Smart Food
Tonight, we had our first salad straight out of the garden! We only had a little lettuce, but I supplemented it with some kale and spinach shoots and LOTS of pea sprouts. Okay, technically the peas were given to us by our neighbor, but they were grown in the same yard as our garden!
I topped it with a Basil Garlic Dressing.
Basil Garlic Salad Dressing
- 4 T minced fresh basil (I whirred mine in the food processor for a few seconds)
- 4 oz. red wine vinegar (1/2 c)
- 3 oz. Garlic Gold oil (just over 1/3 c)
Mix all ingredients together. That’s it! I’m loving this Garlic Gold oil... it adds such a great flavor to everything!
Thanks for the salad dressing bottle in our wedding gift, sister Marisa and Nick (her boyfriend)!
Smart Fitness
On Wednesday, I attended a webinar on nutrition and training tips for athletic events. The panel included:
- Judy Molnar (Race Director for Iron Girl)
- Troy Jacobson (coach for Iron Girl) and
- Mary Christ Andersen (Fitness Director for Fitness Magazine)
The conversation was great, and I was particularly interested in these two questions:
1. What is the best way to incorporate strength training when training for a cardio endurance events?
Troy suggested training in phases. When you aren’t in the thick of training for your big race, it is time to build up your strength and muscle!
When it comes time for your intense race training, try lifting 2x a week to maintain muscle mass. Yoga and Pilates is also resistance training that will help you keep your strength, and give you a good stretch as well!
2. When should you work through the pain and when should you give into it and rest?
The whole panel weighed in on this one. The most important thing, they said, is to know your body. It is okay to miss a workout or two if it will mean that you heal more quickly!
They suggested that you take care of injuries and impending injuries immediately. Ice it and take a few days off; if that doesn’t work, go see a doctor to get insight as to when you can start training again.
As a thank you, Iron Girl is sending me 2 fun gift baskets…one for me, and one for you! Keep an eye out for the giveaway next week!
Smart Life
Remember how I gave up running a few months ago? Lately, I have felt like going for a short run, and I have an awesome race opportunity (including a 5K) in the works. I can’t decide if it is a good idea for me to start running short distances again, though… thoughts?
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That webinar sounds like it would be really interesting.
My thoughts on the running is that if your body feels ok doing it, and it’s something you’re not going to wear yourself down with, then go for it. I know that running can be hard on the knees, but if you’re talking about short distances, that should be easier.
Start out with some short runs and see how they feel. If you’re enjoying it and it feels good, then go for it! If it’s not working out, though, let it go. I’d say give yourself a couple of weeks of “test running” before you commit to the race, that way you have a good idea if it’s something you really want to/can do.
I completely agree with listening to your body. Do you feel up to it? If you do, go for it! Ease into it. I’m so excited about your race plans!
I agree with the others, listen to your body.
If you want a running buddy, I’d love to go for a run with you! Let me know if you feel up to it!
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