Still here!

The summer is winding down and we were lucky enough to see friends and family (both sides!) this weekend, got some good runs in (in spite of the weather), and are now busy getting things organized for Thursday, the first day of school, when we return to our regular schedule and I will be able to return to more regular blogging! Have a great week and see you soon!

Hill Running

Got up this morning and with the weather we've been having I was so glad to see some sunshine, since I had a hill run on my schedule... Rain was a possibility so I decided not to waste any time and get out and get my run done! 7 km, 46 minutes and several large hills later, I made it home, sweaty and happy at the same time!

Not much else to report except that school starts one week from today and we are all counting down - 8 weeks of summer vacation is just TOO LONG.

Totally Insane Weather

What the heck is going on here? We have been having the most bizarre weather conditions. This morning I took Felix to his French camp and then headed straight to the gym for a 5 km run I had to do. It was raining and supposed to rain all day - that's why I went to the gym.

When I was about halfway through my run, I noticed it was getting really dark outside. It continued to get dark until it looked like night time outside. The gym wasn't really busy but most of us got off our equipment to look out the window - it was so creepy.

Then this huge storm started with rain, hail, thunder and lightning. I called my two oldest boys at home to make sure they were okay and to get them to check that all the windows were closed and unplug the computers and TV.

The electricity went off in part of the gym which included the locker room. I had to use my cell phone as a flashlight to get my stuff out to go home when the rain slowed down a bit. On the way home, a lot of the streets in our city were flooded. Everything seemed so ominous and threatening.

Later when I went to pick up Felix there was a huge thunder clap, which sounded like an explosion. Our electricity went out as well, but I got it back on when I got home.

Now it's sunny but there are more storms on the way. So I'll be driving my boys to piano lessons this afternoon - I don't want to risk them having to bike home in some crazy storm.

PS: Felix was much happier about going to French class this morning - he met some other kids and yesterday the teacher told him his French was "genial", which pumped him up a lot!

Wine and Whining

We had a great evening with our friends; it was midnight before we knew it and there might have been a little too much refilling of wine glasses because it was very hard to get up this morning! But I had to, because Felix had to be at his French class at 9. He's taking a morning class every day this week, to refresh things before school starts on the 1st of September.

Poor Felix. He really didn't want to go. He was moaning about how he wished his brother was going because he wasn't going to know anybody and that wouldn't be fun. And so we get there and line up to sign in, and when it is our turn, the lady behind the table says, "Bonjour, Felix!" Turns out he has the same teacher as last year AND she remembered him and his name! So I told him, see, you do know someone! Of course, all that got me was the evil fish eye, but I do think he was relieved.

Now I'm on my second cup of coffee trying to wipe out the effects of last night. My plan for this morning is a brisk walk while listening to a podcast and then a nice hot shower. And early to bed this evening! And definintely NO WINE!

Quick Sunday Catch Up Post

• A lot of you might of heard about the freak storm that killed 5 people at a music festival here in Belgium on Thursday. We were so shocked and sad about this and while I am thankful no one we knew was hurt or killed, my heart goes out to the family and friends of the 5 who died and the 3 who are still fighting for their lives in the hospital. If there is anything to be gleaned out of this, it's that we never know how long we have, and we shouldn't take everything for granted, should we?
• Yesterday we were out with friends of ours on a day trip to Kanne, a tiny village just south of Maastricht (NL) where we visited a cave where we bought "cave mushrooms", a castle, enjoyed the beautiful sunny weather and the company of our friends, and ended it all with a late dinner at an Italian restaurant. Carpe diem, right?
• After the late night it was a bit difficult to get out of bed this morning, but we started off early on our run, as it was supposed to rain later today. It was muggy and hot, and I had 8 km on my schedule, but we kept to a slow and easy pace and enjoyed being able to do it.
• Now I am busy cooking for friends who are coming over this evening - I will be serving a "tapas" dinner for the first time ever! Yum, yum...

