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Saturday, November 24, 2012

Tales from a pregnant runner: When running becomes walking

A couple of weeks ago, Hubby went away for a 9-day boy-holiday and the girls and I stayed home for some quality oestrogen-filled, female time. This was fine except it meant I didn't really have the opportunity to run, and conversation was limited to sub-5-year-old topics most of the time. My ever-faithful running buddy Kat came to my rescue one afternoon and we took it in turns pushing the running pram over 5km (with a playground stop in the middle to appease the beasts). My bike, the trainer, some mediocre evening TV and myself got particularly well acquainted several times, and some new knicks made this a little bit interesting. I managed to hit the pool once and the girls and I also did quite a bit of walking. But it's just not running.

Hubby got back on Monday night, so on Tuesday I escaped for a little "me time". I headed out for 4kms, with a mid-way break to drink and stretch. I think bubs must be engaging because things felt quite different. I was cramping a little more than usual, my pelvis felt like it was being pulled apart, and when I got home I had to check that my cervix wasn't actually between my knees like I suspected. Mentally it was great to get out there but physically it was difficult. I had my suspicions that might be my last run, at 30 weeks.

Wednesday I decided to rest (read: casual 4km walk at Chicky's cycling pace while pushing Poppet in the pram). Thursday night I went to step, and had the best class I've had in weeks. Full of energy, no niggles, none of that pelvis-pulling-apart feeling of Tuesday and no cramps. Friday I cycled and again felt good so thought I'd try my luck at a run/walk combo on Saturday morning. I began running (slowly, 6:10ish pace) and felt ok for a while, but by 500m I thought I'd only make 1km then walk for a bit. By 800m I was cramping so stopped. I thought I'd see how I was feeling after a km of walking and maybe run for bit more, but walking just felt so much better. I was power walking, not just strolling (the whole arm swinging thing and everything), and I began to monitor my pace (because who really knows how fast they walk). I was hovering around 9min/kms, which for a runner sounds PAINFULLY slow, but it was enough to keep a moderate heart rate and slightly laboured breathing. I managed to keep my pace sub 9min/kms and finished 6km total in about 52 mins. So, the new goal: sub 9min/kms while walking, 2 x 6km walks a week (plus step, swimming and cycling until any of those become too uncomfortable). I was a little sad to think I may not run again until after bubs is born, but at 31 weeks pregnant I'm ok with where I'm at. Who knows, maybe on a good day I'll be able to throw a km of running into one of my walks, but if not then I'll get back to it on the flip side.

This morning I was proud to cheer on my best friend in her longest run to date - a 7.5km race. While I couldn't run with her, I could be there for her, and be the super proud friend, camera in hand, as she crossed the finish line under her goal time.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

In the Garden - November 2012

I've been holding out until the end of the month to do a garden update because I thought I'd already done one for November. Clearly I haven't so my waiting has been in vain. Talk about baby brain! The weeks, months, years really are flying by. I was quite excited by my dimness however, as my garden is a little bit exciting at the moment.

We FINALLY got some soil for the new front vege patch. We knew this was going to cost a bit to fill, hence the delay, but I'm so glad it's full now as I have renewed enthusiasm for the vege patch.

The six watermelon seedlings I grew in pots from seed were big enough to transplant into the ground.


The front bed is also home to some new cucumber and zucchini seedlings which I also grew in pots to inhibit their consumption by slaters. This picture gives a good view of part of the front plot, which bends around to the left in a kind of "L" shape. Our whipper snipper is in pieces in the shed at the moment, so the buffalo is getting particularly friendly with the railway sleeper border.


The front is also home to some corn (which I've never had the room to grow before) ...


... dwarf beans (also grown last month in pots then recently transplanted) ...


... and some peas.


Remember the tree that we lost in a storm while we were away? Well the stump, which we never got around to pulling out, is now a bush!


Things are going great guns out the back too. With summer approaching, the basil is finally getting a bit more sun and looking quite healthy.


 
The small capsicum plants, of which there are six, are all bearing little capsicums. I'm a bit worried that the plants themselves are too small to hold the fruit, but time will tell. 
 


