long run: success. ice bath: fail.

Today M and I ran 7.3 miles.  It really wasn't bad at all!  We stopped to stretch 30 minutes in, and then we had a 2 minute walk break around minute 55 / mile 5.  Other than that, it was fabulous!  We kept an 11 minute mile pace, which I'm super comfortable and happy with.  It's not too challenging to keep the pace but it also doesn't feel super easy or boring, so it seems just right!
I was actually not that worn out or sore at the end of the run.  I probably could have run further if we had needed to, which is an AWESOME way to feel.  I knew I was likely to become sore though, so after we did some good stretching I decided to head home and attempt an ice bath.

Mistake #1: thinking that the water that flows into my bathtub might actually be cold.  Even on the coldest setting, it was a pretty comfortable temperature.
Mistake #2: thinking that the ice in my freezer (we have an ice machine in there) was enough ice.  It melted in approximately 2 minutes.
Mistake #3: thinking that 10-20 minutes was a nice amount of time to just relax, and thus not bringing my computer or a book or anything into the bathroom... so boring.
Mistake #4: not having scrubbed my tub immediately before and then seeing every speck of imperfection while I sat there with nothing to do.

So yes, with the ice the water got much colder, but definitely not cold enough.  I put on a sweatshirt but I honestly didn't even need it!  I guess I'll need to buy a bag of ice next time.  After 10 minutes of boredom I got out and just put ice packs on my legs for a while before I went to work.  I'm somewhat sore this afternoon, but nothing terrible that I can't handle.

Have you ever tried an ice bath?  Did it help?  How much ice did you use, and how long did you stay in?

i'm still heeerreeee....

I miss blogging.

I have (mostly) accepted that I don't have the time to have the blog that I ideally envision: daily posts, frequent new recipes, recaps on races, details about training/workouts, etc.  But I would like to do SOME blogging.

So where should I pick up?  When I started this blog, my goal was to cook 300 recipes in about one year, and to go from not being a runner whatsoever to running the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler.  In approximately 8 months, I cooked 175 new things.  I'm still cooking.  That will have to be another post entirely.  As for running, I successfully completed my race - although my training wasn't as stellar as it could have been.

I should PROBABLY do a Cherry Blossom 10 Miler recap.  I'll add that to my to-do list.  For now, suffice to say I finished in 2:02, I couldn't walk for a day or two after, and it got me totally addicted to running.

So, RUNNING!  M and I spent the spring/early summer trying to become more consistent with our runs - you know, 3-4 times a week, not bailing just because we wanted to sleep in, etc., and then signed up for a half marathon for mid October.  I'm SUPER EXCITED for the half marathon, and am quite determined to do a better job training this time around.  Right now we are running four times a week.  Three of those runs are shorter: between 2.5 and 4 miles (we might get up to 5 closer to the race), and we usually try to incorporate speedwork into one of those runs.  Then we have long runs once a week, which started at 4 miles and will work their way up to 12 before the race.  Last week we ran 6.5 miles and it was actually not that painful AT ALL!  This week we have 7ish to conquer, and I'm pumped.  Or rather, I was pumped until we did a fartlek today.  Now my legs are sore and I want to never run again.  Sore as in, I'm up 1.5 hours past my bedtime because my legs ache so I can't fall asleep.  Oops.  I kind of want to experiment with an ice bath.  Are they only effective right after a run?  Also, how long do your long runs have to be before taking an ice bath is worthwhile?  And should I buy a foam roller?

Running has gotten so much better over the past few months.  I definitely had a time before the 10 miler where I told M that after the race, I was quitting running, because I hated it.  And I meant it.  But finally something clicked and running is starting to be way more fun for me.  I mean, the first 5-10 minutes are never fun because it's usually 7:30am, I'm half asleep, and my legs aren't warmed up yet.  But I can finally say there are moments (although they are often brief) during almost all of my runs where I genuinely enjoy myself.  Weird.

I'm also trying to get on board with that whole cross-training thing.  Apparently it prevents injury?  Also, (although I seldom blogged about this, nor do I intend to) I like myself more on days I exercise.  I'm also trying weight lifting.  I'm getting married in just over 6 months and I want my arms to look spectacular in my strapless dress.  Hooray motivation!  So far, cross-training is rough.  The elliptical is boring.  The bike is boring.  Spin class is at inconvenient times.  I feel like a klutz in the weight room.  But, a year and a half ago I felt like an idiot when I went running too, so I know it'll get better.

I think that's about all for my "first post back."  I do hope to be more regular in my blogging... but who knows with school/etc. if that will happen!

Valentine's Day Dinner!

So, you might have noticed that I haven't blogged in... oh.... a month.  And that I have over 100 recipes left to cook.  It's not going to happen.  That's okay.  Being in graduate school is simply too hectic for me to cook, run, and blog regularly.  I really do love this blog, though, so while my goal of 300 new recipes in 1 year is no longer attainable, I do hope to share my experiences with both running and cooking with all of you - even if it's sporadically.

