The Baby Band Wagon

Paula Radcliffe and Kara Goucher may be nearing the end of their pregnancies--hard to believe but both are due before September is out--but now it looks like another speedy marathoner is hopping aboard the baby train. If you didn't read the Runner's World exclusive news, can you guess who it is?

• She trains in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., with other running phenoms like Ryan Hall, Josh Cox and Meb Keflezighi.
• She runs in ASICS.
• One of her favorite Chicago restaurants is Bin 36, according to an interview Liz had with her last year. 
• She has an Olympic bronze medal to her name. 
• She shares recipes and training advice in monthly columns in Competitor magazine.

Did you figure it out yet? The answer is Deena Kastor, Mammoth Track Club member, Chicago Marathon (2005) and London Marathon (2006) champion, two-time Olympics qualifier. And earlier today Runner's World had the exclusive news that she'd be pulling out of this year's New York City Marathon--where her and Meb would be the ones to watch--because of her growing baby bump. Well, not quite, because Kastor told RW that she doesn't even look pregnant yet. Kastor is three months along in her pregnancy and already halted her tough workouts. But have no fear...you'll still catch her in the Big Apple race weekend, just not toeing the line.

Question is: boy, girl, surprise? Between Kara, Paula and Deena, you almost have to hope that their newborns are not all boys, and eventual runners. Then there would really be a contest to follow come the 2032 Olympics, give or take.


Photo grabbed from thomas_sly at flickr.

Let Go My Egg-O

I flip out over food recalls--last time it was peanut butter. This time it's the incredible, edible egg, the protein-packed powerhouse that's a staple in many athletes' diets (not so much my own until recently), wreaking havoc with a breakout of salmonella. At first I wasn't concerned because I'm guilty of buying eggs to then sit past expiration in the fridge, but the FDA warning I read scared me into submission. Not only did the recall affect Midwest states including my own, but my current carton falls on the brand list and in the expiration date range. Uh oh, I hope that's not why I've been feeling funky this week.

The FDA lists the products in danger in this release and states that Wright County Egg of Galt, Iowa, where the contaminated eggs come from are voluntarily recalling its bad eggs. You don't have to worry if you're buying eggs whose carton labels differ from these, or if your eggs don't come from distribution centers in California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Iowa. Yet, if you're unsure about your egg purchase harming your health, contact eggsafety.org.

So what do you do if the whites, yolks or a combo are your go-to breakfast or mid-day snack? Fortunately there are still other ways to enjoy those eggs and their benefits.

• Phil's Fresh Eggs. Based out of Forreston, Ill., you'll find these cage-free, better-tasting (they claim) eggs on Midwest store shelves.
• Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. Try the cage-free variety available on these stores' shelves in the dairy section.
• Farmers market fresh. I don't know if all local farmers markets have egg vendors but I could have sworn I've seen on at Saturday's Division Street market or the Green City Market. You'll be getting your eggs straight from the source, almost as good as having a hen in your backyard.
• Liquid eggs. Appealing: no shells to crack. Unappealing: pouring concentrated egg from a carton. But if need the protein source, these different brands won't make your omelet taste any different. Or at least my tastebuds haven't noticed.
• Tofu. Not an egg at all, but this protein-packer can embody the consistency of scrambled eggs (thanks Amy's for showing me that trick with your Tofu Scramble). Add some seasoning, maybe some hot sauce or cheese, and some veggies, and you're set.

Thank goodness the egg recall isn't a nation wide epidemic and a few switches to the shopping list can keep them in my meal arsenal. I've just become accustomed to scrambling them with manchego cheese to recover after Yoga Sculpt, or customizing my Trader Joe's veggie fried rice. My body likes it too. Eggs have so many good-for-you benefits: amino acids, choline, healthy fats, protein. And especially at breakfast. Check out this list to read more. Those eggs are pretty incredible all right...as long as they're salmonella free.

Photo grabbed from chelsey.baldock at flickr.

Fit-Q: What do you crave most after a workout?

Workout to eat, eat to workout. No matter how you cut it, look at those two activities like that and you can't help but set yourself up for disaster in one part of the cycle anyway. Splurge on a decadent dinner and you know you'll have to sweat it off later. Bust out a run or ride, and you can't reach for the food fast enough to refuel. The problem, though, is that sometimes it's not the right food to feed the tank--your cravings set in and instead of recovering with a glass of chocolate milk, you're reaching for the chocolate cake.

I know I'm guilty of it. Just look at the burrito I shoved into my mouth after riding 100 miles, or know that my post-ride pit stop is almost always Culvers (Dairy Queen and Kopps have stepped in on occasion). I'll eat all the bananas, watermelon, PB sandwiches and good-for-you snacks at the rest stops, but as the miles wind down, my food cravings kick up. If my body took a poll, ice cream would be crowned king of the cravings and salty taking a close second. Then there are the stragglers that creep into my craving brain--chocolate milk, nachos, Jamba Juice, beef jerky (my friend started that one after we looked like salt sticks after 100 miles), burger and fries. But surely, I'm not the only one yearning for these normally nutritional no-nos. Tell us what you're itching for after your tough training sessions.

poll by twiigs.com

The Daily Feed: Sites We're Searching 8/16

It's only Monday, but I'm already looking forward to next weekend to redeem myself on the bike. Let's just say that Saturday was a struggle and not just because of those darn roads. I wallowed in self pity for a while but know that's not going to get me anywhere. And when cruising around on some of my favorite sites, and finding a few new favorites, it turns out I'm not the only one who's been struggling. Here's what's been catching my eye--the good, the bad and the feel-betters:

