Issue II, Fall/Winter 1999
B-FIT NEWSLETTER
B-FIT athlete statsmailboxrunning mice, hello from Katrinaportrait of a 100-mile week, vegetarian stir-fry, interview with marathoner Niamh Nicholas, NCAA results, lowfat pumpkin muffins, B-FIT home, newsletter page

Updates from the Project Director

Kristin Cobb
 
Welcome to the fall issue of the B-FIT newsletter.  Progress has been slow but definitive since my report in the summer newsletter.  Forty athletes have now been randomized, with 22 in the control group and 18 in the treatment group.  Additionally, many new runners have joined the study and should be attending their bone density appointments shortly.  If all of the new B-FIT athletes follow through with their appointments, this will bring us closer to our goal of randomizing 150 athletes.

Early this November, a British study was published in Osteoporosis International; this study was designed to test similar hypotheses as B-FIT (“Treatment of Reduced Bone Mineral Density in Athletic Amenorrhea: A Pilot Study”, Osteoporosis International (1999) 10:284-289.).  However, the British study only had 34 runners total, and their estrogen-treatment group consisted of only 10 runners.  It was difficult for the researchers to make conclusions with such small numbers.  Their overriding conclusion was that a trial of estrogen treatment among elite runners is a difficult study to attempt, but an extremely important one.  It's a good thing that we runners like a challenge!  I hope you will all help us to meet this challenge through your dedication to the study.

Progress has been aided by a new addition to our staff at B-FIT.  Welcome to our new Associate Director, Katrina Mogielnicki, a recent graduate of Haverford College.  Katrina's enthusiasm and energy have been invaluable in keeping our optimism high here at B-FIT.  Special thanks to her for all her dedication and help.  Thanks also to Ilse Larson, Theresa McCarthy, and Mila Prill, who have all been helping with the study.

I spent three weeks in the New York area this September to recruit athletes in the vicinity of our fifth bone density machine, at the Helen Hayes Hospital in West Haverstraw, NY.  This was a successful trip, as I spoke to over a dozen collegiate cross country teams about B-FIT.  Katrina also made a recent trip to New York to speak to more teams and to local running clubs.  Unfortunately, we are experiencing "technical difficulties" in New York.  Believe it or not, we are being held up by the interpretation of a single sentence.  Such is the pace of research, as I'm discovering!  Consequently, our New York athletes will have to wait until after the holiday break to have their bone densities measured.  Thanks to our New York athletes for their patience during this delay.

Congratulations to all those who participated in the recent NCAA Championships in cross country.  Four B-FIT teams placed in the top 20 in the nation in the Division I championships in Bloomington, IA, including Stanford, Brown, Michigan State, and the University of Michigan.  See page 7 for the full results of all three division nationals.

I hope you enjoy this holiday edition of the newsletter.  As always, I encourage you to send news, writings, suggestions, or questions for publication.  We like to hear from you!  Happy holidays, and good luck on final exams.

 

B-FIT Athlete Statistics:
Among the first 40 athletes who have had their bone densities measured and been randomized:

17 are from the Boston Site
11 are from the Stanford Site
8 are from the LA Site
and 4 are from the Michigan Site.

 Schools with the most B-FIT athletes: 
Mt. Holyoke College, 6
Dartmouth, 5
Cal Poly Pomona, 4

Average age of participants: 19.5 yrs
Percent who have ever had a stress fracture: 37%
Average number of X-C seasons run: 5.6
Percent who are vegetarian: 16%
 Average age started competing: 13.8 yrs old
Average percent of runs on pavement:67%


 


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   Mailbox  Printed with permission from the Impala Running Club Newsletter...
Hello Friends,

I miss running with all of you.  Those who do not know why I have not returned to training, here is why.  I hope this note helps you avoid the problems I now have.  This article may save your running career!

This year I decided to check my bone density for my own information to use as a reference point.  To my surprise, I found out that my spine has become already thin.  I had no back pain so that I never thought of such a problem.  I caught it just in time before getting osteoporosis. I found this hard to believe.  Why me?

Later, I realized that I had some risk factors.  I am Asian and I have a small bone frame and had amenorrhea due to heavy exercise habits.  After overcoming the initial denial and depression, I decided to be proactive.  I read books and discussed with my doctors how to prevent further bone loss and even reverse the bone density back to normal.

