And That's A Wrap Folks

Every book, blog, article or story I've read on marathon training has an overarching rule: listen to your body. This means do NOT over train; do NOT go out for a run if you feel injured; do NOT push yourself past your limits.

Well leave it to me to try to do exactly that.

June 23rd I ran my second half marathon. I pushed my hardest and completed 13+ miles at race pace even though my training only specified 10 miles at an easy pace. The following week I stuck to my regular training--meaning that I gave my legs no rest. Then June 30th I ran 14.5 miles at a not-so-easy pace. Come Monday I was beat and injured.

I don't regret either of those runs--more to come about the latter one in my next post--but I do wish I would've adjusted for them in my weekly training. Since I didn't, now I'm facing 2+ weeks of no running and a possible cancellation of my August marathon.

At the moment I'm trying to deal with the physical and mental effects of no running for what seems like ages. After nine weeks of running six days a week, 13 days of no running have left me feeling lifeless and without energy; the thought of having to cancel my first marathon keeps me awake at night.

On the bright side, like stated above, I don't regret the first half of my training. Plus, nothing is decided yet. And as everyone keeps telling me, there will always be another 26.2 miles for me to run.

One thing from my training that for the most part is still active is my diet. I'm obviously not consuming as much food as I was before, but I'm trying to stick to healthy meals. Here's a quick tuna salad that makes for an easy lunch on a hot summer day--of which we've had many lately; I added it to a wrap with a kale and avocado slaw (from Whole Foods).

Greek Yogurt Tuna Salad
Makes 2 servings.
Active & total time: 10 minutes.

• 1 jar no-salt added albacore tuna in water
• 1 tablespoon low-fat Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 1/3 cup cilantro leaves

1. In a small plate, empty can of tuna and mash with a fork. Add yogurt and mustard and mix well; stir in lime juice and olive oil until combined. Mix in tomato and cilantro leaves. Season with salt and pepper.

*This salad goes great in wraps, sandwiches, veggie salads, or simply as a dip.

**I clearly couldn't stop myself from taking a bite of the tortilla before wrapping...

Suddenly Summer is Stepping In

Summer has officially begun in Boston. Heat waves and sunny days have finally decided to give the Beantown population a chance to enjoy the outdoors and take in the fresh air. All the same, my apartment turns into an oven of its own any time I decided to turn on the stove for more than one minute.

I have found that opening the window only makes it that much worse--which only makes me wonder why it is that I have not gotten up to close it yet. Anyways, the summer inspires me to cook fresh recipes; tons of which you will be seeing in the next few weeks (given I have the time to blog while juggling two classes and my internship. Cue excitement!)

Today was not an ordinary day. For starters, I was woken up by my alarm and for once I actually had a very hard time opening my eyes. Consequently, I had to rush through getting dressed and eating breakfast in order to make my passport appointment. Side note, I arrived 15 minutes early (as was told by the appointment person on the phone) only to be turned away by a grumpy receptionist telling me that they would not let anyone in before 9 a.m. I did not appreciate his blunt manner at all.

Nevertheless, by 10 a.m. I was grocery shopping, wondering what goodies I could buy while still being able to carry all the bags home. Unfortunately, the "eyes are bigger than your stomach" idiom applied here perfectly. I found myself struggling with 6 heavy bags walking block after block in hot hot weather.

Ok, enough with the day description. Needless to say, my day was not ordinary, but once I got home I decided to make myself a delicious salad topped with sauteed shrimp.

Sauteed Shrimp with Oranges (adapted from Whole Foods Market Magazine)

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 6 jumbo frozen shrimp, peeled, deveined, and thawed.
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• S & P
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon diced shallot
• 3 sun-dried tomato halves, cut into strips
• 1/3 cup chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 navel orange, peeled
• 1/2 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1. Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat. In a separate bowl, toss shrimp with paprika and pinch of S & P. Once oil is hot, add shrimp and cook for about 2 minutes or nicely browned, flipping once. Remove shrimp from skillet and set aside.
2. Add wine, shallots, and sun-dried tomatoes to skillet and boil until liquid is reduced to about half, about 5 minutes. Add broth and reduce to about half, again about 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, carefully remove each orange segment from its membrane using a pairing knife.
4. Turn heat to low and add orange to skillet. Stir in butter and half of the basil. Once butter is melted, add shrimp and toss in sauce. Serve shrimp atop salad, rice, or pasta.