Daily Dish

Race Recap – GoodLife Toronto Half Marathon

Not a PB but a Feelings PB  and I’m SO into running again! 🙂

Sunday’s GoodLife Fitness Toronto Half Marathon may not have brought a PB in time but it was definitely a Feelings PB. Although… I will give myself credit that it was the fastest 21.1KM I’ve run in over 18 months (finishing at 1:59:18) – so that’s pretty darn awesome!

When I say it was a Feelings PB, it’s because I felt joy, strength and motivation throughout the whole race. Running alongside 14,000 runners in some unfavourable weather and the vibes were still so high. The crew love was absolutely incredible and carried me through most of the race (Huge Thanks Morgan & Lauren!) And even though I grew a tad tired towards the end, I really did enjoy every minute of those 21.1KM! I had no crazy pains, no hoping for it to be over soon, and no question on whether I would finish strong or whether I might die of pain the day after.

Today, my heart is full, my body feels energized and while there will always be some slight disappointment in not beating a previous time, I’m thankful to have been able to run. With coming back from some time off, not fully recovered from an eye illness and running with only one contact in, the fact that I was able to get out and run for 2 hours is something to REALLY appreciate.

We all run our own races for different reasons and it’s not always about the distance or time. For me, running this race was about celebrating the achievements that surrounded me pre, during and post-race. It was about celebrating the end of 16 amazing training weeks with Academy of Lions RunCrew  and its success in helping me grow stronger, faster and find my love for running again (as I had set out to do with joining RunLAB) + I made friends with some pretty rad people along the way! This race was about meeting challenges, putting the last 4 months of ups/downs into perspective and enjoying the final victory lap of  RunLAB; running with our community all set out to smash their own goals.

It may have been dreary, cold, windy and rainy, but we killed it and we did it together! Congrats fellow runners! 🙂5813

Inthis2gether! xx

Sweet Potato Veg-Carbonara with Spinach & Mushrooms

This recipe went viral on Facebook last week and I just had to try! Wow – what a dish, it is incredibly delicious and so easy that I have already made it twice this week! The texture of the sweet potato noodles are perfect and I quote from my pasta loving man friend  “I feel like I actually just had pasta, that was so good!” That’s success in my books!

Lately, I have been on a sweet potato kick -roasted, grilled, mashed, thrown into a smoothie or juice – sweet potatoes every which way. They are super delicious, versatile and as most runners know they are a great source of fuel for runs and a great source of recovery post-run. Not to mention all the other fantastic benefits which I’ve shared with you before – see post here. Trust me, you will love this dish and if you’re not into the carbonara or you are vegan – season with olive oil, salt and pepper and I guarantee it’ll be just as good!

Sweet Potato Noodles

Sweet Potato Veg-Carbonara with Spinach & Mushrooms (yields 4 servings)

  • 2-3 large sweet potatoes, peeled
  • 3 large eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 8-ounce package sliced cremini mushrooms
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cups of baby spinach
  • Basil and chilli oil to top

Ingredients

  1. Spiralize sweet potatoes into “noodles.”
  2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms start to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add spinach and cook, stirring, until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes.
  3. Cook the sweet potato noodles in boiling water, gently stirring once or twice, until just starting to soften but not completely tender, approx. 1 minute. Reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking water, then drain. Return the noodles to the pot, off the heat.
  4. Combine eggs, Parmesan, salt, pepper and the reserved water in a bowl and mix.
  5. Pour mixture over the noodles and gently toss with tongs until evenly coated.
  6. Add the vegetables to the noodles and toss to combine.
  7. Top with a generous grinding of pepper, Parm, and basil.

Sweet Potato Veg-Carbonara YUM! xx

 

Week 14 – RunLab

Week 14’s a wrap!

With two weeks to go until we hit the GoodLife Marathon, many are excited and eager to hit their goal that was set 14 weeks ago and I think equally as thrilled that it’s time to taper and training is almost over! That is until the runners high sets in post race and we all start training for the next. 😉

I, on the other hand am excited to be back training with the Academy of Lions RunCrew after being off ill for almost a month. I had a severe eye infection that left me living as a hermit. No social outings, no work, little screen time, and the darker the space the better. My lungs were aching for the taste of air, my skin to feel that warm spring sun and my sanity to socialize and catch up with friends!

Coming back after 4 weeks off didn’t make for the easiest of runs but my heart is happy and it’s great to be back running with the Crew! With my first full week of training and Sunday’s long run of 16.5km, I’m  happy to say that my body hadn’t lost all of the great training it had gone through and I feel as though I’ve bounced back pretty well! I’m pretty happy of where I am at physically and yes, I may be a tad sore but it’s a good sore. A soreness that I’m thankful for because I’m back at it and still able to work towards running GoodLife on May 1.

Unfortunately with being off for so long, I missed the peak weeks of training and am falling short of being able to complete a full marathon, which I finally had set my heart on (I think haha). However, I have high hopes that I’ll be able to finish the half feeling great and ready to cheer on the rest of the Crew as they finish the 42.2!

