On May 20th, I began my journey back to running. I set my goal of running a 10K in August. That first day was a little shameful. I planned on just one mile. I did not even run the whole thing. I walked half of it. It took me, well us (JT in the stroller), about 13 minutes. Pathetic, right?
Yesterday, I completed my 100th mile. Even more impressive, I can run 5 miles without stopping to walk. If we are trucking, JT and I can roll at a 10 minute mile pace. It is not anywhere near how quickly I moved in college or high school. But I feel really happy about the accomplishment.
Only three more weeks until race time.
Posted with BlogsySimple Side
I am always looking for new side dishes for our meals. More preferably sides that are healthy. So I decided to delve into my Italian cookbook, La Cucina, which I received at Christmas last year. Sometimes the names of the recipes scare me in there. Once I get passed the scary name and look at the ingredients and even shorter list of steps I am renewed. So here is a great side - and if you plan on popping open a bottle of white wine during dinner, why not splash a bit in your side dish?
Steps
Braised Broccoli
Ingredients1 head broccoli
4 tbsp. olive oil
2-3 clove garlic
pinch chili pepper flakes
½ cup white wine
salt
Steps
1. Cut away the hard leaves of the broccoli and core it. Cut off the florets; cut the big ones in half lengthwise and leave the smaller ones as they are.
2. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan and add the garlic. When it changes color, add the broccoli, salt, and chili pepper, adding a little water as needed.
3. When the broccoli is cooked, add the wine and turn up the heat. When the wine has evaporated, serve the broccoli.
Not Your Blue Box Mac and Cheese
I think I may have found my new favorite Macaroni and Cheese recipe. This one comes from Williams Sonoma. It is creamy, not heavy, and a great cheesy taste.
Steps:
The finished product:
My sincerest apologies in not capturing a photograph of this super yummy meal. I think the secret lies in the last two ingredients. The fontina gives the dish a bit of nutty flavor but really rich. The mustard gives the cheese a very sharp flavor. I think next time I might try to add a little broccoli or ham or maybe add a third cheese to the mix.
Creamy Mac and Cheese
Ingredients7 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 ½ cups coarse fresh bread crumbs (If you do not have course, I suggest only using about 3/4 to 1 cup of regular bread crumbs)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 lb. elbow macaroni
¼ cup all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk, warmed
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded fontina cheese
½ teaspoon dry mustard
Steps:
1. In a large frying pan, melt 3 Tbs. of the butter over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until tender but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add the bread crumbs and stir until coated with butter. Set aside.
2. Preheat an oven to 350°F. Butter a shallow 3-quart baking dish.
3. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the macaroni and stir occasionally until the water returns to a boil. Cook according to the package directions until not quite al dente. (The macaroni will cook again in the oven, so do not overcook it now.) Drain well and set aside.
4. Add the remaining 4 Tbs. butter to the pot used for the pasta and melt over medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let bubble for 1 minute without browning. Gradually whisk in the milk, raise the heat to medium and bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheeses along with the mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the pasta. Spread in the prepared baking dish and sprinkle evenly with the buttered crumbs.
5. Bake until the crumbs are browned and the sauce is bubbling, about 20 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then serve hot. Serves 6.
The finished product:
My sincerest apologies in not capturing a photograph of this super yummy meal. I think the secret lies in the last two ingredients. The fontina gives the dish a bit of nutty flavor but really rich. The mustard gives the cheese a very sharp flavor. I think next time I might try to add a little broccoli or ham or maybe add a third cheese to the mix.
Letter of Affection
Dear Creators of LockLaces and Designer of Under Armour's 15' Compression Capri Shorts,
Where in the heck have you been my entire running career??? Now that I have found you, I am pretty sure my running life is now complete. I cannot believe that I managed to go though 5 years of competitive running in high school and college without you. I was living in the dark ages then. I am pretty sure I would have been a better athlete had I known about you then.
Why you may ask?
I have been through loads of running sneakers. Inevitably there comes the day when those laces no longer hold their knot. From that day forward I had to stop on a consistent basis during my runs to re-tie the dang things. LockLaces have solved my problem for good. No need to break pace and deal with flapping laces. No worries about tripping in the middle of the street because I stepped on my own laces.
