How does my garden grow?

First, happy world vegan day!  Eat lots of plants!  Lately, it has been getting easier and easier for me to consume massive amounts of plants.  Why?  Because I have 192 square feet of garden right outside my front door.  That's right, I'm the proud parent of a raised bed victory garden.

Homegrown cucumbers
(white is heirloom variety)

In August, I moved and one of the perks of the new house was a front yard that got plenty of direct sunlight.  In August, it was a dirt patch, what with the long, hot Texas summer and lack of rain.  Boyfriend and I, as well as two neighbors (one of which has a masters in agricultural sciences) undertook the task of turning this area into a fertile, plant growing space.  Our neighbor has been the real mastermind beyond the project, which took off quickly.  First, we built 6 raised beds, each 4 feet by 8 feet.  Next, he installed a drip irrigation system, complete with timers.  We can set when and for how long each bed gets watered, and it happens in the wee hours of the morning all on its own!  For each bed, we marked off each square foot and then the planting began!  One of the advantageous of hot hot Texas is two growing seasons.  Although August was too late for many crops (like strawberries and tomatoes), it was early enough for corn, squash, peppers and cucumbers.  Now that fall is in full swing, we have filled out the beds with other delicious plants including fresh herbs (sage, mint, dill, parsley, cilantro, basil, oregano, thyme and lavender), leafy greens (spinach, kale, collard greens, chard and many many lettuces) carrots, beets, beans, broccoli, onions, cauliflower and cabbages.

Fresh picked salad and beans

Of course, different plants grow at different rates, so we haven't been able to harvest everything yet, but we are already enjoying the fruits of our labors.  We have a bumper crop of cucumbers, so many that we are giving them away and turned more than twenty of them into pickles.  I picked a massive bowl of beans the other day and I frequently eat salads composed of our own, freshly picked greens.  I have sauteed up our kale and add our swiss chard to my smoothies.  On two occasions, we have made homemade pesto with our own basil.

Both boyfriend and I are really enjoying the gardening and love to look at it everyday, up close and personal, to see all the changes that are occurring.  Of course the fresh taste of homegrown food isn't a bad perk either.

Check out the youtube links for my narrated tour of the garden:
http://www.youtube.com/user/amlanza?feature=mhee#p/u/0/WAmbT79wFaU
http://www.youtube.com/user/amlanza?feature=mhee#p/u/1/qTQtwTPo8PI

Bailey

Bailey, on 'her' couch

In a short amount of time, my new dog has become firmly ingrained in the family and quite spoiled.  She had lots of toys, biscuits and bones keep arriving from her grandparents in the mail, she has two dog beds, is allowed on the couch, and even has her own jar of peanut butter.

Bailey and Sadie, resting

She is a social butterfly.  She regularly gets invited by the neighbor across the street to play with Holly, the German short haired pointer.  She has a second playdate with Sadie, a lab hound puppy, tomorrow.  She goes to the dog park with her pitbull friend, Raisin.  And, of course, she has sleep over parties with her beloved cousin Ike.

Bailey (with the bow) and Ike

She has lots of energy and spunk, which we take advantage of with lots of playtime, trips to the park, and of course, runs.  Because she is so young, we do not run for more than 20 minutes with her, but we go on jogs between 1 and 2 miles regularly.  She is definitely fast, but when we started, her leash/running manners left much to be desired.  She would often run across my body, tangle her legs in the leash, lunge after a squirrel, stop dead to stare at a cyclist or lag behind me.  By applying a consistent running style and some basic leash training, I have noticed a dramatic improvement, making running with Bailey much more fun for all of us.

Bailey wears a bow!

And while she isn't perfect and sometimes drives me crazy (can you say separation anxiety?), who can stay mad at a pup this cute?  I sure can't for very long...

NB Road Minimus

In a previous post, I detailed the Shoes I Run in.  Several hundred miles later, however, both the 790T and Green Silence have been retired.  I took the 790T on my trip to China, and subsequently left them there before returning to the US.  With all the souvenirs I found, I had to make room in my suitcase somehow.  The Green Silence were thoroughly washed with the hose, to remove miles and miles of road dust, and are now my dog walking shoes when I volunteer at the Town Lake Animal Center.

