Brooks Infiniti 2

I can't believe I get through running shoes so quickly. I've just had to buy another pair as my current ones won't get me through the Stockholm Marathon without falling apart. I've just bought a gorgeous new pair of Brooks Infiniti from the lovely people at Up and Running. They really know what they are talking about there. In fact, the guy that served me guessed my 1/2 marathon time to within a minute, even before I had started running on their special fancy gait analysis treadmill. Aparently they are good for high mileage and have a lovely cushioned mid sole which seems to propel you forward...wonderful. I did 13 miles today and they felt good.

I've now received my pack for Stockholm and was surprised to find out that they not only have drinks stations along the course, but also food stations, providing amongst other things PICKLED GHERKINS! I love gherkins, but I couldn't think of anything worse at mile 20! 

WELL DONE TO ALL THOSE LUCKY PEOPLE WHO RAN LONDON!

Carbo-loading for London - Taglioni pasta and venison steaks

If you are carbo-loading for London this week then you won't go wrong with the meal I made last night - Italian in essence and really well balanced and delicious, high in low G.I. carbs, protein, good fats and minerals, including the all-important iron factor that I and many female long-distance runners need so badly. Paula Radcliffe eats venison and other low fat game meats as they are low in fat and provide a very good source of protein and B vitamins, plus iron, phosphorous, selenium, zinc and copper. What's more, the steaks were surprisingly cheap - £5.49 for two in Sainsburys.

L'antipasto - Prawn ceviche in little gem lettuce leaves - Raw prawns marinated in lime juice, a little finely chopped red chilli, some ginger syrup and thai sweet basil served in little gem lettuce leaves

El Primo  - Fresh Taglioni with semi-dried tomatoes, basil and olives - Pasta really does not have to be boring!  I served a bowl of fresh taglioni with semi-dried tomatoes, fresh basil and chopped black olives, seasoned with plenty of salt and pepper, some really tasty extra virgin olive oil and topped with some freshly shaved parmesan. Sorry, it got eaten before I had the chance to take a photo - the above photo is a similar idea but with walnuts and lemon zest.

El Secondo - Seared venison with a redcurrant balsamic jus and tenderstem broccoli spears - I sprinkled the venison steaks with some freshly crushed black pepper and fennel seed  and the seared them on the griddle...absolutely mouthwatering served rare with a jus which I made by reducing some some redcurrant jelly, a little red wine and some good quality balsamic vinegar.

Bristol 10 k Training Camp

Liz and Martin Yelling very kindly invited me to do a presentation at their training weekend for the Bristol 10k last Sunday to promote my book Go Faster Food. Liz Yelling has read the book from cover to cover, loves it and has written a fantastic foreword for it, so I am chuffed to bits, as she really was my first choice for a foreword...not only is she just a phenomenal endurance athlete, but she is not elitist in any shape or form and devotes a lot of time to helping and encouraging us mere mortal runners to achieve our potential, whether you are planning to run your first 10k in 90 minutes or whether you're trying to better your time on your fifteenth marathon.

This training weekend was run in partnership with Run Bristol and the training company, full potential. What a great bunch of people! Everyone seemed to enjoy the talk and after I left they apparently tucked into the Go Faster Carrot Cake I had brought along with great relish!

A few interesting foodie snippets into people's interesting dietary habits cropped up - Liz Yelling likes to recover from her training runs with scrambled eggs on toast but will often crave chips after a competition. That's great, but another chap on the course said he ate an OXO cube when he returned from hot runs to replenish his salt levels! How disgusting is that! Even more bizarre, the daughter of one of the participants likes to stir peanut butter into her porridge. No thanks, but each to their own...

There's another training camp on 18th and 19th July and if it is going to be anything like the one last weekend in Ashton Court, I would highly recommend it - really professionally run, fantastic advice and very reasonably priced - I think this weekend was £10 a day plus £6 for an excellent lunch.