The Runner's Kitchen

There were multiple deaths from falling trees in Central Park yesterday, I think running indoors at my gym was the right decision.

The day started out with slushy rain and progressed to windy snow. Oh winter, you’re not welcome here anymore.

Once I was warm and dry inside the office, I chowed down on breakfast: chobani 2%, dried cranberries, and Kashi Go Lean Crunch.

Followed by a mid-morning cup of green tea (not coffee, I swear!) and Hershey’s kisses.

Lunch was leftover peanutty root veggie stew and an apple with a wedge of laughing cow cheese. Umm, there’s not much you can do to make leftovers in tupperware look pretty, but it all tasted very good!

The highlight of my afternoon was a delicious cinnamon roll from Holey Donuts. I don’t even care if I get diabetes. It was that good.

The cinnamon roll was savored with a hot cappuccino, mmm.

As much as I missed working out with the Central Park Track Club, I knew running outside wasn’t a (safe) option. To pump myself up for a solo workout, I reviewed my tips on surviving the treadmill and headed over the the gym around 6pm.

1 mile warm-up
4 x 1 mile @10K pace with .25 mile recovery jog
1 mile cool-down (7 miles total)

I set the incline at 2% for miles 1 and 3 to simulate the terrain of Central Park. I hope I’m just fatigued from Wednesday’’s 12 miles because I can’t remember the last time I worked so hard on a run. Pace for the mile repeats wasn’t that fast (7:13, 7:08, 7:13, 7:05), but I was struggling to maintain good form. I wanted to decrease the incline SO badly, but I gritted it out. I just kept thinking about the hilly 5K I have planned for next weekend – a 0% incline will NOT be an option on race day. I’m a little nervous (ok VERY nervous) about trying to run 13.1 miles at ~7:25 pace next month. Meh.

After waiting 25 minutes for the subway (WHY do half empty local trains randomly run on the express track??), I finally made it home. Famished. I didn’t have time to run to the grocery store, so din-din was a mish-mosh of whatever I had in the fridge.

First I whisked together an easy vinaigrette – 1 Tbs olive oil, 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp dijon mustard, 1 tsp lingonberry jam, and dash of dalt.

I tossed romaine lettuce, dried cherries, walnuts, and Wildwood baked tofu in with the dressing and topped with shredded cheddar cheese.

I also made myself a plate of tortilla chips + melted cheddar. Andddd then I killed the bag of chips. The reduced guilt yellow corn tortilla chips from Trader Joe’s are SO good (probably the best store bought tortilla chips I’ve ever had). I bought the bag four days ago and they’re already gone. Mmm, salt + carbs = perfect post-workout fuel.

Check out the latest on True/Slant: Are you making these common running mistakes?

Treadmills – love ‘em or hate ‘em? Unless the roads clear up this weekend, I’m facing a long run inside!

After taking a day off of running on Saturday and a solid 8 hours of sleep that night, I was ready to knock out a long run bright and early. I fueled up the requisite coffee, banana, whole wheat toast, and nutella (a.k.a. the best thing in the world).

Before my run, I assembled all of the essentials: metrocard, cash, keys, ipod, and luna moons (on the run fuel!).

And then the run began! I ended up running for 2 hours and 15 minutes, approximately 16 miles. Didn’t intend to go this long, but I was feelin’ good, so I went with it. The first 6 miles were with Alma and then the rest were solo. I forgot the charge my battery on my Nike+, so this run could have been anywhere between 15 and 16 miles, but I’m going to call it 16 because I don’t think I was going very slow. Midway through the run I timed the uphill mile in Central Park (W. 72nd – W. 88th) and it was 8:00, seems hard to believe I was running that fast of a pace, but maybe? At the 2 hour mark I ran what felt like “half-marathon” pace for about a mile. I have no idea what kind of pace it actually was (7:30 pace….maybe), but it felt HARD. I stashed some water in the park and had a few swigs of that around mile 11. I also ate some luna moons throughout the latter half of the run. The sugar really helped my energy levels. My right hip and IT band are a little tight now, but no problems during the run. Also, it was a beautiful sunny day. Huzzah for good long runs!

As soon as I walked in the door I started making a pot of oatmeal. I multi-tasked by stretching my IT band while I waited for the oats to cook

I made oats in a jar - rolled oats, 1% milk, chopped apple, chocolate chips, and brown sugar were cooked on the stove and then transferred to an almost empty jar of Crazy Richard’s peanut butter. Perfecto!

