the day I survived my first 20-mile run

I’m alive! My legs are still attached!

I didn’t burst into tears (or have any sudden urge to), I didn’t ever want to stop, and I RAN 20 MILES!

Whoa.

*****

Back Track! Yesterday, my mind went to a million different places. This felt like it would be “the” LR; the one that makes or breaks me for the rest of this training. But, what was behind me already?

A Cold Christmas 12-miler – i.e. the first time I attempted a long distance in high-altitude, and the first time I was home and had to tell the fam, “Uh, see ya in about two hours!”. 14 successful miles over New Year’s Weekend, that helped me realize – this long distance stuff? I gots it. A 20K race that I turned into a 16-mile training run; yes, that was probably a little too fast, but I felt great.

Then….then, there was the 18 miler. Oof. I learned a lot about distance running, the hard way. A 20-mile run? My first chance for some redemption; an ego boost to remind me that I want to train for 26.2.

I was excited for this run.

*****

Plan: mapped a route, meeting Kate at 10 miles, meeting D on the bike when he gets there, getting to 20 miles without feeling like death.

Starting off, through the Zoo and into Rock Creek Park. This meant downhill for the first mile or so – awesome! My splits were staying right around 8:50-9:10 – Good legs! I ran through Georgetown (yup, I was that girl on the sidewalk, watch out peeps!) and over the Key Bridge into Arlington.

5.1 miles – my first “stop”. I waited for the light to change so I could cross and hop onto the trail along the Potomac. I checked my phone to see Kate’s message – “Call me when you get to Lincoln“. Mmk! Will do!

8.7 miles – Crossing 14th Bridge back into DC and planning on a !Bathroom Stop! at the Washington Monument. Whew, good thing there are options for that. I had two mini pitas – one with peanut butter and one with honey. Nom Nom! So tasty.

Phone FAIL: it was ON, but None of the buttons worked. I. Freaked. Out. (in my head). Kate started calling me and I could not answer it. I quickly memorized her # from the screen and tried to strategize.

Keep Running. Maybe ask someone for a phone? Maybe she’ll run into me anyway? What if D never finds us (eff, he has the water!!) ?! OH MAN.

10 miles – I see Kate running towards me by the WW-II memorial and have never been SO HAPPY. Her phone worked; she had talked to D; I was no longer running solo; aaaaand, BREATHE.

We ran, we chatted, we ran some more. Our pace stayed nice and easy and it broke up the run in my mind; 10 on my own, 5 with Kate, 5 with D (on the bike)!

15 miles – D finally found us (yay! water! D, HELLO!), he handed me the bag of pitas + pb that he made; I wasn’t hungry, but I obliged. I remember the non-fueling disaster last time, not again! Drank some water, and we moved on! Chirp chirpin’ about our days – HI! Good to see ya – and the run and trucking along.

From here, I took two walk breaks (one at 17 miles, one at 18) to grab some water. Amazing how rehydrating REALLY HELPS your run! Heh. I’m learning, folks.

19.7 miles – My watch beeped (the “miles” were reset when I stopped it at 8.7), time to kick it up for the last 0.3 – finishing that final stretch at 7:52 min/mile.

20 miles – DONE and DONE!

20 miles – 2:58:13 – avg 8:55 min/mile

*****

I could not be happier with how this run went (besides my phone, which I’m surprised did not get tossed into the Potomac at some point) – I felt great the whole time, other than a few aches and pains that just come with the territory. As soon as I stopped, it all hit me. My knees, hips, back, neck and stomach were all happy to finally be able to scream “WTH did you just do?!” – but that’s fine, because we made it!

Now, I can spend the weekend on a Runner’s High, and play in the snow.

Happy weekending and running!

twenty on thursday

The rumors started swirling yesterday afternoon…

DC is expected to get 12-20 in of snow this weekend.

Say WHAAAT??!

