State to State = New PR

State to State 2010 has officially come and gone, and it couldn't have turned out any better. After having one of the hottest summers on record in the Miami Valley Region and record breaking temps last week, a cold front moved in 24 hours in advance of the race dropping the temps by over 20 degrees. Sunday morning started off around 50 degrees and sunny. 7:58am everybody is in the starting corral about 15 feet behind the starting line. 7:59am, Spencer, Jessica, and I are about 3 feet from the starting line. (A lot closer to the front of the pack than where we usually line up) 8am gun goes off and we all lunge forward, nice thing about being that close to the front is you don't hit the wall of people stumbling over each other. 8:52am at the half way point, turning around and feeling great. 9:45am crossing the finish line. A new PR 1 hour 45 minutes. I beat my previous course record by 18 minutes.

As always State to State was fun. It's nice having a larger/small race in our town. It looked as though the sponsorship was down this year. The starting/finishing chute wasn't done up as much as years past. There also weren't any gels this year. For some reason there was only one band this year along the course, 2 years ago we had a band about every mile. Even without all the bells and whistles, we still had our awesome mobile cheering squad, at 4 different locations along the course pushing us on.

Next year 1:30...............maybe?

worry less. smile more. accept criticism. take responsibility. listen & love. don't hate. embrace change. & feel good anyway

Glenn

Getting it in Gear

What the heck. I only have 2 weeks till the State to State Half Marathon and 6 weeks till my first Ultra Stone Steps 50k. Where has the time gone? First mistake. I didn't plan out my shorter weekly runs. That means outside of my long runs on the weekends I have only ran a handful of times over the past 2-3 months. Mistake number 2 lack of sleep which means I've been cutting my long runs short. I only have 6 weeks left and have only topped out at 18 miles. I should have hit 26 at least once by now.

Calm down Chris......Look on the bright side. You still have 6 weeks. The weather is getting better. I can get out there and log my short runs without the fear that I might spontaneously combust in the heat. Gonna log 20+ miles tomorrow morning with Spencer pacing me towards the end. I have plenty of time.

Ok so maybe my finishing time won't be as good as I had hoped it would be, but I know I'll at least finish which is all I'm really worried about. I just want to get out there and meet some new people, get myself introduced into the world of ultra trail racing, and most of all just have a great time.

Vegetable Lasagna

I made this recipe a couple weeks ago and it was almost a good as the veg lasagna I had in Lake Placid, NY last month.

Ingredients:

2 medium zucchini (about a 1lb 1/2) cut length wise down the center and then into 1/4 slices.

1Tbs olive oil, plus more for roasting zucchini

Salt and black pepper

12oz of lasagna noodles

2lbs firm tofu, drained and mashed

1 8oz package of shredded mozzarella cheese

1 8oz package of shredded Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2tsp dried oregano

2 cups chopped white mushrooms

1 (10 oz) bag frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

4 cups marinara sauce **see note at bottom of post**

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 425F. Lightly oil a baking sheet and arrange the zucchini slices on it in a single layer. Drizzle the zucchini with a little oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Roast the zucchini until tender about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 350F

2) Place the noodles in a 9x13 inch baking dish and pour on enough boiling salted water to cover. Set aside

3) In a large bowl, combine the tofu, mozzarella and 3/4 of the Parmesan cheese. Mash well to combine. Add the basil, oregano, 1tsp of salt, and 1/2tsp pepper. Mix well to combine. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding a pinch more salt if necessary.

4) In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until they release their liquid, 3 - 4 minutes. Add the spinach and season with salt to taste. Cook until liquid is absorbed set aside

5) Drain and blot noodles. Spread a layer of the marinara sauce in bottom of 9x13 baking dish. Place 4 noodles on top of sauce, slightly overlapping. Spread 1 1/4 cup tofu mixture over noodles in thin layer. Spread a layer of the zucchini slices on top of the noodles and top with half the spinach mushroom mixture.

6) Repeat layering with the sauce, noodles, tofu mixture, zucchini slices, and spinach mixture, ending with sauce topped with remaining Parmesan cheese.

7) Cover with foil and bake 45 min.

**Marinara Sauce**
You can use the premade store bought sauce be here is a great way to make your own

2Tbs olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbs dried marjoram

1tsp dried basil

2 (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes

1tsp sugar

3/4 tsp salt

1/4tsp black pepper

1) In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, cover, and cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in marjoram and basil and cook about 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and sugar and bring to a boil.

