Sunday, October 5, 2008

Picnic at the Park

by Meghann on October 5, 2008

Ahhh… Sometimes computers just suck, especially mine lately. I had this great entry all typed up and when I went to upload my pictures my computer went crazy and crashed! I love my laptop, but lately it has really been acting up and it’s so frustrating.

Let’s see if I can remember what I typed. I’m sorry in advance if it sounds rushed, :(

Before my afternoon plans I tried a Kashi Pumpkin Spice Granola bar.

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It was great! It had a nice pumpkin taste to it complete with crunchy pumpkin seeds.

This afternoon I met up with Caitlin, her FH and a couple of their friends for a nice picnic lunch in the park. I haven’t had a picnic in forever. It gets too hot in Florida during the summer to eat outside in the sun, but the fall season is upon us and today the weather was perfect.

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The dogs even tagged along!

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Abbie had been cooped up in the apartment all weekend and was dying to be outside. She was so excited to be there. We made the mistake of letting her out of her leash once and she took off in circles playing the ‘come and get me’ game. She had a ball!

Upon arrival (first things, first) Caitlin handed me a Harvest Moon beer.

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This was my first pumpkin beer of the season and I must say I was in love. It’s so sad they only sell these for a short time out of the year. Autumn is definitely the best beer season.

Caitlin and the boys did a great time prepping the lunch for the picnic. My lunch included a cheddar & provolone cheese, turkey, ham, lettuce, tomato & onion sub.

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And several handfuls of Blue Corn Tortilla chips and medium salsa.

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These chips are so addicting. I must admit that I lost track of how many times my hand went in the bad for another tasty chip.

While the boys played ‘football’ Caitlin and I decided to relax on the picnic blankets and break into our second beers.

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There’s something do relaxing laying on the grass and enjoying a beer. It was fun to play catch up and just enjoy the last day of the weekend.

After the park I was pooped and crashed on my couch as soon as I came home. After an hour or so nap I got up to prep dinner.

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I had Sundried Tomato Ravioli with tomato sauce, to which I added eggplant, okra, mushroom, and onions. I topped the pasta with some low fat Gorgonzola Cheese. I love adding extra veggies to any tomato sauce to up the nutritional value.

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On the side I had a quick garlic bread. Just whole wheat toast topped with smart balance butter and some garlic salt.

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For dessert I munched on a wonderful organic chocolate fudge cookie. (You can see my first entry attempt in the background)

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Well I’m pretty sure my first post was better, but I got all of the stuff out I wanted to say.

Has anyone seen Run, Fatboy, Run? It’s about a guy trying to impress his old girlfriend by running a whole marathon in less then three weeks. It’s ridiculous and hilarious at the same time. I am currently enjoying it while typing both of my posts. I can’t wait to see if he can pull it off. I highly suggest this to any avid runner looking for a good laugh! :)

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An Unexpected PDR

by Meghann on October 5, 2008

I started my run this morning planning on going 8 miles. I went to Wekiva Trail, which is one of my favorites because the trail is marked with mile markers to let you know how far you’ve gone. When I reach mile marker 4 , my planned original turning point, I felt good and figured I could get another half a mile and turn around at 4.5. When I reached 4.5 I knew I was so close to mile marker 5 and if I hit that and turned around I would have gone 10 miles. I knew there was no way I could come so close to 10 miles and not go for it so I easily pushed through to mile marker 5 and finally turned around.

It wasn’t til I actually turned around and started heading back that it hit me I was only halfway and still had 5 more miles to go to get back to the trail head. This is when I started doubting my decision to go so far. But I pushed through it and just kept reminding myself how great it would be to set a new PDR. The rest of the run was a piece of cake, I approached it slowly and finished at a very comfortable pace.

I now can’t believe I just ran 10 miles! I have now entered the magical world of double digits! Woo hoo!!!! I feel great. I still find it amazing how fast my body recovers. I was breathing normally before I even got into my car. Now  I feel so relaxed and at piece. I love that accomplished feeling after a great run.

Stats:

Distance: 10 Miles (NEW PDR!)

Time: 1 hr 54 mins 13 secs

Before my run I had a mini Pecan Pie Larabar and right after my race I had a mini Cashew Cookie Larabar waiting for me in the car.

When I made it back home I was of course starving and really wanting eggs. Unfortunately I am completed out of eggs, but I did have some leftover Butternut Squash Strata. This was the perfect solution to my dilemma.

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On the side I had a fruit salad made up of a small plum and a handful of grapes.

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Another great post run meal.

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There is a picnic in the future for me today, so I probably won’t be able to post again until tonight. Have a great Sunday everyone!

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