Run to Fly

bambiegoodwin: you aren’t delicate or lovelyyou aren’t romantically sador poetically broken you are...

britishmemoirs — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 13:51:25 +0100

you aren’t delicate
or lovely
you aren’t romantically sad
or poetically broken

you are just a sick little girl
with your head in the toilet
and scratches on your wrists

Truth: I wish someone would have been brave enough to say this to me when I was sick. There’s nothing glamorous about your pain. And whilst you’re protecting your illness with everything you have, everyone else is moving on with their lives. Life won’t stop for you.

veganrecipecollection: (via Mexican Mushroom and Spinach...

britishmemoirs — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 21:59:56 +0000

veganrecipecollection:

(via Mexican Mushroom and Spinach Sandwich (Vegan Torta) | Serious Eats : Recipes)

"We’re so wrapped up in our running that we’re afraid to take a day off, run less, run slower, or,..."

britishmemoirs — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 21:52:59 +0000

“We’re so wrapped up in our running that we’re afraid to take a day off, run less, run slower, or, heaven forbid, take a walk on days our bodies tell us we’re not recovered enough for our “usual” workout. We’re afraid someone will think less of us as a runner; we’re afraid we’ll think less of ourselves. And, backing off at all scares us that we’ll become less of a runner than we believe we are, than we have already set ourselves up to be.”

- Jonathan Beverly, Editor’s Note (via vulgarocean)

"Cakes have gotten a bad rep. People equate virtue with turning down dessert. There is always one..."

britishmemoirs — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 21:48:08 +0000

“

Cakes have gotten a bad rep. People equate virtue with turning down dessert. There is always one person at the table who holds up her hand when I serve the cake. “No, really, I couldn’t,” she says, and then gives her flat stomach a conspiratorial little pat. Everyone who is pressing a fork into that first tender layer looks at the person who declined the plate, and they all think, “That person is better than I am. That person has discipline.”

But that isn’t a person with discipline; that is a person who has completely lost touch with joy. A slice of cake never made anybody fat. You don’t eat the whole cake. You don’t eat a cake every day of your life. You take the cake when it is offered because the cake is delicious. You have a slice of cake and what it reminds you of is some place that’s safe, uncomplicated, without stress. A cake is a party, a birthday, a wedding. A cake is what’s served on the happiest days of your life. This is a story of how my life was saved by cake, so, of course, if sides are to be taken, I will always take the side of cake.

”

- (via stayhealthychicago)

This is a very symbolic and essentialist reading of cake that I’d never thought of…and I like it.
(via progressiveresistance)

theveggieblackboard: HEALTHY VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE LENTIL, CARROT...

britishmemoirs — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 17:39:43 +0000

HEALTHY VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE LENTIL, CARROT AND SPINACH BURGER RECIPE

HEALTHY VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE LENTIL, CARROT AND SPINACH BURGER RECIPE

HEALTHY VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE LENTIL, CARROT AND SPINACH BURGER RECIPE

HEALTHY VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE LENTIL, CARROT AND SPINACH BURGER RECIPE

HEALTHY VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE LENTIL, CARROT AND SPINACH BURGER RECIPE

HEALTHY VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE LENTIL, CARROT AND SPINACH BURGER RECIPE

theveggieblackboard:

HEALTHY VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE LENTIL, CARROT AND SPINACH BURGER RECIPE

small cup of lentils

handful of spinach

1 onion

2 carrots

1 chilli

1 garlic

loads of herbs!

Start off by putting the lentils on to cook, once they are simmering away start chopping and grating the onion, chilli, garlic and carrots. Heat up a frying pan with a little oil and add the chopped and grated goods. This is a good time to start with some seasoning, as the carrot and onion can soak it all up wonderfully. Add any spices that tickle your fancy, personally I like quite a lot of coriander, chilli powder, cumin, turmeric, smoky paprika powder and some salt and pepper. By the time you have fried this all up, the lentils should be lovely and soft, so drain and rinse and spoon into a food processor, add as much spinach as you like and blend until the mixture is smooth. This is what will bind your burger.

Now to the fun and messy part: Combine the carrot and onion mixture with the lentil mixture in a bowl and get your hands dirty! Start scooping out small handfuls of the mix and shape into patties on a board covered in chickpea flour, or whatever flour you have lying around at home. Once all patties are shaped, start heating up the frying pan with a splash of oil. Make sure the oil is hot to create a crispy burger crust and start frying. Et voilà, enjoy!