Back it up! Even before hearing this, my mind had started playing with the idea of running my 20-miler before the weekend hit. The forecast wasn’t looking good to begin with:

But for Thursday, we have this little gem…

I laid out my plan to D, who proceeded to send me a “Disapproving face”. Yes, I realize that 20 miles takes just a little bit more prep than a quick afternoon, “hey I think I’ll run for 3 hours tomorrow!” . But I had a strong argument! So, I emailed it to him. And it looked like this:

Subject: why 20 miles tomrrow is a GREAT idea…

Text:
1) I can Sleep in on Saturday and Sunday!
2) I will Not injure myself running on snow and ice
3) I will Not be crabby trying to figure out a route that avoids snow and ice
4) Running in this forcast: High 42* , vs this one: High 34*, 90% precipitation
 
counter argument….?

******

I received No counter-argument. Simply a message saying –  Okay, I support you, and I’ll be there on the bike. WHOOP!

Long  Story Short: My office quickly exploded with people running around declaring that, YES, we are indeed in for quite the snowstorm this weekend.  So my Thursday-20-miler idea quickly seemed a lot more sane than running on Saturday. LET’S DO THIS.

After an Easy 4 mile run, I spent the evening mapping out a route, adjusting my playlist, thinking about food and figuring out logistics (headlamp, clothing, meeting spots, turn arounds, trails that will be safe, etc.). Finally, we’re all set!

If you’re out running in DC tonight, I’ll probably see you at some point (and then maybe again, and again). Say Hi! It will entertain me. You’re even welcome to hop in for a mile or two; I certainly won’t complain.

*****

For now, I’m fueling up (still FULL from my huge bowl of oatmeal this morning. Oof), hydrating, staring at my route, and hoping this day goes by quickly. I’m EXCITED! I’m running 20 miles tonight! WHOOP!

Assuming I survive, I’ll report back tomorrow. Happy Thursday!

Tuesday Trials – the early wake up Calls

For the first time in months, I took advantage of  my late Tuesday start (work at 9:30, instead of 8:00 am) and ran before work.  Folks, this was no easy feat. The only time I run in the morning now is for a Saturday LR, and we all know that hasn’t been gravy! Gah.

So, whats on the agenda for a 25*, dark 6:30 a.m. run? 5 miles w/ Hills, obviously!

Let me tell you something: an easy run, or a highly-anticipated Long run? Not too difficult to wake up for.

Hills? Um, can I crawl back in bed?

******

OUT! I bundled up (more than was necessary), put on my tunes, grabbed my hand-held light, and was on my way. Gooood Morning, DC! I was definitely one of many that decided to get in some cardio before work today. I love the energy boost provided simply by knowing you are Not the only crazy person who chose a cold run over sleep.

I ran North up Connecticut Ave, through Woodley Park, Cleveland Park and Van Ness, before reaching my target – Tilden. This not-so-friendly hill is 0.75 miles long, and apparently, still a little icy in spots. FUN. I ran down, and back up, avoiding cars and skipping around snow/ice on the street and sidewalks.

Reaching the top made me rethink my route – I continued up Connecticut Ave instead of heading back down. Eventually I looped around, found a small hill to tackle, ran down (ah, feels so good), and entered the Zoo. The path through here is 1 mile – downhill one way, uphill the other. I ran half way through, turned around, and ran back up.

Finally finishing up with an easy cool-down mile felt great. 5 miles DONE. Run for the day, DONE.

5.25 miles – 45:00

*****

When morning runs aren’t the norm, it becomes harder and harder to wake up on Saturday and tell the legs it’s time to GO. If I can do this once a week, reminding them that the early hours aren’t SO bad, we’ll be in good shape for the weekend LRs and, more importantly, Race Day!

when DC has other plans

First, a little glimpse into our successful dinner fiesta on Friday night…

*appetizers and vino*

*Penne a la Vodka + Italian Turkey Sausage*

*Well, we like to have choices…*

We headed over to the POV and enjoyed some amazing views of downtown DC and the company of good friends. All the makings of a good night and the start to a good weekend…

*****

Saturday  morning: Waking up around 9 am, I peeked out the window to see what was in store for these 20-miles coming up…

SNOW.

and more SNOW.

