DCF 2012 Spring

Special Albuquerque Bike Map Edition

Springtime 2012

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Duke City Fit S pring 2012 Jemez River

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Duke City Fit

Springtime 2012

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Duke City Fit From the Publisher

Ken Orth It seems like it was only days ago that I was philosophizing about the blustery winds of autumn. I watched them tear loose the dying leaves of red and gold and toss them about with impunity. I felt the chill of impending winter, and perhaps, of my own mortality. The winds of autumn carried with them a dancing dirge and a quiet introspection about the meaning of life.

Only the autumn winds, I thought, could be called “blustery”.

Now, a half a year and a lifetime later, as the March Winds come roaring through the canyons, I seem to be finding support for that opinion… from the winds themselves, and from their effects upon our lives here in the high desert.

These March Winds are not a messenger. They are not a harbinger of things to come. The March Winds ARE the thing to come. They ARE the future. Thy are a force with which to be reckoned, here and now. They are vibrant and alive.

Blustery, my butt.

These March Winds will knock you on your keester, given a chance. They’ll rip this newspaper out of your hand and send it to Arizona, first class air.

These March Winds will happily rearrange your plastic lawn chairs into a presentation more to their liking… piled up along your west fence. Or on the fence.

These March WInds will roar and howl around and over stuccoed hazards, cinderblock hurdles, and adobe obstructions. They’ll shriek their way through through the bare branches and under garage doors, whistling through eves, windows, and ponderosa pine needles with wild abandon and malicious intent.

They will tear loose what they can, and batter what they can’t with very little regard for supposed ownership or property rights. These mountains belong to them. These canyons are their playground and this valley is their practice range… What can I throw? And how far?

The very definition of determination is carried in the March Winds.

Grit. I’ll show you some grit. I’ll sandblast your face, your car, and the paint off your mailbox. I’ll leave a pile of grit in the shed and a coating of it in your family room.

And how about a little pollen for good measure?

Just how many mucus membranes do you have on your head? The March Winds will find them all and leave behind a pollenic calling card in each and every one of them… like a vagrant dog leaving behind his calling card on your front lawn.

“You get off my lawn, you mangy mutt!” you’d yell, shaking your fist and stomping your feet. But it is not a lawn, and it is not a dog. It’s the March

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Wind, and it will leave when it’s good and darn ready. And it’ll shove some pollen up your nose if it wants to.

How about some juniper dust in your ears, old man? Don’t you shake your fist at me.

Ah, the March Winds. They’re not “blustery” at all, if by that you mean “full of bluster”. That sounds like the preppy guy with a rich daddy, or a middle-school kid with an attitude. All talk and no walk.

That is NOT the March Winds. They not only walk the walk, they run it. They don’t be walkin’ nowhere. They don’t stroll, meander, or dawdle.

They get their butts moving.

If you want an example of how to give it your all, the March Winds are it. As a matter of fact, if you think about it, they’re pretty much the poster child for “over-achiever”. I mean, look at what they’ve got to work with in the first place. Pretty much nothin’. Some air. It certainly doesn’t look like much.

But take that and some grit, and they’re changing the world. At least here in the high desert they are.

At the very least, they cause mere mortals to alter their plans, modify their designs. At their strongest, they drive everything before them.

They carve the rocks and shape the hoodoos.

They bring down trees and they bring down telephone poles.

They move things. Ultimately, I guess, that is what they do. They’re the real movers and shakers of spring. They’re not just into a little song and dance. They’re into changing things. It’s pretty inspirational when you think about it.

But the tallest of the tales, the noblest, are about the Winds of March. They are the most reliable, but also the most enigmatic. Hugely powerful, but invisible. They represent, I think, the very magic, the unseen power, that is our homeland…

If you are going where they are going, the winds will push you along, even as the magic of the high desert will push you and prod you. But if your aim is wrong, your goal misgiven, and you seem to be headed the wrong way, they will fight you, and strive to drive you back.

Even as our enchanted land may, the Winds of March may rearrange your world in their relentless way. Rearrange your life… your very way of thinking.

Sometimes, they are harsh in their methods, perhaps selfish in their interests… the winds and the land… but who is to judge the rightness or wrongness of their intent? They do what they do. What they have done, for far longer than When I first came to the enchanted land, so humans have walked this earth. They will carve many years ago, I was really ill-informed about magnificent sculptures of solid rock, and perhaps what life was like here. Like so many of us were. of human flesh… and finally, in the end, reduce The veterans and the natives would tell us tales of them all to dust. what was to come. What it was like.

They will continue to blow, and sculpt, these Monsoons, they said. Dehydration. Sudden Winds of March, long after I am gone. They will snowstorms. Allergies. The canyon winds. mess with my grandson… with his hair and with I took it all with a grain of salt. Until I got caught his head. And perhaps with HIS grandson, and in a monsoon downpour in a topless jeep and his. Perhaps they will be pushed to soar. To fly. To my wife called about the 8 inches of water that reach a higher place, a place that I only dreamed was flooding our patio. Until the canyon winds about. brought down the towering ash tree across the street. Until the heavy wet snow brought down Ah, the Winds of March. Neither ally nor enemy, the patio roof of our neighbor. Until I woke up with I think, but a fellow traveller. Sometimes going my nosebleeds from the dry air and headaches from way, sometimes not. But, always with a passion the lack of enough water. that I cannot help but admire, and a drive that I I learned. And now that I am a veteran, if not a would do well to emulate. What can we achieve? native, I am the one who tells the tall tales with Where can we go? a gleam in my eye. Of floods and snows and The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind. allergies.

The answer is blowin’ in the wind.

www.dukecityfit.com

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Springtime 2012

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Duke City Fit

n i k Bi ’ e u q r u B Ken Orth

I finally had one in my own two hands. I kid you not. A new one. A little tingle of excitement ran through me at the prospect of opening it up.

It replaced an old one I’d had for years, gone these many months. It had been battered and torn from use, misuse, and mishandling… from greasy hands to rainstorms and sunshine and coffee spots at Flying Star. It had definitely seen better days and had been due to be retired anyway.

I spread the new one out on my kitchen table and gazed longingly at the many lines of blue and red and green. Quite a few had been added since my last one. The lines ran this way and that… curving, bending, intersecting… they covered the darn thing from top to bottom, corner to corner.

One of the lines I looked for first, a green one that ran the whole distance, north to south pretty much right down the middle, ran alongside a wide blue swath that I knew was the river. The Rio Grande.

I ran my finger along it. The Bosque Trail. Here is where it passes Old Town, and here… the Nature Center. And Tingley Beach.

“Dang I like that trail,” I thought to myself, remembering back to my last leisurely ride on it with my wife back last fall. “I gotta do that one again.”

Another green line over by the freeway caught my eye. Green lines are multi-use trails, paved and off the streets. And highly preferred. Often they run alongside arroyos and indeed, this one ran alongside a big arroyo. The Diversion Channel Trail is what my biking buddies called it. I remembered clearly where it ran high above the freeway down by the Big I. I had looked down upon the cars and the trucks on the interstate from my bicycle up in the sky and I believe I had tried to

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sneer at them and failed and laughed and started singing instead.

Dang, I love that trail.

I gotta do that one again.

Which, in turn, got me thinking about my biking buddies… the old geezers. Pete and Ed and Jim. They’re in their seventies and eighties and go riding all the time. Occasionally they let me tag along with them, trying to keep up.

I tell them it’s because I need to do a story, but it’s really because I just like to ride with them. Ed always lays out the route and acts as our trail guide and leader. That works out great. He’s up front paying attention to where we are and where we’re going. He has a GPS mounted to his handlebars that also keeps track of our altitude gains and our mileage.

And while he’s doing that, with fearless precision, alerting us to upcoming hazards like cross-streets, on-coming cyclists, and little old ladies walking dogs… the rest of us are following behind, gawking and gossiping and swapping tall tales and caring not in the least where we are. We pedal, leisurely, unencumbered by details like directions and route. Ed will eventually get us to a coffee shop somewhere, and that’s all that matters.

“Is this Eubank we’re crossing?”

“I don’t know…” and we all look both ways up and down the street in question.

“Could be. Did I tell you about the bunch of us riding 75 kilometers on my 75th birthday?”

They were originally going to make it 75 miles on his 75th, but most of the group didn’t want to spend that much time so they cut it to 75 kilometers and got to the birthday cake all that much sooner.

“Hell, it took up all the extra saved time to light all those dang candles.”

About then we had to stop for a NE Heights trailside attraction.

“It’s a fifteen-hundred-year-old kiva,” Ed tells me as we pull up alongside it.

In addition to trail guide, he is also the historian of the group, always full of stories about Albuquerque’s old days. He has lived here, I think, since the conquistadors came through, or that’s what I tell him anyway. So

he should know. But it looks like a bunch of rocks laid out in the sand to me. And I look a little more critically at it until I hear them chuckling behind me. They’re testing my youthful gullibility again. It is a pretty cool little piece of artwork though.

Later Ed tells me that perhaps we shouldn’t be calling it a kiva. Someone might take offense. Let’s call it a fifteen-hundred-year-old maze instead.

“Okay,” I tell him.

It’s a fifteen-hundred-year-old maze. Give or take a few years.

What I think I like about riding with these guys is that they’re riding not so much to get somewhere, but just to ride. It is not the destination (although there had better be coffee there), it is the journey.

I have often thought, in my more philosophical musings, that I should like to live my life more like that… it’s not where I’m going, it’s where I am.

Life is a journey.

A biking journey right now. And that journey has me pedaling up hill, huffing and puffing, trying to keep up with some half-crazy octogenarians.

I downshift. Again. I have to downshift my gears and downshift my ego. It’s the journey, I say to myself. I don’t have to keep up. I’m riding my mountain bike, not a super-lightweight road bike like they are. I’m pushing more weight uphill on knobby, fat tires, so what do you expect?

Continued on Page 9 After the Map

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the City Fitof Albuquerque Duke City Fit andDuke City

The Albuquerque Bike Trails Map Proudly Present

Albuquerque has one of the finest bike trail systems in the country for a city of its size. Even so, the Duke City continues to plan and work to improve this system. Right now a project is underway to divert the Diversion Channel multi-use trail under the road intersections at Menaul, Candelaria, and Comanche.

When completed the trail, like the Bosque Trail, will not cross any streets.

These off-street, multi-use trails that lace Albuquerque are one of its finest features...providing safer, more scenic ways to traverse the city. These trails are designated in green on the Bike Trails Map. Look for them when plannig your route. Also, keep in mind that all Albuquerque city buses have bike racks. Ride your bike one way, then catch a bus back... expand your ridable territory.

Duke City Fit and the City of Albuquerque are happy to provide you with this official Albuquerque bike trails map. Pull it out and use it to discover how easy it is to navigate the Duke City on a bicycle. Carry it with you along with your other biking paraphernalia.

