I’m talking, of course, about those clouds of tiny black flying bugs, and I got my first mouthful of the season this morning.
I must admit I was being careless – I didn’t expect to see them yet. Actually, I wasn’t really thinking about them at all, in that ignorance-is-bliss state of mind where I sort of temporarily forgot they existed. So I’m running along in my own little world, mouth hanging open in the “it’s the start of allergy season and I can’t breathe through my nose and there’s pressure in my ears” kind of way, and by the time I see them it’s already too late – I’ve sucked in a morning snack.
Of course, you feel like a total loon when you’re gliding along with perfect form (ha!) and stop suddenly to splutter and flap wildly about – although you know that anyone looking at you probably knows exactly what has just happened, because let’s face it: it happens to all of us.
So if you haven’t encountered them yet, consider this a reminder to pay attention so you’ll know when to shut your mouth; but really, a little extra protein isn’t such a bad thing, is it?
Just a sec, I’ll just brush the dust off my keyboard here…
Hi! So… hmm. I’ve been on vacation. To Disney World, actually. And oh, it was awesome. My kids loved it, I loved it, my husband loved it, my 10 year old brother in law loved it and my parents loved it! We ate ice cream and swam and sang and walked forever (it seemed) all over The Magic Kingdom and Epcot and Typhoon Lagoon.
But I didn’t run. Well, actually, I ran once. A whopping 3k. And the week before last I was neck deep in final exams so I only ran twice.
There’s this saying that everyone in my family uses: Everything in moderation, including moderation.
Last week was my moderation of moderation. And it was great and I really needed it. I can’t remember the last time I took a whole week without working out. It’s good to let your body rest that way.
The down side is that I definitely struggled in my first post-vacation 7:30am run in the fog yesterday morning (hello rude awakening!).
Anyway, this week is back to the grind, as there are only five weeks until the Ottawa Marathon! I have a 34k and a 36k run planned before I start to taper.
The machinery of running and yoga and weights and eating healthy foods in moderate proportion creaks loudly this morning, but soon, I know, it will be running smoothly again.
I am not a finisher. I find starting things quite easy and do it often. In my word, I tend to hire people who are detail oriented and finish things because I love the thrill of starting something new and creating new ideas.
I have found that this lack of finishing impacts me in running as well. At this point in the training program, I am physically tired and as finishing is not my thing, it is hard to work as hard to get to my goal.
When I am doing my speed work outs, I find the finishing of them the worst thing. I can start running at the fast speed, but finishing the quicker interval is much harder. The ends of runs are my hardest part. It does not matter if its a shorter 5 k run or a 15k run, the last kilometre is brutal for me. I almost always walk to my finish location and in a race situation, my natural inclination is to slow up before I hit the finish mark. I am pretty sure that is not the right approach to improving my speed.
So in the spirit of finishing strong, I should go finish that sweater I started knitting, clean the top part of the windows in my house, organize the other half of my closet, and do all of my filing. Or perhaps, I will just finish the makeover contest strong.
Today I turned 43 and I am the fittest I have ever been, so I should be able to finish strong.
How closely have you been paying attention? Over the next few weeks, we will be asking you a few trivia questions about the Runner Makeover – don’t worry, there are no tricks! All of the answers can be found in the Runner Makeover blogs. Don’t give away the answers in the comments section, though! Send by email with the subject line “Trivia Challenge 1” to webeditor@irun.ca, along with your name and full mailing address. We will do a random drawing from all correct answers, and the winner will receive something sweet from our friends at Adidas!
Ready to play? We’ll make the first question easy for you:
What colour were Brock’s first pair of AdiZero Boston shoes?
AETT is Toronto’s most comprehensive training and health care facility, dedicated towards helping athletes and other fitness-minded individuals find everything they need to “fuel personal performance” all under one roof.
Please meet two members of the AETT team and feel free to get in touch with them to learn how they can help you achieve your best.
Alan Chud is both general manager and a Multisport Coach at Absolute Endurance. He is nationally certified as a Multisport Coach and provides programs and guidance to endurance athletes of all abilities from beginners wanting to run their first 5k race to more elite athletes looking to run the Boston Marathon or qualify for Ironman World Championships in Hawaii.
Alan is also golf professional and active member of the Canadian Professional Golfer’s Association.
