Running - Maria Runs

Skiing and Strawberries

Hey peeps- how are we all doing?

Just back from a walk to the allotment- the strawberry plants are loaded and I picked a big handful of ripe ones today- they smell wonderful.

On Saturday I mentioned I was off skiing- not on holiday, just a lesson!

When I was younger there was a dry ski slope in Hemel (near where we lived) and so I had lessons, and my family had a few skiing holidays in France. I was always very nervous and I liked to find an easy slope and go up and down it all day, whereas my Dad, sister and brother would go on all the slopes and ski to all different places. Once, they convinced me to come with them, and we skied from France into Italy on nice easy slopes (the ski pass included lots of different places) and then it turned out the only way back was a red run (green= easy, blue= OK, red= hard, black= plummet vertically to your death )- after being stuck on several runs my poor Dad had to walk home with me while we carried our skis! Anyway, the last time I went skiing was a good ten years ago, but last year Andy got some skiing lessons as a birthday present and really enjoyed them. The dry slope has now turned into a Snow Dome, and a Groupon popped up for a double lesson, so we booked it.

I was super nervous before, but I ended up loving it. It was a beginners lesson which turned out to be a bit easy, but I wasn’t sure what I would remember from all those years ago. We got there about half an hour early to give us time to get boots, skis and helmets, and then spent an hour and a half walking up and skiing down. There were only 6 of us in the lesson and the instructor was really good- he kept giving us challenges, so in the end I had to ski down the slope, turning around certain poles while doing “Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes”! I was hoping we would get to use the lifts, but not this time. We think we will book one more lesson at a higher level, and then just go for fun.

We ended up being really busy over the weekend but I did manage to spend a bit of time baking. I made Cherry and Marzipan Tray-bake.

I based it on a cherry cake recipe from the Great British Book of Baking, as I could not find a recipe that fitted what I wanted.

I preheated the oven to 170C, and lined my brownie pan with paper.

Then I creamed together 175g pure spread and 170g caster sugar. I added 3 eggs, and a tsp almond extract (I used Dr Oetker). Then I stirred in 200g plain flour, 3 packets of baking powder (I have these little packets which I think are the equivalent of a tbs each), and 50g ground almonds. Finally I chopped up a tub (200g) of glace cherries, and mixed them in.

I poured this mixture into the pan, and then topped it with 50g chopped white marzipan.

I baked it for 35 minutes- it is hard to tell when it is cooked as the marzipan will be liquid at oven temperatures, so will leave residue on the cake tester.

I find they slice much better when they are cold, so I left it on the wire rack for a while.

I had a piece on Saturday afternoon to give me some energy for skiing (as our session wasn’t going to finish until 8pm)- delish! I love the combination of cherries and marzipan. I took most of it to work on Monday and wasn’t sure how it would go down as I know marzipan is not everyone’s cup of tea, but it was all gone by lunchtime!

Once we were home I was quite chilly, so I had a hot chocolate to warm up with too- I love that Montezuma’s stuff.

I had Sunday as a rest day (we went out for breakfast to Bill’s, then watched some of the children from school in a parade in town, then spent the afternoon visiting our parents) so Monday after work I went out on a run. It was much warmer than I had expected. I headed for the fields as I didn’t fancy running near to traffic, and was enjoying listening to podcasts I went a bit further than I had planned- 5 miles in 50 minutes. Tomorrow we are doing the long fields run which was tough last week- not sure I am quite looking forward to it- I’m just hoping it won’t be as humid as it was last week as that is what makes it really tough.

Have you ever been skiing? Or would you be tempted by it?

Running in the rain

So the weather this week has been more…. English? On Wednesday it threatened to rain all day- it was so humid and muggy. I headed up to Sweatshop and was so hot and sticky by the time I got there (and it’s about .75 miles away, so not far). I was hoping we would choose a short-ish and shaded route as I didn’t feel like putting in a max effort! Then it turned out that someone had invented a new route, which actually was going on the fields, then across sort of cross country fields to add on another mile. At one point I was running through knee high grass, and couldn’t see the runners ahead of me as there were lots of trees around. By the time I got back to the shop we had run 3.85 (fast) miles, and I still had to run home. Tough!

