I ran the first race of the N.E. Mountain/Trail Racing Series this past Saturday in Princeton, Ma. on Wachusett Mt. The course ran up the mountain for about a mile and a quarter on paved road. Then leveled out onto a trail for approximately the next 3/4 of mile. Then we moved onto a single track trail with a down hill lie. This part was the most fun and the most dangerous as we swished through the trees like skiers down a mogul. All the while trying to keep our feet from hitting a rock or root the wrong way. Which is precisely what I did. I got a little airborne and landed as if I were diving into a pool of soft pine needles -lucky for me.
I started the race conservatively. I hadn't run any of these mountain/trail races before, so I didn't know what was in store for me. After the initial euphoria of starting the race, I let the lead runners go and tried to settle into a nice comfortable pace. At the top of the first climb the better runners were clearly gone, and so a second group formed. After clearing the single track trail, non too bruised, the course turned much more vertical as we worked our way up the mountain to the three mile mark. That stretch of mountain was just the kind of work Tim, and I have been training to tackle. So I adjusted my form, and went about the grind of getting to the top of this, approximately 20% grade trail. There were two runners, that I could see, in front of me. I passed both runners as the mountain took it's toll on them. One of them was reduced to walking.
At the three mile point, it was all down hill from there, literally. It was a wonderful feeling soaring down the mountain after the previous climb up. It was time to just let it rip. I was passed by only one runner-I'll fill in the name when I see the results- the rest of the race. He just had better down hill technique than I have, and I couldn't catch him.
Overall, I placed 17Th out of, I believe, 320 runners. I felt pretty good for my effort, and I felt as though I represented Running Raw well.
After the race, we talked to other runners with Tim occasionally taping his conversations with the camera for future videos. We handed out raw raisin buckwheat cookies which went over very well. Even to the non-raw runners who tried them.
As for, Tim Van Orden, he had a "photo" finish with three runners and came in fifth place overall and first master.

Tim Van Orden Latest video posted: http://runningraw.com/races.html#wachuse

Raw Journey

I haven't sat down and encapsulated my raw "journey" yet. Most of these "journeys " sound like some "born-again" christian testimonial. Like all testimonials, they start with the prodigal son story: The poor heathen living in sin, or in this case, fat and out of shape. Then in their darkest hour, they are saved, and live life righteously thereafter. Or, as it may be, a healthy life, with a purpose, and a nice glow on their cheeks.

I'm going to tell this story as a runner would, because that is who I see myself as today, a raw vegan runner. But, I had not been a runner for many many years, or as I will sometimes say, it was: "Many beers ago".

As a kid, I identified myself as a runner. That's what I did. That's what I did better than the other kids in the neighborhood. I ran home from school, and beat the buses home. I ran in the woods in front of my house, without shoes, so I could feel the forest floor on my feet. I was unbeatable at tag. I was in a constant state of movement.

When I got to high school, I ran cross country and track, and I did pretty well. I was good, but I wasn't great. I had laid the foundation as a kid to be great, but when my teens hit, it was hard to stay focused on running. I got severely depressed at times. I sometimes got involved with the party scene. Running became a chore. And even though I still ran, it was only because I was good at it, that I kept it up.

Still, I was good enough to win all but one race my senior year in track, and I came in third All Western Ma. in cross country. But, when high school was over, running was over too. I just quit. I used to say that I didn't like running, that I only did it because I was good at it. I've come to realize, that was a lie.

It's hard to believe that a person can live another twenty three years without the thing in their life that makes them feel special, and what gives them a purpose, but that's what I did. During that time, although I was a vegetarian, I was not a healthy person.

I moved to New York City in my early twenties to write plays and poetry. I was an all-in buyer of the bohemian, demon-filled writer guy, hell bent to ruin. I lived in the East Village, and I drank, and wrote at the darkest bars. My Dylan Thomas impression was spot on. I took my running ability and flushed it down a bar room toilet. I would have to live with the fact that I did not give my best to running, and that I "sacrificed the gift". Steve Prefontaine would not have been impressed.

Of course, most of that has changed as I have gotten older, I got married, had a kid etc. While still living in NYC I frequented the Village Zendo, and began a meditation practice which has become a very important ingredient in my daily life.

I support myself by working in the food industry. I trained on the job to be a pastry assistant twenty years ago. I have a degree from the French Culinary Institute. I have worked for the pre-eminent wedding cake maker, Sylvia Weinstock, as her head baker, and I am currently the bakery manager at the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Stockbridge, Ma.

