Afternoon practise

Evening all

Today was the Christmas Fayre so my morning run was put back to later (also as the stockholm marathon starts at 2pm I need to start doing some long runs in the afternoon so I am used to it). The fayre was fun (lots of face painting, present wrapping, carol singing, mulled wine and mince pie eating (not by me though)) and after that I popped to the shops. To cut the story short, we are away for Christmas and so Andy has said we won’t bother putting up the tree or decorations which I wasn’t happy about. In the end we compromised by saying we would get a little tree, so I got one. Only the misunderstanding was that I was meant to get a real tree. Which I was tempted by but thought I was being so good at resisting. So tomorrow the saga will continue.

Anyway, I had lunch and then started making some stollen (currently addicted to it).

It takes ages as you have to soak the fruit, make the dough, leave it for ten mins, add butter and sugar, leave it again for a few hours, add in the fruit, leave it again, shape into loaves (add marzipan in), leave again….. It’s a day project that keeps on needing to be revisited.

After a lot of the prep, I went out on my run. This morning was quite bright, but as I got ready the rain started. Not too hard, so I thought it would be ok. After about 30 minutes the rain got very heavy, but I was not feeling cold so I carried on. But my glasses fogged up and the tissue in my hand was also wet so useless for clearing them. At the lakes there was a lot of slush about, and the lakes were still half frozen (randomly with a lot of seagulls sat on the ice). Then on my way back I was so mad because by this time the puddles were quite big, and the puddles on the roads were bigger too. As I was on the pavement right by the road a car actually swerved into the puddle to actually splash me with a wave of icy muddy water. My shoes were soaked through, the wet got through my capris and tights, and so the last 15/20 minutes of my run were spent freezing and soggy. I was not a happy bunny.

I was also starving when I got home. I normally now have porridge in the morning before a long run, but I tried 2 slices of toast with sunflower seed butter (peanut butter is a no-no before a run for me). I didn’t want anything too heavy, but I think I need a little more protein possibly. Anyway, I downed some chocolate milk and a normal clif bar, before peeling off my soggy cold clothes and warming up in the shower.

Then it was time for some tea;

Christmas tea 🙂 It was from Whitards last year (black tea with orange peel and festive spices) but I saw it in a pretty new tin this year too. I love my teapot 🙂

After my post a few weeks back on nutrition, my amazon order arrived so I spent a bit of time flicking through it;

Vegetarian Sports Nutrition . I look forward to reading it.

After dinner it was time for some stollen (still warm, mmmm);

Love those cranberries.

So I am pretty pleased with my first afternoon run, it went ok- my pace was pretty similar to my other runs of that length, and as I know that fuelling is the main issue it is something I can experiment with between now and May. Anyone taken part in an afternoon race/ race at a funny time? Any good tips?

Fayre fun?

Today was the turn of the plain porridge. Yesterday I tried the apple porridge (pictured), which was also delish (lots of pieces of dried apple, a few sultanas to add some more sweetness). I added a tbs of dried cranberries and some mixed spice to the plain porridge to amp it up a bit and it was gooooooood. Well, isn’t all porridge delicious 🙂

On my way home today I was closely inspecting the pavements (well, as closely as you can while driving along) to check for the level of ice. There was a mile which was clear, near home, so I piled on the layers (3 on top and bottom seem to be working although I do look like a michelin woman) , warmed up by doing step ups on the bottom stair, and carefully walked along my road over the smooth ice pavements (and road) to get to the clear stretch. I then managed just over 4 miles by going out and back twice, and then a out a little way and back at the end. Annoyingly, when I got to the first mile I looked at my Nike+ and noticed it had stopped on 2 mins, so I had to re-start it (no prob)- and then add on the time at the end.

Once home it was time for a warm shower, and vegetable and bean bake with a little bit of home-made wholemeal bread. Delish 🙂

It’s the christmas fayre tomorrow so I am looking forward to helping on a stall and seeing all the children getting super excited 🙂 We always have a chocolate tombola which is always so popular, and we also have a cute secret present room where children can go in, get a present for mum and/or dad, and wrap it, so the parents will actually get a surprise from the children come christmas- it is so sweet to see the things they choose. They also do fun christmas crafts like making paper chains. I used to love making paper chains- we used to buy the strips of gummed paper so they only needed to be dampened to stick.  So, fave stall or fave christmas activity?

Ice, ice baby

(Perfect porridge weather- I also tried out my new thermal socks and the chilblains cream- am hoping to prevent any more from coming)

Icy is what the roads are like now! The snow half melted, then froze overnight, then some more snow came, and that has also melted a little and frozen again. By the time I left for body pump this evening it was so slippery outside my house- not good.

Anyway, body pump was great– we had some more newbies (but they actually turned up on time!) and I really warmed up! I wish I could save the heat that I generate during a class, and disperse it during the day at work!

I wrote some cards today 🙂 starting to feel more organised. At work we have decided that instead of sending cards to all the staff, we are going to put some money into a charity pot- anyone else do stuff like this? Sending cards in the workplace is a minefield- do you send them to your year group, the people you work with every day, all the teaching staff, etc etc- plus you see these people every day so are bound to tell them your seasonal wishes!

Night and hooray it is nearly the weekend- anything exciting planned?

Lovely innocent

Hello!

Ages ago I signed up the the innocent smoothie email (if you are not signed up then I suggest you do)- and every now and then they do little random acts of kindness (got some mistletoe sent in the post once!). A while back there was a link to get free innocent veg pots for your office, so I signed up and promptly forgot all about it. Well, they arrived today!

