running again

I'm headed out for a long run this morning.  It feels weird - like it's been a long time since I've gone running.  I ran this past week in Tennessee, but for whatever reason, it feels like I haven't run in a long, long time.  Truthfully, I haven't run over 6 or 7 miles since the marathon, so this morning's 15 could be awesome (rest legs) or terrible.  I'm hoping for the former!

The weather is perfect though - it's going to be a FALL run!  I'm dropping the car off for an oil change, then running from there!

PS - Big blog news coming soon... maybe Monday?

hill repeats

Reader recipe poll winner: movie mix (crispix and peanut butter)!  Recipe and review will be Friday morning.

I don't love running on hills.  I live in northern Indiana, where you actually have to go looking for hills.  So when it comes to running hills, I'm not much of a fan because I don't have much practice on them.  This morning I headed out for a run.  Since I'm in eastern Tennessee everything seems to be on a slope of some sort - there isn't any flatland!  I decided to find a particularly steep hill and run hill repeats for something different.  I ran about 1.5 miles out to King College and found a rather short but pretty steep service road.  I did 10 runs up, jogged down, and then headed home.  I'm guessing tomorrow I'll be feeling it in my legs since I'm not used to running hills!

The run itself didn't feel awesome, probably because I haven't been eating the best - lots of chocolate caramel brownies, chocolate chip cookies, Keebler fudge cookies, etc.  Dave and I try not to eat crappy on vacation just because it's vacation, but it happens sometimes (which is okay).  Our meals here in Tennessee have been definitely healthy... it's just the desserts and snacks that are doing me in!  I'm weak in the face of sugar!  I know once I get home and get back to more moderation with desserts my running will feel better, too.

And since my recovery from the Presque Isle marathon has gone so well (my legs feel great!) I decided to go for it while the going is good:

November 13, 2010, Columbia City, Indiana!

This gives me two more chances this fall to finish a marathon without vomiting.  And maybe get a new PR, too!

race crashers

Dave and I set off for a run this morning around Bristol, Tennessee.  We did about 3 miles before we ended up downtown, where they were starting to set up booths for the bluegrass festival today.  Right about the time we got downtown, they were also starting a 5K race.  We watched everyone start and then when the runners were about 3 blocks away decided that yes, we should definitely jump in.  So we did.  We had so much fun!  Right before the finish line we ducked out.  Final time: 26:30.  And because the main street of town is also the state line, technically I finished in Virginia while Dave finished in Tennessee!

5Ks are funny to me.  I'm used to doing half marathons and fulls, so this race went so fast!  It was a lot of fun.

We jogged home, stopping to walk around in a Confederate Unknowns cemetery.  We're showering and getting ready, then headed downtown with my family for Rhythm and Roots!

We're looking forward to spending time with family, hearing good music, and eating some fair food!  Happy weekend!

running legs

My legs are back!

I got a fast 4.5 miles in this morning at an 8:30 pace!  My legs felt awesome and I wanted to keep going, but needed to get back and on the road.  I love the new morning weather we've been having - low 50s and just gorgeous.  Makes me want to run and run and run.  I feel like I can push the pace a lot more, too.

Run sightings:

• A young deer on the side of the trail, maybe 8 feet away.  She just watched me pass.  So pretty!
• Two guys from the radio at a big intersection.  One of the guys (a grown man) was sitting in a wagon decorated with radio station signs. The other was holding a travel mug and talking on his cell phone.  What the?

What's something funny you've seen when running or driving?

presque isle marathon

Let's start with the good:

We finished!  And with a new personal record for me: 4:53:57.

Let's back up.

Dave and I left our house at 8am on Saturday and drove to PA.  We saw a really weird car on the turnpike.

Along the way I read to Dave out of Born to Run... I'm like a personal audio book.

We headed straight to Presque Isle, where we met up with Kelly (my sister), John and Corrine (my brother and sister-in-law), and Lizzie and Clare (my nieces)!

