I  was bound and determined to get back on track with my running schedule. I did a double workout today incorporating yesterdays speed work with todays easy 50 minute run. Was it tough? Oh yeah. Did I get it all done? Oh yeah.  64 minutes on the treadmill running 5 minute intervals with 3 minute rests at half marathon pace PLUS 55 minutes outside with Shane for an easy run.  13.4 miles.  My bad leg is grumbling but the rest of me is fine.  Would I recommend making up a missed workout to anyone else by doing double duty? No Way! It’s not smart and you set yourself up for injury. 

Here’s the key:  If you miss a quality workout, such as a speed workout or a long run, you should make it up (baring injury).  If you don’t have time to get all your scheduled workouts in within a certain weekly time frame, skip one of the easy/recovery runs by filling in with the speed work or long run that you missed.  Don’t stress about missing an easy run.  Maybe you needed the rest. 

So here’s the question:  Why do we KNOW the right way to train, or rather the SENSIBLE way to train AND stress the need to follow the “rules” to others, BUT make exception for ourselves? 

ANT ATTACK!

We had an ant invasion and I was so freaked out that I threw together dinner without a thought and without writing down what I added or the methodology. 

When my parents were home for the summer, Dad left some caramel sauce on the counter.  Don’t you know, the day they left, the ants were all over it in full force?!  They were those tiny, horrible sugar ants.  Ever look at one up close?   Ah….I didn’t take that photo. No Way! 

Eeeewwww!

We got everything off the counters and cleaned then sprayed then cleaned again.  We were good…for 5 days then they were back.  Once again, ripped everything off the counters and cleaned out two cupboards, washed, sprayed, washed AGAIN.   Good – clear for about 2 days.  THEN… as I’m cooking the following meal, don’t I see two ants come from the STOVE TOP?!   OMG! I couldn’t believe it –

FREAKED out – and got dinner over with in a flash so we could Rrrrrip apart the draws, the cupboards, the countertops, clean, SPRAY, and clean, CLEAN, CLEAN again.  My kitchen doesn’t smell like food or cooking anymore.  It smells like a disinfected clean room.

Ants, bugs, you name it, they just make me feel creepy crawly and, if they are in my kitchen, DIRTY!  The whole room 18 x 18 square feet gets a scrubbin’. 

Anyway, this is what we ate in the fit of ant attack.  Not sure anyone wants to see food after that ugly ant photo, but hey, just wanted to share….

Scallops cooked in a little olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper for me.

Scallops cooked in less olive oil (because of the oil from the pepperoni), pepperoni slices, lemon juice, and pepper for Ted. *No salt because pepperoni is salty enough.

Both dishes of Bay Scallops served with sauteed vegetables:

Note: Bay scallops take about one minute to cook. They are small, very sweet and you don’t want to over cook them.  If you do, you’ll have little rubber marbles on your plate.

So that was our night.  The Ant Attack.  [knocking on wood….] I think we got ‘em all that last time.  Once they find you, they sure have a tough time letting go. 

Have you been suffering from “Ant Attack” this summer?

Who loves a quiz? Don’t get nervous.   The information will let you know how to get more “BANG” from your healthy eats.

From Healthy living (an insert in the Utica OD)

1.  Adding sautéed onions and garlic to whole grains boosts the absorption of WHAT TWO MINERALS?

a. calcium & magnesium. b. iron and zinc c. iodine and potassium

2. What does ZINC DO?

a. boost immunity b. repair wounds c. both a & b

3. Beans and Greens. What happens when you COMBINE EATING GREEN VEGETABLES WITH BEANS?

a. vitamin C found in greens helps the body absorb iron from the beans b. calcium in the greens is boosted by protein in the beans c. magnesium levels, especially when eating broccoli, rises 3x due to the iron in the beans

4. Eating greens with a NONHEME iron source is important because absorption is difficult on its own. Which is an example of a NONHEME IRON FOOD SOURCE?

a. fish b. tofu c. turkey

AND THE LAST QUESTION….

5. Based on research, people who eat several servings of tomatoes mixed with sunflower or olive oil increase their lycopene levels. LYCOPENE REDUCES THE RISK OF WHAT?

a. breast cancer b. kidney failure c. gout

Answers at the bottom of the post so….read on!

