How I did at the Yonkers Marathon

A few minutes after crossing the finish line

First of all, congratulations to all finishers of the challenging Yonkers Marathon! And a big thanks to everyone supporting and cheering us as we raced!

Yesterday, I completed the hilly Yonkers Marathon while juggling, my first ever marathon. It felt spectacular! It took me 3:51:43, to complete the 26.2 mile(42.1 km) course. I wasn’t expecting completing in under 4 hours, not just because this was my first marathon but also because of all the hills. And some old injuries which occasionally give me problems. Most of the hills aren’t very challenging, the inclines are mostly gentle, except at the point where Main Street in Hastings-On-Hudson meets route 9 when the route loops back into Yonkers, between miles 4 and 5(17 and 18 during second loop of full Marathon).

The race was a combined full and half-marathon, so at the 8 AM start there were around 1,200 runners total, with only 196 doing the full marathon. Half-marathoners did one loop, full-marathoners 2 loops. My overall place was 86. It was really crowded at the start, in front of the Yonkers library in downtown Yonkers. Because I’m a joggler, I wanted to be toward the back and by the side, in case I dropped the balls. I dropped them 4 times.

The first few miles north on Warburton Ave were a breeze(it was 55 F or 12.7 C at the start) and is mostly a gentle incline. I decided to start slow, and it would have been difficult to pass many runners due to how crowded it was. At first the route is very urban, and kind of slummy, but it became increasingly suburban the further north we went. Between mile 2 and 3, there were some decent views of the Hudson(trees tend to block much of the view in the warmer months). Just after mile 3 it starts feeling rural, with lots of wooded park areas. Some of the houses in this area have great views of the Hudson. It was around this time that I had my first drop, all because I wanted to drink some Gatorade.

The Newington Cropsey Foundation art museum. It was one of the most interesting places along the marathon route. It is located near the middle of Hastings.

A little after mile 4 and we’re in Hastings-On-Hudson. This is a picturesque small town just north of Yonkers with a Bohemian feel to it and some historical sites. By this time the crowd of runners started to thin out and I was passing a lot of runners. Some were impressed while others felt bad about having someone run faster than them who is also juggling. There weren’t a lot of crowds along the path, mostly just water and Gatorade stations where everyone cheered loudy for the passing runners and usually louder for me(this made me feel a little uncomfortable at times since I don’t normally enjoy being the center of attention). The staff from NYCrunners, and the Boy Scouts handing out water were very helpful and supportive. The police were also great at keeping traffic from interfering with the race(the route isn’t completely closed to traffic). I always thanked them as I passed.

A little after mile 6 and I was back in Yonkers. I was still passing runners but not as much as before. Between miles 8 and 9 I mostly stopped passing runners, and the route went from pleasant suburban to ugly industrial. I tended to grab water or Gatorade every 2 to 4 miles, running while drinking(though not juggling, these breaks were always very brief).

From miles 9 to 10, some runners would pass me and I would occasionally pass some runners who decided to walk. It also became increasingly urban as the route approached downtown Yonkers. I started to feel a little tired by mile 10. The temperature was rising, and there was nothing blocking the sun’s increasingly stronger rays.

Miles 11 to 12 were very urban, and there were a lot of people out in the streets watching the runners and cheering us on. My right hip started to bother me around here though strangely started feeling better a few miles later. The route comes within a quarter mile from the Bronx(northernmost borough of New York City) which is to the south, and even feels like the Bronx at this point. The route then goes west on Valentine Street, and then turns north and away from the Bronx on Riverdale Avenue toward the area where the Marathon started at mile 13.1. The crowd support at the starting/finish line area was great, so many were amazed by the joggling.

The strange turn-around to do the second loop for the full marathon was a bit confusing when the head of the marathon explained it at the beginning, but luckily helpful staffers were able to show me and other runners the right direction to go in. I probably would have ended up in the Hudson river if not for their guidance.

The crowd support at the center of town, and the knowledge that I was 50% through the race was very invigorating. The crowd of runners had thinned out, since it was now only us full marathoners. It almost felt like I was doing a training run because of the few runners I saw ahead of me on the road, mostly in the distance. My speed improved and I passed several more runners between miles 14 to 18, but I would occasionally slow down to quickly recharge my batteries. By mile 18 I felt I had hit the wall, in part due to that steep hill on the edge of Hastings village I mentioned earlier. I dropped the balls a couple of times between miles 18 and 20, and was passed by some faster runners. Besides this, the temperature had risen to the upper 60s(20 C) and I felt it and started to sweat a lot.

