I'm all about maximizing my food portions without maximizing their caloric impact. I pack veggies into my pasta sauce so I feel like I'm still having a big bowl. Or break my taco shells in half and eat them open-faced to turn three tacos into six.

So, when I see recipes called energy 'bites' my stomach-focused brain asks, "So, you mean one bite, and it's gone?" Not to mention there are 200 concentrated calories packed into that one bite. I'm sorry, but if I'm going to eat a healthy 200 calories, I want that piece of food to last longer than one bite!

In an effort to reduce the amount of packaged / prepared foods I eat, I started creating my own recovery snacks. The basic requirements are that they contain carbs and protein, consist of wholesome ingredients and that they balance out satisfaction with being around 150 calories.  

I've come up with my own versions of peanut butter chocolate bars (very good), ginger bars (exceptionally yummy but this was due to an error in calculations resulting in 100 extra calories per bar--oops!), pumpkin spice balls (very tasty but small), carrot cake bars (not bad, but can be a bit too carroty). 

I'm sure someone once said that the best inventions were discovered by accident. That's what Brownie Energy Crumble is, and I don't care admitting it. My first reaction when I stopped my food processor and saw the result was--oh, that's not what I wanted. A split second later, I knew I was onto something!

Running has made me brave. It's paved the road to trying new things, like I did this past Sunday. Five years ago I'd never imagined I'd be running--let alone racing, especially on the track as a new member of the OMA (Ontario Masters Athletics)! 

Last year when coach / friend Michelle told me she was hoping to break the Canadian Master's W40 indoor track record for 5000M, I told her I'd come cheer her on. (Recap here). I walked through the doors at the Toronto Track & Field Center that day and felt like visiting another country where things looked similar, but everyone is speaking a different language. I'd learned a whole lot about road running since the summer of 2013, but as I stood on the sidelines trying to not get in the way (tip: the cushioned wall at the end of the 100 meter dash is not a good spot to linger if you don't want to get bowled over), I realized this was no road race environment. The bibs and running where the similarities ended. While road races have hundreds or thousands of participants, on the track you can count on one or two hands the number of people you are running with. Even though I heard it multiple times that day, the sound of the starter's pistol startled me every single time. Some races were being run in lanes. Some started in a line and made their way to the center. And there were so many races happening all afternoon!

I wound up going back to cheer for Michelle a couple times over the season, slowly absorbing the subtle differences. One thing that really stood out at each of those races was the camaraderie. During every race people were clapping, cheering, and congratulating friends, strangers and competitors. People were running to better their own time, not necessarily to beat a competitor. Not to mention the most amazingly inspiring part: the list of competitors went from eight-year-old kids right up to runners in their eighties. 

How could I not feel inspired? Over that year, I had it at the back of my mind to join. It was the email from the OMA talking about the early bird annual membership that said, 'just do it' at the end that got me. I did it and texted Michelle to let her know she'd inspired me  and I was going to be joining her this year!

EEK! As the days got closer, I started to get both excited and a little nervous. Although I'd done workouts at the local track, I'd never done a race. I know I'm not fast. I know I'm far from a model of perfect running form. A track meet was going to risk being in the spotlight more than being just another participant hiding among the crowd at a road race! Questions started filling my head and I had visions of doing messing up big-time, doing something like blocking a runner from beating a world record as I made some stupid newbie move!  

1500 meters...
Soon they announced that the 1500 meter participants were to check in. Check in? Everyone who was registered for the 1500 meter race gathered around one of the staff members with a clipboard. It was somewhat like elementary school attendance with her calling out the names and letting each person know what heat they were in, which was based on seeding. Track lingo lesson learned: When I registered for the races I needed to give an estimate on my race finish time, similar to how we list for road races to determine which corral we will run in. If there are too many registrants for one race they use your seed time to determines who you will run with to keep the competition closer. Each running of the race is called a heat. I was to run in the first heat, which spanned ages eight to eighty!

