I think nothing speaks to my ADHD like my association with cyclocross racing. It’s got obstacles, changes in pace, technical sections and requires some endurance. Right up my alley, no? It’s a very ADHD sport, actually, but I can never seem get my Fall schedule straight enough to have a running cyclocross bike AND make it to some races. My first race didn’t go super well. My second race later that month only went marginally better. Then two years ago I was in SF and some friends basically did everything but ride the bike for me: They gave me a bike, clothing, shoes and a ride to the race. And it was super fun. That was the last time I raced cross.
This year I came across a brand-new Masi singlespeed cross bike for only $320 (!!) and couldn’t pass it up. Now I have no reason not to race! Dorothy Wong from So Cal Cyclocross had a UCI race weekend scheduled in downtown LA and I couldn’t pass it up.
Why drive rollers to a race when you can warm-up by towing a pug five miles?
I got there 20 minutes before the Mens B race and scrambled (no surprises here, right?) and to make the start. Then I had a mechanical! My wheel moved forward. I didn’t know what to do so I went to the pit, got yelled at for having my number folded, got my tools from my bag, fixed it and then resumed racing. I didn’t catch anyone, but I did hustle and ride hard. Plus it gave me the opportunity to do this every lap:
Jumping the Over/Under, photo courtesy of Errin Vasquez at FrontageRoads.com
An hour later I raced the Singlespeed B race and it was really fun. I still jumped this every lap and it turns out I finished third! I didn’t know what place I was in, I was just trying to stay out of the way. Stoked!
The next day I could only make the Mens B race and I gave it a good go and finished mid-pack. I tried to ride one of the run-ups and crashed and then tried to bunnyhop the double barriers and crashed there too. Some guy from Mudfoot then tried to catch me in the last straight, but I out-sprinted him on my singlespeed to hold on to the coveted 25th place. Oh and my friend Todd Munson, somewhere around lap 3 or 4, when I was nice and tired, said, ‘hey do a big air this time so I can film it.’ And of course I almost crashed there too- see video below. Ha.
Super fun times! I raced a $300 bike 3 times, spending about half of that on entry fees and a license, but definitely worth it. I love Dorothy’s events and can’t wait to get to more of them.
I spent all day yesterday packing up the rewards from our Kickstarter and mailing them all over the world. It felt great to return the cheer to those who helped us out. Very excited for them to get their envelope!
I’ve spent a lot of time at endurance races, but almost all of them have been bike events. I’ve officiated at the Badwater 135, so I’ve some idea about ultra-running, but what I experienced this past weekend at the Javalina Jundred 100-mile foot race was completely new. I went out with my friend Donovan to film our first Kickstarter funded episode of Day in the Life so I can’t give away too many details….but let’s just say he wasn’t the only one to walk (limp?) away more stoked on ultra running than before the weekend started!
Donovan out on the course in the beautiful Sonoran Desert.
Watching runners come through the start/finish all day and then into the night was really something else. The course is a 15-mile loop with each lap run in the opposite direction. The last lap is only 10 miles to make 100 (101 actually!). We had gotten there earlier enough on Thursday to snag a camping spot right at the start/finish so we were embedded in all of the action. In true Swarm! fashion we camped each night (many people set up their camp and then stayed in hotels) and cooked all of our meals on camp stoves. And keeping with the Burro Schmidt Running Club tradition started at the Calico 50k earlier this year, we cooked pancakes and beans. How cool is it that the athlete we film is down to camp and to be cheap before his first 100-mile run? I don’t know how we keep finding these people!
Our base camp. Photos courtesy of Donovan's mom who flew in from Montana for the race!
I’m going to have a full post with the Day in the Life episode where you’ll learn more about Donovan, his unbelievable path to veganism and what it was like to run his first 100-mile race. Meanwhile I just couldn’t wait to mention this race and the awesome time I had out there. If you have the opportunity to do support at an ultra event please do take it. Being a part of an accomplishment like this is really gratifying; you don’t even have to run it! Discovery wrote about this year’s race if you’d like to get more of an idea about it.
[Note: I started this post on Tuesday before Bil Keane died. Rest in Peace.]
