7 miles

I broke up my treadmill run tonight so it didn't seem so bad. Since the treadmill shuts off after 60 minutes I did a 3/1 run and re-started it mid run to change my pace.

4.7 miles 9:31 pace 44:50 minutes - my easy run
2.3 miles 8:27 pace 19:31 - my tempo run

It felt good, I always feel good after I run at a faster pace, makes me feel like I burned more calories.

Another lentil stew

We really love lentil stews. I made a different recipe tonight. I used Rachel Ray's
Lentil Kale Sausage Stew
The changes I made where the following:
1. Used Italian Chicken Sausage - diced it up
2. Used Tuscan Kale from Trader Joe's, ready to go bag
3. Used low sodium chicken stock, and a little water to make it a stew, not a soup
4. Used red peppers instead
5. Added Curry Powder since we like that flavor on kale
6. Served warm Naan on the side

5.75

The gym was WAY too stuffy tonight. I ran as far as I could tolerate the treadmill.

5.75 53:02 9:13 pace

Olive Garden Pasta Fagoli

I'm trying a new Pasta Fagoli recipe (I usually make my recipe or my friend's recipe). I am not a fan of Olive Garden per se, but I do think they have a good pasta fagoli. I saw this recipe on Pinterest
Slow Cooker Olive Garden Pasta Fagoli 
I tweaked it a bit to make it my own and here is what I used. and always, when you make pasta fagoli, COOK THE PASTA SEPERATLY! If you add it into the soup and save the leftovers, it will be a soggy pasta mess. Always serve the pasta on the side and let your eaters decide how much pasta they want.

I made this is a dutch oven on the stovetop. It makes A LOT so be sure to have a large crockpot or large stock pot. 
1 lb. organic ground beef
1 small chopped onion
3 carrots, diced
1 c. chopped celery
1 can drained  and rinsed kidney beans
1 can drained and rinsed white northern beans
2 - 28 oz diced tomatoes
1 small jar of marinara sauce (I used Trader Joe's)
1 tbsp parsley
1 tbsp oregano
1 shake of crushed red peppers
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp pepper
splash of white vinegar

1. Brown the beef and drain. Add in the onions, carrots and celery. Cook about 5-10 minutes until veggies are soft. Season with parsley, oregano, garlic and pepper.
2. Add in the tomatoes, sauce and beans. Stir and season with a bit of the crushed peppers. Bring to a boil then simmer, partly covered.
3. Cook at a simmer for a good hour to let the seasons blend (pasta fagoli is always better the next day so I imagine this in the slow cooker would be GREAT). I splashed in some white vinegar at the end.
4. Cook shells or ditalini or some small pasta on the side to al dente. Serve on top of the soup, grated parm cheese and fresh bread

9 chilly miles

This morning at 7:15 am my friend Gerard and another local runner, Nick, ran to my house (from G's house) and we ran a nice 9 miles. They went on to run a few more miles but it was my kick back week so I lucked out and was able to stop at 9! It was around 10 degrees, I layered up with long johns under my running pants, long sleeve running turtle neck and my running fleece over with my thick gloves and Lulu headband ear warmer, with my compression socks since they are thick and my shoes have lots of ventilation in the front. I felt fine. The streets were mostly covered in snow but we ran on the roads which were pretty clear, some icy spots and slush but not too bad.

I really do like running with others, You talk and run and the miles go by fast. We ran in our area, basically did a giant loop around the little neighborhoods of our town. When we got back in front of my house we were only at 8.2, so I ran a bit more with them before looping back to my house.

I felt good, my legs were good, no soreness at all from those last week hills. Took a nice hot shower when I got in.

9.01 miles 1:2140 9:04 minutes (those were fairly even splits!)

1	9:01	16
2	9:04	-30
3	9:04	-15
4	9:01	-3
5	9:15	6
6	9:09	-2
7	9:04	27
8	8:59	-2
9	8:56	1
10	9:14	-1

5 miles + 4 miles with 400m repeats

Tuesday:
My thighs were still rather sore, so I only ran 5 miles at pace rate. I felt tired and my legs were sore so I didn't want to push it. I was glad I did at least 5 (should have done 6 per plan). But that is what a plan is all about...being flexible and I did run 4 extra miles last Saturday - it all evens out
5 miles 46:12 9:14

Wednesday:
My thighs and legs felt normal again. I upted my 3 miler to 4 miles tonight to make up for missing that last mile last night.

