Brit Chick Runs

*please note that 99% of what I write is tremendously badly written sarcastic, and, in most places, this post is no different!*

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Some dates and events are engrained forever in our memories, for all the right reasons:

April 30th 2011 - my mum’s 21st birthday The marriage of Prince William to Kate Middleton

December 8th 2012 – The marriage of Ryan Gosling to Freya Gillott (yes, it’ll happen)

February 15th 2005 – The arrival of Chika

June 9th 1999 – The birth of Chika

December 25th 2011 – The day I made an amazing Christmas menu

(I polished off the last of the dressing today :’()

Random days throughout 2011 – Meeting with my beautiful (ex)physio (gone, but not forgotten..)

November 12th 1980 – The day my future husband was born

All of those days were exciting and memorable in their own ways..but none more so than this date:

28th December 2011.

Yes folks – that is the date that my fame took over the world, and I became a GLOBAL SENSATION:

G L O B A L     S E N S A T I O N    people!

Orrrr in other terms…WOMEN’S RUNNING MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2012 ISSUE CAME OUT, AND I’M IN IT!

BOOOO yeah! In fact, all of us Project 26.2 ladies have rather a lot of pages – and a pic in the contents page and a random ad in the middle of the magazine – dedicated to our big shiny faces!! There’s also an interview with each of us, and interview with our coach and a bit more about the whole project. It’s awesome and I am bowled over with gratitude at being able to be a part of the whole thing.

SO, if you happen to have a few pounds to spare, are fairly interested in movement-of-the-legs-for-physical/mental-health-benefits, then please do go buy a copy *shameless plug*

Hehe!

Ok, I’ll get back to normal now.

Umm…

Oh yeah. This is a health / running / food blog, right? I think?

Hmm.

I would’ve photogged my celebratory delicious lunch I had today, but my camera batteries were charging after my camera/Chika play session, so all you get is the ‘after’ shot:

Yummy.

Maybe some ginger-apple socca would be nice to see?

Or some roast veg covered in the remains of the Christmas day dressing?

Or a super-delicious bar I ate?

Or maybe you’d just like to see another picture of Chika?

Yes, thought so.

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In running news, things have been going very well indeed – I’ve almost finished the first two weeks of my official marathon training programme, and it’s been ace. Threshold runs are my new favourite thing – I hit three friggin’ 7-something minute miles in a row the other day, including a 7.29 minute mile! If it wasn’t for the fact that I had to run further to cool down, I would’ve fallen over in excitement. Y’know just the other day, I was reading a blog entry from marathon training last year, and my speedwork run consisted of my struggling to hit a sub-9minute mile. Gosh. I will. not. let. my. speed. go. this. time.

Hold me to that!

I’m also now super dedicated to all my weird shin/hip strengthening exercises -

1) single leg heel raises

2) single leg heel raises, standing on my tip toes

3) side plank

4) unidentified weird stretch thing to strengthen my hips (no idea what it’s called – but you lie on your back, bring your right leg into a bent position, and cross your left ankle over it, so you’re stretching the outside of the left leg / hip. Kinda something like this:

Make sense?)

5) Side leg raises

6) shin strengthening things, where you tie a resistance band around something, hook it over your toes, and pull your toes back towards you. Liiike this:

7) foam rolling

lots o’ stretching. Lots n lots n lots of stretching.

So far, it’s going well. My shins feel fabulous *touch wood*, and my phantom hip pain from Sunday has gone…*touch wood again*. It’s a lot to remember, but heck, if it stops me from being a miserable injured old hag again, I’ll take it.

Sooo yes, that is what’s been going down!

And now I want to keep rambling, because it’s that awkward bit in a post where you need to finish the post, but you’re not quite sure how…..so, I’ll leave you with a picture of Prince Philip waving:

And of a puppy waving goodbye:

And some more pictures of Chika:

Bye bye!

Hello hello!

