Intervals

I've had an ok week so far. I'm back on track with running regularly and have started training for the Yorkshire 10k at the end of October.  I did 10x1 minute interval session yesterday and a 4 mile run today. The intervals went better than the 4 miler even though my iPod started playing silly buggers yesterday a few minutes into the session.

Work-wise things are ok. As of mid-October I'm unemployed. I've decided to take a month or so off actively job-hunting after I finish my contract to complete my Citizens Advice Bureau training and get some other work experience under my belt. I've been ringing companies to ask if I could do some work experience to find my CV vanishing into the ether more often than not after they've told me to send it to them.

Until last Friday when I emailed a company and pretty much got a response straight away. I have a week organised for mid-November, which is awkward but do-able. I checked my inbox this morning to see an email from the company which was sent yesterday afternoon. They were asking if I were available to do a paid admin job for 4 weeks from October 10th, and could I answer ASAP? I sent an email saying I was very interested in the opportunity but unfortunately not available until 17th October. I asked if I could start later and just do 3 weeks.

I haven't heard back. So for a few hours I was over the moon and dreaming of them extending the temporary position forever, naturally. However now I'm getting a bit worried. It's not been that long in the grand scheme of things, but considering how prompt the company was in responding on Friday I'm not very hopeful.

Silence

I went for a 5k run with colleagues after work this evening. With the contract ending there's been a push for more socialising before we all go our separate ways.

I did it in 35:something because my boss, another colleague and I went back to run with the last person. We were all going to finish together, but half a mile from the end my boss had evidently had enough of being at the back and pulled ahead so he didn't finish last. It was his idea to finish with the person at the back.

*sigh*

Shoes!

First I was like, 'These trainers don't look that bad. They're 18 months old and have done hundreds of miles but the soles are still good and they still give loads of support.'

Then I thought, 'Well this isn't good, especially with winter coming...'

Owie

I tweaked my calf muscles while I did the Davina Body Buff DVD on Wednesday. On Thursday I forced myself to do a fartlek session at my running club which was difficult due to my painful and stiff calves. I really felt the DOMS this morning and have been hobbling around all day. I was resolving to get a foam roller ASAP when I remembered the advice I received from Every Day's A Picnic blogger Sarah that she's used a rolling pin in the past. I used my rolling pin and it was painful but I've loosened my left calf and it's a lot less painful. My right calf is still painful and a little stiff so I'm going to have another go later on.

I'm helping out with my local parkrun as a tail runner tomorrow. I'm going to be running behind the last person to make sure no-one gets lost or left behind, so I hope I don't bugger my calves up all over again. Hopefully it'll be an easy run.

Howl

Hello and happy Wednesday. It's almost the weekend, don't you know?

I've been busy and haven't had much time for running or exercise in general. I've had lots of time for eating and drinking and I'm consequently feeling very full and bloated all the time.

I have managed to squeeze in a running club night yesterday and an hour of Davina Body Buff today. It's my first run through the DVD even though I bought it ages ago. It was fun and a real challenge.

Instead of applying for jobs I've been cooking with vegetables we were given by Mr Scientist's parents and to use up ingredients I bought the other week. I made 3 1lb jars and 1 200g jar of green tomato chutney (green tomatoes courtesy of Mr Scientists' parent's vegetable patch). Unfortunately I only have the 3 1lb jars left because I accidentally knocked the smaller jar on the floor and it smashed. I now have a very clean floor.

I used this recipe. I made it last year with green tomatoes from my mum's garden, but I had around 750g of tomatoes so I increased all the other ingredients correspondingly. Last year's batch was very salty so I decreased the amount of salt I put in to 1.5 tbps.

I also made another batch of tahini-miso-walnut carrot slices and froze them.

I've also got a large bag of 'Bright Lights' swiss chard that needs eating up sharpish. I'm going to have some steamed with dinner tonight and make a frittata with some tomorrow, but I know we'll have some left over.  

