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What I did while not running. Holiday Highlights

With the late start to holiday preparations due to the marathon, I’m feeling that the holiday season came and went a little too fast.  Through this period I interspersed the fun times with the fun of running 40+ mile weeks.  Since my five days of rest following the marathon on December 5th, I’ve run every day.

We were all off between Christmas and January 3rd.  Our son Steven was home from Kitchener-Waterloo where he is an intern at Research in Motion.

Christmas morning

Much of December 24th was spent preparing for our family dinner and we ended our day by attending midnight mass at St. Basil’s church.

Present-ation plus

You Are Not a Gadget by Jaron Lanier

Ready to roll

Rolling the chocolate roll

Nearly 7 hours for a 22 pound stuffed bird

Christmas dinner was well enjoyed by all and we gathered round the fireplace, oops, I meant computer to see a slide show put together for grandpa’s birthday celebration.

Watching family slide show

Boxing Day was spent relaxing and eating leftovers including a lot of cocktail shrimp and a melted brie and maple-pecan appetizer. We ate turkey for five days straight.

On the 27th we ventured out with two nieces, a nephew, our son and his girlfriend to see Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas, a modern fairy tale, at the Bell Lightbox Theatre.  Afterward we enjoyed snacks at the OB Cafe which is part of the impressive TIFF-Bell Lightbox complex.

Our crew, prepared for the 3-D version of Nightmare Before Christmas with 3-D glasses

Entrance to MOMA exhibit of Tim Burton's oeuvre

Unidentified civil servant still craving sweets despite holiday excesses

Snacks at the OB Cafe on site at Bell Lightbox

We drank a lot of Stumptown Roasters coffee at home and at LIT Espresso Bar on College street. On December 28th I ventured out into the wilds of Boxing week sales with a trip to MEC and Europe Bound. I did not find what I was looking for however did drop into LUSH and took advantage of their sale prices. Apart from the fun atmosphere and great sale at LUSH, I found the shopping expedition vaguely depressing, un-festive and decided to stay away from the shops, and have only visited grocery stores since.

Stumptown coffee at LIT espresso bar

Groceries for Japanese rice dish Maze Gohan

We shopped at PAT, the Asian grocery store in Little Korea to pick up supplies for our family New Year’s dinner as each family member usually prepares a Japanese or Asian dish.  While preparing a rather complicated rice dish called Maze Gohan, we watched a remastered version of a Luchino Visconti classic, The Leopard. This version recently became available and my husband had put it on hold at the library and had finally made it to the front of the waiting list. Three cheers for the Toronto Public Libraries! Visconti is best known for the film, Death in Venice. The Leopard features an outstanding performance by Burt Lancaster with the orginal Italian version using a dubbed voice and an English version featuring all of him.

Friends had kindly invited us to their default New Year’s eve party at their friend’s place in the Beaches.  Since our son and our roommate Alain were hosting a New Year’s eve party at our house, we decided to stay at a B&B in the Beaches on Balsam avenue, the Balsam Beach Inn, 6-7 blocks from the party in the beach and give “the boys” their own space.  We were in the two-bedroom upper suite and were quite charmed by our quarters.

B&B on Balsam Avenue in the Beach

B&B on Balsam Avenue in the Beach

 

Blogging at the B&B on New Year's Eve

Fabulous cookie treats made by our New Year's Eve hostess

Unidentified couple (not us!) participating in three-legged race on the boardwalk

The highlights of the party included; beef brisket (smoked meat) from Montreal, a test of sobriety on the beach which involved walking along wooden barricades, partially sunk into the sand, three-legged races along the boardwalk, an outstanding selection of homemade cookies and dancing to a range of hits including Poker Face, the Clash and local heroes from the past, Teenage Head (I kid you not middle-aged Torontonians). The teenagers present showed great tolerance to the dance antics of the adults.  I overheard one discussing what songs might keep the grown-ups on the dance floor.