Awhile later I was in need of a snack. I was feelin’ a little lazy, so I grabbed a box of Kashi Go Lean Crunch and went to town. I probably had about 2 servings (that’s a lot of fiber, yo!) while I read a book in bed. Since I’ve increased my mileage and workout intensity, I’ve noticed a few changes in how I’m feeling. For example, I am definitely requiring more sleep than usual. Yesterday I took a 2 hour nap and today I snoozed between 2-3pm. Naps are one of my favorite ways to recover from a long run!

After I roused myself from my nap, I was a busy bee cleaning the kitchen floor, finishing up a writing assignment, and foam rolling my tight IT band. Before I knew it, it was time to meet Agnes for a 5pm yoga class. After all that pre-nap Kashi I wasn’t feeling too hungry, so I didn’t pack a snack. BIG MISTAKE. I often experience bouts of hypoglycemia and running high mileage seems to exacerbate it a bit. By the time I exited the subway and was en route to the yoga studio, my blood sugar was starting to drop. Luckily, I was able to buy a Snickers almond bar and I inhaled it in about 60 sec0nds. I started feeling better almost immediately (sugar!!). As much fun as it is to gobble down candy, the shaky, lightheaded feeling I get from low blood sugar is NOT fun. The weirdest thing is that the drop in blood sugar comes on very suddenly – in fact I never even feel hungry. I just go from being fine to “get out of my way and give me some food right.this.minute!” Bah, this is something I’m still trying to figure out – it makes marathon training tough!

After the Snickers bar I was feeling much, much better and went on to have a great yoga practice. My stiff hip flexors really appreciated all of the stretching that we did. Along with higher mileage comes more tightness! The 5pm class at Yoga to the People is such a great way to end the weekend. Love it.

After a little Trader Joe’s pit stop, I came home to make a mexican-themed salad. My fruit & veggie intake was a little sparse today, so I loaded up a bowl with romaine lettuce, alfafa sprouts, salsa, cottage cheese, and organic corn tortilla chips. And then more tortilla chips straight outta the bag because they were so good!

Check out the latest article on Running Shorts – why you should keep a running log.

If you had to gobble down a candy bar what kind would it be?? (Sometimes I think candy bars aren’t much different from fancy energy bars and they’re usually cheaper!)

When I heard NYC was in for a day of blizzard-like conditions, I suggested to Alma that we do our run first thing on Wednesday morning. The storm was only supposed to get worse as the day wore on, so after I downed some coffee and a banana, we headed out into the early morning snow.

The first 20 minutes weren’t so bad – the footing wasn’t great in Central Park, but it was manageable, but then we turned around. Anddd for the next 2 miles our faces were blasted with icy wind and sleet. Mmm, good morning.  The baseball caps were lifesavers in the wind! We ended up running a very slow and snowy 4 miles, but it felt good to get it done.

Surprisingly, I made it to work without incident (yay, underground public transportation!) and chowed down on the usual cafeteria breakfast: scrambled egg whites with sriracha sauce and Eli’s health bread with pb&j. Prepare yourselves – I had sriracha sauce three times today. Obsessed with that stuff.

Mid-morning snack was some hot herbal tea (my throat is feelin’ scratchy, boo) and a chobani greek yogurt.

As a reward for braving the snow, my work gave everyone free lunch in the cafeteria. Hooray! I ordered my usual salad: romaine lettuce, shredded carrots, mushrooms, onions, chickpeas, feta cheese, croutons, a sampling of potato gnocchi stew, and SRIRACHA sauce. Yum, love it.

Annndddd pop chips:

Around 3pm I was able to leave the office (snow day early closure, woo!). When I arrived at my apartment, I fully intended to use the afternoon to organize papers, start my taxes, and do other grown-up-y things. Instead, I ate chocolate and took a 3-hour nap. Whoops.

I woke up around 6:30pm, still dressed in work attire and totally confused. What time is it? What day is it? Ugh. Grog. Once the nap fog lifted, it was dinner time! Alma roasted butternut squash with olive oil, onions, and rosemary so I put some of that atop a bed of romaine lettuce and topped with dried cherries and MORE sriracha sauce. Weird combo, but it was good, I swear.

Dinner part #2 was blue corn tortilla chips with melted cheese and some refried beans. Healthy nachos – get in my belly! They were good.

And then I made (and ate) spicy caramel popcorn from scratch. Delicious. Recipe soon, I promise!

Ok, it’s after midnight and this gal has got to get to bed!