It was pretty lonely after mile 20, with a lot of space between me and most other runners. I could barely keep pace with the runners 50 to 200 feet ahead of me, when I could see them, and walked for 1 to 2 seconds a couple of times in hilly areas. By mile 24.5, after one last incline, there were no more hills. It was all downhill toward the finish line!

I had my last sip of Gatorade and felt reinvigorated at around mile 25 when told there was just 1 more mile to go. My speed picked up. As I approached the finish line area there were a lot of people cheering me on. As I crossed the finish line I did one of my tricks, throwing a ball above the finish line banner and catching it on the other side as a coup de grace. The crowd loved it. Although I didn’t do it perfectly, I was surprised I could do it at all due to my tiredness. I don’t think I’ve ever been cheered for that loudly before. Of course, I am not the first person to joggle an entire marathon, this has been done countless times before.

As I approached the baggage area I felt like I was going to faint and a few staffers were concerned. I quickly recovered though felt very sore. I drank a lot of Gatorade and water and had a Cliff Bar.

I felt very sore after the marathon, and feel a little sore now. However, I managed to walk for a few miles after the marathon to get some exercise. I’ve been drinking a lot of tart cherry juice and blueberry juice to help me recover. I also drink some blueberry kefir juice, and I think drinking this the day before and the morning of the race may be why I had no digestive complaints whatsoever during the marathon. Ordinarily I would at least feel some stomach pain if running over 15 miles.

All in all, a great experience. Some people might like to believe vegans can’t run marathons. I had certain people laugh at me when I told them I would complete one – while juggling the whole time. Now, I am laughing at them. Of course, a lot of people laughed at me during the marathon due to my juggling, but it was more of a complimentary laugh. They were also laughing at the male runner dressed in a tutu, though it’s not a real marathon if there isn’t a man in a tutu running it. I laughed too, though laughed less and less when I realized how fast he was.

Alas, I couldn’t keep up with the runner in the tutu, but there is always a next time. I hope everyone does great at their races!

If anyone reading this has any good photos from the marathon, please email me.

Related articles:

Great Spirits of the Loch Ness Marathon 2013

Tomorrow is the Big Day!

Course of the Yonkers marathon. It’s a double loop course.

Tomorrow is the Yonkers Marathon. 26.2 miles through the city of Yonkers, through near rural areas, through very urban areas, and also some suburban areas. The contrasts should keep things interesting, not to mention all the hills.

I am not sure if there are any other vegans running the Yonkers marathon this year. Almost certainly, I will be the only one joggling it. There may be around 1,000 participants in this race, but most will be there for the half-marathon. If it is similar to last year, only about 100 to maybe 150 runners will be doing the full marathon.

I’ll let everyone know how running the second oldest marathon in the country goes, and I wish everyone much success with their races and their fitness regimen. Thanks for your inspiration and support!

Ivory Buyers Helped fund the Nairobi Massacre

Fight for Rhinos

posted by Kevin Heath of Wildlife News

The world has watched in horror as the scale of the Al-Shabaab attack on the Westgate shopping centre in Nairobi unfolded. It was the latest – and largest – attack in the campaign by the terrorist group which has spread across Africa. Up to 40% of the funds that Al-Shabaab needs to undertake these terrorist attacks comes from ivory buyers and consumers.

While much press is targeted at the elephant poacher the reality is that they are there to meet the demands of a market. It is the consumer and buyer of ivory – whether for ornamental purposes or consumption in medicinal ‘cure’ – that creates the market and sends funds to the terrorist groups.

In an investigation in 2011, Nir Kalron (Founder & CEO of Maisha Consulting) and Andrea Crosta (Executive Director & Co-Founder of the Elephant Action League), discovered that 40% of funding to keep Al-Shabaab operational came from…

View original post 379 more words

Semen quality and diet

Sperm fertilizing egg. Source – Public domain.

We rarely discuss reproductive health on this blog, so I thought it was about time we looked into how diet can affect semen quality. According to the Department of Reproductive Biology and Medicine, Instituto Bernabeu, Alicante, Spain, in Food intake and its relationship with semen quality: a case-control study:

CONCLUSION(S):

Frequent intake of lipophilic foods like meat products or milk may negatively affect semen quality in humans, whereas some fruits or vegetables may maintain or improve semen quality.

Yet another negative consequence of meat consumption. So much for the idea it is required for virility.

Vitamin E and running

Sunflower seeds are a great way for you, and birds to get all the vitamin E you need.

We’ve already covered everything from super-stars like Vitamin C, to the neglected vitamin K, to the misnamed vitamin D(it is actually a hormone), so it’s about time we examine vitamin E.