Pin it up on the wall above your desk.

Take it down to the office supply store and get it laminated.

Explore the map and explore our city. From the foothills of the Sandia Mountains through the Bosque and Old Town to the Petroglyphs and volcanos of the west mesa, it is all there and it is all here...

Let’s get on our bikes and ride!

Later, when you are ready for this map

PULL OUT ENTIRE PAGE Your own Official ABQ Bike Trails map

Springtime 2012

More info: 243-RIDE or www.cabq.gov/transit

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Duke City Fit

e u q r u B ‘ Bikin’ Continued From Page 6 That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

Pete tells me, later, as we’re cruising downhill and my extra weight and the laws of inertia get me back into the thick of things, that he has just recently crossed over the onehundred and twenty-nine thousand mile mark in his personal riding log.

One-hundred and twenty-nine thousand miles!

Maybe Lance Armstrong has that many miles under his belt, but I don’t think I could name anybody else who has. (And Lance, himself, may have had some pharmaceutical help along the way) “You did all those necessary conversions I hope,” I said…”To get those 75 kilometers on your birthday into miles.”

“Yeah,” he said without missing a beat, “Ed’s GPS does that for us.”

I should have known.

And speaking of Lance Armstrong, he did the Tour of the Gila down there out of Silver City a couple years ago.

And so did Pete.

“We both did it in 3,” Pete tells me.

“Lance did it in 3 hours and I did it in 3 days.”

Guffaw.

The Tour of the Gila is a tough one.

It’s 44 miles uphill into the mountains.

“But I think it’s the most beautiful ride I’ve ever been on,” Ed tells me.

“And he’s been on quite few, believe me,” Pete chimes in.

“The ride back down, from the camp to the Mibres River… it is just spectacular!

“Just spectacular.”

Ed has done the Tour of the Gila a couple of times. In fact, that is where Pete and Ed originally met up, many years ago. Then they did it again together last year. That makes 12 years in a row that Pete has done it.

Really?

I look over at him and some kind of awareness seeps into me. These guys are not just bike riders. They’re bike riders. And I’m riding with ‘em. Biking icons.

Springtime 2012

“It’s like I’m riding with Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper, looking for America,” I say.

“No it’s not.”

Sounds good though.

At the end of the ride, Ed consults his GPS and informs me that we covered 24.9 miles and gained a total of 1,100 feet in elevation. I believe it. I’m feeling every one of those eleven-hundred feet in my thighs.

We bid each other adieu and I gaze after them as they cruise on down the hill, heading for home.

Where did those three hours go?, I think. And how did they go so quickly?

Back in my kitchen, I unfold my brand new Albuquerque bike map. I never even opened it up on our trip. I try to recreate our journey with my finger on the green and blue lines.

“What a great ride,” I say to no one, smiling. “What a great ride.”

And the journey continues.

Albuquerque is incredibly easy to navigate on a bicycle. Use the pull-out map to find the nearest bike trails. Use the green “offstreet” multi-use trails as much as you can. Particularly good is the Bosque Trail along the river and the Diversion Channel Trail along and under I-25.

Remember, in general, the altitude goes down as you approach the river from the east or west and goes back uphill as you travel away from it. The trail is relatively level along the river.

You can go one-way, a long way, and then slap the bikes on the bus for a lift back. The bus that runs from the west side to Uptown, along Central, old Route 66, is a good one.

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Duke City Fit

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Duke City Fit

Dynamic Fitness Lifestyle The POWER of BREAKFAST for Living Dynamically!!!

Are you tired of being tired? Do you suffer from decision fatigue and ego depletion?? Are you just plain fed up with hitting the proverbial wall day in and day out??? Can you feel your frustration building from knowing that you’re not living your life to the fullest???? Are you ready to make positive lifestyle modifications that will have you “Living Dynamically” in no time?????

If so sit back, relax and give me your undivided attention because I am about to empower you with what my clients have come to appreciate as one of the most important principles for “Living Dynamically.” After years of witnessing the life changing results manifested by our clients, I feel so strongly about “The POWER of BREAKFAST for Living Dynamically” that I am literally dedicating an entire article to it.

I am confidently testifying to the fact that filling your belly with quality fuel first thing every morning is of the utmost importance if you are going to enjoy a life of eminence! Now I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that since you are reading this information you are either highly interested in “Living Dynamically” or you have been reading my articles for years and are already “Living Dynamically” or you may possibly be a current or previous client of TEAM DB’s. Either way, focusing on this dynamic principle will take your efforts for “Living Dynamically” to an all new level.

So first things first… TEAM DB’s most successful clients sleep 7-8 hours per night for emotional health, overall wellbeing and metabolic recovery. They also know that scheduling much needed time for R&R is necessary for avoiding mental, physical and emotional burnout. If you want to feel your very best while sporting a healthy metabolism, then you must accept the fact that sleep is as important as the air that you breathe! I am not going to get into any more detail on the “The POWER of SLEEPING for Living Dynamically” but I may just have given you a hint as to what my next article could be on… We’ll just have to wait and see.

If we assume that you are in slumber compliance by getting 7-8 hours of quality sleep per night, this would mean that you have been fasting for 9-10 hours or quite possibly longer depending on what time you consumed your last food meal or Meal Replacement Shake.

Then, upon rising, your body is in desperate need of nourishment. This is the way it should be if you are going to enjoy all of the benefits of “Living Dynamically!”

Upon rising you should be revving up your metabolism by eating a metabolic breakfast consisting of clean healthy foods (an omelet, for example) that contains…

Lean Protein (e.g.: Whole Eggs or Egg Whites or a combination of the two) to stop muscle wasting that can occur during the night…

Complex Carbs (e.g.: Oatmeal or Red Potatoes) to energize your morning’s activities…

Fibrous Carbs (e.g.: Spinach or Broccoli) to aid in digestion and cleanse your entire G.I. tract while supplying vital phytonutrients to fight off diseases…

Essential Fatty Acids (e.g.: Ground Flax or Avocados) for cardio vascular and metabolic health!

If you absolutely refuse to eat breakfast, then a Meal Replacement Shake may be substituted. However I would like you to understand that food should be the primary foundation

Springtime 2012

of your eating regime. Meaning that you should still eat 3 food meals per day. It is my professional opinion that Nutritional Supplements are a valuable asset for “Living Dynamically” however Nutritional Supplements are meant to supplement an eating regime of clean healthy food and are most certainly not meant to replace them.

For example, I personally contracted one of the industry’s leading food scientists to develop our very own Meal Replacement Shake to help meet the unique needs of our clients.

Our Metabolic Revelation Rx (MRP Complex) was uniquely engineered to supply the macro and micro nutrients comparative to those contained in a food meal consisting of salmon, brown rice and a medley of steamed veggies.

However if Metabolic Revelation Rx is not available to you, there seems to be a nutritional supplement store on every corner where you can purchase one of the many Meal Replacement Shake products on the market. Be careful to avoid products containing maltodextrin because it is basically high fructose corn syrup in a powder form. If your goal is weight loss then you should also avoid fructose in all forms because it converts to a fatty liquidy substance in your liver and will need to be burned before your body releases your own body fat to be used for energy.

Now I have worked with enough people over the years to know that I must address what seems to be a common concern for those of you who are ready to state your cases for skipping breakfast all together, simply because you are not hungry when you wake up in the morning. There will be no arguments from me because I believe you when you tell me that you are not hungry when you wake up. But I want you to understand that the reason you are not hungry when you wake up is unfortunately because your metabolism is as slow as a 150-year-old tortoise.

Take this to heart! When you skip breakfast you are only making it worse. Much worse! This is because breakfast stimulates the body’s production of the hormone leptin. Leptin paradoxically regulates your appetite and your metabolism. WOW… Just what your heart desires!

Remember the Dynamic Fitness Lifestyle is not about dieting… It is based on eating to build a good metabolism. And again, the first rule for building a wicked fast metabolism is to start your day by consuming a metabolic breakfast!

Here is a nice effective “Bonus Principle” for you!

In many cases, consuming a Meal Replacement Shake right before bed will boost your metabolism while supplying your body with the vital nutrients that are needed for optimal night-time, post-exercise recovery and metabolic health. And to the surprise of most, a bedtime Meal Replacement Shake will boost your metabolism to the point that most of you will be waking up energized, hungry, and ready to start your day with some good quality nutrition. I have seen this “Bonus Principle” work miracles for jumpstarting our client’s metabolisms!

Sooo, outside of your morning devotions and thanking God for abundantly blessing your life, your main focus upon rising each and every morning should be on enjoying a great Breakfast…

That is if your goal is to become a “Dynamic Fitness Lifestyle” living Dynamo!!!

Dwain Kindelberger has been a Personal Trainer since 1981. He is a graduate of The National Academy of Sports Medicine, and is the owner of Designer Bodies Exclusive Personal Training and Nutrition Management Center.

Visit us on the web at

www.designerbodies.net

The information contained in this article is not meant to treat, diagnose or cure any ailments or diseases. Please consult your physician before starting any exercise or nutrition program.

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Duke City Fit

Rolling on the Cottonwood Springs Trail

Ken Holmes

There is a crispness in the air and a vast stillness. The sun is farther to the north now, and the light on the Sandias is brighter. I’m on the Cottonwood Springs Trail in Elena Gallegos. I’m rolling up the trail, but not on a mountain bike. I’m in a mobility scooter.

I’ve rarely seen another disabled person, and very few able-bodied persons either, on this trail. This secluded, accessible path in the foothills, with the Sandia Crest towering 4000 feet above, has views rivaling those in national parks. As I ride up the trail, I wonder if it’s just that few disabled people know about it.

What the trail lacks in length it makes up for in grandeur. The quarter-mile long path crisscrosses an arroyo on wooden bridges, switchbacks a few times, and rises gently to a wildlife blind. The surface is concrete, and the path is wide. On a scooter without shocks, I can accept a few slight bumps in the path and on the wooden bridges to access such marvelous scenery. Log-covered rest stops with benches and artistic interpretive signs let one linger in the beauty in any season.

I am a former teacher and an outdoor enthusiast who is now disabled. Formerly I hiked, climbed, skied, and found few greater pleasures than exploring remote, rugged terrain. For some reason, life has slowed me down earlier than I was prepared for. I often long for my former life of grand physical challenges. But having limited mobility has helped me discover and appreciate some places I might not have found otherwise. It has helped me observe more and revel in the beauty close to us that many active people may fly by without noticing, on their way to the pinnacle of the trail.