 
 Some oregano seeds that I planted several months ago, and had given up for lost, have sprouted! The last oregano plant I grew in this pot in the same place in the garden, lasted about 3 years, so I'm quietly confident.
 


The biggest of the rhubarb plants has stalks large enough to harvest. I think a crumble might be on the menu one night this week.


The grapes are getting bigger. We're all looking forward to this season's fruit. I had Chicky in tears in the supermarket the other day because I refused to pay $25.99/kg for grapes. I assured her that in a few more weeks we would have more grapes than we know what to do with.


The flat leaf parsley is just as unkempt as ever, and seems to be multiplying. I use more parsley in cooking now than I ever have, because I can.
 


The potato tubers that I planted last month have all sprouted and are getting quite leafy. I never did get around to adding more soil so I hope they are not too restricted by space. These are in an unprotected part of the garden, so my current task is keeping the chickens away.


The tomato seedlings are growing. A few more self-sewn plants have popped up in between from last year's crop so I am sure the tomato garden will be just as crazy this year as it was last. I'm looking forward to lots of salads and a freezer stocked with pasta sauce.


 
I'm pretty happy with my garden at the moment. The back is filled with weeds, and the grass is overgrown but the useful stuff is doing well. I'm sure we'll have a bumper summer crop if the sun isn't too harsh. What's happening in your garden this month?

Saturday, November 3, 2012

In My Kitchen - November 2012

As summer approaches, Perth's weather continues to be bizarre. Last weekend we were fishing on the boat in 34C temperatures. This weekend we're back to trousers and jumpers, dodging the storms. After spending the morning out yesterday, there was no way I had the inclination nor patience to go grocery shopping in the afternoon. So I stayed home, used what I had in the house, and baked. Here's what was in my kitchen yesterday (all the edible parts have already been consumed).

The baking began because we ran out of bread, so I baked a loaf of Mixed Seed Bread


With fresh bread in the house and the weather being foul, I couldn't resist making a pot of Teresa Cutter's Vegetable Minestrone Soup. This soup, with bread makes a hearty dinner that everyone will eat.


Without grocery shopping we had few snacks in the house, and Poppet always wakes up from her nap starving, so I thought I'd make a batch of biscuits. Trolling through recipes I'd never tried before I found a link to this cookie recipe at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial. Like Celia, I used wholemeal spelt flour, cranberries (as I had both in the pantry at the time), and 54% Callebaut callets. The result was a chewy, chocolatey, tangy cookie that everyone in my house approved of. Several went missing before making it to the cooling rack.




While I was busy baking away, Chicky (who did help with the cookies) decided to work on a creation of her own. I believe it consisted of water, whole macadamias and flour initially. She mixed them together then covered it with plastic wrap to....umm....rise maybe? I'm not sure what she thought might happen.


Later in the day she came back to the creation to complete the final steps. This involved adding some flowers from the garden, something that might be a spring onion (I didn't actually see it before it was added), and stirring with a plastic spoon. She is heavily influenced by the story Wombat Stew at the moment, after a little friend introduced her to the idea recently. Our garden (and now my kitchen) is filled with buckets/cups/containers of water plus <insert random ingredients here>.


While Poppet was less interested in the creative process than Chicky, she did bring me some lovely flowers from the garden yesterday afternoon, and left them on the kitchen bench.


A toy camel made it into the kitchen this week, and got left on the bench during the bread-making process, so he got covered with flour. 


The final item that technically isn't in my kitchen anymore (because I ate it), was a block of House Blend, 70% Cocoa content chocolate from Bahen & Co, a small, family-operated chocolate facility in Margaret River. The owner is a cousin of a friend and she gave me a block of this to try recently. I haven't tried any of their other varieties, but the house blend has a unique, almost fruity after taste and is very "adult". It is gorgeously smooth, yet a piece or two is all you need to satisfy that chocolate craving. I look forward to trying some of their other varieties.
 

That's about all that's happening in my kitchen at the moment, but head over to Fig Jam and Lime Cordial to have a peak into some other kitchens around the globe this month.