Firsts

A few firsts today:

• First club workout of the year
• First run of the year
• First ice bath of the year
• First time ever running in a swim suit

The club workout was great, although 45 minutes in I was wondering if the new 1.5 hour swim format was a good idea. It's a long time to be in the water. We did a whole pile of drills (I've already forgotten most of them) and the main set was 10 x 100m on 30sec R, descending 1-5 and 6-10. It was a fun set, one I'll do again on my own for sure, and it was nice to know I wasn't as out of shape as I'd thought.

The run was an overly ambitious (aka - stupid) 1:16:00 with Teresa. Considering that my last run was before Christmas and I've been sick or post-sick since the 26th it probably would have been smart to start with a shorter distance. The run was super slow, frustratingly so at points, but Teresa and I had a great conversation - things got philosophical, which is always cool (I also had a few rants, not so philosophical but I'd had a lot of coffee this morning).

The ice bath was 1 minute of hell, 8 minutes of "I don't like this" and 1 minute of "am I done yet?" As I hadn't prepared my usual "ice bergs" (water frozen in 1L yogurt containers) I didn't think the bath would be too cold. I didn't take into account, however, the effect of cold weather on my aparment building's water supply. It took about an hour after I was out of the bath until I stopped shivering.

And the last first? No, I'm not preparing for minimalist tri attire this season. And yes, I did wear something on top of the bathing suit. Lots of layers of something.

This morning I forgot my towel, which was survivable, and underwear, which was a bit more of a challenge. Joanne offered to lend me her bathing suit (dry & clean, she brought two this morning) and I figured as I was only planning to run 20-30 minutes it was worth a try. The swim suit was great to run in, in fact I forgot I had on something different and it was only when I went to take off my heart rate monitor strap when I got home that I remembered. I'll have to try biking in one and see how that feels. Maybe I will go minimal in a race this season?

First workout of the year (sort of)

The first club workout didn't work out as everyone but the lifeguards showed up this morning. I think half of us were there to socialize more than to swim so it wasn't too great of a loss.

A few of us headed out to Watermania in Richmond for an easy swim. We did a warm up (300m?) then Joanne suggested 200m of 25m drill/25m swim then a pyramid - 100m/200m/300m/200m/100m. The rest of the crew did something involving speed and pacing but I didn't want to overdo it so I just focussed on doing the distance. I did 200m of cool down and then we hit the hot tub.

After the swim we went to Joanne's for waffles and I hung out to doze on the couch with Penney and sort of pay attention to the Cotton Bowl (on PVR).

I hit Safeway on the way home and realized I was in a really good mood (I don't like Safeway so this is pretty amazing). I joked with the cashier then chatted with people at the bus stop, even though I was pooped from swimming, dozing and shopping and I'd been coughing all afternoon I was in a great mood.

It feels so good to be working out again!!

I ended the day by trying out a recipe I saw on the same show I got the salad from yesterday's post. I would have tried the salad too but Safeway didn't have the noodles. The pot stickers were AWESOME!!

The recipe is as follows:

Potstickers
(from Everyday Food)
Serves 4 Prep Time: 25 minutes Total Time: 40 minutes

ingredients

1/2 cup finely chopped Napa or Savoy cabbage
Coarse salt
6 ounces ground pork, not all lean (I used ground chicken)
scallions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped, peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Wontons
24 rectangular (3 1/2-by-3-inch) or square wonton wrappers
1 recipe Wonton Filling
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 scallions, finely chopped (optional)
1/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce, for serving

In a medium bowl, toss cabbage with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Let stand 10 minutes. Wrap cabbage in a double layer of paper towels; firmly squeeze out excess liquid. Return cabbage to bowl; add pork, scallions, ginger, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Mix well with a fork. Refrigerate leftover filling up to 2 days.

Wontons
Work with one wrapper at a time, and keep the rest covered with a damp towel. Spoon one rounded teaspoon of filling in center. With dampened fingers, wet the four edges. To make a triangle, fold wrapper in half over filling, making sure the ends meet and filling is centered; press edges down firmly to seal.

Moisten one tip on long side of triangle. Then bring together both tips on long side, overlapping them slightly; press tips together to seal.

Fold remaining top corner back. Transfer to an oiled plate; cover with a damp towel to keep moist. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.

In a 12-inch nonstick skillet with a tight-fitting lid, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add half the wontons and cook, turning once, until lightly browned, about 1 minute per side. Carefully add 1/2 cup water (oil may sputter), cover, and steam until translucent and just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Repeat with remaining tablespoon oil and wontons. Sprinkle pot stickers with scallions, if using, and serve with soy sauce.

Start of the new year

I had the best of intentions to start 2009 with a bang but so far it's been more of a wheeze. Plus some sniffles and a whole lot of coughing.

The cold I had after Christmas morphed into a minor flu and now I'm dealing with the post-flu hacking cough and stealth fatigue. I call it stealth fatigue because I feel awesome, make plans to do all sorts of stuff then taking a shower or doing the dishes wipes me out and I have to take refuge on the couch to recover. I'm bored of reading, bored of watching TV, bored of surfing the web ... I want to work out darn it!!

Because of this I'm not making major plans or resolutions for 2009 as it will just frustrate me. I'm going to take it easy and get back into working out without making myself sick again, then I'll think about the next steps.

So, nothing on the training front yet but I have found a recipe that, if it tastes as good as it looks, may be my 2009 recovery food. Carbs and protein marinated in soy sauce and lime - how perfect is that!

Asian Noodle Salad
(from PBS's Everday Cooking)

Serves 2 Prep time: 15 minutes Total time: 15 minutes

ingredients

8 ounces green beans, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
6 ounces soba noodles
6 ounces tofu, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3 TB fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 scallions, minced

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook 8 ounces trimmed green beans, cut into 2-inch pieces, until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a colander. In same pot, cook 6 ounces soba noodles according to package instructions; drain well (do not rinse).

Meanwhile, cut 6 ounces firm silken tofu into 1/2 inch cubes; drain on paper towels. Place in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, and 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil. Pour half the dressing over tofu; toss gently to coat.

In a large bowl, toss remaining dressing with noodles, green beans, and 2 minced scallions. Sprinkle tofu on top. Let cool.

Any dream analysts out there?

I'm starting to get over my cold but I'm still feeling slow and sluggish.

It sucks to be sick but I have to say, the fever dreams are pretty darned interesting. Particulary the one involving the formula one race that was being held in my junior high gym that was delayed because there was a kick boxing exhibition, which was seriously annoying considering how hard we had to outrun the terrorists/hallmonitors who were chasing us to get there on time.

Any idea what it means??

Random Christmas Reflections

Over Christmas I went crazy carpeting, shoveled snow and watched hockey on Boxing Day - I am still officially Canadian.

Children are wonderful but they are carriers of disease and you should be innoculated before going anywhere near them.

I am highly skilled with the fiddly bits in lego kits - come to me when you want the 5mm by 12mm sticker put on straight, the 1.5mm thick string threaded through the 1mm wide hole, or two miniscule pieces taken apart (unless I'm drinking port after a lot wine which was preceeded by beer, then things may not go so well).

I have no self control when faced with a myriad of dessert options (January training is going to be painful!).