Prodirect – dorunning

Posted on February 25, 2010 by Kate

I do love receiving surprise packages but my joy often turns to disappointment when I find the package contains some techy bike gear my husband has ordered or a present for one of the kids rather than something actually for me. But no, this time it really was for me – a package from Prodirectrunning : a t-shirt, a hoodie and a soft, lightweight ‘dolondon’ shower jacket, all in a matching turquoise blue. Fantastic!

The lovely Monique at Prodirectrunning is running a blog on my recipes, combined with inspirational marathon training tips from Charlotte Thompson, who is training celebrity hair stylist Tara Smith and singer, Natalie Imbruglia. Charlotte is such a great personal trainer that she tries out my recipes (she’s particularly fond of the marmalade flapjacks) and then offers them to her clients after their workouts with her!!

Dorunning clothes are especially gorgeous because the materials they use are so soft and lightweight. I find them particularly comfortable to run in. Unfortunately for me, the dorunning t-shirt is so gorgeous that within minutes my sixteen year old daughter had swiped the T-shirt and run upstairs to try it on. The next thing I know she’s putting on her trainers to go for a run! Nothing like a new piece of kit to inspire you to get out there and run, especially if you’re 16!!! She seems to have claimed this t-shirt as her own, but I have managed to keep the hoodie to myself. It appears that we are now “sharing” the amazing ‘dolondon’ shower jacket.

The shower jacket is just sooooo soft and lightweight – great to pop over a running vest on a windy day to keep off the chill and easy to take off and stow around your waist or stuff into a trouser pocket (or even into the mini bag that is supplied with it) if you get too hot. I wear it all the time now. It looks as good as it feels. Then there’s the hoodie : really soft and very snug, you just don’t want to take it off. Ever. It’s perfect to throw on before or after after a run or for warm-up/warm-down sessions, perfect to throw on to meet the kids from school, perfect to throw on over your pyjamas if you feel like chilling out on a Sunday morning….

Prodirect don’t jiust do running kit – they cover every imaginable sport from rugby, cricket and tennis to soccer as well. Take a look at the Prodirect website or find them on facebook.

Purple Patch, Running Free Training Camp

Posted on November 26, 2009 by Kate

I had never contemplated going on a weekend running camp before I was asked by Chris Donald at Purple Patch Running, who runs the Running Free camps to come along to give a talk on practical eating for better running performance. My hour talk developed into a weekend for some reason…and I’m so glad it did! The camps are held in a number of different locations, but this one in the beautiful (if a little hilly!) North Wessex Downs was just stunning. Welcomed on the Friday evening by the Purple Patch Team, Claire (UK Athletics coach and sub 3hr marathon runner) and Chris Donald (senior lecturer in Sports Science, UKA Athletics and Sport England coach) and Julia Buckley, editor of Running Free, my other fellow runners, and of course a glass of wine and a delicious home-cooked supper, I felt at home and part of the group from the word go. I’m not much of an expert on training, but it seemed that Chris and Claire managed to gear the sessions to all the different abilities so that you actually felt that you were getting a personal trainer for the weekend – and our abilities were indeed varied, some new to running, some training for marathons, some for 10ks, some as young as 19 and some as old as (well, I’m not sure, but I’d say 70+). Everyone had one thing in common though – the desire and dedication to go for it and the love of running.

Saturday started with an easy session before breakfast (well, relatively easy – there was a massive hill to climb after a few miles!), then Chris showed us how to do dynamic stretches and core-stability strength exercises – a bit of a challenge for the less coordinated but much more fun than traditional stretching, and much better for you too. This was followed by an amazing session of interval drills and hill repeats and yes, the hill was steep, steep, steep! I felt brilliant at the end of this session, really upbeat. Claire then finished the day off a warm down session – outdoors with mats in the garden. Lovely….

made it up the hill at last

And all these sessions were interspersed with delicious food and drink – fab breakfast (porridge, fresh fruit, bagels, everything yummy you could imagine eating for breakfast really), excellent lunch, tea and supper, rounded off by a really good oaty fruit crumble and a trip to the local pub.

Sunday was a long run (I think there were three different distances to choose from, the longest was about 13 miles, cross country, up and down!)