While the forecast did Not look good, I had no idea we were talking in terms of inches. Ivan and I decided it really wasn’t smart to head out in the blizzard – cold, slippery, COLD, and beyond unfavorable for the route we had in mind. So, instead, D and I spent the afternoon walking downtown in our boots, reading in Border’s, and having a beer at Old Ebbitts (one of the oldest bars in DC!). Not exactly the Saturday afternoon I had in mind, but apparently DC had other plans. Alright, Winter, I’l roll with it…

Sunday morning: The high was only 30-some degrees, the ground was covered in inches of snow/ice, and…I was unmotivated. Bottom line. No excuses.

I finally sat down to try and map out 20-miles that would Not include Rock Creek Park (because you couldn’t even see the trail), and proceeded to get cranky and frustrated. SO FUN.

Eventually I decided to revert back to my “original” plan – skip the 20 this weekend, take it easy, and tackle the 20 (with fresh legs) next weekend. NO excuses, NO backing out, NO whining about how I clearly did not think this whole winter training-thing through. Oof.

I still needed to do Something! D and I got dressed, pushed each other out the door, and headed to the gym. At 6 pm on Sunday, the chances of good TV are pretty slim…Luckily for me, the Grammy’s happened to be on. E! Red Carpet! Now that is entertaining.

10 miles later (distance PR on a treadmill. whew…) – I finally felt “okay’ about skipping my LR; if 10 miles on a treadmill feels pretty easy and effortless (aside from boredom), I’ll take it.

*****

MOVING ON – It’s time for another training week to come, and go…

Foodie Friday – Dinner Fiesta Edition

Here’s a shocker to start off your Friday morning – I didn’t actually follow the “plan” last night; we did 4.5 miles (instead of 3), but it was at an average 8:55 min/mile pace. Slow and easy? Sure! For the most part. Aside from ridiculous headwinds heading up to Lincoln, around Lincoln, along the Potomac, etc. Yes, DC, we get it. It’s still winter. FINE.

The forecast for tomorrow’s 20-miler?

VERY exciting, no? Let’s hope some vino and good food take my mind off of it, for tonight.

******

Friday Night Dinner Fiesta!

Before heading out to a “Classy” party with friends, a la The W Hotel’s POV, D and I are hosting a small dinner fiesta – appetizers, wine, food, and dessert!

Appetizers:
Veggie Plate (Cherry tomatoes, Celery & Carrot Sticks) + Roasted Garlic Hummus 
Cream Cheese & Jalapeno Peach Jam (a la the Christmas Eve Success) + Crackers

Dinner:
Our guests got to choose from a few different entreés; it was narrowed down to the Penne a la Vodka (from last week’s FF) or Grilled Scallops with Lemon Chick Pea Salad (Recipe Here)…

As it turns out, one guest has an aversion to seafood; this may have been my lucky break. I have never grilled scallops before, and this doesn’t seem like the right night to be “testing” things out. Penne a la Vodka, it is! This recipe is a “lightened” version; always keeping it healthy for you here at T.o.T.!

Dessert: We decided to keep things pretty simple. Again, the guests were given a few options -

Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies
Strawberries Dipped in Nutella with Whipped Cream
Warm Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins topped with: your choice of Nutella, Whipped Cream or Cream Cheese

The winner – Strawberries dipped in Nutella! Nom nom – I’ll be craving this all day. We also have quite a few Chocolate-chip Pumpkin Muffins laying around, so they’ll be out for grabbing as well.