Did you all have a wonderful Christmas? Filled with family, fun, food…or, more likely, family arguments and a big food baby?! :-p

I had a lovvveely day – it was probably the most relaxed and happy I’ve been in a long time. I’m really worried that my grandparents won’t be around much longer (Grandma = 88, Grampy = 90) so it was awesome to have everyone together.

I started the day off with my favourite thing to do – my Sunday Long Run! 10 super quiet miles later, I was done. I didn’t see any of the regular people I normally pass on my runs – just one very stern looking cyclist and a couple of cars…I guess everyone was hungover? I know my aunt was :-p  My left hip ached a bit, but I’ve been consulting my running bible and have a list of specific hip stretches and strengthening things to do.

The rest of the morning was spent: making the parsnips, last minute tidying, laying out the snacks, hugging the horse, going for a 2mile walk with my mum et le dog, drinking homemade cappuccinos, and waiting for my aunt and grandparents to alive. The family were somewhat on the drag…my aunt came round on Christmas Eve to cut up Brussels sprouts and carrots, and she got a tad…merry…and was hungover on Christmas day :-p

My mum and I, mid-prep:

I tried to be snaphappy today to, y’know, capture all the magic and that:

Magic Moment 1) Hannah with presents.

She SAYS she’s 23, but really she’s still 13 at heart and is like an overexcited puppy when she sees presents.

Magic Moment 2) Ralph sleeping like a div:

(Random Ralph fact: he’s worked out that if he takes his prey into the bathtub, it can’t escape and he can play with it til his heart is content. My mum and I regularly wake up to blood and bodies in the bath…it’s lovely. Beats guts on the carpet!!)

Magic Moment 3) Hannah watching Love Actually, before the living room got destroyed by wrapping paper :/

And then the magic stopped.

:-p

My aunt and grandparents arrived at about 1pm, so it was straight into the living room to chat and snack.

The Snacks:

• Fancy mixed fruit and nut mixes (Tesco Finest, no less! We sure know how to live it up here)
• Cheese stick things
• Seeded crackers
• Fresh dates
• Gran-made mince pies (I don’t know if they have these outside of England? The filling, mince, is like dried fruit and spices)
• Rock salt popcorn
• Balsamic mini rice cakes
• Hummus and cheeses (not pictured)
• GU chocolate mini cake things
• Mince pie flavour crisps (Good ol’ Tesco again!!)
• My Garmin 610…

I dominated the rice cakes, fresh dates and almonds in the nut mix. I also ate some of the popcorn, which miffed me off because popcorn is a Pointless Food. It’s like candy floss – you eat a huge handful and then it just puffs away in your mouth. INFURIATING!

Ian, looking super cool:

Above is my gran – she said that the Christmas dinner this year was the best she’s ever had! Coming from a lady who has had 88 of them, I’d say that’s pretty good going!

Yours truly:

I’m annoyed at myself for letting my hair stay skank all day. I’d washed it straight after my run, then shoved it up in a bun whilst I got things ready – then just..left it there. I also never changed out of my slouchy trousers all day – I think I looked like the bum of the family :-p

Anyway! The living room got 100% destroyed after we’d all eaten and opened up the presents:

There used to be a carpet under there. I’m not sure where it went…

After presents and more talking, Hannah and I sorted out the horses in record quick time and then we had an early dinner (at 4pm).

Soo..The Menu!

Well, let’s do the most important thing first:

Seitan Loaf Stuffed With Shiitake Mushrooms and Leek

OH YEAH!

Now, I’m totally going to toot my own horn here, because I made it from scratch and it was delicious and I am so friggin’ proud of myself!! It was really for my aunt and I, because she is vegetarian, and everyone else had duck – but my mum and gran both tried some and loved it too. I also made Chickpea Gravy from Appetite for Reduction – per Isa’s suggestion, as she tweeted me back when I asked what she recommended :-O!

Anyway – back to the other food!