​We lined up on the track for waterfall start. Another term! This meant that instead of staying in the lane you start in all the way around the track, we were to make our way as soon as safely possible to the inner lane once the race started.

1500 meters is 7.5 times around this track. Michelle told me what times I should see on the clock at the finish each time I passed. She said I'd also see a 'laps remaining' sign, but to beware that this was based on the leader, so if you get lapped, don't get too excited that you are almost done as you may still have more laps to go!

We were spacing ourselves out along the start line and someone commented that the eight-year-old boy needed to have some space so no one crashed into him. He was beside me and looked up and said, "It's okay, I'm small." This was a great way to ease my stress with a laugh.

Before I had a chance to think, they were saying "On your mark..." and the starters pistol went off (it didn't scare me this time!) Everyone flew from the line. I darted forward with them and near the curve found a spot towards the inner lane. I turned the corner and eyed the clock ahead. Oops. I was WAY too fast.  The first two and a half laps were okay. I heard Michelle cheering me on at each pass. On the third lap I wondered if I was at three or four. Someone near the finish yelled "Four more to go Cathy," which I was grateful for...yet really wished it was only three as I was starting to lose steam. Michelle was calling to pick it up. Of all things my arms were hurting. My throat was dry. I kept going. Two laps to go. Then finally the last lap. I heard Michelle calling to me around the outside of the track but could only focus on the finish line, I honestly don't even remember anything else around me. I crossed and flopped against the high jump mattress working to catch my breath. I'd done it! It wasn't pretty. It was tremendously hard. But I'd stuck to it and got it done! ​

I'm constantly on the hunt for post workout snacks that are not over-sweetened, over-processed, or overly dense in calories and ingredients. Ideally they also have a 3:1 ratio of carbs and protein for recovery. I've been creating my own energy / recovery bars the past few months and came up with the idea to try one with  a carrot cake twist. 

If you are a follower of my blog or 'runningdesigner' social media channels, you will undoubtedly have seen my posts about the upcoming Ragnar Niagara relay.

If you have no clue what I'm talking about, here is the Cole's Notes recap: Ragnar holds road and trail relay races across the United States and one in Canada. The relay I will be doing is a road race which goes from Cobourg (which is about half way between Kingston and Toronto) along Lake Ontario 304.5 kilometers westward to Niagara Falls. Relay teams are comprised of 12 members, each responsible for three predetermined legs of the relay.  

​Well, this morning Coach Michelle and Ragnar Team Captain Allison sent our Endorphriends team members their running assignments for the relay. I couldn't wait to spend time researching each of my running legs!

​Here are the details: 

My second leg / leg 20 of the relay (8.8K):
Starting at Colonel Samuel Smith Park (I used to walk to here all the time along the Martin Goodman Trail) on the border of Toronto and Etobicoke, I will travel up to Lakeshore Boulevard and past the big old homes of Long Branch, past Marie Curtis Park, and into historic Port Credit. ​ I will try to resist the urge to run up to Costco  near Islington, a frequent weekend destination. 

I think my favourite gift of the season arrived today in the form of photos posted on Facebook by Tarah and Wesley Korir. 

A couple months ago Tarah posted a request on Facebook asking if any of her GTA running friends had any previously loved running shoes that they could donate to runners in Kenya. She, Wesley and their kids live part time in Kenya and run an amazing program called Kenyan Kids Foundation, that focuses on education, healthcare, and farming. They are also greatly involved in the Kenyan running community.

On a recent JPsTeam fun run, we put out the call for shoe donations. The photos below show the result of this request. Shoes were bundled up and delivered to the Korir's while they were in Canada visiting for Christmas.

Today, the photos below were posted on Facebook by Tarah of the same shoes being distributed to the runners. Talk about a tear-enducing moment! Thank you Tarah and Wesley for this special gift.  ​I can't tell you what it means to see a runner on the other side of the world trying on a pair of shoes that made me so happy.