherever you find it so maybe it is appropriate to conclude with this scripture … Hebrews 12:1 

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,”

What in a shoe?

I have been running for almost 3 years at some level now ... And i am still frustated with the shoe selection process ! And so it goes again. I ran Tuesday with my asics gel-pulse 2 and got quite a beating on my legs ... I think because i am back to my 100% potential and the cushioning on that pair is just shot so I felt the full power of my strides hitting the pavement with I hadn't in a while ...

I set out to get another pair of pulse but the common stores haven't restock them so i couldnt find my size. 8 or 8.5 ... I think the reason these are good to my foot is the way the sole in the toe is cushioned ...  I was at Run26, a local running store where i tried a different Asics model and Brooks Ghost ... Both neutral shoes ... Padding in the Asics was inadequate. The Brooks felt much better better with a wider toe box. Both felt fine support wise ... Although this morning i read a review that mentioned that the Ghost allows for the toes to "curl back" which in my case is something i want to avoid ...

So i was doing some more shoe research this morning .. This time looking for neutral shoes with padding rather than pronation support.  I was also considering adding padding in the shoe too.  Then a light bulb went off in my head.  I though who out there works their feet harder than dancers?  Dancers must have good tips to managing pressure on their toe and feet.  So here I was checking out padding tricks for pointe shoes ah ah ... One comment read said more padding isn't always better.  Then I noticed many the tips I was reading were more about padding the feet, rather than the shoe.  I found one link in particular that described manners of taping feet and toes for added support and padding.

After a few click I ended up at this site that describes how to tape the ball of the foot with athletic tape to help with the diffuse pain associated with metatarsalgia.  I wrapped up my feet tonight ...They looked like I ductaped them lol ...

I went for a 6 mile run around Arlington municipal airport.  Although walking bare foot felt awkward my Asics Enduro felt so much softer.  During the whole I noticed how my toes were more relaxed and how cushioned the my heels felt.  My left foot felt tight, my right foot tighter.  I think because I wrapped them too tight, definitely too tight on the right.  It did prevent them to widen over the course of the 6 miles.  So I need to more wrap them more gently.  The left wrap was coming off so I added a small piece to the cover the ends.  This may have provide a little more flexibility on that side.

The tape helped.  Rocks on the trail did not create pressure points on my foot.  My shoes really felt like a different pair of shoes.  The greatest sign was probably at mile 4 when the trail transitions to pavement.  The transition was very smooth, which is very different how that transition felt before.

I run the Lake Sammamish half on Saturday.  I will warp my feet looser, try a second layer and see how it feels.  I seem to be on the right track.  The only thing that worries me a little is my now my right IT band feels irritated, so that's not so good news if that the case.  Will definitely feel it at Lake Sammamish if indeed it is irritated.  Note to self spend time stretching that IT band.  The good news is with this solution to my foot pain toe box cushioning in my shoes isn't as critical based on my experience today with the Enduro. The Enduro are trail shoes thus have much less cushion yet felt as good as the road shoes ... So that will simplify my road shoe search.

2 Weeks to My First 50k Endurance Run: Schedule Adjustement!

So after snowmagedon, bad shoes that splitted my feet in half, a pulled calf, and an irritated IT band I am finally back on a schedule if not track.  I can't make up training time lost and can't train for my longest, toughest endurance run to date in just a week.  The smart thing is continue to let my body recover so that on March 17th I am as strong and solid I can be.

All these problems were not a total of waste though.  I learned new valuable stretching techniques, re-discovered R.I.C.E and now own a foam roller and stretched helper for my calves.

This is about taper week now so that I will pick right there.  It will also allow me to continue running at a good level without straining myself.  The remaining schedule is as follows:

3/5 - Monday - Rest
3/6 - Tuesday - 4 miles
3/7 - Wednesday - Cross-train
3/8 - Thursday - 6 miles
3/9 - Friday - Rest
3/10 - Saturday - Lake Sammamish half-marathon - 13.1 miles
3/11 - Sunday -rest/Cross-train (pool 1 hr?)