NB Road Minimus

I am currently alternating between the NB101T (a lightweight, racing trail shoe) and the NB Minimus, designed for the road.  The Minimus is NB's most recent attempt at a lightweight, fast, minimal shoe.  As a pretty loyal NB customer, I appreciate their efforts to design more minimal shoes, and therefore felt the need to test it out myself, despite the whopping $100 price tag, which I felt was excessive.  Fortunately, I received a Groupon gift of $50 for a specialty running store, which I used it towards the purchase of the Minimus.  These shoes now have just under 70 miles on them, which is enough to give a review.

I like the weight and feel of the shoe.  The materials are very comfortable and the shoe is very light.  Of course, I have been wearing lighter weight shoes for quite awhile now, so a normal shoe would feel clunky to me.  The Minimus goes a step further than many of NB's previous models, weighing under 8.2 oz.  The sole of the shoe has minimal nubbing, which I thought could cause traction issues.  I was pleasantly surprised, however, to find that running on wet grass or trail (for shorter periods) was no problem at all.  I have yet to run on wet pavement with these shoes, mostly because we have been without rain for so long in TX :(  My first few runs in these shoes left my feet a little sore, which I think was a result of having even less cushioning than the 101T or 790Ts.  I also noticed tenderness/hot spots on my big toes when I first ran in them.  Recent runs have not presented any problems and I intend to race an upcoming half marathon in these shoes.  While the shoes come in a variety of colors, the mostly white model that I selected (pictured above) shoes a lot of dirt, so even though I have only run 70 miles in these shoes, they already look very dirty.  I cannot say how well the materials hold up, but I intend to try to take these shoes beyond 500 miles, and will follow up then.

Overall, I enjoy the NB Minimus.  It is a fast, lightweight shoe that is very comfortable and requires almost no transition if you have previously run in something like the Brooks Green Silence of other NB models (790, 101).  However, with a $100 price tag, I am disappointed that it is not more affordable.  Unfortunately, with increasing demand for lightweight, minimal shoes (which should use less materials to manufacture), shoe companies are recognizing they can charge more and more.  While I would be happy to purchase another pair, I intend to look for a deal to reduce that overall cost.

Summer Running in Austin: Part 2

I think I'm getting the hang of this summer running thing...

Previously, I wrote a post about the difficulties of running during the intense, long Texas summers.  And while the heat has not abated, I am am impressed by the adaptability of the human body because my runs seem to be getting better and logging miles in the heat seems to be getting a little easier.  Good thing too, because I have at least another 6 weeks of pretty high temps.

Walnut Creek, Austin, TX

This weekend, I had two great runs.  On Saturday morning, I took Ike to Walnut Creek in North Austin for a 72 minute trail run.  We both love running in that park; Ike because he can be off the leash and explore (he once flushed a massive, male deer), me because there is over 11 miles of trail network that twists and turns and covers all kinds of terrain, so it is pretty hard to get bored.  I started out at a relaxed and comfortable pace, tackling the steep uphills and screaming downhills with grace.  Around 50 minutes, I was still feeling good and conscientiously picked up the pace, finishing sweaty but strong.  I was pleased that I felt no soreness and hardly any fatigue in my legs.  I know the same distance on road would have a very different result, got to love those trails!

For the rest of the morning, Ike came over to my house for a play date with Bailey.  Unfortunately for Ike, she is full of energy and had had no exercise yet that morning.  The result was an unrelenting desire to play, which manifested itself as jumping on Ike and following him wherever he went.  Poor Ike!

Yesterday, I had a 12 mile long run on my schedule.  Instead of getting up bright at early at 6am, I snoozed my alarm and slept until 9am.  The lack of sleep throughout the week had caught up with me.  I was pretty bummed about not getting the run in, and set my mind to getting it done in the evening, something I have really never done with a long run, and especially not in the middle of the summer, when temperatures in Austin can persist above 95F well beyond 10pm.  Well, I ate a late lunch and made sure to drink plenty of fluids.  At 7:45pm, I headed out the door, 20 oz of water in my hydration pack and prepared for my first ever evening long run. Fortunately for me, late afternoon cloud cover had kept the temperature below 100F.

