Running - Maria Runs

Doughnuts, matcha and the big garden birdwatch

As a treat for reaching the end of January- usually a long month but 2021 seems to take the biscuit- we ordered a box of vegan doughnuts from Crosstown. It was a box of 6, so we shared each one (half with tea in the afternoon, and half after dinner) on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

They were so delicious- a lime and coconut filled one, peanut butter and blackcurrant jam filled one, chocolate honeycomb filled and a chai spice filled one, plus glazed chocolate and vanilla. The chai spice or pb&j would take a lot of beating.

Reading a real book and not a kindle- and yes I’m still using my Disney Christmas blanket!

On Saturday I’ve been having a day off running and we’ve gone on a long walk together as our “leaving the house once a day” token. The weather was not very nice (sleet and rain alternating) and for some reason, even though I’ve worn my boots before, they rubbed my feet raw and they were so sore by the end. I’d got some bagels and Nush cream cheese which is just the best, so at least I had a nice lunch to look forward to once I’d hobbled home.

There was so much ice around on Sunday morning I had to change routes- I ran to Panshanger but would usually cut through a park, but the park had flooded and then the flood had frozen, and it was just an ice rink with no way around.

I decided to do the birdwatch on Sunday as the weather was better and I thought more birds would be out, so after breakfast and a shower I moved the armchair right by the patio door and set myself up, listening to a podcast while I looked outside. I saw a few birds but not as many as normal (eg sometimes I see around 6 goldfinches together, but I only saw 2). It was a relaxing way to spend an hour and very good to not be looking at a screen. Now the evenings are a bit lighter and the birds are out a bit more, hopefully I’ll see more of them.

For out afternoon movie we watched The Dig which was really good, then we had a roast dinner (nut roast etc) before watching a live podcast.

The week that followed was fairly standard, but at least at long last we are in a new month and spring feels a little closer. A run each morning for me, and matcha mid-morning. We bought a new flavour to try (Honey Bunny- vegan honey flavoured matcha) which is really good. Andy is getting very good at frothing it! We found a stollen in the breadbin (as you do) so had that in the evenings.

I ordered a top from Magic Moon club and it came this week. Plus a beautiful sunrise on my run, and a lunch of a wrap filled with apple, chutney and violife.

Cook Vegan lasagne for a treat dinner- it’s so tasty with pine nuts in the topping

One morning it was super misty and my hair was soaked when I got home from all of the fog! It was very pretty, especially when you could see the moon. It’s been so good to get home in the light- I tend to leave at around 6.45, so I still need my light on then, but depending on the weather I can turn it off pretty soon, and definitely by the time I get home.

A little moan- I run past a bus stop, and the people queue across the pavement instead of parallel to it- the verge is very steep so I am having to scramble up the slippery muddy bank to give the queue a wide berth, whereas if they all queued on one side of the pavement I would be OK to give them space but not have to slip up the bank.

Another lovely sunrise, more matcha which was very much needed after a power cut as I was 5 minutes into a live lesson with my class!! and a face mask to chill out on Friday evening.

I had ordered a new running watch- my current one is OK but has a scratch on the screen now, and sometimes does not seem as accurate with the steps tracking. Anyway, we get a discount with Vitality, but in fact the watch was cheaper on Wiggle so I ordered one from there. It took a while to set up, but it now seems to add my runs via the wifi (I have no idea) instead of bluetooth?

I’ve had a good Friday evening routine the last few weeks- this week was mental health week, so we had a little colleague catch up via a meet after everyone had finished their live sessions. I then finished up work, did a bit of yoga and then had a face mask, had a shower and did a hair mask in the shower, and then put on comfy clothes ready for a pot of tea and some TV. We watched Baby Done, which was quite a funny film with Rose Matafeo, and a good way to end a week/ start the weekend (did make me want to go to New Zealand and go back to Canada though…).

How has February started for you? Do you like matcha? Do you get many birds in your garden? Do you have a bell on your cat if you have a cat?

Snow much fun!

Sorry not sorry. I love a pun and I love the snow (so long as I don’t have to go anywhere).

For the last few weeks we kept having snow forecast, and then it would come to nothing, either falling as sleet, or settling as the tiniest dusting that was gone in about 5 minutes.

Last weekend yet again it was meant to snow Saturday night-Sunday morning, so I planned a run to Panshanger park so I could run around there in the snow. Well, when I woke up, everywhere was white, but from frost not snow.