I did something new, 400m faster, faster, I found this plan in a McMillian article. It says to do 4 sets but I did 5 sets to make it 4 miles.

1 set - 400 m easy pace, 400 m tempo pace, 400 m 5k pace

I did this 5 times then ended with the last .25 miles at pace. I liked it a lot! The miles went fast and I worked up a good sweat.

4 miles 34:28 8:37 pace

Now I will rest and plan to do a LR on Saturday with my friend again and his friend :)

3 miles and sore advice

Tonight I ran 3 miles at the gym. 2 easy at 9:13 then 1 at tempo pace 8:20.

I was a bit worried because my thighs are quit sore still from those dang hills I ran on Saturday plus running a longer distance that I have before. I did not want to miss a run but also was interested to see how I would feel. Of course during my run I just felt a little sore, when I walk up and down my stairs at home that is when I really feel the soreness.

So I looked up some advice and read this interesting blog:

Running advice on sore muscles

My soreness is very common; running hills and/or distances longer than your muscles are used to. The article points out that is pain occurs during a run that is an indicator that something is wrong. But when soreness occurs after a run, then it's common muscle soreness. I know, this is a no brainer but still being a newer runner, I like to cover my bases. I know that rollers and ice baths will help sore muscles right after a longer run, as will stretching. The article also talks about how as your muscles get used to running these longer distances, things will start to feel better.

So now, I will ice my legs before bed and hope I can get my 6 miler done tomorrow.

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Lemon Garlic roasted chicken with roasted potatoes and green beans

Tonight's dinner was easy and really yummy. A ate up all the green beans and M ate up all the chicken.

Roasted Chicken

4 bone-in, skin on large chicken breasts
1 lemon, sliced
1 onion, sliced
s & p
oregano
5-7 garlic cloves, smashed

1. Preheat oven to 400. On the bottom of a large baking dish, place the lemon slices, onion slices and garlic cloves. Meanwhile, rinse and pat very dry the chicken breast. Place them on top of the lemons and brush with olive oil. Season with oregano, sea salt and pepper. Roast for about 1 hour until cook thru. A nice sauce forms on the bottom that is great poured over the potatoes :)

Roasted Potatoes

1. Scrub baby potatoes (I used red potatoes or fingerlings from Trader Joe's) and cut into quarters. Toss in olive oil and season with sea salt, rosemary and pepper. Roast on rack below chicken for about 40 minutes until tender.

Green Beans with Dijon Vinaigrette

The kiddos helped with this one. They snapped the ends off of the green beans and snacked on a few raw ones too,hehe.

1. In shallow pan, place green beans and cover with water. Bring to boil and cook just until green beans are just bright green, tender but still crunchy. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

Dijon Vinaigrette  
Mix in a small bowl:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp. dijon mustard
salt and pepper

2. Pour vinaigrette over green beans in a serving dish. Enjoy!

Cake Mix Rice Krispies

What do you do when it's freezing out, hardly any real snow to play in and there is no school?! Make goodies to munch on. The kids had fun helping with this and I think I had more fun eating them (I am all about texture and the gooey marshmello cereal combo is great).

A friend posted this recipe this morning and we had to try it...it was very yummy

6 c. rice krispy cereal
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
2/3 c. yellow cake mix
10 oz marshmellows
sprinkles

1. Over low heat, melt the butter in a large sauce pan then add in the marshmellows. Stir until just about melted. Take off the heat.

2. Add in the cake mix slowly and mix until all is blended. Add in the rice krispies and the sprinkles.

3. In a prepared 9x11 (sprayed with pam) press the mixture firmly and evenly. Sprinkle some more sprinkles on top. Let sit for about 20 minutes and cut. Place right away in air tight container and eat within a day or they get hard

Eggplant Rollatini and Kale Caesar Salad

Two new recipes I tried tonight from Real Simple magazine. Both were delish and kiddo approved!

