By: Michelle Kruse

Green Eggs and “Ham”

Here’s a fun recipe to try at home with young kids. My kids LOVE the book “Green Eggs and Ham” so this is a fun, easy way to get them to eat color and protein in the morning. Put a cup of spinach in a blender with 2 eggs and liquefy – all spinach texture should be gone. Scramble with cooking spray. Your “ham” can be almost anything. We sliced apples flat and called them “ham.” We’ve used whole grain toast for the ham before – anything goes. This is so easy and takes very little time out of our hurried mornings.

By Michelle Kruse

I’m LOVING this advice and want to share it with all of you. First – know that I am a total cheapskate. I do not have the best gear, coolest running clothes or triathlon suit. Sure, I’d love to have the latest and greatest, but I can’t stand to part with my money for something I don’t NEED. I haven’t always been this way, but my husband has rubbed off on me over the last nine years.

So, when discussing Ironman and marathon nutrition with Sally Brown, MS, RD of Body Fuel, I was delighted to hear that I could replace my $2 a pop Cliff Bars with plain old peanut butter sandwiches. Brown said that although Cliff Bars also provide great nutrition, a good old PB&J will give me just what I need. She said to use my regular whole grain bread, natural peanut butter and a banana or jelly. (I love peanut butter banana, but if you’re going for a LONG workout, the banana can get kind of hot and gross in your pocket, so go with jelly instead.)

I am proud to say my PB&J sandwiches got me through Ironman 70.3 and I felt great the entire time. Combined with Cytomax or First Endurance electrolyte, my PB&J’s are perfect endurance fuel. My training friends all got a kick out of my smooshed sandwiches, but no one can argue the cost-effectiveness. On this weekend’s group bike ride (I bowed out after 50 miles, the rest of the group did 90 – I was on a tight schedule that day), I was so excited to see some converts.

My thriftiness is catching on!

By Michelle Kruse

I’ve been running with my Garmin Forerunner since I got it for Christmas last year. Don’t get me wrong, I love it. It’s a great motivational tool. For instance, it lets me know when I’m slacking off. And, ever the competitor, I find myself pushing to make an even mileage number – I can’t stop at 4.82 miles – I have to backtrack on the course to run the full five miles. Plus, I love knowing exactly how far I’ve gone and my exact pace.

The only downside is the lack of “real” competition. I’ve tried the “virtual partner,” but I’m kind of missing my lower-tech Nike Plus system. I had mine hooked up to my iPod and I enjoyed hearing Lance Armstrong or Paula Radcliffe tell me “two miles completed” or “Congratulations, you just set a PR for the 10K.”

I also miss the challenges. Way back in the day (last year) before my brother in CO and other friends had switched to Garmins themselves, we would challenge each other on the Nike Plus website. The challenges were always small, a few friends trying to best each other in the 5-mile or fastest mile or 5K, but they were always motivating. There is just something about smack talk that pushes you to move faster! I’m going to have to spend some time searching to see if there is a way to do this with the Garmin – If so, let the smack talk begin (again)!

By Michelle Kruse

Ironman 70.3 – conquered! And I had a blast! Seriously, it was fun. My pre-race anxiety was unnecessary. I did not sleep at all the night before the race (too wound-up, I guess) and that added to my nerves. It’s the swim that stresses me out. It’s all-out war. I hate watching people get beat up in the swim. Really, the girl next to me at the bike transition had a bloody lip. It scares the heck out of me that I’m going to get hit and thrown under water. Fortunately, that didn’t happen. I did have to stop and tread water near the finish just to find a spot to get into the finishing “corral.” Bodies were everywhere.

Fortunately, I made it through in one piece and it was onto the bike. Having the swim behind me eased my nerves and I was ready to enjoy the rest of the race. The bike wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t difficult. I held back a little bit b/c I wanted to be all right for the run, but I finished the bike faster than I thought I would. Then, the run went great! I walked through every water stop (all 12 of them) and felt strong the entire run. It was wonderful to high-five my kids as I ran by (four times) and seeing my husband, my parents and friends on the route made it truly enjoyable.

I wasn’t in this thing to “win,” obviously. I was there for fun and to challenge myself. In the end, I beat my best goal by half an hour and had I known how close I was to going under six hours, I would have pushed just “one minute” somewhere on the race (like not chatted for an hour with the girl next to me on the run – but that’s part of what made it so fun). I finished in 6 hours, one minute and 24 seconds. The best part is I finished strong, happy, and ready to do it all over again and finished with my husband, kids, parents and friends hugging me at the finish line. I’m truly proud of this accomplishment!

What’s next?

By Michelle Kruse

I’m over my disappointment from the marathon. I spent a week in Phoenix, AZ visiting family and friends and attending a great conference. The ADA subgroup, Sports Cardiovascular and Wellness Nutrition’s annual meeting was great for CardioTabs as well as for me to get some information about my nutritional needs-and hopefully resolve my cramping issues.

Now that the marathon is over, I’m focusing all my efforts on training for Ironman Kansas (70.3). I asked the advice of Sally Brown, RD of Ebodyfuel.com and Heather Fleming (nutritionist with conscious nutrition). Both think it’s possible that I’m not getting enough sodium and that my electrolyte replacement choice wasn’t good enough. I read so many papers about cardiovascular health and heart disease and follow that dietary advice pretty well. My dad had his first heart attack at 40, so salt has been missing from my diet for a LONG time. Since the majority of Americans get too much salt, who’d have thought I’d be getting too little? I’m a very salty sweater and I’m possibly not replacing enough of that salt lost during exercise.

I was told to try a mix of Cytomax and Carbopro for long workouts. I was also told to make sure I was consuming my CardioWhey within 30 minutes post-workout. Yes, even though I work for the company, I wasn’t following the advice perfectly. Doing this should aid in my recovery and help my muscles repair themselves between workouts, even help bolster a weak (post endurance workout) immune system. Yesterday, I biked 30 miles then ran two miles (pushing both kids in the jogging stroller – seriously tough). I used the Cytomax and no cramping yet.

Today’s swim should be a good test of the new formula. On Saturday, I’m planning to bike the 56 mile course for the half Ironman. I’ll use all three products and see what happens.