Give Me Bananas

Oh boy what a race.

After weeks and weeks of rain and clouds we got some sun and heat yesterday. OF ALL DAYS. Despite the warmth (ha!) I had an amazing time which was completely unexpected. You see, last year’s Grand Prix of Bern was a pain but this year’s felt like a breeze.

I was so surprised that it went so easy that I didn’t really push myself. Even though I originally wanted to run a 1:35 I felt like it didn’t really matter anymore.

I guess I was just amazed that it felt so easy to run these 10 miles and I just wanted to take in the scenery and enjoy it. In the end I ran the hilly course in 1:39:10 which was 40 seconds faster than last year.

On other days I’d probably be pissed by the fact that I ran the same time even though I  trained for it (I didn’t train much last year) but I’m really satisfied. My time didn’t matter, I just wanted to enjoy my very first painless race .

Now that I saw that a race can be fun, I can run faster next year! Haha.

Anyway, the course is fantastic. I guess that’s why so many people also love this race. Silvio took most photos that I’m posting right now as he carried his camera with him so thanks for letting me use them, love!

The course went through woods..

And basically through the entire city of Bern

There was lots of water to cool the runners down.

That bastard who is my boyfriend ran the course in 1h 33 min! And without any training whatsoever! Crazy.

There are people who constantly look amazing, even after races. I don’t. I look like a tomato that’s covered in sweat. Don’t even try to say that I don’t – you didn’t see me after I ran through the finish!

Speaking of the finish.. The first thing I thought was “what, it’s over already?”. Clearly a sign that I didn’t give it all.

See what I mean with tomato face?
Oh and there’s some nipplegate action too. Classy.

Btw that’s Silv’s friend Daniel (who ran with woollen socks and no running shoes but was still the fastest of us!!!), Silvio (can you say “tall”??), moi la tomate and my dad.

Even though I might live abroad next year I can’t wait to run the GP 2011 as well. It’s such an amazing event and the organisation is beyond fantastic.

What’s sad though is that a 25 year old runner passed away – he collapsed 1km before the finish. My heart goes out to his family. It’s really tragic when something like this happens during an event that is supposed to encourage health and wellbeing.

After the race we went back home to my place and had some (vegan) kedgeree (or kitchery, kidgeree, kedgaree.. however you might call it). I will post the recipe soon – it’s incredibly good and simple to make.

Today has been easy peasy and extremely relaxing. Selina and I walked into the city, ate some ice cream and got ticket’s for tonight’s screening of the Prince of Persia. Haha, it’s probably a pretty silly film but that’s ok as long as I get to see a topless Jake Gyllenhaal .

Q: What are your worst race stories (if there’s any)?
Q2: Do you have Monday off too? Three day weekends are so lovely. They should always be this long!

Hope you’re enjoying your Sundays!

Hey there!

I’m currently prepping for the race (aka realizing that my favourite running shirt is in the laundry, hand washing it and hoping that it might dry in the sun).
I am really excited but also a bit nervous. The guys (my dad and boyfriend who run the race as well) take it so easy whereas I’m almost jumping around.

Anyway, yesterday after work we went and checked out the expo and collect our bibs.

Viktor Röthlin (one of the best marathon runners) was there too and signed autographs.

Afterwards we joined the pasta party and had some penne with napoli sauce. Which was boring (as expected) but good.

I’m in group 19 and our starting time is 4:30pm. They have several groups/sectors (or however you call them) so the start goes smoothly and there’s no pushing.

The bag says “The 10 most beautiful miles of the world”. Haha.

It’s funny. Races in the US are usually in the morning.. over here they’re in the afternoon.

Ah I can’t wait! My leg’s still not 100% well but fine and after 10 weeks of training I am ready to run the race.

Ok, I’ve got to go and have some lunch now. See you tomorrow with a recap!

Have a wonderful Saturday!

Ten minutes after writing yesterday’s post I collected some DVDs to take with me to my friend’s house but didn’t see the glass of water on the shelf. Well, I did notice it after it fell on my big toe.

So I really hope you don’t mind me posting a picture of my toe, otherwise just close your eyes and scroll down .

