Rice dreamy

So today I have been getting a bit obsessed with rice milk.

It started with porridge made with rice milk.

I added a tsp of cacao bliss, which went all melty and delicious. Tasty.

Then when I got home it was time for some baking- carob cookies from the Vegan book;

Yum! I only made 1/2 the recipe, but it still made quite a few.

Yum– super close up! I might well have one later after body pump 🙂

While cooking it was also time for some tea;

Earl Grey in the afternoon is so civilised don’t you know??

Yum. The rice milk is really good actually- I have only had it raw before (you know, cold) but it was fine in hot tea, and cooked fine in the cookies (well, it looks like they have- they smell delish), and was nice in porridge too. It does look a little thinner than cows milk (but less protein I suppose) but did not make the porridge watery or anything. Have you tried rice milk? I have seen they do other flavours like Hazelnut but have never seen them in the shops. I bet that would make amazing porridge.

Today I had some marks on me that look like bruises  or maybe burst blood vessels (around my neck and stuff)- I think this is an after effect of the massage, as she did do my neck for a long time. Am feeling tender to the touch so I am going to be gentle at body pump tonight (is that possible??)- have lower weights for squats and lunges anyway.

Then Friday is here, hooray! Any nice plans for the weekend? I only (“only“) have to do a 12 mile run on Saturday- I will have so much time to spare! Although I do have to do a lot of work, I will also manage a trip to the garden centre 🙂 And I have to do my list for packing as it is only 2 weeks away- ahhhhh how does time go so quickly?? So help me (finish this sentence): “For my marathon I will need to take…..”

I will start off with safety pins as I nearly forgot them twice for the 20 miler.

🙂

Sports massage round 2

And this time I feel more like I was in the boxing ring!

After work I had a 3 mile run- I did some intervals, and I thought I was going fast, but 3 miles took me 31 mins  (not my slowest, but not my fastest either)- I felt like I was going quicker. Oh well.

Then it was off to a sports massage- as I am just over 2 weeks out she decided on some deep tissue massage, lots more on my neck and shoulders (which were getting stiff again) and loads of weird stuff on my legs (I have no idea of the feeling, sort of like burning, sort of like things popping)- but she did tell me it was the deepest massage I would have. I did not feel too bad, but then during it I was realising how tight my muscles actually are. So, feeling a little tender now- I may need to ice tomorrow!

I also feel totally shattered now (although I have had a couple of late nights so it could just be that).

Time for tea I think 🙂

Easy aerobics

Hello!

Just to let those of you know that missed my last post- I am beginning the taper and it is sending me a bit crazy.

So after work today I tried one of those Meridian Peanut and Oat bars;

This is made of oats, peanut butter, honey and molasses.

It was lovely- really oaty but you could also taste the molasses. Yum.

Good fuel for aerobics anyway. The usual instructor was away, and we had another new instructor- she was quite good, but we did not really get the music turned up very fast. So I did get my heart rate up (for a bit) but it was much more gentle than usual.

Oh well, she was much better than the other replacement instructor that we have had before.

Anyone else find that when you have replacement instructors? Our Body pump replacement is brilliant, but I suppose with that you follow the moves and routine, whereas an aerobics class is a bit ambiguous and so up to each instructor as to how they do it.

Night 🙂

Panic aborted (for now)

Hey

So I think you are going to see a lot of this panic from me over the coming weeks, so be warned!

I must say thanks for the good advice from Alison, Jessica and Rob regarding the running. I know that I have done all the training so far (well, pretty much) and that I can’t change anything now. I was going to do an 8 miler, and even mapped out a route, but then when I read the comments I cut it back- I ended up doing the 6.7 mile route from last week. I did do some tempo in the middle- when I was looking at my watch when running I was around 9.40 ish pace, but then I had to stop so many times to cross roads that the recorded pace is slower. But anyway, it keeps the legs ticking over. So I promise to be sensible and stick to my plan. If not you can all come around and bop me on the head, rabbit foo foo style.

Also thanks Lara- you are right about body pump- I will cut back on the weights for these next couple of weeks (and I am not going on the Thursday before as often I still ache on a Saturday and I don’t want to be sore for the actual run).

Great advice peeps!

I have booked my next massage for this Wednesday- they said to have one 2 weeks before, but she is away then, so it was either this week (2 1/2 weeks before) or in the final week, only a few days before. So I went for this week. Not long to get nervous for it!

Other news;

More scrummy yoghurt and muesli and apple for brekkie- getting a bit obsessed at the moment 🙂

Also I think I am about to give up on reading a book. I borrowed the book “Too big to Fail” about the banking crisis on Wall Street, and it is taking me so long to read- seriously I read about 2 pages a night and I am not finding it interesting. The subject is interesting, but the book just goes on about how different people got to be CEO’s and stuff, and I am 200 pages in and not at the interesting bits! Anyone read it? How do you feel about not finishing a book? It irritates me so much- normally I read books quickly as I love to read. I am defeated.

Also, can I ask a question for Andy? He needs to change his trainers- I kind of feel he needs to wait until the marathon is done now, as I think it is too close (no more long runs left to try them out- he is doing 13 miles this weekend)- but then I also have heard that trainers should not need breaking in, and they should be comfy right away. So, ideas? Cheers me dears 🙂

Official taper starts now!

And I am already a bit panicked about the whole thing. I was really sore this morning after my run yesterday (I think sitting at the computer doing work all afternoon did not help)- I did some foam rolling first thing and also did some yoga for runners (which was very hard- I am so inflexible)- this did help as my legs were better. But anyway, I looked at my plan and I have hardly any miles this week (and I used all sorts of plans and magazines when I made the plan, so not sure how to decide what to do)- this week I have 3 mile interval, 5 mile tempo and 12 miles long. The 12 miles long seems ok, but the others seem short. Any ideas? I think I might add some to the tempo run. As I still have 3 weeks (well just under 3 ) to go. The next week is 3, 5 and 7, then 3, 3 before the race itself. So any ideas welcome? I kind of feel that I have 3 weeks to go, and perhaps I mistyped the distances for this week, as it seems to cut down quite sharply, and maybe I should do a bit more this week and then cut down more during the last 2 weeks. I thought the rule was 75%, 50%, 25% or something like that in the weeks leading up, but then I am muddled as to which week I am on- was the 75% last week, or is that this week- I think it is this week, well, starting on the Saturday just been.

Anyway, onto the weekly review.

Monday- rest day (after the big 20 miles)

Tuesday- 3.2 miles- was meant to be tempo but kept it easy as I was still sore

Wednesday- 6.7 miles- with some tempo in there

Thursday- Body Pump- keeping up with the weights

Friday- rest day

Saturday- 15 muggy miles!

Sunday- gentle walk (and some yoga- new training alert!)

Total miles- 25. But if I did my miles Sunday-Sat then I would have done 45 (I know this because that is how Nike+ did it, and it surprised me when I logged my run yesterday that I had done that many miles, as I thought the most I had got up to was a 30-something mile week).

Still feeling ok, my little toe was bothering me on my run, so I am going to see if I can find something (I need a toe-thimble I think) to take the pressure off.

Onto non-running related things:

Over the weekend I was given a few more birthday pressies- a pretty apron with cupcakes on it, some pretty earrings, running socks (obviously!), Superjam cookbook (how my weekend leisure time will change once the running gets less!) and some pretty stackable bowls and things! I am most excited about them. 🙂

So, any idea with the taper? I would appreciate any guidance as I know all the stuff says better to be undertrained (eg more rested)than overtrained but I feel that 3 weeks away (well, 2 and 5 days) is still a long time. Is it a long time?

I had better go before I panic myself further!

Night