Festive feasting and running with Rudolph

Okay, so I didn't exactly go running with Rudolph - what can I say I am a sucker for alliteration - but I did go running on Christmas day.

So what? I had this to burn off....

I also had a shiny new high vis jacket I just had to try out, not that it was needed in the blinding, winter sun. Yep it was one of those glorious days today in ye ole' Yorkshire.

All I wanted for Christmas (sad I know) was a high vis jacket, now the nights come early and it is dark for what seems like 24 hours of the day, I have been putting my life on the line to pound the pavements.

Yes, high vis and sunglasses combination, and what?!

I have been sticking to the streets to run on an evening purely because the tracks are too scary in the dark! Haha.
But most of my running clothes and jackets are black, some maybe with a splash of bright colour but not enough to ensure my safety. Now I am more eager to get out and run a couple of times per week.
I haven't run to often lately, I have been a bit under the weather but I will not let it beat me!
So I slipped on my trainers and off I went this morning to burn up an appetite ready for my Christmas dinner.

What a bright and beautiful run 

And what a great, refreshing run it was. I felt so much better for it and I love taking in the fresh air of the Yorkshire countryside. And as we all know, this is one of my most favourite routes.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and good running!

Feeling better with food

I am one of those people that feels really at home in the kitchen. 

If I am down, I cook.

If I am happy, I cook.

If I am celebrating, I cook.

If I am commiserating, I cook.

If I am ill, I cook.

Which is what I am right now - ill. Unfortunately I am having some severe stomach issues that are leaving me with no appetite one minute, to starving from lack of food the next. And once I indulge, welcoming the urge to eat which has been rare, I feel sick and writhe in agony.

So I decided to cheer myself up by recipe testing.

I had a go at making homemade, wheat and rye bread, chicken, vegetable and pearl barely soup and cinamonutty granola.

And am I pleased with my self or what?!

The granola is delicious and goes so well on top of yogurt. The soup is also great, made with homemade chicken stock really makes all the difference, and the different textures make it a pleasure to eat. And what more could you ask for when you're poorly than homemade chicken soup.
The rye bread is nice but it is a bit dense and heavy - but I guess rye bread does tend to be like that. One thick slice, toasted has been tasty and filling to dip in the soup, so I will definitely make it again - maybe tweaking it slightly each time.

To find out more watch out on my recipes page where I will shortly upload the method. 

Eating like a queen

So, after eating a large quantity of sugary foods (yes I have slipped back again) I decided to crank out two of my top healthy dinners.

Minted pesto courgette spaghetti and crunchy Greek style salad with chickpeas.

The salad is great for a lunch or accompanied by some form of protein for tea.

Crunchy Greek salad

Courgette spaghetti 

I have also been told I should do more food blogs and upload my recipes more so I will.

My main aim is to create healthy, fast and tasty food and I personally think these two are up there with my favorite recipes.

They are crisp, yummy and very quick to make. They are both refreshing in their own way too.

They are filling and keep me going for hours.
Try them yourself by checking out my Recipes for success page

A hair affair

Help me! I'm going bald! Okay that might be a little over dramatic but for someone who has always had nice, thick hair, thinning hair is a catastrophe.
It had been coming out either in clumps or one strand after another.
I know hair does fall out and some people have hair that comes out more than others but this is noticeably worse than usual.
My sister is also a hairdresser and told me it did feel and look thinner.
I am a big champion of natural hair. Often you see me walking around with wet hair as I like to let it dry itself and it is rare it is brushed.
I have to admit, I have felt a little more stressed than usual.
Both work and play have been hectic so I cannot help but think it must be the cause.
I am an emotional eater so I have eaten a lot of comfort food lately. I'm sure that has not helped either.
So what do I do?
Upon my research I found that the three key nutrients for healthy hair are vitamin C, protein and iron.
Vitamin C is great for looking after your follicles and scalp oils, iron helps oxygen circulate through the strands and you hair is made up of 97% protein so the more you eat the more it reinforces it.
So what foods have these essentials in?
Unfortunately for me, most of the foods I found that were key to maintaining your mane, I eat virtually every day anyway.
These were:

Fish/poultry - Salmon is the best as it is high in omega 3 fatty acids as well as a lot of protein. These fats help grow hair and regulate scalp oils.