******

Yet again, this will be a little experiement! The W party has been planned for a while; yes, I have 20 miles to run tomorrow. But, if you’ve been around, you know I’m not one to alter all of my plans just to get in a run. Ivan and I have decided to tackle the LR together, later, in the afternoon (because Yes, we’ll be needing that sleep. And time to rehyrate. Just sayin’). We’ll be going nice and slow, enjoying the crap Winter weather that DC has presented us.

Either way, I’m sure we’ll have some photos for ya on Monday, a la Ivan’s Run’ography Series! He uses his iPhone to snap pics on-the-run; this one might be my favorite (Love the shadow and the perspective).  But this one happens to be Me – on the 18-miler-that-was last weekend (we ran into Ivan in Rock Creek Park)…

 *****

See ya after 20!

a tempo inspired by 3’s

My mind seirously needed something to serve as motivation to get out and GO for that tempo run yesterday. I wandered around the house, forcing myself to get ready, chatting with D to coordinate plans, secretly hoping that I’d somehow convince myself it was okay to not go, and then finally overriding the lack of desire to run.

Download a new song! Now!

Pandora’s Lady Gaga Station, in all its genius, introduced me to the new Britney Spears song. Yup, I went there. I never listen to the radio, so the “new” stuff is almost always lost on me. Anyway! Britney, “3″, it’s good. It’s now on My new playlist; said list may or may not exclusively contain Lady Gaga and Britney, for now. Just sayin’.

*****

I was in store for a 6 mile tempo, 4 mi @ 7:42.  Since I tacked on an extra mile to Monday’s easy-4, and I’m all about “sticking with the schedule” (clearly), I took that down to 5, with 3 @ 7:42.  Three tempo miles = my favorite run. It never seems too long or too hard (and why push it, during marathon training, right? Ehh.), and it sounded just right at the time.

8:46 – 8:24 – I’ve decided, as of late, that I really do better with 2 easy/”slow” miles – i.e. a pace I feel, not one I’m forcing.  After mile 1, I tried something NEW – Mint Chocolate GU - in an continuing effort to figure out how I’m going to stay fueled for 20 miles!

7:46 – 7:23 - Heyo! Feeling good! Not sure if it’s the GU, a placebo effect, or the legs just letting me know they’re fine with this? Or, maybe all of the above?

…HELLO – side cramp. Ow. **

0.25 – walk -I didn’t stop the Garmin; I embraced the red light and walked a block to the left for a little break / side-cramp nursing.

6:35 (0.85) - The tempo run and GU will not win; Finish Strong, get it done!

6:35?! Well. That’s why that last stretch felt hard. Geeze.

8:37 (0.4) - Coooool down.

5.5 miles – 45:20 – avg 8:15 min/mile

**Hindsight: Tempo run may not have been the ideal situation for GU-testing. Lesson learned.

*****

Tonight: EASY 3. Which will probably turn into 4, because 3 miles just seems to be over too quickly at this point. I’m joining the Group, going slow, and then resting up for 20 miles this weekend.

Tomorrow: D and I are hosting a mini-dinner fiesta! Yes, the menu will be featured here. Stay tuned…

Tuesday Trials – Marathon Training edition

Still reeling (read: annoyed) from a mentally taxing / difficult 18-miler over the weekend, I couldn’t tell if I was excited or a little bit nervous for an “easy 4″ yesterday. The original plan was to meet D at his office gym and bust it out on the treadmill, nice and slow, while I watched TV.

Then, the sun was shining, and it was 65* at noon. Say what?! I’ll be outside, thankyouverymuch. New plan: run through the trails, to the Mall, and meet D at the office when I’m done.

I excitedly pulled on my Nike running capris and a long sleeve shirt – that’s it. Ah, feels so gooood.

9:00 Mmhm, that’s right. Nice and Slow…
8:33 Uh, rain drop on the head? Well. This can’t be good…
8:28 Full on RAIN. Bring it! Of course G keeps the satellite through this. Geeze.
8:18 Seriously. Soaked. And loving every  minute.
7:25 I spy the Capitol! I’m wet! I’m Loving this Run!