Alan has been training and racing in the sport of triathlon since 2002 – he has many top age group finishes and is a four time Ironman finisher. Alan has also completed three Boston Marathons.
Alan does still do some work in the golf business as well. He is the owner and president of THE CHUD GROUP INC, a company that specializes in project management, design, and development of golf courses, residential communities and related infrastructure.
THE CHUD GROUP INC is the Designer for the new Three Silos Golf Club in New Haven Connecticut and The new Dover Coast Project in Southwestern Ontario, is the Project Manager for The Coppinwood Golf Club, and was retained by the Oakdale Golf and Country Club to act as their Design Consultant and Project Manager in developing a 5-year master redevelopment plan for the club. THE CHUD GROUP INC. is also responsible for the design and project management of Rebel Creek Golf Club in Kitchener, Ontario. Alan was responsible for all aspects of the design, development and construction of this project including, but not limited to; capital budgeting, RFP preparation, contract negotiations, monthly variance analysis, Golf Course and Clubhouse design and commissioning.
Dr. Cindy Lewis graduated from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College following her degree in Honors Kinesiology from McMaster University. She has been an endurance athlete for most of her life and has spent years learning about the body’s functions, biomechanics, injuries and how to optimize performance while minimizing the incidence of injury. Dr. Lewis has qualified three times for the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii and has competed in the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Clearwater, Florida.
As a Chiropractor, Dr. Lewis believes in taking a functional integrative approach in examining and treating her patients. She believes in treating a painful area but also looks at the whole patient to determine the cause of any dysfunctions related to her patient’s complaints. She believes that educating the patient on his or her condition is of primary importance in order to work with them to correct any abnormal biomechanics and get them back to their active lifestyle. Dr. Lewis uses a variety of therapeutic techniques including Chiropractic manipulation of the spine and extremities, Active Release Techniques (A.R.T.) and other soft tissue modalities such as muscle stripping and trigger point therapy, and therapeutic modalities such as low intensity laser therapy and ultrasound. The rehabilitation process is essential and Dr. Lewis will work with the patient as they learn functional rehabilitation exercises to correct muscle imbalances and decrease the chance of injury or re-injury in the future.
As an Running and Triathlon Coach, Cindy works with athletes to help them through the process required to reach their goals. She works with each of her athletes on goal setting, program design and implementation. She believes that every goal is important and the the pathway to achieving each goal must be scientifically based and safe, but also must results in enjoyment along the way. Cindy has competed at the top of her age group while working more than full time. She has the experience to help athletes achieve their best while respecting other life priorities they may have.
Dr. Lewis has been a guest speaker for the Canadian Fitness Professionals annual trade show and conference’s in Whistler and Toronto as well as a regular guest speaker for the Running Room. She has been a contributer to Breathe Magazine, Can Fit Pro Magazines, and newsletters for Multisport Canada, Toronto Women’s Running Series and Marathon Dynamics. She has also been featured on TV shows including The Art of Building Bodies and Breakfast Television.
A couple of weeks ago, I had a few friends over for appetizers and desserts. One of the desserts we had that night has already been featured, the more aesthetially pleasing one. This is the…somewhat-less-aesthetically-pleasing-but-still-delicious one that I made.
Hint 1: Don't start making a cheesecake at 9:30pm
This was actually my first time making cheesecake. I’d been thinking about making one for a while, mostly because we’d been trying a lot of sweet dessert wines in class that seemed like they might go well with cheesecake. I found the recipe here:
Ingredients
For crust
70 vanilla wafers (8 1/2 oz), finely ground in a food processor (2 1/3 cups) (check the cookie aisle)
1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
For filling
20 oz cream cheese (2 1/2 eight-ounce packages), softened
8 oz mascarpone cheese at room temperature (about 1 cup) (it’ll be in the “fancy cheese” section of your grocery store)
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
For topping
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
Make crust:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter bottom and side of a 9-inch springform pan.
Stir together cookie crumbs and butter in a bowl. Reserve 1/4 cup crumb mixture for sprinkling over cheesecake, then pat remainder onto bottom and 1 1/2 inches up side of springform pan (about 1 inch thick). Put pan in a shallow baking pan and bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Cool completely on a rack, about 25 minutes. Leave oven on.
