Chia pudding is one of my favourite breakfasts. Not only is it delicious, it’s unbelievably easy to make. Chia seeds are also loaded with protein and fiber, so it’s the perfect breakfast or snack to keep you full. I included 1 scoop of Marine Collagen to this version to add even more health benefits like promoting youthful skin, healthier hair and stronger joints and nails.
By Alyssa Geffen
Ingredients
2 Tbs. chia seeds
1 scoop Marine Collagen (I use the brand Vital Proteins)
½ cup – 1 cup almond milk (I use homemade, but use whatever kind you like)
Maple syrup (optional)
Suggested toppings
Banana
Granola
Hemp Seeds
Berries
Coconut flakes
Coconut yogurt
Seeds and nuts
Almond butter
DIRECTIONS
ONE: Add chia seeds and Marine Collagen to a bowl.
TWO: Pour enough almond milk in the bowl to cover the mixture. Add a touch of maple syrup.
THREE: Whisk the mixture and leave in the fridge for 2 hours. If you can, stir the mixture every so often, but no big deal if you can’t. You can also leave it in the fridge overnight for a thicker consistency.
FOUR: When it’s ready, add the chia pudding to a bowl, add your favourite toppings and enjoy.
This week on iRun Radio, Brian Cornwall, a Canadian who now lives in California, shares his story of running marathon on all seven continents after overcoming a brain tumour. Then one woman talks about what it’s like competing against your husband. Plus, Dave Emillio has completed many marathons, including Boston, but there was that one time in Boston where he almost didn’t finish the Boston Marathon if not for the kindness of a spectator who became a good friend, that he finds one of his most memorable.
If you’re into minimalist style, make your next stop for gear in Toronto at the new 2,200-square-foot RYU store on Queen St. W. Opened for a few months now, the brand, which is based out of Vancouver and originally focused on gear for mixed martial arts, features apparel both for training and running.
The colour palette at RYU (which stands for Respect Your Universe) is primarily black and grey, with some small print details, however the focus is monochromatic styles that you can easily wear to your workout and straight to coffee afterwards. Although it certainly works well for athleisure looks, don’t dismiss it as a fashion brand; the apparel is designed for performance. The tights feature a high rise, making them comfortable and you won’t ever feel the need to fuss with your waistband during your workout (we tested them out both for running and Pilates). The fabrics are soft and drape nicely for pieces such as their tank tops, plus are treated with silver to prevent them from retaining odour. In the market for a new gym bag? RYU’s Express Pack is simple and unfussy in terms of style but with features you need in a bag; for example, there’s a spot for your laptop so it’s kept tucked away from your workout gear.
With the new year beginning, perhaps a refresh for your workout wardrobe is in store?
RYU, 361 Queen St. W. Not in Toronto? Check out the pieces online at www.ryu.com.
Karen Kwan is a regular iRun fashion and travel contributor, and you’ll find her running fashion posts every Friday on Instagram. She contributes to a number of publications and you can also follow her travel and running adventures at Health & Swellness.
We reached out to a few of our favourites in the running community and asked them for their favourite moments in sneakers from 2017. What were your favourite moments? Favourite races? Favourite finish lines? Let us know in the comments below. . . and now, a few words from our friends.
Trevor Hofbauer:
“I need to acknowledge Evan Esselink. He’s my biggest external source of motivation. He works his butt off, he has a very powerful mindset, and he makes athletes around him better by providing insightful feedback. He battled through plantar fasciitis all spring then won the Canadian 10,000m Championship, then battled through a weird hip injury this fall, less than two months before Cross Country Nationals, then placed 4th at that race.”
Rachel Hannah:
Ed Whitlock at the 2016 Longboat Toronto Island Run.
“On a personal level I learned a lot this year about balancing health and performance and that sometimes we push beyond our limits, but that’s okay as if we never risk to fail, we will never strive for higher possibilities. I’m excited, healthy and getting stronger for 2018. I do particularly want to call attention to Remembering Ed Whitlock (or #RememberingEd) as he is someone so special to our Canadian running community and while he is no longer with us in person as of 2017, his spirit is strong and many of us will always draw inspiration from him. The chance I had to spend good time with Ed around the 2016 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon was very special and we can all learn that staying humble, being honest with ourselves, keeping the approach simple and enjoying every moment in our glorious sport that has both triumph and defeat, at times, are Ed Whitlock-isms that will always be timeless.”