P.s. You can make a large batch of these and freeze them. Ideal for your packed lunch sandwich, simply combine in a pitta bread (available gluten-free) with fresh rocket and hummus.

runningtoescapethetruth: I love living alone. Fridge full of...

britishmemoirs — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 21:16:46 +0000

runningtoescapethetruth:

I love living alone. Fridge full of fruit, veg and yoghurt. (The beers not mine… Blame my mother for deciding I should have it in my fridge…)

Oh my lanta, those veggie pots… NOM! I currently have two in my fridge #guilty #studentfridge

"SHE LET GO Without a thought or a word, she let go. She let go of the fear. She let go of the..."

britishmemoirs — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 22:20:53 +0000

“SHE LET GO
Without a thought or a word, she let go.
She let go of the fear.
She let go of the judgments.
She let go of the opinions swarming around her head.
She let go of the committee of indecision within her.
She let go of all the “right” reasons.
Wholly and completely, without hesitation or worry, she just let go.
She didn’t ask for advice.
She didn’t read a book on how to let go.
She just let go.
She let go of all the memories that held her back.
She let go of all the anxiety that kept her from moving forward.
She let go of all the planning and all the calculation, about how to do it just right.
In the space of letting go, she let it all be.
A smile came over her face.
A light breeze blew through her.
And the sun and moon shone forever more.”

- Written by Ernest Holmes (1887 – 1960)

Warning: personal content

britishmemoirs — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 13:58:27 +0000

I’ve been having a really tough time with my body and my relationship with food recently.

Funny how that is such a tough thing to admit. Like if I admit that I’m struggling then I’ve somehow failed.

It’s been five years since I was first diagnosed. Four since I started recovery. Some days are fine; some days I’m nearly what I would classify “healthy”, mentally and physically. And then some days are not so great. Some days I’m full of turmoil.

Lately I just seem to be punishing my body with food. Filling it with foods when I’m stressed, uptight, wound up… anything. I’ve gone back to using food as a weapon to the point that the idea of it makes it cringe, and I’d do anything to avoid eating. The problem is that I can’t avoid food. If I even slightly try to avoid it, the rabbit hole will open up from beneath me and I will sink back down to a world that I’ve tried so hard to forget. Because starvation is addictive.

So what do I do? I guess try to fumble my way back to a better point of recovery. I need to remember to honour my body, to cherish it. I need to remember that no matter what, there is no such thing as a ‘perfect body’, no matter what society says.

I need to remember that food is there to heal me, to fuel me. Food is not there for me to use as a form of abuse; and it is not an emotional object.

But most of all I need to remember that recovery is not a destination but is simply a process of healing. My relationship with food will always be my achilles heel, and once I’ve made peace with that, maybe the rest will fall into place.

March Goals:

britishmemoirs — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 19:52:00 +0000

Learn to make fresh pesto and fresh tomato pasta sauce. Another grand step to leaving processed food behind.
Journal for 10 minutes each night. This used to be a huge part of my life and it has fallen by the wayside.
Tell Jake something I love about him everyday. Speak now.
Even when life gets a bit crazy, remember to run a minimum of three times a week. This means that I’ll keep in a routine which is where I find my running happy place.
Do a bible study with Jake once a week.
Take more pictures.

Better late than never!

Sometimes you work hard and things don't work out. Sometimes you run 16 400s in practice and hit your splits every time, but you don't PR the next week. And that's ok. There will be other races. The thing to remember is to keep working, not to be a victim to one bad race, because that inhibits your training. Work hard and success will come.

britishmemoirs — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 12:46:50 +0000

This week has been difficult. Most days I have been in the library until gone 6pm, only to return...

britishmemoirs — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 15:46:46 +0000

This week has been difficult. Most days I have been in the library until gone 6pm, only to return home, grab dinner, and then come back to the library until 11pm. I have been abusing my body - not taking the time to heal it through nourishment and running, but cramming it full of whatever sugar will give it a kick. I was surviving until today when it fell apart a little.

For starters, it looks like one of my essays has been deleted from the database. That means that there’s a possibility the system never received it. Which means I’ve failed. Don’t even get me started on the ramifications of this.

Secondly I am exhausted. My housemates are acting like inconsiderate tools, making so much noise at around 10pm-1am meaning there’s never any chance of an early night. Like I’m not tired enough.

I have so much work and just don’t see the damn point sometimes.

I miss my family and my friends from home. Although I’ve got such precious friends here, I would give anything to take them home with me so we could all be together there. I don’t belong here.

The reality is that I feel like I’m caged in. I wasn’t made for this life. I want to jump on a plane, and lose myself in a city where I am a stranger. I want to climb mountains and be among nature that makes me so insignificant. I want to nourish my body, my soul, my mind. I’m not made for this life. I wasn’t born for this cage.

"It doesn’t make sense to call ourselves ugly, because we don’t really see ourselves. We don’t watch..."

britishmemoirs — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 22:38:31 +0000

“It doesn’t make sense to call ourselves ugly, because we don’t really see ourselves. We don’t watch ourselves sleeping in bed, curled up and silent with chests rising and falling with our own rhythm. We don’t see ourselves reading a book, eyes fluttering and glowing. You don’t see yourself looking at someone with love and care inside your heart. There’s no mirror in your way when you’re laughing and smiling and happiness is leaking out of you. You would know exactly how bright and beautiful you are if you saw yourself in the moments where you are truly yourself.”

