Make Ahead Lunch (or dinner) Black Bean Southwest Salad + Speedwork

Oh. My. Gosh.

This salad is GOOD!!

I made it to take to a meeting, but I had to try some before I served it. I was sorry I didn't make the entire thing for my lunches this week!! AND it's really good for you!!!!!!!

Here's what you're going to need:

• 2- 15oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed (nasty bean juice=bad)
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn (it called for freshly shucked corn, but seriously?!)
• 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted (you could totally omit these if they're too expensive. I just happened to have some on hand, so I used them)
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 2 cups diced or shredded red cabbage
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 Tb olive oil
• 1 tsp sea salt
• freshly ground pepper, to taste

This is the corn I used, the kind from Trader Joe's. I heart Trader Joe's. If there were an ACTUAL dude named Joe who could get all the food for free, Wade may have some serious competition.

....not really. I heart Wade even more than I heart food.

So the way I cooked the corn is to put it in a skillet and lightly toast it. (I learned this from my friend Kim. She rocks.) So it just took a few minutes, and it was lightly cooked, and a tiny bit browned on some pieces.

Then I used my chop chop to dice the onion. Please refer to the Public Service Announcement in this post for proper and safe use of the chop chop. Thank you.

So put all the "stuff" into a large bowl. (black beans through the cabbage) Mix it up a little.

Doesn't that already look AWESOME??! So at this point, I just stuck it in the fridge and mixed up the dressing in a different container, so I could toss them together right before serving. I really think it would be ok for several days though, after mixing.

So mix up the rest of the ingredients to make the dressing. Try not to squirt yourself in the eye with lime juice. I have heard, from other people, that this may occur. I just stuck mine in a little container in the fridge. Now you're all set!! You could even package the "stuff" in small bowls for lunches and add the dressing throughout the week as you eat the bowls.

It was really good with homemade whole wheat tortillas, I think it would be good too with tortilla chips, or you could add chicken. I got this recipe from Eating Well.

So, speedwork. I didn't have a whole lot of hope for my pace yesterday afternoon, as I had been battling some lame stomach bug for about a week, and really felt awful Sunday night. But what the heck, right?

The Workout:

• warm up
• 3 minutes at 5k pace
• 2 minutes at long run pace
• repeat this 6x
• cool down

What I did:

• warm up- .69 miles @9:08 (all paces are in minutes per mile)
• #1 3:00- @7:02
• #1 2:00- @9:27
• #2 3:00- @7:26
• #2 2:00- @9:38
• #3 3:00- @7:23
• #3 2:00- @9:23
• #4 3:00- @7:19
• #4 2:00- @9:57
• #5 3:00- @7:17
• #5 2:00- @10:15
• #6 3:00- @7:14
• #6 2:00- @10:14
• cool down- walked home from the track

What I Learned:

•  I decided to focus on really making sure the "rest" interval, or the 2:00 @ long run pace, felt like a recovery. I worked on getting my breathing under control quickly, and tried to feel "rested" by the time I needed to start the next interval. This was helpful.
• One main thing I continue to notice is how different mentally speed training is from endurance training. I really tried to use the same mental tactics I would use in a long race, but I have to focus so much more on my form, my leg turnover, my breathing, that I can't just think about other things like I normally would. 
• It's been warm, and I was surprised at how much fluid I needed to replace to feel hydrated again. Drink a lot.

So that's yesterday's workout in a nutshell!! While I wouldn't say I am looking forward more to speed training, I think I'm dreading it less. Especially after the first interval is in the bag. The first one always hurts. But in a good way. ;)

DINNER TONIGHT:

Chicken, Cashew, and Red Pepper Stir Fry

Brown Rice

Oranges Slices