Good morning. I hope you had a nice weekend! I took a little blogging hiatus on Sunday.
After my last post on Saturday, I visited my neighbor/old boss who is having a baby very very soon, ran some errands, and then Hubby and I went to see Avatar late in the evening. I really enjoyed Avatar. We went to the IMax theater on the West side and I was shocked by how huge it was and that this movie is still selling out. The 3D glasses were a little goofy, but all in all it was a great experience. And it didn’t feel like a 2 1/2 hour movie. It flew by. I think parts of the movie had a bit of the cheese-factor going on, but the action sequences totally drew me in and I forgot about any corny parts. But the movie started at 10 p.m., so we didn’t get home until 1:30 a.m.!
Have you seen Avatar? Did you like it?
As I mentioned, unfortunately I did not get a long run in on Saturday. I theoretically could have run in the afternoon, but once my mind was set on not running the night before (thanks to the darn weathermen), I was not motivated to go. Plus, I was not hydrated at all.
I decided that I would do my long run on Sunday morning. I woke up a little late – around 9:30 a.m. on Sunday and had my pre-run breakfast of a honey-wheat double fiber English muffin with peanut butter and a banana on top, along with some water.
But then I glanced at the temperature gauge and saw that it read 21 degrees outside. BRR! I putzed around and wasted time until finally I had to either go running outside or go to the gym. I left our apartment around 12:45 p.m. for my 11 mile run in 30 degree weather. I was sufficiently bundled, but my nose would not stop running (no pun intended). I headed to Central Park and did two 5-mile loops, plus a mile warm-up there and cool-down back — so a total of 12 miles. Here are my stats:
Mile 1 – 10:23
Mile 2 – 8:13
Mile 3 – 8:31
Mile 4 – 8:17
Mile 5 – 8:38
Mile 6 – 8:34
Mile 7 – 8:29
Mile 8 – 8:57
Mile 9 – 8:43
Mile 10 – 8:45
Mile 11 – 8:49
Mile 12 – 9:36
Total Mileage 12.40 miles in 1:49:10.
I was somewhat consistent and ran faster than I expected. I had so many layers on, along with gloves, that I didn’t check my Garmin once while I was running. I just went at whatever pace felt right and good.
After my run I wanted a snack, so I made a breakfast cookie with oatmeal, egg whites, protein powder, raisins, Truvia, baking powder and cinnamon. It was a great after-run snack.
The afternoon flew by after I finally finished stretching, showering, ate and warmed back up and before I knew it, it was 5:00 p.m. and I wanted a light snack before dinner. I had an apple with cheddar cheese.
Before my snack, I set to work on cooking up some Beef and Barley Soup (made with venison) from a recipe on cookinglight.com to have while we watched the Super Bowl. This recipe took 2 hours to make!
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- 1 pound of cubed venison meat
- 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced carrot
- 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced celery
- 2/3 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 cup of fresh cremini mushrooms
- 4 cups fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 2/3 cup uncooked pearl barley
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Preparation
Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add beef to pan; cook 4 minutes or until browned, stirring frequently. Remove beef from pan. Add carrot, celery, onion, and mushrooms to pan; cook 6 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. Add beef; fat-free, less-sodium beef broth; and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until beef is tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in pearl barley; cover and simmer 30 minutes or until pearl barley is tender. Stir in salt and pepper. Discard bay leaf.
It was yummy, but next time I would start making it much sooner. Hubby and I watched the Superbowl and I was very happy The Saints won.
After it was over, I read for a bit and headed to bed – my long cold run made me exhausted. I definitely think running and marathon training in the winter/spring is harder than in the summer. I feel like I’m exerting more effort during my long runs this time around.
What about you – have you trained in the winter/spring, and if so, do you think it’s harder than the summer/fall?
I really hope that this training pays off in the end. I’ve been trying to stick to my training plan, but this time around feels a lot tougher (I think because of the weather). How do you motivate yourself to get out there and run?! I could use any advice anyone has to offer at this point.
Have a good Monday everyone!
Eat, Read, Run 
wow girl, you are soo speedy! I definitely think running at this time of year is harder than any other time. On the bright side, training hard now will make running in those seasons that much easier, right? 🙂
Oh my gosh – I hope that is the case. Training is hard now and then the marathon in May is a breeze. Seriously praying for that. 🙂
Congrats on the long run! I think that marathon training in the winter and early spring is much harder. Your soup looks like the perfect way to warm up after a chilly 12-miles 🙂
Finally bought some Chobani yogurt. I like it, but is there a reason you eat it rather than other yogurts? It is much thicker than regular yogurt.
I eat Greek yogurt (mainly Chobani) because it’s all natural, no preservatives, no synthetic growth hormones, it includes 5 live & active cultures – including 3 probiotics, it’s made with real fruit, has twice the protein of regular yogurts, and best of all it keeps me fuller longer!
phew – i got tired just reading about your run. great job!!
I make a soup like this but justdump it all in the crock pot….I finf it much easier! Soups on a cold day are always the best:)
My hat goes off to you for braving the cold, I did not leave my apartment on Sunday. I was sick, tired, and sore from an intense workout on Saturday. Looks like you did an incredible job on an incredibly challenging long winter run!
That soup looks remarkable! Where on earth did you find venison? I’ve heard that’s pretty hard to come by. I’ve never tried it, but I’ve heard it’s delicious.
I think that because I really hate the cold, winter is much harder for me from a mental perspective. And for some reason, I kinda like running in the heat and humidity of summer. Makes me feel that much stronger when I’m done.
I ran 12 miles yesterday and my nose ran constantly, too. I cut a soft wash cloth into small pieces and tucked one in my pocket because tissues don’t hold up well.
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