What’s your favorite way to eat popcorn? Plain? With chili powder? Lots of buttah?

Anddddd Valentines Day – love it or hate it? My cat is going to be my valentine this year. Try not to be too jealous.

Brr, it’s been a chilly weekend here in the big apple. I just finished running the NYRR Gridiron 4-miler and am feelin’ good! This was the first time I raced hard since I was injured over a year ago and it was a big confidence booster. But more on that later…

Yesterday was a day full of good eats and rest. After 8.5 hours of sleep on Friday night, I woke up ready for a quickie breakfast and a yoga class. I didn’t have any coffee beans on hand, so I tried the new Starbucks VIA instant coffee. I was a little skeptical, but it was actually decent! I don’t think I’d have this every day, but it’s a good option if you’re traveling. Along with my coffee I had a banana and Brown Cow maple flavored yogurt. Mmm, whole milk yogurt is so delicious.

And then I met some of my lady friends for a 10am class at yoga to the people. Obviously, I did not take a photo in class, but the studio looks like this:

Even though my gym offers yoga classes, I still prefer the yttp studio. FYI – even if you don’t live in Northern California or NYC, you can try out a yttp podcast!

After getting our yoga on, we headed to Atlas Cafe in the East Village. This little restaurant had an amazing array of menu options – I was a little overwhelmed! I ended up getting the smoked salmon and avocado sandwich on multi-grain bread. I don’t usually eat fish, but I was feeling like I could use a little omega-3’s in my life. The sandwich was delicious and fairly inexpensive by Manhattan standards.

Afterwards, we headed over to Momofuku milk bar for some COOKIES! I was tempted by the crack pie (toasted oat crust with gooey butter filling), but decided to go with the compost cookie (pretzel, potato chips, coffee, oats, butterscotch, and chocolate chips).

Oh lord. This was one of the BEST cookies I’ve ever had. Next time I’m buying two. Thanks to my friend Ani for the great recommendation

I had dinner plans with my friend Joe at a little restaurant in Hell’s Kitchen. My pre-race dinner was a little unconventional, but it hit the spot. I ordered the warm spinach salad: fresh spinach leaves, sauteed onions and mushrooms, LOTS of croutons and a balsamic vinegar reduction. I also had a whole grain roll and butter with my salad – gotta get in those carbohydrates

I had planned on being social after dinner, but the cold and wind convinced me to stay home and hibernate under the covers. Oh winter.

I finished up the night with half a pint some mint chocolate chip goat milk ice cream, netflix, and an early bedtime

Waking up early to go running is never easy, but when it’s 17 degrees it’s particularly difficult…

Ah well, I just have to remind myself that I run and race for FUN! When I look at racing as something I get to do, rather than something I have to do, my mindset is a lot more positive

I had the usual pre-race breakfast around 7:30am – coffee, banana with peanut butter, and 1/2 clif bar. Andddd I finally broke out my hand warmers. These things are lifesavers if you have poor circulation (like moi) and they’re only 99 cents!

Alma and I warmed up for about 30 minutes (ran from our apartment to the starting line) and after a quick bathroom break, it was race time! I’ve run some races as “workouts”, but today’s 4-miler was the first time I raced hard in awhile. I was shooting for 7:00 pace and finished a little under, so I’m pretty happy. Miles 1 and 3 were slower than I would have liked (maybe because of the hills), but other than that things went as expected. Also, I was really excited to meet a blog reader at the finish line. Hi Jacqui!

• Mile 1 – 7:11
• Mile 2 – 6:57
• Mile 3 – 7:10
• Mile 4 – 6:40
• Total: 4 miles in 27:57 (6:59 pace)

After the race I was feeling really good (probably a sign I should have gone faster!), so I added on some miles to make today a “long run day”. My cool down was about 50 minutes long bringing me to about 13 miles for the day. Only 6 weeks till the NYC 1/2 marathon!

After a long hot shower I refueled with some pumpkin-apple-chocolate chip oatmeal. I’m already hungry again – off to go eat some more!

Even though it’s February (and f-r-e-e-z-i-n-g in the Northeast!), it’s never too cold for a smoothie! Matt and I posted our favorite recipes on True/Slant – check it out

What’s your favorite smoothie combination?

With all the recipes I’ve been posting lately, I bet you’re wondering if I’m actually doing any running. Well, the answer is yes! I had my second physical therapy session yesterday and while I’m a bit overwhelmed with all of the strengthening exercises I need to do everyday, my back is feeling much better.

