Learning Something New

Drove to Bassett this AM to help Star City Striders set up and time a race - beautiful, crisp fall morning to run.....no running for me today - long hike planned for tomorrow!

No Run Friday

Attended ethics conference at the beautiful Hotel Roanoke today.....chill in air and had to wear sweater - fall is here. Hibiscus full of blooms - will bring it in to overwinter and bloom again next year...

47

Ran/walked ~5 miles along Roanoke River after class today. Looking forward to the next three days off - happy birthday to me!

Italian Squash Fitness Walk

Had a 3 mile fitness walk with Linda catching up on the latest news and running plans since she's been out of town for a while. We stopped to admire a backyard when the owner came around and told us about these huge green squash hanging from the trees. Fun walk back to our cars brandishing these monsters! I am now the proud owner of a 32 inch cucuzza squash - watch for pictures and recipes as I find out what to do with this veggie!

Two pretty good days

Ran ~4 miles in the neighborhood yesterday and ran/walked Mill Mountain with two coworkers today. School good, work OK. Making a crock pot of veggie chili for a fundraiser at school tomorrow. I'm including the recipe so maybe some of the students will try it when they find it doesn't have that "weird tofu stuff" in it.

Sandra Tee’s Yummy, Healthy Vegetarian Chili

1 28 ounce can crushed or diced tomatoes
1 15 ounce can pinto beans
2 15 ounce cans dark red kidney beans
2 15 ounce cans black beans
1 medium onion coarsely chopped
1 red or green bell pepper coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves chopped
½ chopped jalapeno pepper
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups water

Combine all ingredients in crock pot. Heat on medium heat 6 – 8 hours. Adjust the amount of chili powder, garlic and jalapeno pepper according to your preference. Check the label on the beans for animal ingredients such as lard, pork fat or natural seasonings. Some beans are labeled as vegetarian but it is reasonably easy to find beans not cooked with meat.

No long run today....

My plan was to have a long 7 - 10 mile run today - well, it didn't happen. I had a 35 minute run in my neighborhood this evening after spending the day with my husband looking at land and running errands. Not a bad way to spend a day! I'll get back to the running Monday after class - I work a 12 hour shift tomorrow.
Drove around the New River Valley along Claytor Lake and the New River looking for a small plot of land to use as a weekend retreat. The New River is unique in that it is one of the only two rivers in the world to flow from south to north; the other being the Nile. We both want something secluded and with some sort of water access. Happened upon a beautiful little cabin along Claytor Lake - reminded me of a slightly updated version of the cabin where Thomas Rain Crowe lived while writing the journals that later became the basis of his marvelous book "Zoro's Field - My Life in the Appalachian Woods".
I'm blessed to live in such a beautiful part of the world and have experienced such Appalachian ways as cooking and heating on a woodstove, growing most all the food we put on the table and knowing (and have used) the word "stob".
Probably not quite ready to buy that cabin in the woods but my what a wonderful day....

Postscript: Finished a sweater for a coworker's grandson - ready to go to sleep now.

What was I thinking???

Agreed to work a 12 hour night shift last night - 7p - 7a. I worked nights for six years and have always had the wonderful ability to nap wherever, whenever. I had a four hour nap yesterday before the shift but goodness, I forgot how lousy I'd feel today! Came home, slept for a couple hours and then wide awake so decided to get up and do a few chores and nap again later. Husband running errands and playing a little golf so house is quiet....needless to say no running for me today....will run a long one tomorrow.....

.....zzzzzzzzzzzz......

Beautiful Fall Day

First day of fall is Saturday but certainly feels like it today - highs in 60s with lows tonight in the 40s. I potted up my basil plants and one lonely fennel and put them on the back stoop hoping to prolong their life. This is the basil after I cut it back again - the freshly cut basil is resting in a vase in my garden window. I've had great luck with keeping basil this way - it's like hydroponic gardening.....





Ran 4 miles around and through downtown after class - lower temperatures and breeze were heavenly! Discovered a new bathroom/water stop - the bathroom at the public library.

First test in the respiratory therapy program tomorrow...

Good morning ...for a Monday

To class and then back home to catch up on homework and chores before going to work at 3p. The lettuce seeds I planted a few weeks ago are coming up nicely and are even recognizable as tiny lettuce leaves. Put together a wonderful fresh lunch - whole wheat pasta and fresh tomatoes. Here's the recipe for my pasta dish


-Halved cherry tomatoes
-Chopped fresh basil
-Crushed garlic
-Olive oil
-Kosher salt

Add these ingredients together and mash gently with a potato masher or some other similar tool. Let the flavors merge for an hour or more. Serve over pasta and top with freshly grated parmesan cheese if you like. The amounts of each ingredient are dependent on your taste....yum!