It is one thing to talk about sneakers but one shouldn't have to go through loads of shorts. Yet I have. Short shorts, long shorts, cotton, swishy, soccer, running...all produced the same results. If I am running longer than 2 miles at something faster than 11 minute pace (in high school and college this was admittedly a lower number), my thighs became so chapped I would have to take the following day off just to recover from the chafing. You dear Under Armour's Compression Capris have been a godsend. No more painful red areas. Not to mention, you make my rear end look good. I advise Under Armour to give that designer a raise.
Love,
A Very Happy Runner
Where in the heck have you been my entire running career??? Now that I have found you, I am pretty sure my running life is now complete. I cannot believe that I managed to go though 5 years of competitive running in high school and college without you. I was living in the dark ages then. I am pretty sure I would have been a better athlete had I known about you then.
Why you may ask?
I have been through loads of running sneakers. Inevitably there comes the day when those laces no longer hold their knot. From that day forward I had to stop on a consistent basis during my runs to re-tie the dang things. LockLaces have solved my problem for good. No need to break pace and deal with flapping laces. No worries about tripping in the middle of the street because I stepped on my own laces.
It is one thing to talk about sneakers but one shouldn't have to go through loads of shorts. Yet I have. Short shorts, long shorts, cotton, swishy, soccer, running...all produced the same results. If I am running longer than 2 miles at something faster than 11 minute pace (in high school and college this was admittedly a lower number), my thighs became so chapped I would have to take the following day off just to recover from the chafing. You dear Under Armour's Compression Capris have been a godsend. No more painful red areas. Not to mention, you make my rear end look good. I advise Under Armour to give that designer a raise.
Love,
A Very Happy Runner
Penne in Vodka
I felt the need for pasta this past week. But I didn't want to have our usual standbys - regular tomato sauce or fettucine alfredo. I longed for something different. So I whipped out The Silver Spoon Pasta edition to find something.
Ingredients:
Steps
The Finished Product:
I always used to think that this dish was difficult to make. Probably because it involved alcohol. But as I am slowly learning, there are a lot of great tasting dishes that don't require a lot of ingredients or a lot of work. This one was really yummy and super quick. What is nice is that this sauce is not overly creamy but allows just enough to cover the pasta and give it some great flavoring. Definitely keeping it for future use. Maybe next time I will make it with homemade penne.
Penne in Vodka
Ingredients:
4 tbsp. butter
1 slice cooked ham, thick, diced (I just used a package of pre diced fully cooked ham in the cold meat section of the grocery store)
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tbsp. parsley
5 tbsp. heavy cream
3 tbsp. vodka
12 oz. penne
salt and pepper
Steps
1. Melt the butter in a pan, add the ham, tomato paste, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.
2. Stir in cream and vodka and cook until the vodka has evaporated.
3. Cook the penne in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain and tip into a warmed serving dish. Pour the sauce over the pasta.
The Finished Product:
I always used to think that this dish was difficult to make. Probably because it involved alcohol. But as I am slowly learning, there are a lot of great tasting dishes that don't require a lot of ingredients or a lot of work. This one was really yummy and super quick. What is nice is that this sauce is not overly creamy but allows just enough to cover the pasta and give it some great flavoring. Definitely keeping it for future use. Maybe next time I will make it with homemade penne.
Blog Slacker
So, yeah. I have been really quiet lately and not for lack of doing things.
Had the families out for a week.
Hubby had his Change of Command Ceremony. He is now in charge of the longest active battery in the United States Army. It is a really privilege and honor for us.
I took over as FRG leader.
JT is standing up at every chance he can get and seems a heck of lot happier now than a few months ago.
I am still trying out new recipes, I am just a being awful and forgetting to post them.
I have put at least 60 miles on our jogging stroller and only have 4 weeks until the big race. Yikes!
Going to try to get back into the swing of things. Pinky-swear!
Had the families out for a week.
Hubby had his Change of Command Ceremony. He is now in charge of the longest active battery in the United States Army. It is a really privilege and honor for us.
I took over as FRG leader.
JT is standing up at every chance he can get and seems a heck of lot happier now than a few months ago.
I am still trying out new recipes, I am just a being awful and forgetting to post them.