The starter was Angela’s Holiday Salad with Cranberry Orange Dressing (dressing was in a jug on the side):

I totally suck at mixing salads, because all the cranberries, walnuts and fruit sunk to the bottom :/. OOOHHH well. Everyone seemed to enjoy it (especially me :-p) and my gran even asked for the recipe for the dressing!

The Menu for the main course:

• Duck with orange sauce
• Honey, thyme and wholegrain mustard parsnips (made by me!)
• Roast potatoes
• Roasted squash with shallots, sage and pine nuts (made by me!)
• Seitan loaf stuffed with shiitakes and leeks (made by me!)
• Chickpea gravy (made by me!)
• Brussels sprouts
• Carrots

It was all so wonderfully delicious!! We agreed it was the best Christmas meal yet – I swear, when my mum and I are in charge of the kitchen and the meal, we are an incredibly slick team. We did everything between us and it was totally perfect.

Dessert was made by my gran – the traditional Christmas Pudding! With brandy poured over and then set alight…

(Photo bombed by Hannah)

We just sat around and chatted for ages after, and it was lovely

I aslo nibbled my way through a ton more chocolate-y bits…and then got bored whilst my mum, Hannah and Ian watched Downton Abbey. Period dramas are not. my. thing. So I ended up writing this post whilst they were engrossed.

Today – Boxing Day – Hannah, my mum and I all went shopping in the sales. I scored some gorgeous boots from River Island which would normally be 100% out of my price range, but were 55% off! *thank you Grampy for the money so I could afford them!*. I wore them for the rest of the day, and now my feet kill…the boots have a big old heel on them, and I never wear heels. Hurrumph.

Anyway! I want to eat my dinner now, sooo I hope you all had a lovely day too

Best Christmas present? Best memory? What did you have for Christmas dinner?

Aah. Who doesn’t love a nice Christmas themed questionnaire on a cold winter’s night? Probably most of you, in all honesty, but OH WELL. My blog, I do what I want :-p

But. But but but, before I do launch into a survey…Remember back when I used to call myself a food blog? And I posted pictures of food all the time? Yeah, I haven’t been doing that much recently…but regardless, these food photos were in my camera so I thought I’d show you lovely dears what I’ve been eating. Cos obviously, that’s what e v e r y o n e wants to read about…

Today’s Foodie Fail of the Day:

It started off innocently enough – ‘I want pancakes, but I want chickpeas too, because they’re good for me and I like them. *cogs turn* CHICKPEA PANCAKES!’… —> chickpeas, blended with carrot, mixed with curry powder and seasoning, and a few spoonfuls of chickpea flour. Sadly, when the ‘pancakes’ went into the frying pan, they stuck and went weird and gooey and awful and 100% UN-pancake like. In the end, I scraped them out, put the mess in a little baking dish, and baked it for 20mins. The result was the above photo! It looked tremendously ugly, had the consistency of very soft mashed potato, but tasted WONDERFUL!

Below – a red and black lentil chocolate chilli! I used the seasoning/spice mix from an Isa book, but made it with carrots and lentils and chickpeas, and it was fabulous.

Below: I didn’t eat that squash- it just looked funny, and cost all of 50p at the store

(In the background is half of a bbq tofu sandwich I made before I went to see TWILIGHT with my bestie at the cinema! Loved it.)

OOH! The thing below:

Curried millet and durum wheat with veg. Tremendous, yes it was.

Below: OIAJ…

With melted (as much as you can melt, anyway) molasses pear. #win

Aah, the above dish. Kamut spaghetti with a tofu-nooch-liquid smoke sauce. I ate that whilst watching the Grand Prix Kur at Olympia, and it was like 20mins of pure bliss!

Above = dessert of the moment. A soft molasses cookie (I’m on a molasses kick) and 90% Lindt.

Above: Mary’s Curry Sticks and Twigs (given to me by a blog buddy many moons ago) with curry-spiked yogurt for dipping.