Sunnyside Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

Well worth the effort.

• 1 small butternut squash:  Cook in the microwave for 10 – 12 minutes until softened just enough to easily cut thin slices and peel.
• 2 TBS olive oil – divided
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped green pepper
• 15 oz. can Dark red kidney beans
• 1/4 cup wild rice
• 3 fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1 sprig oregano, leaves removed then chopped
• 2 TBS fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 large portabella mushroom caps – peel and de-gill. wipe clean
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 4 large whole eggs

Heat 1 TBS oil in small sauté pan and cook onions and peppers over medium heat.  About 5 minutes.

In a bowl, combine the onions and peppers, beans, rice, herbs, cheese, salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Line a large baking tray with foil and coat with 1 TBS olive oil.

Place sliced squash on tray. Place mushroom caps on top. Stuff with bean mixture.

Make a dent in the top of the mixture so the egg will stay there. Break a whole egg over each stuffed mushroom.

Bake for 30 minutes.

*If you don’t eat egg yolk, it’s just as good with simply whites.

Easy and nutritionally a PLUS!

QUIZ ANSWERS: 1 a, 2 c, 3 a, 4 b, 5 a How’d you do?

The last of the longer runs was Thursday morning, 18. 2 miles.  Shane was with me for 11 miles.  It was one of his longest runs yet and he STILL wanted to play Frisbee when we got home. 

But there was no time to play because I was out the door again with Ted.  Ted won’t run as far as Shane, course Ted isn’t attached to my waist so he has a choice (poor Shane doesn’t).   

I told Ted that around 4:30, I saw two people walking down the Parkway – way too early for strolling along.  He said “maybe they were homeless people or criminals”.  Gee! Thanks Ted. Now I feel so safe when I’m out running in the dark! 

I had that pain in the ball of my foot again. I used a gel insert but ended up tossing it at mile 15.  The insert caused more pain than relief.  It was on again off again type pain and went away as soon as I took the sneakers off.  The only other repercussion from Thursday’s run was hamstring spasms.  Nothing to worry about. I’ve had them before and they subside. 

That leaves me with an easy plan for the weekend:  Friday is a day off – feet up, basically.  Saturday is a leisurely run around the golf course and maybe the Switchbacks with Shane (hilly but relaxed).  Sunday, just a walk.  I was going to run 6 days this week but my mileage is already up there and there’s this thing called “TAPER” that I’ve got to think about.

That Thing Called Tapering….

Taper means to gradually diminish. As a runner, we need to reduce our volume of running before the event to be in the best possible shape before competition. We want to feel fresh, have our muscles fully recovered from the weeks of hard work they’ve put in, and we don’t want to feel mentally or physically tired.

The length of the taper is dependent upon the event distance as well as personal preference. Generally the total volume of hard work begins to reduce in the last few weeks prior to the race. Volume decreases about 10 to 15% the first week of taper and will be as much as 60% decreased by the week of the race.

Feeling fresh: Reduce the length of runs as well as time spent on the feet. Focus on getting adequate sleep and proper nutrition at every meal. Reduce your long run miles but do some speed sprints just to keep the legs fresh. Focus is on intensity. Pay attention to your body. If you feel pain, back off. If you feel tired, back off.

Muscle recovery: Allow muscle tears and stresses to heal during this time. Come the day of the event, the legs shouldn’t feel tired but are ready to take on the miles of the challenge. Remember that your workouts are quick but short in duration. If you have incorporated a weight lifting program in your training, back off. It won’t do you any good that last week before the race.

Mental/Physical Recovery: Focus on what you’ve accomplished during your weeks of hard training. Don’t compare your training to someone else since there is no pre-determined method that works for everyone. You know your body and you trained the best you could for your event. It’s personal.

Timing the taper: It could be 3 weeks, it could be 2 weeks. For a 5K race, it may be one day. Use common sense when determining your taper time. Allow at least 10 days between your last long run and race day. You won’t lose the benefits of that run for 30 days so don’t sweat it. Take it easy and recover from it.