It was so beautiful, although hard to capture in photos because the sky was so white, getting darker grey as I ran around. Seeing the brambles and berries all covered in frost was so pretty, so I did keep stopping to try and get a better photo.

I did feel a bit sad seeing the parkrun signs- I can’t believe that it’s nearly a year, and of course will be well over a year of no parkrun whenever it returns. I loved the run though, and as I got home it started to try and snow- when it is snowing about one flake every minute and you just wonder if you are imagining it.

It began settling a little, and after I’d had a shower and breakfast it was super deep. I was very excited- I love snow! So once I’d dried my hair I headed out into the garden to make a snowman.

Lifting that middle ball of snow up was quite tough! Building a snowman is a good workout!

I couldn’t quite get it as tall as me, but nearly!

Tea in my Olaf mug of course- the perfect choice for a snowy day

The rest of the day was spent relaxing- we had a family zoom call in the afternoon and got to hear about how everyone was enjoying the snow. I did some baking, we watched some TV and had a roast dinner )nut roast with veggie gravy and veggies and waffle fries because they are potatoes too). I had frozen the leftover red cabbage which we made a few weeks ago, so heated that through.

Sadly the snowman began to do some yoga (my instructor likes to say “take a little back bend” and I think that’s what it was doing) and then it’s head fell off.

After just getting into the swing of my new routine, the snow slightly thawed and then froze solid overnight, so an early run was not an option. I headed out for a brief run at lunch time instead, running (well, walking mainly) to the local park and then running a few laps in the snow. I thought I would run through the woods, but the paths were super slippery as I think the snow had dripped from the trees and then frozen on the ground, making the normally muddy and uneven paths like ice rinks.

On Tuesday evening the rain washed most of the snow away, so by Wednesday morning the pavements were OK for an early run again. There were a few dodgy bits that needed walking over, but mostly it was fine.

My snowman was still hanging on. I took a photo of my running outfit as I noticed after I put it on that my top and jacket perfectly matched my socks!

By Thursday all that was left was a pile of stones and sticks on the patio!

Do you like snow? Did you have lots of snow last weekend? I am very happy so long as I don’t have to drive in it!

A new weekly routine

I am very much a routine person. I like to know what I am doing, and like to have things planned in advance. My weekly routine with regards to being active was:

Monday- walk after work

Tuesday- run after work

Wednesday- walk after work and then yoga class

Thursday- run after work

Friday- walk after work

Saturday- morning run and afternoon walk

Sunday- morning run and afternoon walk

Since lockdown 3 (or 2.5, seeing as the November lockdown was only a half-hearted one) I’ve been trying to find out what works for me. As we are back to the leaving the house once a day for exercise, it’s meant either a walk or a run, and really I feel better after a run. I tried a few times to run after work, but felt so awful sat in front of the laptop all day, whereas going out first thing seems to help me feel more focused and awake. I tried one lunchtime run, but it felt like a rush to fit that in before live lessons, so I’ve gone back to morning runs. On a few days I have really wished I could have a walk in the afternoon too (it was suggested to me that I could pretend that I was walking to the shops if anyone asked- but I want to do my best to follow the rules and not find loopholes) but hopefully if we all stick to this then it will be over sooner.

The last few weeks I’ve had a day off running on a Saturday- Andy and I have had breakfast together and then headed out on a long walk, making the most of the daylight.

One Saturday breakfast of No Knead Cinnamon Pull Apart bread from A Virtual Vegan

Plus enough for breakfast and afternoon tea time left over! Also date+pb as the best post-run snack

Our zoom yoga classes were back a few weeks ago, and I had forgotten quite how wonderful I feel after doing some yoga. So I have set an alarm at the end of the working day to do some yoga, and so far I’ve managed it. I’m only doing a 15 minute ish session, but it helps so much to move around after being sat for so much of the day, and it is a good reset between work and home (as there’s no commute to break up the time otherwise). It’s also good to change out of work clothes and into “home” clothes, and the alarm works as a reminder to do that too.

So now, my weekly routine is like this:

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday- run in the morning, 15 min yoga in the evening

Wednesday- run in the morning, 90 min yoga class in the evening

Saturday- long walk (6 miles ish)

Sunday- long run day

Last Sunday I even got to wear sunglasses! There’s been so much rain, so the route I wanted to take was very flooded, which meant a less scenic run around residential streets. Still enjoyable to be out in the fresh air though.

