Long Run & a New Restaurant

I hope everyone had a great weekend! My Saturday morning started with my usual pre-run breakfast. 1/2 banana and 1/2 almond butter/honey wheat toast. I was all out of my sport beans, so I dug through the "very bare" pantry to pull out everything I could find. I had to settle with a Clif Shot during the run since there was no time to pick up more beans. I have never been a fan of these because I think the texture is similar to slime, but it wasn't too bad this time around.


We ran 12 hilly miles of the Bagel 2 Beer Marathon with a small group of people. My father had put out water ahead of time at a few different points. It was very humid, so we were happy to have cold water every few miles.


I have to say that I felt pretty strong on this run. We slowed it up a bit due to the humidity, but I did try to stay around 10 minute miles. I normally don't wear a watch because I become obsessive with checking the time every 2 seconds, but today I decided to wear one.


I eventually forgot about it and we ended the run at 2 hrs 20 mins. My watch doesn't stop during the water stops/short breaks, so I feel like this was a good, solid training run.


After a long afternoon nap, Kevin and I headed out to dinner to meet up with my friend Ashley and some others at Saschas 527 in the Mt. Vernon area of Baltimore. (Hi Kevin and Ashley! Ashley is training for her first marathon this year - Philadelphia!)

I had never been to Sascha's and was excited to try it out. The menu looked great online. I always study the menu online before heading out to a restaurant. Our waitress informed us that they were still honoring the Baltimore Restaurant Week Deal (3 courses for $30), so we decided to go for it!


I started with the Fried Green Tomato – w. Mixed Greens and Topped with Lump Crab, then drizzled w. a Balsamic Reduction.
This was just OK. Mainly because the crab disappointed me. It seemed watery and not like it came straight out of the crab. More like straight out of the can. The tomatoes and salad underneath were both great and I had no problem finishing all of it.


My main dish was OUTSTANDING. Pan seared scallops served with grilled pineapple and carrots over coconut jasmine rice.I adore pan-seared scallops and grilled pineapple. These were both done beautifully. The baby carrots were delicious. So much so that Kevin made sure to grab the leftover carrots off my plate.

I chose the Blueberry Tart with cinnamon crumb topping for dessert.
I love crumb topping on anything and with the blueberries - this was wonderful. Unfortunately, I couldn't do it justice since I was stuffed.


Would I recommend Saschas? Absolutely. Great atmosphere and cool menu. I love that the manager stopped over to see how everything was after our meal. That is always a nice touch.


I was a little concerned about how empty the restaurant was for a Saturday night. I guess the ecomomy is taking its toll on local restaurants. Hopefully this place sticks around for awhile because I look forward to going back.


Question


Do you stop your watch during walk breaks or water stops? Or do you not walk at all during training runs? just curious...


Good Night everyone!

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Its Official...

I signed up for the Philadelphia Marathon on November 22nd!


I had not planned to do a marathon this year and wasn't really even considering it. Then, I started training for the Baltimore Half Marathon and my boyfriend started mentioning doing another full. (Last year was his first!)


For some reason, it is easy to forget about all the hard training runs/pain and just remember how great it feels to cross the finish line. That is all I can think about. So, I was easily talked into doing another one.


My dad (our trainer) put together the following schedule for the weekend long runs, assuming we would be running 2-3 times during the week on our own. Some of these may be rotating as there are a few things already scheduled on October weekends, but it will be our guide for mileage. It may be a tad aggressive of a schedule, but we knew that going into it and are committed to getting it done!

• 8/29 - 12 miles
• 9/5 - 14 miles
• 9/12 -15 miles
• 9/20 -17 + 3 (Bagel to Beer Marathon. Run 17, walk the last 3)
• 9/26 - off weekend from distance
• 10/3 - 18 miles
• 10/10 -13.1 (Baltimore Half Marathon)
• 10/17 - 20 miles
• 10/24 - 15 miles
• 10/31 - 22 miles
• 11/7 - 12 miles
• 11/14 - off weekend from long distance
• 11/22 - Philadelphia Marathon!!

Tomorrow is our 12 mile training run and I am hoping for low humidity, cool temps & cloudy skies. :)

I think that Lucy wants more blog attention because she jumped into one of my grocery bags and posed for the camera.

Here you go my sweet Lucy girl.

Anyone else gearing up for a training run this weekend? What are you training for? Wondering who will be in Philly on Nov 22nd!?

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Triple H

Last night (Friday), I went to pick up new running shoes after work and came home to Kevin cooking up a pasta feast.
This Puttanesca sauce was the base for a hearty sauce. Crusty Italian bread from DiPasquales. Nothing better.

I present you with Chicken Picasa: breaded chicken breasts topped with puttanesca sauce, artichokes, and fresh parmesan over fettuccine pasta.