The glass didn’t even shatter but I still got a cut.

After hopping around like an idiot I decided to skip the run. However, I will try to run my 10 miles this afternoon.

Yesterday’s girl’s night was so much fun! We watched Love Actually (Hugh Grant’s dancing scene is hilarious!), The Notebook (makes me cry every time) and The Holiday (I wish Jude Law weren’t that handsome!).

We also had lots of goodies to eat.. It was a huge food fest to be precise!

Crudités

Olive tapenade and dipping sauce

Tortilla chips and guac

Cucumber tortilla rolls

Tomato mozzarella sticks

Brownies

Carrot banana mini-muffins that I made earlier in the afternoon.

We definitely weren’t lacking food. Or white wine .

A few people asked what the white frilly thing in my last post was. Well it’s cheese!

I haven’t done much today which is rather heavenly. I’m currently watching Avatar. I really like the message of the film even though the story’s a bit weak. Have you seen it?

Ugh. It just started raining. Running in rain is ok but still not my favourite thing to do (especially when it’s pouring down like right now).

I’ve got to get ready for the run now and drink some more water!!

Q: How much water do you actually drink each day? I usually drink 2 litres of water (and tea) but make sure to drink even more when I work out a lot.

It’s been raining cats and dogs since yesterday afternoon.

Sun, come out please! We miss you!

It seems like some of you run races and some of you don’t. Well that’s perfectly fine of course . I never thought I’d ever run a race because the thought of getting chased by thousands of people wasn’t that appealing. But then I signed up for a 10 miles race because it seemed like “fun”. Erm, 10 miles for my first race without any proper training? Yes my stubbornness sometimes gets beyond logical thinking.

In fact I’ve always had to deal with my impossible stubbornness.  Passing the driving test on the first try? It just had to happen. Quickly finding a good job? Check!

Being stubborn is great if you want to reach certain goals. However, this could also become a problem because you can tend to focus too much on the goal without listening to your gut feeling.

You just have to reach that goal, no matter what.

I’m a little less stubborn these days but if I want something (non-material of course) I just have to have it. I accept my character as it is, which also includes stubbornness, but I just make sure that I don’t want to reach goals that are too crazy

Are you a stubborn person? Do you see it as something positive or negative?

Sometimes I’m also stubborn when it comes to meals. If I crave something I just have to have it. Like quinoa porridge for example.

So I went into the kitchen and made some .

Tamzin sent me a bar some time ago (I won it in a giveaway) and I just had to try it in the afternoon. I’ve had other 9 bars before and have always been pleased. This one was fantastic too!

Thanks hun! I loved it! Too bad that it’s gone though

We skipped our run because of the heavy rain. I usually don’t shy away from rain but you should have seen the weather yesterday.. It was insane..

Instead we made mushroom risotto, topped with a fried egg and some rice.

We went and had a few drinks (well.. water and a cappuccino for me) and said goodbye to our friend who goes to the US again. Hehe, it was fun though!

Today I’ll just enjoy my time off . Btw: this is Ascension Day.

I started my day with some chakra balancing yoga which was lovely. I should go and make some tea and take a shower now.. we’re heading to my friend Daniela’s workplace for brunch (she’s a baker). Then afterwards we’ll pop by my grandma’s house as it’s her birthday . Afterwards I just HAVE to get that run in .

Anyway, enjoy your day lovelies!!

Aloha! I hope your Tuesday is treating you well. I decided to take a day “off”, meaning no exercise but lots of missed episodes of Grey’s Anatomy.

I’m currently drinking some tea and nibbling on chocolate and it’s only 8pm! But for some reason I’m edging to go on a run. Well, as a compromise I’ll probably just do some yoga afterwards (which we all know is sooo similar to yoga, hehe).

This week is going to be super short because of Ascension Thursday – do you guys have the day off too? A lot of people also have Friday off as well but I don’t. It’s fine; one day is perfectly enough .

Nothing exciting happened today. I was busy with work and nothing else really happened. Days like these are really necessary to keep me sane though.

Breakfast was a lovely bowl of muesli with soy milk and topped with sliced bananas.

