Training Tip from Iron Girl and Fitness Magazine, and Iron Girl Gift Bag Giveaway

The webinar concluded earlier today and I've compiled notes of some of the topic discussed that stuck out to me. Much of the information I heard I've either heard before, or is available in books and magazines, but they spoke about subjects I've often thought about that have made me curious to know what an "official" perspective would be about it.

Training

Self Awareness - Developing self awareness of how your body reacts to training is crucial to your success. Oftentimes, during exercise, we'll try and distract ourselves so as to make the time pass by quicker. While this isn't always a problem, being in tune to how your body handles different kinds of training will really give you insight into how you, personally, work and handle different levels of stress. This will also come in handy during races and such.

Focusing on Technique - Instead of simply going out and running, or cycling, or whatever, it pays to focus on how you're doing it, and what happens when you change things up or try something new. No matter how minute, practice what you would like to do before you need it, like in a race.

From personal experience, when I have a curiosity on how I'd run with a different foot strike, leg stride, or whatever I look it up and ask others who would know, then when I run next I try out a few new things to see how I respond to it. If you find one that clicks, practice it over and over again to commit it to your muscle memory.

Efficiency - Practice efficiency so you can do more with less effort. Strides or intervals are a good way to quicken your stride and focus on proper technique and leg turnover. If you have an efficient form, it takes less effort to go faster or farther.

Again, personally, I found this when I adapted my stride to suit the "chi running" method of striking midfoot. I didn't feel like I was trying to constantly move my legs faster, which for me usually means I am overstriding.

Training in the Gray Area Coach Troy said that when you train in the same intensity zone multiple times a week at a moderately hard pace (the "gray zone"), your body adapts to running at a specific speed, and you won't improve. You might also increase your risk of injury, as well. While training aerobically is good for your running, training in this gray zone won't maximize the effort of your training like training at different paces would. Training at your threshold pace or above will help you improve, so try to limit the gray zone training if your goal is to get faster.

I'll bring up more points in the next post. However...

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Giveaway!

Iron Girl is giving me an extra gift bag to give to one of my readers. I'm not sure of the content, but I've been told that it includes some pretty cool stuff. (US residents only, please)

To enter:

• Leave a comment saying you'd like to enter - 1 entry


• Blog about this giveaway and leave another comment - 1 entry


• Become a follower on Twitter if you aren't, and retwit this giveaway, leaving a another comment - 1 entry

Giveaway ends Sunday, 27 June, and the winner will be posted on Monday. Good luck!

simple granola

Today is the last day to vote for me in the Recipe Rivalry! I really appreciate everyone's support this week in voting for me, and I hope you guys can spread the word one last time for a final voting push.

I've been having trouble with breakfast lately. The temperature has been heating up, and the last thing I want to start my day off with is a bowl of steaming oats. Instead, I could opt for a plate of steaming eggs. No. Or a heavy plate of pancakes. Pass. Waffles? For some reason that seems like a lot of trouble for a midweek breakfast. Clearly, my remaining option was to bake some granola.

In fact, granola is my favorite meal because it combines the best of crunchy cereal with the sticking power of oats. I still haven't perfect my recipe, but most of the formulas I've come up with have turned out tasty. For this recipe in particular, I used up the remaining pepita seeds I had and added sliced almonds and wheat germ. Since I hadn't any syrup or honey, I made a quick simple syrup with freshly squeezed orange juice and brown sugar. With the grated zest of the oranges mixed with the oats, the taste is light and citrusy and perfect for summer.

It seems that I never all the add ins I want when I make granola, or I purposely make granola when all I have are nuts and oranges. I would have liked unsweetened coconut flakes, an assortment of dried fruit, or some sort of COFFEE INGREDIENT! (I just got a brilliant idea to test out.) However, I liked how this batch turned out with the taste of the pepita seeds.

I've heard many people praise the taste of Greek yogurt, though I haven't tried it until today. Really good stuff! I loved the thicker, richer taste, though I added a bit of milk since that's how I wanted to serve it. And nothing pairs better with granola than fruit that's in season. I went with raspberries and strawberries for today's bowl.

Recipe after the jump

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Print this recipe

orangey granola
Recipe by Christina Provo

ingredients ~

2/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
5 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup pepita seeds
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/3 cup wheat germ
1 tsp cinnamon
grated zest of two oranges
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil

directions ~

1. Preheat oven to 325° and spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray; set aside. In a small saucepan, bring orange juice and brown sugar to a boil. Boil for 1 minute; remove from heat and let cool.


2. Mix together everything from the oats to the salt in a large bowl, making sure the ingredients are well distributed. Stir in the orange juice syrup and the vegetable oil and toss until the oats are thoroughly coated. Spread evenly onto baking sheet.


3. Bake granola for a total of 45-55 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes. You're looking for an even golden tone and the oats should no longer feel wet. Remove from the oven and let granola cool on baking sheet to room temperature. Place in a container.

Can be stored, covered, for 1 week

banana scones with orange glaze

Please vote for me in the Recipe Rivalry. Only two days left to vote!

I made these scones on Sunday for breakfast. Usually scones have eggs (added richness), but I was out so I Googled "eggless scones", which essentially is a biscuit, and found a version by Bobby Flay that I liked. I changed the recipe a bit, subbing chopped banana for the fruit in the original recipe and making a glaze with sugar and fresh orange juice instead of the icing topping. And besides grating the butter, I cut in cubes of cream cheese.

The funny part is that this wasn't the eggless scone recipe I found. But as this was linked to the other actual eggless recipe, and I liked the sound of it better, I went ahead with this version and simply omitted the egg.

Though I only used 2 ounces of cream cheese, they gave the scones extra tenderness and a softer, fluffier flavor. You'll want to cut in the cream cheese first since the grated butter won't take very long to mix into the flour.

For the glaze, I brought freshly squeezed orange juice to a boil with sugar. This idea came from a muffin recipe I've made before, and I liked the way the muffins tasted and looked with the sheen and the orangey and slightly sticky coating. I don't know if I'd use this again because it made the tops soft the next day. An alternative would be to thin apricot preserves with a bit of water (heat until hot) or just use the glaze the recipe suggests.

The scones were nice and light, and just sweet enough to make a good breakfast treat. The bananas add their own sweetness tasted good with the orange flavors. Since these are drop scones, you don't have to worry about shaping them with all the added mess that imparts. To me, that's what makes these perfect for a lazy Sunday morning.

Recipe after the jump

Print this recipe

banana scones with orange glaze
Recipe from here, adapted by me

Makes 12 scones

ingredients ~

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Grated rind of two oranges
1/4 cup frozen unsalted butter, grated
2 ounces chilled cream cheese, sliced into 1/2 inch cubes
3/4 cup cream (I used 1/2 cup evaporated milk and 1/4 cup water)
1 cup chopped bananas
2-3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

directions ~

1. Preheat an oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and orange rind. Sprinkle with chilled cream cheese cubes and toss to coat. Cut into flour mixture until it resembles the texture of cornmeal. Stir in grated butter to mix.


2. Toss chopped bananas into flour-butter mixture. Pour the cream on top and mix with a spatula just until combined. Scoop twelve portions out onto the prepared baking sheet (I used a spoon, but you could use an ice cream scoop), dividing evenly. Bake until tops and bottom are golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.


3. Meanwhile, bring orange juice and sugar just to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and cool. When scones have finished baking, brush the tops with the orange glaze. Let scones cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.