Maze Gohan

New Year's cookie selection

We made it back to our B&B around 2:30 a.m., and set a record for sleeping in due to the utter quiet and the light-shading drapes. I think the last time I slept past 11 a.m. was as a teen. In just under 30 minutes we brewed our Stumptown coffee, packed up and were on the road as we had mass to attend and food to cook. My plan to start the year with a run along the beach while thwarted did not feel as much of a disappointment as the morning was grey and foggy and you could not see the water from the beach.

We had a wonderful dinner at my sister’s home in Richmond Hill. I’m sure it had been a busy day for her as she is the mother of an 8, 6, 4 and 2 year old. In spite of her busy life as a mom she runs every other day and plays hockey. Over the holidays one of her teams competed in a tournament. I ended my evening with triple servings of dessert and a large can of Poppycock on my lap. Having decided to make the most of the season’s end I munched away with abandon.

Poppycock, discovered on New Year's by me, former Cracker Jack aficionado

My husband asked me to move away from him as he too was hooked and was annoyed that I did not comply with this request, leaving him to rely to his own self-control devices 🙂 It was my first encounter with Poppycock and I woke the next morning wondering where I might buy some.

Those who fear snakes were made a little uneasy by the prized gift of one of our six year old nieces, as shown below.  And, for the record, we have 3 six year old nieces.

I got a western hognose snake for Christmas!

We had talked about going to see True Grit and The Social Network but somehow the days flew by and we did not make it to either.

 

Reindeer ensemble, a treasured gift from our son's girlfriend, Thuy

On Monday we drove our son back to K-W and had our final holiday dinner there.  It was very nice to have him home and we miss him but our nest is not quite empty as we have his friend and now our special friend, Alain home with us.  Happy New Year!

 

Farewell dinner in K-W

“For I dance
And drink and sing,
Till some blind hand Shall brush my wing.”

William Blake



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Carrots, the breakfast of champions

If you started your day with a chocolate, raise your hand please.  And carrots?

Today is the day that I try and remember how bad it feels to overeat with the inevitable sluggishness, torpor and lethargy that follows. I did well in the early part of yesterday with a mandarin orange, banana, YOP yogurt drink, grapefruit juice but after my late-morning run I had a large turkey dinner and finished off with more than half of a fair sized chocolate bar. The fatigue of overeating ensued and I had to take a little nap. Bonking on a blood sugar high is not the way I really want to spend my time.

Heading out for a run in High Park

Busted!

For the third time in the past seven days I ran with my Saturday pals. This may be a record for us. I appreciated their availability as I find it far more difficult to get out the door when I have all day to run.  Too much choice seems to  lead to much procrastination. I resisted a momentary urge to have chocolate before my run and returned from my 7 miles with thoughts of a healthy breakfast.

Carrots for breakfast, yum!

Earlier this month I learned of a Carrot Cake Oatmeal recipe from a friend’s blog Frugal ‘n’ Fit, who learned of it from another food blog called Oh She Glows. I have always been an oatmeal lover and my early days of marathoning involved double bowls of oatmeal for breakfast. Here is my adapted version of the recipe with a holiday twist.

Holiday Carrot Cake Oatmeal

Holiday Carrot Cake Oatmeal (adapted from Carrot Cake Oatmeal)

* 1 cup regular oats
* 2 cup almond milk (or any other type of milk)
* 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
* 2 large carrot, finely grated (1 heaping cup)
* 2 tbsp whipping cream or coffee cream
* 1/2-1 tsp ground cinnamon, to taste
* 1/4 tsp ground ginger
* 1/8th tsp ground nutmeg
* Pinch of kosher salt
* 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
* 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
* 2 tbsp crushed walnuts, divided
* 1/4 C. coffee cream or whipped cream + 2 tablespoons maple syrup (to drizzle on top)
* Shredded coconut, for garnish
* Cinnamon, for garnish
* Raisins and coarsely chopped pecans, for garnish

Lynn’s Cranberry Sauce
Add one bag cranberries, zest of one orange and juice of two oranges to a microwavable dish. Microwave at high for 10 minutes and then at medium for 5 minutes. Add sugar to taste (1 cup or more).

Directions: Finely grate the large carrot to yield 1 heaping cup of grated carrots, using the fine grate, so carrot shreds are very small.