We had a lot of fun playing in the sand with the girls and catching up.  Then Dave and I followed Kelly back to her house.  We made a delicious dinner of pasta with sauteed kale, basil, parsley, tomatoes, chard, and garlic.  Fantastic!  I had two bowls, plus a side of bread.  I'd also been chugging water throughout the day, trying to make sure I was really hydrated.  Keegan (Kel's husband), Kelly, Dave, and I took a brief walk to stretch our legs and check out an old mansion nearby.

We also made our breakfast the night before, since we had to get up pretty early.  We made pinole and chia pancakes, using a recipe this recipe.  We sampled one and it was sooo good.

We were in bed by 9pm - pretty good, right?  The alarm went off at 4:30am and we hit the start button on the coffeemaker, got changed, and made pinole chia banana peanut butter sandwiches (say that 5 times fast).  Then Kel and I hit the road - we were out the door by 5am.  The drive to the park took about 50 minutes, and race directors had requested all runners be parked by 6am.  We aim to please.  We parked, did some business in the port-o-pots (at that time still clean and no line), then got ourselves organized for the race - pinned on our bibs, ate our pancake sandwiches, etc.  There might have also been some nervous peeing in the bushes (the port-o-pot line was now considerably longer), but I'll never say for certain.

And then without much fanfare we were off!  I told Kel I was going to hold the pace back a little bit, just to make sure we started slow and didn't burn out.  We did the first 10K (6.2 miles) in slightly over 9 minute miles, which felt good.  Around mile 12 my stomach started to feel a little unsettled, but it didn't seem a big deal.  We crossed the halfway point (13.1 miles) at 2:10ish, still feeling good.

Giving our long sleeve shirts to the guys to carry.

At mile 14 I stopped to puke.  This was a little troubling since I also threw up in my last marathon and things hadn't gone well afterwards.  (Not to be graphic, but when I say "puke" I don't mean just a little.  I mean everything up and out.)  After I threw up I felt better, except I didn't have any water to rinse out my mouth with, so I was rocking some serious dragon breath and acid mouth.  Yum.  Keegan and Dave met up with us on their bikes about mile 15, and rode with us for most of the remainder of the race!  That was really fun!

Around mile 16 or 17 my stomach started to clench and cramp again.  I puked again at mile 18.  A wonderful woman (who was running her 196th marathon!) gave me some tissues to clean up with.  Kel and I theorized I should probably start drinking the energy drink at the water stations, since I couldn't stomach food and I was probably dehydrated/electrolyte imbalanced/had no calories in me.  Miles 19-23 were hard.  My stomach was clenching and cramping, my head was pounding and felt woozy, and I was really tired.  I puked again at mile 23, which helped.  From there it was just a final push to the end.  It was rough, but knowing I was close to finishing helped.

Bringing it on in.

 

(Please note that in every picture Kel and I's strides are completely synced.  Ha!)

I had so much fun running with Kelly - we talked, we zoned out, we kept pace together.  It was so fun to have someone to run with and push me along.  I am certain that my finishing time would have been much, much worse without Kelly helping me along.  She kept me going.  That being said, I feel really bad for Kelly for staying with me (even though I really really appreciate it).  This was her first race and she was doing really well and was feeling really strong.  I know she could have gotten a really good time - probably below 4:30 - if she hadn't had to stop for me or walk with me.  I'm so proud of her, and I wish her first marathon story didn't have to include a "if" - "if my sister hadn't been puking we/I could have finished in ____."  I hope maybe she'll take me back for another marathon!

Something I am proud of: even after puking I ran some, most, or all of every mile of that race.  After the last marathon I felt like I really only ran 18 or 19 miles.  But this marathon I feel like I really did run it, even though I had to take some walking breaks.

Something I learned: always always always carry tissues.  Helpful for blowing your nose and cleaning up vomit.

Another thing: keep trying.  The tissue woman is running her 200th marathon next month.  And another man told us this was his 246th marathon.  I'm willing to bet they had some pretty dang horrible races in there.  Maybe I'm just getting all my bad races out of the way now, so I can rock some awesome ones later on!