I used to mountain bike on foothill trails, just yards from this path. On my bike, I was totally unaware of this path’s existence. Some of my extremely active friends have been surprised by the beauty they find when they slow down to share these trails with me. This week, I ran into a friend, Pete, who has just hiked up with some friends to the TWA crash site. An avid hiker, Pete has been all around New Mexico, but never on this secluded path. Coming on a slow, short amble with me, he is surprised by its beauty.

On a scooter, you ride low. Trees seem taller than when you’re walking, cactus, juniper, and blue-tailed lizards closer. Scooting is much colder than walking, and it feels especially good to be in the sun, in the early winter breeze. Fortunately, this path, like much of the foothills, is warmed by the sun. My scooter consists of a chair, a battery, and a handle with forward and reverse. It has a knob allowing me to adjust my speed. My blazing top speed is five miles per hour. Often, kids look at me with envy for having such a cool machine.

My first scooter was less safe, but a lot more fun. It was an old, beat-up Amigo from the late 80s, without some of the safety features that my current one has.

Once, with that Amigo, I tempted fate by scooting down a road on the east side of the mountains at a higher speed than the scooter was meant for. The reverse gear that I used to slow the scooter blew. I was left careening down the road with no brakes, much like in a Jerry Lewis movie. Badly in need of a runaway truck ramp, I was able to switchback, much like a skier would, until I came to a stop.

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As I scoot up toward Cottonwood Springs, the massive granite face of the Shield stands out in the late afternoon sun, and the whole Sandia range stretches out from this spot, from North Sandia Peak to the Pino saddle to the rarely visited South Sandia Peak, a beautiful summit in its own right. While stopping at a bench, I wonder how many people in the city below have set foot on the top of it. The small peak to the west of the La Luz trailhead is especially rugged and striking from here. The Manzanitas and Manzanos stretch to the south. To the west, the volcanos line the horizon, with Mount Taylor beyond. Toward the crest, I peer closely and see the tram cars passing each other in the dip between the middle tower and the top. To the southwest, Ladron Peak towers in the hazy air, with the Magdalena Mountains beyond.

At the end of the path, I come to a sheltered wildlife blind, where one can sit on benches, and peer through windows at a natural spring with rushes and my favorite cottonwood tree in New Mexico. I’m able to stand, stretch, walk a few feet, and peer through the windows at the pond and the mountains beyond. I’m grateful for that ability.

I’m no wildlife expert, but I enjoy this peaceful spot. Here, I’ve seen a hawk and many small birds I can’t name (some of them are blue, if that helps). I wonder what a mountain lion would make of me on my scooter...hopefully, not lunch.

Today, there is no movement at the pond. The rushes are still, the lone cottonwood is quiet, and the air is frigid in the shade. I look up at the Sandias and envision the fugitive Jack Burns, from Lonely are the Brave, pulling his horse up the rugged west face, being chased by jeeps, helicopters, and Walter Matthau. Scooting down, I get up a little speed.

If you are disabled, or are a caretaker of someone who is disabled, New Mexico is an incomparable place to get outside and explore. I think of other trails I’ve found that are great for people of limited mobility. The La Cienega Trail by the Doc Long Picnic Area is the best accessible lower Sandia trail, with streams, bridges, towering pines, and a gorgeous meadow. It’s also made for children, so bring the kids. At Coronado State Monument, you can explore the pueblo ruins on a smooth loop path through them. With a little help from a friend, you can navigate sandy trails to get to one of the most beautiful overlooks of the Rio Grande River in this area. Vista Grande Community Center in the East Mountains has a network of butter-smooth paths around the baseball fields and below, with an especially fine, 360 degree view of the Sandia, San Pedro, Ortiz, and Sangre de Cristo mountain ranges.

Further afield, accessible paths abound. South of Grants, I’ve scooted a path to La Ventana Arch, the longest rock span in New Mexico, on the wall of a spectacular sandstone canyon. Bernardo Waterfowl Area, a little-known spot an hour south of town, has a long wooden ramp to a viewing deck, where I scooted to a view last winter of probably eight thousand Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese. I have not yet tried the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial path up above Tent Rocks (Don’t bring your dog along on that one; when they saw Peanut’s tongue wagging in the breeze out the car window, we got turned back at the entrance booth).

I used to climb Colorado Fourteeners, and managed to scale half of them, including a number of the hardest. Now the thought of walking from the trailhead to the Crest seems like a different universe, like I would have to be a different being altogether to do it. But my scooter wheels give me access to many places in the Open Space, the Bosque, the Jemez. It also allows me to traverse the wooden deck from the top of the Tram to the door of the High Finance Restaurant. The deck may well be the most scenic handicapped ramp in the world. When I scooted it, it was partially covered with ice, but I navigated the nineteen switchbacks on it, each time peering over the very edge of the Sandias.

Though my life may be different now, the mountains, the pinon and juniper, the air, and the arroyos are still the same, and on a scooter, I’ve learned to see them more closely. Each time, on the Cottonwood Springs Trail, I see something astounding, like El Cabezon on the northwestern horizon. It was on this trail that one day, I noticed that my joy and happiness were indistinguishable from the elation I felt while flying down smooth singletrack on my mountain bike. I can’t think of a better thing to do for body, mind, and spirit than getting outside and exploring paths, no matter how fast or how far.

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13

Duke City Fit The

Great

Salad

Adventure My son and I were on a road trip. An ice hockey road trip. To Phoenix, no less.

I know… Phoenix for hockey? How weird is that?

But hockey in the Valley of the Sun is really not what this particular train of thought is all about. No. It’s really about being on the road, for whatever reason, and what you end up eating when you’re away from home.

Junk.

You can’t help it. In my case, having a hungry teenager along greatly contributes to the problem.

They’re hockey players (or soccer players or baseball players or whatever), and they’re hungry after a game.

And they’re usually looking for pizza or burgers or nachos or something.

Something big and nasty and probably greasy.

Whatcha gonna do?

I’ll tell ya what you do. For several days in a row you throw caution and common sense to the wind and you end up eating a lot of stuff that normally wouldn’t be crossing your oh-so-healthy palate. At least not in these quantities.

One on top of another.

Biscuits and gravy?

I’ll see your biscuits and gravy and raise you a chickenfried steak.

Hey, is there anything like hash-browns sizzled in butter?

Then, even when you do finally settle down in a reasonably nice place for a reasonably good meal, it’s still probably going to be short on that one little ingredient… vegetables.

Oh sure, you might get a little tiny dinner salad. And, if you’re lucky, you’ll maybe get some steamed zucchini on the side.

(Steamed zucchini? What’s with that? That stuff’s not even edible is it? I know my dog won’t touch it, and he’ll eat anything.)

But the point is, aside from some little salads, you’re not going to get much that even remotely resembles vegetables.

(Which reminds me, by the way… I see that our Congress, in its wisdom, has decided that pizza sauce is a vegetable. That’s not only silly, but it’s really kind of funny since, you know, tomatoes are actually a fruit. But if my memory serves me correctly, Congress took care of that, too, back in the 50’s by declaring that tomatoes are a vegetable. You can’t make this stuff up.)

Anyway, where was I? Vegetables.

After several days of this… of eating borderline edible stuff and drinking copious amounts of coffee and trying, but failing, to get enough sleep in strange beds in a strange city… well…

14

Ken Orth After several days of this my digestive system decided to stage a small rebellion. My gastrointestinal system started reacting to what I had been doing to it.

It was talking to me, and finally I heard it.

What mine was saying was “Give me some vegetables, you idiot. Is that asking too much?”

So, we slung ourselves into a grocery store on a Sunday afternoon, my son and I, and we looked at one of those pre-made veggie platter thingies. We decided, though, that it was too overpriced and lacking in diversity, so we assembled our own fresh veggie combo along with some ranch dressing and headed back out to the car. Our intention was to go dine alfresco in the park. But we didn’t make it.

Sitting in the convertible in the grocery store parking lot, using a swiss army knife for chopping and a decapitated styrofoam coffee cup for dipping, we chowed down right there. Right there in front of God and everybody under a warm Phoenix sun. Broccoli and cauliflower and red pepper and carrots and Lynard Skynard on the stereo and we didn’t talk too much for a while.

Man, that was one of our better meals in Phoenix. After a while, we sat back and sighed, like grandpa after a big Sunday brunch. Contented.

Your body thanks you.

That whole Phoenix episode came back to me the other day when I was in our kitchen, at home here in Albuquerque, making a big ol’ family-sized tossed salad.

Let me tell ya, I put everything into my salads but the kitchen sink. It takes a while. And like a road trip across the emptiness of northern Arizona, it gives you time to think about things. The chopping and slicing and tearing and fiddling are all relatively mindless chores.

In fact, not “chores” at all anymore. I’ve been doing it once or twice a week now for… well… for a couple of years, I suppose. It has become, strangely enough, a kind of regular meditation period. Me and my vegetables.

Does that sound weird?

It starts, usually, with a mid-morning trip to my neighborhood grocery produce department. A pilgrimage, really. In my case, the pilgrimage is to a Sunflower Market.

I usually have a singular goal in mind when I go. I am not there to get coffee or cheese or tortilla chips. And I am not distracted by the deli. I am on a mission. I do not have a list. I am here to peruse and to choose. To sniff and to squeeze. To feel. To eyeball. To pick the best and the freshest. The ripe and the ready.

I am creating a masterpiece this day. A culinary work of art.

I chat briefly with the lady unloading the boxes of avocados onto the shelf. I don’t know her name, and she doesn’t know mine, though we’ve known each other for years. She has a cabin up in Colorado and she can identify the song that I’ve been singing as belonging to the Bee Gees.

“They’re from down under,” she says. “The Bee Gees.

Australia. I always thought they were from England.”

“Nights on Broadway,” I say.

“Yeah. I always liked that song.”

“Me too.”

“Hey, take a look at the rainbow chard over there,” she says, pointing. “It just came in and it looks really good.”

Rainbow chard does not go into my salad. But I have learned to pay attention to her recommendations, so I grab a bunch. Make that two bunches. I remember how quickly the last one disappeared… sauteed in olive oil with garlic.

It didn’t even make it out of the pan and into a dish. I consumed the whole thing straight out of the pan while I cooked.

But, chard aside, mostly I am on target. I am seeking and finding the many ingredients that I desire. On this day it includes red leaf lettuce, I try to alternate between red and green, but often I’ll just take what looks better.

Spring mix, mushrooms, bean sprouts, radishes, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, snow peas, red and green bell peppers, celery, and carrots.

No zucchini.

As I go through the checkout stand the guy ringing it up cocks his head and says “Were you singing the Bee Gees?”

“Yeah… sorry… it was the last thing I heard.”

“Well, at least it wasn’t Barry Manilow again,” he says, and we’re both smiling.

“Hey, I can do Mandy…” I say.

“Oh please.”

Back at home, I slip into stage two of my saladic journey. The construction. The creation. The transformation.