3/12 - Monday - 4 miles
3/13 -Tuesday - 3 miles
3/14 - Wednesday - 2 miles
3/15 - Thursday - Rest
3/16 - Friday - Rest
3/17 - Saturday - Chucknanut 50k - 31 miles

Thinking of doubling up during the week with 1-2 miles runs in the morning as well.  I did that last week to break back into a running routine without adding too many miles at once too fast. It worked great.

Monday Report ...

Well it’s Monday and it has been a busy week-end, on and off the trail.  I ran the Tolt pipeline trail as planned Saturday but I haven’t had time to download the GPS track from the Foretrex yet.  The navigation device did come handy during the trail run.  First to find the actual entrance to the trail at the drop off point in Duval.   I almost ran by I about ¼ mile into the start of the run.  The “off track” indicator on the trip computer screen indicated I was running away from it (I though) because the indicator mileage was increasing as I was adding mileage to the run … later I realized that the mileage from waypoint continued to increase throughout the run so I have yet to figure out how to interpret that data.  However the “off track” indicator gives the distance left or right from course you are off so that's pretty handy to ensure you remaining on course.  I could switch to the Map screen where it showed my location and direction relative to North and the route waypoints.  I could navigate to the waypoints ensuring my position stayed on the route.  Another great feature I found was the elevation screen, which I could zoom in and out and would show the relative elevation … So that for example I could check if another uphill was around the corner of this uphill … 

Things I did not see on the Google Earth fly by was that there was no bridge to cross the Sammamish river when the Pipeline Trail crosses the Sammamish River trail … Duh!  Fortunately 145^th had a bridge about ¼ mile south of my position … My Iphone was still handful in deciding whether to go North or South to find a bridge.  I rejoined the trail soon following the map on my phone then reverted to GPS nav.  Well in this case I was following the actual trail but "GPS nav" sounds pretty fancy to write in here lol.  The 405 waypoint (where I had to exit off the trail to find the overpass and re-join the trail westbound) came up on the map next.  I followed the screen map which lead me to the overpass however I ran by the entrance again but quickly realized that I was off when my tracks started showing off the main route on the map so I turned around.   I had to scan around to find the entrance, event though the screen showed I was there it was actually a way off about 50 feet down on my left.  The trail ended at Blythe park with a 33% downhill.  It was extremely steep and muddy.

I plan to download the tracks from the GPS device and transfer the tracks to Google Earth and see if I can create a movie of my run … More to come on that.  Overall I am pleased with the purchase so far.  On the cons I think Garmin lacks support for the novice user (I had to research “how to’s” off the internet to figure out how to create a map and transfer it to the GPS.  The pace information that the salesman at REI told me was supported by Foretrex is non-existent (or haven’t figured where that feature is).  The speed data and average travel speeds are given in mph so it’s a little cumbersome to me as a runner since I am used to min/mile.  That is a very nice feature of RunKeeper that helps me when I run long distance events.  I can learn the conversion in my head from mph to min/ile for common time to overcome ...

The run felt great.  I ran 13 miles or there about so my longest run since Birch Bay and although I felt a little mored tired than usual for 13 miles I had no shooting pain or discomfort overall.  It was great to feel my mojo back!  

Sunday I ran in the Japanese Gulch in Mulkiteo with Bob and Michelle.  There are part of ESNW, and run ultras.  Michelle has run 100 miles runs and is training for more so I felt privileged they invited me.  We started at 6am, with our headlights making way through the mud.  This is the third time I ran in the Gulch.  The last two felt pretty tough but this one although tough as well didn't feel any tougher so i was pretty happy with myself.  We did one loop of about 7 miles.  Bob took us on the North side of the Gulch, so it was new for me.  At the end of the run I decided to spice it up a little I hit the stationary bike at the gym just for measure.  I was sore throughout the day today so I was definitely paying the price today.  As I write this in the evening though most the soreness has receded.  It seems my recovery time remains pretty fast.  I feel a little irritation in my knee, I think it may be due to the new stretching routine so I decided to only use the routine once today and use alternative techniques tonight.

