Running - Maria Runs

Popchips + pushing myself

Hey all

Before Christmas I was sent some Popchips to try.

The package had lots of different flavours (all suitable for vegetarians) and a handy bag clip too.

I had seem them on a few blogs before, not I had not tried them myself, so I was looking forward to it. I don’t regularly eat crisps, but I do love salt and vinegar ones, so if they are offered I will often have some. Popchips are made from potatoes, but they are popped (like popcorn, apparently, although I can’t picture how that works!)- they also contain some oil and seasonings etc. Each bag was under 100 calories- much lower than a packet of crisps, so if you are on a healthy eating kick at the moment they would be a good swap if you normally have crisps with lunch or for snacks.

We tended to share them- especially for lunch on a Saturday (I like something salty after a long run).

The sour cream and onion ones were lovely- I used to quite like that flavour of Pringles until I saw some video on You-Tube about pringles melting and all the fat that comes out of them (although can’t find it when I searched- anyway trust me it was horrible). These were perfect with tomato soup anyway.

The Original ones were fab too (oh dear that is my panettone that I managed to burn in the toaster)- I found the texture a bit lighter than normal crisps- they reminded me a bit of chipsticks (anyone remember those?) but flat. Maybe those crossed with a rice cake, but in a good way.

The Salt and vinegar ones are my favourite so far, as I thought they would be! Andy asked me to save him some, but I didn’t manage to!

I have not tried the other flavours yet, but I am sure we will enjoy them at some point.

Of course, they are a processed food, but they are lower in calories and fat than a packet of crisps. Also I bet some of them would be lovely to dip into hummus. And I am sure the salt and vinegar ones will make their way into my shopping basket!

What is your favourite crisp flavour?

Onto Jantastic! I have been storming through the week- As well as Monday evening I did a run after work on Tuesday (just under 3 miles) and then the Sweatshop run on Wednesday evening. They decided to do a longer route than usual by adding on a small loop at the end. I was not sure what to do (as I have to run home too) so I said to them that if the front group was in my sight by that point then I would add the extra bit on too. The route starts off with quite a tough hill (not many hills around here so it is good to do that one) but even with that (and stopping to cross a road) my first mile was 10.10- fast- and then after that I managed to speed up even more. I could not quite keep up with the front runners, but through the mist I could just about see one person ahead of me, so I did the extra loop. I was last back because the people behind me missed out the last bit, but I don’t mind that. I kept my watch going and included the run home- the trouble was because I had stopped for a few minutes I was suddenly freezing, so I think I ran home as fast as I could to get warm/ to get to the warm, whereas usually it is a bit slower. Anyway, the run and the run home I managed an average pace of 9.27 min miles! 4.5 miles in 42 mins- miles 2, 3 , 4 and the extra half all started with a 9! Including the run up there I did 5.3 miles- I am quite glad I am starting to run a bit further in the evenings again. And of course, Jantastic week 1 run number 3=done!

What is weird is that I ran that by myself, except for the first half mile where we were all together as a group. But I still run much faster than when I am on my own. Not sure what it is about the run that means I push myself harder than when I am on my own. But I suppose it is good to have runs at different paces- my short/ medium length runs on my own are probably 10.30 average pace, and my longer runs are more like 11-11.30 min mile pace, so at least I am getting some variation in there.

After dinner we decided to start our Christmas cake- very late I know! That was very tasty indeed.

I also had a few deliveries this week- I had an Amazon voucher so I put it towards this Leon book, and I saw this amazing Thermospatula (the thermometer but can be taken out of the spatula part) on Lakeland, as the markings on my thermometer are rubbing off. Although we still have not sorted out our oven so there won’t be much baking in the near future.

On Thursday night I went to pump- that turned into a bit of a comedy class as the studio was closed so we had to go in the creche- a tiny triangle shaped room with a low ceiling. There were no steps, not the right weights, the CD player kept skipping, of course there were no mirrors (never realised how much I rely on them during the class), there was hardly any space- we had to lay down in alternate directions to check the weights would not clash, and during some tracks the taller people had to be careful of the ceiling! The poor instructor did her best as it must have been so tough. Hopefully back to normal next week. I still ached like mad all of Friday though!