Like an orchestra conductor I am going to pull together all the various individual vegetative parts into a culinary symphony. Like an artist, I am going to blend the many textures and colors of my pallette onto an herbaceous canvas.

Actually… I am going to create a salad. A big salad. But only a salad. The flowery prose and flowery thoughts, though, add an air of dignity to the process. I pause briefly, humorously, to thank the universe for the vegetables who here gave their lives that this salad might live.

At least, I think it is humorously.

I assemble my ingredients and my implements on the counter, and it is pretty crowded. Of the implements, there are two, in my mind, that are highly important and again I mutter a brief thank-you when I find both of them.

(Having teenagers put dishes away can sometimes lead to unexpected results.)

One of the implements is a big old plastic salad bowl.

I learned early on, from my grandmother, that one should never use metal bowls (or metal knives, for that matter) with lettuce. She, of course, would NEVER have allowed a plastic bowl to make an appearance on her table. Which left glass. A big glass bowl. Which is what I dutifully used for a very long time. But the problem is that big glass bowls are heavy. And breakable. So when we were given a stylish red plastic bowl for Christmas one year (with a salad in it) from a thoughtful friend, it became my salad bowl of choice.

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Duke City Fit If the weather is nice, I go sit out at the table in the backyard, my back towards the sun. I take a good book, or a National Geographic if we have a new one. I munch and crunch and savor and sometimes find myself thinking, “Ya know, life is pretty good.”

And when I finally scoop those last few bits off the plate onto my fork, that isn’t the end of the salad adventure. No. Since I’ve added all these fresh vegetables to my diet over the last few years, I feel better. Physically and mentally.

Healthier.

Really.

I don’t have any statistics for you, other than that I have lost, unintentionally, a few of the extra pounds I was carrying around.

And my systems all seem to be working better. More efficiently. Like they’re supposed to. Especially the digestive system.

And I seem to be sleeping well.

Karl, my health guru, was always, ALWAYS expounding the virtues of fresh fruits and vegetables. So, I’ve put it to the test. And what can I say? I believe.

What I do know, for sure, is that now, if I go a few days without my veggies… like, say, on a hockey trip weekend… I notice it. I feel it. And my body lets me know.

Fortunately, this isn’t a difficult nor expensive thing for me to do. Nor is it a Finally, then, we arrive at part three of the sacrifice. It is the opposite, in fact. From great salad adventure. The consumption. The top to bottom, from beginning to end, it has added to my life. And continues to add. appreciation. The grand opening.

My great salad adventure.

Many of my lunches these days… MOST of my lunches these days… consist entirely of a big salad. A dinner plate sized salad.

For complete information about how And though I don’t always use the same to create and keep the great salad, dressing, I do have a favorite… a creamy plus an award-winning dressing sweet vidalia onion dressing. And some recipe, Go to Page 30 fresh ground pepper. It makes me hungry right now just writing about it.

And the other necessary implement upon my counter, and which I cannot do without, is the mandoline. It is more commonly known as a vegetable slicer. Mine has a “V” shaped blade and an adjustable depth. Since I got it several years ago, I cannot imagine how I got by without it. It not only makes quick work of slicing, but it is accurate and consistent. I can make my cucumber slices as thick as I want, and my radish slices as thin. And, I no longer worry about the chef’s knife in one hand and my fingers on the other, if you know what I mean.

I think my grandmother would approve of it. Though she wouldn’t have used it, she’d be happy that I did.

Anyway, with everything I need assembled, the act of creation proceeds. As I said, it is a rather mindless, meditative halfhour or so. My thoughts wander from the bright red color of the pepper to the hockey tournament next weekend to what kind of stories I might find to write about for the next issue of the paper.

I enjoy the time. My vegetative time. I actually look forward to it occasionally…

I’ll be staring at the computer screen and decide “I’ve had enough.”

I’ve had enough.

I need to get away. I need to flush my brain. I need to make a salad.

Springtime 2012

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Duke City Fit

Backpacking Where?

Bob and his grandaughter in Domingo Baca Canyon

Spring. Time to think about backpacking. The Gila Country… the Pecos… the Sandias....

Yes, you heard correctly. People think that backpacking in the Sandias is like whitewater rafting on the Rio Grande in Albuquerque. Oh those perceptions are wrong. Although the Sandias are right in Albuquerque’s back yard, the Sandias are just as big and wild as anyone would want. At over 37,000 acres the Sandia Mountain Wilderness is larger than half of the state’s other formally declared wildernesses. The Sandias have bears, lions, deer, bobcats, foxes, wild turkeys, and others you’d be surprised to see. Don’t tell them the Sandias aren’t wild.

The range also comprises a huge diversity of ecosystems, from Upper Sonoran Desert to subalpine, and all the plants and animals that go with them. I’ve been aggressively exploring the Sandias for over 30 years—hiking, running,, snowshoeing, on trails and off—and each year I still discover new trails, new areas to explore.

Also mistaken is the idea that backpacking is only something we undertake to reach remote areas beyond the reach of a day-hike. That’s why the Gila Wilderness and the Pecos Wilderness come to mind when we think of backpacking—but not the Sandias.

Yet consider the pleasures of spending the night in the wilderness—the immediacy of nature, the scent of the forest, the splendor of a wilderness night sky, the mysterious sounds, the delight of waking up in a wilderness—all those

Sometimes, having a good dentist Just makes it easier to smile.

Bob Julyan

are obtainable with a hike of two miles, or less.

My children taught me this. Wanting to give them backpacking adventures when they were still little, I sought destinations that were within easy reach, offered fun activities, and also allowed for quick bailout if something unforeseen occurred.

The Sandias met those requirements perfectly.

So we began backpacking in the Sandias, and though some of our trips required a hike of only a mile the experience felt little different from a 10-mile trek in the Gila Country. We set up camp, told camp stories, looked at the stars, and listened to owls hooting and coyotes wailing. Albuquerque vanished. We were in the wilderness. And all within half an hour of our car.

Since then I’ve backpacked often in the Sandias, even without the kids. My wife and I found a site near the Crest with a spectacular nighttime view of the Rio Grande Valley. I’ve backpacked cross-country several times from my home near Carnuel to a high, private meadow every bit as personal and private as anything in the Pecos. When I returned, less than 24 hours later, I felt as rejuvenated as if I’d been gone for three days.

Still, backpacking in the Sandias does demand some knowledge and creativity in choosing a destination, because established backcountry campsites are few. Also, water is scarce. And even rarer are trailheads where I feel my car is safe overnight.

Domingo Baca Canyon in the western foothills has all these. It’s reached from the Elena Gallegos Open Space, east of Tramway Blvd., north of Academy, and its parking lots are gated at night. A reasonably well-marked trail goes over easy terrain into a scenic canyon with a tiny but perennial stream. (For detailed directions, see my Best Hikes with Children in New Mexico or Mike Coltrin’s Hiking Guide to the Sandia Mountains.) After two miles is an obvious campsite beside the stream, and best of all, the site is bounded by ridges, so Albuquerque vanishes.

Other campsites nearby along the stream.

I can’t think of a better place to introduce kids to backpacking.

But what about bears?”

Forest Service rangers and volunteers say bears are the most common concern of hikers. Yes, bears live in the Sandias, but they’re black bears, not grizzlies; they flee rather than attack. And they’re rare. In more than 30 years of living and hiking in the Sandias, I’ve seen fewer than five bears—and never while camping.Lions are even rarer. In my whole life, I’ve never seen one. Rattlesnakes are another story, but they’re extremely rare above 8,000 feet and nowhere common.

Water No, you can’t catch trout on your Sandias backpack trip, but you nonetheless can find springs and tiny streams throughout the mountains. In dry years, check with the Forest Service Ranger Station in Tijeras about their status.

And in the Sandias as elsewhere, all water must be treated—with filters, chemicals, or boiling—for safe drinking. Or you can pack water in.

Car safety Nothing ruins a backpack more than returning to find your car broken into.

Unfortunately, that can happen in the Pecos as readily as in the Sandias.

Except for the Elena Gallegos Picnic Area, no trailheads in the Sandias are gated.

But the Sandias do offer a solution not found elsewhere. Because Albuquerque is nearby, you can arrange for a friend to drop you off and later pick you up.

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In writing Mountains of New Mexico and Wilderness Areas of NM: the Complete Guide, I have explored almost all the state’s mountains, so sometimes I’m asked, which range is my favorite. My answer: the Sandias.

That surprises people, because clearly other ranges are larger, higher, wilder, arguably more scenic. But the Sandias have something that trumps everything else: They’re always here when I need them.

And they’re here when I need to go backpacking.

For More Sandia Backpacking Information See Backpacking the Sandias on Page 30

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Duke City Fit Running Dr. Jason Karp

Sometimes on a run, I encounter a hill. If I am in the mood, I will run hard up the hill, cresting the top. I will then jog back down the hill and run hard up the hill again. I repeat this sequence a number of times.

This rather simple idea of running up and down a hill may seem monotonous and unnecessary to some but, for a runner, hill repeats are an often-used method of improving fitness. The feel of my heart pounding in my chest and my shortness of breath at the top of the hill attest to the workout hill repeats provide for my heart and lungs. But what about the workout they provide other muscles of my body? Surely they must do something for them too, right?

Indeed they do. Running up a hill repeatedly will stimulate changes within the muscles in my legs. The quadriceps, calves, hip flexors and extensors, gluteals, even some of the muscles in my arms and shoulders all get a great workout. And I didn’t even have to lift a barbell or a dumbbell to do it.

What I learn from running hills is that there is more than one way to train a muscle. You don’t necessarily have to lift a weight off the ground to increase your muscular strength and endurance.

What ever happened to the old-fashioned push-up or chin-up? I remember being forced to do them in junior high and high school gym classes. We never went to the weight room during class and lifted weights. I used to think my gym teachers were old and fat and out of shape. What did they know about physical training anyway? After all, I was on the varsity crosscountry and track teams. I was a stud.

But forcing my class to do chin-ups got me hooked. I used chin-ups to show off to the girls in class. I even bought a chin-up bar and attached it to my bedroom door post so I could train at home. I did chin-ups every day.

Then came the big day at school―the day I would try to break the school chin-up record. I remember sitting in health class right before my record attempt. I was nervous. I wasn’t even listening to the health teacher talk about sex and foreplay and condoms.

I was focused.

After class I walked into the gym and got ready to perform my chin-ups on the bar on the back wall. The gym teacher acted as judge, making sure I didn’t cheat, that I completed the whole range of motion, with my arms straight at the bottom and my chin raised above the bar at the top. A small crowd formed. As I was closing in on the current record―21 chin-ups―my biceps grew tight, my forearms quivered, my body grew heavy. I felt like I weighed at least twice as much as my scrawny 125 pounds. I used the crowd to push me, and I let go of the bar after completing 22 chin-ups. The record was mine.

