A New Year's Eve Tradition

This is the third New Year's Eve that Mr KT and I have spent in our current house. We moved in on 12/31/07. The first year I made an oriental beef dish, sugar snap peas, fried rice and cranberry sorbet. Last year we had an All-American meal with BBQ beef ribs, baked beans, cornbread, and lemon daiquiri sorbet. Both meals turned out great. I asked Mr KT if he had any thoughts on dinner for this year. He requested Jambalaya, cornbread, and apple cobbler. I added a salad. Everything turned out really good. Add a glass of wine and it was perfect. The other good news is that I cooked and we ate, all before 8:30 pm. That means that I can usher in the new year at 9:30 and then head to bed. Sweet.

All recipes are below. Mmmmmm.

Jambalaya
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium cloves garlic, peeled
1 large green bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
2 celery stalks, diced
3 tbsp fresh Italian parsley, minced
4 oz extra-lean smoked ham, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
5 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced
1 large bay leaf
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
3/4 cup brown rice, uncooked

Directions:
Add oil to a large nonstick saucepan. Over medium heat, sauté onion, garlic, bell pepper and celery until onion is translucent. Add parsley, ham, chicken, bay leaf, and cayenne pepper. Cook, stirring often, 5 to 6 minutes. Add tomatoes (with juice), tomato sauce, and 1 3/4 cups cold water. Gently simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Pour rice into the pan and stir well. Bring mixture to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered, 45 minutes or until rice is cooked and absorbs most of the liquid. Remove bay leaf. Season to taste with cayenne pepper and salt.

Golden Sweet Cornbread
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Spray or lightly grease a 9 inch round cake pan.
In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder. Stir in egg, milk and vegetable oil until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Strawberry Spinach Salad
Ingredients
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced onion
10 ounces fresh spinach - rinsed, dried and torn into bite-size pieces
1 quart strawberries - cleaned, hulled and sliced
1/4 cup almonds, blanched and slivered

Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, olive oil, vinegar, paprika, Worcestershire sauce and onion. Cover, and chill for one hour.
In a large bowl, combine the spinach, strawberries and almonds. Pour dressing over salad, and toss. Refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

French Apple Cobbler
Apple cobbler with cinnamon and vanilla, along with a cake-like batter topping.

Ingredients:
Apple Filling:
5 cups tart apples, peeled, sliced
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon butter, softened
Topping:
1/2 cup flour, sifted
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 egg, slightly beaten

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine apples, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon salt, vanilla and water. Turn into a lightly buttered 9-inch square pan. Dot apples with 1 tablespoon butter.
Combine all topping ingredients. Beat with wooden spoon until batter is smooth. Drop batter in 9 portions, over the apples, spacing evenly. Batter will spread during baking. Bake 35 to 40 minutes at 375° or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown. Serve warm with cream or ice cream.
Serves 6 to 8.

YAY!

What a wonderful day. Sigh.

I got up early and went to Master's Swim practice from 5:30 am to 6:30 am. The hot water in the showers is not working and so I came home to shower. I did a bit of shoveling and then headed to work in the snow. It was forecast to snow 1-3 inches over night and pretty much all day Tuesday. Fairly accurate I would say. Now it is supposed to snow all night (yay) and taper off mid morning tomorrow. The bad news... 35 mph wind from the North dropping the temp to -15 degrees. Brrrr. Regardless of the frigid temps. I plan on being up dark and early to get in another xc ski. Anywho, I went to work and, as expected, patients were canceling left and right. This only makes sense. One day of rehab is not worth the danger driving in those conditions creates. I got my paperwork done and came home early. I tore around with the dogs in the backyard and then we took them for a walk. The snow was coming down then and is still coming down. So awesome. When we got home, I grabbed my skis and headed out for a little xc ski! I walked over towards the park as there was no chance of driving over there. As I was walking in my ski boots I noticed there was a guy trying to push a car around a corner so I offered to help. I didn't realize we were pushing her around the corner, up the hill and up her driveway. We made it. I was sweating when we were done and I had breathed in about 40 gallons of exhaust. I was pretty proud of myself, I just pushed a car up a hill... in ski boots. :)

Skied and skied. Took a few pictures on my phone. The snow was coming down pretty good but the iPhone didn't capture that well.



I took this picture after a little downhill. It was so deep and powdery that as I was going down, it was knee deep. That is where my skis should be.


My husband took pictures when I got home.
This is my ponytail coated in snow.