With some tea as well. I hardly drink coffee and prefer tea. It’s much more refreshing (though 95% of all people would probably disagree with me ).

Under all the seeds was lunch. I promise .
Into the mix went: lettuce, 1/2 yellow bell pepper, 1 tomato, 1/2 avocado, some tofu, hummus and balsamic vinegar.

I love crunchy seeds on salads!!

Here’s my new obsession:

Yes zucchini. But not your average zucchini.

Cover the thin slices with a bit of olive oil and salt and bake it at 350°F (180°C) for 10 minutes. To. Die. For.

Dinn-errrr with Tex Mex cutlets. Yes they’re called Tex Mex cutlets. My mum gave them to us and they’re ok. Still not a huge fan of fake meat but once in a while it’s ok.

Dessert was sweet potato with almond butter and cinnamon. Heaven!

The 10 miles race is less than two weeks away! I’m so nervous and excited . Training has been going well and I skipped one run per week in average. I think that’s ok since I just want to improve last year’s time.
For the last weeks I’ll just focus on eating cleaner food and staying injury free.

Q: Have you ever trained for a race? I competed in the same race last year without any proper training and suffered like hell. Taught me quite a lesson . I also ran a 5k race before but that didn’t need any real training as I was running a lot anyway..

Night night!

I never thought I’d ever say this but: Running 11 miles was rather easy! Ok, maybe it felt that way because we took it easy too.. 2 hours for 11 miles is really really easy. Not really race-like but very relaxing for an average Saturday

We started the day with the most amazing pre-run meal E.V.E.R.! I am not kidding. Seriously, it was perfect. Very energizing but didn’t sit in the stomach like a brick.

I present you:

Banana Chocolate Pancakes!

Serves two.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c buckwheat flour
• 1/2 c quick oats
• 1/8 c chocolate protein powder (I used Sun Warrior’s whole rice protein powder)
• 1 c soy milk
• 1 chopped banana
• 1 T chia seeds
• 2 T flax seeds
• 1 T hemp seeds
• 2 T canola oil
• 2 t baking powder
• a bit of water to thin it out

Mix all ingredients by hand and cook them as you please.

Unfortunately I have no pictures (the camera was at Silvio’s place and we had breakfast at my casa) but I’ll probably make them again tomorrow.

There’s a great trail close to Silvio’s place – the scenery is beautiful! The run was so easy peasy and relaxing. The time flew by and before we knew it we got to the starting point again.

The post-run shake was much needed though. I made one with 1 c soy milk, 3 T chocolate protein powder, 1 banana and shared it with the boy. Yes, we like bananas and chocolate .

And no, that’s not coke. Eww what are you thinking?

I also made an energy drink of sorts with water, a bit of orange juice, lemon juice and salt.

We got super tired afterwards and napped a bit. I haven’t napped in ages and it was heavenly!

Lunch was eaten rather late (3pm) and wasn’t the perfect post-run meal but you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do at a boy’s apartment.

Pasta with olive oil, garlic and carrots.

It was good though

Though for some reason I’m never really hungry after long runs. What about you?

Tingel Kringel (which is a really cute shop in Bern) has some great pastries. I got two mini-muffins for us which were good.

(enter groceries shopping, complaining about heavy legs –him, not me, ha!-)

We just had “raclette pizza” (pizza made in the raclette oven) and lots of salad for dinner. Raclette pizza is great for dinner parties too – there’s not much prepping needed and everyone can make their own mini pizzas (which is fun!).

We’ll go to a farewell party of a friend now, I hope you’re enjoying your weekend too! Do you have any plans for Mother’s Day? Selina and I will make brunch for mum (and dad too, hehe). Not sure about the rest of the day as it all really depends on the weather – it’s been raining a lot lately . We need some major sunshine!

Oh my! I totally forgot that I have (literally) 10 different tooth brushes to choose from at my parent’s place. Well my mum’s a dental hygienist so I guess that’s self-explanatory.

I’m at my parent’s place because I brought my dad the cable to my Garmin. He’s currently using it..My precious running watch is super popular with the boys – Silvio likes it too.. I guess there’s just something about guys and their technical tools.. .

