Fit Fest at Rhode Runner, October 18th

Our friends at Rhode Runner - 657 N. Main Street, Providence - are having a "Fit Fest"

Join Rhode Runner and their expert Sports Bra Fitters for our Fall Fit Fest on October 18th from 4pm to 8pm!  Get expert advice, some great apparel and 20% off all moving comfort sports bras and apparel.  Moving Comfort is the number one sports bra company in the country and it is easy to see why.  Moving Comfort makes and Rhode Runner carries sports bras that fit each body type, they are sized with cup and band sizing so its much easier to find that perfect fit!  If you have any questions our experts Beth and Christine will be there to assist along with the Moving Comfort sales reps!

RSVP - http://www.rhoderunner.com/pages.asp?pageid=112465

Another Reason to Run

As we near the Women's Classic, we remember a member of the Ronald McDonald House of Providence Running Club, Jason Pisano. Jason was a charter member of the club for five years, but passed away suddenly this past year. Though challenged by cerebral palsy, Jason was an athlete. He completed 52 marathons, each by pushing himself backward with one foot in a wheelchair. Jason's strength inspired not only those who knew him personally, but also those who have heard his story. His memory reminds us what is possible when we push ourselves to the limits of our personal best. 

The Club will include a tribute to him in our Classic program. Disable women athletes are encouraged to walk or run in his honor. Disabled athletes in the 3-14 year age group are also welcome to participate in the kids' races on the track. Entry fees will be waived for participants taking part in our tribute to Jason. 

Let's walk or run, and do our personal best, in Jason's honor!

Photo: Suzy Allman/New York Times/File 2007

Special thanks to Steph Milkovits

On the sidelines of Providence's Downtown 5k...

Local HS runners meet Joan Benoit Samuelson in a day they'll never forget!

Providence's Own Molly Huddle Wins Her Home Town 5k

Molly Huddle won the USATF National 5k Road Race yesterday right here in Providence.  Check out the race video from RunnerSpace.



If you ignore the guys, it's a pretty good race.

Link to the original RunnerSpace site:  http://www.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=2519&do=videos&video_id=75367

Joan Benoit
1984 U.S. Olympic Marathon Gold Medalist

by Rina Ferrarelli

During the third mile
not the eighteenth as expected 
she surged ahead
leaving behind the press
of bodies, the breath
hot on her back
and set a pace
the experts claimed
she couldn’t possibly keep
to the end.
Sure, determined,
moving to an inner rhythm
measuring herself against herself
alone in a field of fifty
she gained the twenty-six miles
of concrete, asphalt and humid weather 
and burst into the roar of the crowd
to run the lap around the stadium
at the same pace
once to finish the race
and then again in victory

and she was still fresh
and not even out of breath

and standing. 

Reaching your BEST... and choosing the right race to do it in.


Looking for a personal best time: If your training has been going well and you are hoping for a personal best time, pick your races carefully. Big races have added excitement and lots of people to run with, but have the disadvantage of the congestion that comes with thousands of runners packing the streets. Even with chip timing, you are likely to lose valuable seconds as you fight your way through people going slower than your goal pace, baby joggers, quasi-runners dressed in tutus and other costumes, and even “gate crashers”—the unregistered runners who jump in from the side of the road a few hundred yards into the race. In contrast, in a well-organized, mid-size race (300-500 for 5k distance), you will have lots more room to run and still have other runners close by to push you. You will also spend a lot less time before the race finding parking, waiting in restroom lines, waiting around for the start—instead of being used up just getting to the starting line, all your energy can go into the race itself.

Thanks for the insight, Anne Hird. 

PS - This is probably a great race for a PR.

Inspire

The Olympics have come and gone, but there are still quite a few more athletes giving it their all in London.

The 2012 Paralympic Games are still going strong through the weekend behind the force of so many unwavering female competitors. 

Meet them here in this CNN article, and maybe even challenge yourself with the proposed question...

                 What woman inspires you, and why?

PS - Did you register for the Women's Classic yet?

Sorry for the absence all!  This is what happens when the Grub Guru, with her Payroll Fairy hat on, gets completely swamped with work!  This recipe came to me one afternoon when co-worker was wandering around after our farm box deliveries saying, "what the heck is this thing with all the hair on it??"  I poked my head into the hall and saw she had a beautiful bulb of fennel complete with all the fronds!  I gave her some cooking suggestions and she then offered me half the bulb.  Hooray!  I knew I had a couple heirloom tomatoes at home that needed to be used and by the end of the day I had my recipe.  I did mine overnight in the crock-pot but I think it would also work in a good sized heavy bottom soup or stock pot.  You'd just have to keep a good eye on the temperature and the rice!

1 (or more if you have several mouths to feed!) whole bone-in skin on chicken breast (I put the whole thing, still wrapped, in the freezer for about 20 min.  Makes ripping the skin off before cooking much easier!  Do this...bone in skin on is much less expensive!)

1/2 - 1 bulb fennel (depending on the size) chopped, including the fronds

1-2 ( or more depending on the size) heirloom tomatoes chopped

Chicken broth or stock (I use my homemade stock but low sodium boxed or canned is good too) to cover almost to the top of the chicken breast when it is sitting bone down in the crock pot)  (If you don't have enough stock make up the difference with water or your white wine of choice!)

5 or more black peppercorns or ground black pepper (adjust according to your taste)

1 bay leaf (fresh or dried)

thyme (fresh or dried)

ground fennel to taste (can be left out if you prefer - I love the taste of fennel so I added)

a few cloves of garlic (adjust according to your preference) sliced

Rice of choice - I used a blend of brown & wild - see below for quantities

Optional: frozen peas

Load everything into the crock pot.  Add the rice last, sprinkling over the top.  I don't have a reason for that except that that is how I did it.  Some still sank to the bottom, and didn't stick, but I want to be accurate!  As far as rice quantity, I have a 5 or 6.5 qt crock-pot.  With all of the ingredients and liquids I added 1.5 cups of rice and, when cooked, there was still a nice thick broth.  In fact, it had a bit of a creamy risotto quality to it!  To serve, I put the rice in a bowl, added some warmed frozen peas, plopped about 4.5 oz of the chicken breast on top, and had some mixed vegetables on the side.   If you're okay with leftovers or have several mouths to feed these quantities will work.  Fortunately I really like the rice because I still have a couple containers in the freezer...and it does freeze/thaw beautifully!  I just bought a couple more chicken breasts and poached them on their own overnight in the crock pot with water, bay leaf, peppercorns, thyme and, ground fennel.

 

Again, as I always say, have fun with this.  If you come up with some other flavor combos, let me know!  I'm always looking for new ideas!