I finished eighth grade that year having broken my record again with 24 chin-ups. I received a certificate of accomplishment from the school’s principal that is still proudly displayed on my wall. I still brag about the accomplishment to others. It doesn’t matter so much that it was so many years ago or that some tough kid has probably come along since to break my record. At the time, I was a hero. My mother even bought a cake with a chin-up bar iced on it in chocolate and surprised me when I came home from school the day I broke the record.

Maybe those out of shape gym teachers were on to something. Maybe we should focus on increasing our strength to handle and master the weight of our own bodies instead of lifting external weights off the ground or attached to a machine. Maybe we should focus on improving our relative strength rather than our absolute strength. Maybe we should do chin-ups and pushups after all. Mixed in with a few hills, of course.

Springtime 2012

Dr. Jason Karp is a nationally-recognized running coach, 2011 IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year, and owner of RunCoachJason.com. He holds a Ph.D. in exercise physiology and is founder and coach of REVO2LT Running Team™. He speaks at national fitness and coaching conferences, writes for running, coaching, and fitness magazines, and is the author of four books. His training programs and new book, 101 Winning Racing Strategies for Runners, are available at www.runcoachjason.com.

21

Duke City Fit

Calendar of Events

SPRING

Events in red require preregistration or reservations

Ongoing Los Ranchos Growers Market, Every Saturday 7am-noon, begins May 5, 6718 Rio Grande Blvd. NW, Sue Brawley 890-2799 Corrales Growers Market, Sundays 9am-noon begins in May Recreation Center 500 Jones Rd & Corrales Rd, Mary Jane 898-7927

2012

Yoga With a View, $15, 9-10:30am, Every Sunday, Open Space Visitor Center 6500 Coors NW, Yoga in a beautiful setting (1st class is $5) 897-8831

Beethoven, chamber music & poetry, arrive early for free espresso bar, 1715 5th St NW 505-234-4611 www.churchofbeethoven.com

NM Volunteers for the Outdoors, Various trail cleanups and construction around town. Possibly one near you.

Contact 884-1991 www.nmvfo.org

Rio Grande Nature Center Bird Walks, Free, 8:30am (8am in May), Saturdays & Sundays, join a naturalist for a quiet bird walk, preregister, 344-7240

Qigong in the Park, Saturdays & Sundays 9-10am: every Saturday at Altura Park located at Hannett and Morningside NE, Every Sunday at Robinson Park at 8th & Central, Qigong practice for all, Loretta 681-1924 qigonginthepark.com

Rio Grande Nature Center Nature Walks, Free, Sundays, 1pm, an insightful nature tour of the bosque, preregister, 344-7240

Open Space Sunset Series, $2 parking, Various presentations every Saturday night at 7pm, Elena Gallegos Picnic area, east of Tramway on Simms, Church of Beethoven, Adults $15/ Info&Directions: Bill Pentler 452-5222 Students $10/Kids $5, Sundays at 10:30am sharp, not church & more than

High Desert Bicycles Group Ride, Free, 9-10:30am every Saturday, 909 36th Place SE in Rio Rancho, bring bike (or rent one) & join the group, 896-4700

March April May

Wanagi Wolf Meet & Greet, 12:30pm, Free, Open Space Visitor Center, meet a friendly wolf, 897-8831 March 31 Route 66 Open Space Cleanup Free, 8:30am, This newly acquired property protects a portion of the Tijeras Arroyo near Four Hills. A perennial stream flows through the property 452-5213 www.cabq.gov/openspace

April 1 Open Space Bosque Wild Sunday Morning Hike, Free, 9am, join biologist Else Bumstead for a guided walk into the bosque, For info & to register: 897-8831 Forever Young Race, 9am, Memorial race for Charlie Young, Placitas- 1/2 mile east of Homestead Village on NM 165, race day registration & packet pickup www.active.com

March 11 Daylight Savings Time Begins, Set clocks ahead one hour

April 4 Albuquerque Museum of Art & History, March 17 Free Day, 9am-5pm, 2000 Mountain Bicycle Traffic Skills 101, Free, 9amRoad NW, A day at the museum! Walk a 4:30pm, by City of ABQ at Parks & Rec bunch!. www.cabq.gov/museum Admin Bldg 1801 4th NW, age 12 & up; 243-7255 learn routes, laws, traffic riding, basic maintenance; a must if you intend to ride April 6 in ABQ, contact Julian 225-8537 Twilight Hike on a Full Moon Night, Free ($3 Parking), Dusk, Call for time March 18 & date, Rio Grande Nature Center 2901 Shamrock Shuffle 2012, 10K/5K, Candelaria NW, 344-7240 8:30am, RioRancho Aquatic Center www.irunfit.org April 7 12th Annual Open Space Spring March 24 Cleanup at East End of Copper, Free, Bike Mechanic Seminar, Free, 9am9am, Volunteers will do general clean 1:30pm, by City of ABQ at Parks & Rec up activities that protect wildlife and the Admin Bldg 1801 4th NW, age 12 & up; landscapes of the foothills, bring work learn about the art of bike maintenance, gloves, wear boots, and dress for the descontact Julian 225-8537 ert 452-5200 www.cabq.gov/openspace March 25 Bataan Memorial Death March, 23rd Annual, 7am, White Sands Missile Range, www.batannmarch.com

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April 14 Duke City Endorphin Dash 2012, 8am, benefits the Endorphin Power Company, Hoffmantown Church parking lot, 5k/10k fun run www.active.com

www.dukecityfit.com

Duke City Fit April 14 12th Annual Open Space Spring Cleanup Embudo Canyon at East End of Indian School, Free, 9am, Volunteers will do general clean up activities that protect wildlife and the landscapes of the foothills, work gloves, wear boots, & dress for the desert 452-5200 www.cabq.gov/openspace

April 22 Sunport Optimist Fun Run/Walk, 1K/5K, 9am, Albuquerque Academy, proceeds to purchase school supplies for ABQ students in need, www.active.com

April 28 12th Annual Open Space Spring Cleanup at Piedra Lisa (south of Candelaria on Camino de la Sierra) Free, 8:30am, Volunteers will do general April 15 Worlds Toughest 10K, $27-$40, Scenic clean up activities that protect wildlife and challenging 10K starts at the Sandia and the landscapes of the foothills, bring Resort and winds up Tramway ending at work gloves, wear boots, and dress for the desert 452-5200 www.cabq.gov/ Tram, ABQ Running Shop openspace 505-293-2786, www.abqrunningshop.com Bike Mechanic Seminar, Free, 9am1:30pm, by City of ABQ at Parks & Rec April 21 Admin Bldg 1801 4th NW, learn about 12th Annual Open Space Spring the art of bike maintenance, contact Cleanup at East End of Menaul Free, Julian 225-8537 9am, Volunteers will do general clean up activities that protect wildlife and the April 29 landscapes of the foothills, bring work gloves, wear boots, and dress for the des- 1th Annual Making Strides Against ert 452-5200 www.cabq.gov/openspace Breast Cancer, 7am, Cottonwood Mall, 5 mile walk along the Rio Grande, 2626025 wwwcancer.org/stridesonline Albuquerque Half Marathon, 8am, Alvarado Elementary School, www.irunfit.org

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April 21 Bike Commuter Essentials, $10, 10amnoon, by City of ABQ at Parks & Rec Admin Bldg 1801 4th NW, age 12 & up; May 5 basic principles of biking safely in ABQ, Bicycle Traffic Skills 101, Free, 9am4:30pm, by City of ABQ at Parks & Rec May 5 contact Julian 225-8537 Admin Bldg 1801 4th NW, Twilight Hike on a Full Moon Night, contact Julian 225-8537 Free ($3 Parking), Dusk, Call for time & date, Rio Grande Nature Center 2901 Candelaria NW, 344-7240

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May 6 Open Space Bosque Wild Sunday Morning Hike, Free, 9am, join biologist Else Bumstead for a guided walk into the bosque, For info & to register: 897-8831

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27th Annual Run for the Zoo, 7am, www.bioparksociety.org/runforthezoo 764-6280 May 12 Jeremy Paster Cancer Challenge, 5 & 10K, $10-$30, City Hall in Los Ranchos, ABQ Running Shop 293-2786, www.abqrunningshop.com

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May 20 3rd Annual Run With Kenyans for Global Health 8K, 8am, MidTown Sports & Wellness, go to www.active. com key in “Kenyans” 505-299-0047 The Santa Fe Century, $25, 27th year of the famous bike ride, 25/50/75/100 mile routes along the Turquoise Trail with 6 food & beverage stops, 3,000 riders, contact Willard Chilcott 505-982-1282 willard@cybermesa.com June 2 National Trails Day, free, participate with people from around the country, registration in April, 452-5200 June 3 Open Space Bosque Wild Sunday Morning Hike, Free, 9am, join biologist Else Bumstead for a guided walk into the bosque, For info & to register: 897-8831

May 12-13 Herbfest at the Nature Center, Free ($3 Parking), 10am-4pm, springtime Twilight Hike on a Full Moon Night, celebration of herbs, wildflowers & native plants, Rio Grande Nature Center Free ($3 Parking), Dusk, Call for time & date, Rio Grande Nature Center 2901 2901 Candelaria NW, 344-7240 Candelaria NW, 344-7240 May 19 Bike Commuter Essentials, $10, 10am- June 9-10 Run the Caldera Marathon, 7:30am, noon, by City of ABQ at Parks & Rec Also 10K & 5K, Great opportunity to Admin Bldg 1801 4th NW, contact run at over 8000 feet of elevation and see Julian 225-8537 special areas of the Valles Caldera, National River Cleanup Day, free, help www.vallescaldera.gov/comevisit/run cleanup the Rio Grande, registration in (866) 382-5537 April, 452-5200

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Duke City Fit

Cycling

Dr Elaine Adams, DC

There is just nothing quite like hopping on a bicycle and heading out for the Bosque on a Saturday morning. You had better leave early, though, because it sure does get crowded. Cycling is such a popular sport here in New Mexico that I thought I would look at some of the common difficulties that I see in my office that are related to cycling.

Chiropractic and cycling have a long relationship. I have taken classes from the chiropractor who traveled with Lance Armstrong on his Tour de France competitions. The company that built the laser I use also designed a special laser for Lance Armstrong. So laser, chiropractic, Lance and bicycling... they all go together.

If you are new to the state of New Mexico you may experience hypoxia or altitude sickness when you first begin riding here. The symptoms of hypoxia start with shortness of breath on exertion and headache.

Restlessness, trembling, a pounding heart, weakness, malaise, blue lips, nausea, giddiness, difficulty in comprehension and judgment and sometimes even euphoria or delirium are further signs.