Earl Grey tea loaf, nut roast and leftover cranberry sauce, a teaching meme which sums up my live lessons and matcha whisk.

I’ve been doing a bit of baking at the weekend- I made an Earl Grey tea loaf which has been really tasty, and we’ve been having some matcha to keep the energy levels up.

Lentil spag bol, pretty sunrise, rain coat and visor for a rainy run, and a hint of a rainbow from my office window.

Spinach pasta, Water Watch and fluorescent top for staying high-viz on the runs

On Friday I had the most beautiful sunrise on my run. After work I washed my hair and put on comfy clothes before making a hot chocolate- Andy put the fire on and it was so cosy and relaxing. Making the weekends feel different to the weeks seems an important thing for the next few weeks, and doing that this week felt like a break between work and home.

Saturday breakfast this weekend was pancakes- banana ones from the Fearne Cotton Happy Vegan book. They were tasty but I wasn’t the best at flipping them.

I also did some filing (oh I know how to live) sorting all of my home learning resources into subjects so I can keep my office a bit tidier in the week. I decided to treat myself to Muppets Most Wanted as a Saturday afternoon movie- all is good in the world when you can sing along with that soundtrack.

Do you like a routine? How are you coping with the one exercise a day rule?

So how is lockdown 3 going?

Christmas lights, early running, veggie chilli to warm up after being at work with the doors open all day when it was 3 degrees at best…

Well, I’ve enjoyed seeing the Christmas lights left up while I’ve been going on runs. We took ours down before I went back to work, but I only took my wreath off the front door this weekend.

Matcha, mince pie and ice cream, winter running buff

I’d forgotten that I had signed up to the virtual winter run- I did it a few years back, and they had emailed out a while ago- raising money for CRUK of course which is a brilliant charity. I didn’t really pay attention but I’ve been sent a buff which is really nice, and has come in handy when I am wearing two for each run (neck and head) when it’s been so cold.

Pretty sunrises, delicious vegan chocolate and good old avocado and hummus waffles

One sunrise run that took longer as I kept stopping to take photos!

I’ve been lucky that I can work from home at the moment (moving forwards this depends on staff sickness levels and critical worker childcare places) so I’ve sorted out a routine that works well- a run first thing, working remotely with a break for matcha or tea in the morning, lunch with Andy and then powering through the afternoon. Yoga was back in the second week, and it was just so good. One reason why running suits me is because I am not very good at working out at home- if I am doing a video workout I will get distracted by things that need doing (I’ll just put that box into the recycling, then I’ll carry on…) but with a run I am outside and away from those distractions. The live yoga classes online have been great, but I have not worked out a way to continue this on other days of the week (yet…).

A misty run last Saturday, tea in my Olaf mug, my new OH buff for the 12 days of Christmas challenge and a run in the woods.

I am not used to staring at a computer screen all day, and it seems to build up so by the end of the week my eyes have been really struggling. I am having breaks (my favourite is when I get to draw something that I’ll then photograph and add to the virtual classroom) but it’s been pretty intense. So I have now set an alarm for the end of the working day, and this is when I will do some yoga. I did this on Thursday and Friday of the week just gone, and even though I only did short videos (15- 20 mins) I felt so much better. A chance to move my stiff shoulders and rest my eyes (for the most part, because I still have to glance at the screen to see the poses). I felt a lot better after each session, although the first one I did spend too much time actually finding a video to do, but once I’ve got a few playlists to look at it will be easier.

Working at home has meant slightly nicer lunches too- I made myself a toastie the other day and it was sooooooooo good (violife cheese and pear chutney).

Last Sunday I had a really good run- it was super cold and frosty, and amazingly the plants had frost on only one side- totally white on one and dark brown on the other. It really looked as if they had been spray painted! I do like a run in the cold, but I do not like how sore my skin gets after- even if I warm up for a bit before getting in the shower, my skin will go bright red and be itchy for ages after.

I’ve signed up to do Veganuary (more on that in another post) but it’s been good, and nice to have something else to focus on other than the endless cycle of bad news. We treated ourselves to some sort of takeaway ready meals- Leon Katsu (as I do like the Wagamama vegan katsu)- it was pretty tasty. Mum made us some vegan caramel shortbread too- we had ordered them some shopping online as there are a few things they can’t get from where they get their shopping from, so we drove the shopping over and received the shortbread in exchange. It was really good (even if Mum did tell me that if it was no good I could feed it to the birds- there’s confidence for you!).