Greek yogurt - Again high in protein low in fat and sugar. It is regularly my choice in breakfast. You can pair it with so much as I do. Often I will stir in some vanilla extract or honey and add nuts. Sometimes I would get a bag of frozen forest fruits out because the liquid that comes off them really is delicious on the yogurt.

Walnuts - Another food high in omega 3 and funnily enough they are also great on the yogurt to double up my hair growing abilities. Or you can just grab a handful as a snack. I have to admit, alone I don't really like walnuts but as an ingredient in something they are brilliant. I do make a delicious apple and walnut salad which is great both in summer and winter. I will upload the recipe for that the next time I make it.

Sweet potatoes - Ohh god do I love these golden vegetables. Quick fact, they are not actually a part of the potato family. The antioxidant properties in the beta carotene turns in to vitamin A which helps all the cells in your body function. Also they help keep your scalp healthy. I absolutely love making sweet potato wedges. They only take half an hour, keep the skin on for extra fiber and texture. Coat in a little olive or coconut oil, keep it simple with salt and pepper or spice it up with cajun seasoning, you really can't go wrong and it is a great accompaniment to salmon.

Spinach - Virtually all my meals contain spinach, whether it is scrambled egg for breakfast, salad for lunch or cooked, again with salmon and sweet potatoes for a super food splurge. It is high in iron and we have already learned why that is key. And to make it a bit more special it is also high in vitamin C and beta carotene.

Finally eggs - My go to meal. Morning, noon or night. You cannot go wrong with eggs. Super high in protein with some iron in there too. I literally have eggs all the time. After a heavy evening work out it is great for a fast, filling meal. I often make a big omelette and throw in anything I have around, mushrooms, spinach and tomato is a favourite. Sometimes I make a cheesy omelette for more healthy fats, protein and calcium or you can make it meaty by adding ham, chicken or any kind of fish. Smoked salmon is a personal favourite - particularly around pay day!

So what can I do? I don't know I will just keep trying to eat well and see how it goes. I will eat even more of these staple foods and hope for the best.

Autumn attire

Looking outside the sun was blaring, the sky was clear and it was a crisp autumn day.
The attraction to get outside and run was captivating me.
So I put on my usual three quarter leggings and vest top. With the nights being so dark now, Saturday mornings are the best time to get out for a long run.
But, as I found pretty much as soon as I opened the door, the weather was deceptful.
What do you wear at this time of year?
Last week it looked bleak and cold so I put on my running jumper and felt like I was dying from heat stroke.
This week I thought my arms and fingers would fall off from frost bite.
It is that awkward time of year. Visually, it is amazing to run in this weather but physically, I just cannot seem to get it right.
Covering my body up makes me feel too hot but as soon as I show some skin it is brutal.
What do you wear at this time of year?
When I covered up I wore long leggings and a running jumper, when I tried again I had three quarters and a t-shirt.
How about long sleeves and short leggings or long leggings and short sleeves? I tried that today at my local Park Run (which was fantastic btw - i'll fill you in lower down).
I wore three quarter leggings and a sweat resistant running jumper and it seemed to be the key.
Don't get me wrong I still got a sweat on, but who doesn't when running, especially at a faster than normal pace.
But I felt neither freezing or boiling. I think I found the balance.
I give it one or two more weeks and it may be time to start wrapping up head to toe, winter has come thick and fast. The dark nights mean running is limited for a small woman like myself.
So I will get out and appreciate the crisp fresh surroundings while I can.
Before the heavy down pours literally rain on my parade.

