Running - Maria Runs

Avocado obsession

So, until about a year ago I didn’t think I liked avocados. Once when I was younger I had some, although I was told it was “avocado-pear”- so I was expecting pear. When I tasted it, it was so strange that it put me off for years. (The same thing happened to be with hummus as I thought it was honey- who knows why!).

I liked guacamole, and then a few times had sandwiches and wraps that contained avocados, and it turned out that I quite liked it. That has now turned into a bit of an obsession. Ocado sell them in packs of 3, and they are lovely and ripe, so I have been enjoying them with different meals this week.

Andy made a yummy sweet potato chilli (roasted sweet potatoes, onion, red+yellow peppers, tomatoes, and a load of chilli)- it was super spicy so I needed the avocado to calm my mouth down!

That was enjoyed after my Monday night run- that was possibly the coldest I have ever been on a run as the wind was so cold- I really felt like my eye sockets were going to shatter or something!

I made another mexican casserole thing- basically I roast chopped celery, peppers, red onion, cook some quinoa, wilt some spinach in the quinoa, then add passata, chilli, sweetcorn and beans, and then freeze. I enjoyed one portion with avocado after going to aerobics on Tuesday- I had not been in ages and it was fab! Although we did a lot of plank things at the end and I have been sore since.

On Wednesday I went to the Sweatshop run- thankfully it was not as cold as Monday, but it did start snowing quite heavily while we were out- luckily it was not settling so it just fogged up my glasses. The group stayed pretty much together and did just over 5K. I was trying to look at my watch to see what I did the 3.1 miles in, but because I was where the streetlights were out I missed it. I think it was about 28 mins though. I was given the nutrition pack as I have completed 25 runs (well actually it was last week, but they didn’t have any last week). Exciting!

I got confused when planning meals this week, so I had to do freezer lucky dip for Wednesday- I found a butternut squash chilli (think it had celery, peppers, onions, squash and sweet potato in there) so I had that with some salad and beetroot that needed using up. I love how you can see the steam in the picture.

I went to Body Pump tonight, and we got to try the new release. I was glad to see the back of the “Welcome to the Jungle” chest track from last time. It was tough. But in a good way I think. The chest track was really hard (you had to do some sets starting at the bottom, and some starting at the top, which meant it felt like there were no mini rests or anything)- it was a good song (Muse) which always helps. The triceps is back to having the bar, dips and the dreaded overhead things (I hate them!)- means it is tougher which is good I suppose. The lunges track is really challenging- instead of the leaps at the end, you stand with your feet either side of the step, and then jump up. The abs was really different as there were no planks- it was all on your back doing leg raises and some weird push up move things. I am aching already!

After my shower I had a lovely snack plate of yoghurt, persimmon and some little marzipan hearts (Christmas chocolates).

I have signed up to Parkrun and I am planning on going to one this Saturday morning with my Dad and brother, although I just caught the weather and it looks like it is going to be raining hard- not so good. I hope I don’t wimp out!

Right, I am off to get my PJ’s ready for Comic Relief tomorrow (yup, wearing them to work!)- what are your weekend plans?

Snowy weekend

Hey peeps, I hope everyone is well.

Let me see, where did I leave off last time?? On Friday evening I had an unsuccessful attempt to visit my Mum, as the traffic was so awful I had to turn around and come home, but never mind, people are allowed mobile phones in hospitals now, so at least we could have a chat.

Andy bought us a present- this massive bag of Earl Grey teabags! (He is quite partial to it too and it only cost £2!)

On Saturday morning I went for a run before breakfast- there is a 6 mile loop that I fancied doing, and I decided to go for as close to an hour as I could. I think I am still worried about starting off too fast in case I get to the furthest point from home and my legs fall off or something, but I am getting better at knowing my pace. Anyway, it was fast for me, but it still felt OK- I felt like I had pushed myself, but not like I had exhausted myself. I couldn’t start the Garmin until 0.1 miles (I checked the distance on the way back) so although it was 6.2 miles, my Garmin tracked 6.1 miles in 59 mins! I am hoping that I would have done the 0.1 mile in a minute, and it means I am getting close to that sub 60 min 10k.

After breakfast (pancakes with apple, pear and mincemeat) we headed up to Norwich. Andy had a ticket for the football, so I decided to go with him and look around the town. We only just made it in time as the town centre traffic was so awful (and all the car parks were full), so he rushed off and I wandered around the town centre.

It was raining heavily at first, but soon that turned to snow. I ended up buying quite a lot- a new wallet and bag for work from Fat Face.

I bought a few bits from Holland and Barrett (mint tea, a bounce ball although I really wanted the coconut one but they didn’t have it, cocoa nibs, plus earl grey tea lip balm- how exciting- from White Stuff- navy nail polish, peanut butter and key lime pie locally made chocolate, and some Hotel Chocolat too.

I found a tearoom and had a mint tea and a scone for a belated lunch (and they didn’t even have jam to go on the scone), although what I really wanted was lemon cake but they didn’t sell it. When I told Andy later he told me I should have gone to The Waffle House- I had forgotten there was a Norwich branch and he passed it on his way to the ground. I was annoyed with myself then! I went back to the hotel and painted my nails in the new blue varnish- I had packed some pink but of course it is always better using the new stuff. When Andy got back from the football we braved the horrible weather (cold heavy snow and slushy slippery pavements) and headed for Giraffe for dinner.