Dates. Proper, big fat fresh dates. My gran bought me a 2-3 pound bag, and it lasted me all of … 2days? I just can’t ignore fresh dates, when they’re sitting all innocent in the fridge!

The final picture – soya vanilla custard. The use-by date was 10 months ago, but I only broke into it a few days back. Verdict: delicious! I ate half, and used half in a couple of baking projects, replacing yogurt / milk. Worked a charm!

And there you have it. That was exciting, wasn’t it??! (note the sarcasm) At least now I feel like I’m worthy of the big old FoodBuzz badge on the side of the page :-p

Annnnnd now onto more fun, survey-shaped things:

1) Eggnog or hot chocolate?

Eggnog is not A Thing in England, so I’d go with hot chocolate. Saying that though..last time I was in Whole Foods, I had a sample of some vegan homemade eggnog (it had avocado in it and everything), which was absolutely mind blowing. Hm.

2) Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?

Santa does bugger all – he just sits in his house with Mrs Claus, eating the mince pies and drinking the wine that poor, trusting children left out to him, whilst his slaves elves do all the hard work.

3) Colored lights on tree/house or white?

I used to be all about the coloured lights on a tree, until last year, when we had gold lights. Stunning! If I had it my way, I’d have three trees – one classically decorated with gold lights, one classically decorated with coloured lights, and one that looked like a two year old had decorated it. As for lights on a house – white, coloured, flashy, glow-y, as many as possible! Just as long as it’s not my family paying the electricity bill…

4) Do you hang mistletoe?

No.

5) When do you hang your decorations up?

Uhh it’s currently December 17th, and we still haven’t got a single decoration up! TBH, I’m not that bothered, but I know my step dad wants a tree (hence why I had to go and buy a fake one today – not real because we have four somewhat mental cats…).

6) What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?

Truth: I have never liked Christmas roast dinners. Ever. I’ve had 20 of ‘em, and they are always my least favourite part about Christmas! I can eat Brussels sprouts whenever I like, I don’t care for potatoes or turkey, bread stuffing makes me feel a little bit ill, and boiled carrots are a little dull. I’ve always loved the starters my family has each year – crazy fancy fruit that we’d never normally buy! This year, I’m making THIS and THIS and THIS. Hooray!

7) Favorite holiday memory as a child?

Hmm…playing games with my family after we’ve all eaten! Or my mum and I getting the dinner ready – we make a very organized, efficient team and thrive off of the control

What is on your Christmas wish list?

Oh boy, loads of things! Mainly books and a few films. Some new running gear would go down a treat, as would Henry Cavill in my stocking – but that might be pushing it.

9) Do you open a gifts on Christmas Eve?

NO!! No no no no no. The teacher I work with (for 90% of my time at school) and I were discussing this the other day at breaktime. Why open a present on Christmas Eve!!?? IMHO, they are for CHRISTMAS DAY and it’s silly to open them earlier, cos then you’ll be the dunce who has to watch everyone else goo over their presents the next day – knowing that you’re the fool who just couldn’t wait 24 more hours...

10) How do you decorate your Christmas tree?

When my sister and I were little, we put on the lights, then the tinsel, and then would throw the baubles at it (literally – throw) and see where they landed. Now? Golds and reds and beads and warm colours. Blue and green have their place, and it ain’t on my tree!

11) Snow? Love it or dread it?

I used to love it – until I became a runner, and now I dread its’ vile fluffy whiteness. SNOW BE GONE!

12) Real tree or fake tree?

We used to go real – until we got four young, crazy cats, and now we’ve invested in a - surprisingly pretty – fake tree. Does the job.

13) Do you remember your favorite gift?

Uuuuummm…..no. I don’t remember the gifts I get at Christmas. Corny as it sounds, it’s the other stuff that sticks. (like my aunt getting totally hammered Christmas Eve; riding out with Chika and my sister, with fake reindeer antlers on the horses;my mum and I cooking the Christmas meal; warm fires; my mum’s excitement when she sees what my sister and I have bought her…)

14) What’s the most important thing about Christmas for you?

