Funny Week

This week is a funny week - the kids are home all week on winter break, so it means things are a little off schedule and we take a lot longer to get moving in the mornings. So while I didn't make it to the gym yesterday for my Bodyvive class, I did put my shoes on and get my short run in. It was supposed to be 3 km but that felt like nothing! Hardly worth even leaving the house, so I made it a bit longer.

This morning I got up early to make pancakes for my husband's birthday before he had to head off to work. Lucky for him, today is bright and sunny; tomorrow we are all going to Gent to see the exhibition of Flemish tapestries there, stop in at EVA, and have a nice lunch out - I might have a new restaurant to report about!

13 days and counting

Less than two weeks now til the half marathon. Yesterday we had 11 (15.4 km) loops around the lake on the schedule but I was actually hoping to do 12 or 13, seeing as things went so well last week and that I had a really good run on Thursday. The forecast was rain but when got out there at 9 am it was dry. We did four loops, changed direction, did four more. Got our Ipods and changed direction again for what we were hoping was going to be another four...and then it started to rain. Misty at first for the first two loops, no problem, I had my cap with a brim, I was prepared. But then as we finished the second loop it just started pouring. As we took our little walk break, Stefaan asked me what I wanted to do. I said, let's do the eleventh loop, and see. Then at least we will have done what was on the schedule. So that's what we did, and then made the decision to head back and get cleaned up to go to my father-in-law's 71st birthday lunch.

I suppose at this stage one loop more or less isn't going to make a huge difference, but I was a bit disappointed. Also felt a bit flu-ey yesterday and this morning, sore throat, sinus congestion and achy back, so I need to take care that I am feeling well by the time I leave next week.

Why do you run

Stefaan and I saw Arid last night in concert here in Leuven...they are fantastic live, most of the songs sounded even better than on CD. Jasper Steverlinck's voice is incredible. And having third row seats right in the center certainly added to the exeperience! My personal favorite song at the moment is "Tied to the hands" from the new CD (All things come in waves) which I listened to over and over today on my run (7.7 km in 55 min) ... but I thought "Why do you run", also great and from the new album, was a very appropriate one to share with my running friends - enjoy!

A Day Out, A Day In

Today is an "in" day...rain, rain, rain! At least it's not so cold anymore, about 6°C. I am starting to get really sick of my winter clothes!

I headed to the gym to get my treadmill run in before Bodyvive class - did 4 km in 29 minutes. The room where the Bodyvive class is held is always cold and I girl I met there was practically shivering when I came in - I felt a bit silly because I was all sweaty and the cool room felt good! But she said she was going to try warming up on the treadmill next week before class, too.

Yesterday, Linda and I treated ourselves to a day out in Brussels. We wanted to try La Tsampa, a vegetarian restaurant and health food store, located near Avenue Louise and about a 20 minute walk from the South Station. We had a delicious lunch of oven braised seitan, basmati rice, steamed daikon radish and snow peas with a coconut sauce...mmmm! There were lots of other yummy things on the menu, too. The service was friendly and the dining room was cozy, with a view into the garden. I would definitely go back here.

After lunch we poked around in the health food store and then headed for another fun shop, Dille & Kamille, a kitchen-garden-home-cooking store with lots of cute things. The Brussels shop is very spacious and inviting...I wish they would open one in Leuven!

One down, two to go

The first of three last long runs at the lake today...when we woke up it looked very cold, but clear and even a bit sunny, so we headed out to the lake. My other option would have been the treadmill, where it was nice and warm inside, but I don't think I could have made myself do 14 km on one so it was a good thing that we could run outside!

We got started, did four loops and I was feeling really good, a lot better than last week. But then we wanted to use the bathrooms and everything was locked up so - good thing we always have a cell phone! - we called the park guard and she came to open them up! Then we had six more loops to go, so we did three one direction, then did three the other direction and added Ipods to give us that little extra boost for the last half hour. We ended up running about 100 minutes total. By the end it had warmed up a little - the frost had melted in most places - but the lake is still mostly frozen. I must admit, I am really looking forward to some warm Florida weather.

The nice thing was, I had made lunch reservations for our family at one of our current favorite restaurants (Turquoise in Leuven) and so we had the treat of a yummy meal out to look forward to! So we headed home and got cleaned up and went and had a lovely lunch. It is such a treat when someone else does all the cooking (and washing up). Hope everyone has a great Sunday!

Cut back

This week turned out to be a cut back week for me, due to the weather conditions. Yesterday, I had to go very slowly on my usual neighborhood run, because the streets and sidewalks were dangerously slick, in spite of the bright sun. So I ended up only running 5.7 km when with normal conditions it should have been more. It is snowing now as I write, so who knows what it will be like on Sunday. I just hope it will be clear and dry for the 14 km I have to do.

I actually think I am finally starting to get used to running in temps around freezing...I really wonder sometimes what it is going to feel like being able to strip down to a tank top and shorter running tights once I arrive in Florida - I keep trying to convince myself that it will make the running feel a lot easier - won't it?

Only 23 days to go - half marathon here we come!

9 Loops

The weatherman had promised sun, but there wasn't any as we headed out to the lake this morning with nine loops on the schedule (12.6 km). But, it was a bit less cold than last week, and, even more important, there was none of that awful blustery wind. So things were a lot more comfortable.

Physically this run felt fine, but mentally I was having a LOT of resistance to doing it. Just didn't feel like it, I guess! So when we still had three loops to go, we walked to the car and got our Ipods for a little welcome distraction. It was kind of a nice change, although I wouldn't want to run an entire long run with music, because it gets tiresome after a while. But at the end, when I really really needed a boost, it was a big help! The entire thing took us about 90 minutes, not counting the car and bathroom breaks. Only three more of these long cold Sundays to go before the Half!