Kale Caesar Salad

1/4  cup  mayonnaise ( you can use greek yogurt to cut fat too instead of Mayo)
1/4  cup  finely grated Parmesan (1 ounce)
2 freshly squeezed lemons
2  tablespoons  olive oil
1  teaspoon  Dijon mustard
1  teaspoon  Worcestershire sauce
kosher salt and black pepper
1/2  medium bunch kale, thick stems removed and leaves thinly sliced (about 5 cups)
2  hard-cooked eggs, chopped (optional)
1/4  small red onion, thinly sliced (optional)

Directions

In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Parmesan, lemon juice, oil, mustard, Worcestershire, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add the kale, eggs, and onion and toss to combine.

 

Eggplant Parm Rollatini

Ingredients

• 4  tablespoons  olive oil
• 2  large eggplants (about 3 pounds total ), sliced lengthwise (about 16 slices total) slilce fairly thin
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 cups maranara sauce
• 2  large eggs
• 1  15-ounce container ricotta
• 2  teaspoons  dried basil
• 2  cups  grated mozzarella (8 ounces)
• 1/2  cup  grated Parmesan (1 1/2 ounces)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 450° F. Divide the oil between 2 rimmed baking sheets. Dividing evenly, arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer on the baking sheets and turn to coat in the oil; season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
2. Bake the eggplant, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until soft and beginning to brown, 12 to 15 minutes; let cool. Reduce heat to 400° F.
3. Meanwhile, in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch or some other 3-quart baking dish, spread ½ cup of the marinara sauce. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, ricotta, basil, 1 cup of the mozzarella, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.
4. Place about 3 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture on one end of a slice of eggplant, roll it up, and transfer it to the prepared baking dish. Repeat with the remaining eggplant slices and ricotta mixture.
5. Top the eggplant rolls with the remaining cup of marinara sauce and the remaining cup of mozzarella. Sprinkle with the Parmesan.
6. Bake until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

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1. 
   

Easy Peasy Peanut Butter Cookies

 3/4 c. sugar (I cut this down from 1 c.)
1 c. creamy peanut butter
1 egg

1. Since I used PB that needs to be refrigerated, I let it sit out a bit in a bowl then I mix in the sugar first. Once that is creamed, I add in the egg.

2. Place small drops on parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes at 350. Don't over bake. Let cool then enjoy!



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16.23 miles

This morning I ran the longest I have ever run! I was planning on only 12 miles but my running partner was going to do 16 miles so I thought I would just see how I feel and go for it.

He picked me up at 6:30am and we drove to a very hilly forest preserve in our area, about 20 minutes away. CARA runners group was meeting there too (several BQ runners) so it was cool to be with other runners. 

We started out and before I knew it we were at mile 8. We talked  and ran sans music. We ran several hills which really was great for strength and endurance. We stopped at my friends car between 8/9 miles. I usually NEVER stop but he refilled our water and off we went again. The second half went by fast, I did take three Clif Shot Blocks and some water after that. I felt good, my legs felt fine. No pains. Towards mile 15 I was feeling a little tired and was glad when we were done at 16.23 miles.

I can't believe I ran this far! It was a slower pace than I wanted to run, which was good because I know I can at least run that far at the pace I did. Hopefully race day will push me a little faster.

Climbs 1100 ft!

1	9:13	35
2	9:09	-8
3	9:06	18
4	9:06	-63
5	9:12	63
6	9:06	-24
7	8:53	-7
8	9:18	10
9	11:27	3
10	9:21	15
11	9:33	-34
12	10:18	-26
13	9:38	30
14	9:50	2
15	9:42	7
16	9:25	4
17	9:08	-19

16.34  9:31 pace 2:35:24
*mile 9 we had stopped to fill up water, I thought I stopped the timer and mile 12 we had stopped to talked to my friends group of friends so that took away a few minutes from our overall time!

Pita pizza night

We always have pizza night Fridays. I was lazy tonight and didn't feel like rolling out dough and cleaning up flour! So we did a pita pizza night

8 pita pockets whole wheat
pizza sauce - jarred
toppings (sauteed mushrooms, green olives, pepperoni, peppers)
mixed cheese from trader joe's

coat baking pan with spray. Give the kiddos their own pitas and let them spread out sauce, put toppings on and place cheese on top. Sprinkle with oregano and garlic.