I started sweating about 5 minutes into the run and was pretty well covered 20 minutes in.  I ran west, under the MoPac expressway, and continued on a hilly course through the affluent neighborhoods surrounding Tarrytown and Mount Bonnell.  I watched a beautiful sunset, and 45 minutes in found myself running in the dark.  I was careful to watch for cars and stay out of their way.  Otherwise, I really enjoyed running in the dark, which was quiet and tranquil.  I had plenty of material on my iPod and tackled hill after hill with gusto.  Before I knew it, I was crossing back under MoPac with only 2 miles left on the run.  At this point I was pretty thirsty and finished off my water, and while I was tired, I never felt extremely fatigued and was able to hold a strong pace all the way through.  I finished 12.38 miles in 1:46:41, giving me an average pace in the 8:30s.  Considering all the obstacles: summer heat, long distance, dehydration, night time running, hills, I was very pleased.  Of course lots of cold water and a cold shower helped too.

So what is the take away point?  Pushing through uncomfortable conditions, be it hot or cold weather, will eventually pay off.  The human body is an amazing machine and can adapt to a lot of conditions.  Eventually, the rewards will come, and in this case, it was two great weekend runs.  Hoping the momentum will carry me through the rest of the week!

Bailey: The New Kid on the Block

I haven't previously mentioned this, but I spend a lot of time volunteering with dogs at my local shelter, the Town Lake Animal Center.  This shelter is currently the largest No Kill shelter in the country, striving to maintain a 90% live outcome rate for dogs and cats.  I work with the dogs, taking them for trail walks, play and potty breaks, and working with customers interested in adopting them.  I find it to be a very rewarding use of my time, especially because I love dogs.

This past week, with extreme heat in Texas (over 50 days above 100F) and overcrowding, the shelter found itself dangerously above capacity.  Boyfriend and I decided to foster a dog and bring her home, out of the heat.  Her name is Bailey and she is a 10 month old female, 40lb Plott hound mix.  She is very energetic, playful and affectionate and has been doing wonderfully with us at home!  She doesn't bark or chew on things and seems to be housebroken.  She already knows 'sit' and 'shake'.  She is also very friendly with other dogs and really enjoyed meeting (and pestering) Ike.

Last week, I took Bailey for a few, short runs.  At the end of my run, I took her for a 1.75 mile loop nearby our house.  She was a little distracted by noises and passerbys, which made it difficult to run at an even pace, but overall, she did really well!  The pace was slower than I'd like, but I expect that will improve with practice.  I used a yuppie puppy harness, which makes controlling her very easy.  Her biggest joy came from a few squirrel sightings, which caused her to go nuts!  She was trying her hardest to get after those poor squirrels and could not be distracted even when we were a 100 yards away.

Bailey had her spay surgery yesterday, so she is not allowed to run with me for the next week, only walks allowed.  I will definitely miss taking her out for a jog, but we will go for walks instead and the week will pass quickly enough.

For any animal lovers out there, please consider adopting from a shelter or rescue group, in the process you will save a life!  Of course, you can always foster or volunteer, which is another great way to help.

Pingyao: A trip to Old World China

A view of countryside from the train

As I mentioned in a previous post, I visited China for three weeks in May 2011. The trip came about because I attended a conference in Shanghai, but it was a good opportunity to do some traveling in another, very different part of the world.  I was fortunate that my parents, very seasoned travelers, were interested in accompanying me.   In this past post, I talk about the experience of running in China.  As time permits, I would like to catalogue some of the sights and adventures (apart from running) from that trip.  If you find yourself traveling to China, and are interested in more information, please don't hesitate to contact me!

The old city wall (6km)
surrounds Pingyao

We took an overnight train from bustling Beijing and traveled 12 hours to arrive around 5am in the sleepy city of Pingyao.  The Chinese travel predominantly by train, therefore there are many different types and speeds of trains.  We had a K train, which is the slowest and oldest of the "high speed" overnight trains.  We booked a first class sleeping compartment, which was not luxurious but adequate and comfortable.  However, many of the men in our car insisted on chain smoking throughout the night and would not close the car doors.  The smell of smoke filled the cabin and made breathing and sleeping somewhat challenging.  Furthermore, the toilets were beyond disgusting so we minimized use as much as possible.  Because Pingyao is so small, traveling by train is the only option.

A courtyard of our guesthouse

The overnight trip was well worth the effort, because Pingyao was the most interesting and pretty city we visited.  It was the financial capital of the empire during both the Ming and Qing dynasties and the old city layout has been preserved since that time period.  As China modernized, the government bulldozed a significant amount of cultural relics and old cities.  Pingyao is one of the very few that did not fall to this fate, and because of its more than 4,000 well preserved homes and old wall surrounding the city, it is a UNESCO world cultural heritage site.