I was feeling so good, that I decided to attempt a road workout with my running club. The Central Park Track Club meets every Thursday evening around 7pm to run road workouts. I like that the late start allows us working gals enough time to get to practice, but I’m always STARVING once I finish the run and return home (~9pm). Yesterday I decided to try something a little different. In lieu of my afternoon snack, I decided to have a small dinner before practice. Dinner #1 was eaten around 4pm:

I hit up the Whole Foods salad bar and filled a small container with romaine lettuce, heritage bean salad, bit of Morrocan turkey salad, a piece of lemon tempeh, and a piece of sweet and sour tofu.

I also had a slice of protein packed cheesecake. This tasted delicious and it was reasonably healthy, but it did NOT sit well during the workout. Note to self: stick to quick-digesting carbs before fast runs. Usually I have a stomach of steel when it comes to easy runs, but whenever I pick up the pace I have to be very careful. I try to stay away from yogurt, (too much) peanut butter, and eggs pre-race. All are a bit too protein heavy for hard efforts. However, these foods are great after racing or running fast since your muscles need protein for recovery.

Despite falling temperatures and some serious wind, the workout went pretty well!

3.25 mile warm-up (ran from my apartment, probably a little too quickly because I was running late!)
1.5 miles in 10:17 (6:51 pace)
.5 mile recovery
1 mile in approx. 6:48 – wasn’t sure where the mile marker was, so this is probably a little off.
.25 mile recovery
.8 mile in 5:20 (6:40 pace)
2 mile cool-down

Total: 9.25 miles

The faster intervals felt tough, but I had a good group to run with (BIG turnout last night!) and even led a few of the reps. Unfortunately I didn’t know where the mile repeat ended, so I think I made my group run a little long. whoops.

Back felt mostly good, left hip yelped a little bit during the .8 mile segment, but felt fine on the cooldown.

I was f-r-e-e-z-i-n-g by the time I got home and my stomach was not feeling great (oh cheesecake…), so I sipped on some hot  ginger tea.

Eventually, I was ready for dinner #2: plain oikos greek yogurt, chopped apple, Tbs peanut butter, and Nature’s Path peanut butter granola (the best kind ever!).

Last night I returned home to find a special delivery: Eat With Me t-shirts! My friend Matt has a great food blog that features mouth-watering photos and a special series on Italian food and wine. Take a look at his site and maybe you can score a shirt of your own – I hear there’s a give-a-way in the works!

Love the back of the shirt!

Check out my latest True/Slant article – Who stole my Boston marathon spot??

How do you motivate yourself to go running when it’s cold and dark?

When my alarm went off at 6:15am on Saturday morning, it was cold and dark. Very dark. Did I really agree to go running this early?? Yes. Yes, I did. And it turned out to be the BEST decision of the day!

I fueled up for my run with a sliced banana and a big spoonful of peanut butter.

And then a Frida mug full o’ coffee. Still no sun…

After about 30 minutes for digestion, I headed outside and started running towards Central Park. After a few miles, I saw Katherine’s smiling face. Yay, running buddy! Together, we did a big loop of the Park (6 miles) and then added on some bridle path (2 miles). When I looked down at my watch I couldn’t believe we had been running for nearly 10 miles – all of our gabbing made the time fly by! After saying my goodbyes, I continued my run around the Reservoir, Harlem Meer, and finally finished up in Morningside Park. All in all, I ran 16.5 miles in about 2 hours, 27 minutes. The pace felt relaxed and easy the whole time and my legs felt GOOD. My IT band gets a little twinge-y sometimes, but it never really becomes painful. However, next time I run this long I will be bringing or stashing water along the route. 16.5 miles = thirsty girl. Today’s run makes 57 miles of running in 7 days, huzzah! Injury, I think I have conquered you.

For your entertainment, this is how I felt post-run:

After a brief stretch, I got cookin’ in the kitchen. On the stove top I made a pot of oats:

• 1/2 cup rolled oats, milk, water
• chopped apple
• dash of cinnamon, brown sugar, and salt

Once this was done cooking, I poured the oats into a nearly empty peanut butter jar and added two squares of dark chocolate (antioxidants!) on top.

Mmm, oats in a jar is the perfect way to get every last bit of peanut butter!

Umm, and since 16 miles is a long way, I was still hungry. I mixed about a cup of non-fat greek yogurt with a Tbs of homemade apple butter and a sprinkle of Kashi Go Lean. Protein-packed!

