Tag: autumn

Bangers ‘n’ Beans

Bangers ‘n’ Beans

by TartanJogger ♥ 13 Comments

It’s that time of year: midway between Hallowe’en and Guy Fawkes Night, where the dark, cold sky seems to be filled with the scent of woodburing stoves, coal fires and fireworks.

Tarbert Youth Group had their fireworks display on Friday night, and Lochgilphead’s Lantern Parade and bonfire was last night.

Here, @TheWelshWookie and I always celebrate with a bowl of amazing Bangers ‘n’ Beans soup:

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Ingredients:

4 or 6 sausages (we used mexican chilli sausages this year)

4 or 6 new potatoes- just leave the skin on- chopped

A can of haricot beans

A pint of chicken stock

A carton of passata

Smoked paprika

Dried oregano

Worcestershire sauce

As @TheWelshWookie doesn’t measure, I’m afraid I can’t be specific about quantities. Let’s say ‘to taste’ 🙂

Grill the sausages. Cool slightly and cut into chunks.

In a large pot, add the stock, passata, haricot beans and potatoes and bring to the boil for a minute or two.

Add the paprika, oregano and worcestershire sauce.

Add the sausages. Bring back to the boil.

Simmer for 30 minutes or so.

Enjoy with homemade wholemeal bread.

Delish!

Today’s stats:

Run: 5k

Time: 30:20

Weather: cold and wet, I ran on the treadmill again

Trainers: Nike FreeRun +5

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Pile on the Miles so far: 17k

Autumn Running

Autumn Running

by TartanJogger ♥ 23 Comments

So, the weather is definitely changing: sunshine and occasional showers has given way to winds, rain and much cooler temperatures. It is most definitely autumn!

Running at this time of the year is a real joy, as there is so much colour everywhere. And who isn’t tempted to kick piles of leaves, and crunch on dried leaves as you run?

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Isn’t this just gorgeous?

Speaking of gorgeous, I’ve turned on the TV to find Tarbert and Kintyre on BBC2 😀

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03fh1n6

Enjoy!

The Perfect Present

The Perfect Present

by TartanJogger ♥ 22 Comments

I know that I’m very lucky, since @TheWelshWookie supports my running, and also runs with me.

For my birthday last year he got me my Nike LunaryFly GTX:

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I love these shoes, they’re great!

This year, he got me a new Ron Hill running jacket; perfect timing, since the weather has definitely turned cooler!

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Thanks, Wookie! I love it! I know I’ll get great use out of it now, and again in the spring.

I also received another wonderful surprise last night: I PLACED in a run!  I was the third female across the line at the CowalFest 5K on Saturday! I’m going to be crowing about this for a long time 😀

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The plan for the rest of my birthday is playing football with my nephews, dinner at the cafe, and more Harry Potter. And perhaps a celebratory glass of vino!

Running in the Rain

Running in the Rain

by TartanJogger ♥ 26 Comments

When I was in Dunoon today, I watched the storm clouds brewing:

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And my first thought was, urgh!

You’d think I’d be used to it. I live on the West Coast of Scotland. Rain is something you’d expect me to be used to running in. But I’m not!

In the past, I’ve always been a ‘fair weather’ runner; I’ve skipped any runs that would involve running in the rain.

Yes, I know, I know.

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But over the past 18 months, I’ve run in all weathers, and I really do love it, but I still find that I need to drag myself out there when it rains. When I’m actually running, I enjoy it- running in the rain is great! It’s refreshing, it keeps you cool, the roads are generally quieter, I get to splash in puddles…… but why do I still find it hard to get myself out the door?

Tonight, the rain was torrential, and the wind was quite strong. I didn’t really want to run. But I did. And I LOVED it! We were pretty speedy (well, for us, that is). We only did a two miler, since we’re, ahem, lazy ‘tapering’ for Sunday’s 10K, but I’m really pleased with the run 🙂

And, I found another heart!

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Here’s a heart I found a couple of weeks ago, that I forgot to share….

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Run: 2 miles

Time: 18:44

Trainers: LunarFly GTX

Weather: very wet, rainy and windy

I listened to a Jillian Michael’s podcast again today, instead of music 🙂

Today’s Life Lesson: am I the only person who leaves their reusable bags in the car EVERY time I go to the supermarket?

How do you feel about running in the rain?

The Cheerleader

The Cheerleader

by TartanJogger ♥ 7 Comments

You know what it’s like. You have a tough day at work. You trail around the supermarket. You head home, and the last thing you feel like doing is going out for a run. But you don’t sit down: you pull on your kit, lace up your trainers and head out of the door. And you have a great run. You know?

Well, that didn’t happen today. My run today sucked.

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I moaned for the whole four miles. @TheWelshWookie was a proper cheerleader, keeping me going and making helping me get it done. He even had me laughing at one point. Thanks, Wookie, I owe you a tough run! 😉

We finished just after 6pm, and the lights along the harbour were on, for the first time this autumn:

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Here’s hoping that’s my last tough run for a while!

Run: 4 miles

Time: 42:20

Trainers: LunarGlides

Weather: cloudy, and definitely much cooler today

I listened to a Jillian Michael’s podcast again today, instead of music 🙂

Today’s Life Lesson: Sometimes, running sucks. Fortunately, not always 😉

When did you last have a rubbish run that someone helped you out on?

Product Review: CrosstrainID

Product Review: CrosstrainID

by TartanJogger ♥ 3 Comments

Good Evening, everyone; have you had a good week?

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Here’s how I’ve felt today:

Long-Friday

So. Did you see any of last night’s season opener? Wasn’t Peyton Manning on fire? I’m so pleased that I have Wes Welker on my fantasy team! Roll on Sunday……

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I had won a competition on Run Eat Repeat which is  fab blog!

Well, my prize arrived on Wednesday, and I am delighted with it. I love being a

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What is it?

It’s a CrosstrainID bracelet!

These are ID bracelets designed for runners, walkers, cyclists, swimmers, etc. especially those who train by themselves. You can decide exactly what text you want included, but suggestions are name, address, emergency contact, medical conditions, allergies, etc. So, if the worst does happen, anyone coming to your aid would have the information they would need to help you. Smart, huh?

The bands can be made of silicone, or fabric. I opted for a fabric one, with a pink reflector band, for extra safety. And because I love pink.

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After filling out the order, I noticed that there was no delivery option for the UK (the company is based in the US), so I emailed them, and the customer service I’ve had from David has been brilliant!

He agreed to send me the band, at no extra cost for postage- how amazing!

As soon as it arrived on Wednesday, I decided to take it out for a test drive:

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It matches my visor 😉

I wore it on a 6 mile run, in sunshine, so I was sweaty and sticky. It was a proper road test.

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It fastens with velcro, and I thought it might rub. But, no, it didn’t rub or chafe at all. In fact it was really comfortable to wear, and I easily forgot I was wearing it! That’s exactly how an item like this should be, I think.

As the nights are drawing in, and the autumn is getting closer, I think I’ll feel much more secure, running with my CrosstrainID. Thanks, David at CrosstrainID, and thanks Monica over at RunEatRepeat! 😀