Number one: my mum being off work. Number two: my sister and I not fighting (because in general, we’re a tad more jolly and tolerant of each other on Christmas day!).

15) What is your favorite holiday dessert?

Uh, that’s a tough one. Here’s a shocker: I don’t like Christmas pudding. I have never, ever eaten any, ever. Not when I was 5, 10 or 15 years old. My family only ever has Christmas pudding – my gran makes it – so I guess I don’t have a favourite holiday dessert!?? Crap. I need to make a tasty one this year.

16) What is your favorite tradition?

Uuuumm….when we do present opening, and everyone – mum, Ian, Hannah, aunt, gran, grandpa – is all together in the living room, and everyone is happy and smiling

17) What tops your tree?

A crappy sparkly star that cost all of £1 from a cheapo shop!

18) Do you prefer giving or receiving?

GIVING, hands down! 2 or 3 years ago, I would’ve said receiving, but I think I’m becoming more selfless in my old age :p I do seriously love seeing my mum and sister happy with what they’ve got My mum doesn’t get spoilt enough, and she’s such an awesome lady, it’s nice to give something back.

19) What is your favorite Christmas song?

NOOOO don’t make me choose! I have 3 or 4 albums of Christmas songs, I really couldn’t pick!

20) Candy canes, yuck or yum?

Yuck. i’m not a fan of that kind of sweet anyway, and they just look awkward and weird. Give me a molasses cookie or some real chocolate any day.

21) Favorite Christmas movie?

LOVE ACTUALLY. No question. One year, I watched it every week for the six weeks leading up to Christmas

22) What do you leave for Santa?

Nothing. As I said before, that dude sits on his ass all year and makes the Elves do all the work. He deserves a kick on te backside, if you ask me.

23) Do you have a Christmas morning tradition?

Make my mumma tea and do a long run OH, and giving the horses a special Christmas breakfast!

24) Do you prefer to shop on-line or at the mall?

Online…actually, in town – the festive spirit is lovely! The fight for carparking space is not. #bahhumbug

25) Christmas letter or Christmas card?

Christmas card – a letter takes too long to read :-p

YOUR TURN! Answer one please

Oh, and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

LOOK!!!!

http://www.womensrunninguk.co.uk/freyagillott.obyx

(or, click HERE)

AHH!!

Back soon

Waaah.

I really do mean it! I found out today (or yesterday, or even the day before yesterday, depending on when I hit publish) that the fees for the teaching course I’ve already applied for – and spent hours and days and weeks and months  working on the application – have tripled. They’ve gone from ‘barely affordable / cleans out life savings’ to ‘not affordable’. I haven’t talked to my mum about it properly yet, but I’m hoping she’ll casually mention that we have a gold mine under the house, or that we won the lottery last week and she just forgot to tell me. Here’s hoping, right??

Anyway. To take my mind off of the joyous news (nothing like some Christmas cheer on a Monday night), I’m going to write a list of things I hope to accomplish before I pop my clogs.

Things I wish I could do / things I WILL do:

- go hiking. Like, proper hiking. Well…I’d stick to a nice neat path and I wouldn’t want to have to carry a walking stick, but I want to see views like this:

I’m guessing Colorado or the Lake District? Flat ol’ Suffolk just does not have those views. BAH humbug.

- bake an amazing cake. Like this one.

That’s a cookie cake, that really does look super cool! I have a trillion [vegan] recipes for some outstanding lookin’ cakes, but it’s tough to find enough folk to eat them all, when you live in a house of 3 (Hannah lives in London) – none of whom are particularly fond of gorging themselves on cake all day. However. However however however. One day, I’ll become the perfect host and throw a big party, so I have an excuse to make an extra fancy cake! Or I’ll just turn 22 on May 27th. Whatever happens first I guess.