Thursday at pump we had the new release- I am not a fan so far. Tough on the legs, no music I really knew/ liked, and the abs track is just weird and hurt my neck.

On Friday after work I went on a short (2 mile) run to try to ease the aches in my legs, and was back just before it poured! Later on it brightened up so we headed to the allotment after dinner for some weeding, and I picked my first lot of strawberries!

This morning I went on a run before breakfast- I was going to try to avoid the rain but that just seemed impossible so I put on my tennis visor and went for it. The first mile was gently uphill but right into the wind so my glasses were covered! I was really cold and wished I had worn gloves. But then later on the sun came out and it was suddenly baking. In the end I did 5 miles which I was pleased with- we are going skiing later so need to save some energy! I was going to have pancakes, and had made the batter the night before (spelt + peanut flour, chia seeds, almond extract, baking powder) but decided to bake it instead while I showered. (I had the coconut water when I got home)

I put sliced apricots on the bottom with a little coconut oil to stop it sticking (should have put that on the sides too) and then some blueberries on the top. I also topped it with a little coconut/ chocolate butter.

I had it with a mint black tea, and some strawberries from the allotment which taste amazing. It baked for 30 mins at 160C, but I think I could have left it for a little longer to firm up more. Baked apricots are always a winner in my book anyway.

I don’t mind running in the rain, unless it is torrential as I hate soggy shoes. Plus once I was out running and it rained so hard that the water filled up my eyes (so weird) and I actually couldn’t see. That was not good! And lightning makes me a bit nervous. I think the thought of running in the rain is worse than the actual act- if I am at home and it’s raining I might do some prevaricating to put it off a bit, but if I am out there and it rains I don’t really mind, as I think I will be having a shower when I get home anyway.

Do you mind running in the rain? Are you growing any of your own fruits or veggies this year? Favourite baked fruit?

Parkrun and pondering

Hey peeps! How are we all doing? This week has dragged for some reason, but I am feeling totally recovered from the half marathon last week so that is good.

On Wednesday I went to Sweatshop as usual, and we went around the fields. When I left home it was drizzling, but by the time I got there the rain had turned very heavy (I had to go to the toilets to clean the rain off my glasses). It stopped for the start of our run, but half way around it started again. It was windy, and I started off slowly as I wasn’t sure how I would manage, but I picked up speed at the end and felt OK.

Thursday I went to pump and I could tell I had missed 2 weeks of it! I didn’t do the jumps in the lunges track (at the moment there is a bit where you stand with your legs either side of the step, then squat, and jump up onto the step- super tough- although usually I just about manage it)- I knew my legs would not manage it.

My post pump snack was some lovely vanilla alpro with cocoa nibs and a little trail mix.

I also had a lovely hot chocolate.

Soya milk goes so frothy- love it!

Think that is the first time I used my new cup 🙂

On Friday after work I went on a run to help get rid of the aches- I went around the fields again- getting a bit addicted!

Photo: Fields run

But who could resist running when the weather was like that?

Although that is my least favourite path as most of it is twisty but this path seems to go on forever.

There are lovely patches of lupins to be seen (you can see the pink ones in front of that little tree, and there is a huge patch of purple ones too). We heard cuckoos again last week.

When I got home I had some of this mango coconut water. I really like this brand’s plain coconut, so thought I would give the mango variety a go, but I wasn’t so keen. It tasted more like orange squash than mango (but had no actual mango, just flavours). Think I will stick to the Vita coco mango and peach.

I saved the rest for Saturday, as I was off to Parkrun! Hooray! I normally like a long run on a Saturday morning, but I also have really enjoyed the Parkruns, and I think the shorter runs are helping me with my speed. I wasn’t sure how I would manage after last weekend, and I left a bit late so was a bit stressed by the time I got there. I just had time to say a quick “hi ” to the peeps from Sweatshop before the guy was counting us down- we didn’t start right on “go” as it started before the church bells. I felt like I was going fast, but I also had a good rhythm going with my breathing. Each time I glanced at my watch I could see 8.50 ish miles which I was pleased with, just not sure if I could hold it for the entire time. The run goes along a path, 3 laps of the lake, and then back along the path again. Of course the faster runners always lap the “normal” runners, but I was surprised to see when I finished my 3rd lap people heading off for theirs- it made me doubt myself for a second but the distance on my watch confirmed I was right! The last bit was tough but I kept going and tried to not get overtaken! As I was given my chip I felt a bit sick (but knew I couldn’t be sick seeing as I hadn’t had breakfast)- think I pushed pretty hard.

