Saturday, September 3, 2011

Moving Day!

Hello, my lovely readers. I truly appreciate you reading Cafe MJ. I wanted to let you know I have decided to move locations. You can now find me at:



Please do come on over and don't forget to sign up (again) for an e-mail subscription. This will send you an e-mail anytime I make a new post! Its so easy, just look on the right side bar where it says, "Follow me by E-mail" and then enter your e-mail address. Done.

My Sincere apologies for switching it up on you so soon! I'm in the dreaming stage and trying to decide what I want for my blog--which means playing around and trying new things!

Namaste!

Friday, September 2, 2011

Walk it Out!

"You Mean You Didn't Run the Entire 9 Hours?"

I’ve met many runners who can’t believe I take walk breaks. “Doesn’t that slow you down? Isn’t it hard to start running again once you stop running?” They hold to the belief that whatever you do, “DON’T STOP RUNNING!” I’ve been passed so many times in the first half of races, only to come back in the last 10K and fly by all those who fatigued their legs too early.

When Josh and I decided to run our first marathon we picked up Jeff Galloway’s marathon training book. The Galloway method encourages runners to follow a run-walk-run pattern. Even Galloway himself, who ran a 2:16 marathon in his day, uses this method. I still employ the run/walk methond in my training and my races. My run/walk ratio depends on the length of my run, the purpose of my run, the conditions (95 and humid = lots of walk breaks), and how I’m feeling on any particular day. I’m not super strict about my ratio and in races I go more by how I’m feeling than my watch. The longer the race, the more valuable walk breaks become both mentally and physically. I probably won't take walk breaks in a 5 K race but you better believe I live for them in a 90 K race. Walk breaks, my friends, are glorious.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Banana Chickpea Energy Bars

Yes, more beans! Many people assume that vegans/vegetarians are wimpy, protein deficient sissies. This just isn’t the case. With so many different varieties to choose from, I never tire of legumes. We particularly love chickpeas at our house. With 15 grams of protein and 12 grams of fiber per 1 cup serving, these guys are money.

So many store bought energy bars are high in sugar and preservatives but low in fiber, quality fats and proteins. These bars provide us with a quick spike in blood sugar but ultimately leave us worse off an hour or so later. Let’s take back the energy bar! Beans, baby, are where it’s at.

These bars can be made in advanced and then stored in the freezer. They are great for a pre-workout snack or a 4:00 pick me up. Skip the Nature Valley bar and grab one of these bad boys.