As for the race itself, I loved it!  It was a beautiful, serene run.  There weren't tons of people to dodge, runners were friendly, and a decent amount of fans came out to cheer.  Where there weren't fans cheering there was beautiful woods and the sound of the water - it doesn't get much better than that!  The course is also flat - another perk!  I'm definitely hoping to do this one again next year - it's my favorite race I've ever done (at least course-wise)!

Today my legs feel good - a little tight, but nothing different than any other long run.  I'm even hoping to get out for a couple miles at some point to stretch them out!  Kelly is feeling good, too!

It's one month now til the Grand Rapids marathon.  Enough time to recover, rebuild, and hopefully figure out this puking thing!

training review

I've run 433 miles over 14 weeks.

I've done 19.5 miles twice, 20 miles (super nasty sweaty), and 22 miles split up in a day.

I've run 42 yassos in total.

I watched the movie Prefontaine to inspire me.  The acting in that is terrible!

I have a new shirt to wear.

I have a new pair of shoes (not without some trouble).

To be honest, Kelly and I are both nervous about the race tomorrow.  It's Kelly's first marathon (woohoo!) - heck, it's her first race!  And after my last marathon, I'm nervous that I'm going to choke.

But we're also really excited.  The race scenery looks to be gorgeous - seriously, check out where we're running!

Tons of water views!!

The weather is shaping up to be perfect (cool and cloudy), and we've got ipods loaded with fun songs... and lots of time to talk, too!  We're packing baggies of raisins and salted peanuts for race fuel, and each carrying 26 peanut m&ms - one to eat at each mile marker (or to throw to the side if we're not feeling the chocolate).

We're planning on making these pinole pancakes tonight, then heating them up in the morning, slathering on some peanut butter and banana, and downing them with coffee.  To get to the race by 6am (when they request all runners to be there by) we'll need to leave the house about 5am!

Cheer us on from wherever you are!

Anyone else out there racing this weekend?  GOOD LUCK!!

I'll be back Sunday (with at least our time) and I'll have pictures and a whole report on Monday!

the last long run

Today was the last official "long" run before the marathon - an easy 8.  It was in the high 40s this morning (borderline cold!) and bright and sunny - it was glorious.  My foot hurt for maybe the first mile, but then felt completely fine, so I pushed on.  I would have liked to have done 10 but got out of the house late (Totally don't have a valid excuse.  Procrastination.) so I settled for 8.  It felt so good.  I'm really hoping we have a nice fall day for the marathon, because cool temps and no humidity definitely helps with endurance... and mental strength!

We're heading to a church group tonight and everyone is bringing a finger food.  I'm bringing a big ol' pot of popcorn.

It's going to be a good night.

Dave's Parents' Popcorn
2T. coconut oil
popcorn kernels (we like white the best)
medium pot with cover
salt to taste

Melt the 2T. coconut oil over high heat.  As soon as it has melted, add enough popcorn kernels to cover the entire bottom of the pot.  Tilt the pot back and forth to move the kernels around and coat all of them with the oil.  Place the lid on top.  After about a minute kernels will start popping.  Turn heat off when the lid starts to lift off from all the kernels or when 3 seconds between each popping.  Pour into a large bowl and salt to taste.

Serves 2-4... or 1 Kim.

Seriously, this is the best way to have popcorn.  The coconut oil is just perfect... and I don't normally like coconut.  We looove to crush up Wheat Thins Parmesan Basil crackers into our popcorn.  Dave's parents put crushed salt and vinegar chips - also delicious!

How do you like your popcorn?

shoulda coulda woulda

I wanted to run this morning.  It was PERFECT outside - cool, clear, sunny, slightly breezy.  It felt like early fall, my absolute favorite.  Long sleeve shirts but shorts.  Cold nose but warm hands.  Perfect.

Except.