Vitamin E is an important fat-soluble nutrient with antioxidant effects, in contrast to vitamin C which is water-soluble. This means that vitamin E needs to be consumed with fat to get properly absorbed, and once in the body is stored in fatty tissue which it helps protect from oxidative damage. Like so many other vitamins, and in particular the fat-soluble vitamins, vitamin E can be toxic in high doses.

Now let’s see if vitamin E did anything for runners. According to the Department of Sport and Physical Activity, Edge Hill University Ormskirk, Lancashire, UK, in Vitamin E supplementation does not alter physiological performance at fixed blood lactate concentrations in trained runners:

CONCLUSION:

Daily VE supplementation for 35 days does not enhance or impair physiological performance at fixed blood lactate concentrations. Long-term VE supplementation for the purposes of performance enhancement is not recommended.

Yet another nutrient that doesn’t give you superpowers. There’s really no need for anyone to take supplemental vitamin E, unless your doctor tells you to because you have a rare disorder. Supplementation does nothing for runners, and probably isn’t necessary for people in general. Just some eat nuts, seeds, whole-grains, and leafy greens on a regular basis and you will get all the vitamin E you need.

An artist must never be a prisoner…

“The Dance”(1910), second version by Matisse. Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia. Source: Public domain

“An artist must never be a prisoner. Prisoner? An artist should never be a prisoner of himself, prisoner of style, prisoner of reputation, prisoner of success, etc. ” – Henri Matisse

Marathon training: A review

A review of the many things I have covered on this blog and I am doing to help me prepare for the upcoming Yonkers marathon:

• Running 30+ miles per week, often in hilly areas
• Drinking a lot of cherry juice since it may help speed recovery
• Eating beets and sometimes drinking beet juice to help improve running performance
• Strength training my legs to build muscle and improve endurance, even adding jumping squats to my routine a few months back
• Training my brain to run faster by keeping my mind off soreness or pain and focusing more on my surroundings
• Consuming more probiotics to help improve performance and avoid digestive problems while running
• Never stretching
• Realizing the journey is as important as the destination
• Being thankful to all my followers and friends for being so encouraging and for your helpful advice – thanks everyone!

A look at my workout routine – My Marathon Training

If anyone has any advice, go ahead and share, and good luck to my fellow runners out there!

10 Days Till Yonkers Marathon

10 days to go until the Yonkers Marathon and I am very excited about it. And I got my first black toe. This is very common in distance runners, and it is rarely serious. It is no big deal and I hardly feel any pain around it. Other runners I’ve talked to tell me the best thing to do about it is to do nothing, unless it is very painful or blood starts coming out. It doesn’t interfere with my running at all.

This is what you can expect if you start running 30+ miles per week.

Fruit juice: Good or bad?

Fruit juice has been in the news a lot recently. It is being reported that fruit juice is just as bad as soda because it contains as much sugar as soda, and therefore it may increase your risk for diabetes. But is this really true? I often drink a lot of juice, mostly as a sports drink to recover from long runs(and sometimes before long runs), but it doesn’t seem to cause any problems for me. Since I run at least 30 miles a week, and often do resistance work, I need those calories.

Maybe if I was overweight, or diabetes or heart disease ran in my family I might cut back on juice or eliminate it altogether. And while its sugar content is similar to soda’s, 100% juice tends to also contain vitamins, phyto-nutrients, and some minerals, unlike soda. Still, I believe if you have weight problems, you are better off eliminating juice.

Here is an in depth look at this controversial issue: Fruit may lower diabetes risk while juice may raise it

I think the biggest flaw in the recent studies on juice is they didn’t distinguish freshly made juice from store bought juice, or 100% juice from “juice” that is mostly sugar with only a tincture of real juice in it. The best way to get the benefits of fruit is to simply eat it whole, you don’t have to drink juice. In particular, it appears that blueberries may help prevent diabetes(the above link gives the specifics).

Tomato juice and athletic performance

While vitamin C doesn’t appear to help improve athletic performance, some other nutrients and the foods that contain them show some potential. Tomatoes for example contain the powerful antioxidant lycopene, which may protect tissues from damage and prevent disease. But can it also help improve athletic performance? According to the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, in Effect of supplementation of tomato juice on the oxidative stress of selected athletes:

Conclusion:

It is concluded that lycopene in tomato juice has a beneficial effect on the oxidative stress on athletes and will improve their performance level when used as a supplement.

This sounds promising, but we need more research on this. The “used as a supplement” sounds a bit strange. Why not just drink tomato juice or eat more tomatoes? Or do they consider consuming tomatoes like this to be taking it as a “supplement”? Tomatoes are delicious, and fresh or as sauce can be an important part of a meal. It need not be used as a “supplement”. I already eat so many tomatoes, I don’t know how I could add more of them to my diet.