I just moved to a hilly area in London and running is much tougher than I expected. I am struggling: heartbeat almost in my forehead and legs soaring. I’m used to running distances, never too fast, but certainly not slow. Now I feel as if I’m back to square one. Or maybe two, because when I was really at square one, I had problems with 30 seconds running.

New Years Resolution: be able to running uphill without almost dying.
I look forward to it.

So, despite almost dying, I ran for 30 minutes. Well done, me.

What did my Nike+iPod say about my run?
5.43 km/time 30:41/calories 391

What did the flower man I passed by had to say?
Wow, you went fast.

What did I think of that?
You lying flower man.

I made a pact to sport every day this week before holiday. Today I failed, but decided that cleaning windows and rest of house, is also good for the bikini body.

I just ate a very nice mustard soup. It would be selfish to keep it to myself, that's how delicious I found it. Recipe for two:

 

Use:

• 50 gr butter
• 2 garlic cloves
• 200 gr leek
• 50 gr flour
• 200 ml single cream
• 800 ml chicken stock
• 4 tbsps Dijon mustard
• 4 slices pancetta

 

Peel and crush garlic.

Cut leek in small rings.

Make chicken stock if you don't use ready made.

 

Soften garlic and leek in butter in pan. After three minutes, take a couple of leek rings out and keep aside. Add flour and slowly add chicken stock. Stir and bring to the boil. Simmer it for ten minutes.

 

Meanwhile, put the pancetta on kitchen foil and grill until nice and crispy.

 

Blend the soup until smooth. Stir in the mustard and cream, and heat through.

 

Garnish with leek rings and pancetta.

 

Bon appétit!

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I would like to be good at yoga. It’s something serene, powerful and in control. I wish I could go every week, but I don't. I wish I could touch my feet without bending my knees, but I don't. I do manage to go to a class every once in a while and I do manage to touch my feet without too much of a bend in my knees when I'm sitting down. I'm that kind of yoga person.

This evening I went again. This was a new class for me and I believe I never had two teachers who practiced the same kind of yoga. Sometimes you're jumping around and other times you're lying on the floor stretching your back (my favourite). I didn't know what to expect in this reeking gym room, but I didn't expect a man with a beard and a long, grey dress. It did set a tone, as if I knew how this lesson would be.

And it was. It was spiritual. Every movement came with a mantra and we ended in a meditation. I never dare to let me go with meditation; too afraid I'll fall asleep and snore. The mantra-singing was new for me. I had to let go of the embarrassment and hope no one was filming me (I always imagine people film me and then, in a group, watching it and laugh at me, as if I’m Truman in The Truman Show), and then my singing was the loudest. If you do something, do it with passion.

The strangest compliment:
"You have a very good intuition". And that because I remembered the frog pose (which speaks for itself, I think). But maybe I didn't hear it good.
Not one teacher ever praised me because I am so nice and flexible or strong. But that says more about me than about them, sadly.

I went running this weekend, abroad. Forgot my iPod... no, that's not entirely true. I didn't fail to remember my iPod and even brought the white thing that hangs from it and communicates with my shoe or at least with the thing in my shoe, but I took my old shoes. So, it didn't track my time while I was running overseas and my shoe was still in London.

But, I remember the songs I played while running:

• Single Ladies - Beyoncé
• My Humps - Black Eyed Peas
• Grace Kelly - Mika
• Another One Bites The Dust - Queen (skipped that one halfway)
• Blame It On The Boogie - Michael Jackson
• Chop Me Up - Justin Timberlake and Timbaland
• Dirty Diana - Michael Jackson (twice)

I think I ran for about twenty minutes.

Now, I'm pretty sure I would win a trophy in the contest Most Embarrassing Playlist People Run With. I don't like to spend too much time with my iPod and iTunes and putting all my CD's in my laptop and wait until they’re uploaded and then make a list of songs I can go run with. It already tires me to type the process, let alone actually doing it.

Before my very first half marathon, I said:
If I manage to do this, I might go for a marathon.

While running the half marathon, I thought:
A whole marathon would be twice as long as did. Twice! Impossible.

So I said:
I'm actually happy just running a half marathon. I don't have to prove anything to anybody.

But if so many people do it, why shouldn't I? It would be neat, it would be an achievement and it would be such a motivation. But it would also be time consuming, it would be painful and it would be tiring.

I will think about it when I'm letting the warm, white sand go through my fingers on my very sunny, beautiful holiday destination: I just booked a trip for Xmas. Sun, sea, scenery and yes, some sports as well. First focus on weekend business trip, work, work and work. But then, aaah.

I ran for fifteen minutes. Enough for tonight, I think. I ran a hilly route and even took a sprint (you'll read later why).

What did my Nike+iPod say about my run?
2,63 km/time 15:17/calories 189

What did my Nike+iPod really think of my run?
Are you kidding me, lady? Are you going to be proud and blog about this insignificant run? You didn't run for a whole week and you come back with a petty 2,63 km? How dare you bloody #$#^... And 189 calories? Ha, that's the equivalent of the chocolate milk you had this afternoon. Fail.

What did I think while running?
Fox. FOX! This is the first time I see a fox while not in a zoo. Do foxes attack people? Why didn't I ever wonder about that before? Why am I not running faster?

What do I think now?
Food. A nice, creamy, not really but a bit deserved, curry with Persian rice, garlic yoghurt, Okra while watching America's Next Top Model.

I just marinated the chicken. In one hour, I will add okra en tomatoes and turn it into a nice curry. There’s plenty of time to go running. I will go. I'll go.

The curry is not made by me, but I mixed the M&S paste with yoghurt. I'll prepare the rice in the rice cooker. Don't these things make life so much easier? Why can't I make someone else go running for me then?

I'll just go for ten minutes. I mean, once I'm on the pavement, I will end up running longer anyway. Plenty of energy, plenty to think about and plenty to look forward to (the curry).

I go and I'll let you know...