Two for Tuesday: Pizza & Treadmills

I'm wanting to tell you about my vacation.  Show pics, talk about all I did, the awesome running week I had.  But, ugh, that is going to take so much work (said in my best whiney voice).  So I'll divert to something else for now.  Don't worry it's a post I won't let go for good.  Among other things, way too good running stuff to tell you about.  Anyway.....

1)  Pickle Pizza - I posted a picture on Instagram of my lunch today.  Yes, I'm one of those freaks people that posts pictures of my food from time to time.  I couldn't resist showing off of my pickle pizza.  Yes, you read that right....PICKLE!  I have, for as long as I can remember, L.O.V.E.D.  pickles!  As a kid I could eat an entire jar and think nothing of it.  My stomach doesn't let me do that as much anymore, but you can still find me from time to time just standing at the counter eating a handful of pickles.

The pickle pizza has been a tradition that was passed onto me from my mom.  When she attended Faith Baptist Bible College in Ankeny, IA there was a pizza place close to campus that served pickle pizza.  (I don't know the name of the pizza place, it just how my mom tells the story).  For as long as I can remember, Mom made this pickle pizza and when I got married I continued on this tradition with my family, who also happen to be pickle lovers (must be in the genes).  I have also served it to many friends, always being a hit.  For a long time I kept this "secret recipe" to myself, but lately I've been sharing it some more.  I can't make pickle pizza for all the world to have....although I'd love to and make millions off of it, what a way to become rich, huh.....so I figure if others want to make & share in this delightful delicacy then let them.  Just remember, you heard about it from me first.  I should get some credit when it's the next national or world sensation.  Anyway.....

My base recipe is the same.  I've changed through the years in terms of what I use for crust.  I started with a boxed crust mix.  Used that for years.  Then when I moved away from a lot of the processed, full of preservative stuff I used a yeast recipe from scratch.  For a long time I struggled with baking with yeast, but I stuck with it and now have mastered it quite a bit.  However, my only downfall is that using yeast usually takes so much time.  I'm not really good at being prepared that far in advance.  Even when I made several batches of pizza dough and froze it, it never failed that I'd want the crust, but there it sat frozen solid needing to be thawed out & still taking a few hours.  Recently my friend Tracy shared a fast, simple and healthy recipe.  She said she got it off of pintrest, beyond that I can't give you a more direct source of credit.

Pizza Crust
1 C. self rising flour
1 C. Greek yogurt - plain

That's it!!  You might need to add a little extra flour/yogurt here & there to get it to a good dough consistency.  And that only makes enough for a small round pizza.  I always have to centuple (real word peeps!) my recipes, so make adjustments to suit your needs.  I also added some seasoning to the flour.  No rhyme or reason.  Some garlic power, basil, etc.  I didn't measure or pay attention.  Just went with how the spirit was leading me.....real cooks can do that, ya know.  (DID YOU KNOW?? - just throwing this out there - that I was a cook in the Army.  True story). 

Pickle Pizza
On prebaked (optional) crust, cover with pizza sauce (I use Chef Boyarde, but to each their own).  Layer hamburger slices (feel free to use your own variations here too) to your liking. I tend to leave no spot uncovered, but remember, I LOVE pickles.  Cover with mozzarella cheese & a hint of cheddar.  Bake 450 for 10-12  minutes or until cheese is golden brown.  Enjoy!

2)  I fought the treadmill & the treadmill definitely won.  Ugh!  So I haven't had any type of speed/interval/treadmill workout since I fell & tore my muscle.  For me it all goes hand in hand.  I don't seem to be good  at doing intervals and definitely not at any decent speed on my own.  Going to a track does not work for me.  Putting me on a treadmill, pushing some buttons at a set speed to complete, for example, 10x400 and that works.  I know I have speed in me, but can usually only bring that out in specific race circumstances.  However, I know that I need to practice this speed more than just at race time.  As much as I embrace my "just run" aspect, it's the one training tool that I will implement.  I was consistent at getting those workouts done (typically on Mondays) through out the spring and I feel it made the biggest difference in all of my PR times that I accomplished recently.

I'm not much of a treadmill runner.  I used to be, it used to be the only way I ever ran/trained.  Now....ugh, no thank you!  Give me rain, sleet, snow, bitter cold temps....you name it, I'd rather run outside than be on a treadmill.  Simply for the sake of my interval/speed training & occasionally the conditions do warrant me to stay inside do I give into hopping on one.  I haven't felt able to be on the machine since my fall.  I'm ok with running a gazillion miles, but don't want to be pushing my body beyond what it can do on it's own.  However, at some point I need to test the waters and see how my leg does.  Today was that day.  Perhaps I had too big of hopes.  I told myself I would warm up for 2 miles, run 4x1 miles at a 8 minute pace then finish with a 1 mile cool down.  7 miles, I can do that!!  Except I didn't.  I failed miserably.

I don't really think it was the workout though that did me in.  The run was doomed from the second I stepped on the machine.  I was tired.  I had been thinking about going home after class & crawling back into bed.  I was trying to be all tough & hard core, pushing myself to get things done.  In hindsight, I should have gone home & gone back to bed.  My leg was all cranky & crabby at me for pushing it to run.  It's still awfully mad & flared up at me.  I only managed the 2 mile warm up & then 2 - 800's.  I could have pushed, but I was having serious issues.  Mostly mental, but enough that it was effecting my entire body.  I did lift weights when I was done & swam a few laps in the pool.  So it's not like I was a total slacker (even though I feel like it a little bit).

So this initial treadmill workout was a fail.  We'll see how things go next week.

Talk to me:
~What do you like to eat on your pizza?

~Do you like running on a treadmill?