In a medium sized pot over medium heat, add almond milk, lemon juice, and cream. Stir well. Add spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger) and salt. Stir until mixed.

Stir in grated carrots and oats. Adjust heat if necessary or reduce heat to low if mixture boils. Cook about 8 minutes, stirring frequently. When mixture has thickened, stir in vanilla extract and 2 tbsp of maple syrup. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl.

Top with pecans, raisins, coconut and a dollop of cranberry sauce. Mix cream + maple syrup mixture and drizzle over top. If desired, sprinkle with cinnamon to garnish.  3 servings

Homemade cranberry sauce goes with everything

The original version of this recipe calls for coconut cream instead of cream but we only had coconut milk in the house.  When my friend posted the recipe I commented that the original recipe is quite high in calories.  A whopping 1200 calories for one large serving.  I’ve doubled the recipe and consider it enough for 3 medium servings.  I would estimate that each serving has 700-800 calories which is still quite high but at least you get your carrots and ingredients that will metabolize more slowly than chocolate.

Happy breakfast!


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A marathoner’s holiday season diet

I stepped on the scale today and was pleased to see that my weight is in the right zone to ensure that my clothes fit comfortably. As someone who suffers from eczema, tight waistbands can trigger a round-the-waist rash. I have the good fortune to suffer the most minor of bodily insults due to running such as eczema triggered by my heartrate monitor strap and very dry and cracked skin on the heels. Others like my husband are not so lucky.

Crescent cookies, a favourite of family and friends

I ran 7 miles today with Saturday Run regulars. Thanks to holiday excess I woke late and felt fairly sluggish upon rising and throughout the morning. A sluggishness caused in part, no doubt by a diet that seems to be at least 50% percent sweets and chocolates. My breakfast was a few pieces of my mother’s stained glass torte, which is bits of green and red jello set in creamy mousse atop a crust of graham crackers. I indulged in several of the three types of cookies I’ve baked, a selection of chocolates from Chocolate Arts and a slice of chocolate ice cream cake. We have been living off the remains of the family Christmas dinner we hosted. I had turkey for lunch but thanks to all the sweet treats and much pate, I did not feel the need to have dinner.

My famous candy cane cookies

I hope to eat more healthily tomorrow, or at least for half of the day. Good luck to all in the quest for a balanced diet through the holidays. It is never too early or too late to become more active.


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Meals for Marathoners

Of all weeks, the two weeks prior to a marathon is when I most carefully watch what I eat.  There’s no point in carrying extra baggage for the 26.2 miles.  A staple for this period is my favourite healthy food, tabouli.  I really love this dish but it is a lot of work to cook the grains and chop the greens so I only make it for special occasions like pre-marathon week or parties.  Yesterday I made a double batch and will be taking this for lunch 3-4 days in a row.  It keeps very well.  I usually add the tomatoes day to day, as they are the one ingredient that does not keep well.

Tabouli with Wild Rice

Lynn’s Tabouli with Wild Rice

(a recipe with inspiration from Anne Lindsay’s Lighthearted Everyday Cooking and Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappé)

3/4 cup bulgur

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

3/4 cup wild rice, rinsed and drained

2 cups grape tomatoes, halved

3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

1 can chick peas

1/3 cup finely chopped green onion

Dressing

1/3 cup lemon juice

3 cloves garlic

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup olive oil

black pepper, to taste

Soak bulgur in 6 cups hot water for an hour.  Place cloth on the bottom of a colander and pour bulgur on the cloth.  Let drain and then gather the cloth and squeeze as much water as possible from the bulgur.  While bulgur is soaking, bring chicken stock and rice to a boil in a saucepan; cover and simmer fro 40-45 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.  Drain, if necessary; let cool.

In salad bowl, combine bulgur, rice, tomatoes, parsley, mint, green onion and chick peas.  Stir ingredients for dressing, pour over salad: stir to mix.   Cover and refrigerate until serving time or for up to 3 days.

That’s not to say that I won’t indulge in a bit of meat and potatoes.  My body craves protein and a bit of fat and my husband cooked up one of his best breakfasts ever on Sunday morning.  I was ravenous when he produced this winning breakfast spread.