- dirty wings (via thatsgoldjerry)

Weekly Training Recap: 18th Feb - 24th Feb

britishmemoirs — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 11:52:07 +0000

This was my first day back on a full-training plan and I have to admit that there were a few tears along the way. But being this out of shape, I always knew it was going to hurt, and boy was I right!

Monday: 3.04 mi 00:27 08:52 pace

This was just crap haha. It was not fast by any standards and yet the pace felt so damn hard. Having said that, I had a bad feeling as soon as I set off because my tummy was full on rumbling. In hindsight, that made a huge difference. By 15 minutes in, I was hungry to the point that I thought I was going to be sick. Not a great experience but an important learning curve nonetheless.

Tuesday: 3.18 mi 00:27 08:29 pace

This run was so much better - as you can see from my times. From what I can remember, it was a beautiful day, which made for glorious running conditions. My times are still nowhere near where they should be but I felt relatively happy with this run.

Wednesday: 4.4 km 00:23 08:29 pace

Track: pyramid of 200/400/800 with 200 recovery.

By now my body was beginning to feel the reality of training everyday. Not a good session at all - I was far more tired than I usually am, but I finished the session. Sometimes that’s all you can ask for!

Thursday: 3.04 mi 00:28 09:20 pace

Such a lovely run. After three days of frustrating sessions, I decided just to go out today and take it REALLY easy. For the first 1.7 miles I kept the pace at 10 min/miles and then gave it a good push on the way home. Not fast or anything, but just damn enjoyable. It was important to remind myself why I was doing this in the first place!

Friday: Rest day.

Saturday: Long run 4.03 mi 00:36 09:02 pace

I was pleasantly surprised by this. I had intended to hover somewhere around 10 min/miles with no intention of going any quicker so I was thrilled to clock my time at the cusp of 9 min/miles.

Sunday: Swimming session 1000 m 00:30 48:16 pace

I had already had a full day of dance rehearsals, so again, I had not expected much from this session. However I actually really enjoyed having a good swim. I had planned a 1000 metre session with little idea of what I would be capable of but next time I will definitely push it up to somewhere between 1200-1500 metres

Weekly miles: 16

Friends like these are hard to find. The rolling around,...

britishmemoirs — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 21:08:24 +0000

Friends like these are hard to find. The rolling around, laughing so hard your belly hurts, kind of friends.

the-fit-fox: Stupid things that make me feel like I have...

britishmemoirs — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 17:33:38 +0000

the-fit-fox:

Stupid things that make me feel like I have started to really experience the life of a runner.

Soaking a shirt with sweat
Swallowing a bug while running
Tripping and totally scraping up myself
Blisters on my feet
Sore legs for days
Getting lost
Constantly looking for new hype songs
Doing the runners nose blowing when stuffy
Running through the feeling of needing to throw up
Holding in my pee
Keeping my pace and re-doing my pony tail
Passing people up
Getting a sip of water from random sprinklers
Falling in to a trance watching my shadow
Getting the best ideas (but always forgetting them)
Shin splints
Making my last mile the fastest mile
Getting jealous seeing others running when I can’t
Smiling when my endorphins kick in
Inspiring the people in my life to run

7 months ago I could hardly do a mile and if someone were to tell me I’d be capable of doing Half-Marathons by now, well, I’d never believe it. Definitely amaze myself sometimes.

I’m just another runner but I love every sick/agonizing/gross/painful/beautiful moment of it.

fuck yeah, pilates (and yoga)!: Yoga bible

britishmemoirs — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 15:28:55 +0000

fuck yeah, pilates (and yoga)!: Yoga bible:

nosybey:

Neck & Shoulders
Hatha Yoga for Neck and Shoulder Health - 57 Min

Yoga for Neck and Shoulder Tension and Injuries - 14 Min

Feel Good Friday: Yoga for Neck & Shoulders - 14 Min

Back to School Shoulder Stretches - Yoga Sequence - 6 Min

Yoga for Your Shoulders…

Reblogging this for later!

Couscous in pesto with roasted vegetables (onions, carrots and...

britishmemoirs — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 12:35:00 +0000

Couscous in pesto with roasted vegetables (onions, carrots and sweet potato), sweetcorn, cucumber and feta.

Photo

britishmemoirs — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 15:34:36 +0000

I fear the day that I won't be able to run anymore. But until then, the run and I shall be lovers.

britishmemoirs — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 17:12:58 +0000

Whilst this is so beautiful, it also breaks my heart. The day I won’t be able to run? Unthinkable.

runningtothefinish: I actually really hate winter. Where’s my warmth and sunshine? I feel ya. So...

britishmemoirs — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:43:56 +0000

runningtothefinish:

I actually really hate winter. Where’s my warmth and sunshine?

I feel ya. So ready to wear tanks tops and shorts. But no, instead we’re still in heights of 3 degrees c / or 37 degrees f.

Ugh.