Delish!

This morning, we had planned on a 10 mile trail run along the NCR trail in honor of National Trail Running Day! Unfortunately, the weather had other plans and we got hit with some pretty rough storms overnight and through the morning. We woke up at 5:30am to lightning and some rain, so we decided to postpone the run for awhile.

Around 8am, we decided to change our run to the paved paths in Columbia, MD - part of the Bagel 2 Beer Marathon that my father organizes every year. Kevin and I started at one point and my father started at another so we would meet in the middle. My dad had an out and back and we got a point-to-point run and a ride back to our car. We definitely had the better deal. :)

The run can be described as a Triple H run because it was Hard with the Heat & Humidity. Literally felt like a sauna out there. I feel good that we got 10 miles done, but it was a slow one due to the weather conditions. I know for a fact that I sweat more than I ever have in my life. My head was sweating so badly that it was dripping through my pony tail. ok - TMI, right?

Afterwards, we headed over for a great post-race treat. Great Harvest Bread!

I got coffee and two samples before deciding on a loaf to buy. White Chocolate/Cherry Bread that was ooey and gooey and AWESOME.

Then, a chocolate chip that I topped with Almond Butter. It was stuffed in my mouth before I remembered to snap a photo. But, I did take a picture of the almond butter because it was outstanding, so I am on the prowl to find it. Anyone know where they sell this type?The rest of my afternoon was spent running some animal errands with Oscar. Our errands wore him out.

We headed over to the park, then dropped by the vet to pick up some flea/tick meds before stopping into Petco to get food, treats, and kitty litter. Lucy gets irritable if her kitty litter isn't kept fresh. ;)

Tonight, I am headed out to dinner and a movie with a friend. The Time Travelers Wife - a perfect chick flick. Still deciding on where to grab dinner.

Oh - I almost forgot. A year ago TODAY (8/22) - I started the athlEAT blog with this post. SO - that makes today my Blogiversary. Happy Blogiversary to ME!

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Get Some Mojo

Eats


Last night, we made some pretty tasty fajitas/tacos and I wanted to share our process. First, the chicken marinated in Goya Mojo Criollo Marinade overnight. I really don't want to eat chicken another way - it was juicy and had the best flavor. Every chicken needs some mojo.
Next up, we sauteed a colorful mix of onions and peppers (some spicy) in a little EVOO.

Meanwhile, refried pinto beans went into a pot to warm up.

Normally, I would use corn or flour soft tortillas for fajitas, but we were fresh out, so I was happy to discover these hiding in the pantry.
After the onions and pepper cooked for awhile, we removed them from the pan so we could add the chicken w/ marinade to cook through. Then, we mixed the onions and peppers back into the chicken with some chopped tomatoes.

All together...topped with shredded cheese.

I was worried that the whole grain hard taco shells would taste too "whole grainy" - if you know what I mean - but they were incredible. Ortega Whole Grain beats Old El Paso any day. I ended up dipping my tacos into the beans before each bite. It was one of the most satisfying meals and SO simple.


The other day at work - I finally tried the German Chocolate Cake Larabar. I brought some greek yogurt to go with, but ended up eating it alone since I was crunched for time at work.
It was a pleasant surprise because I haven't enjoyed the other Jocalat larabars, but this one was great! Next time, I would top it with the almond butter for a major treat.

Last, but certainly not least - I had a wonderful salad for lunch today. Since I tend to be picky with salads, I was happy to find one I enjoyed so much. It was from Frisco Grille in Columbia, MD. Spinach, pinto beans, gorgonzola cheese, marinated/sauteed tofu, and cranberries. It came with a raspberry vinaigrette that I didn't use at all. The tofu was seasoned to perfection and all the flavors mixed together nicely.

Workouts/Running

I am currently training for the Baltimore Half Marathon on October 10th and finally feel like I am getting somewhere. Basically, over the past month or so, I have stopped all of my slacking and inconsistency and feel like I have gotten my mojo back. ;)

This week has gone well so far:

• Saturday: 17 mile bike ride
• Sunday: 6 mile run
• Monday: day off
• Tuesday: 6 mile run
• Wednesday: Jillian Michaels - Quick No Trouble Zones
• Thursday: 5 mile run
• Friday: day off (consider it done)
• Saturday: 10 mile run (planned) - I know it seems a little sudden for this long of a run since I haven't been posting my runs here regularly, but I did 8.6 miles the first two Saturdays in August.

Random

Anyone else watch Top Chef last night? Jen is a tough cookie and right now - I hope she goes all the way.

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PePaw Soup

This recipe comes from Kevin's grandfather - otherwise known as "PePaw" - pronounced pee-paw. It may seem familiar because I had tried to re-create this awhile back based on what I thought was in there without having the recipe, but this, is the real deal. There was some question over whether I could post this on the blog for all to see, but I think it is best to share a great recipe!