Matcha, roasted red cabbage and reading my Chateau book by the fire to combat too much screen time

There is a fab website called A Virtual Vegan, and there are loads of good recipes on there- this was a red cabbage recipe which we added veggie sausages to. I’ve been bookmarking a lot of recipes and have trialled a few, but will go into it a bit more another time.

So, it’s going OK. I do wish I was allowed more than one outdoor exercise slot a day, as especially at the weekends I would like to have a run in the morning and then go for a walk with Andy in the afternoon. But I do know that we have to follow the rules, so I have to move things around and run more in the week so we can enjoy a long walk together at the weekend when we have time in the daylight.

How is lockdown 3 treating you? If you work from home normally, what sort of routine do you have? And if you usually work at a computer all day, how do you cope? I am sure we had some training once and it was something like 20/20/20, which was every 20 minutes, look at something 20 m away for 20 seconds. Or something?

Happy New Year weekend

Over the past few years I have enjoyed doing a parkrun or double (although sensibly parkrun said early in 2020 that they would not be doing them any more) to welcome in the new year. I loved the chance to run with friends and family, and to start the new year as I mean to go on. The sense of community at a NYD parkrun is always really high, with people feeling optimistic about the year ahead and just loving getting out in the fresh air all together. This year was different what with no parkrun, but I still wanted to make my run more of an event, so I suggested to my dad that we meet at Ellenbrook fields for a run together. We arranged a time (not on the hour, just in case anyone else had the same plan) and I ran there to meet him. It was snowing a bit as I was running, which added to the festive feel.

One of the fields often has a very flooded path, but a lot of it was frozen solid which probably made it easier to pass.

As I ran into the park Dad was right there- we could not have timed it better as he had just arrived too. We ran one big lap (EF parkrun is one small and then one big lap) and then he ran back through the business park with me for a bit to make it up to the 5k distance. It was great to be running around the fields, although one part was very flooded and my foot went right into an icy puddle- I got to “enjoy” a cold wet sock for the remainder of my run.

Once home and warm I had some vegan croissants for breakfast and my biggest mug of tea. I do like that feeling of being back inside once you’ve been out on a run in the cold- it is much more satisfying and makes it feel even more cosy.

My running club have started a January challenge where we’ve been split into 2 teams (well people who wanted to join in) and we are tracking our miles in the month. Walking and running all counts, plus I think other workouts (such as yoga) will count as 1 mile, so it was good to start, and as we had a walk in the afternoon it started the year off well.

It also meant that I got these badges on Garmin Connect- I have finally learnt how to find them as well, before before I could only see them when I got a notification to click on. I did have to do a fair bit of work (which was not planned, but thanks to the Gov it meant our planned Inset day had to change so I had to sort out what my year groups would be doing). Tea always helps with work though.

I had prepped breakfast the night before. We really love the baked French toast from the Pip and Nut recipe book, but it uses eggs so now it’s a no. This fab website called A Virtual Vegan has a recipe for a similar dish using silken tofu and coconut cream- you leave it in the fridge overnight and bake it in the morning. After breakfast we walked down to the lakes. It wasn’t that busy but I heard from people in my running club that it was rammed later on.

Matcha, Christmas tree and a delicious but not pretty dinner of noodles with peanut sauce, tofu and broccoli.

The rest of the day was fairly chilled out and mainly spent enjoying the last day of the Christmas decorations! I’d ordered some matcha in the B&B sale and it arrived so of course I had to have it- it matched the Christmas tree perfectly.

On Sunday I had a 9 mile run (I was going to do 8, but when I got home I was at 8.5, so because of our running club challenge and it’s easier to keep track I did a little loop to make it up to 9)- it was really cold and each time I stopped my glasses would steam up!

Once home we had the other half of the baked French toast and then had to get on with the job of taking all the decorations down.

A bit more work was required for me, before some chill time reading and then watching the one off special of Taskmaster (I wanted to listen to the podcast on my way to work so I needed to watch it first). Dinner was a nut roast with cranberries and pecans- it was sooooo tasty- veganuary off to a good start for me.

How was your new year? Do you usually do anything to celebrate?