2) Reduce the heat to low, season with salt and pepper, and simmer until thickened, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Makes about 7 cups. Store additional sauce in fridge for a few days or freezer for 3 - 4 weeks

Feel the Burn?

Well it's been over a month since I posted last. Been feeling a little burned out on the running, not to mention the blazing temps we've been dealing with this summer. I've also been trying to get use to my new work schedule that I really don't like. I have been getting out and doing my long runs on the weekends, though I've had to cut a few short due to heat/humidity or schedule conflict. Unfortunately I haven't been getting my shorter runs in like I should. I might do one tempo run a week if I'm lucky. Starting next week I'm planning on volunteering with the Fitton Y's running club, which should help get me back on pace some.

I've also been struggling with the whole eating "healthy" thing lately. I'll be doing really well for about a week then I loose focus for about 3-4 days eating meat, junk food, and other garbage I don't need. I'm wanting to take the next step up from vegetarian to vegan but have to get refocused on the basics before I proceed or I'll end up back where I started.

My question for you today is what do you do to prevent burn out or how do you get rid of that feeling?

Portobello Mushroom Burgers

I've been very leery about trying the whole substituting mushroom for beef idea but after trying this burger I'll never make another beef or "veggie burger" again.



Ingredients


4 portobello mushroom caps
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
4 (1 ounce) slices provolone cheese

Tomato slices

baby spinach leaves



Directions


Place the mushroom caps, smooth side up, in a shallow dish. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil, basil, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper. Pour over the mushrooms. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes or so, turning twice.


Preheat grill for medium-high heat.


Brush grate with oil. Place mushrooms on the grill, reserving marinade for basting. Grill for 5 to 8 minutes on each side, or until tender. Brush with marinade frequently. Top with cheese during the last 2 minutes of grilling.



Top with tomato and spinach

Zucchini, Corn, and Potato Tacos

Made this last night. Very filling and tasted great. I also used the left over filling as a breakfast side dish this morning.

Ingredients:

1 Medium Potato, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (1cup)
2 Medium Carrots, chopped
12 Taco shells
1Tbs olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small zucchini, cut into thin bite sized strips
1 cup cut fresh corn or frozen whole kernel corn
1Tbs chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
8oz firm tofu cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup shredded cheddar and/or Monterey Jack cheese
2 Tomatoes chopped
taco sauce

Directions:

1. In a covered medium saucepan cook the potato and carrots in a small amount of boiling water for 7-8 minutes or until tender; drain and set aside. If desired, heat taco shells according to package

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add zucchini and corn; cook and stir for 3 minutes. Add chili powder, salt, and pepper; cook and stir for 1 minute more. Gently stir in the potato mixture and tofu; heat through.

3. To serve, fill the shells with vegetable mixture. Top with tomato, taco sauce and cheese

Long Run Training for Stone Steps 50K

Ok Peeps, I finally sat down and scheduled my long runs leading up to the 50K. Most of them are on Sunday mornings due to work on Saturdays. They can be adjusted to Fridays or Mondays if given enough notice. I know most of you will not be doing some of the higher mileage but if interested we could start or finish a run together. Here is what I'm looking at

Sun 7/11 13miles

Sun 7/18 Vacation

Sun 7/25 Vac

Sun 8/1 16miles

Sun 8/8 18m

Sun 8/15 20m

Sun 8/22 10m

Sun 8/29 22m

Sun 9/5 Cheetah Run 5k

Mon 9/6 26m

Sun 9/12 17m

Sun 9/19 24m

Sun 9/26 State to State Half

Sat 10/2 Reggae Run 5k

Mon 10/4 26m

Sun 10/10 20m

Sun 10/17 15m or C-Bus Half

Sun 10/24 STONE STEPS 50K

I will also be doing shorter runs throughout the week some morning some around 11pm

Roasted Chickpeas

Ok, so I've been M.I.A. for a few weeks due to 1) slacking on my training and 2) lack of internet. Here is a really short and easy recipe. These roasted chickpeas "Chickers" are a great protien packed snack to grab on the go.

Preheat oven 400degrees.

Drain and rinse one can of chickpeas and coat with 2tbs of olive oil. Place beans in a large baking dish and sprinkle with salt. Roast for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Eat at room temp.