They delivered ten for the school (when you signed up you had to say how many people worked in your office and I didn’t think they would send enough for all the staff- near on 80!)- 4 of these ones, 4 curry ones and 2 mushroom risottos! I had already made my lunch so I bagsied one to take home and enjoy another day. But it made a few people pretty happy at lunch- plus we got some money off voucher- love it 🙂

This morning I tried the cranberry and raspberry porridge;

It doesn’t show up too much in the picture but the berries were so pink and pretty. I thought it might be quite tart, as the only sugar is in the sweetened cranberries, but actually it was lovely, really thick and creamy, and a delicious flavour. I think it would be lovely with some mixed spice in it too.

After work I popped to the shops to pick up some bits, (including some more Christmas shopping- presents for all the parent helpers, kids etc) and in desperation went to Boots to see if they had anything for my poor toes. They actually sell chillblain cream, so I got some and I will be applying it as often as possible from now on! I also got some new thermal socks (20% off in Sainsburys) so I am having a mulit-pronged approach!  I also spent my Boots points (I am such a hoarder) on some Clinique Comfort on call cream. I get such dry skin in this weather, and I think the tub has lasted me 2 years, so as it was running right out I decided it was worthy of my points! I always like to get something worthwhile with them, I don’t like to spend the points on lots of little things, which is silly as it all adds up to the same in the end! Anyone the same with their loyalty points?

After all that it was time for something quick and warming (I suppose I could have had the veg pot but I had a load of veg in the fridge to use up)- a bean burger and some aubergine, courgette and beetroot with tomato quinoa. Yummy.

Mudbath!

Afternoon all.

So today was my final race this year, the Watford Joggers Autumn challenge. I found it via the runners world website, and as I had not done a 5 miler before I fancied it. The route was 1 mile in a park, 3 miles in some woods (clue there) and the last mile back in the park. My trainers, by the way, started out off-white. Now they are various shades of brown!

The race was really good- it was very small; no chip timing or anything like that. On the start line we had a minutes’ silence for rememberance Sunday, and instead of tannoy systems they had a whistle and an air horn. The first bit was so muddy- like running across a rugby pitch! I found it tricky to keep up my pace, and the first mile took me 11 minutes (I was aiming for ten min miles). Then there was a crazily steep hill (I ran the whole way but loads walked as it was really steep- steeper than a steep road), and some really steep downhill bits. The woods were nice (the rain held off which I was so pleased about), and there were lots of marshalls cheering everyone on. Several steep hills (up and down), muddy bogs and downhill steps later I emerged back into the park (4 miles in 41 minutes so I had managed my ten min miles in the woods even with the crazy hills). Then, bliss, a 30 metre run on tarmac (how bouncy the tarmac felt- I was alsmost flying) and then back to the rugby pitch. By this time it was hard to get any grip and I was slipping all over the place. I still managed to overtake a few runners, and boy was I grinning when I caught sight of the finish line. There was no official time (there was a man with a clipboard and stopwatch so I will have a look on the website later) and I didn’t stop my Nike+ right away, but I finished in about 52 minutes which for a cross country race was pretty good. Instead of a medal (which I love but are useless!) everyone got a shoe bag;

Pretty smart right? And more useful than a medal 🙂 I actually really enjoyed it, although I found it very hard to run through all the mud (it sucks your feet down into the mud, or it is hard to get any traction)- I think that is partly why I felt so pleased, because it was a challenge. Although I do not think I am converted to cross country running, I am glad I did it, as if I had known what it had been like (eg if it was called the cross country challenge) I probably would not have even entered.

Once home I had some nesquick with coconut milk (mmmmm) and after a hot shower I have spent the rest of the day baking, and watching the grand prix.

I made chocolate brownies with a peanut butter swirl;

Pretty swirl 🙂

I also attempted mince pie cookies. I had a fun shopping trip yesterday with some friends (another outing for my new boots 🙂 ), and saw Millies cookies had all sorts of Christmas cookies, including mince pie cookies. So I thought about it and have adapted an oatmeal raisin cookie recipe;

Put 110g mixed dried fruits (including mixed peel) in a bowl and add 1tbs brandy- leave to soak for around an hour. In a bowl cream together 130g butter (or pure dairy free) with 80g caster sugar and 80g brown sugar. Add in one egg and 1tsp vanilla (although orange would be nice if you had it). Then mix in 150g flour (I used white spelt) and 40g ground almonds, some mixed spice, cinnamon and 1/2 tsp bicarb. Then stir in 50g oats and the dried fruit mix.

Put blobs of it onto baking tray and bake, 170C for about 15 minutes.

Voila:

Ok, so they look just like oatmeal raisin cookies but I am hoping they are a bit amped up and taste more like a mince pie 🙂

Onto other things- after my trial of rude health cereals I decided to buy another box, this one has seeds in it and a few other grains (quinoa, barley, some other ones);

Close up of the seeds;

It is tasty, but more savoury than the other ones. I tried the top banana one as it was on offer, and although it was ok, I prefer the fruity date one. I think I like a bit of sweetness with my porridge 🙂

And finally (well done for reading this far)- entries to the Teapigs giveaway end midnight tonight- leave a link to your fave recipe on the comments section of the giveaway post.

My post race treat is going to be some of my baking 🙂 alongside some Whitards Christmas Tea (loose black tea with orange peel and spices).

What is your fave post race treat?