TUESDAY:
Hello and Happy Tuesday! 
Muddy buddies!
SS
I HAVE AN IDEA FOR US MOUNTAIN BIKERS. I was in my bike shop today- Mountain City Cycle http://mountaincitycycles.com/and John and Jason were fixing up my brakes for me so I am no longer torturing myself by riding with my front brake under 50% resistance and cursing on the climbs while I continue to mash my granny gear looking for JUST ONE MORE GEAR. Sorry about that but it has been a brutal 2 weeks and I should know better than try to change my own brake pads. So back to my great idea....
I asked the boys to put on a mini-workshop to teach us (me) how to fix our (my) bike on the trail! It is all fine and dandy to get your bike tuned up and tip top in the shop, but what do you do when the %$#@ hits the fan in the bush? So, they are going to put on a 'Macgiver your bike' night as soon as I can round up a crew to join me in the next couple of months. Perhaps we will learn some new uses for duct tape...email if interested: elmhealth@shaw.ca
FRIDAY Q&A
Q: How much protein should I be eating? And what else besides tofu can I eat for vegetarian protein? Thanks! Sarah (Ok I made this one up...I admit it...but it is a very interesting topic)
A: Such a great question Sarah! The current recommended daily caloric intake for healthy adults is 55-65% carbohydrates, 15-20% protein, 20-30% fat (with no more than 10% of this coming from saturated fat), 64-80 oz of water and specific amounts of vitamins and minerals. Athletes and individuals with specific health needs, however, may require different amounts of these nutrients.
WHAT ARE PROTEINS?
Macronutrient comprised of chains of “building blocks”, known as amino acids.
HOW MUCH SHOULD I EAT?
AVERAGE PERSON-NON ATHLETE: 12-20% of daily food value or 0.8grams of protein, per kilogram of body weight, per day.
ENDURANCE ATHLETES: 1.2-1.6 g/kg/day
POWER ATHLETES: 1.6-1.7g/kg/day
Proteins are essential for the development and repair of body tissues including tendons, ligaments, muscles, and skin. Protein is also imprortant for the synthesis of hormones, enzymes and antibodies that keep our body systems running smoothly. As well, proteins are digested more slowly than carbs and will leave you feeling full longer. Aim for 2-3 palm sized servings of lean protein per day.
Some examples of high protein foods are:
1 Egg 7 g
3 oz Tuna 24 g
3 oz Chicken Breast 30 g
2tbs Peanut Butter 9 g
½ C Cottage Cheese 12 g *scroll down for a BIG list of ideas for using cottage cheese*
Vegetarians need to consume foods that contain 'complimentary proteins' to ensure they are getting adequate amounts of ‘complete protein’ (all amino acids) every day. This is known as 'mutual supplementation'.
Did you know? Soy and Quinoa are the only 2 vegetable based protein sources that are 'complete proteins' with all the essential amino acids.
Examples of complimentary vegetarian proteins include:
Grains & Seeds: Bread with sesame seed spread, rice with sesame seeds
Grains & Milk: Cereal with milk, pasta with milk or cheese
Grains & Legumes: Rice and beans, legume soup with bread
100 WAYS WITH COTTAGE CHEESE
If you can do dairy, than cottage cheese is a great option: high in protein, low in fat (choose 1% or 2%), great source of calcium and very versatile. Here are some ideas that our Bootcamp recruits came up with to combine with cottage cheese:
Perhaps you have another favorite use for cottage cheese? Send it my way and I will add it to our list...as we aim to reach 100 ways to use cottage cheese!
SS
Here I come! Up Up Up...the sunshine made it much easier:)
Then it was onto the bikes for our second trip up and over the Hill...
From the summit it is all downhill once again! Yeehaw!
Wow...don't they look amazed and inspired by their presenter? Below I am wearing our super fast ELM Race Jersey...
And here is this years Times Colonist 10K clinic shirt...In Black!
Wednesday morning Crew producing some serious steam...we should harness that steam power! The sunrise makes everything easier...
In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.
- Theodore Roosevelt
Climbing on the new rig...
Showing me how the aerobars work...
Look at that! What a pro! I wish I had a BUSH PILOT sponsorship! Or was it a rockhopper?
Just look at that! I tell you it is good enough to turn a carnivore into a veg head! I was getting tired of paying $12 for a box of veggie burgers so I decided to do what the hippies do and make my own. And it was a huge success. I thought it would take forever and be super complicated but it wasn't!! I divided this recipe into 3 from the ReBar bible and it made 3 huge patties...
Saute the following:
2tbs veg oil
1 onion chopped
1tsp salt
4 garlic cloves minced
2tbs thyme , 1/2 tsp chile flakes(I went with chipotle)
6 cups sliced mushrooms
Then when they are all cooked down, splash in 2tbsp balsamic vinegar (I used dark beer). Set aside then combine with:
1.5 cups cooked brown rice
1.5 cups grated carrot
1 cup toasted pecans
Pulse all of this in a food processor ... should be combined but still coarse in texture.
