mud, mud and more mud...any excuse to get dirty!

Bright dry days and as many dogs as I can cram into my jeep makes me a happy woman. I had a great run this morning, hard and ankle not as strong as I'd hoped, but wonderful nonetheless. Diet not great this week and missing my 'raw energy' from the previous week. Think a cleanse is imminent!

The energy of the pack this morning was amazing, even with 3 bitches out of 6, it worked! Males are much easier (did I really just say that?) I have recently found that no longer listening to music whilst running allows me to connect better with the pack and perhaps have better control of them, instead of me being in a parallel universe of melody completely out of context to my surroundings.

Instead, the sound of my own breath, the dogs panting, the percussion of my feet and their paws on the earth is a symphony of its own and perhaps Spirit the conductor. Just in case you're thinking I've been sampling the mushrooms in the forest and chatting to fairies on the way, this is not the case. However, it is truly magical at moments and sometimes feel incredibly lucky to be part of it. I may be DOing, but am certainly BEing in my DOing or DOing less in my DOing which allows me to BE. Confused yet?

4 of the 6... the other 2 decided posing was not on their agenda

my two gorgeous boys Masai(left) and Zulu(right)

Masai: Is that a treat in her hand or she going to blind us again?

Zulu: Just smile and look obedient!

Not sure about all this running!

Running in the Pack: Back out there...

Running in the Pack: Back out there...: "Today was the first time in 10 days, after a sprained ankle, that I was able to run with the pack. The skies were blue, a fabulous Autumnal ..."

Back out there...

Today was the first time in 10 days, after a sprained ankle, that I was able to run with the pack. The skies were blue, a fabulous Autumnal day, and the ground albeit wet was not too muddy. We were joined by a new pack member, who initially wasn't sure about the running element to his walk, but soon got the idea and we were able to enjoy a gentle 5km run across the countryside, finished by a ball chuck.

This little guy to the left is a rescue and not quite in his 'power' as a well adjusted dog, but Zulu (middle) looked after him during the run and encouraged him to be part of the pack and come when recall was necessary.  Masai (right) is in 'heel-run training' with me preparing for our Mudman race in December, which he wasn't that happy about, but released him every few minutes and brought him to heel so he could get some play time out of the run. It was a harder run than in the past month as I seem to have lost a lot of fitness over the past 10 days but my body, mind and soul were happy to be out there again.  

A great start to the week... gorgeous doggy and earth energy, beautiful weather - so grounding and connecting!

A little something to share from a very wet, muddy Saturday walk...

Sending Autumnal Love to you all.

RAW lunch - 10 minutes!

Salad dressing: 1 tomato, half pepper, half avo, cayenne, Himalayan salt

Salad: pea shoots (the most gorgeous delicate greens you'll ever discover), rocket, pak choy

Raw veg burger topped with Hijiki (seaweed)

Cabbage leaves to replace bread

To save time, plate up two plates and you have one ready for dinner later.

Running in the Pack: Rocking on RAW!

Running in the Pack: Rocking on RAW!: "Day 3 on RAW and the prepping over the weekend is paying off! Feeling great and needing to eat half of what I usually do as all meals are nu..."

Rocking on RAW!

Day 3 on RAW and the prepping over the weekend is paying off! Feeling great and needing to eat half of what I usually do as all meals are nutrient dense and 'living'. Lots of fresh greens, sprouts and hijiki (seaweed - high in calcium and minerals) to compliment my delicious raw burgers.

The worry of it being too cold and doing long hours at my desk are no longer, as it takes literally minutes to plate up and appetizing meal. Its all in the presentation as well as the taste.

A quick warming salad dressing is a tomato, half yellow pepper and a pinch of Himalayan salt and a generous sprinkle of cayenne pepper all thrown into a mini blender, then tossed into a pak choy and rocket salad. Very warming and will blow your head off if you're too liberal with the cayenne.