Altitude is not an accurate predictor of the level of difficulty you might experience. For some, difficulties start at 5000 feet but for others altitude may not present difficulties before 14,000 feet. Physical condition, rate of ascent and exertion level can all have a big impact on the symptoms and when you might begin to experience them. A little change in altitude can have a big impact on the riding of those not acclimated. A rider from the coast who takes their bike to New Mexico will be badly out of breath with the first pedal stroke and will have to restrict themselves to the lower gears and slower speeds. The symptoms of hypoxia will gradually subside in a few days. But it may take up to two weeks of living and riding to become adjusted to the altitude.

Chiropractic

When you begin to ride regularly it is important to prevent things like cramps, lower back pain, knee problems and foot problems. Although the best way to deal with pain is to prevent it, that’s not always possible so I have also included some suggestions for treatment with the conditions.

Cramps happen to every athlete, providing us all with the occasional vicious, burning, gunshotwound-feeling disruption to an otherwise blissful workout. Cramps are the result of a muscle repeating the same motion one too many times, and the mechanism for telling a contracted muscle to relax simply gives out. The cause, in short, is muscle fatigue.

Athletes can reduce their risk by guarding against fatigue with plenty of water, and electrolyte drinks for outings longer than one and a half hours, and by eating lots of carbohydrates every twenty or thirty minutes. Tradition suggests that bananas stave off cramps. The extra potassium certainly won’t hurt.

But beyond such givens as eating and drinking, stretching seems to be the only real remedy. Work on the problem muscles, which are generally quadriceps and hamstrings for cyclists.

If you do get a cramp in mid-exercise, apply ice for fifteen minutes. If you are out and about and you don’t have ice with you, skip straight to the next step: gently massage the muscle with your knuckles in a back-and-forth motion for three minutes, which will nudge the relaxation reflex into doing its job.

Once the cramp is gone, continue the workout fairly vigorously, say at 70 percent of your aerobic maximum. Resist the temptation to go real easy, as moderate exercise is required to pump the lactic acid out of your muscles.

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24

If the weather is cool, cover the knees. Wear tights or leg warmers even if you’re not uncomfortably cold. Knee warmers can be easy to slip on and off over cycling shoes to convert your shorts into knickers.

Spin in an easy gear for the first 10 minutes of your ride. Gradually increase your pace, avoiding hammering up hills for the first half hour of your ride. Don’t push big gears, especially early in the season or in cold weather. Gear down for climbs: minimum rpms in a climb should be 75-80. Learn to spin in the 90’s on the flats, which is much faster than novices pedal. Get off your bike after the first ten minutes and stretch your hamstrings, calf muscles, and quads.

Go easy the last 10 minutes of your ride to cool down properly. This will wash toxins out of your muscles and allow you to cool down, which greatly improves your performance the next day.

Continued on Page 25

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Duke City Fit

Multi-use Trail: A paved trail close to auto traffic Bicycle Lane: A portion of street with designated lane for bikes One-way Bike Lane: Similar to bike lane but one way Bicycle Route: Cars and bikes share the road Bicycle Boulevard: Shared roadway optimized for bike traffic Mountain Bike Trail: Unpaved but maintained trail Roads with Wide Shoulders Arroyos

Springtime 2012

Bicycle/Pedestrian Overpass Mountain Bike Trailhead Place of Interest High School Bosque Trail Parking Lots Rapid Ride Stop Bicycle Shop Rail Runner Express Station

25

k r o W o t Bike u need to go

yo e s l e e c a l p y n a Or Bike to Work

Albuquerque is in the midst of creating a transportation system that provides options that meet the needs of individuals and the community as a whole. The majority of Albuquerque residents have bicycles stored in their garages but there is the perception that bicycles are strictly for recreational purposes. City Council and the community have made the commitment to expand the on-street bikeway and multi-use trail system through dedicated transportation funds. The City of Albuquerque has made great progress through various planning and construction activities within the last several years in developing an improved system. These efforts are making bicycle commuting a viable transportation alternative.

Benefits of Bike Commuting

Bicycle commuting is an opportunity to turn your stressful commute into valuable exercise time. It’s fast enough to get you there in a reasonable amount of time, yet slow enough to allow you to enjoy the scenery.

Bicycling is environmentally friendly. It will prolong the life of your car, save you money on gas, and parking.

Getting Started

Plan your route. Map out your route in advance using this map.

If there are gaps in the suggested routes or no direct routes, try going out on the weekend or after work to explore alternatives. A leisurely ride through neighborhoods along the way will reveal alternate roads that may be perfect for your commute. Make a practice run. The more comfortable you are with your route the easier your commute will be. Get acquainted with your bike. If there are adjustments that will need to be made this is the time to find that out. Get used to riding your bike in a variety of traffic conditions.

You will need to plan for arriving at your destination.

Where you will park your bike, freshen up and change your clothes, if necessary, are all good things to know in advance. Learn and practice good safety skills and riding habits. You can do this on your own or through a bicycle safety class offered by the City of Albuquerque, Bicycle Safety and Education Program.

Rules of the Road

If your bike commute involves streets with a great deal of traffic, be aware of your surroundings and ride defensively. Drivers are more likely to respect your position on the road if you are consistent, predictable, and obey the rules of the road.

26

Equipment

Bicycle. A mechanically sound bicycle is essential. Be sure all gears, wheels and brakes are in good working order and that the frame is sound.

Helmet. Besides your bike, a helmet that fits well is your most important piece of bicycle commuting equipment.

Clothing. Wear bright clothing so motorists will notice you.

Lights. Lights are necessary if you are going to be riding in darkness. Red strobe lights are very effective.

You will want to see as well as be seen in low visibility.

Tires. Keep your tires properly inflated. Use high quality tires and tire liners. Carry a spare tube or patch kit, tire levers and a pump and know how to use them.

You may consider making a test run to make sure you are comfortable with fixing a flat before you find yourself in the position of having to do it on your way to work.

Carriers.

A rack, panniers (saddlebags), basket, or back pack will be necessary for carrying things and to free up your hands for gripping the handle bars.

What to Wear

Here are three options to consider:Ride in your work clothes. Depending on the weather and the length of your commute, you may be able to wear your work clothes on your bike.Wear casual clothes and carry your work clothes. For longer, more strenuous commutes or more extreme temperatures, it can be more practical to change once you get to work. Rolling work clothes, rather than folding them, will help to minimize wrinkles. Specialized clothing, such as padded cycling shorts and gloves, are optional but can increase your comfort level on longer rides.Store a week’s worth of clothing at the office. This option may require you to drive in one day a week to bring a few changes of clothing to the office.

Parking

Park in open areas where many people pass by and your bicycle can easily be seen. The best bike racks are made with thick, sturdy tubing, are bolted down, and allow you to lock both the frame and the wheels to the rack. When locking your bike to an object other than a bike rack, parking meter or sign post, ensure that it is not possible to slide the bike up and over the top of the object. Your employer may allow you to park your bike inside the building where you work. This is a good way to avoid theft and protect your bike from the elements.

Locking your bike. Lock the whole bike. Place your chain, cable, or U lock through your frame and wheels.

If you have a quick-release front hub, you might consider taking it off and locking it with the rear wheel and frame. When using a padlock, put it where it’s not close to the ground, a wall or other solid surface, and decrease the slack in your cable or chain. It’s advisable to remove any easily removable accessories that can not be locked such as quick-release seats, horns, bike bags, pumps, cycle computers, or lights.

ABQ Biking Bicycle Safety Program The Bicycle Safety Program offers “Bicycle Safety Rodeos” and presenta-tions to the schools and the community. Children and adults learn basic bicycling skills, traffic laws, helmet use and safety. Presented by certified instructors.

The Bicycle Safety Program provides all equipment including bicycles, helmets, literature, signs and instruction.Presentations on bicycle safety are available for cub/boy/girl scouts, community centers, after school programs, churches, etc. For more information call 768-BIKE (2453).

Cycling 101 Let the Bicycle Safety Education Program help you sharpen up your cycling skills with a Cycling 101 Class. The seven and a half hour program runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and will include: • Effective Bike Handling • How to change a flat • Traffic Rules • Proper Bike Fit • Minor Bike Maintenance All participants will receive a patch kit and tire irons. Groups of 6 to 12 may schedule a private class. For more information call 867-8640

City of Albuquerque Citizen Contact Center Municipal Development Dept Street Repair & Sweeping Parks & Recreation Bike Safety Programs Open Space Trail Maintenance Bike NOW Program &

Bike and Ride Construction & Detours

311 768-2680 857-8025 857-8650 768-2453 452-5200 243-RIDE

GABAC- Greater ABQ Bicycle Advisory Committee

768-2680

GARTC- Greater ABQ Recreational Trails Committee

768-5325

924-3690

You may order more copies of the Albuquerque Bike Trails Map by calling 768-2680

www.cabq.gov / bike

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Cycling

Duke City Fit

Continued from Page 22

At the gym use the leg curl machine to strengthen your hamstrings. Cyclists tend to overdevelop quads and under-develop hamstrings, leading to injury problems. Make sure that you keep those hamstrings loose. It will not only help prevent leg problems but will also help to prevent issues with your low back. Avoid the leg extension machine. It’s not necessary for cyclists and it is hard on the knees.

The bike frame needs to be the right size, you need the right size and rise of stem, size of handlebars, and proper adjustments to stem, seat post and seat rails, and shoe cleat positioning. A good rule of thumb: if the front of your knees hurt, raise the seat. If the back of your knees hurts, lower the seat. Don’t move the seat height more than 1/8th inch per week if you can help it, to allow your body time to adapt.

If you feel leg strains coming on, try some proteolytic enzymes. They work much like ibuprofen or naproxen but without the side effects. Also remember RICE: Rest the injury; Ice it (try 2 bags of frozen peas in a gallon ziplock bag) for 20 minutes on, 10 off ); Compression (wrap in an elastic bandage); and Elevation (raise the injured part to reduce swelling). Though it may feel good at first, avoid hot tubs, spas and saunas for at least 72 hours. If pain persists, see your doctor.

In cycling the use of proper equipment and correct technique is essential for comfort, safety, performance and injury prevention. The use of appropriate shoe gear when cycling cannot be overemphasized. Whether you are a recreational or serious cyclist, you should wear a stiff-soled cycling shoe with a cleat. When your foot is on a bike pedal, it is perched on the ball of the foot, and the stiff-soled shoe will help support the heel and the arch. This will result in increased efficiency and help prevent injury by allowing the power from your legs to be transmitted to the pedals without placing undue stress on your foot. There are models appropriate for cyclists of any level, from touring shoes which are comfortable for walking and are inexpensive, to models geared towards the competitor. In addition, you should use bike shoes with cleats. The cleats secure your shoes to the pedals allowing you to pedal more efficiently. Some cleats are free floating and allow your foot to rotate and assume its natural in or out toed position while others are adjusted with screws. Have someone at your bike shop experienced in cleat adjustment assist in your set up.