Right, I am off for a run now (number 4 of the week)- no snow here yet but I shall be wrapping up warm as it is sooooo cold!

What did you get up to this week?

Feeling Jantastic (day one)

Don’t worry, I am not going to do a post for each day of the next 3 months, but today I started the marathon talk Jantastic challenge. I was loving looking at the team today, and seeing that a couple of runs have been logged for day 1! Excellent!

I have challenged myself to do 4 runs per week, as 3 is what I typically do and I fancied a challenge (and nothing bad happens if I don’t do them all). This week it turns out I am out straight after work on Friday, and in London on Sunday, so my runs this week will be Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, with pump on Thursday. Well, that is the plan anyway.

I got home a bit later than I had hoped, but I was pleased there was no rain/ drizzle.

I headed out for a lovely 4.3 mile run- I kept the pace pretty good (10 min miles)- not as fast as when I go running with Sweatshop, but more than my plodding pace.

Anyway, day 1 (and run 1)= done.

Yesterday I made the most of the last day of the holidays- I got up pretty late, made a mint tea and took it back to bed whilst I read a magazine- so relaxing.

We spent the morning chilling out, went on a walk (went to the allotment only to find the shed had blown over again, and it must have been a while ago because there were 2 mice living under it!!!), watched some TV and visited Andy’s parents. In the evening I did some yoga (I really want to start doing this regularly again- since my op last year I think I have done it a couple of times but always ached a bit after which put me off, but now I feel like I am back to normal so it should do me some good). Plus some foam rolling. Lovely.

I also had to find some space for some lovely new teas. When I went to Newcastle for the Great North Run, I bought the most amazing tea (caramel cup and amaretto) from a lovely shop. We were so sad when we used up the caramel cup tea as it was so delicious- not too sweet, and we were getting into the habit of having a pot to share at the weekend if we were both home, so I went on the Quilliam Brothers website to have a look at ordering some more. I ordered some of the caramel cup tea, and then saw they did a festive gift pack, which contained tins of stollen tea, two types of Christmas tea (one black, one fruity), and a tea infuser. Sounded like my kind of thing!

And when the parcel came, they also included a sample of some amazing sounding choco-mint tea. How kind of them. Plus the gift pack looked so pretty. Their website is worth a look if you fancy something different as they have so many wonderful and unusual sounding teas.

Right, off for some TV now.

🙂

If you’re planning on doing exercise its important to stretch and warm up otherwise injury can be caused. A specialist sports injury consultant can give you expert advice on how to avoid getting injured during exercise, contact one of your local private hospitals in Manchester to find out more.

Tea? Don’t mind if I do!

I have been loving my hot water dispenser thing!

Chocolate tea- yummy 🙂

We had to have a bit of a tidy up in the kitchen as it takes up quite a bit of space, but it is so worth it. Although I think it makes me sound impatient as I don’t want to wait for the kettle to boil! But with our kettle the minimum amount of water was quite a lot, and so it wasted electricity boiling a lot for one cup, plus then the water had to go down the sink. Anyway, I love it!

So, what have I been up to besides drinking my own weight in tea? Well, a lot of pottering and de-cluttering. I have been on a bit of a mission to clear things out- so far I have sorted out bags of clothes for charity (including an entire bag filled with bras- although I want to look in to sending these off somewhere as I am sure last time I did that there were charities that collected them), sorted out clothes drawers, spare room drawers (found 3 separate places that I kept batteries and candles!), sideboard drawers (got rid of about 10 old tea towels etc), and today I sorted out one of the kitchen drawers too. I love that feeling of tidying up, plus it is so nice when the drawers shut without stuff having to be shoved down!

On Wednesday in between tidying and sorting I popped up to the shops- bought some new jeans and a nice jumper (black with little silver stripes) in the Gap sale. Then it was the Sweatshop run in the evening- I was glad the rain had stopped by then! I am so glad I went- I managed to keep the speedy group in my sight- at the beginning of that route there is a massive hill so I dropped back a bit, but I caught up with them after a mile or so, and only lost them in the last mile (and they must have sped up a lot as my miles went 10.27, 9.10, 9.10, and then 8.27 for the last .22!)- I don’t think they had been there long when I got back 🙂 I love these runs- they are tough but I run much faster on them than I do on my own.

