After living in thirteen states, I didn't think I could be surprised by the United States. Kansas is one flat flat flat place. After TX, we headed north for Dodge City KS to see Boot Hill. Driving, we passed mile after mile of corn fields, I wondered why more people don't fall asleep at the wheel. It amazes me how much of our country is devoted to growing corn by big corporations. In 1996 we grew old fashioned corn from corn seeds. By 2011, 72% of corn and a whopping 96% of soybeans grown are genetically modified.
In1850 64% of our population farmed on an average of 203 acres of land. By 1990 just 2.6% of Americans were farmers; the average farm is now 461 acres. In the year 2000 over 72 million acres were dedicated to growing 10 billion bushels (of the 23 billion bushel world crop) of corn. 80% of this crop is used for animal feed (livestock, poultry or fish).
It takes approximately 16 lbs. of grain to make one lb. of beef, or 72 lbs of grain to make a 72 oz. steak. . .
It's hard to know what to do with this information. I've read these numbers before, but seeing the steak bonanza in Armadillo then driving past so much corn really brought home the idea that something is very wrong with what we eat.
In keeping with the theme of this post, Dodge City KS was interesting; I love seeing the relics of another time, tiny dresses for tightly corseted women, old rifles used to gun down outlaws, etc. The town was founded in 1872 and quickly became the world's largest shipping point for longhorn cattle.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Road Trip - TX
It's been a long time since I've run, but it's still in the front of my tiny rat brain. Plantar Fasciitis does not come with a quick fix and there are several camps on how to best fix it. I'm going with the no shoes, reacquaint myself with my fascia policy, which brings me to the road trip. Five days ago, we packed the Prius (with some things we didn't actually need in retrospect) and headed out to see the midwest (more on that later). Sitting in a car for hours a day, while good for draining the overactive brain, it hard on the body. By last evening, day five, my back and legs were so tight I felt 20 years older. My feet feel like a ran 5 miles, without the fun of having had a good run! It's not realistic that I'll be able to do any good stretching. Why oh why didn't I bring the Active Isolated Stretching book? It was in the backpack but I pulled it out at the last minute. I should have left the hatchet at home and brought the book. . .
Our first stop was in Amarillo (fondly referred to as Armadillo) for a meal at the Big Texas Steak House. If you can eat a 72 oz. steak in an hour, it's free. The fellow who had taken up the gauntlet that evening was a very large Hispanic fellow whose wife and children seemed proud but concerned by his undertaking. What does a family do while waiting for husband/dad eat a disgustingly large amount of food for one hour? You can only take so many photos of the slowly disappearing pile of beef . . .
This is a good example of what is wrong with our culture, more on that later.
The next morning we went to Cavendar's for a new pair of boots (or two, I love Old Gringos and my husband), an Armadillo tradition! After that we saw Cadillac Ranch, a quirky art installation in the middle of a cow pasture just west of the city. Picture the majesty of a row of old junker Cadillac cars, buried 1/3 of the way into the ground, in a line, at an angle. People are welcome to spray paint them for posterity or until the next trigger finger with a can of day-glow orange shows up. I love this kind of art. Photos pending. . .
Next we headed north through the panhandle of Texas (with a speedingticket warning from a very nice young Texas State Patrolman) and kept heading north through western Oklahoma and into Kansas. It's so very easy to hit the accelerator in the wide open space.
Our first stop was in Amarillo (fondly referred to as Armadillo) for a meal at the Big Texas Steak House. If you can eat a 72 oz. steak in an hour, it's free. The fellow who had taken up the gauntlet that evening was a very large Hispanic fellow whose wife and children seemed proud but concerned by his undertaking. What does a family do while waiting for husband/dad eat a disgustingly large amount of food for one hour? You can only take so many photos of the slowly disappearing pile of beef . . .
This is a good example of what is wrong with our culture, more on that later.
The next morning we went to Cavendar's for a new pair of boots (or two, I love Old Gringos and my husband), an Armadillo tradition! After that we saw Cadillac Ranch, a quirky art installation in the middle of a cow pasture just west of the city. Picture the majesty of a row of old junker Cadillac cars, buried 1/3 of the way into the ground, in a line, at an angle. People are welcome to spray paint them for posterity or until the next trigger finger with a can of day-glow orange shows up. I love this kind of art. Photos pending. . .
Next we headed north through the panhandle of Texas (with a speeding
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Running soothes
As long as the dog cooperates. . . We went out yesterday for a run, it was blustery and wanted to sprinkle. Rain in NM is like snow anywhere else, rare and exciting. I've been dealing with some PF lately and decided to just walk the first mile BF, which was nice until a local dog who is likely not harmless rushed us. Huaraches, when not worn, double as a dog deterrent. I hate other people's dogs, particularly when they are undisciplined and/or off leash.