Eggs, beef breakfast strips, bagel and home fries

Empire Sandy - Monday, November 29, 2010

As for the run today, well, I just love the freshness of these late fall mornings.  The Music Garden was decked out for the holidays, an enjoyable festive sight and dawn on the lake was as beautiful as ever.  I’ve said it once and I’ll say iit many times more, what better way to start the day. Sigh . . .

Music Garden in a holiday mood


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Downhill from here – Day 6

The up aide of not having companions for the run is that I was able to sleep in 90 minutes. One feature of my 5 a.m. rising time is that it factors in at least an hour, if not more, of coffee time before I head out the door for a run. I try and stick to this “at-least-one-hour” rule whenever possible.

Since rain was not on the horizon, I enjoyed taking my time gearing up for the long run. This can be a “slippery slope” of procrastination as one finds must-do errands like polishing the silver, suddenly arising. Generally, I find it a lot easier to get out the door when there are constraints to work around.

Running buddy and dog walker

My husband, knowing too well, the pitfalls of procrastination urged me on and we came up with a plan for him to merge his 30 minute run with my run. To ensure a successful co-joining, I took along my Blackberry. I left the house just after 9 a.m. and ran towards High Park. Once at the park, I ran counter-clockwise on the trails. Along this short section I ran into several people I know.

As I meandered along, listening to my audio-book, I was startled by a dog and let out a little scream. I looked up and there was a former running buddy, in his civvies, telling me that he had been yelling at me to warn me that being leapt at was imminent. We had a good chuckle and I took a photo of them.
A few minutes later I ran into someone else, I stopped and told her that I am working for an organization that she used to work for. We exchanged stories, which was interesting and enlightening.

A favourite section of High Park trail

A few others, ran by and waved, notably a woman my age, who I used to run with quite a bit. I stopped, and turned but she ran on, a runner with a “train to catch”. We did the Boston marathon one year, it was her first and I remember feeling bad that she got an XL t-shirt as she is a tiny person. Too bad to get there and not have a wearable memento.

Then out to the lake and just as I spotted the assigned meeting spot, I also saw my husband pulling in with the car. He had some gatorade for me, I fueled up and then we headed west on the boardwalk to the Humber River spit.

Husband runs Humber River spit

We ran 30 minutes through the most scenic part of the run, the Palace Pier bridge, the Butterfly Garden and then the Humber River spit. We parted company and I headed east.

Inukshuk along the Butterfly Garden

At Marilyn Bell park, my BB went off and it was a message from the only friend with a blog (that I know of), wishing me a good run. I replied, telling her that I was at mile 12. Technology, isn’t it a wonder. A long distance runner need never feel lonely again.

I ran east to the turnaround point of my shorter daily runs and then home, with a stop at Starbuck’s for a total of 18 miles. WooHoo, the hardest part of my marathon training is done, it IS downhill from here until the big party a.k.a. the marathon.

Humber River spit, the beach

Marilyn Bell park, good view while checking email

The pleasure of the post-long run bath has been enhanced with the marvelous bath salts my son gave me from LUSH. I popped the final one into my bath and it was the equivalent of grand finale, fireworks display. It produced an incredibly frothy, fragrant environment, with both bath salts and bath oil combined. I’m not really the spa type but I’m definitely going to visit this store. Men, if you are looking for a gift for a woman, check out LUSH, Fresh Handmade Natural Cosmetics. I think they call this bath product, a bath bomb.

Post-run treats, latte and Creamy Candy Bubble Bar from LUSH

I marvel at the contrast between exertion and then total relaxation.  In my mind the experience of relaxation is all the more intense and enjoyable because of this contrast.

Husband and son have just arrived with a Italian veal sandwich from California Sandwich.  Life is good.

Happy weekend to all!


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Four days, 42 miles – Day 4

Ran 6 miles to the lake in the morning.  Baked a lasagna before work.  Someone at work said they heard I was running home from work 3 times this week.  I don’t mention that I also run in the morning, as I don’t want them to think I am a lunatic 🙂

Then 5 miles after work, on a treadmill at the Central Y, my husband in the other corner of the room on the elliptical trainer.

