Friday link up - 2019 races

Wow, March is almost over!  That means that we've been through a quarter of 2019.  So I figure I better start thinking about races for the year.  It's also Friday and I'm joining in with Fairytales and Fitness for the Friday link up.

I only have one race I've already registered for this year and that's the Annapolis 10k in June.  And I've only done 1 race so far this year, the Disney Marathon in January.  This is a little unusual for me.  I've really liked the race experience in the past.  And I'm still enjoying running and really excited to get back to training for my June race.

But I have to confess, otherwise racing has just come to seem like a bit of a logistical problem.  It usually involves getting up early (I slept through an alarm and missed RnR DC earlier this month) driving somewhere, dealing with parking and crowds, etc.  And it just seems so much easier to just run in my neighborhood, especially for 5k's.

2018 Semper Fi 5k

I was just talking to friends about the Semper Fi 5k, which I think we've done every year since we've started running.  And I was relieved when none of them were able to do the race because of other commitments that weekend.  This is a race that I've always enjoyed in past years, but this year all I could think about was the logistics and what a pain they would be.

 

2017 Semper Fi 5k

I'm sure that I'll get my love of races back at some point.  But in the meantime, I'll just keep enjoying more low key running on my own and with friends.

Tattoos

Today's a rest day for me, since I have an appointment for a tattoo consultation this evening!  I'm pretty excited for this.  It will be my third tattoo and I've been thinking about it for a while.  I generally think about tattoo ideas for a long time and sit with them to make sure that it is indeed something I want permanently.  Plus, they're expensive so that's another reason it's not something I do on a whim.

I got my first tattoo after law school (more than 15 years ago) and it was a reward for finishing and not having to be a student anymore!  It's about three inches in diameter and it's a symbol for the Hindu goddess, Durga.  It's a reminder to be strong.

I got my second one years later, on one of our wedding anniversaries.  Mike and I got matching tattoos.  Mine is just about 2 inches tall and on my thigh.  His is bigger and on his calf.  This one is a symbol of comfort for me.

So what about the third one?  I'm not quite sure what the final design is going to look like but this is something I sketched out to just get it out of my head.  I'll work with the tattoo artist to refine it.  But in short, it will be a phoenix with a henna pattern and running somehow incorporated into the pattern as well.  You can see that the sketch has a 26.2  but I'm not sure if that's exactly the route I'll take.  This one is for perseverance.

So those are my tattoos!  I'm excited to add to the collection this year.  Anyone else want to share about their tattoos?  I love to hear those stories :)

Wayfarer's Annapolis 10k - training week 1

I'm back in training!  The race I'm working toward is the Wayfarer's Annapolis 10k in June.  This used to be a Zooma race and I did it in 2017 when it was still run by Zooma.  I'm excited to see how it's different now.  And Annapolis was a beautiful city to run in.  I haven't really trained for a 10k since my first 10k in 2014.  Since then, any 10k's I've run had been part of training for a longer race.  So this week went pretty well, I got in all my runs and 1 strength training session.

Monday - strength training

Tuesday - rest day.  It was also the anniversary of the date Mike and I met so we checked out a new restaurant in our area.  It's French/Mediterranean and we both really liked our food.  My entree was stuffed cabbage with mushrooms and rice.  It was delicious.

 

Rolls with an interesting herb butter, duck for Mike and stuffed cabbage for me, pretty cocktails and chocolate souffle for dessert. 

Wednesday - 1 mile warm up, 7x 100m/100m recovery, 1 mile cool down

Deer wandering the neighborhood during my cool down

Thursday - 3 easy miles.  It was raining so this one ended up being on the treadmill at the gym.

Friday - rest day.

Saturday - 3 easy miles.  The temperature was nice but it was windy!

Sunday - 2.5 mile warm up, 7 x 2 minutes/2 minutes recovery, 1 mile cool down

I also volunteered at a local 5k Sunday morning.  I was at the registration table so it got a little hectic but we got everyone registered before the race started :)

So that was last week.  Here's the plan for this week.

Monday - strength training
Tuesday - 1 mile warm up, 10x 100m/100m recovery, 1 mile cool down
Wednesday - rest day
Thursday - 3 easy miles
Friday - strength training
Saturday - 3 easy miles
Sunday - 3 miles easy plus 1 mile at 5k pace

I'm linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Rundown!

Weekly Review

Last week was super busy!  And it didn't start out so well for me since I felt sort of sick the first couple days of the week.  I'm not sure what was going on but it was weird stomach stuff.  Not sure if I ate something that didn't agree with me or if it was hormone stuff.  But the good news is that it went away mid-week and I was able to get all 4 of my runs in.  Sadly, I did not get any strength training in.  Here are the specifics.

Monday to Wednesday - Rest days

Yes, Shelby, that's how I felt too...

Thursday - quick run after work before my parents got into town.  It was warm enough for short sleeves!

Friday - 3 mile run in the morning.  Another warm day, it was in the 60s by 8am.