Anyway, after about a mile we did a light run. I worked hard to keep good form. The soles of my feet are getting well conditioned which makes a huge difference. The dog has decided that putting just a little tension on the lead is fun, which makes me feel like a sled dog. This is not relaxing and I don't have the confidence in my running muscle memory yet to run this way. She will likely stay home next run.
A 2 mile run is a lot closer to a 3 mile run than no run at all!
Anyway, after about a mile we did a light run. I worked hard to keep good form. The soles of my feet are getting well conditioned which makes a huge difference. The dog has decided that putting just a little tension on the lead is fun, which makes me feel like a sled dog. This is not relaxing and I don't have the confidence in my running muscle memory yet to run this way. She will likely stay home next run.
A 2 mile run is a lot closer to a 3 mile run than no run at all!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
My first 5K and cross training in the high desert
I ran my first 5K today!!! It seems such a small distance but I'm proud nonetheless. Not knowing what to expect, I went into it with an open mind which was good. The course was on a trail north of the Sandia Mountain in Placitas NM - it was beautiful out there but I'm glad my huaraches came with me or it would have been a disaster. The good news is the trail was wide and in good shape so the surface presented no problems. I got cheap and didn't pre-order the t-shirt, bummer, but I have my bib which is dated and labeled as the first in a large collection to come.
I started out too fast with the herd when I shouldn't have been - note to self - it's okay to start at the back of the pack next time. Husband ran with me - it was nice to have him join me on my first official event. No one stepped on me and I was not ridiculed for wearing handmade huaraches and not running shoes - all in all a success.
It's spring in the high desert which means gusts of wind up to 55 MPH. So, I spent part of the afternoon liberating the bumper crop of 2010 tumbleweeds from that portion of the yard under our leach field. This is very good exercise for core muscles. I wish the tumbleweeds well on their journey east (in the direction of the wind).
I started out too fast with the herd when I shouldn't have been - note to self - it's okay to start at the back of the pack next time. Husband ran with me - it was nice to have him join me on my first official event. No one stepped on me and I was not ridiculed for wearing handmade huaraches and not running shoes - all in all a success.
It's spring in the high desert which means gusts of wind up to 55 MPH. So, I spent part of the afternoon liberating the bumper crop of 2010 tumbleweeds from that portion of the yard under our leach field. This is very good exercise for core muscles. I wish the tumbleweeds well on their journey east (in the direction of the wind).
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Why bother running barefoot?
I am chronically unorganized. As an artist, this is an asset - it allows me to take in new ideas without worrying about "the way it should be" or what else I'm working on (I'll get back to it eventually). As a business person, not so much.
When I run barefoot, none of that matters. One naked strong light foot in front of the other. Nothing more, nothing less.
When I run barefoot, none of that matters. One naked strong light foot in front of the other. Nothing more, nothing less.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Running with the Horses
I should start this post with saying my husband loves me. Two years ago we were thinking that San Diego might not be the place we want to spend the rest of our lives. The process of finding a new place, depending on your needs, can be an interesting one. Sperling Best Places is a good start. Do you absolutely need clean air? Can't stomach more than 32% of a particular political party? What about sunny days or number of doctors/thousand. . .
We made a decision to consider the art community and came up with a few interesting options. . . Asheville NC being one of them. Asheville is a most cool town replete with old hippies, new hippies, lots of artists and enough rednecks (I get to say this, I grew up in rural NW Alabama) to keep the place on an even keel. We made an anniversary trip out to Western NC and rented an apt. for a week. Our landlady is now one of my very good friends (Hey Linda - don't be a stranger). While touring the artist colony in some renovated manufacturing buildings near the river, I met a young very talented blacksmith who told me about a women's welding workshop in Taos NM. As luck would have it, the workshop registration closed in just a few days and I had the clams and time available to attend. (more on the workshop in another post). My husband really does love me so we made a trip to NM to poke around a month before the class.
For those of you lucky enough to have experienced this, wow. I stepped off the plane in Albuquerque and just knew I was home. It may have been the elevation (a mile up) or the lack of oxygen (20% less), but I honestly don't care why. Within three months, we were the proud owners of an adobe house in the high desert. This is where the horses come in.
Unbeknown to us, we live a few hundred yards from a Bureau of Land Management area, which has as residents several bands of wild horses. They come by the house a few times a week to drink some nasty warm bird shit water from the concrete bird baths I made last year and to also raid my bird feeders. I put a lot of energy into keeping them out of the feeders, with little luck. Just think squirrels with hoofs. . .
Our recently adopted rescue pit bull runs with me. My husband loves her dearly, her only utility to me is making him happy and running with me (uses up energy, shows her I'm not on the verge of killing and eating her). It must be an alpha dog thing - haven't figured it out yet.
