Shopping Tour - Trader Joe's in Bellingham, WA

Today I'd like to introduce you to a fabulous grocery store in Bellingham, WA.

It's called Trader Joe's and they started out in California in the 50's as a small chain of convenience stores. Today, there are more than 280 stores in 23 states. The nearest store to Vancouver, BC is the one in Bellingham, WA, which opened one year ago.

You'll find unconventional and interesting products, as well as everyday basics. They have low prices every day. You'll recognize the staff by their Hawaiian shirts! They offer the best prices on fresh and organic foods (and I mean seriously amazing prices), and they are the home of 2 Buck Chuck (if you don't know what that means, never mind!)...People actually line up when a new store opens.

Go to http://www.traderjoes.com/index.html and see for yourself...

Anyways, I will be leading a convoy to Bellingham during the middle of the week in early June. I have 4 spaces in my car to share gas costs, and we can take as many cars as are willing to join the convoy.

Border wait times are lowest in the middle of the day, mid-week. It's still a crap-shoot these days, with the massive construction on the WA highways, as they prepare for our Olympics. But it's worth the adventure, and we'll be in good company.

Just be warned...once you've shopped for your groceries at Trader Joe's, you may never want to shop anywhere else again. For the record, I am willing to make this a weekly excursion, if there is enough interest. And, of course, once introduced, you may just want to make it a family tradition to go "into town" to do your own shopping on a regular basis!

Breaker, breaker, good buddy - let's put the hammer down - that's a big 10-4!

Or something like that!

Eating to Prepare for Race Day

Almost 60,000 Vancouverites just completed the 10k Sun Run (yes, I was among them). Now, it's marathon season, a mere 26 miles of pavement. Today marks the 37th annual Bank of Montreal Vancouver Marathon!

I send my best wishes to the runners today! Particularly to Thomas Omwenga, last year's winner from Nairobi, Kenya. Thomas's running career earns him enough to support a large extended family back home, where a Canadian dollar goes a very long way. Due to last minute visa problems, some of his toughest competitors will not be joining us today.

Nutrition plays a critical role in athletic performance, but many active people do not eat a diet that helps them do their best on the pavement. Don't make the mistake of thinking that popping a pill (ie. taking your vitamins) instead of planning your meals, is good enough. There is no pill, potion or powder that can enhance your performance like the right foods and fluids.

To have enough energy for Race Day, you need to consume enough energy. Getting adequate calories is one of the keys to a performance-enhancing diet. With too few calories, you will feel tired and weak and be prone to injuries.

Nothwithstanding personal food allergies, you must include high quality components of each of the food groups, grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and protein-rich foods.

Sugars and fats provide extra calories after the needs from the other food groups have been met. Again, only go for high quality components.

Then, after you are confident that you're making the best food and beverage choices, go take your vitamins. This will remove the final nutritional question mark from your plate, and give you some nutritional insurance.

For lots of information on long-distance running, I often go to http://www.copacabanarunners.net/ .