The Leeds Half Marathon

After years of a sedentary lifestyle, I took up running last January when we moved very close to Roundhay Park in Leeds - if living opposite one of the largest public parks in Europe didn't inspire me to get my bum into gear then I decided that I would be a lost cause in the exercise stakes! I'll be honest my first 'run' was really embarrassing - my friend Paul joined me and when I say I couldn't go for 5 minutes without gasping for air it's not an exaggeration; in fact it had to be abandoned after a just 15 minutes!! - pathetic.

But I kept it up for some reason. My first organised run was the Leeds 10k last May which I never thought I would get round in one piece! Looking back now that seems a little silly but it felt like a real achievement and my time of 46 minutes wasn't too shabby considering.  Next was the Hoylake 10k (fast and flat), the Bradford Half Marathon (nails - 1hr 45m 50s), the Stockport 10 miles (too far away - 1hr 17m 05s), the Liversedge Half Marathon (nails - 1hr 40m 50s) then a run called the Spen 20 miles which in March (super nails! - 2h 50m). Looking back I have actually achieved quite a lot considering the terrible start to my running career in January 2011!

So this leads me to last weekend with the Leeds Half Marathon on Sunday. The night before a run, my dinner has been a carb-tastic pizza and this continued on Saturday night. Ever the dutiful wife-to-be, Jo made a pizza dough in the afternoon which was then topped with spicy pork, chorizo, spinich and mushrooms - delicious huh!

But after a couple of minutes cooking, the oven stopped working! Jo managed to use the residual heat to cook the pizza as much as possible but it was touch as go as to if it was edible or not. Although it was pretty doughy (some may say undercooked!) we decided it was okay and demolished it all but Jo was pretty dissapointed that it wasn't as she hoped. To be honest my tummy was a little delicate on Sunday morning......

The half marathon went quite well with a time of 1hr 40m 9s and it was a good training run with the Edinburgh Marathon looming at the end of the month!

The pizza minus two pieces

My running number

My finishing time

My medal!

A weekend in Edinburgh

This weekend we were in Edinburgh, combining some important wedding planning (the food!) with baby Tom's first birthday.  It was a fantastic weekend and Joe and I stuffed ourselves silly with home cooked delights and some wedding food, which will not be previewed here - that's just taking it too far! We also got to catch up with friends and family, including Werner and Zita who dragged themselves from lovely sunny Germany where it was 25 degrees, to Edinburgh where it was about 10 and rained most of the time!  That's dedication to your loved ones...!

Joe and I arrived on Thursday night after a rather treacherous drive up the A1 - torrential rain all over Yorkshire, the A66 closed by flooding, and heavy cloud all over - not so fun!  That said, its rare we ever have a straight forward drive to Edinburgh so it should not have been a surprise.  It was all made better by a warm welcome of spicy pork stew with mash and cabbage and a nice glass of white wine - what could be better.

Mum's pork stew with mash and cabbage

Friday was quite the glutonous day, starting with two food and drink tastings and a wander around Edinburgh.  Zita and Werner arrived on Friday afternoon and joined us for dinner - and with mum in the kitchen again we were quite spoiled!  Dinner was roasted seabass on ratatouille with new potatoes and garlic bread, which was all fantastic and topped off with a lemon tart and a Mississippi mud cake.  As I said, totally stuffed stupid.

Roast seabass with ratatouille, potatoes and garlic bread

lemon tart and Mississippi mud cake - well, how could you choose between them?

On Saturday Michael and Kerstin threw a first birthday party for Tom.  It's hard to believe its been a year since he was born - and its a world away from the tricky times they had at the start.  No more feeding by syringe - he is a healthy little thing who is now rapid on his feet!  He would definitely outrun Michael in the marathon!

Kerstin and Michael cooked up a storm for all their guests - home made pizzas, quiches, breads, cakes and all sorts.  I chipped in on a minimal level with some Thai prawns, tandoori chicken bites and cheese and pancetta straws.  It was a great afternoon, the sun was shining, the drinks were flowing and Joe even now has a tan!  It was lovely to catch up with lots of the family and we had a great time - thanks very much Michael, Kerstin and Tom!

The table, groaning under home made pizzas, breads, quiches, cakes and salads.  All so very good.

Very proud grandparents - Zita and Mum

Home made pizza with courgettes, mushrooms and chorizo

Saturday - Mike's Birthday and Soraya's Cooking!

Saturday started with a long run for me and a shorter one for Jo.  I decided in the week that it would be a good idea to drive to the city and run along the canal and back and that's exactly what I did! Ok, so the drinks and curry the night before didn't help to much but I did do the the 17 miles I wanted and I wasn't too broken after! Next long run, I think I'll try and eat a bit better beforehand, although Jo's food is hard to resist.....18 miles on Friday it is.

