Last week was an absolute whirlwind. For seven months I trained four to five times a week, thought about everything I ate, and didn’t drink alcohol.
All for 3 hours and 51 minutes of running.
And now what happens…
I definitely have a sense of loss and need to work out how I will fill this and what goal I am going to aim for next.
Monday 3rd October
The morning after the marathon…….apart from ridiculously achey knees, I felt great and tucked into a delicious bowl of Porridge made with Alpro Coconut Almond Milk with a teaspoon of honey topped with Banana, Blackforest Berries and a spoonful of Pip and Nut Crunchy Maple Peanut Butter.
For dinner, I had roasted some Butternut Squash and then stirfried it with a sliced Chicken Breast, some chopped Cherry Tomatoes and sliced Green Peppers. I topped the bowl with half a sliced Avocado and some crumbled Feta Cheese. A bowl of absolute goodness!
Tuesday 4th October
Forty-two hours after finishing my first marathon, the trainers were laced up again and I ran 4.8km on a beautiful, crisp autumnal morning. I then tucked into a big bowl of Porridge and Chia Pudding with fresh Nectarines, Kiwi and Pumpkin Seeds.
For lunch, I had a Two-Egg Omelette made with Feta Cheese and Sundried Tomatoes and a spoonful of Hot Chilli Sauce.
Supper was Chicken Breast, Red Pepper and Red Onion, stirfried with Paprika and Chilli Flakes served in a Corn Tortilla Wrap with homemade Guacamole, Salsa and Sourcream followed by Sticky Toffee Pudding served with Salted Caramel Icecream.
Delicious!
Wednesday 5th October
I started my morning by making a batch of Warming Squash Soup from Eat Smart by Niomi Smart. It was really simple to make (only using one pan!), super convenient to take to work for lunches and tasted great!
My lunch at work looked a little something like this…
With Mr Denham home from Amsterdam, normal cooking habits resumed – I prepare the ingredients and he cooks. Tonight’s dinner was Vegetable Laksa from Niomi Smart’s book Eat Smart. These had just the right amount of spice and were perfect bowls of goodness for an autumnal evening.
Thursday 6th October
I started my morning with a bowl of Porridge (it can’t have looked very good as I didn’t take a photo of it!) and then headed to a Conference Centre near Maidenhead, Berkshire for a work course.
Lunches there are always great and today was no exception. I had a great selection of cold salads followed by some granola, greek yoghurt and fruit compote.
Once home, Mr Denham and I went for a run and then cooked this Chicken and Quinoa Stirfry from Lean in 15 by Joe Wicks. Instead of a pre-cooked pouch of Quinoa, we used Waitrose Love Life Quinoa with Bulgar Wheat (approx 60g uncooked per person), which only takes 10-12 minutes to cook in boiling water. This was a perfect post-workout dinner and tasted really good.
Friday 7th October
Growing up, breakfast was only ever a weekend meal. Now it’s my favourite meal of the day. This morning we had Porridge made with Almond and Coconut Milk topped with Banana, fresh Figs, Nectarine, a sprinkle of Pumpkin Seeds and a spoonful of Pip and Nut crunchy Maple Peanut Butter.
My course was two days, so lunch was another plateful of delicious salad’s. Today’s included various Charcuterie Meat, Mozzarella and Sundried Tomato Salad, Quinoa Salad and Couscous Salad.
Tomorrow marks 9 years since Mr Denham took me on our First Date. We went to the Trafford Centre near Manchester, did some shopping, and then went to Pizza Hut for dinner. With him flying off to Sweden tomorrow afternoon, we decided to celebrate this evening.
We ordered Pizza Hut takeaway (one large Super Supreme Italian base), drank Champagne (my first drink since completing the marathon!) and watched Friday night rugby. Such a perfect way to celebrate the last 9 years together.
Saturday 8th October
Our pre-Parkrun breakfast was a bowl of Porridge made with Alpro Oat Milk topped with Kiwi, Apricot and Berries with a spoonful of Alpro Vanilla Yoghurt and a sprinkling of Pumpkin Seeds. It must have been the perfect fuel as I took another 25 seconds of my Personal Best and went under 21 minutes for the first time (20 mins 42 secs).
Mr Denham left shortly after we got home from Parkrun – this time flying to Stockholm for 4 nights.
Lunch was a bowl of Warming Squash Soup and dinner was a portion of the Slow Cooked Beef Chilli from Eat Well, Move Better and Feel Awesome by the Lean Machines, I made a couple of weeks ago and had frozen for such occasions as late night Saturday shifts at work!
Sunday 9th October
As normal, I woke around 6.20am (even on a Sunday!) and by 6.30am was in my kitchen baking.
Since deciding to move to Southsea, Portsmouth, we have joined Harbour Church and now, whenever we can, drive the 50 miles down the A3 to be at one of the services. With Mr Denham away, I had decided to try out the evening service and has been asked if I would like to bake for approx 50 people for the pre-service Coffee and Cake time.
Of course my answer was yes! Why would I miss an opportunity to spend time in my beautiful kitchen, making delicious cakes that I could take Instagram-worthy photos of?
I made Peach and Blueberry Crumble Cake, two Caramel Apple Loaf Cakes (one with Walnuts and one without) and 24 double Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cookies. ***I will do a separate post with each of the recipes.***
Having baked for a number of hours(!), I went for a quick run and then had a ‘what have I got in my fridge’ kind of lunch.
I had a bowl of Kale and Quinoa topped with Feta Cheese and Sundried Tomatoes, followed by some tinned Peach Halves (leftover from baking) with Greek Yoghurt, Granola and grated Dark Chocolate.
My baking went down really well at Church – I was a little nervous as I hadn’t baked for a number of years – and I have now been asked to do it in on a regular basis. Just got to work out how I balance baking, a long-run and Church on a Sunday now!
This week has been a great mix of adventure and delicious food. One of my main goals that I set out at the beginning of the year, was to run more. Running a marathon was just a consequence of this. I am so pleased I have run 5 times this week and have truly discovered a love for it.
Enjoy your week and remember…
Eat Better, not Less
seek adventure everyday 