speedvegan

Geoff’s awesome new car, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

Last night Geoff finally got to pick up the car he ordered a few months ago. It’s a VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI with a kickass sunroof and a bunch of other cool features (maybe he’ll tell you about them in the comments section). The best part is how fuel efficient it is. Actually, it was named 2009 Green Car of the Year. Here he is sitting in his new car outside the sales office. I’m so happy for him !!

I only had one student in my class last night, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

Lucky for me he’s the best student ever !

Mom’s Lentil Soup, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

I love my mom’s lentil soup. I remember eating it quite a bit as a child and, even now, I find it incredibly tasty and satisfying.

1 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
1 small green pepper, diced
1 tbsp tomato paste
5 cups water
2/3 cup dried lentils
2 tsp salt
1 small sweet potato, cubed
1 small carrot, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
fresh ground pepper, to taste

1. In a large stockpot, saute garlic, onion and green pepper in olive oil over medium heat until tender. Add tomato paste and cook for another minute or two.

2. Add water, lentils and salt. Bring to a boil. Add potato, carrot and bay leaf. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

3. Stir in oregano and cumin and cook for another 30 minutes.

4. Drizzle with vinegar and season with fresh ground pepper. Stir, remove from heat and serve with crusty bread.

Apple cobbler a la mode, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

Geoffrey took me out for dinner at Sublime tonight to celebrate. We shared their new Apple Cobbler (a la mode), which was… fantabulous !

Crossing the finish line

Chip Time: 2:01:01
Average Pace: 9:18
Overall Place: 584 out of 1383
Age Group Place: 38 out of 117

Splits (Garmin Data)
Mile 1: 9:27
Mile 2: 9:19
Mile 3: 9:08
Mile 4: 9:15
Mile 5: 9:14
Mile 6: 9:15
Mile 7: 9:24
Mile 8: 9:17
Mile 9: 9:18
Mile 10: 9:18
Mile 11: 9:14
Mile 12: 9:03
Mile 13: 8:47

It feels surreal to be writing a race report with the word “marathon” in the title, even if it was just a half. Three years ago, I DNSed the San Diego Rock ‘n Roll Marathon due to injuries. It’s been a slow, rocky road to recovery since then. I am ecstatic about the Du/Tri season I had this year, but as far as accomplishments go, this race takes the cake.

When I was training for the SD Marathon 3 years ago, I stuck to my “training plan” like a survival guide. If the plan said to run 6 miles and I felt like I couldn’t walk 10 feet, I’d still go out there and run 6 hard miles. This time, I don’t even feel like I trained “enough.” You can look through my training logs. On a good week, I managed two regular runs and one longer run. Running is a high impact sport. If it’s all you do, you will eventually suffer an injury or burn out. I’ve learned how much cross training helps to avoid injuries.

I felt tense about the race because of what happened 3 years ago. I almost expected to wake up with both my feet in casts. I have noticed, however, that this year has made me a lot more confident about racing. I don’t get the shakes I used to feel years ago every time I thought about “the start line.” Geoff and I had a wonderfully relaxing day yesterday. We even slept in and saw Madagascar 2 at the IMAX. I got less than four hours of sleep, but still felt rested this morning.

The temperature was 67F (19C) when I left my apartment, but it must have been slightly cooler down by the start line. It was very windy as well. I ran into two of my running friends, Denise and Helen, down there. I had no idea they were doing the race, so it was a nice surprise. Denise is really fast. Helen is just getting back into running after having two babies back-to-back. Helen said she was going to run with Vicki, another of our friends, but we didn’t see her until we had already started. I decided to run with Helen. I don’t get to spend much time with her these days and I thought it’d be good for both of us to have someone to run with.

The miles seemed to fly by. Before I knew it, we were crossing the 10 mile mark and I felt my heart sink. “That’s it ? Three more miles ??” I felt so good and happy, like I could go on forever. I couldn’t tell you if it was Helen’s company or the fact that I’d slowed down to run with her that made the difference. Whatever the case, it worked out perfectly. There will be plenty of other races for setting PRs.

I feel great inside, but I did run 13 miles. I am aching and sore, but feel much better than I thought I would and best of all, I’m in one piece ! I am considering doing another half next month, but will with consult my feet before I make a decision. That’s the runner in me talking, already planning out the “next race.” What I want most right now, though, is to enjoy this incredible feeling of pride and accomplishment. I did it !

Sporting my Livestrong shirt, a gift from my friend Laura, and holding my medal backwards like the goof that I am

As always, Geoff was super supportive. He dropped me off this morning which meant waking up very early. He actually went for a run as well which made me very happy. And he made the most amazing breakfast for me. He got everything ready last night and cooked while I showered after the race. He made my favorite: tofu scramble with kale and home fries. He even made Mimosas !

Cheers !

Breakfast, originally uploaded by cloudmonkey.

Our friends Rick and Lisa introduced us to these wonderful veggie sausages. We liked them so much that we made a batch of our own. You can eat serve them as a side, put them in your pasta or, my favorite, tofu scramble. They’re so versatile !

This is a modified version of Julie Hasson‘s Spicy Italian Vegetarian Sausages at EverydayDish.tv.

2 1/4 cups vital wheat gluten flour
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup chickpea flour
2 tbsp poultry seasoning
2 tbsp granulated onion
1 tbsp fennel seed
2 tsp fresh ground pepper
2 tsp ground paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried chili flakes
1/2 tsp Mesa Rosa Chipotle Southwestern Smoky Blend, optional
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp ground allspice
2 1/4 cups cool water
6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp tamari

1. In a large bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients. Whisk together the water, garlic, olive oil and tamari and using a fork, gently stir into the dry ingredients. Stir just until ingredients are mixed. If dough mixture is too dry, you can add water one tablespoon at a time, as needed.

2. Scoop 1/2 cup dough mixture at a time and shape into logs. Place logs on piece of aluminum foil and roll up, twisting ends. Place sausages in steamer and steam for 30 minutes. Once sausages have cooled, remove from foil and refrigerate until ready to eat.

Peach muffins for breakfast, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

It’s nice to be back home !