Off in an hour to walk the pack as I sprained my ankle last week and giving the time to healing under supervision of a sports masseur and the liberal use of Young Living's Pan Away. Desperate to run with the pack as Mudman race is just over a month away, but this time off will pay dividends in my recovery and strength for the race. I am doing the race with Masai, my very athletic lab, so can't let him down.

Running in the Pack: Raw challenge

Running in the Pack: Raw challenge: "I have set myself a challenge for the week ahead, which is a totally 100% RAW WEEK ending with a real treat on Friday night at saf london, w..."

Raw challenge

I have set myself a challenge for the week ahead, which is a totally 100% RAW WEEK ending with a real treat on Friday night at saf london, where I'll be sharing a raw experience with friends at a top raw food restaurant in london - can't wait!

In preparing for the week ahead, I have decided to make life a little easier and more interesting than just salads and raw soups in making the time now over the weekend to prepare raw burgers and sundried tomato biscuits to compliment raw recipes of the week. As the week is going to be a busy one with long work hours, dogs and training for mudman, I thought it best to do as much prep ahead of time, which means I am less likely to break the 100% raw.

My only concern for the 100% raw week is that the weather has turned cold and eating only raw, cold food is going to be a challenge. In creating a meal plan for each day, it will help with preparation and shopping and I have picked up some tips from various raw websites to help with the challenge. Some tips are to take food out of the fridge ahead of time so it is room temperature and easier on the digestion. When making raw soups to put the soup in a glass bowl, then place that bowl into a bowl of hot water to further take the chill out of the soup and gently warm it. Hot teas and chicory are allowed and will rely on these in case the raw becomes too yin.

I have allowed myself the option of a living food porridge after training if needed, which is quinoa and millet porridge flakes in a flask overnight, which means the porridge is still 'alive' and cooked slowly over the 12 hours. That with grated pear and a sprinkle of grounds seeds is going to be a treat. (seeds should be ground to aid degestion)

My previous Raw burger recipe wasn't a success and apologies to those whom I inflicted the tasting upon.
This time around I am happy to share the recipe as they've come out really well and very tasty and not too dry.

The recipe is very much by feel to get the right texture to put them into a patty shape.
From previous experience I have learnt not to blend everything too much, so the patty still has some texture.
I grated 2 courgettes on the mandolin, along with 2 carrots, fresh thyme, sprinkle of cayenne pepper, ground almonds, srinkle of himalayan salt, pureed a yellow pepper and red pepper and mixed the lot together. Once they were in their moulds I sprinkled them with sesame seeds and layed them out on the trays and set the dehydrator for 7 hours at 50 degrees. If you don't have a dehydrator, then you can easily dry them out in the oven but make sure it is set to no more than 40 degrees as you don't want to cook them.

Mix your ingredients all together maintaining some texture.



Found this to make the patty shape. Push down with spoon and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Put in the dehydrator or oven - check them every hours as you don't want them too hard.

a-la raw burgers...

Running in the Pack: zumba rocks!!

Running in the Pack: zumba rocks!!: "Zumba last night...zumba this morning...think I have a new 'addiction'. If you have never heard about it google it and check out the moves...."

zumba rocks!!

Zumba last night...zumba this morning...think I have a new 'addiction'.

If you have never heard about it google it and check out the moves. All ages and sizes - it's great fun and an intense workout incorporating music and moves from around the world. It is guaranteed to get your heart pumping and you'll sweat like never before. I look like a beetroot on steroids after an hour's session but the bonus is that its FUN!

I didn't run with the pack this morning as I was assessing a new dog, a German Pointer, that isn't socialized much and doesn't get a great deal of exercise. He did well and tied his lead to Zulu, then Masai to feel what it was like to walk to heal and be calm in the pack. My boys did me proud and showed him the way. He will join us for Tuesday's 4km run, on lead as he apparently runs off. Hopefully, it will be just a matter of time that he loves being in the pack so much that I will have him off lead and running in the pack.