When I helped out the other week I realised how the chip system works, so actually looked at my number this week (number 153- think the first one I did there weren’t even that many runners) to have an idea of where I had finished. After a minute I felt totally fine though, and ready for some pancakes!

I made the batter on Friday night- 20g wholegrain spelt, 20g peanut flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 5g chia seeds, soya milk (100 ml or a little more) and a drop of almond extract. I added the blueberries in when they were cooking for nutty blueberry pancakes, plus melon and mango, and a tea.

In the afternoon we headed over to Ware as Sweatshop were having a clearance sale at a gym there. I got some capris and a headband for £5! They gave me the gloves because they were not matching- so kind of them. My winter gloves are coming apart at the seams a bit.

After a wander around the shops we came home for some lovely black bean and avocado wraps- we bought Wenslydale cheese especially for this as it goes so well, plus I added some cherry tomatoes to mine.

Then I found my Parkrun email. I think that is one of my favourite parts of the whole thing! It’s a bit like getting your official chip time from a race, and it is satisfying to see all the other people who ran, all their times, how many women ran etc etc. So, the boring bit! I was 153 out of 229 runners, I was 30 out of 77 women, and 10th in my age category. My time was 27.25- I am very pleased with that as my fastest is 27.12 so I was pretty close.

As for the pondering part, I have been thinking about another race. I have a 10K and a 5 mile coming up in the summer, and then a half marathon in October. There is a local 10 mile race the week after the half marathon, so I have been trying to see if I feel I could manage 10 miles this weekend, to gauge how I might feel. I think I would be fine- that Parkrun time shows me I was basically up to speed, so I think I am going to go for it.

What have you been up to this weekend?

St Albans half recap

Hey peeps!

So, first up, the resting worked! Last night we watched a movie and generally chilled out. I got everything ready for the morning, so I would not have to be racing around in the morning (even pinned my number to my top so I would not be trying to find safety pins).

The weather said it would be cloudy at first, but sunny later, so I had chosen a vest and capris to deal with the heat later. I had toast and jam for breakfast, plus a glass and a half of water.

When I started running longer, I used to take a bottle out with me, but I found that it made my arm ache. So then I switched to a waist pack (and I think if I was marathon training I would go back to using that)- but it is a bit annoying. So I have not taken water with me on any of my training runs. Most of them have been during cooler weather, but some have been hot. During Brighton I really struggled near the end, and part of it was down to a stomach ache, which I think is down to drinking while running.

Ages ago I heard a marathon talk interview all about hydration (Episode 127– worth a listen and you can skip to the “training talk” section if you just want to hear that), and they were saying that more problems were caused by people over-hydrating as then their salts etc get dangerously diluted. Elite racers used to be banned from drinking at all during marathons (decades ago)- you couldn’t imagine that now. Some dehydration is natural during activity and of course everyone needs to find what works for them, but I have found I have been fine running with no drink, and just make sure I am hydrated the day before, and drink when I get back. So, I was not taking my bottle with me. There is also a bit of information about the dangers of over drinking here.

We picked up Andy’s brother and then headed to the start line- we were there 45 minutes before, and it was quite chilly! I wished I had packed a jumper to wear, as we had packed a bag for the bag drop. I sort of felt like I needed the toilet, but I have decided that a lot of that is psychological too, and I knew there were toilets on the course, so I told myself if I really needed I could stop en-route.

I met a couple of people from the Sweatshop run, although I lost them before the start line. We lined up and luckily in the starter pens it was a bit warmer as we were out of the wind. I wanted to beat 2.19, and had written down the pacing times for 2.15 and 2.10 (good to be optimistic)- either 10.18 per mile or 9.55 per mile. In the end I remembered those two times and just checked that my average speed was in that range. Andy and his brother set off at the same time but were ahead of me before we crossed the start line!

Mile 1- Fairly flat- through the park. A lot of people watching and cheering.

