Category: Running

Races, information on running etc.

Woo hoo!

Look!

How exciting! I won a prize on the lovely Rachel’s blog 🙂 And the prize arrived! So exciting! 🙂 With the cutest peanut postcard too!

After dinner me and Andy tried a booja booja truffle each. These were rum sultana ones-and I don’t like alchohol or drink, but I do add stuff like that to a Christmas cake -and these smelled like a Christmas cake. Or maybe just like rum- anyway they were super strong! But booja booja always make such amazing chocolate- the rest are safely in the fridge for another day. Thanks so much Rachel I am looking forward to trying every single item in the box 🙂

Now for a catch up;

Monday- good run after work- 4 miles and no walk breaks.

Tuesday- Aerobics- super hard and no time for a cool down! My calves were stiff on Wednesday.

Wednesday- Another good run after work- another 4 miles- so so windy but again feeling good and sped up for the last bit- under 10 min miles at the end which is super speedy for me at the moment. I am now feeling optimistic about Sunday and feel that I could run the whole way.

Thursday- Body pump baby! Heavier weights for squats (quite a boring track I think) and also for the back (as it is slow so I feel I can add more weight and have more control).

Warm butternut and goats cheese salad. This was spinach zapped in the microwave for half a min, topped with roasted butternut, herby goats cheese, caramelised onions, and quinoa cooked with beetroot, tomato, pepper, courgette. Yum.

Lemon slices (from Hummingbird)- I made some for my Nan 🙂

Yay my new bowl! With chocolate alpro and chocolate granola.

Alpro with coconut extract, and chocolate granola. More yumminess.

Also can I just say a massive thank you to everyone who has sponsored me so far! I really really really appreciate it (and the lovely comments too). Plus, exciting news- I have a few more prizes that will be added in the next few days. Altogether now “oooooooooooh“.

Question- how do you get ready for a race? It is 10K but at the moment that is the most I have run for maybe a month? I think the day I got the stomach bug was the last day I ran that far. So anyway I was thinking of going for 2 miles tomorrow and then resting Saturday (well, my parents are over, we have to go to the allotment and I also want to start baking some “bribes” for people at work to sponsor me)- but Andy is resting tomorrow also. He will probably tell me off for going for a run, but I need to wash my hair. So- what would you/ do you do?

Cheers.

Parcels in the post!

I love getting things in the post! These last couple of days I have been super lucky and have been opening up so many parcels!

I did a blog swap with Errign and she sent me a massive pile of goodies! Nut butters, energy gels, different types of clif and luna bars, plus lara bars which I am super excited to try!

I had the mint brownie bite straight away and it was delicious! Thanks Errign 🙂

I also got my Graze box– we get one of these every other weekend and share the punnets as a snack at the weekend- it included a new one which was apples to dip in caramel sauce. Sounds yummy!

Some lovely looking almond desserts from Ecomil- I cannot wait to try these, perhaps in my new bowls?

How cute are they???? I got them from Paperchase when I was getting some birthday cards, so not actually in the post, but I just love them!

Oh yeah, and a commiserations magazine. This was actually for Andy, who, when his marathon training was going well, decided to sign up for the London ballot (and he didn’t tell me until after the deadline! Not that I would have applied, but anyway)- after Stockholm he was hoping to have not got in, so he was very relieved to get this in the post!

Post run snack- Chocolate Cherry Almond Luna bar courtesy of Errign- delicious 🙂

With the running, it is proving hard to get back into. I tried a run this morning and managed 4 miles, but I had to walk as I was getting stomach pains- not sure what it is all about. Anyway we have the 10K next Sunday and I was originally hoping to be able to beat my previous 10K time, but I realise that it is not going to happen. So I am going to enjoy the run- it should be pretty scenic. We have the great south run at the end of the month, and we decided to sign up to this race– a 10K the week after the GSR. Maybe by then I will be back to running and might stand a chance of beating my time. And if not we have another weekend away and a run somewhere pretty.

Today I got on with more baking for my friends.

I made some carrot and raisin cakes to go with the peanut butter cookies I made yesterday.

Before the cream cheese frosting- I am getting a little obsessed with the mini loaf cases!

Oh, and one final photo- I ordered some bits from Lakeland- including piping bags and nozzles (so I no longer have to just dollop the icing on!), muslin cloth squares (for my almond milk hopefully) and these cool trays that are already divided up. I am terrible at cutting things evenly and so I am looking forward to making brownies, flapjacks, bars etc that are all perfectly the same size.

Do you love getting things in the post? I find it much more exciting than going shopping (plus no queues!). What was the last thing you received in the post?

Feeling better (better do some baking then)

Hello!

I enjoyed everyones cheese answers yesterday! It seems the vegan cheeses just do not cut it, but also people miss it less than they would have thought. Thinking about it more, I am not a massive cheese lover anyway- I really only like cream cheese, mozzerella, goats cheese, strong cheddar and wenslydale. No blue cheese, or brie, or feta or anything like that. I think I just got into the habit of topping meals with grated cheese, when they did not really need it.

Anyway, I forgot on my post yesterday so say that I was better (as my post was about Tuesday I suppose). But I was. Yesterday I had a run and it was great! I didn’t want to go too far, in the end I did just under 4 miles, but I managed it all with an average pace of 10 min miles, a speed I have not got up to for a while. Plus no walk breaks (well, except for annoying crossing the road ones). I was super pleased as I was starting to get a little worried about the upcoming 10K- I was hoping to beat my previous best time, but now I am hoping to run the whole way! I seem to have gone backwards!

I also got back into baking.

Some pumpkin whoopie pies! I was so excited to make these 🙂 Although I did not have any marshmallow fluff to add to the filling, so I made it without and the filling was super runny!

