Two Beautiful Love Affairs

For those who have been curious about what my incredible Valentine's Day present from my incredible Other Half is, I will give you three guesses...  Ready?  Go!

Any ideas?  No?

 How about now?  Getting warmer...

 

He gave me himself!!!  A "surprise" visit for Valentine's weekend!!! 

He booked the airplane tickets secretly months ago, but finally couldn't hold it in anymore and told me at the beginning of the month that he was flying across the country to visit me.  Such a romantic guy... I still can't believe we were able to spend Valentine's Day together!  The weekend was truly dreamlike.

My V-Day gift to him was a special "surprise" brunch (I told him about it beforehand, too... we are both terrible secret-keepers).  On Saturday morning, I whipped up a number of rather healthy masterpieces from my culinary imagination:

  

Lobster, Crab, and Asparagus Crustless Quiche

• 1 lobster tail, diced
• 1/2 cup crab claw meat, cooked and shredded (mine came canned in a cool tub from the seafood dep't)
• 6 asparagus spears, cut into 1" pieces, points reserved
• 1.5 cups liquid egg whites
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• dash nutmeg
• dash each salt and ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp grated parmesan

In a cooking spray-coated pie dish, layer lobster, crab, and chopped asparagus evenly.  Whisk together all other ingredients except asparagus points and cheese, pour over seafood into dish (should come 1/3 inch below dish rim).  Arrange asparagus points into fan, sprinkle with cheese.  Bake @ 375 for 25 minutes or until firm.  [Makes ~6 servings!!!]

 

Brie-Stuffed French Toast

(Inspired by my hometown's Carriage House Cafe's signature dish)

• 3/4 cup liquid egg whites
• 1 tbsp skim milk
• 1 capfull vanilla extract
• 2 tsp honey
• generous sprinkle cinnamon
• sprinkle nutmeg
• 6 slices whole grain bread (I used Honey Wheat Berry)
• 3 1/4" wide, 6" long slices light brie, halved
• Fresh strawbs, sliced
• 1/2 cup 100% pure maple syrup

Whisk together first 6 ingredients while heating a large skillet.  Thoroughly dip bread slices in egg mixture and lay on sprayed skillet for 1 minute until lightly browned on bottom.  Flip 3 of the slices, top each flipped slice with two brie slice halves, cover with non-flipped slices, cooked side down (yes, this is like grilled cheese).  Cook ~3 minutes until browned and cooked through on bottom, then flip entire sandwich, cooking another 3 mins.  Serve topped with fresh strawbs and warm maple syrup on the side.  [Makes 3 servings - or 2 servings if I eat one and my Other Half eats 2 :-P]

 

 

Asti Mimosas

• 1 small bottle Asti Spumani (it only comes in small bottles, enough for 2 glasses of the sparking wine)
• 2 cups fresh OJ

Divide both ingredients evenly into 2 glasses, mix, drink! [Makes 2 servings]

After special brunch, we went on a looooooong walk with a fun stop on the way!

We decided to partake of a complimentary (that means free!) Valentine's Weekend wine tasting event at the local winery, which was a 2-mile walk away.  The winery provided live music.  These guys were really jamming!

Also, there were ample snacks!  I had a turkey and cheddar on a croissant with two of these grilled veggie skewers.

And, of course, chocolate-covered strawberries.  Very sensual, hehehe...

If I remember correctly, the wine tasting went something like...

Chardonnay...

Rose...

Syrah...

 

And then two barrel tastings... red blends, they both were.  Mediocre wines, but excellent event overall!  And perfect for the (dare I say) poor student's budget!  We were so glad we decided to check it out.

After the tasting, we took the long route home, another three mile walk, totaling our distance to 5 miles.  Whew, after that walk, we definitely needed to refuel with a great dinner! :-P

So, that night, my very sweet Other Half brought me on a romantic date to "our" restaurant - the first restaurant we visited together when I moved to California, which remains, IMHO, the best restaurant in town.  [The camera stayed in its pouch during this meal - I chose to avoid such distraction while enjoying our limited time together.]  Suffice to say, it was delicious!!!  I just finished the leftovers... so, delicious times two!

This afternoon, he loaded his bags into my trunk and I delivered him to the airport for his return flight.