When I 14 I was paperboy, which I loved, despite being up by 530am every morning. The positives- riding my bike and getting paid, getting paid (!), outweighed the negatives- always having to be around and always having to be up super early. It gave me an odd amount of time every morning before school which I used to read the paper, mostly the comics. Like everyone, Calvin and Hobbes and the Farside were my favorite (Have you seen the zine that organizes Calvin & Hobbes by political commentary PDF!?). Though I did read all of them including the Family Circus, which I never thought of as particularly funny or creative. But it did leave me with something else. Occasionally the author would show the path that Billy (is it Billy?) had been on all day with dashed lines all over the neighborhood. I’ve always though about what my line looks like each day. And apparently I’m not the only one who thinks about this- The French sociologist Paul-Henry Chombart de Lauwe asked a grad student to keep track of her movements in Paris to see if people really take advantage of large cities.
But when I’m in Ocean Beach San Diego, I don’t need dashed lines or a sociological study to know what my route looks like. I love this neighborhood: some of the best vegan food in the world is here. There, I said it. And here’s why:
The Ocean Beach People’s Organic Food Market
The Ocean Beach People’s Organic Food Market is an all-vegetarian, member-owned cooperative that has been in this neighborhood since 1972. I love co-ops and always try and visit new ones when I’m traveling. But none have had what People’s has: A bangin breakfast. Possibly the best vegan breakfast I have ever eaten outside of my own kitchen. Restaurant breakfasts are the Achilles Heal of veganism. Options are rare and when they exist it’s often meh tofu scramble. Not here.
SO GOOD!
The potatoes are real breakfast potatoes! Cut into bite size pieces and cooked until crispy with just the right amount of salt. The tofu scramble is good as are the tempeh sausages, but what wins the award is the vegan biscuits and gravy. VEGAN BISCUITS AND GRAVY FOR BREAKFAST! The biscuits are that perfect texture where they are flaky, yet filling. And the gravy is tasty and creamy yet not overly decadent for a breakfast meal. The best part? You can get a full plate and a cup of coffee for under $8. And the organic coffee is excellent! It’s a meal that I dream about. Famous vegan blogger Quarry Girl discovered People’s breakfast and also gave it rave reviews. Yes, it is worth a trip to San Diego.
Liticker’s Tacos
Last Spring, when I rode LA to San Diego for the Mt Laguna Cycling Classic I txt’d my friend Stu to let him know we were close and super hungry. He responded that they were going to get burritos from the liquor store. What? And that was my introduction to Liticker’s Tacos. Sorry Quarry Girl, I agree with you about People’s breakfast, but the best vegan Mexican food in San Diego is not at Pokez, but in a liquor store on Voltaire St.
Tijuana-style TacoSeitan Burrito
Have you ever ridden past a taco truck and thought, ‘why can’t vegan food like that exist?’ Now it does! The cooks at Liticker’s work magic with seitan, tempeh and tofu from TJ style tacos to California burritos with french fries. And everything I have ever eaten there is better than anything in Los Angeles or San Francisco. The seitan must be marinated and then grilled to perfection. It’s slightly salty, the way it should be and full of flavor. Even the tempeh has a flavor that I’ve never experienced. My non-vegan friend Mark said it best, ‘Finally it’s real Mexican food made vegan.’
XhabaneroX
Stephanie’s Bakery
My dashed line in Ocean Beach is often between the two above places, but on weekends I try and stop in at Stephanie’s Vegan Bakery, also on Voltaire. I’ve written about Stephanie’s previously. What a street! Does it really rival the Vegetarian Paradise 2-Bagels on the Square-Red Bamboo situation in Manhattan? Maybe so.
Some Stephanie's Bakery treats
Rancho’s Mexican and Vegetarian Cuisine
Around the corner from Voltaire is Rancho’s which has a hugely expanded vegan menu: tamales, quesadillas, mole, and a number of burrito fillings including carne asada. Vegan carne asada! This makes Pokez the third best place for vegan Mexican in San Diego. The carne asada burrito comes with meat, daiya, guacamole and salsa. I add rice and beans mostly just to keep the grease from running down my hand and onto my arm and to remind me that I am indeed eating a vegan burrito. They also have a location in North Park on 30th St at University. I can’t seem to find my photos from Rancho’s so instead here are two spooning dogs I get to hang out with when I’m in Ocean Beach.
Bear and Reba, possibly the two sweetest living beings I know.
Want a ridiculous day of eating that no nutrition professional should ever recommend? Here it is:
Breakfast at People’s Co-op
Lunch at Liticker’s
Snack at Stephanie’s
Dinner at Rancho’s
Dessert back at the Co-op
The Co-op also has a vegan bakery. What a world.
Just don’t eat like this every day and then go and tell people an RD told you to do so…
Today is Food Day and I would like to use this opportunity to link food issues and Occupy Wall Street. Many people are already doing this, as this poster and the following links from Marion Nestle’s site, Food Politics, shows.
