TC10K

This morning, the streets of downtown Victoria were filled with thousands of runners participating in the TC10k.

Among those thousands, were 7 of my athletes: Leif, Derek, Kamal, Adam, Nick, Myke and Mark, who did pretty well despite running on very tired legs. It went something like this:

Adam O'Meara: It was a bit of a last second decision for Adam to enter the race, but I am glad he did! His last 10km was a while ago, so we were both pretty curious to see where he is at right now. Well, he appears to be right where we want him clocking 33:09 (PB). Not bad for a long course triathlete at the end of a tough 3 week build, eh? Oh, Adam is also getting married next Sunday! Congradulations are in order :)

Derek Westra-Luney: DWL destroyed the Tri Canada 1500m world cup swim standard, clocking 18:04 (LC) a few weeks ago, and the goal for today was a sub 35 min 10km to go along with that. That was accomplished with 34:38 (PB). Obviously it is not the world cup standard, but since a year ago he was running about 3 minutes slower for a 10km, I think we are on the right track. The funny thing is that in the fall, Derek applied for a TriBC elite card and was rejected because he didn't race enough triathlons last year. Hopefully his swimming ability and constant improvements on the run (and bike too, obviously) will get him an elite card so he can gain some valuable experience racing a few continental cups (including kewlona) this summer. 

Leif Baradoy: Leif was kind of MIA this week... His days and nights were filled with several assignments, packing (they are moving today. Talk about a sense of timing... haha) and getting some graduate grant applications in. Among all that caos, he still managed to run a PB of 34:52. 

Kamal Rae: Kamal learned the importance of pacing several times in the last year or so, and that was something we really wanted to get right today... That goal was achieved with a significantly improved pacing strategy! The goal time wasn't achieved, although with a time of 35:21 he managed to get a new PB running over 2 minutes faster than last year... The Sun Run is up next!

Myke LaBelle: Running a 10km sick on little training always hurts... 35:58 will do for today, and I really look forward to seeing him run significantly faster soon! Kids, don't try that at home...

Nick Gottfried: Another PB for Nick, running 37:12. That killer instinct isn't there yet but once it is - I am very certain that time will drop significantly... Nick has come a long way in the year we have been working together, improving consistently.

Mark Ritchie: Mark missed a PB by mere seconds! He has been running really well lately and his time of 37:19 shows that. 

Well done to everyone who raced this morning! Here are a few pictures from our team group session at Beacon Hill Park on Thursday. The boys worked pretty hard! 

Eggplant & sweet potato curry

I made this curry a long, long time ago, but never got around to posting the recipe. I wrote it on a random piece of paper and made the mistake of placing it somewhere where I though was safe, so I don't lose it. Well, of course I lost that piece of paper... but I found it this evening! Yay for small victories :)

Since I am on a bit of a roll here with posting stuff, there is no time like the present to post this one, especially because it is very likely that piece of paper will be lost again pretty soon! Plus, since my recent recipes all included meat, it is certainly time to post a vegan friendly recipe :)

• 1 medium eggplant, cut into medium sized pieces
• 1 medium sweet potato, cut into medium sized pieces
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed & chopped
• 2 cm fresh ginger, minced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 can coconut milk
• 4 dates, pulsed to a paste in a food processor
• Juice from 1/2 lemon
• 2 portabella mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• Chili flakes, to taste (how much heat can you handle?)
• 1.5 tsp turmeric
• 1.5 tsp cinnamon
• 1.5 tsp paprika 

1. Sprinkle the eggplant pieces with a bit of salt and set aside in a drainer for ~10 minutes. 
2. Peel and cut the sweet potato.
3. Heat 1/2 tsp of coconut oil in a big pan and cook the eggplant over medium heat. Work in small batches and remove from pan when golden brown to drain on a paper towel.
4. Add the remaining coconut oil to the pan and saute onion until translucent. 
5. Add ginger, garlic, all of the spices and cook for 2-3 minutes to release the flavors. 
6. Add the lemon juice and coconut milk. Stir and bring to the boil, then add the sweet potato.
7. Turn down the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. 
8. Add the eggplant and mushrooms and cook for another 4-5 minutes. 
9. Add the date paste and stir for about a minute so it gets mixed in properly.
10. You can add some spinach/kale/chard leaves at this point if you like, and cook quickly - just until they wilt.  

Bacon & leek stuffed acorn squash

I wrote this recipe on a tiny piece of paper right after I made this dish... and since I am pretty sure I will lose said piece of paper pretty soon, I figured I better post it asap! Besides, I am on a bit of a roll here too...

So here it is: my latest kitchen experiment... one that was actually double tested! I made this on Wednesday as some sort of a test run. I had a butternut squash lying around and I used it for experiment #1. It turned out great! Then I used an acorn squash on Friday for experiment #2 (Andrew was kind of bummed out he didn't get to try experiment #1...) and it was even better! I recommend that you use acorn squash, but at least now you know there is another option too.

You will need...

• 2 small acorn squash
• 1 onion
• 4-5 cloves garlic
• 1 leek (just the white part)
• 12-14 small brown mushrooms
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 6 strips bacon (FYI: Red Barn has great bacon!)

How?

• Pre heat oven to 400 degrees
• Cut squash lengthwise by half and scoop out the seeds. Place in a roasting dish and sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. Roast for ~20 minutes or until tender (not too soft though!)
•  While the squash is roasting, chop the onion, slice the leeks, crush & chop the garlic. heat the coconut oil in a pan and saute everything for ~10 minutes.
• Cook the bacon in another pan. When cooked, cut into bite size pieces and set aside.
• Slice the mushrooms and add then to the leeks/onions/garlic. Saute for another 5-8 minutes. Add the bacon.
• By this point, the squash should be ready... Take it out of the oven and stuff with the mixture. Place back in the oven and bake for another 15 minutes or so, or until the squash is soft. 

I am out of ideas of what vegetable I should experiment with next... other than a pepper, which is kind of ordinary. Any suggestions?