Since our neighbours to the south are celebrating #NationalKaleDay, we thought we’d dig through the archives and compile some of the Kale recipes iRunNation has shared with us over the years! Kale is a powerful anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory food full of minerals — think green for recovery!

Quinoa, Kale slaw with Cilantro Lime dressing
This is a beauty…inspired by Quinoa 365 Recipes.

1 c quinoa
1 1/4 c water

1 bunch kale, chopped fine
1/4 c chopped red onion
1 carrot, grated
1 apple, chopped
1/4 c craisons
1/4 c pumpkin seeds

1/4 c mayo
1/4 c yogurt
1 clove garlic minced
1/4 c cilantro, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
Zest of 1/2 lime
Honey or maple syrup or cane sugar to taste

Add quinoa to water in pan – covered, over high heat – bring to a boil. Boil 10 mins. Turn off heat, let sit 5 mins on element. Remove from element, fluff with fork. Set aside

Combine vegs, fruit and seeds in bowl.

Mix together all dressing contents. Pour over veggie mixture. Toss in quinoa. Adjust to taste – salt if desired. Voila.

Kale & Red Cabbage Salad with Cumin Vinaigrette
Loaded with antioxidants to help the body recover after a hard workout, this cold weather salad is tasty and wholesome.

1 bunch of kale, washed, dried, middl stem torn out, finely shredded
1/2 small head red cabbage, shredded
1 orange pepper thinly sliced
5 plum tomatoes seeded and diced
2 avocados peeled and diced
1 bunch cilantro coarsely chopped
1/4 cup hemp seeds

Beans
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp chilli powder
salt and pepper

Vinaigrette
Juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 medium shallot chopped
1/4 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp cumin
1/3 cup olive oil

In a large bowl combine kale, cabbage and 1 tbsp of the olive oil from vinaigrette. With your hands, massage the vegetables for about 3 minutes to wilt the kale slightly. Add the remaining vegetables and gently toss. Make vinaigrette by combining all ingredients, gently toss again. Season black beans with cumin, chilli powder, salt and pepper and add to the salad. Let the salad sit for at least 30 minutes to allow the kale to soften further. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Submitted by Donna Davis is the cofounder of Elation Centre, a leading integrated lifestyle centre. As well as running marathons, she teaches running, yoga for runners and healthful cooking.

Kale, Lemon, and White Bean Dip Recipe
1 can (540 mL/ 19 oz) white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups (500 mL) packed baby kale leaves OR finely chopped kale (white stem removed)
2 tsp (10 mL) finely grated lemon zest
1 tsp (5 mL) minced fresh garlic
1/2 tsp (2 mL) cracked fresh pepper
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
2 tbsp (30 mL) lemon juice
1/4 cup (60 mL) olive oil
Whole grain crackers or whole wheat pita wedges and Crudités (veggie sticks)

Method:
Place kidney beans and kale in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse until very well combined, scraping down sides of bowl when needed. Add lemon zest, garlic, pepper and salt. With motor running, drizzle in lemon juice and oil. ulse until very well combined. Place in an air tight container for up to 3 days. To serve: Place dip in small snack size containers and enjoy with crackers and veggie sticks.

Other uses for this tasty dip:
Instead of meat, slather a layer of dip on your bread and load up with veggies for a delicious vegan sandwich.
Use as a “sauce” for grilled beef, chicken or salmon.
For a spicier “dip”, add 1 tsp (5 mL) finely chopped chipotle peppers.

Do you have your own Kale recipes on your blog? Feel free to share here, or send us an email!

By: Magi Scallion

Revelstoke is an established mountain bike and alpine ski destination. With it’s proximity to Roger’s Pass, a huge new ski hill, the town is abuzz in the winter with power hounds. Summer is not much different as equal work as been put into some fantastic mountain bike trails.

Two high-alpine trails, Frisbey Ridge and Keystone Standard Basin, are the “classics” to do, but there are also some fantastic options at lower elevations and closer to town. Last September I did a mountain bike ride on Keystone Standard Basin and posted some photos and a brief description.

We were supposed to do that same trail today, but as a run… unfortunately (or fortunately) there was somewhere around 10 cm of snow at the higher elevations so we opted to explore some new-to-us trails closer to town.

This led us to the trails on Mt. MacPherson. I’m familiar with the area from cross country skiing there in the winter. The “mountain bike” (AKA running) trails are a real treat. We ran approximately 24 km in a solid 3 hour loop at Mt. MacPherson and only touched a couple trails twice (more because we got a bit disoriented and made a few mistakes). The trails are well-signed but running with a trail map (and stopping to reference it on occasion) will make your life a bit easier.