Saturday - 3 miles and new shoes to break in!

Sunday - 4 mile in the morning.  Sadly it was back to Winter weather on Sunday.

We also had fun while my parents were visiting.  We went to a movie on Friday, and we went to see a play Saturday afternoon (Vanity Fair) and then caught up with a cousin that lives in Virginia on Sunday.  Also had a chance to try out some new restaurants and lots of yummy food :)

So that was my week!  I hope you all had a good week too :)  This week, I get back to training!  I have my plan from Blaser Coaching Services and I'll be training for a 10k in Annapolis in June so there's some interesting speed work at new-to-me paces in the plan.  That should definitely be interesting.

I'm linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Rundown!

Vegan Lasagna Soup

I can feel the change in the air and Spring should hopefully be right around the corner.  But it seems like we're still got a bit of cold weather left to get through.  The high temperatures for this weekend are in the 40s.  So that counts as still soup weather to me!

I wanted to share this lasagna soup we made for the first time this Winter.  It's hearty, healthy, vegan, and easy!  I've learned that weekday meals have to be quick and easy for us to realistically make them after a full day at work.  This recipe checked off all the boxes and was delicious as well.  I started out with this recipe.  This blog has become one of my go to sites when I'm looking for vegan recipes.

The original recipe makes 3 servings, we just added some garlic bread to stretch it out to 4 servings so we would have leftovers.

Ingredients

• 1 tsp oil
• 1/2 onion chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic chopped
• 1 cup veggies - combination of peppers , carrots, zucchini
• 1/4 cup red lentils
• 1 cup tomato puree
• 1 diced tomato
• 2 tsp italian seasoning 
• 1/4 tsp each of onion powder and garlic powder
• salt to taste
• 2 cups veggie broth (2.5 to 3 cups if using whole grain noodles or with more veggies)
• 5 oz lasagna sheets , broken into small pieces
• red pepper flakes to taste
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 cup packed spinach
• vegan pesto, vegan cheese, or garlic bread as optional accompaniments

1. Heat oil in the Instant Pot on saute mode. Add onion, garlic and a pinch of salt. Cook for 2 mins, stirring occasionally.
2. Add veggies, lentils, tomato, salt, seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder and mix in. Then add pasta and broth. Make sure to use small pieces and mix them in well so they don't stick.
3. Close the lid and cook on manual high pressure for 3 mins. Let the pressure release for 10 minutes, then manually release.
4. Mix in the black pepper, pepper flakes and nutritional yeast.
5. Fold in the spinach and let the spinach wilt, about a minute. Then serve with any toppings you want, such as pesto or cheese.
    
   This was so delicious!  Mike added cheese to his soup and said it definitely gave it more of that lasagna feel.  I stuck with pesto and nutritional yeast on mine and it was really good.  I didn't really miss the cheese but if you want it to feel more like lasagna, definitely add it :)
   
   Also, I'm linking up with Deborah and the Meatless Monday Link up.
   
   
   

   

Weekly review

Last week flew by!  I'm sure this week will too since my parents are planning to visit starting Thursday.  Overall, last week went ok on the workout front.  I got in 4 runs but I didn't get in any of the strength training I had planned.  Here are the details.

Monday - rest day

Tuesday - I got in about 35 minutes running.  I had to rush after work and this was about as much as I could get in before the sun set.  Thankfully that will be less of a problem now with the time change.

Wednesday - It was a bit of a hard day so I skipped strength training and we opened up a bottle of wine instead.  We had it with frozen waffles and scrambled eggs since we're classy like that :)

Thursday - Another rushed post-work run.

Friday - rest day

Saturday - I had planned to run the RnR DC 5k this morning.  If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen that it didn't happen.  I slept through my 5:30 alarm and woke up too late to make the race :(  But I'm fine with it.  I clearly needed the sleep.  And when I did wake up and get out the door, I did my own 5k in the neighborhood with a 1 mile warm up.  In the evening, we went out to a friend's housewarming party.

Sunday - I met up with my running partner in the morning.  She had slept in a bit and hadn't had a chance to take her dog for a walk, and the dog was definitely antsy.  So we decided to go out for a dog walk and then just have a short run.  So it was a 2 mile walk followed by a 2 mile run.

Sunday evening we went to see Captain Marvel at the movies.  I really enjoyed it!

So that was my week!  I hope you all had a good week too :)  I'm linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Rundown!

2019 Goals

I just realized it's already March and I haven't even talked about my goals for the year!  Part of that is because I wasn't really sure what I wanted to try for this year.  But here's what I've decided on.

I'm joining in with Fairytales and Fitness for the Friday link up.

 

 

1.  720 miles for the year.  I was at 690 last year so I think I should be able to do this.  It averages out to 60 miles for month, which I got in January.  I only got 40 in February but I'm pretty sure I can make that up when I'm back in training.