Yesterday morning the top of my foot hurt.  It feels mostly like a bruise - it's tender to push on but not so much that I'm gasping in pain, and the hurt feels more surface than deep.  I didn't run yesterday just to be careful.  This morning I put on my shoes and the pressure on the bruised spot was uncomfortable - not terrible, but present.  I ran a block and came back.  I probably could knock out some miles and it might hurt a little, but it wouldn't be too bad.  But with the marathon now one week away, I'm paranoid.  So the foot is getting babied today and hopefully running tomorrow.

The new shoes I ordered last week got delayed in shipment.  This makes me irrationally angry.  Right now UPS is forecasting that I'll receive them September 10th.  That's Friday.  That's the Friday before the Sunday marathon.  That's pretty much unacceptable, because I would have almost no time to break them in, even a little bit.

So.

Today I ordered another pair of shoes from endless.com.  They will arrive on Tuesday, which should give me enough time to get at least a couple miles in on them before the race.  Sucks that they cost $100 instead of $80, like the others.  At least I know the other pair of running shoes will definitely get used, eventually.  Good thing Dave and I's monthly budget actually has a category for money set aside each month specifically for "running shoes" (you know you're a runner when...).

In summary:
I should've watched the mileage on my shoes better and ordered earlier.
I wish I could've known the ones I had ordered would take so long.
I wish I would've been able to go running this morning.

Shoulda coulda woulda.

gutter soaker

New chair!

The chair is one we picked up from IKEA, but the slipcover for it just came yesterday!  (Note: in the picture it kind of looks like it might have blue in it, but it's all different shades of brown.)

I have a slipcover for the loveseat, too, but haven't had a chance to get it on there yet!  The loveseat, couch, and footstool are all dark brown, so the chair has some nice variety with the stripe!

My rain run this morning ended up being really really wet.  The rain was pretty steady for the first bit.  At mile 4 a minivan hit the gutter when I was standing on the curb and any aspect of me that had been dry wasn't any longer.  After that it started to downpour, so the last 2 miles home were both fun and also not-so-fun.  I called it quits at 6 and was a drenched mess!

I'll admit, it was probably pretty funny for the minivan to soak me like that.  And I was completely oblivious to the fact that I was standing near an overflowing gutter... so I probably deserved it.  It felt like a scene out of a movie, as a curtain of water came up over my head and just soaked me.

I'm thinking my shoes are going to need the dryer in order to be ready for tomorrow...

A quick note: if you haven't tried green smoothies - do it!  I first read about them on the OhSheGlows blog.  I promise you can't taste the spinach.  They look green but they taste awesome.  Here are two other green smoothies I've made: chocolate banana and pb banana.  I've also done strawberry banana, banana peach, chocolate pb banana, etc.  Give them a try!

20 miles finally finished

Well, close to 20.  I think it ended up being around 19.5.  It's taper time!!!

Favorite part of the run: around mile 6 I was passing an elementary school and a little boy was standing on the corner.  He would go toward the curb, then backup.  There wasn't a crossing guard and I'm pretty sure he didn't know if he was allowed to cross the street without an adult.  I got to the corner and said, "hey, do you want to cross together?"  And we did.  He was cute, even with the snot running out of his nose.  It was cold this morning.

Mile 10 I swung by the house for a bathroom break and for 2 bites of POM brownies.  Yum.

Mile 15 the balls of my feet started aching.  I did some mental tallying in my head... yep, I'm right around 400 miles in these shoes.  Despite what they say about running shoes being able to go 500 miles, my threshold consistently seems to be 400.  At 400 and after my legs just feel like absolute trash - my joints ache and my legs feel heavy and tired.  The last 4 miles were hard.  My body hurt from my neck down to the balls of my feet (literally).  I did a combo of walking and running to get through it, which definitely helped.  Final time: 3:12.  It's just under 10 minute pace, which is slower than I was hoping for... but at least it's finished.  And I'm hopeful that new shoes will really perk up my legs!

Speaking of shoes: they're ordered!