Seemed Like All Uphill

Ran the Uptown/Downtown Rocky Mount 5k this morning - beautiful scenery and friendly people but wow what a hilly course! The children's fun runs are wonderful to watch and all the children receive an award.

I did a little better than last year but not as good as I hoped for receiving a second place medal in my age division but then I'm pretty sure there were only two of us in that category - oh well! I enjoy this race because it begins/ends at the farmers' market and I like picking up produce there. The market is small but the quality of the produce is great and is homegrown unlike some of the produce on the Roanoke Market.

After the run had a great cup of cappucino at Edible Vibe - also purchased a bottle of delicious homemade Thai peanut ginger dressing and vegetable chips. I like using the dressing as a marinade for tofu and to add to stir fry veggies. I plan to have both these meals later this week. Indulged myself in a little clothes shopping for a pair of casual black pants at J&J Fashions - much of their styles are not my taste (no scrubs or running gear here) but they carry several styles of women's jeans that flatter a real woman's body and do not look matronly.

Back to Roanoke to stop at the market for a little more shopping and a quick lunch with friends at Trio - good, healthy succotach wrap and a cold beverage. Cooking green beans with red potatoes,corn on the cob and a steak (!) for my husband. Yes, I am vegetarian but I don't particularly mind cooking meat - would rather not but I don't think I'll be converting my husband to a vegetarian diet anytime soon.

Back to my running plan, will do a 3-4 mile run downtown Monday or Wednesday, long run Thursday and Saturday, and run the Rocky Mount course again Friday when I pick up my hemmed pants. Will treat myself to lunch at Edible Vibe as well!

Training for the next Half Marathon

Went to class and meet Linda for a run over part of the Star City Half Marathon course and then over the 3 mile Wiley Drive loop. All together ~ 7 miles - plan on one long run (10+ miles) and 2 shorter runs weekly. Plan on running the Star City course every other week as my long run. That's my plan and I'm aiming to stick to it!

Resting Up a Little

Working as usual but having two days off from classes so have the time to catch up on rest and other hobbies. Raining on and off so I have a great excuse for staying inside today .... have seen three movies the past few days - each regarding some aspect of the maternal-child bond. Daughter from Danang, Rabbit Proof Fence, and The Story of the Weeping Camel are all thoughtful, beautiful movies - I recommend all three. I must quote a line from The Story of the Weeping Camel - the young boys arrive back from a camel ride into the town and the youngest asks his father for a TV and the grandfather said, " What do you want with that devil...you would spend all your time inside watching the glass images..." Back to running tomorrow - have another half marathon in November and the More Marathon in March! Oh my, did I just now really say that??

I Did It!

Back home with sore legs and the knowledge that I can move forward on my feet for 13 consecutive miles! Now about the run....drove up the day before to the beautiful little cabin we had reserved at the state park. These cabins were built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps and have been updated to include electricity, heat and air condition, indoor plumbing and kitchen. What is not included is a TV, phone or internet access - wonderful! The run, along with the other events, started at 7am Saturday morning so we turned in rather early Friday night with the plan to get up at 5am Saturday to eat breakfast, pack gear, and stretch prior to the run. Seven am found us at the lake with the bikers, swimmers and other runners - final count of people only running the half/full marathon was around 40 but there were a quite a few more participating the the duathlon and triathlon - now I can't imagine doing all that! The first mile was mainly on pavement and then took us into the woods and onto the various trails well marked with orange ties and posted mile markers. We was also given written directions. The next mile or so was along the lake and gave a beautiful view of the fog and the swimmers.



Total elevation climb was ~ 2000 feet but it came all at once as a steady climb up the mountain including these steps that must have been built by someone at least 6 and a half feet tall!


I found this a challenge and walked most of miles 3 - 6 ..... one of the rules of trail running is "Run the runables and walk (briskly) up the hills". This cabin was at the overlook near the midway point and also served as a check station and a water stop.