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Aside from the lack of support that a non-cycling shoe provides, shoes such as cross-training, aerobic, running or court shoes are typically made of thicker soles, causing them to fit improperly on the pedal, and wider heels will hit both the crank arms and chain stays, requiring you to ride with an unnatural, in-toed position. If your cycling is limited to 20-30 minutes, three times a week on a stationery bike in a gym, you probably don’t need to run out. However, if you have flat feet or over-pronate (feet collapse inwards), and have knee problems, you too should ride with a stiff-soled shoe. Cyclists of any level who over-pronate may need the additional support that only an orthotic can provide, particularly if they have been experiencing knee pain despite proper training and bike adjustments.

Maintaining high RPM’s with low resistance (referred to as ‘spinning’) is the key to correct pedaling technique and will enable you to ride further with less fatigue and strain on the joints and muscles. Cleated cycling shoes will keep your foot in contact with the pedal allowing an efficient high RPM spin.

Instead of focusing on how fast or far you are riding, you should try to focus on maintaining a cadence of 80-90 RPM’s while staying within your target heart range, adjusting the gears accordingly to maintain this cadence. Also try to maintain a smooth pedal stroke (“pedal in circles”). In other words, don’t just “mash” down on the pedals during the downstroke, neglecting the bottom of the stroke and the upstroke (the cleated shoes will help here).

Spread the energy utilized throughout the stroke.

Even the best of cyclists who take into consideration all of these suggestions may still occasionally experience an injury. If you do, don’t power through it until it has been evaluated by a professional. You don’t want a knee, foot or low back injury to become the injury that ends your cycling. See your chiropractor to make sure alignment is not an issue for you.

Springtime 2012

2401 Jefferson NE • Albuquerque, NM 87111 (505) 884-8012 • www.libertygym.com 27

Duke City Fit Pollen

Water Balloon (Not to Scale)

Karl

Allergies How Many Water Balloons Did You Say You Needed?

This is a timely rerunning of an article first published in Spring of 2010. It looks like this is going to be a banner year for Allergies in the Duke City, so here is all you need to know to take ‘em on.

Ken Orth & Karl Thomas

All right, you know it, I know it. Anybody who has lived here in the Duke City for any length of time knows it... springtime, though magical and majestic, brings with it a certain little sad side effect.

Allergies.

Either you’ve got ‘em, your significant other has them, your friends get ‘em, or D) All of the above.

Allergies are as common here in the springtime as the east canyon winds.

In fact, when those winds start to blow warm and friendly-like, it reminds me of a big ‘ol cholla spreading its arms and saying to anyone who ventures near, “come give me a big hug.”

There be danger in that hug, and there be villains in that canyon wind.

Pollen.

In the same way that you and I are feeling the warmth of the sunshine and shedding our jackets, the desert plants are feeling it too. But they’re not shedding their jackets. They’re thinking, biologically speaking, “yikes, it’s going to be raining soon so it’s time to get on with that procreation thing”. Time is short and life is precariously perched in the desert.

When it is time, it is time. The plants get after it with a vengeance.

Pollen.

We may think of it as dust. An irritable inconvenience. But to our homeland here it is so much more. It is the elixir of life. It is necessary, needed. Wanted. It is the hope for the future. That pollen carries within it the architectural plans that have been honed over the centuries. It is integral and important to life as we know it.

And. And. It makes us sneeze.

Perhaps in the overall desert scheme of things, that sneeze-triggering effect maybe isn’t such a bad thing. At least, not from the pollen’s point of view.

After all, that pollen isn’t going to accomplish much of anything, and certainly not its reproductive prime directive, if it’s stuck way up somebody’s nostril. Not much pollenating going on in there. Far better to be expelled, with vigor, back into the canyon breezes where it can get on with its business.

I guess, if you look at it that way, you would be doing your part more appropriately if you could cut loose with that sneeze right smack dab into a nice cactus bloom somewhere. Keep that in mind when you reach for that box of ultra-soft puffs, you partypooper you.

But be that as it may, there is no doubt that pollen

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holds a very special place within the workings of the sinus cavities and tear ducts of human evolution. It can trigger, with more vitality than most things, a response from the human system that says “get me outta here”.

And do it now.

And really, it’s not like it’s a big, bad ol’ dangerous thing there, that little speck of pollen. It’s not like it’s going to grow a yucca in your schnozzola. But for some reason the human nose and eyes react as if they’ve been invaded by the most toxic poison ever created in the furnaces of hades. They have a straightforward and very predictable response to pollen. Presumably, before it has a chance to grow a full-size cholla under your eyelid.

It works like this...

The pollen grains get stuck on the membranes of cells within the nose or eyes, and that triggers those cells to release little wash bombs. You can imagine them to be like little, tiny water-balloons. Its like you’re washing a bit of bird-do off your Ford F150 by using water balloons. Only thing is, the bird-do is the pollen, and the F150 is your schnoz.

Anyway, in the natural human response cycle, these little water bombs are pumped out of the cells. In the language of science, these babies are called “histamines”. Their job is to flush out the pollen. This is natural and normal and happens in most all of us.

The thing is, and it’s just kind of a design glitch, the “on” switch for the histamines is right there where the action is, right there in the nose and eyes, but the “off” switch... well... it ain’t anywhere near the nose or the eyes. That’d be too easy. Turns out that the off switch is on the other side of town. It’s somewhere down there south of the stomach, down there near the kidneys.

Now why, you might ask, is the on switch up here and the off switch down there? Good question. It’s kinda like the “off” switch was an afterthought. Once the histamines start flowing, it’s like the cells don’t really have any idea how many of the little water bombs might be required. They basically say, “you want histamines, we’ll give you histamines.”

They’re on, and that’s that.

Well, over the eons, the human body evidently figured out that the histamine control center was not the sharpest knife in the drawer. It eventually came up with a way to shut ‘er back down. And that way involves the adrenal glands sitting down there on top of the kidneys. When the adrenals detect histamines floating around in the system, they are

triggered to release a hormone which will shut off the histamine flow. It’s like a timed-release thing.

It takes a while for the histamines to reach the adrenals, and a little while longer for the shut-down hormones to get back up there. Presumably in that amount of time, you got the bird-do off the pickup truck.

In a normally functioning system, that’s pretty much all there is to it and it works just fine and all is right with the world.

Unfortunately, sometimes things don’t quite work like they should. It’s those darn adrenal glands. The off switch. It ain’t getting sent. The histamines just keep on flowing.

So what’s up with the adrenal glands? Why the failure?

Turns out that the adrenal glands are the big hitters in your body’s control system. They produce over a hundred different hormones that in turn do thousands of different things within your system... mostly in response to things that happen in and to your body. That histamine shutoff switch is just one thing they do among MANY. Problem is, in this day and age, most of us have adrenal glands that have been pushed beyond their abilities. They’re tired.

They’ve been responding day and night to so many triggers that they are overwhelmed. This “adrenal fatigue” can manifest itself in many different ways, but one very common one, and one that is easily recognizable, is this failure to shut off the histamine flow. The result is a runny nose and watery eyes.

Itchy. Swollen. We call it an allergy. The pollen calls it a rapid transit system.

The point is, if you want to get to the heart of an allergy problem, you usually need look no further than the adrenal glands. They’re beat up.

They’re beat up because they do so much and because we do so much to them. They respond to toxins. And to stress. We have lives that are filled with both. Caffeine triggers them. Caffeine doesn’t get you going by itself. It triggers the adrenals to release, what else, a hormone called adrenaline. Up you go. Sugar hits the adrenals too, trying to keep the sugar balance right. Imagine if you’re in a traffic jam, stressed, and you’re drinking espresso while eating a danish. You’re punching your adrenals right in the kidneys. It’s like kicking the dog again and again. After a while, he’s just too pooped to get up.

And when the old adrenals are pooped like that, among the first of the things they stop doing is sending that histamine shut-off signal.

For the coffee drinkers amongst us, there is a

www.dukecityfit.com

Duke City Fit simple way to test your adrenals. If you drink a normal cup of coffee in the evening (that’s about 60mg of caffeine), you should NOT be able to sleep afterward for about 4 hours. So, say you do a cup of coffee at 8, you should be up till midnight. Same thing in the morning, or mid-afternoon. If you’re not still going like you should be, it is not because you are stronger or more acclimated or more tolerant. It’s because your adrenals aren’t working properly. And it is not a good thing. You’re kicking the dog. And one of these days he’s not gonna get up.

“All right”, you say, “all right”. I’ve followed you through the pollen and the water balloons and the tired dog, so just what am I supposed to do about it?

Get those adrenals working properly again, that’s what. Do that and you’ll not only solve that allergy thingy, but probably a few other things along the way.

But know this, if you follow the advice of a typical doctor, or simply take over-the-counter medications, you’re not helping your adrenals out at all. Not one iota. You’re not going to the root of the problem, you’re just bypassing them to deal with the symptoms. It is temporary at best. And it will certainly keep you coming back for whatever it is. Again and again.

A much more effective, long-term, and even less-expensive method is to go after the root of the problem in addition to the symptoms. So let’s do that. Right here. Right now.

First off, and you’re gonna hate me for this, you absolutely HAVE to cut back on the caffeine. That means coffee and that means soda. If nothing else, go to half decaf and wean yourself slowly. If you’re drinking a lot of caffeine you’re beating your adrenals with a baseball bat. You gotta let up.

Likewise and ditto on the refined sugar. And corn syrup. Hormones from the adrenals control your blood sugar. The more sugar you put in, the more hormones your adrenals have to pump out. If you’re drinking a caffeinated, sugar-laden soda, you’re smacking ‘em with a solid left-right combination punch. Sooner or later, they’re going down. So stop with the sugar already.

Of course, even if you’ve tackled those two problems, the fact of the matter is that your adrenals are already fatigued, and they’re not just going to pop right back up like Rocky Balboa. They’re going to need some help.

And some rebuilding work.

If you are suffering from allergy symptoms right now, or if you anticipate suffering in the near future, the most immediate remedial help is a locally made herbal supplement called “Hay- Asz”. It was developed right here in the Duke City in 1980, and has been made here ever since. It is the single most effective, important, and indispensable ally you can have here in the high desert in your fight against allergies. It is relatively inexpensive, free of side effects, and it flat out works. Quickly. If you do nothing else, you should have a supply of Hay-Asz capsules in your possession.

As for a more long-term, permanent approach to battling allergies by restoring your adrenals to their former glory, that will take a little time.