Bake at 400 for about 15 minutes until cheese is toasted. The kids loved designing their own pizzas.

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3.2

Another treadmill run. This one was a late one - 9:30pm since C had come home late.

1 mile easy 2 miles tempo pace

3.2 27:32 8:36 pace

felt fine, wasn't so hot tonight at the gym so a bit better

Roasted Califlower & Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Made these as a side tonight to our Turkey Burgers. They were pretty good.

Roasted Garlic and Lemon Califlower
5 to 6 cups cauliflower florets, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter (from 1 medium cauliflower)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sliced garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
Chopped chives, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
Place the cauliflower florets in a large saute pan or a roasting pan. Drizzle the olive oil over the cauliflower, and season with the garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Place the saute/roasting pan in the oven and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure even roasting. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Garnish with chopped chives and serve immediately while still warm.

Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes
2 pounds red-skinned sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into 1-inch pieces and put in a 9 by 13 baking dish. In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, honey and lemon juice. Pour mixture over potatoes and toss to coat. Sprinkle with the salt and cinnamon, and bake, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour, until potatoes are tender.

6 tired ones

After a board meeting at church that I am on, I headed to the gym to run my 6 miler. It wasn't a great run. I never found my groove, felt tired and it was so hot again in the gym! The windows are so foggy you can't even see outside!

I kept it at 9:05 for 4 miles then up'd it a bit to finish exactly at:

6 miles 54:00 9:00 miles

glad it's over with! It's funny how some runs are great, others not so great. The treadmill is just really hard to run longer than 3 miles on, it's hard for my legs to run naturally and my left ankle is a bit sore because of it.

3.2 increasing intervals

I wanted to get my 6 miler over with tonight as tomorrow night I might not have time and Wednesday I might have to miss my run b/c C will be home late. So I looked up a good increasing interval run for 6 miles on the mill and brought it with me....but after 3 miles I was tired and ready to get off (I swear I was under the heater vent and just kept getting blasts of hot air!).

My run went like this

0-5 minutes - 6.5 (9:13)
5-6 minutes - 8.0 (7:30)
6-7 minutes - 6.7 (8:57)
7-9 minutes - 8.0
9-11 minutes - 6.7
11-14 minutes - 8.0
14-17 minutes - 6.7
17-21 minutes - 8.0
21-27 minutes - 6.7 * This is where I just stopped. I was suppose to go on to this
21-25 - 6.7
25-30 - 8.0
30-35 - 6.7
35-41 - 8.0
41-47 6.7
47-50 6.5

doing this will complete 6 miles in 50 minutes. I will try it again. It was tought but seeing that I only had two more 8.0 repeats I think I can try harder next time.

so tonight:
3.2 27:06 8:28 - nothing big, I didn't feel like I burned much. I did some arms and abs after...but secretly wanted to get home to shower before my new favorite show is on "Catfish" ....hehe

Zucchini with Quinoa stuffing

My BFF bought me another subscription to Real Simple magazine. I quickly picked out a few new recipes to try when I received the February Issue this month. With a few tweaks, I would say this was a huge hit tonight! There were NO left overs and I will make this again. Meatless Monday just received another recipe!

• 1  cup  quinoa, rinsed
• 2 c. chicken stock
• 6 medium  zucchini
• 1 small onion chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1  15-ounce  can cannellini beans, rinsed
• 1  cup  grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1/2  cup almonds, walnuts or pistachios, chopped
• 3/4  cup  grated Parmesan (3 ounces)
• Olive oil
• 1/2 c. mozzerella shredded
• 1/4 c. bread crumbs

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400° F.  In a sautee pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and saute onions and garlic until fragrent. Add in quinoa and sautee until golden. Add in stock, bring to a boil then cover and simmer for 15 minutes until cooked.
2. Meanwhile, cut the zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Arrange in a large baking dish, lined with foil and sprayed with Pam, cut-side up.
3. Fluff the quinoa and fold in the beans, tomatoes, almonds, ½ cup of the Parmesan, and a little olive oil.
4. Spoon the mixture into the zucchini. Top with bread crumbs and sprinkle olive oil and mozzarella.  Bake on highest rake in oven for 25 minutes, until squash is soft and cheese is browned.