My attempts at napping were unsuccessful, but I did complete some freelance writing and sweep/mop the floors. Productive, yes? Since it was snowing, sleeting, and windy outside, I stayed snug as a bug in my apartment for the rest of Saturday. Around 4pm, I got hungry for a late lunch – it was a repeat of Friday’s potato & garlic soup with triscuits and a laughing cow cheese wedge. Mmm, salty. Perfect for after a sweaty long run.

I spent the rest of the night being a bum, watching movies (LOVED Broken English), and making enchiladas! I made this recipe up as I went along, so it’s a true Megan original.

Megan’s Running Enchiladas

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 4 whole wheat 8″ tortillas
• 1 can enchilada sauce
• 1/4 cup salsa
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 4 oz. shredded monterrey jack or colby cheese (I used string cheese x 4!)
• 1/4 cup sliced olives
• sliced avocado, more salsa, sour cream for serving

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and saute the onion in a small pan for about 5-7 minutes
• Pour 1/2 the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a square baking dish
• Lay tortillas flat on a plate and distribute the cooked onions, beans, salsa, and 1/2 of the cheese evenly amongst them. Roll up the tortillas and place them seam-side down in the baking pan.
• Pour the remaining enchilada sauce on top and add the sliced olives and the rest of the cheese.
• Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes, remove foil and cook for another 10 minutes or so.
• Serve with diced avocado, extra salsa, and sour cream (or plain greek yogurt!)

I finished off the evening with the last two Nantucket cookies and some un-pictured candy cane kisses ala Holly.

What should Santa bring you this year? Check out the holiday wishlists for runners that Matt and I compiled for our latest True/Slant post.

Would anyone like to bake me these chocolate-hazelnut sandwich cookies? They look SO good!

Question: What was the best present you ever received? Mine was my Kitchenaid stand mixer (thanks Mom!).

Phew, what a day! Currently, I’m typing away from my family’s house in Pennsylvania because I’m on vacation from work for the next week. Woo-hoo!

I woke up at the usual time this morning (wish I could sleep past 7am on a Saturday…) and after the usual 1/2 decaf coffee, I fueled with a sliced apple, Tbs peanut butter, and some seltzer.

And then it was time for a run! I ended up running a glorious 12 miles in Central Park this morning and felt pretty damn amazing the whole time. Hooray! I ran from my apartment to Columbus Circle (~3 miles) and then met up with Mayumi and Katherine for another 5 or so miles. After I said farewell to my running buddies, I headed back uptown and finished 12 miles in 1 hour, 46 minutes (~8:50 pace). I felt relaxed the whole time (well except for when I was chugging up Harlem Hill) and my IT band was only a little annoying today. I couldn’t believe how fast the miles flew by today – must have been the fabulous company

After a quick stretch + shower, I fueled up with a greek yogurt (15G’s of protein, count it) and a handful of dried plums (aka PRUNES). Yes, I like prunes. No, I’m not 79 years old.

And then…a very exciting brunch! I met a group of Wesleyan ‘07 grads at a West Village brunch spot called Good Restaurant. After a bit of a wait, I think we were all ready to chow down. We started off with a basket of homemade breads to share – pumpkin spice, pear crumble, and cheddar cornbread (tasted like cheese nips!).

I tried a bite of each along with a glass of fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice.

It was a lot of fun to dine with fellow food lovers! Mo’s lemon ricotta pancakes looked delicious.

Agnes and Bill entertained us while we waited for the food to arrive -

And then finally, it was time to EAT! I ordered the “eggs any style” plate: scrambled eggs, home fries, and mixed greens (and a slice of toast that I was too full to eat). The eggs were SO light, fluffy, and flavorful. I think they were cooked in lots of butter (or crack) -  quite possibly the best scrambled eggs I’ve ever had! The home fries were good too, but pretty standard.

I was really diggin’ the pumpkin decor.

And today’s special bruch guest – Matt from Eat with Me! Matt was in NYC for the weekend and after months of reading and commenting on each other’s blogs, we finally got to meet.

Since my mom was nice enough to drive in to the city to come pick me up, I had to high-tail it home and get ready to go. Before we hit the road, I needed snack (running 12 miles will do that to a girl…). I toasted up a multi-grain vitamuffin and topped it with homemade apple butter. On the side I mixed up Pom juice and seltzer and had a handful of roasted pumpkin seeds.