I am suddenly a very lonely little blogger...

... :'(

Well, before I get too wimpery, I should probably relay what ensued earlier this week, before my Weekend o' Love.

The night of last Sunday's half-marathon, I had a pizza and couch party (guest list included me, myself, and a bowl of frozen yogurt).

 Small veggie deluxe pizza delivered right to my door.  Note the blanket underneath...

 Nonfat tart frozen yogurt with frozen strawberries and Kashi GoLean Crunch.

For lunches this week, I threw together roasted chicken breasts, zucchini, and red peppers with some cumin on top.  Very fresh, very light.  One whole medium-sized zucchini went into every portion!

Dinners were awwwwwesome!  Like lunches, they were lean and involved lots of veggies.  I felt I needed a bit of a detox after last week's race-related eating (e.g. couch pizza).  I made curry fish on baked sweet potatoes with lightly fried eggplant and steamed artichokes on the side!

While cooking, I appreciated the aesthetic value of my side dishes, the eggplant and artichokes.  These pictures are so artistic, aren't they?  Oh yeah, gorgeous.

The single eggplant was sliced into 3/4 inch rounds and lightly browned on each side in some EVOO.

Four artichokes were trimmed, cleaned, and topped with some lemon juice, then steamed for ~25 minutes until soft before being individually wrapped.

 Curry Fish

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb cod filets (frozen or fresh, mine were frozen and thawed)
• 1 jar Indian curry simmer sauce (from Trader Joe's, of course)
• 5 roma tomatoes, large diced
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 4 baked sweet potatoes (I clean mine and microwave them in a moist paper towel for 5 minutes)

In hot oil, brown fish on both sides.  Add sauce, bring to simmer.  Add peas, return to simmer.  Cover, reduce heat, cook ~5 mins.  Add tomatoes, cook uncovered, stirring, for 3-5 minutes.  Spoon over opened baked sweet potatoes.  Enjoy!!!  [Makes 4 servings]

This dinner was so easy and so so good!  It might be my favorite home-cooked meal since I came to CA!  I will definitely be making it again. 

 

 For other snacks/desserts, I had Greek yogurt and raspberry sorbet (separately, not mixed together, that would be gross).

 

 

In my most recent mid-week post, I announced that I will be riding 100 miles on my bicycle, known as a century ride, at the end of April!  In the week since my half-marathon, I've been taking a break from running (which hurts my heart but heals my knee - which is feeling great now, by the way, thanks for asking), while preparing, both physically and mentally, to begin my ambitious century training plan next week.

On Tuesday, I followed a cyclist's core strength routine as detailed in a recent issue of Bicycling magazine.  The workout was three sets of:

• Side planks, 1 minute each side
• Elbow front planks, 1 minute
• Supine bridge (a.k.a. butt raises), 20 reps
• Reverse crunch, 20 reps
• Prone cobra (a.k.a. Supermans), 15 reps

By the second set, my core was shaking!  And, the next day, I could definitely tell I had done some work, especially in the ribcage region.  This routine will be incorporated into my century training on "strength" day.

When I checked the mail on Wednesday, I found a very exciting package!

My Road ID, a Christmas gift from my Boyfriend's sister Emily, had finally arrived!!  The Road ID contains important personal information that could save an endurance athlete's life if he or she requires emergency medical attention.  Mine displays my name, DOB, location, drug allergies, blood type, and emergency contact numbers.  Also, it says my mantra and it's purple :)

Thank you, Emily, I love it!!!  I promise to wear it when I run and ride my bike - safety first!  Such a thoughtful gift!!

Thursday was a big day!  I woke up extra early and, after a light breakfast of Greek yogurt and Kashi GoLean Crunch, strapped on a very silly-looking outfit.

Something about this look makes me think of horseback riding...  Also, you probably can't tell, but, over leggings, I'm sporting bike shorts with a built-in "chamois."  If you just Googled "chamois," to allay your confusion, no, I am not wearing a goat, nor any other kind of horned or hooved animal.  I am in fact wearing a protective butt pad!  Awkward at first, but then surprisingly comfortable, and definitely appreciated on longer rides!

