I Will Run For Food

My husband loves curry so I made this for dinner tonight. Don’t be intimidated by the long ingredient list, it’s very easy to make. It has just the right amount of spice without being to hot. Delicious!

Spicy Potato Curry

2 lbs potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 scallions, white and green parts separated, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 fresh green chile, seeded and finely chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1 piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced

Seeds from 2 cardamom pods

2 tablespoons peanut oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 stick cinnamon

2 large tomatoes, chopped

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 tablespoon garam masala

1/2 cup plain yogurt

Fresh Cilantro, to garnish

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until almost tender, 15 minutes. Drain well.

Combine the white part of the scallion with the garlic, chile, salt, ginger, and cardamom seeds in a food processor and process to make a paste.

Heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan over low heat. Add the spice paste and saute for 2 minutes. Add the cinnamon, tomatoes, mustard seeds, and garam masala and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Stir in the yogurt and cook until the sauce has thickened slightly, 2 minutes.

Add the potatoes and cook until tender, 5-10 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with the green part of the scallions and cilantro. Serve hot.

Serves:4 Calories:290 Protein:6g Fat:11g Fiber:4.6g Salt:1.5g

I forgot to mention this the other day:

OUR RAGNAR TEAM IS FULL!!!!!!

With 5 tumblrs on the roster, we are guaranteed a good time.

Now the democratic process of picking a team name begins…

Egg white omelette stuffed with left over black bean salad for breakfast. Yum! Black beans, red bell pepper, avocado, shallots, corn and cilantro.

Exhibit A: Zee Deevil!

Note to self: DO NOT eat a Fiber One bar on days you are going to run. Seriously! You know what happens. Please cease and desist immediately!

I ran 4.23 miles in 42:43. Average pace 10:05.

victoriafindslife replied to your post: I foam rolled and iced my hamstring like a champ…

I think you are supposed to use heat b4 the run to get the muscles ready and ice after. Could be wrong though

You should never apply heat to an inflamed area or to an acute injury. Cold therapy is the best treatment for acute injuries because it reduces swelling and pain.

Heat therapy is usually used to treat chronic injuries or injuries that have no inflammation or swelling. For example: sore, stiff, nagging muscle or joint pain.

That said; you shouldn’t start an intense workout with icy cold muscles. I did some dynamic stretching and started out at a slower pace to test out my pain level and to warm the muscle up.

The most important thing is to listen to your body. If it really hurts, stop.

Happy Caturday from the Molly Cat, who doesn’t like snuggles ;)

Chicago Marathon 2012

I received my marathon training plan today from my Team in Training coach. Technically it starts today. I’m going to run whatever I feel like for the next week. I will start Coach Joe’s plan the first week of June. My last marathon I trained for 16 weeks and felt very burned out at the end. This one will take 18 weeks, but it is less intense.

On the calendar blue ink is for an easy run. Purple is for strength training/cross training. Red is for tempo/speedwork/track workouts. Green is for rest days. Black is for races that I am doing each month.

My mileage is going to be considerably lower per week until August on this plan, so I will probably supplement with cycling and yoga on at least one of my rest days each week.

Here is what the weekly mileage looks like:

Week 1 18.5 Week 10 31.83

Week 2 19.0 Week 11 35.0

Week 3 21.0 Week 12 36.25

Week 4 21.5 Week 13 36.5

Week 5 24.0 Week 14 34.75

Week 6 22.0 Week 15 35.0

Week 7 25.0 Week 16 26.0

Week 8 25.0 Week 17 16.75

Week 9 26.0 Week 18 7.0

I’m looking forward to gaining some strength. Losing some body fat. Keeping my average pace under a 10:30 mile on my long runs and hopefully getting a PR. That shouldn’t be hard, I was pretty slow in my first marathon, so there’s lot’s of room for improvement.

Most importantly though, it’s about running for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I am hoping that following my training plan will keep my mind off what is happening with my family, and keep me positive. I’m still a little worried about my fundraising abilities, but people have been very generous so far. I have until the end of June to raise another $1743.80. Do me a favor, if you contribute, please put your tumblr handle in the comments section. I don’t know all of your real names. I want to know who I’m sending thank you cards to. You can donate here.

Flashback Friday

Camping in the Boundary Waters in 2008. I actually thought that covering my double chin with the book would hide how big I was.