Tempo run and a book

I had a tempo run on my schedule today - 6 km total with 3 km at 6:10 pace. Maybe this is funny, but I have never really done a "real" tempo run outdoors, even after getting my Garmin last summer. I always used to do these kinds of workouts on a treadmill, where I can just plug the paces in! So today was a first for me - I hope I did it right!

I ran out to the Finnish track, because I know it is one kilometer around. Just to get there is 1.5 km, so I used that for my warmup. Then I ran around the track three times, trying to keep my average pace on my Garmin around my target pace. The first lap I was a bit too slow, the second lap I was pretty much right on target, and the last lap I was a bit too fast. (Yes, I do sound like Goldilocks and the Three Bears here, don't I?)

Then I ran home, slow, for the cool down. Is that all there is to it? It seems too simple. Or is there some major thing I am missing?

Anyhow, that brings me to the book I recently won in a giveaway on AJH's blog and which I finally finsihed: Running on Empty by Marshall Ulrich. There is nothing simple at all to the undertaking that is chronicled in this book: at the age of 57 he runs across America in 52 days. Which meant he ran the equivalent of two marathons and one 10K pretty much every day for a month and a half. The book tells the story leading up to this incredible journey and takes the reader along for the gruelling 52 days of the run, with all the ups and downs, emotional drama and physical pain. It is hard to try to imagine what this does to your body, but reading the book gives you a pretty good idea. It makes me even more in awe of what ultramarthoners do.

If you are interested in running at all, this is a great read. If you are considering running longer distances than the marathon, this is a MUST read, because there is a lot of practical advice that you can glean from Ulrich's years of experience. For example, I had never heard about surgically removing all of your toenails to avoid all the problems that they can cause on long distances - I have to admit just the idea of it kind of freaked me out!

Thanks again, Andrea, for giving me the chance to read this! I am going to pass it on to the other runners in our family - I know they will enjoy it. Especially my brother-in-law who dreams about doing Badwater!

Finally Summer and a Plant-Strong Recipe

We are finally having a few days of real summer weather here, and as always, I try to take advantage of it. But I did have to get into the gym for some weights and the elliptical, but not matter - I biked there and enjoyed the sunshine. It was hot at the gym but not terrible and I got a good workout in.

Then I had a couple of books on reserve at the library downtown, so after lunch I walked there and back, and then got involved reading one of them (Siri Hustvedt's "The Shaking Woman" - very intriguing) this afternoon on my patio. It was so peaceful and someone was practicing a musical instrument (oboe? clarinet? I wasn't sure what it was) and it sounded so nice.

Now my boys are back home - the two youngest are fooling around with water balloons and the oldest has a CD playing - a Belgian group called Triggerfinger - great music but not exactly what you'd call "relaxing". So now it's time to stop chilling out and start thinking about making dinner...

Yesterday I made the yummiest recipe with some leftover Lentil Taco Filling (a favorite recipe from Runner's World - the only change I made was to reduce the oil) - I took some cabbage leaves, put a spoonful of the taco filling in and rolled them up, and then steamed them in my steamer til the leaves were tender and the filling was warm. It was so good!

Here is the recipe for the filling:

1 cup onions, diced
1/4 cup celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup brown lentils, dry
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup water or vegetable broth
3 tablespoons dried black currants or raisins, minced
1 cup salsa

In a large frying pan over medium heat, sauted onions, celery, and garlic in the olive oil for five minutes or until vegetables are soft. Stir in the lentils, chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Cook for one minute. Add the broth and raisins. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender (add more water or broth as needed). Remove the lid and cook an additional 10 minutes (until lentils are thick), stirring often. Fold in the salsa.

Can then be used in traditional tacos with all the usual fixings, or other Mexican dishes, or to fill cabbage leaves, as I did, or to top a salad... be creative! It freezes really well too. I think next time I am going to make a double batch.


Originally published 11/03/2006 in Runner's World Magazine - enjoy!