 

2.  Train hard for speed - I don't want to say I'll try for a PR as I'm not sure that's in the cards at the moment.  But I just want to stick to goals that are in my control.  So I'm going to go with training consistently and diligently and hitting my speed work paces.  I have a 5k race in May, a 10k in June, and then I'll find a half marathon in the Fall (probably Richmond or Philadelphia). 

 

 

Beautiful views at the June 10k in Annapolis from couple years ago, looking forward to this year

 

3. Read 6 non fiction books - I really liked this goal the last couple years.  I'll read a ton of fiction but rarely read non-fiction without this goal. I've already finished Michelle Obama's book so that's the first one for this year.

 

 

 

 

4.  Continue cooking at home.  This was a good goal last year and really helped with getting my eating (and spending) at a more reasonable level.  I want to keep doing that for this year too.

 

 

Savory oatmeal for breakfast this week

 

So those are my 4 goals for the year at the moment.  I hope everyone has a great weekend ahead of them!

Savory Oats with Mushrooms and Tofu

I've been growing tired of my usual steel cut oats.  They've been working well as a grab and go breakfast in the morning but it's gotten repetitive even though I change up the fruit and toppings. So I decided to shake things up and try a savory version.

I started out with this recipe from the Washington Post but changed it up a bit to add some more flavor, keep it vegan, and use up things I had in the house.  It was delicious!  This is the first time I've tried savory oatmeal but it won't be the last.

4 Servings

Ingredients

- 1.5 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 scallions chopped, green and white parts separated
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon ginger, grated or chopped
- 1 cup steel cut oats
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 4 cups vegetable broth (next time I would use half broth and half water)
- Soy Sauce to taste
- 1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- Pre-cooked and seasoned Tofu (I used the pre-baked Teriyaki Tofu from Nasoya to make it easier)

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the Instant Pot using the saute function.  Add the white part of the scallions, the ginger, garlic, oats and chia seeds.  Let cook until fragrant, about a minute or two.

2.  Add the broth and/or water and set the instant pot to manual, high pressure, for 10 minutes.

3.  Once done, use the natural release for 10 minutes and then manually release the remaining pressure.

4.  While the oats are cooking, saute the mushrooms in the remaining oil.  Add the vinegar and soy sauce after the mushrooms have softened and browned and cook for an additional minute, until the liquid has mostly been absorbed.

5.  Cut the tofu into slices and divide into 4.

6.  Once the oats are done, taste and add soy sauce as needed.  Divide the oats into 4 servings.  Top each serving with a quarter of the mushrooms and tofu and garnish each serving with the green parts of the scallions.

And that's it!  This was so delicious and it really worked well to take to work and re-heat in the microwave for a savory, plant based breakfast during the week.  Like I noted above, it bordered on almost too salty so I think I would reduce the amount of broth and supplement with water next time to control the sodium.

Anyone else tried savory oats?  We usually think of oatmeal as a sweet option and this is a nice way to add some variety. Also, I'm linking up with Deborah and the Meatless Monday Link up.

Weekly Review

I hope everyone had a great weekend!  Mine went pretty well.  And work outs went as planned for the most part.  I did have an extra rest day just because I was feeling tired and congested.  I also got back to doing my PT exercises for my feet and hips, as well as doing planks in the evening for my core.  I want to try to keep that routine going this year so I'm glad I picked it up again.  Here are the details for the week.

Monday - Rest day.  I also had an evening meeting in a city about an hour away, so this was a pretty full day.  I didn't get home until close to 9pm.

Tuesday - 3 mile run.  The light is coming back!  I was able to leave work at a normal time and still get in a run before the sun set.

Wednesday - 30 minutes on the elliptical(20 as a warm up and 10 as a cool down) plus body pump.

Thursday - Rest day since I was sore from body pump.  I did get a message from my massage therapist that she had a last minute opening so I snapped it up and that definitely helped with the soreness.

Friday - Another rest day.  I wasn't sore anymore but I was feeling pretty congested and just not at my best.

Perry enjoyed cuddling and watching You Tube videos meant for cats

Saturday - 4 mile run with a friend.  My running partner adopted a dog!  I look forward to including her in our runs soon :)

The other excitement for Saturday is we had to take Shelby to the vet.  She caused such a ruckus last time that the vet gave us some medicine to calm her down before hand.  So we had to hold her down and squirt the drugs in her mouth.  We took her to the vet a couple hours after that and she did really well!  The unforeseen part is that Perry seemed to think she was a stranger cat when we brought her home.  Maybe the medicine made her smell different?  So we had to work on keeping him from attacking her for the rest of the afternoon.  Thankfully they're both back to normal now.

Sunday - 5.5 mile run around the neighborhood.  I don't think I've had back to back days of running since January so I took this one really easy.  My legs felt heavy and it was super slow, but I got it done.  I did the run as soon as I woke up since we had snow in the forecast for later in the day.  We did end up getting a bit of snow but mostly it just ended up as rain.

We also met up with a bunch of people for brunch to celebrate a friend's birthday.  It was a good time and fun catching up with everyone.

So that was my week!  I hope you all had a good week too :)  I'm linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Rundown!