Ok I have a question for you all: After I cut open my lil pumpkin to make risotto, I roasted the seeds (15 minutes at 350 degrees, tossed in a bit of canola oil and chili powder). However, they didn’t taste or look like the pumpkin seeds you can buy in the store (the ones that are usually green). Did I roast the seeds correctly? They seemed awfully “tough” and chewy to me. Was it OK to eat the casing of the seed? Eh, I only had a small handful because I wasn’t sure.

When mom and I were about half-way to Pennsylvania, we stopped for gas. Since dinner was still hours away, I was in need of another snack. The gas station had a so-so selection and I settled on this slightly questionable bottle of protein-enhanced low-fat chocolate milk. It was actually pretty tasty – it seems like a scoop of chocolate protein powder was mixed with the milk. I’m just not sure I’m crazy about the name – “Rocket Refuel” makes me feel like a cartoon character or something.

By the time we finally made it home, I was one hungry lady. I tossed together some salads for mom and me: romaine lettuce, sliced avocado, baked sugar snap peas, and yogurt-based thousand island dressing. The dressing was very rich and creamy, but only 60 cals per 2 Tbs serving! I’m not in the habit of counting calories, but if you are – this thousand island dressing is a very good option.

And then 2 small-ish slices of veggie pizza. Yum.

My eyes are getting pretty heavy, so I think an early bedtime is in order. But first I might have to sample the mini-cheesecake bites in the freezer…

Happy Weekend!

And in case you need more motivation to get movin’ – check out this NY Times article on why exercise makes you less anxious. A very interesting read, indeed!

In college, I used to dread Sundays. I would wake up around noon (still feeling the effects of Saturday night partying) and have a ton of things to do before the day ended: papers to write, chapters to read, lab reports to finish, a long run with the cross-country/track team, and maybe some laundry.  But over the past few years, Sunday has become my favorite day of the week. I’m a total Grandma and don’t really stay out late anymore, so waking up at a decent hour is no problem. I’ve also learned to love long runs because they’ve become something I want to do rather than something I have to do. Oh, and I don’t have homework anymore. That’s pretty sweet! So I’ve decided,  Sunday is my new favorite day!

Favorite day started off with a walk to Dunkin’ Donuts for a latte lite. Love.

And then it was time for oats in a jar. I had about 1-2 Tbs of almond butter left at the bottom of the jar, so I made stovetop oats and then added the oats to the almond butter container. The hot oats melted the almond butter and everything mixed up quite nicely!

• 1/2 cup oats made with 1 cup water, splash of milk
• sea salt and cinnamon
• sliced banana
• 1-2 Tbs almond butter
• a few chocolate chips

My oats were perfect fuel for a long run! The weather was so amazing in NYC yesterday – sunny and 68 degrees when I set off for my run. I stopped around mile 6 to stretch out my ache-y IT band, but other than that I felt strong throughout my 12.5 mile run. I finished in 1 hour, 49 minutes which is about 8:45 per mile pace. If it weren’t for time constraints, I would have run longer! Love this weather. Can we just skip January, February, and March?

[source]

I foam rolled and stretched and then re-fueled!

• 1 cup plain Oikos greek yogurt
• chopped apple
• 1 Tbs peanut butter
• 1/2 Kashi crunchy granola bar

And a clif bar on the way out the door!

I met Katie for 5pm yoga and the same instructor from last week was teaching class. I love, love, love this teacher. Her core sequence is killer, but the deep stretches and the instructor’s mind-body philosophy more than make up for my sore abs. I don’t think it would be cool to take a camera into the studio, but I wanted you all to see what Yoga to the People looks like, so I pulled an image off of their site (thanks http://yogatothepeople.com). If you’re in the NYC, San Fran, or Berkeley areas, you have to check out this studio. I think the instructors are great and I love that the classes are donation based. Sometimes I have more money in the bank account, sometimes I have less, but I can always manage a donation for a yoga class. And that’s a very good thing.

[source]

*Note for those unfamilar with yoga: this photo makes it look like the class is worshipping an altar or something, but they’re really just in child’s pose (a gentle, resting pose).

After a quick stop at Trader Joe’s (madness on a Sunday evening!), I dashed home to start laundry and dinner. Before I got down to business, I had a small snack: 1/2 whole wheat sandwich thin with Greek olive hummus.

And then for the next 2 hours I cooked risotto. Yikes. This recipe was A LOT more labor intensive than I expected. The results were pretty good and I have a ton of leftovers, but I’m not sure I would do this again! But just in case you have a lot of time on your hands, I’ll post the recipe. Note: I improvised and used ingredients that I had on hand, so feel free to use different kinds of cheese, wine instead of beer, or arborio rice instead of brown.

