A pretty good week in the Boston Training plan considering the weather has been awful for running outside. I’m on track for 55 miles by Saturday with only one speed work left. It’s going to be bitterly cold which is why I left that workout for the treadmill in the warmth of our basement. 50.5 miles and 4.5 to go.
My mental effort has been negative in training for Boston as compared to the WineGlass. I really love running so these feelings of dread when I have a long run on schedule are new in this plan. It could be that I’m afraid of the Boston Marathon. It could be that I achieved my goal of running a marathon and have lost the thrill. What ever the case, I want to get over it. Naturally I turned to something that would trigger positive thoughts. I leafed through my book “Running Within” and landed on the chapter “Dancing The Dance”.
When you focus on the beauty and essence of the run, you will cease to experience the anxiety and pressures normally associated with outcomes and results. You will feel good all over.
I’m sure as the weather gets better I’ll get over this period of negativity. Right now, as the book says I’m too focused on “conquering the miles, the mountains,….simply (trying) to achieve fast times and long distances”.
The passage I read in the book made me feel better and reminded me of why I love running. I’ll share one more sentence with you and then onto other things…
…by silencing the critical chatter and negativity, (the mind) becomes the willing partner in ( a ) harmonious dance of body, mind, and spirit.
Visitors for the weekend!
Pam and Heman are coming into town tonight. They live in Florida and are looking forward to snowboarding and skiing. I’m having a hard time believing that they will last too long on the slopes when the temperature is in the single digits. Brrrrr!
As for me, I have an open weekend. Don’t you just LOVE those weekends? No plans. Just do what ever you want to do at whatever time you want to do it. Sometimes we need our space (especially kitchen space 
).
Soups On!
Lo and behold! I opened the container of Dannon yogurt and saw a recipe. Since my preference is for the thick Greek style yogurts, I had no problem turning this particular yogurt into a delicious soup.
Will serve 4 – 6
- 1 TBS olive oil
- 1/2 sweet onion, chopped
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed *Microwave the potato for about 4 minutes first. This will soften it and make cubing it a lot easier.
- 32 oz vegetable broth
- 3/4 cup of Plain Non Fat Yogurt (separated 1/2 cup and 1/4 cup for topping)
- 1 TBS fresh parsley *Plus more for garnish
- 8 oz sliced mushrooms
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat and, when hot, add the onion and cumin. Cook for 4 minutes. Add the potato and broth. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Allow to cook for 15 minutes (or until the potato softens). Put the soup into a blender. Add the 1/2 cup yogurt and the 1 TBS parsley. Puree until smooth. Pour back into the soup pot and return to the heat. Add the mushrooms and allow to heat through for 8 – 10 minutes on low heat.
When ready to serve, pour into bowls and garnish with extra yogurt and the red bell pepper pieces.
ENJOY the flavor and the healthiness of it all!
TGIG guys!
Note: Please check out this link for the Ritz Cracker Challenge:http://apps.facebook.com/ritzgfieri/gallery.do?op=detail&entry_id=721
It’s my recipe for Ritz Bars. Make sure you give me a 5 STAR rating (please 
) If you want to enter the challenge, check it out for more information.
Don’t worry – things will turn around. The weather has been getting me down on running, too, but we have a plan and we stick to it, right? 🙂
Good luck with the Ritz Challenge!
I think its so cool that I was at the Wineglass Marathon when you qualified for Boston. I was still running for a while after you finished! I was thinking about all the people training for Boston on my run the other night. It can’t be easy to do in this cold and snow. You will feel such a great sense of accomplishment at Boston when you think back on your training. Keep up the good work!
what a good reminder! right at the beginning of my boston plan…i was feeling lousy. overwhelmed with yet ANOTHER marathon training plan. but this week something started clicking. i have my old running partner back (for shorter miles, since she’s training for a triathlon) and i’ve been able to run outside. its so hard to not get obsessed with the numbers of distance and pace…but there is a joy to running beyond all that.
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Not worried – just impatient.
If you decide to run the Utica Boilermaker 15K, let me know. We’ll arrange a blogger meet up.:)
It’s easy to just relax into the run when it’s outside and you can appreciate nature. The treadmill makes it difficult but we’re already into late January – YAY!
Will have to go check out the Ritz recipe and you’re always 5 stars! I’ve been thinking about you while working toward my first 1/2 marathon next month. Wishing I could channel your running in mine. Lovely soup with the yogurt. I hadn’t thought of those ingredients together. Good luck conquering Boston’s mental preparation challenges!