5 miles – 41:48 – avg 8:25 min/mile

New things/trials: Warm UP and Cool Down. Unless it’s a Tempo run, I rarely put any attention towards these two things.  I walked for a good half-mile or more before I started running, and I did 1/4 mile jog at a 10 min/mile pace before walking the rest of the half mile left to the office. YES!

We topped things off with a Core workout in the gym. The abs are feelin’ this!
The legs? Are feeling fine. Success!

*****

In other “trials”, I’ve been messing around with some oatmeal combinations. I eat this stuff every morning, and have been tastfully admiring Jenna (Eat Live Run) and Caitlin’s (Healthy Tipping Point) creations for months now. They get pretty crazy with their oatmeal varieties and it’s fun to see what they come up with. In my own recent experiments, I’ve discovered the wonder that is honey on oatmeal.  Normally I go with Maple Syrup – but honey has More flavor (depending on the brands and/or natural vs. processed syrup), and Less sugar. Perfect.

honey/Lite maple syrup + peanut butter + oatmeal (+ banana)*

cinnamon + nutmeg + banana+ honey + oatmeal

pumpkin + nutmeg + cinnamon + oatmeal

almonds + cinnamon + honey + oatmeal

My bowl always contains 1/2 cup of plain Oatmeal and 3/4 cup Water ( I do Not like it runny – opposite of most people).  If I add the peanut butter (i.e. most mornings), it’s always 1 tablespoon.

*This combo is my go-to, and definitely my favorite. Sometimes I throw the banana in there, sometime I just like the peanut butter to speak for itself. YUM.

A few mixes I have in my head, but have yet to try…

apples + cinnamon + honey + oats
dried cranberries + almonds + honey + oats
apples + peanut butter + oats

Oh, this list could go on for a while…and I’m definitely open to ideas!

******

For today, I’ll be back at the pool! Against my usual style, I’m strictly sticking to the schedule this week (XT). Another trial, that will prove its worth (or not) on Saturday…

 

the day 18 miles taught me a lesson

Friday morning I took a quick glance at my training plan, and realized that my Thursday “easy 6″ was supposed to be an “easy 3″.  Sure, I skipped speedwork in an effort to give the legs a little break. Then I go and give them an extra 3 miles that they didn’t “need”. Uh, Oops.

Friday night was definitely low-key for this girl – cooking dinner, a glass of white wine (or two…), some Hulu browsing and some frozen yogurt. Good 18-miler prep? YES, let’s hope so.

*****

Saturday morning – heyo! Let’s do this!

Pre-run: peanut butter toast + coffee + water. And packing some on-the-run fuel…

Honey-Stinger, a la Susan’s recommendation!
Whole-wheat Mini Pitas – found these at TJ’s and completely fell in Love.
How cute are those things?! Yah. I know.
Peanut butter! Inside the mini-pitas… So. Perfect.

I had arranged to meet a friend, currently training for Boston, after a 2 mile warm-up (she had 16 on the schedule). We headed down into Dupont to get on Rock Creek Park from there – the plan? Another out-and-back, like I did for the 14. Adding on some miles before I started last time helped with the mentality – the turnaround point would be the same, but the final distance would be longer!

1 -2: 8:45 – 8:26

Carrying a water bottle was mistake #1. My arms aren’t used to the extra weight; I typically don’t drink water/sports drink til the second half anyway; we were planning to see D somewhere around miles 5-7 – totally handing this off!

Done and done. He waited on his bike at a corner, and I approached saying “take this thing away!”. Easy easy, after a few sips it was gone. Gracias, D!

3 – 7: 8:35 – 8:31 – 8:22 – 8:28 – 8:33

Keep on keepin on. Nothing exiting. Our legs kept moving and eventually my watched beeped “10″. We decided to turn around a little early and add on the miles at the end…..yah, we’ll call that mistake #2: trying to do simple math while running. (I.e. turning around 1.5 miles early means you have an extra 3 miles to run, not just 1.5. Gah.)