The topography is wonderful for a long trail run. There is lots of elevation change but it’s all very gradual and rolling, so you don’t notice it so much. There is rare huffing-and-puffing on long or steep climbs: you don’t even notice how much you’ve climbed until you’re half-way down a long descent!

The trail surface is great, especially on a wet day. One of the members of our group described it as “Canmore trails in a Whistler forest.” That means that the trails are primarily machine built with wide and smooth tread (and harder dirt) but the forest is very wide-open with big old evergreen trees. It was also raining today, which always brings about the feeling of being on the coast!

I would recommend Revelstoke as a great weekend (or long weekend) get-away for avid trail runners. With the two “epic” high alpine runs and now these trails closer to town, you can certainly make yourself nice and exhausted for your week of work!

***

Born in Nova Scotia and emigrating to British Columbia via Ontario and Alberta, Magi has been running the entire way. Primarily defined as a cross country ski racer, Magi has competed nationally and internationally in that sport. The highlight of her career was competing in the World University Games and the World Cup races in Canada in 2007. Cross country skiers rely heavily on running for cross training and Magi has become an accomplished trail and mountain runner, representing Canada at the World Mountain Running Championships in 2005 and the winning numerous national championships medals.

Today Magi runs for fun… and it’s a lot of fun! Epic mountain runs, city cruises with friends, and more keep her happy and occupied outside of work and school.

Last year, Steven Thomas ran the Sears Great Canadian Run, Ottawa to Montebello edition. The 100-kilometre run is most often undertaken as a relay, but Thomas decided to do the whole distance, setting the goal of raising $10,000 – just five weeks before the event. He talked with Mike Herzog of GoodGuysTri who was happy to help out; in the end, Thomas raised $13,500 on his own, toward a total of $17,000 when the donations from GGT came in.

This year, Thomas and Herzog decided to make it even bigger, deciding they would both run the full distance, and see who they could recruit to join them. Figuring they would have six or 7 runners, they set a fundraising goal of $30,000. To their surprise, within 48 hours of the request, over 20 runners had committed.

On October 5, the team of 23 runners will make the trek together. One of Herzog’s favourite sayings is that there is no such thing as individual success – and that’s why they decided they’d all do the run together. “We wanted to do something epic this year,” says Herzog. “But we also wanted it to be symbolic. Together we can overcome anything – from running 100K to finding a cure for kids’ cancer.”

They’ve certainly proven that. While each team member has their own individual fundraising goal, all together, they’ve raised over $75,000 with just a little over a week left before the event.

As anyone who has done it can tell you, fundraising can be a daunting task. “I was worried about reaching my initial $2,000 goal, and I was concerned that I would drive my network of family and friends crazy in the process,” says team member Sarah Muldoon. “To my delight, fundraising has been a breeze! When people hear that our GoodGuysTri team is running 100K to help end kids’ cancer, people are so eager to help. The cause really speaks for itself.” This success led to her doubling her goal, and she was within a few hundred dollars of meeting it at last count.

The team has done some really creative things to raise the funds. Not only have they approached individuals for donations, they’ve leveraged the power of their team size and the GoodGuysTri name to get corporate sponsors. They’ve also hosted a wide range of events, including: bootcamp workouts, silent auctions, a 100 kilometre relay on a treadmill, “Beer for a Cure,” the Dinner to End Kids Cancer, and “Another Chance to Dance” adult prom, to name a few.

If you’re wondering where all of these crazy event-planning ultramarathoners came from, you’ll be interested to know they’re not all ultramarathoners yet. “I have never run farther than a marathon so the thought of running 100 kilometres is daunting – and crazy!” says Muldoon, but she’s not worried. “We will be running together, supporting each other and ensuring that we all cross the finish line together.

“The run is really just a celebration of what we’ve achieved fundraising,” says Herzog, adding, “GoodGuysTri is about endurance sport to do good. If you tie your goals to something bigger, there’s no chance of failing.”

To learn more about GoodGuysTri and why they are running, visit their website. You can donate to the cause, view the 2012 mini-documentary and other videos, meet the team, and check out their upcoming events!

On September 22, 2013, 22,000 people will be walking, running, or rolling in an event that has seen it’s number of participants TRIPLE in 6 years — making it the fastest growing run in Canada. If you’ve never experienced Canada Army Run, you’ve missed out on the surge of incomparable, emotional energy that this event creates.

It isn’t about elite wins or chip times. It isn’t about the medals. For most, it isn’t about attaining a personal best.

It’s about honour.

To the incredibly brave women and men who have given up their lives, their limbs, their senses and so much more to the protection of our great freedoms, we run in honour of you.

