Friday, May 28, 2010

Episode 44: Our Not So Secret Smoothie

On this show we share our favorite smoothie recipe that you can find here at Canadian Running Magazine.




http://runningmagazine.ca/2010/04/sections/health-nutrition/nutrition-get-real-whole-foods-for-runners/




http://ultradad.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=619372


Blueberry Ultra Power Smoothie



1 banana fresh or frozen (peeled, break off into 2″ pieces, and freeze overnight)

1/2 cup pre-soaked almonds (soak 1/4 cup almonds in water 3 to 4 hours or overnight)

1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries

2 1/2-3 cups of water

3 tablespoons Green Foods Vegan Protein Powder

6 dates or 2-3 tablespoons natural sweetener

3 tablespoons Udo’s Oil DHA 3-6-9 Blend

2 tablespoons raw maca powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or raw vanilla powder

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Add water if a more liquid consistency is desired.

Makes 3-4 servings.

Nutritional info per serving

Calories: 312

Fat: 19.5 g

Carbohydrates: 30.3 g

Protein: 7.9 g

Fibre: 5.5 g

Sodium: 317 mg

Anonymity and the Podcaster


Anonymity and podcasting make strange bedfellows. On one side you have the security and privacy issues while one the other side you can be autobiographical while sharing your views to the podcast world. I am a podcaster, every episode I tell you my name is Rob and I am the host of the Ultradad Podcast. In the past I’ve told you about the races I’ve run H2H 100K and STORMY 50 mile. I’ve told you I’m married with 4 kids and at various times I’ve told you their names. While not being completely transparent, in today’s information overloaded web world it wouldn’t take Sherlock Holmes to figure out what my last name is or where my house is.


There was a recent episode of Criminal Minds, a TV show I watch, where the killer stalked his victims via Facebook and Twitter. Of course this is an extreme case and was sensationalized by some very good writers but the point was made. I had to smile when in the opening moments of the show Joe Mantegna’s character David Rossi was going through some of the Tweets of the victims like “Had dinner at such and such”, “Going to shower now” while those weren’t the exact Tweets they were very similar. Rossi was mystified as to why anybody would post this information and why anybody would want to read this was just as mind boggling. And yet still we all do it.

Whether we like it or not information about us is out there. I live in a small, very blue collar town and a lot of my friends don’t own computers, some don’t carry their cell phones when they go out. That being the case they aren’t on Facebook or Twitter. So I was curious what kind of information was out there for these 1970’s throwbacks. Amazingly there was quite a bit of information to pick up enough information to write a small biography with pictures. Have you ever Googled your name?

Podcasters are a weird breed. We run the gamut from being completely anonymous using only a pseudonym or a web identity to being completely open with our first and last name. While I consider myself stuck in the middle I can see myself leaning more to the openly transparent podcasters. Like I said before there is more than enough information out there to figure out who I am.

I guess we leave it to the discretion of our listeners if they want to be cyber-sleuths and figure it out I’m okay with it just so long as they don’t show up at my front door. Look me up on Facebook! I kind of like those podcasts that share their daily lives with us. Not just the peaks but the valleys too. We can both celebrate and sympathize.

I guess where I’m going with this is the boys formerly of Trilogy Running have a new podcast called Those Guys Running. It’s basically the same format as before but they don’t ever mention their names. But through word of mouth, past history and clearly identifiable voices it won’t take long to figure out who they are. I can respect their need for privacy but who are they kidding. It’s out there. It’s like Rossi from the Criminal Minds episode later explained. Once you put something up there on the internet it’s up there forever.

Friday, May 14, 2010

Episode 43: The Barefoot Debate

http://media.libsyn.com/media/ultradad/uD43_Barefoot.mp3

Well folks we've switched to Libsyn. I guess when you compare Podbean and Libsyn the two are very similar but I just liked the look of Libsyn. In the brief time that I've used it I've got to say Libsyn is by far a lot easier to use. My uploads are so much faster and user friendly because I don't have to use a ftp server to upload. On the downside I couldn't figure the whole iTunes feed thing so there is a new feed on iTunes. It is identical to the Podbean feed so the show hasn't changed much.

On today's show I wanted to put my two cents into the Barefoot Debate. I want to start by saying that I'm firmly sitting on the fence on this one. But I bring up something to think about. For example, if barefoot is suppose to be good for you by strengthening your foot because there is less support for it. You are forced to land on your forefoot etc. Then why aren't worn out running shoes just as good. The argument that a shoe wears out after so many miles baffles me now. The compression of the foam rubber cushioning is a slow transition. And doesn't the foot adapt to the changing conditions of the shoe?

Do you remember the article mentioned in Born to Run about the foot strike impact of barefoot runners and shod runners? That the impact was actually less with the barefoot guys and the adaptation of shod to barefoot was immediate. Based on this information I would think if a shoe wears out in 500 miles the foot strike, impact force and stride would slowly adapt over the 500 miles so that at mile zero you may be a heel striker but at mile 500 you transition to forefoot more to balance out the loss of cushioning. Does that make sense? I don't know it's just food for thought.   Give it a listen at the above link and thanks for dropping by.

PS the feet I use in my id tag are my daughters.  We are on the beach at La Jolla in California.  Aren't they cute?