  

With all that now I feel back at close to 100%.  My focus is back on Chuckanut 50k.  I am two weeks out and entering the taper, meaning my training window is passed.  At this point I will just have to maintain my running and deal with what this mountain will throw at me in 2 weeks ...  

Monday Report

Well it’s Monday and it has been a busy week-end, on and off the trail.  I ran the Tolt pipeline trail as planned Saturday but I haven’t had time to download the GPS track from the Foretrex.  The navigation device did come handy during the trail run.  First to find the actual entrance to the trail at the drop off point in Duval.   I almost ran by I about ¼ mile into the start of the run.  The “off track” screen indicated I was running away from it (I though) because the indicator mileage was increasing as I was adding mileage to the run … later I found that the mileage from waypoint continued to increase throughout the run so I have yet to figure out how to interpret that data.  However the “off track” indicator is accurate in indicating how far off the GPS route you are off.  I could switch to the Map screen where it showed my location and direction relative to North and the route waypoints.  I could navigate to the waypoints ensuring my position stayed on the route.  Another great feature I found was the elevation screen, which I could zoom in and out and would show the relative elevation … So that for example I could check if another uphill was around the corner of this uphill …

Things I did not see on the Google Earth fly by was that there was no bridge to cross the Sammamish river when the Pipeline Trail crosses the Sammamish River trail … Duh!  Fortunately 145^th had a bridge about ¼ mile south of my position … My Iphone was still handy in deciding whether to go North or South to find a bridge.  Had I went north it was a detour of several miles to 175^Th.  I rejoined the trail following the map on my phone then reverted to GPS nav.  Well in this case I was following the trail but that sound pretty fancy when I write that in here.  The 405 waypoint (where I had to exit off the trail to find the overpass and re-join the trail westbound) came up on the GPS map.  I followed the map on screen for turns which lead me to the overpass fine however I ran by the entrance again.  I could see on the map I was about to pass it, then could see my tracks leading away from the route so I knew I needed to head back.  I looked for a trail entrance but could see only street signs.  I headed west on the street that seem to be where the map said I was offtrack.  After a visual scan I did see the trail entrance about 50 feet down to the left.

I hope to find some time to download the tracks from the GPS device and transfer the tracks to Google Earth and see if I can create a movie of my run … More to come on that.  Overall I am please with the purchase so far.  On the cons I think Garmin lacks support for the novice user (I had to research “how to’s” off the internet to figure out how to create a map and transfer it to the GPS.  The pace information that the salesman at REI told me was supported by Foretrex is non-existent (or haven’t figured where that feature is).  The speed data and average travel speeds are given in mph so it’s a little cumbersome to me as a runner since I am used to min/mile.  That is a very nice feature of RunKeeper that helps me when I run long distance events.  I can learn the conversion in my head from mph to min/ile for common time to overcome.

Death by Diet: The Vicious Killing Cycle.

A very thorough article by SGF about artificial sugar substitutes in the "diet" food we consume everyday.  If you consume any type of processed food then this article for you! 

 By Wendie Collins, 3/4/2012

Curious why you are not losing weight despite your best efforts to eat low fat, protein enriched foods, sugar free options and exercising regularly?  I was!  Then I started to do some research on the sugar substitutes used in so many of the "diet" foods in today's market.  Two of the biggest and most dangerous sweeteners used today are sucralose and aspartame.