This morning we were planning on going to Cafe Rouge, as we have some vouchers, but decided on The Waffle House instead. Their menu was similar to the St Albans one, but they also had additional waffles, plus you could get small or large for some of them (I always say this to the St Albans one), and they did a lunch time deal- 2 waffles for £7.05- bargain! Anyway, there were a couple of items on the breakfast menu that our local one does not so, so I went for one of those. It was a fruit and nut waffle, with dried fruit and nuts baked in to the waffle, served with a fruit compote, natural yoghurt and crushed nuts. And of course you can add maple syrup to it too.

The photo does not do it justice. Andy had a normal breakfast one with scrambled eggs, bacon, mushrooms and tomatoes. And of course a pot of tea for us each! That fruit compote was so delicious- really sharp and tangy with the blackcurrants and raspberries- mmmm.

We were originally planning on going somewhere on the way home- the seaside or something, but it was snowing, sort of hailing, freezing cold and wet, so after another wander around the town we headed home.

I stopped off to see my Mum, and by the time I got home I was starving! It was about 5pm I think, so that waffle had done a pretty good job of keeping me going. I had some chilli and lime popcorn (it was very orange although I don’t think it has shown up that well)- it was pretty spicy but you could still taste the lime. I don’t find popcorn very filling so I had the bounce ball too, and a persimmon.

I can’t believe all this snow though, and also how cold it is, yet again. I don’t mind the cold, but it does seem totally freezing out there. At least the snow had not settled properly I suppose. Easter is only 3 weeks away- surely it should be Spring by then????

Did you have a good weekend? Where do you like to go for a weekend away?

Alibi winner and a speedy run!

Hey all, I hope you are all having a lovely weekend.

First up, the winner of the month’s supply of Alibi drinks.

I was a bit more high tech this time; I used a random number generator on the internet (and had to work out which number matched which comment as some people put their facebook entry in the same comment- which is fine), and got number 2, which was Lara! Congratulations! If you can just email me the address you would like it sent to, then I will let them know.

Right, on with the weekend.

I was planning on having a run on Saturday morning, but Andy said that he would go with me if I waited until Sunday (he was off to football on Saturday) and I am really glad that I did. Saturday did not turn out as planned as I ended up visiting my Mum in hospital (she has been in and out recently), so I had to put back my work to Sunday afternoon too. I did manage a bit of baking- I made some pecan crumble bars using this recipe.

I added in some coconut too- they are ready for Sunday tea in a bit. Andy had something similar in the tearoom in Stratford last weekend, and I fancied having a go at making something similar.

My shoulder has been loads better too- I feel like I have to be careful doing certain things (eg opening the garage door) but generally it is fine now. Still no idea how I did it (or what I did) but at least it is nearly normal again now.

Right, onto the run. We did the usual 8.3 mile loop- Andy knows that I have been getting faster, and also am prone to plodding when left to my own devices. He promised to slow down a bit, and although parts were tough, it was really great- we chatted most of the way (he had to chat on the hills!)- it does mean I am getting behind with my marathon talk listening! We did the loop in 80 mins, and usually my average for that loop is around 90 mins! Look, I can post my stats from the Garmin website: (split, average speed, distance, time)

1	9:59.4	1.00	10:00
2	9:47.2	1.00	9:47
3	10:00.5	1.00	10:01
4	9:53.4	1.00	9:54
5	9:37.0	1.00	9:37
6	9:30.4	1.00	9:30
7	9:45.7	1.00	9:46
8	9:32.0	1.00	9:32
9	2:42.2	0.29	9:16

Summary

1:20:47.8

8.29

9:45

I did find some of the hills tough, but no more than usual (probably)- it proves to me that the Brighton half was not a freak incident, and I really am starting to speed up a bit.

I sure needed breakfast when I got home!

I made the batter the night before (20g peanut flour, 20g w’g spelt flour, baking powder, 40g pumpkin, 60ml soya milk) and then cooked a chopped apple and pear in some coconut oil and sugar, and then stirred in some meridian mincemeat (my last jar). Plus teapigs chocolate flake tea.

Delicious.

Plus, the sun came out! I treated myself to some tulips yesterday as they are one of my favourite flowers, and they looked so pretty in the sunlight. I really hope Spring is around the corner now.

Have you seen any signs of Spring recently? We saw loads of snowdrops and crocus flowers out, and I saw a rabbit too!

Wonky Weights

Hey peeps

It’s Friday! Hooray! I am sat here enjoying a cup of tea (“real” tea too, eg loose leaf black tea from The Quilliam Brothers) and some Lord Poppington’s Popcorn, and warming up after a 3 mile post work run.

My sweatshop run on Wednesday was ace! We did “the hill” route (it is really flat around here, and the hill is not even half a mile long, but it is fairly steep) and each time we reached a roundabout the front runners had to run back to the back runners, which worked really well as we didn’t get too spread out. They added a loop on at the end, so we did over 4 miles (it is meant to be a 5k-ish) which I did in about 38 mins 🙂 With the run there and back it was nearly 6 miles in all- a good midweek run.