Today I am taking hormone replacement therapy as well as a supplement including calcium and vitamin D.  I am monitoring my progress periodically with a bone density scan.  Until my bone density returns to normal, I will run easy for fitness and lift weights to keep my muscles strong.  As you know, I love to train hard.  I am afraid that if I start training with the Impala team, I will over train and hurt myself.

Do you know that more than 25 million Americans have osteoporosis?  Here are more facts:
 


Accumulated studies suggest that a woman’s bone density scan done after age 25 can predict her future risk for fractures.  As most Impala women are light weight and train hard, you too may be at high risk of developing osteoporosis.  Is it time for a bone density scan?  All I know is that it is a lot easier to prevent it before a fracture stops you from training.

I will keep you updated with my progress.  I will be very happy to answer any questions you may have as I did research on this topic.  I look forward to returning to training with you in the near future.  Keep running for me.

Kaz Aoyagik
aoyagikn@aol.com or aoyagikn@pebio.com

 
 
 

Running Mice are Smarter Mice
 Researchers from the Salk Institute in La Jolla, CA report that mice that are given a running wheel rack up several miles a day, generate more new brain cells, and prove to be smarter than their sedentary counterparts in tests of learning. Professor Fred Gage and his colleagues divided 34 mice into two groups.  One of the groups was given cages equipped with running wheels.  Mice that were given a running wheel ran about 3 miles a day.  When the mice were given challenging tests of learning, running mice performed better than non-running mice.  Better performance by the running mice was matched by increases in a type of brain function, called long-term potentiation, that is associated with learning ability.  In addition, in the brains of running mice, the researchers found significantly higher numbers of new brain cells in the areas associated with learning.  The investigators concluded that physical activity can control the generation of new brain cells and the ability to learn and to adapt to changing environmental conditions.

                              Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 1999; 96: 13,427-13,431


 
 

Hello B-FIT Participants, Health Services and Coaches,

If we haven’t yet met, my name is Katrina Mogielnicki.  I have taken over for Bridget Ward as the new Associate Director of B-FIT.  I graduated last year from Haverford College in Pennsylvania and I am really excited to be a part of the Bone Health in Female Runners Intervention Trial research team!
It continues to be wonderful to work with so many talented athletes and their coaches and health services.  I’ve already been communicating with many of you, and if I haven’t yet, I’m sure I soon will.  Don’t hesitate to call or email!
I hope you all have a great winter, and good luck with your running, coaching, and healing!

Katrina Mogielnicki
Associate Director, B-FIT


 
 
Portrait of a 100-mile week…

From the Training Log of Kim Fitchen, Nike Farm Team
10,000 meter pr: 33:17; Olympic Trials Qualifier 

Monday: 11/01/99
am: easy maintenance run 40 minutes on the golf course (6 miles) 5 pm: Farm Team workout, golf course
45 minutes at threshold pace, 5:54/mile ( total WO=11.5 miles)

Tuesday: 11/02/99
7:00 am: 30 minutes easy at Stanford
(4 miles)
8:30 am: Sports massage at SMI. pm: long run @ Huddart Park, 87 minutes (13 miles)
weights + ice bath

Wednesday: 11/03/99
am: rest pm: 36 minutes easy on grass at IM fields.  With walks between (4.5 miles).

Thursday: 11/04/99
am: easy maintenance 40 minutes at
Stanford (6 miles) 4:15 pm: FT workout @ Sandhill fields.  6 x 1k at 3:12-3:18 pace with 3 minutes jog ; strides + warm down + ice (11.5) 

Friday: 11/05/99
am: easy maintenance 54 minutes from home (8 miles). pm: easy 64 minutes @ Huddart Park + lift weights (9.5 miles)

Saturday: 11/06/99
4:45 am: easy 45 minutes (6 miles) pm: Tom Coogan and Kristin Hall’s wedding in Boulder, CO.  Rest.

Sunday: 11/07/99
am: long run in Boulder with Melody Fairchild, 125 minutes: Wonderland, Foothills, Resevoir Loop (18 miles). Ice in stream. pm: 2 miles @ 8500 ft. GoldHill at sunset.
 


