dHfarm.net

This piglet, along with its littermates, was born on pasture Thursday- less than 24 hours before my father {who, ironically, made a significant portion of his livelihood raising confinement hogs) passed away.  Dad was a humble, hard-working man who persevered through a lot of difficult times with little fanfare.  Though my vision of stewardship for the earth looks significantly different than his reality, I think he left hints along the way that his mission was a trail to be continued.  The apple has not fallen far from the tree.

at the Fayetteville Farmer’s Market.  Getting there was quite an adventure: packing two vans and a trailer with as many plants as we could reasonably fit.. in the dark Friday night; covering the trailer so we didn’t kill plants in transit; bringing a lamb to town on the way (for a church Easter activity)…

Tonight I ponder, while making a meager beginning to potting up the next  batch of seedlings, the seemingly mystical draw of germinating seeds in my not~so~nimble fingers.  Such potential, yet dependent on favorable conditions- a balance of moisture and air, light…

Today ends our herbal cleanse.  I cannot give it a ringing endorsement because I’m not saying, “Wow, I feel incredible.”  However, it certainly has caused me to think more about what goes into my body and I believe there is a subtle improvement in overall well-being. (Four times up and down Mt. Kessler today didn’t leave me feeling depleted!)  Marquita initially experienced headaches but dropped a pleasantly surprising number of pounds and reports more energy.

Marquita and I are doing a 10-day ’herbal cleanse’ using Advocare products which is designed to eliminate wastes and improve function of the intestines.  Dietary guidelines during the 10 days are similar to clean food principles but more restrictive.

Reflecting on the whole-health puzzle, I realize that I have run personal best times at all the Trail Series runs since July except the Arkansas Traveller.  Am I more fit?  Maybe, maybe not.  Certainly no younger!  Has my running form/efficiency improved?  Again, hard to say.  Experience is a double-edged sword.  Better nutrition?  Sometimes, sometimes not.  Ultimately we (hopefully) choose to follow the path that gives us the best chance to achieve…

Another tentative thumbs up for the clean diet, after  completing www.athensbigforkmarathon.com  34 minutes faster than my previous best for the event.  I say tentative because many factors affect a run like this.  (The warnings on the website are not an exaggeration!)

A clarification on processed foods: obviously anything cooked, canned, ground or otherwise altered is “processed”.. so why is commercial processing considered less desirable?  Because {1} more  nutrients are destroyed and {2} chemicals are added as preservatives and fillers (among other reasons).

Three days into the gluten-free test and… I can say it is an eye-opening experience.  Gluten is pretty ubiquitous in the American diet.  Too early to determine anything about gluten, but a few preliminary observations about intentional food choices.  Possible benefits?  I am eating more fruits and vegetables.  And fewer empty calories.  The systolic number of my blood pressure appears to be averaging about 10 points lower.  Not sure how significant that is.  Also, the classic field test for hydration/dehydration appears to be improved.  If you don’t know what that is, ask, if you don’t mind blunt answers.

Regarding the farm, we want to grow ‘everything’ this year.  Feedback welcome! email goodfood@dhfarm.net

Runs: Mon 3.6 @43 min., 3.6 @40 min.; Tues 3.6 @38 min.;  Wed 6.5 @53 min.(Sequoyah)

For most of my years as a runner I subscribed to the garbage can theory: it didn’t matter what I ate, just eat (and eat, and eat!) and surely enough nutrients would find their way into the metabolism.  Transitioning into middle age, the world of ultramarathoning, numerous ‘bonks’ and a low blood-sugar test are among the things that have led  to reconsideration.  Thus, 2012 will be a science experiment of sorts.  At the moment the focus is on eating food that is less processed (referred to as clean food at the website www.coreperformance.com ).  Starting tomorrow I go gluten-free for a week to determine if there might be allergen implications.

Today’s run: 15.5 in 2:10 pleasantly surprised. Wynn Creek loop.

In the coming year we are resolved to make this website more relevant by: expanding the garden; establishing our niche; engaging friends and family on the merits of good fresh local produce; blogging about the relationships between food, health, and Mark’s hobby.

Julia took this picture  of newly planted strawberry beds- and the sunset- a few days ago..