If the day of the event rolls around and you don’t feel like “eventing”, you may not have allowed enough recovery time. Don’t worry. Get through it and fix it next time. Most important is mental preparation. Be confident and believe in your training. Nervousness is normal. You’ve worked hard for this and you want to do the best you can. Do what ever it takes to relax, get a massage, engage in yogic breathing, but most importantly, SMILE ‘cause race day will soon be HERE.

The Omelet and Soup

Sometimes I get in those moods where I just crave eggs. Not sure what it’s all about but I like to listen to my cravings because I believe my body is telling me that it needs something from that food that I’m craving. 

When Ted and I were headed out to a bike maintenance clinic (that never happened because we got the times mixed up), we had to make dinner in a hurry. Eggs are my go-to guys for quick, easy, nutritionally balanced meals, not to mention settling my craving.

Serves 2 to 4

• 1 can of your favorite soup (I used Progresso Tomato and Parmesan)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 cup egg substitute (or use 2 whole eggs and 1/4 cup egg whites per person) *Enough for 2 omelets
• 2 TBS Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• 6 – 8 asparagus stalks, trimmed

Preheat the oven broiler. Place the asparagus in a foil lined pan and broil for 5 minutes.

Open the soup and heat to a slow boil. Reduce heat and simmer. Stir occasionally.

Heat the olive oil in a small skillet. When the oil is hot, add the eggs and let cook 2 minutes over medium high heat. Sprinkle on cheese, salt and pepper. *Do this for each omelet.

Lightly pick up the sides of the egg omelet with the spatula to let the uncooked egg seep underneath.  Continue to cook another minute or two then flip over one side.

Allow to finish cooking (about 2 minutes) until cooked through (no longer runny).

Serve omelet on top of soup and asparagus on top of omelet.

I’ll be eating a lot of eggs in the coming week to “buff up” for Boston.

The snow is melting and the milder weather has set in.  I hope it lasts.  Peering out the window and seeing all that WHITE is old news now.  It’s time for some greenery. 

We’ve set the clocks forward, a sure sign Spring is around the corner.  The disadvantage to the “Spring Forward” deal is that in the morning, when returning from my run, it’s STILL dark.  At night, it’s light out BUT what can you do with it?  The ground, where it isn’t still covered in snow, is soggy wet.  It’s a mess. You can’t do anything outside yet.   It’s a tease.   There are however some brave cycling souls:  the MVBC is hosting a ride tonight (Tues.) at 4:30 pm.  Easy ride for a couple of hours.  As for me, still too cold to get on the “two-wheeler”.

Todays Run:  I THOUGHT I was going to have TWO running partners. Ted said he’d go for a nice run with Shane and I.  But that was before he saw the temperature of 23 degrees.  He said “I’ll go tonight”.   Shane and I did a solo run of  3 1/2 miles.  3 miles on the treadmill before that with a weight workout for back and shoulders. So far this week, I’m a bundle of energy.  Feels so good!  12 1/2 miles yesterday (8 @ MP) and 6 1/2 today,with a ride on the recumbent bike last night for 30 minutes after a weight workout for chest and arms.  I must be eating something good to give me all this fuel.

The cookie bar

A quick snack in a pinch.  These have a shortbread bottom with a crumbly topping.  In the middle is your all time favorite 100% natural fruit preserves. 

I happen to like seedless blackberry.

Makes one  9 x 9 tray. Servings depend on how you slice it.

• 2 sticks Promise Healthy Heart margarine (or Smart Balance or use unsalted butter) – room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups Demerara sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups nut flour (such as almond flour OR grind some nuts up very fine but be careful not to grind to a paste/butter).
• 1 1/4 cups Your Favorite 100% All Natural Fruit Preserves
• cinnamon for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl, beat the margarine with the sugar, vanilla, and salt..

Combine the flours then mix into the margarine mixture.

Spray a 9×9 pan with non stick spray. Press half of the dough into the pan.

Spread the preserves over the dough.  Crumble the remaining half of the dough on top of the preserves.

Bake for 30 minutes.