One of the determining factors in me 'officially' giving up on my goal of cooking my way through Betty Crocker's book was getting FOUR new cookbooks in December and January: 1 as a Christmas gift and 3 as engagement gifts.  My friends know me well!  With all these cookbooks, though, I just couldn't resist trying new things.  Which brings me to today's post:


Williams-Sonoma's Bride and Groom Cookbook: Valentine's Day Menu
Starter: Tossed Green Salad
Main Dish: Rib-Eye Steak with Pan Jus, Ginger Carrot Salad, and (my personal addition) Rissoto
Dessert: Blueberry Fool
Wine pairing: Cotes du Rhone Malbec

Following W&S's plan, I began with the blueberry fool several hours ahead of time, simmering fresh blueberries and letting them chill for a few hours.

 After the blueberries simmered, I left them to chill in the fridge and moved onto the carrots:

Carrots were put into simmering water along with some champagne vinegar and salt, and then once they cooled were mixed with olive oil, more champagne vinegar, and lots of spices!  After the carrots were ready, I tried to continue on with the blueberry fool.  My mission: take heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla and get it to be a whipped texture with peaks... and then fold in the blueberries.  All I can say is, I failed.

At best, this was going to turn into blueberry ice cream.  *Sigh*.  Nearly a year into cooking and this was my first attempt at dessert... are we surprised that it didn't go well?  Anyway, onto something I don't suck at.  RISOTTO!  First, I sauteed some onions and butter and oil to get ready for the rice:

 Then, it was time to mix in the rice, wine, and broth:

Meanwhile, it was time to tackle the rib eye.  Did I mention steak scares me?  It's so easy to cook incorrectly... overcooked, undercooked, whichever.

Step one was to salt and pepper it and sear it for one minute on each side.

Then I popped that sucker in the oven at 400 for 10 minutes, while I returned to my risotto.  35 minutes of slowly adding broth and stirring, it was ready for some Parmesan cheese and parsley!

Meanwhile, I also had to work on the "au jus" part of my rib eye.  This has to be stirred pretty constantly in order to avoid things carmelizing on the bottom of the pan.

Then I enlisted the help of the fiance to cut of up the meat while I prepared the salad.

Finally, after several hours in the kitchen, I was ready to put the plates together.  I had just run the dishwasher, so the plates were nice and warm - which is highly recommended by W&S. (Warm food on a warm plate stays warm longer I think?)
Step one, rib eye, au jus...

Step two, add gingered carrots and creamy risotto...

Step 3, add in a tossed green salad and wine!

Hooray for Valentine's Day Dinner!

So, the meat was a little more rare than I normally cook it, but it tasted phenomenal!  The carrots were quite spicy - perhaps a bit too much ginger.  The risotto and salad, perfecto.

I can't say as much for the blueberry fool.  Let's just say the blueberry fool fooled me, and we ended up having to make a Ben & Jerry's run to satisfy my need for dessert.  Maybe next time I will figure out how to get fluffy peaks.

Hopefully it won't be an entire month til my next post!

tag!

Today M and I had our first "long" run of the year.  We went 4 miles around campus.  It was SO NICE to be outside after two months of being almost entirely indoors on the treadmill.  We did run into a few icy patches, though, so I think we still have some indoor runs in our future.  Anyway, it was a very slow run, as I am still getting back into the swing of things after far too long of a running hiatus.  But we did it, and that's what matters!  4.06 miles in 48:54; average pace 12:03 min/mile.  (We did 10 min running 2 min walking intervals, too).

I also made a salad today... but sometimes photographs of salads just aren't pretty!  It had shrimp and mangos and lettuce and a delicious Asian dressing, and looked almost nothing like this:

Meh, Betty has a professional photographer.  Mine still tasted delicious.

Susan tagged me in a survey, and I decided it might be a fun thing to do to spice up the content on the blog!

1. Four TV shows that I watch

• Glee
• The Jersey Shore (it's television crack - so bad, but I can't stop)
• Family Guy
• Entourage (but we don't have HBO, so we watch it when it comes out on DVD)

2. Four Things that I’m passionate about

• Psychology (I'm a nerd)
• The Redskins & The Terrapins
• Cooking delicious food
• My friends

3. Four words/phrases I use a lot

• Whoa
• Nnnno!
• I can't think of anything...
• Hi.

4. Four things I’ve learned in the past

• Anyone can learn to run.  Seriously.  I was terrible when I started and was in pain every I went until I got the right shoes and learned to pace myself.
• "There are only a handful of things one can control in life. The rest is a decision in how to react to each possible experience." -My friend RM
• "You're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think." -stolen from Susan, but it's true!  And you won't know it until you try!!
• Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.  And it doesn't make either of them wrong.