 


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Featured Recipe: Vegetarian Stir Fry
Joel Zemenick, California Cullinary Academy of San Francisco

Ingredients: 
shitake mushrooms snow peas  broccoli 
oyster mushrooms bamboo shoots  red and yellow bell peppers
scallions  baby corn  Japanese eggplant
minced garlic cloves minced ginger 

Sauce: ¼ c. soy sauce
 2 T. plum sauce
 1 tsp. hot pepper sesame oil (spicy, watch out!)
 1 T. cornstarch dissolved in ½ c. water (=”slurry”)

Directions:
Sauté all vegetables plus garlic and ginger together in a  non-stick frying pan with a small amount of olive oil.  To make the sauce: combine soy sauce, plum sauce, and sesame oil together in a small frying pan.  Bring to a boil.  Slowly add cornstarch “slurry” to the sauce, stirring thoroughly to prevent lumps.  Pour sauce over cooked vegetables.  Serve over steamed jasmine rice.


 
 

Going For It…
Interview with Niamh Nicholas, third fastest American marathoner of 1999.
On November 14, 1999, Niamh Nicholas won her debut  marathon, the Long Beach marathon, in 2:37:06. This is the third fastest time for an American woman this year, is among the top 5 American debuts ever, and is also five-minutes faster than the A-standard for the Olympic Trials.  Niamh grew up in Mill Valley, CA, and has been running competitively since her freshman year in high school.  She competed off and on for the University of Oregon, where she took All-American honors in the 10k, despite numerous injuries.