Authentic Pad Thai

Dinner at a Thai restaurant on Gloucester.  I ordered an “authentic” Pad Thai which comes wrapped in a crepe.  Then to husband’s work party at the Elephant & Castle on King.  One glass of red wine, lots of nice chats.  Home in a cab.  Set record for shortest post to date.  Time for bed.

ZZZ . . .

Husband, caught by papparazzi, leaving Elephant and Castle on King Street, 9:50 p.m.


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Staying awake is hard to do – Day 2

Tuesday, November 16, 2010, 6:55 a.m. - Western Boardwalk

Rising at 4:30 a.m. before my alarm, did not bode well for an evening at the theatre. The extra time did however, enable me to feel quite prepared and on top of my day. I could feel the effect of last night’s hard workout in my legs during my easy 7 miler to the lake.

The work day whizzed by and at the end of the work day everyone but I seemed to have been alerted to the big storm. I did take a walk at lunch but the sky while overcast was not broadcasting a storm. A colleague kindly offered to drop me off at the India Rice Factory.

The route there is very similar to my running route home. It was an eye opener to be stuck in the heavy stop and start traffic down Yonge and Avenue road and motion sickness kicked in. I found myself savouring the freedom of my runs and I slowly felt myself turning green. The weird affliction of motion sickness in my case, seems to be exacerbated by an empty stomach. I had lunch early and realized that I was hungry, very hungry.

I arrived at my destination early and immediately ordered corn fritters and a mango lassi.  The mango lassi was superb and just the thing for the fading me. My only prior visit to the India Rice Factory was 25 years ago when I lived on Howland avenue.  The restaurant was quiet with relaxing lighting and I began to feel better. The butter chicken I ordered was excellent.

We arrived at the Tarragon Theatre with 10 minutes to go, just enough time for 2 ounces of coffee.  A shadow of the double or triple espresso caffeine intervention I sensed I needed.  I began to feel apprehensive about my ability to stay awake for 85 minutes of a monologue. A well-founded fear it was, as I was nodding off for at least half the play. Note to self, do not go to the theatre during a big week of training.

My friend was quite keen on the play. My review, not engaging enough to keep a early-rising-big-mileage-marathoner awake. My apologies to the actress, who I felt certain was looking right at me during the performance of  The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion.

Then there was the storm to contend with.  Fortunately I was wearing a highly functional Sierra Designs raincoat and had an umbrella and had great luck with the arrival of the Dupont and Ossington buses.  So home safely, no time to blog and straight to bed.

Sweet dreams to me!

p.s.  Note to self, remember to pack Starbuck’s canned double espresso drink as an emergency caffeine fix. This used to be a staple item, when I was taking evening courses.


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Big week ahead

I’m not sure if sipping a glass of red wine is the best preparation for the 75-80 mile week ahead however here I am in recovery mode from a weekend of shopping.  Shopping is something I try to avoid while in heavy marathon training as running becomes top priority for expending leg energy.  It was however a nice diversion for my easy week of running.

Waiting to be filled with Christmas cookies

The main source of fun is often, a trip to Target.  A lot of the purchases made at Target were in preparation for the holidays, wrapping paper, festive cookie containers, stocking stuffers and paper party products.  I am an avid baker and I’m looking forward to posting photos of my holiday baking as well as the recipes.  I love the holiday season and in our household it officially kicks off with the Advent Vespers at St. Basil’s church.  I’m finding it hard to hold off on the temptation to start listening to my playlist of Christmas Carols on my IPod.  And, I’m looking forward to seeing the festive tree in Union square, San Francisco on our post-marathon days there.

Ready for holiday wrapping

Yesterday morning, I was quite tired, mentally, from the late night at work but I did get out for 3 miles before leaving town.  This morning I ran another 3 miles on the treadmill.  With all this rest, and the missed speedwork on Friday, I should be feeling pretty peppy tomorrow.

The plan for the week is something like this.