Here is the link to the site: www.purplepatchrunning.com. Camp dates are below if you fancy giving it a try yourself….oh, and there’s sports massage available throughout the weekend.

Camp Description	Cost £
Jan 22-24 2010, Chiltern Hills	245
Feb 26-28 2010, Milton Hill, Oxfordshire	245
March 3rd – 10th 2010 OVERSEAS TRAINING WEEK Loja, Spain £435 [twin room B&B]	435
March 3rd – 10th 2010 OVERSEAS TRAINING WEEK Loja, Spain £545 [single room B&B]	545
June 25-27 2010, Chiltern Hills	245
Sept 17-19 2010, Staverton, Northamptonshire	245
Nov 19-21 2010, Staverton, Northamptonshire	245

Ironstruck

Posted on November 9, 2009 by Kate

IRONSTRUCK

I’ve just put up a new link on Go Faster Food for the most amazing site - Ironstruck. Ironstruck is a website for anyone interested in Ironman, whether you’re a coach, a pro-triathlete or just about to embark on “the ultimate challenge” – your first Ironman.

Ironstruck is really rather inspirational – it takes the philosophy that each one of us is capable of great things and that it is up to us to take control of our lives, believe in ourselves and go for it – you only get one shot in life so you may as well make the most of it!

“Doing is the key and not necessarily how fast or how far”

Ray Fauteux, Ironstruck’s creator, covers everything you need to know about the Ironman – and he certainly knows his stuff – he’s written at least five books on the subject! Click here for his bookstore

If you think you need a little motivation or if you are just a little curious about what it takes to be an Ironman, then look no further than Ironstruck…

A fresh approach to carbo-loading

Posted on June 6, 2009 by Kate

A fresh approach to carbo-loading

I’ve just spent the past 9 hours doing a post-marathon clean of the house. What a workout! I have absolutely no need to run or go to the gym today! I have to say that when in training I do become a master of the art of “skim cleaning” – it is just one of those chores which gets put on the back burner as I hate it so much, so the place really needed some serious attention!

We had our first taste of the new season’s peas today. Exquisite and packed with nutrients, with good amounts of vitamins, minerals, fibre and protein. Popped directly from their pods, they taste unbelievably good. There are all sort of ways of cooking peas if you can manage not to eat them straight from the pod – simply boil them in water for a couple of minutes and serve with a knob of butter and a few sprigs of mint or chervil, or with some feta cheese and bacon, or fresh tender baby leeks. You could also try them cooked in a little stock with a few fresh wilted lettuce leaves. But for us athletes, they make the most delicious summery risotto – fresh tasting, quick to make and really high in carbohydrate. The combination of risotto rice and fresh peas is pretty low G.I. and will keep you sustained for hours, fantastic for the night before a long training session or a race.

Creamy Risotto of Fresh Peas and Chervil (use mint or flat-leaf parsley as alternative).

Serves 4

50g unsalted butter, plus a knob of butter for the end

1 onion or leek, finely sliced

1 stick of celery, finely chopped

80g pancetta cubes, or bacon, cubed (optional)

350g Arborio risotto rice

1¼–1½ litres vegetable bouillon or chicken stock

250ml white wine

300g fresh peas, podded

large bunch of fresh chervil, chopped

100g freshly grated parmesan

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat up the stock in a saucepan so that it is ready to ladle onto the rice.
In a large heavy-bottomed pan, gently sauté the onion and celery in the butter/oil over a low heat until translucent. Add the pancetta and sauté for another couple of minutes.
Add the rice and stir until the grains become translucent and glossy.
Add the wine and stir until it has been absorbed.
Add a ladle of hot stock and stir constantly until it is almost absorbed. Add the rest of the hot stock, a ladle at a time, stirring constantly. You need to make sure that each ladleful is absorbed by the rice before you add the next one. This should take about 18–20minutes. Youmay need more or less stock according to the type of rice and the rate of absorption.
When the rice is almost cooked, add the peas and the chervil or mint (save a little to sprinkle over the top). The texture should be nice and creamy. You may need to add some salt at this point, it depends how salty your stock is.
When the rice is cooked, turn off the heat, stir in the parmesan and a knob of butter. Let the mixture stand for a couple of minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining chervil or mint and a few grinds of black pepper.
Serve with a rocket salad and some fresh parmesan shavings