Frostbite series 2022-23 #2 2 miles

 

It was so cold on Christmas Eve, that I bowed to popular opinion and didn't do the run in Forest Park.  I did it on my own instead and ran the whole way.  I am definitely slower when I'm running on my own, but my time was pretty good.

Frostbite series 2022-23 #1 3K

 

Short distance in Forest Park.  Still 10:35/mile is good for me and not bad being middle of the pack when it's the track club that sponsors these!!!!

Hot Chocolate Run 2022

 Had a great run yesterday.  The run was in Forest Park.  It was relatively easy to park, the course was great (just a little hilly) and the weather was perfect.  I was pretty much the middle of the pack, but did a good time for me.  Best of all, I felt fine at the end of it and I don't ache at all today.  Funny piece of trivia-I was 4 seconds slower than when I did my first 15K in 2015, so I guess losing 4 seconds in 7 years isn't too bad!!!

Leek & Potato Soup

INGREDIENTS

5 medium russet potatoes (about 6 cups when diced)

2 large leeks (about 3 cups when sliced)

3 cloves garlic

3 Tablespoons Fresh Press Farms Olive Oil, plus more for serving

5 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 cup compatible coconut milk

1-2 bay leaves

½ teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Fresh chives, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

WASH peel, and dice the potatoes. Cut off the roots and dark green parts of the leeks and set them aside, then slice and wash the white and light green parts of the leeks. Mince the garlic.

HEAT the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and saute for about 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the garlic and saute for another 2-3 minutes.

POUR in the broth. Add the diced potatoes, thyme, and bay leaves, and stir. Bring to a simmer and allow it to cook for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender. Turn off the burner. Remove the bay leaves and stir in the coconut milk.

USE an immersion blender to blend the soup until it’s creamy, making it as smooth or chunky as you like! Season to taste with salt and pepper.

SERVE the soup in bowls, and drizzle each serving with more olive oil and sprinkle with a little pepper and minced chives.

Go! St. Louis October 2022

 

The half marathon was in Eureka, which was interesting.  There were a lot of plusses and minuses with me doing this run.

Plusses:  I trained for this run & so I went out and ran religiously 3 times a week for 10 weeks. So glad I did this because I'm not sure I would have been able to finish if I hadn't trained. The weather was beautiful

Minuses:  I'm not a fan of the location.  Took 30 mins to get off the highway, had to park about a mile away and the route was HILLY!!!!

On the whole, I'm glad I decided to do it, but I won't do this run again

Tarragon Chicken with Mushrooms

 INGREDIENTS

2 chicken breasts

Kosher salt and freshly-cracked black pepper

½ cup tapioca starch

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon ghee substitute butter for non-Whole30

8 ounces mushrooms sliced, such as shitake, cremini, button, or portobello

3 cloves garlic finely chopped

14 ounces full-fat coconut milk substitute full-fat almond milk or heavy cream for non-Whole30

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh tarragon

1 small bunch of chives finely chopped, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

 Slice the chicken breasts in half, lengthwise and season all sides with salt and pepper. Add the tapioca starch to a large bowl and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside.

Preheat a non-stick or stainless-steel pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and heat until shimmering. Lightly dredge both sides of each chicken breast in the tapioca starch and carefully add them to the hot oil. Cook, undisturbed, until golden brown, 4 minutes. Flip and cook until golden brown and the thickest part of the breast reaches 165F, 4 more minutes. Note, depending on size of skillet you may have to work in batches. Transfer browned chicken to a serving platter and cover with foil to keep warm.

Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the ghee and mushrooms. Cook, undisturbed, until the mushrooms start to turn golden brown, around 4 minutes. Flip and cook, stirring, until the other sides start to take on some colour, 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, 60 seconds.

Pour in coconut milk and use a wooden spoon to scrape off any brown bits that formed on the bottom of the pan. Bring the sauce to a simmer and reduce by half – around 4 minutes. If the sauce becomes too thick, adjust with more coconut milk, chicken broth or water. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired. Remove from heat, add the tarragon and stir to combine.