The downhill was ~ the second half and I ran that portion with little problem. Trail running is not as fast as road racing because you have to watch your step for rocks, roots etc. otherwise you could have a nasty injury. I had no falls but I did lurch forward a number of times. As I passed each mile march I would shout "Eight (or how ever many) miles to go" and would think about similar distances I had previously ran. I finished in slightly less than four hours and am happy with my time - this was not a supported run so you had to carry all the fluids, food etc. that you thought you would need. I carried a Camelback with a full 1.5 liter water bladder, a gatorade, energy gels, toilet paper, alcohol hand cleaner and a whistle around my neck. I also carried my camera to record this fabulous event - that's the only extra piece of gear I had. After the run, Linda and I tailgated for a little eating a lunch of cheese sandwiches, chips and I drank part of a Rockstar Energy Drink - yuck!!



I believe my time on a supported road run will be a little better but I can't imagine the views could be any more spectacular. I'll see how my time is on the Star City Half Marathon in November - yes, I'm already planning my next half!

One Day Until!

Ran/walked 6 miles after class today, mowed lawn and worked 3p - 11p. Ready for half marathon in less than 48 hours!

A Moment of Meditation

Each day I work I walk across the bridge over the river to the hospital. As I cross it I try to shift my thoughts and intentions to my work and the many joys in my life...

Cooking and counting down to the half marathon

Roanoke has some great ethnic markets primarily along busy Williamson Road. Housing prices are reasonable along this street and close proximity to the interstate makes it a convenient area for working class people to live. I'm happy to say I live here too and can walk to many of these shops - isn't that great!

I recently stopped in one of these markets and picked up a variety of tofu and seitan products. Craving Thai food today I decided to try to put something together with the ingredients I had on hand. Tong's Thai is fabulous and I stop in every week or so for lunch but I have all this great food at home....

I sliced a yellow squash, onion and garlic and sauteed in a little veggie oil. I added some chopped fresh jalapeno to the mix, let that saute, then added the mushrooms and seitan mix (ingredients from the label: fried gluten, soy sauce, golden mushrooms, shiitake, sugar, soy bean oil, salt).


Stirring that around, I added a little cornstarch dissolved in water to thicken up the broth and added plenty of fresh basil and ground black pepper towards the end. Served over rice and yummy! My version of southern fried yellow crookneck squash with a strong Thai influence....



Now for the rest of my doings....Busy schedule this week with classes in the morning and working evening shift Monday - Thursday. Did a brisk 2 mile walk yesterday and plan to do a easy ~3mile run after class tomorrow. Trying to get enough sleep and drinking plenty of water in prepearation for the half marathon this weekend. The literature I've read suggests tapering off a little the week of an event to prevent injury....we'll see how it goes!

Sunday Fun and Chores

Ran/walked 10 miles at the cove with Linda - pretty good time and last long run before half marathon next weekend. Planted kale, beets, and lettuce in established raised bed on side of house and worked in more mulched leaves in the new raised bed along the back fence. Curious to see how these fall crops will do! Finished up another baby blanket for a friend at work - running and knitting will keep me sane, I hope! While completing the blanket I watched What the Bleep Do We Know? - quantum physics, neuropeptides, nature of reality.....some of the dialogue sounds much like the philosophy courses I had in my doctoral studies...enjoyable enough way to ponder such a difficult subject....

Vegan Cooking

I love to cook - preparing a tasty meal after a long work shift is a wonderful way to relax. Seldom do I view cooking as work....now the clean up is another thing entirely! I've found numerous blogs discussing vegetarian/vegan cooking (and eating) - one of my faves is urban vegan . Well, today I decided to enter urban vegan's tART contest - vegan fruit desserts! I'm taking my entry to work tomorrow - hope everyone likes it - won't tell anyone about the soy milk - of course, if I did then I could have it all to myself...

Peach & Blueberry Southern tArt (my version of southern cobbler)
1 cup self - rising flour
3/4 cup soy milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Mix these together and pour into shallow casserole dish - a quiche dish would be ideal if you have one. Peel and slice 3 - 4 fresh peaches and place on top of dough along with enough blueberries to cover the dough. Bake at 350F for 35 or so minutes until the dough has set. Yummy!

Soapbox

I am attending classes in a grand old renovated building with wide,clean stairwells. I hear fellow students complaining every day about the long wait for the crowded elevators but I seldom encounter another person as I tread up and down those steps day after day. Are we so lazy that walking down several flights of safe, well lit stairs is just so hard or too much trouble? Are we so lazy that we'll pay a dollar an hour (cheap I know) to park rather than park for free just a few more feet away? I heard a group of students complaining about the money they lost when a local fitness center recently closed and yes, they were waiting for the elevator! Maybe I could start a group of stairwalkers......I'll keep walking the stairs as I ponder this...