New post-run meal.

I threw together a meal tonight using leftovers - when I realized it could be a good meal for runners, I figured I'd post it here:

Penne pasta
pesto (to taste)
crushed tomatoes, canned (to taste)
cannellini beans (to taste)
crushed peppers (this depends on how spicy you like your food - I put in about a teaspoon)

The pasta is great for carbs (yay energy!)

And again, I'm not a nutritionist or anything, but I'm pretty sure that the beans paired with the crushed tomatoes make for an easily absorbed source of iron.

I just made this for my dinner, but if you wanted to make this as a post-run meal, I bet adding some chopped hard-boiled egg or some veggie ground round would add a tasty source of protein.

Happy running,

Sarah :)

I accidentally set my new Garmin Forerunner to Venezuelan time.

But then I fixed it, so it's all good.

I've taken it out for one 'test drive' so far, and it's my new favourite thing for sure.

I have a new toy!

A Garmin Forerunner 305, to be precise.

I can't wait to learn how to program it and take it with me when I run  :D


I'm charging it right now, as I type. I'm going to play around with the different functions and set everything up tonight. I'm not the most tech-savvy person, but I'm hoping to figure out at least the basics before my 5k(ish) run tomorrow.

And I don't care that the design is slightly old-school. I think it looks pretty cool, and it isn't any bigger than, say, a standard dive computer. And yes, that was a random scuba diving reference (I love throwing those in there).

With my new little toy I can keep track of distance, pace, heart rate, etc.

This is very exciting.

mmm...protein...

It's a good idea to always have a bit of protein after a run, to help repair muscle tissue.

I usually either have a glass of chocolate milk or a hard-boiled egg after I run, but I made a salad yesterday that I think I might try again sometime as a post-run snack:

Baby spinach
Grape tomatoes (throw in a few to add colour and taste)
Flaked light tuna (the one in water, not oil)
Almond slivers
Honey dijon dressing

Try and enjoy!

It's easy to throw this together, it's really tasty, and it's a source of protein, iron, and omega-3 fatty acids, among other good and healthy stuff. I'm not a nutritionist or anything, so I don't know how much there is per serving, but who cares? It's tasty!  :)

It's funny. When I started running this summer, I was happy just to finish each run. If I could just keep running until each walk break, I was thrilled.

When I started, 5k seemed impossibly far away and out of reach.

About halfway through the Learn to Run Clinic, on a heavy humid day, the group went about 3 kilometres. I had pushed myself as far as I could, and I thought I wouldn't increase my distance and endurance in time for my first race. And when I did start to slowly increase my distance, my knees would sometimes get sore towards the end, when I got tired and my running form got sloppy.

But I learned more about how to run properly. I worked on my running form. I experimented with it and improved it - shortening my stride, focusing on my posture and alignment, and thinking about my feet landing softly.

And I worked on increasing my strength and endurance. Each week, the group went slightly further than the week before. I was still a pretty slow runner. And the heat and humidity of the summer didn't help with that. But I did get myself to a point where I could run 5k, and I did it in time for my first race. And not only did I finish that race, but I finished feeling great (if a tiny little bit sore) and with a huge smile.

Then I started the 5k clinic. And maybe it was the confidence of getting this far, or maybe it was the cooler temperatures of fall, but I started enjoying and looking forward to each run, and I got faster. I'm now halfway through the 5k clinic, and for the past couple of weeks, I've been running way faster on my practice runs than I ever did when I first started.

Yesterday, for example, I ran about 4 and a half kilometres in about 27 minutes. This works out to about 6 minutes per kilometre. Of course, many people run faster than that, but for me this is huge. This is way faster than I thought I'd be running at the moment.

I feel fantastic after each run. Sometimes if I'm tired, my knee or hip might get sore towards the end of a run, but at least I know why. And lately, I've fixed my running form to the point where I run pain-free. I feel amazing and strong and I sound like a broken record when I say it, but I really do feel great.

Of course, I'm mindful of the stresses that running places on the body. I always make sure that I have at least one full rest day between running sessions. I make sure to stretch properly after each run, and I always grab something with protein after running. If I do feel pain during a run, I'll slow down or start walking, and will give myself an extra day or two before I go for another run. I've found something that I love to do, and my fitness level has improved hugely over the past four months. I'll do everything I can to be smart about my running and to avoid injury.

When I started this running blog, I chose the tagline "From Couch Potato to Marathoner". I figured that would be good motivation for me, and something to strive for. But it felt kind of presuming of me. I could barely run for 2 or 3 minutes at a time when I started this blog. But something has changed between then and now. I'm nowhere close to being able to run a marathon yet, but it now seems entirely possible.

I feel like I can plan ahead to next summer and next fall. Instead of this being some kind of pipe dream, I can now see myself getting there - I can see myself becoming a marathoner.

I plan on training for a 10k over the winter. I'm leery of ice but I won't let that stop me (I'll likely run much more slowly, though).

I'll train for a half-marathon in the spring, and then if all goes well, I plan to train for a marathon after that.

Hopefully, by this time next year I'll be running my first-ever marathon.

And that's a pretty cool thing.

Halloween

Yup, I dressed up as a pace bunny for Halloween. Sad, I know.

:)