Spoon the sauce overtop of the chicken, garnish with chives and serve immediately.

Thai drunken noodles

 8 ounces dried rice noodles

¼ cup oyster sauce

¼ cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 teaspoon white sugar

2 tablespoons cold water

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 cup shallots, thinly sliced

6 teaspoons chile padi (bird's eye chiles), thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 ½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into strips (Optional)

1 pound Chinese broccoli, sliced (Optional)

4 green onions, thinly sliced

1 cup fresh Thai basil leaves

Directions

Soak rice noodles in hot water until flexible, 10 to 15 minutes. Occasionally move the noodles around to separate them. Drain the water and cover with a wet paper towel.

Combine oyster sauce, soy sauce, Asian fish sauce, maple syrup, sugar, and water in a small bowl.

Heat vegetable oil and sesame oil in a wok, or large frying pan, over medium-high heat. Stir-fry shallots, chile peppers, and garlic until shallots are soft, about 2 minutes. Move the mixture around the outside of the pan to create a space and add chicken. Sear for 1 minute, then combine with shallot mixture. Add Chinese broccoli stems and stir-fry until tender, about 2 minutes. Add Chinese broccoli leaves and stir-fry until wilted.

Add drunken noodle sauce and sliced green onions and mix. Cook until sauce begins to simmer. Add soaked rice noodles and toss to coat until noodles have absorbed the sauce and are cooked through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Stir in Thai basil leaves until wilted. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve.

Jim Schoemehl run 2022

 

This race is organized by the WGHS students and benefits ALS.  I haven't done it since 2015, but I looked back and my time then was 33:31, so I have only lost 27 seconds in 7 years, not bad!!!  I did walk and run this race today, which I was a bit disappointed by, but my time is the best it's been since I started running again.  Maybe I just started out too fast

Go! St Louis 2022

 I feel like a had a really good time doing this 5K.  One of my fastest runs this year and I felt good after it.  So glad I decided to do it.  Unfortunately, it lulled me into signing up for the half at Halloween-yikes!!!!

Snowball Series #5

The last Snowball Series run was in Kirkwood and was very hilly, I had to walk at several places.  I still did pretty well and was 4th in my age group

I finished 3rd overall in the series

The medal made up a snowflake-pretty nice!!!

 

Snowball Series Run #4

Run #4 was at PowerPlex and was 5 miles.  It was so cold, this was the coldest run I have done and I was pretty slow.  Still, I ran the whole way, so this is now the furthest I have run without stopping.  This was my goal for this year, so I am pretty pleased. 

Snowball series Run #3

 

Run #3 was at Creve Coeur park, 7K.  I ran the whole way, which is the furthest I have run without stopping.  It was nice and flat and the weather was pretty good, so my pace was quite good

Snowball Series Run #2

Run 2 of the Snowball Series was my first run since I missed Forest Park on January 1. It was a 3 mile run in Tower Grove park and it was snowing.  It was pretty miserable and I was completely soaked at the end of it (especially my feet).  My legs were pretty sore the next day too, I'm lucky I didn't hurt!!!

Slow pace, but I did it!!!

 

Snowball Series 2022

 I know I hadn't been running in a while, but I hadn't realized that I hadn't logged any runs since 2017.  I started running again a few months ago, with the goal that I'd register for the 2022 Snowball Series. Covid has changed everything, and they did a virtual series last year & the website suggested that they would do the same this year.  So, I signed up for the Frostbite series instead and ran two races last month.  The first Snowball run was this morning in Forest Park.  It was 30 degrees and pouring, I drove over to Forest Park, but decided to leave after there was no way I was going to run when it was raining that hard-anyone outside was absolutely soaked.  It's not worth the risk of getting sick at this point.  Luckily, I can run virtually and still get the medal, so I'll try to catch up later this week.  Such a shame though.