Twitpic - Share photos and videos on Twitter

Twitpic - Share photos and videos on Twitter

Here is a picture of Vegan Brooklyn Pad Thai that I cooked tonight from Vegan with a Vengeance. I have decided I will cook one new recipe a week, the night before my long run. Anyone who has been in my house knows that I have a bit of a cookbook addiction- I am a hoarder of sorts. Now I can feel justified.

The Pad Thai came out great, despite lack of lemongrass. It really came together quickly once I had everything chopped up. I want to prove to anyone who might be reading that vegan food is so very far from boring. I highly recommend anything by Isa Moskowitz or Sarah Kramer. They are both bad-ass, cool as hell ladies who are bringing funky vegan cuisine to the masses. Both are perfect for someone new to vegan land.

more raffle fun

So many people are coming through with prizes...the following are on board with prizes to be determined:
Whole Foods (wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/portland-me)
Herbivore Clothing (herbivoreclothing.com)

I am hoping to have a couple to announce every day.

And Running...

Yesterday I did speed work on Back Cove. 1/4 mile sprints (or however far I could go just short of passing out) in 85 degree weather. It was pretty brutal and I am still shocked at the amount of sweat my body produces. Not very sexy at all.

This morning was hill work. The humidity still feels high and I am pretty sure the pollen or ragweed or something is slowly suffocating me. East End Beach area is great for hill repeats, though the people sipping their coffee on the benches overlooking the bay were looking at me like I may be a wee bit of a wackadoodle.

And now my quads feel like it would be a really good idea to go at them with one of those meat tenderizer mallets. Damn my vegan ways, I don't think I have one. To ad to the agony, I am meant to go hiking tomorrow. Ouch.

Raffle It Up

People are starting to really come through as I look for raffle prizes. I have decided to hold a raffle to raise $$ and awareness for my run and Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. The prizes thus far are as follows:

$25 gift card for Silly's (http://www.sillys.com)
$50 gift card for Green Elephant (http://greenelephantmaine.com)
5 20% off coupons for Rosmemont Market (http://rosemontmarket.com)
Gift Card for Vegan Essentials Online Vegan Store (http://www.veganessentials.com)- amount TBD
Gift card for Pepper Club (http://www.pepperclubrestaurant.com) -amount TBD
Copy of 'Lucky Pigs' by Susan Rooker

This is ongoing so I will have more to announce as time goes on. Thanks so so much to everyone who already committed.

Tickets will be $2 or 3 for $5. Please contact me to buy or help me to sell.

Yesterday was my longest run so far. I did a 12-miler and averaged 9 minute 14 second miles- just a bit above my goal pace. I think that I ran the entire thing on pure anger as I was having a very, very bad day. But, once again, I was reminded how running becomes therapeutic for me and all of the ugliness in my head dissipates for a time. I really don't know how I stayed sane before I can a runner because it is definitely my anti-anxiety drug!

I am loving my android phone technology that uses my GPS in my phone and gives me 5 minute updates on distance, time, and pace. It means I don't need to use a track or the boulevard for those distances and that makes me a happy runner.

This week my goal is to put in 8 hours or so in the fund-raising department. As my training really takes off, I find the time for the other legwork is lacking. I hope to reach out to area businesses for raffle prizes so that I might try to raise further funds with a vegan raffle. Silly's, Green Elephant, and Rosemont Market have already been very generous and I want to add to the pile before I start selling tickets.

I am going through some challenges right now- non running or fundraising related- that may put the blog on hold for a short time. Those of you who read this, please keep me in your thoughts and wish me luck.

Missing Vacation and Friendly People

Here is a picture of Echo Lake in Presque Isle. I spent a good deal of time adventuring around Aroostook State Park and this was a picture taken from my favorite day of vacation. My mother and I rented 2 brand-new kayaks from the park and just spent the afternoon paddling around. It was a wonderful recovery week before crunch time.

I have decided to graduate from my beginner running plan to the intermediate because I feel the beginner isn't really challenging at this point.

Logged 70 minutes today with about 8 minutes of total uphill time. It ended up being about 7.8 miles when all was said and done. This puts me at 8.75 minute miles. My marathon goal is to keep it a bit below a 9 minute mile so I am at a good point with three months to go.

I had a great run tonight. Lots of smiles from passers by. The most wonderful moment of the run, though, was on East End beach trail when a girl- probably about 10 years old- slapped my a high five as I passed her. So cool. I wish Portland always had the energy it did tonight. As I sit here I can see the salt lining my arms. Time for a shower and some grub. I am thinking a quick fake mac and cheez with brocolli. Yum!

vacation

Well, I managed quite a successfully restful vacation. I say restful, but the entire week was pretty full of activity and sport. I managed not to run even once but hiked and kayaked and even golfed for the first time besides a driving range. It seems watching lots of golf on television teaches one a thing or two about the swing because I did alright considering it was my first time.

Kayaking may be my favorite activity besides running. There is nothing more relaxing than being out on a still lake, hearing and feeling the water rush around the sides of the boat, pulling the paddle smoothly across the top of the water, causing an interruption in the otherwise flawless reflection. There was a beaver dam...no a beaver mansion and a seeming mile of lilly pads. It is a restorative, therapeutic past time for me and I hope it is only the beginning of a life long hobby.

The hiking was gorgeous though buggy. I did try a wee bit of sprinting toward the summit which gave me a stronger understanding of how delightfully crazy mountain runners are. Damn, it burns. And now I am afraid I may be a couple of days away from a run yet. My foot was munched upon by some insect and is now swollen like a little ol' ladies. It is itchy and gross and hopefully not infected. Oh, Maine. Summer is so short and the black flies are so mean.