I recently finished the book Katy got me for Christmas, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, by Haruki Murakami. I really enjoyed this book, it was fascinating to me to be inside another runner's head and experience how he dealt with all those little running struggles, and hear him ruminate about why he keeps at it. One passage I particulary liked was where he talks about one of the reasons he runs is to prevent himself from gaining weight, which he would otherwise put on very easily:

...when I think about it, having the kind of body that easily puts on weight was perhaps a blessing in disguise. In other words, if I don't want to gain weight I have to work out hard every day, watch what I eat, and cut down on indulgences. Life can be tough, but as long as you don't stint on the effort, your metabolism will greatly improve with these habits, and you'll end up much healthier, not to mention stronger...But people who naturally keep the weight off no matter what don't need to exercise or watch their diet in order to stay trim...Which is why, in many cases, their physical strength deteriorates as they age...Some of my readers may be the kind of people who easily gain weight, but the only way to understand what's really fair is to take a long-range view of things. For the reasons I give above, I think this physical nuisance should be viewed in a positive way, as a blessing.

Well, I can tell you, I never thought of it as a blessing! But see what a change in perspective can do...Later in the book, while he is training for the New York Marathon during a very busy time in his life, he talks about making his running a priority:

No matter what, though, I keep up my running...I'm not going to lay off or quit just because I'm busy. If I used being busy as an excuse not to run, I'd never run again. I have only a few reasons to keep running, and a truckload of them to quit. All I can do is keep those few reasons nicely polished.

I like that. Next time I am mentally resisting a run, I will just have to remember my few reasons... hmmm, what were they again?

Lucky

I was lucky today...our electrician was supposed to come, and he called last night and said he would not be here til eleven. Then, when I walked the boys to school this morning, we noticed it is starting to get lighter out, and by the time I turned back home, it was full daylight out, not (yet) raining, and definitely a lot less cold than it has been lately (3° C I saw as I ran). So, I thought, the perfect window of opportunity to get my Thursday run in...instead of putting it off til tomorrow, which I had originally thought I would have to do. I do hate putting runs off because then I feel like it is hanging over my head until I finally manage to do it.

So I got home, quickly got my running things on and headed out the door just before 9 am. I did a little bit different neighborhood route than usual, which turned out to be 7.8 km in one hour. As soon as I got home, it started to POUR down rain! Quickly took a shower and was ready when Ludo (our electrician) arrived. I always feel lucky when things work out nicely.

Lemons

One month ago I was picking lemons in balmy Florida...and today and yesterday it's been snowing, hailing, raining and sleeting! What a contrast - but I know which weather I prefer!

That is why I am so glad I have a gym to go to to escape...I did my 5 km on the treadmill this morning (37 min) and then took the Bodyvive class, at which I seem to be getting more coordinated!

I just finished reading the classic book Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappé. This was one of the first books to make the link between diets heavy in meat and environmental, ecological, social justice and poverty issues. It's fascinating to see how it got started as a grassroots, unconventional movement and how today it is becoming a more mainstream, even fashionable (i.e. Skinny Bitch, as well as Mark Bittman and Michael Pollan's recent books) thing to cut back on consumption of animal foods.

Interestingly enough, Lappé points out that she does not necessarily "advocate what most people think of as vegetarianism". She pleads for a return to the diet on which our bodies evolved: mainly plant foods, with animal foods "playing a supplementary role". While she personally does not eat meat, she acknowledges, just like Bittman and Pollan, that a difference can be made to our health, the environment, animal welfare and social justice if we simply start by reducing the amount of animal products we consume.

Brrr!

I had been contemplating running at the gym today if when I woke up it looked gray and blustery, which was the prediction, along with a high temp of 0°C for the day. But Stefaan said he wanted to go with me and so when we pulled the shutters up it didn't look too bad - the sun was trying to peek out and I didn't see any wind blowing the trees. So we headed out for the lake - I had 8 rounds on my plan (11.2 km).

I added a third pair of pants over my longjohns and running tights - my long workout pants - and I think that helped a lot. And I had my running hat, my Buff, and my four layers on top. But it was cold, and the wind was blowing in across the nearly completely frozen lake (poor ducks). Amazingly I never feel the cold in my feet since I started wearing Smart Wool running socks - they are wonderful. All in all the run went well, but my right leg started to seize up towards the end, I think from the cold, and the last two loops were tough, but we got them done. Altogether (and not counting several stretching and bathroom breaks) it took us 76 minutes.

Then we came home, warmed up and showered, and I made the most delicious pot of pasta e fagioli, which has become one of my favorites this winter - it is so yummy and comforting and warming....mmmmm! I have been trying some variations on the recipe for it, but I think I finally settled on my own simple version:

1 T olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 garlic clove chopped

1 can chopped tomatoes with juice

1 t. dried rosemary

1/2 t. dried oregano

1/4 t. dried thyme

2 cans of beans, drained and rinsed (I like to use cannelini and borlotti beans)

8 cups of vegetable broth

1/4 pound of small pasta

salt and pepper

Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil over low heat in a soup pot until softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, herbs and beans and continue to sauté until everything is warm. Add broth and bring to a gentle boil, then let simmer for about ten minutes. Finally add the pasta, simmer until the pasta is al denté, about another 10 to 15 minutes, add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with some good rustic bread to sop up the juices and enjoy!

Only four more long run Sundays before I leave for Florida - I can't wait to run in some warmer weather.