Bolognese Repeat & A Guest Post!

Day 2 of Spring Break brought with it a new challenge to do something new/different. It decided to be oh, thunderstorming, most of the day today, so rather than going for a long walk like I was planning, I spent the early afternoon doing something I rarely do: slow cooking dinner on the stove. Usually, I’ll cook things that take no more than an hour, less if at all possible. Today though, I decided to make the bolognese recipe I raved about. I took a great picture of the sauce simmering away:

Here was the difference today: rather than starting it at 6 p.m. and quickly cooking it so I could eat, I started at noon. It simmered and reduced for about 4 hours, and I added water when needed. The house smelled amazing, and it was of course, quite delicious. It’s so incredibly nice to be eating REAL food again and feeling actual hunger. I have to remember this feeling when I’m thinking about eating junk food for the heck of it.

It was also absolutely fantastic to come home from Jazzercise (760 cal today!) and only have to boil some pasta! It was almost like not really cooking dinner.

Since I’m posting a recipe that I’ve already made and reviewed, I didn’t want to leave you all hanging with this boring post… so I asked a friend of mine to do a guest post! I “met” Jessie on the Weight Watchers message boards almost 2 years ago now, and she was a serious inspiration to me. She had lost a boatload of weight, and had picked up running. She has a fantastically hilarious blog called Kissing Frogs that is a bright spot of comic relief in most of my days. She’s a total rockstar, and I asked her to write about how she got started running, as well as hints for those just starting out. Without further adeiu, I bring you Jessie:

I remember telling my friends that I just “wasn’t built for running”. And after I had ACL reconstructive surgery, I had a lot of people tell me that I’d never be able to run and since I’m stubborn, I decided that I needed to prove them wrong. I remember the first time I stepped on the treadmill, it was approximately six months after my knee surgery and I was able to run for five minutes straight without wanting to die. The funny thing was that it wasn’t my knee that hurt, that actually felt fine. Everything else? That was the problem. I didn’t have any idea of how to pace myself, or how to keep my breathing steady.

I went home that day and did a little research on running for beginners and came across the Couch to 5K program. It’s a nine week program that slowly and steadily helps you build your endurance so that you can run a 5k (3.1 mile) distance. I did the program entirely on the treadmill and felt pretty accomplished with myself by the end of the program. I then decided it was time to give it a try outside. It was really hard to transition from the treadmill, which keeps you at a constant pace, to being outside, where you have to do it on your own. However, I fell in love once I got the hang of it. Sometimes I find it very surprising, especially since I was so vehemently against running just a few years ago. It’s become such a big part of my life. When I have a bad day, I run it out. When I have something to think about, I go for a run. When there’s a lot going on and I want to block out the world, I throw on my sneakers and head outside.

I ran my first race in June 2006 and since then I’ve run about 15 races ranging from the 5k distance to a 1/2 marathon (13.1 miles). I’ll be running my second 1/2 marathon in May and hope to one day run the NYC Marathon just like my dad did (three times!). I’m by no means a seasoned runner, in fact, by many standards, I’m pretty damn slow. However, here’s some things that I find very helpful for beginning runners:

1. Get fitted for proper shoes.
   I have incredibly flat feet, and I “overpronate” which means that I don’t strike the ground evenly. I didn’t know this for a while, and it led to some nasty shin splints. Go to a running store and they’ll evaluate you for free. Essentially, you just walk barefoot and that will help in terms of what sneakers the have you try
2. Find a running partner
   I’ve found it really helpful to run with a partner for several reasons. If you’re able to carry on a normal conversation, it means that your pace is good and you’re not overexerting yourself and it also helps to pass the time. Lastly, you’re less likely to skip a run if you know your friend is waiting for you at the bottom of the hill
3. Keep a running log
   There would be days when I felt like I sucked and there was no point in continuing. However, keeping a log of my mileage, time, average pace, really helped me see the bigger picture. Sometimes improvement happens very slowly over a period of time. This helped me from getting discouraged and wanting to quit.
4. Be realistic
   When I started running I was doing 11 minute miles, and while I felt like a slug at first, I eventually started getting faster. The goal of starting out is to build your endurance, so don’t get too upset if you’re not incredibly fast! Speedwork can come later. No one expects you to run a 7 minute mile right away, or to be able to run a marathon distance. Take it slow, and let your body adjust so that you can imrpove your endurance.
5. Have fun!
   I think the most important thing to remember is to HAVE FUN. Some of my runs are awful and kick my butt, but for the most part, I enjoy them and have a great time. This, above all, is what keeps me running day after day.

Told you! She’s awesome! I’ll have a guest post on her blog sometime soon too… it has nothing to do with food, and is um… interesting.

I did do a little blog restructuring and added a “Shrinking Myself” page up at the top. It is a chronicle of my weight loss story, and I’ll add more as I lose more!

Have a great night!

Tagged as: guest post, Italian, simple recipe