They were a hit with Andy and at work- gently spiced and really tasty. 🙂 Ones to make again for sure.

Also it is National Cupcake week this week. I am not sure if it is an excuse for the Food network to show more of Cupcake wars than usual, but I was emailed a few recipes from this cupcake book and asked to try some on my blog. I went for the black forest cupcakes, only half way through I found out I did not have any black cherry jam (I was sure I still had some of the lovely meridian cherry spread) so they turned into chocolate and raspberry cupcakes. Ffion I hope you approve 🙂 More for work anyway!

And now I am making some autumnal spiced apple crumble bars, based on this fruit crumble bar recipe from the lovely Katie. Happy days indeed.

And if that is not enough, I have body pump later 🙂

Lastly, it is nearly the weekend! We are off to see Steven Merchant on Friday night (I keep forgetting) and then up to Sheffield on Saturday for some Shakespear. How cultured! 🙂 I will have to tape the Great North run as I am getting a bit excited about it!

Any exciting weekend plans?

The good and the bad

First of all the good.

I have been loving bircher muesli for breakfast lately.

This one is nectarine, 25g oats, 100g soya yoghurt and 100ml soya milk and a lot of cinnamon, all left to mingle overnight. Yum.

And the same but with 80g frozen cherries instead of the nectarine, and sprinkled with coconut in the morning.

I had my sweet potato and kidney bean burgers again and they were yummy (with some rocket and some quinoa cooked with tomatoes, beetroot, spinach and courgette).

I found out that Ocado now stock Rude Health Multigrain thins 🙂

I got up super early on Friday to fit in a little run, and it was great. I only did 2 miles but I did that in 20 minutes and I was feeling like I am getting faster again.

I went to the Waffle house on friday! That is always good!

I opened my Starbucks chai and had a cup. Yum.

When I was tidying out my cupboards I found a whole box of Teapigs rooibos creme caramel! I thought I had finished the last teabag ages ago, so it was a lovely surprise! 🙂

I had my hair cut again (and in fact nearly forgot- I noticed it on the calendar when I went to add the shopping delivery time!). I feel I leave the hairdresser with a normal amount of hair!

And I made something fun in the microwave. Guesses? Answer at the end!

And now onto the bad.

I missed body pump on Thursday due to a late meeting at work (I got home at 8 whereas it starts at 7.15).

I had a rubbish run today. I think I am in fact under the weather. My tum felt a little weird before I left, so I waited around a little longer. My whole run was such hard work, I stopped a few times to re-tie my hair and I really appreciated the walking. I was not that much slower than before- it was a while since I had run that route, but it just felt so bad. And all day I have had a sort of tummy ache, so not sure if I ate something bad yesterday, but I think on reflection I should have not gone out this morning as it made me feel worse.

I am almost out of Rude Health Multigrain thins (but no need to worry- see the good points above!).

At least I have more good than bad.

Oh, and I made play-dough in my microwave- did you guess it?

(Add on)-

After dinner on Saturday I felt really bad, and when Andy got back from football (at about 12) we ended up turning the house up-side down looking for the immodium he bought to take to Stockholm, but never used, but to no avail. He did go out Sunday morning to get me some, and so I spent Sunday laying about, drinking water and nibbling on dry toast. But anyway I feel better now. No idea what that was.

Getting back to routine

Hello

I love my routine, I am someone who really likes to know what they are doing and I like the way I do similar things on the same day each week. After 6 weeks of no real routine (due to holidays etc) it has been great getting back into it.

On Monday after work I was really looking forward to my run, and did my 4 mile route and picked up the speed towards the end (9 something per mile 🙂 ). It was the first run where my legs felt normal (before that they had been feeling tight and not really flowing properly) and I am hoping that soon I can re-start with the audiofuel, which I was really enjoying before my routine stopped.

(By the way, we never made it to the allotment on Sunday, as it was such heavy rain, and I found out that I got sunburnt on the saturday-boo. Honestly I am so obsessive about suncream when I am on holiday, but I didn’t realise that my dress had a lower back, so I have a nice red circle on my back).

Today I am really looking forward to aerobics, as I have missed (I think) 5 weeks. Shocking! I know it is going to be hard work though, but I like the fact that I do the same class each week.

When I got home today I was most excited to have a parcel waiting for me;

The lovely Elise at Kallo foods has sent me a parcel of goodies to review for my blog. Smooth and crunchy organic peanut butter, smooth and crunchy peanut butter, dark chocolate spread (how good does that sound?), chocolate and caramel swirl spread, and organic cola and elderflower. So much peanut butter!

I also had a bit of a shock the other day. I was having a couple of squares of ghirardelli chocolate after dinner, and just by chance glanced at the ingredients (they are on the tiny wrappers) and noticed gelatin. Now as soon as I turned vegetarian (I think I was about 15) I stopped gelatin too. I felt horrible having eaten it, but it was too late to spit it out as I had already eaten it. Anyway, I went through the bag (it was a mixed bag) and found that 2 flavours contain gelatin.

Mint (which are just like after eights, I never would have expected it to be in there) and raspberry ones. So I have taken them out now- no danger of unexpectedly eating them.

Onto the weather (we love to talk about the weather here) how windy is it???? This morning when I was trying to get my car out of the garage the wind kept blowing the garage door shut. It was crazy! I am glad I am not out running and instead am working out in a wind free studio!

Finally (and only because I took a photo) I have been getting a little hummus obsessed! I got some more from Ocado (it was listed as another brand, but in the pic it also said Sabra on it, and it is smooth and delicious and garlic free)- so my lunch has been a sandwich thin with hummus and spinach, plus a salad of chopped apple (on the bottom so I have the sweet apple at the end), spinach, beetroot, roasted peppers and hummus. Yum 🙂

So, do you like routine or do you love to change things all the time?