This morning's smoothie was a great boost to my day. Lots of blueberries, coconut water, acai berry, lots of maca(more than usual for a boost for muscle recovery), chlorella and a spoon of organic greens (megafood). Little note when consuming, remember to lick your lips thoroughly. I pitched up to collect the dog with a green smoothie smile, the owner said nothing and I only discovered it later when looking in the review mirror. Sure she must have wondered who on earth she was entrusting her precious dog to...someone that has green stuff for brekkie!!

Experimenting with raw burgers over the next 2 days and if the recipe works and turns out like the pic below then will happily share the recipe.

If you go down to the woods today...

Collected my Wednesday pack this morning: Malamut, Setter, Boxer joined by the Ridgeback I am looking after and of course my two gorgeous Labs. The Malamut howled literally all the way to the woods with Zulu adding in the tenor howl. It was deafening in the jeep and decided to join in. If you can't beat 'em join 'em!

We only ran for 40 minutes through the woods at as fast a space as I could without Zulu wanting to lag behind. But even he was up for keeping the pace this morning. The energy of the pack was calm and we had the woods to ourselves for the most part, as its not always welcomed to see a large pack approaching as we experienced this morning. Dogs we pass want to join and run with us, but some owners can be overwhelmed by the numbers and breeds and soon transfer their fear to their dog, without even realizing it. Dogs outside the pack get confused between the fear and frustration of their owners versus their innate urge to socialize and be part of the pack. An owner of a very overweight lab this morning screamed at me to call the dogs off as we were passing. Dogs do what dogs do and the etiquette is to meet and greet by sniffing bottoms, mouth licking and lots of wagging. Its such a shame some dog owners don't see the beautiful communication between them. I could feel the woman still huffing when I was in the distance, which took me a while to shake off her negative energy coming in my direction. Just blessed her and kept running, as did the dogs. The moment was over and neither of us were hanging onto it. Great lessons to be learnt from these gorgeous creatures about living in the moment. Past is past, present is ALL and the future insignificant until it becomes the present.

Something interesting to share with you. I was reading a book last night, which I've had for many years but never finished, called Soul Talks by Rod Suskin. South Africans would know this person well. The last chapter talks about how in the Golden age(Satya Yuga) we were 100% connected and through the ages of the Silver(Treta Yuga) through Bronze(Dvapara Yuga) and now Iron age(Kali Yuga) we are now less than 25% connected. A degeneration of our spirituality and our disconnectedness to the source.

I have also recently been re-reading 'Heal Thyself' by Dr Bach and he talks about our vulnerability to disease when our Union (Soul & Earth Personality) becomes separated by conflict.

extrace: "Disease is the result of a conflict, when the personality refuses to obey the dictates of the soul, when there is disharmony, disease, between the Higher or Spiritual Self, and the lower personality as we know ourselves."

 In a conversation this morning with someone whom I admire greatly we got into a discussion about left and right brain, our left brain dominance that is suffocating our right brain which is vital to our consciousness and survival. She recommended a book which I am about to order, but here is a link the the author's website ri check it out. The Master and the Emissary.  If you are someone who asks questions about the world we live in and how we got to be where we are and why we are the way we are, then this book may have some of the answers you're looking for.

On a lighter note I had chocolate for breakfast and it was divinely decadent. A cocao and pear smoothie with all the trimmings: Maca, Suma, He Shou Wu, Acai berry and Coconut water.

Thinking about a new challenge...

My day started this morning with running across farmland, looping around harvested fields in bright autumnal weather. Wow! what a start to the day. The Ridgeback and Boxer are now so comfortable in each other's space, perhaps the influence of Zulu and Masai, the five of us running as one. Just divine!

I had anticipated being stiff after Monday's recovery day following Sunday's event, but my legs felt great and ran for 50min over 6km with a gentle stride allowing Zulu to keep up for the most part. He has osteo-chondritis and hip-dysplasia, but you would never know it. He does himself proud.