To the families of fallen and active soldiers — those left alone in suffering and those who patiently wait for their loved ones to return while we go about our daily lives free to hug and kiss and share with our partners, our children, we run in honour of you.

To the military forces of today — those stationed around the world facing life-altering events that free the rest of us from EVER having to experience, we run in honour of you.

So, one may be ask oneself: ‘Why should I run Canada Army Run?’

In the words of a runner who shared her answer with iRun today:

iRun Canada Army Run because freedom is not free.

________________________________________________________________________
Fundraising efforts from the Canada Army Run support Soldier On and the Military Families Fund.

Read and listen to the iRun Podcast for inspiring stories of injured soldiers and their families.

This Sunday, an amazing team of youth will be running their first 5K at Canada Army Run. Lisa Georges, iRun’s Publisher, has been training with a small group from Operation Come Home, Ottawa’s employment, education, and support centre for homeless and at-risk youth age 16 and up, leading up to the powerful event, which will see just under 22,000 cross the finish line this year.

From left: Maggie, Melissa and Vitaly dig their new kicks!

Special thanks to Coach Brock from Skywalker Fitness who designed the training plan that got the team to the start line, and Doug from Sports4 for fitting the team for shoes, donated by the Ottawa independent running store.

“As a sponsor of Canada Army Run , we’re fortunate to receive complementary entries into this amazing event,” says Georges. “We know what crossing the finish line at Canada Army Run feels like — we see it, we hear about it from our audience and we have experienced it ourselves: it is an incredibly empowering and unforgettable moment. We wanted to share that experience with the youth from Operation Come Home this year.”

Only days aways form the September 22 event, 21 year old team member, Melissa, shares her thoughts leading up to the big day:

I stopped running five years ago, shortly after high school. At the beginning of this summer, I started to go for long walks with my dog and decided to make a big lifestyle change: improve my eating habits, drink way more water and run intervals.

I wanted to take this opportunity from iRun to do the Army Run 5K to see if I still had the momentum and drive to complete the distance. I started to train more — adding endurance training into my workouts and running four or five times a week, in addition to the weekly group trainings runs and tips.

Now it’s 3 days before the race and the anticipation is killing me. I can’t wait to feel that vibe of everyone around you — the thrill and excitement of race day!

Well said, Melissa! We look forward to watching you and the rest of the team cross the finish line on Sunday!

Read this year’s winning entry into the ‘Why do you run Canada Army Run?’ contest.

By: Karen Karnis

Meet Jean Poiré, Eric Hoziel and Denys Martin, of Les Agences Jean Poiré Sports Inc. (LAJPS), a sporting goods agency selling high quality products in the province of Québec since 1985. They’ve been representing Mizuno Running Canada in Québec for roughly a year with great success. As part of our series on Mizuno Brand Ambassadors, we sat down with them for a frank chat.

How did you get into the field of sporting goods sales?

Jean Poiré: I was a professional hockey player in Europe for three years after university. When I came back, I was looking at the sporting goods business and a friend who was already an agent introduced me to the business. I have a bachelor degree in finance but sports always been my greatest interest. So business and sport was a natural fit for me.

Eric Hoziel: A long time ago I worked as a student at Murray’s Sporting Goods in Montreal. Then I started an acting career which I have to admit has been pretty successful. I joined LAJPS as a partner in November 2012. I have a big territory to cover: north of Montreal, Laval, Laurentians, Lanaudières, Abitibi, Trois-Rivières and Gatineau.

Denys Martin: I used to own a specialty store for badminton and tennis products and came into the sporting goods industry as a national badminton player. After 5 years in retail, the president of Yonex Canada at the time called me to see if I would represent the YONEX line in Quebec. That was 27 years ago – I’ve been in the business ever since.

What is your favourite part of your job?

JP: People, for sure. In all these years, many of my best customers became very close friends; same for some of the other agents and my two great partners with Mizuno, Eric and Denys. Great market to work in and great team work to build the line.

Another thing that I like is the competition – like in sport. In every market, like rackets, shoes or clothing, you have a lot of brands competing. With Mizuno, we have a great team and spirit combined with a great product, and we have had amazing success so far.

EH: Giving clinics to store staff and seeing them discover the Wave technology in our brand, and going for a jog with them to experience the amazing cushioning and stability for themselves. I also love that time of year when we present the new collection.

DM: Taking orders! Seriously, all aspects of the job are interesting. What I like most is the fact that it is a very diversified job.

What made you decide to work with Mizuno, and why has it been going so well? 