And this is Kona welcoming me home.


Kona and Brick and I had a wonderful snowy day. Hoping for quite a few more of these this winter.

December

December 6th and we have had one little dusting of snow. In October. The forecast is for snow tonight and tomorrow night. I can't wait. I am like a little kid. I always run to the window to see if it snowed. I love to watch my dogs race around like crazies after it has fallen. I like that it is cold outside (for running) and warm inside (for cooking).

I had a 4 week hiatus from running during November trying to heal up my left knee. I ran last Tuesday (December 1st) and had little to no pain in my left knee but that right one sure was stiff. I had sore quads the next day after a short 2.5 miles. I have continued to keep up with my other workouts and am looking forward to hitting a spinning class or two here soon. I have been doing more weight training that I have in the past and am noticing a difference. I have another run planned for today at some point but I may hold off and do it tomorrow morning so I can run in the snow! Or maybe if there is enough, I could break out the XC skis!

Happy Winter!

November

So, my knee has felt great since I haven't been running on it. No pain on the stairs, no pain at work while I am crawling around on the floor, no pain with walking, or swimming, or yoga, or anything. But still no running.

It really is amazing how much running, or in this case, not running, affects my mood. More than I should really let it. I am significantly more edgy. I have been trying to really watch what I have been eating since I am not burning near the calories I do when I am out putting in the miles. That makes me a little grumpy too. I don't like being hungry but who does? Kona also has had to decrease her calories a bit and she isn't thrilled with it. The good news is that it is short lived and that hopefully by the end of November we will both be back at it, at least a little.

My goal is a nice, easy, short, pain-free run on Thanksgiving morning. I was initially hoping it would be a trail run but I think that it would probably be best to ease in with a couple of miles around here so as to keep the terrain more level. That will make my brain happy.

So, what have I been doing with my workouts? Anything and everything that doesn't hurt that stupid left knee. I have been swimming masters in the mornings 2-3 days per week. I have been lifting weights at least 3 times per week. Last weekend Mr KT and I went on a nice easy 1 hour bike ride as the weather was gorgeous. I have been doing Bikram Yoga twice a week. (I think I would do that every single day if I could afford it.) I have been doing a bit of shadow boxing and small amounts of kickboxing and jumping rope. I have been walking my 3.5 mile run route with Kona and I would just like to say that walking takes forever. I do love to be outside with my doggy though. I am going to consider Pilates, spinning (as the weather gets colder) and maybe some more cardio in there somewhere.

I am obsessed. That is what I have discovered in the last month. I am fearful of gaining the weight. I am anxious about not being "a runner". I will be try to be patient but man, it's tough for me.

Ow

My knee hurts.

I lifted weights Saturday morning (legs) and ran Saturday afternoon for about an hour and had excessively tight IT bands. Sunday I jumped on my bike for about 40 miles with friends.

My left knee hated it.

No idea why.

I think this is the first time I have had true knee pain. I thought it was suprapatellar but as I live with it for several more days I am thinking it is more medial.

Stairs hurt.

Walking hurts. (Those first few steps are a doozy.)

I ran this morning as it was feeling better but am regretting that a bit.

I am supposed to have another leg workout today but I think that I am going to do core instead.

What does the resident PT (me) recommend?

ICE
RELATIVE REST
ITB STRETCHING
MEDIAL QUAD AND ADDUCTOR STRENGTHENING

Ow.

Fall is cooler than summer...

... or so says my oh-so-brilliant younger brother.

It has, in fact, been a very cool end of summer, beginning of fall in terms of temperature. This has been great for some things, namely long runs with the dogs, having the windows open in the house, bike rides, etc. It has also created some minor discomforts. The temperature of the lake water is pretty darn cold right now. There are an over abundance of what I thought we gnats but that apparently are aphids just hovering in the air. It almost seems like a plague. When I run my normal route through the big city park by our house they are thick. My white tank top is actually black when I get done because it is covered in bugs. I have them in my mouth, ears, eyes (even with sunglasses), stuck to my sweaty skin, and smashed in my sports bra. You can't really brush them away because they smash against you. It's incredibly gross. The dogs are constantly shaking their heads and have the bugs in the corners of their eyes. Poor babies. It's really enough to deter one from taking a quick run because you have no choice but to shower immediately when you get home even if you are just out for a quick 3 miler. The news coverage has said that it is due to the low temperatures but it seems like it has also been very still, very little wind. Even just a breeze might blow them around a little so they were not just sitting there. Yuck!