I credit taking the maca for the speedy recovery of my muscles and looking forward to my large pack run tomorrow morning. Possibly only 4km tomorrow, as I have Zumba dancing in the evening which is intense.

To maintain motivation and have something in the future to work towards, I am now considering an event which is slightly more challenging and different, but in an environment that I am used to training in.
Human Race organizers do an off road run called MudMan which comprise of a 10km dirty trail run through forests and gullies. Mmmmm, I may be setting my sights too high, but I won't know until I try. It's going to be wet and muddy...a fantastic excuse to get messy. Anyone fancy joining me for a mud bath?

a hurdle overcome...10 - 10 - 10

Isn't it amazing how we can inhibit ourselves with negative mental thought, almost to the point where our head chatter is so believable that we are on the verge of sabotaging ourselves or allow ourselves to be by someone else echoing our negative chants...The night before my 13km race, that ever so familiar inner voice was back to taunt me, telling me I was unprepared, but I had this willingness from deep within that enabled me to find the volume button and turn the chatter right down, not off, but low enough that I could hear it and allow a louder voice to emanate - the voice of what I can only imagine was my my soul, my true self, telling me I am worthy, that I had done what was needed, that I would be strong in my stride and that I was loved. The race ended up being a truly enjoyable event and I was joined by a friend of mine that hadn't entered but was going to come and run it for fun. We chatted the entire way and at one point I had completely forgotten why we were there. Apart from having some valuable one-to-one, we were sightseeing along the river and both loving every minute of doing something positive for ourselves.
I would have normally preferred my time running in the open countryside in the pack with the dogs as I love the unevenness of the track, the different colours and textures of the ground and the constant change of scenery and the peace.  For the last 2 miles of the race, we had to join the road taking us back into town towards the finish line.  I found I was very sensitive to the car fumes, not only did they make me feel a little heady but I could taste the emissions at the back of my throat and swallowing it in my saliva and causing me to feel a little nausea. I tried to focus at this point on how truly blessed I am to live in a clean environment as my friend hadn't smelled or tasted the fumes until a truck passed us. However, I still finished the race smiling and strong, apart from having to spit out a huge ball of saliva that tasted like petrol (not so lady like) but felt great after a glass of water and a cuddle from my stepson who ran over the finish line along side me.

I went to an event called 'The best ever you' on Saturday prior to my race where I met and heard some inspirational people. The energy from such a gathering stayed with me for my race and I was able to share some info with my friend with whom I ran.  In fact, we've both come along way on our individual journeys and whereas friends may exchange flowers or a bottle of wine. I had bought her some maca and she chia seeds for me to try as running fuel.

My race recovery began with coconut water and a banana, to replenish lost electrolytes and one home a maca smoothie,to help my muscles with their recovery. I am so thankful to have found these wonderful ingredients that have become so part of my life over the past months.

10-10-10 is going to be a date to remember for as long as I live, as it truly marks the beginning of the amazing journey that lies ahead...

Some interesting numerology:

The Inter-Connectedness of Everything by Hans Decoz "...For example, the 0 and the 2 dominate what we refer to as Challenges -- numbers whose presence denotes obstacles and difficulties we have to overcome in order to grow and move forward..."

Creative Numerology by Christine DeLorey: "...10 is about learning from past and present experience so that we can stop making the same old mistakes over and over, and truly move forward. 10 is the number of innovation."  "...The actual sequence of numbers that occurs on October 10, 2010, is 10 10 3, which adds up to 23, which adds up to 5 – the number of constructive change. In its most masterful form, 5 becomes 55 which, of course, adds up to 10..."

1 symbolizes SELF AWARENESS. SELF IMPROVEMENT. SELF SUFFICIENCY. INDIVIDUALITY. FORWARD MOVEMENT. INDEPENDENCE. INNOVATION. LEADERSHIP. SPEED. SELFISHNESS. COMPETITION. WAR. ELECTRICITY. MASCULINE ENERGY. CONSCIOUSNESS.