I should say that my weight had always been an issue as an adult. I am a baker, for goodness sakes. I became a pastry chef because I like sweets, a lot! Still do. So, my weight, for the most part had hovered between 195 and 210. That's not great when you're only 5'9". Things only got worse when I got to Kripalu and had all of this buffet vegan food everyday. Yes, you can be fat and vegan at the same time, trust me. As time went on, I got up to 235 pounds. My blood pressure was high, and I just wasn't feeling that great. I should also admit that I didn't like being the overweight baker at a yoga center, where most people walking around, are looking more fit than me.

I became conscience of a raw vegan lifestyle about four years ago, from an article in a magazine. It was a Q&A with Juliano. I thought he was nuts, and I quickly dismissed the whole thing; but the seed took root somewhere in my head. I remembered Juliano talking about the amazing health benefits one got for being raw vegan. I started to do a little research, and everyone was saying the same thing. You'll feel great all the time. You'll have more energy. You'll get sick less often or not sick at all, as some would say. So, I was curious.

Then, two years ago, I said I would try it for a month. That's it. No promises after the month. Just a month. I was extremely skeptical that it would make any difference in my life. But, I was very serious about giving it a shot, for that month.

I still remember the first day I ate as a raw vegan. After lunch, I had more energy, rather than the sluggish feeling I had become used to after eating a meal. After a week, I remember feeling really good! Exceptional, as a matter of fact. I didn't have a blender, or a dehydrator or a spiralizer or anything at this time. I was just eating food in a totally different way: The way it was meant to be eaten! What a concept! Just don't cook it. Crazy, right.

Even before my maiden month was over, I knew I was never going back to cooked food. After seven months I lost 70 pounds, and I had never felt better in my life. Then almost a year ago, I was browsing YouTube for raw vegan videos, when I came upon, Tim Van Orden. He was like the Running Ghost Of The Past coming back to haunt me. It was like he was saying, "Michael, you can still do it. You can still be a runner". Then I thought, you know, I feel good, let's see what's possible. So, I set a goal. I would run the Thanksgiving Turkey Trot in North Adams. I had about three and a half months to train for it. All I wanted to do was put in a good effort. I came in third! First, in my age group.

Now I try not to put limits on myself, or say I can't do something. It's all possible, and now that I am training hard to get back to where I was twenty three years ago, I know I will get there. The "Prodigal Son" has run home.

For the past month and a half I have had the immense privilege to be training with Tim VanOrden. And, I can tell you that I have gotten stronger and faster within that short amount of time. But, more importantly, I ran the smartest race I have ever run a few weeks ago at the Race-For-Research 5k in Springfield, Ma., due to his great coaching.
As some of you know, I have been running again since this past August, after not having run in twenty three years! At the beginning, my goal was to be competitive again in some local races, and to just stay fit. But, as I have gone on with this journey my goals have changed to: Let's see what's possible. Is Tim right? Will I gain an advantage by being a raw food vegan, and can I get back into the shape I was in when I was eighteen?
So far the answer is pointing to, yes. It's all possible! I still have a long way to go, but I have no doubt that I will get there.
At the Race-For-Research in Forest Park, on the 26Th of April, it was an unusually hot day. By 9:00 is was 80 degrees. That was a bit concerning, due to the fact that my training had not acclimated me to that kind of heat yet.
Running in this race to support our friend who is fighting a very aggressive rare form of cancer: Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma, was my wife Ginger, our friend Chrissie, Tim and me. My goal in this race was to set a much faster personal record for a 5k than I had run before. To help me do this, Tim (who had won a race the day before) graciously agreed to pace me during the race.
I have to tell you that I have never really run with a strategy before. Especially as an eighteen year old, it was: Gun goes off, run as fast as I can, for as long as I can. That's it. And, on this hot spring day, that would have been a very poor strategy. But, old strategies die hard.
The first mile was flat with a little downward slope, so we got into a comfortable cruise, nice and easy. At the first mile marker I was way behind four guys in their late teens and early twenties. The old strategy in my head wanted to kick in and go after them as hard as I could. But, Tim said, "Back off. There are hills coming. We'll catch them". I didn't believe him. I was even more doubtful when we hit the first hill, and he told me to back off some more. Now I'm convinced I'm toast. But, Tim said, "When we get over the hill, we'll really go."
And that's what we did. By the second mile mark we were gaining on the guys in front of us.
Then another hill. Once again, we slow down, taking small steps, conserving our energy.
Tim knows Forest Park well, as he has raced there many times before. So he knows there is one more hill three quarters of a mile before the finish line.
Just before that hill we pass one of the runners. Going up the hill there are two runners directly in front of us, and we're gaining on them fast! When we get to the top of the hill, it's a quarter mile flat race to the finish.
Now, we have the fresh legs, and we're kicking it into another gear. We blaze past two of the twenty year olds, almost at full sprint. There is only one more runner in front of us, and we're gaining on him. At this point he can hear us, and he knows he's in trouble, but he holds on and gets to the finish line just before we catch him. As soon as he crosses the line, he loses his breakfast. Ouch.
A great race! I got second over-all, and first place in my age group. Obviously, Tim could have won the race at any point, but was a good friend, and let me take second.
And the goal was accomplished, as I broke my best time by thirty seconds!