Ingredients

• soup meat w/ extra bone (beef shank cross cut)
• 2lb can tomato sauce + 3 cans of H20
• 15 oz can tomato sauce + 1 can of H20
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 4 beef bouillon cubes
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 stalks celery, diced
• 5-6 carrots, diced
• 2 cans of cut green beans, drained
• 1 package frozen corn
• 1 package frozen lima beans
• 1 package frozen peas
• 1/2 head of cabbage, sliced
• 1-2 turnips, diced

1. Add tomato sauce, H20, meat w/ bone, salt, pepper, bouillon cubes, onions, carrots & celery to a large pot.
2. Bring to a boil, then cover & reduce heat to simmer for 1.5 hours
3. Add cabbage & turnip, simmer for another 30 mins
4. Add all frozen vegetables & green beans, simmer for another 30 mins.
5. Enjoy!

I will warn you that this stuff is very addicting. It gives you that good soup burn/tingle on the back of your throat as it goes down. Makes it hard to put down the spoon.

Be sure you have some bread on hand to sop up all the flavor. You wont want to leave a drop of this in the bowl.

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Dreaming Like a Dog

I have been meaning to get a post up for days...since I have some great eats and tough workouts to talk about. BUT, since work has been consuming my time lately, I wanted to give a quick picture to (hopefully) brighten your day.

Please excuse the blurry iPhone photo, but this is my new favorite photo and currently the background on my work computer. Oscar is obviously having a pretty good dream. I assume it is about walking in the park and discovering a mountain of cheese. Sounds good to me too. :)

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iPhone Cracks and Goat Cheese Crumbles

Well hello there. It has been awhile.

Do you wanna see something that stinks?

Crack! But I was fine with it especially because it still worked great and I got a cool arm band for running and biking.

Key word above- worked.

This is what happens when you drop the iPhone on tile for a second time. Looks like a spider web, right? Creepy...and...sad. Picked up a new one tonight...and definitely plan to add that "pointless" insurance this time.

I have been celebrating a few special people's birthdays in early August.

Happy Birthday MOM and JENNA!

My house is overflowing with fresh C.S.A. (Community Supported Agriculture) produce.

Corn-on-the-cob in a plastic bag. (gasp) Shame on me, right? But, I promise the bag was recycled as an Oscar-poo-picker-upper.
Bright red peppers.

I FINALLY planted some fresh herbs after planning to do this for 3 years. What have I been waiting for?

I guess I was waiting to meet the "HerbMan" that was sitting outside David's Natural Market selling herbs. :)

Bruschetta, anyone? This was made with the gorgeous C.S.A. tomatoes, basil from my backyard (!!!), Toasted Asiago Bread from Panera, drizzle of EVOO, drizzle of Balsalmic, and goat cheese crumbles.

Yes, I just said Goat. Cheese. Crumbles. Search for them in your grocery store if you didn't know about them before this post because they rock. No more messy goat cheese wrappers.

In terms of Workouts - I have gotten back in the swing of things and am currently in FULL half marathon training. Baltimore Half Marathon is October 10th!

• The last two saturdays I have run 8.5 miles. The most recent run was MUCH more comfortable than the first. Improvement is key. (Cant help but think about last year at this time - I was training for a marathon and 8.5 miles was nothing in August.)
• Biked 30 miles this past Sunday. On my heavy mountain bike with huge tires. On a paved path. I tried to stay positive and think about what a great workout I was getting. As all the people on road bikes whizzed by me like I was standing still.
• Swam 30 mins last night. For the first time in months. Felt dizzy afterwards.
• Took today OFF from workouts and plan on a run and Jillian Michaels No Trouble Zones tomorrow.

Off to bed.

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Quick & Easy Fruit Salsa

This recipe was inspired by one I found on Allrecipes.com a few years back. Since then, I have been making variations based on what fruit I had on hand.


Into this batch went:


Kiwi, Mango, Apple, Strawberries, Green Grapes -all chopped as small as you can manage. A brunoise (BROON-wah) dice, if you want to be fancy.

I scooped in a spoonful of grandmom's fig jam (any jam or jelly will do!) and mixed it all together. Scooped up with Cinnamon/Sugar Pita chips.

Stacy's is my personal preference, although I wish they put more chips in these small bags that each cost $3. Its basically like 50 cents per chip the way they pack these bags.

I guarantee this fruit salsa will be a hit at any party or gathering. If not - you let me know.


It has be super busy around the athlEAT household and work is hectic - hence my sporadic posts. I truly hope to get back on a regular blogging schedule in the near future.


Off to bed!

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