Megan’s Pumpkin and Cheese Risotto (adapted from a Millenium Knickerbocker Hotel recipe)

Ingredients:

• 1 small onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1.5 Tbs olive oil
• puree of one small pumpkin
• 1/2 can of pure pumpkin puree
• 1 1/2 cups short grain brown rice (use arborio if you have it)
• 4 oz cottage cheese (or you could use goat cheese)
• 2 laughing cow lite cheese wedges (or you could use Parmesan cheese)
• 5 cups hot water (or chicken stock)
• 1/2 cup beer
• bay leaf
• 1/4 tsp pepper, 1 Tbs salt
• 1 Tbs butter

Directions:

• Steep bay leaf in 5 cups of very hot water.
• Heat olive oil in large pot and saute rice, onions, and pumpkin until onions are translucent and rice has nutty aroma.
• Add garlic and saute briefly.
• Add beer and deglaze the pan.
• Remove bay leaf from hot water and discard.
• While stirring rice mixture with a wooden spoon (vigorously!), add one cup of hot water at a time until rice absorbs all water.
• This is where I started to freak out – my risotto was taking a very long time to cook. I was stirring and stirring and going to the laundry mat to pick up my laundry stirring non-stop for nearly 50 minutes before everything started to come together. I realized this was because I used brown rice and the original recipe uses white arborio rice which has a much shorter cooking time. This is what I get for trying to be healthy…
• Anyway, after your rice has finally absorbed the water and is al dente (soft, but chewy), add the canned pumpkin, salt, pepper, and cheese.
• Before serving, add Tbs butter and stir until melted.
• Allow the risotto to sit for a minute or so before serving and then enjoy over spinach or mixed greens.

After dishes and laundry folding, I was ready to pack it in. Phew, what a night of domesticity!

I finished up my Sunday with an episode of Mad Men, a glass of milk, and 2 white chocolate pumpkin cookies. Perfect.

Don’t love running? Neither did Matt until he discovered the beauty of the trails. Check out the new Running Shorts article on True/Slant for the whole story!

Cursing the alarm clock every morning? Read these tips for getting the restorative sleep you need.

Question: What’s the most labor intensive thing you’ve ever cooked or baked?

I did it! This morning was the Grete’s Gallop 1/2 marathon in Central Park and the longest run I’ve done since the Boston Marathon in April. As most of you know, I’ve been dealing with a pretty serious hamstring injury since the winter and tried nearly everything (chiropractors, acupuncture, trigger point therapy, etc) to get some relief. For the past 6 weeks or so I’ve been able to run (mostly) without pain and have begun building mileage again. My hamstring (and IT band) still aren’t perfect, but they are getting better. Back in June I couldn’t even run 3 miles and now I can run a 1/2 marathon with minimal discomfort. I’m pretty sure this is something I’ll need to stay on top of (rest, foam rolling, yoga) for a long time, but at least I’m running again!

Today’s race was very important to me for several reasons: Grete’s Gallop was the first race I did once I moved to New York City in 2007, it was the race where Alma and I met (and became friends!) back in 2008, and this year it marks my return from injury. I finished today’s race in 1:54:35 which is 18 minutes slower that my 1/2 marathon PR (1:36:38), but I honestly couldn’t be happier. I am SO thankful to be running (and racing?) again and I know if I’m smart about training, I’ll regain my fitness someday soon.

But, let’s back track to my pre-run eats…

In the spirit of being economical (just bought a new macbook, ugh), I ate very inexpensively on Friday. Breakfast used up some more Nature’s Pride 12 grain bread topped with peanut butter, honey, and a sliced banana.

Lunch was leftover brown rice, pinto beans, sauteed spinach & onion, and soy sauce.

I also made a lunch time visit to the Union Square Farmer’s Market to pick up some Autumn decorations (I plan on using the dried corn to make popcorn later on).

There was so much gorgeous local produce – I wanted to buy it all!

Friday afternoon snack was a Stonyfield Farm yogurt with some dried cherries and peanut butter chips.

I was craving comfort food for dinner, so I whipped up a bowl of oatmeal (quality carbs, mmmm).

• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup water
• chopped apple
• chopped prunes
• cinnamon
• dash of brown sugar
• A LOT of peanut butter (pre-run fueling!)

I spent the rest of the evening baking up some goodies for tomorrow’s house-warming party and catching up on my favorite TV shows.

Saturday = 1/2 marathon day!