Bikes and rickshaws rule
the road here

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Pingyao became extremely wealthy and was the closest location of banks to the seat of the empire, in Beijing (then Peking).  Anyone interested in acquiring a loan would have to travel to Pingyao to meet with the bankers.  This stimulated other businesses, such as guesthouses and restaurants.  You can visit the original banks and stay in the guesthouses, all located within the old city wall.  This part of the city does not allow cars, and the predominant form of transportation is bikes.

Intricate gargolyes and lattice work
grace the preserved homes

We stayed two days and one night in the heart of Pingyao.  Our guesthouse was beautiful and had many courtyards and a very pretty, traditional room.  We were fortunate to have modern plumbing and hot water, because in this part of China, both are rarities.  In fact, many of the homes here sport a miniature water tank on the roof.  Most people cook with coal here, and the smell is omnipresent.  Also, the air is filled with particulates, which did give me some allergy problems, especially after 4 days in heavily polluted Beijing.  If I could do it over again, I would have packed some nasal spray and Sudafed.

We spent the days biking around the old town.  There were a few temples and museums to visit, and I walked atop the entire 6km of the old wall, which gave me great views of the city and homes.  We found the local food delicious and interesting, with lots of mushrooms, potatoes, noodles (potato and oat!) and spices.  Preserved beef is common to the cuisine there, but being vegan, I passed on that.  I did try some very interesting Sea hawkthorn juice, which was both sweet and tart and the color of mango juice.  We also visited shops.  Local goods include lacquered boxes and handmade shoes. I didn't indulge in either, but did buy a hand-carved wooden fruit basket and some candies.  My mother bought some very good jasmine tea.

Biking along the old city wall

Because most of China is very densely populated, the other cities we visited were bustling and crowded.  By contrast, Pingyao was tiny (only 490,000 people compared to the 24 million in Shanghai).  The architecture was also very beautiful and I would say it was definitely a highlight of the trip!

My First Hydration System - Nathan Speed 2

While I maintain a strong belief that running unencumbered (sans GPS, music, hydration packs and other gadgets) has its place and pleasure in the running world, I am very pleased to be the owner and frequent user of a new Nathan Speed 2 hydration pack.  The oppressive heat of a Texas summer necessitated some change, especially if I am to build up long runs beyond 1 hour in duration.  I have used the Nathan Speed 2 on many runs since acquiring it, and I have definitely noticed that drinking water in moderation has made the experience much more pleasant.  Here is my review of the product, for all this one runner's opinion is worth.

The Good
The hydration pack is relatively lightweight, even with 20oz of water and contours to the hips very comfortably.  I was very impressed that there was no bouncing of the bottles.  I really didn't want a handheld bottle because of the sloshing and am happy I chose a waist pack instead.  It did take a few tries for me to get the belt on the right spot of my hips, but once there, it was a smooth and comfortable ride.  I find that low on the hips works best and with a 28inch waist and 32inch measurement around the hips, I went for the medium.  I could have gotten away with the small, but many reviewers online said the product ran small.  I would disagree and say the product runs true.

The plastic bottles are easy to open with the mouth.  They can also be washed in the dishwasher (top rack), which is a big plus.  The cloth waistband dries quickly and has no irritating seams.  The color schemes are nice, although I did chose basic grey.  The pockets built into the waist band are awesome, and I intend to get a lot of use out of them on long training runs.

The Bad
The bottle tops are difficult to close with the mouth and I am always afraid they are not completely closed.  Reaching behind with my left hand feels a little awkward, and I did drop a bottle once, which rolled into a flood drain, leading me to stop my run and crouch in the gutter to retrieve it.  I expect the reach around motion to become more comfortable with time.  Also, the bottles make considerable contact with my sides.  Initially, it is uncomfortable having the ice cold bottles against my skin.  A short way into my run, I notice that the water is lukewarm (heat transport by conduction at work!).  This is a minor problem very much outweighed by the benefits of hydration, but worth noting nonetheless.

While I would prefer to run without the added weight of a pack, I am going to be sticking with it for any runs in the hour plus range, at least until the temps drop back down.  I was able to get the Nathan Speed 2 on Amazon.com for $28 and free shipping.  I think it is a pretty good deal and this is one piece of gear that is going to be getting a lot of use from me!  And while this purist is now a convert, I think that in cooler weather I won't be using it as often, and probably only on runs over 2 hours.