Sucralose aka Splenda,  is one of the most common artificial sweetener available today.  It is a prime example of misleading marketing.  Sucralose was discovered while trying to create a new insecticide!  Splenda does a good job of making consumers think that their base ingredient, sucralose, is safe.  Most consumers believe that this is a natural sweetener due to advertising that it is made from sugar and because the name of this product itself sounds like sucrose (sugar).  Sucralose is made when sugar is treated with trityl chloride, acetic anhydride, hydrogen chlorine, thionyl chloride, and methanol in the presence of dimethylformamide, 4-methylmorpholine, toluene, methyl isobutyl ketone, acetic acid, benzyltriethlyammonium chloride, and sodium methoxide.  Does that sound like (two syllables) su-gar?  The presence of chlorine doesn't sound too appetizing either.  Chlorine is considered a carcinogen and has been used in poisonous gas, disinfectants, pesticides and plastics. 

On the Splenda website, you can find: Sucralose (or SPLENDA® Brand Sweetener), the high intensity sweetener used in all SPLENDA® Products is not natural. It is a no calorie sweetener that is made from a process that starts with sugar. Although sucralose has a structure like sugar’s and a sugar-like taste, it is not natural. The advertising and packaging for SPLENDA® Products do not represent the product as “natural.”   

Sucralose is a calorie free substance (since your body simply cannot digest it) but Splenda has calories.  This is because Splenda contains more than just sucralose!  It also gives you a nice helping of dextrose and maltodextrin…mmm yummy!  Did you know that there is an actual formula to help determine how much sucralose is safe for you to consume?  I didn't either, but here it is:  According to the FDA, the acceptable daily intake (ADI) for sucralose is set at 5 mg per kg of body weight per day.  To determine your ADI, divide your weight in pounds by 2.2 to get your weight in kg, and then multiply it by 5. Example: If you weigh 150 lbs., your weight in kg would be 68  (150 divided by 2.2) and your ADI for sucralose would be 340 mg (68 kg x 5).  The average figure of "safe" to consume sucralose adds to about a six pack of diet soda.  So, now that you know how much sucralose is "safe" to consume.. how much do you figure you put in your body each day?  

With over 4500 products made with Splenda, it's reasonable to assume the average dieter consumes at least a cup of this stuff!  When you count the syrup in your favorite sugar free coffee drink, the number of diet soda's or sparkling waters (yes, even some sparking water contains sucralose if you see Splenda proudly displayed on the label) and the "light" diet foods that we eat regularly, are you confident that you don't consume more than a six pack?  Would you consume less than a cup of poison a day if the FDA said it was safe?  What if it had a big skull and cross bones on it instead of a sugar sounding name like sucralose?    

A recent study found that Splenda affects the absorption of prescription medications in rats.  The rats were given sucralose at doses of 1.1-11 mg/kg. After 12 weeks, they found that the rats had lost half of the good bacteria in their gut flora.  They had increased pH levels in their intestines and increased body weight!   So, with only half of the good bacteria remaining, an increased pH and weight gain, while consuming a product that is highly addictive, are we really achieving a healthier diet?  Diabetics whose medication strength is cut to 50%, metabolism is reduced and whose bodies continuously gain weight are setting themselves up to fail, and for what?  An undigestible substitute to pure table sugar.  

Some other researchers have stated that the rat study is not true and state that the only way to know for sure is to do long term studies on humans which hasn't been done (hasn't been done?  Really?? Why is that when this product ins in so much of our food??). Common sense dictates that eating something that can not be digested, removes the good bacteria that you need in your stomach and slows your metabolism simply is not a good idea.  However, taking the time to test and protect consumers is just not cost effective.  So shovel it in weight loss fanatics!   