My sister recently got fitted for running shoes and ended up with the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 10's as well.  ...And we both have the same color.  Which means on race day we're going to be ridiculously matchy!

I like to order my running shoes from zbsports.com.  They tend to have the best prices - I got these shoes for at least $20 less than other places... and with cheaper shipping.  Plus, they donate a portion of the sale to a charity of your choice!

While I was out running Dave was busy spreading the smell of ammonia around our property.

(Do you covet his gloves?)  We've had a pair of raccoons frequenting our backyard, deck, and back balcony.  They're also scarily unafraid of us.  Dave shot one with a slingshot and it advanced on him, growling (he admits this was a terrifying experience) and I went out the back door one morning for my run and found a raccoon trotting toward me, instead of away.  Needless to say, I've been going out the front door ever since.

Dave read ammonia repels raccoons, so we've put an ammonia-soaked rag out by the back gate (there's a gap at the bottom where we think they might squeeze through) and also rubbed down the railings of the balcony.  We're hopeful we can get rid of them by smell-repellant and won't have to go more hardcore... with pellet guns or hiring someone.

Have you had any experience with raccoons/unwanted wildlife?

yassos in summary

Today was my last day of yassos!  10 yassos take a good amount of time, so I got up early to get them all in before work.  I started with a 1 mile warm-up, then did 10, then did 1 mile cool-down.  My times weren't my best but also not my worst.  I'll take 'em!  Here's a breakdown of all my yasso weeks:

week 1: 3:47, 3:51, 3:51, 3:53
week 2: 3:59, 3:57, 3:56, 3:56, 3:55
week 3: 3:47, 3:51, 3:46, 3:50, 3:49, 3:50
week 4: skipped
week 5: 3:44, 3:46, 3:50, 3:49, 3:51, 3:50, 3:50, 3:47
week 6: 3:36, 3:39, 3:41, 3:42, 3:43, 3:39, 3:42, 3:42, 3:42
week 7: 3:53, 3:45, 3:46, 3:46, 3:50, 3:56, 3:53, 3:53, 3:51, 3:52

My best time was 3:36, which I got last week (week 6).  Worst time was 3:59, in week 2.  In general I tended to stay around 3:40-3:50... which means, in theory, Kelly and I should get somewhere around 3:50 for our marathon time in September.  It remains to be seen...

While 10 yassos felt like a lot, I think I'll keep up the trackwork.  It was a nice change of pace and I think it really did help me get faster.

Do you do trackwork/speedwork?

rested

My sleep schedule has been out of whack lately, between weekend activities and just regular stuff that has kept Dave and I up past our normal bedtime.  After IKEA this past weekend I just felt completely exhausted.  This morning I decided to skip my run in favor of getting almost 10 hours of sleep.  It. was. amazing.  I might run tonight or I'll just go tomorrow morning, but man, getting some extra sleep and feeling a little bit more on track has made all the difference.  Granted, this means 4 days of rest in the final 3 weeks before my marathon, which maybe seems like a too-soon taper.  Don't worry!  This week is full of 10 yassos and that 20 mile run that I missed last weekend.  I'll get my mileage in!

Don't forget to vote in the reader recipe poll!  I'll announce the winner at lunch today.  Right now we have a three-way tie!

long run: fail

It was one of those mornings today.

My run, which was a planned 20-24 miles (20 being on the training plan... 24 being what I hoped to get), ended at 14.  I felt great until mile 12, when I started feeling queasy and headachey.  I figured my electrolytes were getting out of whack so I came home and drank some homemade sports juice.  I headed back out but quickly came home again - I still felt lightheaded and nauseated. I kind of wonder if I had just stuck it out and not come home if I could have made it?  Sometimes knowing home is so close is killer, I think.  In any case, not exactly sure what caused the downfall of that run - I ate steel cut oats and a peach beforehand, I chomped raisins at 1:20 and 2:00, I drank water, it was fairly cool and not horribly humid.  I could probably list a whole bunch of "maybes" or "shoulda/coulda/wouldas", but the fact is, the run ended short and that's that.  I might try to squeeze another 20 in sometime in the next few days or do another run later today.  This was the last long run before marathon taper, so I'm not thrilled about it coming up short.