These articles do a great job of discussing the global economy and how it affects our food choices, but you may already know this. If you have ever worked all day and are too tired to make food or are out late and the only thing open is fast food- you probably know this intuitively. We work more and have more technology than ever yet less time to spend learning about nutrition and cooking food. Why? I think for the same reasons that Wall Street is being occupied. We work to create wealth, yet don’t benefit as much as we should. The wealth we create travels upward to those who already have more than us. Want some proof? Business Insider compiled a fantastic set of graphs: What Wall Street Protesters Are So Angry About.
# They [Corporations] have profited off of the torture, confinement, and cruel treatment of countless animals, and actively hide these practices.
How cool is that? And at OccupyLA there is even an affinity group called Occupiers for Animals.
Why are we protesting and what does it mean? I think Chris Hedges (Pultizer Prize winning war correspondent!) says it best in this video. Someone of his caliber, who has seen wars and uprisings all over the world in the previous three decades, getting this emotional over Occupy really captures its importance. Brought tears to my eyes.
OCCUPY LONDON PROTESTER: There is a political vacuum in the country at the moment. It doesn’t matter who you vote for, doesn’t matter what party gets in. The essential decisions are made, and what’s decided really is the same, no matter if it’s Labour or left, right, middle. You know, it’s all just middle now. So when there is no real choice there, because everything is the same, the people, I believe, feel like their voice has been taken away. And when you’re in a situation where your voice has been taken away, you have to make your voice.
This is a lot to think about and sometimes it’s hard to grasp the importance of the current situation. But a movement is here, if we want it. All of us can help in some way. Education is a part of the equation (pass these resources on to your skeptical friend!), but action is most important. Like my first post about Occupy Wall Street said, let’s stop working toward temporary solutions and cut to the root of the matter.
“If you don’t let us dream, we won’t let you sleep”
First off, in case you didn’t see it on @TrueLoveHealth or in my last update, our Kickstarter for Day in the Life got fully funded! Eighty-five wonderful people kicked down money to the tune of $3,880 ($3546,58 after fees). Check the update for the details and thank you to everyone who helped! More on our project coming soon…
Last month was the American Dietetic Association conference, FNCE, in San Diego. I am the Chair of the Vegetarian Nutrition Dietary Practice Group and a lot of my ‘free’ time is spent working with other amazing vegetarian/vegan Registered Dietitians. This year I was in charge of our Member Reception and we took a big risk and held it off-site from the conference at a bar. Would anyone show up? Well, we secured a sponsor and lured RD’s there with free drinks and vegan food from the absolutely delightful Ocean Beach People’s Co-op, and it worked! Over 100 dietitians came, ate, drank and learned about what we do for vegetarian nutrition. Next year the conference is in Philadelphia and our Practice Group will be celebrating our 20-year anniversary. If you are an RD or Dietetics student you should be there!
And last week I had the honor of speaking at Loma Linda University, where I did my masters degree, about vegan nutrition. I love working with students; they are so engaged and hungry for knowledge. And even at a school that actively promotes vegetarianism, there is a lot to discuss. My presentation has changed over the years from the tenets of vegan nutrition to more along the lines of ‘look at all the awesome stuff I get to do as a vegan dietitian!’ I’m not interested in just convincing students that you can get enough zinc or whatever from plants, but that veganism is not about restriction, but new, bigger opportunities. And also, that is about the animals! Sometimes people forget this and I never want to fail at reminding people that this is why veganism is so important.
This Fall I am not teaching college and have more time than usual. It’s both a treat and a curse! Expect more posts and stories here. I’m also looking for more speaking opportunities at schools and other places. If you have ideas please get in touch. My current locale is Southern California, but I do travel. A lot. Ha!
Also:
-I’m working on an article about iron for vegans for No Meat Athlete, keep your eye out for that.
-I have an Instagram account now and I love sharing photos, so if you’d like to see more of what I shoot (mostly dogs, right now!), find me there. I’ve made a very special handle: MattRuscigno.
-I post to twitter with regularity and don’t forget my facebook page where I share nutrition articles and other fun stuff.
-My good friend and spectacular chef Joshua Plogue is in Southern California for the fall and is looking for cooking opportunities. He does unbelievable themed dinner parties that, with no exaggeration, I can say is the best food I have ever eaten. Hit him up and plan something awesome!
What is everyone else up to? Based on my facebook feed it seems cyclocross and cooking root vegetables, mostly.
