The Sunday Ritual: Back in the Groove

I can't believe it's the last long weekend of summer.  I mean it just seems like school got out yesterday.  Now it's back to the grind for everyone.   Normally around this time I start to get inklings of the urge to start hibernating, to start getting ready for the cooler, shorter days.  To use the famous words of House Stark (yes, I'm a nerd):  "Winter is Coming".  Realistically I know it is but with the weather we've been having, well, you could have fooled me.  So, I'm not quite ready to get into hibernation mode just yet.  There is plenty of wonderful weather to still be enjoyed!

With all this wonderful weather, my garden has gone absolutely mental.  It's complete chaos back there.  I can't tell where one plant begins and the other one ends.  I'm amazed at the things that keep growing.  I've gotten a second batch of beans, the swiss chard has grown back again even bigger this time and don't even get me started on the cherry tomatoes and the tomatillos.  Holy moly.  I haven't been short on veggies at all these last few week and I've been eating cherry tomatoes like they're candy.  Which is infinitely better for me than actually eating candy so it's a win/win situation.

This weeks theme?  Use up the bounty from the garden.   First off, I had to re-fuel after my long run.  I bought some figs that were almost over-ripe so I chopped them up, added a bit of water, a splash of vanilla and a dash of cinnamon, put it all in a pot and boiled it down.  Made my favourite pancake recipe and voila, the best post run breakfast ever.  To top it all off, hubby brought me a cappuccino from the Italian Bakery.  Yup, he's a keeper.

Post run deliciousness!

After I inhaled those, I went outside to harvest some more goodies from the garden.  My basil plant had gotten completely out of control so I decided it was time to make some pesto.  I had harvested a whole bunch of tomatillos the other day so salsa verde was also on the menu.   My food processor got an excellent workout today.   I also picked a bunch of chard which I figured I'd use in my breakfast pie instead of spinach.   The pesto and the salsa verde could be used on grilled chicken or grilled fish, which makes it easier for meals this week.  All we'll need to do is toss something on the BBQ and top it with either one of these.  Dinner, done in less than 20 minutes.  Gotta love that.

Freshly picked chard and basil.

Chard getting cooked down.  Love the colours!

Salsa Verde all done!

I still have a few odds and ends in the freezer and I made some pulled pork today so I've got leftovers galore.  I've also got a couple of shoots happening this week so there is always the chance that I won't need to bring lunch in if I choose not to.   I'm also back into full on training mode so I'll have a couple of late dinners due to running with my group.


Yup, I'm officially back at it.  Back into the groove.  I can't even being to tell you how happy I am.  This was a pretty jam packed week of training too.  Here's a little re-cap.

Monday:  I had planned on swimming but was still pretty wiped out from Sunday's race so I slept in and took that as my rest day.

Tuesday:   In the morning:  Easy 1.2km on the treadmill as my warm up + 40 minute full body workout at the gym.  In the evening:  7.16km run in 33:07. 

Wednesday:  2350m swim in 50 minutes.

Thursday:  In the morning:  2km warm up on the treadmill, 40 minute full body workout, 2km cool down on the treadmill.  In the evening:  3x1 mile repeats, 6:31, 6:39. 6:37 + warm up and cool down for a total of 8.01km.

Friday:  1500m swim in 40 minutes.  Lots of stroke work and I felt like garbage so I left early.

Saturday:  50km ride in 1:54:13.  Amazing day for a ride in the country. 

Sunday:  21.25km run in 1:46:52.  I felt pretty good considering I had ridden 50km the day before.  Pace is getting closer to my FIRST pace that I am supposed to be running.  I figure I'll be back in that range in a couple of weeks. 

Totals for the week:
Swim:  3850m
Bike:  50km
Run:  41.53 km
+ 1:20 in gym time.

That's a lot more like it.  Man it feels so good to be back!!

What did you get up to this weekend?