I foam rolled and iced my hamstring like a champ last night and again this morning. In fact, I drove to the lake this morning with an ice pack under my thigh. I did the first 4.4 miles with Ms. Melinda　. My legs felt tight, but there was no pain, so I’ll call that a success. Running a 9:30 mile felt really comfortable today.

After a coffee stop at Dunn Brothers. I drove home and decided to finish the other 2 miles on my plan for today.

It was really humid, but I never felt like I was pushing the pace. I felt relaxed and strong.

Total I ran 6.41 miles in 1:00:03. Average pace 9:22.

Ah yeah, negative splits baby!

I have to admit though, as my average pace is increasing, I am experiencing more pain. Right now it’s in my upper right hamstring. Today it stopped me from finishing my run. I felt a twinge and then pain down my whole leg, so walked the rest of the way home.

This happened to me last summer as well. I came out of the winter faster. My average pace was around 9:00. I started having hip pain that sidelined me for about 3 weeks. Multiple visits to a running clinic, exercises, and ultrasound treatments got me going again.

The fact that this is happening again, makes me wonder if my body mechanics/running economy deteriorate at a higher speed. I don’t feel like my form changes, but that appears to be the case. I always have issues on my right side. I have a transplanted ACL and no cartilage in that knee, so that side is definitely weaker.

I’m thinking it may be time to talk to a professional again. I don’t want to give up my speed gains. I need to figure out how to run injury free while putting more demands on my body.

On that note: I get my Chicago Marathon training plan tomorrow from Team in Training. I’m pretty excited to see what it looks like.

Now to spend my Thursday night loving up the foam roller, ice pack, and herbal rub. 6 miler in the morning with Ms. Melinda.　

But, but I want to run…..
Stupid weather. I don’t want to run on the dreadmill :(

Edit: just to be clear, I love running in the rain. I’m not being a wuss. This is not a nice gentle rain. The weather is severe. We’re currently under a flash flood warning.

Simple Dinner:

Baby spinach, beets, walnuts, feta, and balsamic.

Delicious.

Stage IV

So that’s where we’re at…

The first of 6 cycles of Chemotherapy begins tomorrow. It will takes 6 months to complete. We will have to hold on to small shreds of hope until November.

I am strong. I am putting up a brave face to the world. I have cried, but not too much. I can’t be the one to fall apart. It takes to much effort to pull yourself together again. But the word cancer is always present, at the edges of my thoughts.

I have learned things in the past few weeks that I don’t want in my brain. Harsh realities about the body and modern medicine that I hope none you ever have to know first hand.

People ask what they can do. I don’t know what to tell them. I want to scream at them: Lose weight, exercise everyday, stop smoking, stop drinking, see a shrink, eat more plants, stop feeding your kids fast food, wear sunscreen. Then maybe your family won’t have to go through this someday. But I know it would only scare them. They would assume it’s the crazy that’s talking.

We have so much information right at our fingertips, but until something tragic happens to us personally, we are rarely willing to make a change. All I can do is continue to live in a way that will hopefully prolong my life. If I inspire 1 or 2 people along the way to do the same, then I have succeeded in some small way.

So while my dad sits in a chair every two weeks, with drugs designed to kill every healthy cell in his body pumping through him; I will lace up and hit the road. I will run. I will run to make my body stronger. I will run to make my mind clearer. I will run to cleanse the tears, the anger, the fear. I will run for those who are not able to run for themselves. I will run for my dad.

The Chicago Marathon is like a beacon of light that I am turning my face towards. It is the light close to the end of the tunnel that I will focus on. I will pour all my energies into training for this race, in the hopes that it will keep me sane and functioning throughout this journey.

I believe that my dad will see me cross that finish line. It makes my heart hurt to even consider the alternative. So I will dedicate my time, effort, and money to helping find a cure. http://pages.teamintraining.org/vtnt/chicago12/hweins

Tumblr Crushes:

Go follow these folks, yo!

I met Jordan today at the river for what I thought was going to be an easy little 3 mile run. Turns out somebody still had an upset tummy from yesterday :0 It also didn’t help that it was humid, very windy, and 89 degrees.

We ran 2.2 miles and then had to give into Jordan’s tummy rumbles and walk the last .9. I can’t say I was all that upset, it was really hot and I was struggling a little.

I did take some nice photos while she was using the facilities.

Potty stop #2: A lovely view of the Minneapolis skyline.

Guess who’s in the Biff?

After potty stop #3, just before potty stop #4.

I actually had 4 miles on my schedule today. So I came home and sluggishly pumped out 2 more miles in the heat. Not my most stellar work, but it is done.