• Professional triathletes have bad days too. Just read about Joanna Zeiger's recent race--it'll make you laugh, especially if you've had some of her thoughts while out on the race course like me.
• When you train, train, train, sometimes you just need to tell yourself to slow down and take some time off. Relief set in for me when I stumbled upon this off season report.
• Happy race reports? Don't worry this isn't all depressing. You'll find greener pastures if you read this pro report from Ironman Lake Placid or this Steelhead 70.3 age-grouper report.
• The triathlon season might feel like it's winding to a close but if you're like most of us, you've probably avoided buying most of the gear essentials until now. Check out the must-haves to buy courtesy of Fleet Feet Sports Chicago, whose owner Dave Zimmer was up early Sunday morning to give WGN the low-down.
• Free running advice from elites and their coaches? Yes way! You have to watch Terrence Mahon's, who coaches Ryan Hall, Deena Kastor and Josh Cox to name a few, drills for strengthening your run. Brought to you by Nissan's Master the Shift, there's a collection of tips along the right sidebar.
• Why am I wasting the day away indoors? With no clouds in the sky, the sun in full force, and the temps finally cooling to a more bearable level, I should be outside. I need more days like today, please cooperate weather!

Darn Wisconsin Roads

Remember last weekend's Fit-Pic? That gravelly, torn up mess of a road along the Ironman Wisconsin bike course? One week later, one return trip to Madison to ride that loop that departs from Verona's Fireman's Park, and that ripped-up road is still there. Not only that but it looked to be just as rough riding as it was last Saturday when the road was fresh from its midnight maintenance left unfinished.

Here's to hoping that road--and the other loose gravel spots along the route--are fixed before race day. I figured within a week there would at least be a layer of asphalt would be laid over the gravel. But no. You could almost say the roads were worse--in some spots anyway. Gravel, potholes, dirt-road tendencies and the like.

If you're planning to ride part of the Ironman Wisconsin course before race day--or if it's your usual weekend loop--here are the spots on the Verona loop where you'll need to brace yourself. That is, if you ride uber cautiously like me.

Valley Road: This road was ripped up--I think in an effort to be repaved for IMWI--on Friday, August 6. One week later and it's still looking as it did on August 7: a rough mess. You can ride it--others passed me doing so as I walked, and eventually carried, my bike--but it's rough and slow. And the gravel pieces are large enough to kick up and lodge themselves between your wheel and fork, causing the wheel to lock--happened to me. Best bet: Bypass Valley Road by continuing down Route 69. Turn right at the second road you see, which runs parallel to Valley Road. At the second stop sign, turn right and you'll get a longer stretch of Sugar River Road and link back up to the course.


County Route-G: In comparison to the other road blunders, this one is like a blip in the system. There's a stretch that's been recently repaved--hence the warning for no center line that you'll see if your eyes are wandering off the road--but it still needs a bit of retouching. In addition to painting the center line, you'll encounter a few bumps in the road. Nothing major but enough to keep an unsteady-in-aero cyclist from staying tucked.

Witte Road: Depending on how the wind is blowing, you can really start cruising on County Route-S's straightaway before making the left onto Witte. And usually, after the turn you gather your momentum for the rollers that follow. This time around you might want to proceed with caution as this road looks more like a crushed limestone trail than a paver. You won't have to get off your bike (I'm scared of the downhills and even I stayed on) but you might want to ride the brake. The good part is Witte does even out eventually and you can fly down the next batch of hills.

Stagecoach Road: After passing through Cross Plains, Stagecoach is just begging to be repaved. The unfortunate part is that I doubt it will be before race day--this year anyway. The warning to this road is that its quite rigid, not like the riding over train tracks bumps but similar to those highway strips for cars intended to make you slow down. Bad description, I know, but just hold on if you're feeling unsteady on your bike.

Shady Oak Lane: Forgive me now if I'm labeling this road incorrectly, I never notice the street signs when I'm out riding. All I can tell you is that you're going to find more loose gravel spots after climbing and descending the three major hills on the Verona loop, and I can only guess as to finding them on what is Shady Oak Lane. You're almost back to Verona, you've survived the major climbs and you've gathered some speed again. But you can gather too much or a few road sections could toss some accessories, or you, off your bike. They're only two feet wide tops and stretch across the road--three or four of them but I never remember the count by the time I finish riding--but something blew through this week to turn these normally negotiable patches into slightly scarier zones. Big potholes that you can't see until you're on top of them can toss a flask or water bottle or two, and bigger rocks to tilt you off balance or mess with your wheels.

Yeah, I know some of these road hazards don't sound that bad. But if you've seen me on my bike before (lucky for me I deleted the picture my mom snapped of me rolling down a hill into transition at my first race on my tri bike) or knew about all of my road boo-boos, you'd understand my hesitance when it comes to taking these far-from-ideal roads. On the bright side, there's an awesome patch of freshly paved road to take you straight into Cross Plains. But now I have to hope that those rough patches start to follow suit, especially on race day.

Photo grabbed from randomduck at flickr. 

Note: Here's a little warning that I'm asking for forgiveness for in advance. Around the 30-days-before-Ironman mark--and even before since friends have used me as the answering machine this summer--I start to over consume Ironman information. In turn, a lot of it might appear on Fit-Ink. Just want to tell you know before you start thinking this is turning into a race-only, all about Wisconsin, totally triathlon site. Not the case. It might get a little unbalanced, but I promise it won't be forever.