2009 November 15

Today I met my beautiful friend, Christie, and her boyfriend, Matt, at the Orlando Food & Wine Festival.

After enjoying myself at Epcot’s International Wine and Food Festival a few weeks ago, I was very excited to experience the localized version. The Orlando festival housed 32 booths representing various local restaurants, bars, and wineries. It was foodie heaven.

I had purchased a ticket to enter the event and then purchased food & wine tickets once I entered to pay for any item I wished to sample.

At first I thought each item would just require one ticket, but some items required 2 or 3.

In the spirit of the Thanksgiving Challenge I arrived with only $20 in cash to stop myself from going overboard. The $20 worth of tickets was more than enough for just me. In fact I probably would have been able to get away with a little less.

Once inside we didn’t waste anytime surveying the options and digging in.

Cabot Cheese Samples

Pitas & Hummus from The Vineyard Wine Company

Meatball Hoagie from Il Mulino New York Trattoria

Italian Ice Cream Sandwiches from Primo <—My Favorite!!!!

Egg Salad Sandwich from Bikes, Beans & Bordeaux Neighborhood Cafe <– Need to check this place out in person

Amberbock

Scallop Salad from The Boheme

Steak Sliders from Ruth Chris <— Split this one with Christie

Finally Cupcakes from Icings

I was STUFFED at this point, so was very thankful when they offered to serve my Carrot Cake cupcake in a to-go cup for later.

I did have a bite of Christie’s Red Velvet Cupcake. Yum!

The theme of the day was definitely stuffing my face. Somehow the idea of moderation went completely out the window. At Epcot’s Festival I had the pleasure of sharing all of my sample plates with Derek, but today it was just me. Everything tasted good and it was hard to stop myself from eating it all.

I left the even feeling stuffed and uncomfortably full. I was so full I found it a little hard to breathe – not a good sign and not a good way to feel. I loved everything I tried, but if I could do it again I would only have a few bites of each sample instead of the whole plate.

I stayed full the rest of the afternoon and the majority of the evening. Around 8:00 I knew I needed to have something for dinner, but nothing was really appealing to me. After staring at fridge I made a small snack plate.

Apples

Carrots

and an almost empty jar of almond butter for dipping.

Don’t know how this piece of cake made it on my there.

I will happily bringing the rest of this cake to work tomorrow morning.

I hope my coworkers enjoy it!

It has been a very long day and my bed is calling my name.

Good Night!!

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I pretty much kicked butt at my run this morning.

17 miles in 2:38:14 at an average pace of 9:18?!?! Wooo hoo!!!

If you would have told me bright and early this morning that I would be kicking so much booty, I wouldn’t have believed you. I woke up feeling very sleep and stalled starting my run by playing on the computer and taking as long as possible getting ready.

Part of stalling was preparing and eating this delicious Almond Butter, Pumpkin Butter, Raisin, and Dark Chocolate Chip sandwich.

I did eventually make it out the door and arrived at the park just as the sun was rising.

Unfortunately it wasn’t until I was parked that I realized I had left my water pack and shot bloks back at my apartment. Oh no! Driving 10 minutes back to my apartment and then 10 more minutes back to the park wasn’t worth it. Instead I ran with some cash and around mile 4 discovered a Publix where I purchased a water, tangerine and a fruit leather strip.

The idea of running by myself let me feeling bored, so I decided to challenge myself on the run and focused on my speed. I tried to keep my pace around 9:15 and was surprised how easily I could accomplish this. Each mile literally flew by and since I was focusing on my pace I never felt bored or alone. The challenge kept me interesting in the run and knowing I was achieving it made me happy.

Around mile 10 I broke out the tangerine , which must have been quite a sight considering I was still running while trying to peel the tangerine, eat the tangerine and spit the zillion of seeds that came from the tangerine. Even though it was a challenge to eat, I really enjoyed the fresh fruit on my run. I need to run with fruit instead of processed fuel more often.

A few miles later I broke out the fruit leather. The fruit leather was another great alternative to my normal running fuel. The simple sugars gave me the boost I needed to finish strong.

Final Stats:

Distance: 17 miles
Time: 2:38:14
Avg Pace: 9:18
Avg Heart Rate: 169

When I made it back to the car I immediately dove into the Renew Glo Bar to prevent any shaky, nauseated feeling I tend to experience after long runs.

The renew bar was amazing! It tasted great and gave me the energy I need immediately after a long run.

Breakfast was prepared almost immediately after walking in the door.

I discovered today that egg whites from a carton do not work in eggs in a basket.

Instead I ended up with holey french toast that I cooked egg white separately for and dropped in the hole and then covered in apricot preserves – tasty!

With my stab at eggs in a basket I had a bowl of yogurt with cantaloupe, pom seeds, and granola.

It was all very refreshing and perfect after a long run!

I wish I could rest for a bit, but I have no time! I am already later for meeting my friend at the Orlando Food and Wine Festival. I have been looking forward to this for months so I know it will be worth it. Be back tonight with a full recap.

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