Mile 2- Uphill but not too steep. Seemed to go by fast.

There were so many marshalls lining the course- the most I have ever seen at any race- and they were all cheering and enthusiastic, it was lovely. One group of people were playing music from their car- when I got there it was the Benny Hill music so that was in my head for a good few miles!

Mile 3- Mostly downhill- we sort of loop back at that point back towards the park.

Mile 4- The dreaded Bluehouse Hill- a long hill that gets steeper as you go up it. One of the Sweatshop girls overtook me at that point- we chatted for a minute before she headed off. The road was lined with loads of kids so I concentrated on high-fiving them- took my mind off the hill!

Miles 5-6- Along a road and then into country lanes- would have been pretty exposed if it was sunny, I was thankful for the clouds.

I had a couple of sips from one of the water stations at this point, and used the rest to wash my face (getting salty) and my hands (sticky).

Miles 7-9- I had no idea where we were! It has all blended into one already. The course was undulating- some nice downhill bits but some short and steep uphill sections too. It was also quite twisty. Tried to get past a man who kept burping so loudly it sounded like he was going to be sick- had a brief panic that he was going to be sick on me!

I went over the half way mat in 1.03 (although I think it was a bit before half way) which worried me a bit- was I going to blow to pieces later? But I was feeling OK.

I opened my little pack of jelly beans (a Sweatshop freebie) and had a few- I wasn’t feeling hungry but I was conscious that I wanted to have a little energy boost before the end. I also had a few more sips from a water station- I think I got water at two or three altogether, but only a sip from each cup.

Mile 10- I caught up with Andy’s brother- we ran the next mile together and chatted which meant the mile flew by. By that point we had run 10 miles in 1 hr 40, so I knew unless something went badly wrong I would beat 2.19.

Mile 11- There was a short uphill section that was so steep- I really wanted to stop and had to remind myself to pump my arms- funny how when we are tired even the natural things go out the window. Still the route was through little country lanes so it was very pretty. At one point along a narrow lane a horse (being ridden) came towards us- that made me a bit nervous as I usually like to give horses a very wide berth!

Mile 12- Nearly there!

Mile 13- Back out to the top of the dreaded hill, down the hill- check my legs- they are feeling super tired but they are still moving! Down to the bottom, a little loop back- on my way back up I saw Andy’s brother so gave him a wave and a shout. Then back into the park for the final stretch. Normally when I can hear the tannoy announcer at the end I get a bit of an adrenaline rush (which is often counter-productive as it comes too early and leaves me with wobbly legs coming up to the final section), but I didn’t get one. I was still keeping a good posture, I was feeling OK, and I knew I was in with a chance of getting a pb! The very last section was on grass and the fences were lined with people- I even heard Andy’s brother’s wife giving me a shout!

I think I was grinning from ear to ear as I crossed that line- my watch said 2.10 something! Amazing!

Photo: St Albans Half Marathon done- 2.10.09 new pb!!

Then I was given an ice lolly (an orange juice one= amazing!), a bottle of water, a goodie bag and a cup of water, plus a medal. It was quite chilly so I put the t-shirt on and then went to find Andy and his family. We had packed some nuun tabs in the bag drop bag, so I had one of those in my bottle of water, and we shared a clif bar on the way back to the car.

The goody bag was good in my opinion as it had things I would actually use/ eat- a clif bar (although I got blueberry flavour- boo, Andy won with a peanut butter one!), some rehydration tabs and a few race leaflets, plus the t-shirt which came in handy right away.

On the walk back to the car I also got a text message with our times- my official time was 2.10.09– so a new pb by 2 minutes! I am so pleased 🙂

Then it was time for a shower (I used some of that ice gel after which really helped my legs) and lunch. I wasn’t feeling that hungry, but I knew I would crash later if I didn’t eat something. I made some sourdough toast (different bread to the morning!) and once I had that I realised I was hungry, so had melon, strawberries, a cup of tea and then some lovely fruit tea bread.

So good.

I didn’t eat all of my jelly beans- they were in my little belt along with hand sanitiser (in case I needed to use the port-a-loos)- I left everything else in the bag drop.