Then, I wheeled my bike outside, straddled it, and snapped my right shoe cleat into the corresponding pedal.  OK, no problem, I told myself, you can do this - just remember: clip-in is forward and down, clip-out is a Dorothy-style ankle turn (there's no place like home).  Holding my breath, I pushed off, took a one-legged pedal stroke, and, with momentum helping me balance, somehow managed to press my left foot down on the left pedal clip and - *clunk!* - I was officially riding clipped-in! 

First of all, before, with just platform pedals, I had no idea what I was missing!  Rather than just pushing down on every pedal stroke, clipped-in, I could push, pull, lift, and generally crank those pedals for the entire rotation!  Plus, with my foot stuck to the pedal, I didn't have to waste any power keeping my foot in place.  Riding was just so amazingly more efficient!  I kept an eye on my new bike computer and flew through the streets and bike paths around my neighborhood.

• Distance: 10.07 mi
• Time: 35:10
• Average Speed: 17.0 mph
• Max Speed: 26.5 mph (downhill)
• Falls: 0!

And let me tell you.  Words cannot express the happiness.  The elation.  The unbridled joy that flowed through me as I soared forward.  I was literally and figuratively connected to my bike.  We were one machine - the bike as the streamlined frame and me as the engine.  Basically, it was love at first ride! 

So, Happy Valentine's Day, Brian.  I love you more than you can imagine, and I believe unequivocally that the challenges we face now will only make us stronger in our future. 

And, Happy Valentine's Day, Bike.  I look forward to spending much more quality time getting to know you on a deeper level very soon.

Well kids, century training start tomorrow - follow my training log here.  I have plans to bike with my avid cyclist research advisor all the way to the brain imaging center... 17 miles away!  Luckily, there is a shuttle I can return on at the end of the day (35 miles per day miiiight be overdoing it at this juncture).  The ride does not exactly conform to the mileage specified for Monday on the plan, but I may be adjusting the plan if I start doing this commute two days per week.

My advisor, on the other hand, commutes by bike five days per week, so I just hope I can keep up!  My goal is to maintain a 16.5 mph average split.  We'll have to do some city riding once we get close to the medical campus... so, I'm a little nervous about that, too.  Without a doubt, I'll be wearing my helmet (always always!), my butt pad chamois shorts, and my new Road ID.

Today's question:  On a completely unrelated note, what is your favorite fruit?  Please include an argument either for your fruit of choice or against other fruits :)

The Need for Speed

First, I want to say thank you so much to everyone for their reactions to my last post.  You've helped a ton already, and, with your continued input, I'm excited for this blog to grow even more.

This week in beautiful Northern California it rained for five straight days.  I don't mean cute little drizzles.  No, this was umbrella-destroying, hair-soaking, tree-shredding, tunnel-flooding Rain with a capital R.

At about 3pm it's so dreary out that it looks like dusk...

But... at least I had plenty of opportunities to wear my rain boots!

Also, since biking around town (my usual mode of local transportation) was not an option, I could bring my longer London Fog raincoat out of retirement.

  "Oh, Mister Sun, Sun, Mister Golden Sun, please shine down on me!"

So, I've been largely relegated to the treadmill this week.  Treadmills aren't the worst thing in the world - they can actually be helpful with certain types of runs (I'll explain momentarily) - but for a distance longer than four or five miles, I really don't have the attention span.

THE 'MILL

On Monday I went to the university gym for the very first time and re-attempted the 10 miler on a treadmill next to Jin, who is training for her first half-marathon!  I varied the pace every mile or so, and kept the incline at 1% (to better simulate outside running).  Well, I made it 8 whole miles on a treadmill before the knee started to feel a little iffy and I decided to stop.  Not bad for a treadmill run!  All the TVs and people-watching made the run a little less monotonous, plus having a treadmill buddy helped :)

Tuesday and Wednesday were rest and ice days.  I wanted to do some yoga, but I ended up working two 12-hour days, and when I got home I had energy only for dinner and bed.

In a fit of optimism, I decided to wear my cold-weather (outdoor!) running duds to go to my dentist appointment Thursday morning because the rain seemed to have let up.  I had the idea that, once I got home, I could just hop out the door and head out on my route.  

