If you’re doing lots of training at the moment, it’s really important to keep up your intake of vitamins and minerals as well as carbohydrate and protein. This cake is a good excuse to do just that… Upside-down cake or virtuous tarte tatin, this perfect autumn post-run treat is fool-proof, incredibly easy to make and highly nutritious. It is also really impressive served warm, as a dessert, accompanied by a dollop of cr
I’ve just been severely reprimanded for not blogging about the fact that my very own wonderful daughter (aged just 17), my brother-in-law and my best friend Amber, all ran their first 1/2 marathon on 5th September. I’m SO sorry, I AM REALLY PROUD of you, you did BRILLIANTLY – it’s just that I’ve been snowed under with life and just haven’t got round to writing about it! Helena (daughter) and Paul (brother-in-law wiith shin splints who was kind enough to run with Helena almost the whole way – making sure that he sprinted off at the last minute so he wasn’t beaten by his neice!) managed their 13 miles in 1:57. They sprinted from mile 9 however, and had plenty of energy left over….they basically got their pacing wrong because I had been so adamant that they shouldn’t set off too quickly.
They have both declared that they’re going to train properly and get the pacing right for the Bath 1/2 in March 2011. They certainly followed my nutrition advice this time. They hydrated really well over the 3 days prior to the race and I cooked them all a deliciously balanced, low-fat, healthy pre-race meal of spaghetti with my slow-roasted tomato sauce the night before….
Now, my lovely friend Amber is completely new to running. Since recovering from breast cancer a couple of years ago she has worked incredibly hard to get fit. She’s gone from doing no sport at all to a committed runner, working out at least three or four times a week. She has started eating sensibly, she has lost at least two stone, and two years later she is a completely new woman….She ran the Bristol 1/2 in 2 1/2 hours and I have to say that, although this is not incredibly speedy, it is a most incredible achievement, especially as she’s done this on top of her very full time job – she’s one of the top Paediatric Anaesthetists in the country, specialising in saving children with severe burns and head injuries. Check out this thought-provoking video:
Pappardelle with Prosciutto, Flat-Leaf Parsley, Sweet Red Peppers and Brie de Meaux
Just a quickie post to jot down a delicious pasta dish I’ve just made for lunch after a joyful 13 miler this morning (I actually sprinted the last mile home, let’s hope the training stays so positive). This pasta took moments to make (and eat), was really fresh-tasting and incredibly healthy, with a good balanced of vitamins and slow-burning carbohydrates, plus a little protein. Brie de Meaux is quite high in saturated fat, so you might want to go easy on this. On the other hand, a little goes a long way and it really does add to the dish.
Serves 2 hungry people or 4 smaller portions:
- 250 g fresh pappardelle ( I used fresh lasagne sheets which I cut into thick strips)
- 80g pack of prosciutto cut into thin strips – even better if you can buy some cut freshly at the deli, but I used the pre-packed stuff
- 25g flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- a couple of sweet red pointed peppers, or one large standard red pepper, sliced finely
- about 150g good quality brie, like brie de Meaux, sliced into
Apple Power Pancakes with Spiced Apple Syrup
I’ve been overdoing it a bit on the running front, what with the Bristol 1/2 followed immediately by the Monster Duathlon, so Mark has enforced a week’s rest on me – probably a good idea as I now feel full of beans and raring to go for my run later today.
It has been a busy weekend – the book signing on Saturday, the Bristol Half on Sunday followed by a lovely post half lunch at friends and then my birthday
Book Signing – Go Faster Food
Come and say hello to me at Borders, Queen’s Road, Bristol on Saturday 5th September, 11.30 – 12.30, especially if you’re about to run the Bristol Half – I’ll be offering advice on nutrition and recipes for training and signing copies of my book.
Here’s the link to the Borders site
Griddled lamb
This is a bit of a ‘cheatie’ tagine, but it is incredibly quick and easy, ver
y very tasty and packed with goodness. All you need to do is pop the chicken in the oven, surround it with some nice vegatables and spices, maybe something tasty that might be lurking in the fridge like a few green olives and hey presto, an hour later you have a delicious and healthy meal for four. We ate it last night with Basmati and wild rice, a good low G.I. option for sustained energy…and it seems that the whole family needs that extra little boost of energy at the moment what with the end of term rush with the kids, the launch of Go Faster Food and our new training schedule for the
So what is in Andy Murray’s drinks bottle?
It’s really hotting up out there and any physical activity takes on a new level of commitment when it’s hot outside. I have found it really hard to motivate myself to run in this week’s heat, partly because of the temperature and partly because I am expending so much energy with the various launches of Go Faster Food that I have been lacking in any spare! Tonight, however, I have no excuse. the boys will be playing cricket for a couple of hours and I will find somewhere shady to run.
Watching Andy Murray play last night was an inspiration. The match started at about 6 pm and didn’t actually finish until 3 hours and 56 mins later. There were points in the match where both he and/or Wawrinka looked absolutely exhausted and I did notice that they were given a little snack to eat at about 9.30…quite rightly. No matter how fit either of them are, you cannot play for such a long time without something to top the glycogen levels and replace minerals that you will have lost through sweat. Andy will have had a cleverly formulated mix, probably with the right combination of glucose, sodium, potassium and other minerals to help sustain his energy and concentration levels. I just hope that he managed to get in some recovery food and drink so that he can endure the next match tomorrow.
For us mortals who do not have a sports nutritionist to care for our daily diet and our hydration strategies, take a look at my article on hydration for some good tips – Running in the heat.
I can hardly believe that a whole week has gone by without me writing a post about the brilliant talk/Q & A workshop given for the Bristol Half Marathon. It has been a busy week; my book Go Faster Food has become available for pre-order, I’ve been getting ready for the Stockholm marathon on Saturday, my eldest daughter has started her GCSEs and the kid’s half-term has crept up on me rather too quickly.
It is not often that us mere mortals get to meet, run with and receive sound wisdom directy from top sports people, and the Bristol 1/2 organisers have really got it together this year, with talks from eminent Olympians and top coaches such as Liz Yelling, Steve Cram, Bud Baldaro, Nick Rose etc. Last week’s session, hosted by top coach Bud Buldaro, was given by Steve Cram, along with Full Potential’s Nick Anderson (who, by the way, coached the top three finishers in last year’s 1/2 marathon) and Clare Callaghan, from Bristol University’s Sports Medicine Cinic. For my part, the most interesting comment from Steve Cram was that he had really never enjoyed training, it was the winning that made it worth it!
Tops points to go home with were:
- Build up a good aerobic foundation before you start training hard
- Train at least three times a week, with one long run, one speed session and one steady run.
- Alternate your interval/speed sessions to make it more fun (fartlek, tempo runs, 1 min fast, 2 mins slow etc)
- Warm up and warm down properly, think about stretching during and after runs (but not before the run) and stretching late at night before you go to bed
- Listen to your body, don’t overtrain or start doing too much too soon, as this will normally lead to injury
- Refresh targets, be realistic with your ambitions
Run Bristol have one more training camp before the Half Marathon on September 6th 2009 and it sounds like it will be absolutely brilliant – 18/19th July – you get advice from top athletes and you get to run with them, it only costs