8 – 10: 8:37 – 8:31 – 8:30

We stopped at 10 miles to stretch, GU (Honey Stinger for me!) and sip some H2O. I took half of my honey; mmmm, so tasty. But, that’s enough -Mistake #3. Apparently these things need to go down, all at once. In a mile or two, I’d find out that my stomach was unsatisfied with this baby portion, not quite sure what to do with it (ow), and I never felt that “sugar rush”.

11 – 13: 8:47 – 8:18 – 8:13

As we approached the Zoo, and 13 miles was about to tick, my mind stopped cooperating with me. All I could think was “5 more miles…?! Oh. There is No way.” I put my jacket over the Garmin so I couldn’t obsess over the slowly ticking miles; apparently, for this day, that meant G was done. Satellite – OFF. I realized this two miles later.

We saw D again, as planned, at the intersection where we would have been done. I raised my arm and pointed, indicating that we had to keep going. And I was not happy. And he could tell. We had a 5K left, and 3 miles has never seemed so daunting.

Did I want the mini pitas with pb that I had made? Nope.
Did I want a drink of water or Propel? Nope.
Did I want to keep going and finish these 18 miles? Nope….but I have to try.

Let’s just say – I had to stop twice for mental exhaustion, nausea, and more mental exhaustion. UGH. My brain just couldn’t comprehend that I still wanted my legs to move. My running buddy (training for her 3rd Marathon) knew all the right things to say, and somehow convinced me to “jog it out” for the last few tenths of a mile. I have since thanked her about 5 times for putting up with me…all I could think was “this must be what that last 6.2 will feel like…”.

*****

Since G decided to have a tantrum and stop working at 13 – I never saw that “18″ on the screen. But, thats probably a good thing. When I get out there for 20 next weekend? I’ll (hopefully) be mentally prepared, physically ready, and stocked full of some fuel that will agree with me (I’ll be testing things on week-day runs between now and then).

18 miles – avg ~8:30 min/mile – ~2:35:00

Now it’s time for some easy weekday runs and experimenting!

Foodie Friday: sweet fries, penne and pumpkin!

I hit the trail to the Mall for another easy 6 miles last night. The legs stayed pretty relaxed, aside from a few aches that I’m still nursing (and hoping don’t surface in full force tomorrow!), and finished up with an average 8:10 min/mile.  After a quick Metro ride back, we put in a  core workout (ow owww), so dinner needed to be fast. This chick was hungry!

Post-Easy-6-mile-Dinner: Grilled Chicken (seasoned with black pepper & ground red pepper), Steamed broccoli and….Sweet Potato Fries - Easy, healthy carbs, and tons of Vitamin A!

2 Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cut into “fries” (however thick ya like them!)
Drizzle Olive Oil
Seasonings: Cinnamon & Nutmeg

Other options for seasoning: ground red pepper, seasoning salt, salt/pepper, etc. These things take to most flavors pretty well, so whatever you’re craving – go with it….

Bake at 425* for ~20 minutes. Turn/Flip after 10 min. Enjoy!

*******

Tomorrow is the big 18-miler! So tonight, I need to get some gooood healthy food into this stomach of mine.

On the menu : Penne a la Vodka

1 teaspoon salt
2 cups bottled marinara sauce
1 1/2 cups 1% low-fat milk or plain soy milk
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
1 pound whole-grain penne
1/4 cup vodka
1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
*I’ll be adding grilled chicken for some extra protein! Other options: Italian turkey sausage or Shrimp

“ Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add salt when simmering.  Warm marinara in a saucepan over medium heat. Slowly add milk, stirring until combined. Bring to a simmer, then lower heat; simmer until sauce reduces slightly. Add crushed red pepper.

 Add penne to boiling water. Cook until almost done; add vodka to marinara mixture, and raise heat slightly. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water.  In a large bowl, toss pasta with sauce and Parmigiano-Reggiano, adding some reserved water to thin sauce, if needed. Garnish with parsley, and serve.”

