Marvelous Monday
Well, I wanted to call it a manageable Monday b/c that's how I feel about most Mondays. If they're manageable, then they're considered successful in my book. I just can't seem to step out of that weekend coma come Monday morning around 830am. I feel like I deserve a blueberry scone and a nf latte from the corner bakery just for showing up in business casual. I know, I know...stop whining.
On that note, it's a marvelous Monday because this weekend was full of yummy treats I'm sharing with you. Saturday morning after my last LONG training run (18 miler) for Whidbey Island, I whipped up a batch of these mounds of goodness thanks to Joy the Baker! The man friend finished a 70 or so mile bike ride at my house with a face and pile of clothing full of mud. He much appreciated seeing these pop out of the oven and into his mouth. I still have a Tupperware of them waiting to take to the runners tomorrow night so I don't eat them all. Cookies in my cupboard = dangerous. Thank goodness I have people to share them with.
Sunday before heading out on a rainy hike along the river and then a dip in the hot springs (the sanitary kind where people are required to pay and wear swim suits), I threw together a recipe I'd been wanting to make from my crock pot cookbook...Stuffed Chicken Breasts. After pounding the chicken flat (with a meat tenderizer or the back of a frying pan), you mix together the feta, spinach, sun dried tomatoes, basil, garlic powder, lemon zest and pepper together and put a large spoonful on each piece of chicken and roll it up. Place the chicken rolled into the crock pot, cover with diced tomatoes and kalamata olives and let it do it's magic! When we got home from a long day of being cold and wet, I sliced up some polenta, put it on the skillet to warm up, made a salad and we were good to go. Great thing to come home to...dinner ready for the tasting. Pair it with a red wine and you're good to go!
Anyone else do some baking or cooking this weekend?
Running update: Truth is, the 18 miler was hard after not really running much of anything for 3-4 weeks, but I made it. My quads are still feeling it from all that pavement pounding. A few things that helped me through it were compromising on my own "rules"...I wore my ipod (i try not to train with my ipod b/c i don't plan to run my marathons w/ my ipod and i decided that i'm going to run the marathon carrying my Nathan handheld water bottle. Why? Because it's truly fabulous. I originally planned on using it just for training (since I don't have a personal water bottle holder every few miles to give me water, gatorade or supplements) and utilize the marathon aide stations for my race day fuel. But Saturday, I just realized how nice it was to be able to take a sip of my 1/2 gatorade, 1/2 water mix whenever the hell I pleased. Sometimes a sip is all you need to get you through a rough patch.
One of the great things about running is learning that adapting to your own needs is most important. If your ipod is what gets you out the door and through that last few miles, so be it. If cliff shots, shot blocs, luna moons or sports beans strike your fancy, eat up. If wearing a pace bracelet on race day makes you feel more confident you'll stay on pace, by all means. I'm not here to tell you what to do or not do. Because Saturday I may have just considered taking my ipod to Whidbey. Whether or not that's a reality, we'll see.
On that note, it's a marvelous Monday because this weekend was full of yummy treats I'm sharing with you. Saturday morning after my last LONG training run (18 miler) for Whidbey Island, I whipped up a batch of these mounds of goodness thanks to Joy the Baker! The man friend finished a 70 or so mile bike ride at my house with a face and pile of clothing full of mud. He much appreciated seeing these pop out of the oven and into his mouth. I still have a Tupperware of them waiting to take to the runners tomorrow night so I don't eat them all. Cookies in my cupboard = dangerous. Thank goodness I have people to share them with. 
Sunday before heading out on a rainy hike along the river and then a dip in the hot springs (the sanitary kind where people are required to pay and wear swim suits), I threw together a recipe I'd been wanting to make from my crock pot cookbook...Stuffed Chicken Breasts. After pounding the chicken flat (with a meat tenderizer or the back of a frying pan), you mix together the feta, spinach, sun dried tomatoes, basil, garlic powder, lemon zest and pepper together and put a large spoonful on each piece of chicken and roll it up. Place the chicken rolled into the crock pot, cover with diced tomatoes and kalamata olives and let it do it's magic! When we got home from a long day of being cold and wet, I sliced up some polenta, put it on the skillet to warm up, made a salad and we were good to go. Great thing to come home to...dinner ready for the tasting. Pair it with a red wine and you're good to go!
Anyone else do some baking or cooking this weekend?
Running update: Truth is, the 18 miler was hard after not really running much of anything for 3-4 weeks, but I made it. My quads are still feeling it from all that pavement pounding. A few things that helped me through it were compromising on my own "rules"...I wore my ipod (i try not to train with my ipod b/c i don't plan to run my marathons w/ my ipod and i decided that i'm going to run the marathon carrying my Nathan handheld water bottle. Why? Because it's truly fabulous. I originally planned on using it just for training (since I don't have a personal water bottle holder every few miles to give me water, gatorade or supplements) and utilize the marathon aide stations for my race day fuel. But Saturday, I just realized how nice it was to be able to take a sip of my 1/2 gatorade, 1/2 water mix whenever the hell I pleased. Sometimes a sip is all you need to get you through a rough patch.
One of the great things about running is learning that adapting to your own needs is most important. If your ipod is what gets you out the door and through that last few miles, so be it. If cliff shots, shot blocs, luna moons or sports beans strike your fancy, eat up. If wearing a pace bracelet on race day makes you feel more confident you'll stay on pace, by all means. I'm not here to tell you what to do or not do. Because Saturday I may have just considered taking my ipod to Whidbey. Whether or not that's a reality, we'll see.
Comments
Yesterday for my long run I went against a few of my own rules too, and I did great. :) Ah, the beauty of learning NEW things about training.
AND. lastly, the cookies look So freakin good. YUM.
Great job on the run, I need my ipod for inspiration. I have a 3-mile loop that I run (doing more than one lap for longer runs) and the last 1/2 mile is a steep hill. I always listen to Love again by Cascada for inspiration on that hill. It has such a great beat and I swear I wouldn't make it up the hill without it!
I still can't believe you ran 18 miles after hardly running for a few weeks! GREAT JOB!
And the chicken! Makes me hungry just thinking about it! I've GOT to do more with my crockpot than soups and chili. I may just have to try this out.