Speaking of running… I got new shoes today! I mentioned before that my Asics were bothering me and I knew that I had to get new ones before my race (which is on 22 May).

I actually tried them on yesterday but forgot my wallet at home (duh!) so I collected them today. My first run went smoothly and I am happy that I got a new (stable but light) shoe.

I was also given a free bottle of Gatorade though I must admit that I wasn’t too thrilled. However, I decided to try it.. I mean after all it could be beneficial for after the run, right? (Electrolytes and all..).

It made me feel nauseous.

I am sorry if I offend any Gatorade fans but who on earth drinks that stuff?? Sure, it’s got a great PR machinery behind it but it’s just water with tons of sugar, colouring, sodium and other weird chemicals.

Thanks but I’ll stick to my all-natural coconut water.

What is your favourite “energy drink” of choice?

We had whole wheat pasta with pesto and gorgonzola sauce for dinner tonight (plus some unpictured salad).

It kind of reminded me of yesterday’s lunch..

But that was still quite different. I cooked some sweet potato and buckwheat noodles and mixed it with pesto sauce and topped it (with raw goat’s cheese) on a bed of steamed veggies.

I want to finish off my post with a 10 minute strength workout that I did this morning:

• crunches x 25
• push ups x 8
• static lunges with bicep curl x 15 (change sides)
• dead lift x 15

Repeat 2x.

It was quick and easy and kind of kick-started my day. Afterwards I did some yoga and meditated on my yantra mat (will write a review in a few weeks).

Short and sweet post. Got to get my daily blog reading fix in and it’s already 11pm.. I already dread tomorrow’s 5am wake-up call (my mum likes to check the news online at this ungodly hour.. and the PC is in “my” room).

Hope you had a good Tuesday!!

Hello lovely people! I’m quickly stopping by to simply say hi because I’m on the run!! Not literally of course but I’m already late and should wrap Silvio’s present. Needless to say that I’m running around like a headless chicken right now.

I’m sorry but I won’t be able to read your blogs today and tomorrow (it’s my boyfriend’s birthday tomorrow and we’re throwing a huge finger food party in case you didn’t know..) as I’m really really stressed. But it’s ok .

So today I did the yoga, had a quick breakfast, ran 8 miles, got my hair cut, made a braided bread and went groceries shopping. The bread is currently baking which is giving me a break. Though I have to hurry because I’ll meet up with my friend PJ at 4pm for a drink. I can’t wait to have a cold beer!

Seriously I’m losing my head.

Inhale.

Exhale.

There has been food though!

Yesterday’s breakfast: Porridge!

Today’s breakfast: bread with almond butter and honey!

Yesterday’s dinner: Onigiri with Azuki beans with kabocha squash à la The Kind Life( but with carrots instead of kabocha)

Today’s lunch: salad with sweet potato & buckwheat noodles with pesta sauce and tofu

Got to go!!

I’m sorry that I don’t have more time but you know that i love you anyway, right?

Have a wonderful weekend! Over here it’s super sunny – I love spring!

I like being busy though it’s weird to check the clock and realize that it’s almost 10pm. Where did the time go?

Thanks for all the ideas for the finger food party! I was actually thinking of making stuffed mushrooms though I didn’t know what to stuff them with. Amanda had the amazing idea to fill them with hummus. Why haven’t I thought of that earlier? (Thanks hun!)

I will write a huge post about all the food when the party’s over. I just hope that things turn out as planned.

Today for lunch I had the last of my sweet potato curry. It froze so well and I already miss it. Time to make a new batch soon!

Heaven. Multiple foodgasms. Pure bliss.

I got some new chocolate after lunch. Because I was craving chocolate and because this was kind of laughing at me. Organic, fair trade dark chocolate with cranberry? Yes please! (Pure bliss!)

Since I’m a Foodbuzz publisher (which sounds fancy but which food blogger isn’t a Foodbuzz publisher? ) I got a free set of Moo cards!

I love how cute and small they are. I was definitely excited. Selina claimed that I constantly get packages (I wish!). Ha! It’s just business cards baby. Now if that doesn’t make me super fancy..