Make filling while crust bakes:
Beat cream cheese, mascarpone, and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium high speed until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla, lemon juice, and salt and mix at low speed until combined. Pour into cooled crust and bake until cake is set and puffed around edge but still trembles slightly when pan is shaken gently, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool slightly in springform pan on rack, about 20 minutes. (Cheesecake will continue to set as it cools.) Leave oven on.
Make topping:
Stir together sour cream, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, and salt in a small bowl and spoon over cheesecake, spreading gently and evenly, leaving a 1/4-inch border around edge.
Bake cheesecake until topping is set, about 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around edge to help prevent cracking. Sprinkle top with reserved crumbs and cool completely in pan on rack, then chill, loosely covered, at least 8 hours.
Cooks’ notes: Cheesecake can be chilled, loosely covered, up to 3 days. Cut cake with a long, thin sharp knife dipped in a tall glass of hot water.
Here’s the stuff they don’t tell you in the recipe:
– Never start making a cheesecake at 9:30pm. Between the mixing, the baking, the cooling, the adding of another layer, the baking, the cooling, the adding of the topping, the baking and the cooling, the entire process takes something in the neighbourhood of 4 hours. By 12:30am, I was dying. I felt like this cheesecake had hijacked my sleep.
– Never buy a springform pan with a “lip” along the bottom edge. It’s impossible to serve pieces without them falling apart between the pan and the plate. Wondering why there are no pictures of individual slices? Basically, they all looked like cheesecake goulash. Here’s the wreckage once the springform part was removed:
– Cheesecake tastes just as good frozen as it does at its proper temperature. I’m always trying to freeze desserts so that I won’t gobble them down and it never works. Ever. I’ve also chipped teeth on frozen cookies but the freezing part never slows me down.
Suggested beverage pairings: Because this cheesecake is not too sweet and quite neutrally flavoured, you can really have fun with this. Some ideas to consider: Icewine (Vidal, Riesling or Gewurztraminer varieties would all be great), Hungarian Tokaji, Sauternes (if you’ve got the cash) or sweet fruit wines (e.g., ice cider). If you don’t feel like wine, consider Bourbon, Grand Marnier, Drambuie, spiced rum or vanilla vodka (if you like that sort of thing).
Erin returns to racing this year by winning the Women’s Title at the Credit Union Lung Run 5K in Halifax, Nova Scotia last Sunday on April 9th.
She comfortably ran the course in a time of 17:20 to finish 16th overall. Following a year of injury, she closed her season last Fall at National Cross Country Championships in Guelph. She followed a strict training regimen this winter which brought her mileage up with an emphasis on tempo and threshold.
The win gives her great confidence based on her effort during the race which presented windy conditions under sunny skies. Erin is currently testing the new Wave Precision 11 in training and she is racing in the women’s version of the new Wave Ronin 3. She is pictured in the race wearing the Creation Singlet and Mustang shorts
Dayna Pidhoresky from Tecumseh, Ontario claimed the women’s title at Around the Bay 30K in Hamilton, Ontario on March 27th completing the course in a time of 1:50:46.
Around the Bay is North America’s oldest road race which started in 1894. The 30 kilometre event take runners on a challenging route around Hamilton’s natural harbour.
In addition to claiming Around the Bay, Dayna came in 2nd at the 2011 Canadian Half Marathon Championships in Montreal with a time of 1:15:02.2 and she took the women’s title at the 2011 Harry’s Spring Run Off 8K in 27:41 on April 2nd in Toronto.
Dayna is a Mizuno Canada Brand Ambassador and wears Precision 11 and Ronin 3 shoes. She works with our running account in Windsor, the Running Factory. Dayna is coached by Josh Seifarth who is a triathlete and also works at the Running Factory.
Here is a link to a Around the Bay 30K post race interview by Alan Brookes.
If the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, the shortcut to earning this (female) runner’s affections would be this recipe. Basically, this recipe takes several of my favourite ingredients (squash, spinach) and showcases them in my favourite grain-based medium (risotto). I really can’t remember printing off this recipe, although I know I must have. Instead, I prefer to think that the angels of delicious food left it in my recipe binder for me. I hope you like it too!