Mix in a bowl with 2 cups of breadcrumbs
1/2tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp tobasco, 2tbs soy sauce
Shape into patties and cook like burgers! I did mine up with old white cheddar, avocado, tomato and spinach...unreal!
YUMMY
S
KEYS:
1. Less body mass means less energy is required to propel your body forward, up and over.
2. Balance between body weight and adequate muscle mass is required.
3. Focus on decreasing body fat to athletic levels while maintaining muscle mass.
4. Nutritional requirements must never be compromised for weight loss or performance and health will be impaired.
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their
dreams.
-Eleanor Roosevelt
Cuteness is...Yuki on a snowy day!
Roll Yuki Roll! This ex-avalanche rescue canine just goes crazy for the white stuff...
Top of Tomato Creek Hill today with Lene and Pascale...we had a great ride...up the road to TC...down then back up the road to TC...then back down! 2 loops! Lene was trying out 2 new bikes so we had to ride the hill twice:) Just over an hour for each loop...with LOTS of time gabbing, taking pics and laughing.
Still smiling!
Here is one of the trial bikes...Specialized...
This was the most disgusting bar I have ever eaten. I just had to tell you that. I had a bite of Pascales bar cause it smelled so chocolatey and yummy...but yick! Sorry Detour but it was a no go for me.
This pic does not show the finished project as it has all been insulated now...but it gives you the idea. Combine one big woodstove with a 5*10 wood shed/bomb shelter and voila...heat you can't even imagine!
OK on to Friday Q&A:
OVERLOAD PRINCIPLE
Q: HI SARAH, MY QUESTION IS : WHAT SHOULD I DO AFTER I FINISH THE NOVICE LEARN TO RUN CLINIC? BY THE END I WILL BE RUNNING A FULL 30 MINUTES. DO I INCREASE IN INCREMENTS OF 5 MINUTES EVERY WEEK OR TWO, OR JUST A LITTLE EACH TIME I GO OUT? I PLAN ON DOING A 10K IN APRIL.THANKS, REGARDS JOANNE
A: Great question Joanne! First of all, congratulations on completing the Learn to Run program! After 10 weeks of progressive run:walking you now have a great base to build your running career upon! I often receive questions about progressing beyond a beginner or novice running program and there are some guidelines to follow when doing so.
Becoming a runner takes patience. New Years Resolutions tend to be loaded with intensity and firecracker power, but learning to harness that energy is the key to success. Following a progressive run:walk program is the safest and most effective way to incorporate running into your life and ensure you stick with it over the long term. I have heard way too many tales of new (and very enthusiastic!) runners who go hard and then go home injured and defeated.
Passion is only one part of the running equation and you must introduce any new activity slowly and consistently to reach your fitness goals. The body responds to gradual increases in activity (frequency, intensity and time) – which in exercise phys. circles is known as the “Overload Principle”. Yes, another one of my 'rules to live by' when training.
In order to improve our fitness (including all aspects- strength, speed, power, flexibility, stamina, balance etc) we must provide our body with MORE then it is already used to. That is, we must OVERLOAD the systems (muscular, cardiovascular etc) which causes the body to rebuild stronger in an effort to adapt to the new workload. But how much overload do we need? This is the delicate balance we call training.
Too much overload (or too much too soon) will break down the body beyond it's ability to cope resulting in fatigue or worse- INJURY.
Too little overload, however, will not get us to our goal on time.
The answer is in small, progressively higher doses on a weekly basis. Every body has different needs, of course, but there is a safe rule that you can follow when planning your own running program: The 10% rule. Simply put, you increase your weekly volume (total training time) by no more than 10% each week.
Looking at your specific question regarding running endurance- you would need to build upon your current 30 minute endurance. Let's say you are running 30 minutes (5Kat a 6min km pace) 3 days per week and you want to build up to running endurance to 60 minutes (10K). I would pick 1-2 runs per week to build your endurance up to 45 minutes and then continue to build 1 of these runs up to 60 minutes in order to prepare specifically for the race. Start by adding 5 minutes to your long run each week. This is a very safe increase and your body should respond well to the overload.
Depending on your specific goals for the 10K race you may also include race pace repeats, over-distance training & hill training leading up to the event. I could write an entire article on 10k training, however!
*A word on recovery: No program is complete without scheduled recovery weeks and rest days. Every few weeks you will need to decrease your training volume slightly (by 25-50%) to give your body a chance to play catch up: rebuild, re-synthesize, and re-generate tissues and systems. Depending on your training program you should plan in a recovery week every 3-6 weeks and you will come back stronger and healthier to your training.
Happy Training!
Sarah.
Deliberation is the work of many people.
Action, of one alone.
-Charles De Gaulle
Have you seen this man? Well...watch out cause he is coming your way! We are launching a fresh take on the ELM logo this month complete with new colours and a speedy action 'person'. If you have been in our programs this past year you will notice that we have slowly been moving towards the ELM logo and away from the original old school 'triangle' logo. And we hope you are as stoked as we are! Well...I doubt if that would happen but... fyi I am really stoked on the switch! 