John Stanton:
“The high point of the running season and a pinnacle point for every Canadian, was standing on stage at the Army Run and watching the sea of runners exuberantly sing our national anthem with tears in their eyes as they faced the Canadian Flag and proudly thought of the men and women in the Canadian Army!”
Related to the cabbage family, rapini offers a wealth of nutrition benefits including vitamins A, C and K and potassium, all much needed nutrients for runners. And who doesn’t love pasta? Combine the two and you have a super healthy and super delicious way to get more vegetables onto your (and your family’s) plates.
My Dad’s Pasta With Rapini
Yields: 6 servings
INGREDIENTS
1 bunch of Rapini, cleaned and cut into 2 inch pieces
450g of pasta (Penne Rigate or Bocconcini pasta works best)
4 cloves garlic, crushed
4 T olive oil
1/4 pound of diced pancetta
1/4 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
S + P to taste
Hot Pepper (optional)
TWO: Fill a deep pot with 5 litres of water and bring to a boil.
THREE: In a separate pan, heat oil, add garlic and cook until golden (for hot pepper lovers – add the hot peppers in when cooking your garlic). Add pancetta and cook until the fat has rendered and the pancetta is crispy. Set aside until the pasta is ready.
FOUR: Add rapini to the boiling water and boil for 5 minutes. Then, add the pasta and salt and cook the pasta to “al dente”. Drain the pasta and rapini together. Put the pasta and rapini into a large serving dish. Pour the oil, garlic and pancetta mixture over the cooked pasta and rapini. Add breadcrumbs and toss until all of the ingredients are incorporated. Top with freshly grated Parmesan.
FIVE: Sliced, toasted & herbed rustic bread: Slice a rustic baguette into 1 inch thick slices. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, oregano and rosemary. Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit on a parchment lined baking sheet for about 5 minutes. Serve bread warm with the pasta.
Julie Miguel is an iRun food contributor, where you’ll find a selection of weekly recipes and food ideas. She is a home cook, and food influencer and has worked with a national television, print and online media outlets. You can also follow her food discoveries and travel adventures at Daily Tiramisu.
We are crossing the finish line on 2017 have just the inspiration you’re looking for to set goals and kick it in 2018! First Mark speaks to Dave McGillivray the race director for the Boston Marathon about why it’s important for him to run this race too. Then a 79 year old woman who is still setting records talks about how she does it and what keeps her inspired. Plus, Sindy Hooper, a runner and triathlete shares her story of beating the odds against cancer.
What will you accomplish in 2018? How will you feel strong, race well, have energy, eat healthy, stretch, collect medals and do it all with a smile on your face and spring in your step?
This is the best time of the year: everything is possible.
But how do we do it? How do we make 2018 better than the year that just past—a year in which we saw the Prime Minister race the Army Run, massive turnout for Ottawa Race Weekend, new races and partnerships and sneakers and tons of fun on the roads and trails? Herewith, iRun GM Ben Kaplan, author of Feet, Don’t Fail Me Now, Rogue’s Guide to the Marathon, breaks down 18 ways to achieve your big dreams for the new year—and have fun in the process.
18.Set a big goal. Listen, even if you don’t achieve it, that goal will act as your north star towards achieving every little thing that you want to do. Want to run more? Eat better? Have something big in mind, give yourself PURPOSE, and you’ll be best situated for keeping your eye on the prize.
17.Set lots of little goals. OK, you want to run a half marathon in 2018. How do you do it? First, run a 5K, then run a 10K, then try the 10K again. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Neither is a 2018 personal record.
16. Think of yourself as an athlete. You’re a runner. You’re in training. Do you really need those onion rings? Now, you don’t have to make yourself crazy. An onion ring won’t kill you. But…visualize your finish line, and act accordingly. Good choices are addictive, as are the bad.
15. Get a partner. Even if you have to hire one, and odds are you don’t, but this journey is more apt to reach fruition if there’s a) accountability, and b) encouragement. You can reach your finish line on your own. You’re more likely to reach it with someone at your side.
14. Enjoy it. Gotta figure out how to make your workouts fun. Perhaps it’s the intrinsic value of working towards something or perhaps it’s group runs in the snow that end in a coffee shop or pub. Doesn’t matter. But, odds are your 2018 Resolution is something that’s going to take a while. Enjoy the journey (you’re going on it anyways).