These blue stripey tights are my favorite new piece of running apparel!  Compression top ($20) and warm tights ($30) are both C2 by Champion from Target - cold-weather gear for a grad student's budget :)

Unfortunately, the second I got home the deluge began again.  So, it was back to the treadmill for interval work for me!

I credit speed intervals (repetitions of 400 meter sprints with walking or jogging in between) with most of the improvement in race pace that I have made in the past six months.  Whereas distance running usually engages only slow-twitch muscle fibers, speed intervals teach your muscles to activate the fast-twitch fibers as well, giving your legs an added source of power.

While training for the Healdsburg Half-Marathon, I integrated one day of speedwork into my training every other week.  I started out running 4 x 400m in 1:30 each (6min/mi pace divided by 4) with 1:30 walking in between and 1 mile each warm up and cool down.  After the third or fourth interval, I usually started to get pretty uncomfortable (notably dry-heaving on a few occasions - sorry for the gross imagery).  By the end of my training, I was doing 8 x 400m in 1:30 with energy to spare!  And, I had shaved a minute off of my average half-marathon split time!! 

The (maybe only) cool thing about treadmills is that, when you're trying to run at a specific pace, the treadmill will force you to stay there.  For speed intervals, this feature is particularly effective.  When on your fast intervals, the treadmill will keep your pace up; when on "rest," the treadmill will keep you at a steady but slower pace when you are exhausted (stay strong - no slacking!).  Thursday I did 6 x 400m at 9.2mph, a 6:30/mi pace, with 9:30/mi 400m jogs in between, plus 1 mile warm up run and a cool down walk.

The treadmill in my apartment complex's mini-gym doesn't have certain features that fancier real-gym versions have.  For instance, it only reports distance to tenths of a mile, as opposed to hundredths.  So, it's hard to judge when I've reached 0.25 miles (that's roughly 400 meters).  Also, it doesn't convert the mph that you set into min/mi, so I was doing some long division in my head mid-run Thursday morning.  Today I found this nifty treadmill pace conversion chart on the interwebs, so I can look up my goal pace before hitting the 'mill next time.  Not sure how the "equivalent paces by incline" calculation works, but I dig it!

Friday I didn't delude myself and immediately headed for the treadmill in the morning.  I had decided that, in order to make the most of my shortened running week, I was going to do a second type of speedwork - a tempo run.

It's 'mill time!  (Also, pasty legs!  Can't wait for summer...)

Essentially, "tempo run" means that you run for an extended distance near peak sustainable speed.  It's also often good to run "negative split" tempo runs, where you increase your pace every mile or so (so, speeding up rather than slowing down when you start to fatigue).  Incorporated into your training over time, these workouts will raise your anaerobic threshold so that your muscles metabolize oxygen longer into a run (rather than switching to glucose metabolism) and better process waste.  This means you'll be able to run faster for longer and without cramping.  Sounds pretty great, right?

But tempo runs can be grueling.  After Friday's tempo run, I was quite the sweat-monster.  I started with a 7-minute warm up walk (attempting to prevent further irritation of my IT band at the knee).  Then, I followed this tempo progression:

• Mile 0-0.5 - 8:00/mi pace, 1% grade
• Mile 0.5-1 - 7:54/mi pace, 1% grade
• Mile 1-1.5 - 7:54/mi pace, 2% grade
• Mile 1.5-2 - 7:48/mi pace, 1% grade
• Mile 2-2.5 - 7:48/mi pace, 2% grade
• Mile 2.5-2.9 - 8:00/mi pace, 1% grade
• Mile 2.9-3.0 - 6:40/mi pace, 1% grade ("strides")

Once again, the treadmill had come in handy for speed training!  After a cool down walk, I stretched (especially my IT bands) and iced.  I also had to scuttle hurriedly through the parking lot back to my apartment - the rain and wind had really picked up. 

To my delight, I woke up this morning to bright sunshine and blue sky - and couldn't wait to get outside!  I grabbed my camera (per childhood best friend and professional photographer Elizabeth's request) and headed out on an "easy" 3 mile run through the bike paths in my neighborhood.  The first thing I saw when I stepped outside was evidence of the havoc the rain storms had wreaked the night before.

But, in general, the run was completely gorgeous and it was amazing to be outside soaking in some vitamin D again.  [Side note: I don't really understand how sunshine could give you vitamin D - does anybody know how that works?] Including stopping to snap some pictures, I stayed around an 8:11/mi average split.