The morning didn't improve when I tried to make a green smoothie using milk, spinach, half a giant cucumber (seeds scraped out), half a banana, and half a peach.  The cucumber must've been too big and tough, because instead of just adding water to the smoothie it added a pulpy, gritty texture that was absolutely disgusting.  Smoothie fail.  And down the drain it went... at least the spinach was old anyway.  I ended up doing leftover calzone veggies with scrambled eggs.  It wasn't that good either, but at that point I didn't really care.

At least I have tomorrow to look forward to: a trip to IKEA with Dave and siblings!!

running buddy

I did indeed get my yassos in last night, despite dead-leg feeling from sitting in the cube all day.  I managed to convince my friend Jordan to come out and run them with me.

Jordan and I, in 2007.  Apparently we don't really take pictures together, as this was the only one I could find.

In any case, having a yasso buddy must make me faster.  The numbers:
3:36 (new best!)
3:39
3:41
3:42
**dinner break**
3:43
3:39
3:42
3:42
3:42

Ordinarily I wouldn't stop in the middle for dinner, but it ended up working.  At 5 it was still really hot and the track just seemed to bottle it up.  We were roasting.  After dinner, when I headed out solo, it had cooled off nicely and was really pleasant.  My legs felt like they had loosened up some, too.  I think the mint chocolate graham cookies I ate with dinner helped.

Next week is the last week of yassos before the marathon!  I'm hopeful to get one more best time.

Cubicle again this morning.  I've got coffee!

Do you like running solo or with someone?

running in the dark

I am in the office today, which generally means no running (unless I go after work... and normally after work I just feel like vegging), but this morning I decided to run before work.  This meant getting up at 4am, but I wanted to try it.  I got a fast 5.5 miles in.  The best part was running in the dark - I always feel faster running in the dark.  Do you?  And it's so peaceful and quiet - just you and your breath and your footfalls.  You concentrate on where you're going and where your feet are landing instead of how far you've gone.  It was cool and humid-less this morning, which made me extra happy, too.  It felt just a little bit like fall.  I'm already planning ahead to my long run this weekend - I'm thinking of getting up really early again, so that at least half my run can be in the dark.

However, when I'm running before the sun comes up I always run in safe areas with streetlights.  My route tends to be around a nursing home/assisted living complex.  Sometimes there are old people out walking, or security guys doing rounds in golf carts.  While it's not busy, I know if something would happen to me I could get help easily.  When it starts getting light I'll venture out into more remote areas, but when it's dark I always try to run in "safe" places.

Do you like to run in the dark?  Do you think about run safety or do just run wherever?

yassoing

I have to admit, it felt good to be back running again this morning, even if my legs felt a little stiff from so many days of rest.  I'm eagerly anticipating the end of the week, when this heat wave is supposed to lessen a little.  It is crazy hot/humid out there.  Gross.

I got out this morning before the heat got too bad, thankfully.  This week's yassos: 3:44 (best time so far!), 3:46, 3:50, 3:49, 3:51, 3:50, 3:50, 3:47.  Four miles of speedwork is hard.  Toward the end I felt like I was going slower, but my pace was staying consistent, which shows that they probably do work at training your body to hold a pace.  I'm still not sure I believe that this means I'll run a 3:50 marathon, but hey, doing them can't be hurting my training either.

Other things around the house today: fresh laundry hanging out on the line (it's so hot outside I started sweating just in the ten minutes I was standing there pinning it up) and Iowa bread dough rising in the bowl.  We've also got a project for tonight: check back tomorrow morning for the details.  I have a feeling it's going to be amazing...