I had a delicious dinner after that- I saw a recipe on Oh She Glows for avocado pasta.

OK, it does not look like much, but it was lovely. And I cheated a little- all I used was an avocado, some lime juice (as I didn’t have lemon, and I love lime with avocado anyway), and some basil-infused olive oil. Yummy. Served with some wholegrain spaghetti and some veggies (and the rest of my post run nuun drink).

On Thursday I was having my hair cut (always saved for the holidays) and then meeting some friends for a Starbucks and a catch up later- another fab way to spend the day. Then I was off to pump in the evening- urgh I had forgotten how annoying one of the songs is.

This morning I went out for a run before breakfast. Just a 3 mile one to stretch out my legs really.

Before a yummy yummy breakfast- gingerbread porridge with apple, meridian mincemeat and a little blob of pb.

Then I did some more sorting out, popped to the shops before meeting some other friends at the Waffle House. I wish the holidays would never end!

Then home for some tea (of course), a clementine and one of those posh pb cups.

This weekend we need to take down the decorations, so I am making the most of having the lights on the tree, the candles on etc before it all goes away.

Finally, just a reminder that you can still join my marathon talk team (even if you are not training for a marathon- I’m not!)- the more the merrier 🙂 And those of you that have signed up, it starts on Monday!

Have a lovely weekend- anyone else love a good de-clutter?

Welcome 2013!

So the “done thing” seems to be a bit of a recap post at this time of year, and I know I did one at last new year’s eve. But I didn’t fancy that really- I didn’t want to remind myself too much of the hospital visits, waiting around, and the amount of paracetamol I consumed during those first few months of 2012. We stayed in last night, watched most of “Catch me if you can” (can’t believe that film is 10 years old!) and some other TV, and then the fireworks. Now, I love a good fireworks show, but it shows I was in a grumpy mood because I was just annoyed that they were not in time with the music (well at one point they were) and they just seemed to have the idea of letting off as many as possible. The people that do it need to go to Epcot to see a proper fireworks show set to music- the biggest is not always the best.

Anyway, I had a yummy snack plate during all the TV watching- another giant persimmon, some honey peanuts, some orange marzipan and the most amazing chocolate dipped orange slice (thanks Lucy)- seriously so good.

Of course there were some great times in 2012 too- Andy surprised me with a trip to Paris for my birthday, I was allowed to start running again in the summer, I trained for the Great North Run and Oxford half marathons, we had the most amazing holiday in Hawaii, so it is not as if 2012 was a write off. But I am feeling optimistic about the year ahead- I am really looking forward to doing the Brighton Half this year, and have been looking at some other races too.

I am still getting over the jet lag- feeling very tired in the day (nearly fell asleep at about 10am yesterday whilst waiting for a friend to pop over!) and having trouble sleeping at night, and this was not helped by staying up to welcome in the new year. We turned the alarm off, and slept so late that I think I was having breakfast at about 11.30! As the weather was beautiful (more sunshine please) we had a lovely walk, and then Andy was off to the football and I got kitted up for my run.

Andy got me a buff for Christmas (I think that is the brand name- it might be a snood?)- anyway when I run in the cold I get such a cold neck and often my skin is numb when I get home, and then the warm shower burns it- the buff is the perfect solution!

I did just under 6 miles in the late afternoon sunlight, and it was wonderful. I look forward to plenty more runs like it this year. Talking of running, my marathon talk Jantastic team is now a real team, as I have over the 6 member minimum. But the more the merrier. Also I created a facebook page for it- I thought I would try to remember to post reminders for people to log their runs before the deadlines each week. So if you want to be in the team, please sign up, and if you want to join the facebook page send me a friend request and then I can add you.

I had left it too late for lunch by the time I got home, so I had an early dinner- toasted panini with caramelised onion hummus and roasted red pepper, with a salad of rocket, cucumber, beetroot, cranberries and honey peanuts. Yummy. And a Great British Bake Off marathon on the TV to accompany it.

Now to a little rewind! I read magazines back to front anyway.