I think the not drinking really helped me- often in the latter stages of half marathons I get a sort of bloated feeling in my stomach, and I think that is due to the water. I prefer to sip water from a bottle, so the water stations aren’t ideal when they are in cups, but I didn’t get that ache at all. Of course I have made sure I redydrated later on, but I am convinced that this is what works for me.

What do you do about drink/ water when working out?

Phew- what a mammoth recap! Off to rest now 🙂

Trying to rest!

Hey peeps

I hope everyone has had a good week- I have been trying to take it a bit easy before the half marathon tomorrow (eek).

Wednesday -which apparently was Running Day or something? As if you can ONLY run on those days- I saw a comment on a blog (a blog I find very annoying but I can’t get it out of my dashboard so I sometimes read it to annoy myself- it worked) going on about national doughnut day, and someone commented “I wish we had national doughnut day here in Canada”– Why? I mean, I am sure there are Tim Hortons on every corner- just buy one if you want one- they are on sale every other day too). Ahem. Anyway, on Wednesday I went to the Sweatshop run, and we went for the fields route. I didn’t want to go too fast, and so I ran near/ at the back most of the time. I chatted to the guy from the store (and even got complimented at the end for my even pacing- pretty much 9.32-9.42 per mile), and enjoyed being out in the sunshine, although I was super hot when I got back!

I made us cold chai lattes to cool down with – almond milk, Tea India marsala chai and some chai syrup (just a little splash- maybe a tbs between us). I love that unsweetened almond milk.

On Thursday I went to get my haircut as body pump wasn’t on- good timing really as I think even though I say I will have lighter weights I still end up with achey legs. I was worried about making it as traffic has been bad this week, but I ended up with some time so went for a chai latte while I did some marking.

I fancied a little change so I now have a bit of a side fringe, although I can’t decide if it is going to annoy me or not. We will find out when I have to dry and style it myself! I had to pop to Waitrose for cornflakes and milk for Andy- not a good idea:

Cinnamon popcorn! Sounds yummy! I have tried the tea already and it’s lovely (blackcurrant and acai- very fruity) and I had the apple crunch nakd bar at breaktime on Friday and really liked it. I am saving the mango coconut water for tomorrow, although on reading it I prefer the ingredients on the Vita Coco mango and peach one.

After that we went to the allotment for a bit- Andy did some planting while I did a lot of weeding. I also picked some rhubarb and dug up a couple of leeks to have for dinner. It is lovely going up there in the evening, but quite hard work too!

On Friday we went again to finish planting (I wish I had taken some photos as it looked lovely in the evening sunlight) and do some more weeding. I had considered a short run on Friday evening, but decided against it in the end to be a bit more rested.

My Friday dinner was some bean burgers from the freezer (I think they were sweet potato and kidney bean burgers- I never remember to label them), sweet potato mash with leeks, and a few more leeks on the side. They were strong!

Even though I didn’t run this morning I still fancied pancakes for breakfast. These were made with 20g peanut flour, 20g wholegrain spelt flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp chia seeds, a drop of almond extract and some almond milk (perhaps 150ml) all left in the fridge overnight. I cooked them in the pan although for the second batch I had a lot of batter left. Served with fresh fruit, a little nutella and a little coconut pb.

After spending the morning doing work, we popped to Ikea (this ended up being a 3 hour round trip) as we wanted to buy a new sideboard, and had been sent a voucher which runs out tomorrow. Not sure if that was ideal half marathon prep as I am pretty tired now!

We had smoothies when we got home- made with frozen mango, pineapple and kiwi (a mix from Waitrose), a frozen banana and some almond milk.

I have started to feel nervous about tomorrow now- I am not sure why I get so nervous before races- it is not as if I am in a position to win them, and I won’t be at the back either, and even if I was, I know that there is nothing wrong with that.

I did this race back in 2010 (you can read my recap here) although this year they have changed the course. I know that the evil hill at mile 3 is still there (Bluehouse Hill for anyone local!), but apparently after that it is slightly less hilly. I would like to beat my time, which was 2.19- I am not expecting a pb. I am not sure if there are pacers either- if there are I will keep an eye out for the 2.15 pacers again. Right, off for some dinner and a relaxing evening.

Runners- do you still get nervous before races/ events? I say events, as I get nervous before Parkruns too!