Food and Exercise Round-up (week 34)

The Stats

Weight:  8st 9lbs
BMI:  20.8
BFP:  29.0%

The Exercise

It's been a busy few weeks!  Since coming back from my holidays I've done many extra hours at work (ugh...), started my half-marathon training plan, started Pilates and started Cross Fit!  On the grounds that I do so much else I'm only doing two runs per week, one threshold session and one long run.  I've completed Week One and just have my long run to do before I've completed Week Two (I've fallen into the pattern of having Sunday as my rest day and doing my long run on Monday).  My two threshold sessions have been appropriately brutal (and done on my stop-watch rather than Run Keeper so I have no idea how fast), but my first long run was just lovely.  Slow and steady, that's the way I like it - I can't wait for tomorrow's 50 minute one.

I ran negative splits for the first time ever (I think), without even trying!  I was well chuffed.  My plan of going back to short distances and working my way up gradually, combined with lots of stretching, Pilates and the exercises my physio prescribed seems to be working, and I ran the whole thing without any of the niggles that I've been having bothering me.

And after getting a bit bored of the circuit training classes I was doing after a change of instructor (we did the same thing every week) I started Cross Fit.  I've been twice and I think I'm addicted.  The two sessions I've done so far have been brilliant workouts - I've been gasping, sweating, red-faced and grinning afterwards!  I've even like the working in teams which is surprising given my prediliction for solitary exercise.

My first session was a partnered one:

And on Friday evening me and my team of three worked through this:

I couldn't quite believe we'd done it!

I had incredibly sore quads after my first session, so it was maybe not the best idea to do a 15 mile walk the next day - it was gorgeous though!

The Food

I made Green Tomato Chutney with tomatoes from our garden!

It's strong but tasty, and goes very well with both mature cheddar and venison sausages.

We did a little walk yesterday, and on the way back called into the very nice Brockbrushes Farm.  As well as enjoying an extremely decadent scone with jam and cream in the cafe we also stocked up on treats.  My favourites were a punnet of gooseberries, which I had stewed with honey, nuts and 0% Greek yoghurt (gorgeous!), and some very good Northumberland Sausage Company venison sausages.  I'd recommend this lovely little farm shop/fruit farm highly -lovely cafe with tons of home-baked treats (giant portions!), lots of high quality fresh local produce and also some interesting non-perishables - like this chocolate-flavoured wine!