Sunday started off with us both doing long runs- I went for my usual 8.4 mile loop and was alright, although my legs felt very very tired for the rest of the day. Later on we went to see Andy’s parents for a lovely catch up, and they surprised us with some wonderful Christmas gifts (and even apologised that they were late giving them! I mean, we were the ones who went away!!).

My goody box included a gorgeous spotty jug, scarf and snuggly socks, grapefruit body scrub, kiwi and strawberry tea, Christmas candle and room scenter set, basil and garlic infused olive oils, hot chocolate and a chocolate bar. Andy had some similar things (coffee, cider, and even a block of stilton that is ponging out our fridge at the moment!)- we both felt very spoilt by it all.

On Monday I had a rest day (I needed it as I had also been on a short run on Saturday, but mainly the long run on Sunday tired me out)- a friend popped over for a visit, and I went to the shops in the afternoon for a bit (during the pouring rain). I have been trying to use up the mountain of Christmas goodies- I was given a mini pannetone which was delicious- I had some plain one day, and then some toasted (well it basically burnt in the toasted) with marmalade for lunch. It does not look at all like marmalade, more like cherry jam, but I promise you it was. My satsuma addiction is still going strong- they actually make the perfect post run snack too- so zingy and juicy, excellent when you are thirsty.

I am also loving our hot cup water dispenser thing- such a novelty to be able to have tea without having to wait for the kettle to boil! Which is just as well because I was given more tea for Christmas yesterday- need to increase the amount I have each day…

Right, well, happy new year everyone. What did you all do to celebrate (if anything)- and more importantly what are you looking forward to doing in the coming year?

Pictures from Bath

Hey all

So I realised that I never got around to sorting out the photos from when I went to Bath for the weekend. Seeing as it is still Christmas (sort of) I decided that it was not too late!

We did walk around them in the day, but they were so busy, so we went back in the evening, when it was prettier as they were all lit up, and a little quieter.

I managed to buy quite a few things- nice decorations for us, gifts for other people, things to add to the hampers I was making.

The city just looked lovely all lit up.

And there were lots of carol singers.

I loved this massive reindeer/moose outside the Christmas shop 🙂

The next day we went to Stourhead, which is a National Trust place with gardens. They had decorated the house too.

That was the tree in the entrance hall- so pretty.

It was a lovely place to wander around and have some fresh air and peace.

And of course I could not resist a visit to the tearoom for some lunch befoe our drive home.

I really loved these reindeer decorations too, but I didn’t think they would last a year up in our loft. They are so cute though, and such a clever idea too.

I would definitely go back there again another year as it was well worth the visit.

Right, well since we were away over Christmas we had a little celebration on Friday (we didn’t take any gifts with us).

Lots of lovely gifts- candles, a room scenter, baking books, and lots of chocolates! I especially love the little measuring spoons- so pretty. And the cute hand print cards are from some of the kids at school- hand-prints decorated to look like trees.

Yesterday we braved a little bit of sale shopping.

I saw this nutella bread baking kit in Boots and decided to treat myself! The loaf tin is quite nice- I think it might even imprint the word onto the bread! If only the giant tin was actually full of vaseline…

On Friday as we were feeling all festive we decided to have some Christmas cake- they don’t seem to go for fruitcake in America- they seem to have gingerbread or peppermint things there instead (still nice, but not the same). These slices turned out to be enormous- think I have made up for a week of not eating cake!

Last night we caught up on a bit of TV (love the Snowman and the Snow dog)- and I had a little snack place- I got some more massive persimmons from Aldi, some of the orange marzipan I got from Bruges, some honey peanuts and an amazing chocolate coated orange slice (thanks Lucy).

I have been getting back to running too, which is always good after a little break. I went out for a 3.5 mile run before breakfast on Saturday, just to stretch my legs- it was very tough as it was so windy. Today I went out for an 8 mile run- the wind had eased a little, but not much! Not long to go until the Brighton half, so I need to start making those runs longer again.

And speaking of running, I still need a couple of people to join in my Jantastic team (Run Blog Bake!)- otherwise it won’t count as a team. So please sign up if you fancy a little challenge- it is really all about the fun!