That sure doesn’t look like a bar, does it?  Looks more like a fruit crumble.   Well, that happens to be a terrific way to serve this piping hot from the oven with a scoop of whip cream or ice cream to melt all over it.

OR… you can wait until the treat cools down then cut into bars

Either way, these quick and very, very easy treats are delicious. 

Of course you can make them healthier than what I’ve done.  Here are a few suggestions:

1. Reduce sugar to 1 cup.
2. Use 1 cup of whole wheat flour plus 1 cup of rolled oats.
3. If you don’t want a bar/dessert that is quite so sweet, use fresh fruits such as sliced strawberries, blueberries, or even banana in the middle instead of preserves.

Shane says…

I’ll take one JUST the way you made it! WOOF!

The recap of last weeks running is posted here:  Training log.  I update it daily if you’re keeping up. 

Monday morning, for some weird reason, it was easy getting on the treadmill and cranking out 45 minutes worth of running.  I like those days!  I worked my legs but not with heavy weights. In fact the only two exercises that included substantial weight were the seated leg curls and squats.  I did standing leg curls, but only used ankle weights. I’m not doing anything extreme until that hamstring goes back into hiding.   The massage helped a lot on Saturday. The swimming also helped, as well as being a great workout. Ted and I definitely need to build our swimming endurance.  Right now it’s pitiful. 

Back to Monday…after the leg work, Shane and I trucked along for4 miles. A total of 9.34 miles for Monday.

“Live or Let Dye” an article in EatingWell November/December 2010 issue. 

“Americans are now eating FIVE times as much food dye as we did in 1955.” 

That was a pretty scary first sentence and caught my attention.   Many manufacturers prefer synthetic dyes over natural food colorants, such as beets, for adding to foods from “cereal to ice cream”.   The negative health effects are commonly seen in children resulting in allergies, learning impairments, aggressiveness, and more. 

Three of the better known dyes, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, and Red 40 have been linked to cancer. Be aware that the synthetic dyes are listed as a color and a number in the ingredient list:  Blue 1, Citrus Red 2, etc.  Natural colors are listed as beet, carotenes, annatto, capsanthin, and, oddly enough,”artificial color” or “color added” simply indicates that a nature-derived pigment was used instead of synthetic dyes. 

To avoid synthetic dyes, look for organic labeling or colors WITHOUT numbers.

RISOTTO ala TUNA

I was hunting around in the pantry for wild rice.  Darn! I was sure I had some.  Instead, I found 3 packages, yes THREE, of Arborio rice (WHO bought all those?!!!).  The type of rice used to make creamy, rich risotto.  Arborio rice is an oval, short grain rice with a firm core.  Risotto is made by sautéing the rice in butter then slowly adding liquid.  In Apple Crumbles version, we use no butter. GASP!  Oh well, if enough other stuff is added, no one will know except maybe the master chef’s but we never invite them to dinner.

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
• 32 oz Vegetable Soup (you can use broth or stock but then make sure to add herbs for flavor)
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 10 oz pkg. frozen spinach, partially defrosted
• 1 12 oz can (large can) tuna, drained
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

Heat the soup/stock/broth over medium heat and let sit at a simmer.

In a large pan with high sides, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the onions and peppers and let cook 8 minutes. 

Add the rice and sauté for 2 minutes.

Add 1 cup of the heated soup/stock/broth to the rice and vegetables and stir. Reduce heat to medium – low.  Let it absorb, add another cup of liquid and let it absorb, about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir a few times during cooking.  Add the wine, spinach, and tuna. Mix in and allow to cook for 10 minutes.  Keep stirring, occasionally.

Continue adding the rest of the soup/stock/broth as above, allowing about 10 minutes of cooking time in between. Don’t forget to stir frequently!

When all the liquid has been added and the risotto has reached a creamy stage, add the Parmesan cheese. Stir and let the flavors meld for about 3 – 5 minutes.

Wonderful chunky tuna.

All sorts of wonderful vegetables. 

I bet you’ll really enjoy the flavors in this dish. Don’t fear risotto. It’s as easy or as difficult as you choose to make it. 

Here’s another recipe for Risotto, a favorite from Ellie Krieger: Garden Risotto