Kristin: What injuries did you overcome at the University of Oregon? 
Niamh: Throughout college I think I had 5-6 stress fractures, in both tibias and metatarsals.  Besides that, I just had some weird injuries like IT-band problems, and various things; I can’t even keep track of them all. 
Kristin: What kept you motivated to run throughout all these injuries?
Niamh: When I would go to meets, I realized that I totally wanted to be out there.  And also seeing things on TV, especially seeing women runners doing well.
Kristin: Which women do you admire?
Niamh: I always liked Uta Pippig.  I’ve always admired her for her attitude, particularly at the Boston marathon.  I’ve heard her say that she wants to make running beautiful.  And, to me she really does. Also, Joan Benoit, I think is amazing.  She’s humble, but you can tell she’s very, very strong mentally, and I admire that.
Kristin: What did you do after college?
Niamh: After college, I kept running for a little bit when…I don’t really know what happened, but I know I just started not enjoying it.  Running wasn’t fun for me, at all.  I took quite a bit of time off.  I ran about 3 times in 8 months. 
Kristin: What prompted you to start running again?
Niamh: My husband and I moved down here [to Palo Alto], and he was running with the Farm Team.  Seeing people run out there got me excited to run again.  I started running a little bit again last July or August of 1998.  I had a lot of different nagging injuries. I never really got that fit.  I ran the USATF national cross country meet in Tacoma, Washington in February of this year and got 28th. 
Kristin: What happened after that race?
Niamh: I decided I didn’t feel like I was enjoying running again.  This has been a constant theme throughout.  I took awhile off, and I just ran when I felt like it.  I’m always active, but sometimes running just doesn’t appeal to me. 
Kristin: So what made you decide to train for a marathon?
Niamh: I started running with some friends in the morning.  My friend [Paul Davis] was training for the Chicago marathon.  I was saying to him that the marathon was what I wanted to do ultimately with running.  Just talking to him and thinking about it more, I put my mind to it that I wanted to do a marathon.
Kristin: When did you make the decision to train for the marathon?
Niamh: I think it was in June. 
Kristin: Who wrote your training program?
Niamh: Two coaches have been helping me out: Vin Lanana of Stanford and Jeff Johnson of the Farm Team.  It’s been nice; I’ve had advice from two different people. 
Kristin: What’s your training been like?
Niamh: I started in June doing more mileage and longer workouts. It’s completely different training than anything I’ve ever done. 
Kristin: Did you enjoy this type of training?
Niamh: Overall, I did.  Certain times it was super-hard.  But, definitely, I enjoy longer intervals rather than faster short stuff.  I’ve never been fast, so I’ve always thought, "the longer the better."
Kristin: What was your mileage like?
Niamh:  Typically, my low weeks were somewhere around 75 and my high weeks were 95.  I probably only had 4 weeks at 95, total.  Typically 80-85 was my mileage.
Kristin: Give us an example of a typical marathon workout.
Niamh: Every week, I was doing a tempo run workout of 8-10 miles at marathon pace, 6 minutes/mile.
At first, I didn’t think there was any way I could do it.  In college we usually did 3 miles at 6 minute pace.  So, it was pretty overwhelming. 
Kristin: What was the hardest workout?
Niamh: Mentally, I was most nervous about this one : It was 3 mile warm-up; it was supposed to be 4 miles at 6:10 pace, but I did it a little faster, at just under 
6-minute pace.  Then I had a minute rest and then 4 miles each at 5:50 pace (with a minute rest between), and then a minute rest and then 4 miles at the first pace (6:10).  Then I did a 3-mile warm down.  To me, mentally that was very exhausting.  I was doing it totally alone; neither coach was there.  That was mentally very tough.  But it went really well, and after that I felt like it was all down hill to the marathon. 
Kristin: Did you often workout alone?
Niamh: Yes, a lot of times I worked out by myself, which was hard.  I think that helped me in the marathon, because you’re used to being alone; you’re used to running alone and pushing yourself by yourself.
Kristin: Let’s talk about the marathon.  What did you do to get ready that week?
Niamh: I didn’t taper as much as some people. Two weeks before [the marathon], I did a week of 70 miles, but I was still doing workouts.  The week of the marathon I did one workout on Tuesday and then didn’t run very much.  I felt pretty rested going in, but to me it was good not to have a huge taper because I think I would have felt kind of sluggish. 
Kristin: I know you were nervous about your leg going into it.  Do you want to comment on that?
Niamh: Well, the whole last year I’ve had this problem in my leg where either it would really tighten up in my IT-band or my foot would go numb.  That makes it really hard to run.  Pretty much every run before the marathon my leg bothered me. 
Kristin: This must have been really challenging.
Niamh: I just tried to tell myself that it was getting everything bad out of my leg the week before [the marathon].  Mentally, if you have to look at it, you might as well try to look at it in a positive way.   I thought: worst case scenario, it will bother me the entire time and that’s going to be really difficult.  So, I had prepared myself for it to bother me the entire race.
Kristin: How did it feel during the race?
 Niamh: It probably bothered my about 5 miles of the race total.  So, it was frustrating when it happened, but in terms of the entire race, that was pretty good. 
Kristin: Was the race pretty even-paced?
Niamh: I think it was pretty even.  I had a friend of mine [Katy Spink] rabbitting me the first 7-miles which was really helpful to get me on the right pace.  I was trying to run 2:37:19, which would have been 6 minute pace [exactly], and I ran 2:37:06. 