13. Keep a log book. You can get lost on your travels if you don’t document how far you’ve come. Lots of folks use Strava or Runkeeper (or the likes), I like paper and pen. Whatever. The point is: keep a record. Keep statistics. When you document your progress, you’re more apt to keep progressing. Simple!
12. Tell folks. A goal announced is more apt to come through than a goal kept to yourself. Now you’re on the hook to make your big dream come true. Social media is good for this; so is talking to people the old-fashioned way. Be accountable to what you want to accomplish, you can do it! Let the world know.
11. Visualize crossing the finish line. Keep the dream top of mind as you work towards it. Make it a big deal. And don’t lose track of what you’re trying to do. If you want to run that half marathon, remind yourself of it constantly. That will get you out the door on these frigid mornings.
10. Read my book. Or, read iRun magazine. Or Born to Run. Or Canadian Running. Point is: immerse yourself in the culture. Not to the point of nausea. You don’t want to get burnt out. But, embrace the world you’re trying to conquer. There may be a tip out there, not on this list, that rings home. Keep your antenna up.
9. Get a mentor. Everyone needs a mentor. Whether it be an elite runner working in coaching, like Rejean Chiasson and Kate Van Buskirk, or your Running Room instructor, runners, even Olympians, tend to be down to earth, approachable and willing to pay it forward. It tends to be inexpensive, and rewarding.
8. Pull the trigger. Sign up right now for the big goal of 2018 that you want to achieve. Do you want to run a race? Reach a new distance? Race abroad. Don’t put it off, commit. Buy the ticket, take the ride: sign up now, and make your goal real.
7. Dabble in gear. I’m not one to recommend dropping coin, but, it’s cold outside, you need special clothes to run outdoors. Plus, the money you spend on running shoes and accessories is basically deductible from the money you save on big meals, chocolate cakes and alcohol. Treat yourself, even new socks add bounce to your step to get out there.
Post-run recovery is serious business
6. Allow downticks. Long-term goals will, at some point, hit a snag. Injuries, hangovers, cheeseburgers, what have you. If this were easy, goes the saying, you’d have done it already. When, inevitably, you fall over: Get yourself back up again, like they say in Trolls. You’ll hit a snag. Expect that. Don’t let that derail you. And yes, that is a decision you make.
5. Enlist family, loved ones, and friends. Even if these folks don’t become training partners, make your own support staff. People who care about you want to see you succeed. Let them help you, whether that be in buying healthier groceries, taking the kids in the morning and just sending you the occasional YOU GO, GIRL! text. Get help. You’ll need it.
4. Diversify your workouts. This is key. If your 2017 workouts were enough to bring you to your 2018 goals, your 2018 goals would be even bigger. Switch up the program this year. I bet eight-tenths of our readers don’t regularly do speed work. I don’t, and I wrote a freaking running book and am the iRun GM. Gotta do it. Plus, the same-old, same-old gets boring. Switch things up. Get strong!
3. Believe in yourself. This is the best time of the year because a goal is really a bet on yourself. Why can’t you run a half marathon? Why not cut out meat? You can do whatever you want to. You have agency. Remember that. A new year is a new chance to become the you who you want to be. You can do it. Believe that.
Catherine storms the finish line of her first half marathon in 2015.
2. Sometimes, forget all this. Go to the movies once a month and get a root beer and large popcorn. Eat Chinese food. If you try to do everything always perfect, you’re liable to drop the entire endeavour. Don’t do that. We have big goals, that will take time to accomplish. So, let yourself eat cookies. Sometimes. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Make it a lot and a little. The best way to succeed over time is make the time worth living.
1. Consistency, consistency, consistency. That’s the secret of running, that’s the whole ballgame. You want to run further, run faster, run more? Keep running. Run smart. Follow your program. And stick with it. It’s not one run that will make 2018 your dream year, it’s the entire package. So just keep getting out there, keep believing in yourself, and keep running. Together, we’ll find new finish lines.
From the good people at Fitbit comes the Aria 2, a Wi9Fi smart scale that gives you a crystal clear view on your health. Even if you’re not the most tech-savvy (like me) the Aria 2 is as easy to set up as it is to use, and in one step the device measures weight, BMI and body fat percentage. Track your weight can be a good way to stick with your New Year’s resolutions, and what’s even better about the Aria 2 is that you can synch it with your Fitbit watch for an even better understanding of how your physical activity impacts your weight. Plus the Aria 2 is able to keep track of up to eight individual users.
