Michelle's Mission #1

Allow me to introduce my inspiration for change! My mother, Michelle, came to visit me about 5 years ago. She had recently turned 50 and was in the best shape I'd ever seen and in way better shape then me! She told me she was "gluten free" now, whatever that meant. I decided to look into it and I changed my dietary habits. I was not about to let my 50 year old mother look better and run faster than me (no, we're not competitive at all...HA!)  The rest is history and I can thank her for the initial push into what has now become a passion, quality nutrition for optimizing health and performance.

Michelle running the High Altitude 1/2 Marathon

About four years ago I decided that middle age was not going to be an excuse to remain complacent about my health and well-being.  I was carrying twenty extra pounds of weight. I wasn’t as active as I wanted to be, and I felt heavy and worn out.  Without asking anyone about anything, I stopped eating bread and any drink with calories, and I started what I called “Zen” running (lots of walking with intermittent spurts of moderate speed) along the trails and arroyos around our house.  Two years later, by the time I turned fifty, I was running about fifteen miles a week, and had dropped the twenty pounds to 115 (I’m 5’ 4”).  I decided that I would try to run a local 5k, mainly because I would be in the 50-55 category, and might be able to win my age group.  Both my daughters that spring had won medals in some kind of competition – Emily in a Muddy Buddy race – and Sylvia at the high school state track meet in three events.  I wanted a medal, too.  I ran the race, and won my age group. 

Two years after that 5k, Emily is picking things up and putting them down in a big way, and has a more reliable basis for healthy eating than my simple regimen.  I have extended my training to include 30-40 miles a week of running – speed as well as distance, some weight bearing exercises to maintain bone and muscle strength, core exercises with yoga and ab workouts a couple of times a week, and a killer early morning before first period spin class twice a week.  And… I have been eating a gluten free, dairy free, added-sugar free diet for awhile, but this last six months in earnest. 

The results?  I have maintained 112-118 pounds for the past four years.  Right now, I’m at 112.  Usually I suffer at least two or three bouts of some kind of respiratory illness every first semester.  I teach high school.  Kids are walking germ factories.  I did not have a cold, or any illness for that matter, all first semester.  And, even though I have upped the training ante, I have not had any injuries.  I ran a ½ marathon in early December – the “High Altitude Half Marathon,” in Los Alamos.  7800 feet, climbing to almost 9000 feet.  My goal was to run under 2 hours, and still feel good.  I ran 1:55 and change.  Won my age group, and even finished in the top ten for women, but what is most important – I felt great – nothing hurt – and I was back on the trails after just one day of recovery.

So, I will be in Austin at the end of March to run a ½ marathon – see what I can do with rolling hills at 400 feet with a 200 foot change in elevation.  I will maintain a strict primal/paleo diet, keep up with the training, and listen to my body.  My goal is to build some more upper body and core strength, maintain my endurance with long, wonderful trail runs, and gain some more speed, so I can run the Austin ½ in under 1:45.  Of course, I could trip up tomorrow, come down with the flu, God knows….  In the meantime, though, I’m going to play this run for all it’s worth.

--Michelle