Oh and just so you know, even if you aren't an avid diet soda drinker, you're going to get that sucralose injection anyway.  Studies have shown that when the undigested waste comes out of your body and is flushed away (the percentage of it that actually comes out and isn't store in the bodies fat cells) it gets to the treatment plant where it continues to defy consumption!  It becomes part of the water supply and is a widespread contaminant in waste water, surface water and ground water!  Water samples from 19 US drinking water treatment plants serving more than 28 million people were analyzed for sucralose.  The sweetener was found to be present in 15 out of the 19 treatment plants tested!  Sucralose is a recalcitrant compound.   Recalcitrant compounds are organic or synthetic compounds that resist being broken down by chemical processes.  The average amounts of sucralose in source water was m 440 ng/L and 350 ng/l in finished water. So even if your main source of refreshment is tap water, you're adding sucralose to your diet!  Like it or not, this stuff just doesn't go away and its everywhere!  

Trying to calculate the total mg's you are consuming each day can be impossible- especially when it's found in the least likely places (like tap water!).  Don't be fooled by labels that say "less than 2%".  Be sure to look at the serving size of that 20 oz diet soda and notice the 2.5 servings in your hand.  That's 4.5% of 20 ounces to add to your daily consumption… per bottle.  

Moving on from sucralose (with a slight shiver), another popular sweetener is aspartame aka NutraSweet.  Aspartame accounts for over 75% of the adverse reactions reported to food additives to the FDA.  Reactions such as headaches, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue, irritability, tachycardia, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, heart palpitations, breathy difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, memory loss and joint pain (phew)!  DKP is a byproduct of aspartame metabolized.  DKP has been implicated as causing brain tumors.  When it's nitrated in the gut, it produces a compound similar to n-nitrosourea, a powerful brain tumor causing chemical.  DKP has also been implicated as causing uterine polyps and changes in blood cholesterol.    

Here is a list of chronic illnesses that can be triggered or worsened by ingesting of aspartame: brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, parkinson's disease, alzheimer's, mental retardation, lymphoma, birth defects, fibromyalgia and diabetes.  Wait, back up.. that last one.. it's DIABETES!  This is the main targeted consumer market for this product!  Diabetics are told that this is safe!  That's it's better for them than sugar and to use it in every meal as a safe reliable substitute! 

Why is our society seeing an increase in birth defects, fibromyalgia and diabetes?  I will give you one guess!  And once your diagnosed with diabetes, you're told to ingest the "light" enemy daily!  You consume sugar substitute due to the problem, your problem worsens, you take more medication, add more sugar free substitutes, gain wait, your problem worsens…a vicious killing cycle! 

According to the latest Autism statistics conducted 9/1/11, One in 91 children in the United States has Autism.  This is up from One in every 10,000 in the 1970's.  This figure does not include PDD, Asperger's and a few other spectrum disorders.  More children will be diagnosed with Autism this year than AIDS, diabetes and cancer combined.  Wow.  Autism is the only disorder that is rising dramatically while mental retardation, down syndrome and cystic fibrosis is staying about the same.  The cause is not in inability to diagnose, the problem is simply multiplying!  The cause for Autism is unknown but According to Dr John Olney, the cause is aspartame.  Dr Olney was the founder of the field of neuroscience called excitotxicity.  He tried to prevent approval of aspartame.  He said if the FDA approved this birth defects would be on the rise.  It is especially dangerous when mixed with other excitoneurotixins like MSG.  Aspartame changes the brains chemistry and causes psychiatric and behavioral problems.  It also interacts with vaccines which can cause autism.  "Children don't have a chance" said Olney.

So what is aspartame?  40% of aspartame is made from Aspartic acid.  It's an amino acid.  Aspartate acts as neurotransmitters in the brain by facilitating the transmission of information from neuron to neuron.  If you have too much aspartate in the brain, it kills certain neurons by allowing the influx of too much calcium into the cells.  It basically excites and/or stimulates the neural cells to death!  Oh and it's addicting so the more you eat the more you want Our brains have something called "The blood brain barrier (BBB), which is said to protect the brian from excess aspartate getting in but it does not protect all arrears of the brain and is also damaged by chronic conditions (such as those indicated above, including diabetes!!) and therefore allows more and more seepage of the aspartate into the brain to excite your cells to death.  Nice huh?  The vicious killing cycle continues…   