5. Four places I would like to go

• Hawaii
• Australia
• Costa Rica
• Spain

6. Four things I did yesterday

• Searched online for wedding venues
• Ate delicious food at Q Shack
• Ate delicious food made by amazing friends
• Had someone toast to me!

7. Four things I’m looking forward to

• Running the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler in April
• Getting married! (in 2012)
• Working on my master's project (slash, progressing through graduate school)
• Fun trips... hopefully visiting Susan in NYC and going to 8 weddings!

8. Four things I love about winter

• I don’t like winter. (stolen from Susan)
• My Redskins sweatpants and my slippers
• Pretty snow & watching people walk on lakes when I'm visiting New England
• Hot chocolate!

9. Tag four people to play along (sorry if you’ve done it already!)

• Whitney
• Sarah
• Carly
• Stacey

working out resumes

Thursday morning it was time to get back to running.  Of course, the sidewalks here are still a liiittle icy, and I am super paranoid about slipping and falling in the ice.  So to the treadmill we went!  The schedule told M and I was had 3 miles to run.  Sounds fine right?  Oh wait, I haven't run at all in several weeks.  Oops.  This was definitely a hard workout.  But that's to be expected.  We powered through and finished in about 33 minutes.
Then, in the evening, I did something a little crazy.  I went to spin class.  On the same day I went running.  Does this make me insane?  The thing is, between running, boot camp class (starting next week - more on that later!), spin, and our schedules, it's what made the most sense.  I can run in the AM on Thursday, spin in the evening, and then Friday is my rest day.  Any other day I went to spin, I'd have to run the next morning, which I think is much worse.  We'll see if I can stick with the schedule or not, but I'm feeling pretty good this morning!  Sore, of course, but after a three week hiatus I think that's to be expected :-)

After my insane day of working out, I was ready for some delicious dinner: a Ham and Swiss Bake.  This was another Bisquick recipe, but it had honey mustard mixed into the crust, which made for a great flavor!  After baking the crust, I added the ham mixture, which had green onions, green pepper, and sour cream.

Then, the whole thing was topped with swiss cheese and baked a little longer.

I really liked this.  It has such interesting flavors with the honey mustard in the crust, and the green onions in the filling.

Scott liked this but didn't totally love it (he said he'd eat it again, but maybe with as much enthusiasm as other things, haha).  It also lends it self to lots of different toppigns-  you could do chicken or tofu instead of ham, other veggies, other cheeses, etc. :-)

chicken enchilada pie

Wednesday was my first night back in my own kitchen, and so after stocking up on groceries I was very excited to get cooking!  I was craving Mexican food when I made the grocery list, so I decided to try Chicken Enchilada Pie.  First, I made the filling of chicken, enchilada sauce, and green chiles.  I actually didn't have quite enough enchilada sauce so I added in some salsa as well.

Next I worked on making the crust.  Betty Crocker loooves her Bisquick, and this was pretty basic; egg, milk, and Bisquick.

But then, a slight twist.  The corn for the recipe was mixed into the batter to become part of the crust - not part of the pie filling.  Interestingg.

Kind of looks like cream of corn soup, right?  Anyway, I baked this sucker for about 27 minutes and then was puzzled by the next instruction: Put shredded cheese on top and let it sit for 5 minutes.

I just did not believe that the cheese was going to melt simply by sitting on top of the pie.  No. Way.

I was wrong.  I was so excited about how perfectly melted the cheese on top was!

This dish is fairly spicy, but I really enjoyed it and it definitely helped with my Mexican food cravings!

Happy Friday, by the way :-)

winter break review

I'm alive!  I was fortunate enough to be able to take three weeks off over the break.  During my break, I ran ... zero times and cooked... twice!

Meal #1 was Shrimp Bow-tie Casserole.  I made this for my mom, dad, and I right before Christmas.
It was a little soupy, but otherwise good.  Except I made one fatal error.  I had gone to the grocery store for my parents and gotten onion soup mix as well as ranch dressing mix.  And then, when it was time to make the sauce, somehow I ended up using the ranch dressing instead of the onion soup.  So the flavor (while still enjoyable) wasn't qiute... right.  Haha.  Will have to try this one again.

After Christmas, while we were in Maine, I cooked Scott, his cousin, and myself dinner.  On the menu: Easy Turkey Club Pie.  This was a very delicious Scott-friendly meal: no veggies, lots of meat and cheese.

In other news, over Christmas, I got a very exciting gift from my parents... NEW POTS AND PANS!  I am super excited about them, because they are everything I want.  Stainless steel with clear glass lids.

Now that I'm back home, I will be resuming the running and regular cooking... but with a slight twist.  Stay tuned for more details :-)