Fun Run

Just a quick update to spread the word (hat tip TTWSS):

A fun race in Delaware - run 2 miles and eat a whole pizza half way through -- pizza size depends on the category you enroll in. [Registration and other details]

I'm not running it (I wish) but anyone in the neighborhood shouldn't miss this! This reminds me of another race Duran told me where you chomp donuts on your way.

I've never done a fun run, not intentionally just never happened. One run I will be doing sometime is the Santa Speedo Run.

A marathon to train for a marathon?

Yes, that's what I will be doing on the 18th. I signed up for a trail marathon in Wisconsin as my last long run before the Chicago marathon.

Yesterday, I discovered Hull St. Blues Cafe on my run. I had run 16 miles and was getting low on juices. So I thought let me go in and get some Gatorade or something and I was wrong. It's not your ordinary cafe with a pastry cabinet, coffee tables and a cooler with drinks. Every Sunday morning, the place is decked with a long buffet table with all sorts of goodies for brunch. As soon as I entered the cafe, I knew I had to stay and that would be the end of today's run. The remaining 5 miles can wait. As far as I can tell, it's the best brunch I've had for 20 bucks (tips extra) -- Fresh warm biscuits, eggs, hash browns, veggies, best Cajun beans and rice, pasta, and fruits. If you wanted to go meat heavy there were sausage links and roast ham. Hot buttermilk pancakes and French toasts were served individually at the tables. With the food tasting heavenly, the staff so friendly and a homey ambiance this place gets a 5 thumbs up from me.

16.6 miles ending at Hull St Blues Cafe

I stuffed myself and took a nice 2 mile walk from the cafe to the harbor before running another 2 miles back home. That was Sunday, today I'm taking off to get some work done for school.

Pasta Sunday

Today was my running sabbath! I met with my best pal and his wife in DC and kind of toured the city. After quickly seeing the obligatory monuments, we spent most of the time at the Arlington National Cemetery. There is something nice about this place -- beautiful and serene -- but it's also the first runner unfriendly place I've been to. There was this big sign at the entrance saying "no jogging". How about running, sprinting? May be I'm being borderline irreverent here but I guess that was my first reaction as a runner. Are there other public places where runners are prohibited?

The whole DC travel, catching up, etc left us with little time for breakfast and lunch, so we had a late meal of cannelloni spinach ricotta and gnocchi, and finished it with coconut  macaroons and latte. For dinner today, I just heated up a bowl of pasta fagioli (left) that I had made earlier. After my recent large expense computer purchase, I've been doing some cost cutting and started cooking at home. I am constantly surprised at how easy, cheap, healthy and efficient it is to cook at home. Ask me for a killer almost-instant pasta fagioli recipe :-)

It's all about food

Okay, it's not all junk food that I eat but hey cravings are better off gone at once. Talking yourself into "I will eat a little bit of junk each day. Moderation is the key." is also not a good idea. That leads to snacking junk food which can become a serious problem. My take, you want to eat junk food, no problemo. Just down the entire bag of chips or whole bar of candy until you don't feel anything for it. Then you can mind your running business without feeling deprived.

Today's breakfast was obscenely healthy -- Steel cut oats and flax seed meal with Greek yogurt topped with fresh blackberries and honey. This is high calorie breakfast but every bit of it is gold. The orange juice was a perfect finish to what turned out to be a yummy breakfast. This breakfast costed me about $2 to make, much better (and cheaper) than grabbing a sandwich on the go. Steel cut oats take while to cook so I usually make a big batch and put it in the refrigerator.

Lunch was a similar heat and eat fare. I had pre-cooked a big bag of fusilli and stocked it in the fridge. The vegetables are the microwave-in-the-bag ones found in the frozen food aisle and the chicken salad was from a deli. I LOVE vegetables, so you will find a more than generous portion in my plate :-) This deal costed me around $4 to make but way cheaper than eating out. Also, most restaurants only offer you a mingy portion of veggies.

I did do a Starbucks on my way to school, costed me $3.56 - just noting it down here to compare to the other sumptuous meals I had today.  Okay, one weakness at a time!

Dinner was simple; just hummus on a slice of bread, a handful of nuts, and a banana. Running tomorrow with a friend early morning.

Towards Loyola college

I missed BOMF timed run today morning. But who really get's up at 4:30? Because that's how early I should get up to be at Christopher's Place by 5:30 am. On race days when I've to be up early I end up not sleeping at all but can't do that every week for the BOMF run -- esp. for short runs.

Today's run was towards Loyola college. I went in my comfortable 8 mile pace. But the biggest change was my shoes -- I'm trying out a new pair!

Distance: 5.73 miles   Time: 50:15

Today's pre run food is the junkiest I've ever had. Some of you runners might cringe looking at this list but at least I got all of my cravings out of the way:

Mayan hot chocolate from Carma's in the morning

Chocolate croissant from Marie Louis Bistro -- yum!
Coffee
More coffee
One bag of my favorite potato chips.

I am now noticing that my eating is not exactly on a
graduate student budget. Need to reduce eating out.