..though I still have to find out how to develop some amazing super powers (well besides the ones that I already have of course ). I had to skip squash because I had too much on my plate and knew that getting back home at 8pm would be a no-go.

When I got back home I went on a quick 4m run though. I ran 2 miles by the river, took a break and sat at the riverbank and ran the 2 miles back home. It was fantastic. Running outside is so wonderful (especially when the weather’s nice but not too hot).

Enter: Weight training (arms) 10min, laundry, chatting with my sis, shower, making dinner.

I threw everything together that I craved.

A SSS (Say that out loud! Now… who said ass? Huh?? Ok, I sound like a 13yo boy now ). SSS stands for super simple salad of course.

+ Steamed broc and cauliflower with almond and sesame tofu (which is like crack to me. SO good!)

And then Selina brought me a cone. That evil little devil. I was actually quite full and wasn’t really fancying a dessert as I had one yesterday (I like desserts but rather have the “unhealthy” kind as a special treat once in a while). However, she said that I mustn’t refuse. So I obeyed .

She isn’t even that much into sweets but she thought that the wrapping was fun. lol.

I LOVED this organic treat but I’m super stuffed now.

After dinner I made some preparations for Sunday (I was on a gift-mission. Top secret because the boyfriend sometimes reads the blog and you’ll never know…). Speaking of Sunday.. We’re going to be in such a huge food coma. I spent ages making a shopping list and writing down a schedule (yes a schedule.. I hate being stressed!) and had the best time ever. And after what felt like a few seconds it was 10pm.

So again: WHERE DID THE TIME GO?

Could also someone please tell me why time seems to drag on when work’s boring? Just wondering..

I’ve got to hit the hay now. I’m supposed to get up at 5:30am tomorrow and get my bum to gym. Wish me luck!

Hello lovely people!

How are things? Tuesdays are always kind of better than Mondays and I’m currently watching old “The O.C.” episodes and wonder why that Hercules guy plays Ryan’s dad. I think that actor can pull nothing else than a leather skirt off.

Anyway, do you want to hear more rant? No? Ok, I’ll ramble on anyway .

My running shoes suck! I don’t mean the fancy Nike free but my “normal” Asics..

First of all they’re really start to hurt my feet. I also more and more have the feeling that it’s because they’re too small. I mean, my toes touch the.. front (front?? huh??).. Yesterday I was meant to run 3 miles but my feet hurt so much that I cut it down to two. For today’s run I used the Nikes but these shoes aren’t fit for races.

My real “problem” is that I haven’t had the Asics for long and I’m not really thrilled about buying a new pair of expensive running shoes (they are MUCH more expensive over here than in the states). However, I’d rather buy new shoes than spend a long time being injured.

It still sucks. What should I do with the Asics?

I went back home on lunch to pick up my cell phone that I forgot and found something in the mail waiting for me.

Yay! It’s the bar that I won in Tamzin’s giveaway! Thanks hun it made my day! (haha only foodies can be thrilled about receiving bars )

You know what also thrilled me? The envelope!

I have a thing for cute stationery as I’ve been writing letters to pals for years. Even though I appreciate the internet and everything it has to offer it doesn’t beat snail mail.

After getting back into the city I still had some time to pop by the health food store. I got some staples (quinoa flakes, tea, tofu..) and a new to me product: Wasabi hummus!

I honestly don’t know what to think of it.. I guess it has to grow on me first.

The hummus worked well with some pepper..

Other fun stuff: I officially signed up for the Grand Prix of Bern 2010 today! It’s a 10 mile race that is going to take place on 22 May and I’m really excited.

Today I had 40 minutes of speed work on my schedule which went smoothly. Dinner was with the sis. It’s weird because even though we share an apartment we rarely eat dinner together! We’re busy people.

I made some steamed fennel with basil tofu…

…and a salad with a sauce made of olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, pepper, salt, salad seasoning and estragon mustard.

+ a beer

I’ve got to go and clean some stuff. Don’t get too excited, I can hardly contain myself either.

I hope you’ll have a lovely evening/day (depends on which time zone you’re in.. )

Q: Have you ever had issues with running shoes? What did you do?