I was up by 6:30am and started the day with 1/2 cup of coffee. Pre-race breakfast was two slices of 12-grain bread topped with mashed banana and honey. With a tall glass of water!

About an hour before the race I had 1/2 luna bar and then I carried a power gel to have around the 8-mile mark.

The race began promptly at 9am and my teammate Ani kept me company for the first 7 miles or so. I wanted to start off veryyyy conservatively, because I hadn’t run longer than 11 miles in many months. My first 6 mile lap around Central Park was right around 9:05/mile pace and then at the half way point I tried to pick it up a bit. I felt strong and controlled the entire 13 miles and my last 2 miles were around 7:30/mile pace. Yahoo! I was very, very happy to finish this 1/2 marathon in 1:54:35 (8:44/mile pace). Being injured and having to take a break from running was very difficult. I don’t think I will ever take running for granted again. Here’s hoping foam rolling, yoga, and careful training keep me pain free!

I chugged some Gatorade at the finish and then headed over to the post-race Norwegian festival for some food: 1/2 bagel and goat cheese spread

Big props to Alma – she had an amazing race today and ran a HUGE PR – 1:32:31!

After a MUCH needed shower (humidity does not do nice things to my hair…) I heated up some brown rice & beans and added some spicy hummus and a laughing cow cheese wedge. Lots of protein and quality carbs in this dish – I will try to eat some vegetables later today

And finally – dessert! After I ran Grete’s in 2007 I had a special cookie from Levain Bakery. Today seemed like a good day to go back These cookies are nearly 1/2 lb and are amazingly good, but they are probably only a “once in a great while” treat!

I had half of my dark chocolate-peanut butter chip cookie and have plans to devour the rest sometime this weekend:

Ok, I’m off to go clean and prepare for tonight’s house-warming PARTY!

Have a great weekend!

Have you ever seen that episode of Sex & the City where Carrie’s computer dies and she freaks out? Yep, that was me on Sunday night. My 2.25 yr old Apple Mac Book was running a little bit slower than usual, but other than that everything was A-OK. Then in the middle of writing an email I got the “spinning color wheel of death” and was unable to force quit. I shut down, but only saw a scary blinking file folder/question mark upon restart. After 2 frustrating hours of trying to re-install the operating system software, run disk utilities, and re-setting the PRAM I still had no result.

I was lucky enough to snag a 1pm appointment with the Apple genius bar in SoHo the next day (usually you have to wait a few days for an appt), but the Mac tech had some bad news for me: “Your hard-drive failed and we can’t recover the data”. Uggggh. I could have replaced the hard-drive for a couple hundred dollars, but I put a lot of wear and tear on my laptop these past few years and I was worried that I’d have to buy a new machine in a few months anyway.

Soooo….I bit the bullet and left the store with a brand new Mac Book Pro (plus 3 years of Apple care extended warranty!). This was a pretty hefty investment and my bank account is NOT happy right now, but a laptop is essential to my life  and I know I’ll get my money’s worth. However, I’m going to be watching my budget veryyyy carefully over the next few monthes. It’s a good thing I like pb&j!

Photo courtesy of my cell phone camera. Can’t believe I just bought a new laptop.  Ahhhh!

Anyway, here’s hoping Tuesday will be a better (and less expensive day)! I started the morning off with my usual cup of coffee and a mini lemon zest luna bar. I love the little snack size bars!

About 7:30am, Alma and I headed out for a run in Central Park. The weather was a bit chilly, but once we started to sweat the breeze felt nice. My legs felt pretty stiff (between Saturday and Sunday I ran 17 miles…), but otherwise I felt OK. We finished our 8 mile run in 1 hour, 13 minutes (a bit over 9:00/mile pace).

After a bit of foam rolling and the quickest shower ever, it was off to work!

Gulped lots of water on the subway and then threw together a quick breakfast at my desk: a container of Stonyfield plain yogurt, 1/4 cup raisins, 1/2 banana, and a cup or so of Kashi cinnamon Heart-2-Heart.

Plus, an adora calcium supplement! I don’t always mention it, but I usually have two of these 500mg calcium + vitamin D + vitamin K supplements per day. Tastes just like chocolate

A visit from Mr. Softee – A miraculous milkshake?

From the NY Times: Probiotics, Health or Hype?

Attention New Yorker readers: Would you be interested in meeting up on Saturday evening?? Assuming I survive the 1/2 marathon that morning, I have a little event planned for the evening hours:-)

Send me an email: runnerskitchen@gmail.com