Have you used yasso training for a marathon?  Did they work?

rest

I've decided to take a couple running rest days.  Truthfully, my runs lately haven't felt awesome - you may remember I punked out on last week's yassos and my long run on Saturday was pretty slow.  My legs have just felt tired.  This morning I headed out for a run and after 2.5 miles decided to be done.  I wasn't enjoying it and I really don't like to run out of obligation.  I already took a rest day Sunday and Monday, so I decided I'll continue it today (minus that 2.5 I did) and tomorrow.  Then Thursday I can jump back in it!  I'm pretty sure 4 days of rest is going to be just perfect.

double day

My run this morning stopped at 17.4 miles - I dorked around this morning and didn't leave the house until 6am, then ran kind of slow (I just felt blah).  I passed by the house at just about 9 and had to stop - I was due for breakfast with friends a little later on and I didn't think they really wanted me in the sweaty state I was in.

Fast forward to this afternoon (past some really amazing raspberry baked oatmeal with super thick plain yogurt) - I decided to head back out for another lap to get my run total where it should be.  I've never really done this before and my legs were a little tired, but I wanted to push it and get the mileage I needed.  It was in the low 80s and really sunny, but a good breeze was going and the humidity was low.

4.8 miles later and I've got 22.2 miles for the day.  Not quite the same as all at once, but maybe close enough?  Sweaty fingers crossed.

yasso FAIL

I'll admit, I punked out on my run this morning.  I did the 2 miles to the track and got out 3 yassos before I turned around and ran home.  I felt really tired and lethargic, even though my times weren't bad (3:47, 3:48, 3:49).  It was densely humid - so foggy at times I couldn't see the other side of the track - and not a whisper of wind to help.  The air was just nasty stagnant and hot and heavy.  Could I have pushed out 4 more yassos?  Probably.  But I don't really regret taking an easier day and coming home - humidity definitely makes a run a lot harder!

I refueled with something I've been missing: an icy cold green smoothie!  One frozen banana, two large handfuls of spinach, milk, and half a peach.

 It's a bread-baking day - something that hasn't happened for awhile.  I love how easy bread is, really - just mix and let rise, pound down, rise again, bake.  Doesn't take much time in the kitchen - you just have to keep checking back!

And a storm day (this explains the crazy early-morning humidity), which means Mosie is crouched as close as possible to my feet.  Sweet little scaredy cat.

test run

I took my new shirt and headband out for a 10 mile test-run this morning (original plan was to go 7 but it was such a nice morning and I was enjoying it so much I just added in an extra loop).

Pre-run, pre-coffee, before humidity and spits of rain.

Post run: perhaps a little sweaty.

The verdict: looooooooved the shirt.  It's cotton, not wicking, so I wasn't sure what to expect.  But the cotton is thin enough that it seems like wicking and it dries super fast.  Plus it's way softer than a wicking shirt.  The shirt was really comfortable (no tugging, no riding up or moving around) and I didn't have any chafing - not at side seams, neckline, or underarms (all typical spots for me).  And the headband stayed exactly put the entire run - even when I was messing with my hair (I had about 20 minutes where a deer fly would not leave me alone and I kept flipping my hair in paranoia that the fly was in my hair, ready to bite me.  It's happened before.  I'm not completely crazy.).  It fit well (I got a medium) - close enough to not be frumpy but not so tight that I felt self-conscious or uncomfortable.  Another bonus: I plan on wearing this shirt both for running and just out and about (c'mon - it's stinkin' adorable) and with cotton I don't have to worry that it will get sweat-smelly.  Wicking shirts tend to hold that smell more, even after you wash them, you know?

I sound like a cotton convert, don't I?  I'll still wear my wicking shirts, too, but I do just really love this shirt!

I'm wearing the other shirt today.  I brought Mosie into the picture because three pictures of just me is too many.  She didn't want to look at the camera though.  Mostly she just looked at me with her "I'm tolerating this but seriously, put me down soon please" face.

Looks like the basil tomato and crouton casserole is this week's winner for the reader recipe poll.  Look for the recipe/review on Friday morning!  Thanks for voting!  Who knows, I might make those other recipes in the future, too - they sounded pretty awesome!

What have you been cooking lately?