Kristin: What were you thinking about?
Niamh: The first 7 miles when I had my friend with me, I was trying to get focussed and prepare myself to be out there for a long time.  After that, it’s hard to say.  Most of the time, I was just trying to focus on one mile at a time.   Definitely, at the 13-mile mark, I was like 'OK you’re halfway through.'
Kristin: You were pretty positive at the ½?
Niamh: Pretty positive.  I mean, half-way you still have 13 miles to go.  But at the same time it was a good feeling just to know, OK, every step you take from here on out is closer to the finish.  And I definitely prayed a lot.  Praying helped a lot. 
Kristin: What were the final miles like?
Niamh: It’s really a tough race mentally.  With 6 miles to go, I was so ready to be done.  I was so tired.  I just kept thinking: 'if you slow down, it’s going to take you longer to finish.' 
Kristin: What did you feel like at the end? 
Niamh: Well, I pretty much collapsed.  I had two people holding me up.  You just feel totally wobbly, like if they let go of you, you’d suddenly just fall over backwards and then fall forwards.  I felt pretty out of it for 5 or 10 minutes.  My husband made me run a mile, which I thought I was not going to be able to do.  But he ran it with me; I think we ran about 25-minute mile pace. 
Krisitn: You must have felt good mentally.
Niamh: Yeah, I just felt really lucky that it went well, just really fortunate.  [The marathon] is kind of unknown territory.  Even if you prepare really well, I think, you’re a little uncertain.
Kristin: My coach always used to tell me to "respect the distance."
Niamh: Yeah, I think that’s a good way to put it.  You see these people out there that are like a shell of a human being.  They’re 
just so depleted, it’s crazy.  But, at the same time, it’s just so exciting.  Some people finished in 5 hours.  There was a 70-year old woman who did it.  To me, I don’t think I’m going to want to do that when I’m 70, but it’s neat that people are out there doing it.  It’s really supportive. 
Kristin: How did Vin and Jeff react?
Niamh:  They were both happy.  I mean, it was the pace I had trained to run, so I don’t think either of them was totally shocked.  I think if I’d run 2:33 or something they would have been shocked.  They were just happy it went well.
Kristin: What are you going to do now to prepare for the Olympic Trials?
Niamh: This week I’m resting.  The next three weeks, I’m supposed to take pretty mellow.  I feel like I need to be putting in the high mileage right away just because the Trials are only 15 weeks away.  I want to run faster there, so I feel like I need to be out there tomorrow doing hard workouts. But I think the biggest mistake people make is not recovering.
Kristin: How does it feel to have run the 3rd fastest American marathon this year?
Niamh: To me, it’s neat to have that.  But, at the same time, it’s not that great in the big scheme of things.  If you look at the top times in the world, the 100th time is 2:31.  American distance running has a long way to go.  It’s nice, but a different year, I probably would have been 40th in the country.  So, I don’t want to get too wrapped up in that. 
Kristin: How do you think we can improve American distance running? 
Niamh: I think we can’t just limit ourselves to looking at the US…You want to think, oh, our country is the best; but we’re not.  Women [in the world] are running low 2:20’s. I think that’s possible for us as long as we have the right perspective.
Kristin: What advice do you have for younger runners, just starting out?
Niamh: Definitely try to make it fun if you can.  I’d say, when you’re out of college, don’t go out and just run for money because I don’t think that’s the kind of thing that brings happiness.  Most of the people who go do that end up getting burnt out really fast.  I’d say try to do it more for your own satisfaction. 
Kristin: Anything else?
Niamh: Try not to do too much too soon, because you have tons of time.  Just try to stay healthy.  No matter how fit you are and how hard you work, if you aren’t healthy you’re not ever going to race to your potential.  I mean in terms of nutrition and keeping an eye on your rest; all that is so important.  No matter how hard you’re training, if you can’t run and you‘re hurt all the time you’re never going to run as fast as you can and you’ll probably end up quitting. 
Kristin: How did you manage to stay injury-free training for the marathon?
Niamh: It’s hard to say.  I think part of it was growing.  I needed to grow a little bit or something.  Also, I mean, definitely I had a few years in college where I did not eat right at all.  I was not healthy.  And I know that was a lot to blame why I had so many injuries.  I was running 10k’s off of 35 miles a week.  So, I wasn’t overdoing the mileage.  But I think if you’re not eating well and not fueling your body, it’s not going to work for you. 
Kristin: What other things were important?
 Niamh:  Taking the extra time to go in the ice bath when you don’t feel like it, and get massage, and stretch.  Making it a priority.  It’s so easy to be like, oh, I’ll just go out with my friends.  Sometimes I miss that, but at the same time, I don’t have my whole life to do running.  You have your whole life to go out and stay out late if you want to.  Take advantage of the time when you're healthy to go for it.
Kristin: Were all these sacrifices hard?
Niamh: Sometimes I feel like I’m acting like I’m 50, this old person.  But I figure when I’m 50 I won’t be running, and then I can go dance and go to bars.  It’s not that hard.  I feel really lucky right now to be able to do this, so it’s not that hard for me to be focussed.  It’s not like I’ve been running consistently since I was 13.  I’ve had a lot of time off, so I’m ready to go for it for awhile.