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Granola Bars

Haven't made these in awhile and forgot how good they are! The kids can help too which makes it fun. You can get creative with this, add in peanut butter, freeze dried bananas, nuts...whatever you wish.

350 preheat oven - cook about 20-25 mins
Chewy Healthy Granola Bars
2 cups whole rolled oats
1 egg
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. wheat germ
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. chocolate chips (optional)
1/2 c. raisins (optional)
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c. applesauce (you can use canola oil - I use applesauce to cut fat)
1/2 c. honey
1. Mix together oats, cinnamon, sugar, germ, flour, salt and raisins/chips/nuts whatever you are adding in.
2. Make a well, add in the vanilla, applesauce, egg, honey and mix until dry is wet.
3. Spread in a 9x13 baking pan (I line mine with foil then spray PAM for easy clean up). I find if you use a smaller pan, they will come out more moist then spreading them into a bigger pan. Bake for about 20 minutes until golden (don't over bake otherwise they will be crunchy). Cut right away then let cool. Store in ziploc containers.

11 miles

11 miles 1:37:17 8:51 pace
It was the perfect day to run - 50 degrees in the middle of January? Crazy I know. I am more convinced that I made the right choice to run a spring Marathon to train during the winter/early spring rather than fall marathon and train during the summer (hot). I hope this crazy weather keeps up for my training sake. I have to say I am sad we haven't seen much snow for the kids sake.


The run went just fine. I started out slow and truly didn't feel warmed up until mile 4. I then felt I found my pace. I kept telling myself to just take it easy. And for the most part I think I did. We will see as the mileage increases on these long runs. It felt great to be outside, my left lower leg/ankle didn't hurt at all so I am thinking it's the treadmill. I really love my new Mizuno running shoes.

I did bring my hand held water today. I had a mini Luna bar before the run (I admit I had two beers last night and hardly any water). I took with me 3 Cliff Shot Blocks and REALLY liked them (I used gels in the past and felt they didn't do much). I took the Blocks right at mile 6 - about 54 minutes into my run. I chased them with water and really felt they gave me a burst of energy. Easy and sorta fun to chew and didn't seem to upset my tummy.

I broke up my run into about 6 segments (different areas on my route). It helps to realize each segment is a good 2/3 miles and you are that much closer to your mileage. I don't know, everything felt good today and I hope this continues.

I let Pandora Shuffle ( my mix of stations) and some songs that made me smile/helped me on my run were: Stones "Monkey Man", REM "Orange Crush" and Counting Crows "Mr Jones"
Here are my splits today:

i	Pace (min/mi)	Elevation (ft)
1	9:33	10
2	9:32	-23
3	9:12	18
4	9:12	4
5	8:40	4
6	8:41	4
7	8:36	-15
8	8:24	7
9	8:23	10
10	8:31	-21
11	8:33	3
12	8:33	0

3

3 miles 25:16 8:25
Started at 8:57 then kept upping until 7:47. Nice run
My left ankle/lower leg has been hurting. Not during but after my runs. Not sure if its the new shoes or what. Icing it and rest day tomorrow.
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6 steady sweaty

I kept the treadmill at a steady 9:05/ 6.6 for tonight's run. My stomach is still not 100% so I didn't want to do a 3/1 run. I was very happy with my pace run tonight...and that is exactly what I should run tonight per my Higdon schedule. But time is always in the back of my head but I keep telling myself to save that for short run days and/or try to do 3/1 runs when I feel that burst at the end.

Anyway, I felt good tonight and enjoyed some new tunes to run to

6 - 54:45 9:08 (that darn 10 seconds to get the treadmill from 0- 6.6 always throws off my time)

3.4

I may have pushed myself a bit but it felt good to run. So good I kept upping up the speed. After a weekend long of stomach bugs mine still wasn't 100%. But I needed to run. I needed to start up my miles again. So I ran until I felt like I was going to pass out. From thirst. A bit dehydrated from the bug. But it sure felt good to run.

3.4 26:13 8:28

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16 weeks to marathon...sick!

