I just wanted to pop in quickly and tell you about the dinner I had tonight.  My mom used to make Caribbean Squash and Sweet Potato Stew (click the link for the recipe) when I was a teenager and I recently rediscovered the recipe.  I served it over rice.

Why I like it: it is high in runner-required carbohydrates as well as fibre, but thanks to the black beans, it also has protein.  Like everything I cook, it’s easy to make – just peeling, chopping and throwing in the pot.  It’s flavourful – as the name would suggest, it is reminiscent of warmer climates.  It’s also quite low-calorie by volume, especially when compared to other winter comfort foods – after a serving  didn’t have room for dessert, and that is saying something for me.

Earlier today I took a quick look back at the past decade.  Later on I am sure I will be looking ahead to the upcoming year.  But in this moment, I wanted to pop in with a toast to each and every one of you.

May your 2010 be injury-free and healthy.  May you enjoy an effortless positive outlook when the weather isn’t so great, and excellent weather on the runs where it really counts.  May you reach all of your goals, and may 2010 be a year filled with new PBs!

But most of all, may 2010 be a year filled with all of the joys that running has to offer!

Happy New Year!

Wow.  I can barely believe that 2009 is pretty much over. What’s even freakier is that 10 years have passed since that whole Y2K thing!  10 years!  A decade.  In the blink of an eye.

Or it feels like the blink of an eye – at least until I actually stop and think back over that 10 years and all that’s happened.  While my life has changed dramatically in 10 years (I think I would be more concerned if it hadn’t!), one of the most relevant and notable developments is that this is the decade in which I became a runner.  Of course telling it later I will need to be more specific – saying “I took up running in the early two-thousands” doesn’t sound natural, “the early uh-ohs” sounds dumb, early this millennium is just melodramatic – so I will likely go with “I took up running in the summer of ’04.”

I didn’t consider myself a runner in 2004.  In fact, I wasn’t completely sure it would stick, given that I took several months off due to my very valid reasons (read: lame excuses!) of not having a treadmill or a reflective jacket.  Fortunately the break was enough that when I resumed running it stuck.  I don’t really remember when I started calling myself a runner.  It wasn’t one of those epiphanies that I tend to have (yeah, so I am melodramatic after all.  But what the heck? It pairs well with my tendency to be sentimental).  I was just running and therefore was a runner.

How about you?  What has changed about your running in the past year?  The past decade?

Between being a weenie and enjoying time with family and friends this holiday season, it hasn’t been a banner month for my running.  Looking at my training log…ouch – I only ran twice last week, and over the past 4 weeks my mileage has dipped by a third to a half.  Add to that the extra calories consumed over the past week, and I am starting off from “sluggish.”

I know what that means.  This training plan I have sitting here, which was designed based on my mileage up to 5 weeks ago, is going to start off feeling really hard.  And it starts today.

Despite starting into it with a bit of trepidation, deep down I know it’ll be okay.  I know I can do “hard.”  I still believe that the hardest part of running is getting started.  Getting started, for me, meant overcoming the physical toll of years of being sedentary.  It also meant overcoming the self-doubt that went with that lifestyle.  Never have I doubted myself more than I did in that first 10, 5 or two weeks.  And I have never thought I would die during a workout the way I did then.  So really, jumping back into training after goofing off for 4 weeks is at the easy-end of feeling hard.

I am also looking forward to the structure of training.  It’s funny, after a season of racing, I really enjoy non-structured running.  Then after I do that for a while, I like to get back to a plan.

So here I am on day one: my base isn’t where I’d planned, but I am eager and optimistic.  All I can do is lace up my runners and enjoy the ride!

Christmas Eve is one of my favourite days of the year.  Maybe even more than Christmas (but only a little).  I’m not completely sure why that is.  While I am excited for Santa, it doesn’t keep me up at night anymore, and the whole holiday season can sometimes be stressful.  But for whatever reason, I find myself feeling sentimental on Christmas Eve.

Today I am excited to get to go for a run with my brother who is in town for the holidays.  Even though his legs are about twice as long as mine and his steady-pace is nearly twice as fast (okay so I am exaggerating…a little) I love to run with him and am always grateful when we have the chance.

Looking back at my training log, I see that I have never actually run on Christmas Eve.  Apparently I ran on Christmas day in 2007 – it was only once around the block and my notes say “my dinner was not interested in running.”  I don’t particularly remember that, so it must have been a pretty good turkey coma.  Anyway, this will be a first for me.  We decided to just run while it feels good and stop when we’re finished, no particular distance in mind.

Since I am feeling sentimental, I would like to take a moment to say Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and Happy Running to you all.  Thank you for reading and sharing!

Do you have a holiday tradition that involves running?  If I am going to make a tradition out of this, I will need some ideas!  Please leave me a comment, I would love to hear yours!

My posting has been a little less-than-consistent lately, I must confess.  In addition to the hectic schedule of the silly-season, I have finally found myself sick.  Up until now, I have managed to valiantly fight off virus after virus while family, friends and coworkers dropped like flies around me.

While I am in confession-mode, I will also tell you that this is my fourth consecutive day of not running (unless you count my nose).  I could be running – I’ve done the neck-check, and since all of my symptoms are above the neck, I’m sure that it would be okay.

Above-the-neck symptoms include things like sore throat, runny nose, nasal congestion and headaches.  On the other hand, it is important to remember that if you have symptoms below the neck, like body aches, a chest cough, gastrointestinal symptoms or fever, you should really rest.

So what’s my excuse, then?  Well quite frankly, I am just being a weenie.  I feel lousy, I am tired, I can’t breathe properly, and I just don’t feel like it.  I am not in the middle of training at the moment, so I decided to listen to my body and take a bit of time off.  While some research supports that moderate exercise can boost your immune system, there isn’t much to support that exercise will help you recover more quickly.

I look at it this way:  by the time I am over this, I should be pretty anxious to get back at it!

When it comes to energy conservation, my dad was way ahead of his time.  He was one of those dads who emphasized the importance of turning down the heat, and turning off the lights when you leave the room.  We didn’t have outdoor Christmas lights until we were at least into double digit ages, and they were on a timer so as not to be too wasteful.

I’m sure that’s part of why I was of two minds to see Christmas lights on during my morning run.  My first thought, “did they stay on all night?” was quickly overridden by a nearly simultaneous “oooh, preeeetty!”  I guess it isn’t such a big deal now that there are LED Christmas lights, so maybe I shouldn’t secretly feel guilty for enjoying them!

I see the lights when I am driving home in the evening and everything, but in the car, they go by too quickly.  Walking is great, but I find I get cold.

When I am running, however, it is a whole different story.  I am on that plane of existence where each breath freezes in the air and the crispness paints my cheeks pink, but can’t chill me.  I can bask in the cheer of lights, the glow bouncing off the snow, a series of peaceful footsteps strung together into a slightly surreal and wholly beautiful infinity.  A perfect break amidst the frantic scramble of this time of year.

So to the people who leave their lights on, or turn them back on in the morning – thanks!  I am really enjoying them!  In fact, it’s inspired me to consider an evening run in the next little while!