 


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NCAA Championships Results
Nov.20, 1999, Joplin, MO

NCAA Division I Women’s Results:
Nov. 22, 1999, Bloomington, IA
1. BYU, 72
2. Arkansas, 125
3. Stanford, 127*
4. Wisconsin, 185
5. Kansas State, 232
6. North Carolina,294
7. Georgetown, 321
8. Colorado, 351
9. Brown, 354*
10. Providence, 368
11. Northern Arizona, 381
12. Arizona St, 385
13. Washington, 403
14. Michigan State, 411*
15. Michigan, 416*
16. Nebraska, 430
17. Minnesota, 434 
18. Boston Univ, 436
19. Oregon, 460
19. North Carolina State, 460

*= B-FIT schools
 

NCAA Div II Women’s 
Results:
1. Adams State (CO) 23 
2. Western State (CO) 47 
3. Edinboro Univ. (PA) 139 
4. North Dakota 161 
5. Grand Valley St. (MI) 207 
6. Seattle Pacific 221 
7. North Dakota State 224 
8. Hillsdale College (MI) 236 
9. Southern Indiana 256 
10. Central Washington 282 
11. Florida Southern 290 
12. Harding Univ. (AR) 295 
13. UC-Davis 300 
14. Shippensburg U. (PA) 316 
15. E. Stroudsburg (PA) 336 
16. North Florida 353 
17. Millersville Univ. (PA) 359 
NCAA Division III Women’s Results:
Nov. 20, 1999, Oshkosh, WI
1. Calvin College 85 
2. Middlebury College 119 
3. Williams College 183 
4. St. Olaf College 191 
5. Wisconsin-La Crosse 240 
6. Wisconsin-Oshkosh 
7. Hamilton College 258 
8. Macalester College 271 
9. S U N Y-Cortland 281 
10. College of New Jersey 
11.* Tufts University 307 
11.* Wisconsin-Steven Pt 307 
13. Wheaton College (Ill) 319 
14. St. Thomas 325 
 15. Luther College 341 
16. S U N Y -Geneseo 
17. California-San Diego 370 
18. Baldwin-Wallace 432 
19. Wisconsin-Whitwater 434 
20. Moravian College 438 
Individual Results, Division I:
1. Erica Palmer, Wisconsin,16:39.50
2. Amy Yoder, Arkansas,16:44.10
3. Larissa Kleinmann, Arkansas, 16:48.30
4. Hanne Lyngstad, Tulane,16:50.30
5. Lauren Fleshman, Stanford,16:50.90
6. Leigh Daniel, Texas Tech,16:51.40
7. Erin Sullivan, Stanford,16:56.20
8. Maria-Elena Calle,VA Cmnwlth, 16:57.20
9. Kara Wheeler, Colorado,16:58.40
10. Korene Hinds, Kansas State, 16:58.60
Individual Results, Division II:
1. Marjo Venalainen' Kennesaw St. (GA) 20:48.2 
2. Kim Bosen SO Adams State (CO) 20:51.2 
3. Molly Wedel SO South Dakota 20:52.9 
4. Sarah Parkey Adams State (CO) 20:53.0 
5. Jennifer Michel SR Western State (CO) 20:53.7 
6. Nina Christensen' FR Hawaii-Pacific 21:00.8 
7. Cory Chastain JR Adams State (CO) 21:03.
8. Gabriela Hnilkova SR Edinboro Univ. (PA) 21:15.1 
9. Melissa Bouren SR Adams State (CO) 21:17.7 
10. Lorraine Randlett SO Western State (CO)
Individual Results, Division. III:
1. Rhaina Echols, Sr 16:46.2 University of Chicago 
2. Carolyn Jones, Fr 17:08.1 California-San Diego 
3. Cheryl Smith, So 17:08.6 S U N Y-Cortland 
4. Mickey Kelly, Sr 17:10.7 S U N Y-Cortland 
5. Heather Stone 17:11.1 University Of South 
6. Amy Mizzone, Sr 17:11.5 Calvin College
7. Maggie Hanson, So 17:11 Hamilton College 
8. Jennifer Fiedler, Sr 17:12.4 Wisconsin-La Crosse 
9. Barbara Swa
llow, Jr 17:13.4 Springfield College 
10. Jenni Markanich, Jr 17:17.6 Elmhurst College

 
 


 
 

Holiday Recipe: Lowfat Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins
Dry:
2 ¼ c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 T. pumpkin pie spice
2/3 c. sugar
Wet:
2 eggbeaters
¼ c. Sunsweet “lighter bake” fat and oil substitute (or 3 T. vegetable oil)
1 ¼ c. canned pumpkin
1 tsp. vanilla extract 
Cream Cheese Filling:
3  8-oz blocks of fat-free cream cheese
4 T. sugar
3 eggbeaters
½ tsp. vanilla extract
Topping:
¼ c. sugar
1 T. pumpkin pie spice
¼ c.. crumbled walnuts
½ c. shredded coconut
Directions:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients in two separate bowls.  Add wet to dry.  Stir just until moistened.  Beat together cream cheese filling ingredients with an electric mixer until smooth, about 3 minutes.  Mix topping ingredients together in a small bowl.  Grease a muffin tin.  Place a heaping spoonful of muffin batter in each muffin hole.  Make a well in the batter, and put as much cream cheese filling in each muffin as you can; top with muffin batter so that the filling is almost covered.  Sprinkle topping generously over each muffin.  Bake in pre-heated oven for about 35 minutes for medium-size muffins and about 45 minutes for large muffins.  The secret to these muffins is to have them bursting with cream cheese filling! 
 (Makes 6 very large muffins or 12-medium-size muffins.)


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