Since that race, my training has only gotten more intense. So we'll see what happens in the upcoming months.

A Conversation

Here's a conversation I just had on facebook. I think it's amazing that, Lisa, a mom with no vegetarian back-ground, wants to support her 15 year old daughter to become a vegetarian. Incredible, right? Of course Lisa has questions, everything she has learned tells her that her daughter will not get enough protein or nutrients, but she is open-minded enough to want to support her daughter. I think she's a wonderful Mom!!
6:10pmLisa
michael, i have a question for you
6:10pmMichael
yeah?
6:11pmLisa
chelsea is 15 and wants to be a vegetarian
do you think she's too young
6:11pmMichael
fantastic!!
no of course not.
we are born vegetarians
6:12pmLisa
she showed me and victor a you tube on why to become a one...it was quite interesting
6:13pmMichael
I'll ask you a question: When you see a dead dear on the side of the road, do you think about getting out of the car to open it's belly with your mouth? Or, rather if you saw an apple truck, would you think about eating an apple?
6:16pmLisa
yea, i hear you....definitely the apple.
when she showed us the video, it was heartbreaking seeing the animals
6:17pmMichael
of course! We cook meat to make it palatable. If we didn't, we wouldn't eat it.
6:18pmLisa
I know, you make perfect sense. I just hope if Chelsea decides to do this she sticks with it...
6:22pmMichael
she'll need help from you, because she'll be pressured by everybody who thinks they know better. You'll have to help her by giving her a balanced diet. You can be a junk food vegetarian as much as you can be a junk food carnivore.
6:23pmLisa
she's behind me and said she might request you for a friend...i told her she could learn a lot from you...and of course i would
6:23pmMichael
i would be honored
6:24pmLisa
help her with anything she decided to do, that's what us moms do
6:24pmMichael
you're a great mom!
6:24pmLisa
i try
6:26pmMichael
I have started a meet up group for Raw Vegans. We're going to have our first get together on Mother's day. It would be great if you and our daughter came. Or the whole family for that matter.
6:27pmLisa
I can't on Mother's day, Victor is having a party at the Portuguese club and I'm staying home with Nicole...she's bed bound...but let us know the next time
6:29pmMichael
I will. If you would like, google Berkshires Raw Meet Up and join the group.
6:30pmLisa
ok thanks i will. but she wants to know what a raw vegan is.
6:31pmMichael
A raw vegan is a person who eats only uncooked vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds.
6:32pmLisa
oh OK. ill let her know. thanks
6:34pmMichael
I know it sounds incredible, but I believe that's the way we're supposed to eat. I work 8-10 hours a day, then I train 1-3 hours after that every day, and I feel fantastic!
6:35pmLisa
wow...and you have great energy..
6:35pmMichael
exactly!!
6:36pmLisa
michael, it's always a pleasure talking to you, but i have to get going...thanks for the information..talk to you soon.
6:36pmMichael
talk to you soon... bye
6:36pmLisa
k.bye

Meet Up Group

Hey Everyone, Tim VanOrden my wife Ginger and I have formed a raw vegan meetup group for the Berkshires of Ma., southern Vermont, and Albany NY area. This is going to be a fun group. Sure we'll have pot-lucks, but we also plan to do other fun and exciting things, as well. I would love to meet as many raw vegan friends as I can, so if you're in the area be sure to drop by at one of our meetups.