50% of aspartame is Phenylalanine.  This is an amino acid normally found in the brain.  People who suffer from PKU cannot metabolize phenylalanine.  "Contains phenylalanine" is the only warning label on a product containing aspartame to warn sufferers of PKU.  What about the rest of us? It has been shown that people who ingest aspartame, especially along with carbohydrates (which most foods have in some quantity), can have excess levels of phenylalanine in the brain even people who do not have PKU! Excessive levels of phenylalanine in the brain can cause the levels of seratonin to decrease, leading to emotional disorders such as depression.  Even a single use of aspartame causes the blood phenylalanine levels to rise.  

It has been shown that phenylalanine is metabolized much more efficiently by rats than humans.  SO.. all those test that say "oh yeah, it's okay to ingest this stuff" by the cup full, but are testing on rats.. don't really have a clue what the long term effects on humans are!  Early studies measuring phenylalanine build up in the brain have shown to cause schizophrenia and  more susceptation to seizures. So not only are we hopelessly obese due to the vicious killing cycle, we are depressed about it and possibly having seizures and schizophrenic mental problems!   

The remaining 10% of aspartame is methanol.  Methanol is a deadly poison.  It actually does need a skull and crossbones!  The EPA assessment of methanol states that it is considered a poison due to the low rate of excretion once it is absorbed (wait, doesn't sucralose have the same problem?  The "never go away" factor?)!  You can absorb more of this poison into your body by way of aspartame when you heat it up or improperly store it.  So, the next time you heat up America's favorite bowl of sugar-free Jello, if it contains aspartame, you are releasing a nice dose of methanol into your system!  The body breaks down methanol into formic acid and formaldehyde.  Formaldehyde is a deadly neurotoxin. You know, the stuff we use to embalm our dead?  The EPA says we should not consume more than 7.8 mg/day (of formaldehyde? What the?).  A one-liter aspartame sweetened soda contains about 56 mg of methanol.  If you are a diabetic told to eat sugar free foods, you could be consuming upwards to 250 mg of methanol daily…which is 32 times the EPA limit!

Symptoms from methanol poisoning include headaches, ear buzzing, dizziness, nausea, gastrointestinal disturbances, weakness, vertigo, chills, memory lapses, numbness, and shooting pains in the extremities.  It has also been linked to behavioral disturbances and neuritis.  The most well known problems from methanol poisoning are vision problems including retinal damage and blindness, which is another symptom brought on by diabetes (how can diabetics be the target of this market??).  It interferes with DNA replication and causes birth defects!  

Due to the lack of a couple of key enzymes, humans are many times more sensitive to the toxic effects of methanol than animals.  Studies that say it's safe due to their testing results on rats are misleading us all.  The troops of Desert Storm were given large amounts of aspartame sweetened beverages that were heated over 86% in the Saudi Arabian sun.  Many returned home with numerous disorders similar to what has been seen in persons who have been chemically poisoned by formaldehyde.  I have bought a 12 pack or two from the Safeway fuel stations warm from being in the sun all day.  I just throw it in the fridge to cool before consuming!  However the damage is already done and the poison at work due to the increase in methanol! No warning labels, no skull and crossbones just a warm soda needing a glass with ice right?  So wrong!   

Cigarettes are commonly known to cause birth defects and be extremely unhealthy for you.  There is a warning label required on every pack!  I recently bought a Diet 7up because it said "100% natural flavor" on the side.  I read the list of ingredients and was shocked to see aspartame on the label!  I did some research and found that 7up was allowed this manipulation because they didn't add the aspartame as "flavor".  Are you serious?  Not only is there no huge warning label, there's a "100% natural flavor" stamped right on the package!  Unbelievable!  In 1993 the FDA approved aspartame as an ingredient in numerous foods that would always be heated above 86%.  What the heck!?!  This is the government that is supposed to be protecting us!  Yeah.. right!  