I mentioned in my last post that my shoulder has been sore this week. I have no idea why, and I can’t quite remember when it started, but it was some time last week. Anyway, I could not decide about pump, as I didn’t want to make it worse. In the end I went, but made a deal with myself that I would use lighter weights for all the tracks. I know that otherwise I would be tempted once I was there to load up, but things like holding the bar on my shoulders for the squats could have been quite sore.

I was quite conscious of my shoulder, but it was fine during the warm up, squats and chest track. During the triceps I used a lower dumbbell for my right arm (as it is my right shoulder), and I lowered the weights quite a lot for the back track as we have to do the lift (the clean and press?) where we push the bar above our heads, and it is when I lift my arm right up that it is more sore.

Anyway, it was going fine. I did think I would be fine to do my usual biceps weight, but my shoulder was feeling it a bit, so I had my usual one for my left arm, and a lighter one for my right. I felt like I stood out as they are different colours, but the great thing about pump is that everyone just focuses on their own form etc, and no-one is bothered by what anyone else is doing. The wonkiest one was the shoulders track, as by that point I was struggling with even a lighter dumbbell, so I finished the track with my right hand empty (but doing the moves as I think movement helps, plus I find it hard to do one thing on only one side of my body). The abs track was tough too, as we have to go on to one side (I have no idea what it is called, maybe a side plank?) so I only managed it properly on my good side. I still enjoyed the class, and the lunges were still tough, and I felt I got a workout, but it was not as challenging as usual, and I wasn’t really that sweaty compared to normal. I do like the fact that we all do the same moves, but can vary the challenge by using different weights, and I think doing that was better than just sitting around at home.

Today my shoulder has been much better, so hopefully whatever it was will be fine by next week.

This weekend I am looking forward to doing a lot of relaxing. I have a long run planned- I thought I was going to do 6 miles, but when I looked on marathon talk I have pledged 8 miles, and I feel pretty good (plus no rain forecast) so I think I’ll go for that. I have some work to do, but I am also going to do some baking- hooray! Oh, and car insurance shopping- the joy!

Have a lovely weekend – any plans?

Relaxing half term

Hey peeps, I hope you are all well and staying warm (how cold did it get yesterday???)

This week I have been on half term, and it has been fab as I have caught up with friends, spent time sorting things out at home etc. I have taken some random photos, so here goes:

Yes, I know I am about 2 months too late, but I made some chocolate peppermint bark! It was super easy, and so pretty too.

I melted 200g dark chocolate, stirred in 1 tsp peppermint extract, and spread it thinly on some baking paper. Then I melted a little white chocolate (80g I think), poured that over the top, and sprinkled on 2 crushed candy canes. I didn’t have to leave it too long to set (as it was so thin) and then I chopped it up with a sharp knife.

So pretty, and it went down rather well with my friends too.

I also made an orange and almond cake for a meet up (but there was some left over for me to enjoy another day).

Although it did not taste very orangey to me, compared to when I have made it before. Maybe the oranges were not as ripe or something?

I was sent some popcorn from Lord Poppington’s (fantastic name) to try- we shared the sweet and salty last night and it was lovely- soft popcorn, like you would get if you popped it yourself, and not covered in a crunchy tooth-destroying coating like a lot of the sweet ones are. I look forward to sampling the other flavours.

I have also been drinking lots of tea.

The Twinings everyday tea is a nice black tea, and not too strong (not a builders tea).

This morning I tried some of the black tea with echinacea (10%)- it had a rather fruity delicate fragrance, and I really liked the flavour. I can’t quite put my finger on what it reminds me of, but it is more gentle than a normal black tea. I don’t drink that much plain black tea any more- I love Earl Grey, or something with another flavour in there, and this tea was great because it was not too strong, and had a hint of something else. It is probably not something I would have chosen to buy had I seen it in the shops, so I am really glad I have tried it.

The tea went very well with some lovely pancakes (made with peanut and wholegrain spelt flour- my fave combination)- I needed these after my run this morning.

I have not done that much exercise this week (compared to other weeks off where I would be out walking more, and running further too), as I felt I needed to recover from the half marathon, but I have kept up most of my usual routine. I went to Body pump on Thursday, and kept the same weights, but that turned out to be a bad idea, as I struggled for some of it. I had been out for lunch so I did think I would be full of energy, but then afterwards I realised that for one, I missed last week due to being at work, and then the rule of thumb with running is one day recovery per mile run, so I won’t be back to normal for another week. My legs found the squats and lunges especially tough, but that is no surprise really. This morning I went on a 6 mile run- that will be my longest of the week, and actually it was OK. I quite like that distance as I can run that before breakfast, so I don’t have to wait around for ages (and then delay going out)- although after 5 miles I suddenly got awful hunger pangs and actually felt really sick.

I have also been using my new oven (hooray, we finally got around to having it installed after our old one packed up before Christmas) to make some Red Nose day cookies, but I think I shall save them for a separate post!

Have a lovely weekend! What will you be up to?