First Steps
I have used „First Steps“ as the title for this post since, although I have been running for years, starting to train for the Brussels 20k at the end of May really feels like starting to run from scratch. I will be honest, since finishing the half-marathon in October I took quite an extended break from running. Not only had I just moved from London to Brussels, within a few weeks of my arrival in Brussels I moved flats there as well, I was also still settling into a new job and combine that with rainy November weather and slight boredom with running and suddenly it was January and my running shoes were catching dust. It was one of my resolutions for 2010 to run more since even if I struggle to get out of bed sometimes for an early morning run before work, I always feel better if I do go for my scheduled runs and quite like the smug feeling I get from having worked out while others are still snoozing! 2 months of long hours meant 2010 has not made it easy to fit running into my day but I am determined to stop making excuses and simply find the time to run! And I am looking forward to running more again: while on holiday in Thailand I would look at people running on the beach with envy and I practically devoured my first copy of Runner’s World when back home. I am also looking forward to run around my favourite routes in London – it’s been over 7 months since I last ran there! I sure miss running along the Regent’s Canal, running around the ponds in Victoria Park … I even miss zigzagging around the tourists on the South Bank!
Tuesday was my first actual training run. I had a full day of viewings so wasn’t overly enthusiastic to head to the gym for an easy 3.5 Miles as the plan suggested. But, in the end I got my lazy butt of the sofa and headed to the gym. My “easy” 3.5 Miles were everything but easy. My legs surely remembered how to run but my breathing was all over the place. I finished the 3.5 Miles but had to take a couple of walk breaks! I just hope I can get my fitness back in time for the 20k run while taking things easy so I avoid risking an injury! Previously I have always used the training plans from Runners World (which can be found here). While I like these for the amount of information and instructions they provide I think this time round I like the simplicity of the Hal Higdon training plan. Since I have been running for a while now I have a good idea of what pace I should have for the different sessions (and the Runner’s World’s pace calculator (which can be found here) comes in handy time and time again) and know that one thing I need to pay close attention to is to make sure I get my long runs in, listen to my body and make sure the tempo sessions are done the right way.
Running more is also part of my adopting a healthier lifestyle so I am looking forward to the odd bit of cross-training – probably swapping 1 of the easy runs a week for some ellipticating or meeting up with my good old friend the Stairmaster, who knows, I might even do a bit of rowing! At the same time, I will still try and do Pilates 2-3 times a week. Thanks to various websites and books, I can easily do this at home so hopefully long hours at work or April showers won’t stop me from doing this. Also, I have just discovered that Love Film has a huge selection of workout DVDs – the perfect excuse for me to finally sign up to this!
Today started with a steaming bowl of Carrot Cake Porridge. I love love love carrot cake and figured that grated carrots could be a great addition to my morning bowl of oaty goodness. After a quick search on google I realized that I was clearly not the first person to have thought this up and once I tried it, I knew why – this tastes great – the sweetness of the carrots works really well (I like my porridge sweet anyway), it adds volume to my bowl of oats (I am a sucker for big portions and the healthier the better) and is a great way to get some veggies into my body. Besides, I tend to buy carrots in those big 1lb or 1kg bags and there are only so many carrots dipped in hummus that I can eat in a week so this will be great for using any leftover carrots!
I am not going to provide a recipe (since a) cooking porridge is dead easy and b) everyone likes a different consistency for their porridge) but for anyone who would like to try this: simply add 1-2 medium-sized grated carrots to your oats before cooking as well as a pinch of cinnamon, allspice and ground ginger. As for toppings, I went with my usual peanut butter, chopped apple and some cold milk. Holy YUM!
On the left: carrot cake porridge sans toppings, on the right: carrot cake porridge avec toppings!