The best ongoing nourishment for your adrenals is Pantothenic Acid. Vitamin B5. Most of us get very, very little Pantothenic Acid in our diets, and there is almost none in most vitamin supplements. It will take 60 to 90 days for the Pantothenic Acid to start having an effect, but the capsules are very inexpensive. There are no documented bad side effects. But several good ones. Adults should take 500 to 2,000 milligrams per day. From this day forward.

For a more timely, one-time nourishment of your adrenals, quicker acting, and in addition to the ongoing Pantothenic Acid, you should add an adrenal cortex supplement. This is to get things done faster, and is only taken for about a month or so. The recommended supplement is “Adrenergizer” by Enzomatic Therapy. It contains actual bovine adrenal tissue.

In addition to these aids, there are a few other things that you might do. One is to get exercise. Many people go into a shell when the allergies start up. This is counter-productive for your immune system. A major component of the system, your lymphatics, work through a one-way valve system that pumps only when there is muscle activity. So don’t hide out on the couch, get up and fight. Pop the Hay-Asz and get out there.

Also, believe it or not, you might do yourself a world of good by getting your colon cleaned out. The colon is your body’s last dumping ground.

It’s like the dumpster out back of your office. If it’s full, then all of the other trash cans in the bodily office start backing up, too, because they all eventually end up in the dumpster. You’ll either need a colonic from a professional, which takes an unpleasant half-hour, or a do-it-yourself herbal colon cleanse, which takes about a month.

Continued on Page 30 - ALLERGIES - Just Turn the Page

Springtime 2012

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Duke City Fit The Great Salad

Adventure

Continued From Page 15

I make a gigantic salad on Monday or Tuesday and it’ll easily last until the weekend, but with two of us consuming it, it rarely lasts that long. My method for keeping it is to put it into a big plastic bowl (my bowl holds a gallon and a half... I just measured it with water, and I fill it to the brim with salad). The ingredients of the salad are damp from rinsing when I make it, and it is covered with a wet paper towel and placed in the bottom of the fridge. If it freezes, turn the temperature of the fridge up just a bit. The paper towel should be kept wet, every day at least.

Do not use a tightly sealed lid or plastic wrap. Use a wet paper towel and let it breathe. Do not use a metal bowl. Use glass or plastic.

I make the trip to Sunflower to get the ingredients and then make the salad all in the same day. Some of the stuff, particularly the lettuce, should not sit in the fridge in the bag for more than a day.

Speaking of lettuce, I use only heads of green or red leaf, alternating, or choosing whichever looks best. I do NOT use iceberg. Period. Do NOT use a metal knife on the lettuce. Tear it and rinse it with your hands. I usually tear off and save the biggest outside leaves to see if I need them. (Or keep them around for BLT sandwiches) I also get a big supply of bulk, fresh spring mix and mix it in with the torn leaf lettuce, about 50/50.

Then the other ingredients are layered on top of the lettuce mixture for tossing when it is all done.

Time to get the mandoline out... a “V” bladed, variable depth vegetable slicer. See the list for details.

Just a few words on the other veggies...

I cut and tear the broccoli and cauliflower into very smal pieces. No stems. I don’t want to find a huge chunk of broccoli taking up a whole mouthful of salad.

I cut both ends off of the snow peas (or China peas) , that’s the tough tasteless stuff, and then cut them into bite-size pieces. If the peas fall out... into the salad, all the better.

I find a whole cucumber to be too much for one salad. So, I half it and use half for the salad and half as a stand-alone. My grandma always peeled it leaving stripes of green peel... for color I suppose, but there are minerals in the peel. The salad slices are thinner and cut in half (I slice the half cuke down the middle before using the slicer) . The other slices go on a plate to be topped with pepper and fresh bits of basil if I have it.

I do NOT include tomatoes or little sprouts or boiled eggs into the bowl. These, if desired, are all added in the salad plate at time of serving. Bean sprouts are okay to add to the bowl., just not the little ones, like alfalfa sprouts. They’ll get soggy.

When it’s all done, the bowl is full to the brim, so I grab a big handful or two, all the way to the bottom and put that on a serving plate for immediate consumption. That opens up some room to carefully toss the rest of the salad. Even then, I always seem to end up with some on the floor. Put a wet paper towel over it (and over your salad plate if you can’t eat it post haste) and into the bottom of the fridge. You’re good to go for the rest of the week.

The Stuff: Red or Green leaf head Spring mix, fresh bulk, 1/3 lb Broccoli, 1 good head Cauliflower, 1/4 of head Snow Peas, a handful, 1/4 lb Cucumber, 1/2 Radishes, 4 Green pepper, 1/3 Red or Yellow pepper, 1/3 Bean sprouts, fresh bulk, 1/3 lb Mushrooms, bulk fresh, 4 Carrots, shredded 2 Celery, 2 stalks

$ 1.00 1.50 .50 .50 1.00 .25 .25 .20 .40 .30 1.00 .25 .30 ======= $ 7.45

World’s Greatest Thousand Island Dressing

The Dressings:

Chop: 1 3 3 3/4 1/2 tsp 1/2 tsp

medium dill pickle green onions hard boiled eggs green bell pepper ground black pepper cayenne pepper

Stir together & chill at least 24 hours

Ken’s Steak House Lite Sweet Vidalia Onion Dressing Ken’s Steak House Lite Asian Sesame with Ginger & Soy

Unfortunately, once you’ve tried this, all the others fall a little short. You can safely increase the cayenne and give it a little more kick. I use Hellmans mayonaise (It is Best Foods out here) and the recipe fits perfectly in the empty mayo jar.

The Mandoline: Oxo V-Blade Mandoline slicer (#115570)

Blend: 1 1/2 cups mayo 1/2 cup ketchup

$40

I got my mandoline 2 years ago at Bed,Bath,&Beyond after much online research and hand-wringing. It has been a wonderful investment and if it broke down tomorrow, which it won’t, I’d go right out and get another one.

Besides salad slices, we use it to make thin onion rings and shoestring french fries.

Duke City Fit Editor: Ken Orth

Copy Editor: P Joan Orth, RN

the

Continued

From Page 18

The Sandias are vast but nonetheless fragile, so as a backpacker you should take care to minimize your impact. The best advice comes from Leave No Trace, an environmental organization with a Website, or from the US Forest Service—Tijeras Ranger Station.

Campsites: Where possible, camp on durable surfaces, and protect riparian areas by camping at least 200 feet from water sources. Remember: good campsites are found, not made. Altering a site is not necessary.

Campfires: Because the Sandias are extremely vulnerable to wildfires, don’t make campfires. Use portable stoves instead, and be sure no flames escape.

Respect the environment: Don’t play Daniel Boone and hack at vegetation with axes and knives. Remember: your goal is to leave no trace.

Trash: Pack out whatever you pack in.

Human waste: Deposit solid human waste in catholes dug 6 to 8 inches deep at least 200 feet from water, camp, and trails. Cover and disguise the cathole when finished.

Allergies

Continued From Page 29

With that, if you’ll pardon the pun, we’ve come to the end; the end of our little essay on allergies and adrenals. Some people, I know, have been dealing with allergies for so long that they’ve given up hope. They don’t believe that there is anything to be done about them. Color them skeptical. With those people in mind, and for those just naturally skeptical, we’re going to lay out some allergyfighting battle plans with some approximate price tags. Even the most skeptical, and frugal, amongst us can give it a try. These start from a small-scale, sample plan, to test the waters as it were, up through a full-blown, hit-it-with everything attack. And a couple in between. If you have allergies, you are doing yourself a big disservice if you don’t at least give it a try. You have just about nothing to lose.

The basic idea with the Hay-Asz is to take 2 to 4 capsules every 2o minutes or so, if you still have symptoms, until the symptoms recede. They’ll work, but if you are in full-blown allergy mode, it may take a few.... I’ve peaked out at 16. But your amount may be lower or higher. If you are not real symptomatic, then just take a couple in the morning with a packet of Emergence-C and again at night with E-C. You will find as time passes that you use less and less of the Hay Asz. Test Plan- Total $9.50 Simple, quick, inexpensive; Good for about three days.

One small package of 25 Hay-Asz capsules for $6.50 and Six packets of Emergence-C at 50 cents each Good Plan - Total about $39 Take a few capsules every day if you even think you have symptoms.

Large package of Hay-Asz, 175 capsules, $27 Box of 36 Emergence-C packets, $12

Editor@dukecityfit.com (505) 291-0070

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Duke City Fit is solely owned and published by Duke City Fit, LLC. It is published quarterly in March, June, September, and December. Copyright © 2012 by Duke City Fit. All rights reserved. Reproduction in part or in whole without written permission is prohibited. Opinions and expressions of fact within articles are those of the author and are not necessarily those of the editor or publisher. Specifically, the editor and publisher are not liable for actions taken in response to any article. Readers are encouraged to use common sense and consult with a professional before attempting any potentially harmful activity.

Duke City Fit encourages your submission of articles, photographs, comments, criticisms, and ideas. All submissions will be considered for publication. Recommended article length is 800 to 1200 words. We reserve the right to edit all submitted materials.

Materials will not be returned. Advertising is accepted at the discretion of the publisher.

Duke City Fit is printed on recycled paper using soy-based ink. Our mailing address: Duke City Fit, 3801 Big Bend NE, Albuquerque, NM 87111

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Backpacking Sandias

Better Plan - Total about $57 Add Pantothenic Acid capsules every day.

Same as above but add: Bottle of Pantothenic Acid capsules, 500mg, $18 Best plan - Total about $100 Jump start with Adrenergizer for 60 days. Add cleanse.

Same as above but add: Bottle of Adrenergizer capsules, $20 Herbal Colon Cleanse, $32 For me and mine, we get our herbal and natural supplies at ABQ Health Pantry.

Its on San Pasquale off Central, just south of Old Town. It is, by the way, Karl’s old place. Phone number is 243-0370. They have everything you’ll need. Ask them if they have any water balloons.

www.dukecityfit.com

Duke City Fit

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SW Corner of Montgomery & Juan Tabo

294-2026

THE BIKESMITH BICYCLE RENTAL

Renting Fuji Hybrid, Mountain, & Road Bikes Easy access to the Bosque Trail from Old Town 901 Rio Grande Blvd NW 87104

505-BICYCLE

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The Poop This Business Card Directory is a brand new service from Duke City Fit. Our readers suggested it.

It is a one-stop place to find local products and services.

Tell them Duke City Fit sent you.

Local businesses also wanted an inexpensive, convenient place to get the word out. This is it. Get us your card, or we’ll help you create one, and you can be seen here, too.

Call us at 291-0070, or email us at editor@dukecityfit.com

Springtime 2012

www.DukeCityFit .com We’re online now Your mom can keep up with us Even though she’s in Scranton

(And if she’s in Scranton, she probably needs this)

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