Any ideas what to do with swiss chard?

Bento Thursday

I made bentos for Mr Scientist and I for lunch today. I followed this recipe for a bento with rice, sweet pepper confit, wasabi-soy sauce broccoli (not pictured), and baked carrots with miso-walnut topping. I forgot the edamame to go on the rice. It was delicious and very, very filling. It took me about an hour to make, but there was leftover carrots and broccoli which could be frozen or used in another meal and loads of walnut-miso topping leftover which I'll be dividing up into portions and freezing. I don't think I'll be making bentos every day, though. I do still want a pretty bento box instead of a plastic box.

The last post of the blog where I got the recipes from said the blog owner, Maki, was ill in hospital, so I hope she is recovering.

Today was another running club evening. I skived the last one due to insomnia the day before. I should have skived tonight's run because Tuesday was a nice long run and tonight was INTERVALS (DUH-DUH-DUHHHHHHN!). 8 x 400m with a 3 minute break between numbers 4 and 5. My first 4 were very good, coming in at around 1.39, 1.41, 1.39, and 1.39. Then I did 1.45, 1.42, 1.44, and I think the last one was 1.44 or so as well. I'm fairly pleased although as usual I tailed way behind everyone else. I know it's not competitive but I'd like to see less of my bum being handed to me on a plate every week.

I got some bad news today as well. My work contract ends at the end of November and I had applied for another job in a completely different field. It looked interesting and I thought I was a perfect match but I received an email saying I hadn't been selected for an interview and due to the high volume of applicants they couldn't provide any feedback. Bummer. :(

I'm upset and quietly despairing of ever being hired ever again because my area of work is very specialised and there are no other jobs requiring those skills where I live. I'm hoping to use the redundancy as an opportunity to switch 'careers' because I'm bored and unfulfilled in my current one.  I say 'careers' because I'm in my late 20s and have only 3 years experience in my current career.

Has anyone out there switched careers in their late 20s How did it go? How did you know what you wanted to do? How did you approach the job search and application process knowing you had some transferable skills but also lacked ones related to your new area?

The City

This weekend I left my city and headed down with my boyfriend and another friend to London for a meetup of uni friends. We had a great time, but the most exercise I've done since Thursday was a quick ultimate frisbee session on Saturday. I need to get back on track.

Workouts this week will be:
Monday: 60 minutes swimming and Yogalates
Tuesday: Running Club
Wednesday: 6 mile long slow run/or 10x1 minute intervals if we do no speedwork on Tuesday
Thursday: Running Club
Friday: Davina Body Buff
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Rest

August Recap

How did it get to be September already? You can definitely feel autumn in the area around here. The fields have been harvested and the leaves on the trees are slowly beginning to turn.

In August I set the goals to lose 2lb, cut down on emotional eating, and stick to the 10k training plan. I've lost 1.6lb despite going to Leeds festival last weekend, cut down on emotional eating a bit. I haven't stuck to the training plan because I started going to a running club and prioritised their runs over the ones on my training plan. Since getting a 5k PB on the 20th of August ago I've barely run at all. I tend to naturally have a period of sloth after PBs or hard races. Still, not a bad month all in all.

My September goals are:

• Lose 4lb
• Finish reading Intuitive Eating and apply the rules to my life

This post's soundtrack is provided by The Naked and The Famous, a new-to-me band I saw at Leeds Festival. On the Saturday afternoon we only really wanted to see Patrick Wolf so we spent the time up till he came on wandering around the stages listening to bands we didn't know so well. The Naked and the Famous came on and I loved them instantly.

Here's a recipe for some date balls I made recently which were inspired by some dates I had once which were pitted and had a slice of dried lemon placed where the stone used to be. Blend a cup of pitted dates, a quarter of a cup of cashew nuts, a heaped dessert spoon of lemon peel (I used Tesco's Italian Mixed Peel) and a pinch of ground cardamon together. Add a drop of water if the mixture isn't coming together and form into 8 balls.