I have put at least 60 miles on our jogging stroller and only have 4 weeks until the big race. Yikes!
Going to try to get back into the swing of things. Pinky-swear!
Speaking
For the past few months, we have been living in a world of screaming JT. But within the past 24 - 48 hours, we have noticed that he is starting to string syllables and sounds together to make what could be words. It has been a little weird listening to these baby conversations. I am pretty sure I captured "dada" in this first video along with some other gibberish. The second video has what I think is "mmmaa, mmmaa".
Kibbeh
Now that we have this fantastic new grill it is time to have some fun with recipes. So yesterday evening, we tried a middle eastern recipe - Kibbeh. I had never heard of it before. Andy had had it during his deployments so I thought what the heck. Let's give it a try. The recipe reminds me of meatballs on a stick but they aren't Italian meatballs.
The Final Product:
We did have a little issue while they were on the grill. When it says turn and baste frequently, it means frequently. Don't put the cover down. Every minute or so, turn those skewers because it will get stuck. It tasted really great. The couscous gave it an interesting texture. We are really enjoying the new grill. Lots of possibilities!
Kibbeh
Cookshelf Barbecue
Ingredients:½ cup couscousSteps:
1 onion, small
12 oz. ground lamb
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. cayenne
4 tsp. ground allspice
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. ketchup
1. Let wooden skewers soak in water for at least 20 minutes.
2. Place couscous in a bowl, cover with cold water and let stand for 30 minutes, or until the couscous has swelled and softened.
3. Drain the couscous through a strainer and squeeze out as much moisture as you can.
4. Put the onion in a food processor and chop finely. Add the lamb and process briefly to chop the ground meat further.
5. Combine the couscous, lamb, and spices. Mix well. Divide mixture into 8 equal portions. Press and shape the mixture around 8 skewers, pressing the mixture together firmly so that it holds its shape.
Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
6. To make the baste mix, the oil and ketchup together until well combined.
7. Broil the kibbeh over hot coals for 10 - 15 minutes, turning and basting frequently.
Serve immediately.
The Final Product:
Confidence returning...
Lately, I have felt a little bit on the sad side concerning my running. Maybe I just shouldn't be running this crazy 10k in eight weeks. During all of my workouts, I have felt like, well, for lack of a better term poop.
The stroller is not comfortable to run with. I am out of breath in a matter of seconds. My knee that stopped my running in college feels like it is on fire and does not seem to want to work properly. Add to that my pathetic times - yes, I am tracking the amount of time I spend on my runs - and I am just depressed about the whole idea of getting back into running.
But today, something clicked and it wasn't my knee. The run felt smooth. I didn't feel like I had massive stores of tense energy in my shoulders. I completed the 2.2 mile run without stopping to walk - that means I actually ran both of the huge hills (82 ft in elevation, i really like the mapmyrun app).
Using the app, I was able to log my mile splits as well. My first mile run about 3 weeks ago with the stroller - I did in about 13 minutes. Today, my mile splits were 11:24. I am so happy with my consistency and that I am getting closer to one of my goals - mile splits at about 10 minutes. Now I just need to keep at it and start adding mileage. I definitely feel that I can manage a 10k in under hour and half with the stroller.
I miss running. I am glad that I am getting back into it.
The stroller is not comfortable to run with. I am out of breath in a matter of seconds. My knee that stopped my running in college feels like it is on fire and does not seem to want to work properly. Add to that my pathetic times - yes, I am tracking the amount of time I spend on my runs - and I am just depressed about the whole idea of getting back into running.
But today, something clicked and it wasn't my knee. The run felt smooth. I didn't feel like I had massive stores of tense energy in my shoulders. I completed the 2.2 mile run without stopping to walk - that means I actually ran both of the huge hills (82 ft in elevation, i really like the mapmyrun app).
Using the app, I was able to log my mile splits as well. My first mile run about 3 weeks ago with the stroller - I did in about 13 minutes. Today, my mile splits were 11:24. I am so happy with my consistency and that I am getting closer to one of my goals - mile splits at about 10 minutes. Now I just need to keep at it and start adding mileage. I definitely feel that I can manage a 10k in under hour and half with the stroller.
I miss running. I am glad that I am getting back into it.
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