In the post holiday turkey comma we’re all in, iRun has teamed up with Fitbit for a giveaway of the Fitbit Charge 2. Simply follow iRun on Facebook and Instagram and tell us your New Year’s Fitness Resolution, along with your best tip for making it stick in the comments on either platform. One entry per comment, giveaway entry deadline is December 31st and the winner will be announced January 5.
It’s the holiday season, and we’ve got a little added motivation to help you make your running schedule stick. After running the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon six times, JP Bedard spoke with Mark and says that sometimes you have to take the first step and believe in yourself in order to take the next one. Then a runner who started training and running marathons at the age 65 and how singer songwriter Sean Mccann gets energy from the run.
My favourite race this year, without a doubt, was racing the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon at Ed Whitlock’s pace of 3:56:34. It was so amazing to be part of something so special for so many people and I loved every moment of that race (although, if I’m honest, like any marathon, I was certainly looking forward to seeing that finish line when I reached around 35K). I raced with a whole group of friends, in addition to the strangers I met who wanted to run, just for a moment, like Ed.
Certainly losing Ed this year was a loss to the entire running community, and his entire community at large—from Milton to Ranelagh—but, like his family, like Alan Brookes and everyone at Canada Running Series; like John Stanton with the Running Room, like the Waterloo Marathon hosting their Ed Whitlock half this April, we will do everything in our power to make sure the spirit of Ed races on. Always.
I will say that my sneakers of the year were the Saucony Freedom that I received in this glorious shade of grey that were almost too pretty for me to race in (or perhaps it’s just my December laziness). I do look forward to wearing these, and they say if you announce your goals in public you are more likely to achieve them, at the Boston Marathon, and completing that race beneath 3:05.
This year I ran the Ottawa marathon, the Rock ‘n’ Roll half marathon in Las Vegas, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, the Canada Army Run, Around the Bay, the Chilly Half Marathon, the Toronto Goodlife half marathon (with my sister!), and the Beaches Jazz Festival half. Much too much running in Ontario and not nearly enough across the country, which is why this year I aim to race in both Calgary and Manitoba.
I will say that my funniest race experience happened at the Waterfront 10K, which Canada Running Series put on with Lululemon. It was amazing seeing Justin Trudeau at the Army Run and the Ottawa Marathon is Canada’s Boston, but the Waterfront 10K automatically uploads your race photos to Facebook, and I chose that race to not drink water. In addition to finishing behind a resting Natasha Wodak and Lanni Marchant, whose friend told me, as we exchanged high fives, that there was foam all over my mouth, those pictures were beamed up to my Facebook page, earning all sorts of funny remarks. I probably wouldn’t have posted those, although who knows. But I’m glad I did. I love to race. And I can honestly say I haven’t pushed myself to the state either before or since.
I look forward to doing so in 2018.
Lastly, I will say the thing of the year that I’m most proud of is our last issue, the December issue dedicated to body image and acceptance, featuring the voices of Sasha Golish and some of the most dedicated athletes I’ve met in our sport. I’ve always sort of thought that running is an opportunity to create a platform for positive social change, fighting racism, sexism, ageism, and discrimination and judgment of all kinds. Running is egalitarian and all runners do the same thing: one foot after the other. We all make the choice to get out there, or not, and if we can encourage each other to reach our own personal best, be it race times or generosity of spirit, than running, as a whole, wins.
Thank you everybody for reading and contributing to iRun. This is your community. Your magazine. Your platform. Here’s to all of us finding new finish lines in 2018.
In the post holiday turkey comma we’re all in, iRun has teamed up with Fitbit for a giveaway of the 
I will say that my sneakers of the year were the Saucony Freedom that I received in this glorious shade of grey that were almost too pretty for me to race in (or perhaps it’s just my December laziness). I do look forward to wearing these, and they say if you announce your goals in public you are more likely to achieve them, at the Boston Marathon, and completing that race beneath 3:05.
Lastly, I will say the thing of the year that I’m most proud of is our last issue, the December issue dedicated to body image and acceptance, featuring the voices of Sasha Golish and some of the most dedicated athletes I’ve met in our sport. I’ve always sort of thought that running is an opportunity to create a platform for positive social change, fighting racism, sexism, ageism, and discrimination and judgment of all kinds. Running is egalitarian and all runners do the same thing: one foot after the other. We all make the choice to get out there, or not, and if we can encourage each other to reach our own personal best, be it race times or generosity of spirit, than running, as a whole, wins.
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