I do not hide the fact that my profession, public health nutrition, is the direct result of my social justice activism. I was brought up by working class parents who instilled in me the ethics of empathy and consideration of others at all times. Very simple ideas, yet often not followed or just simply ignored. As a teenager I (unknowingly) turned them into a political analysis that quickly led to veganism, environmentalism and radical politics.
In the early 2000’s I was entrenched in the anti-globalization movement and the early anti-war protests. We didn’t ask corporations and the government to be nicer or to kill fewer people. We challenged their right to do so. Often people misunderstand this as not having demands; we did and do, they just may stand outside of what you think is possible. And that’s the point. A radically different world is possible. Those left of the traditional left are pushing you to dream. Not just in tactics beyond marches, but in how the world can really be.
In public health nearly every issue is one of inequality. There is enough food for everyone, but it is hoarded by corporations to maintain its high expense. There’s enough space for healthy food for everyone, but the farm bill continues to subsidize companies to produce cheap unhealthy foods. Automobiles dominate our streets not because they are the best choice, but the most profitable. Cheap and free clinics are only necessary because most healthcare is beyond the means of millions of people. Public Health exists mostly to address issues of economic inequality! Instead of treating the symptoms, why not address the cause?
So I ask all of you who work in my field to stop for a minute and think about the big picture. I know there are people we want to help right now. I feel it too. But what if we worked to change the system that survives on keeping people poor?
You may feel uncomfortable with this idea. Or going to protests. You may want more structure. I feel it too. But we have to move beyond that. I’ve said before that most of the things worth doing in the world are hard and cause you to sweat. I’d like to add they are also uncomfortable at first. Most people reading my site are okay with discomfort. In fact, we seek it out!
So instead of persuading you to push your comfort physically, today I’m asking you to push yourself politically and support the Occupy Wall St movement.
How do you feel when you watch the footage of cops beating protesters? Or sweatshop workers making our products? Or the story of a widow whose partner died because he couldn’t afford a surgery and didn’t have health insurance? If you have any feeling toward human beings you are mad. Embrace it. Don’t make excuses for the oppressors. Stay mad. Use that anger. Fight back. It’s not useless. You do make a difference. We have power as individuals. And jail isn’t that bad, I’ve been many times. What are you going to say when ten years from now you are asked what you did to stop the inequality that plagues our society?
Here are some resources to learn more, get involved and stay involved:
On twitter you can follow the hashtag for the main NYC protests at #OWS. Local ones have their own, like #OccupyLA and OccupySD
Remember, you can get involved in a variety of ways. Noam Chomsky wrote that when he was young he didn’t think his time was best spent at protests so he decided to write instead. 40 books later….Or my fellow Swarm! racer just made a vegan breakfast for hundreds of OccupyLA folks this morning. There’s no one to tell you how to get involved, it’s up to you…
If you have good links please post them in the comments!
The South hasn’t been on my radar much recently. But last year after racing the Shenandoah 100-mile mountain bike race I headed to Boone to see a close friend.
<3 green rolling mountains.
Vegan food in a small mountain town in the south? No problem. Somewhere in 'town'.
I wish I had my road bike! Around the world I'm enamored with mountain roads.
Riverwest Co-op vegan breakfast. Bangin! I think I ate here every day I was in Milwaukee. And yes, I ate both of these plates! This was the day after my 15-day, 2000-mile bike tour.
Brad and Sam at a new park overlooking the city. Brad is the author of the Please Don't Feed the Bears vegan cookzine and a close friend. We share a philisophy that the toughest path can be the best for that reason alone.
Nothing makes me more stoked than people who are SUPER into what they do. Whatever you do, do it all out.
I just wrapped up four days of meetings and events at the American Dietetic Association annual meeting in San Diego and now I am especially motivated to make our Day in the Life with Vegan Athletes video project a success by reaching the funding goal on our Kickstarter page. Most people still believe you have to eat meat to be a successful athlete, help us show otherwise! Can you take a moment and donate, ‘like’ or promote our page? We are within $1200 and everything helps. Remember, if we don’t reach $3400, we don’t get any funding!
I hate asking for money. That’s why I never do any of those charity rides. But we are very close. I don’t get any of this money, it only goes to our costs for travel, food and equipment! Please check out our Kickstarter page and do what you can!! Here are other ways you can help:
Cara Gillis is a P-R-O cyclist and a fantastic vegan advocate. In this episode we see what’s she up to at the Hollywood Farmers Market and cook up some Awesome Sauce.
Mother Jones: 