My run time on the Garmin

After a quick turn around, we were picked up by Wolf and Gelt and headed to Mike Work's birthday drinks in Horsforth - he is 31 but looks way older that me! ;o). Soraya had laid on a great spread including chicken fajitas, potato skins, tuna pasta, garlic bread, pizza and salad - it was a really good effort and we were all very impressed....BRAVO!

The birthday spread

Soraya also managed to find the time to knock together a chocolate birthday cake for Mike, which was super rich but also light as a feather! - those who said it was really dense were just jealous!

Work Mike and his cake

Jo filling her face

After a few more drinks, we all headed into Horsforth to the Queens Arms for drinks, pool and good times....hooray! And happy birthday Mike! I didn't do a very good job of playing photographer, so I pulled some pictures of the attendees off facebook - here they are;

William of Saville

The Ahad clan

Wolf and Gelt 

 

 

 

We had a substantial lunch, but Jo and I were getting hungry as the evening wore on, so our kind cab driver stopped on the way home so we could grab and oven pizza - very good it was too!

Pizza with extra pastrami and basil

Monday - Pizza

Just a short post, as there's only so much you can say about pizza and salad!  On Monday, Joe treated a rather ill me to Pizza Express pizza and a salad, complete with fancy tomatoes.  It turns out pizza is good for a throat infection as I started to get a little better today!  Who knew!

Pizza and salad

Sunday - I ran 20 miles then went carb crazy!!

It is now Tuesday and my thighs are still in some pain from running the Spen 20 on Sunday morning. It was a 20 mile run around the West Yorkshire Hills and I managed to get around in an okay time of 2hrs 54mins (tbc)......I'll be honest, I was pretty sceptical that I would make it in one piece if at all - the furthest I had run before Sunday was 15 miles when my knee hurt enough to pay to see a physio and that was 3 weeks ago! Having not run since I couldn't get out of my head that 20 miles/ 3 hours constant running is a pretty long way.....but, I did it!

I am supposed to be doing the Hull 20 this Sunday, and the thought of that was a non starter yesterday. I have a feeling I may be there at the starting line now though! - bonkers.

My Saturday night pre run carbs

Jo's drunken good luck message

Me before the race

Post run carb fest - chicken fried rice, chips and prawn crackers

Jo's slightly more healthy effort

Saturday Night at the Deer Park - 8/10

On Saturday night we took a stroll to the Deer Park on Street Lane in Roundhay.  Perhaps strolling was a slightly daft idea (my mother and I attempting to get through Roundhay Park in the dark, in heels, on a virtual ice rink, was quite funny but I don't think she enjoyed it all that much!) but it made the cosy wood fires and animal hide all the more appreciated.

Joe and I have eaten at the Deer Park on a few occasions and generally have a good time.  It is effectively a restaurant with pub styling.  The food is traditional with a twist, the wines are reasonable and they do a good line in cocktails.  It's also somewhere that I have happily spent a few hours on a Sunday enjoying the papers and a glass of wine.

Having indulged rather a lot with Indian treats on Friday, none of us were looking for a full three course dinner so we made the most of the sharing plates on offer.  We had the antipasti, which comes with dolcelatte, cured meats, marinaded vegetables and flat breads, and rustic breads with olives, roasted garlic, olive oil and balsamic.  The big star of the antipasti was the creamy and sharp dolcelatte (a bit of a nose bleeder), while the breads with roasted garlic were fresh and tasty. As is always the case, I felt a little short changed by the oil and balsamic - they never give enough for the amount of bread!

Antipasti with cured meats, marinaded vegetables and flat breads

Rustic breads with olives, roasted garlic, oil and balsamic

The menu has quite a broad spectrum of main courses, including pizzas, salad, pastas, fish and grills, so we were able to try things from across the board.  Joe opted for the carne pizza, with luganega sausage, chorizo, pepperoni, roast chicken, and swapped the chilli for rocket (he was running a half marathon the next morning so wasn't eating anything too challenging!).  My mum opted for linguini with prawns, chorizo, crab and chilli while my dad went for the fish pie.  Everyone else having chosen the items that I really wanted from the menu, I went for a naughty burger with chorizo and gherkins.  While nice, I had massive food envy which is always disappointing!  My mum said that the linguini was really good, and came with very generous seafood portions and a nice warming chilli.  The pizza was also very good with a thin and crispy base and nice quality ingredients, while the fish pie was a winter warming winner.

Fish pie

Carne pizza

Burger

Linguini with prawns, crab, chilli, chorizo and tomatoes

Because my burger wasn't naughty enough, my dad and I also chose churros for dessert!  I still haven't had proper Spanish churros, but Joe is a bit of an aficionado and agreed with my judgment that they were a little undercooked and doughy.  They did come with an excellent chocolate sauce though. We also had coffees, and both the flat white and the espresso were fairly poor (badly made, weak coffee).  It was a shame as the meal started so well, and just fell short at the final hurdle.

I would definitely recommend dining at the Deer Park.  The atmosphere is great, which is reflected in just how busy it always is both in the bar and the restaurant.  The savouries are always great, but they do need to work a little on the afters.