I love my running/biking paths and am pumped to go for an 11-miler on them tomorrow.

Even though my some of my usual activities were disrupted by the weather, my food plan for the week went off without a hitch!

Breakfasts were vanilla nut coffee and egg whites.  I always buy cartons of just egg whites and pour 1/3-1/2 cup in a microwave-safe bowl, then nuke it for 1.5 minutes.  Near-instant protein blast breakfast!

Lunches this week were curried sweet potato, cauliflower, and chicken.

•  1 head yellow cauliflower florets
  
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, sliced
  
• 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pre-cooked
  
• 2 single cups (with aluminum the pull-lids) of nonfat plain yogurt
• a lot of curry powder
• cumin
• pinch of red pepper flakes
  
• dash of cinnamon
• 1 tbsp sugar
  
• salt and pepper

Mix yogurt and spices.  Pour half into a bowl, set aside.  Toss other half with veggies, spread in a greased dish.  Roast at 400 for 20-30 minutes.  Top chicken breasts with 2 tbsp reserved sauce and 1/6th of the veggies.  Microwave until hot.  Enjoy!

If you work or go to school with me, you're probably quite familiar with my lunchbox :)  I pack lunch and snacks in it every day - it's a real money- and calorie-saver.  Carry-on snacks this week included (as usual) 2% mozzarella cheese sticks, nonfat yogurts, Kashi Cherry Dark Chocolate Bars, and granny smith apples.

Dinners this week were mostly glorious spinach, baked honey sesame tofu, clover sprouts, steamed beets, cherry tomato, dried fruit, mixed nut, and balsamic salads.

But, on Thursday night, having ratcheted up my calorie burn with the morning's interval training, I was famished by dinner time and craving something hearty.  So, along with a side-salad with tofu, I threw together baked cherry tomato pasta for one.

• 2 oz. whole wheat spaghetti, cooked
• 5 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• generous sprinkle of dried oregano
•  1/2 tbsp olive oil
  
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• pinch red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper
• 1 2% mozzarella cheese stick, shredded
• 1 tbsp sprinkle Parmesan cheese

Mix everything but the cheese and pasta together, let sit for 10 minutes while you cook the pasta.  Toss tomato mixture with pasta, add to small baking dish.  Toss half the mozzarella in with the pasta; top with the other half and the Parmesan.  Bake at 375 for 10 minutes.  Broil for 1 minute.  Enjoy!

Look at the steam rising off that beautiful roasted cherry tomato!  Mmmm, so savory, tangy, and sweet!

Desserts have been multiple bowls of either Kashi GoLean Crunch, Special K Protein Plus, or Special K Chocolatey Delight.

On Saturday afternoon, in celebration of the sunlight, I met Jin and Shannon at the local Farmer's Market for lunch.

We all ate Indian Naan wraps - I had baked tofu with various chutneys, Shannon had aloo gobi, and Jin had paneer.

Then we walked downtown for coffee and tea. 

Hmm that clock is definitely incorrect.

On our walk, we passed one of the town's many impressively lush and surprisingly located fruit trees.

It was so nice to be outside on a beautiful day - and unbelievable that it is still January!  The rain is supposed to rear it's ugly head again next week, but hopefully it will hold off tomorrow for my next long run...

On the docket for the coming week:

• Sunday - 11 miler with Renata through the Arboretum!  Will definitely bring the camera on this one.
  
• A 5-mile tempo run.
• Two 3-4 mile "easy" runs.
• Lots of stretching, especially paying attention to my IT bands - no more knee pain please!
• Crossing off lots of items on my lengthy to-do list.
  
• Evening yoga to decompress.
• Lunches - Something with chicken TBD.  Maybe red curry or stir-fry...  Red curry and green curry pork with green beans and Chinese eggplant!  (Bulk pork was on sale this week @ $1.69/lb.)
  
• Dinners - Roasted veggies (brussels sprouts, carrots, mushrooms) and modified tomato pork chops.

Today's question:  How does the weather impact your life? Does your mood change with the seasons?  Are you less productive when it is unfavorable outside - or is it harder to concentrate when you'd rather be playing in the sunshine?