Other than that, nothing too exciting happening. No marathons planned this fall. No races at all really. Might try and sneak in a couple of 5Ks or one more half marathon if I can find one close. The Omaha half was just too expensive to justify. I can just go out and run the 13 miles on my own from my house and I can take a dog and my ipod.

My mom and aunt and I will be walking the Race for the Cure next weekend. Like last year, I will run down to the start beforehand and walk with them. It's becoming a tradition!

Oh and I hit a Bikram yoga class this week because it wasn't so blasted hot outside anymore. It felt so awesome! I hadn't been for months and I was more sore than I have been in quite some time the next day. I love it.

Other than that, just swimming, biking, and running.

Happy fall!

Summertime

Well, it has been a good summer. Other than work, which is, well, work I have been spending the majority of my time outside. I am either swimming, biking, running, working in my flower beds, or just sitting on my deck.

Several weeks ago I raced in a local sprint triathlon. I raced this a couple of years ago and here is the race report from then. This year, I was sick Saturday night and lost a good portion of the fluids and calories I had been working on all day for the race the next day. Sunday morning I got up and had a Nutrigrain bar and a bit of Gatorade as I was still afraid to eat. The swim was not great and I felt really sick on my bike. I considered turning in my chip after the bike ride because I felt so bad but by the 3rd loop of the 3 loop course I finally started to feel better and so I continued to race. I had a great run and I held on for 3rd overall female, 2nd in my age group. (Note: this is just a small local race.)

Place in age group: 2/13
Gender place: 3/73
Swim: 10:13 (Pace: 1:54/100 m)
TI: :53
Bike: 41:58 (Pace: 21.4 mph)
T2: :45
Run: 23:57 (Pace: 7:49)
Finishing Time: 1:17:15

Something else that was sort of amusing to me was the guy's set up next to me.

Here is my transition set up...


And here is his...


Note this little detail...


That would be the bucket 'o Gu. Two words...

SPRINT TRIATHLON.

Oh well, to each their own. Everyone is entitled to race their own race and he was a veteran triathlete. I say do what works.


Last weekend I raced with a few friends at Big Creek Triathlon near Des Moines. This was an Olympic distance race and this particular race previously held the distinction of most miserable race ever in my book. I wrote a rather wordy race report on it then. Anywho, the weather was much cooler this year which helped. The swim was wet suit legal but I didn't use one. I ended up starting too far left and having to swim across everyone. That was dumb. I then had trouble getting my legs going on the bike. The race's website boasted that the bike course was flat and fast. Somehow, this morphed into hilly, windy, and slow. I had a decent run but by that time it was too late. Overall, I had a sucky race. I felt pretty good until about 5 pm that evening. My head was throbbing and all I wanted to do was go to bed. I guess now I had better find another race to end on.

Place in age group:10/20
Gender place: 33/97
Swim: 31:32 (Pace:1:56/100 m)
TI: 1:03
Bike: 1:16:33 (Pace: 19.5 mph)
T2: 1:00
Run: 53:15 (Pace: 8:35)
Finishing Time: 2:43:24

It has been a busy summer for Mr KT and we both felt like we had hardly seen each other. He had a week off work last week to recover and energize himself for the fall and I took Friday off. We had intended to do a mini vacation but for several reasons this didn't work. Instead we opted to take the dogs to the lake for the afternoon. It thunder-stormed hard over night and it was grey and cloudy when I got up to swim at 5:30. By 11:00 all the clouds had burned off and it was hot and humid. We packed up the dogs and lunch and our gear and headed to the lake. When we arrived it was already 90 deg. We took the dogs on a short trail run but had to short cut back because it was just too hot for them.

Mr KT and Brick and Kona in the shade after running, trying to cool off.


We threw on swim suits and got in the water. Kona is a little fishy. She swims all over and she looks so cute. Brick seems to like to swim but always looks like he is drowning. He picks his head up too high and then his backside sinks. He swam out to his dad and then quit paddling when he got there. Mr KT then decided it was time to put his life jacket on. I thought maybe Brick would be embarrassed but Mr KT said, "all the kids are wearing them" and he was right. All the kids on the beach had life jackets on so Brick fit right in. We had a little lunch and put the babies in their beds for a quick nap. Then a little more swimming and home for the evening. It was a really fun afternoon.


Brick shaking it off



A soggy Kona.



KT and Kona loving the sun, water, and wind.



Brick looking stellar (and safe) in his doggy life jacket.