'twixt the fennel-field

I have a new obsession with fennel, which I've consumed just about every day so far this month. I never bought it before this time and didn't even notice it in stores. But the crazy thing is that while reading about fennel just now in order to write a post about a delicious fennel salad I just made, I learned that "marathon" is the Greek word for "fennel". I kid you not. Here I thought I was going to write a post that didn't have anything to do with running, to freshen things up a bit, and low and behold, I'm eating a bowl full of marathon. Historians believe that the town of Marathon is named after the fennel fields that are found there. Marathon is also the site of a great battle (cue the battle drum and flute music) that famously led Pheidippides to run very far to Sparta in order to get help, followed by a 25 mile run to Athens to announce Greek victory over Persia (after running a total of about 175 miles during all this drama, it is said that poor Pheidippides collapsed and died). I also read in one place that he ran with a sprig of fennel in his hand, which probably looked really stupid.

From an 1879 Robert Browning poem (found on wikipedia):

So, when Persia was dust, all cried, "To Acropolis!
Run, Pheidippides, one race more! the meed is thy due!
Athens is saved, thank Pan, go shout!" He flung down his shield
Ran like fire once more: and the space 'twixt the fennel-field
And Athens was stubble again, a field which a fire runs through,
Till in he broke: "Rejoice, we conquer!" Like wine through clay,
Joy in his blood bursting his heart, - the bliss!


So obviously, fennel is amazing. It has a lot of vitamin C in it and it's supposed to be good for digestion. The entire plant is edible so nothing gets wasted, and it's not expensive (at least not at Mr. Coco's in Fort Green/Clinton Hill). 


Here is the yummy salad that I prepared after a run home from work. The proportions are up to the eater. I slice the fennel by quartering the bulb and then slicing it thinly.  Tonight I also threw in some chick peas that were already open (in a can) in my fridge.


Fennel and Gorgonzola Salad
Baby Arugula
Fennel Bulb sliced
Fennel Leaves chopped
Crumbled Gorgonzola 
Dried Cranberries 


Placed in a bowl.


Dressing
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar 
A small squirt of Stone Ground Mustard
Sea salt (did you know that all salt is sea salt?)


Placed in a jar and shaken. 

Mix together and serve with a little black pepper. 

I've taken this salad to two potlucks this month, and both times I used the plastic container from the "Organic Girl" brand baby arugula", $3.99 to transport the salad, which made everything ridiculously easy. 

Eating on the Run

I have decided that part of my training for the Two Oceans Marathon needs to involve experimenting with eating while running. I usually ingest the powerade gels (chocolate or vanilla flavored) during races longer than 90 minutes, but I felt so nauseous during the last marathon I ran that I'm a bit scared of them now. The gels are amazing; the first time I had one I wondered why I didn't use them recreationally. But they are full of caffeine and who knows what else. You can overdo it with them for sure. And by "overdo it" I mean poop your pants.

I went on a 2 1/2 hour run today, so it seemed like a good time to take along some food. I chose a peanut butter Cliff bar. I was so excited about it that I was having a hard time not eating it 20 minutes in. While I fantasized about the snack weighing down my pocket, I wondered what else I could eat while running. A burrito? A veggie dog? In Ultramarathonman Dean Karnazes talks about ordering a large pizza and en entire cheesecake to be delivered to him mid run. Would I be able to handle a cheesecake-pizza sandwich? Probably not, but it is always fun to fantasize about eating. Mmmmm...pizza and cheesecake.

About 90 minutes into my run, I was heading down the West Side Highway toward Battery Park and I decided I'd try the Cliff Bar. My face was numb and my throat was dry from the cold so the first couple of bites tasted exactly like plastic. But by bite three it started to taste delicious! There is something that feels very primitive, thus liberating, about eating while running. And I would say that it was a success. No stomach cramps. And I didn't get hungry or feel low energy by the end of the run. Most importantly I did not poop my pants. Next, I'll practice with salt intake while I run. Pretzels!

Two Oceans will have "refreshment stations" along the course which the race organizers say will have bar-one chocolates, bananas, potatoes, and ice cream. I'm not sure about any of these things. But I know of the perfect ice cream shop to help me "practice eating" while running. I'll do it, but only for the love of the sport.

Some things I saw on my run today:

Christmas lights still hanging in someone's yard and a cow that hangs out on Atlantic Ave. in Brooklyn

35 at 35

(picture of a t-shirt signed by Ryan Hall, which a friend from work picked up for me in Boulder, Co)

Around the same time that I was turning 35 I found a marathon in Cape Town, SA called Two Oceans, which also happens to be 35 miles long (56 km by their measurement). Perfect! The only trouble is that I haven't been running nearly as much as I should. Yes, I did the NYC marathon (for the second time) back in early November 2011, but it wasn't one of my finest races. The race-organizing folks are calling Two Oceans an ultramarathon, but I kind of think that should be reserved for 50 miles or longer. Instead, I'll just call it "a long f@$%*ing race."

I've completed seven marathons. Back in 2008 I had been living in Brooklyn for a year and I decided that I wanted to train for my first marathon, the NYC...because I'm crazy. It is difficult to get in this race through the lottery alone, so I raised money for a charity that primarily helped people in poverty living in NYC. It was my way of giving back to this city. Not that things had necessarily been easy living here. I was in a relationship with someone who was neglectful and dishonest, I'd gone through many temp jobs and craigslist gigs (no, not *that* kind of gig) before finally getting a job I liked and I'd had a series of unfortunate roommate situation after my first roommate (who was awesome!) had to leave town for a medical emergency. In the words of my girl Dolly Parton, "The Big Apple took a bite out of me." Training for the NYC marathon took my mind off of my troubles and gave me something positive to focus on. But I still had no idea the extent to which actually running the race would change my life forever. It was, in fact, the best day of my life. I'll never forget crossing the start line, running through Brooklyn and right past my then-apartment in Bed-Stuy with my neighbors sitting out on their stoops, hitting Williamsburg and seeing friends everywhere, running into Queens and getting a big bear hug from my cousin who was yelling his head off for me, and then crying the last couple of miles in Central Park because it hit me that I was actually going to finish. For someone who is plagued with constant self doubt, this was undeniably a great accomplishment. Once that medal was mine nobody could ever take it away from me.

Here's where I should post a picture of me running the NYC marathon, but eff-you Brightroom photography and your terrible race photos! All their photos of me make me look bloated and sluggish. But maybe that's just how I look when I run. Instead, here is the photo with my four-legged training partner that I used for my fundraising page:

Since November 2008 I have fought occasional depression and bad decisions to successfully complete six other 26.2s: Chicago (2009); Silver Spring, MD (2010); Paris (2010); Harrisburg, Pa (2010); Napa Valley (2011); and NYC (2011, again).

This being the first blog post I guess I should say that my goal right now is to write about what inspires me in order to get inspired. I also want to sell tons of adspace and become rich!! JK.

I have three months to train for the Two Oceans Marathon, "the most beautiful marathon in the world." Geeez. This morning, on this beautiful holiday day, I ran for 2 hours around Prospect Park, listening to my standard Wolf Parade pandora radio station. It felt like a decent start. I only need to be able to do that times three...and I'll be good to go April 7th.