I’ll be back on Monday with the true report – good pre-run fuel? Let’s Hope So!

******

Last week I finally saw canned Pumpkin at the store and had to grab it! I see it all over the foodie blogs – in oatmeal, yogurt, bread, etc – and I’ve been craving it.  Don’t ask me why; typically I’m not pumpkin’s biggest fan. Either way! There is a LOT in that can. So, we finally made a little treat…

Pumpkin Chocolate-Chip Muffins
(original recipe is from RW – but I can’t find it in their Recipe Search. Hmmm.)

3 1/2 c all-purpose Flour
3 c Sugar
2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp of each: salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, baking powder
1 cup Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips
(optional: crushed walnuts or pecans)

4 eggs
1 c Canola Oil
2/3 c Water
2 c Canned Pumpkin Puree

Action Shot! Whisk all four eggs in a large bowl. Add the remaining “wet” ingredients (water, oil, pumpkin). Trust me, this will Not look appetizing. But just wait…

Combine all the DRY ingredients (except Chocolate Chips) in a separate bowl.  Slowly add in the wet ingredients until all are mixed well.  Fold in the Chocolate Chips.

Bake at 350* for ~20-22 minutes. (Recipe for Bread: bake at 350* for 50-60 minutes. Makes 2 loaves).
This yields ~36 muffins!

*******

What’s on your menu this weekend?

Happy running! I’ll catch ya after 18…

thursday treat: peanut-butter balls

I’m taking it easy on the legs this week – we did an easy five miles on Monday that didn’t feel so hot. It may or may not have been the spicy Chipotle lunch sitting in my stomach that didn’t agree with said miles, but that’s beside the point! I know that Recovery runs are important; I stopped as soon as G gave me “5.0 mi”.

Last night I had 1600m (@ 7:12 min/mi) repeats on the agenda, but another Easy run on my mind. Sorry, speed! You’re taking a backseat. For now, mileage is important and overworking the legs is not. An out-and-back along the usual Rock Creek Park trails reeled me in. I tried to keep it slow and easy: listening to Lady Gaga’s “Fame Monster” may not have been the best tactic for that. Ah, well! Here we go…

8:38 – perfecto! stay.right.at.this.pace.
8:26 - hm, it’s definitely going to get dark sooner than I expected…
8:16 – truck truckin’ along…I spy the bridges! time to turn-around!
8:17 – ah, man. Street lights ending soon. This ish is not good…
8:05 – it’s dark! and I’m on a trail! this was not smart!
8:28 – just.get.up.the.HILL…then… you’re….DONE! Whew.

This was clearly nothing even remotely resembling a 7 mile  – 3 x 1600m repeat – workout, and I’m just fine with that. I iced a few trouble-spots, and basked in the feeling of relaxing easy-6.  Tonight, I’ll do the same. Because Saturday? The legs and I are putting in 18 miles – we’ll be fresh and ready!

******

In other news! I bet you’re wondering where that peanut-butter deliciousness is…? We picked up some baking necessities over the weekend, and it was time to finally put these things together….

Peanut Butter Balls

3/4 c Wheat Germ
3/4 c Non-fat Powdered Milk
1/2 c Honey
1/2 c Peanut Butter
1/2 c Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (Optional: this was my idea – because peanut butter + chocolate = you can Never go wrong)

Combine dry ingredients (Wheat Germ and Powdered Milk), add in Honey,  Peanut butter and Chocolate Chips – stir until mixed thoroughly. Roll into balls and let chill for ~30 minutes. This recipe yields ~12-15 balls.

Yes, it’s that easy and they are so wonderful. I haven’t calculated the nutrition facts per serving – make them small and don’t eat them all at once! 

******

I’ll be back tomorrow with more eats and another “dessert” – Pumpkin Muffins/Bread a la Runner’s World + Heather.