It’s been incredible to see how far everyone has come in their training and see how they crush kilometre after kilometre after kilometre! I love that social media was able to connect us when I was down and out and allow me to follow their triumphs as each week passed. After all, we are #inthis2gether! I will admit I did have serious RunCrew envy when the sun grew brighter, the days warmer and they were all out crushing 30+ km’s each Sunday, but it made me even more excited to get back at it.

The solidarity this group has and the support they give is outstanding. They were able to connect with me while I was off, advise on what my next move should be and encourage me not to fret and that there will always be another race! It was humbling to know that people I’d met only 10 weeks ago were so genuine, concerned and supportive through my whole ordeal. Major crew love here and I’m super grateful!

RunCrew

Get Running. xx

Socca with Caramelized Onion, Asparagus & Micro Greens

This was my first time trying to make Socca and it was a success! A high protein gluten-free traditional Provencal flatbread topped off with some favourite ingredients. This recipe was seriously a hit and I’m thinking it may be a new at home pizza crust alternative! It is simple to cook, light and crisp with a delicious nutty flavour that will go with just about any topping. Made from chickpea flour, Socca ends up being a great source of protein, folate, iron and magnesium with all that yummy starchiness flavour.

This variation was inspired by Sarah Britton’s My New Roots recipe. Personally, I’m not a huge dill fan and opted to use what I had on hand to make this recipe come to life. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the best pictures because I was ravenous and dug into this beautiful dish too soon. Hope you enjoy!Socca with Carmelized Onion, Asparagus & Sprouts

Ingredients:

  • 2-3 medium sweet onions
  • 2 tbsp of coconut oil
  • himalayan sea salt
  • 2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar
  • 2 bunches of asparagus (all green, or add in white or purple to jazz things up)
  • 1 cup of radish, arugula, ruby mustard micro greens or your choice of sprouts
  • 2 oz. goat feta
  • cracked black peppers
  • olive oil to garnish

Socca Ingredients: (makes 4-6)

  • 1 cup chickpea flour
  • 3/4 tsp himalayan sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
  • 1 1/4 cup warm water
  • 3 tbsp coconut oil, plus extra for cooking crepes
  1. To make the socca batter, sift the flour, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Whisk in warm water and oil, then let it sit, covered, for at least 30 minutes. Note- This can even sit all day.
  2. Over high heat, melt some of the oil in a large pan. Once it’s very hot, pour in one quarter of the batter and tilt the pan so it coats the base evenly. Cook for 5-8 minutes, until bubbles form on the surface and the batter turns from shiny to opaque, then flip over and cook for a few minutes, until browned. Remove from the pan and set aside under a tea towel to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining batter.Socca
  3. For the topping, heat coconut in a large pan, add the onions and salt, and stir to coat. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the pan is dry, add the balsamic vinegar. Cook for 20-25 minutes, or until the onions are golden and caramelized, then transfer to a bowl.Carmelized Onion
  4. Preheat a grill pan over high heat. Rub the asparagus with the remaining oil, then add them to the pan and cook, for 5-10 minutes, turning once, until tender and slightly charred.
  5. To serve, cover each warm socca with the caramelized onions, asparagus, sprouts and feta. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.Soccer with Asparagus, Carmelized Onion & Sprouts

Dig in! xx

Week 7 – RunLAB

With week 7 of RunLAB under my belt, I think it’s safe to say that training on #theroadtoGoodLife has me in all sorts of feels. Highs and lows and in between. Right now, I feel great! Two weeks ago, not so much. Sometimes our thoughts can be our own worst enemy, especially when we’re feeling tired or sore.

What I am learning as we go or I should say being reminded of is that training the mind is just as important as training our body; more so than we often realize. With RunLAB, I am seeing this come alive each week as we set out on our long runs. I’m feeling stronger physically as each week goes – thanks to a carefully designed program to strengthen our body to be better runners. However, running with a crew has proven to be the biggest support system I’ve known to carry me through the long distances week over week. Their energizing presence continually reinforces the mind to think ‘I can do this’ ‘this is actually awesome’ ‘I so got this-done’ into existence.

This week’s long run of 24KM brought many moments when I was ready to give up because I didn’t think I could get through it. (Even though we just ran this distance last week!) Now, I know not every run is going to be a good run, but when you are at kilometer 17 the last 7 can seem almost unimaginable. With that being said, having a solid crew to run alongside every Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday is pretty awesome! Just knowing they’re there has probably made 95% of our crew runs better than I ever anticipated. It’s the kind support that has you feeling unstoppable during those agonizing mid-run moments and feeling full post-run because we are in this together, we got here together. Their camaraderie and self-motivation has me pushing my limits every week and actually looking forward to the next. 🙂

Now I am not saying, we can depend on a crew for 100% of our training because come race day, I am sure there will be a lot of alone time and we need to know how to manage this. But I do think it can be that extra push we need to get us to that start line in top shape come race day; after that gun fires – the rest will magically fall into place.

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Happy Vibes! xx

PS- I am super pumped to let you all know that I’ll be posting my progress on the Academy of Lions RunCrew blog as well to help inspire and encourage other runners in our community!