Looks like I caught this stomach bug....C did too, only M hasn't yet and I am hoping and praying it bypasses her. My plans of running to catch up from missing my LR this weekend are out the window. So I will rest up yet again and go forth with my t, w, th runs then a LR on Saturday - hopefully! Nervous, 16 weeks is going to fly by! I hate when I am ahead of schedule then all of a sudden I fall behind...but that's life and there is nothing we can do. I have had a good base over the last month so I think I should be ok.....hopefully!!

Chicken Pot Pie

Oddly enough tonight's dinner plan was Chicken Pot Pie - who would have known it would be a good idea for the stomach bug.

1 package pie crust - I use Trader Joe's - thawed at room temperature
1/3 c. unsalted butter
1 small onion, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
1/2 c. frozen peas
1/3 c. flour (whole wheat preferable)
salt/pepper
1 1/4 c. chicken stock
2/3 c. milk
2-3 cups shredded chicken (I browned boneless, skinless thighs then poached in stock until cooked; I cooled it then chopped)
thyme and nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 425. Prepare pie crust using a 9 inch pie pan. Keep crust raw.

2. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, celery and carrots; cook about 5 minutes until soft. Add in flour, salt and pepper until well blended. Gradually add in the broth and milk, stirring until bubbly and thick. Add in chicken and peas and mix well.  Remove from heat. Sprinkle nutmeg and thyme to taste and test if you need more salt and pepper.

3. Pour chicken mixture into pie crust. Top with other pie crust, seal edges and flute. Use your fork to poke a bunch of holes in the top. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes with loose tent of foil over it, then last 20 minutes without foil. Bake until golden brown, let sit for about 5 minutes before cooking.

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LR delay

Saturday around 1am I heard crying...sure enough it was A. She had gotten sick all over her toddler bed. So I cleaned her up, showered her since her hair was 'matted' and changed bedding. She continued to get sick through the night until nothing was left. I ended up bringing her in bed with me so we could get some sleep. I in turn had a really bad sore throat and didn't feel right myself...so Saturday instead of doing my nice long 11 mile run, ended up on the couch all day watching Calliou and finally some All in the Family's for me. We camped out again last night and this morning seem to be on the mend....I am still hoping to get a LR in this afternoon.

I am suddenly 16 weeks away from the marathon! This is what makes me anxious about training for the FULL; will I have the time juggling kids/family, etc. I know I could easily run the half so at least I can do that if worse comes to worse. But I will try my best this afternoon to get in as many miles as I can. I had such a good running week too! RATS!

3

3 25:47 8:36 pace
arms and abs afterwards

6 steamy ones

I cringed when I parked at the gym and saw the steamy windows .... I knew it was going to be a hot gym night!

But I did it, I told myself at 3 miles "just make it to 4" then at 4 "just make it to 5 and stop" then at 5 "almost there just finish it off"

Pace run tonight - 6 miles 54:46 9:08

I think sometimes it's harder to run slower because of the different muscles being used. If I can make this marathon with that pace, wow, I'd be happy!

Pork and Sauerkraut New Years Dish

Traditionally on New Years Day I make pork and sauerkraut. This year I tried a new recipe from Williams Sonoma and it was so good, I think I will make this our traditional recipe. It's pretty much what I make each year with a few new things.

I serve with homemade mashed potatoes (yukon gold) and corn. The kids really enjoyed it this year.

This is my tweaeked version of this recipe

Country rib pork, bone in, 2.5 lbs
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
2 Tbs. canola oil
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 gala apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 Tbs. fresh thyme
1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Chardonnay
2 lb. sauerkraut, squeezed dry
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 325. Place sauerkraut in a baking dish. Sprinkle with brown sugar.

2. Heat oil and melt butter in a fry pan over medium heat. Season pork with salt and pepper and brown on all sides. Place on the sauerkraut. Meanwhile, in same fry pan, warm up apples, onions and thyme until soft. Place around pork. Pour wine over pork and cover. Bake for a few hours, until pork is fork tender.

3 miles tempo

Nothing much to report. I was going to run outside but it was so chilly! So my first run of the year was at the gym. I felt good though.

Warm up 5 min @ 8:49
Tempo run of 8:13, 8:05, 7:54, 7:49
3 miles 24:50 8:17 pace