Flexible Running Schedules…:)

Oh me, oh my—I had the most wonderful run this morning! 😀  But let me start from the very beginning.

I woke up naturally at 7:30 this morning.  This is a huge rarity, since my body normally wakes me up at 7 the latest.  This morning, however, I felt so energized and refreshed.  Ready to take on a Monday…then I remembered it was Friday and took on a whole new level of energy. 😉

For breakfast, I toasted a Thomas Harvest Fruit bagel.  These aren’t 100% whole wheat, but I love to indulge in them once in a while.  They’re chewy on the inside, but crisp on the outside.  Perfect with 2 T. almond butter—which is how I ate my morning bagel. 😀  On the side I had two clementines and a bowl of plain yogurt with 1 T. flax mixed in and topped with 2 T. Natures Path Pumpkin granola. 

Then I thought to myself that it was too bad I wasn’t running today instead of tomorrow.  We’re expecting a torrential downpour for the entire day tomorrow, and today was picture perfect—not a cloud in the sky and 68 degrees.  Then I knocked some sense into myself and realized that my training schedul could be a little more flexible then I was making it out to be. 😉

So I laced up my sneaks and headed out for my “weekend” long run.  The plan: 6 miles.

I felt so good.  It was really a dream run.  No pains, no aches, cool weather, and only the birds and occasional cat to keep me company.  There is one particular gray tabby cat that likes to visit me on my runs.  He’ll start crying until I slow down, call him over, and give him a good belly rub as he rolls over in the dirt. 😀 

As I approached the 4’th mile, I again thought about my training schedule, and how I have a 7 miler planned for next week.  Why not today?  Sometimes I need to remind myself that it’s okay to be reasonably flexible with the schedule and to run a little further when I’m feeling great and run a little shorter when I’m not quite up to par.  So I opted to be flexible and ran the longer loop home, which turned my run into 7.5 miles.  Ahh…I was on cloud nine when I came home.  😀

The longest I’ve ever run was 9 miles during my freshman year of college.  At the time, I wasn’t running at all before this, and I ended the run with a bum knee, unable to even bend my leg.  It wasn’t pretty.  But this particular run left me feeling more energetic with no pain.  I’ll remember it for weeks to come. 😀 

In order to avoid my usual sugar cravings after a long run, I drank a glass of milk to refuel and some dates with peanut butter, while icing my legs.

Lunch was a simple hummus wrap.  I piled 1/4 c. of artichoke spinach hummus on a whole wheat wrap, along with some chopped tomatoes, red onion, chopped beet leaves, and some salsa on the side for dipping—and topped with minced basil.  There was also some slaw and veggie sticks on the side for crunch!

Lunch was messy but good. 😀

+ dessert.  I *heart* pink ladies. 😀

This afternoon I was out shopping.  Don’t worry, I didn’t buy anything. 😉  I went to the Gap, returned a pair of white jeans that just weren’t “me,” and walked out with only a few glances at the sales items. 

On the way home, I stopped by my mom’s workplace to drop her off a coffee.  I brought home a skim latte for myself, and drank it on the porch with a homemade chocolate chip granola bar on the side.  It was the perfect snack.  It was cool enough to wear a light hoodie, and the hot latte was so soothing and comforting.  Mmm…loved it! 😀

These granola bars taste better every time I try them.  Seriously.  They taste like chocolate oatmeal cookies.  Yum!

For dinner, everyone was coming home late, which meant I had an entire afternoon of no plans or places to go other then the kitchen.  I threw on some Norah Jones and just enjoyed myself, while I chopped, chopped, chopped!

I started the meal with possibly the simplest soup you’ll ever make.  I stole the idea from Cooking Light, but tweaked it according to what I had on hand:

• 1-1/2 tsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium onion, chopped
• 8 c. zucchini, sliced
• 4-1/2 c. vegetable broth
• pepper to taste

1. Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add garlic and onion and cook until onions are softened.
2. Add zucchini, vegetable broth and pepper.  Bring to a boil, and reduce heat.  Simmer for 20 minutes or until zucchini is softened.
3. Let it cool for 5 minutes, and blend it until smooth.
4. Serve and ENJOY!

Souper simple and amazing!  Everyone loved it. 😀  I topped the bowl with some chopped chives, but you could throw whatever herb on top for a garnish, really. 😀

The rest of the meal:

• Simple Cod (see recipe page!)
• Sauteed green beans
• 1/2 baked sweet potato
• side of sauteed beet greens with nutmeg
• glass of fruity white wine

The meal was very relaxed and enjoyable.  The perfect Friday night dinner. 😀

I have to skidaddle out of the house now, which explains the short post!  But I’ll be back tomorrow for the weekend highlights of course! 😀  HAPPY, HAPPY Friday, and enjoy your weekend! 😀

Exercise: 7.5 mile run + 2 mile post-dinner walk

 (p.s. There’s a guaranteed granola topped smoothie in my future for tonight…;) )

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