Churros

Friday - Best Laid Plans...........

I had another day off on Friday (still days to use up before year end!) and put it to spectacularly good use. This weekend our lovely friends, Shereef and Steph were due to visit.  It's amazing how efficient I can be when I want to be, and made grand plans to do home made pizzas, lots of cleaning, running in sub zero temperatures... 

The day got off to a good start - like a good wife (to be) I took Joe to work, went to the post office and the shops, and was home before 9.30 ready to start all my jobs.  Pizza sauce, done. Curry base, done (for a dinner for next weekend - good prep hey?!). Peach and raspberry puree for bellinis, done.  Marinated vegetables, done, and pizza dough done, all before 12pm.  How very virtuous.  I even dragged myself outdoors in the sub-zero temperatures for a run (am I mad?!)

As sometimes happens, unfortunately illness got in the way and Shereef and Steph weren't able to make it.  Poor Shereef - get well soon and we'll reorganise for another weekend shortly.

Ho hum.  Well it meant that Joe and I were very well treated - home made pizza with marinated chargrilled peppers, courgettes, roasted aubergine and chorizo, and raspberry and peach bellinis - fancy for a Friday night!  FYI - my pizza dough recipe is awesome, and totally fool-proof.  It makes 3-4 pizzas, is freezable, and makes thin and crispy based pizzas.  Let me know if you want the recipe.

Sad faces (cheered up by a Bellini)

Home made pizza with chargrilled marinated peppers and courgettes, roasted aubergine, chorizo, basil and some cheeky jalapenos

Mmm....pizza...yum

Oh, and to round off, some nostalgic match makers!  Only 22 calories per stick?  No wonder I ate about 25.

Saturday Quick Eats and Carly's Wedding

On Saturday my lovely friend Carly (was Hancock, now Crossley) got married.  Sophie and I went to her ceremony in Cookridge, which was absolutely beautiful.  Carly made a stunning bride and her new husband, Adam, is a very lucky boy!

I brought Joe along to the evening reception at the Kyte Hotel, where we danced to many classics, including Meatloaf, Grease and Tom Jones - who wouldn't want to do that?! Everyone seemed to have a brilliant time and we wish many congratulations to Carly and Adam for their big day.

Food at home was a quick Pizza Express Sloppy Guiseppe - straight out of the oven and munched down - the perfect lining for an evening of drinks and dancing.

Blushing bride, husband and bridesmaids

Sloppy Guiseppe...mmmm..........

Friday Night Pizza (by Jo Girl)

It's been a long week, with lots of things going on from working away to debating competitions to cheese tastings.  Our quality time together has been fairly rushed of late, which is unlikely to change as we head into Christmas.  This means that when we get a Friday evening in together, we just want to relax and have fun, rather than get obliterated.  We certainly are getting old!

So Friday night this week was a chicken and chorizo pizza with chips and home made remoulade, followed by mince pies with blue cheese and a viewing of Up!

Starting with the food, who wouldn't want to have chicken and chorizo pizza, with peppers mushrooms and jalapenos?! We also received a celeriac in our veg box last week.  It went pretty well in soup, but whenever we go to France I have to have remoulade, so I thought this was the perfect opportunity to try a homemade version.  Made with mayo, Dijon mustard, lemon and capers, it was pretty good but a little heavy on the moutarde!  However, Joe usually doesn't like remoulade and I have won him over so it was a win!

Joe was also on mince pie duty, having been disappointed in his effort last week.  This time he used the homage 2 fromage night so inspire some blue cheese mince pies, which were really good - that salty cheese brings out the flavour of the mince meat really well!

Post dinner entertainment was a viewing of Up, which I had never seen before.  It was highly recommended by Wolf and Gelt last week, and I must admit I absolutely loved it (even if it made me a little teary - don't tell anyone!).  If you have not seen this film, I can only suggest you find a copy and settle down to watch it, it's brilliant.

Remoulade

Chicken and chorizo pizza

A close up - chicken, chorizo, peppers and jalapenos.  Yum.

Joe's plate - complete with slightly burned chips.  Oops.

Blue cheese mince pies

And the finished mince pies.  Very tasty too.

Friday night - Pizza and Hangovers!

I have woken up with a hangover, which I am a little annoyed at myself about! A good friend is visiting us who is rightly expecting us to show him a good time and I am not quite on tip top form! - it's nothing that I won't shake off with a bit of tlc but I shouldn't have had the 2 bottles of bud, 2 pints of heineken, a bottle of cava shared with Jo (see below), another pint of peroni before ploughing into a bottle of white after we came back from the fireworks at Roundhay Park! And at my age (32) I can't take the pace anyone!!

We will be heading into Leeds for some afternoon drinks in the next few hours.........

 For dinner we shared a very nice pizza, that I think was from the Co-op with a salad and pizza express dressing which is my favourite!