My Shmallows

Yesterday I participated in a marathon...a cooking marathon! 

I started out with Roasted Veg Lasagne...turned out good. I will change a couple of things next time but I will do it again! Then onto Falafels. Have you ever made falafels without owning a food processor? Not recommended! But they turned out super!!! (see picture, I made a post run falafel sandwich with spinach, cucumbers, tzatziki, and feta on a thin whole wheat bun) Then I made salmon patties. Delish as well! And then before I crossed the finish line (landed on the couch to watch Lost) I made some granola! Usually I make granola with walnuts, pecans and dried cranberries, but this time I opted for macadamia nuts, pistachios and dried cranberries & pineapple! MmMMM Its sooo good. I had a 1/2 a cup before I ran this morning and it was great! 

Today I am going to go back to the kitchen and make some wonton soup! I have never made wonton soup by myself before and I am pretty excited to try the recipe as the others from the Looneyspoon's Collection have proven themselves to be great! Don't fail me now! 

My mom bought me this cookbook for Easter. Only yesterday did I take the time to sit down and look through it, WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG?! Wow! Its like reading a magazine! I love all the little tips and tricks and tidbits of information and facts. Its so much more than just a cookbook. 

I also really enjoy that while I was reading through the recipes I could pronounce all the ingredients and they were familiar. Its not like I have to go out and buy a bottle of such-and-such that I'll only use 1 tps for that 1 recipe! FANTASTIC! Oh and they are healthy recipes! These are the same ladies that wrote "Eat Shrink & Be Merry".

So I went through the book and put tabs on the ones I am really interested in trying...as you can see from the picture...there are a just a few ;) 

Tonight I am making a grocery list and tomorrow morning I am off to the grocery store to get the supplies to make a few of them! I am so excited! I am going to make things that I have never made before but that these ladies have made into healthy and simple recipes (ok I'll get back to you on the simple part, but they seem simple on paper!)! 

With all these wonderful options, which should I do first you ask?! Maybe I'll keep it a secret until tomorrow! Oh this is going to be fun! I haven't been this excited about a cookbook since Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution! I am pumped! 

Help. 

I am fighting a cold or exercise induced asthma. Here's what's up... 

Sunday & Monday were rest days as I did my long run on Saturday. I felt AWESOME after I did my 8k on Saturday, like over the top strong.

Tuesday we did a 3k tempo. Generally we run at about an 8-9 min/km pace, we ran a 7:34 pace! That is a quick pace for me. When I got home I started to cough. I coughed on and off for about 2 hours. My lungs hurt. I had terrible flashbacks of when I was younger and I had asthma. I have said for years that I have outgrown my asthma....I made an appointment with my doc to have it checked out....just saying.

Wednesday morning I got up and went to the pool. I did 750 meters. Wednesday evening I went to run club for hills. We ran 2k over to the hills and then we did 3 hills. I had a tough time. They were harder than I remembered. I am thinking that is partly due to the quick run on Tuesday night, maybe swimming on Wednesday morning isn't a good idea? Or maybe taking it a little easier in the pool on Wednesday morning...we'll see. After hills I felt really kinda terrible. I felt sick. More like I was fatigue and getting a bug of some sort other than asthma.

I woke up this morning and I really felt like I was getting a cold. I was stuffy and coughing a little. Today was a rest day. 

I went home for the weekend. It was extremely hard to get out of bed on Saturday morning knowing that I had to go for a run. I could hear the wind blowing. It sounded cold. I checked the weather on my phone and it confirmed the cold. Then I checked Facebook and one of my running friends was going out for 26k in the same cold (one province over) and then I knew I had to suck it up and go for my 8k. 

I got all ready to go out and then realized that my Garmin was dead...it was almost all over at that very moment, however I remembered that before the Garmin there was the the phone and there's an app for that....So I plugged into my phone and headed out. Am I ever glad that I did! I chose the hilliest route that I could, I think just to test myself (fine, it was all due to the direction of the crazy winds). I did the first 4k in 34 mins. I was happy with that. I stopped for a minute to take a picture of the river. It had rained for a couple days so it was red, red, red, from the PEI mud. I headed back for home. It was a tougher trek home, more uphill and more wind. But I managed to make it home (with an extra walk break to answer my phone...that is the danger of taking the phone instead of the watch) in 1 hour and 10 minutes. Last week we ran 7k in 1:02.

I felt GREAT! I was so proud of myself

1) I went out despite the weather

2) I went out despite being home and it would have been much easier to sit on the couch with a coffee and chat with mom

3) I went out despite my watch dying the second I stepped out the door

4) I took the hilly route

5) I made decent time, especially because I was alone and no one would have known about an extra walk break here and there

1 year and 8 months ago I signed up for a learn to run Women's Only clinic. Little did I know that I was about to find a passion and some of the most wonderful friends that I could ever imagine! 

Running has taken my life and turned it upside down. I was completely inactive. I had never played sports. I spent my childhood avoiding running, I would have loved to played rugby but I was too scared that I wouldn't be able to run at tryouts as I was overweight, so I didn't try out. Same goes for soccer. Now, I'm a runner.  Now I get up in the morning and go swimming for my cross-training (they tell me it will make me a better runner. I have gone from completely inactive to running, swimming, spin classes, biking, hiking, and next week TRX training (stay tuned)!

And the friends that I have made are just amazing! I can't say enough about them! They are positive people. They are active and showing me how to have an active life. They invite me along to try new things, new activities, new restaurants...They are inspirational, motivational and encouraging! 

I did the above painting for one of my running buddy's little girls. She turns three this weekend and her mom is re-doing her room for her. More about Kerri later...