Good Intentions

Well it happened again as it inevitably will from time to time. The question: "Raw vegan, huh? What do you eat? Grass?" Sometimes I play along, and say: "Yeah, I steal from bird feeders, or I graze on my front lawn." And, of course, this is not the persons fault who doesn't know how they would eat if everything didn't come cooked, wrapped, boxed and packaged, but rather it is the fault of the good-intentioned.
It seems as though the more social developers try to make our life "better", the more it gets screwed up. I'm thinking of Monsanto, bioengineering food to produce more food than we ever could organically. If we could control nature, we could feed millions of more people. Good intentions, right? Disastrous results. I'm thinking of fish farming. Same thing. I'm thinking about scientists torturing billions of non-human animals in experiments in a desire to cure diseases nobody needs to have been afflicted with if they ate properly in the first place. I'm thinking about the debate on universal health care. Great idea, right? To me, it sounds like health care cooked, wrapped, boxed and packaged. The idea seems to be, lets all pay billions of dollars into a pool, and the people who are healthy will pay for those who get sick. Nice idea, right? But, is this the dog trying to catch its tail. Government (our taxes) give subsidies to the factory farms like Monsanto and Archer-Daniels Midland etc.; companies that make people sick in the first place, then we pay the government health insurance money, which in turn pays the medical and pharmaceutical companies. Meanwhile, nobody is cured from anything. All of this is done with "good" intentions.
When people fool with Gods' natural laws bad things happen. I'll try to tell a story that I heard from Pragata a Qigong teacher.
God was walking the Earth a long time ago, and came upon a farmer surveying his farm. God said,"Behold your many blessings and wonderful bounty."
And the Farmer said, "God you sure know a lot about the Earth and all it's many creatures, but you don't know anything about farming."
And God said, "Why do you say this?"
The Farmer said, "Throughout the year it is a struggle. Sometimes it will not rain when I need rain, and my fields go dry. Sometimes all it does is rain, and my fields are flooded. Many of the insects you have created eat my stocks and leaves leaving my plants barren.
If you would give control of these forces to me, I will show you how to farm."
So, God agreed and gave the Farmer the ability to control the weather and the insects. And so it was, when the Farmer needed rain, it rained. When he needed sun, the sun shone brightly. And, not an insect ate from a single plant.
The Farmer was very pleased, as it looked to be his most bountiful harvest ever!
Then God appeared to the Farmer and said, "Bring me a shaft of wheat so I can see your handy work." So the Farmer bent down to pull a shaft of wheat, but the wheat disintegrated in his hand. He then raced to other plants on his farm, and sure enough, they crumpled in his hand.
The Farmer said, "I don't understand! everything was perfect. "
And God said, "You took away the struggle which contains the life force from your farm. Everything was perfect so the plants didn't need to be strong, so they withered and died in your hand.

As a t.v. commercial once put it: "It's not nice to fool with Mother Nature". They were selling margarine, which was later found to make people sicker than butter.

Me Man Very Smart

I'm dealing with my first runner's injury: tendinitis in my ankle. Consequently, I have had to take three days off from running. I had planned to run a 5k race this coming weekend, and have already payed for it, so I am hopeful that I'll be good enough to go.
I am icing, and believe it or not,even stretching to help the ankle. I read that this particular injury needs proper rest or it can become a chronic problem. So, in my warped world, three days is proper rest. We'll see.

I wanted to write about a story in the news I read the other day. It was about a caged monkey in a zoo that stored up rocks in the morning to throw at people later in the day. Now the geniuses in the science & news world were amazed that this monkey was able to plan his rock throwing idea ahead of time.
Hundreds of thousands of years living with monkeys on this planet, and they think that's a discovery? Boy, you know we are out of touch with nature and our natural world when this is news.
My basset hound knows when I leave for work in the morning so he can get on the couch. And, he knows what time my wife wakes up so he can jump off. A miracle!!!
Of course, they never asked: "What could be upsetting this monkey?"
I don't know, maybe he doesn't want to live the rest of his life caged and exploited!!!
Maybe this little playground they built for him doesn't come remotely close to the life he should be living. Maybe after throwing his feces at passersby for a long time, he finally thought, "I'm going to throw something heavier at these meatballs, they don't seem to get it!"
They've probably already honored his ingenuity by dissecting his brain.
Lord help us.