Warming up for race...

I rounded up the pack this morning which consisted of an English setter, a Malamut husky, a Boxer, the Ridgeback staying with me and my two labs and headed off to the open countryside, where I could ensure at least a 6km run without the worry of roads and too many other people.  The dogs love the route as they have fun in and out of the river along the way.  It was cold and I wasn't feeling too sexy in my lycra and seemed to have a hang-over from my Thai meal out the night before...
About 10 minutes into the run, the heavens opened. They had been threatening to do so all morning and clearly waiting for me to be out in the middle of nowhere before they did so.  My initial thoughts were "Great!" (sarcastic head chatter)   But those negative thoughts soon dissipated as the rain  began to feel like a gentle percussion on my body and ultimately quite cleansing.  I felt all of a sudden exhilarated, like I was part of the rain and the ground on which my feet were pounding and surprisingly my heart rate was as calm as ever. I felt connected!! The pack had, without me noticing, come to run on the path along side me, apart from the Setter, who was making the most of the smells.
The music that was blaring in my ears seemed to be in the distance and the head chatter was silent. Bliss or was it Grace?
Half way into my run, all I could smell was cabbage. At first I thought, one of the dogs must have a really upset stomach, or was it me(god forbid)?  But as I turned the corner and climbed over the style, two amazing fields of magenta lay before me. The smell was as pungent as ever, but the sight was breath-taking. I wondered to myself what it would be like to look down on the fields from above.
I finished the run strong, the dogs were tired and soaking wet, ready to get home, dry and fed.
I have four days left to my race and the mental hurdle of doing the extra 3km for Sunday's event now seemed insignificant. I can do it...I feel prepared.
Once home and after sorting the dogs, I made my scrummy recovery smoothie (Megafood organic greens, maca, suma, chlorella, acai berry, banana, pear, omega-hemp mix(home-made) and my beloved coconut water) I always feel incredibly self-righteous after my recovery concoction as it fills the gap as well as the knowing that all the amazing ingredients are helping me on my journey.

I am in the process of making raw crackers in the dehydrator, if the recipe works I'll share it...(it's always an experiment)

In time on time...

I thought tonight, was as good a time as any to write my first post for my blog.
I seem to write my entries in my head whilst running and then by the time I've gotten back to my desk the inspirational words that I was telling myself seem to escape me.  Its very likely the difference between being in alpha state (right brain) whilst running in the pack compared to back at my desk and going into immediate left brain.

I've just finished making some 'recovery balls' for running. A recipe that I've concocted and will experiment with on myself and friends. The recipe I'll post at the end or under a gadget when I work out how to edit this blog and layout as I am a really a 'virgin blogger'.

I started running with the pack of dogs I normally walk about four months ago. I was in desperate need to up my tempo in terms of exercise and my time spent with wonderful beings seemed to be my most obvious choice. I am not a fan of the gym, however lycra has become a friend of mine over the past months.

Besides the running I've had to take a good look at what I'm eating and although mostly vegetarian I do make choices that aren't conducive to my optimum health. I seem to start off really well with my recovery smoothie, soup or raw stuff during the day and then when my partner asks should we get a take away curry or similar or go for a meal, it all goes horribly wrong.  The result being, the next day I feel tired, extremely thirsty, a little irritable and just not powered up.

I plan for this blog, if anything else, to be a journey to self document my healing and training so that I can look back down the road to see where I went wrong, but most of all to see where I went right and those are the moments I would truly like to share.

I have experimented with diet in terms of cleanses, fasts and 100% raw and plan to do much more of it and share the highs and lows of these rewarding experiences. Perhaps amongst my waffles you will find a source of inspiration. Who knows!

My recipe for my well-being at the moment is running in the pack, morning smoothies, eating organic and raw otherwise cooking from fresh, but keeping it simple and alkaline. Keeping stress to a minimum and my new found love of zumba dancing. woo! hoo!

Will keep you posted...