So, why is aspartame so commonly accepted?  Besides the misleading research, I think it's a phenomenon of manipulative marketing and uneducated consumers.  I would venture to say the drug industry has a helping hand in this since the "diet" craze sugar substitutes have resulted in an increase of the need for medications and a continued steady increase in dosages as they slowly quit working on the poisoned body!

What's the answer?  We can't go without sweet in our day- especially those of us (me included) with a sweet tooth!  The answer is Stevia.  It's an all natural sugar substitute that does not have poison in it!  Not only that but it has been proven to actually promote additional insulin production in the body!  Great news for diabetics!  Its helping to reverse diabetes and metabolic syndrome!  The Japanese have been using Stevia for over 30 years with no adverse results.  I'd call that tried and true testing on humans.. not rats!  Stevia is a mix of about 240 species of herbs and shrubs in the sunflower family.  It's new to the market but growing in popularity as consumers learn of all the information i've outlined here. Safeway has a brand of natural refresh soda made with stevia.  It's delicious and about 50-80 safe calories.  More than zero, sure, but completely digestable without brain damage and beyond.  

If you can't find a stevia option for what you're after, your better off going with plane old sugar!  Yeah, it may have carbs and calories..all natural things...it's what it doesn't have that matters.  Look at the label, eat natural made when you gotta have some sweet...save your life! Take the time to write to the corporations that feed America like Kraft, Unilever, even Starbucks, etc.  Tell them we demand a better option in our food choices!  Stevia is available, we need to make a conscious effort to change- fight obesity, diabetes, birth defects, heart disease,etc.  Don't be fooled by misleading labels and close eyed consumerism!   We deserve better than that!    

I am not a doctor, or a nutritionist, a pharmaceutical rep or scientist.  I am a working mom with three children, one of which has Autism.  I am a consumer fooled by the labeling integrated into the masses.  I am a diabetic from a long line of diabetics.  After 17 years of increased prescriptions, regular exercise and sugar free food intake with no significant weight loss, I'm making a personal choice to change!  

References: 

-http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/11/06/aspartame-most-dangerous-substance-added-to-food.aspx

-http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/pages/publicationD.jsp?publicationId=1343

-http://www.medicinenet.com/artificial_sweeteners/page9.htm

-http://www.splenda.com/faq/no-calorie-sweetener

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevia

-http://www.tacanow.org/family-resources/latest-autism-statistics-2/

-http://www.wnho.net/autism_epidemic.htm

GPS Nav for Trail Runs

I have acquired a Garmin ForeTrex 401 recently.  The reason, I have been wanting to have a map device independent of my Iphone.  The ForeTrex 401 is really a GPS navigator similar to the GPS watches, with a navigation screen.

Garmin ForeTrex 401

It is geared toward general outdoors, including JumpMaster for skydivers ... But we are not going to there.  I liked the fact it had a screen, to me it made it easy to carry a map on the palm of my hand on my runs.  The Garmin comes with an optional heart rate monitor.  I tried to use it with my BoxFlex chest sensor unfortunately the Garmin did not read its signal.

Anyway, the reason I got it is for the map feature.  So I spent some time this evening figuring the GPS.  I picked the Tolt Pipeline trail to run on tomorrow.  I used Google Earth to map the route over the trail.  Google Earth creates a .KML file readable in Google Maps or "tracks".

I saved the Google Map files as .KMZ to import it in Garmin's BaseCamp.

Tolt Pipeline Trail Map

Garmin's BaseCamp allow the user to add waypoints to the route.  When ready I uploaded the final route with the waypoint to the ForeRunner via USB.  The tracks and the waypoints are there.

Tomorrow I will get dropped off at one end of the trail and run it back.  In addition to this being my first ten miler since the Birch Bay marathon, I will test-run the ForeTrex too.