Monday – a.m. 5 miles / p.m. 8 miles with tempo work or speedwork

Tuesday – 7-8 miles

Wednesday – a.m. 3 miles / p.m. 8 miles with tempo work or speedwork

Thursday – a.m. 3-4  miles / p.m. 8 miles easy pace

Friday – a.m. 7-8 miles easy pace

Saturday – 18-20 miles

Sunday – 7-8 miles very easy

Total for the week 75-80 miles

What will it take to pull off this week successfully?  Number one, it means carefully monitoring hours of sleep and getting to bed at a decent hour.  Eating a good breakfast and making sure to have some protein, no longer than 20 minutes after each workout.  Limiting alcohol consumption.  Alcohol interferes with REM sleep, among other things.

I enjoyed hearing about the fitness routines of my sister and sister-in-law.  Both, do most of their running in the evening as their mornings are very busy.  As mentioned earlier, my sister has four kids and my sister-in-law has three kids.  My sister’s PRECOR treadmill has held up very well.  She has had it for six years and it has survived an episode of an exercise ball getting pulled complete under the belt.  I guess these things happen when you have four kids.  They both took it easy this morning but were planning to run later this evening.

The elusive Petite, Size 0, on sale

The border crossing was not as bad as earlier trips with 30 minutes to clear customs and no waiting at all to pay duty.  We always declare what we have purchased, a family tradition, instilled in us by our mom.

We had a wonderful time together and talked about our next outing, hoping to include our mom and another sister-in-law who gave birth to a son in August.  My parents have 14 grandchildren, with an even split between the sexes.

Well, better tuck into dinner and get prepared for the week.

Happy end-of-weekend to all!


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No long run today

Away they go

After a few weeks of long runs on Saturday. It is time for a break for fun with my running-sister and running-sister-in-law. Our get togethers sometimes involve clothing swaps, as all three of us are similar in size.

We end the day at The Cheesecake Company, all three of us ordering the Asian Chicken Salad (one without the chicken) and a three-way split of a very large piece of cheesecake.

Tonight we taught our sister-in-law how to do planks. As I write, my hockey playing sister, mother of a 8, 6, 4 and 2 year old is doing her ab exercises and push-ups.  Well done, sister!  But, I’m going to bed now.

Cheers!

Caramel, dulce de leche cheesecake, shared three ways


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Lonely girl at a noisy restaurant

Somehow, an email to organize a dinner date with a friend, never left my inbox.  That is how I ended up dining solo, at Fresh Restaurant at Bloor and Spadina.  I was really looking forward to seeing my former workmate, as we have not seen each other for the two months since I changed jobs.  We used to walk to North Toronto Memorial Park and lunch there.  Coincidentally, I invited a colleague at my new workplace to join me for a walk through Hogg’s Hollow.  She was charmed by the sights.

Small Buddha Bowl

I seem to dine at Fresh about once every two years.  Time enough to forget how crowded, cramped and noisy a place it is.  The waitress was very nice but the food took quite awhile to arrive.  My visit however did inspire me to revisit some of my vegetarian recipes, like tempeh, adzuki bean and hijiki seaweed salad. I ordered the small Buddha bowl and yam fries.  The yam fries were scrumptious, the Buddha bowl was tasty enough though uninspired.  I suppose that is why my mind started to wander back to my vegan days, as it occurred to me that I would rather be eating dishes I used to prepare.  Then there was Sri Wasano’s Infamous Indonesian Rice Salad from the classic, Moosewood Cookbook by Molly Katzen.  I’ve been meaning to make that salad for a couple of decades.  Maybe this will be the year.  Click HERE for the recipe.

Scumptious yam fries with garlic mayo dip

I had a very nice glass of carrot, orange and ginger juice, a reminder that I have not used my juicer in quite awhile.  My grandmother was ahead of her time in regards to nutrition.  I inherited her Acme juicer and brown rice cooker.  When I was 16 she gave me a book touting the benefits of raw juice therapy.  Naturally, I did not take much notice of this advice as a teenager.

Today was the start of my easy running week.  I ran 2 miles in the morning and that was it.  I’m feeling the time change however and will be heading to bed as soon as this is done.

I had promised more photos of Saturday evening but I can’t quite manage it.

Good night all!