4 oz arugula or baby spinach (6 cups), stems discarded and leaves very coarsely chopped
Directions
Roast squash:
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Halve squash lengthwise and seed, then cut crosswise into 1 1/2-inch-wide slices and season with salt. Roast slices, skin side down, in a shallow baking pan in middle of oven until tender and golden, about 50 minutes.
Set aside 6 crescent-shaped squash slices for serving and keep warm. Cut flesh from remaining slices into 1/2-inch pieces, discarding skin.
Start risotto after squash has been roasting 40 minutes:
Bring broth to a simmer and keep at a bare simmer, covered.
Meanwhile, cook onion in butter in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add rice, garlic, and cumin and cook, stirring, 3 minutes.
Stir in 1/2 cup simmering broth and cook at a strong simmer, stirring frequently, until broth is absorbed. Continue simmering and adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and letting each addition be absorbed before adding the next, until rice is creamy-looking but still al dente (it should be the consistency of thick soup), about 18 minutes total. (There will be leftover broth.)
Stir in squash pieces, then stir in cheese, salt, sage, and arugula and simmer, stirring, 1 minute. (If necessary, thin risotto with some leftover broth.)
Serve risotto immediately, spooned over reserved squash slices.
Wine recommendations: We had this with some Big House White, a California white that is a blend of Malvasia Bianca, Gruner Veltliner, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Chenin Blanc and five white grapes. We’re talking about a veritable stir-fry of grapes but I thought the pairing worked quite well. If you’d prefer to go with something simpler, I’d recommend a Chardonnay, Pinot Gris or Riesling.
**You too can be part of the INTERNET PHENOMENON that is What’s Cookin’, iRunNation? All you have to do is send in your recipe and your name will live on in the annals of culinary glory. (Seriously, we’re just a few clicks away from going viral.)**
**Want to be the first to know when a new post goes up? Follow me on Twitter @Shufflersunite. All the delicious recipes you can handle, at only 140 characters per serving.**
Last Saturday, I had a few friends over for dinner. We decided to make it an “appetizers and desserts” dinner, since those are my favourite parts of any meal. This also meant that we each got to try more recipes and sample more delicious goodies. So readers expect to see some salads, snacks and treats posts sprinkled over the next few weeks.
I’ll start with one of the healthier items, which Renee brought. This was super tasty and so brightly-coloured that you felt virtuous just eating it (which made it easier to eat the chocolate cupcakes she brought too).
(Click through the link for even more beautiful photos!)
Dressing:
1 pt. fresh carrot juice
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon Sriracha (Asian chili sauce) or 1/4 tsp. cayenne
1 teaspoon Asian (toasted) sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Salad:
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 large orange or yellow bell pepper
6 ounces sunflower sprouts (1 1/2 qts. lightly packed) or 5 oz. mixed baby lettuces (2 qts.)
1 1/2 cups lightly packed pea shoots or micro greens
1 1/2 cups lightly packed mild or spicy sprouts such as clover or radish
1/3 cup long, fine shreds of carrot, preferably shredded with a mandoline (I used a potato peeler!)
1. Make dressing: In a wide, 3- to 4-qt. saucepan, boil carrot juice over medium-high heat, stirring often, until reduced to 1/4 cup, 12 to 15 minutes. Pour into a small bowl and let cool. Whisk in remaining dressing ingredients.
2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°. Toast sunflower seeds in a shallow pan until light golden, shaking pan occasionally, 4 to 8 minutes. Let cool.
3. Trim off membrane and curved ends of bell pepper. Cut pepper lengthwise into very thin slices.
4. In a large bowl, use your hands to toss and separate all vegetables until evenly mixed. Pour seeds and dressing on top; mix gently. Season with salt to taste.
Renee’s notes: I used arugula and pea shoots in lieu of her ‘sprout party’. Also, I’ve made this twice, and despite boiling the carrot juice a long time, I can never get it down to a ¼ cup.
Multisport Coach
Dr. Cindy Lewis, Chiropractor and Endurance Coach
Erin returns to racing this year by winning the Women’s Title at the Credit Union Lung Run 5K in Halifax, Nova Scotia last Sunday on April 9th. 
Dayna Pidhoresky from Tecumseh, Ontario claimed the women’s title at Around the Bay 30K in Hamilton, Ontario on March 27th completing the course in a time of 1:50:46. 
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