JP: Mizuno is a great technical brand with big potential as it is a fantastic product. There are no short cuts with this kind of technical product and the keys to success are events, product knowledge education, service and presence. In 2010, I was invited in Japan for my 25 years with YONEX with Denys. When we went to visit a couple of sporting good stores in Tokyo, I was able to see the dominance of Mizuno over all the other brands in the running market in Japan. I knew that with all of the technical advantages, this line had great potential in Québec.

EH: I like the philosophy of Mizuno Canada: take good care of our accounts, and go for the hit, not the home run. We will establish the brand one shoe at a time, one customer at a time, one account at a time. We are a very high-end brand, very technical, and runners are loyal to Mizuno. Mizuno makes great running shoes and I have pride and confidence when I talk about our brand to buyers, staff and runners – and that’s the first ingredient when selling a product.

DM: It is very easy to sell a product that you believe in. Mizuno is not a marketing brand but an R&D brand. They have a good product; I believe in what they are doing and am not shy about selling it.

What up-and-coming product or technology from Mizuno are you must excited about?

JP: For sure the new U4iC foam, which is 30% lighter than AP+ [the previous foam]. Already, all the Mizuno shoes were very light but with the new foam, it will be even lighter and a big advantage over the competition. Take for example, the new Wave Rider 17. It will weigh only 8.8 oz. (compared to the Rider 16 at 9.9) with even better shock-absorption and durability. Just amazing R & D from Mizuno; combine this with the Mizuno Wave and you have a winner.

What about your own running?

JP: I started running when I was about 15 years old for my hockey training. Running was always part of my training and it is still today as I always thought that running is the base of every sport, including my two favourite sports, hockey and tennis. In 1993, I decided to run my first marathon and since then, I have run 3 others with my PB at 3h21, not bad for a 190-pound runner. I did my last marathon in Berlin last year with not a lot of training due to knee injuries. So because of that, I am more looking for short distance like 5 and 10Ks in the future. Let me say my bad knees have nothing to do with running! It’s an old hockey injury. My friends are talking about the World Marathon Majors – so New York, Berlin, Chicago, etc.…they are looking at London in 2015. We will see…

EH: I thought I was a runner until friends convinced me to run the 2010 Chicago Marathon. It was an eye-opening experience and I discovered that endurance training and races are something I love. The feeling of wellness and inner peace after a long run is amazing. For me, it’s about going beyond the suffering and making the effort to push the limits. I’ve completed four of the 6 World Majors (Chicago, New York, Berlin and Boston) as well as a few 70.3 and Olympic distance triathlons. My favourite distance is the marathon. I think I will go back to Boston in 2014. I was there this year, and even though I crossed the finish line 30 minutes before the bombs, I was still on-site when it happened. I think it will be a special place to be next year and a special race with more meaning than ever.

DM: I am not a real runner, but I ran a lot for my badminton training. I did two half marathons, but more for fun than anything else. I run to keep in shape and be able to keep playing badminton with the youth since I am 59 years old now.

Check out Mizuno Running in Quebec on Facebook!

By: Nikki Reiter

Looking to run your goal time in your next half- or full marathon?  Consider hunting down the pacer for your goal time!  A pacer is someone employed by the race organizers to run a specific time, usually within 15 seconds of the goal, and usually at a very steady pace.  Pacers are usually very encouraging, outgoing individuals and are experienced at the race distance.

I recently had the opportunity to pace a half-marathon for a 2:00 group.  With the 2-hour mark being such a large time barrier for so many individuals, I was very excited to guide runners to achieving their goal.  I finished in 1:59.42 (gun time).  A great performance for my first time pacing!

Being a 1:30 half-marathoner, this was a great pace to go out and enjoy the race with a different perspective, and I learned a lot from the people around me enjoying their run.  I am typically so consumed by my own splits and performance when I race that I forget to take in the beautiful courses or enjoy the company of those around me.  Thanks to this opportunity, I gained new perspective on enjoying the racing experience.

Technically, pacing wasn’t too tough and I was able to lock into the necessary pace and keep things steady for the runners around me.  Surprisingly, the runners around me weren’t as uptight as I thought they’d be about their splits and making their goal time; they were more concerned with enjoying their day and taking it all in.  This was something very new to me and I feel very fortunate to have learned how to race differently.

If you’re feeling blasé these days about your racing, maybe it’s time to try something different.  Trying a new race distance, or testing out a trail race perhaps, could be a way to re-energize, renew or re-establish your relationship with racing.

***

Nikki Reiter is a Mizuno Running Brand Ambassador from Kelowna, BC.  She holds a master’s degree in biomechanics, coaches Cross Country at UBC Okanagan and is the founder of Run Right Gait Analysis Service (run-right.ca).