Last week we were out for a run and we come across out local band of horses, about seven in total. I only saw five mares and they were VERY interested in the small pony tied to my waist by a leash. I'm barefoot and have tied my huaraches to the leash and stuffed them into the back of my shorts. Very vulnerable. I did get a chance to pet a large grey nose which was nice, but then the mares decided to make a personal connection with the pony, err . . dog. It took some considerable arm flapping to convince them that they were truly close enough and not missing out on anything. What I didn't know is that our wildlife photographer neighbor was taking shots less than a hundred yards away of a newborn foal and who had just stood up. This likely explains the tranference interest in the dog.
We managed to escape the pod of potential unfulfilled mothers and kept on running. I love New Mexico.
We made a decision to consider the art community and came up with a few interesting options. . . Asheville NC being one of them. Asheville is a most cool town replete with old hippies, new hippies, lots of artists and enough rednecks (I get to say this, I grew up in rural NW Alabama) to keep the place on an even keel. We made an anniversary trip out to Western NC and rented an apt. for a week. Our landlady is now one of my very good friends (Hey Linda - don't be a stranger). While touring the artist colony in some renovated manufacturing buildings near the river, I met a young very talented blacksmith who told me about a women's welding workshop in Taos NM. As luck would have it, the workshop registration closed in just a few days and I had the clams and time available to attend. (more on the workshop in another post). My husband really does love me so we made a trip to NM to poke around a month before the class.
For those of you lucky enough to have experienced this, wow. I stepped off the plane in Albuquerque and just knew I was home. It may have been the elevation (a mile up) or the lack of oxygen (20% less), but I honestly don't care why. Within three months, we were the proud owners of an adobe house in the high desert. This is where the horses come in.
Unbeknown to us, we live a few hundred yards from a Bureau of Land Management area, which has as residents several bands of wild horses. They come by the house a few times a week to drink some nasty warm bird shit water from the concrete bird baths I made last year and to also raid my bird feeders. I put a lot of energy into keeping them out of the feeders, with little luck. Just think squirrels with hoofs. . .
Our recently adopted rescue pit bull runs with me. My husband loves her dearly, her only utility to me is making him happy and running with me (uses up energy, shows her I'm not on the verge of killing and eating her). It must be an alpha dog thing - haven't figured it out yet.
Last week we were out for a run and we come across out local band of horses, about seven in total. I only saw five mares and they were VERY interested in the small pony tied to my waist by a leash. I'm barefoot and have tied my huaraches to the leash and stuffed them into the back of my shorts. Very vulnerable. I did get a chance to pet a large grey nose which was nice, but then the mares decided to make a personal connection with the pony, err . . dog. It took some considerable arm flapping to convince them that they were truly close enough and not missing out on anything. What I didn't know is that our wildlife photographer neighbor was taking shots less than a hundred yards away of a newborn foal and who had just stood up. This likely explains the tranference interest in the dog.
We managed to escape the pod of potential unfulfilled mothers and kept on running. I love New Mexico.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Sara is barefoot
Running barefoot has had a huge impact on my existence. In my early twenties I was in the Marine Corps and ran because I needed to, in regular running shoes, etc. In my early thirties, after ten years of doing little physically, I made it up to six miles a run, every other day, great! I loved it, felt good, what's to complain about? Then the runner's knee hit. Lots of PT, x-rays, MRI's and threats of surgery left me knowing I would never stand in a corral with other marathon hopefuls waiting for the starting gun to go off.
My husband (a former Marine tank officer) runs and has knocked out a half dozen marathons over the years, which was just salt in the wound. I had many false starts which only left me more discouraged than before.
I'm a very independent "do it myself" person and when I started hearing about barefoot running, just knew it was for me! After years of making my own soap, granola, yogurt, sunscreen, giving birth to my son at home with a midwife (who barely made it on time), living in Hong Kong, walking out on my first husband (not a very good decision, but one that saved my life) and being vegetarian, barefoot running was just one more opportunity to do it my way. Wow.
There were a few bumps as I started out, but with a foam roller, knee strap (which I don't need anymore) and a few golf balls to torture the bottom of my feet, I'm holding my own. Three miles 3x/week and I just registered myself for the Chicago Marathon.
My husband (a former Marine tank officer) runs and has knocked out a half dozen marathons over the years, which was just salt in the wound. I had many false starts which only left me more discouraged than before.
I'm a very independent "do it myself" person and when I started hearing about barefoot running, just knew it was for me! After years of making my own soap, granola, yogurt, sunscreen, giving birth to my son at home with a midwife (who barely made it on time), living in Hong Kong, walking out on my first husband (not a very good decision, but one that saved my life) and being vegetarian, barefoot running was just one more opportunity to do it my way. Wow.
There were a few bumps as I started out, but with a foam roller, knee strap (which I don't need anymore) and a few golf balls to torture the bottom of my feet, I'm holding my own. Three miles 3x/week and I just registered myself for the Chicago Marathon.
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