Park Run
I have really started to love this weekly event. I have run on it a couple of times and volunteered there now. If I run alone I always run 10k or a minimum of five miles, By no stretch of the imagination am I a long distance runner but as someone who tends to run well over 5k (the distance of Park Run), the shorter course is actually more challenging for me.
It takes me about 2.5k to get comfortable running but by the time I have settled into the rhythm I know that I am almost finished. So I have to push to run as fast as possible for my final lap so I can get a good PB. The shorter distances are more about speed for me. I always want to push.
Today, I got a place near to the front and did not let myself plod along at my long distance pace.
I said my aim was to get into the top 50 and run it in 25 minutes. I thought it might take a little longer to get there, however today I proved it is possible sooner rather than later.
I came 68/177 so I am getting closer and I did it in 25.09. And the only way is up!

A running stitch'uation

Out on the open road, looking forward to running a new route in Villamoura, Portugal.
It was set up to be a delightful run. It ended up being one of the worst runs I have ever had - at first anyway.
Off I went, slightly uphill at first, but I was enjoying it.
I love the challenge uphill presents because most runs are flat, but this one was bearable.
Usually it takes me around 15 minutes to get into a run and four miles before I am really comfortable. About 10 minutes into it I got a stitch, something I have never had whilst running before.
And my god was it painful. I am one of those who refuses to stop while on a run, I feel like a failure if I do.
I have even run through severe bouts of sickness. Doubled over, holding back the vomit, I have still carried on.
I did try to push through it but it stopped me in my tracks. My legs could have carried on and my mind was good to go but the pain in my side was excruciating. I was putting pressure on it in an attempt to compress the pain.
Who knew something as simple as a stitch which we all suffered as kids, could really be so painful.
It hurt enough to combat my stubborn nature.
As it was my first "stitch up" since becoming a jogger and with it coming after running only a short distance, I felt I had to get to the bottom of it.
It was around two and half hours since I had eaten, however it could have been the food I ate.
I had sushi for lunch, a chocolate pastry for dessert and shop bought granola for breakfast.
The combination of high sodium and high sugar foods must have had something to do with it.
It got me thinking about my diet in general. It has not been up to scratch lately and it made me feel guilty.
A bad diet can only lead to bad running. So it is time for a change. A 10 day detox and clean eating from now on. I am determined to eventually quit sugar but as we all know it is extremely addictive. It is also in everything! So it may take a while but it is something I am willing to be patient with.
On a more positive note. I was feeling rather disappointed about stopping due to the stitch and had resolved to take the shorter route home. But as I pushed through the pain barrier I started to feel better. Before long I felt stronger again. I ended up doing a much longer route then I initially thought.
So what began as a bit of a disastrous run turned into a successful, enjoyable jog.
Bur the moral of this story is bad diet = bad running.  

Park run problems

I did a park run for the first time yesterday.
As someone who regularly runs five to eight miles - five easily - I saw it as an opportunity to work on my pb (personal best).
Needless to say, my PB was the last thing on my mind.
Park Run UK is a weekly event staged in towns and cities all over the UK where runners of all abilities can join together and run, walk or jog 5k around local beauty spots.
I know what my body can do and how I can push it. I also know it takes me about 15 minutes to settle into a run and get into my stride. So I don't know why I was surprised with my speed and that it felt tough. By the time I had warmed up I was already half way round and had the mentality of just wanting to finish.
I did it in 27 minutes 58 seconds. Slower than the previous 5k race I did which was around 25 minutes.
I came 94th out of 300+ so it could have been worse for my first go while I got to grips with the mechanics of the race.

A detailed results table

Battling through the start line dodging all the slower runners was a nightmare for me. My patience is thin which is one of the reasons I love running alone - another obstacle I faced during the run.
Ducking and diving around other runners also proved difficult, I felt I had to over take a lot which uses extra energy that I like to save on just going forward. 
Next time I will try to start nearer the front.
The results table updates online automatically every week helping you work out your PB. I know I can do better and would have loved to but now it gives me something to work towards.
Next week I have been roped into volunteering so I will have to wait until the week after but that gives me two weeks to train. And train I will. I want to get under 25 minutes.
I am realistic I know that it is unlikely I will go from 28 minutes to 25 straight away so if I get under 27 I will be happy.
I do love having a goal.