- Work with autistic children – I’ve worked with a couple of mildly autistic children at the school I work in at the moment, and I absolutely love it. Not in a ‘woooo I love autism’ way but..you know what I mean. If I ever do manage to become a fully fledged teacher, it’d be awesome to get a specialism in that field.

- see Twilight. Hopefully, this item will be crossed off my list on Sunday, when my gorgeous best friend and I head to the cinema. HOORAY! Nothing like a sexy British vampire to warm the cockles of your soul at the end of a long week!

- go to a wonderful little cabin like this one:

Isn’t that the cosiest thing you ever did see!!?? Log fires and hot cocoa and Santa Claus on the roof. It’d be dreamy. DREAMY!

- run a sub-4 mary / sub 1hr40 half:

I can do it, I WILL do it.

- truly laugh again – like a proper, deep laugh. I really don’t remember the last time I did that. Isn’t that sad??

-ride a perfect extended trot -

Chika CAN do it, because she did one when I was loose-schooling her the other day – she’d just prefer not to do one when I’m on her….

- get a Christmas tree. Ahem. We ain’t feeling the Christmas spirit in my house apparently! We’re going to get a fake one (four crazy cats, yadda yadda yadda), but by golly those are DEAR! A (little?) 5ft tree for £60!!??? Err…no.

- love myself, and feel beautiful.

That’s something I need to work on. Even if one isn’t classically beautiful, one can still feel beautiful, on the inside, can’t they? I need to learn to like myself.

- feel what it’s like to have someone – who doesn’t have to – absolutely adore your very being:

(aka, LOVE!)

- relax. Sometimes, I’ll lie in bed and actually really properly think about if my muscles are relaxed. Most of the time, my leg muscles are not, and my jaw is clenched! I also want to learn how to relax in the day – if it’s the daytime (Monday or Sunday, makes no difference) I feel like I need to be doing something all. the. time. Seriously, it might be a ‘lazy Sunday morning’ or whatever, but I’ll still try and be up and about, DOING. I honestly do not remember the last time I just sat down, put my feet up and drank [metaphorical] tea during the day.

- go to Hong Kong. It looks SO friggin’ cool, plus, I’d been super fashionable there because apparently they like pale people. #win.

Oh, and I need to add Canada to that too. I read quite a few Canadian blogs, and the scenery looks INCREDIBLE!

Cripes.

Me banging on about wanting to visit somewhere because of the scenery. I guess I’m growing up now…

- have amazing abs:

I really should do more sit ups…:-p

- go back to NYC and go to the Grand Canyon. NYC was awesome, but I’d love to go back with more time to do things like…run in Central Park, visit the site of the Twin Towers, do some lame movie tour, and go to more amazing restaurants. And the Grand Canyon? Well, ever since I saw Thelma and Louise, I’ve wanted to visit!

- help on a farm sanctuary (ie, THE Farm Sanctuary)

- meet Ryan Gosling

Or failing that, Henry Cavill:

He’s British. BRITISH!!!! Finally, something the UK can be proud of :-p

- be a better vegan / cook – Isa is my girl crush. When I do muster up the courage to cook something proper from a recipe book, I’m always so pleased with the results. I just don’t do it often enough!

- be good at yoga. I really want to be able to twist myself into crazy looking yoga positions, just so I can say I can. Plus, I bet that whole peace thing would be nice too….

- become a teacher. Stupid government withdrawing funding for the TDA..gah. Stupid recession.

Soooo – not really that much to wish for really, right!? I think in 2012, I’ll set my sights on the Ryan Gosling aim first. Apparently he’s a vegan too, so maybe if I head over to Hollywood and hang out in a vegan eatery, he’ll pop in, we’ll meet, and in no time at all, we’ll be married. Screw Eva Mendes!!

Goodnight

What’s on your wish list?

*all photos from my Pinterest*