Valentine's 10k & Bee Pollen (2.14.2009)

Check this out...Yup. It was a hilly 10k, but it was beautiful scenery. We ran on a very secluded road in the middle of Loch Raven Reservoir.

There were probably about 40 people at the start and most of them looked extremely serious and hard-core. I whispered to Kevin that we needed to make sure we weren't last. Goal for the race: relax and enjoy it, but not be last!

The race was very low-key, but they had one water stop in the middle of the course that we hit twice since it was an out and back.

As we hit the turn-around cone at 3.1 miles, the guy called out that we were at 29 mins. Considering all the hills, we were happy with a 29 min 5k.

My legs felt strong and I was thinking about all the lunges and squats I have been doing - those really do make a difference.

We were on the way back to the finish - but we knew we had a big climb to get through. We stayed steady up the hills and ended up finishing the race right under 60 mins - 59:58 is the last time I looked at the clock. Not too shabby.I made sure to rock some Valentine's Day colors. :)

We went out to breakfast afterwards at the Paper Moon Diner. This place has a SUPER eclectic atmosphere and is just plain cool. Oh and Charm City Cakes is right around the corner. The Food Network show, Ace of Cakes, is filmed there, but unfortunately there was no Duff spotting.

We started with coffee in my favorite kind of diner mug.I ordered the Tofu Scramble for my meal. The tofu was sauteed with garlic, lemon, spinach, and mushrooms. Wheat toast on the side. I ate every bite. It had great flavor. Definitely something I want to try and re-create.

After eating at Paper Moon, we stopped by Mill Valley Garden Center and Farmer's Market right around the corner. There wasnt much to choose from, but we picked up some yellow onions and this...Bee Pollen! I asked the lady a bunch of questions about it that she couldn't really answer, so I figured it was worth the risk and bought it. I came home and did some quick Internet research.

Obviously, if you have bee allergies - you should stay away. A few things I found out about Bee Pollen:

• Some of the bee pollen benefits have to do with the fact that bee pollen has high concentrations of the B vitamin complex, and also contains Vitamins A, C, D, and E. [Source]
  
• It contains one of the highest protein levels known to mankind. [on the jar]
• In some cultures bee pollen is even used as an aphrodisiac. [on the jar]
  
• It acts very effectively as a natural energizer for your body. [Source]

I tend to be skeptical when it comes to stuff that sounds too good to be true - because it probably is:

• Many people claim that the list of benefits is almost endless, but a lot have yet to be proven. [Source]
  
• Promoters call bee pollen "the perfect food" and stress that it contains all of the essential amino acids and many vitamins and minerals. However, none of these nutrients offers any magic, and all are obtained easily and less expensively from conventional foods. [Source]
  

I tried a small taste and it was crunchy and had a weird flavor. I really don't know how to explain the taste. Maybe a little like protein powder, but more like I was eating a plant or something.

So, I am wondering - do any of you know anything about this so-called, "Super Food" - Bee Pollen? Good or Bad?